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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	article_n	church_n	faith_n	2,312	5	5.7145	4	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

Baptisme of young Children is not to bee retained in the Church as most agreable to the instieution of Christ Cont. Art 27. 11. That the offering of Christ upon the Crosse is not a perfect propitiation and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world Cont. Art 31. 12. That the true Body and Blood of Christ is not in the Blessed Sacrament neither in a Reall nor Spirituall manner and that it is only a signe or token of his Body Cont. Art 28. 13. That Faith containes no infallible certaintie of the things belieued 14. That the reasonable Soule is not immortall naturall and perse but only per accidens as it is added to some Soules by way of punishment or reward to be immortall 15. That this immortality of wicked Soules is not to bee extended neither to all eternity and that it were vniust in God to punish finite offences with infinite torments 16. That no point of Christian Religion is to be belieued aboue Reason For an Epilogue to these grosse errors I could adde an Apologue of his owne and lay in his dish a couple of Frogs He vnderstands my meaning (a) If the Answerer publish his Booke and yet will not declare his opinion concerning cucrie one of these wieked Positions by omitting to plead not guiltie in that occasion euery iudicious c realous Christian will hold him to bee guiltie of them all Tell mee now Christian Reader what manner of man this Socinian is and what it is to be a Socinian or Protestant or any other Sectary denying the infallibility of Gods Church in all her definitions concerning matters of Faith For as I haue said already whosoeuer refuseth to relie on such Authoritie must resolue the truth of his Faith into the strength of his owne wit or to speake more truely of his will which is to take away all infallible supernaturall Faith without which as the (b) Heb. c. 11. v. 6. Apostle auoucheth it is impossible to please God And thus hauing shewed what Socinianisme is and vpon what ground it goes I may now oportunely deliuer the Answerer his direction least hee chance to mistake and in lieu of maintaining Protestancie hiddenly plant poison of Socianisme and leaue Charitie maintained not so much as once spoken to in his whole Answer as I noted in the beginning CHAP. IV. What the Answerer is to obserue if he will speake to any purpose FIrst it will be expected that he declare his owne opinion plainely and particularly and not thinke to satisfie by a meere destructiue (a) Sed quae rursum ratio reuocabat ne apud eos Manichaeos penitus haererems nisi quod ipsos quoque animaduertebam plus in refellendis aliis disertos copiosos esse quam in suis probandis firmos certos manere S. Aug. De vtilitat Creden cap. 1. way of obiecting such difficulties against Catholicks as vpon examination tend to the ouer throw of all Religion no lesse then of Catholicke Doctrine Secondly that his arguments destroy not some of his owne Tenets Thirdly that he contradict not D. Potter whome he pretends to defende and who maintaines the infallibilitie of Gods Church in fundamentall Articles the Supernaturalitie of Faith and diuers other points which I know the Answerer laughes at Fourthly that he oppose not the 39. Articles of the Church of England Fiftly that his grounds destroy not the bellefe of the most Blessed Trinitie the Deitie of our deare Lord and Sauiour and of the Holy Ghost Originall sinne and diners other doctrines which all good Christians belieue yea and all verities that cannot be proued by naturall Reason Sxithly that he relle not vpon such Principles as must bring with them the deniall of diuers Bookes of holy Seripture receaued into the Canon both by Catholicks and Protestants And if he asked whether the Epistle of Saint Iames the Apocalyps of Saint Iohn with some other parts of Scripture now receaued by English Protestants though heretofore controuerted be Canonicall let him not still thinke to satisfie by saying These are captious questions Seauenthly that he doe not ouerthrow the infallibility of all Scripture both of the Old and New Testament Eightly that his Arguments tend not to proue an impossibilitie of all Diuine Supernaturall infallible Faith and Religion that either hath been or is or shall be or possibly can be But now the reason why I preuent the Answerer with these Directions is this From Truth no man can by good consequence inferre falshood If then the Answerer produce such Arguments as either proue nothing or els must extend to proue that which is confessedly false it will remaine very cleare that his reasons are but Sophismes and artificiall falsities though they should seeme not easie to be answered especially to such as are either not learned at all or superficially learned and not versed in solid Philosophie or Schoole Diuinitie from whence Socinians are glad to borrow Obiections but either dissemble or vnderstand not the Solutions Wherefore if the Arguments of the Answerer be found to beate vpon some of the foresayd grounds and by that meanes appeare to proue too much euerie one will see they proue nothing at all And if notwithstanding this Direction to the contrarie he will be trenching on the sayd excesses his Booke is already answered euen before it appeare But let him not interpret this my preuention or Direction to proceede from feare that his Booke will be vnanswerable and that therefore I seeke afore hand to disgrace the Authour and forestall the publication For by Gods holie assistance his Booke shall be answered and the latent venome fetcht out though perhaps he will lay wagers to the contrarie and with his much confidence would perswade All Soules to belieue him And in truth what greater aduantage could wee wish against Protestants then that they should trust their Cause and possibilitie to by saued with a Champion who often and euen not very long since hath professed that he will neuer subscribe to their 39. Articles and hath set downe in writing Motiues which induced him to forsake Protestantisme to which indeed he neuer returned and which are extant still to be exhibited if need be vnder his owne hand But how soeuer I presente a copie of them in the next which shall be the last Chapter of my Direction CHAP. V. The Motiues for which the Answerer for sooke Protestantisme 1. BEcause perpetuall visible profession which could neuer be wanting to the Religion of Christ nor any part of it is apparently wanting to Protestant Religion so farre as concernes the points in contestation 2. Because Luther and his followers separating from the Church of Rome separated also from all Churches pure or impure true or false then being in the world vpon which ground I conclude that either Gods promises did faile of performance if there were then no Church in the world which held all things necessarie and nothing repugnant to Saluation or els that Luther and

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. For I say by the grace that is giuen me to all that are among you not to be more wise then behoueth to be wise but to be wise vnto sobrietie Ad Roman 12. v. 3. When we treate of religion that is of the worship and knowledge of God they are least to be followed who promising most liberally proofes by reason forbid vs to belieue S. Aug. De vtil Cred. cap. 12. Permissu Superiorum 1636. A DIRECTION TO BE OBSERVED By N. N. If he meane to proceede in Answering the Booke intituled Mercy and Truth or Charity Maintained by Catholiks c. IN regard that hee who pretends to be answering the Booke intituled Mercy and Truth or Charity Maintained by Catholicks c. Is strongly reported to be a Socinian before I giue him his charge it will be requisite to open in brief what kinde of people they be who haue appeared of late vnder the name of Socinians For by this meanes it will be seene whether his true intention be to defend Protestantisme or couertly to vent Socinianisme It will also appeare whether all his paines be taken to any purpose For Charity Maintained hauing been written against Protestants not intermedling with the Doctrine of Socinians he will neuer by thought to speake one word to the purpose against that Booke if he answer out of Principles which Protestants themselues will professe to detest no lesse then Catholicks doe CHAP. I. Of Socinianisme SOcinians take their name from one Fanstus Socinus an Italian Apostata that is vpon the matter an Atheist For they are strangers to that wise and gallant Nation who imagine they can by of any Religion if they will not be Catholicks The maine and capitall doctrine of perfect Socinians is rather Negatiue and destructiue of all Faith and Religion then positiue or Affirnsatiue of any one The Summe of all is this Nothing ought or can be certainly belieued further then it may be proued by euidence of naturall reason into which they resolue all Christian (a) Irenaeus Philalethes lib. cui titulus Disquisitio breuis c. S. Aug. Do vtil Cred. cap. 1. Nostī enim Honorate non aliam ob causam nos in tales homines Manichaeos incidisse nisi quod se dicebant terribili authoritate separata mira ac simplici ratione cos qui se audire vellent introducturos ad Deum errore omni liberaturos Faith Out of this vniuersall ground they doe and must if they will speake as they thinke and thinke according to their owne principles reiect all infallible supernaturall infused Faith which they reduce to meere humane knowledge or opinion And this the Answerer as I am told professes and endeauours to proue They must then affirme that Faith is not donum Dei an especiall gift of God but only the common light of Reason or habits acquired by a mans owne abilitie and industrie Diuine Faith being excluded the other two Theologicall infused vertues Hope and Charitie cannot subsiste All infused Reuelations and Prophecies all Illuminations and Inspirations of the Holy Ghost all preuenient concomitant subsequent and in a word all kind of whatsoeuer supernaturall Grace is derided by this gracelesse Sect. And as they denie all supernaturall Faith so doe they laugh at the beliefe of all obiects that are beyond the sphere of naturall discourse And therfore they vtterly denie (b) Ioan. Volkelius de vera Religione lib. 5. c. 9.10.11.12.13 the most Blessed Trinity the Incarnation of the Sonne of God the Godhead of our deare Sauiour Christ his satisfaction for the sinnes of men and his (c) Idem ibid. c. 20.22 merit and to proue this they bring the same arguments which Protestants were wont to vrge against the merits of iust men and works of supererogation the Diuinitie of the (d) Id. vbi supra cap. 14. Holy Ghost and Originall (e) Id. ibid cap. 15. sinne Eternall supernaturall Felicitie in Heauen for the Iust and endlesse punishment in Hell for the wicked they all must according to their Principles some of them doe roundly denie And they cannot place their last Happines in any thing except some such poore imaginarie good as old Pagan Philosophers dreamed of but could neuer attaine nor so much as agree among themselues wherin it consisted They denie the Resurrection of our Bodies and teach that our Soule is to be ioyned with a Celestiall or spirituall substance of a nature essentially different from these our earthlie bodies and that our Blessed Sauiour in Heauen hath such a Celestiall (f) Volkel l. 3. c. 35. Bodie That the world was created in time by the free decree of God not from Eternitie by a necssarie emanation from him they belieue no more then can be proued by euidence of naturall demonstration And I know some of them hold directly against holie Scripture that it was from all eternitie by such a necessarie resultancie as that They make small reckoning of Sacraments as being according to them neither signes nor seales nor causes of of grace which grace they hold to be a meere fiction Yea they teach that it is an abuse of the word Sacrament to apply it to (g) Volkel l. 4. cap. 22. holy rites And as for the Eucharist in particular one of their ring leaders teacheth that it is no (h) Ibid. Sacrament that for the matter thereof if one cannot drinke wine hee may vse (i) Ibid. water without changing the substance of the Lord's Supper as he speakes and that it may be administred by Lay (k) Ibid. Persons and receaued euen by such as are not (l) Lib. 6. cap. 14. Baptized The same prime Socinian denies Baptisme to be a Sacrament and teacheth that all are not obliged to receaue it but that some may be enrolled amongst the number of Christians without it that the Church may either leaue it off or at least can compell none to receaue it and in a word that it is a a thing but adiaphorous or indifferent with other wicked (m) Vide Volkel lib. cap. 6. c. 14. per. totum absurdities which I let passe Concerning holie Scripture to such persons as they hold not fit to be intirely trusted by them they will acknowledge them all before other more confident friends they reiect diuers parts of holy Scripture receaued euen in the Protestant Church of England and with men who are fully acquainted with their Principles they must hold not any one Book Chapter or line of the whole Old and New Testament to be the word of God or written by the infallible assistance inspiration and direction of his holy Spirit For naturall reason which with them is the sole Rule of Faith Iudge of all Controuersies cannot possibly demonstrate these things They may belieue by a kind of Humane Faith that