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	church_n	doctrine_n	4,717	5	6.8021	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34201	Concavum cappo-cloacorum, or, A view in little of the great wit and honesty contain'd under a brace of caps, and wrap'd up in the querpo-cloak of a phanatick in some reflections on the second part of a late pamphlet, intituled, Specvlum crapegownorum, being a dialogue between True-man and Cappocloak-man / by an honest gent. and a true lover of all such.	Honest gent. and a true lover of all such.	1682 (1682)	Wing C5692; ESTC R18924	46,034	73

are afraid of the Country's coming in upon them True-man Why What 's the matter with them They are not afraid of hanging are they They know well enough they need not fear that for their old Crimes are pardoned which they cannot but know did too well deserve it for greater than they were cannot easily be committed and yet I am very confident they might communicate if they would do it quietly and orderly with most of the Churches in or near London and never so much as be put in mind of any of them if their own guilty Consciences did not accuse them But a bad Excuse you know Neighbour is better than none at all for one would think if they were truly penitent for their Faults they could not be so enraged by their being told of them Cap-cloak-man But further you 'r told pag. 7. ibid. that they will conform and that one Mr. Read hath led the way and that he tells you himself That he had advised with his Brethren of the Ministry who did acknowledge the lawfulness of using the Liturgy and that his Principles are these That Obedience to the Magistrate in things lawful is a Duty that a Form of Prayer is lawful and that Communion in such Churches is lawful True-man I should be glad to see these Principles put in practise by him and his Brethren the Ministers When I see they come to their Parish-Churches as the Law requires and do joyn in the Liturgy of our Church and in all the Acts of Communion with her then I shall have some Reason to think they have such Principles but whilst they go on to make Divisions amongst us to set up Conventicles against our Churches and Altar against Altar amongst us I cannot help it if notwithstanding all the pretences of their Principles I still believe them to be the most senseless hypocritical and perverse Schismaticks that ever the World knew for I must needs tell you these mere promises of theirs will never obtain any Credit amongst us that know how frequently they have fall'n off from much higher Obligations and how much further than barely saying and acknowledging the lawfulness of Communion with our Church some of them have proceeded and yet have continued in their Separation As for instance Mr. Baxter in his Cure of Church-Divisions hath by such Arguments as neither he nor any Dissenter can ever fully answer proved not only that it is lawful but a Duty to unite with our Church and yet instead of practising accordingly he hath ever since kept up a Schismatical Conventicle nay hath made it his business to undermine not only the Reputation of our most eminent Church-men but the very Foundation of our Church it self witness his Pamphlet against Dr. Stillingfleet 's Sermon and his whole bundle of Lies in his History of Episcopacy I might also here add your Lay-Brethren who for the sake of an Office by which they may serve their Cause and Party stick not at the highest Acts of Conformity i. e. the receiving the Sacrament according to the established Rites of the Church of England and yet as soon as ever they have done run away from our Communion with as much seeming-Zeal as though we were mere Pagans and worshipped the Devil in our Churches but this is so well known to be their common practise that I need not further mention it Cap-cloak-man If their Words and Promises will not do if you read on to pag. 10. you may find full and satisfactory Arguments that may convince you that they are real Conformists to the Laws of both Church and State True-man Aye marry Sir that would be Logick indeed the Philosopher that endeavoured in spight of his own eyes to prove that Snow was black or he that would prove there could be no such thing as motion when his Tongue wagg'd all the while I think had an easie Task in comparison of this Cap-cloak-man Well well the Wit of man is much and though your Prejudices may be great possibly if you consider his Arguments they may remove them True-man Oh! by all means let us hear them Consider them say you I will put on twice as many Caps as the famous Night-cap-Brother T. Goodwin ever wore but I will duely consider them Cap-cloak-man First then as to the Civil Law His two first Arguments pag 7. clearly prove that the Law-makers did never intend those Penalties against us that are Dissenters but against Seditious Persons for the Penalty is grounded upon the Supposition that an Insurrection may be hatch'd at such Meetings but no such thing was done Ergo. True-man The Intention of our Law-makers in that very Act was grounded upon the sense of what had been done in the late times when our Conventicles had preach'd the best of Kings out of his Throne and Life and they well knew that what hath been done may be done again to prevent which they thought it necessary to hinder all such men that under the cloak of Religion hide their Faction from all opportunities of doing the same thing over again and therefore though it was possible to be true that none of the Dissenters themselves have any factious Designs Yet because the Papists even the worst of them the Jesuits have disguised themselves under the shew of peaceable Dissenters as Dr. Oats tells us that twelve of them were particularly sent into Scotland to preach in the shape of Presbyterians all manner of Sedition they that give such Seditious Preachers all Opportunities by their separate Meetings to raise Insurrections amongst us do transgress the very intention of the Law however innocent they may be in their own designs Cap-cloak-man What then you make no difference betwixt our Dissenters and the Papists themselves True-man The Law I think makes none For by our Laws all that do not come to their Parish-Church and constantly conform to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are called RECVSANTS whether they are Papists Brownists Presbyterians Anabaptists or Independents though perhaps some one particular Law may make a difference the Law in general makes no distinction amongst them For the Liturgy of our Church being establish'd by the Laws of our Land as is plain by the Act of Uniformity whosoever doth not conform to it is therefore guilty of the breach of the Law let his opinion in Religion be what it will and of the design of the Law too which is not only to prevent Seditions but to establish for ever an Uniformity in our Church Cap-cloak-man But you do not take notice what is too truly said p. 7. line 28. that this Law was obtain'd by some part of the Clergy for their own advantage c. True-man Take you Dissenters without an excuse for your selves and reflections upon others and hang you But it is no matter whether there is any sense or reason in them or no it is all one if they be but fairly insinuated the mobile or at least some of them will believe them and

and real Goodness to be thought nothing but Hypocrisie but also because where their pretences of Goodness are not seen through they render them admired and followed and so most dangerous to the Government ought to be most severely dealt withall by our Laws Cap-cloak-man What! nothing from you but Railing and Demonstrations of a Persecuting Spirit Will nothing content you but the Blood of the Saints True-man This is I perceive the general way of answering Arguments from matter of Fact by calling it Railing and indeed I cannot blame you for there is no other way by which they are capable to be answered And as for your Cry of Persecution this is another Help at a dead Lift but to deal plainly with you there is nothing I more hate than the Thoughts of Blood and therefore I so much desire that our Laws may be executed that it may never be in the Power of pretended Saints to raise another War and cause more Blood-shed amongst us Cap-cloak-man Well then what would you have Is it not clearly proved pag. 8. circ med That the Dissenters are not guilty of any Non-conformity in reference to the Ecclesiastical Power True-man Yes truly very clearly as clearly as he that proved there is a World in the Moon because Tobit went forth and his Dog followed him Cap-cloak-man Nay Nay leave your Fooling and consider the Argument and if that doth not convince you for my part I shall give you over as incorrigible True-man I would as willingly as any man be convinced of an Error and shall as readily confess it Go on then Let me not want this Dead-doing Tool of a Demonstration Cap-cloak-man Lay aside your Prejudice and I doubt not but you may find it a sufficient Demonstration It is this ibid. infra The Law enjoyns the Exercise of Religion according to the Liturgy of the Church of England which contains no more than only Truth but the Dissenters do speak Truth nay the Truth of Truth the Divine Truth therefore they exercise according to the Liturgy vid. p. 9. ibid. True-man See now what a parcel of Fools our Logicians are For if any Man living can shew me such a Demonstration as this from Aristotle's Organ to Keckerman Bergersdicius or Herebrood's Comments I will give him leave to prove me an Horse and will be bound to believe it when he hath done I will give you the same Argument in another case and do you judge whether it holds true or no. The Law commands a Witness in any Cause To speak the Truth the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth Now supposing the Case be concerning Brother Bull 's being taken napping with a small Girl in a Bawdy-house and the Witness upon his Oath shall answer by telling a Story of the Victories of the Late Usurper though perhaps the Story may be nothing but the Truth yet do you think that he hath spoke what his Oath bound him to and that he swears that the said the Person was so taken because this also is nothing but the Truth Cap-cloak-man Pish I hate these Similies they never run of all Four and therefore can never be through-pac'd Arguments If you can show me by any substantial Reason the Defects of this Demonstration then you do something True-man The Argument is indeed so ridiculous that I cannot find in my Heart to be serious in confuting it but however for your satisfaction I will endeavor it in as few words as possibly I can As to the first Proposition viz. The Law enjoyns the Exercise of Religion according to the Liturgy of the Church of England which contains no more than what is Truth I readily acknowledge it and am glad to hear that our Dissenters do so too For then I can see no reason why they should dissent from that which contains nothing but the Truth But the Assumption viz. That the Dissenters do speak Truth c. is a meer Falsity or else a meer Fallacy For if they mean that they preach nothing else but the same Truth contain'd in our Liturgy and that they practise according to all those Rules which you acknowledge to be Truth prescribed in it then you know it is utterly false But if they mean that the Doctrines they preach are true if we should allow it which is impossible where there are so many Doctrines preach'd as amongst our contrary Sects of Dissenters this makes a new Term in the latter from that which was in the former Proposition and so concludes nothing at all but that he that argues at that rate either knows not how to make an Argument or else that he hath a mind to deceive as well knowing his Cause cannot be defended any other ways But this is so dull stuff that I am weary of it and am afraid I shall be thought a meer Fool for my pains for endeavoring a serious Confutation of so frivolous an Argument I pray you therefore give me leave for Recreation-sake to tell you a Story which is not absolutely impertinent to this matter Cap-cloak-man Well say that you will I am resolved to hear it lest I should give you that Advantage to say I had not Patience to hear you out True-man The Commonwealth of Birds to redress some Grievances call'd a Parliament where after they had taken their Places that were Representatives and Elected nemine contradicente the Parrot for their Speaker because of its excellent Qualifications of calling Names and Collecting others Voices All the Members were called over and made their personal Appearance before Mr. Speaker Amongst the rest appears a round fac'd Animal that look'd as big us a Burgess commonly call'd an Owl All the rest of the Birds were amazed very much as not being acquainted with any such Corporation that could be represented by it Resolving therefore themselves into a Committee of Elections consisting of the whole House they began to debate the Matter before the Chair-Bird who was a Creature of the same kind with Mr. Speaker The Swallow and the Magpie chatter'd to this purpose that they had flown far and near but never saw any such Creature amongst the Birds The Jay the Goose and the Jack-daw being also Leading Members of that Committee concurring with the former the pretty King in the Chair was presently for clearing the House of such an uncouth Member and began to cry Walk Knave Walk Whereupon the Owl thinking it hard Measure before he was well seen or at all heard to be ejected began to set a good Face of the Business and raising his Ruff to shew its Feather and stretching out its Neck to exalt its Voice look'd so frightfully and made so hideous loud and screeching a Noise that all the Birds were so terrified that they presently left all their Places and the poor Parochete fell out of the Chair in a Swoon altering its Note from Walk Knave to poor Pall and was taken up in a very sad Condition and so all the Debates ended and the whole Assembly

dissolved themselves Cap-cloak-man Hey day What have we here a Tory-Tale to Countenance Arbitrary Power by rendring Parliaments ridiculous How comes this into the Business we were talking about True-man I pray Neighbour don't mistake me For no man loves Lawful and Loyal Parliaments better than my self though I must confess I have no great Veneration for Commonwealth-Parliaments but the reason why I told you this Story is this to let you see how you deal with us of the Church of England You set up a Creature of all Face and Feather to make an hideous Noise against us who still pretends to be a Member of our Church as thinking us so much to hate meer idle Drollery Impudence and Noise that we will rather suffer him to say what he pleaseth though to the utter Dissolution of the Church than trouble our selves with such an Animal For certainly no man would have made such an Argument as this who ever imagined that it should be considered by any Person that had Common Sence unless he thought he could Out-face any thing even all Sence and Reason Cap-cloak-man This is soon said and any thing may be soon misrepresented but is it not clearly apparent That the Dissenters preach Divine Truth by that Argument p. 9. post med viz. The Church of England teacheth Divine Truth The Dissenters teach the same Doctrine with the Church of England therefore the Dissenters teach Divine Truth How can any Son of the Church deny this unless he will deny that the Church of England teacheth Divine Truth True-man We of the Church of England do sincerely believe that our Church teacheth Divine Truth and are well pleased to hear you Dissenters to confess the same thing For by acknowledging this you condemn your selves For with what Face can you dissent from the Divine Truth The next Proposition viz. That the Dissenters preach the same Doctrine with the Church of England we cannot but absolutely deny For that we think it absolutely impossible to be true For First how can the Dissenters preach the same Doctrine with the Church of England when there is none of them but do deny some of her very Articles Secondly When few or none of them do think themselves bound to obey scarcely any of her Canons Thirdly When few or none of them will declare their Assent and Consent to her Liturgy Fourthly When many of the Sects of them not to say all do differ continually in Doctrine and Discipline from one another And Lastly when all of them agree in nothing but in their Opposition to the Church of England He therefore that is not given over to believe a Lye can never make any true Conclusion from so false an Assumption Cap-cloak-man You think now you have done the Business of this Argument I warrant you but you will find your self much mistaken if you consider even the Judgment of all that are moderate amongst your selves For as you may read it p. 9. circ fin even they confess that as to those who purely and out of Conscience refuse to conform their Circumstances are hard True-man Very well and what if they be hard Is it not much harder that our Church and State should be endangered by such as design their Destruction because some few amongst them may be under Mistakes and so may act out of Principles of pure Conscience Suppose some Persons because the Apostle saith He that provides not for his Family hath denyed the Faith and is worse than an Infidel knowing they have no other way to provide for their Family but by Stealing should therefore List themselves for Highway-men and not only put this Opinion into Practise themselves but endeavor to persuade all other Men into the same It might seem hard that men under such Circumstances should be hang'd but yet because there can be no Property maintain'd without it it is necessary that it should be done let such mens Circumstances be never so hard The Law cannot take notice of the Consciences of Men but of their Actions and since there is no certain Method of discerning the Conscientious Fools from the malicious Knaves there can be no difference as to their Legal Punishments unless all such as act contrary to the Law should go Scot-free because the Circumstances of some few of them may be hard But I pray how are the Dislenters Circumstances so hard upon the most Conscientious of them May they not have their Consciences better inform'd if they will Do they not constantly refuse the Lawful Means of their right Information Nay hath not the Law taken Care to indulge to their tender Consciences by allowing them to serve God according to their own Consciences not only with their whole Families but with Five more Strangers If this will not satisfie them without making of Parties and drawing in the Multitude as though they were mustering their Forces against the Government why should not our Magistrates take Care of the Publick by duly executing the Laws upon them Cap-cloak-man See further ibid. lin ult p 10. and you cannot but acknowledge it very hard That of all the Penal Statutes these only against the Dissenters and not those against the Crying Sins of the Nation should be so loudly awakened to their Offices True-man This is insinuated like your self by wiping off the Dirt from your own Party where it naturally sticks to throw it upon your Governors Is this all the Thanks they have for their Indulgence to you for so many Years after so many Affronts and so constant Provocations still to be casting Dirt in their Faces Who would break their Oaths any longer to spare such an ungrateful sort of People as these are Do you not belye your own Consciences by this Insinuation For what Crimes are there that are not punished according to the Laws of the Land when they are duly proceeded against I am confident you cannot instance in one of our Magistrates that ever neglected his Duty in this kind unless to those of the Dissenting Party But besides do you not know that he that acts against the Laws out of pretence of Conscience gains Credit and Applause and gathers Numbers of well-meaning People to be his Followers Whereas another man that is guilty of known Crimes for which he hath no pretence though perhaps he might have for any thing as much Excuse as our Dissenters have for their Divisions does but bring Shame and Odium upon himself and makes all good Men afraid of his Company Now the business of the Magistrate is mainly to take notice of Crimes not so much according to their nature considered in themselves but according to their ill influence upon the Publick now then since no Crimes can have so bad an influence upon Church and State as Schism and Faction why is it so hard that the Laws against these should be more vigorously executed than against any other sort of sins Cap-cloak-man Why say you Read on read on pag. 10. ibid. and you 'll find