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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61448	The spirit of the church-faction detected, in its nature and operations more particularly in the mystery of the convocation-book lately published and exposed to the view and censure of the world by the late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, and the progress of the faction, and the mischiefs thereof, the late civil war, and our present disappointments.	Stephens, Edward, d. 1706.	1691 (1691)	Wing S5443; ESTC R24618	38,051	52

and the Fraud being detected I leave the rest to every one 's own Observation And 3. This is done with the greatest Solemnity and Formality that could be in a Convocation of the Clergy in the Form of Canons and Decrees and those severally passed as upon particular Debates with a Placet eis to each and attested to have passed with one consent under the terms of Constitutions by Bancroft for the upper House of the Province of Canterbury by Overal for the lower House and by Thornborough for the Province of York whereas those Canons of that Convocation which were published passed only the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury And now to consider the Consequences of it How scandalous and impious it is to the Christian Religion and how scandalous and derogatory to the Authority of the Church of England and Convocations of our Clergy I leave to the Consideration of others Likewise how pernicious it might have been to the Civil Government of Soveraign Princes and their States by sowing the seeds of Dissention between them had this Convocation Book been published and obtained Authority or Reputation in the World But what Work it might have made in the World may be perceived by what it hath actually made in these Nations which I will briefly note in some few Observations concerning the Progress and Success of it and of this Regal Ecclesiastical Faction Whether Archbishop Whitgift had before had any hand in laying down the Plot or not he lived not to have any share in the Management of the Convocation That Dr. Heylin Life of Laud Anno 1610. p. 63. attributes solely to his Successor Bancroft who had before manag'd A Secret Corrrespondence with K. James in Scotland insinuating unto him the Necessity of Consorming both Kingdoms in Government and Forms of Worship and laying down a Plot for restoring Episcopacy to that Kirk without Noise or Trouble But that Faculty of laying down Plots he notes in them both and the great Intimacy there was between them And another special Qualification in Bancroft for such a Work may be observed from that Author viz. a close management of his matters without noise and forbearing upon occasion to appear in them himself I have already noted p. 27. the Complaints of that Parliament against the Higher Clergy for writing Books and the Inferiour Clergy for inveighing from the Pulpits against them and pa. 29. that Book of Dr. Cowels published not long after the passing the Convocation Book which may all reasonably be judged the Effects of this Work of the Convocation Thornborough himself had before written one for which he was questioned in Parliament And though Bancroft published none now yet he failed not to promote the Work otherways not only by close Insinuations but by open plain Assertions whereof Coke's 12. Report pa. 63. hath a considerable Instance and by encouragement of such Principles in the Court the Universities and all parts And doubtless his Project of a New Colledge at Chelsey for which he had gotten an Act of Parliament was principally designed for a Seminary of Champions for this Cause and being Chancellor of the University of Oxford he would not fail to leven and prepare many there for the purpose But Death put an end to his Progress and Project 2 Nov. 1610. But the Faction died not with him Nor was the Propagation of the Doctrine even by printed Books neglected There was one published that Year and dedicated to him by Dr. Carleton afterwards Bishop of Landaff which hath divers passages in it to that purpose and others it seems there were which occasioned new complaints in Parliament the same Year And yet so hotly was it still maintained and promoted that within few Years after was Bishop Neile who by the Power and Mediation of Bancroft was made Clerk of the Closet That standing continnally at the Kings Elbow he might be ready to perform Good Offices to the Church and Churchmen Heyl p. 60. for seditious Speeches questioned in Parliament till by many tears and a submissive behaviour he got off But he so gained the Favour of his Master that he was preferred to the Deanry of West minster afterwards successively to the Bishopricks of Rochester 1608. Lichfield 1609. Lincoln 1613. Durham 1617. by K. James and of Winchester 1628. and York 1631. by King Charles after he had been again complained of in Parliament All which Promotions gave him Opportunity to promote the Work for which he was an apt and active Agent in all parts of the Nation Such another Zealot for the Cause was Harsnet Bishop of Chichester who in Parliament time preached such a Sermon at Whitehall upon the Text Give unto Caesar c. as gave such Offence that King James was constrained to call the Lords and Commons to the Banqueting House and calm them with Good words and the Sermon was burnt but the Bishop was afterwards preferred to Norwich by K. James and after that to York by K. Charles The like was done by Dr. Roger Mainwaring Chaplain in Ordinary to the King in two Sermons before the King and Court at Whitehall and after published for which he was impeached in Parliament and charged with a wicked intention to seduce and misguide the Conscience of the King touching the Observation of the Laws c. sentenced to be imprisoned fined a 1000. li. disabled from Preferments c. and his Sermon suppressed by Proclamation declaring the Censure and Sentence just Yet was he soon after pardoned preferred to the Rectory of Stanford Rivers void by the promotion of Mountague to Chichester and had a Dispensation to hold it with that of St. Giles's in the Fields afterwads to the Deanry of Worcester and finally to the Bishoprick of St. Davids which was highly resented by the Lords so that the King commanded him not to come to the Parliament nor send any Proxy And this brings me to the Top of all the Faction who promoted it to its Perfection or rather Confusion viz. Dr. Laud against whom then Bishop of Bath and Wells Complaint was made to the Commons that he had warranted these Sermons to the Press and Mainwaring was no sooner censured but Lauds Cause was called to the Report But all further Proceedings against him at that time were soon stopped by Dissolution of the Parliament 26 June and 1. Jul. had he his Conge d'eslier for Bishop of London and soon after other Favours of which more hereafter These Sermons were preach'd in pursuance of certain Instructions drawn up by him at the Command of the King for promoting an illegal Imposition under the name of a Loan and being preached at Court upon such an Occasion by a Chaplain in Ordinary he had no doubt some special Instructions Directions or Advice in it In other places the Preachers did their parts according as they were required by the said Instructions amongst whom 〈◊〉 Beale was taken notice of and Sibthorp Dr. of Divinity and in Commission of the Peace advanc'd the Service

if it be not your own fault But to all this instead of that Christian use you ought to have made of it you added another fault by your passionate and indecent Treatment of him for it in such a manner as had not bin excusable had you bin Rector but was much less so in you who have only so precarious an Interest in that Church as only Lecturer and such as you cannot retain without sin both in your self and in those who contribute to it And yet to this you have since added a third in your Sermon yesterday on Act. 26.29 concerning Reproof that it ought to be mild and gentle For 1. It was an Abuse of Religion and of the Doctrine of the Gospel to make use of it to gratifie your Passion in Indecent Reflections 2. It was imprudently done in your Case in as much as those Reflections do all rebound and more notoriously fall upon pour self who had justly and inexcusably deserved the worst you could say to that purpose 3. You did not handle that Doctrine faithfully for tho such as are overtaken in a fault are to be restored in a spirit of meekness yet such as sin deliberately are to be sharply reproved And this being your own case and whereof you were admonished you did not at all touch upon it but handled the Word of God deceitfully like those false Prophets who prophesied smooth things Isa 30.10 Your passionate Carriage afterward in the Vestry to my self who was willing to have discoursed these things calmly with you I pass by but expect your Answer to this and shall be ready without any further regard to what is past to treat with you as your future and better Carriage shall deserve and hoping the best shall remain Your Humble Servant E. S. 10 Nov. 1690. Had the Dr. upon perusal of this Letter well considered how unhappily he had fallen into a Quarrel which in Prudence he ought to have avoided at first and however to let fall as soon and as silently as might be 't is likely it might have passed over with a little talk only for a few dayes But as for the Letter he told the Messenger who carried it and desired his Answer that he had nothing to do with Mr. S. who wrote it and he would send him no Answer And for Mr. Jones nothing less than to have him Suspended or Silenced could satisfie that Spirit he is of whatsoever it is And it was not long before such another Occasion raised him up some Companions in the same Cause against Mr. Jones For notwithstanding this Treatment by that Doctor he made bold in another Sermon the next Lords Day or the next but one to touch two other Faults of many of our Clergy viz. Neglect of Catechising and Admission of scandalous Persons to the Sacrament And these two Sermons though it was undeniable Truth in them at which they took such Offence presently raised such a Spirit in many of the Clergy about the City that no less than forty or fifty as is reported at one Meeting agreed together that none of them should permit David Jones to Preach in his Pulpit and accordingly a Pulpit which was Promised by one of them for a Stranger the next Lords day was denyed as soon as it was known that David Jones was the Man And afterwards at another Meeting or some way or other amongst them they so prevailed with the Bishop that he would neither permit him to Preach without a License though that is seldom or never required of Strangers in London nor let him have a License though he was willing to take one and pay the Fees having an absolute Promise to be Chosen to a Place in London if he might have a License So that after ten Years hard Study in the University and a sober and strict Life he is by the Spirit of this Party kept from the Service of God in the Exercise of his Ministry to which he is Ordained according to the Church of England and from a Livelihood in his Calling for no other Fault but Preaching against the Faults of others whilst those who are guilty thereof are not only connived at but favoured even in their unreasonable and not more imprudent than impudent Prosecution of one who did but reprove them And this Dr. being not only guilty of those Faults but moreover a principal Agent in this Prosecution notwithstanding the private Admonition of that Letter since that had no better effect upon him it was thought fit to make it publick and the rather because by some Expressions of the Bishops the Letter seems to have been either misrepresented to him or mistaken by him And thus much for David Jones his Case which though very hard yet being only a private Case I should not have thought sit to have made thus publick did it not present us with a considerable Instance of the Nature of that wicked Spirit which hath brought both the Church and the State of this Nation into a most dangerous Condition and very near to a most dismal Catastrophe and with a fair Occasion to detect its Nature and Operations before it accomplish the same in the Confusion and final Destruction of both And First it is very plain that this is none of the Spirit of God or of Christ for that is pure peaceable gentle Jam. 3. and easie to be entreated full of Mercy and good Fruits and these Fruits to judge according to our Saviour's Rule are Love Joy Peace Long suffering Gentleness Goodness Mat. 7. Faith Meekness Temperance and the like Gal. 5 but this Spirit is quite the contrary passionate furious irreconcileable implacable and its Works are Emulation Envy Strife Anger Malice Hatred Rage Revenge and the like So that in those Words of the Dr. to the House of Commons Though I must not say with St. Paul 〈…〉 rm 〈◊〉 Octob. 〈…〉 g. 25. that I think I have the Spirit of God yet I dare say that I have the Spirit of that Church in which I was born and bred and I dare say no more there may be more truth than he was aware of or did intend And if the Apostles in their Zeal for Christ himself knew not what Spirit they were of it is no wonder if this Faction be of another Spirit than that which is of God though they may not know it Secondly As it is plain that this Spirit of the Faction is not the Spirit which is of God so it is as plain that it is the Spirit of the World by the great Fervour and Affection it hath and produceth to the things of the World and the little concern it hath for the things of God Great Zeal and Jealousie for the External Pomp and Grandeur of the Church and the Honour and Dignity of the Clergy but little concern for the Internal Beauty and Splendor of the Church or for the Honour of God or the Christian Religion As our Saviour saith No Man can serve