Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	prayer_n	sacrament_n	3,473	5	7.3617	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86885	Comprehension with indulgence	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1689 (1689)	Wing H3675A; ESTC R204501	6,819	8

Comprehension with Indulgence Nihil est jam dictum quod non suit dictum prius Terrence IT hath pleased His Majesty by several Gracious Overtures to commend a Union of his Protestant Subjects to the Consideration of Parliament A Design full of all Princely Wisdom Honesty and Goodness In this Atchievement there is a double interest I apprehend to be distinguished and weighed that of Religion it self and that of the Nation The advance of Religion does consist much in the Unity of its Professors both in Opinion and Practice to be of one Mind and one Heart and one Way in Discipline and Worship so far as may be according to the Scriptures The advance of the Nation does lye in the Freedom and Fluorishing of Trade and uniting the whole Body in the common Benefit and dependance on the Government The one of these bespeaks an Established Order and Accommodation the other bespeaks Indulgence Liberty of Conscience or Toleration For while people are in danger about Religion we dare not launch unto into Trade say they but we must keep our Monies seeing wee know not into what streights we shall be driven and when in reference to their Party they are held under severity it is easie for those who are designing Heads to mould them into Wrath and Faction which without that occasion will melt and dissolve it self into bare dissent of Opinion peaceably rejoycing under the enjoyment of Protection The King we know is concerned as Supreme Governour and as a Christian Protestant Governour As he is King he is to seek the Welfare of the Nation as he is a Christian the Flourishing of Religion and the Protestant Religion particularly is his interest as this Kingdom doth lie in ballance He being the chief Party with its Neighbour Nations The Judgment now of some is for a Comprehending Act which may take in those who are for our Parochial Churches that Severity then might be used for reclaiming all whosoever separate from them The Judgment of some others is for a Free and Equal Act of Grace to all indifferently the Papist with most excepted whether Separatists or others abhorring Comprehension as more dangerous to them upon that account mentioned than all the Acts that have passed Neither of these judg up to the full Interest of the King and Kingdom as is proposed It becomes not the Presbyterian if his Prinriples will admit him to own our Parochial Churches and enjoy a Living to be willing to have his Brethren the Independent given up to Persecution and it becomes not the Separatist if he may but enjoy his Conscience to repine or envy at the Pesbyterian for reaping any farther Emolument seeing both of them supposing the latter may do so have as much at the bottom as can be in their capacities desired of either It is an Act therefore of a mixt Complection providing both Comprehension and Indulgence for the different Parties must serve our purpose And to this end as we may humbly hope there is a BILL at present in the House A BILL for the Ease of the Protestant Dissenter in the Business of Religion Which that upon this present Prorogation it may be cast into this Model I must present the same yet in a little farther Explication There are two sorts we all know of these Protestant Dissenters One that own the Established Ministery and our Parish-Congregations and are in capacity of Union upon that account desiring it heartily upon condescention to them in some small matters The other that own not our Churches and so are uncapable of a Conjunction who do not and cannot desire it or seek it For the One that which we propose is a farther latitude in the present Constituted Order that such may be received and this we call Comprehension or Accommodation Let us suppose that nothing else were required of a Man to be a Minister of a Parish than there is to the Parishioner to be a Member of a Parish-Church as part of the National If a person baptized will come to Church and hear common-Common-Prayer and receive the Sacrament and does nothing worthy of Excommunication he is he may he must be received for a Parochial Member In like manner if a Minister first ordained and so Episcopally or Classically approved in his abilities for that Function will but read the Book of Liturgy and administer the Sacraments according to it and does nothing which deserves Suspension we appeal to all the indifferently sober why should not this suffice a Man for the enjoying his Living and exercising the Office unto which he is called For the Other there is indeed nothing can be done to bring those in joyn them with us in Parochial Union yet is there this to be proposed that you bear with them and not let any be Persecuted meerly for their Consciences and that we call Indulgence or Toleration If the Presbyterian now may be Comprehended he will be satisfied to act in his ministry without endeavouring any Alteration otherwise of Episcopacy If the Congregationalist be Indulged he will be satisfied though he be not Comprehended for that he cannot submit unto and so shall there be no Disobligation put on any but all be pleased and enjoy the Ease of this BILL Let but the Grounds of Comprehension be laid wide enough to take in all who can own and come into the publick Liturgy which we suppose as yet to be the greater weight of the Nation and when the Countenance of Authority and all State-Emoluments are cast into one Scale and others let alone to come of it without Persecution to Enflame them or Preferment to Encourage them especially if one expedient be used which shall not pass unmentioned in the close that such as come in may find it really better to them to be a Priest to a Tribe than a Levite to a Family we need not doubt but Time the Mistress of the wise and unwise will discover the peaceable issue of such Counsels And here let me pause a little for methinks I see what Icesicles hang on the Eeves of the Parliament-House at this Motion what Prejudices I mean and Impressions have been laid on the Members by former Acts. There was a Speech delivered by the then Chancellour in Christ-Church Hall in Oxford to the Parliament there and the Scholars assembled wherein the Glory of contriving the Oxford Oath and consequently of the like former Impositions was most magnificently as well as spitefully enough arrogated to its proper Author It was it seems the designed Policy of that Great Man to root those Principles out of mens minds upon which the late Wars as he supposed were builded and he would do it by this invention to wit the imposing upon them new Declarations Oaths and Subscriptions of a strain framed contrary to those Principles I do remember now the Sentence of Esdras to the Apologue of the Anglel where the Woods and the Seas would encounter one another Verily says he it was a foolish puopose