Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	faith_n	sense_n	2,308	5	6.2377	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15508	Charity mistaken, with the want whereof, Catholickes are vniustly charged for affirming, as they do with grief, that Protestancy vnrepented destroies salvation.	Knott, Edward, 1582-1656.; Matthew, Tobie, Sir, 1577-1655, attributed author.; Potter, Christopher, 1591-1646.; Potter, Christopher, 1591-1646. Want of charitie justly charged.	1630 (1630)	STC 25774; ESTC S102197	54,556	140

both those former were expresse heretickes euen in the Protestants owne opinion as wel as ours for their misbeliefe of other things and that those doctrines wherein those former heretickes agreed with vs and dissented from the Protestants are now most vniustly condemned by them in our persons howsoeuer for the hideing of their owne misery they are content to winke at the selfe same opinions in them who were their predecessours in heresie But all this while it must still be noted that they make themselues able to daunce also in this Net by the distinctiō which they haue framed of fundamentall and not fundamentall For if this had not beene deuised but that it might haue beene declared that the obstinate beliefe of any one single heresie depriues a man of saluation and therefore that there is no meanes to make any one mā to be of the same Religion with any other but by being wholy of the same Religion so farre forth at the least as that he must not obstinately deny any one doctrine thereof whether it be important more or lesse when once as hath been sayed it is lawfully and sufficiently propounded and comaunded to be belieued by the true Church it would instātly haue been made as patent and cleare as it is true certaine that neither when Luther rebelled from the Church of Christ our Lord nor in any age before his time there was in the whole world any one kingdome or country or citty or towne or family of men or pastour or flocke yea or any one single person so much as of Luthers owne and much lesse of the now Protestant Religion which is now forsoothe so farre refined beyond his To conclude the making of this distinction betweene fundamētal not fundamentall points of faith and the resoluing not to declare which is which doth saue them with a great part of the ignorant world from the imputation of Rigour in their proceeding with vs. For how could they persecute as they doe without extreame note of cruelty yea or euen how could they dissent without apparent impiety from our beliefe and practise of those doctrines wherein we haue had and still haue prescription of so many ages if the contrary thereof should be confessed by themselues not to be fundamentall We must not therefore wonder if that they sticke so fast as they do to this distinction for hereby it appeers that they haue wit inough to keep themselues warme which they could not do so wel without this cloake vpon their backs It is also more them probable that one reason why they are so vnwilling to giue in any Catalogue of the fundamentall points is because they know soe well how ridiculous they would make themselues by the infinite variety of their Catalogues For if it be so familiar with them to be of different mindes cōcerning particular doctrines how much more would they be so in this which is a roote of many branches or rather a monster of many heads And so there can be no doubt but that some of them would not be more resolute in restraining the fundamentall points into a narrow compasse then others would be in enlarging them to a broader I will consider what is sayd by most of thē to this purpose because this chapter is growne into length you shall expect that which followes in the next That Protestants neither do nor dare declare what are their fundamentall points of faith whereby yet they would pretend that they liue in the Communion of the one true Church of Christ our Lord. CHAPTER IX IT is vsuall with many to affirme that the Apostles Creede containes all the Fundamentall points of Faith but these men when they are pressed grow soone ashamed of that opinion when they are tould that in the Creede there is no mentiō made at al either of the Canō in holy Scripture or of the nūber or nature yea or so much as of the name of Sacraments Besides that there are so great differences betweene them and vs about the vnderstanding of the Article of the desce●t of Christ our Lord into Hell and that other of the holy Catholike Church and that also of the communion of Saints which we belieue and they deny to inuolue both prayers for the dead prayers to Saints as that we should not be much the better either for our knowing or confessing that the Creede containes all the Fundamentall points of Faith vnles with all there were some certaine way how to vnderstand them right and especially vnles vnder the Article which concernes the holy Catholicke Church they would vnderstand it to be indued with so perfect infallibility and great authority as that it might teach vs all the rest For indeed according to that sense not only the whole Creede but euen that single Article of the holy Catholicke Church might be said to containe the reason of all our Faith so Fundamentally as that we should neede noe other guide then that But if we vnderstand it otherwise the Scripture it selfe speakes of particular errours which are dānable in them by whome they are embraced and yet they are not at all against any expresse doctrine of the Creede As namely where S. Paule calls it a doctrine of diuells to forbid marriage and meats which by the way is not to be vnderstood of the chastity and fasts of the Catholicke Church as Protestants do most peruersely affirme which knowes that those things are lawfull but that yet it is most gratefull to God when his seruants for his loue depriue themselues of those delights but of the heresie of the M●ni●hees as S. Austen doth expresly declare who forbad both marriage and meats as being abominable and impure through the institution thereof which they said was deriued from a certaine second ill cōdicioned God of their owne making In like manner S. Peter saith that S. Paule in his Epistles had written certaine thinges which were hard to be vnderstood and which the vnlearned and vnstable did peruert to their owne destruction S. Austen declares vpon this place that the places misunderstood concerned the doctrine of Iustification which some misconceaued to be by faith alone by occasion of what S. Paule had written to the Romanes And of purpose to countermine that errour he saith that S. Iames wrote his Epistle and prooued therein that good works were absolutely necessary to the acte of Iustification Here vpon we may obserue two things the one that an errour in this point alone is by the iudgment of S. Peter to worke their destruction who embrace it and the other that the Apostles Creede which speakes no one word thereof is no good rule to let vs knowe all the fundamentall point of faith Others say that the booke of the 39. Articles declares all the fundamentall points of Faith according to the Doctrine of the Church of England but that also is most absurdly affirmed For as it is true that they declare in some cōfused manner which yet indeed is

humane and fallible motiue whatsoeuer it is cleare that I could haue no supernaturall faith at all euen concerning that one single article of Catholicke doctrine And the same is to be said of the rest whether they be many or few great or smalle And the vndoubted reason hereof is because I giue not my firme assent to it vpon the only true infallible motiue which is the reuelatiō of God the propositiō of his Church For whatsoeuer is lesse then this cannot erect and qualifie an act of supernaturall faith with must be absolutely vndoubted and certaine and otherwise it is noe true faith at all but opinion and persuasion or humane beliefe He therfore with belieues not euery particular Article of Catholicke Doctrine which is reuealed and propounded by Almightie God and his Church doth no assent euē to any one of them which he belieues vpon the sayd only true and infallible motiue For if he did he would as certainely or rather indeede could not choose but as willingly belieue all the rest since they all come recomended to him by the same Authority And now if there be truth in this which indeed cannot be called into any question the Catholikes and Protestants are farre inough from being of one faith and Church since it is demonstrated that besides the maine differēces which runne betweene vs either they or we haue not really any true and supernaturall faith at all of any one doctrine of the Church wherein yet we seeme to consent together For as Turkes and Mores who belieue in God the Father haue yet no true supernaturall faith euen of that one single Article nor the Iewes of any thing contained euen in the old Testament so neither hath any heticke of any thing contained either in the old or new since they all resemble one another in this that whatsoeuer they belieue it is not done vpon that motiue which only can make an act of true and supernaturall faith And thus it shall suffice me to haue proued according to the maine proiect of this discourse that there is but one true faith which is the foundation of the only one true Religion which is exercised in one only true Church wherewith Christians are bound to communicate and that out of this Church there is no saluation to be found and lastly that both Catholicks and Protestants can by no meanes be accounted for members of one and the same true Church of Christ our Lord. But Protestants Qui nolunt intelligere vt bene agant though their reason tell them that al this is true do yet find their Religion to be so vnsoundly built that they can hardly be drawne to an acknowledgment thereof And therefore they are wont to say that such vnity of faith as this whereof we haue spoken is a kind of impracticable thing in this life that the holy Scripture speaking thereof is not to be vnderstood in such a rigid sense that the Fathers of the primitiue Church were too precise that way that their discourse of this kind was metaphysicall and that saluation is no so hard to be obtained but that there is roome inough in heauen for both Religions And finally they obiect that there is no such exact vnity as I haue her described euen amongst vs Catholickes and that thēselues maintaine a sufficiency of vnity in faith both with the Fathers of the primitiue Church and with their owne fellow brethren the Lutheranes yea some moreouer will be so courteous as to professe that they agree euen with vs moderne Papists in all Fundamentall points of faith But I will consider in the next chapter both how litle reason they haue in what they obiect herein against vs and in what also they alleadge for themselues The auoiding of three obiections which they make against vs to disproue our vnitie in faith amongst our selues and of a fourth allegation whereby they would shew that they hold as much vnity both with the Lutherans and euen with vs Catholickes at this day as they are boūd to maintaine CHAPTER VII THey first striue to impeach our vnity in faith by obiecting that variety of opiniōs in some points which they find by our books to be amongst vs whereby they would inferre that there is also amongst vs a diuersity of beliefe and faith and there is nothing more vsuall with them then this discourse But the answere is shortly and clerely this That wheresoeuer they find our Doctours to be of a contrary opiniō they shall also find those points in question not be haue bene defined by the Church but left at liberty to be debated and disputed as men see cause Such are a world of difficultyes betweene the Thomists and Scotists de auxilijs betwene the Dominicans and the Iesuites wherein either side defendes that which they take to be the truth opposing the contrary opinion by all the argumēts that occure And both sides the while are resolued ready to submit to the iudgmēt definitiō of the Church whensoeuer it shall be declared so captiuating their vnderstanding to the obediēce of faith as the Apostle exhorts And in the meane time they preserue the spirit of charitie in the bond of peace If our aduersaries could sh●w that they erected Altare contra altare or that they were resolued not to obey to the definition of the Church when it were declared they should haue reason on their side but otherwise they are either very ignorant or els full of malice who make this obiection And let them either shew what Iesuite and Dominican breakes communion with on another or els betake thēselues to some better prooffes The next obiection is yet more stupide then the former and I wonder how Caluins rage against the Church could put him so farre out of his wits as that he would euer take it into his mouth For it is he who being pricked by our noting their want of vnity towards their fellow brethren thinkes to re●ort it backe vpon vs by saying that we are not in case to obiect any such thing against them forasmuch as that forsooth we haue as many sects amongst vs as we haue seuerall Orders of Religious men and then he rekons vp Benedictans Carmelites Dominicans Franciscans whom els he will Wicked man who well knewe that no one of those holy Orders doth differ in any one point of doctrine from any of the rest are so farre from breaking communion with them as that still they preuent one another in all honour and good respects according to the aduice of the Blessed Apostle and much more do they exhibite all possible reuerence and obedience to the same Church and the Prelates thereof The difference which indeede raignes amongst them is who shal strip themselues soonest of all earthly incombrance and so fly the faster to heauen They haue seuerall Rules indeed which were framed by their seuerall Founders those men of God whereby they might the better direct their course to this iourneyes end according

extreamely confused what the Church of England in most things belieues so is it as true that they are very carefull that they be not too clearely vnderstood And therefore in many cōtrouersies whereof that booke speakes it comes not at all to the maine difficulty of the question betweene them and vs and especially in those of the Church and Free will For whereas there are two maine Controuersies concerning the Church namely whether the Catholicke Church of our Lord must not euer be visible to the eyes of men though at some times more gloriously then at others and whether the said Church be infallible in the definitiōs of Faith in both which points we hold the affirmatiue and they the negatiue they dare not declare in this publique manner what they hold therein And so also in that of Free Wil Art 10. they only affirme thereof in haec verba The condition of mā after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turne prepare himselfe by his owne naturall strength good workes to faith calling vpō God wherfore we haue no power to do good workes pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God preuenting vs that we may haue a good will and working with vs whē we haue that goodwil Now this is true Catholick Doctrine which we belieue better them they But they declare not the while whether or no a man haue freedome of will to do a good worke or not to do it when first he is inspired and moued to it by God Almighties grace which we affirme they deny which is the only knott of our question the point vpō which so many other Catholicke Doctrines depend Soe also do they play at fast and ●oose when in the sixt Article of holy Scripture they enumerate al those books of the old Testament which they allow to be Canonicall wherein by the way they are rather Iewes then Christians for not admitting the bookes of Iudith the Machabees diuers others into the Canon And they trifle also when they tell vs that they vnderstand those only bookes both of the old and newe Testament to be Canonicall of whose authority there was neuer any doubt in the Church For they know as well as we that the Apocalips the Epistle of S. Iames S. Iude and one of S. Peters were not acknowledged till prooffes were made during the space of three or fower hundred yeares after Christ our Lord. And yet these mē haue beene pleased out of their great grace to admit them though the Machabees must be reiected because they speake of prayer for the dead But obserue in the meane time what this booke of Articles sayeth concerning the Canonicall bookes of the new Testament It saith only this All the bookes of new Testament as they are commonly receaued we doe receaue and account them for Canonicall But why doe they not particularly enumerate all the bookes which they acknowledge to be of the new Testament as they had done them of the old but only because they must so haue named those bookes of S. Iames and others for Canonicall which the Lutherans haue cast out of their Canon A mad peece of vnity God wot when these reformers of the Church according forsooth to Scripture if you will take their word cannot so much as agree about the very Canon it selfe of the Scripture But abstracting from all these insincerities wherewith that booke of Articles is full fraught they doe not so much as say that the Articles of Doctrine which they deliuer are fundamentall either all or halfe or any one thereof or that they are necessarily to be belieued by them or the contrary damnable if it be belieued by vs but they are glad to walke in a cloude for the reasons which haue beene already toucht Maister Rogers indeede in the Analysis which he makes of those nyne and thirty Articles speakes lowd inough by way of taxing the doctrine of the Church of Rome as being contrary to that of the Church of England and he giues it as many ill names as his impure spirit can deuise affirmes amongst other things that many Papists and namely the Franciscans blush not to affirme that S. Francis is the holy Ghost Fol. 23. And that Christ is the Sauiour of men but one Mother Iane is the Sauiour of woemen a most execrable of Postellus the Iesuit Fol. 14. with a great deale of such base trash as this And yet his booke is declared to haue beene pervsed and by the lawfull authority of the Church of England permitted to be publicke But yet euen Maister Rogers himselfe is not so valiant as to tell vs in particular which point of their Doctrine is fundamentall to saluation and which is not Much lesse is there any apparance that euer the Church of England should doe it since euen now we haue seene that it dares not in diuerse points soe much as declare in publicke manner that it professes the expresse contrary of what we held Nay we are not likely to see the fūdamental points of Faith whereof they talke so lowd to be auowed by so much as either of the Vniuersities yea or yet by any one Colledge or society of learned men amongst them And the reason of their reseruation in this kind is playne For if when they write ioyntly and in a body they should be conuinced of any absurdity or errour by the testimony either of the ancient Fathers on the one side or the Lutherans on the other their maine cause would receaue a mortall wounde because so their Church o● Vniuersities or Colledges would plainly appeare to be controlled and confuted eitheir by the Fathers or their fellow ghospellers whereas now when they speake or write but in the name or persons of particular men one of them will not thinke that himselfe or his cause is much preiudiced if any other of them be found guylty of errour and in such cases it is vsuall for them to say what care I if Doctour Morton say this or Doctour White say that and the like For this reason it is that I haue heard some Catholickes affirme and that to my thinking with great reason that they would hold it to be no ill worke for them if the pretended Colledge of Chelsy or any other were founded by Protestants expresly for writing bookes of controuersie by common consent But I belieue I shall not see them halt vpon that leg for feare least they should be found to be lame of both On the otherside at times they make eager inuectiues against vs for declaring so many yea and all the Doctrines of our Church to be Fundamentall so far forth as that whosoeuer refuses obstinatly to belieue any one of them doth forfette the saluation of his soule And in the strength of this zeale of theirs Doctour Dunne in a sermon made before his Maiesty at his first happy coming to this Crowne doth bitterly exclame against the Catholicke Romane Church as