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
A78474	Certaine modest observations and considerations of the true Protestants of the Church of England· For their right choyce of church governours, and church ceremonies, together with the church liturgie, according to the word of God. Presented in all humility to the high and Honourable houses of Parliament to bee voted and enacted, and to maintaine against all opposers. With the good meanes to expedite the same. Leaving the authors iudgement to your wisedomes best considerations.		1641 (1641)	Wing C1706; Thomason E178_7; ESTC R1377	7,880	14

Christ whom onely taking and making away them with a more stricter addition to all their favorites more then our Lawes have yet truly executed you would then seeke and settle the good of this Protestant Church the brightnesse of the Renovation and setling of the true Govrenors and Government of the Church by your Renovation setled of the true Governors and Government by which meanes all Sects Schismes and opinions with their Abettors will vanish of themselves away by the Sun-shine light of the Protestants Church and truth or be brought home from their sepetated opinions some of which professe one truth with us in Doctrine though not in their departure and seperation For now as it standeth undecided and not done to settle the right way by your honoured Acts Atheists hold themselves good Christians thinking the best way to be Newters and all Sectaries lives in hope so as the Land is polluted with their infecting and seducing simple people And therefore after removing the Adversaries the Papists it is the chiefe care as at first your Honourable purposes in all your excellent caused Orations and Speeches there to have begun and setled the house of God which by dumbe Dogs wicked Ministers c. to abolish cleane in which it is well knowne you have laboured in greatly if it were effected without opposition The 5. Consideration Jf there be any opposition against the good meaning you voting of this your good purposes Jt is in them that are either Malevolent to the State of Protestancy and such are not fit to be allowed vote at all or such that are ignorant wise and have not perused the unlawfulnesse of ill custome by Antiquity from right wayes and them rather to be disputed withall by forcible arguments but J should humbly referre them onely to one Booke among others concerning the danger of Limitted Prelacy not well answerable and yet answered by some slightly in the Prelates behalfe under the colour and title of a modest Advertisement and in a calme examination so called as if the first did arise from some storme which J perceive not at all but as a good gale of wind to sale by and the Answere● seemes to becalme the voyage of Grace and would cause it to lye at his Anchor to hinder the true wayes proceeding already honourably and Religiously intended to arrive at the Port of Truth As this Parliament hath partly voted already So as if his title of calmnesse may signifie weaknesse his whose answer layes it open upon him for sure it is better to have a ●●e-growing storme to increase the ground-work to goodnesse then to have a dry Calme to hinder it for under his Calme seemes but a Cavill as from his Reasons may be well seene Jt were too large here for to discusse them all to so wise a Senate shewing in him meerely a naturall politique braine to find out faire Reasons in a foule understanding As for instance in our accustomed Discipline to defend the Answeres by way of Cueres 1. Whether it is so bad as men living under it are not capable of Salvation a stout Argument when as they may be capable without it and that Salvation may be under the Government of Turkes and Papists although not by it and so in other places And why shou●d Episcopall Martyrs be allowed a ground to make good that which is bad of it selfe in their Discipline of truth pretended no● erroneous and yet no doubt those Martyrs may be saved too for standing to the true Faith against Heresie 2. By way of ●uaere saith if any desire a better Discipline instead are they all agreed what they shall be from Scripture or by evidence of necessary consequence of Logicall differences Wherein if Divines must chop Logick for maintenance of truth directed by the Scriptures already as if that were not plain without Logick Rules We shall make the Scripture like a nose of Wax as Logicke can doe and Papists uphold 3. And his third and ●ast Reason by ●uare Whether the new Discipline be a plaine Commandement or forbidden in the old I admit of neither of both It is sufficient Answer That the examples of a true Discipline desired is appointed by the Apostles directions in the Church in their times where the truth and true Church was knowne it is sale for us to ●unta●e and follow as neere as we can as a precept and ●ule to us because they were especially directed by the Spirit of God and so by inference a certain Rule and Example for the Protestant Church so neere to follow and on the contrary side the old Discipline being contrary to the Apostles and Churches practice therein in their time is a forbidding in way of Truth though otherwise seeming to the Prelates never so good and I partly know yee have given order concerning the Examination of the Litturgy Apocrip●● and singing Psalmes to amend by Learned and wise Divines as to your great commendation it may with other things be spoken But the said three Reasons so calmely put with the rest of the Booke we may calmely reject is but indeed a Calme C●vill not fit in common reason much lesse for so wise and honourable a Senate since it is to no purpose but to uphold the Prelates and their Discipline and Government which made their voyage from old ill customes and examples from bad Presidents and places corrupt and brought it into England in the Nonage of our Church 1 And if it be a Puritanicall pack as the Archbishop and other Bishops doe conceive it to maintaine the unlawfulnesse of Pluralities and non-residency 2 By Vnpreaching Prelates and Ministers 3 Sole Ordination and Election Excommunication c. 4 To abate the Clergies pompe Ambition Lordlinesse and Riches 5 The mis-imploying the Temporalities of the Church 6 To restraine the Clergie from medling with temporall Offices and affaires 7 To abhorre the ill use of the Oath Ex Officio 8 The Reformation of the Litargie all offensive which by divers men have been complained of by Bookes in print and by way of Petition for remedy and most especially in a noble defence of Church Prayers Objected by Seperatists Which the Scots vsed not nor reformed Churches a most Learned Lord of the Vpper house of Peeres had solidly and wisely opened the truth for some seperation for ill use of the same as disagreeing to the worke of Gods holy Spirit which setling our Church in the foresaid grievances it will open the way as I said to bring the Seperatists and others in obedience with us And if for these matters of Reformation aforesaid men dare thinke or count you Puritanes let not these Honourable Houses and Grave Senators therein thinke it no harme so to be so accompted by loose libertines for your wise endeavours to vote and enact these things to be done for thereby you shall be purer then they and find that beatitude Blessed are the pure in heart for these your Votes Acts must be done from your

heart and then it brings you to see God by the purest of all men Christ Jesus yea you shall see Christ cleerely in his Throne of Majesty which they and other Sectaries have endeavoured to put out yea also you shall see Christ by such Acts and Votes performed therein as in his word most lively And lastly by the true Concord and agreement of both Honourable Houses effecting this worke you shall see Heaven opened to you hereafter for your soules comfort and honour on Eternity The 6. and last Consideration concluding all is I herefore humbly to move the House of Peeres and Commons to stick close to Christ as by confessing and professing him so by redressing before men Christ will then professe you his friends before his Father in Heaven there is your reward above get it by Petition of right too from the King as you have done for the Common Law this will be an extraordinary common good to the Protestants faith hope and love as all your Christian minds J doubt not are setled therein to strengthen your selves noble Senators against all oppositions that you may stand fast in the Liberties wherewith Christ hath made you free too if you should doubt the Royalty of his Majesties will by him expressed to this Parliament and since from Scotland as is supposed that he will keepe the Government of Queen Elizabeth and his Royall Father good patternes for those times that then was used for want of better helpes they were like the good King Davids that Religiously meant well but Salomon his Sonne must build the Temple and he is a good Prince that will be like his good Progenitors but he is a better Prince that will amend and be a more clearer way when it makes more for the glory of God the honour and comfort of the King and to his people peace and godlinesse so shall our King be like Salomon not onely to imitate the worth of Queene Elizabeth and King James in their Religions but farre more edifie and build the Temple of Ierusalem a new much decayed in England and every true Protestant is committed the Temple of the Holy Ghost for assuredly as Protestants were many in Queene Elizabeth and King Iames times so by this Reformation there will be many more and better in our King Salomons time J meane King Charles Some thinke his Majesty being in Scotland would not write such a Letter there concerning his will about Church-Government and Discipline of England because what is allowed good there is from the same truth good here and to have the like were but a true Piety and Vn●ty for the Church to the peace of both King and Kingdomes but then since to turne this Letter into a booke tituled King Charles his Speech in Scotland concerning the same by no authority knowne for that there is used irrefragrant tearmes as if the King should conceive if Lord Bishops were put downe as the Protestants seeme to desire it that then the Tryeniall Parliament next may thrust out the Lords also which is a bitter disposition to breed d●scord betweene the two houses at least a terror to their new proceedings for it is well knowne our Parliaments cannot stand good without the Peeres though without Lord Bishops they may And as J shewed before Queen Elizabeth and King Iames did not alter those things they then might and which now we may for Q. Elizabeth came to the Crowne a Virgin Queene persecuted before and in time of persecution they found Bishops more zealous and willing helps to establish her Raign in Church-Government as for truth she best could have against Popery and were very frequent in preaching both in Court City and Countrey in these times and a true Lover of their Protestant Brethren the Ministers and King Iames following after her to the Crown in that setled Goverment and Governors wherein for her time she was famous over the world finding the people of England more gentle and passive then the Scots who were more active and practive to worke their owne ends in evill before as they were counted Rebels of the North and thereby a Scot was an odious name in England as King Iames knew as also sometimes too busie upon Kings consciences who yet after his Raigne here in England procured them to entertaine some Lord Bishops in Scotland he was a King of exceeding great wisdome and knowledge to dispute and discerne as ever at his Table here in England Bishops attending him he was schooling them in Arguments and Conferences did thereby keepe them in awe of truth and favoured no lying or flattery but shewed himselfe like good King David in the 101 Psal To rule both his house and them in sincerity and so refused for Reasons aforesaid to make any alterations in his time according to the Scots Government Now could King Charles doe as he did since his Marriage with our gracious Queen and did the Bishops no worse since by too much inclining to Arminianisme and Popery and leaning too much on their side as appeares divers wayes but especially by the Innovations of Government which was not in Queen Elizabeth or King James time who withstood them both J should conceive a Reformation of evils in our now Lord Bishops might be rather then a deformation of them qu●te in this state which is not possible to be so long as Popery hath such a power hand in England unexecuted Lord Bishops first arising from them and having never had any warrant from Gods word is now more safer to Reforme then to keepe up and so to looke forward them backward to amend that which is amisse both for Gods glory and the Kingdomes good and so let the Protestants by this their Honourable Councell of Parliament have the true choyce both of Governors and government and settle the Lyturgie according to sincere truth and examples So shall our King be accounted as glorious as wise Salomon for renewing and rebuilding of the decayed Temples of the holy Ghost as he doth of St. Pauls Church a materiall Temple and so both renewes together Therefore it shall be no doubt by your grave Senators Wisedomes still to perswade our King that ye must booke forward not backward in Regall government and you are both for the King and his Subjects in the ploughing season and it may seeme a hard worke and taske to goe forward to Christ without looking backe yet Kings as other men must set their wills apt and imitate that Doctrine and Discipline which is nearest to our Father and Saviour in Heaven Worldly policy must bend to this plough least looking backe we be turned like Lots wife into a pillar of unsavory Salt Thus much for your incouragement to hope well in our King when you have done your best to plough rightly that at last you may say with St. Paul We have fought a great fight and sought to finish the Parliaments true course and for to keepe the Protestants most Christian faith for which the Crowne of England for building up these broken walles of Ierusalem and the glorious Crowne of Heaven shall honour you highly Therefore noble Senators slack no time nor suffer opposition of your wisedomes votes unto speedy Acts by all good meanes for setling of the peace of our Ierusalem the King and his people and stop the mouthes of those which say That English men are more passive then active all then will have cause to pray and praise you and God in you and other Nations and Christian Reformed Churches that listens after your proceedings extoll you duely and then it will follow in the next degree of your Temporall Reformation by ploughing up of the Bryers and Thornes when Gods Temples hath found his blessing their hearts and hands will follow you for the good of the ●ommon-wealth Let England pray therefore for true Concord between these two famous houses of Parliament that without seperation division you may be like Jonathan and David and then it is not to bee feared that your wisdomes and gracious heart of our King Charles as the head of Englands Protestants body will be ready to fulfill all your just votes desires as the same body hath yeelded for the King their head such Nutrimentall supplyes not of English Milke and honey compared like the Land of Canaan which flew above his other Nation for his comfort and pleasure but with such gold and silver money weakning themselves for his honours credit to all Nations from free hearts and loving Subjects and so J cannot better ●nd these Considerations then to desire God to preserve you all and in all your proceedings from your enemies and that this Kingdome may be kept from Civill dissentions by your blessed labours and Councells FINIS