Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	ancient_a	church_n	doctrine_n	1,896	5	6.2759	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38632	An essay to ecclesiastical reconciliation humbly offered to the consideration of all peaceable and good Christians / by a lover of peace.	Lover of peace.	1686 (1686)	Wing E3293; ESTC R26798	8,091	18

Belief of the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament Neither has the Church of Rome as was instanc'd before in the Doctrine of Praying to Saints and Worshipping of Images pronounc'd Damnation to any that should doubt of the certainty of her Tenent in this particular tho' she has declar'd her Anathema against such as should deny the Validity of her Declaration There being a vast difference betwixt the doubting of the sense of a Proposition of the Church and a peremptory dehial of its Truth Since it is not possible for the Church to have assurance that every Individual Person within her Communion does not doubt of any one Article of Faith that she has propos'd So that all Fundamental Error of this kind must rather consist in a Positive Denial of what the Church has Averr'd to be Truth than in being not able to understand the manner of her Proposal And if this Latitude be not granted to Men the Antient Fathers of the Church whose opinions in many Doctrines are not without Hesitation or doubt must fall under very harsh-Censures as well as others that have reserv'd their private opinions within the compass of their Bosoms Nor can it be affirm'd from what hath been mention'd before that the Church of England does peremptorily deny the presence of Christs Body in the Sacrament since in her own Words she does Communicate the Body of our Lord unto her Receivers And has likewise declar'd it so to be believ'd a necessary Doctrine for what else does imply her Consecrating of the Body of Christ after a Spiritual manner Neither is it less Stupendious if rightly consider'd to feed upon Christs Body in a Spiritual manner according to the Expression of the Church of England than to receive him carnally into the mouth of the Communicant Since either way must of necessity be more intelligible to Faith than Reason as all things of Religion are whose Miraculous Truths fall not under the evidence of Humane Sense and Demonstration What then remains so naturully to close this Dispute as to grant on all hands that the Body of our Lord is given or contain'd in the Sacrament after a Super-natural manner And if so what can be so proper an Expedition to reconcile the Discussions of this Doctrine as to concede that Men ought to allow the Miracle without Disputing the manner how And if both Churches would come to this understanding in order to the uniting of their Judgements on the account of this Extraordinary Point of Controversie there is little doubt but other Matters yet in Contest would receive a soon Period If any man ask why a Divine Reconcilement in things of Religion has not been made the Endeavour of former Princes since in all the Revolutions of that kind that have emerg'd from the time of Reformation of Religion here the very Nerves of the Government have been more or less chang'd or weaken'd thereby in respect that wheresoever Subjects are not united in Belief the Regiment of Princes must needs be less absolute or safe To which there can no answer be given other than that Supream Magistrates have been more inclinable to depend upon their Decrees and the Severity of their Laws than by applying means of Spiritual Union whereby their Subjects might be reduc'd not only to Ecclesiastical obedience but likewise to joyn their Souls to the perswasion of their Prince where their opinions have been otherwise different And this was unhappily the mistake of Henry the VIII tho' perhaps discern'd by some of his Successors For he however Severe he was by Nature could not be delighted to persecute at one time Roman Catholicks and whatsoever opinion besides that was different from what he call'd the Reformation establish'd by his Soveraign Decrees A Crime too hainous to be imputed to any Christian King or rather to be attributed to his not weighing considerately the Measures taken by his Will Not apprehending that wheresoever there are men divided in Worship and in doing so have likewise acknowledg'd several Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions that it is impossible to Reconcile or Terminate the perswasions of such unless by the common consent of the Divine Jurisdictions which they have own'd to be their Conduct in Spiritual Affairs and Government Thus if the Roman and English Church should Endeavour an accommodation in Point of Jurisdiction and Doctrine it must be produc'd by Persons properly delegated by their several Jurisdictions and there is little doubt but an accord might be produc'd by this method in respect as has been already Recited it would not be difficult to concenter in what were sufficient for both Churches to Remit or Establish Nor can it be apprehended that any secular power would ever after attempt their separation by Reason that no Supream Civil Magistrate could be so imprudently influenc'd as to weaken the greatness and interest of his Rule by suffering his Subjects to return to their past Divisions by any consent from his Authority and Laws If the Church of England does claim Authentick Confirmation at this day both by Ecclesiastical and Perliamentary Determinations it is no less certain that in the time of our Fore-fathers or not much longer ago than a Century of Years will amount to that Roman Catholicks had as fully the outward face of Government on their side And can any man Judge it unreasonably mov'd or attempted now if their Reconciliation should be propos'd by the same means and power that formerly effected their Dis-union Certainly no since it cannot but be thought a far less Novelty and much a better Work to establish a Christian Reconciliation than to continue uncharitable Divisions And because some men suffer themselves to be inveigl'd by the specious Discourses of Toleration in Point of Religion a Liberty I confess that may be in some sense indulg'd where a better and surer method cannot be attain'd yet doubtless there is no man that can be so far mistaken as to conceive that there is any shadow of conveniency redounding from the License of Tolleration to be compar'd in the least degree with the fix'd assurance and comfort of Spiritual concord And if there be any that will Judge otherwise their Christianity must want some grains of Charity as well as Prudence In respect that if such a License be once Establish'd all means of uniting different Churches and Perswasions must totally vanish If Tolleration of divided Faith be consider'd as it respects God whose Essense is one It cannot be held in any Tollerable sense obliging to Heaven Neither can there be any assurance given how pernitiously far or absurdly such may divide or seperate if Licens'd by Authority from all which is enough inferr'd the evil and dangerous consequence of Universal Tolleration And as to the Civil Magistrate the Enormities and Prejudices would be so great that by allowing a Tolleration he would by his own consent enfeeble his Scepter both on the Ecclesiastical and Civil Account And what is worse allow men to be more Erroneous or wicked than in Prudence or Conscience he ought to concede If there were any hopes that such men would at any time inspect the unreasonableness of their Divisions or be weary of being impertinent Antagonists there were something to be said in behalf of Tolleration But Alas the contrary would be soon discern'd for They instead of any Cessation or Reconcilement would hold themselves oblig'd or interested to continue their Animosities by urging of Disputes boasting of their daily Increase Riches and Power in hope at last that some one of them may be paramount on all Accounts and bend to their ends the Dominion they are under Whereas an accommodation betwixt Churches that have had Sovereign Authority and Law Reciprocally their defence were a Christian Expedient not to be parallel'd If English Princes of the same Perswasion as the Church of England now professeth did not foresee this Conveniency or thought it not their duty to compose this Work or by Reason of some Circumstances or Emergencies in their times held it not so safe or Beneficial to be set forward as in this present Juncture may appear to discerning Judgments and most particularly to the Royal prudence of the Religious and Famous King that now Swayes the English Scepter in respect that his Perswasion is granted to be different from the Church he here Governs Would any man of a due Christian Spirit and Allegiance not applaud his Piety and Magnanimity above all his Predecessors should he Endeavour to Incorporate his Faith with his Subjects by Reconciling both Churches on such Terms as should reasonably require their common Union whereby his People might have a more Conscientious regard and trust towards Him as well as greater Christian confidence in one another And by which means the Penalties and Rigour of Laws that have in their Seasons irritated oppositions and griev'd the Consciences of his People might be Abrogated by raising an Establish'd Reconciliation in their stead and such a one as would prove too firm for future times to subvert whilst Christianity and Kingly Government shall have joynt interest in this Nation because that in Conscience and Policy it would be too valuable a blessing to be infring'd by any subsequent change as has been already explain'd I say he that would resent this Endeavour of his Soveraign may as well take it ill that his King is of a Pious and Charitable Inclination or that he would invite his Subjects to embrace the most entire and peaceable methods of obedience by the dictates of Reason rather than by constraint And whosoever is otherwise affected is not worth the trouble of a Dispute or what has been made manifest by this short Essay which does but instance in part or rather awakens others in their proper spheres fully to compleat so Commodious and Pious an Undertaking FINIS