Selected quad for the lemma: head_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
head_n	apostle_n	church_n	word_n	2,623	5	4.2176	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56416	An answer to the most materiall parts of Dr. Hamond's booke of schisme: or a defence of the Church of England, against exceptions of the Romanists written in a letter from a Catholique gent. to his friend in England.	B. P.	1654 (1654)	Wing P5; ESTC R220298	14,092	28

Mary to cut off her succession and introduce their own thought fit to strengthen their faction which besides what they might hope from abroad consisted of many Lutherans and Calvenists at home those two Sects having by opportunity of that rupture in H the 8th time spread and nestled themselves in many parts of England Sect 15. Queen Elizabeth being by Act of Parlament recorded a bastard and so pronounced by two Popes and therefore mistrusting all her Catholick Subjects who she feared did adhere to the Queen of Scots title in which she was then likely to be supported by the King of France her Husband was by the advise of men partly infected with Calvinisme or Lutheranisme partly ambitious of making their fortunes cast upon that desperate Councell of changing Religion desperate I say for see amongst what a number of Rocks she was in consequence of that Councel forced to sail witness her adhearing to the Rebels of all her neighbour Kings so provoking them thereby as if the French King had not been taken out of this world and winde and weather fought against the Spanish Armado in all likelihood she had been ruined especially her Catholick Subjects being so provoked as they were by most cruel and bloodie Laws but this by the by though from hence the Reader may judge of reason of changing Religion in her time and what a solid foundation the Church of England hath how far Mr. Mason can justifie the ordination of Queen Elizabeths Bishops Sect 16. I will not now examine but certain it is that the Record if there be such a one hath a great prejudice of being forged since it lay some fifty yeers unknown amongst the Clamors against the flagrant fact and no permission given to Catholicks to examine the ingenuitie of it but howsoever it is nothing to our purpose for whatsoever materiall mission they had by an externall consecration those Bishops who are said to have consecrated them are not as much as pretended to have given them order to preach the Doctrine or exercise the Religion they after did which is the true meaning and effect of mission I cannot end without nothing in his 20 Para the foundation upon which he himself saies his whole defires relyes which is that because the recession from the Romane Church was done by those by whom and to whom onely the power of right belonged legally viz the King and Bishops of this Nation therefore it is no schism that is whatsoever the reason of dividing hath been even to turn Turks or for violating never so fundamental points of Religion yet it had not been schism In his 8th Chapter as far as I understand he divideth schism into formal that is breach of Unitie and material that is breach of Doctrine or Customs in which the Church was united the former he brancheth into subordination to the Pope Sect 4. of which enough hath been said and breach of the way provided by Christ for maintaining the unity of Faith the which he puts in many subordinations without any effect For let us as he Sect 5. if inferior Clergie men dissent from their own Bishops but not from their Metrapolitan in matter of Faith is it schism he will answer No if a Metrapo itan dissent from his Primate but agree with the rest of the Patriarchs is it schism I think he must say No if a Patriarch dissent from the first but agree with the rest is it schisme No if a Nation or a Bishop dissent from the rest of the generall Councell is it schism still I beleeve he will answer No where then is schism provided against or where truly is there any subordination in Faith if none of these are subject and bound to their superiors or Universals in matters of Faith But saith the Doctor the Apostles resolved upon some few heads of speciall force and efficacie to the planting of Christian life through the world and preaching and depositing them in every Church of their plantation Truly I do not know what a Catholick professeth more so that by the word few he meaneth enough to form a Religion and Christian life and will shew us a Church which hath not betrayed the trust deposited for if there be none what availeth this depositing if there be any clear it is that it preserved it by tradition if there be a question whether it hath or no again I demand to what purpose was the depositing so that if the Doctor would speak aloud I doubt he would be subject to as much jealousie as he saith Grocius was I cannot but admire indeed the great temper he professeth men of his Religion have in chusing of Doctrines to wit Sect 7. their submission to the three first Ages and the foure first Councels but I confesse it is a humility I understand not first to profess they know not whether their teachers say true or no that is that they are fallible and then to hold under pain of damnation what they say Another peece of their Humility is in submitting to Ages where very few Witnesses can be found in regard of the rarity of the Authors and the little occasion they had to speak of present controversies A third note of Humility is that whereas the fourth Councel was held about the midst of the fifth Age these lovers of truth will stand to it but not to the fourth Age precedent or that very Age in which it was held so humble they are to submit to any Authority that toucheth not the questions in present controversie but where do they find Christs Church should be Judg in three Ages and fail in the fourth or that the Councels in the fifth Age should be sound but not the Fathers In his 9th Chapter he pretendeth the Roman Catholick Church is cause of his division because they desire communion and cannot be admitted but under the beleef and practise of things contrary to their consciences of which two propositions Sect 4 5. if the second be not proved the first is vain and is as if a subject should plead he were unjustly out-lawed because he doth not desire it now to prove the latter he assumeth that the Protestant is ready to contest his Negatives by grounds that all good Christians ought to be concluded by what he means by that I know not for that they will convince their Negatives by any ground a good Christian ought to be concluded by I see nothing less What then wil they contest it by all grounds a good Orthodox Christian ought to be concluded by If they answer in the Affirmative we shall ask them whether Si quis Ecclesiam non audierit be one of their grounds and if they say no we shall clearly disprove their major but then their defence is if any ground or Rule of it self firm and good speaketh nothing clearly of a poine in question they will contest that point by those grounds is not this a goodly excuse In his 11 Chapter he

saith we judg them and despise them as to the first I have often wondered and do now that men pretending to learning and reason should therein charge us with want of charity for if our Judgment be false it is error not malice and whether true or false we press it upon them out of love and kindness to keep them from the harm that according to our beleef may come unto them but since they deny they are scismaticks and offer to prove it we must not say it yet I think we ought until we have cause to beleeve them since our highest tribunal the Churches voice from which we have no appeal hath passed Judgment against them In the last Chapter he compiaineth of the Catholicks for reproaching them with the loss of their Church and arguing with their Disciples in this sort communion in some Church even externally is necessary but you cannot now communicate with your late Church for that hath no subsistence therefore you ought to return to the Church from whence you went out truly in this case I think they ought to pardon the Catholick who hath or undoubtedly is perswaded he hath a promise for eternity to his Church and experience in the execution of that promise for 16 Ages in which none other can compare with him and sees another Church judged by one of the learnedst Heoker Ecle poll cha 5. most prudent persons confessedly that ever was amongst them to be a building likely to last but 80 years to be now torn up by the roots and this done by the same means by which it was setled I say if this Catholick beleeve his eyes he is at least to be excused and though I know the Doctor will reply his Church is still in being preserved in Bishops and Presbyters rightly ordained yet let him remember how inconsequent this is to what he hath said before for ask him how doth it remain in being if there be no such Bishops or Presbyters amongst them for his defence against the Church of Rome is that the secular authority hath power to make and change Bishops and Presbyters from whence it wil follow that as they were set up by a secular authority so are they pulled down and un-bishoped by another secular Authority if it be said the Parliament which pulled them down had not the 3. bodies requisite to make a Parliament no more had that which set them up for the Lords Spirit was wanting both in Parlament and Convocation so that there was as much authority to pul them down as to set them up but it will be replyed that though they are pulled down yet are they stil Bishops viz the character remains with them Alas what is their characters if their mission of Preaching and Teaching be extinguished which follows their jurisdiction which jurisdiction the Doct makes subject to the secular authority so that whatsoever characters their Bishops Presbyters pretend to have they have according to his principles no power over the layity and so no character can be made of any Bishop as head and Pastor and of the people as bodie and flock and consequently their Church is gone and this he does out of a word in Rufinus which he supposeth to be taken in a special propriety of Law wheras indeed that Authors knowledg in Grammar was not such as should necessarily exact any such beleef especially learned men saying the contrary But we account our selves Bishops and Priests not from an authority dependant upon Princes or inherited from Augustus or new but from Peter and Paul so shal stand and continue whatsoever Princes or secular powers decree when they according to their Doctrines and Arguments are not to wonder if they be thrown down by the same Authortly that set them up as the Synagogue was a Church to have an end so is this with theirs difference that the Synagogue was a true Church in reference to a better but this a counterfeit and tyrannical one to punish a better as concerning the Drs. prayer for Peace communion all good People wil joyn with him if he produce Fructus dignes penitentiae especially if he acknowledg the infallibility of the Church and supremacie of the Pope the former is explicated sufficiently in divers Books the latter is expressed in the Councel of Florence in these words viz We desire that the Holy Apostolical See and the Bishop of Rome have the primacie over all the World and that the Bishop of Rome is successor to St. Peter the Prince of the Apostles and truly Christs Vicar and head of the whole Church and the Father Teacher of all Christians and that there was given him in St Peter from Christ a f●● power to feed direct ond govern the Catholick Church so far the Councel without obeying this the Dr is a Scismatick without consing the other an Heretick but lee him joyn with us in these all the rest will follow Thus Sir you have my sence of Dr Hammonds Book in all the Particulars which I think to the purpose my time nor the brevity fit for a Letter not permitting I should be more methodical and do rest Your Friend and humble Servant B. P. Bruxels the 30 March 1654. FINIS