Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A56411
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The fire's continued at Oxford, or, The decree of the convocation for burning the Naked gospel, considered in a letter to a person of honour
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Parkinson, James, 1653-1722.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing P494; ESTC R1197
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18,231
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16
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beyond Sea than his Father thought allowable if not prevented by the Fellows of his Colledg He wrote a Book call'd The Constant Communicant dedicated to and approv'd of by his Grace the present Arch-Bishop of Canterbury wherein he pleads the Authority of the Church as an Obligation so to be Thus far he 's come without the least suspicion of want of Zeal for the Church on of Heresy But we won't secure him for the future for the last Publick Act that was at Oxford he expelled one of the Terrae Filius's for being very abusive to Dr. Wallis and refussing to desist when commanded This mightily displeas'd the Junior Masters and he now finds they have not forgot him In October last he joins with the Senior Fellows to expel another of their Degree Mr. Colmer Fellow of his own Colledg for Fornication which though it has occasion'd him and his Colledg all their Troubles yet let us by no means say it made the Naked Gospel Heretical and Impious But pursue Matter of Fact about the Manner of the Decree After the Bishop of E. had visited E. Colledg contrary to their Statutes and Protestation the major part of the Fellows suspended for not betraying their Priviledges One of them Excommunitated for the heinous Crime of reading Prayers after that Suspension the Rector himself expell'd for Contumacy c. and excommunciated for not yielding up his Lodgings as you have been informed While they were seeking redress from her Majesty and Privy Council a Petition against the Naked Gospel subscrib'd by Thirty or Forty of the Masters was publickly and rudely presented to Dr. M. Pro-Vice-Chancellor to be read in Congregation but he refused and gave it to the Vice-chancellor Now pray Sir please to observe that this was an irregular way of proceeding for the Vice-Chancellor only ought to take notice of Matters of that Nature and Petitions are not to be tendred by great Numbers However he gave way so far as to call a meeting of the Heads of Houses where the Business met with some opposition it being freely said that it was not fit they should be made Tools for the Bishop of E or some such thing yet 't was then referr'd to the two Professors Dr. Jane who drew up the famous Decree of 1683 and Dr. Hall barely to draw Propositions out of the Book the latter declin'd it and the former is said to have done it as in the Decree In the mean time her Majesty in Council is most graciously pleased to order the Lord Bishop of Exeter should put in an Answer to the Rector and Fellows Petition and to declare a Day should be appointed for hearing May we not think this hasten'd the Decree But now the Masters seeing nothing done upon the former Petition lay hold of a time when a Convocation was call'd upon another Occasion to deliver another Petition in a yet more tumultuous manner and with many more Hands to the Vice-Chancellor as he came out who took it amiss and reprov'd them saying He did not like that way of proceeding yet it came at last to what the World sees I shan't tell you Sir what manner of Men promoted it you easily by this time guess and though the University seem to be very sensible of the Figure they make in the World and the Deference paid their Opinion yet knowing that one of the Professors refus'd to be engag'd and hearing that several Heads of Houses and others were absent when the Decree past considering also the Time and Manner of it and the ill Fate of the now exploded Decree in 1683 That the N. G. supposing Dr. B. the Author ought not to prejudice him in his just Rights which seems chiefly design'd and especially his Colledg who are nothing concern'd that it 's now no Secret who are the Engines and Movers of all this that his worst Enimies live not far from a place where the Prayer has not been used for his Majesties success in Ireland but just on Fast-days when it can't be help'd no nor that in time of War and Tumults that considering the Time when some things happen'd one may wish there was not some further use intended to be made of them than the ruining a Rector and major part of a Colledg who are notoriously known to be as firm and hearty for the present Government as any in the three Kingdoms that the University are not the proper Judges of Heresy that they have no Statute as I can hear of for burning of Books That the Author is abus'd in the Quotations that he 's only guilty of a large generous and extensive Charity neither Socinian nor Arian And last of all considering that several Persons of a Character above any of the worthy Condemners and no ways inferior to the best of them if not exceeding in Learning and Wisdom have declared that upon reading the Book they could not see any Heresy in it I say Sir when one seriously reflects and without prejudice on all these things one may ver well afford to wish the Decree just as much Success as its Authors have shewn Justice And here it may not be amiss Sir to oblige you with what hath been said by an excellent Prelate of our own Church who has also summ'd up that celebrated Epistle of the Great and Wise Constantine which will be so entire a Vindication of the Author of the Naked Gospel that nothing can be so much as whisper'd against him and which Persons of free and generous Minds may be apt to oppose to the Sentiments of the University however considerable ' There are some wise Persons says this great Man speaking of the first Council of Nice that think the Church had been more happy if she had not been in some sense constrain'd to alter the Simplicity of her Faith and make it more curious and articulate so much that he had need be a subtile Man to understand the words of the New Determinations And a little after Now then they that liv'd in that Age that understood the Men that saw how quiet the Church was before this stir how miserably rent now what little benefit from the Question what Schism about it gave other Censures of the Business than we since have done who only look on the Article as determin'd with Truth and Approbation of the Church generally since that Time Socrat. lib. 1. c. 2. But the Epistle of Constantine to Alexander and Arius tells the Truth and chides them both for commenting the Question Alexander for broaching it Arius for taking it up and although this be true that it had been better for the Church it never had begun yet being begun What is to be done in it Of this also in that admirable Epistle we have the Emperor's Judgment I suppose not without the advice and privity of Hosius Bishop of Corduba whom the Emperor lov'd and trusted much and employ'd in the delivery of the Letters ' First he calls it a certain vain piece of a Question