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A56411 The fire's continued at Oxford, or, The decree of the convocation for burning the Naked gospel, considered in a letter to a person of honour Parkinson, James, 1653-1722. 1690 (1690) Wing P494; ESTC R1197 18,231 16

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The FIRE 's continued at OXFORD OR The Decree of the Convocation for burning the Naked Gospel considered In a Letter to a Person of Honour Honoured Sir I Gave you in my last the state of the Controversy between the Bp. of Exeter and the Rector and major part of the Fellows of Exeter-Colledg at Oxford as well as I could collect it from the Relations I could meet with and from their Petition to her Majesty before whom the Cause is depending In the mean time the Gazette will inform you The University of Oxford in Convocation held Aug. 19. instant has past their Judgment and Decree against certain Propositions as Impious and Heretical cited out of a certain infamous Libel entituled The Naked Gospel which say they impugn and destroy the chief Mysteries of our Faith always held and maintained in the Catholick Church and especially in the English And in the Preface to their Decree they say it not only denies but exposes to scorn that very Lord Jesus Christ who is God blessed for ever Now Sir before I take into consideration the impious and heretical Propositions give me leave to give you a short Summary of the Tendency and Design of the Book and of the reputed Author's printing it at his own Charge as I am inform'd by some that know him for I do not know him my self nor ever had any communication with him And first of the Author's Design in writing it When the King had called a Convocation to reconcile as was hoped to the Church of England the several Parties in this Kingdom and to satisfy if possible the Consciences of those who differ from it this Author was willing to contribute to so good a Work But because a direct Address might appear too great a boldness as some that went that way afterward found he conceiv'd that a clear stating the first Principles of the Gospel would appear more suitable to so learned a Body and useful toward enlargement of the Mind to a comprehensive Charity He therefore got this Treatise printed with design to steal a Copy of it into the Hand of every Member of the Convocation without publishing it to the World No sooner was the Impression finished but he found the Hopes of the King and the Generality of good Men disappointed by the rigour of the prevailing Party in the Convocation and a great Noise made about this well-design'd Book whereof some sew Copies had gotten abroad The Author hereupon made some Changes in the middle of the Book leaving out such Passages as appeared most offensive and of this Impression he communicated more Copies than he had done of the former But now cometh out a stolen Impression of the first Book made at London by he knows not whom which put it out of his power to dispose as he pleas'd of a Book that was his own 1. By Writing and then by Printing and Altering wholly at his own Cost Thus it appears his Design was not to disturb the Peace of the Church but to promote it 2. The Design and Tendency of the Book I will presume to whisper to you out of hearing of the Convocation is such as partly by reconciling Controversies partly by distinguishing necestary Articles from those that are not necessary and cutting off Disputes about the Modes and Niceties of things in gross necessary by giving such a Scheme of Christian Religion as is clear and plain to vulgar Capacities and apt to remove Doubts and Fears and Uncertainties and to satisfy good Peoples Minds touching their being in the true way of Salvation notwithstanding the many Disferences and Disputes among conscientious Men which they are either not able to determine or not with full satisfattion to themselves to turn Mens Minds from the study of Opinions and Speculations to Practical Piety Devotion toward God and Christ and Love toward all Christians of all Perswasions in the mean time making Rents and Divisions Heats and Animosities about Matters hardly determinable to be dangerous and unbecoming sincere Christians This Book I say having this Design and Tendency were not People prejudiced against it by rash and presumptuous Decrees and Censures might be of as great benefit to the. World in general and the Christian World in special as perhaps any Book of that Subject that has been publish'd these hundred Years When you have read the Book I doubt not but you will be of my Mind But for all that I could have wished the Author had not by some elegant Figures of Speech either bordered upon Hyperbole's or made his Mind less intelligible to common Readers and laid himself more open to the Cavils of his fierce Enemies which he did not fear among so learned Men as our Convocation For except the manner of expression I make no question but your own Memory will suggest to you that as we say of the Holy Scriptures they contain in one Bundle all those excellent Precepts and Instructions which lie dispers'd some in one some in another of the Philosophers so die Naked Gospel contains nothing but what is found by Parcels in other eminent and allowed Authors whom the Oxford-Convocation dare not pass Sentence upon tho' they have appear'd of late Years presumptuous enough in that kind witness their famous Judgment and Decree past in Convocation July 21. 1683. declaring 27 Propositions to be False Seditious and Impious and most of them to be also Heretical and Blasphemous infamous to Christian Religion and destruction to all Government in Church and State And this at such a time when the Court sollicited that Judgment for promoting their horrid Design of introducing Popery and Arbitrary Government into these Kingdoms and rooting that pestilent Heresy of Protestantism out of all Nations to which that Oxford-Decree was greatly serviceable And had the Body of the People of England been throughly perswaded of the Truth Equity and Religion of that Decree in all the Propositions we could never have had the happy cause of blessing God for delivering us from French Tyranny and Popish Cruelty and Superstition by the glorious Courage and Conduct of his Highness the Prince of Orange nor could the Peers and Representatives of the Nation in Convention have sett'd the Crown upon their most Excellent Majesties William and Mary but we had in all likelyhood been for ever enslaved to a bigotted Popish King and the Lady of Loretto's Heirs For it is observable that the Vote of the Convention which declared K. James's Throne vacant was grounded upon his having broken the Contract between King and People And that there is such a Contract is the Proposition condemned as impious by the same Hand which now condemned the N. G. At this time we see that those Bishops and others that have throughly digested the Oxford-Principles of Passive Obedience and Non-resistanne can rather lose their Preferments than swear Allegiance to our King and Queen And since divers of the Clergy profess to swear to their Majesties as King and Queen de