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	doctrine_n	error_n	2,045	5	7.2142	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03883	A treatise concerning the ground of faith. VVritten in Latin, by the reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English, by I.L. of the same Society. The second part of the second controuersy; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13997A; ESTC S118149	27,760	72

A TREATISE CONCERNING THE GROVND OF FAITH VVRITTEN In Latin by the Reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland Doctour of Diuinity of the Society of IESVS And translated into English by I. L. of the same Society The second Part of the second Controuersy Permissu Superiorum M. DC XIV THE FIRST CHAPTER Whether the Church be the foundation and ground of our faith And of the true state of this Question IF the pertinacy of our Aduersaries were not so great it were an easy matter to define this questiō out of those few wordes of the Apostle affirming that the Church is the Pillar and ground of truth for seing that our faith relyeth vpon truth that is to say vpon the most true word of God and that the Church is the Pillar and ground of this truth it must needes follow that the Church is the Pillar and ground of our faith as afterward we will declare more at large But because our Aduersaries goe about to ob●…ure this great and renowned prayse of our Church we will treate of this matter more exactly especially because this is a question of great importance seing that theron dependeth our whole faith For euery thing relyeth and dependeth of his foundation Moreouer heereby is declared the great excellency and authority of the Church Hence also other opiniōs of our faith are to be proued which our Aduersaries deny their errors confuted and they themselues very easily conuinced but that the true state of this Controuersie may the better be vnderstood three thinges are to noted 2. The first is that euery science and doctrine hath her grounds principles out of which all other thinges are deduced proued and depende wherefore we must heere diligently examine and search out the true principles of our faith least otherwise our faith become doubtfull and vncertaine 3. The second is that there are two principles of our faith the one that God is true and the Author of truth the other that these thinges which we belieue are spoken and reuealed vnto vs by God There is lesse difficulty of the former principle For all who confesse that there is a God may easily know euen by natural reason that he is true or rather the very Truth it selfe And seing that he is the chiefest good he can deceiue no body and seing that he is Wisdome it selfe he cannot be deceyued Hereupon the Apostle taketh this as a principle manifestly knowne by it selfe It is impossible for God to lye 4. But the doubts and difficulties which we cōceyue cōcerning matters of faith do especially arise of the secōd principle to wit because we know not certainly that such things as we belieue are reuealed by God for hence ariseth the whole cōtrouersy with Iewes Turkes Heretikes For all do cōfesse that God is true but the Turkes say that their Alcorā was reuealed vnto thē by God the Iewes their Talmud the Anabaptists their bible corrupted maymed by them the Antitrinitarians their blasphemies vttered against the Blessed Trinity the Lutherans their opinions the Caluinists theirs and the Catholikes theirs And hence it is that we need greatly some sure foundation principle rule and meanes whereby we may know certainly which is the doctrine indeed reuealed by God and which is not otherwise our fayth will alwayes remayne doubtfull and vncertayne 5. The third is that God is accustomed three wayes to assure his Church of this his reuelation The first way is when God himselfe appeareth frō heauen and speaketh to his Church for so in tymes past he spake vnto all the children of Israel when he gaue them the tables of his Law in the mount Sinay 6. The second is when God speaketh to one alone from heauen and he sendeth him to the Church that he may reueale vnto the whole Church such things as God hath spoken vnto him So in tymes past in the old Testament God spake by himselfe to Moyses and Moyses reuealed the same things to the people And in the new Testament Christ in this manner reuealed his Ghospell to S. Paul which he afterward reuealed vnto others But these two wayes are extraordinary and are ceased as all docōfesse excepting only a few Anabaptists and Swenkeldiani whose madnesse and folly all men disproue 7. The third way is ordinary which alwayes remayneth in the Church and whereof the whole controuersy is For almost all Lutherans the purer sort of Caluinists will haue the sole Scripture to be the foundation and rule wherby we may certainly know the true reuelation of God from the false But Caluin himselfe at the first blush seemeth to attribute this to the sole Scripture and very cōtumeliously inueygheth against Catholikes who deny it whome therefore he calleth brauling and sacrilegious persons yet a litle after he reduceth the principall and cheifest certaynty of Scriptures and of our whole fayth to the particuler and priuate spirit of euery belecuer The late Caluinists do put two grounds and rules of fayth to wit the Scripture and this priuate spirit But Catholikes do teach that neyther the Scripture alone is sufficient nor this priuate spirit togeather with the Scripture but moreouer the spirit and authority of the whole visible Church is necessary And this is the true state of of this question 8. We will therfore explicate foure things that this whole controuersy may more clearly be defined First what are the properties and conditions of the ground of fayth for by these the ground it selfe will easily be knowne For euen as by the properties of a man it may be knowen who is a true man and by the properties of any other thing the thing it selfe may be knowne So by the properties of the ground of fayth the ground it selfe wil be knowne Secondly it shal be proued that the Scripture alone is not a sufficient ground or rule of fayth Thirdly that neyther any priuate spirit will suffise Fourthly that the authority of the Catholike Church is the most true ground and rule of fayth CHAP. II. The properties of the ground and rule of our fayth are alledged THERE are ten properties of the ground or rule of fayth and they are so manifest and certayne that none can doubt thereof The first is the continuall and neuer interrupted duration thereof to the end of the world For euen as fayth and the Church do alwayes endure continue so must also the ground of fayth seing that nothing can consist without his foundation and ground 2. The second propertie is the most certayne and vndoubted truth thereof in so much that it neyther can deceyue any nor be deceaued in any thing appertayning necessarily to saluation for otherwise it should be vncertaine and doubtfull yea also the fayth it selfe should be false and hurtfull vnto vs. 3. The third propertie is the certaynty therof on our part For it is necessary that the true fayth be not only certayne in it selfe but also to vs. Because error and

auncient Fathers as Iudges of all Coutrouersies the which they will neuer do for they dare not deny but that the auncient Fathers were true belieuers why therefore do they attribute vnto themselues that which they so vehemently deny to all the auncient Fathers 12. Moreouer if euery belieuer cannor erre in his iudgement much lesse can a great many such erre and least of all can the Church of all belieuers erre Wherefore whatsoeuer our Aduersaries say they wil be forced to confesse and graunt that the holy Ghost is the Iudge as he remaineth in the whole Church speaking and iudging by the mouth therof and in this manner euen out of our Aduersaries doctrine we gather by a necessary consequence our opinion 13. Lastly that which they affirme that the priuate spirit of euery particuler person is Iudge is therby declared to be false that they themselues acknowledge that there is no priuate man which at some tymes cannot erre in his iudgment but heere we inquire for a Iudge which cannot erre For otherwise in matters of such moment and of which our eternall saluation dependeth we should dangerously be forced to haue recourse to an erroneous Iudge whose iudgement is variable vncertaine deceitfull and often tymes manifestly false 14. But now as concerning the third point that the Church is the iudge of all Controuersies we proue by these arguments First the Church hath all the properties of a fit iudge for first she hath an exact knowledge the holy Ghost shall teach you saith Christ all truth 15. Secondly the Church cannot be corrupted by any giftes or praiers For she is as the Apostle witnesseth the pillar and ground of truth 16. Thirdly the Church heareth speaketh giueth her iudgment and examineth the testimonyes of Scriptures and Fathers as experience it selfe teaeheth vs. 17. Fourthly we are bound to stand to the iudgement of the Church VVho will not heare the Church saith our Lord let him be vnto thee as an heathen and publican 18. Fiftly the Church hath power and authority to punish VVhat will you saith the Apostle that I come vnto you with a rodde or in charity and with the spirit of mildnesse And in another place If I come againe I will not spare And againe that being present I may not deale hardly according to the power which our Lord hath giuen me vnto edification and not vnto destruction 19. Sixtly the Church absolueth byndeth and retayneth sinnes excommunicateth as the holy Scriptures doe expresly testify and our Aduersaries doe also confesse all which actes belong vnto Iudges but the Scripture doth none of them 20. The second argument The holy Scripture expresly affirmeth that the Church doth sometymes iudge I indeed absent in body but present in spirit haue already iudged at present him that hath so done in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ you being gathered togeather and my spirit with the vertue of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliuer such an one to Sathàn And a little after Do not you iudge of them that are within where the Apostle plainly saith that the Pastours of the Church iudge those which are in the Church 21. The third argument is taken from their common practice of the Church aswell in the old as in the new Testament For in the old Testament the chiefe iudgement of all causes was ordeined by God himselfe first in the booke of Numbers and afterward it was confirmed in Deuteronomy in which Iudgment the priestes did sit as Iudges and the chiefe Iudge who did giue his sentence for in all thinges which were doubtfull by the expresse commaundement of God the common people were sent to this Iudgement of the Church and not only to the holy Scriptures or to the priuate spirit of any 22. Moreouer till the comming of Christ this manner of iudging continued in the old Law For of it Christ himselfe sayd Vpon the chaire of Moyses haue sitten the Scribes and the Pharifies All thinges therfore whatsoeuer they shall say to you obserue yee and doe yee this Councell or Iudgment in the yeares following by corrupting the Greeke word the Iewes called Sanhedrin as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say an assembly or Councell 23. In like manner in the new Testament when there arose that controuersy about the obseruatiō of the legall ceremonies or customes the Apostles did not send their disciples to the holy Scriptures only or to the priuate spirit of any but they assembled themselues togeather and defined what was to be belieued It seemed good say they to the holy Ghost and vs. For the holy Ghost is as it were the soule of the Church And this Decree of the Apostles S. Paul and S. Barnabas did diuusge and promulgate euery where as appeareth by the same Chapter and the next following where these determinations of the Apostles are called Decrees or according to the Greek Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say things already iudged wherupon Act. 21. vers 25. the Apostles doe say that iudging and decreeing they had written this 24. In the same manner in the next ages the Arians the Macedoniās the Nestorians Eutichians and other old Heretikes were iudged and condemned by the Catholike Church in the generall Councells holden at Nice Constantinople Calcedon and others 25. Lastly our Aduersaries in their consistories and assemblies doe vsurp●… vnto themselues the authority of iudges neyther doe they referre the iudgment to the Scriptures alone or to the priuate spirit of any 26. Yea Caluin conuinced by these reasons confesleth that the writinges of euery priuate person must be submitted to the iudgmēt of the Church Where he also concludeth thus Neyther therefore sayth he do we condemne or aiminith the authority of the Church neyther do we giue liberty to euery froward fellow to do what ●…sieth I would to God they would shew vs such a Church as the holy Scripture doth paint or describernto vs we would easily agree about the honour thereof Thus he But we will shew in the ensuing Chapters such a Church as the Scripture describeth I wish also we may agree concerning the honour and authority thereof 27. There are two principall arguments of our Aduersaries the first is that the holy Ghost is not tyed vnto men but iudgeth freely in whatsoeuer it pleaseth him therefore he is not tyed vnto the Church But the same argument would proue that there is no certainty in the holy Scriptures For they who wrote the Scriptures were men vnto whome according to our Aduersaries opinion the holy Ghost was not tyed I answere therfore that the holy Ghost is not absolutly bound or tyed vnto men but he is tyed to his owne Promise as also to the words and promises of Christ. For neyther the holy Ghost nor Christ himselfe can deceiue vs in not performing their promises because as the Apostle sayth God cannot lye But God hath promised that he wil be