Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
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A67022
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The decency and order of church and state as now established asserted in a late visitation sermon.
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Woolley, Charles.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing W3524; ESTC R26402
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16,143
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39
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understandings should darken and eclipse theirs this gives a shrewd suspicion that it is rather wilfulness than weakness in them whilest they plead they are weak at one time and take it ill if you confer with them as such at another I can hardly be perswaded but those Venetian or Commonwealth Protestants for all their pretended love and even dotage upon Parliaments value them the least of all Mankind For there is never a day they rise to go to a Conventicle in which they do not break a matter of 20 or 30 of their Acts and therefore no wonder if they endeavour to pull down the power of those Laws which they fear and hate Instead of rooting out Popery which is Militant in England Triumphant in Italy and disguised in France they would reduce Episcopacy under the Mask of Tantivism to the Primitive condition of Timothy and Titus to be poor and persecuted root and branch and the same Spirit that posted so many honourable Patriots for Straffordians would now expose them as French Pensioners and Arbitrary Tools and by their Seditious and Virulent Libels sacrifice them to the odium of the Profanum Vulgus Amidst all their Clamours for Toleration I wish they would but seriously consider these following Particulars First That the Model and Constitution of any Government can never provide against all the petty Exceptions of every particular Person and to make the most of our innocent Ceremonies there are but six in all Viz. Bowing at the Name of Jesus Kneeling at the Sacrament Ring at Marriage God fathers and Godmothers Cross in Baptism and the Surplice and the two last the Laity have no more to do with than to be present and see them used by the Clergy all Decent and significant Helps and Ornaments of Devotion which I shall but just mention and proceed to tell them That it is impossible all Dissenters can be satisfied for all come in with an equal cry and loudness and that Plea will serve a Papist as well as a Protestant may tolerate Idolatry as well as Schism and little do most believe and know that His Majesties Declaration for Liberty of Conscience 15th March 1671 2 was See Pacquet of Advice to the Men of Shaftsbury p. 19. and Coleman's Letters promoted chiefly by the Lord Clifford a profess'd Roman Catholick and presently closed with by that Noble Peer of three Names And as violent as they pretend to be against the Papists I remember Dr. Pierce Dean of Sarum in his Sermon of Schism Page 46 47. in his Decad of Caveats makes a Schismatick worse than a Heretick in these words An Heretick as such does only offend against Faith and Truth and keeping his error to himself is no body's enemy but his own is a Regular Citizen and a good Subject living friendly with his Neighbours and in an Uniform Obedience to his Superiours whereas a Schismatick as such does also offend against Peace and Charity and cannot possibly keep his Schism to himself because it is publick in it's own Nature but affronts the Governours sets up Altar against Altar a Conventicle against a Church the one is an active Divider the other 's but passively Divided the one destroys a whole Society and the Legislative Power whilest the other does but violate a particular Law and a vitious Practice is naturally worse than a wrong Opinion A Schismatick is mostly an Heretick for he renounces the Ninth Article of the Creed The Holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints and disowns one of the Principal Doctrines of our Religion i. e. Obedience to Authority which is injoyned under the pain of Damnation and Rebellion against the Second Table is as bad as Rebellion against the First and Obedience is due to Governours as the Ordinance of God let their Practices and Opinions be what they will even to a Tiberius and a Nero and as Peace without Holiness is but adherence to a Faction so Holiness without Peace is but Hypocrisie and he that is of an Unpeaceable must needs be of an Unholy Spirit If so why may not an Heretick be tolerated as well as a Schilmatick Secondly I wish they would consider That as the Papists have been earnest Solicitours for the Indulging of Protestant Dissenters so likewise Julian the Apostate the bitterest enemy that Christianity ever had was the man that set up this way of Toleration sending for the Prelates Monebat ut civilibus discordiis consopitis quisque nullo vetante religioni suae serviret intrepidus quod agebat ideò obstinantè ut dissensiones augente licentiâ non timeret unanimantem plebem i. e. He decreed That all civil Animosities be laid aside and that every one might serve God in his own way without fear or danger hoping by that License and Toleration their Divisions would be increased that so he might have the less Reason to fear their unanimous opposing of his Grand Design which was to restore Paganism and Idolatry again as Ammianus Marcellinus one of Julian's Souldiers tells us Lib. 22. which is enough to shew That this fair and plausible Indulgence may be design'd for very bad purposes Is it not strange then that the Author of Julian the Apostate with those of the same Clan and Covey comparing Popery with Paganism should be so violent against a Successour of another Religion under whom if he should prove as they pre-judge him a second Julian they may expect the like Toleration which they now so strongly appeal for that dangerous Libel hath strangely tickled the Mobile who for the choice of Kings imagine they may come like the Tribunes of Rome with an uncontroulable Veto what can there be at the Core of this Apostate Author but a Design to make a Constantine miserable for fear that Julian may succeed to bring on a present evil which is sure and incurable to avoid one that may never come what is he but a Doleman or Robert Parsons Redivivus who in the Days of Queen Elizabeth wrote against the Succession of King James because his Religion did not please the Papists whose Maxim was That all Monarchies are de jure elective What does he but set up Lancaster against York by pleading some dubious Titles against a settled Succession according to him we must make our Kings by an Army as the Roman Emperours were commonly established or come to a Pole and HUSSA'S for them what a strange consequence must it needs be to draw an Argument from the State of the Roman Empire in Julian's time when Laws were made by Arbitrary Edicts to such an Establishment as ours is I could be more particular in examining this Diana of theirs but it would be much a Digression and Apostacy from my Text I have so far spoken of it at this time because the Author is put upon our Function to credit his Libel but whatever he has been he ought to be look'd upon as an Out-lyer and a blown Deer to be avoided by his own Herd and the preferment
THE Decency Order OF CHURCH AND STATE AS NOW ESTABLISHED Asserted in a Late Visitation Sermon LONDON Printed for Joseph Lawson Bookseller in the Bail of Lincoln 1684. 1 CORINTH CHAP. 14. VERS 40. Let all things be done decently and in order NOW adays when Wit and Fool Papist and Fanatick are the consequents of Whig and Tory those exotick and opprobrious Nick-Names and mens Principles are rather tryed by the Verdict of an Ignoramus Conscience than by God and their King Religion and Loyalty When he passes for a Protestant big enough that stands up for the safety of himself and his lawful Successors that thinks he hath Liberty and Property worth Insuring a Religion or Interest A Good Old Cause or a New Commonwealth worth promoting which the Turk and Tartar the Jew and Jesuit the Blackmoors and Indians have as well as such When right Dominion is founded in the power of Grace according to that Whiggish Machiavel of Malmsbury Mr. Hobbs and Grace depends upon success and that upon Predestination according to the Epileptick half-Moon Doctrine of dissenting Mahomet When the Extempore men are for arbitrary Consciences as well as arbitrary Prayers not stinting the Spirit either in Church or State but to be govern'd by a Law that gives them liberty to do what they please making their Governours in Church and State like the Prophet Davids Idol that has a mouth and speaks not eyes and sees not ears and hears not meer Statues Figures and Political Nullities when Churches are debauched into Renegado Conventicles and Clubs into Associations the counter-parts of the Old Covenant no wonder that our Decency and Order is debauched too No wonder that the English man verifies his Proverb viz. That he is one that never knows when a thing is well by thus doubling and disguising chopping and changing his Laws and Religion So he swaggers against the Pope 't is no matter though he be for Mahomet or Menitto i. e. in America the Indian God Though he be against the Trinity Christ and God i. e. be he Socinian Quaker or Anabaptist so he hold that the End does hallow and justifie the Means The very name Protestant in its Composition does correct and antidote the malignity and poison of all wickedness though the main Ingredient may be a Dose of Jesuits Powder by such popular general Notions true Protestants are only a Common-wealth of men composed of all Religions whatsoever provided they do but side in a common opposition to the Church of Rome And it was just with the Forty One Puritans as it is with the Whigs now they are all but one Chaos and Faction made up of an Oglio of Seven or Eight Score Religions and if we take Protestants in the Latitude and Comprehension with our Dissenters they are not so much a Religion as a Party a Church as a Commonwealth a meer Rare Show cloak'd and shaded over with the imaginary Scenes of a Landskip'd Conscience whilst they are hag'd out of their wits with the visions of Antichrist and Predestination strong impulses and fortunate in-comes the Factious Wheedles and Enthusiastical Whimseys of Forty One. 'T is true the name Protestant was at first derived from the Protestation entred against the Decree of Spires in the Year 1529. and by Protestancy in its original extent is signified and commonly meant a Separation of Christians from the Communion of the Church of Rome but to oppose Errors on the one hand is not enough unless we preserve our selves clear and free from Corruptions on the other And it was the Reformation not the Protestation that settled and established us upon a true Medium betwixt the two extreams of Superstitious Tyranny and Fanatick Anarchy and the former by the Providence of Heaven introduced and made way for the latter And it is the Reformation i. e. The Uniformity and Canon the Articles and Constitutions of our Church its Decency and Order by Law established that we must stand to and regulate our selves by for the understanding of which general Rule we need only refer our selves to the Act of Uniformity the Rubrick and Method of our Liturgy and the Articles of Visitations which have so well provided for all parts of our Offices that we have nothing to do but to observe and let them be done Decently and in Order as they are prescribed and injoyned For the particular vindication of which and the satisfaction of our selves Dr. Comber's Companion to the Temple Dr. Faulkner's Libertas Ecclesiastica and the late Tracts of the London Divines are fully sufficient and principally necessary which I heartily recommend with all honour and submissive experience But at present just mentioning them I only design to plead for our Duty in general And that I shall do First With reference to the exercise of the Spiritual Court Power Secondly By way of address to our selves of the Clergy with relation to the Dissenters Thirdly and lastly To our Lay-Brethren of the same Communion with relation to their Uniformity and Reverence in publick Worship shewing the Decency and Order of our several Offices and Parts and in all the excellent Constitution of our Church First As to the Spiritual Power of the Church notwithstanding Mr. Selden's and Mr. Hob's civil Jurisdiction of it It is of Apostolical Antiquity and Descent when at first all the Churches being incorporated under the same Numerical Constitution of Government making but one Community had their Elders to take immediate cognizance and inspection of them with subordination to and dependance upon the Apostles answerable to whom I humbly conclude that our Apostles the Bishops have their Representatives their Delegates and Vicars Arch-Deacons and Diocesan Chancellours in the Canon Law termed Episcoporum Oculi to whom is deputed the power of Excommunication Injunctions of Penance to reform the abuses and irregularities of Parochial Churches For though the Universal Church as such is built upon a Rock yet Particular Parish Churches are liable to Dilapidations so that the Church must unavoidably decay and perish if she be not supported and maintained by such advantages as other Communities and Corporations are viz. a Charter and a Power to defend her self and allay all heats by wise determinations to moderate and amend what is amiss by prudent Admonitions Paternal Censures and Fraternal Correptions The holy Scripture laies down the Fundamentals of Doctrine in particular Commands but the Discipline and Circumstantials of Decency and Order in general Rules And further besides the Antiquity of this Power derived from the Apostles and the reasonableness of it from the nature of all Communities there seems to be another but too little urged and considered namely that a tender observance of it and due obedience to it would prove a fair Title to salvation For the Spiritual Power is exercised upon the Consciences and Souls of men and refers to the happiness of the other world as the Civil Temporal Power aws the outward man and relates to this present life Our Saviour