Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	great_a	king_n	parliament_n	3,205	5	6.3516	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25920	Articles exhibited against Benjamin Spencer, minister of S. Thomas Parish in Southwarke, in the right honourable and high Court of Parliament for which his living was sequestred together with a charge grounded thereupon, and his answer thereunto, with his reasons of printing the same.		1642 (1642)	Wing A3819; ESTC R10474	7,471	10

Articles exhibited against Benjamin Spencer Minister of S. Thomas Parish in Southwarke in the right Honourable and high Court of Parliament for which his living was sequestred Together with a charge grounded thereupon and his answer thereunto With his reasons of printing the same Gentle Reader WHoever thou art for Gods love let me intreat thee to reserve a good opinion of this my action For I protest in the sight of God I present not this sheet to thee out of any vain glory to vindicate my selfe from any aspersions nor out of malice to my accusers to render them odious to the world much lesse out of any heart-burning against the sentence of my judges who proceed Secundum allegata probata according to allegation and proofe but to shew how much one man may be misconstrued by another in the deliverance of his minde and how free I am from Popish doctrine or such ill manners whereby to sleight orders of Parliament or to let fall any loose speeches in the Pulpit of which three things the Articles consist however I may be mistaken by men who come to heare me with prejudicate mindes And I hope you will not blame me for this considering the malignity of such a scandall doth not only like a dead flye corrupt the ointment of a good name which I thank God till this time he hath honoured me withall among all men who doe truly know me but also is the greatest blot that can be to my profession and a just hindrance of my preferment and therefore I can doe no lesse then print a few sheets to satisfie my friends but not to sell in this businesse because I find my Articles read to many but not my answers to them by which my friends affections may be diverted from me as well as their mindes corrupted You are therefore to understand that after I had answered one Iacksons a Scotch-mans Articles against me before my Lord Major of which I could never get a copie I was in good hope to have been at rest when suddenly my name appeared in a black bill among 66 scandalous it may be some will prove scandalized ministers This bill made by whomsoever I am sure I was never called to a reckoning about it before any of those Citizens who drew it up and presented it to the Lord Major The blow I received by this browne bill almost stunned me having no warning to provide an Helmet The ground of this bill was the complaints of parishoners to some Citizens who were authorized by an order of Common Councell dated the second day of December to inquire of all malignant scandalous seditious Ministers whom I pray God bring to light so that the Wolfe may be known for all his sheepes-skin The next trouble I heard of was by one Quartermaine who warned me before the Committee of examination of which the right worshipfull Sir Gilbert Garrat was the Chaire-man to answer to 10 Articles alleadged against me The Articles were as followeth Inprim THat Master Spencer wilfully refuseth to give the Communion to those that will not kneele at the Sacrament 2 The said Mr. Spencer did publikely averre in his Sermon that water in Baptisme did absolutely cleanse away originall sin 3 He did averre that the Church of Rome is the true Church and lacks nothing out qualification and did not erre in any fundamentall point but in matter of circumstance 4 Certaine honest then informing the said Mr. Spencer that his superstitious gestures were burthensome to some good Christian consciences in his Congrogation he thus replyed Am I vile abusing the words of the Prophet David I will be more vile yet And whether the railes be taken away or not I will bow to the Table yea I will dance about the Table he also abuseth all those that stand neer or lean upon the Communion Table or lay their hats upon the Table in the time of prayer or sermon 5 He hath uttered these words in the Pulpit the times are evill and dangerous for we may fear great judgements upon the land because we do not know whither to go for justice And these words were spoken in the time of Parliament 6 In S. Mary Overies Church he most basely abused honest Ministers in his Sermon saying these Iack-dawes that formerly durst not shew their faces now did appear every where And where did they now shelter themselves but under the eaves of the Parliament-house Consider whether these two Articles do include a Scandalum Parlamenti Or not 7 He not only presumptuously neglects to pray for good Magistates such as my Lord Major of London as also not praying for the army that is gone forth for Religion King and Parliament which is too great an evidence of malignity but also a presumptuous abuser and scoffer of the Orders of Parliament 8 Instance namely one Sabbath day there came an order from the Parliament to be read in his Church for the restraining the superstitious bowing at the name of Iesus in the reading whereof the said M. Spencer used these disdainefull words For any thing I know this that I do read might have come from a Ballad-monger I know not which Iesus is signified here whether Ioshuah or Iesus the son of Sirach or lesus Christ 9 This was M. Spencers divinity in the Pulpit that women now adayes were not so holy as the Virgin Mary was For she conceived the holy Ghost before she conceived Christ but women now took in men before they took in the holy Ghost and were coupled together by the tayles as Sampsons Foxes were 10 That the said M. Spencer after he had published the Ordinance of Parliament for the reliefe of poor maimed souldiers said that it may be the said souldiers went out with a zealous intent but it was a blinde zeale or it may be out of malice and envie to be revenged of some of their enemies or it may be to rob and steale and so to inrich themselves but I hope the misery they feele and your charity will make them desire peace His Answers to these 10 Articles before the Committee 1 TO the first he answered thus If he had refused any the Communion as he remembred none he did it not because he thinks kneeling more necessary but because of the Statute of uniformity which bindeth him to observe it which statute for direction is bound with the Book of Common prayer 2 Vpon the second Article the witnesses disagreed His answer was that being the plaintiffes did instance no next upon which he so preached nor time when he could not say what he preached but his opinion was that the outward signe without the thing signified was of no validity and as it is expressed further in the 27 Article of our protestant doctrine published and of late protested by himselfe and others To the third he answered thus I know not that ever I preached any such thing nor doe they prove it by either place time or Text but I hold the

Papacy to bee Antichristian and all that wittingly or willingly adhere thereunto Neither doth the Doctrine of their Church order a man to heaven and therefore I detest it as damnable and hold with our Protestant Doctrine published in that poynt in the second part of our Church Homily for Whitsontide But I suppose the plaintiffes might be mistaken when in clearing that poynt so much controverted about the Church of Romes being a true Church it is like enough I said it was thus to be understood namely that she had the outward being and existence of a true Church but not the essence or essentiall properties of one As a thiefe hath the true being of a man in a naturall sense but not the being of a true man in a morall sence So W●spes have true Combs as well as Bees but there is no honey in them So it is likely that I might say the Church of Rome agreeth with the true Church in many fundamentalls as in the Articles of the Creed but overthroweth them by corrupt consequences and superstructions as when they allow Christ to bee the sole Mediator of Redemption but not of intercession and in sixty odde other severall opinions they differ from the Reformed Churches and us English Protestants in which I hope I shal never agree with them To the fourth he answered thus I remember no such in formation by honest men But I acknowledge I have bowed my knees when I have come into the Church but to no visible thing but unto that God by whose leave I tread in his Courts And if I were accounted vile for that it is like enough I might say I would be more vile But since I perceived by an Order from the House of Peeres bearing date sixteenth of Ianuary 1640. that such arbitrary gestures did give offence and that no Ceremony whatsoever should be used but those nominated and allowed by Law I have refrained it and be●aken my selfe to a more private way of devotion And for abusing any who stand about the Communion Table I know not except a faire reproofe for an unreverent carriage be an abuse of those who set their Tailes where we set the Sacrament when there is roome enough to sit else-where To the fist hee answered thus Here is neither instance of time or Text therefore I cannot call to mind what I said But I beleeve I might complaine of danger us times now in these latter dayes of which the Apostle prophesied 2 Tim. 3.1 and might deplore the decay of justice among men both distributive commutative as the Prophets did Psal 12.1 ler. 5.1 and yet not reflect on the Parliament who have found much injustice among men themselves and punished it To the six he answered thus here they instance in asermon remembred by many who can tel that the words which they misconstrue were these spoken unto the Ministers then present at the visitation Sermon Rebuke exhort with all authority as Tit. 2.15 You are commanded and be not affrighted at those Iack-Dawes w th with their noise first disturb the Churches service then shelter themselves under the Leads as many sorts of men do who hope in vaine to shroud themselves under the eaves of the Parliaments favour whose worthies though too much troubled with their triviall complaints yet I am confident they will maintaine what they have protested against all schismaticall persons and malignant parties that these were my words many can justifie that heard them without prejudicate affection To the seventh Article he answered I pray for the King Queen and Royall Progeny and for all that are in authority Indeed I doe not name my Lord Major nor is it usuall so to doe except at Panis-Crosse or the like Neither doe I name the Army but I pray for all those that fight for the truth and the faith of the Gospell and true Religion which is no evidence of malignancy Nor doe I nor ever did scoffe at any Orders of Parliament as shall appeare by my answer to the instance following To this only instance of scoffing at Orders which they produce though the Article chargeth him in generall he thus answered One Lords day such an Order was brought to me as aforesayd of which he that brought it could render no account but that it was bought of one that fold pamphlets about the streets I suspended therfore the reading of it til I had enquired further finding it to be the Parliaments order I read it in the Church And to excuse my selfe that I did not read it at first to some that were offended I said I durst not read that at first which hee that brought could not avouch to have received from any other authority than a Pamphlet seller or a Ballad-monger As for the name Iesus I confesse I sayd thus that considering there were more named by that name in the Bible as Iesus the sonne of Nun Acts 7.45 and Iesus son of Iosedech Zach. 3.1 and Iesus the Ionne of Sarach Eccles 1. And for that many ignorant people have used the same gesture to each name alike when they have beene read and for that the name is not distinguished in this order viz. which Iesus is meant as it is in the 18. Canon which enjoyneth reverence at the reading of it I will not be so bold to interpret the Parliaments mind therein till it bee further expressed by themselves And I hope no charitable mind will take this for an abuse or scoffe but rather want of right apprehension of their mind He thus answered the ninth Article Here is neither Text nor time instanced in nor can I remember all I sayd But I believe it is no bad Divinity to say the Virgin Mary conceived the Holy Ghost in her heart before she had Christ in her womb because shee was before both gracious and faithfull And I conceive those that marry meerely for lust without those other holy ends of marriage couple like beasts and may bee likened to Sampsons Foxes The Prophet Ezekiel speakes much broader Ezek. ●6 2● and yet is not to bee blamed Lewd manners may have loud reproofes so far as I know The tenth he answered thus I finding some people scrupulous to contribute to that occasion said thus It is the end that maketh actions good Now whereas some object that it may be some souldiers goe to war with divers ends some with a good intent some with a blind zeale some to be revenged on their enemies some in hope to enrich themselves by spoyle let not us judge their hearts nor look upon their infirmities but be their end what it will let our end be to relieve their miseries and no doubt if you think they have erred in warre the misery they feel and your charity they find will make them more addicted to peace You may perceive by these Answers that I am much mistaken in my preaching by these my accusers whom I blame not so much for thus accusing me though a little discourse