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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	doctrine_n	read_v	2,665	5	6.2970	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11882	A sermon against halting betweene two opinions preached at S. Martins in the fields, By Iohn Seller, Bacheler in Diuinitie	Seller, John, 1592 or 3-1648.	1611 (1611)	STC 22182; ESTC S113727	40,787	61

Dauid there were manie true subiects of Dauid that went after Absolon to take his part in their simplicity 2. Sam 15.11 as the scripture recordeth knowing nothing whervnto the trecherous plottes of Absolon did tende So no doubt charitie moueth mee to thinke that there are manie in this Kingdome honest men blinded with some opinions of poperie as in the questions of the real presence or in the number of 7. Sacraments or in the doctrine of Auricular confession or some such schoole question not knowing or belieuing all pointes of poperie which indeed is the very mysterie of iniquitie Of such I say that in the simplicitie of their harts thinke of the Popes doctrine no otherwise then Dauids subiects did of the rebellion of Absolon I will not dispaire but verily hope that such may be saued notwithstāding their misperswasion in some points of religion which doe not destroy any article of faith and Christian beliefe But as for the rest of our wilfull recusant papists which both erre in the foundation hate the truth of the Gospell reuealed vnto them which hate instruction and stop their eares against the word we offer vnto them holding the infallibilitie of the Popes iudgemēt the vniuersalitie of his jurisdiction and power to dispose of the Kingdomes of the world which belieue free will to performe and to do the actions of vertue without assistance of speciall grace which holde and maintaine perfections of inherent righteousnesse satisfactions merites of condignitie propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse which giue Gods honour to images maintaine iustification by works and such like of such I say I may without breach of charitie affirme that if they so liue and so die in the armes of the whore of Babylon they can neuer be saued Obiect But the Papists replie vpon vs and further obiect that if the case of recusant papists be such why then say they we must likewise condemne all our forefathers to the pit of hell who helde none other but the same opinions wee holde this day Solut Touching our forefathers we both speake and thinke of them as charitie leadeth vs to thinke we take not vpon vs to know either the faith or repentance of them that died before our time and therefore we commit their iudgement vnto God We say with the Apostle 2. Tim 2.19 The foundation of God standeth firme and sure hauing this seale The Lorde knoweth who are his and according to the scriptures thus wee belieue of them all that such as helde the onely foundation which is Christ Iesus in a true liuely faith were all saued although they built vpon this foundation chaffe straw or wood and doubt not therefore 1. Cor 3.15 but that manie thousands of our ancestours euen in those times of great blindenesse and corruption holding onely the same foundation Iesus Christ were saued and so died the seruants of God notwithstanding they were misled and carried away with sundrie errours and superstitions for want of due knowledge of the word of God which their pastors and leaders should haue instructed them withall But for a further answere to this obiection I say that the case of our recusant Papists liuing at this day and the case of our fore-fathers liuing in times of great corruption are not peers nor nothing like at all The disparison is this our fore-fathers liued in a time of great blindnes wherein there was a generall decay of learning wherin all good liberall Arts and learning were abolished The skie growing euen darke with the mistie fogges of ignorance when their pastours and leaders were not onely Sir Iohn lacke Latines but S. Iohn lacke honesties who could neither speake Latin nor reade English nor vnderstand the articles of our faith nor any part of the scriptures clowdes without raine lanthorns without light salt without sauour blinde guides dumbe dogges that as one saith seeme to haue their soules giuen them in steede of salt to keepe them from stinking and what maruell then if the people being ledde by such blinde guides became blinde themselues and fell into sundrie errours But as for our recusant papists they liue in the learnedst age that euer was since the time of the Apostles when as the word of God and knowledge of sauing truth was neuer so plentifull and flourishing as now it is Againe the errours of our fore-fathers proceeded of meere simplicitie and want of iudgement Lib. I. de bap cap. 18. Of whome I may say the same that S. Augustine saide of Cyprian and his colleagues erring in the doctrine of Rebaptization That if they had bene in his time when vpon exact and full discussion of things it was resolued otherwise they would haue bene of an other minde So verilie if our fore-fathers whose zeale was exceeding great and a religious care to serue God had liued in these latter times and had seene the true groundes of our religion they would most willingly haue embraced the same truth we professe this day many thousands of them in their life time desiring to haue seene heard those things which wee to our vnspeakable comfort haue both heard and seene And howsoeuer manie of our fore-fathers were in some points deceiued yet it is manifestly to be proued that the worthiest and best learned men in former times thought no otherwise then wee doe in all substantiall pointes of Christan beliefe complaining euen as we doe of the intolerable burdēs which the Popes laid on them in those dayes wishing the remouing of such things as wee haue remoued But as touching the errours of our obstinate and wilfull recusant Pap they proceed of meere obstinacie pertinaciously defending most dangerous errours Hee that is deceiued Cypri ad Iuba and erreth of simplicitie may be pardoned but after the truth is once reuealed who so neuerthelesse continueth in his former errours wittingly and willingly sinneth without pardon of ignominy as being ouer borne by presumption and wilfulnesse And this I take to be the very case of all our recusant Papists this day So great an oddes there is betweene simple errour and wilfull defence Verily for my part I am perswaded that there is neuer a sober and learned papist in this land that can denie if he will truly say and as he thinketh in his owne conscience but that we are come as neere as possible we could to the Church of the Apostles and Catholike Bishops which Church was sound and perfit and spotted with no kind of idolatrie and haue directed according to their customes and ordinances not onely the doctrine this day professed in the Church of England but also the sacraments and forme of common praiers and diuine seruice established here among vs the psalmes we sing are Dauids the bookes we reade are canonicall the prayers we make are consonant to the rule and proportion of faith and true godlinesse And so it appeareth that our whole leiturgie with great iudgment and reasonable moderation was purposely so framed out of the

grounds of religion wherein both sides doe agree that the papist himselfe might resort vnto it without any scruple or scandall if faction more then reason did not preuaile A third difference betweene our forefathers and our Romish recusants is this our forefathers neuer for their part euer vnderstood the mysterie of popish iniquitie but in singlenesse of their hearts embraced the generall doctrine of the Gospel concerning saluation by faith in Christ those damnable and treasonable positions which the Church of Rome proposeth to be holden as verities of the Catholike faith were neuer knowne in the daies of our forefathers that is these fundamentall points of popish religion viz that the Pope is gods vicegerent here on earth and therefore superiour to the King of England That it is the Popes power to depose the King of England and depriue him of his crowne That the Pope may absolue his subiects from their oath of allegiance to him That at the Popes commandement the people are to take armes against him That it is both lawfull and meritorious before God to kill and to murther any Christian Prince if he fall into tyrannie or misbeliefe The secrets of this occupation were neuer so much as heard of in those daies I meane this king-killing and Queene-killing Doctrine of the papists for proofe wherof I will alleadge vnto you one famous and memorable example as I find it recorded In the wofull warres with the Barons when King Iohn was viewing of the Castell of Rochest held against him by the Earle of Arundel he was espied by a very good Arcubalaster who told the Earle thereof and said that he would soone dispatch that cruell tyrant if he would but say the word God forbid vile varlet quoth the Earle That we should proue the death of the holy one of God What said the Souldiour swearing a monstrous oath he would not spare you my Lord if he had you at the like aduantage No matter for that quoth the Earle Gods good will be done and he will dispose thereof and not the king an answere fitting and beseeming that most noble Earle far contrarie to the practise of our powder-Traitors and likewise contrarie to the practise of the late popes of Rome who haue beene so farre off from sauing and sparing the life of Christian Kings and Princes that as Pope Hildebrand gaue the first president they haue hired Assacinours to murther them to lay violent hands vpon them as it is plainely to be proued by the practise of Pius quintus Gregory the thirteēth Sixtus quintus who not onely resolued that parricide of Princes was lawfull but promised both earthly and heauenly recompence to such as would offer their seruice to kill and murther them The truth whereof is clearely to be iustified by the letters of Cardinal Como written to William Parrie wherein contrarie to the manifest voice of God himselfe Thou shalt not kill he encourageth him to the slaughter of his liege Ladie and Mistrisse as to an honourable and holy exploite The last difference and oddes which I obserue betweene our forefathers our Romish recusants is this that they as they were generally forward and very zealous in that religion which they professed so were they as carefull to seeke all the good meanes they could to come to the knowledge of the truth they fasted often they praied much they were most diligent resorters to the house of prayer knowing that it was the place that God himselfe had made choise of to haue his name called on they would reade all such good bookes as possible they could come by for their better instruction in the knowledge of God and as it is recorded and storied of many of them they would sit vp all night in reading and hearing not caring for any expenses or charges so they might attaine to come by such bookes in english as they descried they would not sticke some of them to giue fiue markes for a Bible to reade in and many of them most willingly would giue a loade of haie for some few Chapters of Saint Iames or Saint Paul in English And therefore wee conceiue this good hope of them euen of all such who sought so carefully to vse al the good meanes whereby they might attaine to the sauing knowledge of truth although deceiued in some points yet that they had mercy shewed vnto them and doe rest in peace with God and that the same God who gaue them some measure of knowledge and would require of them according to that which they had and not according to that which they had not did receiue them into the number of his blessed and elect But the case of our recusants is a cleane other case They refuse almost al manner of conference with learned men they will not nor in deed dare onely for the feare of displeasing the Popes holinesse resort to our Churches as for 11. yeares together in the raigne of the late Queene of most precious and worthie memorie all the papists of this kingdome did and that without any scruple of conscience vntill they had receiued a countermand from the Bishop of Rome commanding them vpon paine of the blacke curse to come no more to the Church they are forbidden to reade the Scriptures the Bishops in Queene Maries daies caused it not onely to be accounted heresie but to be proclaimed fellonie for any lay man to haue an English Bible in his house for his priuate solace and comfort the learned treatises written by our men they permit not their Disciples once to reade but interdict them euen to many of their Seminarie Priests no maruaile then if taking this course the Iesuites and Priests keepe their lay followers in a perpetuall ignorance of true religion hauing once framed them to this principle that it is a deadly sinne either to reade the bookes of the Protestants or to heare their sermons or to be present at their seruice or to communicate with them in any religious dutie whatsoeuer And let thus much be spoken touching the Prophets reprouing of the Israelites for wauering and halting betweene two opinions It followeth in the next part to make proofe vnto you that God and Baal cannot both be ioyned together in one seruice There is a speech of Socrates greatly commended by S. Augustine De consen Euang. Li. 1. cap. 18. vnumquemque deum sic coli oportere quomodo seipsum colend m praeceperat That is euery God was to be honoured as u he himselfe had giuen in commandement Vpon which principle the ancient Romanes in the time of Tiberius the Emperour grounding themselues albeit they did admit the religion of all other gods yet by no meanes they could be induced to receiue the religion of the God of the Hebrewse The reason was this they saw it necessarie that either all their idolls must be excluded and onely the true worship of God entertained or hee onely not admitted the rest to be honored For by the word of God they found