Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	church_n	communion_n	member_n	6,174	5	9.5242	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B01823	A just rebuke to the Quakers insolent behaviour, in their two books, i.e. A just censure, &c. the other, A sober reply, &c. both presented to some members of Parliament. : Also a dialogue between a civilian and a Quaker.	Bugg, Francis, 1640-1724?	1700 (1700)	Wing B5372A; ESTC R203340	11,408	4

not ready to vindicate either your Doctrine or the Books which contain them and since that Whitehead seldom appear'd at Parliament Qua. I grant that Book has put a sad damp on our Friends but you must know that giving us G. Whitehead's Method in his Truth and Innocency c. viz. of leaving out words and adding words to and transposing words we dare meet them As for instance in the last Recital adding two words Never and Any and putting out Every and it should run thus We are Never ready to undertake the proof of any Doctrine we hold Civ This is brave Work indeed any thing may do at this rate pray what say you to p. 11. ibid. where you grant that were it not for the Act of Toleration your Monthly Quarterly and Yearly Meetings were illegal but yet they relating to Religion are allowed by the Act whilst in another Book where being charged with the Doors of their Meeting being Lock'd Barr'd or Bolted A Just Censure c. p. 26. there you say these Meetings are not designed for Worship and 't is plain none besides Religious Meetings are tolerated by the Act what say you to this Qua. I perceive thou dost not know us nor our way which is to carry two Faces under one Religious Hood you must not measure us by our words but by our meaning and that of our own giving too and if thee wilt but be a Friend to us I will give thee as good a Hamper of Wine as ever thee didst tip over Tongue Civ This is all downright Hypocrisie for at this rate no Man can tell either your Faith or Principles And as to your Present I will not accept thereof for a Gift may pervert and my Religion to me is more than all nor am I so mean spirited to betray my Conscience for all the Wine in thy Cellar But Friend there is another thing in which I would be satisfied namely your answering Books wherein you falsifie the Text drop Words split Sentences and marr the Sence of your Opponant's Argument I will give you but one Instance in a Sheet presented to the Parliament by Fra. Bugg with a Scheme of your Yearly Meeting c. Col. 2. Reason 6. In one sort of their Books they pretend to Love Own and Honour the King yea to Pray for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority but in their contrary sort of Books they tell you That all Kings and Emperors sprung up in the Night since the Days of the Apostles among the Antichrists that they own no King but Jesus nor no Government but the Government of the Lamb that they are Traytors against Christ that desire an earthly King Do you read say the Quakers that there were any Kings sence the Days of the Apostles but among the Apostate Christians That Kings are the Spiritual Egyptians Oh what a Sincerity was once in the Nation What a dirty nasty thing it would have been to have heard talk of a House of Lords among them A Parliament chosen by most Voices are not like to act for God and the good of his People It was thorow Ignorance that the People subjected themselves to Hereditary Government or to the Government standing in a single Person successively and our Nation have been under Bondage on this Account Now all that the Quakers in their Just Censure c. p. 18. recite is as followeth viz. ●●one sort of our Books we seem to Own Love and Honour the King yea to Pray for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority but in the other sort of our Books we tell People that Kings and Emperors sprung up in the Night and among Apostate Christians and that we are against the English Government c. Now how short and defective they are herein is obvious by comparing each Qua. Friends Intentions are good they mean well and can now word their Matter otherwise and yet mean the same thing for our Principles are now no other than they were in the beginning And by Reason thereof and that we cannot quit our Infallibility some that went from us throw in their Bombs amongst us which doth fearfully annoy us and have split our Main-mast of Infallibility and broken the Helm of our Sinless Perfection Civ Now Friend Jacob it grows late I cannot stay I shall only sum up a few Observations from the Premises and then take my leave of you 1. As to F. B. whether he has New Cloaths or not what he had left when his Horse and Pocket-money for his Expedition was discounted make nothing to the purpose he has given as great a proof that he has not been Mercenary in writing 16 or 18 Years together against you without Money as any Quaker can give 2. Your Leaders are very Sawcy to meddle with the Bishops Certificate as in any thing you have attempted Suppose he had been mistaken in the Man he did not say he gave it forth from the Eternal Infallible Spirit of God he only said he had known him some Years this you do not disprove That he appeared to him to be an Honest Sober Industrious Man this might be for ought you either say or know and if he had been mistaken he does not pretend to know the Heart nor to discern who are Saints who are Devils and who are Apostates as the Quakers do and if he had been mistaken it had been no more than some of your Teachers have been That he had taken much Pains to Undeceive and Convert the Quakers by publishing useful Books and not without Success this he might safely say for it was true in Fact for at that time Mr. Rands his Wife and others that had left the Quakers declared to some that his Book The Painted Harlot Stript and Whipt c. was instrumental therein and since that many others are come off who have acknowledged as much And that by the Hardness of Times Charge of Printing he was reduced c. this was true in Fact wherefore says he I apprehend him a Real Object of Charity and that he does truly deserve the Bounty of well-dispos'd Persons unto whom I recommend him what hurt is in all this And what had your Friends to do with it May you hold a Yearly Meeting with Doors Lock'd issue out your Epistles for Money to relieve your Friends as you say and may not a Bishop of the Established Church recommend one of their Members to well-disposed Persons of the same Communion without your Censure Can you not be content to Censure the Acts of Corporations Grand Juries and Justices but must your Boldness extend to the Exposing and Censuring the Bishops I think you are a Peg too high 3. Whereas they pretend to undertake the proof of every Doctrine they hold this appears to be a Lie told in Hypocrisie Let them Confute the Six Articles above exhibited and Defend themselves from the Ten Instances wherein they are Charged to be one in Doctrine with the Romish Church

swim through a Sea of Blood only to desire that the Quakers Errors and Blasphemous Principles which contemn the Scriptures deny that Jesus of Nazareth who suffered on the Cross to be the Son of God and damn to the Pit of Hell the Ever-blessed Trinity should lye Censured and Condemned and their Books that so teach Burnt by the Common Hangman then indeed they are guilty But if this be not Persecution but agreeable to the Law of the Land the Votes of Parliament His Majesties Royal Will and Pleasure declared in his Proclamation then they are not guilty of Persecution nor of running through a Sea of Innocent Blood in the Defence of Christianity as the Quakers would impose upon their Readers to avoid the dint of an Examination notwithstanding their pretence A Reply c. p. 11. We are ready to undertake the Proof of every Doctrine we hold by and from the Scriptures I have read in St. Jude's Epistle that as in ver 3. he exhorts us to contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints so ver 9. That Michael the Archangel when contending with the Devil he disputed about the Body of Moses durst not bring against him a Railing Accusation but said The Lord rebuke thee And now I am Disputing with the Quakers his chiefest Emissaries and immediate Servants I hope I shall not bring a Railing Accusation But as it is Natural for a Worm when trodden upon to turn again and for an Englishman to set the Saddle on the right Horse so I hope I shall as long as Life last especially when St. Jude has so rightly described the Men as ver 8. saying Likewise also these filthy Dreamers defile the Flesh despise Dominions and speak evil of Dignities as I have shewed in my Modest Defence c. Part I. p. 10 13 14 15. But say they A just Censure c. p 1 2. The Man he and his Abetters are ill Men. P. 11. It were greatly to be wished that these Zealots would turn their Spleen against Sin what fair Quarter all sorts of Enormities meet with from some of them But that none allow fairer Quarter to Vice and Immorality than the Quakers and Leaders of the Quaker Church is plain See Pilgrim's Progress c. p. 244 to p 284 And one Reason I take to be is their own Guilt which would make their Reproofs sound like the Kettle calling the Pot Black A and therefore 't is the Inconsideration of their Hearers that supports the Credit of such Vicious Hypocrites who are upheld by their Character rather than their Vertue and are become much less loved than feared for I demand an Instance of any one Book wrote against their Vicious Teachers and Hearers provided they keep Fox's Commandments about the Hat Thee Thou not Marrying or Burying with us and the like unwritten Traditions but I can give you an Account of Hundreds of Books wrote against such as dissent from them and conform themselves to the Church of England calling them Apostates Betraying Judasses Malicious Informers Renegadoes Beasts Dogs Wolves Children of the Devil Enemies of all Righteousness Devils Incarnate and a Hundred other Names And they call the Publick Ministry for endeavouring their Conversion Witches Devils Thieves Robbers Antichrists the Bane of Soul and Body threatning them with all direful Vengeance and this if rightly considered is not the least part of their Insolent Behaviour to the Government Now whether your Just Censure c. was in Answer to my former Sheet with a Scheme of your Yearly Meeting or to my Modest Reply c. or both since 't is said to be a Just Censure of my Address to the Parliament and I presented none under that Title I will not determine since it seems to the first tho' given in since my last yet I cannot but admire at your Impudence in your Reply c. in Answer to my Modest Defence where you say p. 7. But sure we are and always ready to make it appear that neither are our Books Blasphemous nor our Principles Pernicious Again p. 11. We are ready to undertake the Proof of every Doctrine we hold by and from the Scriptures this is False in Fact and a Notorious Lie in the Face of the Government First In that you knew I had presented to the Parliament the Reprint of an entire Book of yours stiled Ishmael c. which is both pernicious to the Fundamentals of Christianity and horridly Blasphemous Secondly In refusing to prove any one Doctrine you held at West Dereham Thirdly In refusing to meet Geo. Keith upon any of his Invitations Again p. 10. We sincerely own all that is written in the Scriptures concerning Christ respecting his Conception Birth Life Miracles Doctrines Death Burial Resurrection Ascension Mediation and Future Coming to Judgment when in reality you own not one of those Articles rightly nor as all Orthodox Christians own them as G. Keith's 4th Narrative has from your Books made evidently to appear Again p. 6. ibid. That we assume Rules of Discipline in Church Matters they are for our selves only Powers in Matters of Religion for and among our selves only Nor say they do we see how those Acts could be truly called Acts of Toleration to Dissenters if they did not tolerate each sort of Dissenters to assume Rules of Discipline Power in Matters of Religion and Forms of Church Government for and amongst themselves c. Again p. 11. And if it relate to Religious Performances as it seems to do by the next words i. e. having their Monthly Quarterly and Yearly Meetings c. From whence it is plain that these Monthly Quarterly and Yearly Meetings then when it suit their turn they own to be Religious Meetings and as such tolerated by the Act of Toleration and without allowing them the Act could not be called An Act of Toleration Yet to shew that Liars had need to have good Memories they in Contradiction to themselves when pinched from another Quarter for keeping their Doors Lock'd Barr'd or Guarded to prevent Inspection they in their Just Censure c. p. 26. confess saying These Meetings are not intended for Worship what then What For Government and to assume Rules of Discipline and Forms of Church Government which is more than the Establish'd Church can legally do without His Majesties Licence and therefore worse and more dangerous their Doors being kept Lock'd or Guarded and expresly against the very Act of Toleration in which is this Clause viz. Provided always and be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That if any Assembly of Persons Dissenting from the Church of England shall be had in any place for Religious Worship and such only the Act tolerates with Doors Lock'd Barr'd or Bolted during any time of such meeting together all and every such Person or Persons that shall come to and be at such Meeting shall not receive any Benefit from this Law but be liable to all the Pains and Penalties of all the aforesaid