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	church_n	interpretation_n	4,397	5	10.0901	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51142	The trve Protestant sovldier fighting valiantly under truths banner, and by the glorious light of Gods word overthrowing the strongest bulwarkes, and subtle stratagems of the Church of Rome. By Hamnet Warde.	Monginot, François, 1569-1637.; Ward, Hamnet.	1642 (1642)	Wing M2418; ESTC R27120	26,961	42

not betake themselves to the universall Church In this then there appeares a very great abuse that the Church of Rome being indeed but a particular Church stiles her selfe the universall Church and in that she being full of errours vaunts her selfe neverthelesse to be without any errour nay more that it is impossible for her to erre and least her errours should be discovered by the glorious light of Gods holy Word the writings of the Prophets and Apostles she doth not only hinder the people from reading the word and reade it in the Church in a language which the people understandeth not but endeavours also to take away all its force and authority for they make the people beleeve that the Church of Rome is soveraigne Judge in all matters of difference in Religion by this meanes he that will accuse the Church of Rome of any errour may be sure to loose his processe seeing she alone is soveraigne Judge in her owne cause The Church of Rome doth likewise affirme that it is impossible for her to erre in the interpretations of the holy Scripture and that it is in her power to make constructions of the like authority with the word of God which is indeed no lesse then to place her selfe in Gods seat For as there is none but the King that can give an interpretation to his edict that may be of equall force with the edict it selfe So there is none but God alone that may give such a construction unto the Word of God as may be of the like power and authority with the Word of God And there is nothing more certaine then that such an interpreter is greater then the Law-giver sithence he giveth unto the Law such a sense as he pleaseth and the people taught to rely more on that then on the Law it self And to be sure that the Church of Rome be not any way subject unto the holy Scripture they maintaine that it is the Church that doth authorize the Scripture and which gives it all its power and authority as if the Subject could give authority unto Lawes or as if the Word of God did receive its authority from men To this end the Doctours of the Church of Rome say that the Church is more ancient then the holy Scripture but doth it therefore follow that the Church must be above the Scripture the people are they not many of them older then the King yet are they neverthelesse subject both to the King and to his Lawes however there be many Doctrines in the holy Scripture more ancient then the Church But say they we should not know that it were the Scripture if the Church did not tell us so but doth it follow thence I pray you that the Church must be above the Scripture If I should say I doe not know which is the King and if my friend should shew me doth it therefore follow that my friend must be above the King Many serve for witnesses unto persons unto whom they are farre inferiour Likewise to undervalue the authority of the Scripture and to strengthen that of the Church they say that the holy Scripture is a dead thing and cannot speake and consequently may not be Judge for say they a Judge must be able to speake as the Church is This is most false and deceitfull for the holy Scripture speaketh enough and if it speaks not enough it is that it guides us But the Church of Rome forsooth will be the rule it selfe and not subject to any Law but will be Judge both of the Law and of the Word of God Thus are men become Gods Judges and guilty persons shall be infallible and soveraigne Judges of the sence and authority of the Law which concernes their owne crime by this meanes they need not feare to be condemned but will they nill they at the day of Judgement they shall be judged by this very word over which they now thus usurpe authority then shall that pratling Judge be constrained to keep silence So then these Gentlemen in sending the people to the Church for the deciding of doubts in faith distract their minds with an innumerable company of doubts and difficulties for how shall an ignorant man know that there must be a Church in the world If they say he may know it by the Scripture it is then necessary that he be acquainted with the Scripture and thus the authority of the Church should be founded on the Scripture and when the Church teacheth this or that how shall the people know whether it be conformable to the Word of God sithence the reading of Gods Word is absolutely forbidden them and there being many Churches disagreeing one with the other how can the poore people discerne that which teacheth lyes from that which teacheth the truth seeing the very rule of truth which is the holy Scripture is a book utterly forbidden them Shall they follow the multitude Jesus Christ saith Mat. 7. That the gate is wide which leadeth to perdition and there are ten times as many Turks and Pagans as there are Christians shall they believe miracles our Saviour faith Marke 13. There shall come false teachers working miracles whereby to seduce if it were possible the very elect shall they have regard to seats and successions The Churches of Greece have also had their seats since the Apostles and the Churches of Syria theirs and brag of S. Peters chair and yet all these are quite contrary to the Church of Rome and indeed more ancient Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles having preached there and beeing the first Institutours of them We doe not here dispute of S. Peters superiority over the rest of the Apostles he might be the first in order authority or virtue and yet not have any superiority of jurisdiction But that matters not the question is whether the Pope of Rome be S. Peters successour as the head of the universall Church which is the principall point of the Papists Religion wherof neverthelesse there is not one word spoken in all the Scripture The Bishops of Corinth and Thessalonica were Saint Pauls Successours not as Apostles but as particular Bishops of those cities So the question is not whither the afore-said Bishop of Rome be Saint Peters Successour in the Bishoprick of Rome but whether he succeeds him in the Apostleship as the head of the whole Church This is that which we slatly deny and which they can never proove or if they could so prove it yet the Pope having corrupted Saint Peters Doctrine and changed his Bishoprick into an abs●lute temporall Monarchy had long since that lost his succession To conclude there being but one holy Scripture and there being many contrary Churches and the Doctors of these Churches being apt to seeke their owne profit and subject to be carried away with diverse evill affections but the holy Scripture being an incorruptible Judge let us have recourse to this holy Word of God in the which if there be any obscurity there is

notwithstanding enough left which needs no interpretation which is sufficient to make us wise unto Salvation as the Apostle Saint Paul saith 1 Tim. 3. CHAPTER II. Of the Popes power THe Bishop of Rome calleth himselfe Saint Peters Successour not only as being Bishop of Rome but as being also the Head of the univers●ll Church Which power he extends so farre as to give and take away Kingdomes to distribute of crownes to dispence with Christians from keeping their oathes and vowes to canonize Saints to give Lawes to the universall Church to forgive sins to take soules out of Purgatory to judge soveraignly and without controle of all points and differences in Religion vaunting that it is impossible for him to erre in faith and for these considerations qualifying himselfe god on Earth the Spouse of the Church and a divine Majesty causing Kings to kisse his feet and making himself a religious worship terming himself Gods Vicar For this cause I have read very carefully Saint Peters Epistles and have compared them with the Popes Buls wherby he thunders down Kings and degrades them publisheth grand pardons but I can finde no concordance at all the one with the other for Saint Peter in his Epistles speaks not any wise of his Superiority not of his power neither is there one word spoken of his Soveraignty or as being head of the Church which is a very strange thing that a Soveraigne should write unto his subjects without mentioning one word that might intimate his Soveraignty I finde also that the Apostles did contest among themselves concerning the priority and that Jesus Christ did decide the controversie not telling them that he had made Saint Peter chiefe over the rest but forbidding them all not so much as to speake of the priority any more Luk. 22. The Kings of the Gentiles saith he exercise Lordship over them but it shall not be so with you Saint Peter having confessed our Saviour to be the Christ the son of the living God our Saviours answer to him is not Tu es Petrus super te Petrum adificabo ecclesiam meam but tu es Petrus super hanc petram c. which rock is Christ Iesus himselfe as it is said 1 Cor. 10. That rocke was Christ and in the second chapter to the Eph. he is called the corner stone and S. Peter 1. cp 2. cals him a living Stone The reason why our Saviour spake to S. Peter alone was because S. Peter had there alone confessed him to be the Christ but the same power that he gave to S. Peter to binde and to loose and to remit sins he gives elswhere also to the rest of the Apostles Mat. 18. 18. c. John 20. 23. Likewise in the second chapter to the Ephesians all the Apostles are set for the foundation of the Church being built upon the foundation of the Apostles and of the Prophets See also Revel 21.14 And certainly if the Apostles had understood that Iesus Christ had given S. Peter the Superiority never would they again after that have contested betweene themselves for the preheminence as they do in Luk. 22. one day before the death of the Lord. The Apostle S. Paul also in Galat. 2. saith that he withstood St. Peter to the face which sheweth sufficiently that he was nothing subject to S. Peter and in the same Chapter a little before he saith That the Gospell of uncircumcision was committed to him as the Gospell of circumcision was unto Peter here we see them fellow-labourers together Saint Peter was to preach to the Jewes and Saint Paul to the Gentiles In that same chapter also S. Paul sets the Apostle S. James before S. Peter saying James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars So also S. John in the first chapter of his Gospell sets Andrew before Peter where he saith Philip was of Bethsaida the city of Andrew and Peter and in the 1 Cor. 9. The Brothers of the Lord and Cephas and in the 8. of the Acts of the Apostles the Apostles send Peter and Iohn to preach in Samaria Oh what a brave thing it were now a dayes to see many Bishops assemble together and send the Pope to preach in England or elswhere They object that our Saviour said to St. Peter three times Feed my sheepe true but they cannot inferre from thence that he made him the head of the universall Church for our Saviour said not to S. Peter feed thou my sheep alone or as a Soveraigne and indeed the same commission is given to all the Ministers of Gods Word in the 20. of the Acts Take heed therefore saith S. Paul unto your selves and to all the flocke over the which the Lord hath made you over-seers to feede the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloud and in the 1 Pet. 5. Feede the flocke of Christ which is among you Jesus Christ then speaks to S. Peter alone because that a little before he had denied him and he only had need to be restablished in his commission that had failed in it Another reason why our Saviour repeats the words thrice is because that he had denied him thrice he draws from him three confessions to remedy his treble denyall which done he did againe establish him in the charge of a Shepheard of his flocke from the which he might plainly perceive that he had fallen Neverthelesse I will not deny but that S. Peter might be the chiefest among the Apostles in age zeale cloquance c. but by no meanes in superiority of jurisdiction wherby to have power to command them However put the case that S. Peter had beene the chiefe of the Apostles and their Superiour what doth that make for the Pope of Rome They say S. Peter died at Rome which is indeed very doubtfull neverthelesse put the case he did dye there for I may say then that the Bishop of Jerusalem ought to be the head of the Church for our Saviour Christ farre greater than St. Peter dyed at Ierusalem Where is the least mention in all Gods Word that S. Peter did leave one to succeed him in the charge of his Apostleship and as the head of the Church And when S. Peter was dead in all reason and conscience if any should succeed him ought it not to be the Apostle S. Iohn that excellent Apostle which Iesus loved rather then Linus S. Pauls Disciple Moreover by all the Histories of the lives of the Popes it appeares that the people of Rome did choose their Bishop who seeth not hereby that the Bishop of Rome was not the head of the universall Church for who gave the people of Rome power to give a head to the Church of the whole world and to set up Linus above the Apostles In an elective Kingdom when a King is to be chosen every quarter of the Kingdome and every commonalty sends it's Deputies to make the election the voyces of one city cannot conclude of any thing wherin the