Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A43741
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Fair-play on both sides: or, the surest way to heaven Discovered in a dispute between a Roman-Catholick, and a Protestant.
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Hieron, Samuel, 1576?-1617.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing H1943; ESTC R224206
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36,352
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39
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When thou canst prove by holy writ Christs Faith to Rome by charter knit Then shall thy tale some credit find Where now it turneth all to wind But yet continuance is a Note Of Gods true Church and Paul hath wroâ—… Ephes 4.11 c. That there should still some teachers be In some we this fulfilled see I say continuance is no sign To prove a Church to be divine We may not think each Doctrine sure Which doth for many years endure (x) It is true that the truth shall continue but yet it holds not backward that whatsoever continueth is Truth The Devil is a lyar from the beginning Must not the tares be let to grow Till it be time the corn to mow (y) Mat. 13.10 And Antichrist shall long time stay Even till the very Judgment day (z) 2 Thes 2.8 The Arrian heresie years did stand Two hundred more than one thousand (a) Yea and it was so generally received that it was said the whole world was become an Arrian Hierom. dialog contra Luciferianos And so since Mahomet first was seen A thousand years have numbred been Romes name endures but Rome is chang'd And hath from Christ it self estrang'd Quit thou Rome from Apostacy Or name not Perpetuity Pauls words do prove (b) Ephes 4.11 c. that certainly The Church shall have a Ministry And that there shall be some to feed The Flock of Christ at ev'ry need But that these Pastors here or there Shall alwayes fit in beauty clear This fond conceit not one more word The holy Scripture doth afford Indeed in Rome there divers be That bear the name of Prelacie Better we Pilates may them call Seeking the Churches Funeral You call your Pope a Shepheard great But where is his Spiritual meat I do not hear that he doth preach That would his greatness much impeach Such are his carnal Cardinals Or rather bloody Canibals (c) The People that live upon mans flesh They eat the fat and skin the Flock And live upon the Churches stock An idle sign a Shepheards Crook In hand they bear (d) The Pastoral staff made in fashion of a Shepheards crook but cannot brook To preach the Word a Pastors grace That duty fits not their high place The key of knowledge they withdraw (e) Luke 11.52 And from Gods people steal (f) Jerem. 23.30 Gods Law And mens devices (g) They teach Traditions to be equally reverenced as the Scriptures Conc. Trid. ses 4. dec and Lidanus calleth them the foundation of Faith Panopl lib. 5. cap. 2. on them thrust Making them unto fancies trust These are Romes Pastors woful sheep Which left are to the Wolves to keep Thou Shepheard great and Bishop chief (h) 1 Pet. 2.25 4.5 Come quickly (i) Rev. 22.20 quell this Romish thief Papists Rime Visible ANother mark there is most clear The Church of God must stil appear As a City on a hill (k) Some wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 Take heed Seen and continue still As a light on a Candlestick So is the Church Catholick Our Saviour saith if one offend And will not be rul'd by his friend Tell all the Church without delay (l) Would you have us go to Rome with every complaint It seemeth so for you tie the Church to that Sea And if he will not then obey Do thou esteem such a man An Heathen or a Publican Is not that the Church wherein we see Two hundred Bishops thirty three To have succeeded each other Since the time of Saint Peter (m) You must first prove that Saint Peter was Bishop of Rome Shew me this mark in you (n) Thou thy self sayst there have been successively 63. Bishops in England since Peter then either ours is the true Church or else succession of Bishops is no sure mark And I will say your faith is true If this be not in the faith of Rome Then will I be converted soon Protestants Answer Visible THou tell'st a tale incredible How that God's Church is visible And by the Bishops Catalogue Wouldst prove the Romish Synagogue The errors here together lapt By which the simple are entrapt All which your feigned Church doth hold I mean in order to unfold The Catholick Church defin'd aright Cannot be subject to our sight It is th' Elected company (o) 1 Pet. 2.9 And Christ his chosen Family (p) Ephes 3.15 Of this one part in Heaven lives (q) Called the Church Triumphant The other here with Satan strives (r) Tearmed the Church Militant The part above you 'l not deny With mortal eyes none can descry The same is true of that below It is unseen by us also How with mine eyes I might discern And see th Elect fain would I learn Upon their persons we may look Whose names are written in Gods Book (Å¿) The Book of Life Phil. 4.3 But as for their Spiritual being It is a thing doth pass our seeing Parts of Christs Church you Papists make Even those whom God will quite forsake (p) So doth Bellarmine lib. 3. de Eccles cap. 7. and the Rhemists in their Annotations upon John 15.1 Which if the matter be well scand Cannot with any Scripture stand Of the true Church Christ is the head (q) Ephes 1.22 In him can be no member dead (r) They are called living stones 1 Pet. 2.3 His Church a Garden (Å¿) Cant. 4.12 closed well In which no Reprobates can dwell (t) So August applieth the place Contra Cres Gram. lib. 2. cap. 26. and Gregory the great who was a Bishop of Rome in his Commentary upon that place Charitatis vallo circumquaque munitur ne intra numerum electorum reprobus aliquis ingreciatur So that if fitly we will speak The ground you lay is very weak In calling it a mark most clear That Gods true Church must still appear Of Churches nam'd in several In Cities or else National We yeeld sometime they may be seen Though sometime they are darkned clean Sometime the Moon with chearful light Shines in the height of Heaven bright (u) Aug. useth that similitude Epist 48 and Epist 80. and Ambrose Hex 4. C. 8. Ecclesia sicut luna defectus habet ortus frequentes Sometimes with clouds 't is overspred And in the Wane clean vanished So is the Church in safety still Although not alway visible Sometimes it sits in glory great Sometime it hath no certain seat The Woman which to Desart fled From Satans rage to hide her head * Apoc. 12.6 So much also the Rhemists upon that place do acknowledge By all the learnedst full consent The Church on earth doth represent The famous Church of Israel Where God did promise still to dwell (x) Psal 132.14 Was drown'd so in Idolatry And superstitious slavery That all true worship being gone Elias thought himself alone (y) 1 Kings 19.10 And
their enmity Against your vile Idolatry (e) Bertram wrote against Transubstantiation ann 812. a Bishop of Florence was condemned for teaching that Antichrist was come ann 1114. Arnulph was murthered in Rome for preaching against the Pope and his Clergy anno 1128. Henry a Monk of Tolose was against prayer for the dead Pilgrimage Cream Oyl c. anno 1137. Jo. of Salisbury called the Clergy Pharisees the Pope Antichrist and Rome Babylon 1151. Gerard and Dulcimus which taught the Pope to be Antichrist were burnt with 30. more about the years 1164 1165 1166. The Waldenses which held in many points against the Pope were in anno 1167. and after increasing in divers places Almaris a Bishop burnt in Paris for holding against Transubstantiation Images Altars and praying to Saints 1206. Many in Suevia did preach the Pope to be an Heretick in the years 1236 1237 38. Grosted Bishop of Lincoln wrote against the Pope anno 1246. Arnold de Nova Villa against Masses and Sacrifices for the dead taught that the Popes belief was the Devils belief ann 1259. All Histories are full of the like examples these few may serve for a taste to satisfie an indifferent reader and to stop their mouths who say none were heard of of our Religion and Church till Luther But now the Lord hath let us see Your Antichrists deformity That all men might him fully know Before his final Overthrow Our Pastor chief (f) 1 Pet. 5.4 in Heaven did sit And so doth still saith holy Writ (g) Acts 4.21 On earth Universal Priest None dare be call'd but Antichrist (h) Gregory the Great a Bishop of Rome said that whoso calleth himself or desireth to be called Universal Bishop is the fore-runner of Antichrist Epist ad Eulogium lib. 7. He that our Church and Keys had sought By tokens in the Scripture taught Our Church and Keys he might have found Even when the World was most unsound Building of Churches nothing makes For that which here thou undertakes For then commend Demetrius Who builded Shrines at Ephesus (i) Acts 19.24 Well may the heathen People boast Of Piramees and Churches cost In Houses made God doth not dwell As holy Scripture doth us tell (k) Acts 7.48 Yet neither all the Churches here Erected by the Papists were Nor are by us abolished Places where God is worshipped If private men have evil done For it blame not Religion Those men that do Church-spoyling love Our Faith and Church doth not approve Those Cells and Dens of Idleness And Nurseries of Wickedness Upon good causes were displac'd As Baals Temples were defac'd (l) 2 Kings 10. †Touching Luthers Marriage A lawless Vow (m) It is well called a lawless Vow because it is of a thing which is not in mans power If it be said that by fasting and prayer it may be performed and continency obtained I answer the gifts of God are two-fold Some common to all Believers as Faith c. Some peculiar to some onely as this of Continency Now if by fasting and prayer we labour for the first sort we shall in some measure receive them but we have not the like assurance for the gifts of the latter sort because it may be the Lord is pleased otherwise to dispose Now to make such a Vow is a sin but to persist in it is a double evil of single life Luther well brake and took a wife Better the pure and spotless Bed (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 13.4 Then by unclean lusts to be led (o) 1 Cor. 7.9 Better the married Chastity (p) Papists do oppose marriage and chastity but Paul bids young women to be chast and subject to their Husbands Tit. 2.4 5. Then violent Virginity They ought not single to remain Who are not gifted to contain (q) 1 Cor. 7.9 Wedlock it self cannot defile It hath an honourable stile (r) Heb. 13.4 God doth it not to each man give Without the Marriage Bonds to live (ſ) Mat. 19.11 And it is allowed to a Bishop to be the Husband of one Wife 1 Tim. 3.2 The forced vows of singleness Have brought forth beastly filthiness Thou maist behold in History The fruits of Monkish Lechery (t) There were 6000. Infants heads found in Pope Gregories Mote as appears by the letter of Volutianus Bishop of Carthage or as some think of Huldericus Bishop of Augusta to Pope Nicholas against the forbidding of Priests marriage Thy poysoned Tongue doth further reach The noble Saxon to impeach Because to truth he did encline Thou callest him a Libertine When God was pleas'd to let him see How Christ his death hath made us free Then did he deem it slavery To bear the Romish Tyranny Though Antichrist did Rome possess †Who kept the Scriptures You kept the Scriptures I confess And in that long Apostacy Those Books were in your custody So I a Pirate false have known To keep the Goods were not his own And in the Ship to rule and raign When the right Owner hath been slain So did the Jewish Synagogue Safely keep Moses Decalogue And th' other Books (u) Viz. The Prophets and Psalms for so is the old Testament divided Moses the Prophets and Psalms Luk. 24.44 when cruelly They did Christ Jesus crucifie †Touching the calling of Ministers The Pastors which did first restore The truth which long lay hid before Thereto were called lawfully And even by your Authority You did them Priests and Doctors make And they from you this charge did take * In their admittance That they the Truth should soundly preach And in the same the People teach Hereto you caused them to swear That to the Faith they should adhere And never should Errors endure That were against the Doctrine pure That whereunto you did them call Full well they have performed all Truth they have sought to propagate And Heresies to ruinate As we account your Baptism true And never do the same renew †Yet it followeth not hereupon that Rome is a true Church There is in the Papacy a certain hidden Church and to it that Sacrament appertains Circumcision was used of old even among the Samaritans So may you make a lawful Priest Yet be not the pure Church of Christ We know that now you wiser be And swear your Priests to Popery (x) In their Oaths and Admissions they put in this clause The Catholick and Apostolick Church of Rome which in elder times was not used And bind them to maintain the state Of your three-crowned Potentate See now O Papist thou recant Th' art answer'd by a Protestant I counsel thee if thou be wise No new evasions to devise Thy tale of Ethelbert of Kent Is but a slender Argument (y) It is also answered before It skills not whence the Faith was brought Or who it first amongst us taught Let us into the Scriptures look (z) Esay 8.20 And duly search (a) John 5.39 Acts 17.11 that holy Book Thence shall we know wch Church to leave And unto which alone to cleave (b) We have found Christ in the Scriptures there we must also find the Church Aug. de Pastoribus Those swelling words (c) 2 Pet. 2.18 of Unity Succession and Antiquity Are but poor groundless fantasies To blind the simple peoples eyes Though that an Angel thou shouldst see Let him saith Paul accursed be (d) Gal. 1.8 If from the Scripture he doth erre Account him not Gods Minister If one arise and wonders show Seeking the truth to overthrow Though that might seem a motive strong Yet unto him death doth belong (e) Deut. 13.1 2 5. If threescore Bishops here and three Have been with us successively It either proves our Church is true Or else that mark makes nought for you That Faith for which Peter was slain Our English Church doth still retain We hear the Voice of CHRIST JESU (f) John 10.27 Who is the SON of GOD most true FINIS