Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	article_n	believe_v	creed_n	2,820	5	10.5298	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09599	The way to heauen shevving, 1. That saluation is onely in the Church. 2. What that Church is. 3. By what meanes men are added to the Church. 4. The author, or efficient of this addition. 5. The time & continuance of that worke. 6. The happinesse of those that are added to the Church. By Iohn Phillips, Bachelor of Diuinity, and pastor of Feuersham in Kent.	Phillips, John, d. 1640.	1625 (1625)	STC 19878; ESTC S114718	63,953	76

must of necessity be vnited or else there was no saluation for them If a man in this case of conscience being troubled in minde should demand of a Iesuite or Seminary What he should doe to attaine euerlasting life his answere would readily be this You must be reconciled to the Church of Rome But if S. Paul were asked the same question as sometime hee was by the Iaylour what would be his answere Surely none other but this What must thou doe to bee saued Beleeue on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued and thy house When so many soules with pricked and perplexed hearts cried out to the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe Did S. Peter salue their sore consciences with the Balme of reconciliation to Rome No no Rome had then no Christian being but he vniteth them to the Church of the faithfull by calling them to repentance and faith and to enter into the Church by Baptisme Repent saith he and be baptized euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ c. The visible Church then whereunto whosoeuer will be saued must be reconciled is the Congregation of the faithfull of what nation or Countrey or condition soeuer they bee For saith the Apostle there is neither Iew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus Wherefore our blessed Lord hath left vs in this case a sure rule and stay whereupon the Christian soule may safely rest and it is this Where two or three saith he are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Absurdly therefore haue the Romish faction coyned a new definition of the Visible Church wherein they make the most formall and essentiall part to be this namely to be vnder the regiment of one head and gouernour of the Vniuersall Church the Vicar of Christ on earth and S. Peters Successor to wit the Bishop of Rome so that without adherence vnto and dependance vpon this head they admit no man to saluation The grosenesse of this conceit may appeare by these euidences 1. Thus to define the Church in this manner as they do is most illogicall and vnreasonable for a true and perfect definition requireth that it be constituted solely of causes materially and formally essentiall vnto the thing defined so that the one can neuer exist without the other But it is farre otherwise with the true visible Church for that both was and might be defined and thousands of soules vnited vnto it and saued in it before euer the Church of Rome had any being in the world as hath beene shewed before in part How many famous Churches were planted by the Apostles that neuer cast the glance of an eye towards Rome as Corinth Galatia Ephesus and the rest of the seuen Churches of Asia How many thousand soules conuerted that neuer heard of any such vniuersall head or so much as the name of Rome And indeede what should let but that they may be saued without any such respect which haue the graces of faith and repentance and are entred by Baptisme to to which the promise is made in the generall commission Goe ye saith our Lord into all the world and preach the Gospell to euery creature He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued Againe if there were such necessity to bee vnited to the Sea of Rome vpon paine of damnation how came it to passe that S. Cyprian as our Aduersaries themselues confesse in a Councell of fourescore and seuen Bishops opposed himself against the Pope and being cut off from communion with that great Head yet died a blessed Saint and was honoured with the crowne of Martyrdome dying out of that communion and as Bellarmine saith neuer found to make any retractation Or if to adhere to this one vniuersall Head bee a matter of so great consequence as they make it that the saluation of all men depend vpon it is it credible that it should be so vnknowne to Gregorie the Great that he himselfe being Bishop of Rome aboue fiue hundred yeres after Christ should renounce it with so many titles of disgrace in one Epistle He cals it a name of Nouelty an impious name a title of singularity and that he which taketh it vpon him is the forerunner of Antichrist with many more disgracefull termes giuen to that proud and pompous title elsewhere Besides how can that be a perpetuall and essentiall part of the Churches definition which was not knowne in the Christian world so many hundred yeeres after Christ but as their owne learned Historians confesse was obtained of Phocas the Emperour by Boniface the third who was the second Pope that succeeded after S. Gregorie Boniface the third saith Platina obtained of Phocas the Emperour with much importunity That the seat of S. Peter should be stiled and taken of all for the head of all Churches Where then was this head before S. Gregorie himselfe will satisfie vs. None saith he of my predecessours the Bishops of Rome did euer assume or challenge to himselfe the name of Vniuersall Bishop We see then how vnreasonable it is that dependance vpon the Sea of Rome should be essentiall to the definition of the Visible Church and of necessity to Saluation as they would make their blindfold followers beleeue 2. Againe it is manifest That as S. Augustine speaketh in those things that are apertly and plainely set downe in Scripture we may finde whatsoeuer doth concerne faith and good life Now let vs search the whole Booke of God from the first of Genesis to the last of the Apocalypse and wee shall not finde so much as one word either of prophecie precept promise or president to countenance any such necessary adherence to Rome How then can this be so mayne a point of faith as the Romanists would haue it that hath not so much as one expresse Scripture to ground it selfe vpon 3. And is it indeede so waighty a point of Christian belee●e In what Creed I pray you may we finde it I am sure it is not in the Apostles Creed vnlesse they finde it in some thirteenth new-coyned Article of their owne There is onely the Holy Catholike Church the communion of Saints which for the visible and Militant part of it is all one in effect with our definition viz. That the visible Church is a congregation of faithfull men Saints by calling as Saint Paul speaketh In the Nicene Creed there is onely added by way of explication the word Apostolicke I beleeue one Catholicke and Apostolicke Church to shew against the Heretickes of that time that that was the onely true Catholicke and Orthodoxe Church which continued in the Doctrine of the Apostles As for Athanasius in his Creed hee makes Catholicke Religion to consist in the true Catholicke faith and beliefe of those things that are of necessitie to

wee haue opened the first branch of our definition of the Church shewing that the true Church is the company of the faithfull of what nation or countrey soeuer and that it is not tyed to any person or place no not to Rome Because many thousands were saued that neuer knew it and before euer it was Christian Romes authority ouer others is in no Scripture in no Creed it is but a particular Church and member onely of the Vniuersall as others are and subiect to errour as well as others The second branch of the definition of the Church is That it is discerned from all other societies by soundnesse of Doctrine and due administration of Sacraments Touching Doctrine it is the eare-marke of Christs sheepe My sheepe heare my voyce It is that whereby the faithfull are directed to try the true Pastor from the Impostor the Orthodoxe from the Hereticall Ye shall know them by their fruits Therefore S. Iohn counselleth not to beleeue euery spirit but to try the spirits whether they are of God and chargeth the elect Lady and her children thus If there come any vnto you and bring you not this doctrine receiue him not into your house neither bid him God speed And this charge he did ground vpon a Diuine rule of tryall in the words immediately going before the rule is this Whosoeuer transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ hee hath both the Father and the Sonne And lest any should thinke it strange that the tryall of Doctrine should bee required of priuate Christians our Sauiour puts it out of doubt shewing not onely that it is and ought to be so but directeth how it may be done for hauing said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Hee giueth them a double rule which being obserued they may discerne of Doctrine the one concerneth the Hearer the other the Teacher The rule concerning the Hearer is If any man will doe his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe that is If a man in humilitie and sinceritie of heart seeke to be informed in the truth and as God from time to time shall reueale it vnto him maketh conscience to put in practice that which hee shall heare and as Theophylact saith shall imbrace vertue and not suffer himselfe to be a slaue to enuie and hate truth before he know it such a man shall bee able to discerne of Doctrine but yet with this prouiso which there Theophylact well inserteth viz. That this is one mayne part of doing the will of God namely to search the Prophets and Scriptures Touching the second rule which concerneth the Teacher it is this He that speaketh of himselfe seeketh his owne glory but hee that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true A good parallell distinguishing exactly the false Teacher from the true the one seeking his owne the other Gods glory By this rule wee desire all men sincerely and without preiudice to iudge betweene vs and our Romish Aduersaries Looke with an indifferent and impartiall eye into the doctrine and practice on both parts you shall find that all their doctrines and courses wherein they differ from vs ayme altogether at the extolling of nature mans workes and merits with a glance still at the magnifying and inriching of their Romane Synagogue whereas wee with our blessed Lord make the scope of all our teaching and practice the glory of God and the praise of the all-sufficient merit of Christ. This direction of our Sauiour is sufficient alone of it selfe to prooue that the Doctrine is the right triall of the Church and Pastors of it But besides we finde the Congregation of the faithfull described in the Acts of the Apostles by this very note that they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine And the Thessalonians are commended that they receiued the Word of God not as the word of man resting vpon the bare authority of the Teacher but as it is in truth the Word of God They that rested vpon men vnder the name and colour of the Church and chiefe gouernours of the Church the chiefe Priests and Elders of the people did crucifie Christ whereas they that examined the Doctrine by the Word of God did beleeue If therefore ye will approoue your selues to bee the Disciples of the Gospell that is true Christians yee must walke saith Athanasius by the rule of the Scriptures It is sound Doctrine then grounded vpon the Word of God that the Christian soule must rest vpon for the discerning of the true Church for whether it bee concerning Christ or concerning his Church saith S. Augustine or touching any other thing pertaining to faith and life If wee or an Angel from heauen teach any otherwise then that which yee haue receiued in the Scriptures let him bee accursed As for the Sacraments that they are also discerning notes of the Church I need heere to say nothing in regard that it hath beene sufficiently shewed before that they are so peculiar to the Church that the one cannot bee without the other Concerning the third branch of the definition of the Church That it admitteth nothing as necessary to saluation or as an absolute part of Gods worship that is not according to the Word and Ordinance of Christ. This fully completeth and perfecteth the definition of the Church which must bee as pure in her Religion and worship as shee is sound in her Doctrine that there bee no mixture of mans inuention with Gods Ordinance for in the seruice of God the hypothesi● or condition of the Prophes must euer hold good If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him God will haue all or none Hee cannot abide that his f●are that is his religious worsh●p should be taught by the precepts of men and therefore accounteth it vaine worship and meere lost labour when the commandements of men are taught and held for Doctrines and as it were rules and principles of necessity to be obserued This must bee seriously considered for the better meeting with two aduersaries which doe assaile truth on both sides with their different extremes The one is the Romanist who hold that the ceremonies of the Church may not bee omitted without grieuous sinne inasmuch as they haue spirituall vertue and are parts of Diuine worship and withall are meritorious And they father this conceit vpon the power which they attribute to the Church to institute suo iure that is by her owne right such Ceremonies and therefore to make their followers plyable they teach them as a mayne principle of their Religion that they must obey with equall respect in regard of saluation the Mothers precept as well as the Fathers Mandate but they neuer consider that the true