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
A73183	Qvi non credit condemnabitvr Marc. 16. Or A discourse prouing, that a man who beleeueth in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Passion &c. & yet beleeueth not all other inferiour articles of Christian fayth, cannot be saued And consequently, that both the Catholike, and the Protestant (seeing the one necessarily wanteth true fayth) cannot be saued. Written by William Smith, Priest.	Smith, William, Priest.	1625 (1625)	STC 22872.5; ESTC S124609	77,182	179

particuler choise to insist vpon omitting some others of like nature because wee see that most or all of them do immediatly and principally as is aboue sayd touch the meanes of purchasing of grace of remission of our sinnes and obtayning of saluatiō being maintayned for such by the Catholikes but vtterly denyed reiected by Protestants And here I now vrge two things First if these former doctrines as they are beleeued by the Catholikes do immediatly concerne saluation and become necessary meanes thereof then cannot the Protestants as reiecting all such doctrines and such meanes both in beliefe practise be saued But if by a supposall they be not of that nature but false in themselues and the contrary doctrines true then cannot the Catholikes as beleeuing false doctrines immediatly touching mans saluation and accordingly practising them be saued From which forked argument it may most demonstratiuely be inferred that it is impossible that both the Catholiks and the Protestants the one part beleeuing the other part not beleeuing the foresayd doctrines should both be saued for who neglecteth necessary meanes shall neuer attayne to the designed end of the sayd meanes Secondly I vrge that a false beliefe not only in these articles but also in any other Controuersyes betweene the Catholikes and the Protestants is plaine Heresy And this because euery false beliefe is comprehended within the definition of heresy as being in it selfe an electiō choise of a new or false doctrine wilfully maintayned against the Church of God and therefore it followeth that eyther the Catholikes or Protestants for their persisting in this false beliefe or heresy shal be damned 10. But heere I will stay my selfe wading no further in the disquisition and search of the great dissentions betweene Catholikes and Protestants touching Fayth and beliefe only I will reflect a little vpon the premises of the two last Chapters And heere since it is made most euident first that the Protestants and Catholikes do mainly differ in the sense and construction of the articles of the Creed and consequently seeing the sense and not the wordes make the creed that they both do not beleeue one and the same Creed but haue to themselues seuerall Creedes From whence sufficiently is discouered that want of vnity in fayth among them both which vnity is so necessarily required to mans saluation as in the precedent Chapter is demonstrated Secondly that though by supposition they did beleeue the Creed the sense therof with an vnanimous consent yet it is proued that there are diuers other articles not contayned in the Creed which are indifferently beleeued as necessary to saluation both by Catholike and Protestant Thirdly seeing also there are sundry Controuersies in Religion as is aboue exemplifyed which immediatly concerne saluation being houlden as necessary meanes thereof by the catholikes but disclaymed from and abandoned by Protestants as mayne errours and false doctrines that therefore it is a manifest errour to make the Creed the sole rule of fayth 11. Therefore from all the former premises I do auerre that he who maintayneth that both Catholikes Protestants and consequently men of any Religion notwithstāding that the one side doth necessarily beleeue and maintaine Heresy can be saued or that euery Christian can obtaine heauen is wholy depriued of all true iudgement reason and discourse and for want thereof may deseruedly be ranged among them of whome the Psalmist speaketh Nolite fieri sicut equus mulus quibus non est intellectus Do not become as Horse and Mule which haue no vnderstanding CHAP. VI. The same proued from the authority and priuiledges of the Church in not erring in her definitions and condemnation of Heresies and first by Councells FROM the inuiolable vnity of Fayth we wil next descend to the priuiledges of Gods true church of which priuiledges I will at this tyme take only one into my consideration which is that the church of God is indued with a supreme prerogatiue in not erring in her definitiō of faith or condemnation of heresy This point is warranted by innumerable texts of holy Scripture as where it is sayd Vpon thy wales O Hierusalem I haue set watchmen all the day and all the night they shal not be silēt Isai 72. But God did not set watchmen ouer his Church to teach errours And againe the (a) 1. Tim. 3. Church of God is the pillar and foūdation of truth what more perspicuous And further whereas each man is commaunded to repaire in difficulties euen of lesser consequences to the Church it is threatned by Christ himselfe that who will not heare the Church shal be accounted as an heathen or publican according to that his condemnation Si Ecclesiam non audierit (b) Matt. 18. sit tibi sicut Ethnicus Publicanus where we find no restriction but that in all things wee are to heare the Church Againe Christ himselfe speaketh to his Apostles and in them to the whole Church (c) Luc. 10. He that heareth you heareth me But if the Church could erre neyther would Christ referre vs to the Church especially vnder so great a penalty neyther by hearing the Church could we be iustly sayd to heare Christ Finally the Church is so gouerned by Christ as its head or spouse and by the holy Ghost as its soule as therfore we find the Apostle thus to write (d) Ephes ● therof God hath made him head speaking of Christ ouer all the Church which is his body And againe one (e) Ephes 4. body and one spirit and yet more The (f) Ephes 5. man is the head of the Church From which Texts it followeth that if the Church should erre in its definition or resolution of Fayth and condemnation of Heresy this erring must iustly be ascribed to Christ and to the holy Ghost and consequently it followeth that the Apostles in making the Creede would haue omitted that Article I belieue the holy Catholike Church For why should we be bound to belieue the Church if the Church could erre 2. This truth I meane that the Church of Christ cannot erre in her sententionall decrees is so illustrious and euident that Tertullian speaking of certaine Heretikes of his time obiecting the erring of the whole church thus figuratiuely or Ironically writeth Age (g) Lib. de preser omnes errauerunt nullam respexit Spiritus sanctus that is goe to belike all the Churches haue erred the holy Ghost hath respected or looked vpon no one Church And S. Augustine Disputare (h) Epist 118. contra id quod Ecclesia vniuersa sentit insolentissimae insaniae est To dispute against any point maintained by the whole Church is extreme madnes To whose iudgement herein most of the more sober and learned Protestants doe indisputably subscribe since diuers of (i) D. Bācroft in ser 1588 Fox act Mon. 464 h. art 4. the deuines of Geneua in their propositions and principles disputed pag. 141. diuers others them