Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A58399
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The reformed papist, or high-church-man. Characterized in reflections on his principles and designs.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing R746; ESTC R222741
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6,428
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6
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THE Reformed Papist OR High-Church-Man Characterized in Reflections on his Principles and Designs IT is an old Charge managed against many of the Church of England and has lately been revived namely that either they are down-right Papists in their Hearts and would not only be glad of but help forward the introduction of the Romish Religion or else are possest of such Principles and Opinions as touch very near upon the Popish Doctrines being differenced from them but by a very slight distinction and therefore are previously disposed and prepared for an easie Reception of that superstition whenever opportunity shall be offered of so doing How far this assertion may be proved and against whom and on what grounds is the business and enquiry of this Paper The very Constitutions of the Church it self in its Offices Ceremonies and appointments have not scaped some Mens censure as being too gross Reliques of and Borderers on the Romish Superstition but in my Opinion that Accusation flies too high and in endeavouring to prove too much fails of its end and proves just nothing at all such an Attempt was that of a Sancta Clara's in the time of Arch-Bishop Laud who upon what encouragement I will not suggest wrote a Book to shew how how the Articles and Doctrines of the Church of England might with a very little favour and candid construction be reconciled to the meaning and intention of the Roman-Catholick that for the most part they did only differ in forma modo loquendi in the Phrase and manner of Speech but in substance were the same and so a fair way to an Accommodation and Union between Us and the Romanists was opened which undertaking however absurd and impossible since neither the Publick Constitution nor Doctrines of our Church can be proved to be Popish whatever either Dissenters or Recusants may wish or pretend Yet some Transactions of those times as the particular favour shewn to Romish Priests the correspondence held with the Eminent Persons of the Roman Church and Court do give just cause to suspect that since the Romish Church cannot advance so much as one step towards an Union with us nor depart from the least tittle of her pretensions in Spirituals some leading Men among us might be glad to strain as far as they could and gladly stand by and see themselves proved good Roman-Chatholicks in those very Tenets and Doctrines which were designed to be the Marks and Characters of true Protestants But that Task being too intricate for the greatest subtilty to compass it was impossible to effect this reconcilement without a nearer approach to Rome and therefore we find some Opinions started in those times and since owned by several Men in ours as bid very fair for this Union could these scurvy Romanists advance but one pace towards it and not leave us wholely to the disgrace of yielding 'T is not I confess criminal to endeavour an Union with Rome if they can be brought to renounce their corruptions neither do I believe it to have been the intent of any of our Prelates to condescend to all the Romish Superstitions without distinction or exception but fancied that a bare formal external Union though there were no substantial agreement in Doctrinal points would be of such great advantage and profit to the Church that it would be worth the while to shuffle up all Questions and Disputes to give the Romish-Opinions the fairest construction and their own what possible Latitude they could so to close up the breaches between us by lightly skinning over the sores of that Church with a superficial gloss and kind Interpretation meerly to avoid the mischief and uncharitableness of a Schism and in hopes they might some time or other hereafter when the heat of Dispute was allayed reform themselves Now they who ever entertained this project or have been Disciples of those by adhering to their Principles commonly pass by the name of High-Church-Men that is Persons principled in Religion above the ordinary Standard Moderation or currant Opinions but asserting higher and stranger Doctrines then are either of common use or within the reach of ordinary capacities and prospect A Gentleman who has long owned himself such an one and I question not is proud of the character has lately published another Notion of the term High-Church-Man and that is a Reformed Papist an expression I believe he repents of by this time because of its great absurdity For the Word Papist so plainly imports one who owns the Pope's Supremacy infallibility and consequently whatever he Doctrinally teaches that he who is so far reformed as to deny those as every true Protestant is immediately ceases to be a Papist which is a denomination inconsistent with such a Reformation Reformed-Catholick indeed I have heard of and Logicians usually distinguish things under the same Summum genus or general Head by a specifical difference as they call it and never conjoyn those differences so as to hope that one should limit the signification of the other which it totally takes away and destroys So we say not a Rational Beast when we would express a Man but a Rational Creature or Animal which word being common to both Man and Beast as Catholick is to Protestant and Papist is applicable to either but to apply that difference of Reformed which is made use of to distinguish a Protestant from a Papist to a Papist from whom the Protestant is distinguished by this very defference so as to say a Protestant is a Reformed Papist which terms immediately deny one another is as absurd as to say a Man is a Rational Beast or a Beast an Irrational Man but enough of this it was a venturesome expression of his by which he thought he would propose a Paradox to people and a muse the Vulgar which He takes great pleasure in doing in the mean while laughing to himself as being secure of a handsom Exposition whereby to come off creditably with Schollars who understand the Arcana and Labyrinths of Speech However I shall take this advantage of his expression to shew how too near being a Papist and too little reformed he is who as an High-Church Man in which quality he has always beeen reputed does either in his own judgment or else implicitly in complaisance to other embrace such Opinions as want a second Reformation 1. The true Protestant resolves his Faith into the Authority of the Scriptures as baring Testimony to its self to be Gods word by the evident marks of Gods Holy Spirit which are there visible to every Reader Together with the additional proofs of the ordinary Grace assistance and enlightning God affords to him who seriously attends to it and the miraculods derivation of it down to us at so great a distance of time from its first promulgation and the general acceptation it has received as such from a great part of Mankind and therefore the Moral impossibility it should be fictitious having so great an Authority of History
blames the Pope for assuming a jurisdiction over the Bishops and Clergy of all the World forasmuch as he has nothing to do with any thing but what was subject to the Roman Emperour and therefore for the Eastern-Church he thinks the Pope has no power over it but yet he cannot and will not deny him his due the Western Church and the Western Patriarchate he owns him for his Canonical and Ecclesiastical Superior and that is an high Character for Canons are with him as Sacred and inviolable as God's own Laws being imposed by so Revered an Authority as a Council assisted by the Holy Ghost as he believes So that to the High Church-Man the Bishop of Rome is though no more Papa Nostri Orbis and we are not at all helped by his discharging the East from Obedience to Rome since we are Fettered by most irrefragable Canons to be subject to our Patriarch He is no Enemy to Auricular Confession and between You and I some times hears it and for Absolution he is apt to think it to be more then a Declaratory power for every one may declare to another that his Sins are forgiven him if he repents nay the Scriptures tell him so and he may tell himself so but he believes such a power of forgiveness in the Priest that the Penitents Sins are retained till it be actually pronounced so that it is an ordinarily necessary medium and condition of forgiveness though Crotius and other Learned Protestants admit of no such thing Perhaps he favours Corporal punishment as in its Nature expiatory of sin I am sure the Compilers of the Commination Office do imprudently use the Word Penance thus In the Primitive Church Such Persons as stood Convicted of Notorius Sin were put to open Penance and punished in this World That their Souls might be saved in the day of the Lord Besides the ordinary acceptation of the Word Penance for Corporal Punishment which if it be put for Repentance not one in an Hundred knows so much the subjoyning these words immediately to it and punished in this World makes the place look as if it favoured the Opinion of expiating Sin by Temporal punishment especially because the reason and end of that punishment is immediately Assigned thus That their Souls may be saved in the day of the Lord I say these words are unwarily placed and capable of an evil Interpretation and who knows what ill use an High-Church-Man may make of this hint in order to favouring that Popish Doctrine of satisfying for Sins by Voluntary Penal infflictions The reality of Christs Body being Spiritually given and received in the Sacrament of the Eucharist he openly avows by the Word Spiritual not meaning to take off the reality of his Presence but to shew the manner of it So that Christ being really and Spiritually present though not Corporally comes to thus much that either Christ is present there without his Body which methinks is a little hard to part him from that or his Body is present Spiritually that is is a Spirit for nothing can be present after another manner then is agreeable and sutiable to its Nature but so is not spiritual Presence to a Body nor Corporial Presence to a Spirit However he will have it said that Christ is really Present because it helps towards the Union he projects which he imagines may be founded on a verbal and nominal though not real agreement Lastly He prayes with all his heart for the dead there are several instances of this in Print Particularly in Bishop Andrews devotions and this were it never so harmless yet because we have no warrant from Scripture so to do and no knowledge of the middle state of the Dead is a sond affected and scandalcus imitation of the Romanists praying for Souls in Purgatory And thus far our Reformed Papist for a Papist he is not in the grossest Notion but sure I am such extravagant and affected Opinions in some Members of our Church and those who account themselves Her only true Genuine and Legitimate Sons and Children gives greater advantage to some Men to traduce the Church of England as Popishly inclined then Her Ceremonies and Service can do though those Principles once known make such impression on Mens miunds that they are ever after prone to suspect even the most innocent and harmless things and 't is a thing not altogether impossible that in a Revolution of times and Religions such Church-Men so prepared might easily prevail with them selves to strain a littlâ— fâ—rther for the sake of Safety Profit Authority and Honour FINIS London Printed for J. Blackborne 168â—