Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	day_n	king_n	queen_n	6,655	5	6.9120	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27030	A search for the English schismatick by the case and characters I. of the diocesan canoneers, II. of the present meer nonconformists : not as an accusation of the former, but a necessary defence of the later, so far as they are wrongfully accused and persecuted by them / by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1399; ESTC R6862	28,132	47

Atheists Hobbists and wicked men are members of their Church from year to year continued 67. The Canon 139 excommunicateth all that say that the Synod of this Nation in the name of Christ and by the Kings authority assembled is not the true Church of England by representation By which they seem to make the King no part of the Church nor any of the Laity or else that they represent King and Laity and they intimate that all the Clergy is the Church-real and the Synod the Representative 68. They brought in new Canons and the et coetera Oath in 1640 without the Parliament which were condemned 69. From the beginning of Queen Elizabeth till now they have prosecuted and silenced Protestants that durst not conform even their fellow Exiles in Queen Maries days were silenced and multitudes after in King James's days and even Conformists suspended about the Dancing-book and troubled about Altars Bowing Afternoon-Sermons and Lectures which were forbidden and about 2000 ejected and silenced at once 1662 And multitudes of Families driven to Holland and new-New-England Though we offer them our Oaths that we will gladly conform if by any study we can but see that it will not involve us in the guilt of Lying owing the Perjury of maltitudes unknown to us corrupting the Church and Gods Worship Covenanting deliberately against needful Reformation of the Church-Government by Lay Chancellours and uncapable Diocesans and many other crimes with dreadful aggravations recited in our first Plea for Peace 70. They separate from us and our Congregations as unlawful to be joyned with 71. Though it was the judgment of the ancient Churches exprest in many Canons that he was no Bishop that had not the peoples election or consent they make it Schism not to obey such and allow the people no such power 72. They suppose that God hath entrusted the King to chuse for all his Subjects whom they shall commit the conduct of their Souls to as their Pastors and Bishops though he be not trusted to chuse our Physicians our Wives our Dyet c. And so they would make the King answerable for all ill-chosen Pastors And if a Papist Heretick or a hater of Pastoral holiness should ever be King in how sad a case are the peoples souls 73. Yea they hold that Patrons be they never so ignorant or ungodly must chuse all that shall have the Parochial trust of Souls As to the possession of Temples and Tythes we yield it they say The people must have no other than what the Patrons chuse and impose on them 74. Excommunication of Dissenters seemeth little to them but they by the writ de Excommunicato Capiendo lay them in Jayl till death unless they change their Judgment which it is not in their power to do 75. Though we publish our abhorrence of all Doctrines of Rebellion and disown even so much popularity as their Richard Hooker and most Politicks own many of them go on to charge Nonconformists with suspicions of Rebellion and to provoke the King against them as disloyal 76. They print and preach to provoke Magistrates to execute the foresaid severe Laws to silence and ruine them and accuse them for not doing it 77. They stir up the people to take them for intollerable seditious Schismaticks to the destruction of Christian Love and causing men to hate each other 78. By these means families are distracted Husbands against Wives Parents against Children some casting them out if they do but hear a Nonconformist Preacher while sensuality corrupteth youth and needeth more restraint 79. When the Kings Clemency Licensed our Meetings they grudged at it and neverthelss separated from us though they describe Separation to be Meetings held against authority and thereby shewed that it is somewhat else than the Kings authority that they contend for and something more than our want of License which causeth their fervent opposition 80. Though we beg of them in vain to prevent the Papists advantage by our divisions and though they seem resolved to let Popery it self come in rather than either restore us or tolerate us and abate what we count sin and they call Indifferent yet do they perswade people that we are bringing in Popery if we obey not all their Impositions and talk as if either no Dissenters were tollerable when all men differ and they among themselves in as great matters as from us or All were tolerable both which are abominable And as if he that were unwilling to be destroyed by Prelatists were introducing Popery Should a man chuse rather to be saved by a Papist than hanged by a Prelatist who were more to be suspected of Popery He that made that choice or he that put it upon him 81. Besides the reconciling treaty with the Papists asserted by Dr. Heylin some chief Doctors profess that they would have the Church in the same state as when the Greeks and Latine did divide and grant what the Greeks grant not denying the Pope to be Principium unitatis and pleading for Grotius as a Protestant of our Churches mind who was for the Council of Trent and all the rest desiring no more for our Concord with the Church of Rome but that as by the Mistris Church they may rule ●y the Canons and not absolutely securing the Rights of Kings and Bishops and reforming Scholastick curiositics and the Clergies lives 82. Under all the new Impositions we were never allowed to speak for our selves nor durst once Petition the Parliament that ejected us or any since for relief or audience lest such boldness should more incense our afflicters 83. There is no surer way to destroy their own Church-pomp and grandure and root out Episcopacy more than we desire than to use it for Satan against faithful Ministers and against the Souls of men and against the honour and innocency of Princes and against the property and liberty of Subjects even against God and man and so to make it odious to mankind by making it intollerable Till they that cannot tolerate a differing-word do weary the world by their intollerable pride and cast down themselves and then blame others 84. To this day while they accuse those of Schism that dare not subscribe declare swear and do the things aforesaid and plead against the enduring of them to preach or solemnly worship God they disagree in Doctrines and many great matters among themselves and take not themselves for Schismaticks Of which see our 2d Plea pag. 158 159. 85. Some of them are for Original sin according to the subscribed Articles Bishop Jer. Taylor and others were against it and Bishop Warner hath writ against him 86. Some of them preach for the Imputation of Christs Righteousness Mr. Thorndike Mr. Sherlock and others differ and many of them sharply accuse and preach against each other thereabout yea with high accusations as heretical 87. Some of them preach up Gods Eternal Decrees of Election and Derelection or Reprobation in that sort as others of them preach against

many reported that we held all for indifferent except renouncing the Covenant 50. The New Liturgy came out of the Press so near the penal bartholomew-Bartholomew-day that in almost all Counties of England they were turned out for not declaring Assent to a book which they never saw or could see and the Conformers there owned it before they saw it 51. The Nonconformists knowing that the Magistrate hath the power of the Temples and Tythes never pretended any right to them when they were cast out But knowing that they were justly possessed of their Pastoral relation to their flocks they believed not that the meer will of the Magistrate disobligeth them Yet they believe that when the continuance will do more hurt than good they and the flock should part by consent 52. We never heard that any of the 2000 ejected Ministers were cast out for any crime or false doctrine but meerly for not Conforming by Declaration Subscription and Practice 53. Nor have we heard that any or many in all these times of tryal have been convicted of heresie or drunkenness swearing cursing deceiving fornication or any such immorality 54. I am sure they have oft requested that Laws may be made to Constrain them to live peaceably to abuse none and to punish them as much as others if any of them be found guilty of any such crime and that such Laws may bring it to the tryal who they be that are of scandalous lives 55. They have been thankful for bare connivence and opportunity to preach for nothing save what they receive from the hearers charity these 18 years Some that could live without it have preached freely and the rest could they have lived and their families without bread had rather have been no burden to any They are naturally no more in love with a beggarly sordid life than others The Conformists would be loth to live on Charity Many hundreds have long had nothing or next to nothing of their own and Wives and many Children to maintain House-rent to pay Meat Drink Cloaths c. to buy and nothing but mens Charity to defray all this And in the Countreys Money is scarce Charity too cold and most of the Rich are taught by the Clergy to condemn them And if they come to great Towns the Clergy reproach them 56. Many have dyed in prison many catcht their death there many had their goods and books taken away and many endured long imprisonments and the prosecution goeth on 57. The Magistrates of London and other places have been vexed and sued by Informers for not prosecuting them 58. They preached mostly privately to few about London for fear of giving offence till the people in the dreadful Plague which killed about 100000 were left as sheep without shepherds crouding into another world and the Nonconformists durst not forbear to teach them And God so greatly blest their labours that the People and Preachers who had been thus awakened by devouring death resolved no more for fear of man to neglect the care and interest of Souls O who could be silent when thousands that lookt for speedy death did croud for help in their necessary preparation This first drew the London Nonconformists into more open exercise of their office which encouraged those in the Countrey to imitation And it is not their judgment that they are bound to preach when by opposing violence or the offending of Rulers it is like to do more hurt than good and once preaching to deprive them of all the usefulness of their lives The spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets to Reason and Prudence in the use of gifts as Dr. Hammond expoundeth it But whatever it cost them when there is true Necessity and Opportunity making the good like to be greater than the hurt they judg that they must use the Ministry which they are vowed and ordained to 59. When the Plague was over some thought once again to retire and the fire burning down the Churches and the people being destitute constrained them though forbidden to go on O what is man What were the Clergy that took upon them the Charge of Souls that they durst be against such mens Preaching of the Gospel in such a City when such a Plague and such flames had declared the necessity 60. Even when the Plague was raging and the Court and Parliament fled from it to Oxford they there were making the Oxford-Oath and Act of Confinement to banish the Nonconformists from the desolate City and all Corporations c. And they that before purposed to come to the Parish-Churches durst not come lest the Congregation being witness of their being in the City c. they should be sent to the Jayl 61. Most that we hear of in the Countreys and some about London preach not at the time of publick worship but go themselves to the publick Churches when they have honest tolerable men I and others here do ordinary hear and communicate in our Parish-Churches when even the last Whitsunday I do not think there were above 100 Communicants in a Parish that its thought hath 20000 Souls and yet all the rest are not hunted as Schismaticks And so our Schism is not for withdrawing from the Parish-Churches but for communicating also with others which we avow As if it were greater Schism to separate from none than to separate from all save the Diocesan Conformists who appropriate the Church to themselves 62. We take it to be our duty to do our best to keep up the reputation of honest peaceable Conformists lest our Concord and the peoples edification be hindered 63. When we thought it a service to the Conformists to help them in teaching some of their Parishes which are exceedingly too great to hear them and to enjoy all their Pastoral helps and we preach as they confess the same doctrine as they yet we never asked or expected the least part of their maintenance much less Preferments Prebends Deaneries or Bishopricks but would have been thankful to have leave to be their helpers for nothing but cannot have their consent 64. Those of us that preach at the hours of publick worship do it for the most part where their hearers knowing that they cannot have the just benefit of the Parish-Pastors office in publick and private find it necessary statedly to chuse other helps and other hours would greatly disorder their family-duties Besides the Independents that have long had their gathered Churches 65. Though our judgment be against Pluralities and Non-residences we say little against it lest we should be thought to desire part of the prey or to envy their riches 66. Though we feared that if we conformed to the Professions Subscriptions Oaths Covenants and Practices before-named and this deliberately and on pretence of keeping our Liberty to preach against the sins of others we should be guilty of all the sin and its aggravations which we named in the first Plea for Peace yet knowing how various representations make mens judgments to