Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	common_a	prayer_n	prescribe_v	2,797	5	9.8241	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78461	Certain considerable and most materiall cases of conscience, wherewith divers wel-affected in this kingdom are much perplexed, the cleering wherof would worthily deserve the paines of the Assembly at London.		1645 (1645)	Wing C1688; Thomason E270_7; ESTC R212357	14,633	26

are all bound not only to the present Liturgie but also to the present Government both by their subscription and also by a vowed promise with a calling of God to witnesse and help thereunto As for the Act of Parliament whereby the Liturgy is confirmed in which Liturgy the Bishops by a prescribed Order more then once or twice are appointed to be prayed for it binds all the Subjects as well as Ministers It is the Law of the Kingdom established by Soveraign Authority and this Authority the Apostle saith we must be Subject unto both for fear of wrath and also for conscience sake This doth concern all the Subjects of the Kingdom but the Ministers Assembly men and all are yet somewhat further bound For at their Ordinations they have put it under their hands and that willingly and ex anima as they professed at least that the Book of Common Prayer containeth in it nothing contrary to the word of God and that they themselves will use the form in that Book prescribed and none othen And to this they have subscribed not once onely but again and again some of them when they took degrees in the Universities all of them when they were admitted into Orders both of Deaconty Priest hood and also at their severall Institutions to their Livings and admissions into Lectures as appears by the 36. Canon forementioned yet besides all this they made a vowed promise at their Ordination for a question being thus demanded of them will you reverently obey your Ordinary c This Answer was returned by them I will so do the Lord being my helper Now whether men that have so often bound themselves willingly and with all their heart and have lived accordingly some of them 20. some 30. some 40. yeers may lawfully endevour by the sword to free themselves from this bond or encourage others by the sword to procure a liberty for them or enter into a Covenant quite contrary to this bond is a case of conscience so deservedly considerable that all who have any conscience or do beleeve there is a Heaven or Hell to go to hereafter cannot but startle at the very first hearing of it that so much the rather because all Mimsters of the Kingdom have yet besides made another solemn Vow to their power to maintain quietnesse and Peace for at their Ordination this question being demanded of them Will you maintain and set forwards as much as lyeth in you quietnesse peace and love among all Christian people c The Answer they have all returned is this I will so do the Lord being my helper O God that art the helper of all them that do not forsake thee make them all that fear thee mindfull of their Vowes and carefull to perform them XV Whether the tampering so much with Oathes undertaking to dissolve some and impose others viz. new Covenants contrary to our former Oathes whereby the consciences both of Prince and people cannot but be insnared whether this doth seeme to argue any sincerity of zeal and purity of Religion or rather whether it doth not argue a wilfull purpose and resolution to compasse our own ends if possible though it be with the wrack of mens soules as well as of their Estates and Lives XVI Whether there be any reason or conscience the Clergy onely among all the Subjects of the Kingdom should be excluded from Voting about those Laws to the observance whereof it is expected they should be bound as well as the rest of the Subjects What a singular encouragement is here to be a Clergy-man in the Kingdom of England XVII Whether the Assembly of Divines at London have any lawfull calling Justly doubted for an ordinary calling all the Kingdom knows they have not they were not chosen by the voyces of the Clergy neither were they gathered together by the Kings will and Commandement without which there can be no such Ecclesiasticall Assembly as they themselves have put under their hands compare the third Article of subscription before mentioned with the 21. Article of Religion and it will easily appear and besides there is an Act of Parliament against such Assemblies as have not the Kings consent thereunto in the 25. of Henry 8. An ordinary calling then they have not an extraordinary by any supernaturall inspiration it is to be thought they will not assume to themselves and so they have no lawfull calling at all However the guides of the Kingdom they have taken upon them to be and therefore they may do well briefly and plainly to resolve these perplexing doubts with some Manifesto that we may know it is done or approved by them If we be misled woe be to us we shall perish in our iniquity Isay 9.16 but our blood shall be required at our watchmens hands Ezek. 3.18 XVIII Whether men lawfully possest of temporall Estates and having by their last will and Testament or any other lawfull means bestowed the same to the maintenance of the Clergy with fearfull curses some of them and imprecations on those that should divert it from that use whether those Estates can safely be alienated from the way which the Doners themselves devised without sacriledge True the curse causelesse will not come but that these curses are such who can say nay and if there were no curse yet who can say it is not sacriledge if Ananias and Saphira might not alienate what themselves had given who hath power to alienate that which is given by another man To rob Peter and pay Paul will not be sufficient to excuse the businesse A man had need be sure of his warrant before he take upon him to be a divider Luk. 12.14 XIX Whether we who endeavour to change the government of the Church that we may procure liberty of conscience yet exercise cruell Tyranny upon mens Consciences our selves by requiring them to joyn with us though there be so many scruples of conscience against it by plundering and imprisoning them if they will not joyn with us and by imposing new Covenants contrary to former Oathes whether we seeme not to the Malignants too justly to be guilty of deep Hypocrisie espying a mote that was in the Bishops eyes and not discerning the beam that is in our own XX Whether we that cryed out upon the Papists for endeavouring to bring in the Spaniards and upon the King for intending as we conceived to bring in the Danes be not unexcusable before God and man for doing that our selves in bringing in the Scots which we condemned in others Rom. 2.1 c Item whereas we complained of the Tyranny of the Bishops that many thereby were driven to forsake their Native Countrey and yet we by our cruelty shall do the self same are we not in this behalf also unexcusable many more such Items may be added XXI Whether it can stand with the quiet of Christian consciences to make such an effusion of Christian blood as now hath been spilt and yet is in