Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	build_v	peter_n	rock_n	30,238	5	9.7701	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01010	A secure and prudent choice of beliefe. Written by a student in diuinity	Floyd, John, 1572-1649.	1639 (1639)	STC 11115; ESTC S114863	16,290	54

in heauen Questionlesse the prime sense of these words import a power giuen to men to forgiue sinnes nothing then is presumptuously assumed by the Belieuers thereof for though it is proper only to God to forgiue sinnes by his owne power and of himselfe yet the light of nature teacheth that man may also forgiue sinnes by Cōmission from him as it is proper to a King only to forgiue Treasons committed against his person yet by Commission his name a Subiect may haue power to do the same without iniury to the King or exceeding the degree of a Subiect Why may not the Minister of God by authority giuē him forgiue sinne in his name without offending or exceeding the limits of a dutifull creature this is at the least probable In opposition I find no Scripture but only admirations of a few dangers in comparison of the Belieuers euidēt reason there can be none Dangerous then is the deniall Beliefe secure Qui non crediderit Who will not belieue shal be damned What of one Church and one Head thereof 14. IN Common Wealths throughout the world I find an Vnity is most sought for and to that end one supreme gouernour and ruler in one house one Maister in one Towne one Maior in one Company one Captaine in one Army one Generall in one Kingdome one King can it beare any colour of offence to belieue that in the most perfect Common-wealth instituted by Christ there is ordained one flock vnder one Pastour Vt fiat vnum ouile vnus pastor We see that in two supreme gouernements there is no mutuall subordination therefore not properly one and where there are two Kings it is sufficient to conclude two Kingdomes If then in Gods Church we admit diuers supreme Gouernours we cannot so perfectly call it one Church as one flock is one vnder one Pastor which Christ promised should be so Whence it seemeth manifest that for the preseruing of vnity in Gods Church one head is necessary and that in the beliefe therof there is no danger though there were no Scripture at all to warrant it For as temporall Kings though they haue no warrant for their ech particular regall power out of holy Scripture yet by law and iustice and conscience we are iustly obliged not to question it So I vnderstand not with what security a man may deny the authority of one supreme Gouernour of a Church so many hundred of yeares prescribed I need not heere heape vp texts of holy Scripture for proofe of the beliefe of one Church vnder one head since in the beliefe thereof there is no shew of impiety but in the deniall as much danger of impiety as in denying any Prince his due Yet that it may appeare that the deniers are not only in danger of iniustice but also of disbelieuing Christs words I lay downe some few Texts to be pondered Matth. 6. Thou art Peter vpon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of Hel shall not preuaile against it Behold one rock one Church that permanent against all assaults Io. 21. to Peter he said feed my sheepe which words imply the full office of a Pastor that is not only to prouide nourishment but also to gouerne and defend without which the office of a Shepheard is not complete That also these words were spoken only to Peter it is manifest by that thrice repeated interrogation of Christ saying Simon Peter louest thou me especially when he addeth more then those wherby he excluded the rest of his Apostles to which when S. Peter had answered that he loued him Christ thereupon replyed feed my sheepe as if he should say the supreme dignity of Pastorship and Vicegerency which I giue you requireth greatioue and charity as you truly loue me so be a true Pastor in my Church because I giue you a dignity aboue the rest whome you are to rule 〈◊〉 my place therfore I require that your loue to me be singular 15. This litle I haue obserued yeildeth such probability at the least that it is manifest it cannot without danger be denied but that God his Church is one vnder one head But grant these places are not cleere in themselues yet the Common voyce of the world so long continued expressed also in the two Creeds may iustly excuse any Belieuer from the least danger of that sentence Who will not belieue c. Securely then with the Apostles creed we cōses to belieue the holy Catholique Church and with the Nicen One holy Catholique and Apostolique Church and not one vnles it haue a supreme visible Gouernour to whom all are subordinate What danger can there be in this beliefe if feare of God Cōscience only be regarded What concerning recommending our selues to the intercession of Saints 16. TO iustify the beliefe and practice of this point it is sufficient that it is conformable to reason and void of iniury to Christ I aske then why may not we commend our selues to the intercession of Saints as well as S. Paul did commend himselfe to the prayers of liuing Christians If it be answered it is an iniury to Christ who biddeth all come to him I see not first how S. Paul can be excused that oft commended himselfe to the intetcession of inferiour Creatures who should haue gone to Christ only and to no body els Looke what must be answered in excuse of S. Paul the same must iustify our praying to Saints Moreouer to iustify S. Paul and those that commend themselues to the intercession of Saints it seemeth euident that both he and we go truly to Christ for we go not to Saints to giue vs this or that but to obtaine their mediation for fauours at God's hand as truly we are said to haue recourse to the King for honour if we desire his Fauorits to intercede for vs as notwithstanding this mediation we are truly said not to wrōg the King but to seeke to him so by our intercession to Saints we wrong not Christ but go to him vnles a man should be conceiued not to seeke to Christ at all but only to pray to Saints which in no good Christian can be imagined 17. If it be answered that Saints in heauen cānot heare vs I aske how can this be knowne not by Scripture since it witnesseth that many Prophets saw obiects not only absent but not existent many hundred yeares after their time only by diuine inspiration nor by reason for though were their hearing by corporal eares there might be some difficulty yet since their hearing is vnderstanding which is indifferent to conceiue obiects as well absent as present this difficulty to any will appeare vaine and impertinent since we know not how our soule vnderstands nor how our eyes see or eares heare 18. Hence I gather that the Belieuers of this Article though they had no expresse Scripture for proofe thereof which for the present I examine not yet since their practice is conformable to reason and