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	clergy_n	king_n	3,253	5	3.7031	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58277	Reasons why the Church of England, as well as dissenters should make their address of thanks to the King's Majesty, for his late gracious declaration for liberty of conscience		1687 (1687)	Wing R587; ESTC R6487	5,238	13

REASONS WHY THE Church of England As well as DISSENTERS Should make Their ADDRESS of THANKS TO THE King's Majesty For His late Gracious DECLARATION FOR Liberty of Conscience Published with Allowance LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's Most Excellent Majesty for His Houshold and Chappel 1687. REASONS WHY THE Church of England As well as DISSENTERS Should make thier Address of Thanks to the King's Majesty for His late Gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience SIR THE Declaration of Indulgence was receiv'd by us with all imaginable Expressions of Joy and Thankfulness for we are well assur'd that by it Relief is given to the Body of the Nation which of late Years has been expos'd to several sorts of Misery And therefore we cannot but be amaz'd to hear That any of our Clergy as you write have expressed themselves indecently about his Majesties granting it and reproachfully of the Dissenters thankful receiving it When in the Declaration we observ'd his Majesty in the First place to publish to the whole Kingdom his Royal Resolution to protect and maintain the Archbishops Bishops and Clergy and all others of the Church of England in the free Exercise of their Religion as by Law Establish'd and in the Quiet and full Enjoyment of all their Possessions without any Molestation or Disturbance whatsoever we doubted not but that our Clergy as in Duty bound would have made it their Work to possess the People with the Greatness and Transcendency of His Majesty's Grace towards them and of the necessity of their rendring to his Majesty their humblest and most hearty Thanks for it might be reasonably expected that as Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth on their ascending the Throne did immediately suspend the Execution of those Penal Laws that were against Men of their own Religion and made all the haste they could to Establish the Church of England So His present Majesty might not only give an Indulgence to the Roman Catholic but with the same speed make that Religion the establish'd Religion of the Nation But the King as many of His Royal Predecessors of the same Communion with him being greatly concern'd for the Welfare of all his People is resolv'd to do his utmost that they may live at Ease and Quiet under Him. And having the Advantage of making his Reflections on the Conduct of the Four last Reigns he finds no means more likely to obtain this End than an entire Liberty of Conscience And altho our Clergy are so disturb'd at the Thoughts of the Dissenters Ease yet if they would impartially consider it they must needs see that the King in giving Liberty to all proceeds on the only Principle by which he can give it them For had it not been His Majesties Sense and Opinion That Conscience ought not to be constrain'd nor People forc'd in Matters of meer Religion His Majesty must necessarily Judge it His Duty to Almighty God to endeavour an Establishment of the Roman Catholic Religion to the Subversion of the Church of England To this Principle then viz. That Conscience ought not to be constrain'd are the Church of England owing for this Protection His Majesty is pleas'd to give 'em and this Principle is of such a kind as extends it self to every Man of Conscience throughout the Kingdom So that the Matter will at last issue here The Clergy must Thank His Majesty for His Granting to all His Subjects Liberty of Conscience or by their not doing it plainly intimate That Conscience ought to be constrain'd and consequently that it 's the King's Duty to alter His Resolution of Protecting the Church of England which in His Majesties Opinion is almost if not altogether so Heretical as the Fanaticks are Besides it may not be amiss to observe that the Church of England her self dares not dissent from His Majesty touching Liberty of Conscience For as King James and Sir Edward Coke affirm the Papists were never punish'd for their Religion nor as others say have the Fanaticks since 1662. suffered for their Consciences so that tho the Religion of the One Party has been made the Overt-act of Treason and that of the other of Sedition yet none are punish'd for Matters of meer Religion whereby the Principle that Conscience ought not to be compell'd is yielded and so long as the divers Religions in the Kingdom do not encourage nor countenance a practising on the Civil Government no Man ought to suffer for his Religion And Experience assures us that it 's not Liberty but Restraints laid on Conscience that has been most prejudicial to the Nation and its Government And if we do compare the Reigns of those Princes that have been on the Throne since the Dissenters have been numerous with the Reigns of those that have been long before we may see Reasons strong enough to conclude that the indulging Dissenters from the establish'd Hierarchy is become an effectual Mean to keep the Mitre in Subjection to the Crown It 's well known that anciently the Interest of Six and Twenty Bishops in this Nation was so very great that they were a Terror unto Kings The Barons were not then so Potent but the Bishops made as great a Figure and as the Barons then having many Tenants who all swore Homage to their Lords did oft raise sturdy Rebellions in like manner so the Bishops to whom all the Inferiour Clergy swore Obedience But 't is the Alteration made on the Baronies that hath put an end to Baron-Wars and seeing no Alteration hath been yet made on the Hierarchy what unless a great Part of the Clergy now call'd Nonconformists had withdrawn their Obedience from the Bishops thereby making it the Interest of the Bishops to Submit unto their Prince as well as by weakning 'em put 'em out of a Capacity of Resisting what else has put a check to Prelatic Insolence For the conformable Clergy are as much oblig'd now to swear Obedience to their Bishops as heretofore and had there not been Dissenters from the Establish'd Hierarchy Six and Twenty Bishops by the Help of their Inferiour Clergy and the Aid of their Attendants and other Adherents might have been as able and no doubt as willing not only to confront the Nobility but even to Insult over their Prince And why must the Fanatick of all Men in the World be guilty of that Ingratitude that 's worse than Brutism Has not the King by His Indulgence brought 'em out of a Fiery Furnace and made 'em Partakers of the Comforts of sitting down under their own Vines Let 's but consider the Usage they have had from the Church of England since Sixty Two and see whether they have not reason to rejoice and be thankful for what the King has done for them You cannot but remember that when we return'd with His late Majesty how severe some of the Clergy were against the Fanaticks assuring us that they were but few and these very illiterate inconsiderable and obstinate though since we