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	faith_n	infallible_a	4,512	5	9.4343	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03012	A soveraign counter-poyson prepared by a faithfull hand for the speedy revivscence of Andrew Sall late sacrilegious apostat ... / Contriv'd by J. E.	J. E.	1674 (1674)	Wing E16; ESTC R171890	44,784	118

that this faith or beli●ving was to be sealed in the understanding that the understanding was to submit n● arrogantly to dispute And that this Act 〈◊〉 believe was a command or precept of Al● mighty God who will have his will obeye● by all his subjects and the not obeying 〈◊〉 which is punished with eternal damnat●on Lastly consider Hebr. 10.23 let us ho● fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithfull that hath promised That faith is truly divine must be an infallible assent of our understanding submitting it self obediently to believe the Revelation● of God for otherwise faith consequently all Religion may be no more then fancy o● opinion and then no ways certain and if so then no obligation Now it must follow first that there must be some means appointed by God by which we may know this one true faith from all false Sects and opinions whereas to require one to believe upon pain of damnation not to give him any means whereby he may know what to believe for salvation in this Religion or that sect were to require him to walk without leggs these means must be infallible for we cannot be brought to an infallible assent by fallible and uncertain means as God would not require us to assent to an Authority which may deceive us then our understanding must of necessity submit to those ●eans under pain of damnation O terrible ●r if our understanding were at liberty to ●bmit or not submit to the means by which ●ving Faith is conveyed unto us it would ●en be no sin not to believe consequently ●od would not jnstly damn us for not be●eving and withall whosoever shall re●se to be governed by those heavenly ●eans and the same authority that God ●ath appointed to govern us he shall be a ●ebel against God and a vile Traitor Last●y I say that two men of two differing ●iths or beliefs cannot be saved for both of ●hem knowing that they are bound to be guided and governed by those means which God hath appointed to convey saving faith ●o them and one of them flatly refusing to submit this person who refufeth must be guilty of disobedience and refractoriness to Gods Command and consequently cannot be saved And so to our present purpose ignorant people by reasonable and earnest diligence as it is very tollerable to humane frailty and very possible and easy for them may come by Gods grace to the true knowledge of these means otherwise God would have appointed means which would prove unprofitable to the end and so the far greater number of souls for whom Christ died would not be sufficiently provided for by Gods sweet providence 〈◊〉 that prophesy would prove also ineffectual Esay 35. Say to them that are of a fear f●● heart be strong fear not behold your G●● will come and save you then the eyes of th● blinde shall be opened and the eares of th● deaf unstopped c. and one high way shall 〈◊〉 there and a way and it shall be called the holy way that way-faring men though fo●● shall not err therein It cannot be denyed b●● this wholsome doctrine is agreeable with all sorts of people Apostats sectaries o● Dissenters from the Mother Church for it must be granted that there must be a way and a Rule there must be means appointed there must be a governing power to judge and decide all arising doubts and teach a● the world the true way and path to heaven with certainty but when we come to find●● it out all persons will agree That they are obliged under pain of damnation to submit to it receive it and embrace it and wal● according to it as to the Apostles if they were actually living or to Christ himself 〈◊〉 and when you understand this Rule and guide then you cannot but believe all and every article of faith which we the Roman Catholicks did all along from the Apostles time and this day do unanimously believe and practise this is the main point which will allay all controversies contests wranglings ammosityes and hatred between Roman Catholicks and all dissenters the God ●f union and truth open the eyes and illu●inate the understandings of apostats to ●ake right use of this my labour Now I ●t them know that neither private spirit or natural reason of any man can possibly 〈◊〉 this Rule and Judge for this must sub●it as a subject and Vassal to that Rule and ●udge and it 's always fallible and strangdly ●t to mistake misleade which is against ●e nature of the true Rule and Judge to be ●r if God should oblige us upon pain of ●amnation to submit unto and to be go●erned and ruled by an Authority that might receive and might teach for a truth what 〈◊〉 not we should be bound to believe that 〈◊〉 true which is not so and yet be dam●●d for not believing the truth further ●our private spirit or reason were to be ●is Rule and Judge then it would follow ●●ntrary to the scripture that it is not im●●ssible to please God without faith for ●●ason would sufficiently teach us how to ●ease God yet it would be a breach of this ●ule to believe what we do not understand would likewise follow that every pre●●nded Religion would be the truth and 〈◊〉 contradictions would be true and there would be not only one faith but no faith 〈◊〉 all but reason above which faith is for reason excludeth faith and there 〈◊〉 scarce that man living but his reason diffe● from anothers understanding judgmen● differing as much as their faces therefo●● none that follows his own Reason could 〈◊〉 justice be condemned by God and so 〈◊〉 ilation all men would be saved unle●● peradventure you will say that in a bu●●ness of such main consequence as the salv●tion of souls our primate reason perswad● us to prefer the authority of such as a● wiser then our selves before our own jud●ments which is most true But I then infe●● that Roman Catholicks are the most rati●nal most learned most wise most godly most unbiased people now in the world a● consequently have the best Religion 〈◊〉 acting most conformably to reason in the belief for they rely still on the authority 〈◊〉 General Councils consisting of the able and most learned men of all Nations whi●● is the greatest authority to be found 〈◊〉 Earth especially having the assistance of t●● holy Ghost visum est spiritui sancto 〈◊〉 bis as it appears they have both by th● testimony of the Scripture and the consta●● tradition of all ages Upon these ground we may be sure that certainly God in h●● good providence had appointed a mo●● sure Guide Rule and Judge to bring ma● to the infallible faith for salvation the Reason and proud spirit otherwise God is defective in necessaries and that Religion were no more then fancy and opinion and it is worth observation how for the first two thousand years before any Scriptures were written the visible

Church of God was this Rule and Judge was not I pray circumcision and other Rites brought in by Abraham and practised by the Church then without any Scriptures to try them by what would you have said if you had then lived would you have disobeyed the then Church and reject those ordinances because then there were no Scriptures to warrant them The Church of the Jews was so to the Jews after that the Scripture was written and this by the express direction of the Scripture Deut. 17.8 Thou shalt come to the Priests the Levites and unto the Judge and enquire and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgments c. and then he that shall do presumptuously and will not hearken unto the priest or judge even that man shall die and even Christ whilst the Jews his Church was yet in being gave directions Matth. 22.2 3. The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses chair all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do assuredly God would not direct them and punish them with death for not obeying an authority which might deceive and misleade them would our Lord command the doing of whatsoever should be done by an authority when that authority was capable of mistakings the Church therefore and not the scriptures was the Rule and Judge to them they were to hearken to the priest and Judge upon pain of death The happiness of Christian Religion Document 3. REligion is a sacred vertue of a Superior and divine nature attended with an awfull respect to the worship of one Living God without any superstion in ceremonious observance and withall it may be called the Law of the supreme King commanding and directing that duty and worship which man owes unto him and rewarding man with that true happiness which he may enjoy in him the Athenians inscribed their Altar To the unknown God and their worship was as vain and ignorant whom therefore saith the Apostle ye ignorantly worship him I declare unto you where he plainly sheweth the difference between heathenish worship of God and true Religion it 's true they had some glimmering apprehensions of God but they abused it with their Idolatry and corrupted it with their lives S. Paul directly encountred the Athenian Idolatry plainly preaching to the people the doctrine of the Deity of creation providence sin Redemption Repentance Resurrection and the last Judgment Thus Poets frame Religion according to their fancy vain philosophers according to their imperfect Reason states-men shape it according to policy and Reason of state but the summe and substance of true Religion is sincerely to honour worship love fear and reverence the living God with heart soul and might in the practise of vertues which leads to Eternity of glory Holy and antient Religion is the Basis of the permanent felicity of kingdoms and Religion is said a Religando it binds hearts wills nowrisheth publick societies observes strictly lawes if it be changed nought but confusion disorder darkness discontent disunion discord and animosities can be expected to follow all which Germany England Flanders France Ireland can by wofull experience publish In all ages it was necessary to make open profession of Religion in acknowledgment of humane and exterior worship to a Deity S. Jerom doth advertise That by Tradition of the Hebrews in the law of nature the first begotten had right to the function of priesthood offering sacrifice untill Aarons time Adam by divine instinct instructed his Son Abel to offer sacrifice to God to fear and love God for when Cain said there is no Judgment to come no Judge no other world but this no reward for the Jult no punishments for sinners neither this world is governed by Gods mercy to whom Abel the defender of Truth replied frator ne sic asser as erroniè est enim Judicium est Judex est aliud saeculum est ibi merces pro justis poena pro Impiis Gen. 4. But in the Moysaical law the levits were chosen priests Num. 3. who had power to offer sacrifice to God then Abraham Jsaac Jacob Joseph with 12 Patriarks after these came Moses Aaron Josue together with the 72 Elders that governed the People with many Priests and Prophets all exercising Religion offering sacrifice four hundred years after came David Samuel and Nathan with many holy Prophets after God sent Jeremy Ezekiel Daniel Zachary Aggeus Malachy Nehemias c. for to preserve Religion divine worship Sacrifice faith and Sacrament now I ask what 's the reason that now under the holy law of the Gospel Protestants have no sacrifice the principal point of Religion it is because they have no Priests with true character function holy Orders Mission power and authority from above but from the weak arm of flesh therefore having no true Priests no Religion no Sacrifice no Sacrament no faith but opinion and fancy But the Roman-Catholick Church the mother and Mistrisse of true faith hath lawful Priests Religion Altars Sacrifice Sacraments successive function of Priesthood established by Christ for the perpetuity of his Church and comfort of his flock O mercy and divine providence never to be duely pondered now the infernal Dragon a declared enemy to God because he cannot come near him to hurt or offend him he hurts man the Image of God even as he that is an enemy to a father of a family when he cannot annoy his person endeavours to annoy his possessions his fields his children so the devil cast from Heaven by God hath still enmity against him but not being able to annoy God he endeavours to destroy man Gods image to pervert him to delude him and divert him from true Religion alledging that Christ's Church is not the true Church that it 's erroneous superstitious full of ceremonys c. You may reade in apoc 16. vidi prodire de ore draconis I have seen coming out of the mouth of the dragon the beast the pseudo-prophet three foul spirits like froggs this dragon this beast this pseudo-prophet is Luther the three froggs are understood by many Interpreters the three perverse sordid Sects which did flow from cursed Luther the first that of Anabaptists whose first Author was one Rosmanus before a Lutheran the second that of Sacramentaries the Author whereof was Corolostadius from whom proceeded Zuinglius and Calvin the third is that of Protestants whose Author was Melanchton or rather Henry the 8. for before his dismal Revolt from the Roman Religion there was for 1500. years and above no other Religion in England but the Roman Catholick Religion flowrishing most gloriously in piety learning sanctity prosperity and happiness having had 22. Kings in the opinion of Saints and no memory dream or word of Protestant in England before his Reigne And not unfitly heresy is compared to frogs for sordidness loquacity and for importunity for still you may hear the frogs in quagmires with their harsh unpleasant and troublesome clamors night and day to which the clamors of hereticks is very