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
A61294	A discourse concerning the devotions of the Church of Rome, especially, as compared with those of the Church of England in which it is shewn, that whatever the Romanists pretend, there is not so true devotion among them, nor such rational provision for it, nor encouragement to it, as in the church established by law among us.	Stanley, William, 1647-1731.	1685 (1685)	Wing S5244; ESTC R1838	44,628	70

A DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE DEVOTIONS OF THE Church of Rome Especially as compared with those of the CHURCH of ENGLAND In which it is shewn That whatever the Romanists pretend there is not so true Devotion among them nor such rational Provision for it nor Encouragement to it as in the Church established by Law among us LONDON Printed for Benj. Tooke at the Ship in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1685. ERRATA P. 13. l. 18. r. Monkery p. 16. l. 29. r. Assistance p. 25. l. 20. r. Seale for Seat p. 37. l. 25. r. Rev. 19.10 p. 40. l. 10. r. destroy for remove p. 45. l. 31. r. punished for promised p. 46. l. ult r. depending p. 47. l. 30 31. r. Decisions for Devisions p. 48. l. 29. r. severe for secure p. 50. l. 31. r. for p. 51. l. 21. r. loth for loath p. 63. l. 22. r. especial for especially p. 64. l. 27. r. and for or p. 65. l. ult r. Camere for Camaerae A DISCOURSE Concerning the DEVOTIONS OF THE Church of Rome c. IT is certainly one of the greatest Commendations that can be given of any Church or Body of Christians that a man can with Truth affirm of it that the Doctrines which they profess the Rules and Orders under which they live that the Frame and Constitution of the Church tendeth directly to make men more pious and devout more penitent and mortified more heavenly minded and every way of better Lives than the way and profession of other Christians For to work men up to this holy Frame and Disposition was one of the main designs of the Gospel of Christ which intends to govern mens Actions and reform their Temper as well as to inform their Understandings and direct their Belief And in this particular it differs much from all the Ethicks of the learned Heathen For whereas they design'd especially to exalt the Passions and to raise up the Mind above it self by commending the high and pompous Vertues thereby to stir men up to great Designs and to appear bold and braving in the affairs of this Life the Gospel is most frequent in commendation of the humble lowly and mortifying Vertues which would reduce the Mind to it self and keep Men within due Bounds and teach them how to behave themselves towards God and to live in a due regard to another Life Now there is scarcely any thing which the Church of Rome doth more often urge for her self or with greater Confidence pretend to excel the Church of England in than by endeavouring to perswade that the Frame of their Church is more fitted for the exciting of Devotion and a good Life than ours is And so they will boast of their Severe Rules and Orders the Austerities of their Fasts and Penances the strict and mortifyed Lives the constancy and incessancy of Devotions used among them and would thence inferre that that must needs be the best Religion or way of serving God in which these Practises are enjoyn'd and observed That the Tree must needs be good by such excellent Fruits and that if all other Arguments fail yet they say they have this to show for themselves that in their Communion there is at least somewhat more like that great Self-denial and Mortification so often made necessary under the Gospel than is to be found in the Reformed Churches or particularly in the Church of England Now laying aside all Disputes concerning Points of Doctrine in controversie between them and us in which it hath been abundantly shewn that they err in matters of Faith and that in what they differ from us they differ also from the Scripture and the true Church of Christ in all the best Ages I 'll confine my self to examine their Pretence to Devotion where I doubt not but it will sufficiently appear that they are as much deficient also in Regularity of Practice that there is not that true Foundation laid for such Devotion as God accepts nor that strict Provision made for it nor that real Practice of it which they would make us believe but that even the best which they pretend to is such as doth by no means befit a truly Christian Spirit I 'll discourse in this Method 1. I 'll instance in the several Expressions of Devotion the Motives to it or Assistances of it which the Church of Rome pretends to and on which she is used to magnifie her self 2. I will alledge the just Exceptions which we have against such their Pretences 3. And then show that they are so far from encouraging true Devotion that many things both in their Doctrine and Discipline directly tend to the Destruction of it 4. I 'll shew what excellent Provision is made in the Church of England for the due exercise of all the parts of Devotion and what Stress is laid on it and on a good Life among us First Though Devotion is properly and chiefly in the mind a due sense of God and Religion yet it is not sufficient if it stop there For there are certain outward Acts which are either in themselves natural and proper Expressions or else are strictly required of us by God as Duties of Religion and Evidences of the devout temper of our Minds and these are called Acts of Devotion And all the Commendation that can be given of any Church on Account of Devotion must be either that there is a true Foundation laid for it in mens Minds or constant Provision made for the due Exercise of it all necessary Encouragement given to it and a suitably strict and regular Practice of it observable among them And there are several things which are not at all insisted on by us which they of the Church of Rome boast of as serving to some or all of these purposes which I shall represent as fairly as I can that we may see what there is in that Church that doth answer such great pretences For it is observed that they of the Church of Rome oftentimes instead of dispute endeavour to work on our People and too often prevail by appealing to matters of Practice visible to every ones Eye an Argument to which men need not use their Reason but their Sense and this will say they sufficiently convince any of the excellency of our way For here are several things used as Instances and Expressions of Devotion very acceptable to God and suitable to a good Christian Temper which are either not at all used in the Church of England or at least not in that Degree and Measure and yet all those that are used in the Church of England say they are used among us For we not only enjoyn and practise constant use of Prayers public and private together with Reading and Preaching of the Word Sacraments and what ever is used in the Church of England but we have besides several things which are as well proper Expressions of Devotion as Helps and Assistances which are not used among the Protestants The Principal things which they urge are

and Authority of their Church and the Obedience that is payed to the Rules and Orders of it as mighty Helps and Assistances and Encouragements to Devotion when they are so sure of the Sacraments being duly administred and all other Acts of Authority rightly performed when the Laws of the Church for the Punishment of Offenders are duly executed and when the Church hath Power to oblige all to an Uniform and Regular Practice All these things say they do either encourage and excite men to Devotion or assist or direct them in the exercise of it give more room or afford better Occasions for it or else show more fully the Necessity of such and such parts of it then what is received and practised in the Church of England and therefore the Church of England that wants these wanteth also much of the Occasion Matter Opportunities and Arguments for Devotion so that laying aside all disputes concerning Articles of Faith they doubt not but it will be readily granted that at least they are a more devout People whatever their Belief is their Practice is more agreable to that Self-denial and Mortification commanded in Scripture that God is more constantly and reverently served among them than he is among us that they take more Pains are at more Cost and Trouble in the Worship of God which they think is an Instance of a good religious mind and will be most secure of God's Acceptance These are I think indeed the most that they do urge for themselves in this point and there is something of appearance of Truth in all this Most of these Instances are such as may perhaps be very taking at first sight with some people they having a shew of Regularity Strictness and Severity or else of being proper Helps and Assistances of Devotion For Men are wont to admire any thing that looks odd or big especially if others have but the Confidence highly to praise and extol it But if we examine them we shall find them to fall infinitely short of such specious Pretences some of them to be unlawful and those that are good in themselves to be some way or other spoiled in the use of them always they err in some material part or Circumstance and taken all together they have nothing in them which evidence any true devout Temper either designed to be wrought by the Church or actually working in the People Much less do they bespeak greater Devotion than is required and practised in our Church For it hath been well observed by the judicious Sir Edwin Sandys that the Church of Rome hath so contrived its Rules and Orders as rather to comply with and fit every Temper and Inclination good or bad than to work any real good effect on any And therefore as it hath several things which openly agree with and please the profane and debauch'd so it must be granted that it hath somewhat also to suit with and gratifie the melancholly Temper where the devoutly disposed may find somewhat an agreeable Retreat And therefore one would be apt to suspect that the most strict and severe of their Orders were kept up rather out of a politick end to please and quiet the People than really to advance true Piety to God and Devotion But however it is plain that taking the whole Frame of that Church together it doth not design to promote serious and true Devotion but only to make a Noise and to appear so to do For when I see the same Church tho' sometimes seeming to countenance the utmost Severity as necessary yet at other times to give all Liberty and let the Reins loose to all kind of Debauchery I have just reason to fear they are not in earnest for Religion For all such irregular Heats are a fign of bad Principles or a distemper'd Constitution Just as if I should see the same person sometimes desperately dissolute and debauch'd and at other times intolerably strict and severe and this interchangeably and often I shall much question his strictness whether it be sincere If his Sense of Piety were real it would be more lasting and uniform and therefore without Breach of Charity I think I may look on him in his greatest Severity rather to act a part on a Stage and to serve a present Turn and Occasion than to be really in his mind what such Strictness would represent him And therefore whatever true Devotion is in any of that Communion ought to be ascrib'd to somewhat else than to the Constitution of that Church For even those things which they are used to boast most of which I have mentioned already we shall easily find to have little that is truly commendable much that is greatly faulty in them and if their best things are no better what are their worst If the Subject of their Glory is shameful what will become of the rest 2. And therefore I 'll now shew what we have justly to except against their fore-mentioned pretences to Devotion 1. As for Monkery in general which they boast so much of calling it Status Perfectionis religiosus as if besides the State of Men in Holy Orders that were a State of Perfection and nothing else worthy the Name of Religious We confess that scarcely as to any thing concerning the Externals of Religion doth the Church of England distinguish it self from the Romish Church so much as that there is not any Provision made or so much as a Supposition of such Monasteries or religious Houses or publick places of Retirement for devout People as they are called being again ever setled among us For tho' we are not so rash as utterly to abhor and throw away every thing that at any time had been abused to Superstition yet we are very well contented that Monasteries should never be rebuilt among us For we do not look on the Life of Monks as any great help to Devotion or an instance of true Religion prevailing where they are found much less that they are necessary in the Christian Church For it is evident that the first and purest Ages of the Church did not know any thing of them Almost three Centuries passed without any mention of them in Ecclesiastical History Antony and Paul in the Dioclesian Persecution being taken notice of as the first of that Way We read indeed of some that did lead a more than ordinary severe Course and denied themselves much of the perhaps lawful Pleasures of this Life in respect to Religion and the other Life but these were not Monks or the modern Asceticks tho' it hath been the way of the Church of Rome in more instances than this to impose some new thing on the World upon the Reputation of some good and reverend Old Name For the Lives of the ancient Asceticks or mortified Men differed much from the present Monks of the Church of Rome We find not that they engaged themselves in a solemn Vow distinct from or above that of their Baptism For whatever their general