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truth_n call_v church_n pillar_n 6,253 5 10.5659 5 true
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A44476 A tract concerning schism and schismatiqves wherein is briefly discovered the originall causes of all schisme / written by a learned and judicious divine ; together with certain animadversions upon some passages thereof. Hales, John, 1584-1656.; Page, William, 1590-1663. 1642 (1642) Wing H278; ESTC R2860 21,883 35

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Errare possum Hareticus esse nolo indeed Manichanisme Valentinianisme Macedonianisme Mahometisme are truly and properly Herises For wee know that the Authors of them received them not but invented them themselves and so knew what they taught to be a lye but can any man avouch that Arius and Nestorius and others that taught erroniously concerning the Trinity and the person of our SAVIOUR did maliciously invent what they taught and not rather fall upon it by error and mistake till that be done and upon good evidence we will thinke no worse of all parties than needs we must and take these Rents in the Church to be at the worst but Schismes upon matter of opinion in which case what we are to do is not a point of any great depth of understanding to discover if so be distemper and partiality do not intervene I do not see that opinionum varictas opinantium unitas are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or that men of different opinions in Christian Religion may not hold communion in Sacris and both go to one Church why may I not go If occasion require to an Arian Church so there be no Arianisme exprest in their Liturgy and were Liturgies and publique formes of Service so framed as that they admitted not of particular and private fancies but contained onely such things as in which all Christians do agree Schismes on opinion were utterly vanished for consider of all the Liturgies that are and ever have beene and remove from them whatsoever is scandalous to any party and leave nothing but what all agree on and the event shall be that the publique Service and Honour of God shall no wayes suffer Whereas to load our publique formes with the private fancies upon which we differ is the most soveraigne way to perpetuate Schisme unto the worlds end Prayer Confession Thanksgiving Reading of Scriptures Administration of Sacriments in the plainest and the simplest manner were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient Liturgy though nothing either of private opinion or of Church Pomp of Garments or prescribed Gestures of Imagery of musike of matter concerning the Dead of many superfluities which creep into the Church under the name of Order and Decency did interpose it selfe To charge Churches and Liturgies with things unnecessary was first the beginning of all superstition and when scruple of Conscience began to be made or pretended there Schisme began to breake in if the speciall Guides and Fathers of the Church would be a little sparing of incumbring Churches with superfluities or not over-rigid either in reviving obsolete Customes or imposing new there would be farre lesse cause of Schisme or Superstition and all the inconveniance likely to ensue would be but this they should in so doing yeeld a little to the imbecillity of their Inferiors a thing which S. Paul would never haue refused to do meane while wheresoever false or suspected opinions are made a peice of Church Liturgy he that seperates is not the Schismatique for it is alike unlawfull to make profession of known or suspected falsehood as to put in practise unlawfull or suspected actions ANIMADVERSION Fiftly having trampled upon the Auncients you come now to the Church and levell that also with the ground It hath been say you the common disease of Christians from the beginning not to content themselves with that measure of faith which God and Scriptures have expressely afforded us but out of a vaine desire to know more then is revealed they have attempted to devise things of which we have no light from reason nor revelation Neither have they rested here but upon pretence of Church authority which is none or Tradition which for the most part is but fained c. I hath the Church no authority did not our Saviour giue power to the Church to punish excommunicate a notorious offendor when he saith goe tell the Church and if he heare not the Church let him be to thee a heathen or a Publican And did not his S. Paul give great power to the Church when he calleth it the Pillar and fortresse of truth It were easy here to enlarge my selfe and prove out of the Ancient Fathers did you not reject them that they attributed great powre authority to the Church But the Church of England whose sonne suppose you are and therefore cannot so well neglect her authority will tell you that the Church hath powre to decree rites or ceremonyes and authority in controversies of faith But here you would cry up the authority of the Scriptures that thereby you might decry the authority of the Church whereas these two are not opposite but subordinate one to another I meane the Church to the Scripture If therefore you will commend unto us the authority of Scripture you must also uphold the authority of the Church which is founded in Scripture but if you nullify the authority of the Church you must also neglect the authority of the Scripture which giveth the Church such power And let no man think the Roman Church will here break in upon mee for by Church I meane the truly auncient Catholick and Apostolicke Church from which the Roman Church is farre enough And as by Church so I meane by Tradition for where Tradition is fained none are to esteem of it but when it doth appeare unto us to be truly auncient Catholick and Apostolick it is not a little to be regarded Hereupon Vincentius would have us duplici modo munire fidem to fortify our faith two manner of waies primò divinae legis authoritate deinde Ecclesiae Catholicae traditione first by the authority of divine law then by the tradition of the Catholick Church Then he putteth that objection which you here and many others are used to make seeing that the canon of Scripture is perfect enough and more then enough sufficient in it selfe to all things what need is there that wee should joyne unto it the authority of Ecclesiasticall exposition Unto which me thinks he giveth a very satisfying answere Because all doe not understand the holy Scriptures by reason of the height thereof in one and the same sense but one interprets it one way and another a severall way So that there be as many minds and meanings about it almost as there be men For Novatus expounds it one way Donatus another Arius another Pelagius another c. Therefore it is very needfull by reason of so great and diverse errors that the line of Propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation be directed according to the rule of Ecclesiasticall and Catholick meaning So that true and Catholick Tradition is like unto a strong wall about the garden of holy Scripture which keeps it from the incursion of Hereticks or if they chance to get in it is a soveraine antidote to preserve us from the poison they suck out of these sweet flowers So that take the Church and Tradition in a right sense there is much to be attributed to them