Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bishop_n	distinct_a	presbyter_n	2,885	5	10.2535	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32033	A just and necessary apology against an unjust invective published by Mr. Henry Burton in a late book of his entituled, Truth still truth, though shut out of doors by Edmund Calamy ...	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1646 (1646)	Wing C257; ESTC R22520	10,564	12

way and that the government which he m●intains is the Kingly office of Jesus Christ and that they are all of an Antichristian spirit that oppose it which words savour so much of that spirit of domination and Antichristianisme which he condemns in others as that I wonder M Burton is so blinde as not to see it But I perceive by this very pass●ge that let the Presbyterian Ministers meet never so often to humble themselves by prayer and fasting for their former conformity as they have of●en done yet if they will not turn Independents they must still be accounted amongst the number of those that as M. Burton saith pag. 7. have been vassals to Antichrist and defiled themselves with doing the drudgeries of lording Prelates and Without any more adoe when occasion is offered With dry eyes to pretend for Christ in a Way of Reformation Surely such kinde of language will never gain Proselytes to the Congregationall-Way For my own particular I crave leave to declare to all that shall read these lines what I have done to manifest my repentance and let M. Burton then judge whether it be a repentance to be repented on or no First I went to Bury and there made in a Sermon a recantation and retractation of what I had done in the hearing of thousands And this I did before the times turned against Episcopacy not out of discontent nor because I was disappointed of my expected preferment at Court Secondly After my comming to London at the beginning of this Parliament I was one of those that did joyn in making Smectymnuus which was the first deadly blow to Episcopacy in England of late years Thirdly My house was a receptacle for godly Ministers in the worst of times here was the Remonstrance framed against the Prelates here were all meetings I was the f●●st that openly before a Committee of Parliament did defend that our Bishops were not only not an Order distinct from Presbyters but that in Scripture a Bishop and Presbyter were all one I blush to sp●ak of these things but the judicious Reader will consider how I am provoked to it and will pardon me The Lord knoweth I did these things to make reparation to the Church of God for what wrong I had done Her For my conscience was at last fully satisfied that the bringing in of those innovations was but a shoing-horn to draw in if not the Pope yet Popery and it was the grief of my soul that I had had the least hand in ushering in either the one or the other But what is all this as long as I turn not Independent This will not satisfie M. Burton And therefore he brings that plac● Ezek. 43.10 11. If they be ashamed for all their iniquities then shew them the pat●rn of the house But may we not be ash●med of our iniquities and yet continue to hold the discipline of the reformed Churches Hath God shewed the patern of his house to none of the reformed Churches in Geneva Fr●nce Scotland c This is a bold assertion m●st we comply with M. Burton in his Model which I perceive by what is in his book is farre different from the judgements of his brethren or else we shall never see the patern of Gods house But What Will M. Burton say to those Presbyterian Ministers that never conformed either to the old or new Ceremonies of the Prelates What Will be say to old M. Dod M. Hildersham M. Ball c. M. Rathbane and many others Did not those reverend Ministers see the patern of Gods house And yet it is Well known that they Wrot many books against those that refused communion with our Churches and were their greatest enemies But M. Burton goeth on to cast abroad his wilde-fire and addeth That all the Reformation here and there pretended to be set up in Parishes hath rather Cam●lion-like received it's form from the fashion of the times then from a reall intrins●cal change wrought in the heart by the Spirit of Christ The best way of answering this pass●ge would be to rake a little and but a little in M. Burtons dunghill and to bestrew him with two or three of his own dirty flowers that he may tell others how sweet they smell but I dare not Nobis non licet esse tam disertis I mu●t follow the Apostles rule Rom. 12.21 Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil With good But how dares M. Burton say that all the Reformation set up here and there is but pretended to be set up and that it hath no reall intrinsecall change c The Lord give him a heart seriously to consider the rashness and uncharitablenesse of this speech But he adds pag. 8. That such as now glory most in their new Reformation were they not among the very last that held up the Service-book a● loath to lay it down till very shame left it Here the Reader may perceive that M. Burton doth antiquum obtinere and resolves to like no Reformation but what ends in separation And why may we not glory in our new Reformation which in some places hath as much Scripture puritie as the best of theirs and is joyned with unity also which theirs want And what is M. Burtons Church and his new Reformation that it must lift up it self above all other Churches and other Reformations If I may believe reports there are divisions not a few among his people and But I must not believe reports yet notwithstanding if M. Burton takes leave in a bitter manner to s●y pag. 13. Doth he not bewray his grosse or wilfull ignorance if not insolence in asking what defilements are still in their Churches I hope he will give me leave in a milde manner to demand of him whether there be no defilements in his Church And whether his Church be purified according to the purification of the Sanctuary And whether if a Church be not purified in every thing according to the purification of the Sanctuary a man cannot with the comfort of a good conscience communicate in that Church for so he seemes to say pag. 23. which is a Doctrine as fa●re from truth as it is from peace and unitie As for the Service-Book let M. Burton know that at a meeting at my house it was resolved by above a hundred Ministers after a long debate upon divers weighty considerations that all that could in their judgements submit to the reading of some part of it should be intreated for a while to continue so to doe To this our dissenting Brethren then present did agree and one of them made a speech to manifest his concordance This is enough to give any man satisfaction for the late laying of it down And if M. Burton meanes that Aldermanbury was among the last that held up the Service Book he is exceedingly mistaken in this as he is in many other things as hundreds can witnesse for me And thus I have endeavoured to answer so much of the book as relates to my former life and conversation As for my answer to the other particulars which amounteth to another sheet I will condemn it to perpetuall silence and the rather because as Jacobs cattell by looking upon the rods when they did conceive brought forth cattell speckled and spotted Gen. 30.41 So my fear is left by conversing too much with his bitter invectives I should also bring forth as angry a Pamphlet as his is contrary to my genius and naturall temper For as the Painter engraved his named so artificially into the picture of Min●rva that whosoever should undertake to deface his name should be forced to deface the goddesse also So hath M. Burton so interlaced and interwoven his scoffing and railing speeches thorowout his whole book that it is impossible to answer one but I shall be necessitated to answer the other also which will ill become a Presbyterian nor well become an Independent and therefore I draw a vail over the rest Only I will put M. Burton in minde of a saying that Hi●rom relates of Domitius an Oratour Cur ego te inquit habeam at principem cum tu me non habeas ut Senator●m If he exp●●ts that I should account him as a Brother and as an elder Brother let him not account me as an Heathen and as a Publican let him not so bitterly inveigh against our Assemblies if he looks to preach in our Assemblies And if he would be accounted as a Confessour and Martyr let him not expose my good name to Martyrdome and therein make me a Martyr and himself a Persecutour For it will alwaies be accounted as great a persecution to be branded in our good names and stigmatized for Idolaters and time-servers c. to all posterity by M. Burtons pen as to be pillored and lose our ears by an Episcopall hand FINIS {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Non potest vir ille s●ne con●iti●● quenquam a quo dissentit vel in levissimi●●o minare Rivet Apol. Aulus G●llius {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Epist ad Nepotianum