Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	church_n	faith_n	profess_v	3,565	5	8.8932	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61980	Nine cases of conscience occasionally determined by Robert Sanderson.	Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.	1678 (1678)	Wing S618; ESTC R25114	76,581	200

all Assaults and Attempts to the contrary whatsoever he may be towards her in outward carriage he cannot but in his inmost thoughts pass judgment upon her as an obstinate and desperate Heretick and so living and dying an accursed and damned Creature These are sad things both and it is not conceivable how a Woman so matched should live with any comfort or ever hope to see a good day wherein she shall not either be tempted from her Religion or censured for it what assurance can she have of his good affections towards her who is bound not to permit any better opinion of her than of a Reprobate and Cast-away Is it possible there may be so much good nature in the Husband as to take off somewhat from that rigidness which otherwise the Principles of his Religion would bind him to or so much discretion sweetness and obligingness in the Wives demeanor towards him as to preserve a good measure of Conjugal Affection between them notwithstanding their different Persuasions This I say is possible and where it happeneth so to be it rendreth the condition of the Parties so much the less uncomfortable and that is the utmost of the happiness that is to be hoped for from such Marriages and I think there cannot be produced many examples thereof yet even there there cannot be that cordial Affection and fulness of Complacency wherein yet the chiefest happiness of Conjugal Society consisteth that would be if the same Parties supposed to be of the same Qualifications otherwise were also of the same Religion I omit other oeconomical differences that may and very frequently do occasionally arise betwixt Husband and Wife from this difference in Religion as concerning the entertainment of Friends the choice of Servants the education of Children very considerable things all besides sundry other perhaps of less moment yet such as are apt to breed Discontents and Jealousies and sometimes break out into great Distempers in the Family Such Marriages thereof I should utterly dissuade especially in the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty where there is choice enough otherwise to be had of Persons of equal Degree Estate and Education of the same Religion to match withal Kings and Prices for reasons of State and because there is little choice of Persons of equal Dignity with themselves are therefore oftentimes by a kind of necessity put upon such Marriages yet even there where they are certainly the most excusable it hath been observed that such Marriages have proved for the most part unfortunate The other Particular proposed in your Letter is concerning the Marriage of a Daughter to one that professeth the Protestant Religion but having had Popish Parents may be suspected though he deny it to be that way inclined The resolution whereof as of most other Cases and Practical Questions will depend very much upon the consideration of Circumstances whereunto being altogether a stranger I am less able to give Judgment in the Case with any certainty only in order to the resolution of the question these to my understanding seem to be the most proper and important Enquiries First whether the Parents of the young Person be living or no one or both if both be dead the Temptations from them which in such Cases are wont to prevail very much are by their Death clearly superseded and then the danger is by so much less but if either be living there can be little security of the Sons continuance in the Protestants Belief notwithstanding his present Profession thereof when he shall be assaulted with the whole Authority of them to whom he oweth Reverence Secondly with what degree of Confidence and with what kind of asseverations he professeth the one and denieth the other Religion for although they out of design put on a counterfeit vizor use all the art they can to dissemble it yet very seldom can it be done so cunningly warily and constantly but that at some time or other the dissimulation will unawares bewray it self to the eye of a curious observer Thirdly what measure of understanding the young Person who is you say of great Abilities for his Age hath in the Fundamental Articles of the Christian Religion those I mean wherein the English and Romish Churches are at agreement for in those the substance of Christianity consisteth he that rightly understands those Catholick Truths taught in the Catechisms of both Churches and concerning which all Christendom in a manner are at perfect accord and then will but suffer himself to consider that the Church of England doth not impose upon the judgments and consciences of her Members any thing to be believed or received as of necessity to Salvation than what is truly Catholick and by her Adversaries confessed so to be and consequently that the difference betwixt her and the Romish Party is wholly about those Additionals or Superstructures which they of the Roman Faith require to be believed and received with like necessity as the former but appear to us of this Church respectively either evidently false or of doubtful truth or not of absolute necessity to be believed I say whosoever well considereth this may rest satisfied in his judgment and conscience that the Faith taught and professed in the Church of England is a plain and safe way to lead a Christian Believer to Eternal Salvation if he withal lend his life and conversation answerable thereunto To the last particular in your Letter all the return I have to make is no more but an humble acknowledgement and sense of his Lordships noble favors towards me in entertaining an opinion of me more suitable to his own goodness and ingenuity than to my merit I know not nor desire to know of any occasions likely to draw me into those parts so distant from me being grown into years and infirmities that render me very unfit for long Journeys unless the business of my Sons Marriage which occasion'd my late Journey to London require a second thither in Michaelmas Term. But I am so sensible both of the trouble and charge of such Journeys besides some inconveniences to my affairs at home whilst I am long absent that I will avoid it unless there be no other remedy I shall not willingly decline any employment within my low and narrow sphere both of outward condition and parts wherein my service may be any ways useful or but acceptable to that noble and excellent Person but truly Sir I conceive there will be little need of my further endeavours as to that particular expressed in yours whether what I have written now give satisfaction or not there are persons nearer hand whom I know to be much fitter for an employment of that nature than my self who have ever studied Peace more than Controversies and namely one at the next door to Hatton-House whose sufficiecny and readiness in that kind is well known to Mr. Geoffery Palmer Sir I wish you Happiness desire your Prayers and rest July 7. 1656. Your Faithful and Humble Servant The CASE of

not for fear his Neighbours Beast should fall into it and be drowned bound by the Law to forbear the making of it but only to provide a sufficient Cover for it when he had made it The thing then in this Case is not to be left undone when it so much behoveth us to do it but the action to be carried on for the manner of doing and in all respects and circumstances threunto belonging with so much clearness tenderness moderation and wisdom to our best understanding that the necessity of so doing with the true cause thereof may appear to the world to the satisfaction of those who are willing to take notice of it and that such persons as would be willing to make use of our Example to do the same thing where there is not the like cause of necessity may do it upon their own score and not be able to vouch our practice for their excuse which how it may best be done for particular directions every Charitable and Conscientious man must ask his own discretion some general hints tending thereunto I shall lay down in answering the next Objection where they will fall in again not improperly and so stop two gaps with one Bush. Schism Object III. The last Objection is that of Schism The Objectors hold all such persons as have opposed either against Liturgy or Church Government as they were by Law established within the Realm for no better than Schismaticks and truely I shall not much gainsay it But then they argue that for them to do the same thing in the public worship of God that Schismaticks do and for the doing whereof especially it is that they justly account them Schismaticks would as they conceive involve them in the Schism also as partakers thereof in some degree with the other And their Consciences also would from Rom. 14. 22. condemn them either of Hypocrisie in allowing that in themselves and in their own practice which they condemn in others or of uncharitableness in judging others for Schismaticks for doing but the same thing which they can allow themselves to practise for all that such persons as they call Schismaticks do in this matter of the Church Service is but to leave out the Churches prayers and to put in their own Or say this should not make them really guilty of the Schism they detest yet would such their symbolizing with them seem at least a kind of an unworthy compliance with them more than could well become the simplicity of a Christian much less of a Minister of the Gospel whose duty it is to shun even the least appearance of evil I Thes. 5. Besides that by so doing they should but confirm these men in their Schismatical principles and practice This Objection hath three branches To the first whereof I oppose the old saying Duo cùm faciunt idem non est idem which although spoken quite to another purpose yet is capable of such a sense as will very well fit our present purpose also I answer therefore in short That to do the same thing that Schismaticks do especially in times of confusion and until things can be reduced into better Order and when we are necessitated thereunto to prevent greater mischiefs doth not necessarily infer a partaking with them in Schism no nor so much as probably unless it may appear upon probable presumptions otherwise that it is done out of the same schismatical spirit and upon such schismatical principles as theirs are The other two branches viz. that of seeming compliance with Schismaticks and that of the ill use they make of it to confirm them in their Schism do upon the matter fall in upon the aforesaid point of Scandal and are in effect but the same objection only put into a new dress and so have received their answer already And the only remedy against these fears as well that of Scandal as this of Schism is the same which is there prescribed even to give assurance to all men by our carriage and behaviour therein that we do not lay aside Common-Prayer of our own accord or out of any dislike thereof neither in contempt of lawful Governors or of the Laws nor out of any base compliance with the times or other unworthy secular self ends nor out of any schismatical principle seditious design or innovating humour but meerly inforced thereunto by such necessity as we cannot otherwise avoid in order to the glory of God and the public good for the preservation of our Families our Flocks and our Functions and that with the good leave and allowance as we have great reason to believe of such as have power to dispense with us and the Laws in that behalf This if we shall do bona fide and with our utmost indeavours in singleness of heart and with godly intention perhaps it will not be enough to prevent either the censures of inconsiderate and inconsiderable persons or the ill use may be made of our example through ignorance of some Scandalum pusill rum or through the perversness and malice of other some Scandalum Pharisaeorum as the Schools term them But assuredly it will be sufficient in the sight of God and in the witness of our own hearts and to the Consciences of considering and Charitable men to acquit us clearly of all guilt either of Scandal or Schism in the least degree Which we may probably do by observing these ensuing and such other like general directions the liberty of using such meet accommodations as the circumstances and in particular Cases shall require evermore allowed and reserved viz. 1. If we shall decline the Company and society of known Schismaticks not conversing frequently and familiarly with them or more than the necessary Affairs of life and the rules of Neighbourhood and common Civility will require especially not to give countenance to the Church-assemblies by our presence among them if we can avoid it 2. If we shall retain as well in our common discourse as in our Sermons and the holy Offices of the Church the old Theological and Ecclesiastical terms and forms of Speech which have been generally received and used in the Churches of Christ which our people are well acquainted with and are wholsom and significant And not follow our new Masters in that uncouth affected garb of Speech or canting Language rather if I may so call it which they have of late time taken up as the signal distinctive and characteristical note of that which in their own language they call the Godly Party or Communion of Saints 3. If in officiating we repeat not only the Lords Prayer the Creed the Ten Commandments and such other passages in the Common-Prayer-Book as being the very words of Scripture no man can except against but so much also of the old Liturgy besides in the very words and syllables in the Book as we think the Ministers of State in those parts where we live will suffer and the Auditory before whom we officiate will bear sith the Officers in all parts of the Land are not alike strict nor the people in all Parishes not alike disaffected in this respect 4. If where we must of necessity vary from the words we yet follow the Order of the Book in the main parts of the holy Offices retaining the substance of the Prayers and imbellishing those of our own making which we substitute into the place of those we leave out with Phrases and Passages taken out of the Book in other places 5. If where we cannot safely mention the particulars expressed in the Book as namely in Praying for the King the Queen the Royal Progeny and the Bishops we shall yet use in our Prayers some such general terms and other intimations devised for the purpose as may sufficiently convey to the understandings of the people what our intentions are therein and yet not be sufficient to fetch us within the compass of the Ordinance 6. If we shall in our Sermons take occasion now and then where it may be pertinent either to discover the weakness of the Puritan principles and tenents to the People or to shew out of some passages and expressions in the Common-Prayer-Book the consonancy of those Observations we have raised from the Text with the judgment of the Church of England or to justifie such particular passages in the Letany Collects and other parts of our Liturgy as have been unjustly quarrelled at by Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists or other by what name or title soever they be called Puritan Sectaries Thus have I freely acquainted you both with my practice and judgment in the point proposed in your Friends Letter How I shall be able to satisfie his or your judgment in what I have written I know not However I have satisfied both your desire and his in writing and shall rest Your Brother and Servant in the Lord Novemb. 2. 1652. FINIS a Votum soli Deo fit sed Promissio potest fieri etiam Homini Aquit 2. 2. q. 88. 5. ad 3. b Promissio Deo facta est essentia voti Ibid. c Psal. 76. 11. d Num. 21. 2. Judg. 11. 30. 1 Sam. 11. 25. e Judg. 11. 36. Psal. 56. 11. f Sponsio quâ obligamur Deo Cic. 2. Leg. a Jurare nihll est aliud quàm Deum Testem invocare Aq. 2. 2. qu. 89. 1. ex Aug. de ver Apost Serm. R. 28. quod affirmas si Deo Teste promiseris id tenendum est Cic. 3. de offic b Gen. 31. 50. Judges 11. 10. Mal. 2. 14. c Rom. 1. 9. 1 Thes. 1. 5. d 1 Cor. 1. 23. Phil. 1. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Rom. 7. 2. b Rom. 7. 2. c 1 Cor. 7. 4. d Num. 30. 3. b Quod initio vitiosum est non potest tractu temporis convalescere L. 29. F. de Reg. ju Div. c In stipulationibus id tempus spectatur quo contrahi●us I. 18. F. eodem a Rom. 7. 23. b Vota uxorum vel servorum exequenda illo tempore quo fuerint sui juris mariti vel domini non possunt irritare Nav. Man Num. 65. alios a Mat. 5. 28. b Prov. 5. 18. Eccles. 9. 9. c Prov. 5. 19. b Josh 9. 14 c. c Ibid. ver 19. 2 Sam. 21. 1 ● Senec. 1. D● Clem. 24.