Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	king_n	law_n	restrain_v	2,948	5	9.3714	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50664	Immorality, debauchery, and profaneness, exposed to the reproof of Scripture, and the censure of the law containing a compendium of the penal laws now in force against idleness, profaneness, and drunkenness, houses of unlawful games, profane swearing and cursing, speaking or acting in contempt of the Holy Sacrament, disturbing of ministers, profane jesting with the name of God, absenting form the church, profanation of the Lord's day, debauched incontinency, and bastard-getting : with several texts of Scripture prohibiting such vices : also a brief collection of several signal judgments of God against offenders in the said vices and debaucheries / published for the advancement of reformation of manners, so happily begun and carried on by several societies, by G. Meriton, Gent.	Meriton, George, 1634-1711.	1698 (1698)	Wing M1800; ESTC R16769	67,391	130

will not be altogether improper before I proceed to give an account of the Laws made for the observation of the Lords day to set down an Abstract here of the Statute of E. 6. about the Sacrament and of that of Q. M. about disturbing Ministers likewise the Statute Jac. 1. about profane speaking or jesting with the Name of God c. and then to proceed to the other Laws By the Statute 1 E. 6. Ch. 1. it is Enacted That none shall speak or do any thing in contempt of the most Holy Sacrament in pain of Imprisonment and to make Fine and Ransom at the King 's Will. Three Justices of the Peace Quor unus have power to take Information by the Oaths of two lawful Persons at least concerning the Offence aforesaid and to bind over by Recognizances every Accuser and Witness in five Pound apiece to appear at the next Sessions to give Evidence against the Offendors who are there to be enquired of before three Justices or more by the Oaths of twelve men and also indicted if the matter alledged against them be found true the Offence to be prosecuted within three Months By the Statute 1 M. Sess 2. Ch. 3. it is Enacted That if any shall disturb a Preacher lawfully Licensed in his open Sermon or Collation he shall be by the Constables or Church-wardens of the Parish brought before a Justice of the Peace who upon due Accusation shall commit him to safe Custody and within six days after together with another Justice shall diligently examine the Fact who if they find cause shall commit him to the common Goal there to remain for three Months and from thence to the next Quarter-Sessions at Which upon the parties Reconciliation and entring into Bond for good Behaviour for one whole Year at discretion of the Justices in Sessions he shall be released but if he persist still in his Obstinacy he shall remain in Prison without Bail until he shall reconcile and be penitent for his Offence He that rescues an Offendor in this kind shall suffer like Imprisonment as aforesaid and besides shall forfeit five Pounds to the King The Inhabitants of a Town that suffer such an Offendor to escape shall forfeit five Pounds being presented before the Justices of Peace in Sessions within the County or Corporation where the escape was made Justices of Peace Assize and Oyer and Terminer and Mayors and head Officers of Corporations have power to hear and determin these Offences and to impose the Fines aforesaid This Act shall not restrain the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Laws howbeit none shall be punished here for one Offence By the Statute 3 Jac. 1. Ch. 21. None shall in any Stage-play Shew May game or Pageant profanely use the Name of God Christ Jesus the Holy Ghost or Trinity on pain of ten Pounds to be divided between the King and Prosecutor It 's said that Constantine the Great made Laws for the strict observation of the Lord's Day commanding that through all the Roman Empire all servile Employments should cease on those days he prescribed also a form for the Legions of Soldiers to be used both on the Sabbath-days and other days and himself used to shew much Reverence and Attention to the Word of God so that many times he would stand up all the Sermon time and when some of his Courtiers told him that it would tend to his disparagement he answered that it was in the Service of the great God who was no respecter of Persons By the Statute 1 Eliz. Ch. 2. Every Person is to resort to their Parish Church or upon let thereof to some other every Sunday and Holy-day upon pain to be punished by Censures of the Church and also to forfeit twelve pence for every Default to be levied by the Church-wardens there for the use of the Poor upon the Offendor's Goods by way of Distress and for want of Distress to be committed to some Prison until the same be paid And by the Statute 23 El. Ch. 1. Every Person not repairing to Church according to the Statute aforesaid shall forfeit twenty Pounds for every Month they so make Default and if the Offendor is not able to pay and do not pay within three Months after Judgment then to be committed to Prison and there to remain until he have satisfied the same or shall conform himself and go to the Church By the Statute 3 Jac. 1. Ch. 4. The King may refuse the twenty Pounds a Month for absenting from the Church and take in lieu thereof two third parts of the absenters Lands and Leases but here he shall not include the Recusants Mansion-house nor demise the two third parts to a Recusant or to any other for a Recusants use The Church-wardens and Constables of every Parish or one of them or if there be none such then the High-Constable of the Hundred there shall present once every year at the general Sessions of the Peace the monthly absence from Church of every Popish Recusant and then Children being above the Age of nine years and their Servants together with the Age of their Children as near as they can know them on pain to forfeit respectively for every such default twenty Shillings which Presentment the Clerk of the Peace or Town-Clerk shall record without Fee on pain of forty Shillings If upon such Presentment being the first the Recusant be convicted the Officer that presents him shall have forty Shillings reward to be levied by Warrant upon the Recusants Goods and Estate as the more part of the Justices of Peace shall think fit But Note that his Majesties Protestant Subjects Dissenting from the Church of England and qualified according to the late Statute of Indulgence are exempted from the Penalties of these Statutes The command of the Sabbath hath a special memento prefixed to it which may not only note to us that we are by this Memento Remember thou keep Holy the Sabbath-day to observe the Lord's zeal for the observance thereof but we are thereby put in mind timely to lay aside our worldly Business and get our Hearts into readiness for the entertainment of God into the same And altho nothing is more acceptable to God than the true and sincere Worship and Service of him according to his Holy Will and that the Holy keeping of the Lord's-day is a principal part of the true Worship and Service of God Yet the People of this Kingdom having enjoyed a long continued series of Peace Plenty and Prosperity instead of rendring thanks to Almighty God for this great Blessing and of serving him in Holiness and Righteousness of Life and Conversation they on the contrary like the idolatrous Jews upon the making of their Golden-Calf they sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play Exod. 32. 6. 1 Cor. 10. 7. Nay the people of this Realm were so entirely devoted to Games and Pastimes that they could not or would not forbear them upon the Lord's Day but spent that