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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48116	A letter of advice to a young gentleman of an honourable family, now in his travels beyond the seas for his more safe and profitable conduct in the three great instances, of study, moral deportment, and religion : in three parts / by a True son of the Church of England.	True son of the Church of England.	1688 (1688)	Wing L1566; ESTC R7895	45,890	138

with all the Laws and Constitutions of our admirable Government both in Church and State is absolutely necessary not only for our own sakes but the Peace and Preservation of the whole Body 2. 'T is a strange Mistake then which some have run upon that nothing is to be admitted in our Publick Worship and Ecclesiastical Discipline and Politie of our Church but what is plainly exprest in the Holy Scriptures hereby excluding all human Laws and Constitutions in Matters and Things indisserent Which wild Hypothesis has been the Original of all those untenable Opinions now on foot and the very most of our unchristian Divisions which have almost torn in pieces our Church are owing to this unreasonable and groundless Conjecture Whereas on the contrary the Writers of the greatest Note and Eminence amongst our Brethren of the Non-conformity are forced to acknowledge that there are many Circumstances in the Public Service of God and the Government of the Church which must be regulated and order'd according to the Light of Nature and Laws of Christian Prudence as the holy Apostle directs in those general Rules Let all things be done decently in order and for Edification And do also confess that even in their own Assemblies and we know it to be true and certain there are many such Circumstances for which they have no express Rule in Scripture but do use them prudentially for the Honour and Interest of Religion and the Order Uniformity of Gods Worship Besides 't is observable that the Holy Scriptures treat chiefly of the Essentials of Faith and Worship and only mention the Governours and Government of the Church with some general Rules as before for the ordering of its Politie and Discipline Insomuch that many Persons of great Learning and Judgment are of opinion that there 's no one Set-Form of Government for the Christian Church to be found in the whole Bible but must be left to our Governours to order and appoint according to the Rules and Dictates of sound Judgment and Discretion Which the Learned and Judicious Hooker gives a most admirable Account of in his Ecclesiast Polit. Nor can this in the least impeach as some have vainly objected the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures or the Fidelity of Christ in not leaving a perfect Model of Church Government behind him For we have seen already that the Holy Scriptures were primarily intended to instruct us in the Fundamentals of Faith and Christian Morality and speak only overtly of Church Discipline and Government And for the Fidelity of Christ herein 't is plain that the Church in our Saviours Time was in her Minority which must afterwards by degrees grow up to a state of greater Liberty and Perfection What others have urged from the Form of Church Government under the Jewish Oeconomie concludes nothing For the Jews lived all under one Politie and in one Nation whereas Christianity is dispersed all over the World under many disserent Civil Governments and therefore the Circumstances of Religious Worship and Church Discipline must be suited to the State and Condition of different People within their several Jurisdictions as may appear most just and reasonable to the Judgments and Discretion of their lawful Governours Therefore 3. Tho every Person be obliged to hate and flie from Idolatry Heresie c. yet none should be affrighted from his Duty with meer Buggs and Scar-crows or the empty Appearances of Error without sufficient Grounds For tho our Liturgy and Set-Forms of Worship have been extreamly cavil'd at by some of our Adversaries yet 't is evident that neither the Prophets of old nor our Saviour and his Apostles nor the Primitive Fathers did ever find fault with the Stated Methods and Forms of Prayer but did practise and appoint 'em themselves and highly encourag'd them in others For there are many Set-Forms of Prayer Benedictions and Thanksgivings in the Writings of the Prophets our Saviour composed a Form of Prayer to be used by his Apostles and Followers tho they were doubtless as able to pray by the Spirit as the most Seraphick Enthusiast which Method also was observed by John the Baptist for the direction and assistance of his Disciples in God's Worship All which Stated Forms became Patterns and Presidents to the Churches of Christ in after Ages who had all their several Liturgies as we have nor is there any thing in our Service Book which is contrary to but most exactly conformable to those Rules 4. Let not the bare Pretence then of some small Errors in and about the Circumstances of Publick Worship prevail with any Man to separate from the Communion of his National Church seeing there have been and are as many and probably greater Errors in all the Churches of Christ in all Ages of the Gospel For tho our Blessed Saviour promis'd that the Gates of Hell should not prevail against the Vniversal Church that he will be with her to the end of the World send his Spirit to lead her into all Truth and abide with her for ever yet these Promises do only respect the Fundamental Doctrins of the Catholic and Universal Church of Christ or a People professing the Truth however they may err as all of them do in Opinions not essential to Religion And seeing every particular Church may be guilty of some Errors and Mistakes in outward Circumstances of Religion therefore fore he that will separate upon this Account can scarce hold Communion with any National Church upon Earth And those fickle and fanciful Persons might have had the same Plea to have separated from the Christian Church in the time of the Apostles that they have now from Us Nor is there any one that understands the State of our Church but will readily acknowledge that our Orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons and Set Form of Worship and Discipline are if not of Apostolical yet of Primitive Institution 5. No meer Inconveniences or circumstantial Errors or Defects and those only alledged not proved against Us can justifie or excuse a Departure from Us since I have made it fully evident that our Church holds and maintains all the Essentials both of Faith and of Worship For we have seen already that all Men are oblig'd to conform themselves to the Constitutions of their National Church tho some of the external Modes Forms be inconvenient disorderly and defective rather than not be of any Church at all And what they cannot reform without disturbing the Peace of the Church 't is their Duty to tolerate seeing there 's no National and Particular Church in the World as we have already observed whose Constitutions and Government are absolutely perfect Therefore 6. Those Persons are extreamly to blame that require greater Purity in Gods Public Worship than the Holy Scriptures have commanded or our Blessed Saviour and his Apostles or the Primitive Orthodox Fathers have recommended to Posterity And tho there were some things amiss in the outward Rules and Laws of Worship and Government Yet

they are not yet agreed amongst themselves where to fix this Infallible Judgment whether in the Pope alone or Council or the Pope and his Council and therefore their Church and Pope for any thing they have yet prov'd or determin'd are erroneous and fallible in the first Principle of their New Creed and monstrous Doctrin of Infallibility The the Pope is the Supreme Head and Christ's chief Vicar in and has an Unlimited Jurisdiction over the whole Catholick Church that he has power to dispense with the Laws of God and can set up Laws of his own devising which obliges all Men's Consciences to pay him the Tribute of Fealty Obedience as will more fully appear afterwards This is a grand Usurpation upon the Rights and Priviledges of Kings Emperours and all other Christian Bishops two parts of Christendom having rejected his Authority and that upon most reasonable and just grounds For the Jurisdiction of the Bishops of Rome was limited for the five first Centuries to the Suburbiarion Regions and had only a Primacy of Order not Jurisdiction over his Fellow Bishops See Hammond's Fundament Dr. Barrow upon the Supremacy and Dr. Fulwood's Roma ruit Which Usurpation do's also directly overthrow Christ's Kingly Office. Council of Trent Sess 13. Chap. 1. Canon 1. That the Bread and Wine in the Eucharist is transubstantiated into the real Body and Blood of Christ which was sacrificed for our Sins upon the Cross at Hierusalem the Colour and other accidental Qualities of the Elements only remaining without their Substance This violates the Truth of Christs Human Nature which themselves do confess is in Heaven and yet according to their Hypothesis must be in a thousand places on Earth at the same time contradicts the holy Scripture Man's best Reason common Sense and the Nature and Design of the Sacrament of Christs holy Supper Lib. 6. p. 465. Hist Council Trent That there is no real difference between Christ on the Cross and Christ in the Mass it is the very same in both only differing in the Reason of Offering For on the Cross he offer'd himself immediatly in the Mass he offers himself by the Ministry of his Vnder-Priests Which Doctrin of the Popish Mass is one of the greatest Idols that ever was invented in the World For a piece of Bread is made the Saviour of Mankind and a proper Sacrifice for the pardoning all Sin is worshiped as God and of singular benefit not only for the Living but the Dead And this they are bound to believe tho the Apostle has told them in express terms That there remains no more Sacrifice for Sins because Christ once appear'd to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Heb. 9.26 Council of Trent Sess 6. Chap. 16. Canon 3. That Good Works are meritorious of Grace and eternal Life which are not so much given of God freely and out of liberality as out of debt Which Doctrin destroys Justification by Faith and the Merits of Christ Jesus who came down from Heaven on purpose to redeem us from all Iniquity and tells us when we have done the best we can we are unprofitable Servants deserving nothing but Hell and Damnation every hour Decret Council Flor. about 200 Years ago That there 's a certain place call'd Purgatory wherein as in a Prison Souls are purged after this Life that were not fully purged here to the intent they may enter pure into Heaven Which Article of their New Creed destroys the Satisfaction of Christ and his meritorious Intercession with the Father for Vs makes good Men afraid to die being a terrible thing as their Priests represent it to enter into Purgatory and bad Men less careful to prepare for Death because a great part of their business may be done by other hands when they are gone Council of Trent Sess 8. Canon 9. That if any say that the Clergy who have received Holy Orders or Regulars who have sosemnly professed Chastity may contract Marriage and that such Contract notwithstanding the Ecclesiastical Law and their own Vow is valid and that the contrary Assertion is no other than to condemn Marriage and that all altho they have vowed Chastity may contract Marriage that do find they have not the Gift of Continency let him be accursed Forasmuch as God will not deny this Gift to those who rightly seek it neither will he suffer Us to be tempted above what we are able Now this Doctrin is expresly contrary to the Word of God which saith That Marriage is honourable in all c. Heb. 13.4 See also 1 Cor. 9.5 Tit. 1.6 1 Tim. 3 2 4 5 11 12. 1 Cor. 7.1 2 8 9. Besides the Prohibition of Priests Marriage has been the cause of much Lewdness and Villany as Adultery Fornication Incest Sodomy Murder c. Council of Trent Sess 9. That the Saints reigning with Christ and offering up their Prayers for Men it is good and profitable humbly to invocate them and that we may obtain Benefits of God thro his Son Jesus Christ our Lord who is our only Redeemer and Saviour to have recourse to their Prayers Aid and Assistance c. This Doctrin has no Foundation in nor Warrant from God's Word For there 's not one Precept nor Example of praying to Saints in the whole Bible nor Promise that such Prayers shall be heard and accepted but the contrary is every where evident Besides this Practice is irrational and absurd For the Saints and Angels are neither omnipresent nor omnipercipient and therefore they cannot hear Us. Cassand de Merit Intercess Sanct. And they do also solemnly invocate and worship many of their reputed Saints whose Saintship nay whose Existence says one of their own celebrated Authors is very questionable Not to trouble you with Citations at large there are several other known and received Doctrins of their Church which bear the same Impression and Character but those I have mention'd already being the most considerable the rest will either stand or fall by ' em Yet their Doctrin of Oral Tradition which I had almost omitted deserves its place amongst the rest For this vilifies the Holy Scripture destroys its Authority and Sufficiency by a certain Dependance upon the Church whereby they make our Saviour's Prophetical Office a meer Nullity in saying no less than that He has not sufficiently reveal'd the Will of God to the Sons of Men but all the World must be beholden to the Church of Rome for their Oral Tradition In a word all their Pardons Confessions Indulgences Satisfactions Merits c. do expresly contradict the great End and Design of our Saviours Incarnation and set up the Pope and Priests in his stead These are the New Articles of Popery which as incredible and absurd as they are the Subjects of that Communion are bound to believe under the pain and peril of the Pope's Anathema And indeed they are all New you may see the Original of 'em in Dr. Comber's Advice