Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	council_n	judge_v	1,394	5	7.3227	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26615	Protestancy to be embrac'd, or, A new and infallible method to reduce Romanists from popery to Protestancy a treatise of great use to all His Majesties subjects, and necessary to prevent error and popery / by David Abercromby, D., lately converted, after he had profess'd near nineteen years Jesuitism and popery.	Abercromby, David, d. 1701 or 2.	1682 (1682)	Wing A86; ESTC R6382	30,832	174

blam'd because 't is not in the power of the will to force upon our understanding the belief of a known falshood or of what appears to us evidently false to conclude as I have begun paritate rationis by a parity of reason since the Romanists because of the foresaid invincible ignorance grant to some Protestants a capacity of being saved unless they belye themselves they will not refuse the same to those in whom we meet with a like invincible ignorance yea more and harder to be overcome as may appear by what I have said 21. I foresee the Romanist may reply that those Protestants he hath no charity for are such as resist the known truth for instance they are perswaded the arguments in favour of Transubstantiation are better grounded than these they oppose against it So they shall not be saved through their own misbelief wilfulness and obstinacy in error To which I make this short and satisfactory answer that such men are not true Protestants of whom only we speak but rather abominable Hypocrites professing outwardly a Doctrine they judge in their hearts false and erroneous This Objection than vanisheth as being de subjecto non supponente grounded on a false supposition SECT II. 1. I Have proved positively and I think to perswasion if preoccupation be laid aside the undeniable truth of my first Principle that Protestants may be saved For the Readers intire satisfaction I shall make out the same in a Negative way by showing to all not willfully blind there can be no let or hinderance to their Salvation what-ever Romanists can instance as inconsistent with their attaining to eternal happiness may be reduc'd either to Schism or Heresie and that either jointly or severally After an impartial scrutiny of their best grounds of such foul aspersions I found them all to be groundless unwarrantable and insufficient 2. Schism is a separation from the true Church of God Protestants are not separated from the true Church of God ergo they are not guilty of Schism they are not Schismaticks All generally confess the Christians of the three first Centuries to have been the constituent Members of Christ's true Church from these the Protestants are not separated either in belief manners or Ecclesiastical Discipline this I could prove to the conviction of the most obstinate had it not been perform'd abundantly and more than once by others The same cannot be said of the Romanists since they have admitted of many novelties never heard of in these Primitive times such are in invocation of Saints adoration of the consecrated Wafer Image-worship Popes Supremacy c. So if they stand to the same Fundamentals with the Church in her purest age 't is certain they have added thereunto and are guilty of divers Superstructures which the Protestants were never and cannot be accus'd of But 't is not so much my design in this place to charge Romanists as to justifie Protestants and those who embrace Protestancy 3. They will perhaps say we are Schismaticks because separated from the Church of Rome But 1. The Church of Rome is a particular one and a member only of the Universal Church 2. As it now stands 't is not our rule but that undoubted of Christian Church in the Primitive times without spot or blemish 3. This aspersion of Schism smites rather themselves For those only we call Schismaticks who are guilty of division and breach of unity by doing that which is the true cause thereof That the meanest capacities may understand this let them take notice of what follows If my body were united or closely joining to yours would ye not be judg'd the true cause of our separation if ye put any thing between you and me hindring this union so you are the true Separatist not I because you have thrust me from you by that middle Obstacle you have plac'd betwixt us both which unless first removed I cannot unite my body to yours again 4. This is downright our present case if well understood The Protestants and Romanists were once two united bodies in the pure age of the Church in these happy times when Superstition had not as yet gain'd a foot of ground amongst Christians they were one People anima una corunum one Soul and one Heart But at length the Romanists set up betwixt us and them murum aheneum an invincible obstacle a heap of errors destructive both to union and unity so if we be separated now who were formerly united 't is evidently by their fault we could not persevere in union with them because of this middle wall that did separate us let them throw it down as they are oblig'd in conscience to do and we shall draw up together and joyn them close again Since then they gave a just occasion yea and are the true causes of this separation they are the Separatists and true Schismaticks not we 5. As for Heresie let Romanists say what they please it can't with the least appearance of truth be laid to our charge He is not guilty of that crime who defends obstinately any opinion whatsomever else all School-men and Divines standing stifly to their own fancys in Doctrinal points would be reckon'd Hereticks Such be those only who deny flatly and with obstinacy Divine Truths or Articles of Faith which cannot be impos'd upon Protestants without injustice ignorance and calumny 6. They deny indeed General Councils to be infallible in their decisions but their infallibility is no Article of Faith else Austin was a Heretick asserting General Councils gathered out of all the Christian World are often corrected the former by the latter correction of a Council undoubtedly supposeth a precedent error and a Council to be errable as every one understands that knows any thing On the same account he speaks after this manner to Maximian an Arian Bishop Neither ought I to instance the Council of Nice nor thou the Council of Arimene to take advantage thereby for neither I am bound by the authority of this nor thou of that set matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason try the matter by the authority of Divine Scriptures 7. An Article of Faith must either be clearly contain'd in Scripture or according to the Romanists declared expresly by some of their General Councils But that General Councils are infallible in their Decisions is neither contain'd clearly in Scriptures let them tell us in what Part Book Chapter Verse nor is it determin'd in any of the eighteen General Councils they acknowledge as the rules of their Faith none can be instanc'd where this hath been decided Upon what grounds then hold they this as a Divine Truth which is nothing else but a fanciful opinion hindering them to follow Austin's advice to set matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason to try the matter by the authority of Divine Scriptures 8. The general Councils are so far from pretending to be infallible Judges of controversial Debates that in a set