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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	conscience_n	good_a	havoc_n	30	3	16.1394	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33964	The history of conformity, or, A proof of the mischief of impositions from the experience of more than 100 years	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1681 (1681)	Wing C5319; ESTC R28566	30,488	42

be present at that action Possibly it had been less exposed to scandal if instead of them two or three Ministers had so joined and the end as well obtained but surely this was a far lesser evil than the admitting of all to the Sacrament that could but rehearse the Creed Lords Prayer and Ten Commandments there was nothing in this action but any pious Ministers who are the stewards of the mysteries of God might answer with a safe conscience for of Stewards it is required that they should be faithful saith the Apostle and I believe any Bishop would have judged his Steward unfaithful if he had dealt out his Master's goods contrary to his Master's order The Ministers Master's order is plain enough that the holy Sacrament belongs not either to ignorant or scandalous persons All the Churches of God in all Ages agree this our own Church in her principles agreeth it yet in practice all Ministers were tyed to give the Sacrament as in times of Popery to all such as could but rehearse the Creed the Pater Noster and the Ten Commandments and confessed in Lent those eminent persons who were commissionated by Edw. 6. to draw up a new body of Ecclesiastical Laws though that excellent Prince lived not long enough to set his Hand and Seal to it so as what they had done had no legal force had expresly determined Tit. de Sacramentis Cap. 5. We will have none admitted to the Table of the Lord until in the Church he hath made profession of his faith What should good Ministers do in this case they could act but precariously it seems at Wandsworth in Surry there was a people that voluntarily submitted to this what harm was this to the Bishops But the truth is this business of discipline came into very little debate before 1584. after that Subscription had been so fatally imposed In several Diocesses I perceive there were some circumstantial variations in the forms of Subscriptions To let my Reader therefore know what it was I will give it him as it lieth in the 36th Canon 1603. when it first received any thing like a legal confirmation which was at least 25. or 26. years after it was first devised and full 30. years after it was so rigorously pressed 1. Art That the Queens Majesty under God is thē Supreme Governour of this Realm and of all other her Highnesses Dominions and Territories as well in all Spiritual or Ecclesiastical things or causes as Temporal and that no forreign Prince Person State or Potentate hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction Power Superiority or Preheminence or Authority Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within her Majesties Realms Dominions or Countries 2. Art That he alloweth the Book of Articles agreed on by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London 1562. and that he acknowledgeth All and Every the Articles therein being in number 39. besides the Ratification to be agreeable to the Word of God 3. Art That the Book of Common-Prayer and of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons containeth in it nothing contrary to the Word of God and that it may lawfully be used and that he himself will use the form in the said Book prescribed in publick Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and no other This Engine was first formed by the Archbishop Whitgift and was one of those 16. Proposals he offered to the Queen for the setling of the Church a Copy of which in M. S. with two Answers to them I have read some little difference there was in the Arch-bishops form His first Article was 1. Art That the Authority which is given her Majesty in Causes Ecclesiastical by the Laws of the Land is lawful and according to the Word of God The Second Article was his Third andran thus 2. Art That he allowed the Book of Articles of Religion agreed on by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London 1562. and set forth by her Majesties Authority and that he agreeth the Articles therein contained to be agreeable to the Word of God 3. Art Which was the Archbishops Second was word for word the same This Motion of the Archbishops put the Queen upon adding force to the Imposition which indeed had been by some Bishops began before but now in most Diocesses it was rigorously pressed The issue of this is told us by the Author of the unlawful practices of Prelates in these words Whatsoever was required in Civil Causes either that concerned her Majesty or the State was by the Ministers embraced wholly and freely In Ecclesiastical Causes also whatsoever concerned Doctrine or otherwise was expresly required by Statute for Subscription Thus far at the first all men with protestation offered but to yeild to this thing so strange and new without any Law in streighter sort than ever was required That all things were agreeable to Gods Word and not against it not only tollerable but allowable both in the Book of Common Prayer and in the Book of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons This was refused divers of the Ministers were suspended multitudes were thrust out How many godly able painful Ministers were outed all over England I cannot tell but ex ungue Leonem I have seen a M. S. which gives an account of the names of Sixty odd in Suffolk Twenty one in Lincolnshire Sixty four in Norfolk Thirty eight in Essex which though they seem comparatively few yet are a great many when we consider that in Essex at that time there was an account given of 163. Ministers that never Preach'd only read Prayers and Homilies and 85. more Pluralists Non residents or persons most notoriously debaucht This was the first fruit of that Archbishops preferment and a fair offer at the rooting out of the reformed Religion as soon as planted which never did nor ever will live and flourish in any place under the conduct of an ignorant debauched unpreaching Ministry such a Ministry much better serving Popish than Protestant purposes What the Ministers that were suspended or deprived did to prevent their misery or to get this severity a little mitigated and allayed at this time in the years 1583 1584 1585. I shall inform the world from the worthy Author of the Book aforementioned wrote at that very time and often quoted by Bishop Bancroft His words are these The Cause was general means were made Ministers presented Doubts Protestations Supplications they were repulsed reviled threatned the Ministers did indure sustained with a good Conscience but their miserable flocks were subject to all disorders spoils havock Good men mourned evil men prevailed License possessed all places nothing was reserved whole to civil and modest life These things Gentlemen of all sorts took to heart they lamented their own estate and the estate of the people they pitied their Ministers their Wives and Children Gods Cause moved them the honour of the Gospel drew them yea the safety

qualified 1. In the Church Service That the Cross in Baptism Interrogatories ministred to Infants Confirmation as superfluous may be taken away Baptism not to be administred by Women and so explained The Cap and Surplice not urged That Examination may go before the Communion That it may be administred with a Sermon That divers terms of Priests Absolution and some others used with the Ring in Marriage and other such like in the Book might be corrected The longsomeness of Service abridged Church-songs and Musick moderated to better edification That the Lords day be not profaned The rest upon Holidays not so strictly urged That there may be an Vniformity of Doctrine prescribed No Popish opinion any more taught or defended No Ministers charged to teach the people to bow at the Name of Jesus That the Canonical Scriptures only be read in the Church 2. Concerning Church Ministers That none hereafter be admited into the Ministry but able and sufficient men and those to preach diligently and especially upon the Lords day That such as be already entred and cannot Preach may either be removed and some charitable course taken for their relief or else to be forced according to the value of their Livings to maintain Preachers That non-Residency be not permitted That King Edwards Statute for the lawfulness of Ministers Marriages may be revived That Ministers be not urged to subscribe but according to the Law to the Articles of Religion and the Kings Supremacy only 3. For Church-livings and Maintenance That Bishops leave their Commendams some holding Prebends some Parsonages some Vicarages with their Bishopricks That double beneficed men be not suffered to hold some two some three Benefices with Cure and some two three or four Dignities besides That Impropriations annexed to Bishopricks and Colledges be demised only to Preachers incumbent for the old Rent That the Impropriations of Lay-mens fees may be charged with a sixth or seventh part of the worth to the maintenance of the ●reaching Ministers 4. For Church-Discipline That the Discipline and Excommunication may be administred according to Christs Institution or at the least that enormities may be redressed as namely That Excommunication come not forth under the names of Chancellors Lay-persons Officials c. That men be not Excommunicated for trifles twelve peny matters That none be Ecommunicated without consent of his Pastor That the Officers be not suffered to extort unreasonable fees That none having Jurisdiction or Registers places put out the same to farm That divers Popish Canons as for restraint of Marriage at certain times be reversed That the longsomeness of Suits in Ecclesiastical Courts which hang sometimes 2 3 4 5 6 7 years may be restrained That the Oath ex Officio by which men are forced to accuse themselves be more sparingly used That Licenses for Marriage without Banes asked be more cautiously granted These with such other abuses yet remaining and practised in the Church of England we are able to shew to be not agreeable to the Scriptures if it shall please your Highness further to hear us or more at large to be informed or by conference amongst the Learned to be resolved And yet we doubt not but that your Majesty without further process of whose Christian judgment we have received so good a taste already is able of your self to judg of the equity of this cause God we trust hath appointed your Highness our Physician to heal these diseases and we say with Mordecai to Esther Who knoweth but you are come to the Kingdom for such a time Thus your Majesty shall do that which we are perswaded shall be acceptable to God honourable to your Majesty in all succeeding ages profitable to his Church which shall be thereby increased comfortable to your Ministers which shall be no more suspended silenced disgraced imprisoned for mens traditions and prejudicial unto none but those who seek their own credit quiet and profit in the world Thus with all dutiful submission referring our selves to your Majesties Pleasure for your Gracious answer as God shall direct you We most humbly recommend your Highness to the Divine Majesty whom we beseech for Christ his sake to do herein what shall be for his glory the good of his Church and your endless comfort Your Majesties most humble Subjects the Ministers of the Gospel who desire not a disorderly Innovation but a due and Godly Reformation How his Majesty resented this Petition is variously reported But sure it is saith Fuller it ran the Gantlop through all the Prelatical party every one giving it a lash some with their Pens more with their tongues and the dumb Ministers as they term it found their speech most vocal against it How many the number of those was who joined in this and several other Petitions at the same time and were suspended deprived imprisoned c. I cannot tell but a great division arose which held during the Archbishop Bancrofts time Bishop Abbot who succeeded him in the Archbishoprick of Canterbury was much calmer Several Books were wrote at this time against the Nonconformist by Mr. Hutton Mr. Rogers Dr. Lovel and Dr. Spark who had himself been a Dissenter but in the year 1607 1608 they were learnedly answered by a Book of three parts call'd A Defence of the Ministers Reasons for refusal of Subscription The first part was concerning the holy Scriptures the ill Translation of several Texts The second concerning the Holy Scriptures and Apocrypha The third was about kneeling at the Sacrament Several able Ministers left the Nation many others with their Families were undone in it Thus Conformity stood till the time of King Charles the First some Bishops being more some less rigid in pressing the Canons But when Archbishop Laud came to be Archbishop of Canterbury who succeeded Abbot he made a new Edition of Impositions to which he required Conformity saying second Service at the Table setting that at the East end of the Church Altarwise commanding the Communion Table to be railed in and all people to come up thither to receive the Communion kneeling enforcing the bowing at the Name of Jesus Forbidding Lectures and Afternoon-Sermons Pressing the Book of Sports on the Lords day Not injoining but commending bowing toward the East-end c. and twenty more things What havock hese things made is yet within the memory of many and what disturbance Bishop Wren made in Suffolk and other places as several other Bishops that were his Creatures did in other Diocesses many alive know multitudes of Ministers were again deprived and suspended Many undone in the High Commission At last in the Convocation 1640 an Oath with c. was devised which had perfected the business in rooting out all Puritan Preachers had not a Parliament came and spoil'd that design Scarce any is ignorant what numbers of Godly Ministers and people left the Nation upon this account betwixt 1630. and 1640. so many as to make one of the noblest Colonies at this day in the world that