Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	book_n	church_n	minister_n	2,564	5	6.5894	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53381	A sober discourse of the honest cavalier with the popish couranter wherein the author of the Dialogue between the Pope and fanatick vindicates himself to be an hearty lover of his prince and countrey : to which is annexed, A serious epistle to Hodge / by a person of quality.	Onslow, Richard Onslow, Baron, 1654-1717.	1680 (1680)	Wing O350; ESTC R21447	17,153	26

excellent Credit for the Established Ministry under whose Conduct and Teaching they live Cav I confess if all the Souls in England were under the actual Conduct of the Established Ministry there were some Consequence in your Insinuation but you know very well that there are many Thousands who are bewildred by those Wandring Stars who have no Fixure from Heaven nor Establishment on Earth It was this sort of Seduced People for whom that Reflexion was intended and therefore had you been unpassionate you might have observed That it was the Fanatick's Lot to speak that Passage and as of those of his own Tribe and indeed I do believe That most of those deluded People have no more skill in Primitive Christianity than the Chineses have in Mathematicks And how is it possible they should have a clear Notion of Religion who are led by the Mists of Darkness as St. Jude calls the Schismaticks of old I suppose you have seen the Authentick Speeches of Kid and King the two late Preaching Rebels of Scotland Were not they excellent Professors of Divinity How passionately did they expound some Texts of Moses for the Religious observation of the Scottish Covenant which had no more relation to that Matter than the Chapter of the Cow in the Alcoran of Mahomet And you cannot expect that the People should have more Judgment than their Rabbies And therefore when some of the Captive-Rebels were interrogated for what Reason they took up Arms they Answered for Defence of the Truth And being further examined For what Truth They could give no Account of that And being Catechized they did not know two Articles of the Christian Creed nor one of the Ten Commandments and as for their Duty towards God or their Neighbour I suppose you will easily grant they were never taught such meer Moral Divinity Now pray Sir consider How can such silly Women and uneducated Men who were scarce over taught any other Gospel than that according to the Canticles who never heard any other Divinity besides Fanatick Separations and Enthusiastick Vnions how can these I say he supposed to have any truer Notion of Christianity than the Chineses had in Clock-work But as for that humble and devouter part of the Commonalty who have lived in a constant Communion with the Established Church I believe they have a better Understanding of Christian Religion than most of the Friers of Rome or the People-Drivers of England This Expression may offend you especially when I must tell you I was taught it by Imperial Authority for when the Council of Chalcedon had determined that Controversie for which they were Assembled the Emperors Valent. and Marcian did strictly Command by their Imperial Edicts That all should acquiesce in the Decrees of the Council and did prohibit all Conventicles in this excellent Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and now proceed Sir Cour. You falsly suggest that there are many unconforming Ministers posted in the Establish'd Church by the Title of Sober and Moderate Men. Cav Sir I heartily wish that Suggestion were false I am infallibly assured That there is a lamentable Corporation in the Cantons of the East-Angles which according to my Map is next door to Roterdam the Living indeed is an Appropriation and managed by Fanatick-Lessees but in this Half-Moon have been posted two or three Non-conforming Ministers who have no more Holy Orders than the Turkish Mufti and here the unfortunate Infants either have no Christendom or else by no better Commission than a Midwife-Authority and the Dead Buried with no more Solemnity than an Ass Whether the Churches Canons have lately forced these uncommissioned Officers to quit the Post I am not yet informed but I am sure That for some years since the King's Restaturation they did desecrate the very Church and had their Pay out of the Parochial Tithes and were adored by the silly Vulgus with the Title of sober and moderate Men But I acknowledg These sort of Men were not principally intended by my Insinuation for I look upon these as Religious Banditi and under a Covenant to war against the Church but I mean such who by Episcopal Orders and Institution have a fixed Station within the Church and yet by Disobedience and Treachery do undermine that Establishment Sr. My Conscience assures me that the Latin Verse which is the Sign-Post to your Popish Courant is a false position as to me but in respect of these Men it will run true Tuta frequensque via est sub amici fallere nomen Tuta frequensque licet sit via Crimen habet I think it might be demonstrated that he is a Non-conformist who not only crosses the Line but comes short of the direct Canon of Conformity Suppose you should lend upon bond to one of your dear Brethren whom ye will not call Fanaticks the full Sum of an hundred pounds of good and lawful English Money to be paid to the above said Couranter at a determined time and when that Period be expired your friend should honestly come and tender you thirty pieces and tell you that he was able indeed to pay the Sum total but having some in his Family who had a great tenderness for Money and did not love the height of Law-conformity that therefore he was resolved he would never pay more than this thirty pound Would you gravely applaud the Prudentials of the man and style it soberness and moderation or would you according to Law call it non-payment Sir do but consider without prejudice whether the Oaths and Obligations of Canonical Obedience are not more Sacred Ties of Conscience than the hand and seal to a Noverint Vniversi and eke also c. but you are so good at Deductions that I will leave you to make the application The honest Divines of the Church of England who for the● Conscience and Obedience are Branded for High-flyers look upon the Rubricks of the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book as indispensible Directions of the Church and as commanded by Authority of Parliament for the act of Uniformity not only establishes those publick Praiers and Offices but commands That all and singular Ministers in any Cathedral Collegiate or parish-Parish-Church or Chappel or other place of publick Worship within this Realm of England shall be bound to say and use Morning and Evening Prayer Celebration and Administration of both the Sacraments and all other the Publick and Common Prayer in such Order and Form as is mentioned in the said Book Entituled the Book of Common-Prayer c. That is according to the Rubricks for that is the only Order and Form of usage Now one of the first Orders which is to be noted in the common-praier-Common-Praier-Book is that such Ornaments of the Church and of the Ministers thereof at all times of their Ministration shall be Retained and be in Use as were in the Church of England by the Authority of Parliament in the Second Year of King Edward the sixth But I know some humoursome Ministers in the Establish'd Church that dare

not wear a Surplice in Winter because it is too cold a Garment They would fancy themselves to be in Lapland and buried in Snow and to put it on in Summer looks like going into the Furnace of Babylon perhaps there may be two or three Critical Daies within the Calendar of Moderation when these Men will vouchsafe to be clothed in white but then they wear these Ornaments of the Church with more Regret than the Christian-Martyrs did the Bear-skins It is enjoyned by Rubrick and Statute-Law That the Offices of Morning and Evening Praier should be fully and exactly performed for this Service being devoted both by Church and State as the National Sacrifice to the Eternal God There is great reason that the God of Infinite Perfection should not be affronted with the sleight Oblation of half a Sacrifice but I know some whom the People will call sober and moderate Men who like the irregular Sons of Eli will chose and snatch at some peculiar parts of the Sacrifice which best please their nicer fancies and leave the rest as not worthy to be touched It is prescribed both by Authority of Church and Parliament that the Communion-Office to the end of the Catholick-Praier should upon all Sundays and Festivals be read at the Holy Table and this is so far from Innovation that the whole Christian World for about 1500 years never had such a thing as a Desk in their Houses of Praier but all their Devotions or Christian-Sacrifices which were immediately directed to the Almighty God were offered up at the holy Table which was therefore called the Altar and I have reason to believe that this Altar was railed in for I find the Council of Chalcedon which assembled in the Church of S. Euphemia were placed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sitting before the Cancelli Rails or Steps of the holy Altar and yet I know men within the establisht Church who are more unwilling to go to the Altar than our Saviour was to go up to Mount Calvar men who never come at the Table but upon the necessity of a Sacrament and then too they will force the Table to come down to them It is required that he who Ministers should read the Publick Prayers with a distinct and audible voice I know some of these moderate men who read them with such cold and careless murmurings as if they thought that Sacrifice not worthy of the Calves of their lips but when they mount the Pulpit the Calm is changed into Thunder and Tempest It was the custome of the Ancient Church and the Command of our own to use the sign of the Cross within the Office of Baptisme and though that usage is carefully stated and expounded by the Sense of the Church to prevent mistake or superstition yet I know some who prefer the Chamber before the Church and the Possit-Bason before the Hallowed Font which have no more regard to this significant Ceremony than Jews or Mahometans who are declared Enemies to the Cross of Christ Indeed if there chance to be in the Parish a bold Cavaliering Gentleman who looks upon the Cross as the great Ensign of our Religion and Nation perhaps if such an one be concerned the moderate Curate may be frighted into observance and yet then if possible he will cheat the Congregation and give the Infant only a dash over the head like an Adverb but will avoid crossing the line for fear of raising Spirits or Storms Now in this matter I would humbly advise these scrupulous Gentlemen to construe and consider the modest Sentiment of Isaac Caesai●bon who was a man of as much learning and as little Popery as any moderation-man in England Scimus veterem Ecclesiam in vita communis usu in ritibus sacris multum usam esse venerabili illo signo sed ut pia ceremonia quae rationi addicta animos fidelium ad Christi crucem veheret non materiae alicui terrenae aut figurae aut gestui affigeret Hoc sensu Sanctissimi Prudentissimique illi Antistites qui Ecclesiae in Anglia reformandae negotio praefuerunt in publicis locis cruces passi sunt remanere in nonnullis etiam ritibus sacris retinuerunt ut in Baptismo And now truly Sir I am still of opinion that those Demi-canons whose mouths are turned into the Church do it more mischief than all the Fanatick Blunderbusses Cour. You call the Commons of England uneducated Cav This Cavil is so idle and so mistaken that it deserves not to be considered and therefore all I shall say to it is this that that part of the Commons who are indued with honesty and good education will have so much wit and loyalty as never to quarrel with the expression and for the rest they are at your service Cour. Nay but you dishonour the Gentlemen and say they are half-witted and easie to be imposed upon Cav I see malice is no good Commentator for the Text implies no more than that some of the Commons are uneducated and some of the Gentlemen half-witted and he that doth not believe this to be true must neither have wit nor education I call them half-witted Gentlemen who will suffer their private Animosities to become publick Quarrels against their Prince I think them half-witted Gentlemen who can be decoyed into the Tents of the Faction by that cajoling pretence that there is no method to keep out Popery but to bring in the Presbyterian Now these wheadled Gentlemen look to me like the Sheep in the Apologue who being informed that the ill-natured Curs had a plot upon the Flock were put into great hurries some of the wisest thought it their greatest security and interest to keep close to the conduct and protection of the Shepherd but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appointed several Woollen Committees to consider of this grand Affair these Staple-Politicians voted in the Wolves as the most proper and stoutest Guardians against their implacable Enemies the bloody Dogs but no sooner were these Patrons admitted into the Fold but they devoured that Flock they were chosen to defend even so he that hath but one scruple of Wit will understand the Moral Shall not I think those Gentlemen easie to be imposed upon who can be brought to believe that those men who once overturned the Government are the fittest persons to be chosen to support it Cour. But there 's worse than all this yet for you scoffe at the Protestant Religion and call it a Hogan-Mogan Word nay you say the Turk may be taken into the poll-Poll-Book of Protestants because he abhors the Popish Mass c. Cav I do not question but you have seen the Letter from Legorn Now I do think the Turk is full as much a Protestant as the Queen is a Mahometan and I will further maintain That the Turks are as much Protestants as the Church of England are Papists for thus your dear Friends dispute against us The Church of England continues a