Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	canon_n	church_n	council_n	2,659	5	6.8416	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61810	The peoples right to read the Holy Scripture asserted in answer to the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th chapters, of the second part of the Popish representer.	Stratford, Nicholas, 1633-1707.	1687 (1687)	Wing S5938; ESTC R9008	62,942	97

often divided among themselves and their Definitions plainly contradictory one to another Witness Pope Gregory I and Pope Boniface III. The former condem'd the Title of Vniversal Bishop as abominable and Antichristian z Lib. 4. Epist 32 33 36 38. the later ambitiously affected and obtain'd it from the Tyrant Phocas a Plat. in vit Bonifacii III. Sabellic Ennead 8. l. 6. Pope Innocent I. held the Eucharist was necessary for Infants b Aug. Contr. duas Epist Pelag. l. 2. c. 4. Binii Concil Tom. 1. p. 769. Pope Pius IV. denounced an Anathema against those that held it c Conc. Trid. Sess 21. Can. 4. And certainly neither do these Divisions take their Rise from the reading of the Bible by the common People 3. The Learned Romanists are divided among themselves in all those Points of Doctrine in which they are divided from Protestants I shall instance in some viz. The Popes Infallibility and Vniversal Pastorship his Power over Princes and Dominion in Temporals the Canon of Scripture and Traditions of the Church the Sacrifice of the Mass and Communion in one kind the Worship of Images and Invocation of Saints the Doctrines of Purgatory and Indulgences to which I shall add but one more viz. Transubstantiation Tho they seem pretty well agreed to burn or hang those that deny it yet there is not one question about it in which they are at an agreement among themselves To borrow the Words of a learned Bishop of the Church of Ireland No sooner says he was this fatal Sentence given he means the Definition of Transubstantiation in the Lateran Council but as if Pandora's Box had been newly set wide open whole swarms of noisom Questions and Debates did fill the Schools Then it began to be disputed by what means this Change comes whether by the Benediction of the Elements or by the repetition of those Words of Christ THIS IS MY BODY Then was the Question started what the demonstrative Pronoun HOC signifies in these Words THIS IS MY BODY Whether this thing or this Substance or this Bread or this Body or this Meat or these Accidents or that which is contain'd under these Species or this Individuum vagum or lastly which seems stranger than all the rest this nothing c. Then it began to be argued whether the Elements were annihilated Whether the Matter and Form of them being destroyed their Essence did yet remain Or the Essence being converted the Existence remain'd Then the Schoolmen began to wrangle what manner of Change this was Whether a material Change or a formal Change or a Change of the whole Substance both Matter and Form And if it were a Conversion of the whole Substance then whether it was by way of Production or by Adduction c. (d) Bp. Bramh. Answ to the Epist of M. de la Militiere This is only a short taste of what the Reader may find in the Book quoted in the Margin Nor do they only quarrel about the Manner but some of their greatest Men do not believe and others plainly deny the Article it self as any one may see who will but take the pains to consult the learned Preface to a Discourse of the Holy Eucharist in the two great Points c. and a Treatise written by an Author of the Communion of the Church of Rome touching Transubstantiation It is probable that if all the Disputes upon all Points controverted among Protestants were put together they would not amount to a greater number than those of the Papists in this one Article To conclude this Let any Learned Romanist tell me what his Judgment is in any one Point controverted between them and us and I will engage upon short warning to produce another Learned Romanist who shall contradict him And are not Men so entirely united in Judgment among themselves excellently qualified to upbraid Protestants with their Divisions 4. In that he says To such Readers as St. Peter calls Vnwary and Ignorant Arianism may be as obvious in this Book as Christ's Divinity It is a sign that he expected no other than such unwary and ignorant Readers For he must be ignorant indeed in these Matters who does not know That not the Ignorant but the Learned not the Laity but the Clergy were the Persons to whom Arianism was in this Book so obvious Witness the Councils of Sirmium of Milan and Ariminum I need not tell him That one or two of the Bishops of Rome either grosly dissembled or Arianism was for a time more obvious to them in this Book than Christ's Divinity And whereas he says That when such an one viz. one that is Unwary and Ignorant undertakes the interpreting of this Book 't is a hazard whether in the end he comes out Quaker Anabaptist Presbyterian Independent Muggletonian Socinian or Atheist He had spoken nearer the Truth if he had said When such an one takes this Book as interpreted to him by a Popish Priest or Jesuit in the disguise of a Quaker Anabaptist c. We know who have been imploy'd to sow and foment Divisions among us to draw our People into separated Meetings upon the pretence of a more pure and spiritual way of Worship We can tell him of great numbers instructed in Handy-craft Trades trained up to dispute one for Presbytery another for Independency a third for Anabaptism sent over hither by order from Rome so that when the deluded People have thought they had heard a gifted Tradesman they have heard a Romish Priest in that disguise We can acquaint him with those who have been detected exercising their Talents in several sorts of Meetings But that which follows is most surprising That it is a venture whether Cruelty cutting of Throats Oppression Tyranny dethroning of Kings murder of Princes shall not with him viz. the ignorant Reader become a necessary Duty and a true serving of the Lord. This I say is most surprising and doubtless he rubb'd his forehead hard before he wrote it since he knows That all these have for some hundreds of Years been taught and practised by the greatest Men of his own Church and therefore it is not a venture but beyond all peradventure that when Place and Time serve they will be so again He well knows what the great Cardinals Bellarmine Baronius Perron c. What the Learned Jesuits Suarez Lessius Azorius c. What his own Country-men Cardinal Allen Father Parsons Creswel c. have written for the deposing and murdering of Kings He knows what Pope Gregory VII Gregory IX Innocent III Innocent IV Boniface VIII Paul III Pius V Sixtus V Gregory XIII have not only taught but acted in pursuance of these Doctrines He knows there was a Holy League among those who had not the Bible in their Banners as well as a Solemn League and Covenant among those who had And he knows or at least may soon know if he please That the chief Weapons of the Rebellion in Forty two were setch'd from Rome

impossible for a Protestant to believe yet I doubt not but the Representer will grant that the belief of this is as easy to a Protestant as it is to a Papist And that since it is believed by Papists there is very good reason why Protestants should believe it 2. Since they allow the Vulgar the Ten Commandments in their own Tongue what probable Reason can be given why they leave out this part Thou shalt not Tho to stop their Adversaries Mouths they now put these words into the English Catechisms make to thy self any graven Image c. but this that they dare not let their Laity compare their Doctrine and their Practice with this Scripture It is I know commonly said that this is done in compliance with the weak Memories of the People But he must be of a weak understanding who is satisfied with this Reason especially considering how tedious some of their Offices of Devotion are which are composed for the use of the Laity 3. It is no Thanks to them that the Bible is not denied to the Learned because it is impossible it should be kept from them as long as it is suffer'd in any Language But it is plain they are afraid of them in that they do not allow them however learned and pious but at the Bishop's discretion to read any Versions of the Old Testament Nor do they give the Bishop leave to permit any Man how learned soever to read any Versions of the New made by those who are censured by their Church but confine them to the Vulgar Edition n Reg. 3. ● Trid. And to make as sure of them as they can they tie them up as close as they are able from giving any such Interpretation of it as may be prejudicial to their new Faith. And yet not trusting to this Security they endeavour as much as may be to conceal from them those Scriptures which are repugnant to their Doctrine Which is 4. A plain Argument That it is the Bible it self they take to be mischievous to them Why else 1. Did they blot those words out of the Margin and Index of Rob. Stephen's Bible which were the same with those in the Text For Example Abraham was justified by Faith. He that believeth in Christ shall not die for ever They that blotted these out of the Index that the Reader might not thereby be directed to find them would they not if they durst have blotted them out of the Text too 2. Why else have they purged not only out of the Ancient Fathers but many late Learned Writers of their own Church many Passages of the Scripture it self 3. Why was it commended as a most meritorious Act in John Della Cava Arch-bishop of Benevento That tho he had not openly and expresly condemn'd the Gospel yet obscurely and covertly he had because in his large Catalogue of Hereticks he had reprobated a great part of that Doctrine which is contain'd in the Gospel especially some certain Heads which were most opposite to the Church of Rome p Consil de Rom. Eccles Stab The Representer proceeds If their Religion be so contrary to Scripture as you pretend is it not more likely the Learned should make this discovery in their reading the Bible than the Vulgar if they had the like liberty c. To which I return these two Things 1. If the Learned are as free from Prejudice Pride Vain-glory Covetousness and other evil Affections which darken Mens Minds it is more likely they should make this Discovery than the Vulgar if not the Vulgar are better qualified to make it than they For tho Learning when joyn'd with a sincere love of Truth is a great advantage for the discovery of it yet when destitute of this it is as great a hinderance The Learned among the Jews in the days of our Saviour are a demonstrative Proof of this Tho Moses and all the Prophets bore Testimony to him yet the Scribes and Pharisees were not able to see it Why because they were prepossessed with the Prejudices of a Pompous Messias they sought Glory of Men they had carnal Affections and a worldly Interest to serve tho therefore all the Characters of the Messias were visible in him yet because he was not a Messias for their turn they could not discern them I say not only they did not but without first laying aside their corrupt Affections they could not And so our Saviour himself says Ye cannot hear my Word q Joh. 8. 43. And how can ye believe which receive Honour one of another r Joh. 5. 44. How wife and prudent soever they were in other Matters they were not capable of the Truths of the Gospel and therefore they were hid from them while they were revealed to Babes s Mat. 11. 25. Now how few in comparison of the Learned in the Church of Rome have not some carnal Interest to serve How few are not prepossess'd with some such false Principle that be the Scripture never so clear against them will so blind their eyes that they shall not be able to discern it Should the Church of Rome teach Murder and Adultery to be Vertues he who makes it a Fundamental Article of his Faith that she cannot err would not be able to see that they are Sins but would find out some other sense of these Commandments than the words plainly import In short this Argument the Learned Jews made use of against our Blessed Saviour Have any of the Pharisees believed on him But this People who know not the Law are curs'd t Joh. 7. 48 49. As much as to say Were he the true Messias the Learned Pharisees who study the Law would certainly know it since therefore they do not believe on him no heed is to be given to the ignorant Multitude Were therefore this Argument of force it would have justified the Vulgar Jews in rejecting of Christ But 2. Many of their Learned Men have made this Discovery How many such were the chief Instruments of the Reformation and they doubtless discover'd the Errors of their Church before they forsook it How many continually since have forsaken their Communion in spite of all worldly Motives to the contrary How many who have not left their Communion have given abundant Testimony by their Writings that they were convinced of their Errors some in one thing some in another Cardinal Cajetan and Cardinal Contarenus will be owned for as Learned Men as most of their Time and they discover'd the Error of Prayer and Service in an Unknown Tongue Erasmus in the last Age and Arnaud and his Brethren the Jansenists in this have exposed to all the World the Error I now write against The Learned Men of the Church of Rome who have rejected the Apocryphal Books from the Canon of Scripture are too many to be particularly mentioned for that they are no part of the Canon was Catholic Doctrine at Rome it self as a Learned Bishop of our own

Church has prov'd but ten Years before the Council of Trent And whosoever has read the History of that Council cannot but see that the denial of the Cup to the Laity was discovered to be an Error by many Learned Men of that Church Yea the great Article of Transubstantiation many of their most Learned Men both in the present and in foregoing Ages could never perswade themselves to believe How many more of their Errors have been discover'd and published to the World by Cassander Wicelius Erasmus Picus Mirandula and many other Learned Men who died in Communion with them I shall not stay to mention But shall only make this Inference that the Representer would never have argued at this rate had he not vainly thought that the Protestants are as little acquainted with the Writings of the Papists as the Papists generally are with those of the Protestants What follows concerning Mechanicks and Apron-strings the Anvil the Needle and the Ell I suppose he did not intend for Arguments but only for Ornaments and Imbellishments and therefore I pass them over He adds Is it probable that every Man amongst the Papists no sooner becomes Scholar but he turns Atheist No. That upon their search in the Bible they plainly see all the Errours of their Religion and yet are so bewitched as to go on boldly and jocondly to the Devil without speaking a word or moving a step to save their own Souls or their Relations u P. 53 54. I will not say that every Learned Papist sees all the Errours of their Religion It may suffice that many of them have discover'd many of their Errors have written boldly against them And for those who discover their Errors and yet profess to believe them it is not necessary they should be Atheists I hope those Gentlemen are no Atheists who for several years late past have believed with the Church of Rome and profess'd with the Church of England their Religion approves Equivocations and mental Reservation Tho I confess that very Argument is so great a Bar to my turning Papist that I cannot at present imagine that I can ever be reconciled to that Religion which allows such gross Hypocrisies I hope by this time the Representer sees how weak and ill-grounded his own Arguments are 2. But he asks What ground can there be for this Pretension at least here in England where the Bible in English or the Rhemes Testament is to be found in most Catholic Families If it be so who is to be thanked for it Not their Church-men For tho they are more indulgent to their People here in England yet it is because they dare not be otherwise since should they hold them to as strict terms here as they do where they are in full possession it might endanger their losing them Besides that it is impossible to keep the Bible here from those who have a mind to read it for if they have it not with their leave they can have it without it But yet to keep them as much as may be from it they endeavour to perswade them that it is a sin to read it without leave and many are so possessed with this Belief that they acknowledg they dare not read it nor any other Book offer'd to them by Protestants without leave first obtain'd from their Ghostly Father and were England as much in their Power as Spain and Italy are a Bible in the Vulgar Tongue would be as rarely found in any Family here as it is in those Nations tho I see no reason but they may freely allow them the Rhemes Testament because they have so transform'd it into their own likeness that one would think they need fear no danger from it But if says he the prohibition of the Bible be as you pretend in other Countries for fear of the Vulgar discovering the Errors of their Religion how comes it that they don't make this Discovery here Some may not make this Discovery because of those invincible Prejudices they are prepossess'd with Others may not make it because they do not see with their own Eyes but leave it to their Priests to see for them Yet 't is strange the Representer should ask How comes it they do not make this Discovery as if none had made it when to the great grief of their Church such vast numbers have long since made it Does he not know That one Objection against translating the Bible in in King Hen. VIII days was That if Lay-men had the Bible in their Mother Tongue it would make them all Hereticks Does he not know how far the Event has answered the Prediction that whereas before the whole Nation was generally of their Belief so many have forsaken them since that now perhaps one or two in an hundred are as many as they can challenge He says Many have quitted that Communion upon other Motives best known to themselves but never any one could I meet with left them yet by reading and following the Word of God. He has it seems met with few who have left them nor could it be expected he should meet with many for so many had left them before his time that few in comparison remain'd to leave them now And those who left their Communion in K. Hen. VIII days could not leave it upon worldly Motives because after he gave leave to print the Bible in English and encouragement to all Men to read it he not only continued a Member of the Church of Rome himself but a zealous Persecutor of those who forsook it But perhaps he meets with none who desert them now If he does not yet many others do and I presume those that forsake them now their only Motive must be to follow the Word of God. But if the reading the Scriptures is such a defeat to Popery as you give out is it likely those who have been bred up to the reading of the Bible and have made it their Study and Companion should ever embrace that Communion Not more unlikely than that those who have been bred up to the reading of the Bible should imbrace divers other Opinions and Practices that are utterly inconsistent with it which we frequently see some Men do Tho I question not but if he examine their Converts he will find but few of them such as have made the Bible their Study and Companion And for those who have been bred up to the reading it but never concern'd themselves to consider it it is not more unlikely that they should imbrace Popery tho never so plainly contrary to it than that those should who never so much as saw it I shall not pass a Censure upon their late Proselytes but I am perswaded the Representer himself will confess that some of them are such as they have no reason to boast of FINIS ERRATA PAge 4. Marg. for Mandeuent read Mandement P. 8. Marg. for Prosanes r. Profanes P. 11. l. 6. after that add it l. last for Acaia r. Achaia P. 16. Marg. l. 4. for it r. et P 19. Marg. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 2 and 3 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 P. 30. after reading add it P. 53. l. 27. for gosly r. grosly P. 69. l. 7. for reci●● r. reci●● P. 80. Marg. r. contempletur