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A67022 The decency and order of church and state as now established asserted in a late visitation sermon. Woolley, Charles. 1684 (1684) Wing W3524; ESTC R26402 16,143 39

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first invested St. Peter and in him the rest of the Apostles and their Successors with his Power by his Congé D'eslire by the Charter and Patent of the Keys and how can the Keys of the Church to let in and shut out be called The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 16. 19. except there be a necessary Relation and Conformity between the Communion of the Church on Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven The Christian Church as a Church has not any Secular coercive Power therefore how shall it defend and protect it self against the conspiracies of Men and Devils if it hath no Spiritual Power neither And that it cannot have if the Communion of the Church be so indifferent a thing that men may be saved as well out of the Church as in it for who then will regard its Unity value its Discipline or respect its Authority and why may not Schismaticks or Dissenters though upon other accounts they may pass in See the Vindication of the Defence of Dr. Stillingfleet Chap. 3. p. 120. the world for very plausible men be censured for their Schism and Nonconformity as well as Rebels for their Treason and Disobedience whatever other good qualities they have the reason of both is parallel the Government in Church and State is so Essential to our quiet and peace that the disturbers of them are not to go unpunished and Schism is so much worse than Rebellion as the happiness of the Soul is of greater concern than the welfare of the Body Thus I have just touch'd upon the reasonableness and usefulness of that Power which hath been so lately slurr'd and defamed by the Black Non-Conformist of Colchester who in the heat of Greek and revenge resolved to lessen and scandalize the Power that he feared for which he was fairly Surrogated to those Censures which he censoriously undervalued The necessity of exercising of which Power is grounded upon this general Reason Because if the Bishops eyes do wink and connive at the Irregularities of private and single Members by that they are made the sins of the whole Body and though the Account and Tryal of particular Persons may be prorogu'd and put off till the last great Visitation yet Societies and Corporations having no resurrection in the life to come may justly dread and expect to be punish'd and judg'd for their Exorbitances in their present State and Community Secondly By way of address to our selves of the Clergy Now adayes when Condescension Comprehension Toleration and Moderation are so stiffly pleaded for and cryed up some Dappled Py-ball'd Conformists and half-way men of the Laity Oating and crying about nothing but the Church of England the Security of the Government and His Majesties Person till you bring them to that Sciboleth and Test as now by Law established which they cannot relish the 35th of Elizabeth and the Oxford Act about Corporations being in it do wonderfully expect a compliance on our parts by dispensing with the Decency and Order of the Church-Service they are a sort of Trimmers who are for any Tooth turning their hands to every Face and Beard of Religion and can split a hair betwixt a Church and a Conventicle this is the Composition of those we call Moderate Men which is but a soft Trimming phrase for Knaves and Juglers in Religion and are so far from being instrumental to compose our Divisions that they rather animate and credit them and it is upon their Accounts that there is a new Distinction set up amongst us viz. A Court and a Church of England as well as a Court and a Church of Rome and for any Clergy-Man to comply and humour such persons is a kind of playing booty between the Laws and them For he that takes upon him to abate of his Duty and moderate his Oath violates it and sets himself above the Laws and the Act of Uniformity to dispense with the Obligation of which as to the use of those things injoyned it is not in the power of any private person The usual Characteristick of a moderate occasional Clergy-man is this He is one who when a man is put to a pinch or strait upon the Sacrament for an Office and Qualification will stoop and comply more for easiness of a tender squeamish Conscience than another one who will not scruple to marry without a Ring to baptize without the Sign of the Cross God-Fathers and God-Mothers bury a Corps with a Consolation and Extemporary Harangue of his own administer the Sacrament in any posture Church Women in a private house which pardon the Digression is as contrary to the End as to the Name of the Office and renders one Verse of the proper Psalm improper and impertinent which expresly tells us She pays her Vows in the presence of all his See Dr. Comber's fourth and last Part. Pag. 513. People in the Courts of the Lords House and is directly contrary to a Council as Dr. Comber in his Introduction to this Office tells us in these words viz. It is decreed that the Priest do not go to the Woman's house to make the accustomed Prayers there no not though she be so weak as not to be able to come to Church Concil 3. Mediol Cap. 5. Binius T. 4. Part 2. Page 417. And the Reason hereof is evident because she may stay till she is stronger she is not obliged to come at a certain time but only so soon as she is able Therefore thus to gratifie the Humours See Dr. Puller of Moderation Page 20. and Fancies of all Parties and to comply with them by condescensions of this nature is an unaccountable and unwarrantable kind of prerogative which any person arrogates to himself and if there be any such they have a great share of the Vice of Moderation but little or none of the Virtue such Persons are not to be looked upon as steady faithful and honest in their Function I do not certainly know that I have any such Neighbours nor can I accuse any Minister whatsoever but do believe them to be as Regular Conformable and Loyal in this County as any from such an occasional Moderation therefore as shall over-awe us to relax these Obligations of Uniformity Decency and Order which we are under to gratifie and claw with either the Pride or State Perversness or Preciseness of any Person whatsoever Good Lord deliver us Seeing we Clergy-men have by private Subscriptions at our first Admission into holy Orders consented to use the Form in the said Book prescribed in publick Prayer and Administration of Sacraments and likewise upon our promotion to a Benefice or Cure stand obliged publickly in the face of the Congregation on some Lords Day within Two Months to declare our unfeigned Assent and Consent to the use of all things in the Book of common-Common-Prayer contained and injoyned and likewise by open Declarations and Solemn Oaths to our Diocesan bind our selves to the constant use of the Rites established by Law