Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	apostle_n	authority_n	church_n	1,814	5	4.2729	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34251	The Confession of faith of those called Arminians, or, A declaration of the opinions and doctrines of the ministers and pastors which in the United Provinces are known by the name of Remonstrants concerning the chief points of Christian religion / translated out of the original.		1684 (1684)	Wing C5791; ESTC R26041	123,515	276

of all ranks Orders and Conditions not only of ignorant or private men but of the most learned and wise not a few leaving their ancient and countrey-rites and Religions in which they were born and bred without any hope of any Earthly advantage nay but rather with a certain expectation of afflictions ignominy and all manner of dangers and miseries did most constantly adhere and cleave thereunto yea so far did the force hereof prevail that all other Religions else although every where establisht by humane power and force the Jewish only excepted because that was of God did almost wholly vanish and became extinct at the rising brightness of the same A Prolepsis or prevention and answering of an objection touching the Testimony of the Church 8. And although indeed the primitive Church which was in the Apostles days might most certainly know and undoubtedly also did know that these † Luk. 1. 1. Col. 4. 16. 1 Thes 5. 27. and 2 Thes 3. 17. Books were written or at least approved of by the Apostles and delivered as it were from hand to hand the knowledg hereof unto us and deposited or left the same with us as a certain pledg in trust yet do we not therefore hold these Books for True and Divine because the primitive Church hath by its uncontrollable Judgment judged them true or that they contain in them Divine Sences or Meanings and hath by its infallible Authority decreed that they be held or accounted for such For first it was not necessary that the Church by its Judgment should define and by its Authority determine that those Books which were written or approved of by the Apostles were true and Divine or of God or no for that both before and without all such manner of Judgment was altogether certain and undoubted of by all Christians both in general and particular insomuch that assoon as any one of them knew that any thing was written or approved of by the Apostles he might even | Eph. 2. 20. Act. 2. 42. 1 Thes 2. 13. thereby and of right ought to know that the same was true and of God or Divine and needed not any other Judgment in the case In the next place neither indeed could such a judgment of the Church suffice seeing no Man can be certain no not so much as probably of the being of any Church unto which such an Authority is said to belong except he be first assured that those books wherein the said Authority is said to be given or assigned to the Church are true Divine and seeing he cannot know and determine for certain that any Church is the true Church of Christ * Rom. 10. 14 15 16 1● Joh. ●0 3 4 27. 1 P●t 1. 23 24 25. chap. 2. 1 2 3 c. if he be not already undoubtedly sure and certain before that whatsoever is contained in the said Books the same is true and from God for by vertue of that very Faith or Belief whereby the Church embraceth or receiveth that as true ●he her self finally obtains and hath her being a true Church And if indeed such an Authority as this agrees not with the very first primitive Church it self much less ought we to believe that it belongs to any Church at this day or any indeed succeeding that first and primitive one 9. The Doctrine therefore contained The Auth●●ty of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 † 〈◊〉 1. 2 3. Heb. 1. 1. in these Books is of it self altogether Authentick and indeed of Authority Divine and † uncontrollable and by reason of the infallible v●racity of God deserves altogether and challengeth undoubted Credit and Belief and by vertue of its autocratorical or absolute and supream Power most humble Obedience D●●t 4. 2. ●● 32 ● Tim. ● 15. ● Pet. ● ● from us And whatsoever ‑ Doctrine or Tradition wants this priviledg of being of a Supream and Divine Revelation it hath not by any Right either the same or the like Authority with it much less that which either decreeth any thing else either contrary to it or diverse from it and that by an usurpt Authority | Mat. 15. 9. 16. 6. Gal. 1 8 9. or at least otherwise than is contained in writing in these Books commandeth it to be declared or being declared to be believed upon the pain and peril of the loss of Salvation since God can neither contradict himself and no Authority either Humane or Angelical ought to be equalled to the Divine 10. And now because such Divine-like The Sacred Scripture is the only Rule of Controversies of Faith Authority as this belongeth unto and agreeth with these very Books only it is therefore even withal necessary that by them * Isa 8. 20. Act. 17. 11. alone as by Touchstones and firm and umovable Rules we examine and try all Controversies and Debates in Religion and by them only to reason discourse and judg of them and so to leave them to God alone and to Jesus Christ as the only supream and infallible † J●m 4. 12. Mat. 23 8. Judg peremptorily to be decided for we are not to think that it was any ways God's will and pleasure in the least that they should be decided by any judicial or authoritative right by any visible Judg and one ordinarily speaking in the Church sith it hath pleased him to leave us in his Word a rule only directive or to judg only | Psal 19. 8 9. 119. 105. Luk. 16. 29 31. directively by and not withal coactively or by way of constraint but that there ought to be an infallible Judg always speaking in the Church he hath no where signified nor hath he in his Word pointed out who he should continually be but hath expresly commanded all every one alike * Deut. 6. 6 7 c. chap. 11. 8. so on to search his Laws or Judgments and Statutes to † 1 Joh. 4. 1. so on ● 1 Thes 5. 21. try the Spirits whether they be of God yea to try ‑ all things and to hold fast that which is good and moreover hath promised to such as search into his * Prov. 2. 2 3 4 c. chap. 3. v●●s 13. so on Psal 1. 2. † Act. 17. 11. 2 Pet. 1. 19. Laws and seek the understanding of them his Grace and Holy Spirit and † those who have searched the Scriptures and examined Controversies of Faith by them yea who have diligently tryed by the Rule and Square of the Scripture those things which have been spoken by the Apostles themselves he hath commended and praised them with singular Elogies 11. Therefore they who do freely And not the Church or a Synod c. give themselves or suffer to be given by others this irrefragable Authority of peremptorily deciding of Differences and Controversies of Faith or Religion either all or some either to some certain Church or Synod of Doctors or to any Society