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
A61010	The Bishop of Exons Caution to his diocese against false doctrines delivered in a sermon at Truro in Cornwall at his primary visitation.	Sparrow, Anthony, 1612-1685.	1669 (1669)	Wing S4822; ESTC R31955	10,922	20

Pastors and Teachers to keep you from being deceived by false Teachers and if you will not submit to their direction you expose your selves to the danger of being deceived and frustrate the merciful intendment of Gods goodness towards you to keep you stedfast in the Truth I know not what excuse any man can make why he doth not readily submit to the guidance of these Pastors and Teachers but only this That first he does not certainly know whom Christ hath appointed for his Guides now since the Apostles themselves are dead long since AND if he does know them yet he cannot confidently relie upon their guidance since they are not infallible in their doctrines as the Apostles were and therefore may possibly be deceived themselves and deceive him that submits to them TO the first I answer 1. YOU may as certainly know who are your Spiritual Guides as who are your Civil Governors namely by the Laws of Church and Kingdom and their solemn Investiture in their several places and charges Which is a greater and surer evidence then any man can have of his natural Parent whom you cannot otherwise know then by the common repute of the neighbourhood and the Testimony of your Mother who is bound in reputation to call her own husband your father since God hath commanded you upon pain of damnation to obey him who is thus reputed your Father why should you not fear the same penalty for disobeying your Guides of souls whom God hath equally commanded you to obey and given you a greater evidence and assurance of their authority over you TO the second scruple I answer that I assert no Infallibility in your Spiritual Guides They are men and may be deceived they may be cunning men and lie in wait to deceive And may not those be such whom you heap to your selves and so willingly run after Those who are set over you are restrain'd by the Laws and accountable to their Superiors so that they cannot publish dangerous Errors without their own danger and the censures of the Laws if they be discovered and being allowed to preach only in the Church cannot promise themselves any safety from secrecy And it is not so probable that they will willingly deceive you who are in danger to lose by their fraud as they who by false doctrines make parties to their no small advantage Besides God always assists his own Institutions and blesses his own appointments God hath forewarned you to avoid strangers to heap to your selves Teachers 2 Tim. 4.3 and who can reasonably expect Gods assistance in Disobedience It is just with him to suffer us to be deceived by those whom he hath warned us to avoid but it is most reasonable to expect his blessing and assistance in obedience to his own order He hath commanded us to submit to them who are set over us and will not suffer us to perish by obedience If we shall be mislead by our own Guides into small Errors he will graciously accept our obedience and not impute those Errors to our condemnation and he will never suffer us to be led by them into damnable Errors unless it be our own fault 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear but with the Temptation will make way to escape This promise would fail if having commanded us to be guided by them he should not either certainly withhold them from Teaching Damnable doctrines or else afford us some means for the avoidance and discovery if we be watchful and not willfully refuse them 1. OBSERVE this Rule of our Saviour S. Jo. 5.39 Search the Scriptures acquaint your selves with the plain and evident texts which need no interpretation and if your Teachers commend any doctrine to you contrary to those believe them not It is an old observation and daily experience confirms it that false Teachers use to build their doctrines upon some few hard and obscure texts that under the colour of the holy text they may obtrude upon their unwary Disciples their own pernicious Glosses Interpretations and inferences so that their disciples belief rests only upon the Interpretation of the preacher who may be deceived or which is worse may indeavor to deceive but when the sober and wary Chrian grounds his belief upon the evident Texts which are so plain that they cannot be more plainly expressed or interpreted he relies undoubtedly upon Gods own word who cannot deceive or be deceived This is the best way to secure our selves against the damnable doctrines of your own false Teachers as for example when you are by any of them taught to rebel against the King or to oppose his Laws to contemn the Church and separate from her Communion Guard your faith against their crafty insinuations of Rebellion by pretence of obscure Scriptures by such plain Texts as these Let every Soul be subject to the higher powers to him that bears the fword not only for wrath but also for conscience sake and whosoever resists shall receive damnation Rom. 13. Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governors who are sent by him 1 Pet. 2.13 which are words as plain as can be spoken and cannot admit of any other interpretation These are enough to secure you against the damnable doctrine of Rebellion and against contempt of the Church and Schismatical separation from her Communion take these plain Texts St. Mat. 18. He that will not hear the Church let him be to thee as an Heathen man and Publican Keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace Eph. 4.3 Not forsaking the publick assembling of our selves Heb. 10.25 according to the commands of those who are our Governors Heb. 13.17 IF it be objected that all these Texts do suppose the Kings and the Churches commands to be lawful otherwise I may nay I must refuse to obey the King I must not hear the Church I must forsake those Assemblies if unlawful The answer is easie That I cannot be safe in going contrary to these plain texts till I can find that those particular Commands of my Superiors and those Assemblies be as plainly forbidden in some other Texts It is not safe to say I will not obey the the King nor hearken to the Church nor frequent those publick Assemblies because I think and some powerful Preachers tell me these ordinances and Assemblies are unlawful REMEMBER it is God who commands in those plain Texts before mentioned and none but himself can discharge my obedience and therefore you must obey till you find the particular commands of your Superiors forbidden by as plain Texts as those which in general require you to obey If you observe this rule you cannot be cheated into Rebellion and Schism and if you do not it is your own fault that you are deceived THIS Rule is certain but perhaps not large enough to secure us from all damnable