Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	succession_n	2,569	5	10.4652	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76078	The Church of England a true church: proved in a disputation held by John Bastwick Doctor in Physick, against Mr. Walter Montague in the Tower. Published by authority.	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.	1645 (1645)	Wing B1058; Thomason E297_18; ESTC R200205	156,945	174

made them white in the blood of the Lambe therefore they are before the Throne of God c. Here you evidently see that the blessed martyrs which are now in Heaven have not attained unto that felicity and eternall glory by the merit of their sufferings but for that they were washed in the blood of the Lambe the Lord Jesus Christ And as it is not the suffering Mr. Montague but the cause that makes a martyr so it is not for that they passe through many tribulations that they enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but that they are washed in the blood of the Lambe and by that onely are made worthy to be Citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem for when we have suffered all we are but unprofitable servants and have done but our duty for our Saviour saith If any will be my Disciple let him take up his crosse and follow me I will adde but one instance more out of Matth. 11. Learne of me saith our Saviour for I am humble and meeke Doe you believe Mr. Montague that you can keepe or ever observe this commandement of Christ the Lord But if you could attaine unto the greatest degree of humility and meeknesse you were but an unprofitable servant and had done but your duty But how much more Mr. Montague have you and your Roman kindred to answer for your loftinesse and high opinions of your selves who stand upon your justification by your good workes and pretend yea and presume of your selfe-merits and of your workes of desert and that before God If this be not a transgression and a very rebellion against the Commandement I know not what prevarication and rebellion is Yea Mr. Montague if we could observe the whole Law and keepe all the Commandements for doing and suffering that ever God gave if we will be Christs Disciples we must ever say we are unprofitable servants and daily pray forgive us our sinnes and with the leper cry out We are uncleane we are uncleane and have continuall cause of deepe humiliation and selfe-deniall If they Mr. Montague which love God most and most diligently keepe his Commandements and yield the greatest obedience unto them have need yet of mercy how can any mortall man then merit before God who daily and hourely transgresseth all his glorious Commandements yet see what the Lord saith Exod. 20. ver 6. Shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me and keepe my Commandements Learn this lesson of Christ M. Montague to be humble and labour for selfe-deniall and a lowly spirit and meeke heart and with the Church of England and all the blessed Saints disavow your owne righteousnesse knowing that Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance such as are weary and heavy laden which only finde rest unto their soules and think not with the Romanists and justiciaries by your merits or good workes to scale Heaven but I intreat you to endeavor with us of the Church of England to enter into the most holy by the blood of Jesus by that new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh Heb. 10.19 20. If you enter not by this way M. Montague you wil never come thither But now to conclude this point That Church which doth believe in Jesus Christ renouncing all selfe-merit and teaches the way to Heaven by the blood of Jesus and by that new and living way that Church believes aright as it ought to believe and is built upon the foundation of Peter against which the gates of hell can never prevaile but the Church of England doth all this Ergo it is a true Church where salvation may be had And this note alone is an infallible and never deceiving marke of a true Church As for antiquity universality unity succession multitude visibility c. if they have not this doctrine joyned with them of the free grace of God and justification by faith in Christ alone they are but markes of errour and abomination which will seduce you from the right way and misleade you into by-paths where you will never finde rest for your soule And thus much I thought fit to speake of this point it being a fundamentall one and such an one as where it is not preached and published there can be no true Church And now I come to the other clause of this proposition viz. renouncing all will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service An eminent marke also of a true Church which when the Church of England doth it is manifest that it is a true Church For all men know that mixtures in Gods worship annihilates a true Church But following my former custome I will first signifie what I meane by will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service and then shew where they are entertained in Gods service and admitted they so adulterate his worship as he himselfe disavoweth it and affirms they serve in vaine By will-worship therefore and humane inventions I understand whatsoever either for Doctrine Service Discipline Ceremonies men out of vaine devotion doting or superfluous feare or unbridled errour or out of humane reason or hypocrisie or whatsoever other pretence they have out of their own brain excogitated and brought into the service worship of God or whatsoever they have added to his worship either of images or representations or traditions against his revealed will or without his expresse command and imposed upon the people as the worship and service of God and proclaime these their ordinances to be Gods service and worship and place holinesse and religion in the observation of them and account the neglect of them irreligion and prophanenesse and worthy of punishment and the submission to them piety religion and obedience which God notwithstanding proclaimes an abomination to him For piety and true religion proceeds from the right knowledge of God the first of the which is the reverence of God joyn'd with love which ariseth from the knowledge and contemplation of Gods manifold favours mercy and goodnesse towards mankind the second which is pure and true religion is faith joyned with a serious and earnest feare of God the which feare containes in it a voluntary and willing reverence and alwaies brings with it the right and exact forme of worshiping him which is onely that way of serving him which he hath prescribed in his holy Word which Word of God alone must be the rule of his worship and of all our obedience so that what he prescribeth and enjoyneth it is our duty both to know and performe and the neglect of which is sinne and whatsoever is contrary to this is either open idolatry or superstition because it is supra quod statutum est and therefore hatefull to God and abominable in his sight as his whole Word declares And as it is the glory honour and very note of a true Church to follow the rule of Gods Word in serving him so it is the evident marke of a false

and sufficiently to salvation whether or no it would then satisfie you and perswade you that the Church of England was built upon the foundation of Peter and was a true Church And if my memory faile not you told me that then the worke was done Whereupon I thus argued That Church that declares preaches and teaches unto the people all that Jesus Christ both taught did and suffered for the salvation of mankind after he had taken humane nature upon him as he was our King Priest and Prophet which is all that we are to believe for the speculative part and declares likewise and preaches plainly and distinctly whatsoever concernes the peoples dutie of love and obedience to God againe for his infinite love to mankind and instructs them in like manner of their duty of love and charity one towards another all which belongs unto the practicall part of religion that Church teacheth all things both for theory and practice necessary for salvation and building them upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England doth all this ergo Here Mr. Montague you denied my minor then many of the Gentlemen that were standers by Sir Francis Wortly Sir John Gothericke Sir Wil. Morton Sir Edw. Bishop and others whose names I know not demanded of you seeing you denied my minor that you would declare and specifie wherein the Church of England failed either in the speculative or practicall part of Divinity and wherein she was silent in any thing that was necessary to salvation either for theory or practice And you were not then able as they can all witnesse to shew any particular where the Church of England failed in her duty or concealed any thing from the people either for speculation or practice Notwithstanding Master Montague you yet persisted in the deniall of my minor and put me upon my proofe Wherupon I thus argued That Church that teaches the whole counsell of God the knowledge of the onely true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ which is life eternall John 17. and testifies unto the people repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 20. v. 21. and instructs them in all things how to believe aright and how to obey aright that Church teacheth all things for theory and practice that are requisite for the making of a true Church and for the building of it upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England teacheth all these things ergo You againe denied my minor whereupon the Gentlemen as before desired you to instance in any particular where the Church of England was defective or failed in declaring the full counsell of God or in preaching the knowledge of God or of faith and obedience to the people And however Mr. Montague you were not able in any particular to make it appeare where the Church of England was deficient yet you continued in deniall of my minor and urged me to prove it when neverthelesse the truth of it is so evident as very children are able to discerne it All men know that faith and obedience is the whole duty of man Jehosaphat was well instructed in this doctrine and taught it to all his people 2 Chron. chap. 20. v. 20. where he saith Heare ye me O Judah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his holy Prophets so shall ye prosper And whosoever believeth on him shall not be confounded Esay 28.16 Rom. 9. vers 33. Faith and obedience was the theame of all the Sermons of all the holy Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe as the whole Scriptures witnesse Esay 1. v. 19. the Prophet saith If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eate the good of the Land but if ye refuse and rebell you shall be destroyed with the Sword all which proofes cleere the truth of my argument But to satisfie your then desire I prove my minor thus That Church that teaches the people their whole duty both towards God and one towards another and instructs them both what they should doe and what they should leave undone by the observing of the which they may live happily here and come to life eternall hereafter that Church teacheth the whole counsell of God all for theory and practice that is necessary for the making of it a true Church and the building of it up upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England doth all this Ergo. And for proofe of my minor I cited that of Paul in his Epistle to Titus chap. 2. v. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and holily in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himselfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity and purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Many places more may be cited to confirme the truth of my argument as Eccles 12. vers 13 14. where Solomon saith Let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man So in like manner in 1 Sam. 12. ver 13 14 15. God forbid saith he that I should sinne against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right way Onely feare the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you But if you still doe wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your King The truth of my minor is so cleare that there is not a man in whom there is but one eye of reason but can easily perceive and discerne it for the Church of England teacheth and publisheth the whole Law and the whole Gospell and all that is contained in the whole written Word of God both in the old and new Testament and therefore all the counsell of God and all both for theory and practice and whatsoever is necessary for the building of men up upon the foundation of Peter and proving it selfe a true Church But when you were by argument thus urged you at last after many windings and turnings betooke your selfe to the common refuge of all those of your profession to wit to an unwritten word your traditions and affirmed that the Scriptures contained not all things that were to be learned and practised by the people and that the people ought to be as well acquainted with that as with the written Word whereupon Sir John Gotherick a learned Gentleman to assert and maintaine the alsufficiency of the Scripture without the addition of mens traditions cited that of St. Paul to Timothy the second Epistle chap. 3. v. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction and for instruction c. The