Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	witness_v	worthy_a	year_n	18	3	3.7137	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64274	Popery, superstition, ignorance, and knavery, very unjustly by a letter in the general pretended but as far as was charg'd, very fully proved upon the dissenters that were concerned in the Surey imposture / by Zach. Taylor.	Taylor, Zachary, 1653-1705.	1698 (1698)	Wing T599_VARIANT; ESTC R34648	26,353	28

was fully acquainted before my Ordination His Lordship saw also my Certificate from the Vniversity witnessing my Proficiency and orderly Demeanour whilst there 4 Years and received another Certificate under the Hands of worthy Divines of the Church of England testifying the Inoffensiveness of my Demeanour during my continuance at Thirsk with which my Lord was fully satisfied and which will clear his Lordship from the unjust Calumnies of the Malevolous and Malicious SIR your unfeigned Servant to his Power A. G. I before for Reasons given suspected my Friend to be a Socinian I wish he do not also prove a Novatian I suppose he esteems himself a Puritan and this is Puritanism with a Witness for the Novatians proudly call themselves as others have done since 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Puritans that will not allow Men the Benefit of that Repentance that Christ's Forerunner began to preach and which the Apostles did publish over the World The Incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5.1 bating that he was not a Renegado from the Dissenters a Crime which my Friend though he have Charity enough to venture a Prayer for one that had sinned the Sin against the Holy Ghost p. 15. would scarce I believe venture a Prayer for the Incestuous Corinthian was I conceive full as guilty as the Renegado Scotchman Now if he was one of their Ministers as some of the most learned of the Fathers think he was I wonder what Rebuke my Friend would have had for Saint Paul who on his Repentance commands them To forgive him and comfort him and confirm their Love towards him 2 Cor. 2.7 8. I read thus Brethren if a Man be overtaken in a Fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of Meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Gal. 6.1 I will not reflect upon my Friend tho' if he be a Man named to me 't is supposed he is as much as the Scotchman interested in the Lenity of this Canon But I will give him some Lines of a Letter which was also sent to me since my Answer went for the Press I hear saith my Correspondent from pretty good Hands that the Academy in the North have the first Blessing of God upon Man among them Gen. 1.28 Neither he nor I can yet say this is true tho' in a short time we possibly may give my Friend a better Account of it But if it be found true pray tell me will you admit the Criminal to Ordination or will you not If let him repent never so sincerely your resolve that you will not I must ask you from St. Paul in the Case aforesaid Whether you be not Ignorant of Satan's Devices v. 11. If you do pray what hath the Bishop of Chester done that your selves in the same Circumstances will not do But I remember what my Friend saith I see One may better steal a Horse than Others look over the Hedge p. 5. I would ask my Friend since it is his Choice rather to be Ludicrous than Scurrilous p. 28. as if 't was necessary that he must be one whether he hath answer'd his Pretences I have heard of some whose Sport it is to do Mischief and I find my Friend esteems Scurrility a Ludicrous Matter and would rob a Man of his good Name in a Jest I see again my Friend conceals his Name he was afraid our Jests should have been as broad on him as his are upon others But I am not at present dispos'd to be Ludicrous either in this way or any other else I would have ask'd my Friend How Mr. C.'s underling Slave Apollyon came to be his chief Devil p. 14. Whether the Surey Devil did not go out by Quarters and Halves as his merry Papists Story is now a Leg then an Arm c. p. 26. since the Ministers were near a Year a playing the Men-Midwives to him And whether such Dispossession as this looks like those of the Demoniacks in the Gospel Whether they that say Here 's a Devil or they that say Here 's no Devil ought to give the Characters of him p. 27. for I think they that see him or smell him are the fittest to do it How the Dissenters by talking to Satan in Latin or Greek would have been any more unsanctified Lyars as he pretends they would ib. than they were by talking to him in English These with other Inconveniences of the same Nature to cover the Dulness of my Ludicrous Friend are designedly past over in Silence lest the Reader should be as weary as the Writer is FINIS

reprove Mens Sins in such Language as this may fall under the same Rebuke of my Friend that the Lancashire Levite doth For what hath he done He hath found Men guilty of wicked and scandalous Prophaneness and that acted under the specious Pretences of Religion and God's Worship which raising in him out of a Zeal for Gods Glory a just Indignation he hath signified it to the World with such becoming Animadversions as the foulness of the Crime unavoidably required of him This is all that he hath done Yet there is an Outcry of Popery Superstition Ignorance and Knavery unjustly charged by him on the Dissenters And suppose this was true will that justifie them for abusing the World with such a Rapsody of Superstition as the Legend of the Surey Demoniack doth contain Some Men are unwilling to repent and pretend another Mans supposed Crimes to attone for their own wilful Prevarications The Surey Demoniack with all the Lies and Forgeries the Hypocrisy and Enthusiasm that it comprehends is to be forgotten and forgiven because a Lancashire Levite is by the Party pretended to accuse them unjustly of Popery Superstition c. This is the way that our Dissenters have of answering Books that are unanswerable But here they shall not so escape Janeway saith the Demoniack is not to be had and my Printer tells me the Impostor is very scarce I will therefore oblige my Friend and the World with presenting him with an Historical Account of the Surey Imposture and the Deportment of the Dissenters therein together with their Endeavours to have it credited and owned for a Miracle since the Knavery of it was discovered And this comes before-hand to acquaint my Friend that in a few Weeks he may expect it POSTSCRIPT SInce my Papers were sent away these two following Letters came to my Hands which in Justice to the Right Reverend my Lord Bishop of Chester to Mr. Gr. and indeed the whole World that they may understand what Credit is to be given to some Mens Pens and how tender their Consciences are in bearing False-witness I thought my self obliged to publish SIR AFter my humble Service presented to your Worship this is to satisfie you That I fully acquainted my Lord Bishop of Chester with Mr. Gray's Carriage formerly before he was admitted to be Curate at Mottram The Crime then laid to his Charge was for having his Wife with Child before he Married her any thing more of any other evil Carriage I had no Knowledge of And if he be any otherwise reflected upon I suppose it is by some Persons who are troubled to see our Congregation at Mottram increase and flourish and are afraid their Meeting-places will decline for I have observed that formerly when some debauched Person or weak Minister served the Place and so a very small Congregation then there was but little Reflection but now by the Mercy of God and the Care of my Lord Bishop for us we have this Mr. Gray a very able Minister and one exemplary in his Life and Conversation and well respected and reputed of by the Parishioners and the Neighbourhood except by some disaffected Persons who reflect on him for conforming to the Church of England for although he left off Preaching at Tinstwisle upon the Crime before mentioned yet he was admitted to Preach at Thirsk by the Dissenting Party for several Years last past and not in the least reflected against until he had a design for Mottram and Conformity but we have great reason to bless God for such a Minister and as for those that are offended to see a great Congregation at Mottram which I hope will still encrease I pray God turn their Hearts And so I remain Your Worships humble Servant R. T. Godley Feb. 10th 1697. Nay so fair is the Gentleman himself that he gives a full Account of the Matter in this following Letter to a worthy Friend of his SIR Godley Feb. 7th 1697. I Have seen your Letter and am greatly afflicted with those Calumnies which some unquiet and contentious Breast hath belched out against unhappy but especially that so Worthy Reverend and Pious a Divine as my Lord Bishop of Chester should be groundlesly struck at and reflected upon for my sake That the Truth may be fully known I shall give you a particular Account of what I have been and done for some Years past About December 1691. I began to teach School at Hefield about 5 Miles from Mottram where I was not suffered to teach long because of my Nonconformity The Summer following upon the earnest Entreaty of some leading Dissenters I consented to enter upon the Ministry and accordingly Preach'd thrice at Wood-head Chappel immediately after which I was called to Tintwisle where as a Dissenter I continued to Preach till near May-day 1693. At which time she who is now my Wife proving with Child I gave over Preaching and went from them They soon understanding the Cause of my departure wrote after me solliciting my Return Vpon my Return my former Hearers flocking to me desired me to omtinue my publick Labours among them which I peremptorily denied to do without the Consent of the Neighbouring Dissenting Ministers Hereupon the Ministers assembled together at Stockport and there they gave it against me which I conceive is that they mean by being cast out of the Church Then leaving my Wife for a time at Hefield I went to York and by a Friend obtain'd a Licence to teach School in that City this was about October 1693. February following Mr. Brooks a Dissenting Minister being to leave Thirsk a Market-Town 18 Miles from York and having some former Knowledge of me came and desir'd me to supply Thirsk one Lords Day which after frequent Sollicitations I consented to do After I had officiated one Day I was importun'd by his Letter for a second and third which Letters I have still by me He not returning to them they made choice of me for their Minister where I continued 3 Years and an half before I came to Mottram no one all that time divulging any thing of my Miscarriage before Marriage But no sooner do they hear of my Conforming to the Church of England and my drawing some of their Number from them to the Church but a loud Cry must be raised against me and against my Betters Had I instead of Conforming publickly maintain'd that uncharitable Opinion of the most rigid Separatists That God is not worshiped by the Liturgy that the Ministration by the Liturgy is Poison I might still have lived quietly without Disturbance so that it 's to be feared there is more Malice than Matter and that whatever is pretended yet it is chiefly for my Conformity that I am accus'd censur'd and condemn'd with so much Bitterness and expos'd as a Reproach of Men and a Wonder to many Besides the Miscarriage already mentioned for which I can never be enough humbled I am not conscious of any thing they have against me and with that my Lord