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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	keep_v	page_n	shape_v	70	3	17.6848	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77707	Rome's conviction: or, A discoverie of the unsoundness of the main grounds of Rome's religion, in answer to a book, called The right religion, evinced by L.B. Shewing, 1. That the Romish Church is not the true and onely Catholick Church, infallible ground and rule of faith. 2. That the main doctrines of the Romish Church are damnable errors, & therefore to be deserted by such as would be saved. By William Brownsword, M.A. and minister of the Gospel at Douglas Chappell in Lancashire.	Brownsword, William, b. 1625 or 6.	1654 (1654)	Wing B5216; Thomason E1474_2; ESTC R209513	181,322	400

The thoughts and study of this Controversie may be a means to divert that heat which flye into o●r faces one against another We have an enemy that seeks the ruine of us all and is getting ground of us whilest we are contesting with our selves Should we not unite against him Papists are no despicable adversaries they are politick in getting and cruel in their possessing power over us Should they prevaile they would soon put a period to many of our controversies to a deal of our fury against Ministers Ordinances Truths I know it will be said this Controve●sie is old and very much is already learnedly written against it and there needs no more To this I answer 1. Though the Controversie is old yet it still continues We have not yet seen the expected fall of Antichris● It would favour ill to perswade an Army to leave off a Siege because much powder and bullets have been shot against it B●bylon is not yet sto●med and taken and ruined 2. I acknowledge that much hath been lea●nedly written against it I reverence the memory of learned Whitakers Reinolds Chamier Cameron Perkins Rivet with many others with whom Papists may cavil but shall never confute My designe is not to adde perfection to their labours nor to oppose them mainly with whom they have contested If I mention Bellarmine Baily c. it s only because they comply with or dissent from my present Adversarie my purpose is only to imitate them who opposed Popery in s●ch as maintained it in their times I rake not amongst the dead but meddle with a present writer If Papists will writ anew against truth it cannot be unseasonable to write anew for truth Many errours long since confuted and laid in the dust yet rising again are assa●lted by later Divines I had rather say much for truth then too little What I thought necessary to say against this Authour I have spoken avoiding invectives and needless digress●ons endeav●uring to prevent some charges in thy buying and some pains in thy reading of it and some rayling from my Adversary if he should reply I commit thee and this labour to Gods Blessing If thou reap benefit by it give God the praise and let the Authour have thy prayers whereby thou shalt oblige to further service Thine and the Churches Servant in the Work of Christ William Brownsword The Contents of this Book CHapter 1. Of Happiness Page 13 Chap. 2. Of the way to Happiness Page 14 Chap. 3. Of the diversities of Faiths Hop●s and Charities Page 23 Chap. 4. Of the Churches Power and Infa●ibilitie in matters of Faith Page 27 Chap. 5. O● the possibil●tie of keeping the Commandements Page 69 Chap. 6. Of Religion Page 93 Chap. 7. Of the Vnitie of Religion Page 79 Chap. 8. Of the Spirit of Spiritists Page 103 Chap. 9. Of th● Spiritists rule of Fa●th Page 113 Chap. 10. Of the Protestant Church Page 130 Shape 1. Page 132 Shape 2. Page 153 Shape 3. Page 159 Shape 4. Page 173 Shape 5. Page 182 Chap. 11. Of the Roman Church Page 231 Chap. 12. Of certain Objections made against the Roman Church Page 272 1. Objection Page 273 2. Objection Page 299 3. Objection Page 321 4. Ob●ection Page 324 5. ●b ecti●n Page 340 6. Objection Page 348 7. Objection Page 363 The Epilogue Page 380 Romes Conviction OR A DISCOVERY OF The unsoundness of the maine grounds of Romes Religion WHen I look upon this book I cannot but remember what that blessed Apostle St. Peter foretold should come to pass There shall be false Teachers amongst you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies and many shall follow their perniciou● ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make Merchandize of you c. 2 Pet. 1. What feigned words this Author useth whereby to bring in his damnable Heresies and to make Merchandize of souls besides the book it self the Epistles and Epilogue do clearly evince I shall therefore take a view of them as they lye in my way and first for the Epistles one is directed to the Catholikes of England the other to the Reader whether he intends to exclude his Catholiques from reading his Book because he distinguisheth from the Reader or that he mainly designs it for the use of others it may be the Protestants of England whilst he only calls for the Patronage of Catholikes let the Reader judg Certainly there are strong endeavours to enlarge the Popes Chair by the seduction of English Protestants as appears by those many books lately printed in London in the behalf of that Seat The former Epistle is divided betwixt murmuration and adulation There are sad complaints that truth is grown so loathsome and hateful t●at whosoever goeth about to tell it indangers displeasure they despise and maligne what ought most of all to be cherisht and loved of whom it is said they preferred darkness before light Joh. 3. Were it the truth indeed that you speak of I should joyn with you in complaining and rather entitle your language to a serious and sad complaint then an unjust murmuration It was once the sad language of the Prophet That truth is fallen in the streets yea truth faileth and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey Isai 59.14.15 And through the privy introduction of Heresies amongst us it hath come to pass that the way of truth is evil spoken of and the language of the Prophet is in the mouths of thousands of Gods Saints But blessed be God for this good news from Rome that Popery is grown so loathsome and hateful that whosoever goeth about to tell it indangers displeasure and let me tell you that I hope that God will raise up Governours in this Land that with other Protestant Princes shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Apoc. 17.16 and that as God hath cast it out from being the publikely profest way in this Nation so he will root it out of the hearts of people in this Land more and more though your selves be murmurers c. 2 Pet. ● 2. Your adulation is most palpable Catholikes are renowned Catholikes the best and greatest conquerours brave champions great glorious good conquerours overcoming themselves and what not Their sufferings are many glorious * Such as blessed Saints have passed through for the truth for God and God with them in them and for them God hath just cause to reward them But alas how groundless are all these Titles 1. What great or how many sufferings have your Catholiques undergone in Engl●nd Have you been burnt at Stakes or drawn into close inquisitions and there tortur'd rackt murdered Have your bodies been mangled and cut in pieces Have you been gathered into Companies and then burnt Have your Wives been ravisht and ript up and their children tost on Pikes Have you been whipt to death Have the

such as have the guiding and teaching of others deeper knowledg of Gods word and mysteries is given then to the common people as also to Christians generally that which was not given to the obstinate Jewes which makes nothing from a total exemption of them from ignorance if it did much more would that place of St. John 1. Ep. 2. cap. 27. where 't is said The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things c. Prove such an exemption for private Christians and so lay a foundation for their infallibilitie which would derogate from the Honour of his Holiness of Rome 2. It is most evident that the Disciples of Christ to whom these words were spoken had ignorance in them and that of such things as were needful to be known See Mark 9.31.32 Luk. 9.45 Joh. 12.16 viz. the Death and Resurrection of Christ c. 2. Aagainst Darkness you urge Matth. 6. but 't is Matth. 5.14 You are the light of the world Ans 1. If you mean that the Apostles and their Successors are so light that they have no darkness in them you are no better then a blasphemer for it 's said of God and cannot be spoken of any other God is light and in him is no darkness at all 1 J●h 1.5 Aug. in Ps 10. 2. S. Augustine alluding to this place compares the Church to the Moon which you know hath her dark spots though the Sun to which Christ is somtimes compared be altogether transparent and bright 3. They are called a light not so much in regard of their inward qualification Lyran. in Mat. 5.14 as of their office which is to instruct and direct others in their way as Gregory Burgensis and Cyran●s note 4. Learned Cameron conceives that this is spoken of the Apostles as Apostles which is probable because our Saviour speak to them as related to an Apostolical or Universal charge and thus it proves nothing for your present Church Lastly I fear that whilst your men was writing for inerrability your thoughts were possessed with the Churches visibilitie which your Doctors of Rhemes would prove from hence But then why did you not bring in the next words Ro. 17.3 A City set on a Hill which would more directly with a little variation of number have pointed at your Holy Mother on her seven-headed Beast 3. Against Error and Falshood you urge Joh. 14. I will send unto you the Spirit of truth to remain with you for ever And Isa 62. Thou shalt no more be called forsaken To your former I answer it makes nothing for you for it 's one thing to have the Spirit of Truth to lead into truth and another thing to have it making us infallible I conceive there are few of your Priests or Jesuites but think themselves to have the Spirit of Truth yet are not infallible Nay private Christians may have this Spirit of truth and by it may be kept from damnable or Soul-ruining error yet who would say they are infallible It 's a groundless distinction of the Rhemists to say That the Spirit for many other causes is given to divers private men and to all good men to sanctification but to teach all truth and to preserve in truth and from error he is promised and performed only to the Church and the chief Governour and General Councils thereof The contrary to this is affirmed by themselves in another place Joh. 17.17 saying Christ prayeth that the Apostles their Successors and all that shall be of their belief may be sanctified in truth i. e. may have the Spirit of truth and be freed from error The Spirit then may be had and yet inerrability be wanting to a person To your other Text It seems to be put in to make up a number of Texts not of Proofs I believe you neither considered Text nor Context when you brought it in I profess I cannot see the least shadow of proof in it for the Churches infallibilitie it being spoken to the Jewes in regard of their desolations and therefore contains a promise of Gods returning with mercie and loving kindness which was suitable for their comfort in their low condition 4. Against Weakness you urge 1 Tim. 3. She is the Pillar and ground of truth And Mat. 16. Hell Gates shall not prevail against her To the former I answer 1. If any particular Church be here spoken of it is not the Roman but the Church of Ephesus where Timothy governed which by your own confessions might err 2. The words may be refer'd to what follows It 's not said expresly She is the Pillar c. as you abusively read it Cameron doth refer them to the next verse and gives divers reasons why they should be so refer'd Verba ista Columna c. sunt conjungenda cum sequentibus ratio 1. Alioqui erit Oratio Apostoli hiulca suspensa si legamus Domus Dei columna fundamentum veritatis sine controversia c. est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non coherent ista 2 Non solet Apostolus novi Argumenti tractionem incho●re à conjunctione 3. Haec est usitatissima formula inter Judaeos quum quis profitetur se traditurum praecipua dogmata Religionis ut illud pronunciat columnam esse fundamentum veritatis vel sapientiae quod traditurus est Et solent Apostoli uti phrasibus receptis in ecclesia judaica sed accommodatis ad rem quam agunt Cameto shewing amongst other things that this was a manner of speech which the Jews did frequently use when they delivered some main and principal points of Faith And hereunto the Apostle Paul who was well versed in the customes of the Jewish Rabbies being now to deliver the main points of our Faith concerning Jesus Christ might well allude If we take it thus it 's not the Church but the truth it self especially those principal points of Religion mentioned in the next verses Thus Irenaeus saith That the Gospel which was preached by the Apostles was afterwards by the will of God delivered to us in writing Fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum that it might be a ground and Pillar of our Faith 3. Supposing it be spoken of the Church Iten advers haeres lib. 3. c. 1. init yet this is 1. In regard of the Word of God which is preached and continued in the Church if God remove his Word from a Church as from the Churches of Asia c. that Church ceaseth to be a Pillar and ground of truth 2. In regard of true Believeers who are truly the house of the living God and adhere to the Word of God others are not De compage domus they are not of the House Augustine hath a notable saying to this purpose Aug. praefat in Ps 47. he tells us the Church consists of Saints such whose names are