Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
opinion_n	church_n	council_n	infallibility_n	587	5	11.2073	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03480	Four tracts. I. A short discourse about divorce and its causes, fornication and adultery. II. A charge to judges, juries and witnesses concerning oaths. III. About infant baptism. IV. A letter to a lady, who hath forsaken [t]he Protestant religion for the Romish. / By J. Gailhard, Gent.	Gailhard, J. (Jean)	1699 (1699)	Wing G121A; ESTC R202025	118,480	174

Monsters and Villains in Nature How can men so notoriously wicked in Life and Conversation be Holy and Infallible in their Church about Spiritual things Ask where was the Infallibility when at the same time there were several Popes who Cursed and Excommunicated one another At once the Council of Constance Deprived three and did set up a Fourth one Thus that pretended Infallibility of the Romish Church doth Reside in Popes no more than in Councils How then can Council and Pope when together be Infallible if not so when asunder Can that junction alter their Nature No more than a thousand Sick Men can make one Healthful Man This opinion tends only to Trim between the other two perhaps to please them both but things of this Nature require more Sincerity and less Policy But this is the Spirit which Men of that Party are Generally acted by as not long ago it plainly appeared beyond Sea Lying dessembbling and the like Piae Fraudes the Pious Cheats which they allow for the propagating their Religion in France to promote the ruin of the Protestants they made use of several different ways to make Proselytes a Bait they had for every kind of Fish to the Covetous they offered Places of Gain and Profit to the Needy Money to buy Bread and actually they made Bargains and gave more Money to some and less to others to make them Change Religion as they did which verified the Merchandize which Babylon is said to make of Souls of Men Rev. 18.13 to the Ambitious they offered Honours and to the Voluptuous Means wherewith to supply their occasions in that kind And because there was a sort of People who had someting more of Honesty than others for these also they had a Bait and this hath been the Method of the Bishop of Meaux tending to remove the abhorrency which some Protestants had against many of their Doctrines therefore to take away or at least to conceal the ugliness and offence by many things they have among them he Plastered and Painted some over as to others he left it to their liberty to believe what they would concerning them Only he Invited them to come in with promise of Liberty for such a perswasion as they were led in to by their own Judgement they should be free from going to Confession and to their Communion if they would but come to their Churches they might Read the Bible in their Houses and such like things all which indeed ended in making Hypocrites and 't is well known what Place that way tends to But some of their Zealots declared openly they cared not whether or not the Fathers and Mothers were Damned if they might but make good Catholicks of the Children thus to bring upon them the Wo our Saviour pronounced against the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23.15 Hypocrites who compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte and when he is made they make him twofold more the Child of Hell than themselves So against the Rules of Christianity and Charity any ways tho never so wrong are good enough if they can thereby compass their ends Thus in the Indies the Jesuites were content to see those Infidels set up their Idols and Worship them if somewhere behind they could lay a Crucifix which they must need thereby to Adore together with the rest To all this I shall add the great want of Sincerity in the French Government for whilest in that King's Declarations he affirmed he would have the Edicts to be observed at the same time the Dragoons by his Order were upon their March to force the Protestants to go to Mass Now Madam I found by your Discourse how you are much guided by the Method of the Bishop of Meaux and therefore I here beg leave to say how what upon some of those Matters he hath Published Is not the Doctrine of the Church of Rome from which he receded upon a Publick Account and only for that time to lay Snares for weak Consciences the Doctrines of the Romish Church are contained in the Canons of the Council of Trent and in the Writings of Bellarmin and such Authors of Note amongst them which I can assure you are contrary to several things Written by that Bishop of Meaux whose opinion in those things will not in Italy pass for the Doctrines of the Church of Rome And among others I shall take notice only of one about which you seemed to agree with me and 't is concerning the VVorship of Images which Meaux would fain put a fine Gloss upon and you would be against it but Madam you therein differ from the Romish Church and I wish it were so in every thing else wherein they are in the wrong for as to that Point the Council of Trent doth refer it to the Canon of the Second Nicene which saith that whosoever affirms that the Images of Saints are only to be Honoured not Adored let him be Anathema But Madam not to exceed the due bounds of a Letter and to conclude I say there is no such a Superiority in the Romish Church or Primacy of her Bishop over other Churches and Bishops and that the Titles of his Holiness Vice-God God's Lieutenant God upon Earth which all are Anti-Christian and names of Blasphemy and all such Offices are unnecessary in the Church In the State indeed Princes need Lieutenants because they cannot be every where and stand in need of being informed but 't is not so of the Son of God the Lord Jesus the Head and King of his Church who sees and knows all of and by himself and is present every where therefore needs no Vicar upon Earth And the Title of Visible Head of the Church is Presumptuous and unnecessary And seeing also there is no Infallibility either in Councils or Popes or in any other Man for we find Council against Council Pope against Pope Doctor against Doctor why then will you pin your Faith upon such Sleeves You may see how those two by them accounted unshaken Pillars cannot Support it therefore I pray Madam give God the Glory with your returning into the Bosom of the Church you have forsaken wherein the Voice of Christ alone is heard his Word alone is the Rule and the Holy Ghost the only Guide according to that Rule for Madam the Word and the Spirit of Christ may not be separated for they go together there you will find Peace Comfort Assurance and Rest unto your Soul in Christ whom we own to be the only Mediator and Saviour of the World And so leave that Popish Church which is a confused Babel defiled with Inventions and Traditions of Men when in ours Christ alone Reigns his Word and Voice alone is heard known and followed and he is our only High Priest who once upon the Cross by the Sacrifice of himself made atonement for our Sins and now in Heaven at the Right Hand of the Father maketh Intercession for us he is our All in All and the desire of our Souls which can neither hope in or trust to any Creature Wherefore Madam break out with these Expressions I will go and return to my Mother Church for then was it better with me than now You have forsaken Christ the Spring of Life in whom alone is Salvation and run to the Creatures Dead and Alive which are not able to help you nor themselves God hath given you time to come to your self and to return to him in the way of Repentance and to hasten you he hath been pleased to set a mark upon you therefore pray loose no time I hope Madam you will not take ill my Freedom and the plainness of Speech I use for therein without any Byass Self-end or Worldly Consideration I aim only at the Glory of God bearing Record for the Truth and promoting the good of your Soul which is the earnest desire and humble Prayer to God of Your Ladyships c. THE END