Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A89813
|
The plain mans defence against popery: or, A discourse, shewing the flat opposition of popery to the Scripture. By J.N. chaplain to a person of honour
|
J. N.
|
1675
(1675)
|
Wing N22; ESTC R9788
|
31,034
|
79
|
3.1 Exod. 23.20 not of a created Angel for a created Angel did not redeem him from all evil as he saith there 29. Q. Should prayers and the service of God be performed in a tongue unknown not understood by the people what saith St. Paul of this A. Except ye utter words easie to be understood how shall it be known what is spoken how shall the unlearned say Amen in the Church I had rather speak five words to edification than Ten thousand words in an unknown tongue 1 Cor. 14.9.16 19. Note St. Paul in 1 Cor. 14. Throughout disputes against praying and speaking in a strange language in an unknown tongue yet the Papists will have their prayers in Latine though the people understand not one word of them Note The Papists themselves acknowledge that Christ and the Apostles and the primitive Church for more than six hundred years did not use prayers in an unknown tongue Note The Papists have a wicked design to keep people in ignorance and therefore will not suffer them to understand their own prayers 30. Q. Should we pray for the dead A. Now the Child is dead why should I fast and pray 2 Sam. 12.21 Blessed are they that dye in the Lord Rev. 14.13 Note They that dye in the Lord need not our prayers and they that dye in their sins can have no benefit by them Note The Popish Priests get so much money by prayers for the dead that they are unwilling to acknowledge it to be an errour Note For praying for the dead or praying to the Saints we have 1. No command from God 2. No promise to be heard 3. No example in Scripture 31. Q. Are aequivocations of mental Reservations good and lawful A. Ye shall not deal falsly or lye Lev. 19.11 Their tongue speaketh deceit Jer. 9.8 Let your Communication be yea yea and nay nay Matt. 5.37 He that hath not sworn deceitfully shall receive the blessing from the Lord Psal 24.4 An oath is the end of all strife Heb 6.16 Thou shalt swear in truth c. Jer. 4.2 Note If it be lawful to aequivocate if this be not lying as Papists teach 1. The Devil cant be the Father of lies for he could never want a mental Reservation 2. The Martyrs were fools and self murtherers in not saving their lives by this Jesuitical trick 3. There can be no such thing as perjury falshood in any but Idiots and naturals that have not wit enough to aequivocate 4. There can be no sincere faith or trusts in oaths covenants contracts promises leagues of agreement either publike or private for who knowes what secret evasions restrictions men may have in their minds 32. Q. Was St. Peter Prince of the Apostles or had they all equal power and Authority A. Jesus said the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion but it shall not be so among you Mat. 20.25 The Apostles sent Peter and John Act. 8.14 see also Gal. 2.7 2 Cor. 11.5 Gal. 2.9 33. Q. When Christ said to Peter Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church I give unto thee the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven c. Mat. 16.18 Was this spoken to the rest of the Apostles and doth it belong to them as well as to St. Peter A. Ye are built upon the foundation of the Apostles Eph. 2.20 The City had 12 foundations and in them the names of the 12 Apostles Rev. 21.14 Then Jesus said to them the Apostles whose sins ye remit they are remitted whose sins ye retain they are retained John 20.23 Mat. 18.18 Note St. Peter was never head of the Church or Prince of the Apostles But if he had been so how should the Pope come to be his successor where doth Christ give this power to the Bishop of Rome 34. Q. Is there no other head of the Church but Christ A. Christ is head of the Church Col. 1.18 God hath given Christ to be head over all things to the Church which is his body Eph. 1.22 As the Husband is head of the wife so Christ is the head of the Church Eph. 5.23 The head even Christ Eph. 4.15 Note If the Pope be head of the Catholick Church then 1. St. Paul was greatly mistaken 2. The Catholick Church must be the Popes body and spouse 3. The Church would have no head when there is no Pope 4. The Church must have two or three heads when there are two or three Popes as sometimes have been for several years 5. The Church should have an unsound head when the Pope is Heretical as sundry Popes have been by confession of their own Doctors Note Queen Elizabeth King James King Charles would not be called head of the Church because they thought that title Antichristian entrenching upon the right of Christ 35. Q. Doth the word justifie in Scripture signifie to absolve or pronounce a man righteous not to infuse or put righteousness into a man A. They shall justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked Deut. 25.1 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just are an abomination to the Lord Pro. 17.15 Esa 5.23 Note The Scriptures speaking of justification makes it a discharging and acquitting from accusations and so doth legally make just not qualitatively as if to justifie were to make just holy as the Papists contend who confound justification with sanctification Note This is not a vain strife of words for the great Article of our Religion depends upon the right discovery of the use of the word if to justifie signifie to give us an inherent righteousness then by that we may appear before God but if to justifie signifie to acquit us being accused for sin through the grace of God and righteousness of Christ then we are to go out of our selves and to rely upon Christs righteousness nor can the Papists produce any one place of Scripture where the word justifie is put for making righteous by habitual and actual righteousness inherent in us as they would have it 36. Q. Is the Doctrine of imputed righteousness clearly taught in Scripture A. Blessed is the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works Rom. 4.6 That righteousness might be imputed to them also Rom. 4.11 It shall be imputed to us also if we believe Rom. 4.24 Note Christs righteousness is made ours as our sins were made his and that is only by imputation 2 Cor. 5.21 Note We do not say that Christs righteousness is our formal righteousness but it is the matter whereby we stand justified fore God Note The Popish party flout at this Doctrine calling it the putative and chinerical righteousness and yet affirm that the merits of one Saint may be imputed to another 37. Q. Are we accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ applyed by faith and not for our own works and merits A. By the Obedience of one shall many be
shall be discharged from all temporal punishment for his sins both in this life and in purgatory Now this is the received Doctrine of the Roman Church for which they have no proof of Scripture nor testimony of the ancient Fathers nor can they agree among themselves about the effect and validity of these pardons and indulgencies yea this Doctrine is evidently contrary to Scripture absurd and basphemous For 1. Experience shews that the Popes pardons do not free men from sickness and death therefore not from all temporal sufferings 2. If Christs satisfaction be enough what need the Saints merits be joyned with it 3. How came the Treasure of the Church into the Popes keeping When did Christ give him the keyes of it 4. Why doth not Christs satisfaction remit the temporal punishment as well without the Popes indulgence as with it 5. The Scripture teaches that all punishment of sin is remitted by the merits and satisfaction of Christ alone Esa 63.3 Matth. 26.28 6. The Scripture affirms that God forgives sin fully and freely Rom. 8.1 7. No Saints have superabounding merits for their best works are imperfect Psal 130.3 8. One Saint cannot satisfie or merit for another every man shall bear his own burthen Gal. 6.5 Ezek. 18.20 Psal 49.8 Matth. 25.9 Prov. 9.12 Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour 1 Cor. 3.8 Ezek. 14.20 Note The Popish Jubilee is now brought from every fiftieth year to every five and twentieth year or as oft as the Pope pleases he promises to give full remission of sins to all that personally visit the Apostles Churches at Rome if they be truly penitent and confessed this hath been so gainful a Trade that one of the Popes left 115000 Ducats to his Successor which he had scraped together by selling pardons upon computation it hath been found that the Pope hath had Three hundred thousand pounds yearly out of England for indulgences pardons Peter-pence jubilees and such like Popish trumpery in so much that England was by the Popes styled an inexhaustible Mine 43. Q. Is there any such place as Purgatory or doth the Scripture acknowledge only two places for men after this life viz. Heaven and Hell A. In Hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afarr off and Lazarus in his bosome Luke 16.23 They shall sit down with Abraham c. In the Kingdom of Heaven but the other shall be cast out into â—tter darkness where shall be weeping and â—nashing of Teeth Matth. 8.12 He that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.16 2 Cor. 5.1 Rev. 14.13 Rev. 22.13 Esa 57.1 2 Tim. 4.8 Note It is blasphemy to say that men are purged by suffering of pains in purgatory whereby they satisfie for lesser sins and for the temporal punishment of their greater sins for the blood of Christ is the only purgatory for our sins Heb. 1.3 Heb. 9.14 Note The Papists divide Hell into four Regions 1. The Hell of the damned the place of eternal torment this we grant but the other are not only unwritten in Scripture but contrary to it 2. Purgatory next adjoyning to Hell and the torments of purgatory they say are as extreme as Hell torments but not eternal here they say the Souls of the faithful are tormented it may be a 100 or a 1000 years or longer except they be delivered by the Prayers Masses Alms of the living or the Popes pardons 3. The place or receptacle of Infants dying without Baptisme who they say suffer the loss of Heaven but no pain or torment 4. The place or receptacle of the Saints who dyed before Christ where they did remain in darkness but without pain until they were delivered by Christs descending into Hell Note The things which are seen are temporal the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 Hence it follows that there is no invisible place after this life which is not eternal therefore no Purgatory or Limbus Patrum Note The Apostle saith the whole Church all the Family whereof Christ is Head is either in Heaven or upon Earth Eph. 1.10 Eph. 3.15 Therefore there is no Purgatory or Limbus Note If any did need satisfactory purgation after death sure that Thief who was converted upon the Cross ought to have suffered the pains of purgatory many hundred years yet he went not into purgatory but Paradise Luke 23.43 Note If it be necessary as the Papists hold that the Saints must satisfie God for the guilt of temporal punishment and for lesser sins which they call venial then the Saints that are alive upon the Earth at Christs second coming must first go into purgatory before they can meet the Lord in the Air which is contrary to the Scripture 1 Thes 4.17 Note The Fable of purgatory came into the Romish Church out of the Heathen Writers Philosophers and Poets Plato Virgil Ovid c. Note The more men are afraid of the fire of purgatory the more money they will give for Indulgences Pardons Masses Prayers to be made for them after death The Popish Church knowing how gainful this Doctrine is contend fiercely for it for want of better proofs flye to Enthusiastick lying visions revelations forged miracles in their Legends strange stories are told of persons that have come out of purgatory and have related the manner and extremity of sufferings there which things have been believed by the ignorant multitude 44. Q. Are there more than two Sacraments namely Baptisme and the Lords Supper A. Go tâ—ach all Nations and Baptise them Matth. 28.19 Jesus took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it saying Take eat this is my body c. 1 Cor. 11.23 By one Spirit are we all Baptized into one Body and have been all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 see 1 Cor. 10.2 3. Note The Papists reckon seven Sacraments viz. Baptism the Lords Supper Confirmation Penance Matrimony Orders extreme unction But there can't be seven Sacraments properly so called For 1. They are never mentioned in any Scripture Creed or ancient Father they were first devised by Peter Lumbard 1439. Afterwards confirmed in the Council of â—â—ent 2. The Conditions required to a â—â—crament agree only unto Baptism and ◠〈◊〉 Lords Supper Note Five Conditions are required to a â—â—crament of the Gospel 1. That it be inâ—â—uted by Christ himself immediately 2. That it have some sensible sign 3. That it â—â—ve the promise of God concerning saâ—ng grace and eternal life added to the â—â—gn 4. That it represent seal and apply to â—elievers Christ and the benefits of the â—ew Covenant 5. That it be given to the â—hole Church to continue to the end of â—â—e world Note Though the Papists and Quakers â—gree in many things yet in the Doctrine â—f the Sacraments they differ very much â—or the Papists will have too many Sacraments and the Quakers none at all Papists set up false Sacraments and Quakers reâ—ect