Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bring_v	great_a	time_n	2,743	5	3.1017	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49520	Some dialogues between Mr. G. and others with reflections upon a book called Pax vobis.	Lynford, Thomas, 1650-1724.; Griffith, Evan, A.M., Minister of Alderly. Pax vobis.	1687 (1687)	Wing L3570; ESTC R218147	15,451	61

Church of England gives you leave nay desires you to examine the truth of her Doctrines and the lawfulness of her prudential provisions and orders and so depends not upon her own bare Authority but is ready to justifie to every one of her Members the reasonableness of her commands which is plain and honest dealing and ought to give great satisfaction to every wise and honest man. Mr. G. I wonder why you should so magnifie the Church of England which has as much establish'd this liberty of believing what we please as any other part of the Reformation having in a few years changed and establish'd different Religions by publick Acts of Parliament as this Author has made out p. 10. E. F. It never troubles my head what Changes and Alterations have been made or how they have been made That which I am concerned to know is Whether the present settlement is contrived to promote Virtue and Goodness as it ought to do and whether it contains nothing contrary to the Word of God. Mr. G. Pray Sir is it lawful to settle one thing at one time and the quite contrary at another Esq F. I do not say so They who at any time settle what is destructive of good Manners or contrary to the Word of God do amiss There is no such thing at present setled in the Church of England and therefore what care I how things were heretofore or by what steps and degtees they came to be so well setled as they are Great alterations cannot be compleated in a moment and it required some time to bring men out of that darkness in which they had so long sat and if we were to be brought back again to that condition in which we then were thirty or forty years might well be allowed to effect it in for how hasty soever some folk may be it is not so easie a work to convert millions on the sudden And besides when men are blind they are much more willing to have their sight restored than when they see very well to suffer their eyes to be put out Mr. G. I had thought that all Religious Congregations and Pretenders to Piety had at their first beginning been in the height of their perfection Esq F. That is one of the most silly things which your Author insists upon p. 39. for Truth after it has been obscured for a great while in any Nation cannot be made immediately to recover its wonted brightness and when great opposition is made against it it is very well if at first it gets any ground at all And therefore although a certain Gentleman has taken a great deal of pains to show how indecent and improper it is to call King Hen. VIII the Postilion of the Reformation yet does that expression very well declare his Courage and Resolution in first undertaking so hazardous an Enterprize as well as the Effects thereof his dashing all that were near and about him as well as his receiving some dirt himself And although but little then was done in comparison of what was done afterward yet was it well for us that so much was done and I had much rather have lived in the lattter end of his Reign than in the days of our King John when his Holiness was pleased to shut up our Church-doors and would not be prevailed with to open them until the King upon his knees had resigned his Crown unto his Legat Pandulphus After the Reign of King Edw. 6. the Reformation came to no true Settlement until the days of Queen Elizabeth since which time the alterations have been very inconsiderable neither do I see what occasion we have for any more But if any should happen as long as nothing were established contrary to the Word of God I could freely comply with them Mr. G. That is according to the Principles of several Reformers who complied with the several Changes as fast as they were made Esq F. If their compliance was after the manner of honest Mr. Chillingworth who when he was in the right way suspected he was in the wrong and thereupon went out of it but upon the discovery of his mistake returned immediately into it again they were to be commended for it But if they turned out of interest what do you tell me of them If they were Knaves and Hypocrites I do not intend to increase their number Mr. G. Is it not a scandal upon the Reformation that such men should be of it who give themselves the liberty of doing whatever seemeth best in their own eyes Esq F. The Reformation as I once before told you is a word and signifies no more than the forsaking the Church of Rome and what objection is it against any mans leaving the Communion of that Church That amongst those who have left it there are as bad if not worse than those who continue in it What if amongst the Reformers there be found a Vicar of Bray or an A. P. in an University must it needs follow that you and some others will do as they did if there were occasion Think of that a little because some men are always turning when 't is convenient so to do will you allow their Carriage to be an objection against all Converts Mr. G. Well Sir it is a very wicked thing that they who stile themselves Reformers should be guilty of such practises and hold such Blasphemous Tenets as this Book assures you they have done Esq F. Dost thou think that I value any man barely because he is a Reformer if his Faith be Erroneous or his Life scandalous For instance if you could make me believe that one of the Reformation drinks till he drinks Healths to the P though perhaps when time was he would have drunk it t'other way that a second Reformer is so indifferent in his Religion that he cares not to defend his own Church to be a true Church And that a third outswears the boldest Collonel in the King of Polands Army and drinks confusion to all Religions till at last he drinks an Health to the D I think you cannot desire more liberal Suppositions against our selves than these are Nay I make no question but you may find some mere Time-servers some Drunkards and common Swearers and very scandalous debauched persons not only in the Reformation at large but even in the Communion of the Church of England Pray Sir mark what I say and make your best on 't our Doctrine is pure and so is our Form of Worship but alas the actions and lives of many of us are not so But must not I therefore respect those worthy Gentlemen whose lives are unblamable and who by their Writings and prudent demeanor have given such reputation to the Christian Profession and to that Excellent Church of which they are Members Mr. G. Why Sir you are very free indeed with your own Communion some of which you care not if they be thought as bad as any of those Doctors which the Author of Pax Vobis makes mention of Esq F. What if they be Is it a sin to leave the Communion of the Church of Rome because there are such as these out of it As there are a great many bad men amongst those of the Reformation and if there be any who hold it lawful for every man to believe and practise what he pleases I reckon those to be the worst of all so there are a great many good men too As there is error amongst some of them so is there truth amongst others and if any part of the Reformation ever had the latter I am sure the present Church of England has And therefore although I do very much suspect that the Author of Pax Vobis has not done fairly by the Reformers yet granting all that he has said to be true I am firmly resolved and I have great reason to be so notwithstanding all the different and perhaps Blasphemous Opinions of others Notwithstanding the various changes and alterations which have been made by our forefathers To continue firm to the present establishment and so I believe will all the considering people that are in the whole Nation Come Sir we will talk no more about these matters Only let me add one thing before we go That you of the Church of Rome have at this time the least reason to find fault with the Heresies Schisms and extravagant Tenets of some of the Reformation since it is so visible that they are like to do you better service than your best Arguments FINIS