Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	communion_n	hold_v	schism_n	2,955	5	9.8292	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67901	A review of the Covenant, wherein the originall, grounds, means, matter, and ends of it are examined: and out of the principles of the remonstrances, declarations, votes, orders, and ordinances of the prime covenanteers, or the firmer grounds of Scripture, law, and reason, disproved.	Langbaine, Gerard, 1609-1658.	1645 (1645)	Wing L371; ESTC R210023	90,934	119

Solomon and Hiram do abundantly prove that Leagues betwixt men of divers Religions is not against the word of God and therefore a League betwixt people of the same Religion for extirpation of such as are not of the same is no way required by it So then this Covenant as to that point is Supra Statutum and therefore Superstition 4. But if this sinne consist rather in using such Acts matter signes or circumstances in divine Worship as are in their owne nature no way apt to expresse that honour which we acknowledge to be due unto God nor reducible to that end for which we intend them surely then there may be Superstition in the inward as well as in the outward Act of Worship and in particular q indiscreet zeale will appeare to be a peece of Superstition for though zeale be of its owne nature apt to be referred to Gods Worship yet thus qualified it is not and then I am confident as Diogenes trode upon the pride of Plato so many of our zealous Covenanteers here vow to extirpate superstition with greater superstition IV. The clearing of that clause which concernes Extirpation of Heresie depends upon the resolution of many questions which we cannot here determine upon this mainely who shall be the So●eraigne Iudge of Controversies to define what Doctrines are Hereticall and what not whether must every man for himselfe fit upon other mens faith and proscribe all that for Heresie which crosseth his owne fancy The Church of Scotland allowes no other Iudge in this point but Scripture which will scarce come home to the point for who shall give the sence of Scripture The Lord r Brook has answered the question aright What is true Doctrine the Scripture or rather the spirit must Iudge but what a Church will take for true Doctrine lyes onely in that Church And amongst the Covenanteers who shall Iudge as the Church In Scotland it is agreed the generall Assembly in England I know not who perhaps a select Committee of some Lay-Covenanteers Such as shall be appointed to convent Ministers for preaching false Doctrine and will not stick to censure him for Heresie and Blasphemy who shall call the Virgine Mary the Mother of God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I must once more borrow the words of that Honourable s Author I last mentioned so long as the Church in her tenets intermedles not with State matters under the notion of Religion I suppose the Civill Power is not to interpose If the question be what is Idolatry what superstition what Heresie what the punishment of those crimes who shall Iudge but the Church Whiles Parliaments labour for the Church dealing no further in the affaires of the Church then by Scripture they may certainly they doe well but if they once exceed their bounds the issue will be CONFUSION instead of REFORMATION Yet in regard our Lawes if they should be put ordinarily in execution are somewhat severe in the punishment of Heretiques it was not amisse in the t Parliament to restraine the Power of Ecclesiasticall Commissioners in judging of Heresie to what had been formerly determined by Scripture or by the foure first generall Councells onely when they added Or such as shall hereafter be ordered judged or determined to be Heresie by the high● Court of Parliament in this Realme with the assent of the Clergy in their Convocation The matter had not been much different if the words had been a little inverted if they had left the judgement to the Clergy who without disparagement may be thought more compe●ent for such matters and reserved the power of approving and confirming to themselves But the Law being as it is we willingly subscribe to it and when the Parliament shall determine with the Convocations assent any matter or cause to be Heresie we shall better know how to conform either our judgement to their determinations or our patience and obedience to their censures In the meane time we must entreat our Brethren of the Clergy convened at Westminster to be perswaded that though the Lords and Commons in the Court were indeed the Parliament yet they in the Chappell are none of the Convocation And so what Heresie is or what to be taken for such by any authoritative definition in this Kingdome we are not like to heare in haist But if Tertullians Prescriptions or that golden Rule of Vincentius Lirinensis Quod ab omnibus quod ubique quod semper c. be of any use for the triall of Heretiques then we can tell whose Disciples the Covenanteers are that sweare to extirpate Episcopall Government if Aërius for affirming that a Bishop is not above a Presbyter was generally reputed by the Christian world for more then thirteen hundred yeares together as well in the Easterne as Westerne Church for a downeright Heretique we can charge those men with no lesse then a Contradiction who with the same breath vow the extirpation of Prelacy and Heresie V. The case is much alike concerning Schisme Which is so neare allyed to Heresie that u S. Paul if he doe not confound them makes that the necessary forerunner of this But allowing the word for current in the common acception without any scrupulous enquiry into the nature of it we must inferre 1. That this vow of the Covenanteers to extirpate Schisme is contradictory to that vow of mutuall assistance which they make in the sixt Article for being knownely divided in their opinions concerning Church Government they must be one to another mutually Schismatiques 2. The meere taking of this Covenant being in the principall part of it an utter condemnation of the Church of England and a sworne Separation from it as Prelaticall that is in their sense Antichristian can be no other then a most formall vowed Schisme in respect of all those Covenanteers who formerly held Communion with this Church which being a true Church wherein Salvation might be had suppose the worst which I doe not grant that there were some errors in her Doctrine or some unlawfulnesse in her practice yet so long as they are neither required to professe those errors nor to approve those practices as if we consider His Majesties frequent proffers of passing fitting provisions for the ease of ●ender consciences clearly they are not any separation from this their Mother Church is utterly causlesse and unlesse by vertue of some Legislative power a new sense be imposed upon the word this is the greatest Schisme that ever was in any Church since the foundation of Religion If they had not broken it already they might easily observe this part of their Oath for the future for having by this Covenant left amongst themselves no visible Church it quickly followes no Schisme Were it not so I should wonder how it comes to passe that after such a solemne Oath for extirpation of Schisme and that not by publique Order but where every one must goe before another in the example so few should

be found all this long time worthy to be extirpate out of that great City where so many are knowne to be Where all such as have been accounted Schismatiques from our Church of England either had their birth or have their breeding Anabaptists Brownists of all sizes Separatists● Semi-Separatists Leamarists Barowists Iohnsonians Ainsworthians Robinsonians Wilkinsonians the severall Congregations of Busher Smith Helwise Hancock Nevill Pedder each of which as I am informed had their distinct formes of Separation the Antinomians Eatonians Gringletonians and Familists the Cottonians and Anti-Cottonians and whatsoever spreading grafts have been transplanted from those fruitfull seed-plots of Schisme the Colonies of New Englaud or Amsterdam All these were knowne by head even when the Government of the Church was in the hands of the King and Bishops and sure their number is nought abated since it was seized by the Covenanteers many whereof have small reason to sweare the extirpation of Schisme unlesse it be out of their owne hearts Which is so foule a sinne that some of themselves have confessed Ieroboam the son of Nebat for this onely cause not for Idolatry to be so often mentioned with that odious Elogy Who made Israel to sinne And considering the generall defection now made from the Church of England and the shallow grounds of this Separation I take leave to mind those men who have had the greatest stroke in these divisions of what * Irenaus writ so many hundred years agoe The Lord will judge also those that make Schismes who valuing more their owne profit then the Churches unity doe rent and divide and to their power murther the great and glorious body of Christ upon small and any occasions speaking Peace and making Warre truly straining at a gnat and swallowing a Camell For they can make ●o such Reformation as will be able to countervaile the harme of Schisme VI The imposing this Oath by their owne Authority is a great violation of the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament which they sweare to preserve If we should allow the Leaders to be what they desire to passe for the two Houses of Parliament yet is it denyed that the one House hath any power to give an ordinary legall Oath or that both Houses can lay any civill much lesse Religious obligation by a new Oath upon the whole Kingdome without His Majesties Assent by x Act of Parliament Let but any Law be produced that it may be done or any precedent shewed that ever it was done by any free Parliament and we shall be ready to recant this position In the meane time I crave leave to intimate in some few particulars how the Covenanteers have violated not onely the ancient and just Rights of Parliament but those very Priviledges of the last Edition which were never heard of before this Session 1. In relation to the King who is the Head of that great Body the denying His Negative in making of Lawes the signifying His Authority contrary to his Will the doing many things without Him which how necessary soever he does not challenge any Prerogative to doe without them are sufficient instances of their injust usurpations 2. In relation to the House of Peeres whether were not their Priviledges invaded when some of the Temporall Lords were committed by Mr Pennington the then Lord Major of London and a Member of the Lower House when others of the Spiritualtie twelve Bishops at a clap were impeached and committed for a crime they were no way guilty of That never forgotten breach of Priviledge His Majesties impeachment of the five Members was thus aggravated y If such an accusation might be allowed then it would be in the power not onely of His Majesty but of any private man under pretensions of Treason to take away any man from his service in the Parliament and so as many one after another as he pleaseth and consequently to make ● Parliament what he will when he will which would be a Breach of so essentiall a Priviledge of Parliament that the very being thereof depends upon it How much His Majesty did then abhorre the thoughts of any such consequence depends in part upon the now visible and then iust grounds of that accusation But whether in that more generall and more causlesse impeachment of those twelve Members of the House of Peeres the Projectors did not over-act all the sad consequences of the former Discourse and transgresse that essentiall Priviledge upon which the very being of Parliament was said to depend I doe not determine Onely this is evident the now Covenanting Commons ever since that time were able to make their House of Lords doe or say what they would when they would Witnesse their severall Counter-mands and crosse Declarations The Lords declare the Lawes should be observed and the Common-Prayer Book used these Commons declare both shall be suspended The Lord● declare Tumults shall be suppressed and the Authors punished these Commons declare there are no Tumults and command those persons shall be released who were apprehended as the Authors The Lords thought the new Ordinance for the Militia unnecessary and refuse to Petition for it these Commons declare it is necessary and z complaine of the Lords for their refusall What would you more In some cases these men Order a that the House of Peeres agree with the House of Commons 3. In relation to particular Members It is somewhere confessed by the Commons that b they cannot give away the Priviledge of their Members without their consent Sure the many affronts● indignities injuries which severall Members of that honourable House have sustained in their Persons in their Estates in their Protections in their other Priviledges and Liberties were never done by their owne consent 4. In relation to the constitution of Parliaments is not the freedome of the place and safety of the persons so absolutely necessary that c no Parliament can be without it yet have not both been disturbed and endangered by tumultuous Citizens Have not some been expelled others committed for being so honest as to Vote according to their conscience but not so fortunate as to jumpe with the supposed Sense of the House Were not their names posted up and their lodgings notefied who were unwilling to have a hand in the first Act of this Nationall Tragedy I● the publique demanding a List of such Lords names as dissented in their Votes from the carrying party in the Lower House if confining the whole Authority of both Houses to the pleasure of a few persons under the name of a Committee for the safety of the Kingdome into whose secret● the rest may not presume to enquire if the admitting of Commissioners from another Kingdome without whose concurrent advice nothing must be agitated in this be not as totally repugnant to the nature of a free Parliament as confessedly repugnant to all Precedents of former times if all these things have been done and yet no Priviledge broken then {non-Roman}