Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	answer_n	church_n	doctrine_n	3,318	5	7.0523	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61419	An appeal to heaven and earth, against the Christian Epicureans, who have betrayed their king and countrey, and exposed them to the judgments of God drawn up in questions theological, and theologico-political/ by Socrates Christianus.	Stephens, Edward, d. 1706.	1691 (1691)	Wing S5419; ESTC R8220	13,491	20

Epicureans who confine the Providence of God to the Heavens and have little apprehension of the secret Interposition of his Power in Humane Affairs and Actions This I impute in a great measure to an ill Education in our Vniversities which were intended for Seminaries and Nurseries of solid Learning and sincere Piety and Virtue but are by many thought to be now rather Seminaries and Nurseries of Vanity Vice and Faction which I doubt hath too much of truth in it and is therefore not impertinent to be here noted especially since in one of them we have a late notorious instance of their much greater inclination to favour scandalous Persons than good Discipline even by a Publick Act a Case wherein I doubt even one of our Bishops hath but too much followed the Genius and Example of some of the Popes of Rome in their Usurpations upon other Churches in the Matter of Appeals to the Obstruction of Discipline which was before scandalously defective in ours But as to the Education of youth there at this time it seems more to exercise the Memory and Phancy than the Judgment and to habituate it rather to a loose Sophistry apt to be sway'd by the byass of the Affections and to make Men conceited captious and contentious than to close and sound Resolutions more to excite a concern for Politeness Correctness of Expressions and the superficial Ornaments of Learning and a passive disposition to applauded and modish Notions and Opinions to recommend themselves and get Preferment than an industrious Study of useful and necessary Truth and to promote the Service of God and the Good of their Country And hence it is that if a man for the service of the Publick neglect or hazard what these men call his Interest he is presently looked upon with a little contempt as an Object of Pity if not reproached and severely censured Thus are those Virtues which in their time have had the highest Esteem and Veneration with all Wise and Good Men or rather with all Men not only neglected and lost but suppressed discouraged or opposed in this degenerate Age even by such as should be the greatest and most forward Encouragers and Promoters of them the just Punishment whereof we are very like to feel e're it be long and it doth not a little concern the Clergy and the Vniversities to be sensible of it in time And this Admonition will appear the more necessary by what I shall here observe in the third place and that is from the Form of Prayer lately Compos'd I cannot say but Published for the Fast which if I be not much mistaken is so defective in an Essential and Principal part of a special Office for such a purpose I mean Confession of Sins that it doth neither answer such an occasion in general much less the present condition of the Nation therein acknowledged in general nor the Forms formerly Composed for the like occasions nor the Purport of the Queens Proclamation nor the Doctrine of the Church of England which is so great an Evidence of what I say in those to whom the Care of that Business was committed that I shall forbear to say more of it here And shall only add an Observation which I happened to cast my Eye upon while thinking of these things That the War in New-England first began and the Sword was first drawn upon a Day of Humiliation and that much of the sad News in the progress of those Wars came at the close of those days The Lord says the Author declaring thereby from Heaven that he expects something else from his People on such days besides Fasting and Prayer and that Prayer without Reformation will not do And he further observes That upon their renewing their Covenant with God to reform the Evils among them and to endeavour for the future to live more according to the Will of God in Christ Jesus the Courage and Spirit of the Indians was much taken off and they had great success against them And because I fear we may be too apt to deceive our selves with Mis-interpretations of Providence as well as of Prophesies I shall leave it to Consideration Whether Mr. G. Walker's Interpretation of the Providence of God to intimate by what Hand he would defend and maintain both their Majesties Interest and the Protestant Religion was not afterward confuted or checked at the next Engagement at the Boyn where he was one of the first slain on our side I wish as well as any Man to the Church of England and therefore cannot but wish that better and more effectual Means might be used in time for the Preservation and Good of it And because we are like to have some new Bishops e're long from whom we may expect some good Considerations and Actions for that purpose I wish it may be considered both how that Defect aforesaid may be seasonably supplied and whether some other Hymns may not be more proper for a Solemn Humiliation than the Te Deum and O be joyful But with all it is fit to be considered whether it may be safe for the Clergy that any Form should be imposed upon them or they be injoyned to read any but what is Authorized by Act of Parliament or that any such Expressions should be prescribed in the Prayers for Religious and Gracious Princes which in the Reign of a prophane Prince or a Tyrant they can neither leave out without Danger nor use without Offence to their Conscience and Scandal to the People The former Reigns afford Evidences of the Inconvenience and the present Opportunity to Reform them according to the Ancient Simplicity and Piety But to Conclude the Design of all is the Preservation and Prosperity of the King and Queen the Church and the whole Nation and in order thereunto the Removal of the Impediment which cannot be but by some Great and Heroick Acts whereby the Favour of the Divine Providence may be recovered For by that Fault so often mentioned the Adverse Powers have gotten that Advantage which cannot otherwise be overcome And for the Truth of this I Appeal to the Invisible Powers of Heaven and to the truly Wise upon Earth who in this Enchanted Fascinated Blinded and Dementated Age are very few notwithstanding all that great conceited Confidence and Presumption every where to be met with I believe it will not be long before we see the Resolution of it one way or other as we behave our selves QUESTIONS Theological and Theologico-Political I. THEOLOGICAL Proposed to the DIVINES of the Church of England I. WHETHER a Latent or Vnobserv'd Sin doth not often like a Root of Bitterness produce great and continued Afflictions to single Persons Families and whole Nations until it be found out and reformed and often Excision or Extirpation at last if there be no Reformation II. Whether a Person succeeding in the Civil State of others who successively by abuse of that State had contracted much Guilt may not by committing the like Faults