Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	true_a	1,505	5	5.2874	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B20815	A non est inventus return'd to Mr. Edward Bagshaw's Enquiry, and vainly boasted discovery of weakness in the grounds of the churches infallibility also his seditious invectives against the moderate sincerity of Protestants, and savage cruelty against Roman Catholicks repressed / by a Catholick gentleman.	Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.	1662 (1662)	Wing C6899	45,331	119

a popular stile far from that studied exactness of Lawes and Sciences are most proper to have their sence agreed in This must be your task and to make it good it will be expected that You should do one miracle more which is to produce but one Example during sixteen hundred years and upwards taking in the Apostles times if You please to shew that differences in Religion have been prevented or composed and separations of divided Churches re-united by disputing out of Scriptures alone without submission to a common Tribunal On the contrary side we Catholicks will be obliged to shew you that all Heresies hitherto appearing have been so far destroyed by General Councils that the Church has been preserved in Unity and we are confident will be so for ever notwithstanding even so formidable an Adversaries opposition as you are 14. In the fifth place This great Tribunal of a General Council is of an Authority so authentick that no Appeal from it must be admitted Yea moreover it has influence not on the outward actions or professions only but even the judgments and hearts of all particular Catholick persons and Churches This appears not only by the universal agreement of all Fathers and Ecclesiastical Writers past and present but by the solemn stile of the Decrees made by all such Councils in which Anathema's have been denounced against all Hereticks and Schismaticks and they separated from the Mystical Body of Christ to which alone Salvation is promised 15. In the last place therefore the Church being one and to keep it so Authority having been communicated to it by our Lord which Authority for that purpose must needs under penalty of an Eternal separation from Christ oblige all Christians to submit even their minds to it it seems to us that it followes necessarily and inevitably that the Church is infallible Unless we would say that our Lord has commanded us to hear such a Church and Guide as might lead us to Hell To prevent all suspicion of which he has expresly promised to lead not the Apostles only as you fancy but his Church into all Truth with whom he said he would be present to the end of the world thousands of years after the Apostles were dead 16. These you may suppose Mr. Bag. to be the true grounds of the Churches Infallibility It is Infallible because it is One but it is such an One from which as Separation is damnable So that if you a Presbyterian or Independent c. have a minde to assault these grounds then 1. You must first destroy that Article of our Creed I believe one Catholick Church 2. Next you must prove out of express Scripture not only that Scripture is our only Rule but that we have no other Guide to find out the sence of it but only our private reason or spirit and what these joyn'd together conclude upon will infallibly serve our turn whether it be true or false 3. That all the Antient Church and all Protestants too are mistaken when they say that Schism to you the most innocent thing in the World is a Sin a great exterminating sin for which there cannot possibly be a just cause or sufficient excuse 4. Lastly you must have the confidence befitting a Presbyterian to say that all Christians before you have been poor spirited sheepish deceived people that knew not what the Liberty of a Subject was and that all General Councils that presumed to denounce Anathema's against the private spirit or enlightned reason have been most abhorred conspiracies of Tyrants over Mens souls 17. Whereas if you were an English Protestant truly so called but the very supposition is unsufferable and therefore must be changed therefore I say whereas a true English Protestant would protest his readiness to submit both his tongue and soul to a lawful General Council and consequently would have no quarrel against the Infallibility of the Universal Church He would admit Tradition to be the best Interpreter of Scripture Only his Controversiehumour would spend it self against the Roman Churches pretention to the Title of Catholick and would maintain that the English State and Clergy had authority enough to reform themselves without consulting the Roman or any other Churches Indeed if the Eastern Church had still been in Union with the Roman the case then would be altered The English Church on such a supposition would have had a scruple to oppose both 18. Therefore since it is not in our power to oblige the Turk to permit the Eastern Bishops to meet in a General Council with the West for English Protestants sake not yours good Mr. Bagshaw I will take upon me a little more then your Book can require from me and that is to propose in the mean time a convenient mean and expedient towards the removing this scruple and that is as followeth 19. Since we cannot have speaking Judges that will please them they may I suppose do well to help themselves with Books and for that purpose pitch upon some well known time in which the Eastern and Western Churches were united and out of the Books and Monuments of that Age impartially collect the Doctrines then taught and the Church-government then in use through the whole Church For thereby it will evidently appear whether of the Churches Eastern or Western that now differ in both have deserted that which was anciently in both 20. Now I conceive a more proper time for this purpose cannot be imagined then the Age of the Church in St. Gregory the great 's time when England was converted from Paganisme by St. Augustin the Monk sent by him For it is evident that the whole Church was then in perfect Union the same Doctrines were taught and the same Government and Common laws in use all the Christian World over Besides there are extant more better and clearer Monuments both of the Doctrines and Discipline of that Age then in any other and especially in St. Gregories Epistles sent into all quarters of the World and in other of his works translated into the Greek tongue and freely embraced yea admired by the Greek Church we may find what Authority so learned and Holy a Pope exercised over other Churches according to the then received Ecclesiastical Canons Moreover besides S. Gregories Works our own Country both by wtitings of learned men Councils of Bishops and visible Marks in the foundation of Churches and Monasteries will most abundantly furnish us 21. Now when we have found what in that age was the Belief and practise of the whole Church uniformly Then we are to confront thereto the Doctrines and Discipline of the present Eastern and Western Churches Being assured that both of them have not deserted the Antient Belief and practise because if it were so there would not now be extant any Orthodox Church at all and consequently our Saviours promise of leading his Church into all Truth would have failed 21. Now when it shall appear unto us whether of these two great Churches hath

you instill discontent against the State In a word you do all the mischief you can both to it and them And all this while you enjoy their Livings they maintain you to destroy them Whereas if at the charges of your own patrons only you were to preach and pray in private parlours your peculiar Gifts in both would quickly vanish for there would be no use of rayling and blowing up discontented passions in an Auditory where most of your hearers can raile as well as your selves and are perhaps already more discontented You would lose the pleasure of gaining Proselytes to your Faction because none will hear you that are in danger of being seduced On the contrary to your hearts torment you would see even City-Churches every day more and more filled with your dearest friends nay your own Stomacks would come down and for preferment yea even bread you would quickly digest both Crosse and Surplice 16. Before I leave this Argument I would fain with your permission propose a Question to You though I fear the very proposal will anger You and I do scarce hope for an Answer though if you had a mind to it nothing is more easie to be answered and in case you reply to this paper remember I summon You not to forget this question 17. Suppose then His Majesty and the Parliament should by Law confirme to You the gratious promise from Breda That upon giving security not to enter into practises to disturbe the publick peace You should not be called in question for matters of opinion but should have a moderate liberty to exercise your Religion at home or even in Churches to your own party only with prohibition to all good subjects to come to your sermons would you be content with such an indulgence and mercie from the State Would You upon these termes engage to discontinue your sermons and prayers top-ful of the fel draconum 18. Till You answer this Question I will tell You the Opinion of many that believe they know Your temper well enough They do assure themselves you would not You I mean Presbyterians and Independents For as for your natural brood and subdivided Sects of Anabaptists Quakers c. I conceive they are more reasonable in this matter of Liberty of conscience They would be content to serve God after their fashion in their own Chambers and would maintain their own Ministers and poor too paying withall the dues which by Law belong to Parishes Whereas there is but too good ground to believe that there is nothing more apprehended by You Presbyterians and Independents then such an Indulgence because that would disunite from you all other Sects and make them sure to the State against You so that You and your Friends would stand miserably and contemptibly alone 19. True it is you would fain seem somwhat inclined to a Conformity of your fashion and for that end You demand Conferences and Treaties with the Bishops c. But withall You require a condescendence from them in such things as both honour and truth forbid a compliance in and which cannot be granted without a secret acknowledgment that they have been faulty hitherto in oppressing You with undue burdens And as for other trifling scruples of yours You are more troubled when they yield any thing then when they refuse all However by such Treaties You gain this that among Vulgar minds You may sometimes pass for zealous persons in all things pertaining to God and withall no enemies to peace And besides You may have occasion thereby to complain yet more against Bishops for not submitting to your conditions so easie and reasonable For alas You desire ease only in indifferent trifling matters whereas in all necessary Ordinances for Gods glory You are ready to comply What a great matter say You is a Surplice or refusing a Papis●ical Cross For peace sake You will even digest Episcopacy Let there be Bishops but not jure Divino or if jure Divino not such as Law hath established Let them be countermanded each Bishop by a dozen Presbyters and subject to their Classes and you will not stand upon the Title 20. I dare say Mr. Bagshaw You are very angrie now to be told thus publickly that you are more afraid of Liberty of Conscience then of persecution unless You might have leave to interpret Liberty of conscience to be a free permission to do mischief not to serve God And much more to be told You are no English protestant But You must pardon us that cannot but think so till You tell the World what You mean by an English protestant and what that English protestancy is which You professe and maintaine and have been so busie Twenty Years almost to the ruine of the Kingdome to set up against Prelacy II. That Mr. Bagshaw 's insttilling supicions into the Peoples minds as if English Divines c. had a designe to introduce Popery again is a mere acting over the late Rebellion 1. IT is now time to take into consideration the zeal Mr. Bagshaw that You as a good English Protestant have shew'd against those that have a liking to the pompe of popery and are so hardy as to make some attempts to bring it back into your Church In this zeal You spare neither Gentry including I suppose the Nobility nor Clergy 2. First as touching the Gentry You tell the Kingdom that too many of our unwary Preface Gentry begin already to be taken with the outward pompe of popery Who are these many too many They are Gentlemen The Gentry indeed are not so apt to be wrought upon by You as Inferiour Tradesmen and day-laborours and therfore it is much for your purpose that the general rout should have a suspicion of them Well though there be many of them yet You name none whereas there are but two of the Clergy and You name them both There is some Mystery in this Would You not have it believed but dare not speak out that these too many Gentlemen are some members of the present Parliament that you covertly desire the Kingdome may suspect and have an ill opinion of because they will not in compliance with your slovenly devotion suffer you to burne Surplices and Copes or abrogate decent Ceremonies but much more because several Honourable persons among them have expressed some pity to Roman Catholicks and an inclination to requite their fidelity with some small ease from the heavy burdens laid on them by the Lawes It is a greater torment to You to see their Fidelity rewarded then their Religion not persecuted But it is intolerable to you that no good Christian now can be unsatisfied in the way that Roman Catholicks have taken to appear fit objects of mercy since they have both publickly in the house of Lords Vivâ voce and by many Treatises and Protestations in writing given such security of their unalterable Loyalty and Obedience to his Majestie and the State as not any Christian can possibly give greater