A caution against tumultuous petitions from a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London, December. 30. 1679. Gentleman in the countrey. 1680 Approx. 7 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 2 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A31390 Wing C1556 ESTC R1334 12886116 ocm 12886116 95027 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A31390) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 95027) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 911:18) A caution against tumultuous petitions from a gentleman in the countrey to his friend in London, December. 30. 1679. Gentleman in the countrey. 1 sheet (2 p.) Printed for W.C., London : 1680. Reproduction of original in Cambridge University Library. Broadside. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO. EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor. The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines. Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Broadsides 2007-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-02 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-03 Jonathan Blaney Sampled and proofread 2007-03 Jonathan Blaney Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A CAUTION AGAINST Tumultuous Petitions : From a Gentleman in the Countrey , To his Friend in LONDON , Decemb. 30. 1679. SIR , THat little discourse we had last , wherein my opinion and suffrage was desired , concerning the reasonableness of General Addresses of all the Members to the Head , in an universal distemper of the Body ; though in the humble dress of a Petition , hath yet so mutinous an Aspect , as carries a prodigious horrour with it , and gives us the prospect of that calamity , disorder , and confusion , wherein such preposterous motions and commotions do usually determine by your self procured , but just judgment of an offended Deity to an infatuated People , that whilst the wounds of a detestable Rebellion and Civil War are yet bleeding , are fiercely prosecuting its sad revival . And the rest of the men that were not killed by those plagues ( mentioned in Rev. 9. 20 , 21. ) yet repented not of the works of their hands . The redeemed Loyal Royallists repent not of their intemperancies , or at least reform it not ; neither the Papists of their Idolatries and Conspiracies ; the Presbyterians and Parliamenteers of their Murthers , Sorceries , Fornications , and Thefts ; those Witchcrafts of Rebellion , wherewith they delude themselves and their Proselites , and are made meer Properties to carry on their malitious and ambitious designs of the active hands of subtil Projectors of all Factions . And too late I fear we shall find the Jesuits , though undiscern'd , to be the grand Promoters of these Petitions , and what they could not effect as Papists , they endeavour doubtless as heretofore to accomplish by Protestant Presbyterians , sowing the seeds of Sedition and Dissention ; and what these Petitioners would be at , is evident by the late Insurrection and Declaration of the Scotch Rebels , timely suppress'd by Divine Providence . So let all thine Enemies perish , O Lord : But let those that love thee be as the Sun when he goeth forth in his might , that the Land may have rest many years . Now , Sir , it was , and is yet my wonder , that a person of your ingenuity and parts should fall into this snare , and be caught with specious pretences , which are indispensably necessary to carry on a mischievous Design to subvert the Government , which they seem to endeavour to rectifie and support , and with this Bait to catch well-meaning men , first to subscribe , and then to pursue that Engagement , and what ere conduces to advancement , or shall be imposed upon them . Thus the Protestation , the fore-runner of the late War , had nothing in it , but what the best Protestant Christian in the World might with a good Conscience have subscribed , and yet upon that foundation there followed dreadful Superstructures . Perhaps you will say , the Petition is recommended from Persons eminent in the Nation , Patriots , and assertors of the Peoples interests and welfare : These indeed are Persons priviledged within doors , but they have no lawful Authority when out of the House , to promote any publick Petitions ; neither are a multitude to be followed to do evil . There were no less than 250 such Princes of the Assembly famous in the Congregation , men of Renown , ( says the Text , Numb . 16. 2. ) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron , disputing their Prerogatives , and said unto them , Ye take too much upon you , &c. Neither did they leave out so necessary an ingredient to their purpose , as a complacent Complement to the People , by stiling them the holy Congregation of the Lord , every one of them . The dreadful consequences of this follows in the Story : The Earth's Division devours them quick , to punish them for their Division , and Fire from Heaven consumes them , and the infecting minds of fourteen thousand seven hundred Rebels and Murmurers met the Plague , and became mortally infectious to one another . And are thus far parallel'd in our Times , that though the Earth did not swallow these Rebels up quick , yet the Lord did a new thing , and the Earth did in a manner vomit up three of the grand Rebels out of their graves , and since the Nation hath felt a War , and the bloudy City , whose scum is yet in her , I fear hath felt the Fire and the Plague ; and though it be affirm'd the Fire was by Plot , yet I think few will venture to say the Pestilence was a Plot. But these three prodigious Judgments had their Meteors to declare whence they came : Lord , when thy hand is lifted up they will not see , but they shall see , and be ashamed for their envy towards thy loyal People , so that a man shall say , Doubtless there is a God that judgeth the Earth . How zealous God hath been for the supream Magistrate , and how severe to such as are over-busie to censure or pry into the Errors of Princes , there is a notable example in the punishment of Miriam , for lessening her reverence and duty to Moses , though a Brother , because he had taken a Gipsie , or Ethiopian Woman , or to speak in the language of our bad Times , a Miss : And yet God said to an High-Priest and a Prophetess , Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses ? and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them , and Miriam became leprous , white as snow . Far be it from me to plead for Incontinency , or any thing scandalous to Christianity , for I know it gives too much occasion to the Enemies of God's Vice-gerent to blaspheme , and seems to be obnoxious to a punishment , like that of David in his Son Absalom . But I would not have any one think , that the Errors of Princes ought to lessen our Duties . Let us therefore fear God and the King , and not meddle with those that are given to change , which I think is at this time a duty incumbent upon all that have the Cure of Souls , to press upon their Congregations . Sir , Your putting the Question to me , must be my Apology for the declaration of my thoughts upon this Subject , which comes to you in a most unfeigned Integrity from , Sir , Your Affectionate Friend . LONDON , Printed for W. C. MDCLXXX .