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
A64152	The anatomy of the separatists, alias, Brownists the factious brethren in these times, wherein this seditious sect is fairely dissected, and perspicuously discovered to the view of world : with the strange hub-bub, and formerly unheard of hurly-burly, which those phanatick and fantastick schismatiks made on Sunday ... the 8 of May ... at the sermon of the Right Rev. Father in God, Henry, Bishop of Chichester ...	Taylor, John, 1580-1653.	1642 (1642)	Wing A3060B; Wing T427; ESTC R20093	6,282	10

THE ANATOMY OF THE Separatists alias Brownists the factious Brethren in these Times WHEREIN This seditious Sect is fairely dissected and perspicuously discovered to the viewof World With the strange hub-bub and formerly unheard of hurly-burly which those phanatick and fantastick Schismatiks made on Sunday in the after-noone being the 8 of May in the Parish of S. Olaves in the Old-Iury at the Sermon of the Right Rev. Father in God Henry Bishop of Chichester In the presence of the Right Honorable the Lord Major of this renowned Metropolis and diverse worthy Members of the Honorable House of COMMONS LONDON Printed in the yeare 1642. The Anatomy of the Separatists Alias Brownists the factious Brethren in these Times SVch is the all-daring and Lewd Licentiousnesse of these last and perillous dayes of the World that with their Faction Schisme confusion of contradicting and dissenting Sectaries the Church of England not long since the Reformed Religion is promiscuously shaken deplorably enervated miserably torne and distracted Religion it selfe is now crucified as Christ was between two thieves viz Superstition and Irreverence which is a spice of Atheisme and of the two extreames is worse peccant in the defect than in the excesse The World is growne into a new confused Chaos full of new wine lately come from New England a new Spirit new Revelations new Formes of Prayer There is such a giddinesse in the profession of Religion that every one almost is led by his own opinion and most men in matters of judgement are divided one against another 'T is too true that many places in the Kingdom of England and in this Citty of London are too much Amsterdamnified by brainelesse opinions and severall senses which indeed are senselesse senses in Religion Religion is become common Table-talke the ordinary discourse at very our Commons and Ordinaries where a man shall hardly find foure together of one mind The Papists will have their way the Atheists will have their way the Brownists their way the Anabaptists their way the Familists their way and the Sisters of the Fraternity their way So that in these various and irregular wayes they make such an intricate Labyrinth of Religion that few or none scarce can find out the right way A man may with more facility reckon up all the species and kinds of Nature then describe all the Sects Divisions and Opinions in Religion that are at this time amongst us Some approve of Popery because Ignorance is the mother of Devotion Others affect nothing but their own silly fancyes esteeming all things else prophanation and superstition One at the receiving of the holy Communion will not kneele another will not stand a third will sit downe a fourth will not bow One holds reverence to be Popery another that Rayles before the Communion Table are Romish and that all decency is Superstitious Some say it is lawful to kneele at receiving the Elements of the sacred Eucharist others argue and plead for it as expedient some again do presse it as necessary and there are others indeed too many of that Sect amongst us who abhorre it as Idolatrous One out of zeale somewhat inconsiderate cryes down Episcopacy as Antichristian Another very moderate wishes earnestly Episcopacy were reformed and purged from the Romish and Tyrannicall government that incumbers it A third kind of men carryed by a contrary wind maintaine Episcopacy to be Iure Divino Thus quot homines tot Sententiae So many men so many minds From these premisses of Discord and Faction needs must there proceed much tumult and distraction to the great disgrace and scandall to the true Protestant Religion to the encouragement of the wicked who seeing that there are so many Sects and Separatists will therefore be of no Religion O Deus bone in quae tempora reservasti nos● Polycarp Well may we take up that exclamation of the Roman Orator O tempora O mores Bad times wherein there are worse men and worst of all manners Plenitudo hominum sed solitudo bonorum a plenty of men but a scarcity of good men There is such a multitude of Sectaries in all places both in our Cities and Countries that we may justly feare this little Island will be turned into a great Amsterdam Hinc illae lacrymae One would reconcile Popery and our Religion together another would introduce faction and innovations into the Church So that between the Papists and Separatists the Church strangely suffers This latter sort of late days hath been very impudent and turbulent both to the Church and Common-wealth They were never more insolent at any time then they are now at this time and never more frequent and resident in any place then in the two famous Cities Amsterdam and this of London They are the Separatists or Brownists the Libertines or Anabaptists who are grown to a great head for indeed they are Bellua multorum capitum a giddy headed multitude are so common amongst us that they are commonly call'd the Round-heads The Fraternity at Amsterdam and the Brownists in Town are brethren of the same Tribe They are nominated Brownists from one Browne as we usually terme the Lutherans from Luther the Calvinists from Calvin and the Arminians from Arminius These are the late up-start Sectaries of this age the new crept in Caterpillers of our Kingdome that do more mischief dayly than any sect whatsoever These are the Ionahs that have raised the tempest these are the Achaxs that do trouble our Israel They are so many for their multitude that like Bees they swarme amongst us Indeed the time was when they crept in corners but now they are like the Egyptian Locusts covering the whol land ye may know them by their frequent and far fetcht sighes the continuall elevation of their eyes their meager physiognomies solitary countenances sharp noses by the cut of their hayre made even with the top of their prick-eares for their haire is as short as their eye-brows though their consciences be as vast as the Ocean yee may further discerne them by their broad hats and narrow ●ufs which they usually weare the putting of their gloves under their girdles and the folding of their hands one within another Indeed they are painted sepulchres whited walls whose Religion consists in frequent fasting and long prayers which devoure widdowes houses the outside of whose vessels are pure and washed but within full of filth and corruption under sheep-skins are ravenous Wolves They hold that Religion ought to be guided by the motion of the Spirit not reason therefore they will rule Religion Religion shall not rule them or else they will go against Religion as the Iewes did in meeting Christ with swords and staves They pretend sanctity but intend impiety much they professe but little good they expresse Their Piety is altogether dissembled and what that is t is sufficiently known for simulat a sanctitas est duplex iniquitas Religion is of it selfe pure unspotted immaculate and undefiled but they by

their private malice do endeavour to pollute and contaminate the purity thereof They say they would have Religion reformed but their ayme is to have it deformed These were called in Greeke {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in Hebrew Paratzim viz. Separatists for other men they accounted profane people of the earth but themselves the only holy men in the Land therefore with others they would not converse for feare of defilement In a precise manner they looke down with their eyes when inwardly a whore is not more deceitful They are double-minded hollow-hearted and wil as nimbly swallow up at a bit another mans estate as our Dutch will pills of butter and never purch for it All is fish that comes to their net Vnde habeant nemo quaerit sed oportet habere They make it no matter how they come by it so they have it Their mouths are replenished with yeas and very lyes but their tongs and hearts do as much differ as truth and errour though they do seldome damnably sweare yet they will most abominably lye For lying falsehood and hypocrisy these are their familiar experssions They are much addicted to prayer and fasting for they frame a long Babel-like prayer made up with hums and hawes and though they affect fasting well yet they love their flesh better They much delight in private conventicles and secret and obscure places in which voluptuous wantonnesse has her meeting where the Spirit enlightens the understanding to see a sister in the darke though they are superciliously rigid and censorious yet they seem very charitable for rather then their sisters shall want food they will fill their bellies and rather then they shall be naked they will cover their bodyes Brothers they are but not of the blade for they cannot endure our Cavaleers yet they are lovers of the sisters of the scaberd Brethren they are not of the Corporation but the separation like Simeon and Levi they are fratres in malo They are altogether ignorant therefore they despise all learning for the tongues and languages they utterly abhorre and detest them as profane and for our ordinary Latine they 〈◊〉 it is the language of the beast They are resolved still to be as they are ignorant for they bold it Idolatry and superstition to learne to re●d because the very first letter begins with a Crosse The Crosse they account the marke of the beast and though it be the ancient ensign of Christianity yet by them it is contemned All Crosses they dosie as may-poles the one they hold profane and the other they averre to be superstitious They can endure no Crosse but that on Silver or Gold and for the Crosse in Cheapeside it is the pillar of golden superstition the abomination of the City the City Idoll and a supporter of Idolls having so many images about it which is as displeasing to their sight as the Counter in Woodstreet is to an indebted Citizen All Ceremonies they account Popish a Surplesse the snock of the whor of Babilon the sight wherof is as terrible to them in a Church at noone as the apparition of a Ghost in a Church-yard at midnight An orthodox and lawfuly called and allowed Minister is not minded amongst them for they hold it as lawfull for Artificers and Laymen to preach in publike and those that are most inferior as Coblers Weavers Leather-sellers Box-makers Iron-mongers Felt-makers and such mechanick fellowes These and their holy sisters for they may wel be linkt together are they who by their unreverent gestures in the Church disesteeme of Church-Prayers These are they who contemn the publike service of God and cry down the Lyturgie of the Church of England that solemne Lyturgie celebrous by the piety of Bishops and Martyres hallowed with the blond of some of them who composed it established by the Lawes of this Land by severall Acts of Parliament in this Kingdome attested and approved by the best of all forraigne Divines confirmed by the subscription of all the Clergie accepted of by the most and best of all the Laity and hath continued since in the raignes of Queene Elizabeth King Iames and our gracious King Charles in the Church of England for the service of God these 90. yeares that this holy exercise of Religion should be by them vilified interrupted and depraved what doth it tend to but the advancing of Heresie Schisme Profanenesse Libertinisme Anabaptisme and Atheisme We acknowledge that some parts of our publike Liturgy may be very well corrected and thankes be to God the great Counsell of the King and the Kingdome have consulted and determined about it but the clamours now go very high Impudence or Ignorance is at this time grown so frontlesse that it is confidently expected by many that all formes of publike worship should be utterly abrogated and that our booke of Common-Prayer should bee quite abolished as they would have Episcopacy everlastingly extirpated They affirme that that which is called the Liturgy is the same with the Masse either a Lethargy of worship or a Masse of Idolatry wherein is no purity but all papistry In the Service-booke they say there are foppish and foolish Tautologies as in these words The Lord be with you and with your Spirit And in the Letany there are vaine and ●●ivolous repetitions of words as Good Lord deliver us and We bese●●● to heare us good Lord which they are not ashamed to say are ridiculous Invocations like magick spels and no better than conjuring These moderne Zealots forsooth are offended at the vestments and habits of the Clergie every thing though never so laudable decent and necessary if contrary to their opinion is by them accounted profane or superstitious They make no reckoning of the Church of God than of a barne or a stable either of these is all alike to them Barnes and Stables are for threshers and hostlers the Church is the House of God yet they are so base minded as to conjecture a barne or stable good enough for him whom the heaven of heavens cannot containe the high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity They account their own houses as holy as the Church T is strange Divinity and yet I hold no inherent holinesse in either I have read of a sort of Hereticks about the yeare of our Lord 1126. who would have all Churches defaced and demolished as needlesse Fabricks and unnecessary structures for God dwels not in temples made with hands Sure these Separatists are of their minds If they were not they would mind the Church better then they do But these love to stand without at the Church doore I am sure they have no president for it out of the Word of God that whilst the preacher and people are praying within they should stand prating without That description of S. Paul may be properly predicated of them they are lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud disobedient unthankfull unholy without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers incontinent