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authority_n ancient_a church_n council_n 2,300 5 6.8190 4 false
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A46813 Beaufrons, or, A new-discovery of treason under the fair-face and mask of religion, and of liberty and conscience : in an answer to the Protestant reconciler ... / by one of His Majestie's chaplains. Jenner, David, d. 1691. 1683 (1683) Wing J657; ESTC R32980 46,367 116

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plainly If the Dissenters will not be satisfied However the King and Governours ought to Indulge them and Leave the Event to God And if by such an Indulgence the Dissenters shall destroy all our Church-Government and bring in Confusion among us God's will be done However the King and Governours must doe their Duty and INDVLGE them and then Leave the Event to God And if the Pragmatical People shall usurp an unlawfull power to themselves and shall chuse their own Bishop and every Parish Priest Volens Nolens the King or any Proper Patron God's will be done However the King and Governours must doe their Duty and give the People their Liberty and then Leave the Event to God If Dissenters should as they did in 48 Mutiny Rebell and Cut off this King 's Sacred Head as they did his Fathers and destroy all Good Order and Government in Church and State as formerly under the fair Pretence of Liberty of Conscience if so God's will be done However The King and Governours must doe their Duty that is Indulge the Dissenters and meekly resign up their Lives and Concerns to the Mercy and Courtesie of their Rebellious Enemies and then Leave the Event to God Now should this Rule of the Reconciler's take place in its full Latitude without the due use of Means for the Support of Government and for the Suppression of Vice Rebellion and Treason Then there would be nothing but Anarchy and Confusion in Church and State Which evil Design to bring to pass has been the great endeavour of All the Reconciler's Arguings For the main force of all his Arguments for Condescention to the Dissenters have tended to nothing more than to break down the Hedge of all our Good Laws and Orders for Vniformity and Conformity and to introduce an Unbounded Licentiousness and Confusion And therefore we may very truely Conclude The Reconciler's Design in Publishing his Book as Managed by him to be Malitious and Treasonable towards the King the Church and the State as now Established CHAP. VIII The Reconciler's Proposition Proved to be False His Proposition is this scil THat Things Indifferent considering the Circumstances our Church and State at present are in ought not to be Imposed by the Legislatours Prot. Recon c. 1. p. 4. as Conditions of Church Communion This Proposition as it is propounded by the Reconciler is to be considered two ways 1. Simply and Absolutely in it self 2. Relatively as it refers to the present Circumstances our Church and State are in In both respects it will appear to be false 1. For take it Absolutely as simply considered in it self And then his Proposition which is the main hindge and Herculean Pillar on which his whole Book depends runs thus scil That at no time Things Indifferent ought to be imposed upon the People as Conditions of Church-Communion The Falsity of this Proposition is Proved 1. By the Testimony of Sacred Scriptures to the contrary 2. By the Authority and Canons of the first and most Ancient Councils And by the examples and practices of the Primitive Christians in their Church-Government 3. By Reason and the Natural Grounds of Ecclesiastick Polity and Government All these speak the expediency and lawfulness if not Necessity of imposing Things Indifferent as Conditions of Church Communion The prosecution of these Arguments at large we shall leave for an entire Discourse of it self And at present onely touch briefly upon them in their order And therefore as to the first 1. Several Instances in Canonical Scripture speak it lawfull to impose things Indifferent as Conditions of Church Communion For God in the very first founding of all good Order and Government between Himself and Mankind did Impose a thing in it self Indifferent to wit the not eating of the Forbidden Fruit as a necessary condition of Communion and Fellowship with Himself And God Excommunicated Adam and Eva his presence his love and favour for not observing that Ceremony and Imposition of not eating the Forbidden Fruit which fruit might have been eaten as well as any other fruit in the Garden of Eden as Clem. Alexandrinus notes had not God by a strict Imposition commanded the contrary on purpose to try the sincerity of Man's obedience to him his Lord and Creator And farther under the Mosaical Law God Himself and Moses by his Command Imposed many indifferent and unnecessary things as necessary conditions of Church Communion such as All or most of the Levitical Rites and Ceremonies were whose observation was injoyned upon pain of Excommunication and sometimes of Death in case they were wilfully neglected And God gave Authority not onely to Moses and Aaron but also to other his Vicegerents such as the Judges and Kings of his chosen people the Jews to impose things Indifferent as Terms and Conditions of Church-Communion such as the use of Bloud Oil Salt and other things in their Sacrifices such as the use of Garments Ephods Veils and Surplices and Bowings in Divine Worship Washings and Purifications of their very Garments And all manner of Musick such as their Superiours especially such as King David and King Solomon should judge most conducing to God's Glory and to the better stirring up of the Peoples Devotions and Affections in the Worship and Service of God The Imposition of Holy Days is the Imposing of a thing Indifferent for all Days in themselves are alike And yet God highly approved of Queen Esthers and her Uncle Mordecai's Imposition of the Holy-Days called Purim upon the People for ever to be solemnly kept as necessary Conditions of Church-Communion And it is to be noted that this Imposition was laid upon the People without any Command from God in time of Banishment when the Church was in Persecution yet even then in such Circumstances as those did Queen Esther use her Authority as to the Imposing of things Indifferent And if so then surely much rather may Kings and Queens use the same Authority in times of Prosperity The Feasts of Dedication of the Temple and of the Altar but especially of the Wall of Jerusalem Dr. Keller Tricen l. 1. c. 5. part 8. p. 23. was in it self a Thing Indifferent and yet they were so strictly Imposed as that whosoever wilfully neglected their Observation was under an Anathema Maranatha And it is very Remarkable that our Lord Jesus Christ who came to fulfill all Righteousness and to set an unerring pattern and example of Obedience unto all under Command Did himself approve of the Feast of Dedication instituted by the Macchabees l. 1. c. 4. v. 59. Judas and his Brethren with the whole Congregation of Israel Ordained that the days of Dedication of the Altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days For St. John 10.22 It was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication and it was Winter and Jesus walked in the Temple c. So that if you read on our Saviour Christ did not onely honour with his Presence