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	unite_v	1,528	5	10.0785	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55374	A dialogue between a popish priest, and an English Protestant. Wherein the principal points and arguments of both religions are truly proposed, and fully examined. / By Matthew Poole, author of Synopsis Criticorum.	Poole, Matthew, 1624-1679.	1667 (1667)	Wing P2828; ESTC R40270	104,315	254

it and for the Pope I have heard that Bellarmin reckons up the several opinions and amongst others that the Pope if he be without a general Council may be an Heretick and teach Heresie and this saith he is the opinion of divers Papists and is determined by a Pope himself Adrian the 6th by name in his question about Confirmation Is this true or is Bellarmin bely'd Pop. It is true Bellarmin doth say so much and moreover that this opinion is not heretical and is tolerated by the Church but withall he tells you that he is of another opinion which is also the common opinion Prot. However that is sufficient for my purpose This one difference among you being far more considerable than all those points wherein Protestants differ among themselves for though they differ in other and lesser things they all agree in this great means of Union that they own the Holy Scriptures to be the Iudge or more properly the Rule of Controversies and therefore if you please let this pass and let me hear what further you have to say against us or for your selves Pop. This further I say the true Church must needs remain visible perpetually to the end of the world such our Church hath been whereas yours was invisible and as I said before unheard of in the world till Luthers dayes Prot. I do not well understand you Do you think the Church must needs be visible at all times to the whole world Pop. I cannot say so for she was not always visible to many great and famous parts of the world as China and America it may suffice that she is visible in some Kingdom or part of the world and that she remains so in all ages Prot. Then the Church may remain invisible to the greatest part of the world and so your argument reacheth but a small part of the world How I pray you must the Church be always visible Pop. There must be in all ages in some eminent place a great company of Christians visibly united together in the worship of God in one body and Congregation and governed by their successive Pastors under the Pope Prot. Very well now I know your mind and first I deny that it is necessary for the true Church to be so visible in all ages Do you prove it Pop. That I shall easily prove from those many and glorious promises made to the Church the Church is called a great Mountain and said to be exalted above other mountains Isa. 2. She is a City set upon a hill that cannot be hid Mat. 5. Christ hath promised to be with her to the end of the world Mat. 28. The gates of Hell shall not prevail against her Christs Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom Psal. 88. Dan. 2. A few invisible and dispersed Christians cannot make a Kingdom Prot. Your proofs are impertinent Isa. 2. doth prove that the Church under the New Testament should be glorious that is spiritually and prevalent so it was and we trust will be but he saith not the Church should always continue in that condition which is the point that you should prove Mat. 5. If it speak of the Church Christ only tells us what the Church then was not that it should always remain such besides he speaks of their duty not their condition and Mat. 28. proves that Christ will be with his Church but not so as that it shall always be illustrious and united in a great body this neither that nor any of your other Texts prove nor can you But suppose that Christ had made such a promise that his Church should be visible in all Ages in a considerable body How do you prove that our Church hath not been so visible in all ages Pop. If you affirm that it hath been visible in all Ages you are bound to produce a Catalogue of your Churches in all successive Ages Prot. That is not necessary neither If I did positively affirm that our Church had been visible in such manner in all Ages then I confess I am bound to prove it But if I leave it in doubt as a thing which for ought you or I know might be true or false he that affirms it was not so is bound to make it good and if I deny your Proposition by all Laws of dispute you must prove it I will shew by an instance how unconvincing your argument is There are several Prophesies and Promises in Scripture the execution whereof is not recorded there nor any where else suppose an Atheist comes to you and offers this Argument against the Scripture If the Scripture be true and the Word of God then all its Prophesies and Promises were accomplisht but there are several Prophesies and Promises there which never were accomplished within the time appointed therefore it is not true What would you answer Pop. I would deny this Proposition viz. That there are any such Prophesies or Promises there which were not accomplisht Prot. Suppose then he urge it thus If they were accomplisht then you must shew when and how they were accomplisht either in Scripture or other Stories if you cannot I shall conclude they never were accomplisht Pop. I should tell him That he is obliged to shew they were not accomplisht not I to shew that they were accomplisht I should tell him that they might be accomplisht though the accomplishment of them were never put into any writing and being but an Historical Tradition might easily be lost or if it were put into writing that also might be lost by the injury of time as thousands of other Books have been so that no prudent man will believe this mad Proposition That nothing was done in former Ages that was not mentioned in the Records which we have But if it were possible that some particular things were not recorded or w●re lost yet it is probable that so eminent and publick a matter as a Succession of Churches should lie hid Prot. I confess it is not so probable that a large and glorious Church should so lie hid but since it was sufficient for the making good of Christs promise of being ever with his Church if there were some few Congregations and Ministers though scattered in divers places that these should not be recorded is not at all strange nor improbable to any one who considers 1. How many matters of far greater note are recorded only in some single Author which if he had been lost and that he was as lyable to as they that were lost the memory of those things had perished with him 2. How wofully dark and ignorant some ages of the Church were as you all confess wherein there was not much reading but to be sure there was little or no writing and that little that was written was written by men of the times who would not do their Enemies that honour or right to put them into their Histories 3. If any did mention such things it is not at all improbable that such Book or