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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	life_n	see_v	3,300	5	3.3210	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47214	Veritas evangelica, or, The Gospel-truth asserted in sixteen useful questions which being seriously searched into, will open the way to find out assuredly the true and saving faith of Christ which is but one, as the apostle affirms / written by T.K. and now published by R.C.	T. K. (Thomas Kemeys)	1687 (1687)	Wing K256; ESTC R13531	80,587	135

it sees to be clear that the Old Religion of the Christian World called Papistry wherein assuredly our Forefathers were Saved is far a surer way to Eternal Happiness then the New and Protestant Profession is in regard that all Learned Men agree both Protestants and Papists that Papistry is a Saving Religion Whereas all Learned Papists who are far the greater and the Learneder number upon sure grounds affirm That no Man can be Saved by the help of the Protestant Religion Which being so I demand first with what security of Conscience do Protestants hate revile tread under foot and persecute the Old Religion seeing it is a secure way to Salvation even by the Judgment of all Learned Protestants May any Man without offending God persecute the Children of God and seek to ruine that Religion by which the Holy Ghost doth Sanctifie and Save Souls Can this be accounted Charity towards God Charity towards our Neighbour Nay seeing that Protestants cannot deny but that it is far the securer and surer way to Eternal Happiness to live and dye Papists than to live and dye Protestants with what Christian Piety do Persecuting Protestants afflict Catholicks for taking in the great Affair of Salvation the surer and securer way Secondly I demand what Light of Reason what Duty towards God what Charity toward themselves doth lead Protestants not to take the surer way for their own Salvation they having so just cause to doubt that their New Protestant Profession is not secure Do they not know that many Learned Catholicks have indured Imprisonments Fetters Tortures Cruel Butchering of their Bodies and loss of their Lives rather than they would hazard their Souls in the Protestant Religion Do they not see that many Prudent understanding Generous and Noble Catholicks did suffer disgrace indured Vexations sustained the Abridging of their Liberties and loss of their Goods rather than they would hazard their Souls among them Moreover do they not see how little Unity in Doctrine how little Sanctity of Life how small Resemblance of the holy Life and Virtues of Christ and of his Apostles how little immitation of the Antient Fathers there is in the Teachers and prime Professors of the Protestant Religion Do they not know how great a decay of Humility of Charity of Chastity of Sobriety of Neighbourhood of Justice of Fidelity of Conseience the Protestant Belief hath brought into the World Do they not know that false Teachers are known by their Fruits And that there is but One Truth All this they know and see and therefore if they will but consult with reason and not be lead by fancy or blinded by affection they cannot but judge that to live and dye in the New and Protestant Religion is far less secure for their Souls then to live and dye in the Old and Catholick Faith And consequently they cannot but know that the tender care which they are bound to have of their own Souls and of the Eternal Salvation of them doth put upon them a great obligation to become Catholicks and to return to the Faith of their Fore-fathers so to secure those their most precious Jewels which in their New Profession can never be truly secured as the Doctrine of this little Treatise doth clearly demonstrate But rather they lye exposed most certainly to the misery of Eternal Perdition whereas in the Catholick Profession they may certainly secure them by the Judgement not only of the whole Catholick Church of Christ but also of all Learned Protestants To the Arguments which support the strength of this Treatise I could add others not of Inferior force to demonstrate the Happiness of Catholicks the Unhappiness and danger of Protestants arising from their Faith and Religion But that which hath been said is abundantly sufficient to give Light to all who willingly will not be blind And therefore I here end my present endeavours for Truth and Peace To which if any Protestant will frame an Answer I require of him First that he abstain from Railing Secondly That he abstain from Feigning and from helping his Cause by Impostures Thirdly That by vain Impertinencies and Retorical Digressions he seek not to lose and to dazle the Eyes of Weak and less Judicious Readers Fourthly That he make not vain Flourishes by Citing some broken or mistaken Sentences out of the Antient Fathers against me For I will not allow him to meddle with them but upon two conditions The one is that he shall Tye himself and his Church to stand to the Arbitriment of those clear Lights of the Church of Christ in points Controverted betwixt Catholicks and Protestants For if he will not be stinted by them why should I The other is that he shall allow the Ordinary Doctors and Pastors of the present Catholick Church to be of equal Authority with those Antient VVorthies in matters appertaining to Faith not in matters Historical For those Antients are better VVitnesses of what the Apostles Taught and Practic'd than those which now live can be But yet they are not surer Interpreters of Gods VVord in matters of Faith nor surer Explicators and Proposers of the Articles of the same Faith than the present Doctors and Pastors of the Church are This may seem to some a Paradox and yet it is no more then what the Rules of True Theology do warrant me to affirm For those Antient Doctors were not sure Guides in matters of Religion by the strength of their own VVits or Excellency of their Learning but by the assistance of the Holy Ghost which necessary assistance in explaining and proposing Articles of Faith the Ordinary Doctors and Pastors of the present Church have equally with them For Christ did not Promise that the Gates of Hell should not prevail against his Church that the Holy Ghost should abide with the Apostles and their Successors and Teach them all Truth for four and five hundred years Or for the time of the Primitive Church but even for ever And therefore the ordinary Doctors and Pastors of all Ages are equally assisted by the Holy Ghost and equally free from erring in mattters of Faith. Fifthly I require That my Antagonist assail me with no other Weapons than what the Light of Reason and the express Text of Gods Word will furnish him withal The express Text I say of God's Word for I will not allow him to Interpret Or accept of his Interpretation against the Interpretation of the Antient Fathers of the General Councels of the ever Visible Church of Christ unless he can prove by manifest Miracles that God hath sent him into the World to read us a new Divinity and to Interpret his Divine Word otherwise than his Antient Pastors have done Which things if he cannot perform let him in silence attend to his own Salvation and making use of that Knowledge which he may learn out of this Treatise let him timely return to the Roman Church out of whose Communion most certainly he will never be able to obtain Salvation FINIS

Church Which hitherto have been the Converters of Heathen Nations Certainly none at all And as little solid hope can Protestants have that they shall one day be gathered together by the Holy Angels and placed amongst the Elect of God For certain it is that the Elect of God are to be gathered out of the Professors of the True Faith and Religion of Christ which is but one as I have already shewed and as the Apostle affirms Ephes 4. 5. One Faith one Baptism one God and out of his True Church and Fold Which also is but one as he himself doth teach John 10. 16. And other Sheep I have that are not of this Fold Them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice And there shall be made one Fold and one Pastor Out of which words note First That Christ speaking of his Church as she was to be after the Conjunction of the Jews and Gentiles together in one Faith assures us that she should be One Fold namely under one Visible Head one Jurisdiction one Government having one Faith one Worship of God one Communion one means of Sanctification for the Flock of this Fold Note Secondly That by this One Pastor that was to be made after Christ spake these words may well be meant not only Christ himself who was then the Good Pastor ver 11. and was not so made after this time but some other Supreme Ministerial Pastor made by Christ after the speaking of these words to preserve Unity in his Church and fittingly to govern her under himself Which was no other but blessed Peter made Supreme Pastor of the Flock of Christ John 21. which Office he left to his Successors Thirdly note That the Voice of the Church of Christ preaching in all Ages to the Nations of the Earth to bring them to his Fold is the Voice of Christ by his own acknowledgement And they saith he shall hear my Voice According to that of Luk. 10. 16. He that heareth you heareth me And so Christ hath hitherto preached and doth yet preach to the Gentiles not by his own Corporal and Personal Voice but by the Voice of his Apostles and of their Successors the Ordinary Doctors and Pastors of his Church Whose Voice is his Voice because by him they are sent to teach and by him in their teaching are Guided And in like manner the sound of the Apostles doth yet go forth into all the Earth Psal 18. Rom. 10. And must go forth even till the day of Doom for a Testimony to all Nations Matth. 24. 14. Now then seeing that the Elect of God are to be gathered out of all the World and out of the Fold and Flock of Christ And that Christ verily and really hath but one Fold one Church one Faith one Flock and one Supreme Pastor under himself to guide fittingly this large Fold this great and numerous Flock spread over the VVorld And seeing also that the Protestants are neither spread over the VVorld that the Elect of God may be gathered out of them nor united to that Flock nor participants of that Faith which is spread over the VVorld nor within that Fold that is One nor under the Government and Feeding of that one Supreme Pastor of whom Christ speaketh Deplorable for the present is their Case most dangerous their State vain their Labour and fruitless their Hope And so it will ever be until they return to this Flock and Pastor again VVhich return how safely in Conscience and prudently they may make my next Question will declare Question XVI Whether Protestants or Catholicks do take the surer way to Eternal Happiness Where it is shewed That Papistry by the judgement of all Learned Protestants is a Saving Religion and consequently the securer way THe Doctrine delivered to Christian People concerning Heaven and Hell doth teach the one to be a place of such unspeakable Happiness And the other of such inexplicable Misery that no discreet Man among them will stick to say if he be asked that every Man and VVoman doth stand most deeply obliged out of their Duty to God and the natural Love they owe to themselves to take the surer way when doubt is made to gain the one and to avoid the other To take I say the surer way when doubt is made about the ways which are said to lead to Heaven or to bring to Hell. Amongst which ways two are of chief esteem the Catholick and the Protestant the Old and the New Religion Both which are said to be sure ways to Heaven yet both are doubted of The Old is doubted of among Christians only by a few of the Protestant Party who are neither of the best Learned amongst them nor of the most discreet For Learned Protestants generally hold that the Old Religion that is Papistry is a Saving Religion and a secure way to Heaven and that those which live and dye therein may be saved Here this witnessed by their own Pens and first by Doctor Covel in his defence of Mr. Hooker's Books of Ecclesiastical Polity Published by Authority Where he teacheth this at large saying Page 77. We affirm them of the Church of Rome to be part of the Church of Christ and that those which live and dye in that Church may notwithstanding be saved The same is taught by Doctor Field in his Third Book of the Church cap. 46. pag. 182. saying We doubt not but the Church in which the Bishop of Rome with more then Lucifer-like Pride exalted himself was notwithstanding the True Church of God And that it held a saving Profession of truth in Christ and by force thereof did Convert many from Errour And by Doctor Some in his defence against Penry pag. 182. saying In the Judgement of all Learned Men and all Reformed Churches there is in Popery a Church a Ministry a True Christ And pag. 176. If you think saith he that all the Popish sort which died in the Popish Church are damned you think absurdly and dissent from the Judgement of Learned Protestants Thus these Prime and Learned Protestants to whom I could add many more of later date but that it is needless in regard that all moderate Protestants do grant that Papists may be saved Yea this is the common Tenet of all Learned Protestants and of all Reformed Churches as you have heard out of Doctor Somes And not without cause in regard that Learned Protestants see well enough that if this they should deny they should not only very rashly and without any sure ground condemn to Hell all their Fore-fathers and the rest of the Christian World for above a Thousand Years before Luther not being well able to save from this Censure the Antient Fathers and innumerable other Learned Men and Holy Saints but should also lay open a fair way to plain Atheism to the utter denial of Christ and of God as my Tenth Eleventh and Twelfth Questions do very clearly demonstrate And therefore I may without danger of slander