Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	doctrine_n	faith_n	scripture_n	3,083	5	5.9043	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64555	Animadversions upon a late treatise, entituled The Protestant reconciler, humbly pleading for condescention to dissenting brethren in things indifferent and unnecessary for the sake of peace and shewing how unreasonable it is to make such things the necessary conditions of communion by a well-wisher to the churches peace, and a lamenter of her sad divisions.	S. T. (Samuel Thomas), 1627-1693.	1683 (1683)	Wing T971; ESTC R17255	66,638	174

Affection towards Us of Zeal for the Peace of the Church and State and neither Enemies to Episcopacy nor Liturgy but modestly to desire such Alterations in either as without shaking the Foundations might best allay the present distempers which the Indisposition of the Time and the Tenderness of some mens Consciences had contracted For the better doing whereof We did intend to call a Synod and in the mean time We published in Our Declaration from Breda a Liberty to tender Consciences c. The Declaration from Breda then is here ☞ acknowledged to have been an Interim or Temporary Concession onely until a Synod was call'd and as it was limited to such differences of Opinion as do not disturb the peace of the Kingdom so it had reference plainly to an Act of Parliament which upon mature deliberation should be offered to His Majesty But there was no such Act thought sit by the Wisdom of the Nation to be offered ' Nay the Henourable House of Commons in their Address to His Majesty did Thus express themselves Febr. 28. 1663. We have consider'd the Nature of Your Majesties Declaration from Breda and are humbly of Opinion that Your Majesty ought not to be pressed with it any farther 'T is This Other Declaration therefore which we are particularly to attend unto and though it be somewhat long I will not forbear the representing of it again to view so far as the Reconciler refers unto it So then he proceeds And again we must for the honour of all those of either Persuasion with whom we have conferred declare that the professions and desires of all for the advancement of Piety and true Godliness are the same their profession of zeal for the peace of the Church the same of Affection and Duty to us the same They all approve Episcopacy N. B. They all approve a set Form of Liturgy and they all disapprove and dislike the sin of Sacriledge and the alienation of the Revenue of the Church And if upon these excellent Foundations in submission to which there is such an Harmony of affections any Superstructures shall be raised to the shaking Those Foundations and to the contracting and lessening the Blessed Gift of Charity which is a vital part of Christian Religion we shall think our self very unfortunate and even suspect that we are defective in that Administration of Government with which God hath intrusted us We need not profess the high Affection and Esteem which N. B. we have for the Church of England as it is established by Law Nor do we think That Reverence in the least degree diminish'd by our Condescensions not peremptorily to insist upon some particular Ceremonies which however introduced by the Piety and Devotion and order of former times may not be so agreeable to the present but may even lessen that Piety and Devotion for the improvement whereof they might happily at first be introduced and consequently may well be dispensed with ' And we hope This charitable compliance of ours will dispose the minds of all men to a chearful submission to that Authority the preservation whereof is so necessary for the Unity and Peace of the Church And we have not the least doubt but that the present Bishops will think the present ☜ Concessions now made by us to allay Have They not well Answer'd This Hope Even as they did His Majesty's most Hearty desire that in the mean time They would not Totally lay aside the Book of Common-Prayer but Read the parts against which there can be no Exception c. the present distempers very just and reasonable and will very chearfully conform themselves thereunto Lastly As for Ceremonies which have P. 7. administred so much matter of difference and contention Our present consideration and work is to gratifie the private Consciences of those who are grieved with the use of some Ceremonies by indulging to and dispensing with their omitting those Ceremonies not utterly to abolish any which are by Law established And therefore by This Royal Declaration it is provided 1. That none shall be denied the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper though they do not use the gesture of kneeling in the Act of receiving 2. That no man shall be compell'd to use the Cross in Baptism or suffer for not so doing 3. That all men shall be left to their Liberty as to the using of the Surplice to do as they shall think fit without suffering in the least degree for wearing or not wearing it And because some men otherwise pious and learn'd say They cannot conform unto the Subscription requir'd by the Canon nor take the Oath of Canonical Obedience We are content and it is Our Will and Pleasure so they take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy that they may receive Ordination Institution and Induction and shall be permitted to exercise their Function and to enjoy the Profits of their Livings without the said Subscription or Oath of Canonical Obedience So they read and declare their Assent to all the Article of Religion which only concern the Confession of the True Christian Faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments comprized in the Book of Articles These saith the Reconciler are the very terms of Peace which here I plead Ib. p. 8. for and which I humbly conceive would very much conduce unto the healing of our Breaches And if ever a Divine Sentence was in the Mouth of a King and his Mouth erred not in judgment which I hope is not doubted of because it is Scripture I verily believe Prov. xvi x. saith he it was thus with Our present Majesty which is a meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have again p. 9. for His present Majesty when he composed that admirable Declaration which next to Holy Scripture I Adore and think that the Vnited judgment of the whole Nation cannot frame a better or a more unexceptionable Expedient for a firm and lasting concord of these distracted Churches Now I observe 1 That His Gracious Majesty did here sufficiently Testifie and express his high Affection and Esteem for the Church of England as it is established by Law and suppose that the Ceremonies scrupled were introduced by the Piety and Devotion and Order of former Times ann for the improvement of the same and assert that He would not utterly abolish any which are by Law established but only by a Dispensation and Indulgence gratifie the private Consciences of Those who were grieved with the use of some of them 2. That His Majesty did testifie an extraordinary charity in his Opinion of the persons to whom This Indulgence was designed as full of Affection towards Himself of Zeal for the Peace both of Church and State and neither Enemies to Episcopacy or Liturgy without Equivocation or Mental Reservation of Parochial Episcopacy or Directorian Liturgy but modestly desiring such Alterations only in either as might not shake the Foundations and best allay the present distempers And pity it is so

our Government by Bishops is Popish our Liturgy Popish our ministring of Baptism with the Cross Popish our Kneeling at the Communion Popish our Holy Duties Popish and almost Every Thing Popish Wherefore the Brownists having learnt that the Pope is Antichrist and the present Church of Rome Babylon and hearing a Voice from Heaven crying Go out of her my People that ye be not Partakers of her Sins and that ye taste not of her Plagues have upon your former Premises gathered a Practical Conclusion ☜ and made an actual Separation and Rent from the Church of England And surely my Brethren as they had their Original from your Positions so now are they strengthned by your Practices For they may well think that such learned and vertuous Men so famous and renowned Preachers knowing a Wo pronounced against them if they preach not the Gospel would never suffer themselves to be silenced for matters which they judged indifferent And therefore they will take it as granted that the things you stick at are in your opinion simply unlawful And upon this dangerous Position they will build another For if the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is enjoined at this day to be performed be such as a Minister cannot execute his Function with a good Conscience then they conclude that neither may the People hear it with a good Conscience because their Presence were an Approbation of it Thus the unquiet Will of Man will still be working even till it run it self upon the Rock of its own Destruction Here we see the true Occasion and Rise of all those separate Congregations in the Nation whom the Reconciler himself notwithstanding his abundant Charity to Dissenters believeth to be schismatical Pref. p. 59. And 't is agreed on all sides Book p. 23. saith he that Schism is a very great Offence and by the Writers of the Church of England and by the Primitive Fathers it is declared to be a Sin in its own nature damnable How little Encouragement then have we to indulge unto or confide in such Men or their genuine Off-spring or whatsoever may be urged for the Men their schismatical Principles With what Reason and Zeal have the most learned and pious Sons of the Church of England appeared all along even against those first Dissenters and leading Patriarchs of the Non-conforming Brotherhood O what a grief ought this to be to their Souls saith one so to Mr. Mason ep ded to his Serm. oppose themselves against such a Learned and Religion Church and so irreverently to traduce that holy Book of Common-Prayer a Work of so great and admirable Excellency Concerning which I may truly affirm that it hath been cut up like an Anatomy every Vein of it hath been opened every Corner searched every Rubrick ransack'd not a Word but hath been weighed in the Ballance not a Syllable but hath been sifted to the uttermost and yet for all this like to the Bridg of Caesar the more it is opposed the stronger it stands And again To come to the Form Id. Serm. p. 22. of Common-Prayer as it was established by Queen Elizabeth O what Blessings hath the Lord vouchsafed the People of this Land by means of that Book How many Millions of Souls have received comfort by it How many thousands of Learned Men have commended and defended it You shall hear one for all even that Judicious Jewel in whose opinion it containeth nothing either disagreeing from Holy Scripture or misbeseeming sober Men. And yet it hath pleased our Gracious Soveraign that some things should be explained that the Publick Form of Prayer might be free not only from Blame but from Suspicion This excellent Book we know hath been since deliberately reviewed and certain Alterations made in it by the best Advice and Authority in the Kingdom And yet some Men raise fresh Objections even from those Alterations What can we suppose will ever satisfy them unless they may themselves prescribe and govern all Let me here recommend to an impartial Consideration the Words of a very Reverend Person on this occasion When God that here calls us unto Peace shall one Day call us to account Dr. Frank. Serm. at St. Paul's on Col. 3. 15. how gracious and thankful we have been for his calling us to it what we have done or not done towards it Consider I beseech you whether you think seriously in your Hearts that it will there pass for true Endeavours for Peace to answer thus Lord we have been all for ' Peace ☞ and we petitioned for it but we could not have it upon our own Conditions We would have agreed for a Publick Service but we could not have it of our own making We could well enough have condescended to an Uniformity but they would not let us that were the Inferiours set the Rule We yet agree in the Articles of the Faith only for Indifferences we keep still off We are all saved too we confess by the Cross of Christ but the very Sign of it we thought enough to keep us still asunder We were zealous for thy Worship but we would not be confined to it by any imposed Rule of Reverence and Order We could indeed have yet submitted to it our selves but we some of us had taught the People otherwise and were ashamed to unteach them We might perhaps have easily come in at first but now we have so long stood out that it is not for our Honour to retreat they will call us Turn-coats and Apostates and we shall lose the People quite Gracious and kind notwithstanding we have been in our Deportments but 't was only to our own Party Thankful besides to God though we kept not indeed any solemn Days of Thanksgivings or as perfunctorily as we could we would go no further In the Sum We have done all we could to have Peace upon our own Terms but we could not obtain it unless we would submit to Decency and Order And so it stands And when our Governours and Superiours call'd to the same account shall be content to stand to our own Confessions that they imposed nothing but for Unity and Order Think soberly I beseech you on which hand lies the true Plea for the Endeavour of Peace where lies the Perverseness where the Compliance And if this be the business as I fear it is too near it I shall leave the whole World to judg whether Peace truly rule in the Hearts of those who upon their own Terms only seek it whether they answer their Callings or are thankful Nevertheless if it shall still be thought expedient for mere pitty and commiseration-sake to some weak and prejudiced Dissenters to importune the Church and State for some Condescension farther in scrupled Ceremonies and certain disputable Clauses of the Liturgy which is the professed Design of the Reconciler alone to plead for in certain Passages of his Treatise it ought certainly to be done without any affront to the