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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	infallible_a	scripture_n	3,356	5	6.9949	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40084	The principles and practices of certain moderate divines of the Church of England (greatly mis-understood), truly represented and defended wherein ... some controversies, of no mean importance, are succinctly discussed : in a free discourse between two intimate friends : in three parts.	Fowler, Edward, 1632-1714.	1670 (1670)	Wing F1711; ESTC R17783	120,188	376

Scriptures for it that are now urged and by those Fathers but especially by Origen you shall find them answered And by this means it was that the first Fathers were so express in declaring themselves in this matter Philal. Those Gnosticks as ancient as they were are but a slender Credit to that Cause they are found Friends to Theoph. They were as I can largely shew you the most monstrous Hereticks that ever the Christian Church was infested with from its first Plantation to this very day as many other vile ones as there have been And they were as horribly prophane Devils also as ever the Earth bore And the Doctrine of Men's being under an irresistible Fate of being wicked and miserable or good and happy was their great Encouragement so to be as appeareth by their being so concerned for the propagation of it Nor were they so meal-mouthed as to stick at declaring the too natural sequel from it that all good men abominate viz. That God is the Author of sin As also that other which all such must abominate also that understand it viz. That all Vertue and Vice are made so by arbitrary Laws and founded in the Divine Will that is that they are meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only imaginary things and nothing in themselves Well Philalethes it is high time to have done with this we are gotten into a large field and scarcely know how to get out of it The truth is I did not think when we entered on this Discourse to be held in it one quarter of this time but one word hath insensibly drawn on another and indeed we may as easily persist in it twice thus long Let us therefore bethink our selves and proceed to what remaineth Philal. I shall only desire first to mind you of a passage I have read in the Life of the most Judicious and Pious Mr Ioseph Mede written by the Learned Dr Worthington and affixed to his Elaborate Works which is this If at at any time as it was said of St Paul at Athens his Spirit was stirred in him it was when he observed some to contend with an unmeasurable confidence and bitter zeal for the Black Doctrine of Absolute Reprobation upon which occasion he could not forbear to tell some of his Friends that it was an Opinion he could never digest being herein much of Dr Jacksons mind that generally the Propugners of such Tenets were men resolved in their Affections of Love and Hatred both of which they exercised constantly and violently and according to their own tempers made a judgment of God and his Decrees Several more passages relating to the same matter you may if you have not already there also read which shew his judgment in this particular as much a Calvinist as he was accounted Theoph. He therein shewed himself to be of his Mother the Church of England's temper who injoyns us in Her 17 Article To receive Gods Promises in such wise as they are generally set forth to us in Holy Scriptures And now let us return to those Sons of Hers that were the occasion of all this Talk And take notice that as in this last so in divers other of those Points about which there hath been so great a Contest and which have raised such Feuds and Animosities betwixt Protestants their moderation is very remarkable For they have not as hath been too general a practice Endeavoured to run as far from their Adversaries as possibly they could but carefully observing what truth may be found in their Opinions and heedfully separating it from what they conceive Erroneous in them they have I say in some more which with too great heat have been Controverted among us steered a middle Course which time will not admit me now to inlarge upon and therefore I will not so much as instance in them Philal. Therefore it is no great wonder that it fares with them as usually it doth with those that endeavour to part a fray that they are beaten on both sides and exclaimed against by the hot men of the several extreams Theoph. But whomsoever they dissent from there are none they can worse brook than the Monopolizers of Truth to a Party or those that make the judgments of such as they most admire the Standards of it Nor will an ipse dixit be admitted by them as a sufficient Argument to prove any Doctrine by if it be understood of any but God himself They not thinking the wisest and best of men or Churches either as priviledged from a possibility of being deceived They therefore look upon it as very unreasonable for any to go about to knock down their Adversaries with humane Authorities and to deprive each other of their liberty to judge for themselves Philal. This is so great a fault that it is not possible any Protestant should be guilty of it and not contradict his own professed Principles For do we not all most highly condemn the Practice of the Roman Church in erecting an infallible Chair for the Judicial deciding of Controversies in Religion and to give men the true sense of Scripture Theoph. And upon the same grounds that all Protestants complain of that Corrupted Church these Persons greatly blame those whose practice is in this particular like to theirs and that while they inveigh against the Pope make Popes of themselves or of the Masters of their several Sects and so intrench as he doth upon God's Authority Philal. But I perceive there are those among our selves that seem by their talk to lay no less weight upon the Judgment of the Church than the Papists themselves do Theoph. But I would gladly hear them speak out and tell us what Church they mean Surely they cannot mean the Church of England for if she be infallible it is more than she knows or believes her self for whoever reads her Articles may swear she renounceth all claim to Infallibility But if she did not how miserably would she be baffled out of her Pretence thereto by her Sons Arguments against the infallibility of the Church of Rome Philal. I suppose they mean the Truly Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Church Theoph. Very good But where shall we look for her Decrees If it be said in the Writings of the Apostles we will cry up the Churches infallibility and believing as she believeth as much as any But then who shall judge of the true sense of those Writings in matters disputable Philal. Surely they say more than so Theoph. Will they say That the Churches Judgment is to be found in the Ancient Fathers But we are like to be but sorrily helped by that means too they differing so much among themselves as 't is well known they do and there being but few things if any besides such as are most plainly revealed wherein they are all unanimous And in such points why may not We also be unanimous and that as well without their help as with it Philal. But there are some that

so the Law of perfect obedience now cannot by reason of ours 3. We may sometimes understand any works of what nature soever considered as meritorious causes Could we obey perfectly we cannot merit thereby the pardon of past sins nay had we never sinned we could deserve no reward at our Creators hands our righteousness being not at all profitable to him much less then can the imperfect works of sinners be meritorious 4. Meer external works performed by our own power in our unsanctified state that is such as proceed not from an inward principle of life may in other places be understood But we have no ground ever to understand by works when opposed to Grace or Faith inherent holiness or new obedience to the Gospel-precepts I dare promise an unprejudiced person that reading the several Scriptures where works are so opposed he will be satisfied that they are not any where to be otherwise understood than of one of these four sorts So that as works signifie sincere obedience to Christs Gospel neither I nor those Preachers can account it any scandal to have it said of us that we hold Justification by works nor can we deserve to have it thought that we have one bit the more of a Pope in our bellies upon that account And why any man should be more shie of acknowledging this than S. Iames was who saith in plain terms A man is justified by works and not by faith onely and that Abraham was justified by works I cannot understand Nor need we so mince it as to say that faith justifieth our persons and works our faith for understanding works I say for a working faith our persons if ever they be must be justified by them I would not that Protestants should give such advantage to the sottish Papists as to be shie of using any Scripture-language and by being so to give them occasion to think that we are in the other extreme from them and have a slight opinion of good works And I think it desirable that we would cease to prefer S. Paul's language before S. Iames his and not more interpret S. Iames by S. Paul than S. Paul by S. Iames they being both alike Apostles and their Epistles alike Scripture but that we would be content to interpret them by each other And then I dare say this Controversie would quickly be at an end among us and we should have no adversary to contend with about this point but the Papist onely Philal. I am of your minde Theoph. But Philalethes don't you remember that you set me a method and desired me first to discourse of those our Friends Practices and next of their Opinions Philal. Yes very well Theoph. And you see how well I have observ'd it But the best of it is I told you then that I would not promise you never to confound those two together nor indeed could I have been as good as my word if I had for I could not as I ought discourse of their Preaching and not take in some of their Doctrine Par. II But I will now in a more distinct manner give you an account of their Opinions They may be referred to matters of Doctrine and Discipline As to the former they profess to dissent from none that have been held to be Fundamentals of the Christian Faith either by the Primitive or best Reformed Modern Churches And heartily to subscribe to the 39 Articles of our Church taking that liberty in the interpretation of them that is allowed by the Church her self Though it is most reasonable to presume that she requires Subscription to them as to an Instrument of Peace onely Philal. So the late most Reverend and Learned Archbishop of Armagh several times expresseth the sence of the Church of England as to her requiring Subscription to those Articles The Church of England saith he in his Schism Guarded p. 396. doth not define any of these Questions as necessary to be believed either necessitate medii or necessitate praecepti which is much less but onely bindeth her sons for peace sake not to oppose them And pag. 150. he doth farther thus express himself We do not suffer any man to reject the 39 Articles of the Church of England at his pleasure yet neither do we look upon them as essentials of Saving Faith or Legacies of Christ and his Apostles but in a mean as pious opinions fitted for the preservation of unity neither do we oblige any man to believe them but onely not contradict them Theoph. I thank you Philalethes for these citations out of so excellent an Author which are no small confirmation of the truth of that assertion of mine which did occasion them But to go on Those opinions in Doctrinals that those Divines look upon themselvs as most obliged to manifest their disapprobation of and to confute are such as either directly or in their evident consequences tend to beget in mens mindes unworthy thoughts of God and unlovely notions of his nature or to encourage profaneness or discourage from diligence and industry in the ways of holiness as by what hath been said you have in part understood Philal. 'T is strange to me Theophilus that any that understandingly believe the being of God should entertain an unlovely notion of his nature for not to have the most lovely is to deprive him of his very Godhead He must needs be as good as good can be and have all perfections attracting love concentred in him in the highest degree possible He must be infinitely merciful of perfectly unspotted righteousness purity and holiness which I esteem as no less lovely qualifications than that of mercy or he cannot be God Nay no man I should think that is not a very Atheist can doubt but that all the amiable qualities that we see in good men are but so many effluviums if I may so call them or emanations from those that are in God and therefore must needs be in an unconceivably greater measure in him where they are originally than in them where they are but derivatively We learn from very Heathens that such qualities are irradiations sliding into mens souls from God and that they proceed from a divine afflatus who also tell us that God is not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the best as well as chiefest and most supreme being And they give a most lovely description of Gods essence and make him you know to be no less just and gracious than wise and powerful as I need not tell you may be shewn in a world of instances But that any Christian should be able to form to himself an unlovely idaea and conception of God is to me matter of the greatest astonishment he being so excellently represented in the New and also in the Old Testament In the New we finde his definition to be Love it self and that the way to be his lively images and like to him is not