<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-10-08</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140615.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A91037">
<STC T="W">P3536</STC>
<STC T="T">E89_19</STC>
<STC T="C">R16831</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99860100</BIBNO>
<VID>155724</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>The Priviledges OF PARLIAMENT: OR, A Mode&s;t ANSVVER to the&s;e three QUESTIONS:
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>I. Whether it be in the power of a Parliament, called by Writ, to alter pre-e&s;tabli&s;hed State-government?</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>II. Whether it be in the power of a Parliament to alter Church-government?</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>III. Whether it be in the power of a Parliament (when their Rights and ju&s;t Priviledges be undermined, and &s;ought to be &s;ubverted by private &s;tratagems, or publike warre) to take up armes in defence of them&s;elves and the whole Kingdome?</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for Thomas Harri&s;on. 1643.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>Englands State-Policy: OR, The Priviledges of a PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1 _FIr&s;t, Let a Parliament be con&s;idered in its denomination, and &s;omthing will be added to its &s;plendor and per&s;picuity: It is cal|led a <HI>Parlement,</HI> or <HI>Parliament,</HI> taking its derivation from the French word, <HI>Parle,</HI> or <HI>Parler,</HI> to <HI>&s;peake,</HI> or <HI>&s;peaking,</HI> and the Latin word <HI>Mens,</HI> a <HI>mind,</HI> and according to the Engli&s;h &s;en&s;e attributed thereto, by contraction it is called <HI>A Speech of the mind:</HI> By which is to be collected, that the Members of that honourable Senate have e|ven in the denomination of their Councell imported freedome of &s;peech, to utter their minds and opinions freely, for the good of the King and Common-wealth, without any impeachment or contradiction.</P>
<P N="2">2 Con&s;ider the vertue of a Parliament, which is de&s;cribed by the operative power of it to cure the di&s;ea&s;es of the Common|wealth, by obtaining tho&s;e things which are beneficiall, and re|moving &s;uch things as are prejudiciall to the Kingdome, by puni&s;h|ing Delinquents, Malignants, &amp;c. And &s;o from the vertue of Par|liaments, I proceed to the antiquity of them.</P>
<P N="3">3 The antiquity of a Parliament is manife&s;ted not to be of late,
<PB N="2" REF="3">but long &s;ince in&s;tituted: It hath been in more e&s;timation in its priority, then in the&s;e latter times and decrepit age of the world, more e&s;teemed when it was new and in its minority, then now: It is a maxime of the mad world; <HI>Too much of one thing is good for nothing:</HI> This Probleme &s;eems verified in our time: frequen|cy of benefits not regarded &s;eems tedious and irk&s;ome; &s;hort and &s;weet, but too much u&s;ed is weari&s;ome: it proves &s;o in the&s;e times: the con&s;tancy of Parliaments made this nation &s;ecure, and re&s;t &s;afely in their councels; but intermi&s;&s;ion preventing their free intercour&s;e, made the u&s;e of them neglected, and of little e&s;ti|mation: for probate of the antiquity of Parliaments, I need not bring many Authors: &s;ince <HI>William the Conquerour</HI> it hath been in u&s;e, and the onely way in e&s;teem for the pre&s;ervation of the li|berty and immunities of the &s;ubjects of <HI>England,</HI> and before his Reigne, from King <HI>Lucius</HI> to <HI>Edward the Confe&s;&s;our,</HI> Councels both of the Lords and Commons of the Realm hath been &s;um|moned to treat of the weighty affaires of the Kingdome, for the &s;afety and protection thereof again&s;t forraigne force and inva&s;ion; yea in the time of the divi&s;ion of this I&s;le by the Septuagint, or reigne of the &s;even Kings, Councells of this nature in their &s;eve|rall Juri&s;dictions have been &s;ummoned, and therefore the benefit of Councels have been known before now: I mean, Councels Nationall. But (as I &s;aid) the neglect or abu&s;e makes them now of no value, which is the cau&s;e (as I conceive) that makes this pre|&s;ent Parliament regardle&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially this Nation being grown to that height of carele&s;&s;e liberty, and over-&s;pread with contrary o|pinions of the be&s;t way for the &s;ecurity thereof, that every man would now be his own judge, what Law and Religion is be&s;t to follow and be ob&s;erved (not looking back to the peaceable times of former ages, when the whole State agreed in one uniformity of law and religion mo&s;t agreeable to &s;acred Writ and divine ap|probation) by which means have accrued the&s;e &s;ad di&s;a&s;ters and di&s;tempers that now this land doth groane under; and having plunged it &s;elf into the&s;e troubles, will not admit of tho&s;e medi|cines that may cure the&s;e &s;ores, pre&s;cribed and propounded by the Parliament. And now I proceed to the Power and Juri&s;diction of that high Court, wherein it will not be ami&s;&s;e to con&s;ider of the&s;e particulars: <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<P N="1">1 <HI>Whether it be in the power of a Parliament called by Writ to alter pre-e&s;tabli&s;hed State-government.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 <HI>Whether it be in the power of a Parliament to alter Church-government.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>Whether it be in the power of a Parliament, when their Rights and just Priviledges be undermined, and &s;ought to be &s;ubverted by private &s;tratagems, or publike warre, to take up armes in defence of them&s;elves and the whole Kingdome.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1 Touching alteration of State-government pre-e&s;tabli&s;hed by former Parliaments, I have ob&s;erved in the &s;everall Reignes of divers Princes of this Kingdome, even from the time of <HI>Henry</HI> 3. to the Raigne of King <HI>Iames</HI> of ble&s;&s;ed Memory, that Acts made by a general Councell or Parliament in one Kings reigne have been repealed and annihilated by &s;uccceding Parliaments: but here is to be ob&s;erved, that a Parliament con&s;i&s;ts now of three E&s;tates, King, Lords and Commons: in former times foure e&s;tates were were reckoned, King, Lords Temporall, and Spirituall, &s;itting in the upper or higher Hou&s;e, commonly called the Barons Hou&s;e, or Hou&s;e of Peeres, and the Commons Hou&s;e, con&s;i&s;ting onely of Knights and Burge&s;&s;es: and hereupon ari&s;eth this Que&s;tion: Whether if the King di&s;&s;ent from his two Hou&s;es, and refu&s;e to make Lawes or pa&s;&s;e Bills by them agreed unto, and confirmed by Vote, the Subject be obliged thereby? To which I an&s;wer, that the cu&s;tome of divers Parliaments have been to pa&s;&s;e Bils by Vote, and if di&s;&s;ented from and not agreed unto, to prote&s;t again&s;t &s;uch refu&s;all, and by armes to defend their priviledge of free Vote, as binding to the whole Kingdome. <HI>Vid. Reg. H.</HI> 3. <HI>E.</HI> 3. <HI>R.</HI> 2. <HI>E.</HI> 2. <HI>H.</HI> 7. <HI>H.</HI> 8. <HI>Q. M. Q. Eliz.</HI> which government hath conti|nued to this Parliament. This Parliament hath changed the con|tinued Order of divers Parliaments, by expelling the Lords Spiri|tuall out of the upper Hou&s;e, and taking away their Votes, and the Votes of Popi&s;h Lords: upon which I conclude, that a Parlia|ment hath power to alter government, if the diver&s;ity of times, and nece&s;sity of the State, for the &s;afety and pre&s;ervation thereof, &s;o require, of which a Parliament is the &s;ole Judge.</P>
<P N="2">2 Touching Church-government, many Parliaments have al|tered the forme of Di&s;cipline, and manner of wor&s;hipping; yea and &s;ometimes the doctrine of the Church, acknowledged and
<PB N="4" REF="4">confirmed by a continued &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Parliaments. <HI>Vid.</HI> 31, 32, <HI>&amp;</HI> 33. <HI>H.</HI> 8. The whole Doctrine of the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> was aboli&s;hed and rejected, the Popes &s;upremacy denyed, the Kings &s;uperiority in matters Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall approved, acknowledged, and e&s;tabli&s;hed, and the Prote&s;tant Religion in this Nation in &s;ome mea&s;ure re&s;tored, which continued till 1. &amp; 2. <HI>Phil. &amp; Mary,</HI> when the government was again altered, the Prote&s;tant Religion adjudged hereticall, and Popery again re&s;tored and e&s;tabli&s;hed, till 1. &amp; 2. <HI>Q. Eliz.</HI> then the Romi&s;h Religion was again &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, &amp; rejected, and the Prote&s;tant again confirmed, which to this time hath continued, although many times undermined by the Je&s;uiti|call party, and Popi&s;h affected Clergy of this Kingdome, who perceiving it not like by Parliaments to change the government of the Church e&s;tabli&s;hed and &s;o long time together continued, &s;ought to put by Parliaments, and by degrees to introduce Pope|ry into the government of this Church, but by the providence and mercy of God hitherto prevented: and hence I conclude, That it is in the power of a Free Parliament to alter Church-government, and if &s;o, then much more to purge the government of the Church from erroneous and &s;uper&s;titious Di&s;cipline, and from fal&s;e and Papi&s;ticall Doctrines, the Parliament now not endeavouring to change, but purge the errours crept into Religion.</P>
<P N="3">3 Touching the third Que&s;tion propounded, I need make no An&s;wer thereto, for that the wi&s;dome and policy of that high Court by their pre&s;ent proceedings, and many Declarations to the Kingdome publi&s;hed by their authority, and in their names, have made manife&s;t, That it is lawfull, and in the power of a Parlia|ment, to take up armes in defence of their ju&s;t Liberties and Pri|viledges, &s;o undermined or violated by open force, or private &s;tra|tagems, which policy of Parliaments is the next and la&s;t thing I intend to &s;peak of.</P>
<P N="5">5 Policy I thus divide:</P>
<P N="1">1 Policy joyned with piety, which I call godly policy.</P>
<P N="2">2 Policy without piety, which I call humane, or worldly po|licy.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is to be imbraced as profitable to a Common-wealth.</P>
<P>The other to be rejected as pernicious and hurtfull.</P>
<P>Policy joyned with piety may be twofold.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<P N="1">1 Nationall, or State-policy.</P>
<P N="2">2 Private, or particular policy.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t tending and aiming at the weale and Pro&s;perity both of the King and his Kingdome, and the la&s;t aiming at particular profit in particular per&s;ons, &s;eparated each from others Councels or approbation; I will onely &s;peak of the fir&s;t, Parliament, or State-policy.</P>
<P>This was <HI>Hu&s;hai's</HI> policy for his ma&s;ter and the Hou&s;e of <HI>Iuda,</HI> again&s;t the pernicious coun&s;ell of <HI>Achitophel,</HI> being joyned with piety, and approved by God, brought the others coun&s;els and him|&s;elf to confu&s;ion, which is the onely effect of humane and earth|ly policy.</P>
<P>The word may be taken and under&s;tood with a double &s;en&s;e, in the evill or good part, <HI>politic&egrave;,</HI> warily: the King of Egypt dealt with the children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> wi&s;ely, <HI>politic&egrave;,</HI> craftily, cunningly, <HI>Come let us deale wi&s;ely:</HI> here it is taken in the evill part, policy without piety: the aime thereby was only oppre&s;&s;ion and wrong, and to effect evill purpo&s;es. In the &s;peech of Chri&s;t to his Apo|&s;tles, <HI>Be wi&s;e as &s;erpents, and innocent as doves:</HI> policy joyned with innocency, pious policy, taken and to be under&s;tood in the better part. Policy without piety is divelli&s;h policy: <HI>And the &s;erpent was more &s;ubtill</HI> (or wi&s;e) <HI>then any other creatuoe, &amp;c.</HI> The policy of <HI>Sauls</HI> coun&s;ellours again&s;t <HI>David</HI> was divelli&s;h, aiming onely to &s;hed innocent bloud: policy joyned with piety pre&s;erve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> peace and tranquillity in a Kingdome, not de&s;troyes it: now then let us &s;ee &s;omwhat of this Parliament or State-policy, whether it be godly policy: by the fruit is the tree di&s;cerned, by the effects that have followed politicall Coun&s;els will they be known: the effects in brief, as I have ob&s;erved, are the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1 By their politique wi&s;domes, with Gods ble&s;&s;ing attending the &s;ame, have bin di&s;covered, many trea&s;onable plots &amp; evil pract|i&s;es agitated in private by the papi&s;ticall, prelaticall and malignant party in this and all other his Maje&s;ties Dominions, for the &s;ubver|&s;ion and de&s;truction of the Prote&s;tant Religion, of Parliaments, and the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdome, and not only di&s;|covered, but hitherto prevented.</P>
<P N="2">2 By policy was the act for triennial Parliaments obteyned, the act for continuance of this pre&s;ent Parliament, by which means
<PB N="6" REF="5">no way of e&s;cape for malignants left, nor no means unattempted to pre&s;erve his Maje&s;ties per&s;on, and royall po&s;terity in glory and dignity, the true Religion, Parliaments and their rightfull Privi|ledges and the Immunities and liberties of the &s;ubject.</P>
<P N="3">3. By this policy was the Prote&s;tation propounded to the King|dome again&s;t Popery, and the u&s;urping jurisdiction of the Prelats by which means the wel-affected from the bad are di&s;erned, and di&s;covered, and be made more ea&s;ie to be avoyded.</P>
<P>And So I conclude this di&s;cour&s;e with this unfeined de&s;ire, that it would plea&s;e God to direct the&s;e State Polititians in all their councels, that they may aym only at his glory, pre&s;ervation of true Religion, of his Maje&s;ties per&s;on, of peace and pro&s;perity of his people, and to put a &s;peedy end to the &s;ad and bloody divi&s;ions be|gun in this Kingdome, that the &s;word may be again &s;heathed be|fore utter de&s;olation and de&s;truction be procured to this and other his Maje&s;ties Kingdomes.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
