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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	according_a	church_n	truth_n	2,787	5	5.3470	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68712	His Majesties proclamation in Scotland: with an explanation of the meaning of the Oath and Covenant. By the Lord Marquesse, his Majesties high commissioner. Set forth by the Kings speciall licence; Proclamations. 1638-12-08	Scotland. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I); Hamilton, James Hamilton, Duke of, 1606-1649. Explanation of the meaning of the Oath and the Covenant. aut	1639 (1639)	STC 22001.5; ESTC S100073	9,413	23

very foundation of justice both in church and common-wealth Secondly it cannot be imagined that this oathshould oblige the now takers of it farther then it did oblige the takers of it at first for doctrine and points of faith it did oblige them then and so doth it us now perpetually because these points in themselves are perpetuall immutable and eternall But for points of discipline and government and policie of the Church that oath could binde the first takers of it no longer then that discipline and government should stand in force by the laws of this Church and Kingdome which our Church in her positive confession of faith printed amongst the acts of Parliament artic 20.21 declareth to be alterable at the will of the Church it self and so repealable by succeeding acts if the Church shall see cause When a king at his coronation taketh an oath to rule according to the laws of his kingdome or a judge at his admission sweareth to give judgement according to these laws the meaning of their oaths cannot be that they shall rule or judge according to them longer then they continue to be laws But if any of them shall come afterwards to be lawfully repealed both king and judge are free from ruling and judging according to such of them as are thus lawfully repealed notwithstanding their originall oath Since therfore if the first takers of that oath were now alive they could not be said to have abjured episcopall government which hath been since established by the lawes of this church and kingdome especially considering that this church in her confession holdeth church government to be alterable at the will of the church certainly we repeating but their oath cannot be said to abiure that government now more then they could be said to do it if they were now alive and repeating the same oath Thirdly how can it be thought that the very act of his Maiesties commanding this oath should make episcopall government to be abiured by it more then the covenanters requiring it of their associats in both covenants the words and syllables of the confession of faith being the same Now it is wel known that many were brought in to subscribe their covenant by the solemn protestations of the contrivers urgers of it that they might subscribe it without abiuring of episcopacie and other such things as were established by law since the time that this oath was first invented and made and the three Ministers in their first answers to the Aberdene Quaeres have fully and clearly expressed themselves to that sense holding these things for the present not to be abiured but only referred to the triall of a free generall Assembly and likewaies the adherers to the last protestation against his Majesties proclamation bearing date the 9. of September in their ninth reason against the subscription urged by his Maiesty do plainly averre that this oath urged by his Maiesty doth oblige the takers of it to maintain Perth articles and to maintain episcopacy Why therefore some men swearing the same words syllables should have their words taken to another sense be thought to abiure episcopall government more then others who have taken the same oath in the same words must needs passe the capacity of an ordinary understanding Fourthly it is a received maxime and it cannot bedenied but that oaths ministred unto us must either be refused or else taken according to the known mind professed intention and expresse command of authority urging the same A proposition not onely received in all schools but positively set down by the adherers to the said protestation totidem verbis in the place above cited But it is notoriously known even unto those who subscribed the confession of faith by his Majesties commandment that his Majestie not only in his kingdomes of England and Ireland is a maintainer and upholder of episcopall government according to the laws of the said Churches and Kingdomes but that likewaies he is a defender and intends to continue a defender of the same government in his kingdome of Scotland both before the time and at the time when he urged this oath as is evident by that which is in my Lord Commissioner his preface both concerning his Majesties instructions to his Grace and his Graces expressing his Majesties mind both to the Lords of Councell and to the Lords of Session and the same likewaies is plainly expressed and acknowledged by the adherers to the said protestation in the place above cited their words being these And it is most manifest that his Majesties mind intention and commandment is no other but that the confession be sworn for the maintenance of religion as it is already or presently professed these two being co-incident altogether one and the same not only in our common form of speaking but in all his Majesties proclamations and thus as it includeth and continueth within the compasse thereof the foresaids novations and episcopacie which under that name were also ratified in the first parliament holden by his Majesty From whence it is plaine that episcopacie not being taken away or suspended by any of his Majesties declarations as these other things were which they call novations it must needs both in deed and in the judgment of the said protesters no waies be intended by his Majestie to be abjured by the said oath Now both the major and that part of the minor which concerneth episcopall government in the Church of Scotland being cleerly acknowledged by the protesters and the other part of the minor concerning that government in his other two kingdomes being notoriously known not only to them but to all others who know his Majesty how it can be imagined that his Majesty by that oath should command episcopacy to be abjured or how any one to whom his Majesties mind concerning episcopall government was known could honestly or safely abjure it let it be left to the whole world to judge especially considering that the protesters themselves in that place above cited by a dilemma which we leave to themselves to answer have averred that when that act of councell should come out yet that it could not be inferred from thence that any such thing was abjured Fifthly and lastly if the explanation in that act of councell be taken in that not only rigid but unreasonable and senselesse sense which they urge yet they can never make it appear that episcopall government at the first time of the administring of that oath was abolished The very words of that confession of faith immediately after the beginning of it being these Received beleeved defended by many and sundry notable kirks and Realms but chiefly by the kirk of Scotland the Kings Majestie and three Estates of this realme as Gods eternall truth only ground of our salvation c. By which it is evident that the subscription to this confession of faith is to be urged in no other sense then as it was then beleeved and received by the Kings Majestie

and the three Estates of this realme at that time in being and it is well known that at that time Bishops Abbots and Priors made up a third estate of this realm which gave approbation to this confession of faith and therefore it is not to be conceived that this third estate did then abjure episcopacie or that episcopacie was at the first swearing of that confession abolished But say that at that time it was abolished by acts of generall Assembly yet was it not so by any act of Parliament nay by many acts of Parliament it was in force because none of them was repealed some whereof are annexed in the sheet immediatly after these reasons which we pray the reader carefully to peruse and ponder and at the very time of the taking of this oath and after bishops whose names are well known were in being Now it is to be hoped that in a Monarchy or any other well constituted republick that damnable Jesuiticall position shall never take place That what is once enacted by a Monarch his three estates in Parliament shall ever be held repealed or repealable by any ecclesiasticall nationall Synod By all which it is evident that the explanation of that act of councell so groundlesly urged can induce no man to imagine that by the confession of faith lately sworn by his Majesties commandment episcopall government which then did and yet doth stand established by acts of this Church and Kingdome either was or possibly could be abjured And having now good Reader heard his Majesties minde in his instructions to us our minde in requiring in his Majesties name this oath to be taken and these few reasons of many which do evidently evince the inconsequence of that sense which without any show of inference is put upon it by those who would go on in making men still beleeve that all which they do or say is grounded upon authority though they themselvs do well know the contrary we suppose that all they who have taken this oath will rest satisfied that they have not abjured episcopal government and that they who shall take it will take it in no other sense Which timely warning of ours we are the more willing to give because we are given to understand that even they who were wont to call the takers of this oath notwithstanding of that explanation by act of councell perjured and damned persons and in their pulpits called the urging of it the depth of Sathan do now mean to take it themselves and urge others to take it in that sense which they make men beleeve though wrongfully that act of councell makes advantageous to their ends But we do in his Majesties name require that none presume to take the said oath unlesse they be required so to do by such as shall have lawfull authority from his Majestie to administer it unto them being confident that none either will or can take the said oath or any other oath in any sense which may not consist with episcopall government having his Majesties sense and so the sense of all lawfull authority fully explained to them THat episcopall jurisdiction was in force by acts of parliament and no wayes abolished nor suppressed in the year 1580. nor at the time of reformation of religion within the realm of Scotland doth evidently appeare by the acts of parliament after mentioned First by the parliament 1567. cap. 2. whereby at the time of reformation the Popes authority was abolished it is enacted by the said act That no bishop nor other prelate in this realm use any jurisdiction in time coming by the bishop of Romes authority And by the third act of the same parliament whereby it is declared That all acts not agreeing with Gods word and contrary to the confession of faith approved by the estates in that parliament to have no effect nor strength in time to come Whereby it is evident that it was not the reformers intention to suppresse episcopacie but that bishops should not use any jurisdiction by the bishop of Rome his authority and seeing they did allow episcopacie to continue in the church that they did not esteeme the same contrary to Gods word and confession foresaid as appeares more clearly by the sixth act of the said parliament which is ratified in the parliament 1579. cap. 68. whereby it is declared That the ministers of the blessed Evangel of Jesus Christ whom God of his mercie hath now raised up amongst us or hereafter shall raise agreeing with them that now live in doctrine or administration of the sacraments and the people of this realme that professe Christ as he is now offered in his Evangel and do communicate with the holy sacraments as in the reformed kirks of this realme they are publickly administrate according to the confession of the faith to be the only true and holy kirk of Jesus Christ within this realme without any exception by reason of policy and discipline declaring only such as either gain-say the word of the Evangel according to the heads of the said confession or refuse the participation of the holy sacraments as they are now ministrate to be no members of the said kirk so long as they keep themselves so divided from the society of Christs body Whereby it is manifest that it was not the said reformers minde to exclude any from that society by reason of discipline and that they did not at that time innovate or change any thing in that policy they found in the said kirk before the reformation This is likewaies evident by the oath to be ministred to the king at his coronation by the eighth act of the said parliament wherby he is to swear to maintain the true religion of Jesus Christ the preaching of his holy word and due and right ministration of the sacraments now received and preached within this realm and shall abolish and gain-stand all false religion contrary to the same without swearing to any innovation of policie and discipline of the kirk Secondly it doth evidently appear by these subsequent acts of parliament that by the municipall law of this realm archbishops and bishops was not only allowed in the kirk but also had jurisdiction and authority to govern the same First by the 24 act of the said parliament whereby all civill priviledges granted by our soveraigne Lords predecessors to the spirituall estate of this realm are ratified in all points after the form and tenor thereof And by the 35. act of the parliament 1571. whereby all and whatsoever acts and statutes made of before by our soveraigne Lord and his predecessors anent the freedome and liberty of the true kirk of God are ratified and approved By the 46. act of the parliament 1572. whereby it is declared that Archbishops and bishops have the authority and are ordained to conveen and deprive all inferiour persons being ministers who shal not subscribe the articles of religion and give their oath for acknowledging and recognoscing of our soveraigne