Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A59593
|
No reformation of the established reformation by John Shaw ...
|
Shaw, John, 1614-1689.
|
1685
(1685)
|
Wing S3022; ESTC R33735
|
94,232
|
272
|
Servant to Saul 1 Sam. 22. 12. and David was Lord to Nathan 1 Reg. 1. 24. so neither were the Kings to execute the Sacerdotal Function but were bound to consult their Priests and Prophets as Joshua was Eleazer Num. 27. 21. by God's appointment and David did Abiathar 1 Sam. 23. 6. We are sure Saul Jeroboam Vziah were severely checked for exercising such Acts as formerly belonged to the Priests not that they were debarred from regulating and providing for the due discharge of the Priestly Offices for that is a part of their duty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. and Arist l. 1. Ethic. c. 13. was herein Orthodox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they are to permit the Priests the exercises of their Functions and in matters of Religion to require the Law at their mouths Mal. 2. 7. which all Christian Kings have always granted Mr. Hobbs owneth that after the Ascension of our Lord the power Ecclesiastical was in Apostles after them in such as they had ordained and so delivered downward to others ordained by them and the great Erastian name hath yielded them a power to decide cases of Conscience and to declare what is lawfull what not This was respectively done but he fell far short of the mark for certainly to baptize Proselytes is a larger portion of power than bare interpreting or teaching the Law even a power to admit Members into the Christian Society and in all reason they who have power to admit have power occasionally to exclude hence that Gentleman was forced to confess they had power to bind and loose which in Scripture signifies to forbid and decree which is more than any Casuist or Preacher as such pretends to and is rather proper to a Legislative or Judicial Power which was sometimes exercised by the Church as when the Apostles upon a complaint where no less men than S. Paul and Barnabas were Advocates for the Plaintiffs passed an obligatory Decree Act. 15. 28. 16. 4. That Precept or Permission Tell the Church at least implies the Church had then power to take cognizance of trespasses and to say the civil Magistrate is that Church is ridiculous for then the sense would be Tell the trespass to Constantine three hundred years after it was committed for till then there was no certainly known Christian Emperour and Christians were not by the Discipline of the Church to seek for remedy at heathen Tribunals in the first instance Now as there was a subordination of these Powers so there was a distinction the one was the power of the Sword committed to the civil Magistrate to reward well-doers and to punish evil-doers of all kinds Rom. 13. 4. an Heretick a Schismatick an Idolater or Blasphemer as well as a Thief a Murtherer or a Traitor and this hath its immediate effect upon the outward man body and goods with reference to the concerns of this life Ezr. 7. 26. the other is the power of the Keys to labour in word and Doctrine to exhort and rebuke with all authority to rule well in spiritual concerns to bind and to loose 1 Tim. 1. 17. Tit. 1. 5. Matt. 16. 19. the proper operation whereof is upon the Soul with reference to the world to come There is a difference saith the above cited Joh. Frig. Refor Pol. between Dominion and Jurisdiction neither the Apostles nor chief Bishops exercised Dominion but their Offices having Jurisdiction p. 16. as in France saith he p. 17. the King hath the civil Dominion the Parliaments the Jurisdiction so in England the Queen hath the Dominion but the Bishops the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction hence Arist l. 10. Ethic. c. 9. n. 10. resolves Legislatours are differenced from Practitioners of Faculties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Professours are to Act Legislatours to prescribe rules for acting The King's power is the supreme that of Priests subordinate which difference proceeds not from the natural excellency of the one power above the other but from the all-wise disposition of God who is the chief power empowring as he is said to be natura naturans The Bishops with their subordinate Ministers are the Executours of Christ's last Will and Testament the King is the Supervisor and the Judge too to grant them Letters of Administration Bishops and Priests are the Ministers of Religion Kings are the Rulers of it and them The substance of the whole is the true Sons of the Church of England are the sole Assertors of the King's Supremacy not onely in expressions and complement but in fact and real operation not upon reasons of State or dictates of Prudence but the rule of Conscience which none of the Dissenters therefrom will allow Not the Erastians for they play at fast and loose with the King's Supremacy and by distinctions and limitations fix it certainly no where but make it as variable as their fortunes One of the most esteemed Partizans made this interpretation thereof The King is the supreme Governour but not the supreme Power Gallant Law Sophistry as if it were possible he could govern in chief who had not a power sutable thereto The Independents plead an exemption from it The Presbyterians utterly deny it Such a Supremacy as the Kings claimed and the two Houses of Parliament Erastian-wise craved indeed at first they did but beg it which after they plundred I disclaim said Henderson second Paper num 7. The true Nonconformist makes it the main work of his Book to charge it with Antichristianism The Pontificians perfectly abhor it The Prelatists are the onely defenders of it The Pontificians make Kings their Churches Ministers and Presbyterians make them their Kirk Ministers not the Ministers of God The Erastians and Independents are agreed they are originally the People's Ministers not God's The Prelatists assent with the Law of Christ and the Laws of the Kingdom the King is God's Minister Rom. 13. The Presbyterians and Independents resolve the Kingdom is in and under the Church and then the Government of that must be conformed to that of this If then the Presbyterians be rampant the civil Government must be Aristocratical If the Independents be the masters of Misrule it must be Democratical but if it happen the Erastians be the Sultans then the Game is King and no King at the best he is but their Trustee he must stand on his good behaviour and pass his accounts to the Patriots for the contracting good People If the Pope be the great Cham the civil Government must truckle SECT 3. To bring the matter nearer home there was a time when the blades of Fortune in 40 thought it prudent to declare they had no intentions for any alterations It was when the Earl of Essex his Army had scented and followed the Scent very hotly and when the King had objected the designs amongst them they formed a Declaration to renounce all such purposes Aug. 9. 42. as before they had protested against it as a slander and for once such an one as the Father of lies had
an ambulatory or menstruous Creed nor with an arbitrary monstrous superintendency voted and unvoted and revoted backward and forward according to the sense and interests of the Chairman and his crew in S. Stephen's Chapel Neither will we be satisfied or own a civil or common Law hotch-potch Church according to the device of the Counter-plot as the three Inventors gave it a Name one whereof is an outlawed Traitour the second a Church Trepanner the third a giddy Changeling For I demand Was the Church of England when Popish a true constituted Church according to its first settlement by Christ and his Apostles and subsequent example of the Primitive Church because it was so established by Law or not If it were we have done the Papists business they need not prove us we have proclaimed our selves Schismaticks in separating from a true constituted Church by Christ's and the Apostles order antecedently such before any humane Sanction if not then a legal settlement may be Antichristian which in that very respect stands in great need of a Reformation For as to attempt a Reformation of that which is founded on Divine Authority and stands by Divine Law is a contradiction to the indispensable and irrevocable will of the Founder so to reform what hath been introduced by mere humane authority without any warranty either general or special from a grant of our Law-giver is a pious Christian duty provided that in the management thereof nothing be done repugnant to any other Divine Law and our duty But let what can be suggested for the promotion of this new project it will be baffled by the two notorious Ringleaders of the Faction For if Mr. Baxter's onely true way of concord will not pass he and his Comrades will be as clamorous and stirring if they dare as ever J. O. is positive All lawfull things are not to be done for the Churches peace which quite undoes it Confessed it must be that several of the Partisans conceive a full union cannot be expected yet to comprehend and condescend to those who will occasionally and partially conform may go far towards a peace In good time can this be a way to true Christian peace when Mr. Baxter hath given us fair warning not to trust them plainly telling us Apol. for Nonconf p. 90. they are onely Instruments to undermine us and will turn against us as soon as they have opportunity Neither will their coming to Church as they delusorily and hypocritically call it clear them from the guilt of Schism because this Church being both founded and settled upon Divine Right in all its Superstructures there arises an obligation constantly and throughly to communicate with it and observe its Rules and Orders which not to doe is sinfull Separation and to abett or countenance those who doe not is to partake of their sin For it is not love devotion or duty which draws them but cunning interest and fear which drives them to this outward auckward conformity The best any can make of it it s an act of compliance cannot be an act of Christian allegiance and obedience to lawfull Superiours which is a work of Faith incorporate with the other good works of Faith issuing from the supernatural power of God's Word Spirit and Grace Certain it is that the men for whom this favour is moved do publickly and honestly declare which is next to a moral impossibility that they ever will that Kingly power is originally and immediately from God that Prelatical Episcopacy is a Divine Apostolical Institution that some circumstances and adjuncts in the external ministeries of Divine Worship not expresly prescribed by God may and ought to be adhibited therein for decency order and edification they are not to be trusted and if frequent experiences will not make us so wise as to neglect them and all such motions for them we are fit to be begged and once more undone We are yet again efforted with a troop of tantum nons who are still bleating for connivence forbearance and moderation which in effect is to solicite the Laws be outlawed though herein they would give better evidence of their moderation and modesty if they left that solely to the resolution of the Government Take these we must as we find them and we shall find them vary as the wind does they can blow hot and cold with one breath that trimming Proverb is their Rule There is no living at Rome and fighting with the Pope and let the Government sink or swim they will keep themselves out of harms-way If possible to make sure of this world they will have friends of all parties for which end they can at present swallow the Oath of Allegiance take the Test and upon another occasion vomit a fulsome Remonstrance Address or Association but by all means they will make infallible provisions for heaven in order whereto if they be in health they are for the Church and if in safe policy they may for a Conventicle too yea from the Church to a Conventicle and back again if sick they will not refuse the Offices of the Church but will admit them de bene esse yet for their transire and viaticum they must have a voluntary conceived prayer by a moderate Sneak who can play fast and loose with the Church Offices and to make sure work the Sacrament must be re-administred by one of the same batch or a zealous Holder-forth In my judgment these of all other Sects are the most dangerous because the more close and reserved we cannot say they are either flesh or fish nor discover whether they be Hawk or Buzzard they are animalia imperfectè mixta but this we know much mischief hath hapned by this false disguised and miscalled moderation to evidence which it will be requisite to exemplifie this in some all are too numerous and would be too bulky instances and to give in the opinion of two who in their times were reputed moderate learned men and excellent preachers 1. It hath been mischievous to the Church The Samosatenian Heresie was brought in under a mistaken charitable pretence to reconcile the Jewish and Christian Religion The Heresie of the Monothelites was set up on a design to moderate the Heresie of Eutyches The Eusebians propagated the Arian Heresie by their moderate endeavours to compose the difference betwixt them and the Catholicks Some Novatian Bishops to satisfie the scruple of a convert Jew thought fit to leave it though the matter of it was an approved practice as a thing indifferent which soon raised a Schism and this Schism in a short time begot another Theoph. Alex. favoured the Originists in hope to recover some at least from that Sect but S. Hier. told him roundly his moderation therein was very offensive to holy men because thereby he emboldned and strengthned the already over insolent and peevish Faction What Greg. Naz. got or rather lost by his easiness of temper is too large to relate and so it is of many more