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	infallibility_n	infallible_a	6,723	5	9.8615	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45665	A farewell to popery, in a letter to Dr. Nicholas, vice-chancellor of Oxford, and warden of New-College, from W. H., M. D., lately Fellow of the same college shewing, the true motives that with-drew him to the romish religion, and the reasons of his return to the Church of England : concluding with some short reflections concerning the great duty of charity.	Harris, Walter, 1647-1732.	1679 (1679)	Wing H884; ESTC R9627	22,580	44

his most Innocent Life with the Ignominious Death upon the Cross can we think he designed that any under pretence of being his Vicar should presently hoise above all that is called God and enlarge their Scepter from Rome to the uttermost parts of the world How Prodigious this Doctrine must have been too in its effects How it hath made Christian Princes and the World to tremble our Nation is now grown sufficiently sensible from the frequent Tragedies that have been acted or designed to be acted upon our own Theater without enumerating the many Forreign instances which might be produced That the Pope and Church of Rome have proudly arrogated such intolerable Power over all Princes that come within their reach all such as desire or are capable of being satisfied concerning it may have recourse to a Letter writ lately on the discovery of this Plot wherein this subject is most solidly and fully as well as briefly handled by a most excellent Pen they may also consider those three Treatises formerly mentioned called The Jesuites Loyalty And yet notwithstanding that this charge is as evident as the Sun 't is pleasant shall I say or wonderful to consider that many good well-meaning Popish Women as well as deaf and blind Gentlemen will not yet be perswaded that the Church is guilty of any such Doctrine no seeing it they will not see and knowing it they will not understand The Infallible Guide must not cannot be suspected of doing any harm and the Director of the Conscience shall presently settle any such scruple with a little of his Art either by flatly denying it or softning it or turning the charge into Ridicule And from this Consideration I shall take occasion to urge one most invincible Argument or Demonstration rather against the Pretended Infallibility of the Romish Church 'T is this That Church which teaches Doctrines that destroy Morality may be fairly suspected nay necessarily concluded to teach Errors in matters of Faith But the Church of Rome has taught Doctrines that destroy Morality Therefore it may be concluded to teach Errors in matters of Faith The Major has as much evidence as Reason can possibly desire For supposing any Man or Men guilty of notorious Vices and exhorting us to the same Vices can the reason of a Christian think such a Man or Men infallible in their Councils in a small affair so as to repose absolute Confidence in him or them much less in the greatest concern of this life the eternal concern of Heaven especially if we consider that Christian Religion all along the Gospel and the rest of the holy Scriptures does advance Morality and put the greatest esteem upon it of any Religion in the World Besides the Doctrines of Self-denial therein urged further than any Philosophers ever thought fit it teaches us to love our Neighbours as our selves to live Peaceably with all men to forgive and do good to our very Enemies and recommends Love and Charity so often and so earnestly as if the rest of Religion Faith in Christ c. were things that needed not being exhorted to they would so necessarily follow by the secret workings of Gods grace where so Loving and Good a Disposition takes place in the heart Now the Minor Proposition that the Church of Rome has taught Doctrines which destroy Morality will easily enough appear if the arrogant allowance of a Proud Prelate to dispose of Kingdoms that don't belong to him to Prosecute with Fire and Sword all such poor innocent Souls as refuse to submit their necks to his heavy yoke to Murder and Assassinate such Kings or Persons as resist his dreadful Invasions which he calls Spiritual though diametrically opposite to the spirit of the Gospel the spirit of Meekness and Charity the spirit of Long-suffering and Peace In a word if the allowance of doing Evil that Good may come of it doing any thing cruel or barbarous for the promotion of Religion be Doctrines that destroy Morality as most certainly they are nay and if those Co●neils which did immediately and that often soon follow the perpetration of such Villanies were so far from detesting the facts that they rather confirmed and encouraged the Pope in them at least never mutter'd good Men at what his Holiness had done then the Assumption of this Argument holds good Now as for the Promises in Scripture which the Church of Rome proudly applies to it self for its Infallibility as concerning God's being with his Church to the end of the world c. I can see no reason why that Church should think it belongs to them more than others It is because that Church has escaped those Devastations and Judgments which the others have so severly felt They have the greater reason to suspect themselves for that for God's People the Israelites did always fall from the true Worship of the Lord and bow'd down to the false Gods of the Gentiles when they flourished most in Prosperity and God was pleased to think that nothing would reclaim 'em but fearful Jugdments such as Plagues War Famine and somtimes Captivities for many years And still upon their return to him he deliver'd them out of all their Afflictions But there and sufficient natural reasons why Italy has less felt the Sword and Power of Foreign Enemies than the other Churches It s Situation defends them from Enemies aboard they have the Ocean on one side the Alps on another and Friends to sustain the brunt on all parts by Land And besides the same reason will plead better for Mahomets Successors as every Age growing more and more Victorious whereas the Empire of the Prelate of Rome has considerably decreased Again That Promise before-mentioned was not made to St. Peter alone but to all the Apostles so that the other Bishops of Apostolical Sees should have deriv'd the same Infallible spirit to their Successors as the Bishop of Rome insolently claims to him and his Church But that other Promise Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church makes the Romanists scorn the rest of the World and look upon themselves as the only Chosen of God St. Peter certainly was a great Apostle Converted many Countries and had the honour to be named first in the Catalogue of the Apostles and so had Priority of Order though in another place he is not numbred for the first Gal. 2.9 But surely if this great Apostle had had a Superior jurisdiction over the rest St. Paul would have been more modest than to have so severely Rebuked him to his Face as he did Gal. 2.11 for a shrewd miscarriage in his charge making the Christian Gentiles to Judaize And St. Paul was so far from encroaching on the Power of St. Peter that he thought himself unworthy of the great Name of an Apostle 1 Cor. 15.9 was so Good that he could have been contented to have been an Anatheina or Accursed for ever for the sake and happiness of his Brethren the Jews Rom. 9.3 Besides St.