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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	answer_n	answer_v	objection_n	2,644	5	9.4165	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48116	A letter of advice to a young gentleman of an honourable family, now in his travels beyond the seas for his more safe and profitable conduct in the three great instances, of study, moral deportment, and religion : in three parts / by a True son of the Church of England.	True son of the Church of England.	1688 (1688)	Wing L1566; ESTC R7895	45,890	138

Worship in the greatest detestation and abhorrence because they know 't is impossible that Popery should ever return upon Us or be establisht again in England while our Common-Prayer-Book is kept unaltered For the whole Form of our Worship is point blank contrary to Image-Worship praying to Angels and Saints Propitiatory Sacrifice Doctrin of their Sacraments Transubstantiation c. And this is the true Reason why they do so mortally hate both Vs and our Religion And again those Prayers in our Liturgy which were taken out of the Mass-Book are many of them the Collects and Devotions of the Antient Fathers which were in use before ever Popery was known in the World which being purged from the Popish Superstition by our Reformers are now lawfully used by the Church of England according to their Original Institution Insomuch that those who cavil at our Service because some part of it is used by the Papists may as well find fault with the Epistles and Gospels Psalms Chapters Creeds Commandments Lords Prayer c. these being also in the Papists Mass-Book Having fully cleared this first Objection we pass to the 2. And they charge Us again with many Corruptions Additions Defects and circumstantial Errors in our Set Form of Worship and Discipline for they have no Objections against our Doctrin and Fundamentals and for those seeming Reasons they think themselves obliged to withdraw and separate from our Communion Answer This may seem to be a weighty Objection at the first sight and the most plead it being joined with the former which we have answered to the full as the Cause why they think and speak so hardly of our Church and desert our Communion But they might be persuaded to alter their Opinion if laying aside all Prejudice they would but seriously and impartially consider these few Things And 1. 'T is a true and undoubted Maxim that all Persons are obliged to hold Communion with the National and Establish'd Church where they live and must by no means separate from it tho there be some circumstantial Additions Errors and Defects in its external Worship Politie or Discipline For 't is plain that the Prophets and People of God did not separate from but held Communion with the Jews in their Publick Worship tho there were very many and great Defects and Corruptions c. both in their Doctrin and Practice This is clear in many Instances For the solemn Ordinances of God as Circumcision and the Passover were for a long time a-wanting and such Monuments of Idolatry were set up as not only the People thereby became superstitious and immoral but even the Priests also as Eli's two Sons c. brought a Scandal upon their Religion Were not these greater Faults than any of our fiercest Adversaries can charge upon us And yet for all that we sind not one President of so much as any single Person that departed from their Communion 2. At the time of our B. Saviours coming into the World the Jewish Worship was exceedingly corrupted with the Leaven of the Pharisees the Heresie of the Sadduces who denied the Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Body Besides the whole Service of God was intolerably prophaned the Temple polluted Religion subverted Judgment and the Love of God trampled upon and neglected many needless and superstitious Ceremonies interlarded with their Worship the People addicted to all manner of Wickedness and even the Priests themselves very heterodox and dissolute both in their Faith and Manners And yet at that time we find several religious Persons both Men and Women with great Zeal and Devotion worshiping God in the Temple as Zachary and Simeon Hannah and Elizabeth c. And our Blessed Saviour himself was by his pious Parents presented in the Temple according to the Custom and Law of Moses He afterwards kept the Passover and all the Festivals of the Jewish Church frequented and taught daily in the Temple in their Synagogues gave Honour and Reverence and paid Tribute to their Rulers nor did he ever desert their Communion till he was forced to retire to save his own Life So that he thought it necessary and so did those other Votaries to join in Gods Publick Worship notwithstanding those great Errors and Defects which thanks be to God are not chargeable upon Us. But 3. There were many Errors and Defects both in the Doctrin and Practice of the then slourishing Churches of Corinth Galatia c. and yet the Apostle S. Paul was so far from encouraging a Schism in and Separation from the Communion of those Churches that he threatens those Persons with the severest Punishments who were the Instruments in fomenting and promoting those Animosities and Divisions Nor is there any one Instance or President in the whole Scripture to warrant our departure from any Church that is Sound and Orthodox in her Principles however erroneous and corrupt in the Politie and Circumstantials of Divine Worship We might hereunto add 4. The concurrent Judgments and Opinions of the most Eminent and Reformed Divines beyond Sea who have unanimously declared their Dislike of a Separation from our Communion as Calvin Bullinger Bucer and many others And tho they dissented from Us in lesser Things yet held Communion and Correspondence with our Church Church-men as may appear by their several Letters to our Reformers and would have been glad if their Circumstances would have allowed our Form of Church Politie and deservedly preferr'd it to any Church Government in the World. But to argue yet more closely 5. If any will refuse our Communion and separate from Us because there are some pretended Errors in the Discipline and Circumstantials of our Worship which yet none have ever been able to prove against Us they 'l be obliged upon the same score to withdraw their Communion from all the Churches in Christendom For what Church Government shall they be ever able to assign that 's so pure and sincere as to be wholly exempted from Circumstantial Errors and Defects And were there not more Faults in the Worship of the Primitive Churches for the five first Centuries than are at present in Ours Are there no Errors in the Worship Constitutions and Ecclesiastical Government of Geneva and Amsterdam I 'm sure many of their Learned Divines have ingenuously acknowledg'd that all things were not according to their Desire and yet did not think it Prudence to alter the Government for the sake of some small Errors In short our Dissenting Brethren must either disclaim these Conceits or turn Hermits and Anchorets live in a Cell or Wilderness and even depart from themselves who as I could easily shew them are guilty of as many if not more and greater Faults and Errors in their little Assemblies than can be justly charged upon Vs or the Liturgy and Government of the Church of England Whither would not these wild and extravagant Fancies carry any Man that shall give way to them So that they must either prove their own Churches

be continually upon your Watch that you may return with the same Soul and same Body you carried from hence and all the Tempers and Dispositions of both And for this End endeavor throughly to understand and then live up to the Principles and Rules of that Religion you have hitherto profess'd This will prove the best Antidote against that destructive Poison which might otherwise taint and infect both your Intellectuals and Morals and not only destroy the Christian but even the Man or rational part within you Let me advise you still more particularly not so much as to lend an Ear to hear nor a Tongue to discourse with those inchanting Syrens be afraid of their seeming Favours whose Errand is Deceit and under the pretence of Kindness and Respect will wound you to the very Heart Look not upon the pompous Ceremonies and costly Ornaments of that Religion wherein all things are outwardly glorious and pleasant to the Eye but keep close to innocent Truth and let your Soul be always deeply affected with that Worship whose Majesty is in the Heart not in the Face which we profess with the greatest comfort and satisfaction and may we ever do so in the Communion of the best of Churches Thus we have seen at length that the Errors and Superstitions of the Church of Rome wherein they differ from Us are Fundamental Points both of Faith and Worship Therefore have no communication with those of that Way unless it be where civil Relations and Offices of Humanity and Charity require your compliance Now to conclude this Point all the Members of the Church of England are called Protestants a Name common to Us with our Brethren of the Reformed Churches beyond Sea and so indeed we are For we do solemnly protest against the Popish Universal Hierarchy Infallible Judgment Dispensations with the Laws of God and Sins of Men Oral Traditions and other Sacriledges disposing of Kingdoms deposing and Murdering of Princes the Merit of Good Works in our Conversion the Priests pretended Power of transubstantiating Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ the Sacrifice of the Mass Adoration of the Hostie Images Relicks Prayers to Saints and Angels Power of Indulgences Doctrin of Purgatory necessity of Auricular Confession Prohibition of Priests Marriages Pilgrimages Prayers in an unknown Tongue multitude of Sacraments Penances Miracles and Indian Wonders and pretences of curing the Deaf Dumb Blind Lame and raising the Dead Equivocations mental Reservations pious Frauds legendary Fables devilish Incantations sacred yet diabolical Magick and all their other Delusions and Fopperies as damnable and anti-christian You 'l be pleased Sir to join with me in this Protestation the very naming whereof tho I cannot now insist upon all the Particulars might almost induce you to it and let all true hearted and reformed Protestants both here and every where say Amen There are also several other Religious Sects or rather Hereticks which do err from the Foundation and the true Faith Such are the Anti-Trinitarians Arians Socinians c. who deny the Doctrin of the Holy Trinity the Divinity of Christ and the Holy Ghost and our Saviours Satisfaction All which being excommunicated by Us you must avoid them as the Pests and Enemies of our Religion and have no Intercourse nor Communion with them There 's another silly Sect called Quakers a People so far fallen from Christianity that they do scarce retain any one Article of the true Faith slight and reject all the Ordinances of the Gospel and extol the Light within them above the Holy Scriptures as the only sufficient Rule they are obliged to walk by I only tell you in short what Quakerism is and shall need to say no more of it being there 's so little Temptation to that Opinion Thus much by way of Digression My method leads me Thirdly To consider those Pretensions Reasons and Arguments which our Brethren of the Non-conformity have urged in defence of their Separation from Us. But to do them all the Justice imaginable I must note to you in the first place That those called Antinomians Anabaptists Independants and Presbyterians do hold the Foundation tho they differ from Us in some Opinions not essential to Salvation and notwithstanding their uncharitableness to Us we account them Christians and Brethren as holding the Essentials of Christianity tho they build upon a weak Foundation And seeing Providence has led you into those Countries for the present where you cannot worship God according to your own Way the Church of England both in her Judgment and Practice allows you to communicate with those Sister-Churches of the Reformation to whom we have always given the right Hand of Fellowship tho there be some circumstantial Differences between Them and Us. But You 'l probably meet with some in your Travels as well as in our own Nation who will be very forward to find Faults with and censure our Liturgy and Discipline as we have many of that capricious Humour amongst Us tho they scarce understand it Therefore for the further Confirmation and Establishment of your own Judgment herein and that you may be better fortified with Reasons and Arguments to vindicate our Church and clear those Objections which may be urged against her We shall consider First The most material Objections which have been formed against our Liturgy and Church Politie both at home and abroad Secondly We shall draw some rational Inferences from those Answers and Solutions for your further satisfaction And Thirdly Lay down some Rules by way of caution which I hope may secure you and by your Influence many others from a groundless Separation Of these distinctly And First All the Scruples of our Non-conforming Brethren against our Discipline and Set Form of Worship are reducible to and comprehended under these two Objections And 1. They charge Us with Popery which we abhor as much if not more than they do because say they our Form of Common Prayer by Law establisht is taken out of the Popish Mass-Book that they are Popish Prayers and much of our Discipline and many of our Ceremonies are now used in the Church of Rome Which Objection at the first appearance seems to be very harsh and has so affrighted some weak yet well-meaning Christians that they dare scarce come near Us but hold off and separate from our Communion To which I Answer This Objection is so far from being of any force against Us that it do's very much approve and justifie the singular Moderation of the Church of England as most willing and desirous to communicate with the Papists in all Things wherein we can do it lawfully and with a safe Conscience Besides those Divines who compiled our Liturgy were all Men of extraordinary Parts Piety and Learning and several of them died Martyrs for our Religion Nor have our dissenting Brethren the least colour of Reason to brand our Church Service with savouring too much of Popery seeing the Papists always have and ever had our