Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	church_n	primitive_a	time_n	2,288	5	3.9470	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61427	The Cranmerian liturgy, or, The subtilty of the serpent in corrupting the true English liturgy, by Cranmer and a faction of Calvinists.	Stephens, Edward, d. 1706.	1696 (1696)	Wing S5425A; ESTC R222003	8,497	9

That there was no such Advantage to the State appears by the very Act it self Nor have I ever yet known any thing alleadged or pretended in them for the Honour or Service of God that had so much weight as deserved to be taken notice of But on the contrary in them all there is one Common Gratification of the Spight and Malice of the Spirit of Antichrist against both the Catholic-Church by contempt of the Authority of it and such a Breach and Division in it and against the Church of England in particular by making it Guilty of so execrable Schism and Seperation from the whole Catholic-Church of all Ages with great Presumption and Indignity to it by so insolently rejecting and by consequence condemning so many such Solemn Acts of her Worship and this not merely against the Church Militant but extending even to the Church Triumphant and Communion of Saints For besides all this in the Expunging of the Commemoration of the Saints there was a Special Gratification of their Spite and Malice against Them by whom and in whom by Christ residing in them they had been so often overcome and even against Christ their Head and God the Father himself For the Thanksgiving to God for the Grace communicated to them which was a Principal Fruit of Christ's Passion being a Duty to God and an Honour to Christ in the Honour done to them and a most Solemn Act of Communion of Saints answered by them in their Prayers for the Church upon Earth To have all this abolished was undoubtedly matter of much Joy and Tryumph in the whole Kingdom of Darkness And such another Special Gratification of their Spight and Malice was the Expunging of the Common Prayers of this Office for the Souls of the rest departed in the Faith of Christ and Communion of the Catholic Church by the Interruption of so Solemn an Act of the Church of Charity to them and Communion with them In the due Consecration of the Eucharist it hath always been believed in the Catholic Church that there is a Special Sanctification of the Elements of Bread and Wine by the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Prayers of the Church In the putting out therefore of that Prayer there is a double Gratification of that Malicious Spirit 1. By the Injury or Disrespect thereby done to the Holy Spirit by whom the Oblation should be Sanctified and by whose Aid the former book was declared to have been composed a special Instance of the Madness and Inconsiderateness of Schismaticks and 2. by depriving the Church of the Benefit of that Prayer and making the Consecration at least doubtfull but none at all according to the Sentiments of the greatest part of Christians at this day and generally of all anciently as may be beleived upon the Agreement of all Ancient Liturgies in what is here put out and that by Tradition from the Apostles as is affirmed by S. Basil Nor is it much to be wondered to see such Decay of Primitive Fervor and Vigor when we see such Departure from Primitive Institutions and Orders and such Neglect and Contempt of so Divine Means of Spiritual Supplies Nor was it without some particular Gratification of the same wicked Spirit that the use of the Sign of the Cross was also left off at the Consecration contrary to the Practice of the whole Catholic Church derived from the Primitive times The Victories obtained by Holy Christians over the Powers of Darkness by the Use of that Sign for which the English Reader may have recourse to Dr. Caves Lives of the Fathers and others are an Evidence of their Abhorance of it and that of the true Original of the like Abhorance in the minds of some men from what Spirit it proceeds But the Subtilty of the Serpent as well as his Malice is in none of the Alterations more remarkable then in those of the Prayer of Oblation which Bucer did not think fit to alter yet were made and designed purposely to abolish all that might import the Oblation of an Vnbloody Sacrifice And that was done as affectually as could be in this manner 1. It must not be quite taken away lest that should give occasion for some contest about it but 2. It must be exenterated and the Heart taken out and then 3. be placed after the Communion so that then the Memorials could not be offered or presented to God which were eaten and drunk by the people whereby the business was efectually done And yet this was not enough but 4. Another Prayer must be added to be used the one or the other at discretion that so none might be obliged to the use of so much as that and they who understood the Mystery of it needed not to be troubled with any relick of it or the Spirit which inspired them with the Memory of a thing so offensive to him And yet was not all this enough but after all even the Lords Prayer it self must also be displaced contrary to the use of the Catholic Church in all Ages that so all the Prayers of this Church might be Schismatically separated and set at a Distance from the Memorials of our Saviours Sacrifice upon the Cross through which alone they have Acceptance And if from the beginning of this Service we do but take notice how the Special Confessions in use in the Greek as well as Latine Churches are by a very formal General Confession and Absolution superseded and brought into disuse we may observe the same Subtilty from end to end throughout Such is the Subtilty of Schismatical Superstition inspired by a Spirit of Delusion and imposed upon inconsiderate People under a false Cover of Zeal for God against Superstition Nor are the Gratifications less remarkable than the Subtilty The Matter of Fact is plain in the Books and the Design not only easily perceivable in the Alterations but moreover owned and expresly affirm'd in the Charge and Allegations of the Scotish and English Calvinists who better understood the Mystery of all than the Clergy of the Church of England did or were willing for shame to acknowledge against Archbishop Laud for restoring it And had it been a Fault he had been really guilty of it but was really guilty of Preferring the Honour of his particular Church before the Honour of our Lord and his Catholic Church and not faithfully and plainly setting out the Truth and indeavouring in the proper and regular way of a National Synod to have it restored at home And therefore while he thought to do the Work and save his Life in the Cranmerian way of a Crafty Trick he was suffered to lose both his Design and it too It is not a light matter to corrupt the Solemn Worship of God or for those in place of Authority knowingly to connive at such Corruptions Nor are matters of true Religion to be promoted by Tricks and underhand Dealings I know none of the known Actors in the Cranmerian Corruptions who liv'd long after or