Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	call_v	church_n	society_n	1,435	5	9.0715	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53677	The church of Rome, no safe guide, or, Reasons to prove that no rational man, who takes due care of his own eternal salvation, can give himself up unto the conduct of that church in matters of religion by John Owen ...	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1679 (1679)	Wing O727; ESTC R16357	32,804	52

they and they alone are the Church of Christ All others who are called Christians in the World are Hereticks and Schismaticks who belong not unto it nor have any Interest in it Howbeit if the description given us of the Church of Christ in the Scripture be right and good it is almost impossible there should be any Society or combination of men on a religious account more unlike it than that which is called the Church of Rome This therefore must be taken upon their own credit and vehement Affirmation by them who have a mind so to do 2. That this Church which they alone are is entrusted with Authority over the souls and consciences of all Christians and all that would be so to be their only Guide in all that they are to know believe and do in Religion so that whoever gives not themselves up unto their conduct must perish eternally It were no hard task to manifest that a supposition hereof is destructive unto the Nature of Evangelical Faith and Obedience as also of all the Directions and Precepts given by Christ and his Apostles for the discharge of our Duty with respect unto them But this they must obtain or the whole present Popal Interest falls unto the ground Yet neither will a supposition that there is such a Church secure them their own pretences to be this Church being openly contradictory to the Scripture Nor is the Power claimed herein derived from the Apostles who professed themselves not to be Lords of the Faith of Believers 2 Cor. 1. 24. 1 Pet. 5. 3. 3. They plead that hereon no more is required of any man who takes care of his Salvation but that he give up himself absolutely and entirely unto the conduct of their Church believing what it proposeth and that on this ground alone that it is proposed by it and obeying all its commands whereby they seem to set this pretended Guide in the Temple of God shewing him that he is God This is the claim of the Church of Rome these are the Principles whereinto it is resolved which whether they have any thing in them of Truth or Modesty will immediately be made to appear Secondly The Holy Scripture with the Divine Aids and assistances for the understanding thereof which God hath promised unto all that diligently seek him is pleaded to be the only Rule and Guide that men ought to betake themselves unto in case of those important differences in Religon which are under consideration And the plea on the behalf thereof is reducible unto these five Heads 1. That this Scripture is a Divine supernatural Revelation of God his Mind and his Will This Foundation is unquestionable and will never fail them that build upon it Those of the Roman Religion will propose ensnaring Questions about it unto them on whom they design They will be asking how they know the Scripture to be the Word of God labouring to disprove the evidences they produce to prove it so to be But this bold artifice is of no use in this case for themselves confess it so to be only they prefer the Authority of their Church testifying it so to be as more safely to be rested in and trusted unto than that of God himself which cannot be unto the advantage of their cause with any considerate Persons 2. That it is a Divine Revelation of the whole Mind and Will of God as unto all things that are necessary unto his Glory and our Salvation This it frequently testifieth of it self and on the former supposition of its being such a Divine Revelation its Testimony must be granted to be infallibly true Both these Assertions the Apostle expresly conjoyneth 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. Somewhat they except here in respect of their unwritten Traditions but dare not positively deny that the Scripture is a sufficient Revelation of all things absolutely necessary unto Salvation Indeed to do so will leave no assurance unto any man that he can ever know what is necessary unto salvation But they have a reserve whereunto they betake themselves on a concession hereof namely that whatever be contained in it it cannot be understood but as the sense of it is declared by their Church But this is a bold unproved presumption contrary unto the design of God in giving us his Word and the experience of all who have been exercised in it 3. The Way Manner and Method of this Revelation are such as are suited unto Divine Wisdom and Goodness whether they please men or no. It is with reference unto these things that they expatiate and enlarge themselves in charging the Scripture with obscurity and unfitness thereon to be our only Rule and Guide For the Bible they say is a Book composed of Histories Prophecies Songs Prayers and Epistles and is therefore unmeet for any such use or end But these things are of no consideration in our present case It is thus given out immediately by God himself and therefore every way answers Divine Wisdom and Goodness whether men are pleased with it or no we are not at all concerned He who designed it for the instruction of the Church alone knows what was to be the Method of its composure unto that end And it hath been proved on another occasion that considering the state of the Church in its several Ages the nature of that Faith which is to be wrought and confirmed by this Divine Revelation with the manner of teaching becoming the Authority of God and the holy Scripture could not have been given out unto us in any other Order or Method than that wherein it is disposed 4. On these suppositions there neither is nor can be more required of us in order unto our eternal salvation but that we understand aright firmly believe and yield obedience unto the Revelation of the Mind and Will of God that is made therein The Assurance hereof is so evidently included in the foregoing Assertions that it needs no confirmation Every thought unto the contrary is so injurious unto the Wisdom Goodness Grace and Truth of God so opposite unto all the Notions of the Minds of men on a supposition of Gods speaking unto them that it ought to be rejected with detestation 5. There are efficacious Aids promised and assured means appointed by God himself to help all that diligently seek him unto a certain infallible understanding of his Mind in the Scripture so far as the Knowledge of it is necessary unto our Salvation This also I have lately confirmed in a peculiar discourse These are the Heads whereunto the Plea for the Guidance of the Scripture in all differences and divisions about Religion may be reduced The case being thus plainly stated the enquiry hereon is whether of these Guides a man that takes care of his own eternal Salvation should betake himself and firmly adhere unto to the end In answer unto this Enquiry I shall prove that no wise man who feareth God and is careful of the eternal condition of his own soul

of Christians that when once Persons begin to damn others in their minds for their dissent from them they judge themselves at liberty and count that it is their Duty to do them all the mischief they can in this World They first make themselves their Judges that they must go to Hell and then would be their Executioners to send them thither as fast as they can Whether this be a Representation of Christ or of the Devil is not hard to determine Sure I am it is not compliant with the advice given unto all Guides of the Church of an attendance whereunto they must give an account 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. And the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil who are taken captive by him at his Will Hence it is that those who have a strong inclination to oppress and destroy other men which their Interest prompts them unto do endeavour to make every the least dissent from themselves on one pretence or other by Sophistical arguments and strained consequences to be a fundamental error and such as makes them incapable of Life eternal But no men can give a greater evidence of their disintrest in Christian Religion of their unacquaintedness with the vertues and Powers of it wherein the glories of it do consist and what is of real price with God than those who are so minded Blessed be God that Christ will not leave his seat of Judgment unto such Persons neither here nor hereafter But such differences as those mentioned will probably continue among Christians so long as they continue in this World For although all those among whom these differences are do chuse the same Guide yet they do not in all things equally hear and understand his voice Perfection in Light and Knowledge are required unto a perfect agreement in all the conceptions of our minds about spiritual things Wherefore it is reserved for Heaven where every thing that is imperfect shall be done away Here we have different measures We know but in part and therefore prophesy in part Rom. 13. 9. It is Love or Charity alone that supplies this defect and gives such an Harmony unto the different parts of the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church as renders them all useful and the whole beautiful 1 Cor. 13. Col. 3. 14. But these are not the differences which at present I intend There are those which in their Nature are of greater Importance such as are about the Fundamentals of Christian Faith Worship and Obedience such as upon whose determination the eternal welfare and misery of the souls of men do depend And not only so but they are such also which on that wretched mannagement of Religious concerns that late ages have embraced have an influence into the Peace or Disturbance of Humane Society the Tranquility the Liberty and Lives of men Yea they are by some promoted and pursued by all waies of fraud and violence with that height of Impiety as is utterly destructive of all Religion Many we have who plead themselves to be Christians which might be allowed them if they pleased themselves would they not do such things as Christian Religion abhorreth But this is the least part of their claim they will also be the only Christians all others who differ from them however falsely so called being only a drove of unbelievers hasting unto Hell Now although this be intollerable presumption yet because they hurt none by it but themselves if they will not be awakened from this pleasing dream they may be suffered to sleep on But they rest not here these Christians who only are so and so alone know truly what is in Christian Religion will do such things under a pretence of it will perpetrate such execrable crimes avowing them to be the dictates and commands of that Religion that if men were not sure that their former pretences are presumptuously false it would be a sufficient warranty for them whereon to question the whole Truth of the Gospel And these things are done in the pursuit of these differences in Religion which abound among us Wherefore if we would not contribute unto that intollerable scandal against the Gospel that the Religion it teacheth is pernicious to the peace of Mankind and all that is praise worthy in the World which must be accounted for if we have any care about our own eternal Salvation we ought to use our utmost diligence to arrive unto a safe conduct through all these difficulties This being our present case there being such differences in and divisions about Religion among us the mannagement of them being grown incurably scandalous and perilous our enquiry is what Guide or Conduct a man that takes care of his own Salvation that would know the Truth and have the benefit of it that would please God here and come unto the eternal Enjoyment of him hereafter ought to betake himself and firmly adhere unto as that which will safely lead and direct him unto all these ends For if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the ditch Two things are pleaded to be this safe and infallible Guide to have that conduct committed unto them which every one who takes care of his Salvation is obliged to betake himself unto The first is the Church of Rome She it is who at this time laies a most vehement claim to be the only Authoritative infallible Guide of all Christians as unto their Faith Worship and Obedience We enquire not after a ministerial Guide and the benefit which we may receive thereby This they regard not as that which leaves men the exercise of their own understandings and use of all Divine Aids and Assistances as unto the Information Direction and Determination of their Minds in all that they are to believe and practise in Religion But such a Guidance as whereunto by vertue of its Authority and Infallibility we are entirely and absolutely to resign our understandings and consciences what ever it leads us unto is that which this Church claimeth and without which she is nothing nor can stand one moment This is that which those who plead the cause of that Church at present do wholly betake themselves unto the promotion of declining what lies in them all other Differences and Controversies between them and us Such a Guide they say there must be of all Christians and this Guide is their Church And they do wisely consult their own Interest therein For if they can once gain this point all other things which they aim at will follow of their own accord and they may satisfy the desires of their hearts on the consciences of men Wherefore this claim of theirs consists of these three parts or may be reduced unto these three Heads 1. That