Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	allow_v	church_n	scripture_n	2,953	5	6.4955	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44805	The rock of ages exalted above Rome's imagined rock on which her church is builded she proved not to be the onely Church of Christ, her corrupt doctrines reproved not to be apostolick, but contrary to the true Church of Christ in the apostles dayes : also divers arguments answered which may convince the papists that they are not the true church wherein a book is also answered called A catechism against all sectaries, newly published by C.M. in the year 1661 / by Francis Howgil.	Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.	1662 (1662)	Wing H3178; ESTC R30346	44,740	118

whether seven times five times or three times and with understanding and that which they prayed in was not various but one and it 's by that one spirit which is not various by which the sons of God cry Abba Father and the variety of your formed charms bablings upon your Beads God hath no regard unto but is a smoke in his nostrils all the day And they that have exercised themselves in these things have not the witness of God in their own consciences that they are accepted of God and so I shal proceed to another Doctrine called Apostolical and holy and that is about Meats whether they may be lawfully eaten at all times The Author confesseth they forbid certain kinds of meats but it is but at certain times and they are forbidden not as they are evil and the Creatures of God but because they are forbidden by the Church and his proof is the Apple which Eve and Adam eat was not evil in it self but being prohibited so to eat that which is good of it self is not ill but to eat contary to the Superiors mind and order this is evil The Bible and Scriptures ought not to be read but leave is to be asked of the Superior because there are many hard passages which they which have little or no learning as Peter testifies in his second Epistle Chap. 3. some understands it one way and some another and therefore it is the fittest for Learned men to judge of them and they must judge whether people be in a capacity to read them Answ. And why are Meats forbidden at certain times Is this like the Apostolick Doctrine Are not all times and seasons in the hand of the Lord and are all good to them that believe and to the pure all things are pure all times and seasons all meats and drinks being sanctified by the Word which made them all holy unto all that do believe And if you forbid them not as they are Creatures of God but because they are forbidden I say who did forbid them or when were they forbidden by Christ his Apostles or the true Church of Christ in their day but on the contrary Christ taught That which goeth in at the mouth and in at the belly doth not defile the man but that which proceedeth out of the heart which is corrupted And Paul said What is sold at the shambles may be eaten and no question made for conscience sake for to the clean all things are clean and to the believing all things are pure and who limited such meats for such dayes and such times the true Church No but the Church of Rome who are going on in that Doctrine the Apostle spoke of the 1. of Tim. and the 4. which he reckoned a doctrine of Devils but here is your Argument that must bring you off because you forbid it not at all times I say if it be a Doctrine of Devils to forbid at all times then it is some part of the Doctrine of Devils to forbid at any time seeing time and things are all good in the hand of the Lord but if this Doctrine should hold what would become of your Dogg-days and of your Lent which has been patched up Week by Week by diverse Popes and of your Wednesday Friday and Saturday Fasts so by this account of yours half of the year is either unholy or else some meat is unholy for half of the year but there is few but sees your blindness that in this much need not be said but onely thus That which may be lawful in it self when it is prohibited by the Lord unto any particular then it becomes evil for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin But Christ alone unto whom all power is committed hath the sole power over the Heart and Conscience and for any to make Injunctions and Prohibitions contrary to him the same is Antichrist and so the practice which your Church commands is not Apostolical but you bring yoaks upon the true Disciples necks which they that are made free by the Son cannot stoop unto neither join with for whosoever doth goes into bondage And Christ is the Supreme Power unto whom all power is committed and when He justifies what Superior can condemn And there is no need of asking leave of them that are Superiors which reckons themselves as so seeing every man stands clear in the sight of God when he transgresses not against the Supreme Law of Christ in his Conscience and to offend any Superiors who lays any Injunction contrary to the Command of God is not to offend God neither to break his Command 2ly It seems all parts of Religion is monopolized by Mysterie Babylon in which Rome is comprised not onely Patents and Pardons sold for eating of meat but authority and licence must be given to every one that reads Scripture a thing which the Apostolick Church before the Pope had a being knew nothing of but on the contrary some were exhorted to read the Scriptures and some were commended for reading of the Scriptures and for searching whether the things were so as Paul testified and in this they were counted more Noble then they at Th●ssalonica but now it is become an ignoble thing and not at all to be suffered to read the Scriptures without Patent or Licence in the Church of Romes account who have laid down Ignorance to be the Mother of their Devotion But the danger is because there are hard passages which are not understood when people have little or no Learning as the Author saith What was it for want of natural Learning that Peter complained they wrested the Scriptures and therefore is it for want of natural Learning that the Scriptures are not understood and for want of this they must not be read as the Author saith Ignorant man what was Peter such a great Learned man a poor Boat-man or Fisherman whom the Scripture saith was illiterate in the Acts when they beheld Peter and John and that they were illiterate men and saw their boldness and took notice they had been with Jesus What was it want of natural Learning that Peter spoke of then he spoke against himself for he was illiterate but it was such a Learning that they wanted as this Author wants who is untaught by the Spirit and unlearned in the Doctrine of Christ and such wrest the Scriptures and do not understand hard sayings because the deep things of God are revealed through the Spirit of God and not by natural Learning as this Author who would sell Licences and Pardons for reading the Scriptures as they have done for eating Flesh in Lent but a story of Robin Hood a Comedy or a Play is more frequently read by the Members of the Church of Rome which begets into loosness and prophaneness a thing which this Generation is in love with rather then the Scriptures and though the Scriptures be applauded in words as for the rule of Life by many and a Judge of Controversies yet how should

divers others as about your Lent your fasts feasts and invented holy-dayes which the true Church of Christ did not allow of but you have brought those things in as Apostolical and excommunicated all the rest that would not bow unto you As for example about the Feast of Easter the time when it should be celebrated though Victor the Bishop of Rome excommunicated all the Eastern Churches because they did not accord with Rome Euseb Lib. 5. cap. 23. At which Iraeneus Bishop of Lyons in France sharply reproved him ibid. cap. 23 So in many more things which I shall not now stand neither to trouble my self nor the Reader which the church of Rome hath departed in her practice from the primitive Church as you may see farther in a Book entituled The Glory of the true church discovered Published by F. H. And whereas the Author desires to be satisfied by what General Councils she was ever condemned or which of the Fathers wrote against her or 3dly By what Authority she was otherwise approved Ans. Because the Author is so confident in his assertions as though they were unanswerable I return this short answer which if I hear any more from the Author may be amplified For instance In the year 287. there was a Council of Bishops called at Sinvis●● where the Pope was condemned which your Church hath taught could not err for sacrificing to Idols At a Council held at Carthage decreed That Clergy men should not meddle with temporal affairs At a Council held at Valentia in France a Decree was made that Priests should not marry and these were called Christians and some of Rome's Visible Universal Church And this was again reproved and condemned in the first Council held at Tolledo in Spain they decreed that Priests should marry And now Rome look to thy unity Again at a Council held at Caesar Augusta accursed all them that eat not the Sacrament in the Church but the church of Rome hath decreed that it may be kept and ready to carry abroad to sick people and upon other occasions out of the Church At a general Council at Constantinople decreed That Mary shall be called the Mother of God as though God were generated by natural generation which is Blasphemy The Council of Armenium decreed for the Armenians That Christ was not God The Council of Chalcedon which was one of the four Councils that Pope Gregory compared to the four Gospels and that their Decrees were sure and certain as the Scripture yet Pope Leo did not stick to condemn it and all of them as unadvised viz. the whole Council So Councils have erred as is evident and that which some have decreed for Apostolick Doctrine since the Apostles dayes other Councils have condemned as Heresie though called Christians as well as the Church of Rome and yet they have condemned that which some Councils did allow So the Pope hath erred the Councils have erred as is manifest in what I have said that I shall not trouble my Reader in large things which I could and might do upon another occasion if I hear any more from the Church of Rome 2. By what Authority she viz. the church of Rome is reproved In short Leo the fourth Bishop of Rome made void the the acts of Adrian Bishop of Rome Stephanus made void and abrogated the Decrees of Formesus and Sabian Christ's Vicars so called commanded that Pope Gregory another Vicar so called his Writings and Decrees should be burned And all these before-mentioned did say and the Church of Rome holds it as such that they were Peter's Successors So here one Father or Head of the church as they reckon the Bishop of Rome hath confounded another 3. The Nicene council determined That Images were not onely to be placed in the churches but also worshipped and the then Pope said that Images were lay-mens Calenders The Latterane council under Julius did repeal the Decrees of the Pissan council The Bazil council decreed that a council was above the Pope but the Latteran council decreed that the Pope was above the council that he that should think otherwise should be counted a Heretick Yet the Bazil council aforesaid decreed that they that judged that a council was not above the Pope were Hereticks And yet the Church of Rome layes claim to visibility and universality over all the World and yet one as distinct from another as black is to white and is as unsuitable as Snow is in Summer or Rain in Harvest One word more and I have done Boniface the eighth a great Father of the Church of Rome and a Pope That no man in the World can be saved unless he be subject to the Roman Church like this Author And Pope Paschal thus said That no Council could make Laws for the Church of Rome And so much of General Councils and of the confusion of the Church of Rome a few words more of Synods and I have done 1. Bernardus saith the Church of Rome was polluted with many Superstitions that the Bishops were biters of the Sheep rather than true Shepherds Sometimes saith he I have admired that there should be a Traytor among the twelve Disciples but now I much more wonder that among so great a company of Bishops and Prelates one upright Disciple cannot be found Apop Chr. Lib. 13 p. 260. Gregorius Theologus who lived about three hundred years after Christ did determine never to come more at Councils or Synods Because saith he there comes more evil than good out of them for the contention and ambitiousnesse of the Bishops is above measure said he Anno 300. D. Paraeus said Often hath the Truth suffered wrong in Synods because all that were assembled agreed in one error so that Truth came to be passed by with silence Iren. pag. 57. Again Gregorius Nazianzius used to say That he never had seen any good end of any Council or Synod Vide Inst. Clav. 4. Lib. 9. cap. 11. And some Synods have said That remedy was not to be expected from the Clergy who were the cause of the Disease Anno 1616. So the Author saith Whose company did the Church of Rome leave And from whom did she go forth And where was the Church that she did forsake that she should be counted Heretical and Schismatical I say She left the company and society of the Primitive Church in Christ's and the Apostles days and she went forth from the rest of the Churches that were planted as I instanced The Church of Rome in the year 193 did excommunicate all the Eastern Churches And where was the true Church that she did forsake saith the Author Not onely one I say but many to wit The Doctrine that the Apostles had laid down and preach'd at Antioch at Philippi at Corinth at Ephesus and the rest of the Churches of Asia And so the Church of Rome is proved to be an Apostate in the Apostacy in Heresie in Schism so that there is an absolute defection from the Life and Power of God which was manifested in the Apostles dayes and therefore the church of Rome is not the true Church What I have said as to the Doctrines and Grounds which have been laid down by the Author I shall refer it and the answer unto Gods Witnesse in every man's Conscience and if I hear any more of the Author his great Boasts or ambitious challenges which may reach to all that do dissent from the Church of Rome as to be Hereticks I shall engage in the strength of the Lord to vindicate the Truth however opposed and shall further if God permit be ready to give a more large and full answer unto the Doctrines and Practices and Worship of the Church of Rome and prove them to be contrary to the Scriptures and the Apostolick Doctrine and the Faith that was once delivered unto the Saints So in what I have said I hope may convince the Authour of his vain assertions and them that are enclined towards Babylon it may put a stop to that which would too readily close with every thing which goes under the name of ANTIQUITIE But in what I have said upon the whole matter I hope will be sufficient unto all who read with a single Eye without prejudice and unto such I say The Lord give them an Understanding that they may see and discern the way which leadeth to Life and Felicity from that which leadeth to the Chambers of Death and the pathes that take hold on destruction FINIS