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
A96976	Meditations upon the marks of the true Church of Christ: or, Motives of credibility in behalf of the true religion: and, the easiest way to finde it out. / By H.W.	H. W.; Wilkinson, Henry, 1610-1675,	1655 (1655)	Wing W36A; Thomason E1666_1; ESTC R208388	95,687	283

hath got the better in fine all injustices and outrages would be committed and no malefactours punished without a living judge and that such an one as from whose sentence there is no appeal Now if these instances prove as they do most effectually the requisitnesse of a living judge for the upholding of all true civill judicature and government much more is a living judge necessary in ecclesiasticall in which matters of Faith and Religion and consequently of eternal moment are to be tryed The second Point To understand how easie and efficacious means the true Church of Christ hath for the composing of Controversies Consider first that it belongs to the divine providence which extends it selfe to a care over every the least individuum of the most contemptible species amongst natural things not to let his Church want any thing of those which are required ad melius esse much more to supply it with what 's absolutely necessary as means clear and easie for the judging of Controversies is Secondly what perfection the Jewish Synagogue had in this kinde that à fortiori is to be supposed in Christs Church for it was but the handmaid this the Spouse if the shaddow this the Sun if the type this the reall thing prefigured if it had a living judge an infallible judge who was to shew the truth of judgment and a judge to whose final sentence that people was to stand upon pain of death shall the Church of Christ in which the most weighty controversies of divine Faith and eternal salvation are raised every foot by Hereticks want such means Assuredly no. Consider thirdly the many Texts of Scripture yea and as clear in the confirmation of this as of any point whatsoever by which the Church of Christ is impowred with an infallible authority for deciding Controversies even of the highest nature All power is given to me in heaven and in earth goe ye therefore and teach all Nations Mat. 28. in which words the emphasis of that particle theresore intimateth that a powerfull Commission was given them and consequently of teaching without danger of erring and that it was not given to them onely but also to their successors the ensuing words Behold I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Luke 10. Convince He that beareth you beareth me and be that despiseth you despiseth me If he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a heathen and Publican Matt. 18.17 Our Saviour sayes of his Church that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. And he sayes in most significant words that the holy Ghost shall teach the Church all truth Jo. 16. O divine spirit since you cannot but perform what our Saviour promised this teaching of the Church all truth what do they deserve that accuse it of truth And indeed either the verity of Christs promise or the fidelity of the holy Ghosts performance is questioned when the true Churches Infallible Authority is doubted of or its erring avouched The third Point Consider now that since the true Church of Christ where ever it be now hath his infallible power of resolving all doubts in matters of Faith as the forementioned places of scripture besides many more confirm and since some one of the various religions now extant in the world must be Christs true Church and have this power for still there is a Church and it the Ground and Pillar of Truth Tim. 1.3 let us see what Church sympathizeth best or rather is as some one must be identified with Christs true Church in this point and by good consequence in all others First therefore this infallible judge and composer of all controversies in Christs Church formerly could be no other than either the head of it or some representative body of the Church or both joyntly together no other means of having a living judge can more probably yea or possibly be affigned for all the mombers of the church men women children cannot be collected together into one consult we see also that a Parliament in w ch some one is president above the is the representative body of a Kingdom or Common wealth and what it being a law full one acts is the act of the whole Nation we know more over that in the primitive Church this judge was no other but such an one as is here intended to wit the chief pastor and head of the Church or a General Councel or both and by such a judge was Arius condemned to wit by the Councel of Nice in which Hosius Bishop of Corduba in Spain was Presidentin the place of Pope Silvester who sent him and confirmed the acts of that Councel So was Macedonius condemned in the first Councel of Constantinople So Nestorius in the Ephesine Councel so Eutiches in the Councel of Calcedon so in all suceeding ages Controversies as they rise were decided and Hereticks condemned after the foresaid manner therefore that living judge so necessary must be such an one Consider secondly that the same praxis hath alwayes been held in the Roman Church and is held still eighteen general Councels have been called and confirmed by the supream Bishops or Popes of Rome the first whereof was the Nicene Councel and the last the Councel of Trent in which sate six Cardinalls four Legates three Patriarks thirty two Archbishops and Bishops two hundred and twenty eight besides Abbots Generals of Religious orders and a great number of divines sent by such Bishops as for infirmity or other just reasons could not be present And that this Councell was not of as great Authority as any of the first four were can never be proved all that can be urged against this Councell must be grounded upon that false and ungrounded but dreadfull fince all Sectaries venter their salvation upon on the same supposition that the Roman Church hath fallen from the true and Primitive Faith Prove this your supposition you miserable men which you could never yet prove or be converted or loose your souls of which you run a most desperate hazard by forsaking that Church which is acknowledged by your selves to have been once the true Church meerly upon Luthers hare word that it hath lost the true faith Consider thirdly that since there is no other Church now in the world but the Roman Church which holds the same way and manner of deciding controversies which the Primitivs church held nay nor hath any means to procure such a judge for want of a head to call and confirm a Generall Councel and Bishops to consult enact and see that the inferiour Pastours put in execution what was enacted Hence it follows that the Roman Church is the onely true Church of Christ The fourth Point Consider lastly that since Sectaries reject the authority of the Popes nor can have General Councels and consequently no living judge they must fly either to scripture alone or to the private spirit As for the scripture first it cannot perform the Office

honour of both and greater expressions of divine perfections than the adversary opinions are Is it not better to have more means for obtaining divine grace and consequently more Sacraments the instrumentall causes of it than fewer to receive the real body blood of Christ is not that a more noble memorial of Christs a thing more beneficiall to man and more honourable to God than a bit of Bread onely and a sup of Wine Is it not farre more beneficial for frail and sinfull men that Christ give Priests power to remit and forgive them their sins than otherwise that the Church of Christ be conspicuous and visible in all Ages that it be liable to no defectibility or fallibility that it have easie and accessible means for the decision of Controversies that some stately and majesticall form of worship be exhibited to the divine Majesty as also that a sacrifice of some rare thing such as is the precious body blood of Christ be offered daily to that infinite deity that there be an Ecclesiastical Hierarchy ascending by different degrees up till it come to one supream head to whom all are to yeeld obedience do not these make more for the Churches perfection Gods honour and glory than the contrary Frame to thy self a lively Idea of the congruity of these particulars with Gods and his Churches greater honour look upon these instances with a judicious eye and conclude that in case it were doubtfull whether the affirmative or negative opinion were truer in these points yet since one of the two must be embraced choose that which is most conducing to the honour of God and his Church The second consideration is that the opinions of the Roman Catholicks these in particular now urged and others which will be mentioned hereafter are more suitable and consonant to the holy scriptures than their contradictories are For the better intelligence of which observe these two rules whereof the first is clear places of scripture must be preferred in point of proof before hard and obscure ones the other is many texts of Scripture must be a greater argument than fewer caeteris paribus these two rules can be rejected by none but such as conscious of their own unjust plea will come to no try all at all Now conformably to these rules it is apparently evident that Roman Catholicks bring more and clearer places out of the scriptures to establish the truth of the forementioned opinions and others which they hold than their adversaries can possibly bring to the contrary Read any Catholick book of Controversie and you will see the truth of what is here affirmed and by the way note also how this consideration strengthens and fortifies the truth of the former The third consideration is that the tenents of Roman Catholicks are more conducing to the security of mens salvation than the Negative opinions are in this corruption of humane nature vitiated by that Original sin of our protoparent Adam the flesh wages war continually against the spirit and the inferiour against the superiour portion of the soul and the issue of the war would be the undoing of the nobler part unlesse it had continuall recruits and supplyes both of auxiliary forces from heaven and made use also of Fasting Watching and self-denial and other asperities and mortifications for these are the ordinary arms with which the rebellious passions vicious inclinations must be curb'd these are the things so much recomended in the scriptures both Propheticall and Apostolicall these are the things recommended unto us all by Christ himself when he bid us deny our selves take up our crosses follow him as also when he bid us go in the narrow way and enter in at the strait gate Now this is the very doctrine of Roman Catholicks and only of them They both in their Pulpits and with their pennes inculcate these vertues continually witnesse the many rare Treatises written by their Priests upon that subject as also of the angelical vertue Chastity and of the Sacrament of Confession which is accompanied with the exercise of most virtuous acts of Contrition Penance purposes of emendation of satisfying for injuries done and removing the occasions of relapses all which vertues as they are contrary to self-ease the wild liberty of flesh and blood so they keep off sin secure salvation so much the more and thus you see how their doctrine teaches to decline from evill by the aforesaid means as for doing good which is the second part of the works of Christian duty it is most certain that their doctrine favours this and leads to this most effectually for they teach that the commandements of God may be kept and that the difficulty of observing them is not insuperable They teach that man hath a free liberty of will not onely to doe evill but good also They teach that mans works done in vertue of Christs merits and united with them may be good and meritory of an increase of grace and glory These opinions cannot but animate a man towards the keeping of divine precepts and doing all the good he can and consequently bring a greater security of salvation Which if thou takest to heart truly thou must like love and embrace this doctrine The third Point Consider now whether or no the doctrine of other Sectaries now swarming in England be holy and wholsome and how helpfull it is to the saving of soules this will appear by a short survey made of those particulars which are commonly held by them all first behold what a pitiful poor and naked thing they make the Church of Christ by w ch Church is here meant not this or that Church which either Roman Catholicks or other Sects call Christs Church and theirs but prescinding from controversie about whose or where it is we mean the Church of Christ secundum se and which all Sects must grant Christ hath upon earth this they devest of all the ornaments which become it and the founder of it They deny it to be of infallible authority and say it can and hath erred they will not admit it to be the judge of Controversies nay nor to have been in all ages visible they deny that Priests have power to remit sins which is contrary to the expresse words of Christ and contrary to the Book of Common Prayer and they averre that Christ hath not left his real and true body and blood to be received by Christians nor that there is in the Church any true proper or propitiatory sacrifice and since sacrifice is so great an act of Religion as it is by depriving the Church of Christ of this they undervalue the Church and monarchicall government which even Aristotle a heathen could define to be the best for keeping of order they deny Christs Church a man would think that God who does all things in number weight and measure should have made the Church a master-piece of his wisdome power and goodnesse the Roman Catholicks indeed