Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	ordination_n	3,829	5	10.8464	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75462	An Anti-Brekekekex-Coax-Coax, or, A throat-hapse for the frogges and toades that lately crept abroad, croaking against the Common-prayer book and Episcopacy and the copie of a letter from a very reverend church-man, in answer to a young man, who desired his judgement upon this case, viz. whether every minister of the Church of England be bound in conscience to reade the Common-prayer : with another letter from a convinced associatour, that a while boggled at the Common-prayer, to a brother of the same association, not yet convinced, together with the above-said reverend person's brief and candid censure thereupon, with some uses of application by the publisher.		1660 (1660)	Wing A3483A; ESTC R43600	20,576	45

and for God's glory But this is incomparably best for both these ends except they will magnifie their own prayers before and after Sermon to be better a phansie easily to be refelled Ergò c. 4. Every Minister is bound in conscience and by all lawfull means to root out the memory of the late rebellion in the State and confusion in the Church But the using of the Common prayer doth both these 1. Against the Presbyterians who in Scotland began the War because the Common-prayer was there used 2. Against the Brownist Anabaptist Quaker c. at home whose greatest hope was by destroying both the doctrine and discipline of our Church to bring in their own distractions c. Ergò c. 5. Every Minister is bound in conscience to declare his innocency i.e. That he is not involved in the guilt of our former sin against God the King the Church the people of this Land committed in the late troubles But there is scarce any better way for him thus to clear himself then by the using the Common-prayer c. Ergò c. 6. Every Minister is bound in conscience to that which may best conduce to the Re-settlement of the Kingdom in peace But the use of the Common-prayer supposing it lawfull and good in it self is such a way of settlement c. Ergò c. 7. Every man is bound in Practicall duties which are good and lawfull services of God to conform himself to the judgement and practice of the supream Magistrate of the best learned in the Laws of the best-able and most Divines of the greater and more intelligent part of the Nobility Gentry and people of the Nation where he lives else he cannot avoid the note either of peevish singularity or pride and schism But the Common-prayer is the practice of the King in his Court of the Inns of Court the Univerfities the best and ablest Divines in the Countrey c Ergo c. 8. Every Minister is bound in conscience to free himself from all just suspition of Hypocrisie and dissimulation when he declares his judgement to be Episcopall But the best or onely way to prove his sincerity in this is to use Common-prayer for he that declares for the one i.e. Episcopacy and will not declare for i.e. use the other declares in a manner contradictions He cannot be English-Episcopall that is not English-Liturgicall 9. Every Minister is bound in conscience to give his people all those Holy things which God and the Laws of the land Civill and Ecclesiastical make their due and in such manner as is by both or either prescribed especially when either the Whole or the Majour or any considerable part of them shall require them at his hand else he is a defrauder nay sacrilegious But the Common-prayer is an Holy thing of God by Law both divine and humane made the peoples due therefore supposing they require it he is bound in conscience to give it them 10. The Minister is bound in conscience to go before the people in his congregation in publick worship But without the Common-prayer there is no publick worship in the congregation For reading of Scripture which is very little in use amongst them they will not allow for worship The singing of a Psalm out of the Book is accepted little better the Sermon is not worship the Minister's prayer is his own not the People's and many times such as few or none can say Amen to But in the Common Prayer all sorts of worship are given to the God-head and to every person singly and distinct and such as the people know and wherein they can joyn and whereunto they can without scruple say Amen c. Ergò c. For the better understanding of the Truth in this case we must distinguish what we mean by Ministers For though the word be plaine of it self yet these times have made it equivocall 1 Some are so only in Title among the people where they live but were never ordained these be Theeves that came not in by the Door meer Intruders worse then the Mendicant Fryers amongst the Papists for these though they are not ordained have licence from the Pope who confirmed their orders 2 Some were ordained by Presbyterie these also are no Ministers by the Accompt of the Church of England and must take their Ordination again from the Bishops if they meane to be accepted Ministers in this Church Not that we deny Ordination in Forreign parts especially in France where no Bishops are nor can be with the allowance of the Supreame Magistrate but because our Lawes require and have established that Ordination only Therefore neither of these two sorts of Ministers are concerned in the Case but it is only of Ministers legally Ordained 2 We must remember how the conscience is bound and what is here meant thereby The conscience is bound two manner of wayes 1 Primarily Immediately Directly from God himself and that either by some Naturall Law written in the heart or some Positive Law written in the Scripture We understand it not in this sense the Minister is not so bound 2. The Conscience is bound but Mediately and Indirectly when the Magistrate commands any thing which is lawfull For the Subject's Conscience is bound to the Law though that Law do not binde it being meerly Humane It will not be amisse to adde a third Obligation which may lye upon the Conscience by way of consequence As when great Benefits have been received we are by them bound in Conscience i.e. Equity and Reason to returne thanks obedience requitalls and so some Expound Rom. 13. Not only for fear but Conscience sake It is taken in these two last senses in the Present case The third thing to be observed is what is meant by reading the Common-Prayer whether it be meant in whole or in part alwaies never missing or sometimes according to discretion and occurring circumstances And it is in this last construction that here we take it For it was in my memory once moved in convocation and answer was given That the Church intended not to make it a Drudgerie If he that hath no Assistant should first read the first service wholely and afterwards Preach and then again read the second Service it were an heavy burthen for the strongest Lungs The conclusion therefore is that every Minister legally Ordained is bound in conscience both mediately and by way also of consequence to read the Common-Prayer at Discretion if there be a Sermon at other times wholly as it is prescribed And the arguments to the contrary do not conclude To the first Neither Proposition is true Not the first For the Minister and every good man is bound to do vvhat is his duty vvhatsoever the event may be to others I must preach the Word though it prove to some the savour of death I must Administer the Sacrament though some Receiver may eat his own Damnation I must vvorship God in Publick as the Magistrate commands me

to consultation who stood for it 10. All exceptions against our Liturgie must either be against a Set-form in general or against This form To the first I answer The special sacerdotal Benediction and decimal profession were deliver'd in an expresse forme and the Psalms of David of which St. Jerome has observed foure to be intitled prayers were standing parts of the Jewish Liturgy The 70. Disciples were all to use one short Benediction when sent to preach the Gospell Luke the 10. And Peter concludes almost all his Epistles with one set-forme Justine Martyr one of the eldest Sons of the Church mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the same we have in Tertullian who has left us heads of prayer for their Emperours vitam prolixam domum tutam senatum fidelem c. And Constantine had his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 composed with study 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Euseb which is as I conceive He duely said his Set and Appointed prayers with his houshold As for this forme that our Church uses our Hooker has long since at large asserted it with such arguments as may be enough to caution a moderate and peaceable man to be very tender and wary how he opposes his Private to the Publick judgment of the Church though he be not fully satisfied in every particular Adde to this that our Liturgie had the approbation of Calvin whose judgment in other things is of very great weight with us Worthy Sir presuming on your goodnesse I have made bold to offer these Reasons to you which if they prevaile not with you yet may be a Testimony of my observance and respects to you July the 20. 1660. Your unworthy fellow-labourer in the Ministry C M. To this Letter the over-grave Gentleman gave only this Ansvver to the Endighter of it though no vvhit inferior to him in age degree or standing in Vniversity but his superior in all those respects but very magisterially thus or very neer to this purpose and in as fevv vvords Sir I thank you for your Letter but there vvere some mistakes in it But vvhere or hovv his seraphicalnesse vvould not vouchsafe to shevv Vpon the Communicating the above-said Letter and some other Papers to that Reverend Person who stated the Case afore recited was returned this brief Answer following Sir YOu must not be offended if I answer your Folio in this Decimo sexto I have perused your Chartar your counsells opinion your Scholars glosse upon it my judgment is in brief Go on and prosper To me the Chartar is express the counsells opinion clear for you and many cases in the printed Book come home and I observe all the Decisions are more then ordinarily favourable to your pious use I cannot believe whatsoever is pretended to the contrary but that your Governours will be found to stand in a double capacitie 1. As Governours 2. As Feoffees and so questionable otherwise they might without fear either keep all to themselves or sell the Lands to others without controule I thank you for your Letter newes though nothing in them comes up to my expectation Bishops Deans Prebends are settled but no Vote for Church Lands Will they leave them to the Law When they did not the King And will not as it seemes by Coll. Kings Petition leave to the Law those that have sequestred Ministers nor do sequestred Gentlemen returne to their Estates by Law I cannot reconcile this That Dr. W. should be a Bishop is not beyond my expectation nor that he gives you so faire an invitation only I think that a good Parsonage in England is better then a Deanery in Ireland I am glad to hear that Dr. H. is of Sarum but stand at gaze to hear that my antient Friend Dr. Sb. shall be of Canterbury I attribute it to Dr. St. They were ex Intimis I am glad Mr. M. comes off and labours to draw after him Arietem gregis but I beleeve in vayne For the man I beleeve is now dyed in graine and thinks the whole service unlawfull though he pretend disuse dispensation offence c. Mr. M. doth court him handsomely with high flights and stooping c. But I hope he meanes Ironically All their high flights being like those of the Swallowes in foggy weather which are as low as the Earth it self when they hunt for flies I wish he had managed his Argument of Schismes in another vvay He saith from the Church of Rome against vvhich perhaps Mr. B. thinks it impossible to be a Schismatick But I vvould have said from the Church of England Nor do I commend his argument from the grovving of Popery vvhich I beleeve vvas not from the disuse of the Service but from abolishing Bishops and the Discipline and a vvorld of learned men vvith them And to conclude notvvithstanding all your Magical malice I am sure to be safe till October In the vvhile if you think any thing considerable vvrite to Your affectionate Friend Your Papers are in your Chartar TO Conclude these Discourses ' t vvill not be amisse to adde one seasonable Exhortation to all such as are ill-affected to the old Government of the Church by Bishops and the Publick Divine Service by the Liturgie that are not contented to worship God and hear his holy Writt read expounded or preach't at the Canonical houres in Churches and to pray and reade the Bible at due times in their own Families besides their Closet or private Devotions and occasional good Conferences that they may finde opportunities for as they ride or walk or otherwise regularly converse with others as they be going about their other lawful occasions but must needs have and by no Prohibition of the Laws of the Realm and the Church will forbear their riotous meetings unlavvful Assemblies and Conventicles in and by which principally the late horrid Rebellion was hatcht Let them but seriously reflect upon the past troubles and the first Rise of them and make impartial enquirie vvhether or no all those and only those that vvere for such Conventicles and Despisers of the Church-Government and Liturgie vvere not those that made up the first Army that Rebell'd against the King Robbed Churches Seized on other mens estates and out of whom are spawned all the Phanaticks of latter dayes They seriously considered and found true which will easily be if in every Town or Parish a slight kenne be taken one would think it sufficient to make every sober minded person to repent heartily if he be guilty in this kind and after so much mercy from so gracious a Prince to beware how he be found faultie by countenancing or frequenting such unlawful Assemblies or Conventicles After so much mercy I say of so gracious a Prince who as a Rank Phancie did expresse it t'other day hath in some sense been more merciful then God Almighty hath ever given us hope he will be toward those that trespasse against him For God never did nor ever will forgive any that repent not and make