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 great_a year_n 2,667 5 4.4520 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A51603 Truths in a true light, or, A pastoral letter to the reformed Protestants in Barbados vindicating the Non-Conformists from the misrepresentations commonly made of them, in that island and other places : and demonstrating that they are indeed the truest and soundest part of the Church of England / from Francis Mackemie. Mackemie, Francis. 1699 (1699) Wing M308; ESTC R31151 20,261 41

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

a Table Feast as his was and notwithstanding the Rubrick was originally a consequence of Transubstantiation and came in with it 1200. years after our Saviour and was a stumbling block to many Reformed Protestants highly resented by Beza and many more and proved so grateful to Papists that Bonner having learned that Cranmer and Ridley had kept this and other Ceremonies said that he doubted not since their Broth went down with them so well that er'e long they should eat of their Beef too 9. We cannot we dare not in Baptism exclude the Parents from engaging and promising in behalf of their own Children and take in other Sureties whom all know and none expect they will endeavour to perform what they promise and undertake which indeed is impossible for any to perform especially when more Ignorant and more Irreligius Sureties are called in than the excluded Parents as Papists Ignorant and prophane Persons Strangers and sometimes Young Children which we apprehend to be a willful promoting of known perfidiousness and a down-right mocking of God 10 Because we find the Common Prayer Book in its several parts translated out of several Popish Books the Frayers are taken out of the Breviary the Administration of Sacraments Burial Matrimonies and Visiting of the Sick are taken out of the Romish Rituall the Consecration of the Lords Supper Collects Epistles and Gospels are taken out of the Mass Book though some things are left out as Prayers to the Virgin Mary Saints and Angels This is to us one just prejudice against the use of it 11. We cannot away with nor dare we assent to nor believe many things and sayings in the Common Prayer nor use that Corrupt Translation of the Psalms while God has provided us with a better we dare not pretend the imitation of our Saviours Miraculous Feast by that Popish and Mock-Feast of Lent consisting not in abstinence but in choosing of Meats In Te Deum we dare not say all the Earth worship thee while we are assured the greatest part are Infidels to this Day and neither Worship nor know the true God we dare not assent to the Damning Sentence of Athenasius's Creed which many of the Eldersons of your Church wished it never had been in Common-Prayer We dare not say Every person Baptised is immediately Regenerated for so all Baptised should be Saved We dare not alter add to and diminish from the Scriptures the Word of God as the Common Prayer and the corrupt Translation of the Psalms does particularly we cannot consent to the taking away of the Scripture Titles of the Psalms given from Immediate Inspiration and putting Popish and Lattine Titles in their Room In the Burial of the Dead we dare not call every one whether we know them or not our dear Sister or Brother and as a part of Publick Worship say We have a sure and certain Hope of their Resurrection unto eternal Life and to make no difference between the Wicked and Godly a Protestant and a Papist an Atheist once Baptised and a serious Christian allowing them the same Charity and Character seems an encouragement to ungodliness and a discouragement to Holiness 12. Though we are for Visiting Instructing convincing admonishing praying for and comforting the Sick according as we find their state and condition various and different Yet we apprehend the Burial Service to be Symbolizing with Rome and no part of God's Publick Worship or any Commanded part of a Ministers Work and though it is said It has no relation to the dead at all but only for the Edification of the Living why was it denyed to the Living at the Funeral of the Reverend Mr. Henry Vaughan why is it deny'd to the Living at the Funeral of Vnbaptised and Excommunicated persons Why is it read oft times when the People are gone except two that remain to cover the Corps Why do the deceased persons pay for it and lately there was a poor man to whom it was denyed because unbaptised Actions with vulgar People are more demonstrative than Words And what Edification does that afford to the Living that is read at the entry of the Church yard of which few or none hear one Word and why is not all either read in the Desk or at the Grave II. The Second thing wherein we dissent from you is your Canons which few of your selves obey and observe no not such as have Sworn Obedience to them They are most Arbitrary Decrees when not ratifyed by Authority not at all suitable to the state of the Church neither dare we take the Oath of Assent and Consent that they contain nothing contrary to the Word of God while both you and we are otherwise perswaded III. A Third thing wherein we dissent is concerning the Government of the Church by Arch-Bishops Bishops Chauncellors Commissaries Deans Deans and Chapters Arch Deacons c. as not haveing foundation in the Scriptures nor the Government of the Gospel-Churches nor agreeable to the Government of the first Centuries after our Saviour And though we are for Scripture Bishops both name and office and wish with Dr. Wild in his poetical flight Where there is one there were ten neither would refuse the Government of the first two or three hundred years after our Saviour and it is known most of the Presbyterians in England ostered to embrace Dr. Vsher his model of Church Government yet there are several things in which we dissent and which many of yours dislike in English or Diocesan Bishops or Praelacy as 1. Creating Erecting new Offices Officers besides what Christ gave to and Instituted in his Church the Names whereof are not so much as known or mentioned in the Scriptures 2. Promoting Praeeminence and destroying that Ministerial Parity our Saviour Commanded and Inoustriously maintained in his days for bidding all Mastery and Dominion over one another 3. Their asseming high and Lordly Titles and Temporal Dignities and Civil places being advanced above most Peers and States men This was offensive to good Old Latimer who in a Sermon advised King Ed. 6 to untord all the Lordly Bishops and remove them from all their Temporal Offices and Employments that they might follow their Spiritual Plough Tail 4. Their frequenting the Court attending the Council Table and sitting in Parliaments to the great neglect of their Charge and Work being above Preaching Praying and Administring of Sacraments and Church Government too therefore a Non Preaching Bishop called a Preaching Bishop a Preaching Coxcomb And what prejudice would it be to the State but what a great advantage to the Church if the Government saw it meet to revive again that old vote of a Church of England Parliament recorded in Bakers Chronicles That no Bishop should have any Vote in Parliament nor any Judicial power in the Star Chamber nor bear any sway in Temporal Affairs and that no Clergy man should be in the Commission of the Peace 5. Their Grasping at a larger Charge over many great Congregations of a Vast
TRUTHS In a true LIGHT OR A Pastoral LETTER to the Reformed Protestants IN BARBADOS Vindicating the Non-Conformists from the Misrepresentations commonly made of them in that Island and in other places AND Demonstrating That they are indeed the truest and soundest part of the Church of ENGLAND From Francis Mackemie Minister of the Gospel 2 Pet. 3.17 Beloved Seeing ye know these things before beware Lest ye fall from your own stedfastness EDINBVRGH Printed by the Successors of Andrew Anderson 1699. Truths in a true Light An Epistle To the Reformed PROTESTANTS of Barbados Gentlemen IT has been too notorious what Diabolical Designs and base Plots the Emissaries of Rome have contrived promoted and attempted to over throw that Glorious work and cause of Reformation or to lead or cajole us back into our antichristian Slavery Idolatry and Supersttion and for Effectuating thereof they have not been wanting neither have stuck at any thing to widen our breaches augment our Differences hinder our mutual Condescentions and our endeavoured Accommodations raising implacable heats and keeping us asunder by Distinguishing Characters and Discriminating Names setting up contrary Interests and often raising violent Storms of bitter Persecutions instigating the Ascendent Party still to trample upon the Non-Con's and by all means to render them black and odious and all this and much more to ruin Protestants and weaken the Protestant Interest And it deserves to be bewailed that in all their Jesuitical Intrigues and evil designs they soon found too many Protestant Tools unadvisedly to concur with such sworn Enemies of the Reformation too much whereof appeared in the late Reigns I wish there may not be found among us still too many Incendiaries to raise Dissentions and stir up unchristian Heats among Reformed Protestants that we may become a prey still to the Common Enemy But blessed be God for our seasonable and happy Revolution that has in a great measure broke the deep projects of that Jesuitical Party and by an Established Liberty to all Dissenting Protestants has bound the Hands of former Persecutors I wish the Persecuting Spirit and Inclination were gone too and that many unawares were not promoting and encouraging again the old Malice and grand Designs of the common Enemy by their Tongues in railing reproaching and decrying a great part of the purest Reformation under the Discriminating names of Presbyterian Puritan Fanatick Calvinist and what not And how many are simply led away by a hot violent party and suffer themselves to be imposed upon who know not the matters of our lesser Differences and say little against Intolerable Popery and the most dangerous Haereticks but all their Industrious Venom is spewed out and levelled against their Protestant Brethren of the same Reformation and of the same Kingdom and yet seem to be in Charity with the same particular Profession in other parts of the World All who study Histories of the Protestant Reformation may be assured that the Reformed Church of England consisted all along of two sorts of men first many Sober Moderate Sound and Tender men who never were for Persecution of Protestants and would willingly have parted with many unscriptural Ceremonies for the Churches Peace and gaining Dissenters and the Seed or Root of these have been from the Original of the Reformation and abounded in the Reigns of Q. Eliz. and K J I. of England and were Anti-arminian and faithful to the first Doctrine and Protestant Articles of the Church of England and continued the prevailing party until the Reign of Ch. the I. There was also another hot and Violent party who were ready to brand the Sober and Serious of their own Church as Puritans Precisians and Fanaticks betrayed their own Articles embraced Arminianism and grew more zealou● for Rites and Ceremonies than for the Essentials and Substantials of Religion crying up Vniformity and Conformity more than true Christianity acting Supra-Canon and instead of coming farther from Rome by a further Reformation which our first Reformers designed and the moderate party desired they both in Doctrine Practice and Ceremonies made several advances towards Rome as Dr. Du Moulin sometimes History-Professor of Oxford relates in his Short History thereof which advances gave Popes and Papists no small hopes of Englands return to Rome as a Jesuit affirms shewing the changes in the Church of England and its affinity to Rome for he saith The Doctrine is altered in many things The Pope is no longer Anti christ Images are tollerated Praedestination on fore seen works Vniversal Grace Inherent Righteousness are all granted Free-Will is Preached up they have given to the 39. Articles a Catholick sence they acknowledge the Authority of the Church in deciding Controversies about matters of Faith and interpretation of Scripture they make frequent use of the more venerable Names of Priests and Altars and to be a Calvinist in England is to be a Traitor and a Heretick or worse to which may be added bowing to the East and Altar and setting up unlighted Candles in Churches which Dr Warmestry one of their own spoke against and said That they were a fit Emblem of our Ignorant and unprofitable Clergy which filled up the Candlesticks of the Churches but gave no Light And this party was Rampant in Lauds time who had a party of Monstrous tools as Montague Heilin Poc●…nton Dow Couzins Shelford Beel Stafford Watts and Fedder of no small figures with many more who under their own hands Publish'd Arminian and down-right Popish Doctrines and Tyrannical and enslaving Maxims of State and were so countenanced and protected by the King and some of the Court that they carried all before them and it was no small Crime for any to speak against their Romish Innovations and Intollerable Vsurpations both in Church and State as in the Cruel unchristian and Illegal punishments inflicted on some of their own Communion until their Designs were seasonably opposed checked by such of their Church who were sincere and uncorrupted when backt by Lords and Commons Ass●mbled in Parliament in the year 1640 complaining in bold speeches of those that went after the Romish Way and though Laud had justly meted to him what he measured out to others which gave a considerable blow to his party and by that Revolution of Affairs greatly frustrated the hopes of Rome who were filled with great Expectations of Changes by their Agents and Deputies in England and though many suffer of almost Twenty years abducation from the Pulpits during the Civil Wars yet it is to be feared the Seed and Spawn of this faction has been growing since in the Church and so prevailing a party as were able to obstruct that Union accommodation and Comprehension designed between the Church of England and Dissenters first by a Commission from our most Gracious KING and late Gracious QUEEN and next by a Convocation who had but very small regard to their Majesties Supremacy in Ecclesiasticks and who so vigorously opposed what they had so lately addressed their Majesties