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	see_v	true_a	2,943	5	5.0760	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96838	Sober sadnes: or Historicall observations vpon the proceedings, pretences, & designs of a prevailing party in both Houses of Parliament. With the resolution of all loyall subjects, and true Protestants of the Church of England thereupon.	Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685.	1643 (1643)	Wing W3352; Thomason E94_28; ESTC R8232	37,456	54

in this super fine age by those of the family By the Anabaptists Brownists and other Sectaries as all cost and care bestowed and had of the Church wherein God is to he served and worshipped is accounted a kind of Popery and as proceeding from an Idolatrous disposition insomuch as time would soone bring to passe if it were not resisted that God would be turned out of Churches into Barnes and from thence againe into the Fields and Mountaines and under the Hedges and the offices of the Ministers robb'd of all dignity and respect be as contemptible as these places All Order Discipline and Church-Government left to newnesse of opinion and mens fancies yea and soone after as many kindes of Religion would spring up as their are Parish Churches within England Every contentious and ignorant person clothing his fancy with the Spirit of God and his imagination with the gift of Revelation insomuch as when the Truth which is but one shall appeare to the simple multitude no lesse variable then contrary to it selfe the faith of men will soone after die away by degrees and alll Religion held in scorne and contempt Doth not this directly hit the temper of our times wherein the conformable ministry is generally discountenanced ignorant and seditious persons men of all qualities and professions set up like Jeroboams Calves to out-face them Wherein all sorts of Conventicles forbidden by Law are tolerated and frequented by those that ought to punish them wherein men will take upon them to be Magistrates and declaime against the publike worship and service of God as it hath stood ever since the Reformation in the Church of England and shut up the doores of the Mother-Church if it bee lawfull to use any name of reverence and authority besides the name of a Parliament that the solemne service of God may not be administred as it hath been for a president to other Churches wherein men are imprisoned and cannot be inlarged unlesse they will promise to forbeare the use of the Common-Prayer the Crosse in Baptisme and kneeling at the holy Communion wherein the holy Apostles of our Saviour are unsainted as if we now doubted of their salvation all this and more then this can be proved against Alderman Pennington If wee look into the House lest their Members should not bee infected fast enough with this pestilent disease the Preachers of their choosing were for the most part notorious schismaticall Separtists And for the Synod of their owne settting forth after a new translation for feare the Clergy should have sent men that were too orthodoxall they deprived them of their rights forgetting their Protestation or taking them to be not the Subjects intended in it and made choice of as many men as they could get under no remarkable character but for their ignorant novelty and factious singularity of opinion If we look upon the men they most confide in we shall find them of the same stampe or else their prisoners must not be committed to them Doctor Leyton an old Scottish Preacher stigmatized long since for Sedition Gaoler at Lambeth House Dillingham a notorious Brownist with his wife and family Goaler at London-House Devenish the Keeper and Randall the Porter both Conventicle-Preachers at Winchester-House and the Porter at Ely-House can deliver as much extemporary Sedition as the best of them If we look into their Army wee shall find their intemperate zeale not without encouragement from some great ones hath transported them not onely to the prophanation of Churches defacing of Monuments tearing of holy Books and decent Vest ments but even to the murdering of the true sonnes of the Church for ●oyning in her devotions as the late example at Lambeth evidenceth Wee see then what is done for the defence of the true Protestant Religion as it stands reformed and establisht in the Church of England This Religion is pretended but another is practiced and in order to this new one for the old hath consisted with the old government Episcopacy must be rooted out and to this end they have used the most Reverend Bishops for no other crime then for being of that function as whilome the enemies of the Gospell did the holy Martyrs of Jesus Christ when they clothed them in the skins of wilde beasts to animate the dogges to teare them so the Fathers of the Church have been set forth under the most scandalous and ignominious character to inrage the people against them And although they are as farre from discovering as from agreeing what they would have in the roome of it yet this must downe that 's concluded and though a Synod be desired as the most competent Judge of such Controversies yet this is to be convened onely for colour fake the work must be done or rather undone before they be consulted with or assembled We may expostulate though they will not allow their Votes how unreasonable soever to be disputed How came Episcopacy that hath stood so long a piller in the house of God to grow so diametrically opposite to the truth or peace of the Gospell Was not our Religion reformed under that Government and hath not our Church and State flourish't to the envy of our neighbours under it If some tares have sprung up under it have they not sprung up much faster and spread further under other formes of Government beyond the Seas If inconveniences have crept in through that wall which if not of Christs own is doubtlesse of his Apostles building much more through those low hedges of their setting up who hhve no grounds besides their owne fancies to plant them on There is a necessity of emerging offences and tares will grow amongst the Wheat untill the Ha●vest or else our Saviour hath deceived us His wisdome sees that the very chaffe may contribute something to the benefit of the good graine in this life and therefore hath reserved the thorow-purging of his floore till his owne comming unto Judgement A little breaking in of the salt waters makes our helds more fruitfull Our chief care must be to keep out Inundations and the way to doe that is to keep the bankes up and to keepe them sound not to levell them The Houses did once thinke it convenient to declare by Votes which we see religiously observ'd in other things that they intended the abolishing neither of the Liturgy nor of the Church-Goverument And truely if wee perceive Votes which have presum'd ●o challenge so much respect and veneration from us created onely to serve turnes upon occasion and carried Pro and Con as emergent advantages are administred they will presently lose their reputation amongst us of being infallible and gives us hopes that upon the more mature deliberation of second thoughts at least all groundlesse Votes apparently and experimentally d●structive to the Kingdome shall bee recalled And for the Government of the Church being purg'd of some abuses wee professe wee like the Preachers advice so well and have found their principles so pestilent that