Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A58090
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Religio laici, or, A lay-mans faith touching the supream head and infallible guide of the church : in two letters to a friend in the country / by J. R. a convert of Mr. Bays's.
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J. R., Convert of Mr. Bays's.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing R30; ESTC R16164
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20,013
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32
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Now any body would think if St. Peter had been invested with such a Power c. none more fit to order and appoint Persons for that business because it might have been done with much less trouble than by assembling the Multitude which was the method they took as you may read verse the 2. and 3. of that Chapter Then not St. Peter but the Twelve called the multitude of the Disciples unto THEM and said It is not reason that WE should leave the word of God and serve tables Wherefore Brethren look ye out among you seven men of honest report full of the holy Ghost and wisdom whom pray observe WE may appoint over this business Which was done accordingly And when THEY had prayed THEY laid their hands on them c. And in another Cause different from this When the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had receiv'd the word of God THEY sent unto them Peter and John. Now this methinks seems very odd for the Chief of the Apostles and Head of the Church to be sent by his Inferiors as it were of an Errand So that it is plain the Apostles did not behave themselves as they ought or else they did not believe any such Authority to be plac'd in St. Peter but we do not find only the Apostles but the new Converts contending and chideing as it were St. Peter so that he was forc'd to tell a long Story for his Justification as you may read Acts the 11. from the beginning to the 18. verse from which 't is evident THEY had the same opinion of his being the Head of the Church then as we have of his pretended Successors now But once more to make if possible the Cause more plain in the 15. of the Acts we have an account of the first Council that ever was held in the Christian Church where were most if not all the Apostles and likewise the occasion of it as you may read ver the 1. and 2. And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissention and disputation with them they determined Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and Elders about this question And the Apostles and Elders came together about this matter But in all that account we do not find one Syllable of St. Peter's taking Place or exercising any Authority above the rest in this Assembly nor the rest taking any notice of him in that kind But when there had been much disputing Peter rose up and said unto them c. verse the 7. So it does not appear that he spake first to the business in hand for there was much disputation before he began to speak to the matter and ver the 12. Then all the multitude which argues there was a great number kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul c. And after they had held their peace James answer'd and said Men and Brethren harken unto me And so goes on from the 13 to the 22. verse of that chapter from which we may observe that if any of them was infallible it was St. James for they all as you may observe in that Place seem'd to be concluded by what he deliver'd for we do not find that any contradicted him or so much as spoke after him But it follows Then pleased it the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church which I suppose was all the Multitude there Assembled to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas namely Judas surnamed Barâ—abas and Silas chief men among the Brethren And wrote letters by them after this manner The Apostles and Elders and Brethren send greeting unto the Brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia Forasmuch as we have heard that certain which went from us have troubled you with words subverting your Souls saying Ye must be circumcised and keep the whole Law to whom we gave no such commandment It seemed good unto VS being assembled with one accord to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul verse the 22.23 24. and 25. of the same 15. of the Acts. And we find Paul and those that were with him as they went through the Cities deliver them the decrees for to keep that were ordain'd of the Apostles and Elders that were at Jerusalem Acts the 16. and 4. verse Which decrees may possibly rise up in Judgment against some body for if ever any Council was infallible this was and the Decrees they made yet we do not find in the least manner neither by St. Peter nor the rest of the Apostles any thing of this Infallible Head-ship pretended to by them which is a strong Argument there was no such Notion known in their time and that which further confirms me is that Place of St. Paul Galatians the 2. and 12. ver But when Peter was come to Antioch I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed Now this sounds very strange What! the Infallible Head of the Church and Prince of the Apostles in a fault that deserv'd such a sharp Reproof sure St. Paul was in an Error and mistaken or else the pretended Infallible Successors of St. Peter are for I cannot be perswaded but if St. Peter had been but as Infallible as some have made themselves it was impossible for him to do any thing that might give occasion to St. Paul to be angry with him as no doubt but he was when he withstood him to the face There is two Places more I cannot omit by reason they are much to the purpose but I will but name them and hasten to a conclusion for I did not at first entrance upon this Discourse design to have been so redious but the matter being of so great Consequence I judg'd it necessary to give you Sir as full satisfaction as possible I could Corinthians the 1st chapter the 12. verse the 28. And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers and so on Now if St. Peter had been the Head as our Romish Friends would perswade us why should St. Paul omit it in this Place where he seems to be so exact in distinguishing the Orders and Degrees that God had set in his Church by First Second and Thirdly c. but it is evident he knew nothing of the matter for if he had 't is but reason to suppose he would have given an account of those Orders thus viz. God had set some in the Church First St. Peter the Head secondly Apostles thirdly Prophets c. And in the 4th of the Ephesians ver the 11. much to the same purpose And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers but not one word of this Infallible Guide which to me and I hope all unprejudic'd Persons is a sufficient Proof that no such Power was ever intended by our Saviour to St. Peter nor that St. Peter did ever own that he had any such Authority nor the Apostles believe any such matter which is I think sufficient for the second Inquiry Whether the Apostles did give Place or Preheminence to St. Peter as believing him to be the Head of the Church c. And now to Conclude all they ground their Arguments upon are general Considerations That there ought to be an Infallible Judge and from thence they would infer our Saviour did possibly Institute such a one and the most likely Person was St. Peter from those words of our Saviour Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church c. But the most that this can amount to is but a favourable Construction of the matter Now by the same Rule 't is I hope as rational to presume the contrary especially from the Consideration of so many Places of Scripture as I have here set down which do not favour this Infallible Doctrine all which I will draw up to this one single Point
some of them would impose upon us but almost the whole Body of them are of Opinion that their Infallible Master has a Right over Kings not only in Spituals but Temporals not to name Mariana Bellarmine Emanuel Sa. Molina Santarel Simancha and at the least Twenty others of Foreign Countries We can produce of our own Nation Champian and Doleman or Parsons besides many are nam'd whom I have not read who all of them attest this Doctrine that the Pope can depose and give away the Right of any Sovereign Prince Si vel paulum deflexerit if he shall never so little warp but if he once comes to be Excommunicated then the Bond of Obedience is taken off from Subjects and they may and ought to drive him like another Nebuchadnezzar ex hominum Christianorum Dominatu from Exercising Dominion over Christians and to this they are bound by Virtue of Divine Precept and by all the Tyes of Conscience under no less Penalty than Damnation Which is more than our Saviour and the Apostles ever taught or pretended to but the contrary is very evident and to that purpose St. Paul in the 13th to the Romans ver the 1. says Let every Soul be subject unto the Higher Powers c. which Power is there understood the Supream Magistrate and ver 6. For this cause pay you Tribute also for they are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing And to the same purpose St. Peter himself Commands this Duty Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supream or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him c. the first Epistle of Peter the 2. chap. the 13. and 14. verses So that 't is plain who the Apostles calls Supream and whom our blessed Lord own'd does appear by his putting himself to the Charge of a Miracle lest he should offend But this was a great while ago and the Cause and the Times alter'd and another sort of a Supremacy set up which was not known in those days not till many Centuries after for if St. Peter had been invested with any such Authority as his pretended Successors pretend too certainly our Saviour or the Apostles would in some manner one time or other have taken notice of it but for our Hearts we cannot find any such thing But to oblige our Roman Friends I will examine the Matter a little farther and the better to inform our selves of this great Point we will take a view of our Saviours treating St. Peter after this suppos'd Prerogative deliver'd him in the same 16th of St. Matthew where our Saviour is supposed to give St. Peter only the Power of the Keys we find our Blessed Lord telling his Disciples what he was to suffer c. From that time forth began Jesus to shew to his Disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and Chief Priests and Scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day Then St. Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee ver the 21. and 22. but pray mark our Saviours answer to this Infallible Head in the next verse But he turned and said unto Peter get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of Men. By which it appears it was not the Person but the great Truth in the Confession which he deliver'd in the behalf of himself and the rest that was the Rock our Saviour would build his Church c. which indeed is a good and strong Foundation such a one as our Saviour speaks of in the 7th of St. Matthew the 24. and 25. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man which built his House upon a Rock and the Rain descended and the Floods came and the Winds blew and beat upon that House but it fell not for it was founded upon a Rock which Parable is understood of a good Christians Faith which will hold out against the Storms and Tempests of Persecution which all good Christians will do whose Faith is built upon that Confession of St. Peters viz. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God which as a good and strong Foundation will support all the rest of our Creed and therefore by an Allegorical Expression call'd a Rock which must be understood in a Spiritual Sense on which Christ would erect his Spiritual Kingdom Agreeable is that place of St. Paul Ephesians the 2. and the 19. and 20. verses Now therefore ye are no more Strangers and Foreigners but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner Stone So that here 't is plain and beyond all dispute that the Apostles and Prophets were the Rock and Foundation that is to say the Faith and Doctrine which they did profess and teach and not their Persons was the Rock and Foundation that both our Saviour and St. Paul meant on which the Christian Church was built if otherwise why should he omit telling them they were built upon St. Peter that Rock and Head of the Church and so of the rest but we see he takes no more notice of St. Peter than the rest Besides there is little reason to suppose our Saviour shou'd mean the Person of St. Peter when he so well knew the weakness of that Foundation for tho' he was indeed very forward upon all occasions as his attempting to go to our Saviour when he was walking on the Sea yet we find this presumptive Faith soon fail'd him for he was forc'd to implore our Saviour's Assistance by crying out Lord help me or I perish And again notwithstanding his Resolution to dye rather than deny his Lord c. yet we find our Saviour telling him Matthew the 26. and 34. verse Before the Cock crow he shou'd deny him thrice in all which we do not find any more notice taken of St. Peter by our Saviour than of any of the other Disciples unless it were to reprove him for his want of Faith and other Faults And we may observe further that on all occasions our Saviour was not wanting in cautioning his Disciples not only to forbear setting up such an Authority as we have been treating of amongst them but likewise commanded all Obedience to be given to the Supream Powers that was then in the World and from thence it was that he reprov'd St. Peters rashness in drawing his Sword though he did it with design to defend him against those that came to apprehend him John the 18. ver the 11. Then said Jesus unto Peter put up thy Sword c. and he gives the reason for it ver the 36. Jesus answer'd my Kingdom is not of this world if