Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
book_n church_n scripture_n write_v 5,125 5 5.8373 4 true
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
A50334 Doubts concerning the Roman infallibility I. whether the Church of Rome believe it, II. whether Jesus Christ or his Apostles ever recommended it, III. whether the primitive church knew or used that way of deciding controversie. Maurice, Henry, 1648-1691. 1688 (1688) Wing M1362; ESTC R15937 24,517 44

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

required but Orthodox Faith and the Truth of Apostolick Doctrine And it is strange in all the Disputes between Cyril and Theodoret there is not the least Word about the Infallible Definition of the Ephesin Synod which had decided the Matter under Dispute And it is no small Prejudice against the Infallible Way Cyril Ep. ad Euopt that Cyril tells his Adversary That he ought to Argue out of the Scriptures only There was never Council occasioned more Dispute than that of Chalcedon the World was a long while divided about it But those who declare their Adherence to it never pretend it to have been Infallible but on the contrary Ep. Anatol. ad Leon. Ep. Episcop Europ ad Leon Episc Isaur ad eund vid. Tom. 5. Conc. Ed. Labb Profess their Approbation of it Because it had Asserted the True Faith not that the Faith must be true because asserted by it because it had defined nothing New or Strange against the Rectitude of the Faith because it had added nothing to the Faith or altered nothing in the Constitutions of former Councils or explained any thing Incongruously but followed the Scripture and the Nicene Council Ep. Syriae 2. ibid. And the Bishops of Syria declare their Opinion not only of this but of all the other received General Councils That they Decree them to be True Councils because they have Asserted and Ratified this Faith by the Holy Seriptures What shall we call this but a Protestant Rule of Faith when a Council is to be known to be True or False from its Doctrine and not the Doctrine from the Infallibility of the Judge And Maximus it seems Collat. S. Maximi cum Theodos Ep. Caesar Ed. Sirm. p. 161 162. had no other Means of discerning True from Erroneous Councils but the Doctrine they defined For says he If the Emperor's Summons or Commands give Authority to Synods and not the True Faith receive the Synods that have been assembled against the Word Consubstantial And having reckoned up many Heretical Councils concludes But they were all condemned for the Impiety of their Erroneous Opinions confirmed by them And then The Rule of the Church acknowledges those for true Synods which the Orthodoxness of their Opinions doth Recommend And Theodosius Answers It is so as thou affirmest It is Orthodoxness of Belief gives Credit and Confirmation to Synods I might pursue the same Observation through several other General Councils which a considerable part of the Church believed to have actually mistaken but to which none for some Ages ascribed the Prerogative of Infallibility but those in which I have instanced being the Principal for Reputation and Authority it is needless to observe the same thing of those that followed And the Fathers taking the Liberty of Judging Conciliary Definitions by the Rule of Faith the Holy Scriptures do plainly overthrow all Pretence of an Unaccountable Infallible Way of Defining presumed to be above all Examination and Review because above all possibility of Mistaking Now as the Church was Ignorant of the Infallible Judge during the conjunction of East and West and the Opportunity of General Councils so the Greek Church after it was broken off from the West was altogether unacquainted with this Infallible Way and when the Church of Rome began to assume to it self the Quality of Infallible the Eastern Church Protested against it And while they follow the Patriarch Photius they can never Resolve their Faith into any Human or Ecclesiastical Authority for he has prevented all such Pretences by that strong Protestation he makes in his Epistle to the Bishop of Aquileia Photii Ep. ad Ep. Aquil. in Auct Biblioth Patr. per Combef p. 535. where in answer to the Authority of the Fathers touching the Procession of the Holy Ghost he saith What should I descend so low as to speak concerning the number of those that affirm this thing though the whole Creation should do it with onc Voice none surely would leave the Instruction and Doctrine of the Creator to hearken to the Voice of the Creature contradicting him that made it To conclude I cannot avoid suspecting the Roman Infallibility when I consider not only That no other Church pretends to it but that no Heresie or Sect of Christians ever claimed it These did seldom come behind the Church in Assuming and Pretence and commonly presumed more upon their Authority and what they wanted in Truth and Proof they made up with Arrogance and the Positive Way There is no other Principle into which Faith is used to be resolved but they endeavour to make their own Scripture Tradition Miracles Revelation all these they boldly challenged but this Assurance of Infallibility we never find them to have usurped I am loath to ascribe it to their Modesty it is more likely they had no Example to provoke them and they were not so Fortunate as to find out the Way themselves to so bold a Pretence unless we may imagine that they had a better Opinion of their Way than to think it stood in need of so Miserable a Subterfuge So that the Impudence of this Pretence is peculiar to the Church of Rome and may serve as a more proper Note to distinguish it than any of those laid down by Bellarmine But this is no note of Honour but a Brand for as the Church of Rome corrupted it self beyond all others in Doctrine and Worship the Divine Judgment delivered her up to a Reprobate Sense that renders her incapable of Discerning or Reforming her Errours this Presumption That she is not subject to Mistake hanging perpetually like a Veil over her Eyes FINIS Books Printed for James Adamson at the Angel and Crown in S. Paul's Church-Yard I. A Treatise of the Celibacy of the Clergy wherein its Rise and Progress are Historically considered In Quarto II. A Treatise proving Scripture to be the Rule of Faith writ by Reginald Peacock Bishop of Chichester before the Reformation about the Year 1450. In Quarto III. Several Captious Queries concerning the English Reformation first proposed by Dean Manby an Irish Convert in Latin And afterwards by T. W. in English Briefly and fully Answered by the late reverend and learned Dr. Clagett Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grays-Inn and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty IV. Two Discourses of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead In Quarto V. The Present State of the Controversie between the Church of England and the Church of Rome Or an Account of the Books written on both Sides in a Letter to a Friend In Quarto VI. Mr. Chillingworth's Book called The Religion of Protestants a safe Way to Salvation made more generally useful by omitting Personal Contests but inserting whatsoever concerns the common Cause of Protestants or defends the Church of England with an exact Table of Contents and an Addition of some genuine Pieces of Mr. Chillingworth's never before printed viz. against the Infallibility of the Roman Church Transubstantiation Tradition c. And an Account of what moved the Author to turn Papist with his Confutation of the said Motives In Quarto VII Clementis epistolae duae ad Corinthos interpretibus Patricio Juneo Gothifredo Vandelino Joh. Bapt. Cotelerio recensuit notarum spicilegium adjecit Paulus Colomesius bibliothecae Lambethanae curator accedit Tho. Brunonici Windsoriensis dissertatio de Therapeutis Philonis His subnexae sunt epistolae aliquot singulares vel nunc primum editae vel non ita facile obviae In Quarto VIII The Travel of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant in Three Part viz. 1. Into Turky 2. Persia 3. The East Indies In Folio
of Miracles and Inspiration had thought fit to confer upon it the Gift of Infallible Decision But the Generation next to the Apostles knew nothing of this Matter but Confess the State of the Church in their Time to be Inferiour to that of the Apostolick Age and that Hereticks then could not be so effectually Suppressed as they were by the Apostles and immediate Disciples of our Saviour For Hegesyppus speaking of the Martyrdom of Symeon Bishop of Jerusalem observes That to that Time the Church had continued a Virgin and Unpolluted for while the Apostles lived Hereticks were forced to keep themselves close but when their Generation was closed then these Deceivers began to appear with wonderful Confidence What absurd Fellows were these to think They could prevail against an Infallible Church at one Time more than another had they no Dread of the Infallible Judge Did they not know that his Sentence could make them Hereticks Convict when ever he thought fit to pronounce it or at leastwise Did they not know that all Christians Believed such a Judge and therefore could have as little Hopes then as in the Time of the Apostles But though we let these pass for Impudent Stupid Fellows Yet what should this Hegesyppus mean by Representing the Church as a Virgin but to such a Time since in despight of all Heresies the Church must always remain Pure and Uncorrupted Valesius would fain refer this to the Church of Jerusalem only But he ingenuously Confesses That Eusebius who Cites it meant otherwise and applyed it to the Church in General And the Reasons that Hegesyppus gives make it plain that so he meant it too And therefore Valesius bespeaks a favourable Interpretation of them both How little Thought Justin Martyr and Irenaeus had of this Way of Infallibility I have mentioned before they both Wrote against Heresies and Irenaeus his Books are still Extant but not the least Mention made of the Authority of the Infallible Judge Scripture and common Sense furnish all his Arguments Tradition indeed is once mentioned because Hereticks made this their Pretence but then too it is used only for a Negative Argument to shew that the Apostolick Churches never Taught any such Traditionary Doctrines without the least Pretence that those Churches had received any other Articles of Belief besides what were contained in the Scripture Clemens of Alexandria lays down several Ways of Detecting Hereticks but it was his Misfortune or rather that of his Age to be Ignorant of that which is now accounted the only Infallible Tertullian Prescribes against all Hereticks without troubling the Scriptures from the Common Rule of Faith which is not an Indefinite One in petto but a short Summary of the chief Points of Christian Religion from the Novelty of Heresies from the Doctrine of Apostolical Churches Founded before those Opinions Sprung But his Misfortune is not only to omit the Infallible Judge but to preclude him in the very Beginning of his Book by this Remarkable Passage What then says he if a Bishop or a Deacon or a Widow or a Virgin nay if a Martyr or a Doctor should fall from the Rule must Heresie therefore be Truth What do we receive Doctrines for the sake of Persons or Persons for the sake of Doctrines But how shall we know Truth from Heresie if we may not depend upon the Person of the Infallible Judge And do not those who resolve their Doctrine into the Definition of an Infallible Judge approve the Doctrine for the Persons Sake Orig. contra Cels l. 3. When Celsus Reproached the Christians with their Divisions and Multitude of their Sects Origen had no better Reply to make than That this Misfortune was not peculiar to them for the same thing happened to Physicians and Philosophers and yet to Wise Men it was no Prejudice against those Professions And then shews how these Sects sprung from their different Understanding of the Scripture but could not it seems think of the Remedy which was peculiar to them and of an Infallible Judge and that therefore those who rejected his Definitions were inexcusable and unworthy of the Name of Christians But Chrysostom on Acts 15 draws this Answer to the Point when he declares That Christians had no other way of chusing their Church in this variety of Christian Sects than Physicians or Philosophers had in determining what Sect they should follow Which was no other than using their best Judgment and Diligence in the Application of the Common Rule But Lactantius De vera Sap. l. 4. for want of Knowing this Infallible Judge gives the meanest Direction of any to discern the true Faith in the midst of Different Pretensions The Catholick Church says he alone has the True Religion If he had stuck here we might have thought perhaps that he had known the Mystery of Infallibility but when he proceeds a little further he spoils all Hereticks says he pretend to have the Catholick Church as well as the Truth His Answer to the Objection follows That those have the Catholick Church who have Confession and Penance and that Heals those Sins and Wounds to which Human Frailty is subject The Good Man at that Time happened to think of the Montanists or Novatians and therefore describes the True Church in Opposition to their Severity to be that which restored Penitent Sinners to Communion after Publick Confession of their Fault and publick Satisfaction to the Church But by this Rule how shall we know the True Church in the Controversie between the Catholicks and the Arrians for they were both agreed in this Point of Discipline But how can we expect that these Writers before the Nicene Council should say much of the Infallible Judge since she had no such if either a General Council alone or in conjunction with the Pope be it for it is well known That from the Time of the Apostles to the Synod of Nice there was no General Council And Alphonsus a Castro imputes the Number and Extravagance of the Heresies of those Times to the Want of an Infallible Judge Adv. Heres l. 1. which he takes to be a General Council But I cannot get this Scruple out of my Head How God should intend such a Judge as the only certain Means of Preserving the Integrity of Christian Religion against Heresie and yet suffer his Church to be without it for almost three Ages when she stood in the greatest Need of such a Help and was otherwise by her Holiness and Glorious Martyrdoms best qualifyed to receive such an Extraordinary Favour And afterwards when the Emperours were Christian and Orthodox there seemed to be less Need of it for their Laws against Hereticks might perhaps be more Infallible in their Effect of Suppressing them than the most solemn Sentence of the Infallible Judge For the Popes of those Ages though they were ingaged in several Controversies yet neither did they pretend to be Infallible nor were they acknowledged as such by any other Churches