Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	form_n	prayer_n	use_v	4,815	5	5.9954	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62752	To the Kings most excellent Majesty. The due account, and humble petition of the ministers of the Gospel, lately commissioned for the review & alteration of the liturgy; Due account and humble petition of the ministers of the Gospel, lately commissioned for the review and alteration of the liturgy.	Commission for the Review and Alteration of the Book of Common Prayer.	1661 (1661)	Wing T1498A; ESTC R220130	4,260	10

TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE Due Account and Humble Petition OF THE MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL Lately COMMISSIONED for the REVIEW ALTERATION OF THE LITURGY LONDON Printed Anno Domini 1661. TO THE KINGS Most Excellent MAJESTY May it please Your Majesty WHen the distempered Nation wearied with its own Contentions and Divisions did groan for Unity and Peace the wonderfull Providence of the most Righteous God appearing for the removal of Impediments their eyes were upon your Majesty as the person born to be under God the Center of their Concord and taught by Affliction to break the bonds of the Afflicted and by experience of the sad effects of mens uncharitableness and passions to restrain all from violence and extremity and keep up moderation and mediocrity the Oil of Charity and Peace And when your subjects desires were accomplished in your Majesties peaceable possession of the Throne it was the joy and encouragement of the Sober and Religious that you began the exercise of your Government with a Proclamation full of Christian Zeal against Debauchery and Profaneness declaring also your dislike of those who under pretence of Affection to your Majesty and your Service assume to themselves the liberty of reviling threatning and reproaching others to prevent the Reconciliation and Union of hearts and affections which can only with Gods blessing make us rejoyce in each other Our comforts also were carried on by Your Majesties early and ready entertainment of Motions for accommodation in those points of Discipline and Worship in which we disagreed and Your professed Resolutions to draw us together by mutual approaches and publishing Your healing Declaration which was received with thanks of Your House of Commons and the applause of the people and the special joy of those that longed for Concord and Tranquillity in the Church In which Your Majesty declared so much satisfaction in the foundations of Agreement already laid for that You should think Your self very unfortunate and suspect that You are defective in the Administration of Government if any superstructures should slack those foundations and contract or lessen the blessed gift of Charity which is a vital part of Christian Religion And as in the said gracious Declaration Your Majesty resolved to appoint an equal number of Learned Divines of both Perswasions to review the Liturgy and make such Alterations as shall be thought most necessary and some Additional Forms of Scripture phrase as neer as may be suited unto the nature of several parts of Worship and that it be left to the Ministers choice to use one or other at his discretion So in accomplishment thereof Your Majesty among others directed Your Commission to be for the review of the several Directions Rules and Forms of Prayer and things in the said Book of common-Common-Prayer contained And if occasion be to make such seasonable and necessary Alterations Corrections and Amendments thereof as by and between us shall be agreed upon to be needful or expedient for the giving a satisfaction to tender consciences and restoring and continuance of Peace and Unity in the Church under Your Protection and Government and what we agree upon as needful or expedient to be done for the Altering Diminishing or Enlarging the said Book of Common-Prayer forthwith to certifie and present it in Writing to Your Majesty In Obedience to this Your Majesties Commission wee did with the Right Reverend Bishops who required of us that before any personal debate we should bring in writing all our Exceptions against the book of Common-Prayer and all the Additional Forms which we desired Both which wee performed and received from them an Answer to the first and returned them our full Reply The last week of our time being designed to personal conference was at the will of the Right Reverend Bishops spent in a particular dispute with three of each part about the sinfulness of one of the Injunctions from which we desired to bee free and in some other Conference on the By. And though the account which wee are forced to give to your Majesty of the issue of our Consultations is that no Agreements are subscribed by us to be offered to your Majesty according to your expectation and though it be none of our intent to cast the least unmeet reflection upon the Right Reverend Bishops and Learned Brethren who think not meet to yeild to any considerable Alterations to the ends expressed in your Majesties Commission yet we must say that it is some quiet to our minds that we have not been guilty of your Majesties and your Subjects disappointments and that we account not your Majesties Gracious Commission and our labour lost having peace of conscience in the discharge of our duty to God and you that wee have been the seekers and followers of Peace and have earnestly Pleaded and humbly petitioned for it And we humbly beseech your Majesty to believe that we own no Principles of Faction or Disobedience nor patronize the Errours or obstinacy of any It 's granted us by all that nothing should bee commanded us by man which is contrary to the word of God that if it bee and wee know it we are bound not to perform it God being the absolute Universal Soveraign That wee must use all just means to discern the will of God and whether the commands of men be contrary to it that if the command bee sinful and any through the neglect of sufficient search shall judge it lawful his culpable errour excuseth not his doing it from being sin and therefore as a reasonable creature must needs have a judgement of discerning that he may rationally obey it so is hee with the greatest care and diligence to excercise it in the greatest things even in the obeying of God and saving of his Soul and that were a strong probability of great sin and danger lyeth before us we must not rashly run on without search and that to go on against Conscience even where it is mistaken is sin and danger to him that erreth And on the other side we are remembred that in things no way against the Laws of God the Commands of our Governours must be obeyed but if they command what God forbids we must patiently submit to suffering and every soul must be subject unto the higher Powers for conscience sake and not resist The publick Judgement civil or ecclesiastical belongeth onely to publick persons and not to any private man that no man must be causelesly and pragmatically inquisitive into the Reasons of his Superiours commands nor by pride and self-conceitedness exalt his own understanding above it's worth and office but all to be modestly and humbly self-suspitious that none must erroniously pretend to Gods Law against the just command of his Superiours nor pretend the doing of his duty to be sin that hee who suspecteth his Superiours commands to bee against Gods Laws must use all means for full Information before hee settle in a course of disobeying them and that hee