Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	6,739	5	9.8919	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85839	Analysis. The loosing of St. Peters bands; : setting forth the true sense and solution of the covenant in point of conscience so far as it relates to the government of the church by episcopacy. / By John Gauden ...	Gauden, John, 1605-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing G340; ESTC R202274	13,622	28

Episcopacy 4. The sad and tragique consequences of it Fourthly It might seem odious to reflect upon this Covenant as to the sad effects and unblest consequents which like black shadows have attended its appearing and prevailing in England and in Scotland too What havocks followed in Church and State what improsperities disorders contempts confusions wars spoils and bloodshed upon all estates and degrees besides the contempt of Religion the neglect of Sacraments the expulsion of the Liturgie and the aviling no less than dividing of Ministers who instead of Okes and cedars of God formerly frequent in this Church I mean Divines of great gravity and excellent learning worthy of double honor everywhere shrunk and dwindled to Plebeian shrubs and popular parasities the pitty of the more pious and scorn of the more petulant sort of men 5. The baflings and annullings of it by counter engagements Fifthly Nor will I insist upon the bafflings of the Covenant before it was adult or many years old how it was soon made Nehustan and reduced to nothing by counter and cross engagements after it had served as one of the great rocks for the Kings shipwrack no less than the Churches and States nor did the Covenant ever thrive after it was watered with the Kings blood wherein many men had an hand who had been zealous Covenanters If it was so easily vacated in point of its express loyalty for the Kings Preservation I do not see how it should be so binding in the case of abjuring or extirpating of all Episcopacy though reformed and regulated as it ought to be 6. ●ts variating from if not crossing former lawful Oathes of King and people Sixthly Wherein it is very considerable how the Covenant if so interpreted must needs grate sore upon and pierce to the very quick those former lawful oathes which had prepossessed the souls and consciences of most of us in England not only of Subjects as those of Allegiance and Supremacy besides that of Ministerial canonical obedience to our lawful superiors in Church and State but even the conscience of the late King as he was bound by his Oath at his Coronation to preserve the rights and franchises of the Church which the King rather than break as some men urged him chose to die and lose all in this world as he declared to many at the Isle of Wight and to Mr. Marshal with others at Newcastle from which Oaths as we know no absolution so nor can there be any superfetation of such a contradictory Vow and covenant without apparent perjury which we presume the Covenant never intended nor included or if it did it is therein of no bond or validity as to any good mans conscience against previous lawful oaths which must be kept 7 It threatens dangerous Schism Seventhly Besides if the Covenant were designed as wilfully exclusive and totally abjuring of all Episcopal order and Government in this Church of England it must needs run us upon a great rock not only of Novelty but of Schism and dash us both in opinion and practice against the judgement and custom of the Catholick Church in all places and ages till of later years from the Apostles days with whom we ought to keep communion in all things of so antient tradition and universal observation nor may we so comply with a few reformed Churches of later daies whose want but not contempt of Bishops also the necessity of times and distress of affairs put upon them either by the policies of Princes or the impatience and prejudice of people or the covetousness and sacriledge of both may excuse while they approve and venerate Episcopacy in others yet with these we must not so comply as to put a reproach scandal scruple or affront upon all other Christian Churches at this day in all the world among whom not one ever was of old or is to this day in any Kingdom to be found without their Bishops as derived by the succession of all times from the Apostles nor is the abolishing of Episcopacy a small wall of partition newly set up to keep all Papists from due Reformation 8. The ●est sense and use of the Covenant Eighthly I might further add how much more equal and ingenuous loyal and religious were it for all sober-meaning Covenanters to reduce and confine their consciences as well as their Covenant from such an extravagant disloyal unlawfull enormious and Schismatical sense to which some do wrest and torture it in which it could neither be lawfully taken nor can be kept with honesty as against all Episcopacy and rather to retire to that sober sense wherein alone it might lawfully be taken if it had been imposed by due authority or were spontaneously assumed which sense can reach no further than those abusive excesses or defects of Church Government under Bishops so far as they were really such either by the inconvenience of the constitutions and customs in England or at least as they appeared such to these Covenanters as to the execution of that authority through the faults or infirmities of some Bishops and their instruments who possibly were not so worthy and good or not so wise and discreet as became Christian Bishops or Ecclesiastical Governors of Christs Church But it is a most irreligious as well as unreasonable Ametry transport for men to covenant against all the right use of things that are good because of the abuse incident to them by men or times that may be evil 9. It s pretended authority-from examples in the O. Test Ninethly It were easie to level to the ground all those fair but fallacious pretences drawn to fortifie the Covenant from Scripture examples wherein the Jews sometimes solemnly renewed their Covenant with God But it was that express Covenant which God himself had first made with them in Horeb and Mount Sina punctually prescribed by God to Moses and by Moses as their supream Governor or King imposed upon them this they sometime renewed after they had broken it by their apostacy to false and strange gods But blessed be God this was not the case of the Church or people of England nor was there any need of such covenanting any more then there was any Moses or Hezekiah or Josiah or any chief Governor commanding it Nor alas was this Covenant any divine dictate or Soveraign prescription but the petty composition of a few politick men Subjects not Princes and very mean Subjects too some of them either as Lawyers or Ministers a great part of whom I and others well knew to be no very great Clerks or Statesmen and fitter for a country Cure than to contrive and compose Solemn Leagues and Covenants to be imposed upon Churches and Kingdoms yea and upon their Kings too in whose Dominions were many thousands equals and Superiors to those Masters whose heads rather than their hearts and their State correspondencies more than their consciences brought forth this Covenant 10. No evangelical example of any such Covenant in any Christian Church of