Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	great_a	parliament_n	2,174	5	6.4402	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25582	An answer to the champion of the wooden-sword, or, A dialogue betwixt Jack and Will containing that part of his argument wherein he asserts, viz, that the dissenters are members of the Church of England : with some occasional remarks on head-corporation-magistrates as dissenters / by a member of the Church of England.; Answer to a rash dialogue betwixt Jack and Will	Member of the Church of England.	1698 (1698)	Wing A3396; ESTC R18032	10,579	23

from Rome you know very well ‖ P. 13. it 's the Parliament hath settled the Limits of the Church and given her all the Authority she has and † Ibid. the same Authority may enlarge her Bounds and Pale when they please And can you deny but they have done the same thing for the Dissenters now that formerly they did for you J. Come come Will this will never hold Water The Parliament have only given 'em Liberty to Worship God as they please but never yet made 'em Members of the Establish'd Church who never wou'd be of the Establish'd Church And if you look into their Act it 's the 1st of William and Mary as I take it they give there no more than an ease and relief to tender Consciences that I cou'd ever yet discern And in earnest how can they be genuine Sons of her who out of stubborness disown so good a Mother whole Laws and Government have all along preserv'd all the Protestancy of this Kingdom W. How d' ye mean Friend Jack Have her Laws preserv'd all the Protestants of England when I cannot but think they tend directly to the Destruction of all those who ‖ P. 8. differ from them only in Circumstantials J. Well Will I find thou wilt never learn wit Shall I give you a numerous Catalogue thereof beginning from the very Infancy of our Reformation But since that wou'd be too large a field of Discourse you may take one single instance alone perform'd within our own Memory and 't was in the late Reign when those very Dissenters joyn'd with Popery against the Church and held it out so long too till at last seeing all a-going they began to repent almost too late But this is so far out of the road of my present Argument that I 'd rather reserve it for another opportunity W. Well Jack tho' I long to hear your sense on that point yet you may go on in your Argument J. Well then let me tell you Will the Parliament of England was never so o'reseen as to stamp the honourable Name of the Church of England upon Confusion and Disorder on all sorts and sizes of Sects and Enthusiasms They thought it enough to grant them Toleration And that they might keep them in as much order as possible They gave this Liberty to such only as acknowledge her other 36 Articles and strictly the Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity What can you make more of it Will. Yet still the Dissenters are enjoyn'd the highest Office of the Church the Sacrament will not that entitle 'em to be of her Body J. Not in the least Will that I know of Their receiving her Sacrament means no more than that the Parliament intended to take sufficient security of by laying this Restraint on those Men who know not what Decency and Order mean thereby obliging 'em to pay such acknowledgments to Her as the true Mother and the prime Reformation of England merits But you may be confident never calls 'em her Sons in any sense whatsoever in that they cannot be so as long as they oppose the true Reformation of England What can you make more of it Indeed if you 'd call 'em Sons because they have all along been preserv'd under the Covert and Protection of her Laws it must be true in no other sense than as a stubborn Child having forfeited his Hereditary Right may be so far receiv'd by a wise Parent as to ask a Blessing of her And thus much in their present Circumstances she allows them but much more whenever they grow wiser But so long as they refuse the other Parts of their Duty it 's impossible to count 'em her Members for the performance of one single act alone Will. Well Friend but for all this what if these qualify'd Persons will still call themselves by her Name J. Why Will they may call themselves by what name they please but that will never serve their turn The true Requisites she expects are the Duties of her Reformation and these are Obedience to her Church-Governors and their Discipline with an hearty joyning in her Offices and Devotions These her Canons these her Articles these her Homilies strictly enjoyn But for any Man to pretend a fondness for Her and still act the contrary cannot but be preposterous and ridiculous W. Why Man can you say then I can't love the Church and go to Meetings too May I not do both J. Yes Friend Will you may do both if you please but then can never be a true Member of either if I may speak truth But to affect the Name of the Church of England when you come to Church only to hear a Sermon refusing to joyn in her Offices of Devotion I know no name to call it by unless you 'll say it 's Legerdemain or a playing at Boo-peep with God himself But wou'd Men be in earnest with God and Man they cou'd never trifle thus with both and like Children play at hide and seek refusing good substantial food for Whimseys and Novelties W. Well Jack I shall not pretend to defend all Men's actions and know not whether any Man can justifie such But J. What wou'd you say at last Will can you make the matter better than it is Prethee is not this an halting between two Opinions or rather juggling with God and the World For since I 'm allow'd to serve God my own way without any restraint what necessity or reason can I pretend for a Masquerade thus publickly to declare my self an Hypocrite W. Well Jack thou 'st said a great deal to convince me that the Dissenters are not Members of the Church of England And yet it cannot but be wish'd that all English-men were really so J. Ay Will. I heartily wish I cou'd see that day it wou'd much better the condition both of Church and State But I remember you laid the fault last time at the Church's door whenas you see now whose it is You all along build upon that unhappy notion that the Church have ‖ Pag. 11. persecuted the Dissenters That they wou'd * Pag. 7. not own 'em for Brethren till of late That they ‖ Pag. 8. counted 'em for Hereticks Schismaticks and God knows what Whereas you see it 's they have made the Breach they have made the Defection from the well-fram'd primitive Reformation of England And pray for what why for such things as they call indifferent Have we receded from the Principles of our Reformers or they and because the Laws of the Reformation found 'em out and sometimes punish'd their Obstinacy shall that be call'd the Church's Persecution and the | Pag. 8. destroying another Party that differ from them only in Circumstantials When indeed to speak the truth and no more 't was an act of our Parliament and not of the Church or rather with more truth and good sense their own fault And I cannot but think it no small abuse and affront of that great and

wise Assembly whose Authority cannot but be obligatory to us when it concurs with that of God's Words to oppose their Acts founded upon so much Prudence and good sense as the keeping Men within the Bounds of Moderation and Order and from such Errors as blind Guides would lead 'em into What d' ye think now of the matter Are the Dissenters of the true Church of England or no Or is it possible they shou'd be so as long as they oppose the true Reformation of England This was the grand Topick wherewith you impos'd on me in our last Conference W. Well Jack after all the do and pother you make about the Church you sti'l see these Corporation-Officers retain their Ensigns of Honour and carry them to Meeting J. Ay Will. Much good may do their Widows with it And yet I cannot but think it far more reputable for those Officers to keep the Peace much better and not upon the Conclusion of a dangerous War to commence a new one against that Reformation to which all Protestants of more than three Kingdoms are so infinitely oblig'd But when our most Glorious Monarch had brought us home Peace then to disturb That and the Church when she was blessing God for it cannot but be ridiculous Besides it cannot but be counted Folly in these Magistrates to slight the Attendants of their Corporation-Honour by going like Owls to an House or a Barn or any blind Hole where they cannot in Honour and Conscience follow 'em Who perhaps as they have for a great part born the Office long before their Worships so it cannot but be counted an honour to 'em to be seen in so good Company What d' ye think now Friend Will of your Bounce Can you blush for your Corporation-Man W. Not I. Let his Horse blush for him J. And so he wou'd were he turn'd into Balaam's Ass and forbid his madness too Will. Hey Jack why so furious you still see these Corporation-Officers go to Meetings Neither can you bind up Magistrates of so great Power and Trust where the Law has left 'em at liberty Why then d' ye fret and teaze your self or what good d'ye get by it J. Well said Will wisely urg'd upon my word yet for all that I 'll have one tug more with you about that matter You think then Reflections on their Wisdom and Honour signifie nothing so they keep but the saddle it matters not whether they come off with credit or disgrace What doughty Knights you make of your Men in an Office I remember Sir you 've entitled one to the Wooden-Sword already with which you say he 's to do * Pag 4. very noble Acts and ‖ Ibid. make Conquests for the Church of England Pray how d' ye make all this out W. Well! since you put me to 't I prove it thus A Corporation-Officer's * Pag. 7. Presence at the Meetings with the Ensigns of Authority is an Evidence that the Doctrine of the Church is Preach'd there And † Ibid. a Declaration that the Pale of the Church is enlarg'd J. Profoundly argued a very noble Act indeed Will Thus we see these mighty Men can work Miracles create Contradictions do more than the Wisdom of the whole Nation cou'd ever effect for above 150 years together Nay One with a Monstrons Sword will out-do the greatest Hero of the Age. And had our most glorious Monarch but known it had been in his Dominions what wou'd he not have done with it long since He 'd not only conquer'd the Power of France but also reduc'd 'em to own their Protestant Subjects if not made 'em all such And I cannot but think him a very stingy Knight hitherto to envy us so great a Blessing not to say have sav'd us some Millions to boot But perhaps he reserves these Conquests for himself alone and will give no other the glory of so noble Actions Will. Thou' rt a wicked Rogue Jack J. No matter for that Will. Since thou 'st made so monstrous a Man of 'm let 's see what he can do at home before we send him abroad to France Spain Italy Germany and all the World over For I can assure you we cannot but wish all Christians no worse than those of the Church of England shou'd be or than her Doctrine wou'd make 'em and all Mankind But Will let me whisper one word in your ear W. What 's that J. Why Friend let that mighty Man make two sticks one before he reconcile the Presbyterian and Independent Parties with the Church When he 's done that he may try his skill with us but till then you 'll give me leave neither to believe your self or another Author And I must tell withal cou'd he bring that whole matter to bear he 'd do more than the Wisdom of the whole Nation cou'd ever effect as I said before For had there been any possible means thereto our Parliament wou'd have done it long since having made it their endeavors ever since the dawn of the Reformation What d' ye think now Friend Will of the whole matter W. You say right the Parliament I believe wou'd have done it but what 's the reason J. Why Will the Dissenters wou'd never hear reason Witness the famous Convocations of James I. and Charles II. In both which they 'd all the advantages of the World to make out their Pretensions and argue the Point calmly So difficult it is to bring those Men who will not live under the Government of the Church and very hardly of the Crown ever to hear reason Your Corporation-Officer can never reconcile so great Contradictions Will. Well! but at last Jack you can't but say our Dissenting Brethren are nearer the Church than any other Protestants in Europe as * P. 7.12.13 Preaching the same Doctrine in the Meetings J. That 's a grand Question Will. Prethee in what sense can that be true The Doctrines of ours as far as she 's distinguish'd from the Universal Church and all others are those of Worship and of Discipline These they never Preach unless it be backward as they say Witches are made by saying the Lord's Prayer How then can they be counted of her Body any more than any others I add withal there are Churches abroad far nearer the Church of England than any the most moderate Dissenters in the Kingdom particularly the Church of Zurich in Switzerland not to say all the Lutherans in Sweden Denmark and the Empire And therefore the great Man in his Office wou'd do well to make Conquests for the Church of England in all those Parts and not trouble us alone with his noble Acts. Or if his Ambition lead him higher as he 's of the Universal Church tho'a very unsound Member thereof in my Opinion he 'd do well to try his skill at Rome Madrid or Paris and see what he 'd get by his Knight-Errantry or whether he can convert the Pope any more than the Quaker did W. Hey Jack where are you sending that Sword which you know never stirs beyond the Corporation-Liberties J. Why Will any where so the Throat of the Church of England been't cut with it to the Mogul the Sophi the Grand Signior or any the remotest Parts of the Universe he 's room enough to make his Conquests and enlarge the Pale of the Church if he be so good at it Will. Well Jack thou 'st tir'd my patience what good will you get by affronting your Brethren thus J. Why then I find Friend Will you expect some great matter for your Service This I suppose dubb'd you Champion of the Wooden-Sword W. Well! I 'll hear no more I 'll get me to the Hall and refresh my self with some Crumbs of Comfort and arm me for another bout Farewell J. Ay ay Friend Will fare thee well I see you love to hear truth as little spoke as you write But pray don't fail to tell the great Man he is not like to set up an Office de Propaganda Fide this Year in England FINIS A REMARK FInding such Arguments in the little Pamphlet of Jack and Will as are generally made use of by the Dissenters and because it seems the Top and Flower of their Railery against the Church of England upon that account some time since I undertook this Defence Not that that Libel deserves an Answer upon the score of its Arguments or fierce Reasoning for in both I find it very deficient but to curb in some measure the Insolence of that Author and of the Original Cause thereof I need not be overforward to inform the World what approbation this Dialogue has had since the first writing of it All that I desire is that it may have that effect upon the Dissenter at which it aims As for the Marginal Remarks they 're for the most part Objections out of him taken from the Octavo Print as cheapest and in most hands there being also a second Dialogue of that Print which will likewise challenge some Remarks hereafter THere will be Printed by the same Hand another Dialogue betwixt Dick and Will Wherein the true English Loyalty is stated