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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	bind_v	key_n	loose_v	3,794	5	10.2737	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58738	Several weighty considerations humbly recommended to the serious perusal of all, but more especially to the Roman Catholicks of England to which is prefix'd, An epistle from one who was lately of that communion to Dr. Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Pauls, declaring the occasion of the following discourse.	T. S. Epistle from a late Roman Catholick to the Very Reverend Dr. Edward Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Paul's.; Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.	1679 (1679)	Wing S183; ESTC R16533	49,205	54

some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the Perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the Body of Christ. And when he recommends Unity by reason of one Body one Spirit one Hope one Faith one Baptism one Lord there is no mention at all of any Pontifical Monarch In all the New Testament there is not any one called the Head of the Church but only our Blessed Saviour Eph. 1. 22. God hath put all things under his feet and given him to be Head over all things to his Church And chap. 4. 15. Grow up to him in all things who is the Head even Christ. Colos. 1. 18. He is the Head of the Body the Church Wherefore they are highly injurious to our Saviour who set up any other Nor do Protestant Princes take themselves to be Heads of their own particular Churches in any other sence than the good Kings of Israel and Juda were to defend the Orthodox Religion and maintain good Order and Discipline in the Church and take cognizance of abuses crept in among any persons Ecclesiastical or Civil and reform what they find amiss according to the Canon of the Scripture by the advice of their Chief Clergy And not as the Papists impertinently object concerning Q. Elizabeth that she had assumed power to preach administer the Sacraments c. And all this as I said before is the undoubted Right of Soveraign Princes in their own Territories and was practised by the Good Princes under the Old Law with great Commendation and Reward It was likewise promised to the New That Kings should be Nursing Fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers to the Church In fine that Paternal Wisdom and Providence of God which so plentifully revealed to us All matters of importanee for our own private Good for the Being or Well-being of his Church and certainly this great pretended Jurisdiction most be of that Nature that the most Curious Inquirer can desire nothing more and which did under the Mosaical Dispensation so exactly describe the Condition and Power of the High Priest even to the minute Circumstances of his Garments so that none could be so stupid among the Jews but if he read the Books of Moses he might sufficiently understand that there was a High Priest constituted and what Authority he had would certainly have left us some intimation of the like Regiment under the Gospel had there been any such matter to be expected Whereas on the contrary we cannot there find so much as the Name or Title of any such Dignity nor of any Seat appointed for his Residence no singular Office is assigned to him above others no Ensigns of Soveraignty are recorded whereby He might be distinguished from others no manner of Succession is provided for nor is there the least practice or exercise of such a singular Absolute Power so much as hinted at in the whole New Testament And therefore we may justly conclude it to be an upstart Usurpation and no Authority of Divine Institution There are but two passages in Scripture that with any tollerable shew can be made use of to countenance this Supremacy that is so much urged to be conferred on S. Peter and intayled on his Successors The one wherein it seems to be promised the other wherein they say it was actually bestowed The first is that famous place the Achilles of the Roman Cause Matth. 16. 17 18. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven These words which they think so plain and obvious do yet contain two Metaphors of a Rock and the Keys and I cannot find in any other part of Scripture that they are explained in the Romanists sence Simply and without a Metaphor I am sure they were not so easie to the Aposiles themselves nor did they understand thereby any principality intended for S. Peter as appears by sundry contentions among them after these words were spoken who should be the Chiefest Nor can the Antient Fathers Good men discover any such Energy or Prerogative in them for S Peter or the Pope For our Saviour doth not plainly and literally affirm that he will build his Church upon S. Peter but upon the Rock which he confess'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon this Rock not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon this Peter Non dictum est illi Tu es Petra sed Tu es Petrus Petra autem erat Christus It was not said to him Thou art the Rock but Thou art Peter for the Rock was Christ says S. Augustin Retract l. c. 21. The same Father in his 124 Tract on S. Joh. Ser. 13. deVer Dom. thus paraphrases this Text Upon this Rock which thou hast confessed upon this Rock which thou hast acknowledg'd saying Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God will I build my Church that is upon my self the Son of the Living God will I build my Church I will build Thee upon Me not Me upon Thee For the Rock was Christ whereon Peter himself was built I am punctual in citing this Great Doctor and Father of the Church because the Romanists give out that they desire to stand to the alone Judgment of this Learned Father The Holy Martyr S. Cyprian could not apprehend any such Intrigue in these words l. de Unit. Eccles. The rest of the Apostles saith he were the same that Peter was being endowed with an equal share both of Honour and Power Nor S. Ambrose Serm. 66. S. Peter and Paul were eminent among the Apostles and it is doubtful which is to he preferred before the other S. Hillary l. 6. de Trin. S. Chrysost. hom 55. in Matth. Euseb. Emissen Greg. the Great V. Beda Haymo the Gloss of Gratian Lyra and a multitude of others understand the Text of S. Matthew as S. Augustin doth Cardinal Cusanus l. 2. c. 13. Concord Cath. is very positive that nothing was here said to S. Peter but what was said to the rest of the Apostles And the words of Sixtus Senensis a very Learned Pontifician Biblioth l. 6. are worth our notice We believe and acknowledge with a sure faith that Christ is the first and Chief Foundation of the Whole Ecclesiastical Edifice But we also affirm that upon this Foundation there are other Rocks lay'd namely Peter and the rest of the Apostles whom John in the Apocalypse names the Twelve Foundations of the Heavenly Jerusalem In sum I find three Interpretations of these words among the Antients viz. That Christ is the Rock That the Confession Faith and Doctrine of Christ is the Rock and that S. Peter himself as an Apostle is Metonymically a partial Rock All which meanings agree very well together but nothing favour the Supremacy that the Romanists desire Nor do the Protestants