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	succession_n	2,569	5	10.4652	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32204	Copies of two papers written by the late King Charles II together with a copy of a paper written by the late Duchess of York : to which is added an answer to the aforesaid papers all printed together.	Charles II, King of England, 1630-1685.; Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699. Answer to some papers lately printed concerning the authority of the Catholick Church.; York, Anne Hyde, Duchess of, 1637-1671.	1686 (1686)	Wing C2946; ESTC R29952	29,168	42

definitions For Heresie is an obstinate opposing some necessary Article of Faith It must therefore be proved that what the Church of Rome d●clares doth thereby become a necessary Article of Faith or it is very unreasonable to lay the ●mputation of Heresie upon us And this can never be maintained without proving that the Church of Rome hath a Power to make Doctrines not nec●ssary b●fore to become necessary by her Definition which is the same thing with making New Articles of Faith But these can never be proved to be such by Universal Tradition which the Church of Rome pretends for all her Articles of Faith Every Man thinks himself as competent a Iudge of Scripture as the very Apostles themselves Doth Every Man among us pretend to an infallible Spirit and yet Every Man owns that the Apostles had it But what is meant by being a Iudge of Scripture If no more be understood than that every Man must use his understanding about it I hope this is no Crime nor Heresie The Scripture must be believed in order to Salvation and therefore it must be understood for how can a Man believe what he understands not the sense or meaning of If he must understand the sense he must be Iudge of the sense so that every Man who is bound to believe the Scripture in order to his Salvation must be Judge of the sense of the Scripture so far as concerns his Salvation But if by being a Iudge of the Scripture be meant giving such a judgment as obliges others to submit to it then among us no particular Man doth pretend to be a competent Iudge of Scripture so as to bind others to rely upon his Authority in expounding Scripture We own the Authority of Guides in the Church and a due submission to them but we do not allow them to be as competent Iudges of Scripture as the very Apostles And 't is no wonder it should be so since that part of the Nation which looks most like a Church dares not bring the true Arguments against the other Sects for fear they should be turned against themselves and confuted by their own Arguments This is directly 〈◊〉 l'd against the Church of England which is hereby charged with Insincerity or Weakness in dealing with the Diss●nters But we must consider the meaning of this Charge It is no wonder it should be so i. e. That every Man should think himself as competent a Iudge of Scripture as the very Apostles because the Church of England dares not use the true Arguments against the Sects Whence it appears that this true Argment is the Churches infallible Authority and the Obligation of all Members of the Church to submit their judgments intirely thereto I confess that if the Church of England did pretend to this against the Sectaries they might justly turn it against her because in our Articles t●ô the Churches Authority be asserted yet Infallibility is denyed If there can be no Authority in a Church without Inf●llibility or there can be no obligation to submit to Authority without it then the Church of England doth not use the best Arguments against Sectaries But if there be no ground for Infallibility if the Church which hath most pretended to it hath been most grosly deceived if the Heads of that Church have been not barely suspected of Heresie but one of them stands condemned for it in Three General Councils own'd by that Church then for all that I can see the Church of England hath wisely disowned the pretence of Infallibility and made use of the best Arguments against Sectaries from a just Authority and the sinfulness and folly of the Sectaries refusing to submit to it The Church of England as 't is called would fain have it thought That they are Iudges in matters Spiritual yet dare not say positively there is no Appeal from them Is not the Church of England really what it is called I would fain know what it wants to make it as good a Church as any in the Christian World It wants neither Faith if the Creed contain it nor Sacraments and those entire nor Succession of Bishops as certain as Rome it self nor a Liturgy more agreeing to Primitive Worship than is any where else to be found Why then the Church of England as 't is called Well! But what is this Church now blamed for They pretend to be Iudges in matters Spiritual and yet dare not say there is no appeal from them How then Are there no true Judges but such as there lies no Appeal from There lies an Appeal from any Judges in the Kings Courts to the Court of Parliament are They not therefore true Judges in Westminster-Hall There lay an Appeal from Bishops to Metropol●tans from them to Patriarchs from Patriarchs to General Councils according to the An●ient Poli●y of the Church Were there therefore no true Judges but General Councils What follows relating to the Churches Authority and every Mans following his own judgment hath been answered already I proceed therefore to what further concerns this matter of Appeal What Countrey can subsist in Quiet where there is not a Supream Iudge from whence there can be no Appeal The natural consequence from hence appears to be That every National Church ought to have the Supream Power within it self But how come Appeals to a foreign Jur●sdiction to tend to the Peace and Quiet of a Church They have been always complained of in the best Ages of the Church and by the b●st Men such as St. Cyprian and St. Augustine and the whole African Churches The worst Men began them and the worst Church encouraged them without regard to the Peace of the Christian Church so it increased its own Grandeur by them We have had these hundred Years past the sad effects of denying to the Church that Power in matters Spiritual without an Appeal And our Ancestors for many hundred Years last past found the intolerable Inconveniencies of an Appeal to foreign Jurisdiction Whereby the Nation was ●xh●usted Justice obstructed the Clergy oppressed and the Kings Prerogative greatly diminished But these were slight things in Comparison to what we have f●lt these hundred Years past for want of it Have not the Kings Courts been open for matters of Law and Justice which have been fill'd with Men of as great Abilities and Integrity since the Reformation as ever they were before Hath not the Appeal to the King in his H●gh Court of Chancery been as much for the King People as ever the Appeal was to the Court of Rome Have not all the Neighbour Princes been forced for the preserving their own Dignity to set Bounds and Limits to Appeals to Rome and to Orders or Bulls that come from thence How then comes the want of such an Appeal to be thought to produce such sad effects here All Christendom groans under the sad effects of them and it is a very self-denying humour for those to be most sensible of the w●nt of them who

think that our Saviour said all these things to no purpose And pray consider on the other side that those who resist the Truth and will not submit to his Church draw their Arguments from Implications and far fetch'd Interpretations at the same time that they deny plain and positive words which is so great a Disingenuity that 't is not almost to be thought that they can believe themselves Is there any other Foundation of the Protestant Church but that if the Civil Magistrate please he may call such of the Clergy as he thinks fit for his turn at that time and turn the Church either to Presbytery Independency or indeed what he pleases This was the way of our pretended Reformation here in England and by the same Rule and Authority it may be altered into as many more Shapes and Forms as there are Fancies in mens Heads This is a true Copy of a Paper written by the late King my Brother in in his own Hand which I found in his Closet JAMES R. A Copy of a Paper written by the late Dutchess of York IT is so Reasonable to expect that a person always bred up in the Church of England and as well instructed in the the Doctrine of it as the best Divines and her capacity could make her should be liable to many censures for leaving That and making her self a Member of the Roman Catholick Church to which I confess I was one of the greatest Enemies it ever had That I choose rather to endeavour to satisfie my Friends by reading this Paper then to have the trouble to answer all the Questions that may daily be asked me And first I do protest in the presence of Almighty God That no Person Man or Woman directly nor indirectly ever said any thing to me since I came into England or used the least endeavour to make me change my Religion It is a Blessing I wholly owe to Almighty God and I hope the hearing of a Prayer I daily made him ever since I was in France and Planders Where seeing much of the Devotion of the Catholicks tho I had very little my self I made it my continual request to Almighty God That if I were not I might before I died be in the true Religion I did not in the least doubt but that I was so and never had any manner of scruple till November last when reading a Book called the History of ●he R●formation by Doctor Heylin which I had heard very much commended and had been told if ever I had any doubt in my Religion that would settle me Instead of which I found it the description of the horridest Sacriledges in the World And could find no reason why we left the Church but for three the 〈◊〉 Abominable ones that were ever heard of amongst Christ●ans First Henry the Eighth Renounces the Pope's Authority because he would not give him leave to part with his Wife and Merry another in her life-time Secondly Edward the Sixth was a Child and govern'd by his Uncle who made his Estate o● of Church Lands And then Queen Elizabeth who being no Lawful H●iress to the Crown could have no way to keep it bu● by Renouncing a Church that could never suffer so unlawful a thing to be done by one of Her Children I confess I cannot think the Holy Ghost could ever be in such Counsels and it is very strange that if the Bishops had no design but as they say the restoring us to the Doctrine of the Primitive Church they should never think upon it till Henry the eighth made the ●reach upon so unlawful a Pretence These Scruples being raised I begun to consider of the difference between the Catholicks and Us and Examin'd them as well as I could by the Holy Scripture which I do not pretend to be able to understand yet there are some things I found so easie that I cannot but wonder I had been so long without finding them out As the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament the Infallibility of 〈◊〉 Church Confession and Praying for the Dead After this I spoke severally to Two of the best Bishops we have in England who ●oth told me there were many things in the Roman Church which it were very much to be wished we had kept As Confession which was no doubt Commanded by God That Praying for the Dead was one of the Ancient things in Christianity That for their parts they did it daily though they would no● own it And afterwards pressing one of them very much upon the other Points he told me That if he had been bred a Catholick he would not change his Religion but that being of another Church wherein he was sure were all things n●cessary to Salvation he th●ught it very ill to give that Scandal as to leave that Church wherein he had received his Baptism All these D●scou●ses did but add more to the desire I had to be a Catholick and gave me the most terrible Agonies in the World within my s●●f For all this fearing to be rash in a mat●er of t●an Weight I did all I could to satisfie my self mad it my Daily Prayer to God to settle me in the Right and to went on ●hristmas-day to r●ceive in the King's Chappel after 〈◊〉 I was more troubled then ever and could never b● i●●●iet t●l● I had told my desire to a Catholick who brought a Priest to me and that was the First I ever did converse with upon my Word The more I spoke to him the more I was con●irm'd in my design and as it is impossible for me to doubt of the Words of our Blessed Saviour who says the Holy Sacrament is his Body and Blood so I cannot Believe that He who is the Author of all truth and who ha● promis'd to be with his Church to the End of the World would permit them to give that Holy Mystery to the Laiety but in one kind if it were not Lawful so to do I am not able or if I were would I enter into disputes with any Body I only in short say this for the changing of my Religion which I take God to Witness I would never have done if I had thought it possible to save my Soul otherwise I think I need not say it is any Interest in this World leads me to it It will be plain enough to every body that I must lose all the Friends and Credit I have here by it and have very well weighed which I could best part with my share in this world or the next I thank God I found no difficulty in the Choice My only Prayer is that the poor Catholicks of this Nation may not suffer for my being of their Religion That God would but give me Patience to bear them and then send me any afflictions in this World so I may enjoy a Blessed Eternity hereafter St. Iames's Aug. 20th 1660. AN ANSWER TO SOME PAPERS Lately Printed concerning the AUTHORITY OF THE CATHOLICK CHURCH In

are so clear about it So far at least we have plain and positive Words of Scripture on our side And for Implications and far-fetch'd Interpretations commend me to the Pope's Bulls especially when they have a mind to prove their Authority from Scripture which they can do from In the beginning to the end of the Apocalypse But that which seems to be aimed at here is This is my Body wherein the words seem to be plain and positive on their side and our sense to be from Implications or far●fetc'h Interpretations To which I Answer That there are Expressions in Scr●p●ure as plain positive as this which none think themselves bound to understand in their literal sense For then we must all believe that God hath Eyes and Ears a Face Hands and Feet as firmly as that the Bread was then turned into Christ's Body when he spake those words And I would know whether the Christian Church rejecting the Doctrine of Those who made God to be like to Man was not chargeable with the same resisting the Truth and denying plain positive Words of Scripture as we are And yet I hope the Christian Church did then believe it self Suppose any should assert That the Rock in the Wilderness was really changed into Christ's Body would not he have the very same Things to say against those who denied it For are not the Words as plain and as positive That Rock was Christ But Sacramental Expressions by the consent of the Christian Church and the very Nature of the Thing are of a different sense from Logical Propositions And if this had been intended in the plain and literal sense St. Paul would never have as plainly and positively called it Bread after Consecration nor the Cup be said to be the New Testament in his Blood The Conclusion is Is there any other Foundation of the Protestant Church but that if the Civil Magistrate pleases he may call such of the Clergy as he thinks fit for his turn at that time and turn the Church either to Presbytery or Independancy or indeed what he pleases This was the way of our pretended Reformation here in England And by the same Rule and Authority it may be altered into as many Shapes and Forms as there are Fancies in Mens Heads This looks like a very unkind Requi●al ●o the Church of England for ●er Zeal in asserting the Magistrate's Power against a Foreign Jur●sdiction to in●er from thence that the Magistrate may change the Religion here which way he pleas●s But althô we attribute the Supream Iurisdiction to the King yet we do not question but there are inviolable Rights of the Church which ought to be p●eserved against the Fancies of s●me and the Usurpations of others We do by no means make our R●l●gion mutable according to the Magistrate's pleasure For the Rule of our Religion is unalterable being the Holy Scripture but the Exercise of it is under the regulation of the Laws of the Land And as we have cause to be thankful to God when Kings are Nursing Fathers to our Church so we shall never cease to pray for their continuing so and that in all things we may behave our selves towards the● as becomes good Christians and Loyal Subjects AN ANSWER TO THE THIRD PAPER THE Third Paper is said to be written by a Great Lady for the satisfaction of her Friends as to the Reasons of Her leaving the Communion of the Church of England and making her self a Member of the Roman Catholick Church If she had written nothing concerning it none could have been a competent Judge of those Reasons or Motives she had for it but her self but since she was pleased to write this Paper to satisfy her Friends and it is thought fit to be publ●shed for general Satisfaction all Readers have a right to judge of the strength of them and those of the Churh of England an Obligation to vindica●e the Honour of it so far as it may be thought to suffer by them I am sensible how nice and t●nder a thing it is to meddle in a Matter wherein the Memory of so Great a Lady is so nearly concern'd and wherein such Circumstances are mentioned which cannot fully be cleared the Parties themselves having been many Years dead But I shall endeavour to keep within due bounds and consider this Paper with respect to the main Design of it and take notice of other Particulars so far as they are subservient to it The way of her Satisfaction must needs appear very extraordinary for towards the Conclusion confesses She was not able nor would she enter into Disputes with any Body Now where the Difference between the two Churches lies wholly in Matters of Dispute how any one cou'd be truly satisfied as to the Grounds of leaving one Church and going to the other without entring int● matters of Dispute with any body is hard to understand If Persons be resolved before-hand what to do and therefore will hear nothing said against it there is no such way as to declare they will enter into no Dispute about it But what Satisfaction is to be had in this manner of proceeding How could one bred up in the Church of England and so well instructed in the Doctrines of it ever satisfy her self in forsaking the Communion of it without enquiring into and comparing the Doctrines and Practices of both Churches It is possible for Persons of Learning who will take the pains of examining things themselves to do that without entring into Disputes with any Body but this was not to be presumed of a Person other Condition For many things must fall in her way which she could neither have the leisure to examine nor the Cap●city to judg of without the Assistance of such who made it their business to search into them Had she no Divines of the Church of England about her to have proposed her Scruples to None able and wi●ling to give her their utmost Assistance in a Matter of such Importance before she took up a Resolution of forsaking our Church This cannot be imagined considering not only her great Quality but that just esteem they had for her whilst she continued so zealous and devout in the Communion of our Church But we have more than this to say One of the Bishops who had nearest Relation to her for many Years and who owns in Print That he bred her up in the Principles of the Church of England was both able and willing to have removed any Doubts and Scrup●es with respect to our Church if she would have been pleased to have communicated them to him And however she endeavoured to conceal her Scruples he tells her in his Letter to her which he since printed for his own vindication That he had heard much Discourse concerning her wavering in Religion and that he had acquainted her Highness with it the Lent before the Date of this Paper and was so much concerned at it that he obtained a Prom●se from

her That if any Writing were put into her Hands by those of the Chu●ch of Rome that she would send it either to him or the then Bishop of Oxford whom he le●t in Attendance upon her After which he saith She was many Days with him at Farnham in all which time she spake not one word to him of any Doubt she had about her Religion And yet this Paper bears Date Aug. 20. that Year wherein she declares her self ch●nged in her Rel●gion So that it is evident she did not make use of the ordinary Means for her own Satisfaction at least a to th●se Bishops who had known her longest But she saith That she spoke severally to two of the best Bishops we have in England who both told her there were many ●hings in the Roman Church which it were much to be wished we had kept As Confession which was no doubt commanded of God that Praying for the Dead was one of the Ancient Things in Christianity that for their parts they did it daily though they would not own it And afterwards pressing one of them very much upon the other Points he told her That if he had been bred a Catholick he would not change his Religion but that being of another Church wherein he was sure were all things necessary to Salvation he thought it very ill to give that Scandal as to leave that Church wherein he received his Baptism Which Discourses she ●aid did but add more to the desire she had to be a Catholick This I confess seems to be to the purpose if there were not some Circumstances and Expressions very much mistaken in the Representation of it But yet suppose the utmost to be allow'd there could be no Argument from hence drawn for leaving the Communion of our Church if this Bishop's Authority or Example did signi●y any thing with her For supposing he did say That if he had been bred in the Communio● of the Church of Rome he would not change his Religion Yet he added That being of another Church wherein were all things necessary to Salvation he thought it very ill to give that Scandal as to leave that Church wherein he had received his Baptism Now why should not the last words have greater force to have kept her in the Communion of our Church than the former to have drawn her from it For why should any Person forsake the Communion of our Church unless it appears necessary to Salvation so to do And yet this yielding Bishop did affirm that all things necessary to Salvation were certainly in our Church and that it was an ill thing to leave it How could this add to her desire of leaving our Church unless there were some other Motive to draw her thither and then such small Inducements would serve to inflame such a Desire But it is evident from her own words afterwards that these Concessions of the B●shop could have no Influence upon her for she declares and calls God to witness that she would never have changed her Religion if she had thought it possible to save her Soul otherwise Now what could the Bishop's words signi●y towards her Turning when he declares just contrary viz. not only that it was possible for her to be saved without turning but that he was sure we had all things necessary to Salvation and that it was a very ill thing to leave our Church There must therefore have been some more secret Reason which encreased her Desire to be a Catholick after these Discourses unless the Advantage were taken from the B●shop's calling the Church of Rome the Catholick Religion If he had been bred a Catholick he would not have chang'd his Religion But if we take these words so strictly he must have contradicted himself for how could he be sure we had all things necessary to Salvotion if we were out of the Catholick Church Was a B●shop of our Church and one of the best Bishops of our Church as she said so weak as to yeild That he was sure all things necessary to Salvation were to be had out of the Communion of the Catholick Church But again there is an inconsistency in his saying ●hat he thought it very ill to leave our Church which no Man of common sense would have s●id if he had believed the Roman Church to be the Catholick exclusive of all others that do not join in Communion with it The utmost then that can be made of all this is That there was a certain Bishop of this Church who held both Churches to be so far Parts of the Catholick Church that there was no necessity of going from one Church to another But if he asserted that he must overthrow the necessity of the Reformation and consequen●ly not believe our Articles and Homilies and so could not be any true Member of the Church of England But the late Bishop of Winchester hath made a shorter Answer to all this For he first doubts Whether there ever were any such Bishops who made such Answers And afterwards he affirms That he believes there never was in Rerum Naturâ such a Discourse as is pretended to have been between this Great Person and two of the most Learned Bishops of England But God be thanked the Cause of our Church doth not depend upon the singular Opinion of one or two Bishops in it wherein they apparently recede from the establish'd Doctrine of it And I am sure those of the Church of Rome take it ill from us to be charged with the Opinion of Particular Divines against the known Sentiments of their Church Therefore supposing the Matter of Fact true it ought not to have moved her to any Inclination to leave the Church of England But after all She protests in the Presence of Almighty God that no Person Man or Woman directly or indirectly ever said any thing to her since she came into England or used the least Endeavour to make her change her Religion and that it is a Blessing she wholly owes to Almighty God So that the Bishops are acquitted from having any hand in it by her own words and as far as we can understand her meaning she thought her self converted by immediate Divine Illumination We had thought the pretence to a private Spirit had not been at this time allowed in the Church of Rome But I observe that many things are allowed to bring Persons to the Church of Rome which they will not permit in those who go from it As the use of Reason in the Choice of a Church the Judgment of Sense and here that which they would severely condemn in others as a Private Spirit or Enthusiasm will pass well enough if it doth but lead one to their Communion Any Motive or Method is good enough which tends to that end and none can be sufficient against it But why may not others set up for the Change as to other Opinions upon the same Grounds as well as this Great Person