Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	6,739	5	9.8919	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15510	A direction to be observed by N.N. if hee meane to proceede in answering the booke intituled Mercy and truth, or charity maintained by Catholiks &c.	Knott, Edward, 1582-1656.	1636 (1636)	STC 25777; ESTC S101801	13,980	42

man is giuen ouer to his owne wit and discourse And talke not here of holy Scripture For if the true Church may erte in defining what Scriptures be Canonicall or in deliuering the sense and meaning thereof we are still deuolued either vpon the prinate spirit a foolerie now exploded out of England which finally leauing euery man to his owne conceits ends in Socinianisme orels vpon naturall wit and iudgement for examining and determining what Scriptures containe true or false doctrine and in that respect ought to bee receaued or reiected And indeed take away the authority of Gods Church no man can bee assured that any one Booke or parcell of Scripture was written by diuine inspiration or that all the contents are infallibly true which are the direct errours of Socinians If it were but for this reason alone no man who regardes the eternall saluation of his soule would liue or dye in Protestancie from which so vaste absurdities as these of the Socinians must ineuitably follow And it ought to be an vnspeakable comfort to all vs Catholicks while we consider that none can denie the infallible authoritie of our Church but ioyntly he must be left to his owne wit and waies and must abandon all infused Faith and true Religion if he doe but vnderstand himselfe aright The second reason drawne from the proceeding of the Church of England I vnderstand to be that their ayme and industrie tendes only to procure an exteriour conformitie to the Lawes of the Realme In so much that if a Catholicke for example would resort to their Church Seruice and Sermons take Oath of Supremacie receaue their Communion and abiure the Catholicke Faith though withall he protest to doe it only for feare and against his Conscience yea and that he dislikes their Seruice Sermons Faith and Communion In this case they are and must be satisfied with the forced actions of such a miserable man though euen his owne toung beare witnesses that all is donne against his conscience And what is this but to neglect the Soule vpon condition to receaue some kinde of violent tribute from the Bodie This then being the spirit of the English Church on the one side and Socinians on the other making no scruple with what honestie I leaue to be considered to sorte themselues for the exteriour with what Religion soeuer no wonder if by this meanes they haue a large scope to instill their Doctrine and yet walke with as much freedome as any Protestant can doe The third reason taken from the qualitie of Protestant Diuines is this Socinians destroying all supernaturall beliefe or infallible assent to any Obiect surpassing the reach of Humane Reason haue as manie and as strong obiections readie at hand against the Articles of our Faith as the weake vnderstanding of man doth finde difficulties in the knowledge of Diuines things Now the learning of Protestant Diuines consisting onely in some superficiall talent of Preaching languages or elocution not in any deep knowledge of Philosophie especially of Metaphisicke and much lesse of that most solide profitable subtile and succinct method which wee call Schoole Diuinitie when they come to be pressed by Socinians are vnable to satisfie their doubts but either are caught themselues as I know it hapneth not seldome or giue occasion for the Socinians to be more setled in their errours and for others to be drawne into the same infidelitie And the Diuell aymed at no lesse then this totall ruine of all Faith and Religion when he first moued Hereticks to deride Schoole Diuinitie and to nickname the Professours thereof dunses The fourth reason that casts so manie especially of the best wits vpon Socinianisme both Diuines and other among Protestants is because they will not be Catholicks in these times they cannot bring their vnderstanding to be Protestants and so they take the large and easie way of helieuing what they list And to speake the truth what learned iudicious man can after vnpartiall examination imbrace Protestantisme which waxeth euen wearie of it self and this is an infallible marke of Sects and Heresies for where the Holy Ghost Directeth there can bee no contrarietie or mutabilitie its Professours they especially of greatest worth learning and authoritie declare themselues to loue temper and moderation allowe of manie things which some yeares agoe were vsually condemned as superstitious and Antichristian and are at this time more vnresolued where to fasten then at the infancie of their Church Thus Truth the Center of our vnderstanding maugre neuer so long or strong opposition worketh powerfully though patiently and by insensible degrees calls men backe from fiercenesse to doubtfulnesse from doubtfulnesse to certaintie that at length they may ioy in a setled constancie And in this it is very apparent that the Holy Ghost directs the Church of Rome which proceeding alwayes vpon the same grounds and belieuing that Christ our Lord is still present with his Spouse ascribes as much infallibilitie to the present Church as to that of the first fine hundred yeares and reuerenceth the late Councell of Trent no lesse then the ancient Councell of Nice For the promises of our deare Sauiour were not limited for any Age without the assistance of whose holy Spirit no times or persons are exempted from errours and with it all are sure not to erre And this is the true reason why the Roman Church is still the same without opposition to it selfe in any least Doctrine whereas all other Sects and Sectaries are notoriously knowne to contradict both their Affociats and themselues as now I was saying of the Protestant Church in England For doe not their Churches beginne to looke with another face their walles to speake a new language their Preachers to vse a sweeter tone their annuall publicke Tenets in their Vniuersities to be of another stile matter their bookes to appeare with titles and arguments which once would haue caused a mightie scandall among the Brethren their Doctrine to be altered in manie things (a) For example the Pope not Antichrist Prayer for the Dead Limbus Patrum Pictures that the Church hath authoritie to determine Controuersies in Faith and to interpret the Scripture about Free-will and Predestination Vniuersall Grace that al our works are not sins morit of good works inherent Iustice Faith alone doth not iustifie Charitie is to be preferred before knowledge Traditions Commandements possible to bee kept c. and euen in those verie points for which their Progenitours forsooke the then visible Church of Christ Their 39. Articles that is the summe the Confession almost the Creede of their Faith are patient patient they are ambitious of some sense wherein they may seeme to be Catholick To alledge the necessitie of wife and children in these dayes is but a weake plea for a married Minister to compasse a Benefice Firie Caluinisme once a darling in England is at lenght accounted Herefie yea and little lesse then Treason men in word and writing vse willingly the once