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
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A82229 A declaration of the Protestant clergie of the city of Dublin, shewing the reasons why they cannot consent to the taking away of the Book of common prayer, and comply with the Directory. Presented to the Honourable Commissioners for the Parliament of England, July 9. 1647. 1647 (1647) Wing D756; Thomason E399_27; ESTC R201727 4,044 8

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

A DECLARATION OF THE Protestant Clergie Of the City of DUBLIN Shewing the Reasons why they cannot consent to the taking away of the Book of Common Prayer and comply with the Directory Presented To the Honourable Commissioners for the PARLIAMENT of ENGLAND July 9. 1647. July 22 th Printed in the Yeere 1647. To the Honourable Commissiomers from the Parliament of ENGLAND The humble Answer and Petition of the Protestant Clergie of the City of Dublin Humbly shewing THat whereas we have received from your Honours by Anthony Dopping Esquire a message consisting of two branches one of a Demand Whether the Ministers will officiate in their severall Churches not using the Book of Common Prayer The other a Concession to this effect That such as will officiate may use the Directory or such service as is agreeable to the Word of God but not use the Book of Common Prayer We hereto with all meeknesse and lowlinesse of minds return this our joynt Answer 1 That forasmuch as we see and know that the Protestants of this City for the most part are much grieved in heart for the want of the daily accustomed Service of God in the two Cathedralls and the Parish Churches of this City and for their late being deprived of us and our Ministery which they have long enjoyed We are very much troubled and are very sorrowfull in our soules for their grief We acknowledge our selves bound to preach the Gospell of Christ unto the People and are so farre from a voluntary desertion of our Churches People Ministery and the exercise thereof as that we shall rejoyce in nothing more then that we may finish our course with joy and the Ministery which we have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the grace of God 2. That we have been and still are effectually debarred from our Churches and the exercise of our Ministery by your Honours Injunction and Command bearing date the 24. of June 1647. 〈…〉 you require the discontinuance of the Booke of Common-Prayer and the receiving of the Directory c. which injunction lies still upon us with the danger of non-protection in case we disobey the same 3. That we cannot consent with a good conscience to the discontinuance of the Book of Common-Prayer receiving the Directory in lieu thereof or any other private forme of publike service for the reasons exhibited and alledged in our Answer the 22. of June last whereto we humbly annex these reasons following amongst others which we debated upon in our mutuall conference the 25. of June and on the same day touched some of the heads of them before your Honours I. We all at our Ordination or being made Presbyters have among other things made this solemne promise before G●d which wee account the same with or little different from an Oath that we would so minister the Doctrine and Sacraments and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and as this Realme hath received the same II. We have often taken the Oath of Supremacy and sworn that the Kings Highnesse is the onely supreme ●overnour of this Realme as well in all spirituall or Ecclesiast call things or causes as temporall and that we shall assist and defend all Iurisdictions c. granted or belonging to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and Successors or united a●d annexed to the Imperiall Crowne of this Realme Now should we receive a Directory printed or any other forme without royall Authority wee doe not conceive how this can stand with this our Oath III. As the Act of Parliament 2. Eliz. still in force in this Kingdome expressely commands the use of this Book of common-Common-Prayer so it forbids common-Common-Prayer or Administration of the Sacraments otherwise or after any other manner or forme with any private dispensation whereof we cannot comply we being bound to the obedience thereof not only for fear of penalty but for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 IIII. Whereas the Booke of common-Common-Prayer is one maine part of the Reformation established in the Churches of England and Ireland the laying aside thereof and the receiving of the Directory or any other forme would be we conceive considering the present state and circumstances of things a departing in this from the Communion of the Church of England and Ireland V. It is evident that as the Constitution of a Law in any matter Ecclesiasticall the order ever observed in the Church since Kings became nursing fathers thereto was is and ought to be this That it first passe the consultation and determination of a lawfull Ecclesiasticall Councell and then that it receive the sanction and confirmation of the civill supreme Magistrate for this gives it the formall strength and vigour of a Law outwardly obliging and that gives it materiality and substance and supplies ground sufficient to make it a Law inwardly obliging Christian People to receive it So in the promulgation and execution of that Law concerning a matter Ecclesiasticall there was and is this order observed First the supreme civill Magistrate remands and recommends it to the Ecclesiasticall Governours and they deliver it to the rest of the Pastors and they to the People So that the immediate actuall reception of an Order Ecclesiasticall by the Ministers is from the hand of the Bishop or Ordinary And upon this is founded that solemne promise made before God by every Minister at his Ordination That he will reverently obey his Ordinary and other chiefe Ministers unto whom the government and charge over him is committed following with a glad mind their godly admonitions and submitting himselfe to their godly judgements Since then in this matter concerning the Booke of Common Prayer all the required premisses were fulfilled and that any other forme that for the present we can use wants all of them we cannot without breach of our promise forementioned and disordered anticipation or neglect of the judgement of our Ordinances receive any such or other form considering the Kings command concerning the onely use of the Book of common-Common-Prayer expressed in the Act of Parliament is still in force and the commands and constitutions of our lawfull Convocation of the Bishops and Clergie still live and speak unto us in the Canons made in the yeare 1634. whereof the third thus expressely That Forme of Liturgie or divine Service and no other shall be used in any Church of this Realme but that which is established by Law and comprized in the Booke of common-Common-Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments Which Canon with all the rest is confirmed and published by his Majesties Authority under the great Seale of Ireland VI. It may be added that the Reformed Church of Ireland under the Government of our dread Soveraigne the King is and ever was reputed a free Nationall Church and not subordinate unto or depending upon the convocation of any other Church And hence it was that till the convocation held at Dublin Anno 1634. the Articles of the Church of England were not held or reputed the Articles of
the Church of Ireland and when they were received they were not received in any acknowledged subordination to the Church of England but for manifestation of our agreement with that Church in the confession of the same Christian Faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments as is expressed in the first Canon Hence it is besides that our Canons were not imposed by the Church of England nay when somewhat highly the Clergie was invited to submit to the Book of English Canons the Convocation utterly refused the same and framed a new Booke of Canons for the Church of Ireland Should wee therefore receive or admit of any other forme without the Authority of this Church we should be held and esteemed before God and the world guilty of unconscionably betraying of the Liberty of the free Nationall Church of Ireland VII The Book of Common-Prayer hath been in use in this Church from the beginning of the Reformation wee have preached for it and recommended it to the people as a forme of Gods publike Worhip and Service the people of God in this City for the most part generally doe love it have been edified by it are loath to part from it and earnestly desire the continuance of it Now should we consent to the taking of it away and receive or use any other forme not established by Law we should not avoid the guilt of sin it being all one to destroy that which is well built as to build that which a man once destroyed which in the Apostles judgement Gal. 2.8 renders a man a transgressor And withall wee should as matters stand give great offence and scandall to the consciences of our brethren and so sin against them who deserve better at our hand and for whom Christ dyed VIII Lastly that reason given by the Uuniversity of Oxford in this point is not to be forgotten that by our leaving of the Booke of Common-Prayer and receiving any other Former we should condemne the Church and State for the penalties and censures against Recusants and justifie them in their accusations and imputations of injustice and tyranny wherwith they boldly charge both our Churches of England and Ireland The premisses considered as we hope your Honours discern hereby that we have not lightly or obstinately or out of faction or any spirit of opposition for borne the exercise of our Ministery since your Honours injunction so we do now with all humility present these our fervent Petitions to your Honours 1. That you would be pleased in pitty and compassion to the Protestants of this City and to us the Ministers who else by your Injunction aforesaid are indangered to be exposed to banishment losse of estate and of present subsistence with our wives and families to restore us to our Churches Ministery and exercise thereof by permitting of us to use the Booke of Common Prayer in our severall Cathedral and Parish Churches as formerly we used the same before your Injunction aforesaid and to grant us your Protection therein till such time as further order be taken by a Convocation of the Clergie and an act of Parliament in this Kingdome and in the meane time we shall endeavour to demeane our selves in the whole course of our Ministerie with such Christian faithfulnesse and moderation as that wee shall by the help of God give no just occasion of offence 2. That in case your Honors shal be pleased to grant this Petition which we hope you will if after our stay and residence here we or any of us shall by the imposall of any thing against our consciences be forced hereafter to depart the Kingdome we may then respectively have free passes and convenient time to remove our persons families and goods 3. That during the time of our residence here wee may enjoy the profits benefits and meanes of our severall Church-livings for our subsistence which are due or allotted to us by the Law of the Land and Acts of State 4. That whereas the monethly fast observed hitherto by command of authority on a Friday was grounded upon the horrid Rebellion of the Irish Papists begun and the danger we were all in as on that day wherein the Rebells came to this City to surprize it and the evening of that day was the time wherein that bloody treachery and conspiracie was disovered that we may be permitted still to keep the monethly Fast on that day being a day of preparation for the monethly Communion according to our custome these five yeares past And we shall ever pray c. Delivered the 9. day of July 1647. Subscribed as followeth Ed. Laonensis Jer. Margetson Ben. Culme Ambr. Anngier In. Sybald Godf. Rhodes Hen. Hall Ios War Io. Brookbank Gilbert Deane Dud. Bo●well Rob. Parry Ioan. Creighton Can. Edw. Syng Rob. Dickson Rand. Ince Henry Byrch Rich. Powell