Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	body_n	church_n	mystical_a	1,148	5	10.4023	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34967	An epistle apologetical of S.C. to a person of honour touching his vindication of Dr. Stillingfleet.	Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.	1674 (1674)	Wing C6893; ESTC R26649	61,364	165

has been not to have been Only as to the determining the precise year I dare not engage my credit upon an ill memory 87. Now Sir by what Logick do you from this Narration infer that I aspersed my Lord Falkland with the Character of a Socinian since he is not so much as ●●med in the second Narrative wh●r● the word Socinian is found Truly I pro●●●● on my Conscience I was so far from that that I had not a thought of imputing Socinianism to Mr. Chillingworth himself neit●●r had I any just ground from what I there related 88. For Mr. Chillingworth having been disheartened by D'aile from appealing to the Holy Fathers of the Church and being too ingenuous or rather out of fear of God not daring to pretend to Divine Il●uminations against his Conscience and which he could not justifie gladly made use of the grounds which he found first in a Socinian's Book who in stead of a private Divine Spirit substituted common Reason as the only proper Iudge of the sence of Scripture And upon these grounds pr●cisely has he proceeded through his whole Book But Sir is this sufficient to make poor Mr. Chillingworth pass for a very Socinian Do●s the making private Re●son ●udge of the true sence of Scripture in●●r● that neither Christ nor the Holy Gh●●t are God that the pains of Hell are not eternal tha● separated Souls have no being or at least no perception c. God ●orbid for t●en how many innocent persons would be guilty of Blasphemies unawares to themselves Then not only Mr. Chillingworth but Dr. Stillingfleet and besides them God knows how many more in London and in the Vniversities of England would be Socinians 89. But as touching my Lord Falkland I was so far from entertaining a suspicion and much more from propagating that suspicion to others that I believe there are in England scarce three persons besides my self that are so enabled to give a Demonstration of the contrary which was a solemn protestation made by himself to the greatest Prelate of England of his aversion from those blasphemous ●lo●●sies which had been most unjustly by I know not whom laid to his charge It could not possibly therefore be that my having found cr●dit with two or three p●rsons of the Church of England should have induced them to asperse his Lordship with so foul a stain But upon whose credit soever they framed such a scandal so nice a Lover of Veracity and Sincerity that most excellent Lord was that his serious renouncing of such an imputation ought to be esteemed by all Persons of Honour or Honesty a more than sufficient eviction of his innocence And now though I could not without much inward trouble read my self published a Calumniator of the Noblest Friend and Benefactor that ever I enjoyed yet having an inward witness of mine own innocence and an assurance also that no proofs could be made to appear suff●cient to justifie such an imputation I took no small pleasure in seeing your most generous Zeal in vindicating his Honour 90. I beseech you therefore Honoured Sir let me no longer remain in your thoughts as a Detractor of that N●ble Lord who I perceive was in a particular manner dear to ●●ur self also and whose Memory ought to b● pretious to every one who has any est●em of Vertue Heroical Fidelity to His Master and King incomparable Learning and all admirable Endowments I assure you I was so far from the least intention to bl●● his Memory that I should judge my self justly liable to be condemned as defective in the Duti●s of Friendship and Resp●ct to so Noble a Friend if in case God had ever placed me in a condition capable of doing any considerable good to others I had contented my self with expressing my aff●ction to him by a few elegant Phrases and windy Elogies having means and opportunity to raise his Family out of that narrow condition in which that most Noble Lord who had been no skilful Projector of profit to hims●lf had left it 91. But having been incapable of this I yet thank God that the poor and contemptible condition in which I am do●s not hinder me from being in a capacity of shewing my Gratitude in a way I hope for more advantageous to that admirable Person himself than by ●●●ry Commendations For though you Sir condemn as uncharitable that Position o● Catholicks That no Salvation is t● be had out of the Communion of the Catholick Church Yet since all Catholicks grant that this is not necessarily to be understood of an Actual External Communion but that many Christians of vertuous devout Lives and having had a constant preparation of mind to prefer Truth whensoever effectually discovered to them before all Temporal Advantages they dying in this disposition though not externally joined to the Church will be esteemed by our merciful Lord as true Members of his Mystical Body the Church And since it is most certain that all the Alms Prayers and Sacrifices offer'd to God by and in the Vniversal Church are intended by her to be beneficial to all Souls departed as far as they are capable and according as God shall apply them And lastly since I am assur'd that my Lord Falkland l●●ding a vertuous Life despised all wor●●ly things in comparison of necessary Divine Truth ● and i● being apparent by his Discourse of Infallibility that he had framed a judgment touching the Catholick Church out of certain Catholick Writers who ●epresented it too disadvantageously to him and not with such Qualifications as the Church her self has done Upon these Considerations who can forbid me to desire and even hope that his Soul though not by name recommended may receive benefit and comfort when at the Altar and elsewhere all Catholicks join in praying thus Omnium fidelium defunctorum animae per misericordiam Dei requies●ant in Pace Amen ¶ 8. Concerning King H●nry the Eighth 92. ANother Crime ● it seems of no ordinary heinousness was my stiling King Henry the Eighth a Tyrant for with this I am charged once and again You cannot Sir I am sure believe that I used that word in the same notion 〈…〉 do wh●n ●hey call Cr●mwel a Tyrant which imports a Merciless Vsurper Truly I meant no more thereby than what generally Protestant Historiographers and others write of him that he was an unjust and Merciless King I am sure Sir Wal●er ●a●leigh in the Preface to his 〈…〉 Henry was Father of his own most Gr●cious an● Munificent Mistress yet is bold to say That if all the Pictures and Pa●terns of a Merciless Prince were 〈◊〉 in the World they might all again be 〈…〉 the life out of that King's S●ory 〈…〉 of my ●e●●ioning King Henry 〈…〉 epistle to the English Car 〈…〉 was his cru●l dealing 〈…〉 retired devout Predec●●●●●● 〈…〉 whom he caused to be executed as Traytors meerly because they dur●t not simply upon his will without any previous instruction debate or consultation with his Clergy