Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
book_n article_n church_n word_n 1,762 5 4.3074 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A66485 Reflexions upon a pamphlet intituled, An account of the growth of deism in England together with some considerations about the Christian religion. Willis, Richard, 1664-1734. 1696 (1696) Wing W2816; ESTC R38311 32,108 81

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

the Power of the Clergy the other two are about the Homilies and the Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops c. I shall therefore take notice only of those two and wait for the third till he explain his Mind more fully The first Article I believe that he drives at is the Twentieth the Words of which are these The Church hath Power to decree Rites or Ceremonies and Authority in Controversies of Faith And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written neither may it so expound one place of Scripture that it be repugnant to another Wherefore although the Church be a Witness and a Keeper of Holy Writ yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the same so besides the same it ought not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation The other Article I believe may be the Thirty Fourth which I shall here repeat at large too It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one or utterly like for at all times they have been divers and may be changed according to the Diversity of Countries and Mens Manners so that nothing be ordained against God's Word Whosoever through his private Judgment willingly and purposely doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the Word of God and be ordained and approved by Common Authority ought to be rebuked openly that others may fear to do the like as one that offendeth against the Common Order of the Church and burteth the Authority of the Magistrate and woundeth the Conscience of weak Brethren Every particular or National Church hath Authority to ordain change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by Mens Authority so that all things be done to edisying This is not indeed the first time that these Articles have been censured but if rightly understood I cannot see that they Contain any thing more than what all established Churches I ever heard of do either claim expresly or at least in their Practise and no more than what is highly reasonable To begin with the first That the Church has Power to decree Rites and Ceremonies and Authority in Controversies of Faith As for the first part of it the Power of the Church in Rites and Ceremonies it will come in under the other Article and therefore I shall pass it here but as to the other part her Authority in Controversies of Faith I desire to observe first That the Church does not here claim any Infallibility to her self in determining such Controversies she is so far from that that in the very next Article she says Art 21. that even General Councils may err and be deceived 2. I would observe that the Church does not here decree that private Christians are bound to believe any thing as Matter of Faith merely upon her Authority but the Church must bring the Authority of God's Word for what she says when and not before she ought to be believed this she declares in the same Article even of General Councils Art 21. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture And therefore 3. Our Church allows all her Members to examine the Truth of what she teaches by the Holy Scriptures nay more encourages them to do it only advises that this be done with Modesty and Humility To this End the Holy Scriptures are translated into our Mother-Tongue and read in our Churches and every body may have them at home and read them as much as they please and I am sure they are in Our Churches frequently exhorted to do so and that not only as a thing which they may do but as a thing which they ought to do 4. I would observe That tho' our Church has for the Instruction and Edification of her Members drawn up her Opinion of the chief Points of the Christian Religion in the Thirty Nine Articles yet she no where requires the Profession of the Belief of them from the People that joyn in Communion with her neither does she Excommunicate every body that does not believe just as she believes if Men will but be modest and not openly oppose tho' she takes care to instruct them in what is the truth yet they may enjoy a great liberty in their Opinions and still live in her Communion So that the Meaning of the Church in this Article seems to be no more than this That God has given the Bishops and other Ministers of the Word Authority to Preach the Gospel and by this made it their Duty to instruct those under their Care in the true Faith And that if any Controversies happen about the Faith they have by this their Commission Authority and by it God has made it their Duty to declare their Judgment in the Case which may be done either by Preaching or by Writing either single or in a Body as in Discretion they see fittest to be done That when they have thus declared their Judgment especially if this be done by the Whole Body of the Clergy of any place their Determination is to be received with Reverence and Respect by the People under their Care Not that they are for that Reason bound to believe it true but they are to carry themselves modestly and humbly to examine the Matter sedately first whether it be true or no and if they should be convinced in their Conscience that the Determination of the Church is wrong and find such Reasons as put the matter past doubt with them yet even then not to oppose or contradict the Publick Determination with their Private Opinions but to keep their Thoughts to themselves unless they are withall fully convinced that the matter is of such Importance that they ought not to be silent or that the Profession of this Error be required of them as a Term of Communion In short They ought to have as great a Regard as possible to the Peace and Quiet of the Church and the Authority of those whom God has set over them This seems to me to be the Meaning of this Article in which there does not appear any very dreadful Power the Church claims over the People here is no enslaving their Consciences no keeping them in Ignorance to serve any Ends or Designs upon them no locking up the Scriptures from them no usurping Authority above the Word of God or making that useless to them by denying People the use of their own Reason in reading of it In short nothing appears here of that horrible Imputation of Priest-Craft The Authority here claimed is no more than what is absolutely necessary to the Peace and Quiet of the Church no more than what is implied in the Authority God has given Ministers to Preach the Gospel no more than what is plainly supposed in those Names of Teachers