Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
book_n body_n bread_n wine_n 2,739 5 7.9963 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A36092 A discourse for taking off the tests and penal laws about religion 1687 (1687) Wing D1593; ESTC R3313 36,709 48

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

whereas nothing can be more clear than that this particular sort of Ecclesiastical Government under which we now are is but an accidental and a movable Appendage to the Civil Constitution Thus much is known not only to our great Lawyers but to the Nobility and Gentry The Bishops as such who are a constituent part of the Ecclesiastical Government are not God's but the King's Creatures and all their Power as distinguished from their dealings with mens consciences by the Word of God is derived from the King. The words of 37 Hen. 8. c. 17. are That the Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons and other Ecclesiastical persons have no manner of Jurisdiction Ecclesiastical but BY UNDER and FROM the King 's Royal Majesty Thus it was in the Judgment of King James I. Queen Eliz. Edward VI. Hen VIII and upward amongst all the Princes of the Roman Communion so far as I can observe But the supposing it so essential to the Government that a Parliament can't Alter it as this Clergy-man insinuates and to oblige the Subject as this Test does solemnly to declare he will never endeavor an Alteration of it as if the Prelatic Power had its Origine from Heaven and not from the King only doth as I humbly apprehend make it necessary for the Government to take off the Test and assert their Power by an exercise of it in this great Instance which I am assur'd is a thing the Nobility and Gentry desire to be at and therefore I need not dwell on it any longer The Second which is impos'd on all that bear Office in the Kingdom viz. The taking the SACRAMENT of the LORD's SVPPER according to the Vsage of the Church of ENGLAND Be the man ever so Ignorant or Debauch'd if called to Office he must receive the Sacrament Altho' Almighty God has ordained it only for the Worthy and most look upon it as the most Solemn and Sacred Ordinance of the Gospel yet must this Pearl be prostitute to Swine this Holy thing profusely given to the vilest of men such as common Drunkards Whoremongers Adulterers and Blasphemers of God and that without scruple for that there are many such amongst the common Soldiers and also in Civil Offices is beyond Controversie Besides let a man be a knowing and pious Christian eminent for Loyalty to his Prince and acknowledged by all to be a good Subject yet if he cannot take it according to the Vsage of the Church of England himself must be deprived of a Place of Advantage and the Government of his Service So that I take this Test to be directly contrary to the Laws of God and the good of the Government and I cannot imagine how any man that has the awe of God upon his Soul and a love to the Government can consent to the establishing of it Especially considering that the Vsage of the Church of England is to receive the Elements kneeling which is a gesture of Adoration and ordained to avoid Profanation even before that Bread which is denied to be God and esteemed only his Image which some think and therefore refuse to take it to be Superstitious and Idolatrous But how fond soever the Church of England may be for the setling this Test yet sure the Protestant Dissenter unless he 'll offer violence to his avowed Principles can't be for it To this there is added the following Declaration which all in any Office Civil or Military must take in these words I A. B. do declare That I do believe that there is not any Transtantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or in the Elements of Bread and Wine at or after the Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever This TEST being a part of that which the Peers and those who sit in Parliament must take I will only observe in this place how unhappily it 's worded for unless there be some Errata's in my statute-Statute-book a man must declare That in the Elements of Bread and Wine there is no Transubstantiation after the Consecration It 's not said No Transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ but more indefinitely No Transubstantiation at all whereas after the Consecration they are eaten and drunken and after the eating and drinking them there is a Transubstantiation of them into his own Flesh and Blood in like manner as any other thing he eats or drinks is So that this Test being a solemn Declaration which a man is to make of his Faith he ought to be more explicit in the wording of it I presume farther That had it been matter of doubt in Physics whether the Bread be turned into the Flesh of him that eats it yet it 's not so clear that the contrary should be made a matter of Faith and that such as whoever believes it not must be made uncapable of any Office in the State. But this defect being supplied in the Parliamentary Test I will go on to that which is in these words I A. B. do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God profess testifie and declare That I do believe that in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper there is not any Transubstantiation of the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ at or after the Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever And that the Invocation or Adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other Saint and the Sacrifice of the Mass as they are now used in the Church of Rome are Superstitious and Idolatrous c. The first part of this TEST I confess is well worded and what a Protestant Dissenter according to his own Principles may safely take tho' not impose but how it can be exacted from every Church of England man to take it or how they can urge the continued Imposition of it on others is beyond me to comprehend My reason in short lies here The Church of England in her first framing after Queen Maries Death did in Obedience to Queen Elizabeth's Command take special care to open her doors so wide that no one for his believing Transubstantiation should be excluded her Communion And if not deprived thereby of the Privileges of the Church why of those of the State The very drift of the Church of England has been to twist the two Interests of Church and State so closely together that none should have any Advantages from the State but those who were of the Communion of their Church and whoever was of the Communion of their Church was the person qualified for the entire enjoyment of all the Privileges of the State and what was not a bar to Church-Communion was none to the being possessed of State-Privileges Tho' they would deprive men of their Civil Liberties for not being of their Communion yet they never denied them to those whom they thought meet to admit to her Communion and indeed unless she will acknowledge that the Terms of her Communion as a Church are too wide I cannot see how she can deny those whom she admits to her