Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	hear_v	heathen_a	publican_n	4,379	5	11.4435	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43394	Certaine conceptions, or, Considerations of Sir Percy Herbert, upon the strange change of peoples dispositions and actions in these latter times directed to his sonne.	Herbert, Percy, Sir.	1650 (1650)	Wing H1524A; ESTC R13695	141,161	274

one Country and therefore could not so easily differ in points of Faith or be corrupted in manners for want of due information yet neverthelesse we see God Almighty held it so necessary a thing with those few people though united and circumscribed as I say into a most narrow and small circuit of ground and Territorie that he had alwayes his Church and High Priest amongst them unto whose Decrees our Saviour Christ himself commanded the Jewes to be obedient however the men at that present that governed were most corrupt and wicked onely because they sat in Moses chair and enjoyed of right a supernatural prerogative by way of an orderly succession which he intended should onely continue until after his passion that he might establish his more lasting and holy Church which by his own promise is to indure without interruption until the end of the world being invisibly to be alwayes governed by the Holy Ghost for the more assuredness of infallibility which plainly shewes that such a thing must be upon earth Whereunto are annexed also these marks of power and perspicuity since it is said he would not onely place his Tabernacle in the Son figuratively meaning his Church but we are admonished in holy Scripture from our Saviours own mouth that whosoever will not hear his Church shall be esteemed no better then a Heathen and a Publican which truly would seem to any man a most impertinent saying if there were no such Assembly upon earth to be heard and listened unto For it is not to be supposed we should upon all occasions mount into Heaven either to be instructed in our doubts or to give information against our neighbour erring so that of necessity there must be some Congregation or Tribunal on earth established to that purpose besides by the very Articles of our Creed we are to believe the Holy Catholick Church which implies a certainty of there being such a thing before we can believe what it sayes So that we may conclude it a most ridiculous madnesse to think there is no visible and real place or Chair upon earth where men may go to receive true and undoubted information concerning matters of Religion especially when it is not credible that every particular person should have sufficient direction by Revelation since the greatest Prophets that were ever sent into the world were constrained to fetch their instructions oftentimes from others In the next place it is as necessary to believe that this established Assembly must be infallible as that it is at all since if it should be otherwise our directions would sometimes misse and so consequently we might ignorantly contract errours in our wayes and endeavours instead of running surely in the direct path of Almighty Gods principles and commandments towards our future salvation For it is evident by the rules of reason upon all intended certainties there ought to be some means prescribed us whereby we may be sure we are right As for the purpose in all humane matters we are accustomed to use the benefit of weight measure or some other experience before we have sufficient assurance any thing is just according to our intention much more are we to believe that our Saviour Jesus Christ after having shewed such a mystical love in our redemption would not have carelesly exposed us to a dark Labyrinth of confusion and incertainty concerning the knowledge of his Law of such a consequence to be observed nay rather it is to be supposed he would have written it in brasse for our better instruction if he had not ordained an Assembly onely for that effect but for a greater confirmation of our purpose we may remember what the holy Scriptures tell us that the Church is the pillar of Truth and therefore consequently cannot be false neither could Gods revealed will and pleasure in an ordinary way and without miracle come to be known to our humane understandings but by the Records delivered unto us by the unquestionable Authority of the Churches tradition that renders them Authentical to our belief without which they have no seal of exemplification or testimony since it is not enough to say that one place of Scripture is perfectly able to interpret another without a more assured rule when as we do not know by our own reading and particular Science what places are true Scripture and which not having onely the letter of the book to look upon and as little can we be assured that we do expound those writings right as they were intended because it belongs not to any private spirit so to do of the contrary it may be feared according to the words of Saint Peter especially if we use too much presumption that being unlearned and unstable we may wrest the Text to our own damnation So that of necessity there must be something above our selves not onely to be the interpreter of this Law but also to tell and shew us the Law it self that was ordained so that I must leave it to any common understanding to consider what can be more proper for this then the Church of God that he hath promised to be withal until the consummation of the world We may also extract another assurance out of the old Testament which is that God Almighty said in time to come he would chuse such an Assembly by orderly succession whose spirits as it is written should conserve knowledge and the true Spirit should be put into their mouths from generation to generation for ever Wherefore I say as this must needs be meant onely by the universal Church so of the other side such persons cannot be but esteemed most ridiculous in their opinions that will not allow this Assembly the prerogative of knowledge and interpretation and yet do assume to themselves perhaps being ignorant in a high nature a most infallible way of understanding as well what books are Divine Scripture as also what interpretation ought truly to be given to every Text though they are plainly forewarned of the danger by those very Epistles that they themselves have judged to be true Scripture but as these few proofes may be sufficient as I said before to perswade any reasonable and competent understanding concerning the infallibility of this Assembly instituted by our Saviour and governed by the Holy Ghost this being granted that of necessity we must believe the Assembly we cannot by any reason deny our obedience to the Authority But here perhaps may come a new question according to some Athiestical Tenents of these times whether or no God Almighty have appointed man any other rules then the Law of nature measured out only by his own private judgement which certainly are most grosse and absurd opinions for by these maxims there should be no difference between men and beasts in their course of living since the latter have a kinde of order allowed them to use by the meer instinct of nature though they want reason As for example they ingender seasonably procure to