Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	heathen_a	let_v	publican_n	2,742	5	10.9981	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34966	Dr. Stillingfleets principles giving an account of the faith of Protestants / considered by N.O.	Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.	1671 (1671)	Wing C6892; ESTC R31310	47,845	118

out of loue to their souls reject what is so taught VI. CONSEQVENCE 6. Though nothing were to be belieued as the Will of God but what is by the Catholick Church declared to be so Yet this doth not at all concerne the Church of Rome which neyther is the Catholick Church nor any sound part or member of it This may suffice to shew the validity of the Principles on which the Faith of Protestants stands and the weakness of those of the Church of Rome From all which it follows that it can be nothing but willfull Ignorance weakness of judgment Strength of prejudice or some sinfull passion which makes any one forsake the Communion of the Church of England to embrace that of the Church of Rome If nothing is to be belieued as the Will of God but what is by the Catholick Church declared to be so and the Declarations of the Catholick Church be taken from her Councills and in Concills dissenting from the more Vniuersall and Generall the constant way of the Churches Judgment this Church Catholick as to such Councills and Courts Ecclesiasticall hath neuer been seuered from the Roman and S. Peters Chair And this may suffice to shew the weakness of those Principles on which the Faith of Protestants stands and the Validity of those of the Church of Rome From which it follows that if there be no willfull Ignorance nor sinfull Passion nor strength of prejudice and secular interest in our Countreymen Yet it must be at least much neglect of examining things which most concerne them and diuerting their thoughts vpon other employments or conuersing with such Authors and Teachers as confirm to them those Opinions in which they were educated and the like that detains them still in a Communion diuided and this not very long since from the Catholick As to the Doctors imputing only to Ignorance sinfull Passion c. that any forsake the Communion of the Church of England It is plain that his former Principles do no more support the Religion of the Church of England then of any other Protestants Sect condemned by it All which Sects for the Doctrines they hold and Controuersies they maintain with others equally appeal to the Clearness of the Infallible Scriptures sufficiently intelligible vnto their sincere endeauours and decline as fallible all other Ecclesiasticall Authority So Wolketius for the Socinians as the Doctor for the Church of England sayth Quae de Fide c. Those things which are to be established touching Faith in Christ are manifest in the Scriptures And Again Deus qui Religionem Christianam c. God hauing determined that Christian Religion shall continue till the end of the world has taken care that there should be always extant such a Mean by which it may be certainly known as farr as is necessary to Saluation But no such Mean is extant except the Holy Scriptures To the same purpose Crellius another Socinian says Hac sententia c. This Doctrin by which Christs Diuinity is denyed is supported by very many and the most euident Testimonies of Holy Scriptures It is needless to cite more From whence is manifest That such Principles as here appear only in the Defence of the Religion established in the Church of England make the same Apology for all those other Protestant parties and most blasphemous Sects disclaimed by it the Doctor in the mean while omitting that by which the former Learned Defenders of his Church vsually haue justified it against them namely the Church of Englands adhering to the Traditionall Exposition and Sense of Scripture receiued from the Primitiue Church This I say he omitted perhaps because it may be thought to relish a little of Church-Infallibility Neyther do the Principles here layd down afford any effectuall way or means in this Church of suppressing or conuicting any Schism Sect or Heresy or reducing them eyther to submission of Judgment or Silence For where both sides contend Scripture clear for themselues the Clearness of such Scripture how great soeuer on one side can be made no Instrument of Conuiction to the other Here therefore all things must be prosecuted further then Scripture to a Dic Ecclesiae Tell the Church and so to a Si autem Ecclesiam non audierit But if he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen and Publican If then it is the Churches Authority that must rectify such diuersity of Opinions one would think that this ought to haue been first established instead of leauing euery Fancy to perspicuity of Scripture for the attaining Vnity and Peace in the Points controuerted And the prudent may consider Whether the Authority of the Church of England is not much debilitated and brought into contempt and dayly like to wane more and more by this new-taken-vp way of its Defence Where he thinks himself it's best Aduocat and Defender of its Cause who doth most endeauour to sett forth the Defects and faylings of all such Ecclesiasticall Societies Prelats and Councills and best proues no Scripture-Promises made to them Nay where to the end to euacuate the Infallibility of any Society or Church in necessaries is set vp a Counter-Lay-Infallibility of priuate men if only sincere Endeauourers of Vnderstanding Holy Writt in all the same Necessaries This is done which causeth still more Sects instead of that which if done would cure them namely The Recommending especially to the illiterate and less intelligent common sort of people Humility Obedience Submission of judgment to their Spirituall Pastors and Gouernors whom our Lord hath ordained by due Succession to continue to the end of the world on purpose to expound the Scriptures and out of these to teach them all Necessaries for their Saluation and to heep them stable and fixed from being tossed to and fro with euery wind of Doctrin that Capricious Fancies may imagin there or malicious pretend Informing them that they are to learn of these Pastors the true Sense of Gods Word according to former Church-Tradition to follow their Faith and to rest in their Iudgment Lastly not to vsurp their Office and become their owne Guides inasmuch as the same Diuine order that appoints the others to Guide enjoyns them to be Guided And supposing these Guides should err too better it is that all err one Error which is the Error of their Guides for there will be at least some Vnity and Peace in that some Excuse for Inferiors yea also in probability more verisimilitude then that euery one should err a seuerall and his own Error to the vtter ruine uf Peace and a greater deuiation from Truth But whilst these things are so little spoken of it is no great wonder if vnder the protection of such contrary Maximes spread abroad which were first made more current and common by M r Chillingworth forced to it as the last Refuge left to shelter him from Obedience to a just Church-Authority the Broachers of New Sects and