Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	church_n	doctrine_n	err_v	4,912	5	9.7791	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39119	A vindication of the letter out of the north concerning Bishop Lake's declaration of his dying in the belief of the doctrine of passive obedience, &c. : in answer to a late pamphlet, called, The defence of the profession, &c. of the said Bishop : as far as it concerns the person of quality.	Eyre, William, 1612 or 13-1670.	1690 (1690)	Wing E3946; ESTC R6258	27,474	36

may not till we are willing to part with the latter both the Author and I may have Reason to say as Hezekiah does Isaiah 39. Good is the Word of the Lord for Peace and Truth shall be in my Days But although 't is a very true Rule that we must not do Evil that Good may come of it yet when Evil is done especially if without our Consent it is certainly very lawful both to enjoy and rejoice in that Good which God Almighty by his infinite Wisdom shall bring out of it and if our Author is so tender conscienced that he is of another Mind and will not receive Advantage from any thing which springs from other Peoples Sins he must not only deny the Priviledges of his Birth-Right as an English-Man but even his Christianity also For was there ever so horrid a Sin as crucifying the Son of God And yet what a lost undone World has this been if that had not happened And although for ten thousand Worlds I would not be the Traytor Judas nor any of the impenitent Jews yet with what Hallelujahs ought we to celebrate that Divine Goodness that from Man's greatest Sin and the Devil 's highest Malice could thus work out Mans Salvation And indeed Events of this Nature seem to be the great Abyss of God's Wisdom as well as Goodness which Man 's shallow Reason must never pretend to sound but however we may adore what we cannot comprehend and with the Apostle cry out O Altitudo Rom. 11. 33. Oh the Height and the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledg of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out And perhaps this might be a better Employment for all our Thoughts than to censure and quarrel with our Brethren because they are not of our Sentiments in all Points and if they think themselves so much in the Right yet pray let them remember the Apostle's Rules That they which are strong ought to bear with the Infirmities of the weak and not to please themselves Rom. 15. 1. And he also commands the Galatians that they bear one anothers Burdens and so to fulfil the Law of Christ But alas instead of following this Method we rather chuse to imitate the Scribes and Pharisees who by laying heavy Burdens on other Mens Shoulders thought to discharge their own Duty But for all they sat in Moses's Seat yet all their Comments on the Law were not true nor were all Conjectures false that contradicted their received Opinions and Infallibility which being no more intailed on the Chair now than it was then it would be very happy if all sides would remember and observe Gamaliel's Advice to the Jews who said very well when he told them Acts 5. 38. If this Counsel and Work be of Men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happily ye be found to fight against God Therefore it would be Piety as well as Discretion for both sides to attend a little and not divide from much less fall foul upon one another till they are sure that by so doing they shall not oppose God also Although I must confess I have some Temptation to believe from what has already happened that it is the Lords Doing and that upon this Consideration that all the ways of returning to King James are guarded by the blackest and foulest Sins that a Nation can possibly be guilty of and you must break thorow that is commit all of them before you can open any one Door for his Return For 1st There would be the greatest Falseness and highest Ingratitude in the World against a Prince that put his Life in his Hand and exposed his own Person to the greatest Hazard to rescue a perishing Church and sinking Nation 2dly No Person can so much as treat of such a thing without incurring the Guilt of Treason for by the ancient Laws of the Land 't is Treason to conspire against the King de facto Then 3dly There would be the same Guilt of Perjury in breaking an Oath to him as to King James 4thly They must betray God's Church and the true Religion and give up their Country to Ruin and Devastation and consequently have all the Blood to answer for that should be shed in such an unhappy Revolution So that were King James's Return a good Worth projecting for on other Accounts yet that standing Rule of St. Paul's That you must not do Evil that Good may come of it ought to deter any body from attempting it but when the thing it self if compass'd would be the greatest Mischief it would then be the greatest Height of Madness as well as Sin to go about it For can any body think that the destroying a Church and Nation nay extirpating the true Faith out of the World that is as far as we can go towards it is so meritorious a thing that it will legitimate the use of those means which it was not lawful to use no not for the planting of the Gospel and if any Man can think this but a Jesuit for a good honest moral Papist I believe will not I should indeed think it a great Infatuation but however that would not alter the Nature of things but my Rule would still remain unshaken for the way to Duty always lies plain and open so that he that runs may read And although sometimes it may be attended with Sufferings yet I am confident never any Person had the fatal Necessity of sining laid on him to enable him to discharge any Part of his Duty to God or Man But I beg Pardon for this Digression which proved longer than I at first designed it but yet I shall not think it impertinent if it proves useful to the undeceiving of any that have been carried out of the way by the specious Pretence of Loyalty But to return to my Author And the next thing we are to consider is the Epithet of the distinguishing Character of the Church of England and you may remember that I ask'd you whether you thought it necessary for particular Churches to have particular distinguishing Doctrines for that to me it appear'd so far from necessary that I thought it very inconvenient But he tells us as to that Whether distinguishing Doctrines be convenient or inconvenient it is according as the Doctrines are good or bad No doubt it is inconvenient to have bad distinguishing Doctrines but it is as certain that it is very convenient for a Church to have distinguishing Doctrines provided they be good ones unless a Church can be obliged to err for Company and to avoid Distinction But I would be very glad to know upon what Thesis it is he grounds this dogmatical Conclusion That a Church must needs err that holds only the Catholick Faith and has not some particular Doctrine of its own to distinguish it from other Churches by This did not seem to be the Rule of the Apostles who when they were to

preach to all the World were so afraid of Distinction and Divisions in their Churches that before they parted it is generally supposed they agreed of a common form of Words which they all delivered to their Converts and was not to be the distinguishing Doctrine of any particular Church but the common Badg of their Christianity and is I suppose that to which St. Paul refers when he charges his Son Timothy to hold fast the form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me 2 Tim. 1. 13. and he also tells us that the Design of his leaving him at Ephesus was that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other Doctrine 1 Tim. 1. 3. And the first Request that St. Paul makes to his Corinthians is That you all speak the same things and there be no Divisions among you but that you be perfectly joyn'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment 1 Cor. 1. 10. And this being a thing of such extraordinary Concern he does not only make use of his own Authority but as it was the Custom of the Jews to adjure by the Name of God when they would oblige any Person to answer truly as the High Priest did to our Saviour Mat. 22. 63. So how the Apostle ushers in his Request with the same Solemnity Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ thereby to oblige them the more carefully to observe what he says from which you may guess how far he was from thinking distinguishing Doctrines necessary that he would not tolerate them And if Unity were so necessary among Christians then is it less so now Or what Necessity is there of being so uncharitable as to suppose all the Churches erroneous in their Creeds but our selves That 't is now convenient for particular Churches to make new Articles of Faith and have their distinguishing Doctrines unless they will be obliged to err for Company I thought it had been all along one of the great Charges against the Church of Rome their making such large Addenda's to our Creed and making the Belief of some Points necessary to Salvation which neither our Saviour nor his Apostles taught and that Churches abounding so with distinguishing Doctrines and imposing them upon others for Catholick Truths has formerly been look'd upon as one of their great Errors but I perceive Sir that was a great Mistake for this Learned Author tells me That although the avoiding Distinction does not very well agree with the Practice of the Primitive Christians yet it agrees admirably with the Principles of Popery thus to avoid Distinction which has its Numbers to boast on when nothing else can be said But if their Unity and Number is the only thing that the Author has to object against the Papists I could as soon be reconciled to their Uncharitableness as his for Heaven I perceive is to be the Enclosure of his distinguishing Doctrines or at least no body is to be thought a Member of the true Church unless they hold that and this strange Uncharitableness is that which does convince me of the great Inconvenience of distinguishing Doctrines for generally speaking all sides are so apt to value themselves upon them that they are ready with the Men in the Prophet Isaiah 65. 5. to cry Stand by thy self come not near me for I am holier than thou And did we press our selves only for doing our Duty and adhering to our Common Creed it might be the more pardonable But alas 'T is not the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. that we thus earnestly contend for for a Man may hold all that and yet be pronounced a Heretick unless he chance to agree with them in all their Opinions which are now to be the Standard of our Faith But whether the breach of Charity and Unity among our selves is the readiest way to build us up in our most holy Faith our sad Experience will I doubt too soon shew But however sure I am it does not agree very well with Saint Jude's Method ver 21. who bids us keep our selves in the Love of God and then we may look for the Mercy of Christ unto Eternal Life But because it is so possible to deceive our selves Saint John has given us an infallible Criterion whereby we may know whether we love God or no for he tells us 1 Epist 4. 20. If a Man say he loveth God and hateth his Brother he is a Liar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen Therefore this Commandment have we from him that he that loveth God loveth his Brother also Therefore since God has made our Brother as it were his Proxy to receive the Proofs of our Love to him and our Saviour has made it the Badg of our Discipleship By this shall all Men know that you are my Disciples if ye love one another It is very unhappy that those that pretend to be so should set up another Touch-stone for the Trial of their Sincerity and think to approve their Love to God by their Zeal against their Brethren if they chance to dissent from them in a bare Opinion Although our Saviour did not say by their Faith and distinguishing Doctrines but by their Love to one another Men shall know whether you are my Disciples or no. Therefore I think it is not strange if no Church be fond of those Opinions that will engage them to deposit their Charity and if they are 't is certainly their Failing not their Excellence But now it seems I am to beg the Author's Pardon for thinking that the distinguishing Doctrine of such a Church had been that which was peculiar to it for it seems a distinguishing Doctrine is that which they held in common with other Churches which truly I did not understand before And if this Doctrine be so yet the appropriating of it to one looks as if they had a mind to have the Enclosure of it But I skipped one short Paragraph wherein our Author according to his fair way of treating the Person of Quality has jumbled two Texts together which were cited on different Accounts as will be apparent to any body that consults the Paper For when from our having but one Lord one Faith one Baptism I was willing to infer the reasonableness of being or at least endeavouring to be all of one Mind I did not think that had been such an Error as stood in need of a Confutation But now he asks And must not then those that held one Lord one Faith one Baptism necessarily distinguish themselves from all that held more than one But I think there is distinction enough made to our Hands for those Hereticks that first set up those Errors and separated from the Church on their account I hope were distinguishable enough from the true Church and if others hold two Gods or first Principles with the Manichees must I therefore have a

Church But whatever others do we are I hope sure of our Reverend Author for he has proved that the Clergy in Q. Elizabeth were of his Faith as to this Question therefore should have thought it unnecessary to have said any thing more but that for the Authors Information I must answer an Objection or two about David whose Example though so much recommended might perhaps carry us farther and give greater Liberties than the Person of Quality ever desired for I 'le assure you defensive Arms will at any time content him But our Author is pleased to ask how it appears David took up defensive Arms for the Homily tells us of no such thing But I can tell him of as Authentick a Book that does nay that tells us a little more of David for if he will please to read 1 Sam. 28. 2. and 29. 8. he will find it was not David's Fault that he did not use offensive Weapons against Saul if fighting against him be to be called so for if we may believe his own Words he certainly intended that as you may see 1 Sam. 28. And it came to pass in those Days that the Philistines gathered their Armies together for Warfare to fight with Israel and Achish said anto David Know thou assuredly that thou shalt go out with me to battel thou and thy Men. And David said to Achish Surely thou shalt know what thy Servant can do And Achish said to David therefore will I make thee Keeper of mine Head for ever And in Pursuance of this we find David and his Men attending Achish the very Day before the Battel as his particular Guard which perhaps might be one thing that disgusted the Lords of the Philistins so that they would not let him go to fight with them and Achish against his Will is forced to dismiss David whose Expostulation Chap. 29. 8. is very remarkable for I think 't is one of the most passionate things of the kind I have met with And David said unto Achish But what have I done and what hast thou found in thy Servant so long as I have been with thee unto this Day that I may not go fight against the Enemies of my Lord the King And Achish was forced to command him a second time for you see he disputed the first which satisfies me that he was in earnest and was unwilling to return And now what can be said against so plain a Text For my own part I can foresee but two things the First That David did dissemble with Achish and did not intend to fight but that I think is a very unworthy Thought for David had been a very base and ungrateful Man to have either deceived or betrayed Achish who had given him Protection and was so truly kind to him The second thing is That a Subject may list himself under a Forreign Prince and in his quarrel lawfully fight against their own King and if so then all that listed themselves under the Prince of Orange might still be as good Subjects to King James as David at that time was to Saul And as to the proof of his taking up defensive Arms he may find that 1 Sam. 22. 2. And every one that was in Distress and every one that was in Debt and every one that was discontented gathered themselves unto him and he became Captain over them And here is as formal levying of War as I think can be desired and if it was not to defend himself I know not to what purpose it was for if he desired only Flight he might have done that safer as well as privater by himself than with an Army Nor was that Army of any use as to the gaining of the Crown after Saul's Death for God commanded him to go and live at Hebron where the Men of Judah of their own Accord went down and made him King as he will find 2 Sam. 2. So that so many hundred Men from the beginning to the ending were of no use unless it were to defend him against Saul and that he did design to have garison'd Keilah but that God told him the Men of the Place would betray him I think nothing can be more evident from any Text in Spight of all the Author's Comments But now he refers me to the last Homily against Rebellion as I did him to the second and asks me whether King John's Subjects took up only defensive Arms But by Bishop Bilson's excellent Rule above cited neither he nor I ought to judg them because we do not nor cannot know all their Circumstances For Historians are seldom so impartial as to give us all things in their true Colours But the Design of that Homily was only to shew the Intolerableness of the Romish Yoke and how impossible it was for them that depended on and obeyed the Pope to be good Subjects But as for King John himself he had been as great a Traitor and used him that should have been his Soveraign as ill as his Subjects could do him for all the World knows that he first usurp'd the Crown and then killed Prince Arthur that was the true Heir And truly if their present Majesties would have pursued King John's Method they might before this have had as indisputable a Title and had as much Right to have been called Natural Soveraign Lord as King John had But shall they have the less Respect and be the worse thought on because they spared the Life of our late unfortunate King and suffered him to escape when he was in their Power nay would not abridg him of his Liberty although they knew he would use it against their Interest If this be the Quarrel that the Clergy have against King William I shall admire their Politicks a great deal more than their Divinity But to return to King John What Cause our Ancestors might have to repent them of their Wars against him I know not but I believe their Posterity think they have not much for it produced those great Priviledges wherein the English Subjects glory The Charter obtained from him being the first part or first Draught if you please of the famous Magna Charta confirmed afterwards by Henry the 3d. whom the Homily might have cited as well as King John if it had been the Subjects Rebellion and not the Pope's Usurpation that they designed to declaim against But although I am very far from justifying all that was done in those two King's Reigns yet I think verily the Author would have a harder Task to perswade the People of England to give up the Advantages they hold from it And I think I may undertake to call back both King James and Popery for they deceive themselves that think they are to be separated for could they have been divided he need never to have forsaken his Crown and Kingdom when he shall prevail with the People of this Nation to give up their Magna Charta For if the former never return as I pray God they