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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	according_a	bishop_n	church_n	2,848	5	4.3599	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26160	An Attestation to the testimony of our reverend brethren of the province of London to the truth of Jesus Christ, and to our Solemn League and Covenant as also against the errours, heresies, and blasphemies of these times, and the toleration of them, resolved on by the ministers of Cheshire, at their meeting May 2, and subscribed at their next meeting, June 6, 1648.		1648 (1648)	Wing A4161; ESTC R17649	58,802	68

grosse stupidity of the people and withall an evidence of Divine indignation as (t) Certrssimum illud est exundantis in mu●dum furoris Dei flagellum cum cousque Satanae habenas laxetut tam detestanda quae lli● Christianis persuadeant quae prophanis ipsis horrorem incutiant Calv. Epist Ep. N. N. p. 222. Calvin elsewhere saith in letting out the chaine of Satan so many linkes as that he should be able to perswade Christians to beleeve and receive such dictates as would strike a horror in the hearts of prophane men when they heare them SECT IV. THe third considerable time and state of Religion was then when divers godly Divines and other well-affected Christians desired and indeavoured a further conformity with other reformed Churches in discipline and ceremonies in the reign of Queen Elizabeth Of this (v) Camd. Hist Q. Eliz. l. 1. p. 90. saith Camden in the 11th of her reign Colman Button Hattingham Benson and others who with burning zeale professing a more sincere Religion allowed of nothing but what was drawn from the fountains of the holy scriptures they openly called in question the received discipline of the Church of England the Liturgie and the vocation of Bishops yea they condemned them as savouring too much of the Romish Religion with which to have any communion they cryed out was impious using all the meanes they could that all things in the Church of England might he reformed according to the rule of the Church of Geneva of these men he further adds that though the Queen commanded they should be committed to prison yet incredible it is how much the followers of this Sect increased every where through a certaine obstinate wilfullnesse in them indiscretion of the Bishops and the secret favour of some noble men which gaped ofter the wealth of the Church which sort began presently to be knowne by the invious name of Puritanes so farre he too farre for a true Historian who if he would needs give reasons of their acceptance with the people should and might have given others of a far better relish to religious palates And for the name Puritane which he familiarly misapplyeth it belongeth rather unto those who would have the Church to be thought so pure that it was not needfull to reforme it then to those who discovered the defects and faults of it and desired it might be a graduate to proceed to a further degree of goodnesse then the first assayes of Reformation could reach unto It was afterwards prosecuted further by the penners of the admonition to the Parliament An. 1573. and by Mr. Cartwrights defence of it against Dr. Whitgift as by their Polemicall writings is evident set forth by the Dr. in the year 1574. and Mr. Car●wrights reply unto him in two parts the first An. 1575. the 2d An. 1577. But to hinder it as Mr Josias Nio●ls who was a mover for it a man of good learning godly life and of a gratious and meek spirit observeth (w) Mr. Iostas Nicolls plea of the innocent So in the contents of the 2. ch nu 2. Martine Marprelate the Brownists and Hacket were stirred up by Satan More particularly hee (x) Ib. c. 2. p. 32. saith the first was a foolish jester who termed himselfe Martin Marprelate and his sons who under counterfeit and apish scoffing did play the Sycophant and slanderously abused many persons of reverent place and note such was the wisedome of the time that many filthy and lewd Pamphlets came forth against him casting forth much stinking dung and beastly filth into the faces of honest men (y) Ibid. p. 33. so that it plainly apeared to the wiser discreeter sort that the devill was the author of this disgrace * Ibid. Secondly for the Brownists they tooke offence at both sides and made a temerarious and wicked separation they had their originall and name saith (z) Cambd. Hist of Q Eliz. l. 3. p. 257. Camden from Robert Browne a Cambridge man a young student in Divinity who condemning the Church of England as no Church entangled many in the snares of their new schisme Thirdly of Hacket and his party * Mr. Ios Nic. loco citat Mr. Nic. saith two or three men bewitched with some honour by a certaine man of a frantick spirit lifted up themselves with high words of blasphemie whose working this was all men know that know the wiles of Satan But that both may be better knowne for more assurance of this truth and better caution against the slander of Religion it wil be requifite to make a more clear and full report of the Diabolicall blasphemie and furie of that impious Impostor Hacket which we will make up out of the severall relations of Camden and Seravia (a) Camd. Hist of Q. Eliz. l. 4. p. 400. This Hacket was a man of vulgar sort borne at Oundle in the Counly of Northampton unlearned insolent fierce and so eager upon revenge that he bit off his honest Schoole-masters nose as be imbraced him under colour of renewing their love and like a dog as they say eat it downe before the poore deformed mans face while he prayed him to restore it to him that it might be sewed to whilest the wound was green And so averse was hee from all piety that the heavenly doctrine which he had learn●d in Sermons he repeated among his drinking companions at their cups to be derided Afterward when he had wasted his estate which be had with a widow be suddainly tooke upon him the person of one of admirable sanctity spent all his time in hearing Sermons learning scriptures and as the devill puts on an holy-day habit transforming him into an angel of light 2 Cor. 11.14 so did he present himselfe in the appearance of an inspired Saint p●wring forth his prayers with an admirable and strange kind of servour falling upon his face as wrapt in an extasie and expostulating as it were with God But whereas all men are wont in calling upon God to implore his presence he only was accustomed to pray that God would absent and withdraw himselfe from the congregation of those that were praying (b) Ibid. p. 401. He counterseited revelations made to him from heaven by which he dignified himselfe with the title of (c) Ibid. King of Europe ordained by God And his deluded disciples Copinger and Arthrington added that hee was the highest and supream Monarch (d) Ibid. p. 402. that all the Kings of Europe did hold their Kingdomes of him as his vassalls that be alone therefore was to be obeyed and the Queen deposed Besides this temporall hee assumed a spirituall preeminence of a very high degree for he (e) Ecoelo ab ipso Spiritu sancto unctus fun Dr. Hadr. Saravi● de grad Ministr c. 2 p. 49. said he was anoynted from beaven by the holy Ghost commanded his two Prophets the one of mercy the other of judgement Coppinger and Arthrington to (f) Ite

Baptisme and the Lords-supper are not Ordinances commanded by the word of God or that the baptizing of Infants is unlawfull or such baptisme is void and that such persons ought to be baptized again and inpursuance thereof shall baptize any person formerly baptized or that the observation of the Lords day as it is enjoyned by the Ordinances and Lawes of this Realm is not according or is contrary to the word of God or that it is not lawfull to joyn in publick prayer or family prayer or to teach children to pray or that the Churches of England are not true Churches nor their Ministers and Ordinances true Ministers and Ordinances or that the Church-government by Presbytery is Antichristian or unlawfull or that the Magistracy or power of the civill Magistrate by law established in England is unlawfull or that all use of Armes though for the publick defence and be the cause never so just is unlawfull and in case the party accused of such publishing and maintaining of any such errours shall bee convicted as aforesaid he shall be ordered by the said Iustices to renounce his said errors in the publick congregation of the same parish from whence the complaint doth come and in case he refuseth so to doe then he shall be committed to prison by the said Iustices untill hee find two sufficient suretyes that he shall not publish or maintain the said error or errors any more With this Proviso that no attainder by vertue hereof spall extend either to the forfeiture of the estate reall or personall or the corruption of blood of any such person Fifthly Though we acknowledge divers of our brethren of the Independent way to be learned godly charitable and kind even to their Presbyterian brethren and (o) Mr. Burroughs in his Iren. cap. 6. p 30 32 34 35 36 37. some of them to be adverse in a great measure to such a Toleration as * Test to the truth c. p. 29. you might truely terme intolerable and abuminable which that Catholick Advocate and Patron (p) In his booke called the Bloody Tenet of all irreligious Religions proposeth yet as we take the tenet of Independency to be an error in it selfe so doe we find it by sound reason and sad experience to bee if not the naturall mother yet such a tender Nurse and Patronesse to hereticall opinions of all kinds that to it we may for a great part ascribe the luxuriant growth and spreading of errors heresies c. so far over this Kingdome as on the contrary the freedome of the Kingdome of Scotland from the like evills (q) Eccles Scotican privilegium rarum in quo ejus nomen apud exteros fuit celebre quod circiter annos plus minus 54. ante an 1602. sine schisina●e nedum haer●si u●●●itatem cum puritate doctrinae retinuerit in prin Syntag. C●nsess p. 6. edit Gen. 1612. in 4. which is recorded as their happinesse and to their honour to the firme establishment of a subordinate Presbyteriall Government among them Sixthly Notwithstanding we are far from the rigorous resolution of (r) Haeretices incorrigibiles posse de●ere temporalibus paenis a●que ●psa ●tiam mor●e muliart Bell. de Laicis l. 3. c. 2. B●llarmine who is peremptorie for the punishment of heretickes with death without any such distinction or difference as is made in the Ordinance of Parliament (s) Haere●icis obstinatis beneficium est quod de hac vita tollantur nam quod diutius vivunt eo plures errores excogitant plures pervertunt majorem sibi damnationem acquirunt ibid. p. 225. col 2. affirming also it is a kindnesse to them to cut them off because the longer they live the more errors they will invent the more persons they will pervert and so to procure themselves the deeper damnation Which conclusion of his we account the more cruel because of the large extent of the title Heretick in his sense comprehending all Christians who professe not subjection to his Antichristian Caiphas the Pope But we conceive the Spirit of Christ breatheth into his more meeknesse and moderation towards such as are contrary minded though their simplicity have sometime been so far wrought upon by the subtilty of others as (t) M●dicamenta nesciunt insani sunt adversus Antidotum quo sani esse potuissent Aug. Confess l. 9. c. 4. p. 262. 263. to become mad against the medicine that should cure them of their madnesse At whom when wee are moved to bee angry wee must turne anger into pity as (u) Quam vehemen●i aeri dolore indignabar Manichaeis miserabar e●●● Aug. ibid. Augustine did towards the Manchichees and when we oppose them wee must as he (w) Sine superbia de veri●ate praesumi●e sine saevitia pro veri●ue certa●e Aug. contra lit Petil. Donatistae lib. 1. Tom. 7. par 1. p. 104. adviseth without pride presume of the truth and without cruelty contend for the truth not abridging them of any liberty either of opinion or of practise which may be proved by the word of God to be a part of their Christian right Which we professe without all prejudice to such necessary and salutary severity as by just and lawfull authority is already or hereafter shall bee thought meet to be exercised upon those who by their sedulity in solliciting to perillous opinions as by their obstinate persisting in them may deserve that SECT III. THus far for the first point how farre you have our consent We are next to shew our reasons why we thus joyn with you both in our judgments and in our publick profession thereof to the world For though we thinke with Ambrose (x) Plurimum prodest unicuique bono jungi Ambr. de Offic. l. 2. cap. 20. princ that it is matter of advantage to sort and associate our selves to every good man much more to so many and so worthy Divines as are united in your subscription to the Testimony to the Trtuth c. Yet we conceive it will be rather a support to the cause then a prejudice to you or in us to any other who have appeared in this complyance before us and who might bee so much shorter as they were quicker in their Attestation if we put off the reproof of (y) Sapientiam sibi adimunt qui fine ullo judicio inven●a majorum probant ab aliis pecudum more ducuntur Lactant. Inst l. 2. c. 8. p. 139. Lactantius by subjoyning to our former Assent such confiderable reasons thereof as these that follow The first we take from the just zeale we ought to bear to the glory of God which is much opposed by error herefies and blasphemies and the Toleration of them For albeit (z) Socr. c. hol l. 4. c. 27. p. 336. Themistius told the Emperour Valens that variety of Sects tended to the glory of God though they amounted to more then 300 as did the opinions of the