Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	able_a	according_a	account_n	14	3	6.1337	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45318	The shaking of the olive-tree the remaining works of that incomparable prelate Joseph Hall D. D. late lord bishop of Norwich : with some specialties of divine providence in his life, noted by his own hand : together with his Hard measure, vvritten also by himself.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. Via media.	1660 (1660)	Wing H416; ESTC R10352	355,107	501

variation in effect the same Government with us only there wants some care and life in their execution which might without much difficulty be redressed Every Parish hath or by Law ought to have their Minister ever present with them and carefully watching over them Instead then of their Pastor Elders and Deacons we have in every Parish the Minister whether a Rector or Vicar Churchwardens Questmen or Sidemen and Overseers for the Poor and in places of any eminence a Curate or Assistent to the Rector who is a Deacon at least These may and ought and in some places do duely meet together every week on a set day in their Vestry and decide such differences as happen amongst them and may well be enjoyned to take notice of such abuses and mis-demeanours as are incident into their Parish for their speedy reformation within the Verge of their own power In stead of their Presbyteries consisting of several Pastors we have our number and combination of Ministers in the Divisions of our several Deanries under which are ranged all the Ministers within that circuit Over whom the Rural Dean as he is called is every year chosen by the said Ministers of that division as their moderator for the year ensuing whose office if it were carefully looked unto and reduced to the original institution might be of singular use to Gods Church This Deanry or Presbytery consisting of several Pastors may be injoyned to meet together every moneth or oftner if it seem fit in some City or Town next unto them and may there have their exercise of prophesying as I have known it practiced in some parts of this kingdom and as it is earnestly wished and recommended by that excellently-Learned Lord Verulame late Lord Chancelour of England in his prudent considetions and then and there may endeavour to decide any doubt that may arise in their several Parishes either concerning the doctrine of their Minister or scruple in cases of conscience and may trans●ct any publique businesse that may concerne their whole division But if any such matter or question should arise as their divided opinions cannot fully determine it may under charge of silence be put over to a more publique meeting which is the Synodal assembly of the Clergy held twice a year under the moderation hitherto of the Archdeacon and if there the question fail of a full determination it is or may be referred with like silence and peace to a Diocesan Synod which may be held every year once under the presidency of the Bishop and if yet the decision come not home it may be referred to the determining of a Provincial Synod or yet higher to a National So as in these cases of doubts or errors if men would not be wanting to themselves nothing needs to be wanting in the state we now stand in to the safety and happinesse of our Church For matter of ordination of Ministers the former constitutions of our Church have deeply enjoyned the presence and assistance of those who by their original institutions are the Presbytery of the Bishop at and in the examination and allowance of the persons to be ordained requiring also the joint-imposition of those hands which attested the sufficiency of the said Examinants not without a severe sanction of two years suspension of the act of Ordaining to passe upon any Bishop or Suffragan that shall be found failing in any of the particulars the qualification of those that are to be ordained is in our Canons already set forth with much caution for their age their degrees their abilities the testimony of their holy conversation neither need I doubt to affirm that he who besides all other circumstances of Education is able to give a good account of his faith in Latine according to the received Articles of the Church of England and to confirme the same by sufficient testimonies out of the holy Scripture may be thought competently fit for matter of knowledg to enter upon the first step of Deaconship which the wisdome of the Church hath according to the Apostles rule appointed not without a sufficient distance of time in way of probation to the higher order of Ministery forbidding to give both orders at once and requiring that he who is ordained Deacon shall continue a whole year at least in that station except upon some weighty reasons it shall seem fit to the Bishop to contract the time limited and lest there should be any subreption in this sacred business it is Ordered that these Ordinations should be no other then solemn both in respect of time place neither ought they to be nor in some places are without a publick precognization of lawful warning affixed upon the Cathedral Church door where the said Ordination shall be celebrated and over and besides the charge that none shall be admitted to be a Candidate of holy Orders but he who brings sufficient testimonials of his good life and conversation under the seal of some Colledg in Cambridge or Oxford or of three or four grave Ministers together with the subscription and testimony of other credible persons who have known his life behaviour by the space of three years next before it is well known to you that before the act of ordination there is publique Proclamation made to the whole Assembly that if any man knowes any crime or impediment in any of the persons presented for which he ought not to be ordained that he should come forth and declare it before any hand be laid upon his head for his full admission Notwithstanding all which care of our dear Mother the Church of England if it shall be thought meet that any further act of Tryal shall pass upon those which are suitors for Ordination how easily may it be ordered that at the monethly or if need be more frequent meeting of the Ministers within the same Presbytery or Deanry they may be appointed to make tryal of their gifts and undergoe such further examination of their abilities as shall be thought requisite ere they shall be presented and admitted by the Bishop and his Presbytery to that holy sunction And whereas it is much stood upon that it is meet the people whose souls must have right in him to whose trust they are committed should have some hand in their consent to that Pastor by whom they must be fed it must be said that besides their devolution of their right to the patron who as their trustee presents a Minister for them it may be no prejudice at all to the power which by Law and inheritance is setled upon the patron that the person whom his choise pitches upon be appointed beforehand to preach for a trial to that Congregation to which he is so designed and if either for his voice or other just exceptions he be found unmeet for them that another more fit may be recommended by the said Patron to the place but if through faction or self-will or partiality the multitude shall prove peevish and

but know hath been and is miserably infested on both sides with Papists on the one side and Schismaticks on the other The Psalmist hath of old distinguisht the enemies of it into wild Boars out of the Wood and little Foxes out of the Burroughs The one whereof goes about to root up the very foundation of Religion the other to crop the branches and blossomes and clusters thereof both of them conspire the utter ruine devastation of it As for the former of them I do perceive a great deal of good zeal for the remedy and suppression of them and I do heartily congratulate it and blesse God for it and beseech him to prosper it in those hands that shall undertake and prosecute it but for the other give me leave to say I do not finde many that are sensible of the danger of it which yet in my apprehension is very great and apparent Alas my Lords I beseech you to consider what it is that there should be in London and the Suburbs and Liberties no fewer then fourscore Congregations of several Sectaries as I have been too credibly informed instructed by Guides fit for them Coblers Taylors Feltmakers and such like trash which all are taught to spit in the face of their Mother the Church of England and to defye and revile her government From hence have issued those dangerous assaults of our Church Governours From hence that inundation of base and scurrilous libels and pamphlets wherewith we have been of late overborne in which Papists and Prelates like Oxen in a yoke are still matched together O my Lords I beseech you that you will be sensible of this great indignity Do but look upon these reverend persons Do not your Lordships see here sitting upon these benches those that have spent their time their strength their bodies and lives in preaching down in writing down Popery and which would be ready if occasion were offred to sacrifice all their old blood that remains to the maintenance of that truth of God which they have taught and written and shall we be thus despightfully ranged with them whom we do thus professedly oppose but alas this is but one of those many scandalous aspersions and intolerable affronts that are daily cast upon us Now whither should we in this case have recourse for a needful and seasonable redresse The arme of the Church is alas now short and sinewless it is the interposing of your authority that must rescue us You are the Eldest sons of your dear Mother the Church and therefore most fit most able to vindicate her wrongs you are amici Sponsae give me leave therefore in the bowels of Christ humbly to beseech your Lordships to be tenderly sensible of these woful and dangerous conditions of the times And if the government of the Church of England be unlawful and unfit abandon and disclaim it but if otherwise uphold and maintain it Otherwise if these lawless outrages be yet suffred to gather head who knowes where they will end My Lords if these men may with impunity and freedom thus bear down Ecclesiastical authority it is to be feared they will not rest there but will be ready to affront civil power too Your Lordships know that the Jack Straws and Cades and Watt Tylers of former times did not more cry down Learning then Nobility and those of your Lordships that have read the history of the Anabaptistical tumults at Munster will need no other Item let it be enough to say that many of these Sectaries are of the same profession Shortly therefore let me humbly move your Lordships to take these dangers and miseries of this poor Church deeply to heart and upon this occasion to give order for the speedy redressing of these horrible insolencies and for the stopping of that deluge of libellous invectives wherewith we are thus impetuously overflown Which in all due submission I humbly present to your Lordships wise and religious consideration A SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT In Defence of the CANONS MADE IN CONVOCATION My Lords I cannot choose but know that whosoever rises up in this cause must speak with the disadvantage of much prejudice and therefore I do humbly crave your Lordships best construction were it my Lords that some few doubting persons were to be satisfied in some scruples about matter of the Canons there might have been some life in the hope of prevailing but now that we are borne down with such a torrent of generall and resolute contradiction we yield but yet give us leave I beseech you so to yield that posterity may not say we have willingly betraid our own innocence First therefore let us plead to your Lordships and the World that to abate the edge of that illegality which is objected to us it was our obedience that both assembled and kept us together for the making of Synodicall acts We had the great Seal of England for it seconded by the judgments of the oracles of law and justice and upon these the command of our superiour to whom we have sworn and owe canonical obedience Now in this case what should we do Was it for us to judg of the great seal of England or to judg of our Judges alas we are not for the law but for the Gospell or to disobey that authority which was to be ever sacred to us I beseech your Lordships put your selves a while in to our condition had the case been yours what would you have done If we obey not we are rebels to authority if we obey we are censured for illegall procedures Where are we now my Lords It is an old rule of Casuists nemo tenetur esse perplexus Free us one way or other and shew us whether we must rather hazard censure or incurr disobedience In the next place give us leave to plead our good intentions since we must make new Canons I perswade my self we all came I am sure I can speak for one with honest and zealous desires to do God and his Church good service and expected to have received great thanks both of Church and Common-wealth for your Lordships see that the main drift of those Canons was to repress and confine the indiscreet and lawless discourses of some either ignorant or parasiticall I am sure offensive Preachers to suppress the growth of Socinianism Popery Separatism to redress some abuses of Ecclesiastical courts and officers In all which I dare say your Lordships do heartily concurr with them And if in the manner of expression there have been any failings I shall humbly beseech your Lordships that those may not be too much stood upon where the main substance is well meant and in it self profitable In the third place give me leave to put your Lordships in mind of the continuall practise of the Christian Church since the first Synod of the Apostles Act. 15. to this present day wherein I suppose it can never be showed that ever any Ecclesiasticall Canons made by the Bishops and Clergy in Synods