Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A91516
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The right religion, reviewed and inlarged / by L.P. Gent.
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L. P., Gent.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing P74C; ESTC R181384
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42,130
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187
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poor illiterate men to perswade a Religion so contrary to flesh and blood as mortification of Wills Fasting Chastity c. Luther was a man of learning and parts who had onely to instil a doctrine acceptable and pleasing to the depravedness of nature to perform which needed not abilities other than naturall 3 A third shape is Protestants received their Mission from Catholick Bishops in Queen Elizabeths dayes and since ANSWER 1. If some did which is to be proved Nay the contrary seemes demonstrated by Doctor Champney it is evident the greater part did not and what a Church must that company make of which most are judged fit to preach the word of God and administer the Sacraments without authority But admit the calling of Protestant Bishops and Pastours were right in all of them it would not follow that the Protestant Church is true so long as she advanceth Protestanisme contrary to the meaning of the Catholique Bishops who never impowr'd any but in relation to the setting up and upholding of Catholique Religion 2. Furthermore Communion with the true Church being as necessary a requisite to the making up of a true Church as union of parts to the compleating of a naturall body what colour for truth in the Protestant Church that is at variance with the Catholique of whom she gloryeth to have her power and which she confesseth to be a true Church whereto adde that Protestants derivation from Catholiques is not proof for a personall succession of Bishops and Pastours agreeing in all points with Protestants which ought to be the scope and ayme of that derivation it being not required of Protestants to deduce a succession from Christ and his Apostles of men meerly sent but withall professing the doctrine maintained in the Church of England For although doctrine be no mark of the true Church as shall be shewn hereafter nevertheless it is her inseparable Mate insomuch that where true Doctrine is wanting there the true Church cannot be Christ having intrusted her with his truth and ordained her keeper and preserver thereof 3. It will be said such a succession may be shewn but mingled pale-male with Catholiques as corn with chaffe good fish with bad conformably to Scripture comparing the Church to a barn-floor where there is corn and chaffe together Math. 3. to a Net replenished with all sortes of fish Math. 13. Repl. This mixture must have been either of Protestant and Catholique doctrine in the same company of men making profession of both or in severall companies one professing one another the other It could not be the former because that would be a clear argument that the Church hath erred contrary to what was proved in the fift Chapter Besides the name of Protestant to this company would be very improper holding a Doctrine inconsistent with the Protestant Surely whosoever over and above the Protestant Doctine should profess the Arian or Nestorian would deem himself jeered and laughed at to hear himself styled by the name of Protestant Doctrine being in nature much like unto number the least addition or diminution altering its kind and grounding a new denomination Nor the latter in as much as there is no agreement betwixt the Temple of God and Idols no concord with Christ and Belial 2. Cor. 6. The Arke of God and Dagon may not stand together 1. Kings 5. It were a strange example if the Church unparaleld for love to her spouse that professeth so much to truth and strictly forbiddeth ill company as dangerous to her Children should receive into her company Lyers and Innovatours This would leave a stain upon her reputation make her sincerity be suspected her Doctrine contemned and despised But she who is all fair Cant. 6. Without spot or wrinkle Epes 5. is free from any such guilt Sectaries being as hideous and hatefull in her sight as their suggestions are full of poyson and destructive to soules 4. It will be said Protestant Bishops and Pastours were not so near mingled with Catholiques as either to believe or profess their Doctrine they onely concealed and covered their own for fear of the formidable rigour of Catholiques Repl. such Bishops and Pastours could neither be true nor make a saving Church Not true because the Mission of true Bishops and Pastours being founded upon persecution and suffering Loe I send you as sheep among Wolves Math. 10. Luke 11. it is proper for them to fear no colours Cruelty in her gastliest hue is not able to fright or daunt them from preaching the word of God and administring the Sacraments The Apostles gave testimony to this truth when commanded by higher powers to forbear mentioning Christ or his actions they bravely and with stoutness reported that they could not choose but declare What they had seen and heard yea even outraged and ill entreated for this behalf they went away glad and rejoycing to be thought worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Acts. 5. All the glorious Martyrs and Confessours confirm the same by their profession of faith amidst the loathsome stenches of close Prisons and horrible torments of bloody persecutours 5. Nor make up a saving Church by reason profession of Faith is necessary to salvation Rom. 10. In heart it is believed to justice by mouth profession is made unto Salvation Mat. 10. He that denies me to men I will denie him before my father c. The Comparisons are meant of private men for matter of manners not of any mixture of true and false Doctrine Orthodoxall Heretical Bishops Pastours together 6. A fourth shape is in all ages since Christ and his Apostles there have been Protestant Bishops and Pastours but through the negligence of men and hard fate of times their names have miscarried and perish'd And as it is no argument many famous Romans and Graecians are not named therefore never were any such men so it is no less fals a sequell Protestant Bishops and Pastours are not mentioned all the way from Christ and the Apostles therefore they were sometimes wanting ANSWER 1. It is not the same of private men and of Bishops and Pastours These have Christs Warrant and assurance for a Continuance of visibility so have not those Math. 28. Bishops and Pastours are as Aqueduces and Limbecks through which the vivifying waters of Christs holy Doctrine are derived into our eares and distilled into our soules so are not private men should they be at any time clouded and in obscurity Christ would be worse than his word his Doctrine fall short and not come home to us 2. It will be said visibility is a badge private men wear as well as Bishops and Doctours therefore it cannot be inferred more of the one than of the other Repl. Visibility is not peculiar to Bishop and Pastours but necessity of visibility is private men in this way of visibility being onely contingently visible So that though this inference be not right they are visible men therefore they are Bishops and Rastours no more
than that there are white fowle therefore they are swans whiteness belonging as well to Geese Ducks Pigeons c. Yet there are Bishops and Pastours therefore they are visible holds good as there are swans therefore they are white fowl in asmuch as visibility agreeth necessarily to Bishops and Pastours as whiteness doth to swans 3. It will be said Divers Bishops and Pastours have been whose names are not extant therefore Bishops and Pastours have no stricter relation to visibility than private men Repl. Bishops and Pastours are necessarily visible either indeterminately or determinately indeterminately all for some are necessary to make a visible Church determinately so many without which there could not be a sufficient number to make a true visible Church Even as Ships in respect of passing the Sea all are necessary either indeterminately or determinately indeterminately all some being necessary to pass with determinately so many without which the Sea is not to be passed Wherefore as the Antecedent is true the Sequell is false Bishops and Pastours having either indeterminately or determinately a necessary Reference to this sort of visibility private men onely an accidentall 4 It will be said Bishops and Pastours are necessarily visible whil'st they live dead that necessity ceaseth Repl. Such a visibility would be to no purpose it not providing the Church of means to defend and make good her right in case of opposition for the question of lawfulness in Bishops and Pastours and of their truth in point of Doctrine soaring as high as Christ commonly be satisfied by a shewing of equall rise which supposeth a visibility reaching from Christ to the end of the World as power to the Act. The question of the Churches Right is to be decided not unlike that of two great men laying claim to a Principality by vertue of some pretended descent from a certain Prince or to that of 〈◊〉 River whether it hath its ofâ—â—ring from such a Hill or Mountain For as to Evidence this the surest way will be to derive their Pedigree and to trace the River up to the Head so to clear that no means more effectuall than to take a view of the ages gliding betwixt Christ and us If Bishops and Pastours be found succeeding each other without intermission it is Evident they are true and Catholick if otherwise they may not escape the brand of usurpation and intrusion 5. The Truth of Doctrine is discernable much after the same manner If it be found to have no way varied but to have kept its own from Christ and the Apostles doubtless it is Orthodox if not most certainly it is new and false In short by the good help of this visibility the Bishops and Pastours of Gods Church together with his Doctrine shine so bright throughout all ages since Christ that who will open their eyes to see and their mouthes to ask may with ease finde whom to obey and what to believe for want of this visibility Sectaries boast they never so much of Antiquity prove but of late creation and their Doctrines fond devises of unsetled and wavering mindes 5. The last shape is That Church is true and Catholick which professeth the Apostles Doctrine clearly delivered in Scripture but the Protestants Church doth this therefore c. ANSWER 1. TRue Doctrine is no mark of a true Church it being to be seen among Schismaticks who for want of Communion are not able to make a true Church Besides Doctrine is as divers as there are divers seeming Churches and so not affording any determinate motion drawes in opposition of a mark of truth to which adde that Doctrine supposeth Bishops and Pastours as the means whereby it is conveyed unto us For Doctrine comes not in the ayre or by infusion but by preaching and teaching of men not only sent inwardly by inspiration but likewise outwardly by ordination or imposition of hands of such as have power as the Priests in the old Law the Apostles and their successors in the new were Exod. 3. Levit. 8. Math. 28. therefore it importeth as much to name Bishops and Pastours before way be given to the mentioning of Doctrine as it is necessary passing from one extreame to another to touch first the middle It is no less untrue that Protestants maintain the Apostles Doctrine delivered in Scripture inasmuch as they cleave to a sense which the words neither do nor can beare without wresting forcing as Dr. Smith late Bishop of Chalcedon hath clearly shewn in his Collation to which I must remit you for avoyding of tedious quotations as opposite to my professed brevity To be of the Apostle belief requires a full and entire admission of what they believed For if belief of some points only were enough to make two of one belief Catholicks and Protestants Turks and Jews might crack of unity in Religion because though they differ in some points yet in other some they consent and agree Now Heaven being a reward only intended and promised where there is a full performance of Duty belief of part of the Apostle Belief is as ineffectuall to Salvation as perseverance for a time which moved St Athan to say that he that did not hold the Catholick Faith intirely should for ever perish And it is agreeable to reason in regard punishment is the reward of contempt offered to Gods Majestie which may be done as by transgressing any one Commandment so by disbelieving any one point Gods Majesty shining no less resplendently in his veracity than in is Will. It will be said Protestants agree with the Apostles in sundamentalls which is sufficient to be of the Apostles belief and to Salvation Repl. There are two sortes of Fundamentalls answerable to the twofold precept of belief affirmative He that believes shall be saved and negative He that doth not believe shall be condemned Mar. 16. The first sort is points to be believed explicitly or in particular as the Trinity the Incarnation c. The second sort is points to be believed at leastwise implicitly or in generall as all points whatsoever relating to belief both are Fundamentalls because both are necessary to Salvation and both are necessary to Salvation because both are equally grounded upon Revelation whence ariseth the necessitie and obligation of belief Now admit it should be granted that Protestants agree with the Apostles in the first sort of Fundamentalls that is in points necessarie to be believed explicitly according to the affirmative precept of belief which may well be a question they not believing them upon account of the Church but for fancie or some other humane respect yet disagreeing in the second sort that is in points necessarie to be believed at leastwise implicitly according to the negative precept of belief How is it true that they do not disagree from the Apostles in fundamentalls It will be said those points Protestants disagree in were not revealed to the Apostles Repl. It is manifest they were there being the same light for the revelation of them