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	people_n	presbyter_n	5,436	5	9.9023	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88815	The Antichristian Presbyter: or, Antichrist transformed; Assuming the nevv shape of a Reformed Presbyter, as his last and subtlest disguise to deceive the nations. / By Richard Laurence, Marshal-Generall.	Lawrence, Richard, d. 1684.	1647 (1647)	Wing L674; Thomason E370_22; ESTC R201297	13,810	23

if you ride through the whole Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales except some few Parishes where the●e is a very good L●ving of 100. l. or 200. l. per annum Who shall you find but some old-fashion'd Common-prayer-book-Priest and all he is able to observe out of the Directory is to read a Chapter sing a Psalm and say the peace of God and away goes he to dinner he hath most skill of that If yee doe now and then meet with a second sort of them which with a great deale of care and pains-taking can write as much in a peece of paper in six-dayes as he is able to read in halfe an houre on the seventh day and adde but thus much ex tempore to it O these cursed Schismatickes Sectaries Heretickes Independents c. He is a mighty well-gifted man he is fit to make one of the Classes at least Nay a man may goe into a thousand Parishes in this Kingdome and demand but of the Parson why he doth not weare the Surplice and read Common-prayer and bow to the Altar as he used to doe And all the answer he can give is the Parliament hath put them down Ask them why they observe the Directory why the Parliament hath put it out Or some of them are so learned as to say they have imposed it or establisht it So that we want nothing but a Parliament to establish Popery for we have Priests as ready to officiate as any Kingdom in Christendome These things considered what manner of Church-goverment are we like to have think yee when we have like people like Priests And yet all the ablest Ministers of the Kingdome must be gathered together at London to teach one another and the poore ignorant people in the Countrey perish for want of knowledge Doe yee think it would not be a more Christian brotherly way for them to goe up and down the Countrey teaching the Gospel then to be at London procuring punishment for the people for their not believing it before they have heard it A man may ride twenty miles together in some parts of the Kingdome and not finde two men in a Parish that know what a Presbyter or Elder or Deacon is except yee mean Bishops and Arch-deacons such as they use to have in another shape All I would desire you to observe from these things is this what small reason any honest people of this Kingdome have to b●ame the Parliament for not setting Church Government when the tenth part of the Kingdome is not capable of receiving it nor the tenth part of the ministery capable of officiating it My honest Countrey men look about you be no more deceived for all the noyse you heare in the Kingdome is not for Presbiter-Government they do but put on the same Government to see if they can deceiue him of his Birth-right for godly Presbyterians and godly Independents must all drink of one Cupp and they that have the last draught may come to have the dreggs too for ought I know And if not godly ye may be Presbyters and Independents too you are not the men they aime at But now it is come to this passe that if a man do but speake well of the Parliament what ever his Judgement be he must be an Independent Nay I have observed it having had occasion to ride through most parts of this Kingdome lately that there are many godly consciencious people which have not a preaching Minister within five miles of them and if there hardly worth the going to and some of these people for using meanes to procure a preaching Minister for so doing are called Independents and for such hated and abused by their Malignant dumb Preist and the rest of their Neighbours I could instance many particulars of this nature I shall onely name two The one is at Charlbury in Oxfordshire the Parish being great hath three Churches all in one simple fellows ●ands hardly fit to make a Clarke one of the places having a competent meanes to maintaine a Minister hath indeavoured to procure one and for so doing are called Independents and for such hated and dispised Another place is at East hendred in Bark-shire where there is a wicked Malignant Priest called Doctor Rogers he was the Kings Chaplin in Oxford his parish preferred Articles against him to the Generall the Generall referred them to the Committees the Articles were these or to this purpose That the said Doctor Rogers had severall times delivered in the Pulpet before his parishoners these or such like expressions That the Parliament at Westminster were Rebels and Traytors That he hop't to see their heads from their bodies and their Limbs drying in the Sun That it was Treason to call them a Parliament In his prayer praying for their confusion under the names of the Kings enemies Comparing them to Korah Dathan and Abiram and wishing the earth might open and swallow them up frequently praying they might be like Oreb and Zeeb and that they might slee before the Lords annointed like Zeba and Salmunna with abundance more of this nature For endeavouring to put him out and to have another in his place the poore men were calld Independents and for such hated ●nd persecuted some of the poor men being weary of their lives homes came to Oxford to intreate me to be their friend to the Generall professing they durst not go home to their wives and Children the Malignants wrath not being contented to persecute them himselfe with the rest of his complyces in his parish but procured troopers of Abington Horse ●o fright slander and abuse them under the name of Independents and Tub-preachers Thus my honest Cuntrey men if the enemies of your peace have but so much wit as to call you Independents according to these practises its policy enough to destroy you all It s cause of admiration that so many rationall godly men as bee in this Kingdome of the Presbyterian Judgment should be so blind as not to see in every part of his Kingdome that the same spirit of Malignancy and Anti Christ which hitherto hath opposed the Parliament in their proceedings hath already assumed the shape of a Presbyter thereby to make a further rent and division in the Kingdome to the end they may destroy both Parliament and people Let me appeale to any that have not sold themselves to partiality and have not wholly given up themselves to believe lies What do ye think by that army of French so much feard and talkt of Will they be al Presbyters think you have ye forgotten the bloody massacre in France Were none murdered there but Independents think ye Nay further what kind of Presbyter-Government shal we have setled by the Irish Rebels think ye for they must come to assist you in that precious work too Have none of their unheard of inhumane cruelties been acted against any but Independents think ye What do ye think of the Lord George Digby that is to command the Army for