Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	believe_v	church_n	tradition_n	10,027	5	9.5895	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94142	Tvvo letters: the one to subtile papist: the other to a zealous Presbyterian. In both which the authour conceives he hath said enough to keepe any man from the Roman Church, in the generall of religion, and from the Presbyterian congregation in the particular of the eucharist, or the Lords Supper: because St Paul saies, 1 Cor. 11. 16. Wee know no such custome, neither the Church of God. By T. Swadling, D.D.	Swadlin, Thomas, 1600-1670.	1653 (1653)	Wing S6230; Thomason E712_1; ESTC R207131	21,573	32

TVVO LETTERS The one to a subtile PAPIST The other to a Zealous PRESBYTERIAN In both which the Authour Conceives he hath said enough to keepe any man from the Roman Church in the Generall of Religion and from the Presbyterian Congregation in the particular of the Eucharist or the Lords Supper Because St Paul saies 1 Cor. 11.16 Wee know no such Custome neither the Church of God By T. SWADLING D.D. LONDON Printed for Charles Adams and are to be sold at his Shop at the Talbot neer St Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet 1653. To my Honoured friend Master Robert Peyton Sir YOu are a young Gentleman and fit for the Impression of such Religion as the Jesuite by his subtilty or the Presbyter by his Zeale can fasten upon you You will be set upon by both and both will endeavour to make you a Proselyte such Portion you are endued with being the prey they hunt after The following papers are therefore Dedicated to you that you may be preserved a Catholique and that they may spread under your favour as a testimony of some thankfulnesse from Sir 1. Julij Your friend and servant THO SWADLIN A Letter from a Catholick Divine to a Laick Papist To my loving friend Sir AT our last meeting April 28. 1653. you desired me to give you some reasons why I did not unite my self to the Church of Rome you promised me my reasons should be answered The conclusion of our discourse was If your Answer by your self or Friend convinced my Reasons I was to be converted by you and seek an admission into the Church of Rome If otherwise you were to be converted by me and become a Member of the Catholique Church and serve God the same way I do what I promised is performed in this paper what you promised I expect to be performed and that is My Conviction or your Conviction April 29. 1653. I Dare not convert to you ought not to continue in the Church of Rome 1. Because I have not yet received any Demonstration or winning and irrefragable Argument That the Church of Rome is the onely one Antient Visible Catholique Church of Christ out of which there is no Salvation 1. Out of the onely one Catholique Church I believe there is no Salvation But I do not believe the Church of Rome to be that onely one Catholique Church because the West is not all the World and yet the onely one Catholique Church is the Universal Congregation of Christian men and women all over the World There are Christians in the East as well as in the West Nor yet doth the Church of Rome take up all the West For there are other Christians and I hope better then those which are Members of the Church of Rome or Papists As a Papist I cannot be saved as a Catholique I may 2. Out of the Antient Catholique Church I believe there is no Salvation But I doe not believe the Church of Rome to be that Antient Catholique Church because the Antient Catholique Church both in Christ the true Head and in the Apostles the true Conclave and in Primitive Fathers as well Disjunctim as Conjunctim the true General Councils taught me To pray Our Father which art in Heaven Not as the Church of Rome doth and therefore not the Antient Catholique Church O blessed Virgin St. Peter St. Paul c. which art in Heaven To believe the Scriptures which if I do I shall be saved and not Traditions equally with the Scriptures as the Church of Rome doth and therfore not the Antient Catholique Church which if I do not I shall be damned To serve and worship God in Spirit and in truth not as the Church of Rome doth and therefore not the Antient Church In or by Images Relatively or otherwise which cannot father it self upon any farther Antiquity then the 2. Council of Nice 800 years since Anno 787. To receive the Sacrament in both kinds the Cup as well as the Pixe the Wine as well as the Bread the Blood as well as the Body not as the Church of Rome doth In one only If I do receive as the Antient Catholique Church doth teach me I shall be saved If I do not receive as the present Church of Rome commands me I shall not be damned 3. Out of the Antient visible Catholique Church I believe there is no Salvation but I do not believe the Church of Rome to be that Antient visible Catholique Church because the Antient visible Catholique Church appeared fair and without Corruption but the present Roman Church appeareth to me at least foul and cull of Corruption because the present Roman Church departed from the visible purity of the Antient Catholique Church to Innovations and the present visible Catholique Church hath reformed from those Innovations to the purity of the Antient Catholique Church 4. Out of the Antient Visible one Church I believe there is no Salvation but I do not believe the Church of Rome to be that Antient Catholique visible one Church neither in the Onenesse or unity of affection nor of opinion Not one in the unity of opinion because the Dominicans are against the Franciscans and the Franciscans against the Dominicans concerning the Imaculate conception of the blessed Virgin both Roman orders Because Bannes is as zealous as Calvin and Lessius as calm as Luther concerning absolute Reprobation both famous Schollers in the Roman Church Because Sixtus the fifth dammes all men that use any other Bible but of the vulgar translation and Clement the 8. curses all that uses any other but his own both Popes of Rome Not one in the unity of affection because the most malicious and foul mouth'd Sectaries do not raile more at the Catholique Churchmen and their order then do the Secular Priests at the Jesuits and the Jesuits at them Because the cruellest Presbyterians shew not more inhumane rage against Catholick Bishops then did Sergius or Boniface against his Predecessor Formosus damning all that he had done before and damning him after he had taken him out of his Grave and yet both these were Bishops of Rome Because I have not yet received any Demonstration or convincing and irrfragableargument That the Pope is the head of the Church The contrarie of this appears to me even from that speech of Christ which the Romans pretend is a Demonstration for it viz. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it For if my blessed Master had spoken this either Personally to Saint Peter or Successively of Saint Peter it is more then probable That Saint Peter writing two Catbolique Epistles and in them mentioning his departure would at least have acquainted the Catholique Christians whom he writes to with this unum necessarium who should be his Successor and by whom all controversies should be determined But of this not a word something in these Epistles more probable against this if the Romans own exposition of one

passage be allowed concerning Babylon in their signification Rome the seat of Antichrist Yet more then probable it is If the Pope were Head of the Church by vertue of such succession That the writers of the New Testament are frequently forewarning men of Heretiques of false Prophets of false Christs should never so much as once arme them against such Heretiques against such false Prophets against such false Christs by letting them know this onely meanes of avoiding them and turning them over to the Pope the Head of the Church That so great a part of the new Testament should be emploied against Antichrist and so little indeed nothing at all about the Vidar of Christ and Guide of the Faithfull the Pope or Bishop of Rome Strange it seemes to me that my blessed Saviour Jesus Christ should leave this the onely means for the ending of controversies and speak so obscurely and ambiguously of it that now our Judge is the greatest controversie and the greatest hinderance of ending them Strange it is to me That there should be better evidence in the Scripture to entitle the King to this Office who disclaimes it then the Pope who pretends it Strange it seems to me That if Saint Peter had been Head of the Church he should never exercise over the Apostles in generall or any one of them in particular any one Act of jurisdiction nor they nor any one of them should ever give him any one title of Authority over them Strange it seems to me That if the Apostles did know that Saint Peter was made Head over them when Christ said Thou art Peter c. they should still contend who should be the first and that Christ should not tell them St. Peter was the man Strange it appears to me if this were true That Saint Paul should say He was in nothing inferiour to the very chief Apostles Strange still it seems to me That the Catechumeni in the Primitive Church should never be taught this Foundation of their Faith That the Fathers Tertullian Saint Hierome and Optatus when they flew highest in the commendation of the Roman Church should attribute no more to her then to other Apostolicall Churches That in the Controversie about Easter the Bishops of Asia should be so ill catechised as not to know this principle of Christian Religion The necessity of Conformity with the Church of Rome That they should never be pressed with any such Conformity in all things but onely with the particular Tradition of the Western Church in that point That Frycanus and many other Bishops notwithstanding Ad hanc ecclesiam necesse est omnem Ecclesiam convenire should not yet think that to be a necessarie and sufficient ground of excommunication which the Church of Rome taught to be so That St. Cyprian and the Bishops of Africa should be so ill instructed in their Faith as not to know this Foundation of it That they were never urged with any such Conformity with the Church of Rome nor were charged with Heresie or Error for denying it That when Liberius joyned in Communion with the Arians and subscribed their Heresie the Arians then should not be the Church and guide of Faith That never any Heretiques for five ages after Christ were pressed with this Argument The Pope is the Head of the Church nor charged with the denyall of it as a detestable Heresie so that Aeneas Sylvius should have cause to say Ante tempora Concilii Niceni quisque sibi vivebat parvus respectus habebatur ad Ecclesiam Romanam That the Ecclesiasticall story of those times mention no Acts of Authority of the Church of Rome over other Churches as if there should be a Monarchy and Kings for some ages together should exercise no Acts of Jurisdiction in it That to supply this defect The Decretall Epistles should be so impudently forged which in a manner speak nothing but Reges Monarchas The Popes making Lawes for exercising Authority over all other Churches That the African Churches in Saint Austins time should be ignorant that the Pope was Head of the Church and Judge of Appeales Iure divino and that there was a necessity of conformity with the Church of Rome in this and all other points of Doctrine That the Popes themselves should be ignorant of the true ground of their Authority as to pretend to it not upon Scripture and Universall Tradition but upon an Imaginarie Canon of the Councill of Nice That Vincentius Lyrinensis seeking for a Guide of his faith and a preservative from Heresie should be ignorant of this so ready a one The Pope is the Head of the Church Sir These are some and enough of my many Reasons why I dare not be why you should not be a Papist If yet you cannot jumpe with me in my opinion or will not perform your promise upon my Non-conviction Yet I pray give me leave to subscribe my self Sir Your friend and Servant THO. SVVADLIN Sir the Question is Opponent Whether it be lawfull for a Minister to give the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in that generall and promiscuous way that was usuall in former times and many now desire and contend for I hold the Negative and that upon these ensuing grounds Respond Sir The Question was not this For it was never questioned untill now nor now by any but by your self and other of your selfish opinion The question should be this whether it be lawfull for a generall and promiscuous sinner to receive that Sacrament And so it had been determined without breach of Unity the Unity of Verity the Unity of Charity the Unity of Authority For he that receives it so receives it unworthyly whereas the question that you have started is the breach of all these Unities and some more viz. the Unity of Perswasion and the Unity of Necessity But Unity is the least desire of some men also the flames of Controversie had e're this been aslaked and extinguished and some godly or tolerable peace re-established in the Church even in this Church which is bleeding to death by the Spirits of Contention Spirits that straine at Gnats and swallow Camells Spirits that raise such questions and so many as may puzzle a wise man to answer and force a pious man to bedew with teares and rather require silence then words for satisfaction But you have proposed this question and in it you hold the Negative and that upon these three ensuing grounds Opponent 1. To administer it so seemes to me to be a manifest perverting of our Saviours intention and end in giving that Ordinance Respond In this question I hold the Affirmative and that upon these three ensuing grounds and they are your own to see if you will be the Master of your word and confesse a Conquest though I protest unto you it is not Conquest but Truth that I contend for Verity not Victory is my desire and will therefore confine my selfe to your Teddar and therefore I say 1. So to administer it