Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	abandon_v	church_n	forsake_v	29	3	7.4446	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10197	A quench-coale. Or A briefe disquisition and inquirie, in vvhat place of the church or chancell the Lords-table ought to be situated, especially vvhen the Sacrament is administered? VVherein is evidently proved, that the Lords-table ought to be placed in the midst of the church, chancell, or quire north and south, not altar-wise, with one side against the wall: that it neither is nor ought to be stiled an altar; that Christians have no other altar but Christ alone, who hath abolished all other altars, which are either heathenish, Jewish, or popish, and not tollerable among Christians. All the pretences, authorities, arguments of Mr. Richard Shelford, Edmond Reeve, Dr. John Pocklington, and a late Coale from the altar, to the contrary in defence of altars, calling the Lords-table an altar, or placing it altarwise, are here likewise fully answered and proved to be vaine or forged. By a well-wisher to the truth of God, and the Church of England.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1637 (1637)	STC 20474; ESTC S101532	299,489	452

none whom we ought more or rather to follow then God and Christ. S. Cyprian therfore tying himselfe and all men thus strictly to Christs institution example in all points and circumstances of the Sacrament And Christ his Apostles never administring it at an Altar nor stiling the Lords-Table an Altar his Apostles never serving nor giving attendance at an Altar I cannot but from hence conclude that these Passages certainely are none of Cyprians But to come to the particular scanning of these authorities 1. I answer That the first of them doth not precisly call the Lords-Table an Altar nor expresly affirme that Christians then had Altars being a meere allusion to the Preists and Altars under the Law relating to that of 1. Cor. 9. 13. Exod. 29. 37. 44. as the Text itselfe doth evidence Which allusions were frequent in our Ministers Prayers Sermons when we had no Altars in our Church for them to waite at nor Communion Tables called or knowen by the names of Altars 2. That it mentions a Canon and Constitution made at least 60. yeares after S. Cyprians time to wit in the Councell of Anegra An. 314. Canon 1. 2. 3. there being no such Canon extant in any Councell held in his age which makes it suspuious if not spurious written long after his decease 3. If this Epistle make any thing for Altars then it makes farre more against our Bishops tenets power now since it expr●sly affirmes that the people have power are boundin conscience to reject alwayes and not to receive any man for their Bishop or to admit him to enjoy his Bishopricke who shall fall away from the truth to heresie or Idolatrie that by such a lapse he ipso facto looseth his Bishopricke and becomes no Bishop neither ought to be admitted to his former degree of a Bishop but the people are to elect a new in his ste●d the maine scope drist of this Epistle To the second I answer that this Epistle mentions a Canon LONG BEFORE in a full Councell not in S. Cyprians age for ought appeares before whose dayes we read of no such Councell but long after Yea Pamelius notes that this Epistle was written in some Councell in what he knoweth not belike in the 1. 3. or 4. Councell of Carthages an hundreth yeares after that under S. Cyprian In which Councells the Constitution mentioned in this Epistle written as is evident by the subject of it after these 3. Councells was made and decreed so not S. Cyprians And indeed the words Non est quod pro dormitione ejus fiat oblatio a●t deprecatio nomine ejus in Ecclesia frequentetur discover it rather to be some late Popish Friers then his But admit it his yet the word Altar and expression herein used is but an allusion to that of 1. Cor. 9. 13. doth not expresly define the Lords Table to be an Altar or so named or reputed in his age or that the Christians then had Altars And if it makes any thing for Altars in that age yet that expresly condemnes Clergiemens intermedling with any secular offices or imployments whatsoever since they ought wholy yea solely to addict and devote themselves to Gods service prayer preaching and other spirituall duties of their ministeriall function A shrowde checke to some of our present Prelates Clergiemen now most zealous for Altars who dare presume to take upon them temporall offices honors imployments so farre to ingage themselves in Secular Temporall Civill or State affaires that many of the● almost wholy neglect their spirituall functions and duties serving the world and Mammon more then God himselfe To the third I answer that this savors not of Cyprians age in being not the use of Christians then to consecrate chrisme or the Sacrament on an Altar much lesse the Doctrine of that time that Chrisme or the Eucharist could not be cōsecrated without an Altar which doctrine being quite contrary to what this Father delivers in his forecited Epistle to Coelicius I may farther affirme it to be a l●●e Popish fo●gerie and imposture then S. Cyprians And so 〈◊〉 all the premises I may now safely conclude notwithstanding these objected authorities in the Coale that the Primitive Church and Christians for above 250. yeares after Christ had no Altars neither did they repute or call the Lords Table an Altar and so my ● 9. Argument still holds good maugre all those spurious Fathers newminted evasions I now proceed to my 10. Argument 10. Those things and names which the whole Church State most approved writers of our Church of England have censured abandoned condemned upon good godly pious grounds considerations heretofore ought not to be patronized used written preached for revived or new erected in our Churches now But the whole Church State most approved writers of the Church of England have censured abandoned and condemned Altars with their names and the calling of the Communion Tables upon good godly pious grounds considerations heretofore Therfore they ought not to be patronized used written for or preached revived or new erected in our Churches now The Major is unquestionable the Minor evidently proved in by the premises which yet to make more perspicuous I shall further cleare by these ensuing authorities Osotius Dormian Harding the Rhemists Hart and other Papists complained of King Edward the 6. Queen Elizabeth and the Church of England in their time that they had taken away broken downe demolished all the Altars and cast them out of the Church setting up prophane Tables or Oister-boards as they termed them in their steeds using only such Tables not Altars to consecrate the Lords-Supper on blaming our Church in the selfe same manner for the selfe same cause as the Idolatrous heathens did the Christians in the Primitive Church for that we have no Altars to consecrate upon A cleare Confession and apparant evidence that the Church of England both in King Edwards and Queen Elizabeths dayes abolished and condemned Altars Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester scoffingly accused the Protestants in King Edward dayes that they had no Altars but Tables and Boardes to eat and drinke at to which Peter Martyr Regius Professor of Divinity in the Vniversity of Oxford in King Edwards dayes returned this answer What use is there of an Altar where no fire burnes nor beastes are slaine for Sacrifices And concerning bowing to Altars a Popish Ceremony or rather Idolatry or superstition now much practised both without Scripture Canon he there thus determines If an Angell from heaven would provoke us to adore either Sacraments or Altars let him be accursed I doe not thinke sayth hee that any of the Fathers were polluted with so grosse Idolatrie as to bow their bodyes before Altars especially when there is no Communion but if at any time they shall be discovered to have done thus let none of us be lead by

vanitatis culpa nequaquàm cau●è compescitur ab iniquitate pro●●●● men● incauta deuoratur I. shall therefore desire all those who deeme these things ●rifles to ruminate on these two Fathers words And diligently to consider whether they tend Then J presume they will change their judgments Much more might be sayd concerning these Questions matters here debated Bnt this J hope will suffice for the present I shall therefore close up all with the words of Dr. Edward Chulouer in his Sermon entitled Pauls Peregrinations delivered at Pauls Crosse Anno 1617. London 1623. p. 316. to 329. Let us now travell from Athens into England from the world under the Law to the world under the Gospel and consider what it is wherein we are to imitate these Gentiles Concerning their Altars and what it is vvherein we must leave and forsake them Altars as they are properly so taken for those on which the typicall or supposed reall Sacrifices were offred are novv ceased and taken away Our Saviour vvhen he vvas lifted up upon the Crosse bad Altars to be beaten dovvne When he rent the veile of the Temple the Earth-quake shooke their foundation VVhen he died their parts were acted and vvent out The Papists that they may scrue the Pope farther into the mistery of iniquity vvill have him maintaine one Lesson vvhich themselves confesse to be a note of Antichrist and that is that Ievvish Ceremonies are not yet ceased at the least in matters of Sacrifices and Altars But perhaps they had rather be beholden to the Gentiles for them For if vve vvould beleive Cardinall Baronius vve may see their lustrall vvater and sprinkling of Scpulchres in Iuvenall sixth Satyre Lights in Scpulchres in Suetonius Octavius Lamps lighted on Saturday in Geuecas 96. Epist. Distribution of Tapers amongst the people in Macrobius his Saturnals But more lively may vve see it in their Altars 1. First in multiplying the number of them in every Church God allowes but two Altars to the Temple and Bruschius reckons 51. in one Church in Vlmes taking their patterne belike from Venus Temple of which the Poet Ubi Templum illi centumque Sabeo thure calent arae But God teacheth no such Arithmeticke as to multiply Altars because Ephraim saith he hath made many Altars to sinne Hos. 8. 2. Secondly they imitate the Gentiles in dedicating their Altars to such as it is unknowne or at the least uncertaine if ever any such were in the world as to S. George S. Catharine and S. Christopher doing no otherwise then did the Romans who consecrated Altars Dijs incertis to their uncertaiue Gods or these Athenians who built them Deo ignoto to their unknowne God But we need not much seeke to know whom they follow in these devotions vvhen as it is a maine Argument urged by Bellarmine that Altars and Sacrifices were used by the Gentiles therefore they must still be retained by Christians I know not vvhat antiquity they pretend nor vvhat they can finde in the Primitive Church to prove the lawfulnes of them we denie not but that the Fathers might tearme the Table of the Lords supper an Altar And that first in respect of the similitude it hath to the Altar of the Ould Testament for that on it are placed the Sacraments of Christs body which before was figuratively offered up by the Priest upon the Altar Secondly because on it vvere laid the Oblations and Offerings which vvell disposed people vvere vvont to bestovv upon the poore this vve vvill grant them But that there vvere any such Altars in use in the Primitive Church as they pretend vve absolutely deny VVe have an High Priest saith the Authour to the Hebrevves vvho needeth not daily as those Priests to offer Sacrifice nor that he should offer himselfe as often as the High Priest entreth into the Holy place every yeare vvith the blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the vvorld but novv once in the end of the vvorld hath he appeared to put avvay sinne by that Sacrifice himselfe Chap. 9. v. 25. 28. VVell then Altars of Stone and Metals are nov banished the Christian vvorld by the decree of our Lord Christ Iesus and herein vve must observe that Precept of our Saviour to his Disciples Goe not into the vvay of the Gentiles in these things imitate them not But vvhat doe vve therefore altogether shunne Altars Jmages Temples Jt vvas an old imputation indeed of Celsus others against Christians in the Primitive Church as it is novv of the Romans against us that vve abandon these Ceremonies relinquish them to which my answer at this time shal be no other then what Origen gave Celsus Celsus affirmes saith he that we shune Altars and Images because he takes it to be the beleife of that invisible inexplicable Communion we maintaine When in the meane time he perceives not that to us the mindes of the just are for Altars Temples From which doubtles are sent forth these most sweet odours of Incense vowes I meane and Prayers from a pure Conscience We are not therefore ambitious in mouing Altars or framing Images which heretofore have been the Tabernacles of Devils and C●ges of uncleme Spirits But rather embrace such living Altars as one whom we see to burne the true fire of zeale kindled not by vestall Virgins but by the Spirit of God Let any man addes that Father make an inquiry into those Altars which we expound and compare them with those which Celsus I will say which the Pope would bring in or the Images which are fixt in the mind of them which worship God with Phydias's or Policletus's or whom he ever men list to select of cunning Artisicers and he shall plainly see that these inanimate and sencelesse Colosses shall decay and corrupt with time whereas these living Sanctuaries shall be immortall and continue for ever Shall we feare Beloved least Altars Images be taken away or Churches loose somewhat of their Grace and Government I must tell you with S. Ambrose that neither our Prayers nor Sacrifices stand in need of such trimming the best adorning of Sacraments is not Tissues Silke or embroidered Canopies or spangled Crucifixes or painted Poppets or any the like faceings Popery sets forth her Altars more like Pageants then places which favour of Christs simplicity but the redeeming of Captions c. But now what should we admire those Altars whose covering our Saviour Christ pronounced to be but untighteous Māmon or those Cēsers whose metal S. Peter was not ashamed to confesse that he had none 〈◊〉 Crie not therefore Templum Domini c. The Temple of the Lord c. as did sometimes the Iewes Ier. 7. Hee is the Temple of the Lord in whom true faith dwelleth who is clothed with Iustice as with the vaile of the Tabernacle in whom not Temperance alone or Abstinence sing their parts but in whom the whole set of