Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	ancient_a	father_n	primitive_a	3,741	5	8.1245	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90688	Heautontimoroumenos, or, The self-revenger exemplified in Mr. William Barlee. By way of rejoynder to the first part of his reply, viz. the unparallel'd variety of discourse in the two first chapters of his pretended vindication. (The second part of the rejoynder to the second part of his reply being purposely designed to follow after by it self, for reasons shortly to be alledged.) Wherein are briefly exhibited, amongst many other things, the rigidly-Presbyterian both principles and practice. A vindication of Grotius from Mr. Baxter. of Mr. Baxter from Mr. Barlee. of Episcopal divines from both together. To which is added an appendage touching the judgement of the right Honourable and right Reverend Father in God, Iames Lord primate of Armagh, and metropolitan of Ireland, irrefragably attested by the certificates of Dr. Walton, Mr. Thorndike, and Mr. Gunning, sent in a letter to Doctor Bernard. By Thomas Pierce Rector of Brington.	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.; Gunning, Peter, 1614-1684.; Thorndike, Herbert, 1598-1672.; Walton, Brian, 1600-1661.	1658 (1658)	Wing P2181; Thomason E950_1; ESTC R207591	167,618	192

advancing the common interest of Religion as 't is exhibited in the Gospell and in the purest Ages of the Church Nor vvas their zeal for Reformation any vvhit the lesse religious because they desir'd it might be regular and bloodlesse after the tenor of the Gospell and according to the temper of Jesus Christ vvithout the miseries of Rebellion against the Deputyes of God vvhich is worse then the Disease of vvhich it is intended a means of cure 3. It had been vvell if Mr. Baxter had nam'd those Papists vvho stay in England under the notion of Episcopal Divines and having nam'd them it had been vvell if he had publickly declared he meant no more for fear his suggestion might reach so far as to asperse the vvhole Body of the Episcopall clergy in vvhom the Protestant interest doth chiefly stand If I except Bishop Goodman I have not heard of any Papist vvho hath vvorn the Protestant for a disguise which should no more be imputed to the rest of that order then it vvas to St. Peter or St. Iohn that one of their order vvas a Devill one in 12. is as much as two in 24. The other tvvo vvhom he mentions I knovv nothing of and am obliged by my charity to think none evill Nay I have heard of Bishop Wren that he is equally a learned and pious Prelate as far from being a Papist as Mr. Barlee from being an Episcopal Divine And untill I have reason for the contrary I will believe him to be as excellent as excellent persons do represent him What is added of Dr. Vane and two besides who are indeed turn'd Papists may be objected to that Rigor of the Presbyterians and the havock which they made whilst yet it lay in their power whereby they did not discover but make men Papists Some may possibly wonder they frighted so many out of our Church but I am still wondring the frighted wretches were no more For when they saw their Mother persecuted they esteemed her forsaken when they saw her a cast down they sillily thought her to be destroy'd Which defection of a few is no more to the disparagement of those that are faithfull in the Land then it was to St. Paul that Demas had forsaken him and had embraced this present world There are a multitude God be thanked who being c troubled on every side are notwithstanding not distressed and however c perplexed are far enough from despair 4. It may be proposed to consideration what may possibly be the reasons why Episcopal Divines professing an enmity to the Pope and to all that can truly be called Popish and writing whole volumes in opposition to all his interests should yet so easily be charged with being Papists and which is yet of sadder moment with a strong design to bring in Popery into the Land as the publick and generall Profession of it 1. It is not Popish to approve the Government of Bishops for so did orthodox Melanchthon and moderate Bucer so did all the great Protestants in the conference at Augusta and George Prince of Anhalt Earle of Ascaina whom no man living will call a Papist nay so did Mr. Calvin as himself declared to Cardinal Sadolet in excuse of what was done to the Bishop of Geneva Talem nobis Hierarchiam si exhibeant c. If they will give us such an Hierarchie wherein the Bishops may be so eminent as that withall they may not think themselves above obedience unto Christ then I confesse they deserve to be deliver'd up to Satan who do not reverently observe them with all obedience So did the same Mr. Calvin at Wormes and Ratisbone and when he subscribed the Augustan Confession Nay so did Beza himself which we should never have believed if he himself had not put it into the number of his confessions It is not therefore a Popish thing to approve of the Episcopal or Hierarchical Order Nor 2. is it Popery to adhere unto a Liturgie and Rites established in the church by Law and Canon For that was done by Mr. Calvin who did humbly advise the supreme Magistrate here in England even Edward the sixth that we might have in our Churches a set Form of Prayer from which it should not be lawfull for any Minister to swerve in his Ecclesiastical function and that for these two reasons 1. for the help of the more ignorant unskilfull people and 2. that a Harmony or agreement of all our Churches between themselves might appear the more plainly to all the world He farther declared his opinion that as the Rites and Ceremonies were to be set as well as the Prayers of the Church so they were also to be adapted to the use and capacity of common people He added that it was lawfull to make mention of the dead in publick Prayer after the ancient custome of the Church that the Communion of all the faithfull joyned together in one body might be declared by that means From all which it is evident that Mr. Barlee's jear doth reach as far as Mr. Calvin who had some kind of hand in liturgicall knacks and did many times approve of the Hierarchick Flaunt too And so did Zanchy in such a measure that he was censur'd severely for it The Protestant Churches in France have a publick Liturgy and yet are no Papists The Primitive Fathers had Liturgyes before Poperie was borne Nay Mr. Cartwright and others of the Geneva cut did make a new Common Prayer in Queen Elizabeths dayes and agreed to put it in publick practice without consent of Queen or Parlament They were not grieved at set Formes but that they were not of their forging The Common Prayer had no fault but that it was established by the Law of the Land Nor 3. is it Popery to reject the Presbyterian Discipline For besides that 't is a thing about which its chief Architects could hardly ever agree among themselves the learned Discourser saying one thing Mr. Travers a second Mr. Cartwright a third against both and a fourth against himself and a fifth against his fourth the first disturber of the Episcopal was the male-content Aerius who was a Heretick for his pains in the esteem of Epiphanius and of St. Austin and so affirmed to have been censur'd for the very fact of opposing Bishops by the unanimous consent of the Vniversity of Oxford 4. It is not Popery to yield a just Authority to universall Tradition the consentient judgement and practice of the universall Church For besides that the Socinians are enemyes to that it is declared by the Protestant Vniversity of Oxford to be the best Interpreter of Scripture in things not clearly express't and that without it we should be at a losse in sundry points both of Faith and manners at this day firmly believed and securely practised by us when by the Socinians Anabaptists and other Sectaryes we should be called upon for our