Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	authority_n	believe_v	church_n	26,614	5	5.5829	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37198	An explanation of the Roman Catholick's belief concerning the principal points controverted, charitably offered to all moderate persons.	Franciscus a Sancta Clara, 1598-1680.	1670 (1670)	Wing D353; ESTC R19362	4,056	13

An EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICK'S BELIEF Concerning the principal Points Controverted Charitably offered to all moderate Persons The Fourth Edition Anno Dom. MDCLXX I. Of the Scripture WE believe the Holy Scriptures to be of Divine inspiration and infallible Authority and whatsoever is therein contained we firmly assent unto as the Word of God the Author of all Truth But since in the Holy Scriptures there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 which the ignorant and unstable wrest to their own destruction we therefore profess for the ending of Controversies in our Religion and setling of peace in our Consciences to submit our private Judgements to the Judgement of the Church represented in a Free General Council II. Of the B. Trinity Of Prayer to Saints Of Images WE humbly believe the sacred Mystery of the Blessed Trinity one Eternal Almighty and incomprehensible God whom onely we adore and worship as alone having Soveraign Dominion over all things to whom onely we acknowledg as due from men and Angels 1 Tim. 1. ●… all glory service and obedience abhorring from our hearts as a most detestable Sacriledge to give our Creators honor to any Creature whatsoever And therefore we solemnly profess that by the Prayers we address to Angels and Saints we intend no other than humbly to sollicite their assistance before the Throne of God as we desire the Prayers of one another here upon earth not that we hope any thing from them as original Authors thereof but from God the Fountain of all Goodness through Jesus Christ our onely Mediator and Redeemer Neither do we believe any divinity or virtue to be in Images for which they ought to be worshipped as the Gentiles did their Idols but we retain them with due and decent respect in our Churches as instruments which we find by experience do often assist our memories and excite our affections III. Of Justificatton Of Merits WE firmly believe that no force of nature nor dignity of our best works can merit our Justification but we are justified freely by grace Rom. 3● 14 through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ And although we should by the grace of God persevere unto the end in a godly life and holy obedience to the Commandments yet are our hopes of eternal glory still built upon the mercy of God and the merits of Jesus Christ All other merits according to our sense of that word signifie no more than Actions done by the assistance of Gods grace to which it has pleased his goodness to promise a reward a Doctrine so far from being unsuitable to the sense of the Holy Scriptures that it is their principal design to invite and provoke us to a diligent observance of the Commandments by promising heaven as the Reward of our obedience 1 Tim. 4.8 Godliness is profitable to all things having the promise of this life and of that which is to come And Rom. 2.8 God will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient confidence in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life And again Rom. 8.3 If you live after the flesh you shall dy but if through the spirit you mortifie the deeds of the body you shall live And Heb. 6.10 God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shewed for his name c. Nothing being so frequently repeated in the Word of God as his gracious promises to recompense with everlasting glory the faith and obedience of his servants Luke 6.38 Nor is the bounty of God barely according to our works but high and plentiful even beyond our capacities giving full measure heaped up pressed down and running over into the bosoms of all that love him Thus we believe the merit or rewardableness of holy living both which signifie the same thing with us arises not from the self-value even of our best actions as they are ours but from the Grace and bounty of God Luke 17.10 and for our selves we sincerely profess when we have done all those things which are commanded us we are unprofitable servants having done nothing but that which was our duty so that our boasting is not in our selves but all our glorying is in Christ IV. Of the H. Eucharist IN the holy Eucharist or most venerable Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord We acknowledge that there are as in all other Sacraments two things The visible sign which is the forms of bread and wine to which no Catholick may or doth direct his worship There is also invisible Grace signified the body of our blessed Lord whom being present we adore and worship with all possible reverence and thanksgiving from our hearts for so great a blessing warranted herein by our blessed Lord himself in each of the Gospels V. Of Communion in one kind VVE humbly confess that from the beginning of Christianity the holy Communion was administred frequently in both and sometimes in each kind according to several circumstances and hence the holy Church following the piety of Christians who insensibly became accustomed to receive it almost universally in one kind upon great motives did afterwards ordain to have it in one as now it is commonly administred though the receiving of it so is not matter of faith Neither do we believe that religious and devout communicants are hereby bereaved of any benefit or comfort in obeying the Churches orders Trid. ses 21. Can. 3● since our holy belief instructs us that our blessed Lord the fountain of all grace is as equally present in one kind as in both VI. Of the Sacrifice of the Altar THe holy Sacrifice indeed of the altar we clearly believe ought to be celebrated in both kinds as now it is according to the divine institution Luke 21.9 as being done in representation and commemoration of our Lords blessed passion on the Cross wherein the body and bloud were separated Whatsoever therefore propitiatory power our holy Religion attributes to this commemorative Sacrifice it is by virtue of the Sacrifice of the Cross as being by this applied to us This is the substance of our faith expressed in the Council of Trent so that still we humbly acknowledge the ground of our salvation to be derived from our Lords blessed and bitter passion Ses 22. c. 1. VII Of Prayer in Latine VVE freely acknowledg that it is no way commanded by the Church that the people should pray in a language which they understand not nay there is given them all possible encouragement to encrease their devotions and with the Apostle to allure all if it may be to continual prayer which is the life of our souls by ordaining and publishing most excellent Prayers in vulgar languages for their use As to the Liturgies of the Church which properly belong to Church-men and therefore were anciently stiled the Priests Books lest the people should not receive full benefit by their publick use there

is an express command of our holy mother the Church in the Council of Trent Ses 5. c. 8. that the Pastors and all who have charge of souls in the very time of divine service should expound and make them plain to the peoples capacity as in the old times of the Church we find it was also ordained and practised VIII Of Prayer for the dead OUr faith teacheth us to exercise Christian Charity by humbling our selves before the divine throne of Gods mercy to beg forgiveness as we do for one another here upon earth of the debts and trespasses of those middle sort of Christians In Enchiridio ad Laurentium de Civ l. 21. c. 24. as S. Augustine and the Council of Florence call them who had not brought forth sufficient fruits of Repentance dying in communion of the Faithful which indigent condition of theirs relievable by the Churches or the Prayers of the Faithful surviving speaks what the ancient call Purgatory warranted herein by the practise under the Law recorded and recommended in the Maccabees which being in no sort reprehended by our Lord or his Apostles amongst the rest of the Jews unlawful practises was and is justly presumed to have been allowed by him as many of the Fathers understood his sermon in the Mount and by them as is hinted by S. Paul Mat. 5.29 1 Cor. 15.29 2 Cor. 3. whereupon it hath continued ever since in general practise throughout all ages as even Gravestones and all other Christian Monuments do witness especially all ancient Liturgies of the Saints and Books of common prayers used in all Churches neither can we discern how possibly this may be conceived offensive to God whose justice herein we hope and do humbly endeavour to appease by our exercise of brotherly compassion If you should ask how any mans acts can satisfie for anothers faults since each mans burdens are much too heavy for him without Christs Passion To this our Holy Religion teacheth us that there is no Law of God which assures us in rigour of justice of Gods acceptance of the acts of another man for my sins this was onely the priviledg of the actions of our blessed Lord yet this hinders not but that they may prevail by way of suffrage and impetration for our pardon and therefore it is great piety for us to pray for each other as Holy Scripture and constant practise of Holy Church warrant us IX Of the Moral Law Of Obedience to Civil Magistrates WE further do firmly believe and highly reverence the Moral Law Exod. 20. Mat. 19. Eccles 12.13 being so solemnly delivered to Moses upon the Mount so exprefly confirmed by our Saviour in the Gospel and containing in it self so perfect an Abridgment of our whole duty both to God and man Which Moral Law we believe obliges all men to proceed with faithfulness and sincerity in their mutual contracts one towards another and therefore our constant Profession is that we are most strictly and absolutely bound to the exact and entire performance of our promises made to any person of what Religion soever much more to the Magistrates and Civil Powers under whose protection we live whom we are taught by the Word of God from whom their power is derived to obey not onely for fear but conscience sake and to whom we will most faithfully observe our promises of duty and obedience notwithstanding any dispensation absolution or other proceedings of any forraign Power or Authority whatsoever Wherefore we utterly deny and renounce that false and scandalous position that Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks as most uncharitably imputed to our practises and most unjustly pinned upon our Religion X. Of Ecclesiastical Hierarchy IN Order to our better instruction how to comport our selves in this and all other occurrences relating to Gods service We firmly believe that according to Divine Ordination in the Catholick Church there is a Hierarchy consisting of Bishops Priests and Ministers He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and other Evangelists and other Pastors and Doctors to the consummation of the Saints unto the work of the Ministery unto the edifying of the body of Christ untill we all meet in the unity of Faith and the knowledg of the Son of God c. That now we be not children wavering and carried about with every wind of doctrine in the wickedness of men incraftiness to the circumvention of error c. Eph. 4. These we sincerely and solemnly profess as in the sight of God the searcher of all hearts taking the words plainly and simply in their usual and familiar sense without any Equivocation or Mental Reservation whatsoever FINIS