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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	doctrine_n	teach_v	6,712	5	6.4919	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03882	A treatise concerning the properties and offices of the true Church of Christ VVritten in Latin, by the reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English, by I.L. of the same Society. The first part of the second controuersy; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13997; ESTC S118148	27,620	62

that it hath donne thus not only for the space of one yeare but for a thousand or at least 900. yeares All which how absurd they are we will now declare 2. But to the end that all which we are to say hereafter of this matter may be the better vnderstood we must note heere that when we affirme that the Church cannot erre in fayth that by this word fayth we vnderstand not only that inuisible fayth which is in our mind but also visible that is to say the publike doctrine of the whole Church which is proposed or set downe to be belieued of all Wherfore when we affirme that the Church cannot erre in matters of fayth we affirme also that the doctrine or points of fayth the which the Church of God setteth downe as the most certayne and vndoubted word of God cannot be false but the very word of God it selfe which I will clearly declare by these arguments 3. The first argument is deduced out of all those properties and offices of the true Church before alledged out of Scripture For the true fayth being once taken away all the foresayd properties of the Church must needes perish and all her offices must cease For the Church cā neyther be the spouse of Christ nor the body nor the Kingdome nor the inheritance nor the tēple of Christ without faith but neyther can the Church without faith the true doctrine therof eyther conceyue bring forth nourish gouerne or defend Christ●es flocke And in this manner the church of Christ for so many ages had lost all her properties had intermitted all her proper offices contrary to so many and so cleare promises of holy wit● before alleadged 4. The second argument is deduced out of most cleare testimonyes of holy Scripture which teach that the Church cānot erre in faith For first Christ himself affirmeth that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church But if the Church could erre in faith the gates of hell for so many ages past had preuailed against her 5. Moreouer God speaketh thus by his Prophet Isay of the Couenant of the new Testament This is my league with them saith our Lord my spirit which is in thee and my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth out of the mouth of thy seed out of the mouth of the seeds seed saith our Lord frō hence forth euen to the worlds end But in our A●●●rsaries opiniō the words which God hath put into the mouth of the Church had departed many ages out of her mouth 6. Lastly the Apostle affirmeth that the Church is the Pillar and stability of truth But if the Church could erre in faith and teach publikely against the word of God it should be the Pillar rather of falshood then of truth Some of our Aduersaries do āswere vnto this place that the Church is called indeed the Pillar of truth because it doth not erre when it followeth and is agreable vnto the word of God yet neuerthelesse it erreth when it disagreeth from the word of God But this is a very friuolous answere For according vnto this interpretation euery Church of Heretickes of Iewes Turkes yea of the Diuels themselues should be the Pillar of truth For none of these erreth when it is agreable to the word of God But a Pillar is that which necessarily and alwaies vpholdeth that which it strenghtneth and whose pillar it is wherfore the Church should not be the Pillar of truth vnlesse it alwaies sticke and be ioyned with the truth and vphould it Caluin therfore conuinced by the euidency of the truth writeth that if true Church be the Pillar of truth it is most certaine that the Kingdome where lyes falshood reygneth cannot be the true Church Thus Caluin 7. The third argument is deduced out of diuers Absurdities which ensue out of the doctrine of our Aduersaries The first adsurdity is that the Apostles Creed were false wherin we belieue the holy Catholike Church For that Church cannot be holy which wanteth the true faith which teacheth falsities and wickednes which forceth all men to Idolatry 8. The second absurdity is that Christ himselfe and the holy Ghost should erre and teach thinges both false and wicked For the doctrine of the Church is not so much the doctrine of the Church as it is of Christ of the holy Ghost VVho heareth you saith Christ heareth me and in another place The Paraclete the holy Ghost whome my Father will send you in my name he will teach you all thinges And the Apostles said It seemeth good to the holy Ghost and to vs. Lastly God himself by his Prophet speaking vnto the Church affirmeth that his holy Spirit is in the Church and that he hath put his words into the mouth of the Church which shall neuer be taken out of her mouth from henceforth till the end of the world Wherefore if the Church could erre in the doctrine of faith Christ also the holy Ghost and God himselfe should erre 9. The third absurdity is that a building could cōsist stand without a foūdation For the sayth of Christ is the foūdation of the Church if yet sayth the Apostle you continue in the sayth grounded and stable And in another place he teacheth that the Church is grounded vpon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets but the foundation being taken away the building must needs fall This absurdity is so manyfest that it forced Caluin to confesse this very truth which now we teach to be euidently conuinced out of S. Pauls words If sayth he the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets be the foundation of the Church take away that doctrine and how can the building stand Thus Caluin 10. The fourth absurditie is that the true Church should consist and be without her prop●r and essentiall forme no otherwise then if one should say that a true and liuing man might consist and be without his soule For the true fayth and the true preaching thereof are as it were the essentiall formes of the Church Caluin also acknowledgeth this absurdity when he writeth that the fayth of the Church being taken away there must needes follow the vtter ouerthrow of religion euen as the life of man is ouerthrowen and taken away if he be stabbed with a dagger or deadly wounded at the hart 11. The fourth argument is deduced out of the manifest contradictions which follow of the contrary doctrine For they who cōtēd that the true church of Christ doth erre in fayth do not indeed know what they say for that is the only true Church of Christ which retayneth and kepeth still the name the sincere fayth of Christ but that is the fal●e Church of Christ which only professeth the name of Christ but erreth in fayth Wherefore to say that the Church of Christ erreth in fayth is all one as to say that the

true Church is not the true Church but the false which implieth a contradiction 12. The fift argument is deduced out of those things which our Aduersaries do graunt vnto vs. For the common doctrine of our Aduersaries is as we will shew hereafter that the sincere preaching of the word of God and lawfull administration of Sacraments are the markes and signes of the true Church without which it cannot consist therfore it necessarily followeth that they must also admit that the true Church cannot erre in fayth and in the true preaching of the word of God For that Church cānot sincerely preach the word of God who fouly erreth in points of fayth and in the true preaching therof Caluin also out of diuers places of Scripture doth proue that it is a false Church and not a true which erreth in the principall points of fayth and ●he acknowledgeth that the true Church cannot erre therein they being necessary to saluation Beza in like manner writeth that the true Church cannot erre in the chiefe poyntes of fayth albeit he saith that it erreth in lesser matters the which distinction of poynts of fayth he hath takē out of Caluin The Church therfore cānot erre at the least in chiefe points of faith euē in our Aduersaries iudgmēts 13. Our Aduersaries heape togeather a great many of arguments but they are such as may easily be answered For wher● as they know that their arguments are but weake and almost nothing wor●h they endeauour by the multitude thereof to oppresse the truth or at the least to obscure ●ide it Many of them when they manifestly see that it is impossible that the true Church can consist or be without faith they craftily feygne that the Controuersy betwixt vs is not of this matter but of some other far different that is to say of that vvhereof none euer doubteth so dealeth Caluin with vs. For when he had confessed that to be the false Church and not the true which erreth in principall poynts of fayth consequently that the true Church cannot erre herein as out of his owne words we haue already declared at the last he feigneth that the controuersy in this matter is not whether the Church can erre or no but whether she may erre if she take not for her companion the word of God and that we affirme that whatsoeuer she shall decree eyther without or besids the word of God that the same is to be accounted as a most certayne oracle of God But that he and his affirme that therefore the Church cannot erre because it permitteth it selfe to be directed and gouerned by the sayd word of God and because it teacheth nothing but out of the word of God But this is a meere slander F●or there can no Catholike be found who doth not acknowledge that the Church permitteth it selfe to be directed in all things by the word of God seing that the sole word of God is the obiect of ●aith as we haue sayd be●ore wherfore the true Church proposeth nothing els vnto vs to be belie●ued with a Catholike fayth but the most sincere and true word of God But in this matter only is the controuersy betwixt vs and our Aduersaries that they acknowledg only the written word of the holy Scripture to be the true word of God but we not only acknowledge the written word but also that which was preached and deliuered vnto vs by Christ and his Apostles Wherof we haue said inough in the precedent disputation 14. Some others by friuolous distinctions endeauour to hyde this their error and to obscure and darken most cleare perspicuous matters wheras notwithstanding in very truth they can say nothing els but that which we haue already taught For they inuent and imagine a twofold Church the one pure the other impure wherein they place euen Heretikes themselues this which is impure say they erreth in faith but not that which is pure But we acknowledge only one holy Catholik Church of Christ with the Creed of the Apostles that of the Councel of Nice we willingly yield vnto them their impure Church wherin the Heretikes are For none doubteth but that such a Church may erre But as this is a false not the true Church of Christ so of it is not this present Controuersy but only of the true and pure Church of Christ. 15. Others distinguish the Church into visible and inuisible and they say that the inuisible Church cannot erre but the visible may erre But we haue now already declared that the true Church of Christ must needes be visible Wherfore this distinction is now sufficiently refuted And truly it importeth but a little whether that their inuisible Church can erre or not erre seing that it cannot be seene or knowne of any and consequently cannot be profitable vnto any 16. There are also some of the later Sectaries who distinguish and deuide the Church into the Church of the Saints which are in Heauen and into that which remayneth fighting heere vpon earth And they say that the Church triumphāt of Saints cannot erre in faith or in the doctrine of faith but the Church militant may erre But this is a ridiculous distinction First because the Saints haue not fayth but a cleare vision of God for as the Apostle witnesseth Fayth concerneth things which doe not appeare wherefore if at any tyme faith perished vpon earth without al doubt it could not be ●ound in heauen neyther must we expect the doctrine of fayth from heauen as the Anabaptists doe who seeke for reuelations from heauen● but we must looke to receiue it from the Church militant vpon earth Moreouer the properties and offices of the Church of Christ before alledged out of holy Scripture do not agree as is manifest to the Church triumphant of Saints but to the Church militāt vpon earth For neither is that Church of the Saints betrothed vnto Christ by fayth neyther are the Saynts those who preach vnto vs the word of God who administer the Sacramēts vnto vs who execute the other offices of the Church but men liuing vpō earth wherfore they runne in vaine to this heauenly Church wherof we do not heere dispute 17. Moreouer that is also a very weake reason wherby they thinke that they conuince that the Church militant vpon earth may erre This Church sayth he militant vpon earth is imperfect and therfore the may erre euen in explicating the doctrine of fayth for otherwise a perfect effect might proceed from an imperfect cause So he As though forsooth there could be no other imperfection in the Church besid● infidelity or error in explicating the doctrine of fayth or as though the whole perfection of the Church consisted in fayth only and in the doctrine thereof and not also in charity and other giftes of God as the Apostle declareth at large Or lastly as though this perfection of the Church

them to haue this extraordinary calling neuerthelesse by these ensuing arguments we will manifestly proue that it must needs be confirmed and approued by those who haue their ordinary vocation in the Church of God 4. The first argument S. Paul was immediatly and extraordinarily called by God as he writeth himselfe and yet he was sent to Anainas who had the ordinary vocation that by him he might be instructed and baptized And afterwards together with S. Barnabas he was ordained by the imposition of hands by those who were the ordinary Pastors of the Church Lastly he writeth that according to the reuelation which he had he went to Ierusalem and conferred the Gospell which he preached with the visible Church and ordinary Pastors of the same least he might seeme to haue runne or laboured in vaine they therefore who refuse the approbation of the visible Church albeit they be neuer so extraordinarily called therunto they doe but labour in vayne 5. The second argument We m●st not easily beleeue euery one who affirmeth himselfe to be extraordinarily sent by God according to that admonition of S. Iohn Belieue not euery spirit but proue the spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world But this proofe or triall cannot be better done then by Christs Church which is as S. Paul writeth the pillar and ground of truth The which also S. Iohn clearly sheweth by the words following when he sayth he that knoweth God heareth vs he that is not of God heareth vs not in this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error It is therefore a most certayne rule whereby this extraordinary vocation is examined to demaund whether it will submit it selfe to the approbation of the visible Church and will heare her or no For he who heareth the Church hath the spirit of truth and the true extraordinary vocation but he who will not heare the Church hath the spirit of error and the false extraordinary vocation 6. The third argument The holy Ghost neuer contradicteth himselfe for otherwise which God forbid he should not be the spirit of truth but of falshood for truth is neuer repugnant to truth but to falshood seeing that therfore it is manifest that the ordinary vocation is from the holy Ghost that extraordinary cannot be opposit vnto it which is truly from the holy Ghost For otherwise God should be opposit vnto himselfe which were impiety to thinke wherfore it necessarily followeth that the extraordinary vocation must agree with the ordidinary and be subiect vnto it as also it must establish and confirme but not impugne it Hereupon sayth the Apostle the spirits of the Prophets are subiect to the Prophets if they be subiect to the Prophets much more to the whole Church of Christ. 7. The fourth argument There would arise a greate confusion in the Church of God if euery one were permitted to preach and administer the Sacraments that should affirme himselfe to be extraordinarily called without any other examine or approbation of the Church For so euery phantasticall fellow might freely bragge and affirme himselfe to be extraordinarily called by God And vnder that pretence and title might preach administer the Sacraments and exercise all other Ecclesiasticall offices 8. By these arguments some more learned amongst our Aduersaries being conuinced do acknowledge that all extraordinary vocation should be examined and approued by the ordinary Pastors of Christs Church But they adde moreouer that this is true when the Church it selfe followeth the word of God and as long as the ordinary vocation remaineth in her But in vayne do they adde these conditions because we haue already proued that the true Church alwayes followeth the word of God nor can departe or decline in any sort from it For otherwise she were not the true Church of God but the Sinagogue of Satan And the Apostle also expresly saith that the ordinary vocatiō of Pastors their continuall successiō shall remayne alwayes in the Church of God vntill we meete all with Christ in the end of the world By which wordes of the Apostle Caluin also and Beza being conuinced do confesse that there must alwaies be Pastors and Doctors in the Church of God and that the said Church cannot consist without them The same also their confession made at Rochell acknowledgeth in the 25. article 9. Some of our Aduersaries doe heere obiect vnto vs the example of Christ and his Apostles for say they their doctrine was neuer approued by the aunciēt Church of the Iewes whereas notwithstanding it was extraordinary But this is a very friuolous and odious comparisō of Christ and his Apostles with their ministers For it was expressely foretould by the Prophets that Christ was to abr●gate the old Law and the carnal vocation and succession thereof and that he was to ordayne another more excellent and spirituall the which he effected indeed Wherefore seing that now the Apostles had another farre more excellent vocation instituted by Christ there was no reason they should aske any vocation from Moyses But we read no where that the vocation ordayned by Christ was to be abrogated by any other whosoeuer but contrarywise the holy Scriptures do plainly teach that the vocation ordayned by Christ should endure till the end of the world wherefore our Aduersaries can proue nothing by this argument vnlesse they will bring in and establish another Messias and a new Law-maker who hath authority to abrogate and chaunge the law and vocation of Christ which is the blasphemy of both Turkes and Iewes FINIS 1. ad Tim ● v. 6. 7. Os●e ● 19 20. Isaiae 62 v. 5. Cant. 4. v. 8. Ioan. 3. v. ●9 2. ad Cor 11. v. 2. Apoc. vlt. v. 17. ad Rom. 12. v. 5. 1. ad Cor. 1● v. 27. 1. ad Ephes. 1. v. 22. 23● 〈◊〉 4● v. 7. Luc. 1. v. 33. Luc. 17. v. 21. Psalm 2. v. 8. Psalm 27 vel 28. v. vlt. Psal. 32. vel 33. v. 1● Psalm 86. vel 87. v 3. Psalm 45. ve● 46. v. 5. Matth. 5. v. 14. ad Hebr. 12 v. 22. 2 ad Cor. 6. v. 16. 1. Tim. 3. v. 15. ad Gal. 4. v. 26. ●d Ephes. 4. v. 13. Marc. vlt. v. 15. Ad Titū vlt. v. 5. Ioan. 6. v. 57. 58. Matt. vlt. v. 19. Mart. vlt. ● 16. ● Luc. 22 v. 1 ● 1. Cor. 3. v. 2. ad Hebr. 5. ● 12. 14 Hebr. 5. 〈◊〉 12. 14. Act. 20. v. 28. Matth. 10. v. 32. 33. Genes 5. v. 15. Isay 54. v. vlt. Matth. 16 v. 18. Ioan. 16. v. vlt. Isai● 6● v. 12. Ad Ephes. 5 v. 31. 32. Cant. 6. v. 8. S. Cypr. in tract de vnitate Eccles. S. Aug. Tom. 9. de Symbol ad Cathec lib. 4. cap. vlt. Ad Rom. 8. v. 9. S. Aug. Tom. 9. tract 26. in Ioan. S. Aug. Tom. 7. de vnitat Eccles. c. 19 Calu.