Selected quad for the lemma: word_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A71214
|
A vindication of the two letters concerning alterations in the liturgy in answer to Vox cleri / by a London presbyter.
|
Basset, William, 1644-1695.
|
1690
(1690)
|
Wing V533; ESTC R595
|
18,900
|
36
|
A VINDICATION Of the Two LETTRES CONCERNING Alterations in the Liturgy IN ANSWER TO VOX CLERI A VINDICATION Of the Two LETTERS CONCERNING Alterations in the Liturgy IN ANSWER TO Vox Cleri By a London Presbyter LONDON Printed for R. Baldwin near the Black Bull in the Old-Baily MDCXC A VINDICATION OF THE Two Letters TO THE CONVOCATION THo' the two Letters concerning the Convocation are sufficient to satisfie any reasonable and unprejudiced Man that alterations in our Liturgy are not only Lawful but in this juncture expedient too Yet a late Pamphlet intituled Vox Cleri gives me a just occasion both of confirming what they have said and also of exposing this Pamphlets little Pleas and Sophistry against so Wise and Charitable an undertaking The very Title viz. Vox Cleri or The Sense of the Clegy speaks the Author both weak and peevish and the Quotation of Prov. 24.21 in the Title page Fear God and the King and meddle not with them that are given to Change is an argument ex abundanti this way For what hath this busie Thing to do with the Sense of the Clergy What Commission hath he to acquaint the World with their Minds The very thing it self betrays the Author to a just suspicion as speaking more of Design than Truth But what Clergy doth he mean It must be either the Convocation or those in his Neighbourhood p. 1. if the former the thing is false for he declares in his Protestation that there is nothing yet proposed to them therefore they have not yet Voted in this matter whence alone we may conclude their Sense if the latter the thing is weak and frivolous because to these we oppose the Vox Cleri or Sense of the Clergy in the City as well as else where who must be allowed to be more considerable than those in a Country Neighbourhood for to mention no more these are few and as we have reason to belieâ—e prejudiced by Leâ—ters misâ—epresenting the whole Affair Indeed his Reflections p. 24. say they have not seen any Pamphlets or Printed Letters against Alterations but this implies that they have seen Written ones else what need of this restriction In truth this is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the true cause of our present heaâ—s and difficulties which speaks the Sense of some Men to be more a Passion than a true Judgment As to that Scripture Solomon spoke not in reference to Forms and Ceremonies which is our Subject but of substantial Duties to God and the King which affects this Gentleman more than those whom he opposes in that he makes it his business p. 2. c. to sham and put tricks upon His Majesty's Commission therefore his application of it is but an absur'd wresting of the Sacred Text. It is true it hath been sometimes used this way from the general force and signification of the Word which yet speaks more of Phansie than Jugdment but ought not by formal Quotation for this imports the sense the Author uses it in to be the sense of the Holy Pen-man According to this the Author must be of no Church in the World for where is the HoIy-Kiss and Love-Feasts Where are Deaconesse Exorcisms with a multitude or Ceremonies in Baptism as thrice Diping Anointing c. Where is the Water mingled with the Sacramental Wine Where Kneeling in Prayer all the Week in token of the Fall by sin and Standing on Sundays as well as all that space between Easter and Pentecost signifying the Resurrection Which things we frequently meet with both the Greek and Latin Fathers Where is the steddiness of the Greek Church which hath altered her Liturgy so often that a Collection of her several Forms are said by the Letter to a Friend to amount to Twenty Volums Where is the unchangeableness of the Latin Church which hath often altered her publick Service notwithstanding her pretences to an Infallibility Where is the constancy of the Church of England which hath changed not only under Popery but under Edw. 6. Q. Eliz. and Car. 2. therefore this Gentleman with vanity enough advises not to meddlâ— with them that are given to change while he professes himself a Member of that Church that hath changed so often already and allows of farther changes still In the Book it self he saith p. 1. that the Clergy in his Neighbourhood are inclinable to part with several Ceremonies and to submit to many Alterations for the peace of the Church and satisfaction of sober Dissenters Answ 1 The Author is known to be himself a Member of the Covocation therefore this Intelligence of the Election of Dr. Jane which he pretends to have received from one of the Convocation and the great satisfaction he saith it gives to the Clergy of those parts is all but a meer contrivance and may justly be suspected to have more of a Trick than of Truth in it Suppose this true yet what have the Convocation to do with the Sense of this Party more than of anothers Why should they regard a little Plat in the Country more than the Metropolis of this Kingdom Or why should our Pamphleter think to give the Convocation Laws from those four notions which himself and other suggestions have begot in a few of his own Creatures They are to consider what is fit to be done not what a few prejudiced and designing Men would have them do But If they are thus inclined let that inclination appear in those whom they have sent up to this Convocation else we must take all this but as a fair introduction to a foul design and indeed his management of this affair gives us a shrewd suspicion of it For it seems these Gentlemen required two things in order to such condescentions viz. 1. That Dissenters apply themselvs to the Convocation for Alterations lest they should reject the kindness with a Quis requisivit p. 2. and 2. That they declare what Alteration will satifie 'em p. 3. To the former of these we Answer Suppose want of application may be granted to give him a moral assurance as he saith that concessions will be despised yet this affects those as the leading men who are the usual Addressers or at most but some others of the Party not all the People many of whom we are morally assured stand ready for an accommodation Alterations are the thing which many of 'em have long Called and Wrote for it is what they expect from the promise of the Bishops and acquiescence of the Clergy whence they now wait for the performance while many begin to censure and reproach us since they find a difficulty in it Therefore there is neither reason nor temper in his insisting still upon applications Some conceive that some of their leading Men industriously neglect or refuse such applications that hereupon by means of our stiffness as well as otherwise they may gain more than they believe the Church will give them and if so it concerns us in point of Prudence as well
as Duty to grant them something lest they get what we are unwilling to part from Some things imposed are without all controversie an offence to many weak ones and certainly we ought to remove the Stumbling-block so far as the safety of the Church will permit tho' they never Petition for the kindness unless their neglect of what we think is their Duty may excuse our neglect of what we know to be our own And indeed it is a pretty shuffle that because some Men are thought to be stiff therefore the Church owes no regards either to them or any of their Party of whom many may be gained if the fault is not our own But in truth all this is only a blind excuse for not doing what he hath no mind should be done for the close of this Paragraph saith it is declared in the Preface to the Liturgy as also in the Kings Ecclesiastical Commission that Alterations may be made according to the exigency of times and occasions yet he opposes another part of the Preface to both viz. That the Book that is of Common Prayer as it stood before Established by Law doth not contain in it any thing contrary to the Word of God or to sound Doctrin or which a godly Man may not with a good Conscience use and submit to or which is not fairly defensible to which he adds that it hath been altered for the better in some hundreds of places since suggesting hereby that it needs no Alterations now which gives an undoubted evidence 1. Of his inconsistency with himself for he argues against Alterations meerly for want of application from Dissenters and yet under the same Head changes his Topick disputing against such Alterations from the perfection of our Liturgy he would have none because Dissenters ask for none and then because there is need of none Certainly he shifts his Argument because he suspects that the first prpposed will not stand the shock and therefore brings on this as a reserve to support it 2. This speaks his Insincerity for he knows we plead for Alterations from a prudential necessity arising not so much from the Book it self as from the weakness of some who misunderstand and the perversness of others who industriously abuse it What need then of justifying the Book in this argument unless to amuse the Reader with an heap of pleas to no purpose 3. This discovers his grose Inadvertency in that he pleads against Alterations from Dissenters not asking for them and yet in the same Head declares himself absolutely against all Alterations whether they ask or not in that he uses the Kings Commission and the Preface to the Common Prayer against the design of that Commission and that very Liberty which the Preface it self doth give us so fain would he carry on a design which he is ashamed to own i. e. hinder Alteration and yet lay the fault at the Dissenters doors Whatever is at the bottom this is generally the humor amongst Men of this complexion they wish for Peace but will part with nothing for it and the Gentlemen in this Authors Neighbourhood who speak fair but do nothing are like the disobedient Son who said I go but went not for which he had I 'le warrant you as good reasons as these before you 2. He pleads p. 3. That they ought to declare what Alterations will satisfie else they have no reason to make any Answ 1 This some of 'em have done already under Car. 2. and still do by their frequent complaints and the reasons they give of their separation And the late promise of accommodation must respect the Alteration of those things so far as may be that offend the more reasonable and judicious amongst ' em Now after all this for them to make new proposals is not only actum agere but a putting their Cause back which is already known and hath advanced so far as to have gained the promise of a due consideration Therefore there is now nothing wanting on our parts in order to their case and our security but a performance of that Promise By this Paragraph he expects that all parties should agree in their demands which he knows and p. 2. acknowledges is impossible therefore his requiring impossible conditions of peace is no better than a fallacious denial of that peace it selfe Hence he urges the extravagancy of some men that have trampled on Condescensions made in the Year 1661. and others proposed by the present Bishop of Worcester in the Year 1681. which he thinks enough to render the Church justly sour and peevish forever Answ 1 He. withal acknowledges that these are but some that flie such heights and grants us p. 2. that all cannot agree in common Proposals which utterly destroys his argument for as some will not so the very Differences amongst themselves do assure us that others will accept reasonable Condescensions and the gaining a part is not only all we expect but is sufficient to our end too These few he quotes by such unreasonable flights must be presumed to design the obstructing all future Alterations as knowing that this is the ready way to break their Parties Therefore our Pamphlet not only trifles but also gratifies those few hot and designing men who intend not an accommodation but the maintaining of a Faction But p. 4. drives on the same argument quoting a Book of Mr. R. B's which saith There are Forty sinful particulars in our Communion besides Thirty tremendous Principles and Circumstantials which affright Dissenters from it and the healing attempt requires not such abatements as Authority now designs but the admission of their new Model for a Comprehension which is such as will make every Parish Church independent All which things p. 5. assure us that the Convocation neither can nor will alter and yet if any one remain unaltered the Schism will continue Whence he asks Cui bono To what end should any Alterations be made To which he thinks a satisfactory Answer cannot be given But this is an argument of the weakness of his reasoning not of the strength of his Cause for this supposes that all Dissenters are of the same mind which is a poor fallacy called Petitio principii a taking that for granted which he must prove else his whole cause falls to the ground To which we Answer It is well known that Dissenters under the same denomination are of very different minds as to the matters of our Church for some are offended at one thing some at another and some at more which together they think give a just cause of Separation Therefore a few Alterations would leave some no Objection and others too little even in their own judgments to justifie a Schism This supposes that Alterations will gain Dissenters only which we can never grant him because a great part of this Nation stands more or less doubtful and indifferent between the Church and the Conventicle who seeing the peaceable inclination of the Church manifested