Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	council_n	general_n	infallible_a	4,507	5	9.8847	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70803	A decad of caveats to the people of England of general use in all times, but most seasonable in these, as having a tendency to the satisfying such as are not content with the present government as it is by law establish'd, an aptitude to the setling the minds of such as are but seekers and erraticks in religion an aim at the uniting of our Protestant-dissenters in church and state : whereby the worst of all conspiracies lately rais'd against both, may be the greatest blessing, which could have happen'd to either of them : to which is added an appendix in order to the conviction of those three enemies to the deity, the atheist, the infidel and the setter up of science to the prejudice of religion / by Thomas Pierce ...	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.	1679 (1679)	Wing P2176; Wing P2196; ESTC R18054	221,635	492

is divinely undeceivable Take away This and all her other Impositions will fall to ruin of Themselves But by the Help of This Errour All the rest must needs be swallow'd how gross soever To wit That the 2 Books of Maccabees and All the rest of the Apocrypha are as much the Word of God as the 5 Books of Moses or any other at least since the Canons of the Council at Trent to whose Authority forsooth The Holy Scriptures owe Theirs That in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper it is the Interest and the Duty of every Christian to be a Canibal even materially and grosly to eat and drink the Flesh and Bloud of The Man Christ Jesus That the single Bishop of Rome is the Vniversal Pastor Head and Monarch over the whole Catholick Church both Diffusive and Representative though in an absolute Contradiction to Four famous Councils which with the Papalins themselves do pass for General to wit of Pisa Constance Basil and Siena Not to insist on those other Councils of Chalcedon Constantinople Antioch and Africa That there must be an Infallible Judge of Controversies on Earth over and above the Word of God Though they who say it are not agreed who the Judge of them should be whether the Diffusive or Representative or That which They call the Virtual Church Catholick or Their Principium Vnitatis as they call the Bishop of Rome who proudly Lords it over them All. That though nothing is to be added to The Apostles own Creed consisting of but 12 Articles Each Apostle casting in One as Ruffinus tells us yet the 12 more at least thereto added by Pius Quartus and the Council of Trent are to be sworn to and Believed as of equal Necessity to Life Aeternal To sum up all in a word No Contradiction can be so gross no Absurdity so great as not to be readily entertained by Those Jesuited Bigots who have beforehand devoured and swallow'd down without chewing That Breeding Blasphemy and Falshood That the Pope is as Infallible as Jesus Christ as often as he speaks ex Cathedrâ even without a General Council not in Questions onely of Right but in those of Fact also Let no man therefore deceive us with his pretended Infallibility more than with his being God or wholly Impeccable upon Earth For He who cannot be deceiv'd can as little Sin they are Attributes peculiar to God alone § 18. But now 't is time that I proceed to the second general Member of Sub-Division by which a Caveat was enter'd against Deceipts of all sorts as well of the best as the worst of Men. For As heed is to be taken that no evil man deceive us by good Appearances and Praetenses so there is use of as great heed that no good man deceive us against his will by the evil Example of his Miscarriage There being at least as much danger of the one as of the other If we allow our selves to think we may safely do what some very good People have done before us the consequence of it will be This that we shall imitate the worst in the best of Men and leave the best to be Their peculiar And therefore here 't is very fit for our observation that 't was not said by our Saviour Matth. 10. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beware of Men that is of Some men Those of the Consistories or Sanedrim amongst the Jews who yet are aimed at in especial manner But with an article praefixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beware of Men that is of all men in general not excepting the very best For let Erasmus and Vatablus say what they will the praefixing of the article seems to import the whole species as Tostatus and Casaubon at least do judge Let us not say therefore with Bellarmin that so good a Woman as Sarah had never prompted her Husband to lie with Hagar if she had not well known it to have been lawfull No nor yet with a greater man that Abram might dissemble and tell a lie to save his life Nor think the better of Adultery or wilfull Murther for being committed even by David after a state of Regeneration Nor look upon Incest itself as venial because 't was acted even by Lot who in the holy Scripture is stiled Righteous Nor imagin it does the rather consist with Wisedom to be Idolatrous for that Solomon Himself did worship Idols who is renowned for his Wisedom throughout the World Nor be so illogical as to conclude in the behalf of Polygamy because so honest a man as Jacob had two Wives at once and is no where reproved in all the Scripture Nor may we give an ear to Them who do excuse the worst Impieties of all such men as have been Regenerate by imputing them wholly to the infirmity of the flesh and not as well to the filthiness of the Spirit Some there are who are serious in the use of such Logick be it spoken to the disgrace of their wit and learning though it is patcht up of nothing but one gross Fallacy à benè divisis ad malè conjuncta Many things are very false in a compound sense which being divided are very true and many are true being compounded which in sensu diviso are very false David was holy and committed wilfull Murther in conjunction with Adultery But it was not committed by holy David for This would imply a Contradiction in adjecto He was holy before and holy after but in a state of Vnholiness and Condemnation whilst he lay snoring in his impieties as he did for some months without repentance So Solomon was wise and a Worshipper of Idols But he was not Then wise when he stood guilty of Idol-Worship Solomon and Solomon were just as different as Peter in the Hall and behind the Door or as the Book of Kings and the Book of Ecclesiastes When That impiety was committed it was by Solomon the Fool who recover'd not his Wisedom till he repented that is to say till he amended and chang'd his life till he became a new Creature and brought forth fruits meet for Repentance § 19. And if heed is to be taken that no good man deceive us we may not sure neglect Him who has nothing of good but in bare appearance If the former may deceive us by the example of his Sin well may the later deceive us too by the lying sanctity of his life Then let not any man deceive us by any means Neither by giving smooth Speeches nor by wearing rough Garments Neither by using Foxes words nor by having Sheeps Cloathing Neither by Spirit nor by Letter Not by the current of his Prosperity not by the reddiness of his Praying not by the commonness of his Preaching not by the plausible Demureness called the Godliness of his Practice For the Devil were but a Dunce in case he could not fish whilst he is angling after Souls with more Baits than These and too contemptible a

the whole Herd of Notorious Sinners to be paradigmatiz'd as disorderly Walkers from whom we are most to withdraw ourselves I shall endeavour their Satisfaction by these 4 Reasons First because of all Sinners They seem to be the most destitute of Christian Meekness and Humility Next because of all Sinners they are the most void of Christian Charity as That is Superiour to Faith and Hope Thirdly because of all Sinners they are the greatest Vnderminers of Society and Government the greatest Adversaries to God as the God of Order the greatest Disturbers and the most dangerous of private Propriety and publick Peace Lastly because of all Sinners our Schismaticks here in England are the most barbarously ingratefull and most deplorably unexcusable of any other I am very much mistaken if I have not great reason for these 4 Reasons But whether so or not so I leave to the Judgment of my Superiours and content my self with This that without any passion I speak mine own § 11. To the first of my 4 Reasons I premise S. Paul's Character touching Schismaticks in general to wit that they consent not to wholsome words and the Doctrin which is according to Godliness but are proud knowing nothing doat about Questions and Strifes of words whereof cometh Envy Strife Railings evil Surmises perverse Disputings of men of corrupt Minds and destitute of the Truth From such says he to Timothy withdraw thy self S. Peter adds They are presumptuous selfwill'd despise Government have forsaken the right Path and are gone astray Now from Scripture thus speaking let us reason the case a little and then apply it Can any be farther from Humility than They who know nothing and yet are proud of their Knowledge Can any Pride be more prodigious than that by which the very basest and the most despicable of Subjects do not onely abhor but despise their Governours nor onely the Persons who are but Men but even Government it self which is avowedly Divine in its Institution The Apostle's Expression is rich and elegant as well as true For to despise or contemn to depretiate and scorn and as it were to look down upon Those above us does not savour of a vulgar or of a middle-siz'd Pride but of Pride in its Exaltation Can any Pride be more monstrous than for vile Dust and Ashes even to Deifie It self yet the Schismatick seems to doe it in Three respects For first he arrogates to himself God's Incommunicable Attribute whilst he founds his grossest Errours upon an Infallibility which he does not onely ascribe as others do with more modesty and shew of Reason although 't is no more than a shew of Reason to the whole either diffusive or representative Church but to his own individual Person acted forsooth and over-acted by That which he calls speaking out of his own Heart the infallible Spirit of God In any Controversie arising touching the sense of any Scripture He does not appeal to the Original or Context to Fathers or Councils or Commentators all riff-raff in his Esteem but to Illumination and Revelation and The Testimony within him Nor can I imagin what should keep him from returning into the Church he has turned from unless it be the worst Effect of the greatest Pride a shamefulness to confess he has ever err'd Next he Deifies himself by not enduring God's Yoke or indeed that God should reign over him For if the Powers that are on Earth are ordain'd by God as S. Paul affirms it is evident that we live under a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God by Them does reign over us and they that resist shall receive Damnation because they will not be under God This is certainly at the Bottom both of S. Jude's and S. Paul's and S. Peter's reasonings when they infer eternal Torments as they every-where do from Disobedience to the Authorities and the lawfull Commands of Men. Besides the Schismatick seems to Deifie himself by seating himself on the Throne of God and undertaking to be the Judge of Quick and Dead by opening the Seals of the Book of life and expounding God's Decrees of Particular mens States from all Eternity He takes upon him before the Harvest to sever the Wheat from the Tares and the Sheep from the Goats He forsooth and his Party and none besides are the Elect whilst all from whom they All separate are Vessels of Wrath and Reprobation Again how far is That Professor from Christian Meekness who says as the Schismaticks did of old in the Prophet Esa Stand farther off come not near me for I am holier than Thou thanking God that he is not as other men are neither a Sabbath-breaker nor Swearer nor even as this or that Publican no Conformist no Royalist nor even as this or that Excize-man gathering Tribute-money for Caesar and proudly taking to his Party the name of Saints at every turn which he denies to the Apostles in all Discourse he makes of them on all occasions Briefly for a Person of very low Parts and little Learning of contemptible Education and small Improvements to separate from a Great and Admired Church The Church of England and from the Devotions of the same in her Publick Liturgy All contrived by the Wisedom directed by the Learning embraced by the Piety established by the Authority of such a Nation confirmed by at least 33 Acts of Parliament and by as many Convocations or Representatives of the Clergy sign'd and seal'd by the Sufferings of many Confessors and Martyrs lastly asserted and defended against the Wit and the Malice of all Opponents I say for a person grosly ignorant and knowing nothing in comparison to scorn or pity all his Teachers as Fools and Blind for him to think he sees more or better than the two Vniversities put together commonly call'd the two Eyes of this National Body which is as if the silliest Sheep that ever leap'd out of a Fold should take upon them both to guide and to feed their Shepherd This does argue such an Arrogance Self-conceitedness and Pride as no Rhetorick can express no Charity excuse no Humility not censure Although Novatus was made a Schismatick by a proud opinion of his own Purity and by his carnal Ambition to head a Party as Simon Magus did the Gnosticks in the Apostles own Times on the same account yet now the Copy and Translation has so outdone its Original that our Schismaticks have accus'd the Laws and Canons for Vniformity of being Such They could approve of most things in case they were not impos'd by Law The very Reason why they ought is the Reason they will not serve God in order They dare not doe what they know they may lawfully for fear they should seem to think an human Law binding The onely fault of our Liturgy is its having been compos'd Authoriz'd and made use of by the wisest and the Best of our English World especially by the Governours in Church and State They will have Parliaments and Synods

as He could not hope for a great Posterity in regard of His Age and Sarah's Barrenness which yet he could not but hope for in regard of God's Promise which could not fail so what we cannot believe exactly in regard of its being above the Reach of our Reason and common Vsages of Nature we cannot chuse but believe in regard that God says it who cannot lie The Worthiness of our Faith does stand in This chiefly that though 't is many times Wavering like the tremulous Needle in the Mariner's Compass yet being touch'd by God's Grace as That Needle by the Loadstone its prevalent motion is towards its Pole and from That its Trepidations can never wrest it Insomuch that we may say as once S. Paul in another case we are troubled on every side yet not in Distress perplex'd we are often but not in Despair Persecuted by Satan but by God not forsaken cast down indeed but not destroy'd Tremble we may like Aristippus in a shipwrack but like Him we are not guilty of yielding up our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is worded by Aulus Gellius We do not basely consent to our Perturbations which arise not from our Spirits but from our Flesh The Law in our Members do what we can will still be warring but the Law in our Minds does ever worst it We still believe with our Wills Lord help the Vnbelief of our Vnderstandings Our Hearts are steady Lord fix our Heads too In spite of our very Vnbelief in point of doubt or haesitation or now and then a dark interval We will believe so as to love the Incarnate Deity whom we admire and so love as to obey him and obey him to such a point as to lay down our lives for the love we bear him And so will prove by all three that we do really Believe what we cannot fathom God manifest in the Flesh because without our Believing we can do neither Neither Love nor Obey nor lay down our Lives in obedience to him Let our Doubtings or Disbelievings in some Degree and by Fits be what they can or let them seem to be what they will yet we are certain of our Faith whilst we are certain of our Fear to offend our Maker and of our Love to his Goodness and of our Obedience to his Commands Without this last 't is very true we cannot speak Peace to our selves or others For as S. John says expresly By This we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments so 't is the keeping of his Commandments by which we know that we love and obey him truly § 24. Now having arrived at a full knowledge of God's Existence and his good-pleasure expressed to us in his Precepts or of his Verity and his Will revealed to us in his Word and also ingraven in our own Nature as a Law written in our Hearts and farther yet having attained unto a knowledge also in part of his Glorious Essence as that he is a Spirit Existing of Himself from all Eternity an omnipresent and an omniscient and a necessary Being from whom and by whom is every Good Thing that is and that he is a Rewarder of Them that diligently seek him c. Having I say the satisfaction of knowing That which our Apostle does call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which may be known of God which is as much as is needfull and as much as is enough we must not disquiet our Minds in vain by seeking out things which are too hard for us or by searching after Secrets above our strength or by being over-curious in unnecessary matters as the excellent Son of Sirach has very judiciously forewarn'd us The Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Godhead is the chiefest of Those Insearchables which are indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past finding out more impossible to be traced than all his most mysterious ways which our Apostle thought worthy of That Expression Such a mystery it is as the most pious and the most learned and most acute of all Writers were never well able to give account of The most profound Divine Here is in the condition of Simonides when demanded by Hiero a definition of the Deity The more he looks into This Mystery by so much the obscurer it seems to be The longer he considers the less he is able to apprehend it S. John says expresly and I believe him There are Three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word the Holy Ghost and These Three are One. 1 Joh. 5 7. The Antient Fathers and Councils to stop the Mouths of several Hereticks of Two especially Arius first and then Sabellius and to preserve the Christian Church from the Plague of Schism found it necessary to add This Form of Words though not in a positive but in an exclusive sense A Trinity of Persons in an unity of the Godhead But if 't is asked what is meant by a Trinity of Persons S. Austin says we want words to express it by Dictum est tamen Tres Personae non ut illud diceretur sed ne taceretur quomodo Tres sint c. For who can speak fitly of what is Infinite and whilst he makes use of Terms belonging onely to finite Things yet This must be done if we speak at all Il en fault parler en language humain puisque le divin nous est incogneu Onely let us not forget the wise Advertisement of Anselm whensoe're we so speak that if we speak concerning God in Words which are Common to other Natures our sense and meaning must not be Common but peculiar to God alone § 25. Nor is This All. For we want understanding to apprehend the Blessed Trinity as well as words to express it by Anselm's excellent Understanding was utterly lost in This Labyrinth The Understanding of Boetius was also drown'd in This Ocean Good S. Bernard's Understanding was swallow'd up in This Abyss From whence I easily conclude because I do it with humility and due submission that the Trinity in Vnity onely can be fathomed by it self And that to speak of Three Persons in any acception of the word Persons which is in use amongst Men when at any time they speak of created Beings were to commit a grosser Haeresie than that of the Antitrinitarians § 26. This does prompt me to go out of this long Discourse at the very same Door at which I enter'd A Door of Hope and Consolation which seems to hang on These three Hinges First that I know whom I have believed by Knowledge properly so call'd Next that I believe what I cannot know as far as 't is affirmed in God's own word Lastly that I contradict not what 't is most difficult to believe because not written in God's own word as far as I find it is agreed on by All my Teachers especially met together in General Councils as an Act of Vniformity or as an Article of