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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	according_a	church_n	doctrine_n	4,717	5	6.8021	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38830	An epistle to the several congregations of the non-conformists by Cap. Robert Everard, now by Gods Grace a member of the Holy Catholick Church of Christ, shewing the reasons of his conversion and submission to the said Catholick Church.	Everard, Robert, fl. 1664.	1664 (1664)	Wing E3538; ESTC R12403	34,789	46

Church in his time and the same is also described again Ephes 4. from v. 4. to the 17. But I suppose you will be asking Is not then Christ the Head of his Church can the Church have another Head besides Christ I answer Christ is the Head of his Church and yet the Church of Christ by his appointment may have in its external Government another Head that is an external Head by the appointment of Christ I say Christ is the only absolute independent Head but he may appoint a dependent Head derived from him Christ is the sole Head that Governs all both Pastors and People and the cheif Pastor also Thus God is the King of the World may not he therefore have other Kings Reigning under him Now how opposite and contrary your Congregational Churches and all Churches divided from the true Visible Church are to this constitution is easy for you to see What are those Congregational Churches but a confused Rabble of Itching Ears heaping up Teachers to themselves without any either single Person or Assembly of them endowed with power to govern or direct all of their Congregations dispersed in divers Provinces and Countries but every one stands upon its own bottome and hath no dependance of the rest as do the Common-Wealths of Venice Geneva Holland c. so that they have no visible unity amongst them either of coordination or subordination but are politick bodies wholly seperate and disjoyned the one from the other Can you think this the constitution of Christs visible Church on earth Is this One Body Is this a compaction and conjunction by joynts and Nerves mentioned by the Apostles The first and Original Christian Church in our Saviour time was such an united body as St. Paul mentions having then our Saviour for its visible Head and his Disciples for its Members all united together in one visible Communion and was not this Original Church the Model and Platform laid by our Saviour to be imitated and followed in its manner of Government by all succeeding Ages The Apostolical Church next to that of our Saviours time was like unto it where St. Peter was the chief Pastor and the Apostles under him over the whole Church dispersed both amongst Jews and Gentiles as appears Acts 15. and who had power to change this Original and Apostolical manner of union and Government in after Ages into a quite opposite digestion and to bring in a perfect Anarchie I hope from the grounds here laid it will appear as clear to you as I profess it did to me that the visible Church of God on Earth which in the Creed is called the Holy Catholick Church was and is that Rule and Judge that means appointed by God for the conveying of the Christian Faith to the World and to whom all on pain of Damnation were and are by Gods Ordinance to submit as to the Authority appointed by God to teach them what they ought to beleive in order to the attaining of Salvation and that without disputing any more then they would have disputed the decrees and directions of the Holy Apostles were they now living upon Earth consequently that this Authority was infallible It will onely remain that we consider which amongst all those congregations now on Earth which pretend themselves to be this Church of Christ is really and truly this Holy Church and Spouse of Christ For having once found her and knowing that she is so assisted by the Holy Ghost that she cannot teach us an Error instead of a Truth we shall no more dispute the verity of her Doctrines then we should have questioned the Articles of Faith taught by the Holy Apostles or the words of Christ himself Wherefore if this Church this infallible Guide shall teach us that Infants are to be Baptised that it is as lawful to desire the Saints departed to pray for us as to desire the Prayers of those who are living on our behalfs That the body of Christ our Saviour is really and truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar or the Lords Supper or any the like Article of Faith we shall no more doubt of it then the first Christians did dispute the verity of what the Apostles taught them when they informed them that they were to beleive that Christ whom they had seen as man was true and very God that a Virgin still remaining a Virgin might by the power of the Holy Ghost bring forth a child That the body of Christ spirituallized might pass through a Dore the Dore being shut That three could be One and One three For who shall dare to question what God shall tell him to be true And if God now speaks by the mouth of his present Church as he did by the mouth of his Church in the times of the Apostles who shall doubt the truth of those words which proceeded from his mouth Wherefore as to this last question which is now this present Church of Christ which is our infallible Guide and Judge appointed by God for our direction and to whom we are to submit as aforesaid I shall in brief give you that answer which I profess gave me a full and clear satisfaction and it is shortly this The Protestant Church of England and all other Churches different from the Roman do judge and declare and profess themselves to be fallible even according to the infallible word of God If then the said Protestant Church of England or any other Churches different from the Roman be infallible in all that they judge and in that they declare and profess to be true according to the word of God they doubtless are then infallible and speak then the infallible truth when they judge declare and profess that even according to the Word of God they are fallible Therefore infallibly they are fallible Hence again it being thus proved that no Church different from that Roman is infallible And it being before proved that God hath appointed some Church upon earth to be our infallible Judge it demonstratively followeth that the Roman Church must needs be this infallible Judge because no church different from it that is none but the Roman Church can be this infallible Church But I pray you do not mistake this Argument as some have pleased to do who think the force of it to lye thus viz. The Roman Church claimeth infallibility therefore she is infallible This is nothing like the Argument which I put the force of which lies thus That the Church truly appointed by God for this infallible Judge of controversies cannot possibly be any of those Churches which teach themselves not to be this infallible Judge because they teach themselves to be Fallible if then they be infallible in the doctrine they teach they are infallible when they teach themselves to be fallible Therefore infallibly they are fallible Now the Church which is truly appointed by God to be this infallible Judge must needs have this condition that she doth own her infalibility but

cannot be profitable to work Faith in those who cannot read who are the far greater part of mankind Thirdly this cannot be the sence of these words because they would then have excluded Christ Jesus himself and after him his Apostles from being the Infallible means by which true faith was to be taught to the world and who were doubtless in their time the infallible Judges for the deciding of all Controversies and the determining true Faith from false Opinions and to whose judgements all upon pain of Damnation were to submit The second Reason urged for sole Scripture was 2 Tim. 3. v. 15. 16. From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished to all good works But I found that neither would this Text so much and indeed so totally relyed upon serve as a proof for what it was pretended namely to prove that the Scripture alone was the way the Rule the Means the governing power appointed by God to judge and to decide all doubts and to teach us the true Faith and the true way to Heaven with certainty The Reasons why this Text would not prove this were these First that which is spoken there of Scriptures is that they were able through or by faith in Christ Iesus to make wise and that they are profitable to the ends there mentioned But this Profitable is not sole sufficient and this Able through or by Faith is not solely able but supposeth Faith already and therefore pretends not that they are the means preceding faith to beget faith It was agreed by all that the Scriptures to one that had faith already and to the Man of God who would submit to such Interpretations of Scriptures as God should teach him and hold forth unto him by that Authority which God had appointed to Guide Rule Teach and Govern him and to whom God had appointed him to submit were extreamly profitable and able to make him wise unto salvation But to one who had not the faith and who did not already beleive them to be the word of God they were no way useful or profitable for faith comes by hearing not by reading Secondly those Scriptures here meant were those which St. Timothy had known from his youth which were the Old Testament only consequently by this Rule they are solely sufficient consequently the New Testament at the best not necessary nor the Preaching of Christ or the Apostles nor the Sacraments of the New Testament so that this Scripture either proves too much if admitted in the sence for which it is produced or it proves nothing to this purpose Thirdly the word All Scripture must signifie either every Scripture as the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be rendred or All the Scriptures that ever were or All the Scriptures that were when this Text was written or All the Scriptures that we now have If it be every Scripture then it proves too much and consequently nothing to the present intent for then all the Scriptures save only one book are useless If it be All that ever were we have them not as I shall shew hereafter consequently our rule is maymed and God hath not given us sufficient means for the ends proposed If All the Scriptures that were when this Text was written then at least all that have been written since were superfluous at least not necessary If All that we now only have and that the Apostle foresaw what would come to our hands in England I would gladly have some assurance why the Text must be thus understood and no otherwise In fine if from those words of our dearest Lord These things I say that ye might be saved Joh. 5. 34. We are not to conclude that those very words or things then spoke were sole sufficient for Salvation but only that they were conducing to our salvation so from neither of the Texts before urged or any other that can be urged can we conclude that the Scriptures are solely sufficient but only that they are conducing to our salvation and that the directions therein included if followed truly and according to the intent of the Holy Gost are able to make him who is already a good Christian wise unto salvation And now that I clearly found that no Arguments which were urged for the sole sufficiency of Scripture and to prove that the Scripture alone is this infallible judge or rule or means appointed by God as aforesaid did prove the Scriptures to be so or satisfie the point for which they were produced I resolved to see what could be said against this common general Opinion of all who oppose the Church of Rome why the Scriptures could not be this Rule and Judge The first reason that I found was that it did never yet appear to answer this end for those who pretend the most to consult the Scriptures do most of all men disagree in matters of faith and in interpreting these Scriptures Luther the first beginner of Protestants gathered a Flock of followers which divided into several other sub-divisions contradicting each other So Iohn Calvin raysed a party in Geneva of whom Luther saith expresly Tom. 7. Fo. 380. I scarce ever read of a more deformed Heresy which presently in the beginning was divided into so many heads such a number of Sects not one like another and such variety and disagreeing of Opinions And have we not divisions enough in this poor Kingdome and amongst those who call themselves Protestants Are there not besides the Church of England which I pretend not to treat of because established Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists Fifth Monarchy men Quakers c. Maintaining Doctrines contrary to each other Do not all or most of these pretend the Scriptures alone to be the Rule and Judge and doth this Rule or Judge answer the end for which they pretend it was delivered to the World I remember it is excellently well inferred by the Learned Author of the Book Intituled Fiat Lux That it is impossible for any one of these partyes which I must now crave leave to call Sects with reason to censure or condemn any of the others although never so different from themselves even in points by them esteemed fundamentals since each of them have their uncontroulable Plea for themselves that their faith is in every respect conformable to what they understand to be the true sence and meaning of the Scriptures which they all agree to be the sole and only Rule and Judge Nay which of these Parties can deny the others the Title of Protestant or convince them of Heresy since to be a Protestant no more is required or if it be I would gladly know what it is then to admit of the Scriptures interpeted according