Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
opinion_n	according_a	great_a	matter_n	579	5	4.9457	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34216	A conference between a Bensalian bishop and an English doctor, concerning church-government shewing the difference betwixt that of Bensalia and the Church of England : together with a letter from the Bishop of Bensalia to the Archbishop of Canterbury in order to the healing of our church-differences ...	Do-Well, Theophilus.	1681 (1681)	Wing C5725; ESTC R20811	20,094	22

all we can For we no sooner understand that any one is offended dissatisfied or hath done any thing amiss contrary to the Doctrine of our Church if it be in such matters as renders them offenders of our Civil Law we leave them to that Law only take care by friendly admonition for their souls But if in matters which relates to spiritual things we viz. one of our Bishops or Elders presently go to the dissatisfied person whom we treat with tender bowels of compassion and endeavour by fatherly admonition to reduce and reclaim them But if that will not do which seldom happens but our private tender and affectionate addresses to them becomes effectual then we admonish them publickly which is several times perform'd If it be about some new opinion that he would broach and that he is very pertinacious in we consult some of our eminent Physicians or if the case be high some of our Sophi to know whether indeed somewhat of Hypochondraism has not infected or tainted the mans fancy which if they conclude in the affirmative they take him under cure and by rectifying the Humours new moduling the spirits and inverting or reverting or expunging the dement and Irregular Idea's which they perform with a great deal of curiosity treating them variously according to the nature and different manner of Hypochondraism return them well and sound to us again If any person has a new opinion and keeps it to himself and questions of that nature being askt him he answers according to that opinion only endeavours not to publish it abroad we concern not our selves in that matter but let him alone to enjoy his own fancy yet we endeavour as occasion offers to put him upon more right and orthodox notions as being well satisfy'd that as long as there is any variety to be found in nature it will be discernable in the difference of thoughts and opinions of men it being as congeneal to men many times to think variously concerning the same thing as it is natural for them to differ in Physiognomy We no more can always think or opine alike than we can look alike Faces and thoughts plead variety as their great and indispensible prerogative Scarce two faces in the world are in every lineament and feature alike Nor are there two men throughout the world who have the same Identical notions about all things and indeed variety and disputableness of the objects of our thoughts and understanding doth truly solve the chief reason of our great variety in opinions But if the man designedly for ostentation sake and to make himself popular not only affects but blazons abroad new opinions that are destructionable to the fundamental Principles of Christianity if after private and publick admonition he be not reclaim'd we pronounce the sentence of Excommunication against him all other persons are forbidden any manner of Traffick with him after a time if still he persist he is apprehended by a Bailiff of the Civil Law which is our Jus Gentium and at their Quarterly Sessions try'd where if he yet prove obstinate he is ordered to the Staffee and thence at the next Shipping is transported to some of the Eastern Islands of America But if he shew any token of recantation and penitence he is received again upon the reality thereof into the Church 4ly We have no vexatious Courts for Citations Capias's or Pleadings by Proctors as your Church to it 's great disparagement has Nor is any person upon any misdemeanor to pay a peny of money no charges plac'd to his account We have a natural aversness to all money-mulcts for we think it the bane of any Church to be entail'd with such Courts and Officers as like Rome's sin-scourgers grieve the people either with imprisonment or punish them with fines For with us if a man be Excommunicated as he is not own'd in common societies so neither can he with all the moneys he has buy off the Excommunication no nothing will do it but a penitency and humble submission and then he is most affectionately receiv'd into the arms of the Church without being put to one farthing of charge If we should have such a Court as that you call how improperly let others judg your Spiritual-Court our people would fall off from us in spite of all our force and compulsion and each competent number would make themselves Churches to which our people would flock as fast as they do to your dissenting brethrens Churches which we foreseeing shall we hope never be mindful to run our selves and Church upon such rocks 5ly Our Visitations are perform'd twice every year where we go in person to every particular Church under our care Where our great work is next to our earnest and serious admonition of them to love unity and peace the main scope of all our Doctrine to examine whether any particular Church be dissatisfied with the Pastor and Teachers we have plac'd over them and to know what such Pastors c. have against their people that so we may by all means possible reconcile their differences that if the people can justly accuse their Teachers of any debauchery or bad example in their conversation upon sufficient proof and testimony thereof the Pastor or Teacher is displac'd sent to the Staffee and another more pious sober good man of sufficient abilities is put in by the Bishop or propos'd from amongst themselves to the Bishop which if approv'd of is admitted and plac'd over them So that hereby we take care to remove all scandalous Ministers lest they should offend and by their bad example lead our people astray into bad practices and lest others being dissatify'd thereat should thence endeavour a separation schism or rent in our Church which we study as much as possible to prevent and if any of the people are refractory and of dissolute disorderly lives we take care to admonish them and if tender bowels will not do which we by all means attempt to chastise them with the threats of Excommunication and the Staffee But we impose no fines or money-mulcts upon them at all have no sorts of sin swindgers Thus we endeavour to keep up the unity of love in the bond of peace amongst our people the great and main scope of every Visitation all true and faithful Bishops should aim at 6ly We the Bishops our selves always preach sometimes in one otherwhile in another place within our Jurisdiction We are never idle but desire to shew our selves true Over-seers Bishops indeed over our flocks We in our preaching and reading of Divine Service which we have as it springs purely without any adulteration from the Gospel of Jesus Christ always omit the Ceremony of the Surplice as knowing that it grates against the natural Genius of our people and therefore we wave it And because many of our people are dissatisfied with the sign of the Cross in Baptism we omit that also and many are offended at kneeling at the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper

at all take no Tobacco nor drink I between meals unless very thirsty whereby I enjoy my health I bless God very well And although our Physicions be without doubt the best in the world as having the best Medicines that nature and art can afford what of their own preparation in their Laboratory and what is handed down to them from the Sophy those Adepti and Masters of the greatest Hermetick Secrets yet for my own part I had much rather enjoy my health wherein I can by an orderly diet and temperance preserve it than be sick to make trial of their skill I commended the Bishops prudence in that matter and wisht his president was exemplary to our European Countries Why saith he you have excellent good Physicians amongst you Yes Sir said I but for all that we are somewhat of your mind have no great stomack to be sick if we can help it At which the Bishop smil'd When Dinner was over the Bishop rose up and return'd thanks himself A while after Dinner the Bishop betook himself into a withdrawing-room and ordered one of his servants to whisper in my ear his desire of my leaving the company to discourse a while in private with him mean while had taken care the company should be entertain'd with discourse by the Doctor and some other persons Come Sir saith he you may perhaps think somewhat strange of me for my pleasantness and cheerfulness at Dinner I am usually so to help the digestion of my meat for I think it quickens and invigorates the ferment if I may borrow a word or two with you in your noble faculty the ferment of the stomack oyls the wheels of the digestion procures the most laudable nutritive juices helps forward the circulation of the blood and all this the better in order to health But now I am willing to be very serious with you for I have some weighty things to acquaint you with which when you return into your own Country may perhaps if our King and his Sophi do permit you the liberty of publishing thereof be of great use to your people who as we are inform'd are so much divided in their judgments and opinions about matters of Religion we have the state of your Church-affairs we think truly represented to us and wherein I shall err through any mistake shall beg the favour at your hands to set me right My method shall be first to shew you the rectitude and uniformity of ours and the genuine consequences thereof viz. peace unity Christian charity and the exercises of other heavenly Graces Next how much yours comes short and deviates from ours then shall shew you the reasons and last if we have time shall propose some expedients in order to the healing your clashing differences towards the ratifying a Christian union amongst you First as to ours it is Episcopal which rightly understood we have great reason to conclude from Scripture and other Testimonies to be truly Apostolical and according to Divine institution which with the Presbytery and other Substitutes together with their modes of connexion to the people are sufficient to the constitution of our Church We have no universal Bishop or Pope but only own Christ Jesus to be the supreme Head of our Church Our Council of Bishops with some of the Elders or Presbytery do determine all our differences both as to Doctrine and Discipline 2. And for the continuation and promotion of our unity and peace we avoid all Scholastick disputations and verbal janglings as much as possible as seeing it by the doleful effects thereof throughout Europe to be the bane of Christianity the mother of dissention animosities contention and discord yea the very parent of all the enmity and war found amongst those whom charity would enforce us to call Christians whose lives and well-meanings more than the similarness of their opinions must speak them Christians or they will difficultly be found having by such contentions even rent the seamless coat of Christ the very badg of their Christianity viz. Love Peace and Unity We by a Law prohibit all disputes and controversies about Predestination viz. Election and Reprobation and other disputable Doctrines as observing them to be the mother of many animosities and contentions amongst brethren yea and well remarking that no History can give us any instance of persons converted to the true Christian faith thereby or of any already converted whose lives have thence been rended better But many Histories are fill'd with instances to the contrary I call to mind we had once a learned Philosopher happened to be cast ashore on our coasts who disputing with some of our Bishops they notwithstanding all their learned arguments although they might convince him which yet was hard to make him or any who stand out for victory confess yet they did not convert him till a zealous ●ishop less learned than the rest in great power and demonstration of the Spirit repeated to him the Creed and as I remember the Lords-prayer which done queries the man saying Philosopher dost thou now believe who by such power being conquered answer'd according to Naked Truth Yes I do believe and so became a Proselyte 3ly And because we would not offend our weak brethren we dispense with many Ceremonies which you of the Church of England as we are well informed are so stiff in defending as rather than you will abate any thing therein you will adventure the loss of hundreds yea perhaps thousands of the weaker brethren suffering them for the sake of some dispensible Ceremonies to depart from you by whole sholes to the great rending of the unity of your Church which by all means possible should have been preserved in the bonds of love and unity by your condescending to them in some things allowable both by Scripture and reason as well as from the different Genius of people both as to time and place As if the union of your brethren and consequently peace of your whole Church was not of more value to you than the stiff adhering to many indifferent and in cases aforesaid unnecessary Ceremonies If any amongst us be upon any occasion offended or dissatisfied we make it our business presently to pour in oyl and wine the Samaritan Balsom to heal up the wound using all the suppleing and soft means we can by friendly visits prayer and all tender demeanor to satisfie their scruples of Conscience and like good Physicians never leave them till they be made whole We beseech exhort admonish and rebuke according as necessity requires being instant with them in season and out of season And as Fathers for so in a spiritual sense we look upon our selves we are tender and affectionate to them using all fatherly admonition We by our tender bowels of compassion melt them down if they have the least grain of the Spirit of God in them and they know right well we make no prey of them but as Ministers and servants of Jesus Christ serve them in