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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	rome_n	scripture_n	3,077	5	6.0120	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65715	A sermon in confutation of R. H. the author of The guide in controversies Shewing that his most plausible arguments produced against Protestants, do more effectually conclude for Judaism against Christianity. By Daniel Whitby, D.D. chantor of the church of Sarum.	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1679 (1679)	Wing W1736A; ESTC R222007	21,763	39

worship vain That they transgressed the commandment of God by their Traditions That notwithstanding their instructions the people were as sheep without a Shepheard Matt. ix 36. Matt. xv 14. or only had such Guides as would most certainly if they submitted to their guidance lead them to the pit Hence therefore I infer 1. That even those Spiritual Guides who are by Gods appointment constituted to instruct his people and to feed his flock for such our Lord acknowledged the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers of the Jewish Church to be may scatter and destroy that flock And they who are set for the judgment of the Lord and for controversies may violate corrupt pervert that Law they should interpret they may be partial in it they may depart out of the way they may make the Commandments of God of none effect and his whole worship vain by their traditions they may cause their sheep to err stumble and go astray and that so dangerously that they who are led by them shall be destroyed with them and find no entrance into bliss And hence I hope I may assume the boldness to conclude against the Infallibility of our Spiritual Governours or the concurring judgments of the major part of them which is sufficient to root up even the foundations of the Romish Babel 2. Hence I infer that notwithstanding all the formentioned Scriptures which say it was the duty of the people to ask of their Spiritual Guides the meaning of the Law and seek the knowledg of it at their mouths and to enquire after their judgments in all those Controversies they were not able to resolve I say hence I infer that notwithstanding this the people were not absolutely obliged to rest in the decision of the major part of these Church Guides or bound to practise all that they approved for then an obligation must be laid upon them not only to err in judgment with them to countenance false Prophets and to speak peace to themselves when there is no peace but also to violate the Law and to comply with their false glosses and corrupt interpretations of it nay which is more unreasonable they must be then obliged to be destroyed to fall into the pit and to exclude themselves from the enjoyment of Christ Kingdom Whereas it is a contradiction to say that God obligeth any Person to transgress his Law and it is little less than Blasphemy to say h● doth require them to destroy themselves to fal● into the pit or to deprive themselves of the enjoyment of his Kingdom Hence therefore I infe● this Corollary That neither are all Christian people Churches 〈◊〉 Nations absolutely bound to rest in the decisions of th● major part of Christian Bishops or to practise all th●● they approve and impose Which proposition overthrows that absolute and blind obedience to their Church Guides or Councils which Romanists ●● stifly plead for 3. Hence it is also evident that private persons or that the minor part of the whole Church may have sufficient ground either from reason or clea● Scripture for their refusal of assent and of submission to the Authority and definitions of the major part of their Church Guides for the Jews were bound to believe Christ to be the true Messiah although the High Priest and the Elders had pronounced him a deceiver and a Malefactor They were obliged to believe his Miracles were wrought not by Belzebub but the Spirit of God that Christs Kings was not of this world that John Baptist was that Elias which was for to come and that to eat with hands unwashed to heal the sick to pluck some ears of Corn upon the Sabbath day were not unlawful actions although the major part of their Church Guides taught and believed the contrary Matt. xv 5. They were obliged not to void that Law of nature which required Children to relieve their own distressed Parents and therefore stood obliged not to comply with those traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees which made the word of God of none essect and would not suffer them to yield obedience to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark vii 8. And seeing they had many traditions and decrees of the like nature which obtained amongst them and only were rejected by the Saduces and the Disciples of our Lord in none of these could they comply with their Church Guides without the violation of that Law of God which sure they had sufficient ground and reason to observe In a word in all those cases in which they were not bound to rest in the decisions of the major part of their Church Guides or practise what they did approve that is in all the cases mentioned in the former head they must have had sufficient ground either from Scripture or from Reason for their refusal of submission to them Now these three inferences do fully justifie the Reformation of the Church of England 4. From what hath been discoursed we may see the weakness of those pleas the Roman Doctors make in their own defence and of the Arguments they use to shew that 't is impossible they should be guilty of those corruptions in Doctrine or in manners which we charge them with For their most specious pretences are to this effect that we confess the Church of Rome was once both true and Orthodox shew then say they how we did cease to be so whether by Schism or Heresie With Schism you cannot justly charge us R. H. Rational account disc 3. Chap. 5. §. 63. p. 203. for that can never be of a much major and more dignified part in respect of a less and inferior subject to it because this main body in any division is rightly taken for the whole from which a separation is Schism and to which every Member ought to adhere as to the body and head here upon earth to which it belongs we therefore being the much major and more dignified part of the Church cannot be Schismaticks in reference to Protestants who are and were at their departure a less and an inferior body to us If Heresie be the crime charged upon us by what Church were we condemned what body of men before you found fault with those corruptions which you pretend to reform for sure it was not possible for so many errors and corruptions to come into the Church and no one take notice of them could this be so where was the watchful eye of providence over the Church But if we could suppose this providence was unconcerned for preservation of the Church could all the Pastors fall asleep at once or could they all conspire together to deceive their Posterity Moreover since God will always have a visible Church what can you mention besides that which holds Communion with the Church of Rome as the then present visible Church of Christ when you began your reformation except perhaps some Eastern Churches which you dislike almost as much as that of Rome And if that Church could teach such

errors as you charge her with as matters of the Christian faith what assurance can you have she hath not erred in defining the Canon of Scriptures and delivering some Book or Books for the word of God which are not so This is the sum of all the pleadings of the Roman party in their own behalf And they are only such as the Jewish Doctors might have pleaded with as much plausibility against our Lords Disciples and that first Christian Church which they planted in that Nation For 1. Where may they say Vid. Stillingfl Sermon 24. Acts xiv will you produce the men of former Ages who taxed the Jewish Church with such errors and corruptions as your Jesus did and bid men beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees that is the most holy and learned Members of our Church Do not the Christians themselves acknowledge that we were once a right vine and the beloved of the Lord how or when therefore did we cease to be so If by Schism produce that major part or body of the Jewish Church from which we separated when first your Jesus like another Luther appeared among us Or if by Heresie we ceased to be so by what Church what Councils were we condemned Who can believe that God would ever suffer such dangerous Doctrines to prevail in his own Church and raise up no Church Guides no Prophets to discover things so destructive to her very being till these new Teachers and Reformers first arose Where then had God a true Church in the world if not among the people of the Jews what other Church could Christ or his Apostles mention besides that which he so often taxed with voiding the Commandments of God and rendring his worship vain because of some traditions which they had received from their Forefathers If then God suffered this Church to be all over-run with such a fatal leprosie and gave no clear discovery thereof where was the watchful eye of Providence Where was that God who promised that he would put his name for ever in Jerusalem and that his eyes and heart should be perpetually there But suppose that Providence was unconcerned did all our Pastors fall asleep at once or could they all conspire to deceive posterity Were not the Oracles of God committed to us Jews did not you Christians receive them from us if then our Church might teach her Children such destructive errors as you charge her with how can you be assured that she hath not erred even in that Canon of Scriptures which from her you have received Now though this instance which I have largely prosecuted may be sufficient to shew the vanity of the most plausible pretences of R. H. against the Protestants both in his Rational account and his Discourse It might be farther manifested that they as strongly plead for the Heathen world against the Jew for the Mahumetan against the Christian for the Priests of Baal against Elias and those seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal for the prevailing Arian against the Orthodox for the Fornicator the Simoniack the Covetous and the Debauched person in all those Ages in which these were the Epidemical Vide. Appen Chap. 3. §. 10 16. and almost general diseases of the Clergy that is from the tenth to the sixteenth Century and lastly for Antichrist himself when he according to the predictions of the Scripture and the confession of many Rnman Catholicks shall drive the Church that is the Orthodox Professors of the Faith into the Wilderness and slay the Witnesses of Christ and of his Doctrine But To conclude If this be truly the result of the most specious pretences of the Roman party to draw our souls into their deadly snares if all their fairest pleas do make for Judaism more naturally than they do for Popery If what they urge to prove ●he Potestant Divines to be Deceivers of the people doth more strongly prove our blessed Jesus a De●eiver which is the highest Blasphemy I hope that ●o true lover of this Jesus will be much tempted ●y such pleas to entertain a good opinion of the Romish Faith It being certainly that Faith which cannot be established but on the ruins of Christianity nor embraced by any Protestant but ●o the greatest hazard if not the ruin of his ●oul FINIS