Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	divine_a	faith_n	infallible_a	4,131	5	9.8328	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70537	The character of the true church In a sermon preach'd at the French church in the Savoy, upon these words, How goodly are they tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel, Numb. XXIV. v. 5. By A. D'Astor de Laussac, formerly a prior and an archdeacon of the church of Rome.	Dastor de Laussac, Antoine.	1700 (1700)	Wing L623C; ESTC R221680	22,752	35

sole Interpreter of the truths therein contain'd and the infallible judge of controversies on that occasion The Religion that protests against the authority which the Romish Ministry has assum'd over the Scripture looks upon the Word of God as the only rule of the Christian Faith and gives the Scripture so great an authority over the Ministry that Christianity is no longer liable to its decisions than as they are conformable to Divine Revelation The authority which this Supream Minister has assum'd over the world of God has by degrees alter'd the purity of the Faith by adding to or taking from what Christ had establish'd whereas the authority which the word of God has re-assum'd over the Ministry has re-establish'd the purity of that Faith which Christianity enjoy'd in the golden days of the Church Hence arises the diversity of Communions one of which pulls up out of the field of the Lord what the other had sown from this opposition proceeded the animosities of the Church of Rome against the Protestants But Christ has taken care to comfort his Church in this distress it labours under telling it withal that he had been hated first Reformation is for no other reason odious but because it roots up those plants our Heavenly Father had not planted and pulls down from the heavenly edifice what had been built with wood hay and stubble 1 Cor. 3. 12. If the Ministry using the authority assum'd had only set up some new curious doctrine interwoven with human opinions I own it won'd have been hard for the purity of saith to have born with it but yet rather than break unity it wou'd have been necessary to have waited till the Lord had try'd every mans work Ibid. v. 13 as St Paul has exprest it But no less than the Church it self was aim'd at No other foundation says St Paul can any man lay but that which has been laid viz. Jesus Christ 'T is not only the death of Christ his resurrection his ascension and sitting at the right hand of God that are the foundation of the Church all these mysteries wou'd have been needless had they been unknown and they had been unknown that not God spoke by his Prophets by Jesus Christ and his Apostles Now the word of God wherein are set forth all these mysteries has been the seed of the Faith and Faith having subjected Reason to its authority has been the foundation of the Church And this is its character set forth by Christ himself when he said Mat. 7.24 Whosoever hears my sayings and doth them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock whereas he that hears and doth them not 〈◊〉 v. 26. shall be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand Whence it clearly appears that the true and only foundation of Christian Religion was the subjecting of human understanding to the word of God Now to establish a Church meerly upon the authority of a Ministry that sets us for a rule of Faith what is rather grounded upon tradition than upon revelation is building a house upon the sand because 't is no more than to hear the word of God and not to be conformable to its anthority to lay another foundation than what has been laid 'T was then necessary to find out another principle to return to the original foundation of the Church that is to look upon Holy Writ as the only rule of Faith and the only foundation of the authority of that Ministry Christians are to be led by Nay it seems evident that Faith coming from hearing and hearing from the Word there is so great an affinity between the word of God and Faith that the faithful's submission to the authority of the Scripture is one of those truths which Reason and Revelation do not more clearly prove than every Christians natural suggestion The being of a God is a truth resulting from a natural instinct 'T is a natural instinct in Christianity that there is a Church and in that Church generally taken 't is a natural notion that the faithful must be rul'd by the word of God What occasion'd that numberless train of false Gods among the Pagans but that natural notion man always carried along with him of some true Divinity from whom he deriv'd his being life and motion Whence comes it in Christianity that all Hereticks have been seen to give their Sect the name of a Church but because there never was any Christian that own'd Christ for the Saviour of the world but was sensible there was a Church wherein the faithful might attain Salvation and why was there never any Heretick in all these suppos'd Churches but what endeavour'd to authorize his opinions by the Scripture This is such a natural notion as cannot but convince any reasonable mind that Christians must have the word of God for the rule of their faith since by that same word they have faith convey'd to them And if in Morals Hypocrisie is a homage Vice pays to Virtue it may be said in Religion that that affectation in Hereticks of being grounded upon the Scripture is an homage Error pays to the Truth whose original source and infallible witness is in that Holy Word it being to the Church of Christ what the mercy-seat whence were pronounc'd the oracles of God was to Israel of old How cou'd we judge better of the Church of Christ than by the model himself has left us Thou art Peter Mat. 1.18 and upon this rock will I build my Church he does not say upon thee Peter but upon the rock that is upon that Christ Simon had but just confess'd because the Church cou'd neither be founded upon the person nor upon the Ministry of St Peter but upon the confession that Apostle had made of Christ who is the fundamental Stone of the Spiritual Building Christ does not say here thou shalt build my Church for man is not able to build the Church of God but I will build my Church because the character that distinguishes the Church of Christ from all such as might usurp that name is that Christ is the foundation of it and the Master-builder in this Spiritual Edifice no other hand must be seen but that of Christ that is his will his power his spirit and the authority of his word And tho St Peter and the other Disciples have been associated to that great work yet 't is Christ's hand alone that has wrought all by them They indeed preach'd but Christ converted they wrought Miracles but 't was through his name they baptiz'd but Christ perform'd the regeneration in a word 't was Christ edify'd his Church How goodly are thy tents O Jacob This is certainly the character of Christ's Church since it receives no other truth but that he brought upon earth no other solemnities but those he consecrated no other Sacraments but those he constituted no other expiatory Sacrifice but that of his death nor any

and animosity in others who make it the scope of their contradictions Let us consider first the principle of oppositions the Church of Christ meets with in the world and then we will examin the different objections raised against it whereby it will appear that all the methods the world takes to sully and obscure its glory do but advance it to a higher degree How comes it that reformation has always been attended with such hatred and contempt that nothing has been left unpracticed in order to suppress it in Christianity To find out the cause of this we must search into the principle of that hatred and envy the Synagogue and the Gentiles bore to Christ and his Church and this is that night which discovers to us another night what shall we do with this man said the Synagogue 〈…〉 speaking of the Saviour of the world This man does many miracles if we let him thus alone all men will believe on him From this jealousy which the Ministers of the Law conceiv'd against him arose that envy and implacable hatred they bore him He was no longer lookt upon but as a Seducer who came with his new Doctrine to disturb Peace and Religion His miracles were attributed to the power of the Devil and after that all endeavours us'd to cry him down in the minds of people proved fruitless his life was openly conspired against chusing rather to sacrifice him and put him to death than that the whole Nation as they feared should perish What made Christianity so odious to the Gentiles nothing else but the pulling down of Images and abolishing of superstitions the world had been buried in for so considerable a time The application is easy and plain could that Religion which protested against the authority usurp'd by the Ministry have been reform'd by taking the Scripture for the only rule of its Faith and Worship without inforcing the Christian world to the necessity of a reformation in those Doctrines of the Church and those practical parts of Piety which Christ and his Apostles had not established It made the necessity of a Reformation so apparent and manifest to the eyes of posterity that those Ministers have made it their business to stifle the thoughts of it both in themselves and in their Flock Hence it is that they being highly offended have omitted nothing in order to render this Church odious to the people who were much more inclined to receive this impression because Reformation seem'd to take away their Gods from them by suppressing some acts of devotion that made up the fundamental parts of their Piety Hence part of Christendom has been seen to conspire the ruin of the Church Christ had re-established chusing rather to sacrifice it to an indiscreet zeal than that humane traditions the use whereof so much flattered the corruption and pride of the heart shou'd receive the least prejudice How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob How glorious it is for a Church which Christ has reviv'd to be hated for the same reasons that made him odious to such as would not receive his Faith And how shameful it is for a Christian Society to fall into the same blindness and injustice of the Synagogue by labouring to suppress a Church for believing and professing what the primitive Christians believed This is the principle of those oppositions which the reviv'd Church of Christ meets with in the World their nature and progress will appear in those which Christ himself underwent here on earth the Son of man shall be mock'd scourg'd and put to Death 'T was endeavour'd at first to run down and ridicule Reformation upon the account of newness imputed to its doctrine and Ministry and when that wou'd not do to discredit it in the minds of Christians 't was attack'd with open force Why did we murmur at it 'T was God permitted it so to be to set off more gloriously the antiquity of the Church he has re-establish'd by that very novelty imputed to it 't is God permits it to be assaulted with open force the better to manifest the spirit and constancy of primitive Christians The Church Christ has restor'd is not different from that he at first set up 't is the same mystical body form'd at one time and reform'd in another But yet 't is the same Church and the Divine Wisdom that wou'd make this uniformity to appear gives Reformation the same fate which his primitive Church had it is loaded with reproaches and oppress'd by a mistaken Zeal of Religion as the primitive Church was But all the oppositions it meets with from the World serve so much the more to increase its glory The Doctrine of Christ in the primitive Church was accused of novelty the Ministers of the Law objected the antiquity of the Law of Moses as the Latin Ministry objected to the Protestant Church the antiquity of the Church of Rome The doctrine of Christ was indeed new if compar'd with the traditions the Law was clogg'd with but compar'd with the Law itself the Gospel was more ancient than Tradition whereof the antiquity was objected Such is the newness wherewith they strive to disgrace the Reformation 't is new indeed if compar'd with human traditions which that Ministry makes part of the doctrine and worship of Christian Religion but if compar'd with divine revelation Reformation is as ancient as the Gospel itself which is the only rule of that faith and worship it professes and if the Apostle St Paul faith that Jesus Christ was yesterday to day and for ever we may reasonably say that that Religion which leads Christians by the authority of the Scripture is the same which sanctify'd those that preceded the coming of the Messiah those that succeeded the establishment of Evangelical faith and will sanctifie those that shall be sav'd till the end of all things You are not then Christians separated from the mystical body of Christ strangers to the Covenant as they wou'd impose upon you since you profess a Religion founded only upon Holy Writ you are Citizens of the Holy City Servants of the house of God built upon the foundation of Prophets and Apostles upon the Corner-stone which is Jesus Christ That 's the new doctrine you profess But where was this Ministry before the Reformation It was in the midst of you and you did not know it The Evangelical Ministry was in the Latin one which still preserv'd the fundamental points of Religion tho it were already very much corrupted with traditional innovations This Ministry impos'd upon Christianity because that notwithstanding it preach'd what Christ had taught in his Gospel yet it did not seem to act by the spirit of God in that they thought their authority sufficient to alter Religion as they pleas'd in this last respect they were faln away in the sight of God tho they still remain'd in their Apostolical functions in the sight of men giving them sufficient food for their Salvation so long as their hearts were

other merit but that of his blood This is doubtless the Church of Christ since all is founded upon his word all is edify'd by his doctrine all is referr'd to his glory 'T is not so with the Church which Papal authority has set up which would needs force Christianity to follow it as the Church of Christ How many rules of faith how many acts of piety which have no solid foundation in Holy Writ That 's a building wherein Christ's hand appears much less than those of the builders since in it the authority of the Scripture gives way to that of the Ministry as if that were become the original source of Divine Revelation One wou'd think our Saviour who knew all things had a mind to prevent the errors whereinto men were like to fall by taking a Church of men's setting up insensibly upon Earth in the name of Christ for that which he had founded himself in the fulness of time and indeed he does prevent it by the precautions he takes in the establishment of the Apostolical Ministry which he associates to the building of his Church He chooses for Apostles men of the lowest rank of the people ignorant unlearned self-interested fearful in a word men who were no way proportionate to the work they were design'd for Why did he leave them in this state of infirmity till the coming down of the Holy Ghost but that the tryal of their weakness might make them sensible 't was Jesus Christ who acted in them at the very time they were building up his Church that so they might not arrogate to themselves the success of it tho their hands were employ'd in the Structure Why was our Saviour pleased to particularize the failings and infirmities of his Apostles but as a precaution to posterity which might have attributed to them the glory of having edifyed his Church His wisdom having discover'd to them their natural insufficiency leaves no room in them for presumption by shewing them they had no vertue but what came from above it characterizes the Church of God by Christ's hand alone that built it I am not ignorant how that the Evangelical Ministry must last to the end of the world how Christ promis'd his Apostles he wou'd be always with them and how this promise is to be fulfill'd in the Succession of the Ministry But divine wisdom uses the same caution in the succession as in the establishment thereof What character does he give to the succession of the Ministry no other than the succession of his doctrine I send you as my Father has sent me Go and teach all nations Mat. 28 baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the World These last words include a promise made to the Ministry and a condition imposed in order to partake of the promise teaching them as I have commanded you that 's the condition on which he promises to be with them They are sent by Christ as Christ was by the Father Christ sent by his Heavenly Father makes the truth of his mission appear by the transcendency of his miracles which are so many proofs of his Divinity by the apparition of the Holy Ghost that declares him to men for the beloved Son of God But he does not impose the necessity of believing his Doctrine otherwise than as it is conformable to the Father that sent him Whence proceeds this admirable conduct But from this reason that the Evangelical Ministry was to be excercis'd by men the gifts of the Holy Ghost were to longer to accompany the Ministry than was requisite to establish the Faith after that the Church was to be directed by the Holy Ghost Jesus Christ was to be with the Ministry but after an invisible manner If the visible succession of the Ministry had been a sufficient proof of its mission then some hypocrite or other sitting in the Apostolical Chair might have pretended to have acted by the spirit of God when there was no such thing The faithful might have been impos'd upon unless Christ had promis'd his Apostles to be with them setting them this Law withal to teach as he had commanded them and unless he had charactariz'd the ministry by the succession of his doctrine so that every ministry that teaches not what the Apostles have taught or that sets for a rule of saith another thing than they taught is not look'd upon as the Apostolical Ministry Boast he never so much of having succeeded St. Peter unless he have the succession of the Doctrine he has no right to it he must not impose The truth Christian Religion obliges us to believe came to us from the Father by the Son from the Son of God by the Holy Ghost from the Holy Ghost by the Apostles by their Successors Now to know whether they be the true Successors of the Apostles is but to examine whether the truth they profess the Religion they propose flow from the primitive Spring How goodly are the tents O Jacob How great must our happiness be who live in the bosom of a Church which holds it for an axiom of faith to be conformable to God's Holy Word which is so happy as to be directed by a Ministry that may without controversy say the Religion we preach comes not from our selves we are not the Authors of it 't is the very same the Apostles left us in the Gospel the Apostles receiv'd from the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost deriv'd it from the bosom of the word incarnate the word incarnate from the bosom of the Heavenly Father Thus by the Authority of the word of God is the succession and purity of Faith preserv'd in the Christian World Such is the necessity of this grand principle that no sooner came the Church to forget it but it fell into a most deplorable condition Look back into those all at once happy and unhappy days when Peace succeeding that persecution which the Church had so long groan'd under corrupted Christianity which all the subtilty of Hereticks and cruelty of Tyrants were not able to oppress The Church became great in wealth and dignity but at the same time small in virtue the salt of the earth vanisht away all fell into corruption Both Pastors and Flock had much at the same time a general disgust for heavenly things the sacred fire of the Altar went out by degrees whilst no other burnt thereon but that of Lust and Ambition The Children of Eli made it their main business to encrease the rights and advantages of Priesthood the Church of a Heavenly Kingdom became a Temporal Reign the Apostolical Chair became a Throne whereon the Apostles Successors were not ashamed to exact those Divine Honours the Apostles themselves had rejected and the Holy Scripture the authority whereof had till then govern'd the Church became itself Captive to the

THE Character of the True Church IN A SERMON Preach'd at the French Church in the Savoy Upon these Words How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel Numb XXIV v. 5. By A. D'Astor de Laussac formerly a Prior and an Archdeacon of the Church of Rome LONDON Printed for Matt. Wotton at the Three Daggers in Fleetstreet and sold by A. Baldwin in Warwick-lame 1700. ADVERTISEMENT A Person who is deeply touch'd with the miseries which poor French Protestants suffer while there and more rigorously for but attempting to get away tho with the loss of their Estates was mightily pleas'd to find by reading the Original of this discourse that a Romish Priest of their Nation had been so far from acting in those Cruelties that he had quitted his Preferments to become of himself a Refugee being forc'd only by the power of Truth to yield at last to the Conviction of his Conscience which he owns he had long resisted and that in their chiefest Church the Savoy he had made a free and open Abjuration of all the errors of Popery giving very many weighty Reasons whereby he was mov'd to Renounce it which utter'd with concern by such a New Convert cou'd not but draw great attention and thereby as also by his example 〈…〉 ●…lent to work that 〈…〉 Faith which he 〈…〉 and confirm in hi●… 〈…〉 An earnest desire and hope of good effects by those motives if more known amongst us made the said Person wish they were in English This the Author hearing got the Sermon Translated and brought it to him by whose encouragement he has now Printed it for a second and more publick Abjuring of all Popish Superstitions with the methods still us'd in France and now more severely than ever to make Proselytes by Persecution England not many years ago was in manifest danger of the like and several large steps had hastily been made here to that end but the King of Kings suddenly overturn'd that confidence when at the highest and by his mighty hand the Religion of this Church and the Laws of this Kingdom were strangely rescu'd from the violence of Arbitrary Power and are now peaceably re-established which amazing mercies shou'd by this Nation with most hearty thankfulness be for ever remembred to the Glory of God and Honour of the King his Instrument in that Wonderful Revolution NUMB. XXIV 5. How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel THese words spoke Balaam and bless'd Israel not so much in reference to any greatness or magnificence he saw in that people as by reason of some extraordinary and miraculous influence he felt within himself This false Prophet drawn away by the motion of his own heart which God suffer'd him to be led by follow'd the second Messengers of the King of Moab and tho he appear'd sensible of his fault when frighten'd by the Angel of the Lord yet all his ways and all the subtle contrivances of his hypocrisie easily perswade us that in order to prosecute the pressing instances of Balak and satisfie his own desire his real intention was to curse Israel But no sooner does he think himself at liberty again and just ready to execute his pernicious design but he feels within himself an inward power that stops him a secret and incomprehensible motion which in an instant turns his heart in the behalf of Israel and forces him to cry out in spite of Balak nay and in spite of himself How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel No doubt but you are beforehand with me in applying this accident to my present circumstance You have here before you a Minister of error and falshood who comes to joyn with you in the profession of a truth he has but too long withstood One who though engaged by his Birth Education and Ministry to persecute your holy Religion yet is now thoroughly convinc'd of his past blindness ready to turn into blessings the curses he formerly pronounc'd against you How shou'd I curse whom God has not curs'd 'T is not expected I shou'd pretend any way to extenuate or lessen my errors and mistakes I have I own it to my shame and confusion I have for many years stifled the saving impulses of Grace and at the very time it pleas'd Almighty God to enlighten me in his ways and to open my eyes to the purity of the Evangelical Doctrine I did but too long defer my conversion and was at a stand between God and the World God alone from whom nothing can be hid knows what struggles and agonies I underwent But at last his efficacious Grace triumph'd over the hardness of my heart He drew me over to him by the ties of meekness and gentleness I am the least of Christs Disciples unworthy to be call'd a Minister of the Gospel since I persecuted the Church of God but by the grace of God I am what I am Clouds of error and ignorance sentiments of flesh and blood prejudices of birth and education groundless shame which force so many to with-hold the truth in unrighteousness all your illusions are now dissipated you have given way to the bright and shining light of the Gospel which alone is able to enlighten our minds and to that victorious grace that can in a moment destroy all our ill habits and change the affections of our hearts Since then it has pleas'd God in his infinite compassion to open my eyes and loose my tongue since it has pleas'd him to put these words in my mouth why shou'd not I cry out with Balaam How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel The following discourse being more particularly design'd for your edification than instruction I shall pass by the different acceptations these words may admit of I thought it therefore most proper to gather from thence the principal motives that prompted me to embrace the doctrine of the Reformed Churches by shewing that therein I find the distinguishing characters of the true Church of Christ I discover in your Communion the Church of Christ because 't is the authority of the word of God that has preserv'd in it the purity of the Faith This is the first character the second is that the purity of the Faith draws upon it the persecutions which the world doth exercise against it 'T is the Church of Christ since it goes by no other rule than that of his Gospel 'T is the Church of Christ since it suffers persecution for his name and for his truth These shall be the two heads of the discourse The Christian World is particularly divided into two different Communions they agree in many effential points of Religion but differ in the principle that occasioned their separation and gives each of them a particular Character The Church of Rome uses the Holy Scripture to attribute a supream Authority to its Ministry which makes it head not only to be as the oracle of God but the