Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	authority_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	2,708	5	9.1860	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54151	The guide mistaken, and temporizing rebuked, or, A brief reply to Jonathan Clapham's book intituled, A guide to the true religion in which his religion is confuted, his hypocrisie is detected, his aspersions are reprehended, his contradictions are compared / by W.P., a friend to the true religion.	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1668 (1668)	Wing P1301; ESTC R15309	49,937	66

not because the Seed of God abideth in him As is the begetter so is the begotten It may be further observ'd that into the Kingdom of which they are called Children or Inhabitants other places will not allow an entrance for any thing that is unclean or makes a lye nor is it congruous with Scripture and common sense the same Temple should hold God and Mamon Christ and Belial or that any can witness a being dead and crucified with Christ whilst living in that which has no share in him And though he would imply a Salvo or Defence for the admission of all sorts to Sacraments so call'd under the notion of the Field's being the Church yet if he well observes it is call'd the World out of which the Church of Christ both as to Doctrine and Conversation was alwayes gathered otherwise those Heathens Turks Jews c whom he would exclude must be members of his Church and whilst he would intrude Tares or the whole rabble of unrighteous persons as members of Christs Church he has forgot the Testimony born by the Apostles concerning that spotless blamless and perfect Body of which Christ Jesus was the Head And if he would from Christs words of letting them alone cover his practice of admitting all as being ignorant who is a Believer since none knows but in plucking up the Tares he may pluck up the Wheat also for this Guide's a Latitudinarian what need his whole discourse for a particular constitution he might I am sure a let that alone as knowing it would be of little force yet may he better understand the passage if he please of Persecution for they were known to be Tares else how could the servant say Sir didst not thou sow good Seed in thy Field from whence then hath it Tares if he had not rightly discerned their nature and that the Wheat was to hold no communication in any religious sort with them nor were they to express severity or force but leaving them in supernatural cases to the determination and punishment of the great Judge live a self-denying example to the world In this sense Imperfection is granted I mean to the carnal and unregenerate but to the Redeemed of God and Children of the Kingdom Perfection I am now come to the examination of the essentials of his so much recommended Choice Sect. 12. His first Article is concerning the nature of God and what of him is to be believed by those that would be happy his words are these That there is one God of an infinit perfect and spiritual nature subsisting in three most glorious persons the Father Son and Holy-Ghost who is the Maker Preserver and Governour of all things and intends his own Glory in all his Works That the greatest concernment of reasonable creatures is to know and acknowledge this God fear love adore and glorifie him and their chiefest felicity stands in his love and favour in fullest conformity to his Image and in no earthly good separate from him Taking the former part of his Definition for granted to wit the perfection infinity and spirituality of his Nature how very unsuitable herewith is the Religion and practice of this Guide first in denying that Revelation by which only a knowledge of this glorious and invisible Deity can be obtained which was the Testimony Christ bore concerning him that no man knew the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son revealed him so that if such Revelation as gives to behold the Father see his shape and contemplate the excellency of his Nature be wholly rejected by this Guide methinks it is either arrogancy to intrude into things he doth not know or folly to tell a tale received from other people for infallible truth without a demonstration in himself Next If there be no other way to have communion with this invisible God that thereby the Conformity he talks of may be known for being a Spirit it 's preposterous to imagine a knowledge of him obtainable by other mediums than what are aedequate to his Divine Nature but by this Revelation of Himself through his Son Christ in us except we are Reprobates it will necessarily follow that he must either deny Christ's Doctrine or else confess himself ignorant of what he writes and since the God he would advise all to know fear and love is that perfect Spirit I fain would know what Worship can be termed suitable thereunto but the internal and spiritual one which is altogether void of those Ceremonies Formalities Will-performances and perishing Observations once used as condescending signs to the weakness of some seasons which at this day fills up the Sacrifices and in which stands the Religion of those called Christians through the World whose ignorance of God's once dispensing with beggarly elements for their sakes whose understandings were vailed and too weak-sighted to behold at first the glorious Light has put many upon the imitation of past generations though void of their spirit and not answering the end for which they were then practised vainly conceiting them an offering acceptable to the eternal Spirit when it were as well-pleasing to present a dogg's neck as anciently was said What shall I hence conclude but as the Almighty God is a Spirit so cannot he otherwise be known or served and since he has required homage from his creatures and yet 's so purely just as to but expect what he has impow'red them to do how absolutely necessary is it that all Worship Godward should stand in the ability given of him thereunto and reasonable to believe that the occasion of all the Apostacy Darkness Inventions and whole variety of Forms and Constitutions of Religion has been from the neglect of that pure spiritual capacity once given of God to act and order them in all things that did concern their duty both to God and man As for his strange distinction of the Deity which he inforces on the faith of all that value their eternal welfare I cannot find one Scripture that will bear him out and if they had been of so much credit with this Guide as to have been by them led into their undeniable form of sound words he would not have intruded Tradition for Scripture to the creed of any but rather have inserted the Text or phrase it self whose Authority might have commanded an assent And it had more become him to give the world a Reason for his requiring a submission to and credence of his Doctrine rather than barely to draw up so many Articles and thus impiously to call on all for a subscription as they would be saved especially since he cannot but know how strongly these very points have been debated in ancient Councils and not less controverted by modern persons of Reputation and Learning Some owning one Eternal God void of all personal relations as Arrius with many Prelates and some Emperors in former Centuries F. Socinus L. Socinus Crellius Slictingius c. of later dayes

that a Form of Prayer was establish'd till sometime after his death And this Guide himself acknowledges in his Stone smiting the Image on the feet that the Apostacy was began the Empire yeelded up to the Papacy the primitive purity of Christian Worship fail'd and became corrupted and let him tell me if the Worship of the Church of England had not its beginning there at least those things he calls Additaments and Modes so that they are not concluded as necessary by any Light or Prudence but innovated by a vain formal and superstitious nature Besides examine the contradiction of his own Assertions God must be worshipped in Spirit and yet in Form Forms are not only of Legal but of Gospel-Institution and yet whether Prayer be within Book or without Book it matters not It s a vain delusion to think that the Spirit should discover all deep Mysteries p. 111. VVherein you are otherwise-minded He will REVEAL the Truth the Mystery unto you pag. 46. The Spirit of God teaches not by such immediate Enthusiasms or Revelations p. 111. God will REVEAL his Secrets to such as fear Him and lead you by his Spirit p. 46 47. If it be a vain delusion to say the Spirit only can discover all deep Mysteries pray what is it to say it shall reveal the Truth which comprehends all and that it will reveal God's Secrets what are they but Mysteries And if God's Spirit does not teach immediatly why does Clapham say that it will REVEAL God's Secrets and lead us which implies the familiarity and constancy of his presence What contradiction's this Sect. 4. For who is there of the highest Form of Christians that are ascertained that in every particular doctrine and practice that these be in the right seeing the best of men are imperfect and may and do erre p. 53. Let the Doctrins and Mysteries of Faith you receive influence your hearts lives sanctifie change them Rest not in the Form of Godliness without the Power of it p. 27. God only is to be sanctified of all them that come near to him p. 70. Who is in all things free from error What Church or Person upon Earth p. 65. For what Churches are so pure but they have some defects errors or corruptions p. 81. In the Church of England is a professed renunciation of the Devil the World and the Flesh with ALL their sinful works and lusts p. 70. The Quakers trust in a pretended sinless perfection p. 63. Let this Truth influence your hearts and lives so as you sincerely obey the Gospel and live in the daily expectation of the coming of the Lord and give diligence to be found of him without SPOT and BLAMELES p. 40. Here 's the perfection of his contradictions 1. Is it sence to affirm that Societies are sanctified and chang'd and yet imperfect corrupt and erroneous 2. If God is to be sanctified of all that come near unto him then such as can't sanctifie him cannot approach him but Clapham and such as cry They have no health in them and consequently unsanctified cannot sanctifie the Lord therefore can't they approach him 3. He asks the question What Church is without corruptions and as patly answers it The Church of England for she renounces the Devil the World and the Flesh with all their deceitful works and lusts So that perfection is an Article of Clapham's Faith as being of that Church 4. And why should he be angry that the Quakers trust in a sinless perfection as that which will exceedingly rejoyce at the appearance of their Lord Since he has found so suitable a defence that in so many words admonishes all to give diligence to be found of him in peace without SPOT and BLAMELES And Reader though he never did intend by his Discourse a Vindication of the Quakers Principles yet may'st thou easily perceive how he is left of God in this conceited undertaking to manifold gross contradictions and whil'st he would be thought competent to enervate such Opinions as don't quadrate or agree with his his Book is made his confutation Nor have I hinted at the moity because I would avoid prolixity professing in sincerity I scarce have ever read such a compendium of absurdities although when first I saw his Treatise I was in expectation of some essay or new Atlantis in Religion as might if not deserve an approbation of its Doctrine at least have manifested the ingenuity of its Author but to find the gleanings of some mouldy Authors and dark suggestions of unwarrantable Tradition venture to put a cheat upon the World under the specious Title of a Guide who had not gone a page before he lost his way at once exprest more ignorance and impudence than any piece I have met with since I have held the least intelligence with Books and I hope what hath been already writ will by thee be esteem'd a sufficient answer to this Guide and so unvizard his designs as neither thou or any else from thence shall take the least encouragement to embrace his Religion or give entertainment to his false Aspersions but rather am willing to believe that persons ingenious and deliberate will never look upon a time-serving Priest thus circumstantiated with great variety of misdemeanours or any thing his parts and mallice can suggest so favourably as to accept his sentiments to the apparent prejudice of such whose carriage and correspondence amongst men are in the general confest to be discreet and friendly for if the Persons invested with Authority shall once admit of implicit apprehensions for their Rule and that from one whose very actions carry such undeniable malignity with them those differing Perswasions against whom he may have treasur'd up revenge must certainly expect the effects of their severity and displeasure let them in other matters where publick preservation is concern'd appear never so ready and contributory But such procedures relish rather of Romish bigottry and inhumane inquisition than Christian tenderness and humane prudence For as a gentle treatment of Dissenters has ever been the most effectual way for uniting differences in Religion at least preserving of the peace so should all Magistrates remember if they please that their Authority cannot reasonably extend beyond the end for which it was appointed which being not to inthrone themselves Sovereign Moderators in causes purely Conscientious and relating to a World in which they cannot pretend the least Jurisdiction but onely to maintain the impartial execution of Justice in regulating civil matters with most advantage to the tranquility enrichment and reputation of their Territories they should not bend their Forces nor imploy their strength to gratifie the self-seeking spirit of the Priests or any private interest whatsoever An Exercise below the dignity of their Office and much too narrow for that universal influence it should have upon the Publick Sect. 5. But to conclude judicious Reader hold not so slight an esteem of the Quakers Principles because decri'd by such