Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58923	A seasonable discourse against comprehension. Occasioned by a late pamphlet intituled The peaceable design, being a modest account of the non-conformists meetings, with some of their reasons for non-conformity: and the way of accomodation in the matter of religion. Humbly proposed to publick consideration by some ministers of London, against the sitting of Parliament, in the year, 1675.	Hickes, George, 1642-1715. Letter sent from beyond the seas to one of the chief ministers of the Non-conforming party. aut	1676 (1676)	Wing S2227; ESTC R214757	10,075	36

A SEASONABLE DISCOURSE AGAINST COMPREHENSION Occasioned by a late PAMPHLET Intituled The Peaceable Design Being a Modest Account of the Non-Conformists Meetings with some of their Reasons for Non-conformity And the way of Accommodation in the Matter of Religion Humbly proposed to Publick Consideration by some Ministers of London against the Sitting of Parliament in the Year 1675. Titus 1.13 Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the Faith LONDON Printed in the Year 1676. A Discourse against Comprehension 'T IS an amazing Reflection but that nothing seems strange in these last and worst of Days that Persons otherwise of undoubted Loyalty should so far be a Contradiction to themselves and their former Actions as out of a vain compliance with some People and thereby to obtain the Title of Moderate Men to be encouragers of those Designs which if duely prosecuted according to some Mens intentions are inevitably destructive both to Church and State That there should be Ambitious Covetous Discontented Persons who having flourished under the late Rebellion do endeavour to repeat it is no wonder But that any of those Loyal Sufferers who have sufficiently smarted under the late Troubles that those should so tamely contribute to their own and the Churche's ruine is not so easily understood That the N. C. have formerly found Friends and Favourites amongst some Privy-Counsellors and others of the Nobility Pag. 2. is easily granted And therefore the Author of Good-Will amongst Protestants who so boastingly urgeth this Topick might if he pleas'd have kept his Quotations in his Common-Place-Book The generous disposition of those noble Spirits naturally Compassionate towards all suffering Parties and the great comparative Meekness and Innocency that appear'd in those first Dissenters are a ready Apology for the Indulgence that was then shewed them But now since by their Fruits we do know them Since their Principles are explain'd into such dismal Practices of which it were a happy thing if the sad experience of these Kingdoms would suffer us to be ignorant the Loyal Nobility and Gentry much less the Clergy have little cause to be fond of these People who are still disturbing Authority with their impertinent I pray God they do not prove destructive Clamours That this may not be rejected as the melancholy reflexion of a discontented Brain I shall consider the intended Relaxation with all imaginable strictness The Matter of Fact is this The Non Conformists have mov'd that two Declarations in the Act of Uniformity may be dispensed with They are these I A. B. do here declare my unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book Intituled The Book of Common-Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England together with the Psalter or Psalmes of David pointed as they are to be Sung or Said in Churches and the form or manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons I A. B. do declare that it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him and that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare that I do hold there lies no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called the Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and impoposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom What Private designs are hereby promoting we must leave to Almighty God and the Event of things But as to the Publick there can be no warrantable Reason for such Dispensation but either the unlawfulness or inexpediency of these Declarations The unlawfulness of them will never be pretended by any true Son of the Church of England For this were in short to give up the whole Cause and to lay the charge of Schism at our own Doors Because that Church which requires any thing unlawful as a condition of her Communion is doubtless Schismatical But since those Laws and Constitutions which were at first Legally establish'd may by the alteration of Circumstances be very burdensome to the Subject and as such ought to be Repealed let us consider the justness of their pretences herein And if upon inquiry it do appear that the continuance of these Declarations is as necessary for the preservation both of Church and State as their first enforcement I do then humbly petition Authority to consider the excellent words of this present * Votes of the House of Commons Feb. 5. 1662. against Indulgence Parliament It will no way become the Gravity or Wisdom of a Parliament to pass a Law at one Session for Uniformity and at the next Session the Reasons of Uniformity continuing still the same to pass another Law to frustrate or weaken the Execution of it It will expose your Majesly to the restless importunity of every Sect or Opinion and of every single Person also who shall presume to dissent from the Church of England As to these Declarations the Assent and Consent in the former and the Renunciation of the Covenant in the later are thus rationally grounded The end and design of Government is Salus Publica it is to take care Ne quid detrimenti capiat communitas Or in the Apostles phrase That we may live a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesly For the obtaining of which happy end his Sacred Majesly who is Cuslos utriusque tabulae out of a due care of his People by the advice of his Council hath Enacted That no Man be admitted into any Office Sacred or Secular who when his Place requires it ref●seth by Oaths Subscriptions or Declarations to give assurance to the Publick that he is Orthodox and Peaceable Now since different Opinions and Practices in matters of Religion especially when cherished and indulg'd do naturally improve into contentious Disputes and those Disputes if not restrain'd break out into Civil Wars For * Mr. Newcomes Serm. before Parl. Sept. 12.1644 pag. 36. Men will at last take up Swords and Spears instead of Pens and defend by Arms what they cannot do by Arguments Since things are thus 'T is at least Prudence if not Duty in the Supreme Power to remove the occasion of this Ruine by enjoyning the Publick practice of these Duties in one Uniform way that all his Subjects may speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions amongst them persectly joyn'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment And therefore the Act for Uniformity most prudently enjoyneth That no Man be permitted the publick Exercise of his Ministry till in this

Charles for so the Capital Vessel was called answered You charge me most unjustly my Friends it was not I but the Rock as you saw that split your Ship The Moral of this Parable is very obvious and if the Application thereof or any thing else that I have written may conduce to awaken your Conscience and reclaim you from Schism I shall think my pains well bestowed But if you and your Seditious Brethren will still persevere to assault the Church on one hand as fast as the Romish Priests do undermine Her on the other Her day's are like to be but few and evil and except God incline the Heart of our Magistrates to put the Laws in Execution against them and find some effectual means to reduce you you may live to see her Ruine accomplished which you both alike desire and expect How numerous you are the World can gess and if the Accounts which we receive from the Fathers of Intelligence of several Orders be credible there are at least three Thousand of them which find entertainment and success in our Nation But in the mean time till her hour is come she strugleth against both like her Saviour against the Pharisees whose true Disciples in part you both are They representing those sworn Enemies of the Gospel by the Gabala of their ridiculous and impious Traditions and you representing them in their Hypocrisie Pride Envy Evil-speaking moross and censorious Dispositions c. which are sins scarce consistent with Humanity much less with Grace as likewise in observing many Fasts and making long Prayers with design not to serve God but to delude the People And therefore I wonder not that you are such malignant Enemies to the Church of England since that Pharisaical spirit which reigneth so much amongst you is a wicked Pusillanimous spirit that affects to be seen in the Head of Parties and Dictate amongst the Ignorant and loves as much to Rule as it hates to Obey But would you once be so sincere as to subdue your Pride lay aside your Prejudice inform your Ignorance and forsake your dearly beloved Interest for the Truth It would not be long ere we should see you joyn with the Church of England without troubling our Senators to bring you in with an Act of Comprehension Your Pride appeareth in Heading of Parties and in the Pleasure you are seen to take in the Multitudes that run after you and in your Boasting that without you the Souls of People would starve for want of Knowledg Your Prejudice is an effect of your Pride and discovers it self together with your Ignorance in not submitting to those Invincible Reasons which you cannot answer And as for your Interest the greatest Paradox of all that is evident enough to me who have so often heard many of you glorifie your selves in the Number and Riches of your Followers boast of their Affection to your sacred Persons and brag of the great Sums you have Collected in your Congregations which makes the King's Chappels as you Arrogantly call your Conventicles better Places than most of the Churches of which he is Patron And therefore never complain that you live either worse or at greater uncertainties than you did before For by your pretensions to Poverty and Sufferings and by other unworthy Arts you have so wrought your selves into the esteem of your Disciples that few of them are either so Covetous or so Poor but they will Pinch at Home to supply you There are several Orders of Franciscans here who have renounc'd not only Parsonages but all Temporal Estates and Possessions whatsoever and by their Vain-glorious Sanctity and Austerities they have got like you such fast hold on the Souls of the People which is the fastest hold of all that they can easily make most of them dispose of their Children Cashier their Servants and settle their Estates as they please and by these Tricks do more effectually promote the Interest of Rome than all the Parish-Priests within the Pale of that Church And really when I consider what Influence these Sanctimonious and Self-denying Zealots have o're all Families in all Places where they live how they steal away the Hearts of the People from their Parish Priests and Drain their Congregations and how the deluded People had rather give them the worth of a Shilling than the Dues of Two pence to their own Cures it makes me often run the Parallel between you and them and think what a Politick and gainful Pretence you have got to renounce your Livings for to secure your Consciences and to Preach the Word like the Primitive Apostles when God knows 't is not out of Love to the People but to your selves And I protest to you were I a Man to be Maintain'd by the Pulpit and consulted my Prosit more than the Goodness of my Cause I should take the same Courses that you do I should rather be Mr. M. than Dr. A. of Plymouth and should chuse the plentiful Income of that dull Zealot Dr. Manton before that of his most Learned and Religious Successor of Covent-Garden But though you Live very well and better indeed than most of the Ministers of the Church yet the Mischief of it is you are uncapable of Dignities which makes you such Acrians and upon all occasions openeth your Throats as wide as Sepulchres against the Bishops and the Church You know what an History of Bishops Mr. Prin hath wrote and what a fair Collection the Learned Smec hath taken out of him as if when a Bishop is defective either in Piety Learning or the Skill of Government it were not the deplorable Unhappiness but the fault of the Church of England Should an Heathen or Mahumetan make such an Historical Collection of scandalous Christians either in this or former Ages you would not be perswaded for all that to prefer the Alcoran before the Gospel or the most exalted Paganism whatsoever before the Christian Religion Therefore Wise and Sober Men will make no Inference but this from such a malicious enumeration of Particulars That Corruptions will creep into Government notwithstanding all the care that can be used to the contrary and that by the favour of Princes who hear with other Mens Ears and often receive undeserved Characters of Men sometimes Ambitions sometimes Ignorant and sometimes Slothful Imprudent or Debauched Persons will be prefer'd to the most Honourable Dignities in the Church But this as often as it happens is the Misery of the Church of England which all true Church Men lament though the Men of the short Cloak take all such occasions to expose her to the Scorn of the Common People who judg by Sense and not by Reason and who are taught by you to make no distinction between the Bishops and the Church But were all her Bishops the best Ghristians the best Scholars and the best Governours in the World and should the Royal hand place her Miters on the Heads of none but Jewels Whitgift's Andrew's Hall's Usher's Morton's Taylor 's and Sanderson's yet that Unchristian spirit of Envy and Discontent which informs the Non-Conformists would still slie upon her with open Mouth like Beasts upon the Saints of old condemn'd to the Amphitheater and make her as she hath already been for almost Forty years a Spectacle to God to Angels and to Men. The wicked Lives of scandalous Bishops and Priests if there be any such are her sad Misfortune but cannot justifie the Schism you are guilty of who are bound to hear even them as much as the Jew 's were bound to hear the Scribes and Pharises those Hypocrites that sate in Moses's Chair If either this or any thing else a thousand times better than I am able to Write may prove effectual to reclaim you from Schism I shall be as glad as to see some other of our Friends reformed from Drunkenness Swearing and Uncleanness Which are very grievous and dreadful Sins but yet not more damnable in their Nature nor more destructive to the Christian Religion nor more deeply rooted in the Soul of Man than that of Schism From which I pray God by the Power of his Grace to Preserve me and Reform you through Jesus Christ our Lord to whose Protection I commit you and rest Your most Affectionate Cosin and Humble Servant Saumur May 7. 1674. FINIS