Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	christian_a	church_n	true_a	4,006	5	4.8519	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79926	A sermon preach'd at St. Michan's Church in Dublin, February the 23d, 1700. Upon receiving into the communion of the Church of England, the Honble Sir Terence Mac-mahon, Knt & Barnet and Christopher Dunn, converts from the Church of Rome. : Wherein is an account also of a late controversie, betwixt the author and some Romanists. / By John Clayton, Præbendary of St. Michan's.	Clayton, John, 1657-1725.	1700 (1700)	Wing C4609A; ESTC R37725	14,592	24

this reason our Saviour commanded the People to have all strict regard to the Scribes and Pharisees that sat in Moses Chair all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do And then they urge that the Argument holds stronger as to the Christian Church for now is our Faith built on more sure and establish'd on better Promises and on a more firm and compleat Word of Truth according to Hebrews 8. 6. To all which our Church has given very full Answers and shown how Mean Trivial and Trifling a way of Arguing they Use In that they wrest the plain sense of these Texts to a quite different meaning then ever was intended I will indeed allow them that if the Jewish Church was Infallible then the Romish Church is also Infallible But if the Jewish Shanedrim knew not nor owned the Lord of Life but erred in the main Article of their Faith relating to the Messias and Crucifi'd Christ If Pontius Pilate put Him to Death at the Instigation of the a Matth. 12. 22. Chief Priests and Elders And if Caiaphas b John 11. 49 who was that Year the High-Priest was particularly in the Conspiracy and Ring-leader c Matth. 26. 3 57. thereof Let them boast of their Paralel Principles and Arguments of more Validity I shall take them to be what Christ called those Scribes Pharisees but d Matth. 15. 14. 23. 16. Blind-Guides and Men of the worst Principles Blind Leaders of the Blind And that it will be more tollerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment then for them And Secondly Then as to those general Promises they instance in by those several Texts of Scripture before cited they prove nothing against us if they were allow'd to refer to this matter For being spoke indefinitely to the Church diffusive there would be nothing determined thereby but the Controversy would still remain Whether our Church or their Church or some other amongst the various Sects in the World were thus Infallible These were Promises made to all the Apostles at large to St. James and St. John as well as to St. Peter that he would give them the Spirit of Truth the Holy Ghost to reveal to them all necessary Truths for the Establishment of his Church which afterwards he would accordingly preserve to the end of the World so as that it should never cease to be a Church that there should never cease to be a true Christian Church here on Earth But there is no Promise that does Import that he would preserve it from all Errors so as to render it Infallible The truth of these Revelations and of Christ's Church is preserved and I doubt not hereupon but it will be preserved to the end of the World in the Scriptures and Apostles Creed and so forth and in a certain number of faithful People that shall hold and stand firm in that Faith throughout all Ages And so in the darkest times of Ignorance * About the 10th Century called Saeculum Obscurum which was when Popery was most prevalent there were still a Remnant of God's People of whom it might be said as of those of old when there were a Remnant of several Thousands left that bow'd not the Knee to Baal which latent numbers of Orthodox were the true visible Church on Earth and St. Paul makes application of this Text 1 Kings 19. 18. to the same use Rom. 11. 4. Therefore to come to the Third sort of Proofs whereby they would prove a particular and singular Grant Assigned by Christ to St. Peter and to his Successors of the Church of Rome This indeed if it could be made clear would be to the purpose But there are a great many Propositions and Parts contain'd herein that if Critically Examin'd would more than puzzle them to make out But taken in gross they are so confused and fluctuate so very strangely in their Opinions and Assertions as to this matter that there is no fixing of them or binding of them to be Determin'd thereby My Text is one of the strongest of this Nature that they produce which therefore I shall Answer And for this I need not particularly Expound the Words For at once I shall give a plain Answer to all that can be said on this Text and all others they produce of the like nature For these Words must be either spoke directly to St. Peter in particular or else to all the Apostles in general If to all the Apostles then according to this Interpretation all the Apostles and all their * Summa potestas Ecclesiastica non solum data est Petro sed etiam alijs Apostolis Bellarmin De. Rom. Pontif. L. 1. C. 9. Omnes fuerunt Capita Pastores Universae Ecclesiae Ibid. C. 11. But then he adds Sed Petro data est ut Ordinario Pastori cui perpetuò succederetur aliis tanquam delegatis quibus non succederetur Fuit enim in illis Ecclesiae primordiis necessarium ad fidem toto Orbe Terrarum celeriter disseminandam ut primis praedicatoribus Ecclesiarum fundatoribus summa potestas libertas concederetur Mortuis autem Apostolis Apostolica authoritas in solo Petri successore permansi● This is Answered by the Bishop of Granada and the Bishop of Paris when the same was urged in the Councel of Trent That it was an Audacious Saying without Ground Authority or Reason Invented about 50 Years before by Cajetan to obtain a Cardinals Cap but had been Ignomini●usly Censured by the Divines of the Sorbon since and was unknown to former Ages being inconsistent with the 20th of Matth. Vers 20. vid. Hist Council of Trent by Pietro Polano Octob. 13. 1562. Successors have an equal pretence to Infallibility as St. Peter and his Successors have Which confounds their Notion and the grand Authority of their Church which therefore they will not allow Therefore on the other Hand if these Words were directed to St. Peter in particular then the Pope of himself must be Infallible without the assistance of a Councel which is contrary to the Tenents of all the Persons of the Romish Church I meet with for they utterly deny it and when they can be got to declare themselves on this Head they say it is the Pope together with his Councel that is Infallible but not otherwise And hereupon it is That they rarely put stress on any Scripture Proofs as to this point but 〈◊〉 mostly to Tradition as giving them the largest Scope and being most beyond the Capacity of the Vulgar And for which they can bring a company of their own Forgeries and Authors and so never want a Proof So far at least as to invert the Order of Dispute and like subtle Attorneys to make us become Plantiffs instead of Defendants Yet our Case is so Plain and Good that we never refuse thus to joyn Issue if so that they will but first fix their Principle and declare where it is that they place this Infallibility

St. Paul found him in a great Error when he met him at Antioch and withstood him Gal. 2. 11. to the face because he was to be blamed And indeed he was so great an indulger of that Error and Faction which the Grand Apostolick Council was called to Reform and Correct that he may be said to be one of the Principle Ring-leaders thereof till God shew'd him a particular Vision to reveal to him his Error a little before that Council was held It is certain they have been much at a loss where to fix this Infallibility and therefore have invented these several Positions to place it sometimes in the Pope sometimes in the Council sometimes in the Pope and Council all which I think I have proved absolutely False and that this Uncertainty is because it is really no where So that the Doctrine of Infallibility instead of being so advantagious to their Church as they pretend is the greatest distracting Principle imaginable it is the Mother of Error a Cloak for Ignorance an Abuse and Cheat and only an Artificial Contrivance to deceive and captivate silly poor Souls and never was started thought on contrived or heard of in the World for above a Thousand Years after Christ's time This was the Purport of what I gave in Writing and it was shew'd as I understand to several of the Roman Clergy in this Kingdom And all the Answer that I got in some Months time was That they were the Crabbedest or Knottiest Instances could have been pitch'd on and that they had not the conveniency of Books to Answer them It was then sent for England as I was inform'd and after a long time came a most tedious Answer which I could never get a Copy of I had indeed the Perusal of it and made Answer it would be too great an Avocation for me that have so great a Cure to reply to every thing I thought Faulty therein and would too much distract the Dispute that the Conclusion would not be so evident But If they would pitch upon any one Instance that would clearly decide the Controversie I would be bound to be Determined thereby thereupon the first Instance was chosen that I was urged to make a Reply to that about Vigilius The Answer owned That there was such a Council or Assembly and according a Constitution or Decree Extant made by them and Vigilius which contain'd Erroneous Doctrines in points of Faith but said this was made when Vigilius was a Pseudo-Pope And gave an Historical Account of Vigilius out of Platina or some of their Authors telling how Vile a Person Vigilius was at first and laid on him a load of Infamy telling by what corrupt Dealings and by what profane Interest in the Empress Theodora he Usurp'd the Seat of Pope Sylverius and got to be Pope during whose Life-time he was therefore a Pseudo or false Pope and it was then that he made this Decree I shall make no Reply to this Obloquie being therein they only vomit forth their own Shame But says the Answer after Sylverius ' s Death the Spirit of God came upon him he immediately receded from his former Election till he was chosen again and then became a true Pope and a Holy Father of the Church This I suppose was added to insinuate what a Divine Inspiration of Infallibility there is at the time of their Accession to the Chair when they are duely and regularly made Popes But to be short and come to the stress of the Point in Debate which was laid herein Whether this Constitution was made before Sylverius ' s Death or no That is Whether it was made whilst Vigilius was a false or a true Pope It is a plain single Point and I will venture the whole upon it For If I do not prove that this Council was call'd and held and the Decree made several Years after Sylverius ' s Death I 'le turn Papist if my Adversary will but as fairly engage to turn Protestant if I prove it very fully * Datum pridie Idus Maij imperante Domino nostro J●stiniano perpetuo Augusto Anno 27. post Consulatum Viri clarissimi Anno 12. in Constantinopolitana Civitate The Date then of this Decree runs thus Constituted the 14th Day of May in the 27th Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord the Emperor Justinian and in the 12th Year after the Consulatship of that Renowned Man Basilius in the City of Constantinople This is Extant at the end of the Decree in the Paris Edition of the Councils at large èTypographia Regia 1644. But Binnius and some others have purposely as I suppose omitted the Date and Subscriptions though they have all the rest of the Decree at large yet at the beginning he has in the Margent set a Note that Baronius has placed this in the 553 d. Year of our Redemption 13 Years after Sylverius's Death Observe then here is a double date one that it was the 27th Year of Justinians Reign the other the 12th Year after Basilius Consulatship and what is further remarkable that I would have you Note that Basilius was the last Consul and so the Ephoca or manner of dating is altered the Year after Basilius was Consul for whereas before they Dated things from such a Year of the Emperors Reign and when such and such Persons were Consuls They then changed the method of Dating to such a certain Year after Basilius was Consul all which clearly denotes there could be no accidental mistake in the Date Let us now see then what Year Sylverius Died and for this I take their own great Author † Jesu Christi Annus 540. Vigilij Pap. Annus 1. Justiniani Imp. 14. Vitigis Reg. 4. Qui sequitur Annus Quadragessimus supra quingentessimum ascriptus fastis reperitur consulatu solius Justini tu addas Collegam Paulinum Juniorem dictum Quo Anno Sylverius Papa in Insula Palmaria releg●tus confectus aerumnis consumptusque inedia diem tandem clausit extremum Duodecimo Kalenda● Julij Quod autem aliqui nec duos Annos cjus sedi concedunt inde id evenisse liquet quod absurde admodum numerent ejus sedis tempususque ad Vigilij intrusionem tantum cum ipse Sylverius e sede expulsus est at vero usque ad consummatum Martyrium semper ipsum legitimum perseverasse Pontificem Baroni Antv●rpiae ex officina Plantiniana 1603. Tom. 7. Baronius And he places the Death of Vigilius in the 14th Year of the Emperor Justinians Reign and in the Consulatship of Justinus and Paulinus who were immediate Consuls before Basilius So then Sylverius Dying the 14th Year of Justinian and the Date of the Constitution being the 27th Year of Justinian it is plain Vigilius if ever was a true Pope and had been so 13 Years and so also by the other Date For Justinus and Paulinus being Consuls the Year before Basilius and the Date of the Constitution being the 12th Year after Basilius was Consul in like manner confirms that it was 13 Years after Vigilius was a Right Pope Nothing in the World can be more plain and positive and though I have deliver'd this in Writing above Half a Year since I hear nothing in return and therefore I shall not add any thing more hereto for if I would have Enlarged I could have shown that the greatest Share of that Story about Vigilius and the Empress is a late Invention of their Authors and Historians purposely contrived to conceal and cloak this matter Now Mortal Men have such Imperfect Reason that they may be liable to Mistakes for so only GOD is True but every Man a Liar that is they are subject to Error And therefore I do not contemn or hate any Man on that Account if I could but think he had Candor and a good Conscience that he were sincere and honest in his Principle But when Men plainly see they are in an Error to have them forge Untruths for Religion's sake to coyn New Histories forge New Inventions to deceive themselves and others it is such a Pia Fraus or Religious Cheat as is most Impious and Abominable What a strange Current there is in Men's Natures to Vice that Men should ever think to serve God with Falshood and Forgeries and be begotted to Principles that they themselves Invent for no other end but to enslave themselves with all such is an unhappy Zeal Whereas to contend for the Truth with Candor and Honesty to be Zealously affected for Righteousness with Simplicity and Singleness of Heart is true Piety and Zeal as well as hearty Religion For God loves a Tenderness of Conscience as well as a Flaming Affection but the Conjunction of one with the other makes the Blessed Temper of a Christian Let us therefore shew forth our Faith by our Works for such are the most prevalent Arguments for the greatest part cannot but be under jealous Apprehensions that we have the Truth on our sides if we had but the Testimony of good Works to Illustrate our Profession Let us therefore with Holy Lives with the confounding Evidence of Moral Principles as well as of an Orthodox Faith endeavour to Convert and Gain many more Proselites For thus God may perhaps make us the Blessed Instruments of turning many to Righteousness and to the acknowledgment of the Truth So as that they may recover themselves out of the Snare of the Devil and though we should fail of preserving theirs we may be sure to save our own Souls But Turn Thou them O Good Lord and then will they be Turned Be favourable be favourable O Lord to that People out of Thy Great and Tender Mercy For Thou art full of Compassion Long-Suffering and of great Pity nor wouldst the Death of a Sinner but rather that he should be Converted and Live Have Mercy therefore upon all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks and take from them all Ignorance hardness of Heart and contempt of Thy Word and so bring them home to Thy Flock that they may be saved amongst the Remnant of the true Israelites and be made one Fold under one Shepherd Jesus Christ our Lord who Liveth and Reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit one God World without End Amen FINIS