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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	doctrine_n	interpret_v	interpretation_n	3,848	5	13.1959	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38830	An epistle to the several congregations of the non-conformists by Cap. Robert Everard, now by Gods Grace a member of the Holy Catholick Church of Christ, shewing the reasons of his conversion and submission to the said Catholick Church.	Everard, Robert, fl. 1664.	1664 (1664)	Wing E3538; ESTC R12403	34,789	46

Many more promises might be collected out of the Old Testament but I come to shew Fourthly that Christ by his own mouth and by the mouthes of his Apostles hath promised to us likewise such a Church Mat. 16. 19. Upon this Rock I will build my Church which he had foretold by his Prophets should be of so vast extent And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 18. 17. He that will not hear the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen or a Publican but if Christ by his spirit doth not preserve this Church from all possibility of teaching me error instead of a truth I may from this Church which Christ obligeth me to hear and unto which obligeth me to submit receive such errors as may damn me Mat. 28. 20. And Loe I am with you alwaies even unto the end of the World this must be meant of the visible Church which was to be in every Age for the Apostles were not to live and to Baptise and teach alway unto the end of the world And therefore if the same assistance and presence of Christ was promised to the Church after the Apostles I think we shall not doubt but that it is the same that is infallible But that it may clearely appear that the Assistance promised by Christ to his Church extended to an infallible security from all errors consider Iohn 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive and v. 26. The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I shall say unto you and ch 16. 12. I have many things yet to say unto you but you cannot hear them now howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth But all Truth excludeth all Errors and this for ever which was longer then the Apostles were to live If we therefore enquire by what means this teaching shall be by whom the people shall be taught all Truths and how preserved from all errors St. Paul will tell us Eph. 4. 11. He gave some Apostles succeeding in full Apostolical Authority some Prophets expounders of the Prophets some Evangelists Preachers of the Gospel some Pastors and Teachers to what end For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ For what time Till we all come in the Union of the faith But will these secure us the next verse will tell you That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carryed about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in waite to deceive Gods intent then was to provide such means for mankinde as might secure them in their beleif in every Age that they might not be deceived by the cunning craft of false Teachers such as now think themselves able by pretending inward Lights Private Spirits and evidence of Scripture by themselves Interpreted to teach us a doctrine contrary to all those who for almost fifteen Ages before them have been and none others teaching a contrary Faith can be named who have been the Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastours and Teachers in the Visible Church of Christ In the last place I shall urge that Text of St. Paul to Timothy 1. Tim. 3. 15. The Church of the Living God the Pillar and ground of Truth And may we not securely rely upon that Pillar which God hath erected for us and found our Faith upon that Ground of truth which the God of all truth hath given us for that end To elude their plain and evident Texts I know you are wont to say in the first place that they may have other Interpretations and therefore this is not the truth But will not the same reason hold the Apostles cited many Texts of Scriptures and interpreted them so as to prove Christ the Messias and his Doctrines to be true whereas those Texts might have had other interpretations therefore the Interpretation put on them by the Apostles were not true Who sees not the weakness of this Argument Can you shew with any assurance that these Texts are not capable of these interpretations If not then according to your own principles these interpretations may be true for you who say the contrary are not infallible but may be mistaken Another answer which you use to give is that you are willing to agree that so long as the Church of Christ teacheth conformable to Scripture she is infallible and so long as she doth her Duty she may and ought to be beleived But this is as weak as the former for who sees not that it gives the Church no more priviledge nor allowes it to have any more benefit from these promises then the Divel hath for so long as he teacheth conformable to Scripture he may be beleived A straw may be a Pillar until it bends and Quick-sands sure ground until they yield What assurance can we have that the Holy Apostles did their duty in writing what the Holy Ghost did dictate unto them For if they did not their writings are not to be beleived consequently we are not nor can we be infallibly secure that the Scriptures which we have were dictated by and are by Inspiration from God If you can answer this so as to be secure that the Apostles did their duty the same will be our answer that the present Visible Catholick Church of Christ at all times doth her Duty The fift Argument is that the Church of God was this Rule and Judge this only means to convey Faith and this infallible Guide and Authority when our Blessed Saviour was alive and before the New Testament was written and also in the Apostles times both before and after the whole New Testament was written If not I obliege you to shew some evident Text which proves certainly that after the New Testament was written the Church in the Apostles time was deprived of this priveledge and Authority and that it had been no sinne then to oppose or not submit to the guidance direction government and authority of the Apostles But if notwithstanding this you shall without giving any other Reason insist that the Apostles were this infallible Rule and Judge in their times only until the Canon of Scriptures was finished and then lost their Authority when they had compleated the Canon I pray consider what will be the consequence in case it stands proved that the Canon of Scripture which they finished is now uncompleated by the loss of those Epistles and parcels of the Apostles writings which I have proved to be lost Will it not follow that for the same Reason that an infallible living rule and Judge was necessary before the Canon was compleat the same is now necessary some part

of the Canon being lost And what will the consequence be if it stand proved also that supposing the Canon were compleat yet it is not sufficient to decide the controversies now a foot amonst Christians in matters of Faith Will it not follow that then it is necessary to have such a Rule and Judge as is before mentioned The late Learned Dr. Ferne a great Champion for sole Scripture confesseth Sext. 27. That Indeed such a Iudge or Umpire in Christendome would if to be had be a ready means to compose all differences and to restore truth and peace But shall we think that our blessed Redeemer when he first founded his Holy Church did not see this as clearly as Dr. Ferne certainly he did and for this reason he appointed the Holy Apostles and their Successors to be this Judge and Umpire and if you desire or expect to see an end of those differences wherein ye are now involved by relying on your own private Interpretations of the Scriptures you must address your selves to this Judge and be content to stand the determination of their Umpire which is infallible I say infallible for as the Apostles though as men were subject to error in their own private affairs and actings and as such might one withstand the other and reprove the other yet were they by the assistance of Gods Holy spirit in defining and delivering matters of Faith so the Prelates of the Holy Catholick Church though as men they were fallible in their own private actings and affairs yet when assembled in a General Council with their Supream Pastor they are still made infallible in defining matters of Faith by the assistance of the same Holy Ghost who was as well promysed to them as to the Apostles The last reason is that none of the difficulties that were proposed to prove the Scriptures not to be the Rule and Judge before mentioned are capable of being objected against the Church For first this Judge and Rule is capable of answering the end for which it is appointed and proposed all who submit unto the Church agreeing in matters of Faith Secondly it is not capable of being misunderstood or misinterpreted by the various Reasons Judgements and Interests of men but is alwaies in being and capable upon demand to explain and declare its own sence and intention upon any difference arising Thirdly it is capable of being understood by All. Fourthly it is capable of being certainly known by all Fifthly it is capable of determining what plainess and clearness in every Article of Faith and hath alwaies appeared to do so to the condemation and confusion of all opposers Sixthly this was the said Rule and Judge in Christs time and in the times of the Apostles Lastly this doth not set up every individual man and woman to be a Judge and Rule unto themselves but preserves the unity of the spirit in the Bond of Peace by teaching all understandings to become Captives to this Rule and Judge appointed by God for their guidance and direction But I know there will be yet an Objection made by you of the seperation whether these Texts which speak so amply of the Church are to be understood of the Church Militant and visible in this World or of the Church Triumphant For certainly did you apprehend that God had a Church in this world that is a visible body politique distinct from that invisible Church which is Christs Mistical body Triumphant you would not as I in Charity beleive divide your selves into so many Congregations independent of each other or any other body or Government whatsoever in relation to Religion Now to satisfy you in this I shall desire you to consider Acts the 20. 28. Where the Text speaks of a Church governed by High Pastors which can only be meant of the Visible Church and that of the whole Flock or Church which Christ redeemed with his blood which cannot be meant of any perticular Congregational Church 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence neither to the Iews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God even as I please all men in all things where he speaks clearly of the sole and entire visible Church 1 Cor. 12. 28. where mention is made of the Governours and Priests which are extended throughout the whole visible Church only God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets c. and Ephes 4. 11. before cited Col. 1. 24. 25. Where Church is taken for the Militant only for St. Paul was not made a Minister of the Church Triumphant 1 Tim. 2. 15. before cited must signifie the sole and whole visible Church for no perticular Church can be stiled The pillar and ground of truth since they may fall and often have fallen from truth Iam. 5. 14. Where he speaks in general to all beleiving Christians and of a Church using visible Ceremonies and Priests or Elders which is not the Church Triumphant Mat. 16. 18. where the Church of Christ is to be built upon Peter and therefore must be meant of the visible Church Militant for it is built whilst Militant and transferred when it is Triumphant Nor can this be any other then a visible Church founded upon a visible Rock or Foundation for that Rock there spoken of is not Christ but St. Peter as the words clearly signifie for our Saviour saies upon this Rock I will build my Church immediatly after he had named St. Peter where as if he had meant himself or St Peters confession of his being the Son of the ever living God this being the remote or mediate antecedent he should have said according to Grammer and true construction and upon that Rock Besides he saies I will build my Church whereas if by Rock he had intended himself or St. Peters aforesaid confession he would have said upon this Rock I have built or I do build my Church not I will build For when our Lord spoke these words his Church was then actually built upon him and upon his being the Son of the Living God He spoke then therefore of what he intended to do and of what was to be after his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and promiseth here that for those future times his visible Church should be built upon St. Peter Lastly that I may speak not as to the word only but also as to the thing it self viz. The Divine constitution of the Catholick visible Church by the Ordinance of our dearest Saviour Consider 1 Cor. 12. where it is at large described by the Holy Apostle to be One body with different parts fitly disposed ordered and connected together in one and the same body Whereof One he saith is the Head and that must be as visible as the rest of the body for a visible body without a visible head would be a Monster and such a visible Head as stands in need of the foot which Christ cannot do being God and so wanting nothing And this the Apostle applies to the Apostolical