An ecclesiastical history of Scotland Author:Daniel Defoe Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Remifnefs in Difcipline is the only Door at which all the notorious Errors and Herefies, now fwarming in the Englijh Church, are crept in j fuch as Arianifm, Soc... more »inianifm, Arminianifm, bcepticifm, Atheifm, Deifm, and the new ridiculous Corruptions, Notions, and Novelties of Dodwell, Cvward, Afyll, and others, who call themfelves of the Church of England, and are daily filling the World with Abfurdities in Religion, not fit to be fuffercd in a Proteftant Church or Government. Did the Convocation of the Church of England do their Duty, who often times fit long, and do little:, did they, in Time, check the Growth of thefe Things ; did they call in the Aid of the Civil Authority, to curb the Exorbitance of the Prefs, and exercife their Ecclell- aftick Authority in that of the Pulpit ; in fhorta were they as exaft in their Difcipline, as grave in their Cenfures, and as ftrift in the Purfuit of fuch Things as the Church of Scotland, Errors and Herefies would creep, like other venomous Creatures, upon the Ground, grovel in the Duft, and come out but in the Dark , fuch Crimes would 1)e aftcd as Crimes, and the Guilty would hide themfelves, like Adam, among the Bufhes ; anj, pot bully Religion, and affront God Almighty to his Face ; laugh at Church Difcipline, and banter Civil Jutlice as now they do every Day. But in Scotland, take upon me with Boldnefsto allure the World, it is notfo; no Error broach- 'ed, lies brooding like hot Embers laid among dry Buildings, neglefted till it fets all in a Flame : No ignorant Perfon can gain Admittance to, no immoral Perfon obtain Connivance in the Pulpit; no Error there efcapes Cenfure, no Cenfure dies there for Want of Profecution. chapter{Section 4If any Breach be made, the Church Judicatories never fail to keep it in the ftated Forms of Pr...« less