Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	church_n	tradition_n	3,170	5	9.1818	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19595	The declaration of Mr. Patrik Crawfurd his returne from poperie to the true religion, which is according to the Word of God, in holie Scripture	Crawfurd, Patrick.	1627 (1627)	STC 6032; ESTC S117118	36,279	66

Christs spouse ought to do shee will be iudge yea shee will giue the sense of the Scripture and the exposition of it as shal best serue to iustifie her owne cause and if any man shall take a sentence of Scripture otherwise than shee allowes them than that sentence so taken shall not bee accounted Scripture These and other such like consequences they draw and deduce from this one fountaine That the Church of Rome can not erre Aske againe of them why cannot your Pope erre seeing he is a sinfull man as well as others as they will not deny and they least of all who are best acquaint with the Popes priuate conuersation seeing it is possible that the Cardinalls who are subiect to errour especially when their head is dead and a new Pope not yet created seeing they may erre in choosing an vnfit man for so great a charge what warrand can they show to giue assurance that such a Pope cannot erre They answere at last albeit they shift possibliea while becaus Saint Peter was head of the whole Catholick Church in his time hauing supreme authoritie and the fulnesse of pastorall power in doctrine and gouernment ouer the rest of the Apostles and all the Churches of the Worlde Saint Peter so qualified say they was Bishop of Rome and there is his Chaire and the Popes are his only lawfull successours inuested lawfully by God in the same Apostolicke authoritie ouer all the sheepe of Christ and all that may bee sheepe in the World and is as infalliblie assisted by the holy Spirit as euer the Apostle Saint Peter was after the descending of the holy Ghost vpon him in the Pentecost This is the key-stone of their whole building this is the Pillar of whole Popedome if this stand the better for them if this fall all goes to the ground and all that is builded thereon for if either they faile in prouing Saint Peters supremacie or his Romish Episcopacie or the Popes lawfullsuccession in Apostolick authoritie and other priuiledges then the Popes infallibilitie and the Roman Churches certaintie with all their traditions customes constitutions and all the rest of that worke of theirs builded thereon shall hurle to the ground together CHAP. 6. No Papist in the Earth can shew one cleare testimonie of Scripture to make good that ever Saint Peter was at Rome or Bishop of Rome or that the Pope is his speciall successour in his Apostolicke office TO examine then these grounds that therby some taste may be giuen briefly of that Cup which Rome propynes to the World and the Princes therof to drinke that they may fall in loue with her J will say nothing to the Apostolicke authoritie of the Lords deare servant Saint Peter nor to his personall prerogatiue in age in time of following Christ in zeale and painfulnesse in his calling Yet let me vindicate him a litle from that iniurie which his pretended successours doe him who father the basphemous titles of their Antichristian vsurpation and tyrannie ouer Gods Church vpon him For this peerelesse power above the whole Apostles headship of the Church which they alledge is a thing which without blasphemie cannot bee ascribed to any mortall man because Christ in his holy Scripture claims this for his owne royall prerogatiue to bee head of his Church and to haue the Church his body and not anothers To bee the husband of his Church and to haue the Church his spouse and not anothers for these belongs to the Sauiour of the Church who is Christ only and not another and therefore these three styles are Ephes 5. 23. joyned together and ascribed to him And this supremacie of Peter ouer the Apostles is a forgerie only of these who would haue some scugge for their vsurpation Math. 28. 19. Matth. 23. 8. 9. Marke 9. 33 34. Luk. 22. 26. 1. Pet. 5. 3. 4. for Christ gaue all his Apostles equall Cōmission equalled them as brethren and discharged any of them to take any maioririe or supremacie one ouer another And when in their infirmitie they strove for it Christ rebuked them and the night before hee suffered discharged the same absolutly among them Next Peter himselfe disclaimes this supremacie and ascribes it only to Iesus Christ and discharges all Dominion and Lordship ouer the Lords inheritance And the Apostle Paul testifies the trueth of this for magnifying his Apostleship he avows he was nothing inferior 2 Corin. 11. 5. Gal. 1. 1. 16. 17. 18. 1. Cor. 3. 21. 22. to the chiefest Apostles And declares that hee receaued his Apostleship from Christ immediatlie and exercised it sundrie yeares before he saw Peter and dischargeth all to glorie in men whether Paul or Cephas that is Peter or Apollos or any other But because this is not the maine matter let vs come to that wherevpon all stands How proue they that Peter was at Rome or Bishop there or that God hath tied his Spirit to whosoeuer should bee Bishop of Rome after him So weightie a matter as the Popes standing or falling so maine an Article of Roman Catholick Faith the only Pillar of the Romish Religion the ground of the remission of so many sinnes of sauing or damning so many Soules hath neede of expresse direct and ample warrand from the divine Scripture or else of need force the weight of Roman Religion is builded upon the sand and hath no warrand from God Let them but show vs one testimonie out of all the holy Scripture that Saint Peter was properly Bishop of Rome and next let them show any testimonie out of the same Scripture that the Popes of Rome are priuiledged from erring more than other men and are indued with as infallible assistance of the holy Spirit as Peter They will produce to vs their owne flatterers and old storie writers who both in those maters and others disagree among themselves But who are these that the Soules of so many thousands should bee grounded vpon their worde to speake nothing of the fables that is found in them and of the small respect that the Church of Rome carries to them when they seeme to make any thing against them Therefore I say againe let them produce divine warrand out of the Scripture or els let me be iustified who after the tryall of their falshood and deceat haue departed from them as seducers who when J followed their grounds to the vttermost could giue mee no warrand for the grounds whereon all their Religion stands but such as are taken from behind the Bible from lying mens words and forged histories supposititous treatises of the fauorites of Rome helpers vp of their monstruous head the Pope aboue the Church either let them proue these prime Pillars of their Religion or else let all Catholickes who in their heart would faine bee at Christ forsake their seducers as J haue done vpon iust grounds But becaus it is impossible for thē to proue S. Peter proper Bishop of Rome from Scripture far lesse that all

the Popes of Rome since the Apostles time were as infalliblie assisted with the holy Spirit and set vp in the same Apostolick authoritie that he had J will say something against these for such as faine would know the right to thinke vpon till they proue the same groundes out of Scripture The Scripture giues great probabilitie that Peter was not in Rome at all farre lesse to fixe his Episcopall Chaire there For first before Paul did write to the Romans Peter was not at Rome far lesse Bishop of Rome for then Paul should haue made some mention of him confirmed his doctrine commended his labour and saluted him among the first but this he doth not Secondly Christianitie would not haue beene so vncouth to the Iewes at Rome who desired to heare of it by Act 28 22. 2 Tim. 4 16. Paul as a noueltie if Peter had beene there before Paul came to bee prisoner Thirdlie when Paul was arraigned before Caesar all forsooke him Therefore Peter was not there except they will lay a second deniall of Christ vpō him Jn all his Epistles written when hee was prisoner at Rome he tels who were his helpers among whom Peter is neuer mentioned Last of all it is writen how Peter Gal. 2. 7. 8. 9. preached among the circumcision and prospered in the Gospell and Paul preached among the Gentiles and prospered Then how Peter and Paul with some others made a couenant that Paule should preach to the Gentiles and Peter to the circumcision that is that Saint Paul should exercise his Apostolicke office especially among the Gentiles and Peter his among the Jewes From hence I reason if Peter had either beene or purposed to haue beene Bishop of Rome hee would not haue made that paction that Paul should preach to the Gentiles of whom the Romanes were a part and taken himself to the Jewes for his lot But that hee did make this Paction or couenant is euident out of the place cited therefore neither was Peter Bishop of Rome nor purposed to bee Bishop of it if they say hee was Bishop before this Couenant then he forsooke his Bishopricke if they say after then hee broke his Couenant and changed his minde and did contrare to his purpose He that considers the nature of the Apostleship of a Bishoprick properly taken will see that this ground of theirs is a fiction for to make an Apostle proper Bishop of any Town is to digraduate him from his Apostolick office as far as to make the Pope of Rome Parish-priest in a landward Village Lastly it wants not a mysterie that they can not make out the supputation of these yeeres which their common opinion ascribes to Peters bishoping at Rome as likewise they can not reconcile the different opinions anent Peters immediat successors whether it was Linus Clemens or Cletus A wonder it is that the fastening of the body of popedome to Saint Peter shuld be so vncertaine but the truth is that God heereby would declare to these who are not blinded that the misterie of iniquitie lurketh vnder these and the like mists This for Peters not beeing at Rome Now that the Pope is not lawfull successour to Peter in his Apostolicke office J cleare it thus he hath neither Apostolicke office nor Apostolicke qualification nor Apostolicke calling and entrie to the office hee pretends Therefore hee cannot bee either lawfull successour to Peter or any of the Apostles in that Apostolicke charge The office of Peter and others the Apostles was to goe and teach and baptize all Nations that is in their owne proper person to goe from place to place by preaching to plant Churches and to establish them But the Popes of Rome stayes in their palaces and neither teaches nor baptizes Therefore in their office they are not their successours Secondlie Peter and others Apostles were immediatly called and entered into their office by Jesus Christ himselfe but the Popes are chosen by their owne Creaturs the Cardinals who neither haue their owne office of God nor power of God to giue such office to the Pope Thirdly Peter and other Apostles were authorised to write canonicall Scripture and were indued with the gift of miracles God testifieing to the World his extraordinar Commission giuen to them so are not the Popes qualified therefore they are not Peters successours Thus I haue showne that one of the two greatest pillars of Poperie stands vpon the sand CHAP. 7. That this rotten and falling pillar of the Popes supremacie may bee maintained they leaue no humane policie vn-attempted THe veritie of this first is cleare by the testimonie of their Popes and Cardinalls who for the most parte are of noble birth in this Worlde the second or third sonnes of Princes and great men in Italie Spaine Germanie and other partes where the Romish Religion hath place by whose Kinred friendship and Allyance the Pope and Popedome is strengthned in al places Next for every Nation among the rest for Scotland England and Ireland there are appointed Cardinals protectors as they call them at Rome men who haue Church offices honor at Rome to allure draw in by all their moyen whom they can specially such as out of curiosity in traueling do resort thither lands rents in about Rome besides their purchase which is often more than their set Rent are not deficient Then there are Cardinals sent forth from the court of Rome into all Cuntries where Popedome hath place to see to the standing of the Popes grandour that obedience be giuen to his Holinesse as they say euerywhere Under them in euerie Cuntrie where Romish Religion hath place are Primates Abbots Metropolitanes Suffraganes with many other their attendans c. vnto whom euerie-where large Rents of the Church-living and casualities and commodities doe appertaine all these by their whole strength studie to vphold the Popes grandure Vnder these againe are exceeding many ordouts of Monkes of Friers of diverse colours or habits Dominicanes or Iacobines Augustines Benedictines Franciscans Capucians Gray Friers Recollects Carthusians Carms Minims and Iesuits c. hudge number of all these of whom some liue by set Rents some goe a begging some liue on their purchase as they best may all these beside their proper motiues to advance the Sea of Rome are solemnly sworne to that effect that they shall maintaine defend and doe their vttermost for the honour welfare and grandour of their holy Father the Pope Besides these they haue all the common people tied vnto them by bands not laid vpon their bodies but vpon their Soules by their doctrine of auriculare confession whereby vnder paine of not beeing forgiuen their sinnes and eternall condemnation they make them reveale not only their secreet actuall turpitude wherevpon what abuse followes J neede not insist but also their purposes and intentions which they haue had to sinne and in speciall if they bee priuie to any thing against the Church of Rome their holy mother by