Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	authority_n	king_n	person_n	3,276	5	5.0737	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76118	The sea-mans diall, or, The mariners card: directing unto the safe port of Christian obedience. And shewing the reasons which moved the authour, a sea commander, to returne unto his loyalty, and the service of the Soveraigne. As it was sent in a letter to a private friend, to be published from him unto the seamen; and is by this friend thus intituled: and dedicated unto the consideration, and commended unto the practise of all honest true hearted sea-men of England.	Batten, William, Sir, d. 1667.	1648 (1648)	Wing B1153; Thomason E459_14	4,990	8

THE SEA-MANS DIALL OR THE MARINERS CARD Directing unto the safe Port of CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE And shewing the reasons which moved the Authour A Sea Commander to returne unto his Loyalty and the service of his Soveraigne As it was sent in a Letter to a private Friend to be published from him unto the Seamen and is by this Friend thus intituled And Dedicated unto the consideration and commended unto the practise of all honest true hearted Sea-men of England Printed in the Yeare 1648. The Seamans Diall c. Gentlemen and deare fellow Seamen I Would no wayes have you to wonder that notwithstanding the Oathes I have taken and the ingagements I have made together with my credit and the trust the Parliament put in me I should neverthelesse leave the Parliament and now betake my selfe unto the service of my Soveraigne gracious King Charles in which I am resolved to live and dye For my Oathes the Solemne League and Covenant binde us unto the preservation of Religion and Liberties and to maintaine and defend the Kings Person and Authority Concerning Religion since wee tooke the Covenant that is almost quite lost and that which ought to be but One is now increased into so many that the Religion of these times is like unto a Common-Queane that hath borne a Childe unto every Whoremaster in the Parish and hath as many names and sirnames for her Bastards as she hath had Fornicators for their Fathers and therefore is it that since wee left the old Protestant Religion of the Church of England which King Charles well maintained Anabaptists Brownists Famelists Erastians Quakers Shakers Independents and many more Sects which are unworthy the naming are so ripe amongst us because wee have left our first love and our first faith and are gone almost every one as the Scripture sayes a whoring after our owne inventions so that the truth and life of Religion is even quite lost in us and you know fellow seamen that there was never so much cunning and cozening and such deceipt in trade amongst us as since these holy professors began to increase Besides how for our wavering and ficklenesse in Religion are we marked and pointed at beyond the Seas And no marvell wee are become a scorne unto others if wee consider how much worse and more corrupt wee are growne in our manners for since this new preaching and praying came amongst us I see no amendment in our lives onely our professors can sinne with more secresie and cunning and doe allow that unto themselves under some name in Religion which they condemne in others whoring and cheating and lying and dissembling being no faults in these men when they will openly raile at the merriments or drunkenesse which I doe not excuse of other men as though Almighty God and they say so too would see no sinne in these Saints and you may observe this sort of men much more ambitious and coveteous then other men are You see that our old honest preaching which gave us instruction for our conversation towards God and man and to lead our lives in all honesty and godlinesse of living is turned into rayling against the King and the Bishops and the Cavaliers and our old government in Church and Common-wealth under which God did much more blesse us then now yea not onely the Ministers but every other man preaches amongst us and men that cannot well read will be expounding the Scriptures though St. Paul says there are many things in them hard to be understood And since the booke of Common-prayer which I have heard the Martyrs of the Protestant Religion gathered together was suppressed every man prayeth and prates as he pleaseth and men are become more confident and familiar with God and be much lesse humble then ever the Saints or Christ himselfe were in their prayers set downe unto us in the Scripture praying for nothing but what may please them or for a blessing upon the plots of the Parliament yet these who doe thus destroy Religion are wee see the men whom the Parliament principally encourage which sure cannot be thought the preservation of Religion according unto the Covenant For our liberties though I cannot I praise God much complaine my selfe yet I have heard ten times more stories of the oppression of the Subjects since the Parliament sate then in the whole Reigne of King James and King Charles yet wee know how many worthy Commanders and Seamen have been put out of their places and cast into prison as Stradling Kettleby Ashly and others unto the utter undoing of their wives and children without any examination or offence proved but meerely for suspition that they loved the King were plainely see there is no Law but the will of the Parliament and whereas before it was lawfull to sue the King himselfe in any of the Courts now a Parliament man must not be toucht And who can say that ever he could get any justice against a Parliament man by a Petition unto the Houses In the Covenant wee have sworne to defend the Kings Person and Authority yet wee know that he hath been long kept so straight a Prisoner that the meanest Subject would have thought himselfe very much wronged to have been kept so long in prison without a hearing for the Kings Authority the very name of that is scarce left us when it is become a great fault to pray for the King or to drinke unto his health although Gods word bids us pray for Kings 1 Tim. 2.2 And if the least signe of duty and well wishing unto him can be discovered it is proofe enough to put a man out of any place of profit or trust You see how wel the Parliament have maintained the Kings Authority when that they have voted that no further Addresses be made unto him and when the Army have in their Declaration told us That they are resolved to settle the government without a King and against him and against all that take part with him which is the same thing as to say That they will have no King at all to raigne over them There can be no man so silly sure as to thinke that the Parliament or Army ever thinke to have a King when they will not proceed against Rolph who hath three witnesses to prove against him a designe to take away the Kings life by the perswasion of the Army because no doubt many of both Houses had their hands with him in the plot For the Covenant though I could have been well contented that I had never taken it I believe I have kept it better in leaving the Parliament then I should have done by staying in their service for they have put downe both Religion and the King and broken the Covenant in every point but in pulling downe the Prelates and that it must be thought was to get the Bishops Lands for themselves for Popery wee see they passe not much of it The Covenant was for the preservation of Religion and liberties

and to maintaine the Kings Person and authority this Oath I tooke and so far will keepe it God assisting preserve to my power the Protestant Religion which the Parliament practise to suppresse and defend the King whom the Parliament would depose they were the ends for which I tooke the Oath I breake not my Oath and trust when I keepe the end of my Oath and trust which were to preserve Religion and defend the King if they will as they do destroy both it is they have broke their Oath and trust and not I for I would never have undertaken a trust to destroy these two things which every Christian ought to serve and honour his Religion and King which since the Parliament as all men see have done let them trust unto themselves and their Sectaries no honest man that hath a conscience unto God can keepe such a trust unlesse he will commit the greatest sinne against God and his owne Conscience and therefore deare fellow Sea-men be no longer abused by the devices of the Parliament but returne unto your duty of obedience unto God and the King Give unto God the things that are Gods and unto Caesar the things that are Caesars Matt. 22.21 joyne your hearts and hands with us your Brethren now in the Kings service to restore the protestant Religion and his Majestyes Religion ought to be one and the same we ought not to halt betweene two Religions 1. Kings 18.19 There are now instead of two Religions more then the Moone hath changes in the yeare let us set up the old protestant Religion used in King Edwards dayes in blessed Queene Elizabeths dayes in King James his happy dayes and in the Raigne of King Charles which was a prosperous time untill the Parliament Ruled and suffred him not to Raigne Let us restore the King who hath beene more wronged then ever Prince was Gods word commands us to honour our King not to think ill of him much lesse to speake ill of him and surely least of all to lift up our hands or sight against him which whosoever doth shall receive unto himselfe damnation 1. Pet. 2.17 Exod. 22.8 Eccl. 10.20 Job 34.18 1. Sam. 26.9 Prov. 30.31 Ecle 8.2 Rom. 13.1 Our King is a good King a most gracious Prince tender of his Subjects loving to his Queene carefull of his Children courteous to his people bountifull to his Servants zealous towards God his whole life was never stained with a foule fault what man is there in both the Houses like him for conversation what leading man is there amongst them that may not be marked forth by some sinne let us then lend our helpe unto him and pull downe his Enemies The strengths of the Kingdome whereof the Navy are the chiefe are by the Law the Kings I have heard that what in the time of Peace is a private mans property if it be a strength put to the case a Castle or ship of defence during time of war becomes the Kings by the Law of the Land the Parliament have wrested the King out of his Rights out of the strengths of the Kingdome both by Sea and Land It is in your power in part to right him and to deliver unto him not onely what is always his owne the Royall Navy but also what this war maks his the use of all vessels of defence The Sea-men are the wall of this Iland do your duties there is no man can put a trust upon you or you receive any but that which stands with your duty to your Prince which you owe unto him and whilst you do you make no breach of trust unto any other for you do but what honesty requires give every man his owne and this we ought to do or otherwise you joyne with them that wrong the King in not giving unto him what the Lawes of the Land give unto him for suppose a man take away a purse of money upon the high-way from another and gives me who know not be came by it by robbery this purse to keep afterwards I certainely finde that the money is not his but an honest mans from whom he tooke it by violence unto which of the two think you am I bound to restore the purse whether unto him who gave it me in trust to keep or unto the true owner Certainely unto the true owner when I know him to be so and not unto the robber for then I make my selfe a thiefe with him for he cannot trust me with that which is properly another mans and the Lawes of God and man bids us give unto every man that which is his owne and so would I wish you deare fellow Sea-men to do and what I speake unto you I speake likewise unto the Water-men that Company hath alwaies beene a Nursery of able Sea-men By this course ye shall not only do what every Christian ought to be carefull of your duty to God and your King but also exceedingly relieve your Countrey and benefit your selves for you know the great decay of trade and how the Merchants by whom the most of you live are almost beggered which hath brough such great want upon many of you and your poore families only the Sea-men have not been so poore since the memory of man and surely because of our disobedience unto our Soveraigne King Charles is this great curse come upon us we were first used to serve the Parliaments wicked turnes against the King Returne then honest hearts unto your King and doubt not but you will recover your losses and gaine Gods blessing upon you we have great encouragements to gather and keepe together to doe this good worke wee have able and good Churchmen with us who have not turned about with the winds of new doctrines we have many well borne Gentlemen amongst as Commanders we have the Kings Son his Highnesse the Doke of Yorke our Admirall we stand up for our Religion our King and our liberties all which the Sectaries trample upon and would pull downe His Highnesse the Prince of Wales hath declared 1. The reestablishment of the Protestant Religion 2. To rescue his Majesty from imprisonment that he may si● with the Parliament and enjoy his rights 3. That the two Houses of Parliament may be restored unto their fieedome 4. That the King ●ome may be eased of Excize 5. That the Army of Sectar●s may be dub nded 6. That all t●xes and Cesses may be taken off 7. That the narrow Seas may be protected for the carrying on of a free trade for Merch ants ships 8. I hat the City of London may enjoy their Priviledg●s and rights These are the th●●gs we stand up for and doubt not through Gods blessing to go through stitch If you like these matters then a Gods name send us your helpe and so I commend me heartily unto you all and pray God to direct you unto this duty that our Land may againe rejoyce under the Government of our Soveraigne which now mournes under the Tyranny of the Parliament for when the Righteous are in authority the People rejoyce but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourne Prov. 20.2 From the Downes Aug. 10. 1648. W. B. FINIS