Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	authority_n	believe_v	infallibility_n	2,951	5	11.3667	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59652	Moral vertues baptized Christian, or, The necessity of morality among Christians by William Shelton, M.A., late fellow of Jesus Colledge in Cambridge, and now vicar of Bursted Magna in Essex.	Shelton, William, d. 1699.	1667 (1667)	Wing S3099; ESTC R37384	107,365	208

make them of equal Authority We acknowledge a power in the Church Artic. 20. to de●ree rites or ceremonies and authority in controversies of Faith they add Infallibility to that Authority We acknowledge a superiority of order and jurisdiction they add the supremacy of their Pope We own two Sacraments they add five more We believe in one Mediator between 1 Tim 2 5 God and man the man Christ Jesus they make many And so in many other cases particularly to our present purpose we acknowledge a necessity of good works they adde that they are meritorious Now because the Papists go so far to ascribe so much to good works therefore some unwary men have adventured in contradiction to them to ascribe too little if they be necessary the Papists make them meritorious on the contrary l●st they should be thought meritorious some have judged them little or not at all necessary The extream opposite to the Papists in this case is the Antinomian whom yet I reserve for another Head afterwards their Doctrine being of so dangerous concernment that it doth deserve a distinct con●ideration now I onely consider them as those who in contradicting the Papists have run themselves into as great a danger on the other side Vtrinque in contrarias partes velus in extremitates Holds● Lect. 19 P. 158. s●induntur adversarii Hinc Pontificii plus aequo ad dextram vergunt dum causam salutis nostrae in legis operibus ponunt illinc Antinomi ad sinistram dum legis usum omnem obligationem explodunt On either hand adversaries run into extreams The Papists erre too much on the right hand by making good works the cause of our salvation The Antinomians on the left by denying that there is any use of or obligation to the law Sect. Thus it appears to have been in the difference between George Major and Nicholas Amsdorfius two German Divines Major defends this Proposition according to Scripture Melch. Adam in vitis corum Bonorum operum studium est necessarium ad salutem The study of good works is necessary to salvation Against this Flacius Illyrious and Amsdorfius cry out amain It is a Popish Doctrine and would introduce merit and therefore they oppose this bold and wicked speech to it Bona opera sunt noxia perniciosa ad salutem Good works are hurtful and pernicious to salvation Which proceeding out of a dislike to the Popish Doctrine of merit had been just if it had gone no farther for it is Usher answ to Jesu challenge p. 498. a doctrine which as a very Learned and Reverend Prelate saith from our very hearts we detest and abhor But see how easie it is for men to contend for victory rather than truth and rather than not oppose an adversary they will condemn him though he be Innocent Many men contend for the truth as men run for the ball when they come at it they step over it or kick out of the way to wrestle with their adversary whereas the truth of the case is we do not merit by good works yet we are obliged to them we do not merit so we acknowledge Good Artic. 12. works which are the fruits of Faith and follow after justification cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of Gods judgement yet we believe them to be necessary for us for it follows in the same place Yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith And surely these have been thought by learned men to be very consistent though good works do not merit yet they are necessary else a Reverend Doctor afterwards a Prelate of our Church did little understand himself in his disputation upon this argument where this is one conclusion Bona Davenant de justit actual Cap. 31. Con. 7. opera justificatorum sunt ad salutem necessaria necessitate ordinis non causalitatis vel planius ut via ordinata ad vitam aeternam non ut causae meritoriae vitae aeternae That is in few words Good works are ordained as a necessary means to eternal life but they do not deserve eternal life Sect. 4 This Objection hath hitherto been considered as concerning good works in the general but it doth manifestly relate to the Argument in hand for moral vertues so qualifyed as shall afterwards be said works of Justice and Mercy and Sobriety c. these are exercises of morality and so far as good works are necessary so far will these be found to be the necessity of which is not now to be proved but asserted and vindicated from this Objection which vulgar people that do not know how to distinguish are ready to burden it with when we are industrious to urge upon men the duties of honesty and righteous and just dealings between man and man let it not be suspected that this is done out of a secret design to symbolize with the Papists For may not a man go 10. mile unlesse he go 20. True it is we do go on part of the way with the Papists for the truths sake that is to assert good works and moral vertues necessary and here we ●ix they would draw us on further to a perswasion that they are meritorious that doth not at all follow upon the necessity we ascribe to them there is a necessity upon other accounts as shall be demonstrated in due time And this is enough to be yeilded to this plea whereupon some speak but meanly of moral vertues and there does not yet appear any thing to the contrary but they may be necessary for a Christian CHAP. III. Sect. 1 Object 2 A Sense of the insufficiency of moral vertues to salvation without the addition of faith and repentance hath been another reason why some other men have attributed less to moral vertues than otherwise they would have done if they had been considered out of that competition The merit of good Davanant ●● supra works and the perfection of them are two different things and diversly and apart handled by a fore-cited Author although therefore they be not supposed to merit yet if they be thought so perfect as that faith and repentance may be laid aside no wonder if sometimes they be lightly made of and seemingly disparaged for it is to preserve our due esteem of faith and those spiritual graces which are required in us over and above those Moral Vertues which the Heathens at any time could attain to We do not wonder when we 〈◊〉 Ch Princ. ● 4 3. read Moral Principles to such as rely upon them and seek no further prove Mortal Principles or as another likewise of our own If Moral Vertuousness Bolton's Discourse of True Happiness p. 14. were able to put on the greatest Magnificence and applause that ever it antiently enjoyed among the precisest Romans whereby it might worthily draw into admiration and just challenge even these times of Christianity yet