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
A66185	An exhortation to mutual charity and union among Protestants in sermon preach'd before the King and Queen at Hampton-Court, May 21. 1689 / by William Wake ... publish'd by His Majesties special command.	Wake, William, 1657-1737.	1689 (1689)	Wing W242; ESTC R4543	15,773	37

it matter of Conscience the one to observe these Ceremonial Institutions as what God still required of them the other to refuse any such Imposition as not only a needless Burden but even repugnant to the Grace of Christ declared to them in his Gospel St. Paul in the prosecution of this very Argument does clearly bear witness to them Ch. xiv 6. Where he makes use of this very thing as one Reason why they should mutually tolerate one another in their Dissentions viz. That however they differ'd in their Notions as to these particulars yet they were both perfectly agreed in the same common Zeal for the Glory of God and the discharge of their Duty He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it He that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks and he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks And indeed either we must say that all even the least Points relating to our Religion are so clearly and plainly revealed that no Honest man can possibly be mistaken if he will but impartially enquire into them which from the Diffe●●nces of whole Parties concerning these things 't is plain they are not Or else mens different Capacities and Opportunities and Tempers and Education consider'd 't is in vain to expect that all Good men should agree in all their Notions of Religion any more than we see they do in any other concerns whatsoever And who am I that I should dare to pronounce a sentence of Reprobation against any one in whom there appear all the other Characters of an humble upright sincere Christian only because he has not perhaps met with the same Instruction or Read the same Books or do's not Argue the same way In a word because he is not so wise or it may be is wiser than I am and sees farther than I do and therefore is not exactly of my Opinion in every thing Now if this be so as both the Principles of Reason conclude it very well may be and the common Experience of Mankind not only in the particular concern of Religion but in most other things assures us that it is That mens Understandings are different and they will argue different ways and entertain different Opinions from one another about the same things and yet may nevertheless deserve on all sides to be esteemed very good and wise men for all that How vain then must that Argument be which a Late Author of the Church of Rome has with so much Pomp revived against us from our Differences in a few lesser Points of our Religion to conclude us to be Erroneous in the greater and that because we are not exactly of the same Opinion in every thing that therefore we ought to be credited in nothing that is to say That because Protestants when they differ are mistaken on One Side therefore when they agree they are mistaken on Both 1 st It is certain that amidst all our other Divisions we are yet on all sides agreed in whatsoever is Fundamental in the Faith or necessary to be believed and professed by us in order to our Salvation There is no good Protestant but what does firmly believe all the Articles of the Apostles Creed and embraces the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God and Rule of his Faith and readily acknowledges whatsoever is plainly revealed therein and is at all times disposed to submit to any thing that can by any necessary and certain Consequence be proved to him thereby In short Our Differences whatsoever they are I will be bold to say they do no more nor even so much concern the foundations of Christianity as those of the Judaizing Christians here did If their differing therefore with one another was no prejudice to the Truth of their common Christianity then I would fain know for what reason our Differences which are lesser shall become so much a greater Argument against our common Christianity now But 2 dly If our differing from one another in some Points be an Argument that we are not certain in any How shall we be sure that those of the Church of Rome are not altogether as uncertain as we are seeing we are sure that they do no less differ among themselves and that in Points too much more considerable than we do For to take only one Instance instead of many and that so considerable that Card. Bellarmin once thought the Sum of Christianity he meant the Sum of Popery to consist in it viz. The Prerogatives of the Bishop of Rome both in and over the Church of Christ. Some there are who hold the Pope to be Head of the Church by Divine Right Others the contrary * Some That he is Infallible Others That he is not * Some That the Pope alone without a Council may determine all Controversies Others That he cannot Now if in these and many other points of no less importance they themselves are as far from agreeing with One another as they can possibly pretend us to be what shall hinder us but that we return their own Inference upon them That seeing they differ among themselves in such things as these they are so far from that absolute Infallibility they set up for that in truth they have not so much as any certainty among them even in those Points wherein they do agree Is it that in their Church tho there be indeed as many differences as in ours yet this makes not against them seeing they have a certain Rule whenever they please for the composing of them viz. The Definition of the Pope and of the Church This indeed I find is commonly said by them But then certainly if they have such a ready means as they say of Agreement among them 't is the more shame for them that they do not agree he being much more inexcusably guilty in the omission of any duty who having a ready means to fulfil it neglects so to do than he who has none or which is the same thing does not know that he has any But indeed they have no means of Ending their differences any more than we have The Holy Scriptures we both of us acknowledg to be the Word of God and an Infallible Rule of Faith but for any other direction they are not yet agreed where to seek it And sure that can be no very good means of Ending all their other Differences which is its self one of their chiefest Controversies Or is it That they agree in matters of Faith and differ only in those things that do not belong to it Because if they differ about any Point they for that very reason conclude it to be no matter of Faith. But besides the Impertinence of this Answer which amounts to no more than this that they do agree in what they do agree and differ only in those things in which they differ This