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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	life_n	write_v	3,140	5	5.7901	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07444	The iudge of heresies one God, one faith, one church, out of which there is no saluation. Excluding all infidells, Mahumetans, Iewes, obstinate papists, and other heretikes of all sorts, and consequently all newters, who conforme themselues onely externally to any religion, from hope of participation of the kingdome of heauen. If they finally persist therein, and returne not to the knowledge and zealous profession of the true faith. By Iohn Merideth, Sub-Deane of Chichester.	Meredith, John, b. 1579 or 80.	1624 (1624)	STC 17830; ESTC S112660	68,232	98

IVDGE OF HERESIES One GOD One FAITH One CHVRCH Out of which there is no Saluation Excluding all Infidells Mahumetans Iewes obstinate Papists and other Heretikes of all sorts and consequently all Newters who conforme themselues onely externally to any Religion from hope of participation of the Kingdome of Heauen If they finally persist therein and returne not to the knowledge and zealous profession of the true Faith By IOHN MERIDETH Sub-Deane of CHICHESTER Iohn Epist 2 Vers 9. Whosoeuer transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God LONDON Printed by A. M. for Iohn Grismand and are sold at his Shop in Pauls Alley at the Signe of the Gunne 1624. TO THE WORshipfull and Religiously affected William Drury Esquire of Watergate in the County of Suffex SIR THe principiall Motiue which Impelled mee to Consecrate the subsequent Treatise vnto your Name is the selfe same which at the first Inuited mee to Penne it and publish it to the benefit of the well-disposed Reader And that was my Zeale toward the Truth of Christian Faith which is so depraued in this Irreligious age by sundry sorts of Haereticks so dissembled by Newters so derided by Atheists so disturbed by Schismaticks that we may say thereof as our Sauiour spake of himselfe The Foxes haue holes and the Birdes of the Ayre haue nests but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head By Foxes meane the Cunning Polititians of this Age who can howsoeuer the state of Religion standeth Seruire Scenae act their part according to the time And the Birdes I doe vnderstand The vaine vnconstent light Professors of the Christian Faith who were neither of them euer soundly seasoned with Religion the true knowledge of GOD and therefore they so basely esteeme thereof as if it were a matter of Indifference what or whether a man beleeue or not And these kinde of men abound in all places and liue in greatest applause and high estimation while the zealous Seruants of Christ who will not beare the defacing of the Faith by Haeresie or the abusing thereof through Hipocrisie are exploded as the outcasts and off-scowring of the world Now sorasmuch as I haue obserued in you at all such times wherin I haue conuersed with you an affection to the knowledge of the Mysteries of Saluation by your frequent Inquisitions alway accompanied with a reuerend sobriety which the Apostle requireth as the limits of a Christian mans knowledge and also a zealous desire that other should be quitted from Ignorance I could not forbeare vpon the ioy of mine acquaintance with a Gentleman of your ranke and Eminency in these partes so well affected in Religion and so certaine a welwisher and Fauorite vnto Learning where the first is derided and the other despised that the Church and Vniuersitie may both take vp the Lords complaint against the vngratefull Iewes and apply it vnto the greater part of the Inhabitants in these Coasts I haue nourished and brought vp Children and they haue rebelled against me I could not forbeare I say in consideration of the Praemises to ●estifie my Loue and obseruance toward you to Dedicate this Booke vnto your Name and the rather because as I doubtedly beleeue you are one of those whose name God hath written in his Booke of Life For as I said before that I penned it of a Zeale I doe beare vnto the Truth so I doe dedicate it vnto you of a hearty affection I doe beare vnto you because you doe feare the Lord meditate in his Law and haue respect vnto his Commandements Such a one saith Dauid shall not be Psal 119. confounded Secondly because I am inuited hereunto by your Courteous humanity toward these my poore and vnworthy Labours the which as I haue destinated vnto you so you desire to Dedicate them to CHRIST his Church And therefore as the Daughter of Pharoh reputed Moses whom she saued from the fury of the Floods as her owne Sonne So this Treatise shall iustly challenge you for its Father by whose Christian zeale it was deliuered from obscuritie and promoted to call Israel out of Egypt and let those Israelites who by this meanes shall finde the comfort of their deliuerance call vpon GOD for a blessing vpon you and your generation And now worthy Sir I beseech the Lord who hath begunne this good worke in you that hee will performe it vntill the day of IESVS CHRIST and this I pray that your Loue may abound yet more and more in Knowledge and in all Iudgement that you may allow those thinges which are best that you may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ to which end the Lord preserue you Constant and zealous in the profession of the true Faith that you may in the next life receiue the Crown of Life which Christ hath purchased and promised vnto all those who continue faithfull vnto the End Your Worships in hearty Christian affection IOHN MERIDITH The Contents CHAP. I. SHeweth that God requireth truth in Religion which must be squared to the Rule of his Word and therefore Iewes Turkes and Papists whose Religion is false because contrary to the Scriptures cannot bee saued if they persist in their obstinacy and that Papists are but Pseudo-Christians CHAP. II. Proueth that Infidels and Heretiques by an Innocent life and vertuous actions if they could performe any cannot be saued vnlesse they bee Orthodoxall Christians also and the Error of Lodouicus Viues is confuted CHAP. III. Declareth that a good intention or meaning toward God avayleth not Heretiques to preserue them from damnation without the right knowledge of the true Faith where is proued that Negligence and Ignorance in matters of Faith is damnable which ought to be expelled and preuented by diligent reading and examining of the Scriptures with a detection and conuiction of the Popish politicall tyranny in prohibiting the Laity from reading of the Scriptures contayning also an Apology for our Ancestors of the Laity who for the most part dyed true Christians vnder the domination of Antichrist as is plainly proued at large and that the estate of those Papists who liue vnder Protestant Princes is damnable vnlesse they renounce Popery CHAP. IV. Proueth that an Eroneous Conscience is no sufficient bond to oblige a man to persist in a false Religion as the Papists teach but such a conscience ought to be deposed reformed or abandoned and altered according to the rule of Gods Law and therefore the case of those Papists who are trained vp in blindnesse is miserable and lamentable CHAP. V. Answereth Obiections made from the diuine Phylanthropy or loue of God vnto mankinde who say they will not condemne vnto euerlasting death such infinite multitudes of people who dye in Infidelitie and Heresie and saue but onely a few true beleeuing Christians where is plainely proued also that very few in respect of those who are to be damned shal be saued CHAP. VI. Prooueth from the Nature and Attributes of God that Atheysts

shall not haue the Kingdom of Heauen no more can sinfull Catholiques possesse it He saith Anselme who will be of the number of the Elect let him labour to be of the number of the fewest Saint Augustine speaking of such who were Baptized and after dyed in mortall sinne saith That they were of the great multitude of those Lib. de corrept ●t Gram. who were called but they were not of the few of the Elect. And now what sayest thou ●oolish man wouldest thou haue me to say that All are and shall be saued I cannot blesse where God hath cursed Heare Augustine Before the Incarnation of Christ 4000. yeares of the world passed away In which time all were damned except a few of the Lib. de vero cult●● children of Israell See what an infinite multitude went to Hell Saint Peter saith The righteous scarcely shall be saued where 1. Pet. 4. then shall be vngodly and sinner appeare If this will not satisfie thee heare the infallible truth Our Lord Iesus Christ confirming this conclusion one saith vnto him Lord are there few that shall be saued Our Lord answered him and his fellowes Luc. 13. Striue to enter by the narrow gate for I say vnto you many shall seeke to enter and cannot Seeing therefore the aunswere ought to bee vnderstoode and expounded according to the tenour of the praecedent Interrogation wee may conclude and vndoubtedly hold that by this aunswere the Lord determineth nothing else but that fewe should bee saued And therefore Augustine expounding these wordes saith The Lord confirmed that Lib. de ver● Dom. which hee spake that is that there are fewe who are to be saued because fewe enter by the narrow gate For in another place hee saith the same The way which leadeth vnto life is narrow and few● there are that enter by it Vpon which wordes saith Ambrose Flendum magis quam proferendum plure● damnari quam saluari Wee may rather weepe then vtter it that moe shall be damned then saued for that which is affirmed by the truth can bee reprooued by no mans contradiction But what neede I cumber you with authorities seeing our conclusion is expresly preached by our Lord Iesus Christ saying Many are called fewe are chosen Therefore Augustine shewing the small number of those that shall be saued saith Arbitror tres mundipartes fore damnand●s Lib. de ver● Cu●tu c. I suppose three parts of the world shall be damned because among them Infidels or Heretickes doe raigne but of the fourth part what shall I say but with Saint Iohn Totus mundus in maligno positus est The whole world is set on mischiefe For what are the men of our time for the most part proude co●etous luxnrious gluttons drunkards murtherers fornicatours adulterers and worse wrathfull en●ious negligent in good workes and plunged in all manner of sinnes and wickednesse and therefore they must needes p●rish Now that no man despaire I say notwithstanding the praecedent position That the Elect who shall all be saued are infinite if you consider them absolutely in themselues God said vnto Abraham I will make thee a mighty Nation and againe I will make thy seede as the dust of the earth then shall thy seede be Gen. 13. ●umbred The Angell S●al●●h the seruants of God in their forehead Ap●calips 7. whose number was 144000. of all the Tribes of the children of Israel beside a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues stoode before the Thron● and before the Lambe cloathed with long white Ro●bes and palmes in their hands But if you speake respectiuely and compare them with the damned I say they are very few The drops of water that are in a Well or Riuer are infinite but if you compare them to the number of the drops of water that are in the Ocean they are very fewe And this is approued by Augustine who saith Lib. deverb D●m Non contrarius est sibi dominus c. Our Lord doth not speake contraries who saith That there are fewe that enter by the narrow gate and in another place he saith Many shall come from the East and the West and shall sit with Abraham Isaac and Iaccb in the Kingdome of heauen for they are fewe in comparison of the damned but many in the society of the Angels The Corne is hardly seene when the floore is threshed but the Masse which shall come out of this floore will be so great that it will fill the Barne of heauen For this cause our Sauiour termeth the Elect pusillum gregem a little Flocke in respect of the multitude of the Reprobate Luc. 12. Wherefore though they bee fewe in respect of the damned yet let no Christian despaire but rather labour to keepe the profession of our hope without wauering and make sure his saluation by good workes in Christ Jesus and so shall hee bee sure that hee is one of those fewe that shall be saued Now I will answere in a word or two the principall obiections which are made against this position omitting many idle absurdities whose very rehearsall were a sufficient c●nfutation of them as that of Origen who being ouer mercifull said That the diuell himselfe and his Angels should in processe of time after they had suffered long and grieuous ●pip●am Epist ad I●b Hierosol torments proportionable to the Merits of their sinnes be deliuered out of their torments and be ioyned with the holy Angels and returne to their first state and dignity in the Kingdome of heauen Of which opinion Augustine speaking saith Sed illum et propter hoc et propter alia nonnulla c. Non Immerito reproba●it Lib. 21 de ci●●● Dei cap. 17. Ecclesia But the Church did worthily condemne him for this and sundry other errors for by seeming to be too mercifull he lost mercy As also that which said that All mankinde should bee saued by the intercession of the Saints in the day of Iudgement confuted by Augustine in the same Booke and now Cap. 18. I come to the chiefe obiections The first is made from the Apostles wordes God would haue all men to bee saued They argue from the will of God and the vniuersality of the Terme All Gods will is immutable the Terme vniuersall and as the law saith Qui totum dicit nihil excludit hee that saith All excepteth nothing First for the will of God I answere with Saint Augustine When wee heare and reade in the holy Scriptures that God would haue All men to bee saued Enchirid. Cap. 6. ● though wee are sure that all men are not saued Wee must not therefore derrogate any thing from the most omnipotent will of God but so vnderstand that which is written who would haue all men to bee saued as if hee should say that there could no man bee saued but hee whom hee would haue saued Not that there is no