Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A31487
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Certain considerations tending to promote peace and good will amongst Protestants very useful for the present times.
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Moderate conformist.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing C1695; ESTC R8765
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24,369
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36
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Hooper Rogers Philpot and others who disgusted the Ceremonies In Queen Elizabeth's Reign Coverdale as Dr. Heylin tells us waved the acceptation of the Bishoprick of Oxon or any other vacant out of a disaffection to the Habit of that Order He sayes further That Alexander Nowel Dean of St. Pauls spoke irreverently of the Sign of the Cross Moreover he makes Mr. John Fox the the Martyrologist Sampson Dean of Christ-Church in Oxfod Hardiman a Prebendary of Westminster both the Professors of Divinity in the Universities and Whittington Dean of Durham all Non-Conformists and relates that one Whitehead who had been Chaplain to Ann Bullen the Queens Mother was offered the Amh-Bishoprick of Canterbury but refused it because he was more inclined to the Presbyterians than the Episcopal form of Government Besides we are told that Peter Martyr never could be got to wear the Surplice all the time that he was in Christ-Church in Oxford and Divinity Reader in that University Dr. Heylin also tells us that Arch-Bishop Vsher dreaded bowing at the name of Jesus and as we are informed opposed the introduction of the English Ceremonies into the Church of Ireland Not long before the Wars Mr. Dod Mr. Cleaver Mr. Lancaster and others of eminent worth were silenced for Non-Conformity on which occasion a Conformist of good note in the life of Dr. Harris thus expresses himself Now was there a fearful Eclipse upon the Church a Constellation of Ministers even at once darkned amongst the rest those three shining Stars Mr. Dod Mr. Cleaver Mr. Lancaster Mr. Dod was a very eloquent man he saith in English and Latine so facetious and pithy that Mr. Harris would often say that if his Apothegms were collected they would exceed all that Plutarch in Greek and other in Latine since have published Mr. Cleaver was asolid Textman Mr. Lancaster a most humble and self denying man for whereas he was by birth a good Gentleman and had been Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge where being called to sundry Lectures and Speeches he delivered himself in as pure Latine to use the words of that Master of Speech Dr. Collins as ever Tully himself uttered having no Notes before him but what he wrote on the Nail of his Fiugers Yet this man thus accomplished contented himself with a Living under forty pounds per annum and made no noise of any Learning at all To these I might add Mr. Hildersham Mr. Baines Mr. Perkins Dr. Ames Mr. Cotton and others men famous in their generation and yet in some things some more some less dissatisfied 6. Consid That divers dissenters in former times have notwithstanding found favour with the Bishops Some of those before named were never deprived of their Benefices for Non-Conformity as Peter Martyr Mr. Fox the Martyrologist and Mr. Perkins Others were for a long time by connivance continued in their places and Imployments although but half Conformists Conformity was not rigorously pressed by Arch-Bishop Grindall nor were all Nonconformists thrust out of all imployment in the dayes of Arch Bishop Whitgift though himself a Champion for Conformity When Mr. Cartwright himself who had written against Conformity and brandished pens with the Arch-Bishop in the cause yet was by him quietly suffered to injoy an Hospital at Warwick Mr. Brown said to be the Father of the Brownists did notwithstanding injoy his Living of a Church in Northampton Shire a Parsonage of good value to his dying day And Doctor Fuller informs us that Bishop Williams when he was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England procured a License from King James under the Great Seal of England for Mr. Cotton to Preach notwithstanding his Inconformity as to some Ceremonies And Bishop Rudd Bishop of St. Davids declares in his Speech to the Convocation that those things meaning Conformity to the Ceremonies were not so extreamly urged but that many learned Preachers injoyed their liberty herein in the dayes of the late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury which was Arch-Bishop Whitgift conditionally that they did not by word or deed openly disgrace or disturb the State established Concerning Mr. Hildersham I find in the History of his life that he was frequently silenced and yet frequenly by the favour or connivance of the Bishops permitted to Preach publickly He was silenced in June 1590. and restored again in January 1591. Again he was deprived and silenced by Bishop Chaderton Bishop of Lincoln April 24. 1605. for refusal of Subscription and Conformity yet after some time by the connivance and favour of Bishop Overton Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield he Preached sometimes in that Diocefs and was the main upholder of two famous Exercises at Burton in Stafford-Shire and at Repton in Derby-Shire for livers years In January 1608. by the favour of Bishop Barlow Bishop of Lincoln he was allowed to Preach again at Ashby where he was formerly and so continued from January 31 1608. to November the 12th 1611. In Novemb. 1611. He was silenced by Bishop Neales means then Bishop of Coventry and Litehsield who complained to the King of him infomuch that the King commanded the Arch-Bishop to write to the Bishop of Lincoln to send for Mr. Hildersham and to silence him which was done accordingly April the 22. 1613. he was judicially admonished and injoined in and by the High Commission that saving the Catechising of his own family only he should not any time hereafter Preach Catechise or use any of the Offices or Function of a Minister publickly or privately until he should be lawfully rostored and released of his said suspension June 20. 1625. he was Licenced by Doctor Ridley then Vicar General to the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury to Preach in the Diocefs of Lincoln London and Coventry and Lichfield under the Seal of that Office March 25. 1630. he was silenced again and so continued till August 2. 1631. when he began to preach again and continued till December 27. 1631. which was the last time he preached soon after he sell sick and died Concerning Mr. Dod. I find in his life that he was suspended from his Ministry at Hanwill by Doctor Bridges Bishop of Oxford that after he preached at Fenny Compton in Warwick-Shire from thence he removed to Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire where he lived quietly divers years preached over the whole Prophecy of Douitl afterwards he was silenced from Preaching at Ashby upon a complaine made against him by Bishop Neal to King James who commanded Arch-Bishop Abbot to silence him After the death of King James his liberty was procured for preaching again publickly by Mr. Knightly and then he was settled at Fausley where he preached twice every Lords day By these two last instances it appears that every stroke of the Crosier formerly did not cause a perfect Apoplexy and prove mortal though it made Ministers speech less for a time yet by the Keys of the Church their Mouths were often times opened again and they were able to speak and preach as formerly And here I could name if
of Oxford the Masters and Fellows there were not Ejected for the Refusal of the Covenant but upon another score namely Non-submission to the Visitation Let me add to the Premises on this Consideration that the two Houses by Ordinance of Parliament granted a fifth part for the maintenance of Ministers Wives and Children Yea that the Junto after the Parliament was Garbled made an Act as they call'd it April 5th 1660. inabling and requiring their Trullees for Bishops Deans and Chapters Lands to dispose thereof for and towards the relief maintenance and support of such Bishops Deans Prebendaries Singing men Choristers and other Members Officers and persons destitute of Maintenance distributing and apportioning the same adcording to the wants and necessities of such persons to whom the said disposition shall be made as aforesaid and according to further ditections as they shall receive from the Parllament or Authority derived from it And further may it be considered that in King Josiah his Reformation although the Priests of the High places were put from the Service yet they were still permitted to eat of the portion belonging to the Priests viz of the Unleavened bread amongst their Brethren 2 Kings 23 9. they had some provision for their maintenance As also what we read in our own Story viz. That in the dayes of King Henry the 8th liberal Pensions were allowed by the King to Abbots Priors and Monks c. at the dissolution of Abbies and Monasteries 10. Consid It is declared to be the Doctrine of the Church of England in the 34 Article of our Religion That every particular or National Church hath Authority to ordain change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by mans Authority so that all things be done to Edification 'T is the observation of a Learned Gentleman deceafect late a Member of the Present Parliament in an Epistle Dediâ—â—â—â—ry to His Majesty That the Popes of Rome alb it they hold themselves infallible in their Chair and their Counsels inerrable Yet they all accord that their publick Missals and Liturgies though made and confirmed by their Joine advice with greatest care and diligence are amendable alterable upon just occasions He instanceth in several amendments and alterations by Pope Pins the 5th And he observes that the same Pope did think fit to reform several things in the new Missal as to the Kingdom of Spain and to alter and dispense with it in no less than 21 particulars notwithstanding his former Bulls and Prohibitions And after that Pope Gregory the 13th his Imthediate Successor granted several other Dispensations and Amendments of this Missal in sundry particulars comprised in his Bull. And that which ought to be of more Authority with us in England is what I shall subjoyn to our Doctrine declared in a branch of the 34th Article of Religion formerly cited the agreement of our Bishops and Doctors convened at the Dean of Westminsters Lodgings in the beginning of the Parliament 1640. the Persons were the Bishops of Lincoln Armagh Durham Exeter Doctor Samuel Ward Dr. Prideaux Dr. Twisse Dr. Siunderson Dr. Featly Dr. Brownrig Dr. Holdsworth Dr. Hacket and others The advice they gave amongst many other things was that the Vestments required by the first Liturgy of King Edward the 6th should not be required and the Rubrick in that case to be altered That the Cross in Baptism be either explained or quite disused That a Rubrick be inserted to declare that kneeling at the Communion is required only in Relation to the Prayer of distribution Preserve thy Body and Soul unto everlastling life See Dr. Heylin his Cyp. Angl. p. 444 445. And now my hearty desire is that the Prudence Moderation and Condescension of these great Scholars and good Men for the Peace of the Church might turn the hearts of all in Place and Power to incline them to Moderation and Indulgence at such a time as this 11. Consid That if the new Impositions were removed and that partition wall of Ceremonies pull'd down and this veil rent away by Legal Authority from the face of the Church or reserved only for the case of the Mother Churches I mean the Cathedrals Many Thousands who now separate from our publick Assemblies would with one heart and voice joyn with us We Protestants justly blame the Bishop of Rome for that having the Keys of Purgatory at his Girdle notwithstanding suffers so many Thousand Souls to lye in Flames some Hundreds of years where he can so easily grant a Goal-delivery and set them at liberty And if Sin and particularly the Sin of Schism be worse than Hell it self as indeed all Sin is then I would humbly recommend to the Father of our Countrey to the Fathers of our Church to our worthy Patriots in the Parliament the removal of those By-matters that so they may thereby prevent so many Thousands from incurring either the fault the blot or the punishment of Schismaticks 12. Consid That the use of force or violent courses for By-matters in Religion ought by all lawful wayes and means to be shunned and avoided Dr. Heywood in his Answer to Doleman the personated Papist Chap. 9. concerning violent courses in matters of Religion writes thus hereupon such cruel Calamities have ensued in most parts of Europe and especially in Germany and France with so little furtherance to that cause for whose supportance force was offered that all the chief Writers of our Age are now reduced to the former opinion affirming with Arnobius that Religion is of Power sufficient for it self with Tertullian also Lactantius Cassiodorus Josephus St. Bernard and others that it must be perswaded and not inforced See Mr. Joh. Good Answ to the Antapol p. 233 and 234. Conformable to which Doctrine was the Practice of Bishop Bramhal in Ireland See his Replication to the Bishop of Chalcedon p. 152 153. where he saith That the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland did commit much to my hands the Political Regiment of that Church for the space of eight years In all that time let him name but one Roman Catholick that suffer'd either Death or Imprisonment or so much as a Pecuniary Mulct of Twelve-pence for his Religion upon any penal Statute if he cannot as I am sure he cannot c. I read that when the Spaniards drove the Indians to Baptism as we do Sheep to washing when the white Linnen they gave them to be Baptized in was foul the Baptized Indians would streight renounce their Christianity except they might have new white Garments given them This instance may mind us that Methods of force and compulsion are not the way to make good Christians but Time-servers and Hypocrites rather than real Converts The Premises consider'd and that by our Breaches way be not made for Popery to enter 'T is heartily desired of Dissenters that they would be earnest in their Prayers to God and their Petitions to men that there may a healing of our breaches And to this end that none of them do any thing or leave any thing undone through humour crosseness or peevishness that none of them this matter or in reference to the Church be like the Lawyers in reference to the Kingdom of Heaven of whom 't is said that they would not enter in themselves and hindred those that were ready to enter Luk. 11.52 Of the Fathers of the Church 't is humbly beg'd that they would in relation to Dissenters imitate the Father of the Prodigal who when his Son was yet afar off ran to meet him fell on his neck and kissed him Of His most excellent Majesty and the Two Houses of Parliament 't is most humbly Prayed that they would please to remember That there is as much Power exercised or exerted in abrogating a Law at the Humble desires of Subjects as in making a Law at their Requests A POSTSCRIPT to Conformist and Non-Conformist Ministers LEt all things be done with Charity And often think of the Answer of pious Mr. Greenham to Secretary Cecil when he asked him on which side the blame lay in the great Rent 'twixt the Bishops and Non-Conformists The Fault said Mr. Greenham is on both sides and on neither side for said he the Godly wise on both sides bear with each other and concenter in the Main but then there be selsish peevish Spirits on both sides some and these make the quarrel FINIS