Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	england_n	reform_a	4,212	5	9.5265	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46391	A Just vindication of the honour of King James of blessed memory against the vile aspersions cast upon it and him by a late pamphlet printed by B. Took : and pretended to be presented by the grand jury for the town and borough of Southwark, &c.		1683 (1683)	Wing J1243; ESTC R35424	6,064	4

their Sentiments or Principles nor shall I need to note how he advises the Prince to beware alike of both the Extremities As well as ye Repress the vain Puritan so not to suffer the proud Papal Bishops Nor shall I concern my self whether ever there was such a People in the World called a Grand-Jury that Presented this matter though I confess it highly Improbable That Persons of their Character should ever have read much less understood Bazilicon Doron and it 's utterly incredible that Men of Inferior Trades most of them Mechanicks should venture upon a Point so Tender when 't is more than an even Wager not two of them could Read the Title nor am I to dispute how they could Present it upon their Oaths That what King James Asserted of those Puritans may as truly be Affirmed of the generality of Sectaries of our Times because it 's scarce Imaginable that such Persons have been able through the narrowness of their Employments to understand what the Principles of the generality of the Prosestant Dissenters are so well as King James who had advantage to search into the Principles and Practises of those Puritans whom he so severely and yet justly lashes Nor yet can I debate it how these Men can do this that they have done with all humble deference to their Superiors although it 's a Question to some Whether they understand the meaning of the Word Deference any more than that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or how their Conductor has Inspired a Salter or a Plummer a Brawers Clark or a Drummer a Meal-man or a Baker a Talley-man or Comb-maker a Vinegar Merchant or a Cartwheel-maker or a Smoothing-Iron-maker c. that they should ever profound into the secrets of State or dive into the meaning of that Learned King But there is that which I am concerned to make out That the Words of King James are grosly mistaken or wilfully misapplyed That he means not by those Puritans such as the generality of Dissenters now are and that he has in his Preface to his said Book abundantly satisfied the World of his true and pious Intentions A brief Account whereof I shall now give the Reader that he may learn if ever it should be his misfortune to come upon a Jury to which Matters out of his reach and depth should be offer'd for his Subscribing Swearing and Presenting to demean himself with that Prudence and Uprightness that becomes a Christian 1. Let us then hear King James himself his Royal Comment upon his own Royal Text The first Calumny says he in his Preface is grounded upon the sharp and bitter words that therein are used in the description of the Humours of the Puritans First then as to the Name of Puritans I am not ignorant that the Stile thereof doth properly belong to the vile Sect among the Anabaptists call'd The Family of Love because they think themselves onely Pure and in a manner without Sin the onely True Church and onely worthy to be participant of the Sacraments and all the rest of the World to be but Abominable in the sight of God of this special Sect I principally mean when I speak of Puritans And partly indeed I give this stile to such Brain-sick and heady Preachers their Disciples and Followers as refusing to be call'd of that Sect yet participate too much of their Humours in maintaining the above-mentioned Errors Very good I would humbly ask then How a Grand-Jury can Swear in Knowledg Judgment and Righteousness with Truth and a Good Conscience That those words of the King may as truly be Affirmed of the generality of Protestant Dissenters here in England at this day as they were asserted of those Puritans so described by His Majesty in his times It is very well known to all the World though it be not expected from men of mean Occupations to know it That the Dissenters do generally detest the thoughts of imagining themselves the Onely Pure People or to be without Sin or to be the Onely True Church in opposition to other Reformed Churches of France Holland Germany and England but do perfectly Harmonize with that whole Body of Protestants in all the Articles of Faith and Fundamental Points of Religion nay it is most apparent that his Majesty would be Interpreted to speak of none but the Family of Love or such as maintained their Error wherein the generality of Protestant Dissenters are not in the least concerned or involved However let His Majesty proceed It is onely of this kind of Men in this Book says the King that I write so sharply but all that other part N. B. I protest upon mine Honour I mean it not generally of all Preachers or others that like better of the single form of Policy in our Church the Church of Scotland than of the many Ceremonies of the Church of England That are perswaded that THEIR Bishops smells of a Papal Supremacy That the Surplice the cornered Cap and such like are the outward badges of Popish Error May we then believe His Majesty's Words Then how can they justifie their Oaths who Swear and Declare That the Kings Words may as truly be affirmed of the present Dissenters whom the Pamphleteer is pleased to stile Sectaries as of those Puritans when the King who doubtless understood his own meaning better than these Men of Blow Aprons openly declares the contrary and has left it upon Record under his own hand to Posterity Let us then for once suppose that the generality of Dissenters among us in England should judge That the plain simple Form of Government used in Scotland in those days was more desirable than many Ceremonies at that time or since used in the Church of England Suppose if you please That the generality of Dissenters should think that the English Bishops did a little smell of Papal Supremacy Suppose further that they should fancy that their Surplice their cornered Cap and such like usages as the Cross in one Sacrament Kneeling in the other were Badges of Popish Errors however they may be mistaken yet King James will acquit them of having any share upon that Account in those severe Characters he then gave of that kind of Puritans No says he I am so far from being Contentious in these things which for my own part I ever esteemed as indifferent as I do equally love and honour the Learned and Grave Men of either of these Opinions it can no ways become me so he goes on to pronounce so lightly of so old a Controversie He knew as well as any man that the difference had been from the Infancy of the Reformation Nay he knew that it had generally obtained in his Church of Scotland He adds We all God be praised do agree in the grounds and the bitterness of Men upon such questions doth but trouble the Peace of the Church or give advantage and entry to the Papists by our Division Let the Matter then be Refer'd to the Impartial Reader or