Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	ceremony_n	church_n	rite_n	3,560	5	9.9325	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77864	To the honourable the knights, citizens and burgesses of the Commons-House of Parliament the humble petition of sundry ministers intrusted to solicite the petition and remonstrance formerly exhibited to this Honourable House, and of many of their brethren, most humbly sheweth, ...	Burges, Cornelius, 1589?-1665.	1641 (1641)	Wing B5686A; Thomason 669.f.4[37]; ESTC R13458	3,166	1

TO THE HONOURABLE THE KNIGHTS CITIZENS AND BVRGESSES OF THE COMMONS HOVSE OF PARLIAMENT The humble Petition of sundry Ministers intrusted to solicite the Petition and Remonstrance formerly exhibited to this Honourable House and of many of their Brethren most humbly sheweth THat the Petitioners doe most thankfully value and heartily acknowledge the indefatigable paines and Piety of this Honourable Assembly manifested in very many things of high concernment for the glory of God the honour of the King the purging of the Church and the safety and prosperity of this and the rest of his Majesties Kingdomes but more especially in procuring that publique Fast at your first Sitting which hath prevented many mischiefes and drawne downe many blessings upon the Kingdome ever since In your zeale and courage for the true Religion professed among us against all Popish Idolatry and Superstitious Innovations expressed by your noble and Religious Protestation and Vow In countenancing the Sacred Ordinance of Preaching after long and deepe contempt cast upon it by too many who had almost exiled it from divers parts of this Kingdome In encouraging painfull and godly Ministers formerly set aside and now againe profitably imployed in many Congregations greatly needing them In discountenancing bold and unmeete men that without sufficient Calling have presumptuously intruded into that holy Office as also of all unworthy and scandalous Ministers that have beene convented before you In accepting a former Petition and Remonstrance from the Petitioners taking the same into your grave Consideration and vigorously prosecuting some part thereof In freeing divers godly Ministers out of P●ison and exile and many others from heavie Censures unjustly inflicted In preventing the utter ruine of the Petitioners and of many moe by breaking that wicked Yoke or the late pernitious Oath and Canons justly branded by both Houses of Parliament and by taking away the late dreadfull tyranny of the High Commission Court and other illegall and heavie pressures of the rest of the Courts Ecclesiasticall In your worthy Orders for removing of all illegall Rites and Ceremonies superstitious and scandalous Images and Pictures and other Innovations out of all Churches and Chappels In your prudent happy and timely reuniting without spilling of Christian bloud of the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland in a firme and religious Peace unhappily disturbed to the apparant endangering of both In your honourable endeavours to relieve and rescue our distressed brethren in Ireland from the barbarous outrages and butcheries of the Popish Rebels there In your constant vigilancie to discover and defeate the many desperate and divilish Conspiracies and Treasons against the King Parliament and the Kingdome plotted by Papists and their malignant Adherents implacable Enemies to our Religion and Peace Together with all other your excellent labours for reforming and setling the Affaires of the Common-wealth whereof the Petitioners doe also with others enjoy the comfort and the large and blessed hopes given to the Petitioners of your further endeavours for perfecting the Reformation of Religion and the Church according to the necessity thereof in a way best becomming the Honour of such a Grave and Religious Body All of which doe much encourage them to powre out their soules in all possible thankfulnesse unto God for you and to put up more fervent prayers publiquely and privately upon all occasions on your behalfe at the Throne of Grace But so it is that whereas the Petitioners did in their former Petition represent unto you divers unsufferable grievances arising from sundry Invasions made upon the publique Doctrine of this Church from some mixtures and blemishes in the publique Worship of God by Law established as well as from sundry grosse Innovations Superstitions in Rites and Ceremonies without Law introduced from many Exorbitances and unsupportable Vsurpations in Ecclesiasticall Government and from the scandalous defect of Ministers Maintenance in too many places All or most of which doe yet remaine in greatest part unremoved by reason of your many necessitated diversions from this great Worke for the preservation of the very Being of this Kingdome And by meanes hereof many distractions and disorders about matters of Religion and the Church have to the great scandall and griefe of the Petitioners happened and are still continued which puts them upon a necessity of renewing their former suit for redresse of the aforesaid evils and for removing what ever shall appeare to your Wisdome to be the roote and cause of them And whereas further the Petitioners and very many others in whose name and behalfe they now humbly supplicate desirous in all things to submit to the Lawes so far as possibly they may yet meerly out of tendernesse and scruple of conscience dare not continue as formerly they did the use and exercise of some things as now they stand enjoyned not onely because they have more seriously weighed the nature and scandall of them and that sundry Bishops and other grave Divines called to their assistance by Order of the House of Peeres have as they are informed discovered divers particulars needing alteration in the Liturgy and the use thereof and that there is not as they humbly conceive at this day commonly extant any Booke of Common-Prayer without so many variations alterations and additions as render it in many parts another thing from that which was by Law established but chiefely because you also have vouchsafed to be so far sensible of the defects thereof and of the just scruples of the Petitioners thereabout as to take the reformation thereof under consideration which they hoped would be some shelter against the strict pressing the use of it till your pleasure upon the full debate thereof had beene declared in a Parliamentary way for that it seemes most equall that the Consciences of men should not beforced upon that which a Parliament it selfe holds needfull to consider the Reformation of and to give Order in till the same be accordingly done And the Petitioners having been comfortably assured of some ease therein doe now to their great sorrow apprehend that the same things are a new reinforced which contrary to the blessed inclination and intention of his most Gracious Majesty may occasion much trouble and vexation to sundry worthy and peaceable Ministers which the Petitioners have more cause to feare because sundry of their Brethren have since the beginning of this Parliament beene indicted upon the Stat. of 1. Eliz. 2. and others threatned for bare omissions of somethings complained of to this high Court and still depending before you whiles in divers places your Religious Orders necessarily made and published for removing of things illegall are not observed and in other places where some superstitious rites and practises had by vertue thereof beene laid aside the same are againe called backe and repractised without any check or animadversion And because the premisses are of extraordinary consequence and cannot receive a perfect Cure but by authority of Parliament and that a free Synod of this Nation differing in the whole Constitution from the present Convocations of the Clergy now in use among us might be as the Petitioners apprehend of great use for that purpose and that not onely this but all other your great Consultations might be much furthered by a more earnest and assiduous seeking of God by the joynt and publique Fasting and Prayers of the whole Kingdome in these sad times so full of distractions and hellish Conspiracies at home and bloudy cruelties of those Popish Rebels against our owne flesh and our bones in Ireland The Petitioners humbly pray that you would vouchsafe to lay hold upon the first opportunity that your important affaires will permit of reassuming in●● your further consideration their former Petition and to proceed thereupon as you shall finde cause either by committing the same to the debate and disquisition of a free Synod or otherwise And in the meane time to become Mediators to his gratious Majesty who could not take notice of their former Petition to this honourable House for some relaxation in matters of Ceremonies and of reading of the whole Liturgy which as the Petitioners verily beleeve and hope to prove have beene of late times urged further than ever the Law intended and that a free Synod of Grave Learned and Judicious Divines of this Kingdome the Dominion of Wales and the Islands adjacent may be by authority of Parliement indicted for the more through and fruitfull debate of the premisses to expedite a full Reformation by the high Court of Parliament for the setling of a godly and religious Order and Government in this Church as your Wisdome shall finde convenient And that a publique Fast may be commanded and religiously observed throughout the Kingdome once in every moneth during your sitting in Parliament for the more effectuall procuring of Gods protection of your persons and of his blessing upon your proceedings and till the miseries of our brethren in Ireland bee happily put to an end And the Petitioners shall be ready further to attend the pleasure of this House with their reasons of their present suite for a free Synod of this Nation and of a new Constitution thereof differing from those now in being when they shall be required and to pray without ceasing c. This Petition was presented by the Ministers themselves and afterwards read and well accepted in the House Decemb. 20. 1641. LONDON Printed for Iohn Bellamie and Ralph Smith 1641.