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
A38590	Catechistical discovrses in vvhich, first, an easy and efficacious way is proposed for instruction of the ignorant, by a breife summe of the Christian doctrine here delivered and declared : secondly, the verity of the Romane Catholike faith is demonstrated by induction from all other religions that are in the world : thirdly, the methode of the Romane catechisme, which the Councell of Trent caused to be made, is commended to practice of instructing in doctrine, confirming in faith, and inciting to good life by catechisticall sermons / by A. E.	Errington, Anthony, d. 1719?	1654 (1654)	Wing E3246; ESTC R8938	430,353	784

be decided by their owne reasons but who shall be the iudge betwixt them it must not be the determination of any particular man for that is as subiect to errour as they are and besides this question being concerning the spirit of God it cannot be decided by any authority lesse then diuine least otherwise the true spirit were reiected for false as possibly it might be by any inferiour authority Shall it be decided by force of armes That is soe absurde that it needeth noe refuting although perhaps Ioannes de Zischa was of that opinion for what absurdity will not an haeretike mainteine How then shall they be tryed bring them to the Church and see whether they will heare it But they will not be soe tryed How then there is now noe other way left to try them by They must then goe without any tryal at all to say what they list and soe they shall both prooue false spirits as being contrary to S. Iohn that sendeth vs to try our spirits and as being contrary to the scriptures which commande vs to heare the Church Ma●t 8. Therefor the spirit of God is allwais with obedience to the Church and the final resolution of faith is reduced to the word of God speaking to our harts and interpreted by the Church For there is noe way to try spirits and to declare certainely who are rightly inspired but by the authority of God speaking by it and by submitting our selues to the obedience of it Lu● 10. as to the voice of God He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Saith Christ to the Pastors of the Church who haue the authority of the whole Church Mat. 18. And in another place If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Aug. tract 109. in Io S. Augustine the word of faith and the word of the Apostles to beleeue God and to beleeue the Church is the very same thinge Secondly the true faith hath bene often prooued and false doctrines confuted by miracles and these miracles haue planely conuinced for the obedience to that Church whose faith was soe confirmed Elias prooued by miracles the true faith of the Israëlits and confounded the Idolatrous Gentils Soe did Christ and his Apostles by many miracles prooue the christian faith against both Iewes and Gentils And these miracles obliged all whom inuincible ignorance excused not vnto the obedience of the Church of Christ and shewed planely that the spirit of God was to the obedience of that Church but noe miracle was euer wrought to shew that men should obey noe Church but that they might liue after their owne liking and beleeue what they would without obedience to any authority vpon earth Neither can there be any miracles wrought for any such manner of liuing for miracles being done in confirmation of the true faith oblige others to imbrace that faith which is soe confirmed by miracles and soe men come to an vnity of faith and make a Church that is to say a people vnited together in faith and religion But if men might for all those miracles which they see still follow their owne priuate spirits and not vnite themselues in obedience to that company whose faith is soe confirmed by miracles but might disobey it in matters of faith then they might disobey the authority of God and miracles were to noe purpose Therefor the very being of true miracles in confirmation of faith prooueth the being of a Church to which our spirits must allwais obey Moreouer if euery man were to be guided by his owne priuate spirit without obeying any Church there should be noe neede at all of miracles for the spirit is an inward and miracles are an outward testimony of the truth of any thinge to draw others vnto it but if all were to follow the inward testimony of their owne spirit without submitting vnto any external power then were they not to regard the outward testimony nor to be drawne by it And indeede to say that euery one is to follow his owne priuate spirit without being bounde to the obedience of any external power is as much as to say that euery one hath the true spirit of God and then what neede were there of miracles All which is contrary to the words of Christ and of the Apostles and contrary to the examples of the scriptures and to reason and experience by which we see soe many spirits of errors and of sinne in prowde and euill men Miracles may be and haue bene wrought to prooue the true faith but such miracles prooue that the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church therefor the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church Thirdly God hath ordained an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship and all order includeth subordination of inferiours to superiour powers and leaueth vs not to ourselues alone subiect to noe authority in points of religion and the same natural reason that bringeth vs to rely vpon the diuine autority in matters of faith telleth vs also that it is a more reasonable way for God to inspire vs to the obedience of the Church and to guide it with his sure and infallible assistance then to guide euery man by himselfe and his owne priuate spirit without being subiect to any autority or acknowledging of any superiour for this were to take away all order and to bring such a confusion into the world by making euery man his owne iudge as would by consequence destroy the world which without order can not subsist For if there were not allwais vpon earth some power authorized of God to prooue and approoue of the spirits of men what errors would be broched and what villanys committed and mainteined by wicked men vnder pretence of diuine inspiration God inspireth men to an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship therefor the diuine light and inspiration of faith in allwais to the obedience of the Church Soe that we may well say that faith is a supernatural light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhaere to the doctrine of the Church God giueth vs supernatural light to enlighten our vnderstandings and by his holy inspiration moueth our wills to submitte ourselues and to beleeue in all thinges according to the doctrine of the Church we cooperating with that light and inspiration of God submitte ourselues to the obedience of the true Church and then we haue actually true faith And whosoeuer he be that pretendeth himselfe to haue the spirit of God yet will not submitte himselfe to any Church but beginneth a new religion contrary to all the Churches then in the world or will mainteine a religion which soe beganne certainely that man hath not the true faith nor is the spirit of God in him But he sayth that he hath prayed to God for his spirit and Christ hath said that our father will giue the good spirit to those that

wee will minde their behauiour and learne of them how to behaue our selues at Masse And it were good to gette a custome allways when we heare Masse to make a purpose of amending some particular falt or imperfection which we know in ourselues and to remember that purpose at the beginning and at the end of euery Masse which we heare THE ELEAVENTH DISCOVRSE OF THE PRAECEPTS OF THE CHVRCH I Intende now to declare the Praecepts of the Church but first we will craue our blessed Ladys intercession Haile Mary c. Quest Say the fiue cheife Praecepts of the Church Answer To fast fasting dayes To keepe holy dayes To confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue ot least once a yeare To receiue the Eucharist at Easter time To pay tithes There are diuerse other Praecepts of the Church as the prohibiting to celebrate marriage from the beginning of Aduent vntil after Twelfth day and from the beginning of Lent vntill after Low Sunday Also many things in seuerall generall councells commanded some in respect of the Clergy and some of the lai●y ●or of particular states and conditions of men which wee omitte as not of this place and declare onely the fiue aboue mentioned which Authors commonly deliuer as the cheife and most necessary for the people to be instructed in But before wce come to their particular declaration we will say somethinge OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE Church and of the obligation of her Praecepts Quest How doe the Praeceps of the Church oblige Ans The Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder a mortall sinne The authority of the Church is declared in many places of holy Scriptures Apoc. 1. Saint Iohn saw in a vision the Church descending downe from Heauen like to a glorious bride setforth with all her ornaments to meete her bridegroome God is the Bridegroome the Church is the bride the Praecepts of the Church are her ornaments for by the keeping of them the soules of the faithfull are adorned graciously in the sight of God and in the end become glorious in Heauen and those that breake the Praecepts of the Church breake teare and abuse the ornaments of the coelestiall bride and therefore commit a mortall sinne Christ hath compared the disobedient to the Church to Heathens Mat. 18 and Publicans saying If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican but the eternall word of God and his infinite wisedome neither would nor could haue soe compared them as to put them in the ranke of the most odious and infamous of all men if they had not bene guilty of mortall sinne Nay the authority of God in many places of the Scriptures is in plaine words attributed to the Church A question arising concerning the necessity of Circumcision Saint Peter with some others mette at Hierusalem about it and hauing decided the controuersy they imposed some praecepts to be obserued by the Church and that in the name and authority of the Holy Ghost saying Act. 15. it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to vs to lay noe further burthen vpon you then these necessary things c. And S. Paul who had bene an earnest aemulatour of the law of Moyses went vp to Hierusalem to them and without any murmuring at all was contented with that which was there decreed and which S. Peter then declared submitting willingly all those rites which he had bene brought vp in and which he had aemulated before to the censure Lawes and Praecepts of the Church of Christ and not onely himselfe obeyed them but also as in the same chapter is declared He walked through Syria and Cilicia confirming the Churches and commanding them to keepe the Praecepts of the Apostles and Auncients Ananias sold a piece of land and defrauded of the price of it bringing only part of it to the feet of the Apostles Saint Peter who by reuelation vnderstood his deceit rebuked him saying Act. 5. Ananias why hath sathan tempted thy hart that thou shouldest ly to the holy Ghost c. Thou hast not lyed to men but to God And it cost him his life forth with falling downe dead in the place And his wife Saphira who was priuy to his fraude comming in about three houres after and mainteining her husbands ly Behold said Saint Peter their seete that haue buried thy husband at the doore and they shall beare thee forth And she fell downe presently and dying was carried out of doores and buried with her husband See here the diuine authority attributed to the Church Saint Peter declaring that Ananias then lyed to the holy Ghost and not to men but to God in that he lyed to those who as the Praelats of the Church had the authority of God and a terrible example of the diuine Iustice ensuing to teach vs reuerence and obedience to that authority Our blessed Sauiour speaking to his Apostles said Luc. 10. He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee and Saint Paul writing to the Thessalonians concerning the Praecepts which he had deliuered to them Thess 14. saith He that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God who also hath giuen his holy Spirit in vs. By all which places we see that the Church hath diuine authority that to heare it is to heare God and to be vnheare to it is to be vnheare to him to dissemble with the Prelates of the Church is to dissemble with God and to dispise them is to despise him The reason of this is Order because the Superiours of the Church being ordained of God to gouerne the world in his diuine seruice their authority is to be obeyed as the ordinance of God and as the supreme authority vpon earth aboue all temporall power in that immediatly and directly it tendeth not the temporall but to spirituall peace and order and therefore those that deny obedience to it and resist it resist the diuine ordinance and the supreme authority that is amongst men If a father should set a Schoole Master ouer his children and commande them to obey him they denying obedience to him and refusing to be taught by him disobey their father as well as their master God setteth the Pastors of the Church as Masters ouer vs to instruct and commande vs in the diuine worship Mal. 2. The lips of the Priest shall preserue knowledge and the law thou shalt require from his mouth and the Apostle saith Heb. 13. Obey your Prelates and be subiect to them for they watch as being to render account for your soules The greatest Duke King or Emperour if he hath a soule to be saued he hath a Priest and a Prelate to obey as well as the meanest of his subiects he is his master in spirituall things and if he disobey him in the doctrine and Praecepts of the Church hee disobeyeth God who ordained him in that authority he doth contrary to the

authority restored to their seates againe Theod. l. 2. c. 4. and the Arians hauing by letters misinformed the Pope against Athanasius he commanded both him and them to come to Rome to answere for themselues S Iohn Chrysostome fled vnto Pope Innocentius who restored him to his sea againe and the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius for that they were slow in effecting his restitution and Arsatius and Atticus for intruding into his place and Theophilus Patriarke of Alexandria for deposing of him although the prime men of the world both of the Ecclessiasticall and Laity were all excommunicated by the Pope Menas Patriarke of Constantinople being thrust out of his seate by Anthimus an haeretike the Emperour fauouring him appealed to S. Agapetus Pope who not dreading the Emperours power opposed himselfe as a good and valiant Pastour in defence of the people of Constantinople as vnder his generall charge against Anthimus the wolfe that was comed amongst them And when the Emperour with terrible threatenings menaced him the blessed Pope bared presently his necke before him and told him that he was ready to loose his head for that cause which he must and would defende as long as he liued And Vigilius who succeeded in the Popedome next but one to him being earnestly sollicited to restore Anthimus would neuer yeeld to it although he were apprehended and suffered much for that cause but stoode still constant to his charge and excommunicated Theodora the Empresse as the cheife instigatour of those cuills Thirdly the same is prooued for that there is none other but the bishop of Rome None other but the Roman● Bishop cantustly pretende to supremacy in the Church that can pretende euer to haue had that supreme authority in the primitiue Church for if any other could haue any iust pretence to it it should be the Patriarke of Antioch for that was the first Episcopal seate of S. Peter but he can not pretende euer to haue had that supreme authority after S. Peter for the Patriarke of Alexandria was aboue him although vnder the bishop of Rome Antioch was indeede the first seate of S. Peter the chaire of Alexandria was founded by S. Marke in S. Peters name and S. Peter liued at Rome most part of the time of his primacy and dyed there bishop of that place His successour must be vnderstoode of his last seate which he died possessed of as all antiquity with good reason vnderstoode it and therefor although all these three in reuerence to S. Peter were made Patriarchical seates yet Rome was esteemed allwais as the cheife it had the first place Alexandria the second and Antioch but the third The Patriarke of Constantinople cannot pretende to the primacy for that he was not soe much as a Patriarke long after the former nor for some hundreds of yeares after Christ there being noe Constantinople before Constantine but an obscure Bythinium of noe such name or note The Patriarke of Hierusalem cannot pretende vnto it for he was vnder the bishop of Caesarea as his Metropolitan and gaue place to all the former These were the prime of the world in Ecclesiasticall dignity and the bishop of Rome was the prime of them and exercized authority as you haue seene ouer them therefor there is none but he that can pretende to haue bene the head and supreme pastour in the Church of Christ To talke of any saecular Prince being the head of the Church is not worth mentioning for he as such hath noe calling to that office The head of the Church is the successour of S. Peter who gouerned the Church as his successors also did many yeares after him vnder heathen Princes who could not be the head of the Church of Christ Neither was any Christian Emperour euer permitted soe much as to haue a voyce in General Councels Out of all which hath here bene said it doth appeare soe manifestly that at first the supreme authority ouer the Church of Christ was acknowledged to reside in the Bishops of Rome as the successors of S. Peter that to deny it is to deny any thinge of antiquity and to confounde all traditions of writings and of thinges past And hence it followeth that the primitiue Church acknowledging the supreme authority ouer the Church to descende by the institution of Christ vpon the bishops of Rome as vpon the successors of S. Peter we ought to acknowledge the same and that that bishop hath the prime authority and that he and the pastors that ioyne with him haue the whole lawfull authority of the true Church And therefor all those Churches that haue begunne at any time in disobedience to that authority and continue still disobedient to it were then and are still false Churches for that they haue the Marke which we haue assigned of disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church and which S. Cyprian hath giuen of despising that one iudge and priest that is for the time the Vicar of Christ It is not now much needfull to examine the beginnings of other Churches and to shew them to haue begunne in disobedience to the bishop of Rome and his pastors because that hauing bene the gouernment of the primitiue Church the rest must at some time haue gone forth of it Yet for more cleernesse and satisfaction of all I will say somethinge of the particular beginnings either of all or of the more notable sects that are now extant to shew how and when they went out of the Romane Church First the Arians who are the auncientest of all those that are now extant beganne in the disobedience of Arius a Priest of Alexandria about three hundred yeares after the first establishing of the faith of Christ who separating himselfe from the head and pastors that then were to wit of S. Syluester Pope and the fathers of the Councell of Nyce who were ioyned in Communion with him beganne a new Church without successiō of head and pastors from Christ The Nestorian Church beganne in the disobedience of Nestorius bishop of Constantinople aboue foure hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who separating himselfe from the head and pastors that then were to wit from S. Celestine Pope and the fathers of the Ephesin Councell in Communion with him beganne a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ The seueral Churches of the Graecians and easterne people beganne first in the disobedience of Photius aboue eight hundreds yeares after that the faith of Christ was receiued by the world who hauing inuaded and vsurped the chaire of Constantinople was by the authority of Pope Adrian and of the Councell of Constantinople deposed and Ignatius whom he had thrust out was againe restored But Photius raising new dissentions and seditions in the Church of God drew the Graecians from their dew obedience to the head and pastors of the Church and soe beganne diuerse schismaticall Churches seuerall bishops assuming to themselues absolute authority and submitting to