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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52997	A new survey of the book of common prayer humbly proposed to this present parliament, in order to the obtaining a new act of uniformity / by a minister of the Church of England.	Minister of the Church of England.	1690 (1690)	Wing N779; ESTC R10713	58,268	82

promoting Atheisme Arch-Bishop Grindal in his Fair Warning Part 2. Edit 1663 expressed his great fear of two things Atheism and Popery and both arising out of our needless differences By these the Enemies of our Religion gain this that nothing can be established by Law in the Protestant Religion whose every part is not opposed by some or other of her own Professors so that things continuing loose and confused the Papists have their Opportunity to urge their way which is attended with Order and Government And our Religion continuing thus distracted and divided some vile Wretches lay hold on the Arguments on one side to confute the other and so hope at last to destroy all Judge Hales 's Discourse of Religion p. 49. When Men see so much Heat and Passion so much Fervour and Contention such Reproaches and Revilings such Exasperations of Authority on either Party such mutual Prosecutions one of another that more could not possibly be done between Dissenters in those points which both agree to be Fundamental Atheistical Spirits are apt to conclude that probably those points that both sides supposed to be of greater moment are Ejusdem Farinae as those in Contest which all Men take to be small and inconsiderable Mr. Hooker 's Ecclesiastical Politie p. 18. Speaking of Atheistical persons by our Contentions their Irreligious Humour is much strengthened Also by the hot persuit of lower Controversies among Men professing Religion and agreeing in the principal Foundation thereof they conceive hope that about the higher Principles themselves time will cause Alteration to grow Abner 's Plea for Accommodation p. 41. It will cast a scandal on Religion it will open the Mouths of the Adversaries of the Truth The Name of God is blasphem'd among the Gentiles through you saith the Apostle Rom. 2.24 The worst sort among them scoff at it it is meat and drink to them And the better sort are stagger'd by it discouraged from coming within the pale of the Church when they observe Christians as Contentious as Pagans Believers as quarrelsome as Infidels Vnity of Catholick Christians The many Divisions and Animosities which have distracted and separated the parts of Christendom these have opened the Mouths and whet the Tongues of its professed Enemies to Reviling and Railings and Prophane Scoffs against our Blessed Lord and Saviour and his Holy Religion and stifled the first thoughts of admitting the most Convincing Truths to a debate among Jews Turks or Pagans and stopt their Ears against the wisest Charmes To no one cause can we more reasonably impute the small progress which Christianity hath made in the World for a Thousand years past The same contents have a pernicious influence at home upon the Faith and Manners of those within the Pale of the Church Men are hereby too soon tempted into some degree of Sceptiscism about very material points of Christian Doctrine in which they observe so many to differ among themselves Bishop Hacket on Acts 15.39 Where many Sects spring up it calls the Truth more into question and the fewer Proselytes will be gained Secondly By bringing Men to a Lukewarmness and Indifferency in the great things of Religion Bishop Whitgift 's Letter to the Council in Fullers Hist L. 9. That in King Edwards Time and in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths before the heat of these Contentions the Gospel mightily prevailed But since this Schism and Division the contrary Effects have happened Design of Christian p. 236. It is too visibly apparent to be denied that those who have such a scalding hot Zeal or contend so earnestly either for or against things of no certainty and no necessity are many of them as their Predecessors the Pharisees were in the very other Extream as to not a few of the weightiest matters of Religion Conformists Plea for the Nonconformists Part 4. pag. 17 It renders the Labours of the Worthiest suspected and despised by the contrary-minded The most useful profitable searching Books which the World hath most need of are not as much as look'd into by many but rejected because the Books of F s as they are called Yea more if a Conformist have the Name of F some of our Church-P will not come nigh the door-posts of Wisdom Mr. Kidder 's Sermons 1 Pet 3.11 We quarrel for Trifles and neglect our unquestionable Duty to God and Man Doctor Burnet Bishop of Salisbury Matth. 12.25 p. 5. The ill Effects of this Zeal or Contentiousness upon our selves will be That as this Temper grows upon us all our inward seriousness will in a great measure abate and turn meerly to a Form And with that many other Sins will creep in upon us we will bear with many ill things in others because they are of our Party whom otherwise we would detest for their ill Lives and by Conversing much with them we will contract at least a Familiarity with their Vices and perhaps imagine That by our rage and heat we offer up some acceptable Sacrifice to God to compensate for our other Disorders Causes of Decay of Piety p. 251. When bitter Zeal was once fermented the Orthodoxy or Heresie of Lives became soon Tearms out-dated and Men were measured only by Opinions Item p. 301. They are not much discomposed to see Men of no Religion 't is only the having one different from their own that makes their Indignation Mr. Cook 's Sermons on Rom. 12.18 p. 24 What a siding is there with this and the other Zealous and Conscientious Sect even by those that have neither Zeal nor Conscience but are Deriders of both and of strict Holiness in all sorts of Professors Appendix to the third part of the Friendly Debate p. 143 Doctor Jackson tells us the first ground of his dislike to the chief Solicitors of Reformation in our Church was the deformity of their Zeal not moving them to redress known Enormities of the Common-wealth much more material and much more nearly concerning the Advancement of the Gospel than those doubtful Controversies of Formality about which they strove Bishop Wilkins on Rom. 14.17 18 Let a Man but indifferently look round about him amongst all the kinds of Parties in our times even those who in his own judgment he esteems the best and then say Whether both our Common Peace and the Power of Religion hath not suffered exceedingly upon the account of our Zeal in lesser matters Another Mischief it destroys Charity Doctor Steward 's Englands Case p. 26 In such Divisions as these Men are extreamly apt to forget all Bonds of Peace and for possession sometimes of a little supposed Truth quit indeed their whole state of Charity Mr. Kidder 's Sermons 1 Pet. 3.11 We do indeed fiercely contend with each other but it is because we want Charity We neglect that plain Duty whilest we are fond of some Opinion of our own which is often false and at best but doubtful Pref. to Usher 's Body of Divinity Men falling into Sects and Schisms break the Bond of Love and

drew too hard to an uniform complyance in things where Christ hath left us free True state of the Primitive Church p 20. Let us be men of understanding men in Devotion be zealous and hold fast the substantial parts of Religion and let us leave it to Women and Children to contend about Ceremonies Let it be indifferent to us whether this or that or no Ceremony whether Kneel or not Kneel Bow or not Bow Surplice or no Surplice Cross or no Cross Ring or no Ring Let us give Glory to God in all and no offence to our Brethren in any thing Doctor Stillingfleets Irenicum p. 65. He must be a great stranger in the Primitive Church that takes not notice of the great diversity of Rites and Customs used in particular Churches without censuring of those that differ'd from them or if any by inconsiderate Zeal did proceed so far how ill it was represented by other Christians And he concludes with that Divine Aphorism of St. Austin Indignum est ut propter ea quae nos Deo neque digniores c. It is an unworthy thing for Christians to condemn and judge one another for those things which do not commend us unto God To the same purpose in Vnreasonableness of Separation That the Cross be left at liberty as the Parents desire it or wholly taken away Pref. p. 83. Edit 3. King Charles II. Declaration at Breda Agreed to leave the Ceremonies at liberty Dr. Rudde Bishop of St. Davids Speech in the Convocation 1604. In the life time of the late Archbishop then Whitgift these things were not so extreamly urged but that many Learned Preachers enjoyed their Liberty therein conditionally that they did not by word nor deed disgrace or disturb the State established King Charles II. Declaration from Breda None shall be denied the Lords Supper for not Kneeling none compelled to use the Cross it shall be Lawful to him that desires to use the Cross to have such Ministers as will use it and if the proper Minister refuse to get another None compell'd to bow at the name of Jesus The Surplice left to liberty except in the Royal Chappel Cathedrals and Universities Another Argument The mischief to the Church hath been very great from these Ceremonies especially from the Cross First as to the Imposition though the present Fathers of the Church have signified their consent unto a due liberty to Dissenters and some Indulgence to them beyond their Predecessors yet several Ministers in Queen Elizabeths and King James I. Reign and that of King Charles I. and at King Charles II. Return have been turned out of their Benefices and silenced for Nonconformity to these Ceremonies although the Church of England confesseth them to be but things indifferent And it were hard for refusing upon a Conscientious account to submit to things indifferent to have one of the greatest punishments inflicted on a man Suspension and Deprivation even as Conformists would many of them think it hard to be Silenced for not assenting to the Perseverance of the Saints or any other of the five points according to the common sense or notion of our Dissenting Brethren Secondly These Ceremonies have been as it were a bone of Contention thrown in between Conformists and Nonconformists Zanchies Letter to Queen Elizabeth 1571. tells her This Counsel about strict Imposition of Ceremonies will trouble the publick Peace of the Church by causing contentions among men and cause them to write Books one against another about things indifferent which are the Golden Apples of Contention Many an hot Dispute and Conference there hath been and Books wrote for and against them with bitterness of Spirit some contending as earnestly about these indifferent things as about matters of Faith as if the very Life and Soul of Religion lay in them and as if the cause of Christ and our Protestant Reformation were to stand or fall with them The Ceremony of the Cross hath been as vexatious to our Church as ever the difference about the Jewish Ceremonies of Days and Meats was in the time of the Apostles which occasioned a Council at Jerusalem Acts. 15. so many Chapters in St. Pauls Epistle and such contention among them Thirdly Much time hath been spent to little purpose or profit in Reading or Studying these matters Oh the many that have wrote for and against No little time doth it cost men in Writing as Bishop Mourton Dr. Bourges for Dr. Ames against them and others nay every Book for or against Conformity as God knows there are abundance of them upon these fruitless Controversies makes the Ceremonies materiam contentionis matter of the Controversie and it calleth for a part and a considerable share in the Book Time also spent in Reading and Studying the point and there must be Prayer to be led by the Spirit to find out the Truth for satisfaction The time also which is spent in Preaching on this point for it is commanded in the Canons I say this time would be much better spent in reading the Bible with Comments or Treatises of Divinity and so be Redeemed for Eternity which now men are necessitated to spend for satisfaction herein All this a great deal or a considerable portion of time may be better improved if this Ceremony be taken away And then as my Lord Bacons Essays p. 13. Speaking of Peace in the Church It turneth the labours of Writing and Reading Controversies into Treatises of Mortification and Devotion Again The strict exaction of these Ceremonies hath occasioned some to cry them up as if a considerable part of Ministers Conformity to the Laws of God and Man lay therein when in truth it is a very inconsiderable part And some have sought to get into favour with greater Persons and attain Preferment by a niceness and strict observance of every Punctilio about the Ceremonies exacting perhaps a more strict Obedience to these than to the Laws of God And he shall pass for an obedient and very good Son of the Church with some that is a zealous stickler for these though he be loose in his Life formal in his Religion and uncharitable to those that differ from him Again Some have declared that they cannot joyn with us in Baptism suffering their Children to be Baptized by Conforming Ministers because of the Sign of the Cross which they in their Consciences cannot allow of nor joyn in the Lords Supper because of Kneeling which seems to them though through great weakness and a more unreasonable prejudice when the Rubrick is so expresly against the Idolatry and Adoration of the Sacramental Bread a symbolizing with Idolaters which things have bred no small perplexity of mind and outward trouble to some Godly Persons said Mr. Sprint in his days Cass Anglic. I shall conclude this with Dr. Preston on the Lords Prayer p. 89. Thy Kingdom come We intreat the Lord that he would curse and cross all Antichristian Plots and Practices and we are to Pray against all lets and