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 tradition_n 2,937 5 9.1389 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A62284 The reformation of the Church of England justified according to the canons of the Council of Nice, and other general councils, and the tradition of the Catholick Church being an answer to a paper reprinted at Oxford, called (The schism of the Church of England) demonstrated in four arguments, formerly proposed to Dr. Gunning and Dr. Pearson the late bishops of Ely and Chester, by two Catholick disputants, in a celebrated conference upon that point : in which answer the unworthy and false dealings of the papists are shewed, and the charge of schism returned upon them, and the Church of England proved truly Catholick and apostolick in her doctrine and constitution / by Dr. Saywell. Saywell, William, 1643-1701. 1688 (1688) Wing S804; ESTC R34023 26,158 36

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

informed and all the Opportunities of serving God according to the highest Perfection of the Apostolick and Primitive Church Come we now to the second Part of the Argument where the Author goes to prove that the Popish Bishops did nothing whereby they became unlawful Bishops for if they did it ought to be supposed it was that for which they were deprived and then he says all the Reasons for which they were deprived were resisting the pretended Reformation and refusing the Oath of Supremacy and that was but proceeding in Practice according to the common Tenets the holding whereof made them not unlawful Bishops Again whilst they were lawful Bishops in Queen Mary's Days they held it a common necessary Point of Religion to resist the Reformation and refuse the Oath of Supremacy In answer to all which I say That according to the Author 's own Argument they were no lawful Bishops because they either did Schismatically invade the Places of the lawful Bishops or else were willingly Consecrated and did joyn in Communion with those Schismatical Bishops When the Queen therefore did set them aside she did but dispossess Men who had no just Right and remove those by her Civil Authority who had no Power but what they had from Force and the secular Constitution But perhaps it may be objected that though their Title were at first defective and they did Schismatically usurp those Bishopricks yet when their Predecessors were dead that Defect might be overlook'd and by the Reception of the Kingdom their Title might be made good and they very well confirmed in their Possession It would have I confess been happy if there had been such a Catholick Disposition in those Bishops that they would have willingly repented and forsaken their former Errors that so the Kingdom might have confirmed their Authority by the Universal Reception But there were many Reasons why they did refuse and could not own and receive them as lawful Catholick Bishops 1. Many of them had been guilty of shedding much Innocent Blood and the rest had been consecrated and joyned in Communion with them and so in some measure were Partakers of their Guilt and it was not fit such polluted Hands should be permitted to Minister at God's Holy Altar For though there was a Law brought in by the Corruption of later Times whereby Hereticks might be put to Death yet it was a great Abuse of that Law to condemn their Spiritual Fathers and better Catholicks than themselves for Hereticks It being contrary to the Divine and Canon Law that such Men should be allowed to exercise the Episcopal Function the Kingdom had great Reason to set them aside 2. It is a known Doctrine in the Canon Law and Roman Schools and a frequent Practice of Roman Catholicks to depose Princes and absolve their Subjects from their Allegiance and endeavour to exterminate those they call Hereticks under which Pretence many Princes have been destroyed many Rebellions and Tumults have been fomented much Innocent Blood has been spilt and Christendom has been a miserable Theatre of War and Confusion These Bishops therefore who formerly had consented to most Parts of the Reformation now growing such Zealots all of a sudden and refusing to Crown the Queen and to give the Kingdom Security of their peaceable Conformity to the Government by taking the Oath which they had formerly taken and had nothing to except against gave just Reason to suspect they were guilty of the Heretical Doctrine of deposing Princes and stirring up Rebellion to exterminate the Nobility and Gentry that would not Comply with them And these are sufficient Reasons why they could not allow them to have Care of the People's Souls which might have been to the utter Destruction of the Queen and Kingdom For 't is notorious there were many Attempts made and by some of them to that purpose and the Pope some Years after did actually Excommunicate and Depose the Queen and charge all Men under an Anathema to withdraw from her Obedience and Communion and that was the Foundation of the present Schism of English Papists and many Rebellions and Treasons amongst us 3. If there had been none of these Exceptions against the Persons of these Bishops yet the Publick Service which they did impose will justify all Men before God and the Catholick Church for not joyning in Communion with them Because 1. All People were in common Account obliged to Worship that which is in the Priest's Hand and in the Pix with Divine Honour as God himself when we have Reason Scripture and the Authority of Catholick Tradition to perswade us to believe it to be Bread and Wine and therefore they could not Worship it without the guilt of Idolatry while they were of that mind For though it be the general Belief of most Christians Ancient and Modern that the Body and Blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper yet there is no Reason to believe the Body of Christ is in the Hand of the Priest or in the Pix for our Saviour says only take eat this my Body and many Churches and Divines say 't is the Body of Christ vescentibus sumentibus But none but the Church of Rome does teach it is upon the Altar and in the Hand of the Priest and that what is there is to be adored 2. Our Saviour says except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you And the Church of God did partake of the Holy Communion in both Kinds for above twelve hundred Years together and all other Churches but the Roman do receive it in both Kinds at this time The Niceties therefore of the Council of Trent and the Roman Schools cannot justify our Disobedience to the Command of Christ and the constant Tradition of the Catholick Church 3. They would allow no other Publick Service but in Latin which People generally did not nor never were likely to understand Contrary to the plain Word of God 1 Cor. 14. These were sufficient Reasons to omit many others why the Queen and Kingdom should refuse to receive and to confirm those Popish Bishops and consequently the Schism that was made was wholly at their Door And the Protestants in joyning with the Reformed Bishops did nothing but that they had warrant to do from the Word of God and the Catholick Church and all other Churches ought to endeavour in a Christian and Peaceable manner to reform these and other Abuses as we have done The third Argument THat Archbishop Parker and all his Associates and consequently all who adhered to him or adhere to their Successors were and are Schismaticks separate from the whole true visible Church of Christ because they were consecrated by Barlow who was intruded into the Place of Christophorson Bishop of Chichester Scory was put by King Edward 6th into Day 's Place then being Bishop of Chichester Coverdale into Vesey's