Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	2,927	5	9.4030	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02741	The case of the dissenters of Ireland consider'd, in reference to the sacramental test.	Dopping, Anthony, 1643-1697.	1695 (1695)	Wing D1910; ESTC R171816	7,433	8

THE CASE OF THE DISSENTERS of IRELAND Consider'd In Reference to the SACRAMENTAL TEST I Have ever been of an Opinion That a bare Ease to tender Consciences was not the thing the Dissenters aimed at and that a Bill to that purpose would not please them unless they might have Liberty to come into Offices and 〈◊〉 And now 〈◊〉 length the Mystery is discovered by the Author of the Case of the Protestant Dissenters in Ireland who tells us That 't is Dangerous and Vnreasonable to lay such Restraints upon them as to incapacitate them for Imployments that it will be rather an Hardship than a Favour and will put them into worse Circumstances than they are at present If the Author of the Case had consider'd the Matter without any byass to his own Party and how much the Established Church and Religion is like to lose by their concessions to Dissenters in point of Indulgence he must have thought it Reasonable That the Members of it should have some equivalent for their Losses and would not have pronounced such hard Things concerning the Sacramental Test which is the only Restraint that troubles them and the strongest Security that the Church hath I presume There is a general inclination in all sober Persons to Grant Ease to tender Consciences in matter of Religion as far as it is consistent with the Peace of the Civil and the Security of the Ecclesiastical Government and it is very certain That as the external profession of Religion and the injoyment of Civil and Military Offices are things of a very different Nature so the Dissenters may injoy the one without desiring to be admitted to the other And since they are not satisfied without both they give us just Reason of standing upon our Guard and to be wary of what concessions are granted them lest they turn to our own Prejudice We have felt the roughness of their Hands when they were in Power and have no invitation to try their goood Nature a second time by putting them into a capacity of doing us Mischief I shall not enter into any Debate with the Author of the Case upon the first Head Viz. That they should have a Bill for full Security in the free exercise of Religion if that would content them For I think it reasonable and fit to Grant it as far as it is consistent with the Peace of the State and the Security of the Church by Law Established Tho' by the way there was a time when they that plead now so strongly for Toleration did formerly condemn it as unlawful when they were in Power and would not allow it to others That which I have to Offer is on the Second Head That Modestly taxeth the Sacramental Test as a thing hard and unreasonable to press upon them but if it can be made appear that the Established Church of Ireland should have some Security that She ought to have more Security than the Church of England hath in her Act of ●ndulgence that the Sacramental Test is fit to be insisted on as one Branch of her Security I hope it will not be thought unreasonable in the Church Party to desire it and that if the Honourable Parliament thinks it not fit to give them any higher Security they will at least think it reasonable not to praeclude them the benefit of this which is so necessary to the support of Her Constitutions First It is reasonable that the Established Church and Her Members should have some Security First because there is no State or Government where Toleration or Indulgence to Men of different Perswasions is allowed but taketh a care to secure the Religion and Worship of the State against all Dissenters from it They will not suffer the Religion of the State to be Preached against in Publick nor the Magistracy to be possessed by Dissenters All that they are allowed is freedom of Trade and exemption from suffering in point of Conscience 'T is so in Holland in Switzerland and in the several Principalities in Germany where Indulgence is allowed Secondly The Church of Ireland parts with 〈…〉 present Security and may therefore reasonably expect an equivalent for them She parts with Her two Acts of Vniformity which the Wisdom of former Parliaments thought necessary for the Security of Her Worship And it is expected That several of Her Articles that senced in Her Doctrine should be quitted in favour to Dissenters Viz The 27th in complyance to the Anabaptists The 39th in favour to the Quakers The 34 35 36th together with the Clause in the 20th Article in favour to all Dissenters Nay some of these Articles are not the peculiar Doctrine of the Church of England as she stands divided from other Communions but they are the common Doctrines of Christianity in general I mean the 27th Article relating to Infant Baptism the dispensing with which seems to me to be the quitting of the Cause of the whole Catholick Church Secondly The Church of Ireland hath Reason to insist on and expect more Security than the Church of England hath Because Her Circumstances and Condition is very different from Hers by Reason of the growing Power and Interest of the British among us and the Obligation they take to lye upon them of maintaining the Solemn League and Covenant 'T is well known That the British are already possessed of near one fourth part of the Kingdom that they have spread themselves into other Provinces and that there are frequent Colonies coming out of Scotland to carry on the Plantation of the Party That the Commons are generally fond of the Solemn League and Covenant and retain an Affection for it though the Nobility and Gentry are otherwise affected That by the Second Article of the Covenant they are bound to endeavour without respect of Persons the extirpation of Prelacy as well as Popery That the Assembly in their Catechi●m have declared That a false Worship is not to be Tolerated that they judge ours to be such That the Kirk of Scotland hath Acted in pursuance to these Doctrines since His Majesties happy Accession to the Crown and would allow no Toleration to the Church Party in Scotland tho' they received several Messages from His Majesty in favour of their Persecuted Brethren So that by these Doctrines and Practices 't is easie to infer what sort of Usage we are to expect from them if they had the Power in their own Hands and they cannot think it unreasonable that some stop should be put to that Power which when once grasped will put them upon the Execution of their Principles without any respect to Age Sex or Condition No State did ever yet put its Subjects into Places of Trust and Power that thought themselves obliged in Conscience to overturn its Constitutions and if ours consents to it it will be the first and the only one that ever did it Indeed if by any Publick Authentick Act they would declare either against the Second Article of the Covenant or the