Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	communion_n	separation_n	2,767	5	10.7643	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69763	The present state of the controversie between the Church of England and the Church of Rome, or, An account of the books written on both sides in a letter to a friend.	Clagett, William, 1646-1688.; Tenison, Thomas, 1636-1715.	1687 (1687)	Wing C4390; ESTC R2767	15,641	40

THE Present State OF THE CONTROVERSIE BETWEEN THE Church of ENGLAND AND THE Church of ROME OR An Account of the Books written on both sides In a LETTER to a Friend Imprimatur Guil. Needham May 7. 1686. LONDON Printed for Tho. Basset James Adamson and Tho. Newborough 1687. THE Present State OF THE CONTROVERSIE BETWEEN THE Church of ENGLAND AND THE Church of ROME c. In a LETTER to a Friend SIR IN pursuance of my promise made to you to send you such an account as you desire of what has been lately published here with reference to the Points in Controversie between us and the Church of Rome I now give you the trouble of this Address It was you know the design of the Clergy of this City some years since to reduce the matters in debate with the Dissenting Party to a certain number of Cases and in the plainest and most inoffensive manner that they could to shew them how little cause they had to separate from our Communion upon any of those pretences which were said to be the cause of Separation I need not tell you what their Performances were for you have read their Tracts and are therefore able to judg from your own knowledg concerning them As to the Success which they have had we that live here have not only observed that our Churches have been more charged since but do also know that several for whose sake those Discourses were principally intended have declared themselves abundantly satisfied both with the strength and temper that appear'd in them When this first undertaking was finished their next resolution was to run through the principal Points of difference between the Papists and us after the same manner that those who had not the liesure or opportunity to consult longer Books might here in short be led to a true knowledg of the Controversie and stand the firmer in the truth by being better acquainted with the grounds of it It was also hoped that many who had hitherto been detained in their Errors for want not so much of a Will to embrace the Truth as of Light to discern it by might possibly take this opportunity of seeing with their own eyes and discover that way of Error in which their ignorance or their prejudices had so long detained them But before they had finished this their second undertaking the sudden and unexpected Death of our late Royal Sovereign broke their measures and from thenceforth they thought fit to be of the Defensive side and for some time published no more Discourses of this kind but waited to see whether the Gentlemen of the Roman Communion would make any Attaques upon us or be contented that the Controversie shoud rest as it was But because you desire an Account of all that has been done of this nature I will let you know how far they advanced in their design and give you a Catalogue of their Tracts tho not just in the order as they came out yet in that order which seems to have been design'd and is most natural for you to peruse them And in the first place as a preparatory to all the rest there is a little Tract intituled I. A Perswasive to an ingenuous Trial of Opinions in Religion c. and which they who know the unreasonable prejudices of those of the Roman Communion as to any free enquiry cannot doubt to have been exceeding necessary To which I must add II. The difference of the Case between the separation of Protestants from the Church of Rome and the separation of Dissenters from the Church of England For both these Tracts as you may easily discern were design'd to remove such Mistakes and Prejudices as are common to Papists and to Dissenters and were therefore thought to be a proper transition from the first undertaking to the second Then follow those Treatises that relate to the Questions about the Church and for which our Adversaries of late seem the most concern'd III. A Discourse of the Unity of the Catholick Church maintain'd in the Church of England IV. A Discourse about the Charge of Novelty upon the Reformed Church of England made by the Papists asking of us the Question Where was our Religion before Luther V. The Protestant Resolution of Faith being an Answer to three Questions 1. How far we must depend on the Authority of the Church for the true sense of Scripture 2. Whether a Visible Succession from Christ to this day makes a Church which has this Visible Succession an infallible Interpreter of Scripture 3. Whether the Church of England can make out such a Visible Succession VI VII Two Discourses concerning the necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome Another sort of general Questions necessary to have been premised to the particular Disputes do refer to the principle on which we are to proceed in the management of them And to this purpose there were published the two following Tracts VIII A Discourse about Tradition shewing what is meant by it and what Tradition is to be received and what Tradition is to be rejected IX A Discourse concerning a Guide in matters of Faith with respect especially to the Romish pretence of such a one as is infallible Thus far they proceeded upon general Points and no farther tho more were design'd to be debated as one may see by the dividing and managing of the Arguments which they finished and as I my self have been told by some that were best able to inform me But as these general Discourses were coming abroad into the World the particular Disputes were prepared and those that follow were published X. A Discourse concerning the Object of Religious Worship or a Scripture Proof of the unlawfulness of giving any Religious Worship to any other Being besides the Supreme God. XI A Discourse concerning the Devotions of the Church of Rome especially as compared with those of the Church of England in which it is shewn that whatsoever the Romanists pretend there is not so true Devotion among them nor such rational provision for it nor encouragement to it as in the Church established by Law amongst us XII A Discourse concerning the Invocation of Saints XIII Of Prayer in an unknown Tongue XIV Of Auricular Confession as it is prescribed by the Council of Trent XV. A Discourse against Transubstantiation XVI Of the Adoration of the Host These are the Tracts that were published in pursuance of that Design I mention'd before since which time our Divines have kept themselves as I told you upon the Defensive Part their whole Work having been little else than to answer such printed Books or Papers scatter'd about in writing as the Romanists have from time to time sent abroad I need not tell you that at length we were surprised with a Book published by some Romanist which has made no little noise all over the Kingdom and has been the occasion of many more But that which surprised us was this

the Papers left by His Majesty concerning the Authority of the Catholick Church and the Method of which lies thus The two Papers written by the late King Charles the Second 1. The Answer intituled An Answer to some Papers lately printed concerning the Authority of the Catholick Church in matters of Faith and the Reformation of the Church of England To these there came out almost at the same time two Replies A Defence of the Papers written by the late King of Blessed Memory In which there is little remarkable besides the unhandsome levity of the stile and the ungrateful drolls in a matter of so much seriousness A Reply to the Answer made upon the Three Royal Papers This is much more to be commended both for its strength and decency and they would perhaps much more have served the interest of their Cause and shewn their respect to His late Majesty had they suffer'd no other to appear But to both of them the same worthy Author who wrote the former Reply has very lately publisht a most Learned and Excellent Answer and which I would very much recommend to your careful consideration Entituled 2 A Vindication of the Answer to some late Papers concerning the Vnity and Authority of the Catholick Church and the Reformation of the Church of England A Discourse so Learnedly and clearly written that we ought to thank our Adversaries for their importunity that has produced us so excellent a Treatise in a Point of such importance I think I have now set down all the Disputes that have proceeded to any length this last year For the rest they are either such as you may call Occasional Treatises only or such as are not advanced into any set and regular debates I. Of the former kind I understand these following First concerning St. Peter's Supremacy a Discourse Intituled A Sermon preacht upon Saint Peter's Day printed at the desire of some that heard it with some Enlargements The Occasion of which was this Dr. Godden had the last year published a Sermon on this Subject which he preacht in the Q. Dowagers Chappel whereupon the Reverend Author of this Discourse having likewise preacht on the same day and upon the same Text was prevailed with to print his too Another Subject that has Occasionally produced us two or three very good Treatises is The Worship of Saints Our late Misrepresenter and the Bishop of Meaux's Exposition having been pleased very much to palliate the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome as to this matter and pretending that what they now do is no more than what was done even in the Fourth Age of the Church it was necessary some particular discovery should be made of this Artifice and it has accordingly been done very effectually in the following Tracts 2 Speculum B. Virginis A Discourse of the due Praise and Honour of the Virg. Mary In which is clearly set forth what we allow and what the bold extravagancy of the Church of Rome has carri'd them to do in the Worship of the Blessed Virgin. 3 A Discourse of the Worship of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints with an account of the beginning and rise of it among Christians in Answer to Monsieur de Meaux's Appeal to the Fourth Age in his Exposition and Pastoral Letter 4 Wholsome Advices from the Blessed Virgin to Her indiscreet Worshippers This last is but a Translation It was written originally by a Papist one Mr. Widenfelt a Person of good Esteem and Reputation in his Country who being Scandalized at the extravagant Practices of his Church in this matter wrote this little Treatise to awaken their Consideration and if possible reduce the People from their usual extravagance to the Temper and Moderation of the present Advocates for their Cause as to this matter But alas He found them too fond of their Old Popery to leave it so easily Instead of doing any good upon them his Book was censured in a very extraordinary manner and the Honour of the Blessed Virgin vindicated against these new Hereticks by her faithful Champion Father Crasset the Jesuit A short Specimen of whose Book you may see at the end of the Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England or if you had rather have it from their own Pens as indeed none can better expose their Extravagancies of this kind than they have done themselves you may then consult a late Popish Book called Contemplations on the life and glory of Holy Mary the Mother of Jesus With a daily Office agreeing to each Mystery thereof By J. C. D. D. To which he has since added An Apology for his Contemplations c. But of all this you will find a particular account in an excellent Preface prefixt to these Advices by the Translator of it who professes himself to be a Lay-man of our Church and has the character of a very worthy as he has sufficiently shewn himself to be a very ingenious Gentleman It may be proper here to remark that this Preface has been attacked by the Catholick Representer or the Misrepresenter transformed in his 4th Chapter of his Second part and to which he has returned a smart Reply called 5. A Letter to the Misrepresenter of Papists Another occasional Treatise came forth not long since intituled 6. A Discourse concerning a Judg of Controversies in matters of Religion With an Address to wavering Protestants shewing what little Reason they have to think of any change of their Religion It was written in Answer to some Papers that had been sent to the Learned Author by a Person of Quality asserting the necessity of such a Judg. If I should tell you from whose Pen this Treatise came you would need no other inducement carefully to read it And to encourage you to it I will only say thus much that it has been generally received with great Applause here and do's certainly as well deserve it as any thing that has hitherto been publish'd among us Here has been published likewise a short Tract concerning the nature of the Catholick Church and the Authority of it It is not level'd against any particular Author but design'd to answer the little captious Arguments now much in vogue and therefore necessary to have been thus prevented The chief points handled in it are these three 1. What is the Nature of the Catholick Church 2. That the Church of Rome is not the Catholick Church 3. That the Holy Scriptures and not the Church are the Rule of Faith. The Title of this Treatise is this 7. A plain and Familiar Discourse by way of Dialogue betwixt a Minister and his Parishioner concerning the Catholick Church To these I may add a Treatise concerning the defection of the Church of Rome from what it once was It is an Answer to a Popish Paper which the Author has Printed at the beginning of his Book given about it seems by those of that party and sent by way of Letter to a Gentleman It is