Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	king_n	3,539	5	4.0231	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41326	The liturgical considerator considered, or, A brief view of Dr. Gauden's considerations touching the liturgy of the Church of England wherein the reasons by him produced for imposing the said liturgy upon all, are found to be so weak, his defence of things offensive in it so slight, the arguments against the liturgy by himselfe afforded, are so strong, that some, who upon His Majesties declaration did incline to the liturgy, are now further from it, by reading his wordy discourse about it : also some reasons humbly rendered, why many ministers, as yet cannot conform to that liturgy, but not out of disloyalty, pride, ingratitude, peevishness, nor schismatical petulancy, as the sarcastical pen of this uncharitable doctor hath published ... / by G.F.	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1661 (1661)	Wing F956; ESTC R843	47,787	64

interfer with such an inference That Liturgies are of ancient use in the Church I agree but Liturgy as Episcopacy primitive was in nature clearly different from what they are now pleaded to be Ancient Liturgies were not set and prescribed Forms of publick worship Smectymnus hath asserted Answer to the Remonstrance Vindication of the Answer p. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. and well cleared it against the Remonstrant and that out of Justin Martyr Tertullian Austin the Carthaginian and Milevitan Councils That un ill the time of the Arrian and Pelagian Errors there were no Set Forms of prayer in the Church and then the liberty was only restrained which hath been since destroyed men being only bound to confer the prayers of their own composing cum fratribus instructioribus and Forms digested by the latter of these Councils were imposed no further than by a placuit ut preces quae probatae fuerint in concilio ab omnibus celebre●t●r and only enjoyned that the prayers of particular Ministers should be approved by more prudent men the original Liturgies of both Jew and Christian were plain Rubricks English Directories for the method and order of preaching reading prayer administrations of Sacraments and publick worship It is an easie matter to make a bravado and noise of the Liturgies of S. James Basil Cyril Chrysostom whil'st none are produced and proved legitimate if there be any not apparently fictitious bring them forth to a Test or Standard we will joynislue and try the despised Directory and extolled Service-bock and freely consent to retain that which best agreeth and to reject the other until then bears us not down like Children with big words without cause methinks it were hugely worth the enquiry what Liturgy King Lucius received when Faganus and Damianus converted his Subjects the Church by them const tuted had setled publick worship It is apparent that Eleu●herius the then Bishop of Rome referred him to the Canon of Scripture for to frame all his constitutions by it would much fortifie our pretenders to Antiquity to find out the Liturgy used in England before Austin the Monk brought over his Roman Missal Antiquity is a poor whil'st no part of the Service-book as to its frame order doth pretend higher than the time of Pope Damasus 376. after Christ and the whole Fabrick is apparently of a much later date I would desire men may no longer be cheated with words they who talk or write for Episcopacy of Liturgy let them declare the meaning and acceptation of their term themselves have made ambiguous for although I could willingly consent unto a Set-form of publick worship as convenient Crutches for Ministers of weak abilities who need no less Set-forms of Preaching even composed Sermons for whom finding Homilies the constant Concomitant of Liturgies in this sense I am apt to think they were at first prepared yet I conceive this will better advise the Churches care to have more able Ministers who may not need them than warrant the imposing either of them on more able men unto the depriving of the Church of the edifying gift of prayer or preaching nor do all the Arguments yet produced conclude for any such prescription nor can they give the least of satisfaction to a serious spirit owning the antecedent but denying the consequence as unjustly inferred to make a meer clamour in the world against which whether there be not Reason with a full answer to all the supposed advantages of such an imposition suggested by-our Antagonist I refer thee to the consideration of this ensuing Tract Some Cynthius seems here to pluck me by the ear and say Sir you run too fast and tell us nothing that is urged for Set-forms of prayer is sufficient to conclude the imposing of the prefer bed English Service-book whereas you are to consider it is established by Law and calls for your obedience which if you yield not you are bound to produce your Exceptions by way of Apology to anticipate the sufferings which impend over your head To this I briefly answer I know not what to understand by established by Law we have since the Reformation had as many different Service-books as Soveraigns The Book of Queen Elizabeth two of King Edwards one of Queen Elizabeths one of King James and one of King Charls the First though not commanded yet used in England pretended to be onely autherized by Act of Parliament and that this was under colour of Explanation altered by Royal Authority all that call to mind the Conference at Hampton-Court in 1603. and consider King James his Proclamation for conformity to and practice of his Book as the onely publick form of serving God established and allowed in this Realm and that the Book received among us is greatly different from what it was established is suggested by the late Reasons for Reformation in Worship and cannot be detected for want of a Sta●dard to which it should be compared I would thank that judicious Lawyer who in this case would resolve me these two Queries 1. Ought not a Form Method or Order enjoyned by a Law ●●b poena to be used and that exclusive with a n●ne other to be enrolled as the Standard to which on all suspicion of variation men must have recourse in order to their convictions and for want of such Standard the Law be not voided by an impossibility of conviction 2. In case one Form O der or Method be established by Act of Parliament another by the Kings Commission and Proclamation as the onely Form establish d and ●llowed which of them must be embraced and practiced and in default for which of them must we be convicted and punished if by the last we conceive our selves at present discharged by a power His Majesties De●laration no way short of what is pleaded for its establishment if by the first we conceive our selves discapacitated by that publick charge made by Royal Authority which for want of the Standard we cannot discover Untill these be resolved we can easily see what is offered to us and exercised by others but know not what is es●ablished by Law against which we are not to offend Neverthelesse to stay the censures of peevishnesse and stubbornesse cast on us by passionate men we humbly professe our consciences do interdict our use of the Common-prayer on three as we judge them weighty and important Grounds or Reasons 1. The Common-prayer Book is capable and so qualisied that it ought to be abolished 2. The Form and Order of the Service-book used among us is Superstitious and unsutable to Solemn Publick Worship 3. The Common-prayer Book hath been expelled our Church by a lawful and just Authority and stands excluded by Sacred Oaths and a most publick National Solemn League and Covenant First We cannot return unto and receive again what is capable and so qualified that it ought to be abolished for that we as Ministers of the Gospel charged with the Method and Order of Divine

Commission it ran thus Matth. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you but you turn the Commission thus Teach them to observe all things in my worship whatsoever I have not forbidden and that in particular also else you might know I have forbidden the Doctrines of men in general Mar. 7.7 and the second Commandement should tye you close to my Institutions To conclude these things I find amongst you after a solemn Covenant made on the contrary and for extirpation of these your humane inventions I am not of your Faith Doctor that Paul would rejoyce but would send you such a kind of Epistle as he did to the Galatians Sectio Nona THus I have done with all the strength I can find in his Book onely p. 31. he strains his Rhetorick to the heighth to set out the expcellency of the Liturgy and the mischief that must befall us if it be not imposed I will not weary my self to transcribe all his words thus he begins Nothing will be considerable in England for publick piety honour order beauty c. if in this point of publick Devotion Ministers and People be left to eternal variations c. And in the close of it thus Farewel the Glory Charity Unity and Safety of England farewell both Reformation and true Religion Give the Orator a Humm but not very loud for his Divinity deserves a Hiss I shall consider this presently The things which he touches collaterally I thought to have spoken to as the fault he finds with many Presbyterians for not using these words in Ordinations Receive ye the Holy Ghos●●p 20. But I must now let it alone onely leave this with him if he will please or any of his perswasion to maintain this Thesis viz. That Ordination by Presbyters is not Ordination according to the Scripture if he can carry it I will be ordained again or if he will prove those words he hath mentioned to be essential or ought to be used in Ordination The other thing is pag. 28. his calling for Coercive Authority to be given to the Bishops by the King I cannot but smile to see how the stupendious vertue of Episcopacy to heal Schism for which it was first invented by men is now proved to be a fallacy What will not great Titles Lordships and Riches do the work but you must call for a Civil Law of the Nation You use to laugh at the poor despised Presbyters Had they a Law which you call for they could have done something But will not all your greatness and favour of great men be sufficient you have shamed Episcopacy extreamly for now we see it is the Law of the Nation not your Episcopacy which can heal our Schisms or do any good in the Church Now I come to his Exhortation to the reading of the Liturgy having before pag. 5. charged Ministers with peevishnesse ingratitude schismatical petulancy pride if now they were averse but pag. 41. he gives his Motives One is The remembrance of the sore Tribulations which we have felt and fear'd Very true we do remember them and have not forgot the causes of them why did you not set them down When we see the same things which afflicted the Church before coming so near us again we do fear it indeed His other is The Kings benignity and gentlenesse c. Blessed be God we have such a King to stand between you and us else we see how it would go quickly with us ●ut Sir we are at a stand about reading it upon these grounds First Many are scrupulous about the lawfulnesse of using such Forms being thus imposed for we find no Divine Authority for the imposing such Forms upon all men because the Holy Pen-men were directed and inspired by God to pen a prayer for the use of the Church at sometimes that therefore ordinary men may impose their Forms on able men qualified by God so as to take up most of the Ordinance of Prayer publickly we think it to be a lame consequence You should shew us what ordinary men made their Forms and imposed them on those who were able to pray without them as for your part you give not one Scripture-ground and your Reasons being weighed are found very light Secondly Though His Majesty hath declared yet the Parliament could cast out His Declaration and as for some of the Bishops they can act contrary to His Declaration imposing the Canonical Oath on some who have had His Majesties Presentation and denying Institution and Induction for refusing it Now we fear if we should begin before the Book be throughly purged we shall be forced to go forward over shooes over Boots and when we have blemished our Ministry which Paul was tender of by beginning if now we will not go through-stitch the Bishops will turn us out For we cannot forget the High Commission violence used against sober pious Conformists who did use the Rites directed in the Service-Book and yet were censured for not pasing it with the Prelates to rail-in the Table and bow to it and use other Ceremonies not therein directed nor yet the face of Bellum Episcopale animated by the hope of Scotlands receiving the Liturgy nor the Plaints pressed on the Parliament by multitudes oppressed with Bishops and humane inventions to which if men can now again return I must conclude they shew themselves very blame-worthy for raising such stirs as were occasioned by their pressing groans Thirdly We find that some have begun to read where they thought they could most safely according to His Majesties Declaration presently the Christians who walked most close with God were offended the Ministers lose their hearts and other men because all is not read they are offended also and thus a man loses all Fourthly When I observe who they are that are so hot for this Liturgy I find out abundance of men who can rap out Oaths and such as His Majesties Excellent Proclamation against vicious profane persons would reach these are very hot for it some Formalists and but very few Christians that know the power of godliness care for meddling with it now I thus think with my self Can this be of God what spirit Acts these profane ones I know Again on the other side If any men know the work of Regeneration of Faith with power and are afraid of sin walk up in good measure to Gospel-Rules have their Families in order the body of such people distaste it Now I am assured God gives his Spirit to his people and it is something to see the chief part of that people twenty to one decline it I know not how to Answer this Fifthly From that Sacred Oath and Covenant wherein we have sworn to the most High God to endeavor the Reformation of his worship according to his Word and the example of the best Reformed Churches First As to the VVord of God we know no Text of Scripture which will warrant this Mode of worship we much desire to