Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	err_v	infallible_a	1,696	5	10.0673	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40800	Of the infallibilitie of the Chvrch of Rome a discourse written by the Lord Viscount Falkland ...	Falkland, Lucius Cary, Viscount, 1610?-1643.	1645 (1645)	Wing F322; ESTC R40575	14,027	22

OF THE INFALLIBILITIE OF THE CHVRCH OF ROME A Discourse written by the Lord Viscount FALKLAND Now first published from a Copy of his owne hand OXFORD Printed by H Hall Printer to the UNIVERSITY M.DC.XLV OF THE INFALLIBILItie of the Church of ROME TO him that doubts whether the Church of Rome have any errours they answer § 1. that She hath none for She never can have any This being so much harder to beleive then the first had need be proved by some certaine arguments if they expect that the beleife of this one should draw on whatsoever else they please to propose Yet this is offered to be proved by no better wayes then those by which we offer to prove she hath erred Which are arguments from Scripture Reason and Ancient Writers all which they say themselves are fallible for nothing is not so but the Church which if it be the onely infallible determination and that can never be beleived upon it's owne authority we can never infallibly know that the Church is infallible for these other wayes of proofe they say may deceive both them and us and so neither side is bound to beleive them If they say § 2. that an argument out of Scripture is sufficient ground of Divine faith why are they so offended with the Protestants for beleiving every part of their Religion upon that ground upon which they build all theirs at once and if following the same Rule with equall desire of finding the truth by it having neither of those qualities which Isidorus Pelusiota sayes are the causes of all Heresies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pride and Prejudication why should God be more offended with the one then the other though they chance to erre They say § 3. the Church is therefore made infallible by God that all men may have some certaine Guide yet though it be infallible unlesse it both plainly appeare to be so for it is not certaine to whom it doth not appeare certaine and unlesse it be manifest which is the Church God hath not attained his end and it were to set a Ladder to Heaven and seeme to have a great care of my going up whereas unlesse there be care taken that I may know this Ladder is here to that purpose it were as good for me it had never beene set If they say we may know it § 4. for that Generall and constant Tradition instructs us in it I answer that ignorant people cannot know this and so it can be no Rule for them and if learned people mistake in this there can be no condemnation for them For suppose to know whether the Church of Rome may erre as a way which will conclude against her but not for her for if She hath erred certainly She may but though she hath not erred hitherto it followes not that She cannot erre I seeke whether She have erred and conceiving She hath contradicted her self conclude necessarily She hath erred I suppose it not damnable though I erre in my judgement because I try the Church by one of those touch-stones her self appoints me which is Conformity with the Ancient For to say I am to beleive the present Church that it differs not from the former though it seeme to me to doe so is to send me to a witnesse and bid me not beleive it Now to say the Church is provided for a Guide of faith § 5. but must be knowne by such markes as the ignorant cannot seeke it by and the learned may chance not to find it by though seeking it with all diligence and without all prejudice can no way satisfy me If they say § 6. God will reveale the truth to whosoever seekes it these wayes sincerely this saying both sides will without meanes of being confuted make use of therefore it would be as good that neither did When they have proved the Church to be infallible § 7. yet to my understanding they have proceeded nothing farther unlesse we can be sure which is it for it signifies onely that God will allwaies have a Church which shall not erre but not that such or such a Successiion shall be all waies in the right not that the Bishop of such a place and the Clergy that adheres to him shall all waies continue in the true faith So that if they say the Greeke Church is not the Church because by it's owne confession it is not infallible I answer that it may be now the Church and may hereafter erre and so not be now infallible and yet the Church never erre because before their fall from truth others may arise to maintaine it who then will be the Church and so the Church may still be infallible though not in respect of any set persons whom we may know at all times for our Guide Then if they prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church § 8. and not the Greeke because their opinions are consonant either to Scripture or Antiquity they runne into a circle proving their tenets to be true first because the Church holds them then theirs to be the true Church because it holds the truth which last though it appeare to me the onely way yet it takes away it's being a Guide which we may follow without examination without which all they say besides is nothing § 9. Nay suppose they had evinced that some Succession were infallible and so had proved to a Learned man that the Roman Church must be this because none else pretends to it yet this can be no sufficient ground to the ignorant who cannot have any infallible foundation for their beleife that the Church of Greece pretends not to the same and even to the Learned it is but an accidentall argument because if any other company had likewise claimed to be infallible it had overthrowne all so proved Nay it is but an arbitrary argument § 10. and depends upon the pleasure of the adversary for if any society of Christians would pretend to it the Church of Rome could make use of it no longer The cheifest reason why they disallow of the Scripture for Judge is because when differences arise about the interpretation there is no way to end them § 11. and that it will not stand with the goodnesse of God to damne men for not following his will if he had assigned no infallible way how to finde it I confesse this to be wonderfull true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and let them excuse themselves that thinke otherwise Yet this will be no argument against him who beleives that to all who follow their reason in the interpretation of the Scriptures and search for Tradition God will either give his grace for assistance to finde the truth or his pardon if they misse it and then this supposed necessity of an infallible Guide with this supposed damnation for want of it fall together to the ground If they command us to beleive infallibly the contrary to this § 12.

shewes ENOVGH your faith So that it is plaine he thought punishing for opinions to be a marke which might serve him to know false opinions by I beleive throughout Antiquity you will find no putting any to death § 27. unlesse it be such as begin to kill first as the Circumcellians or such like I am sure Christian Religions cheife glory being that it encreased by being persecuted and having that advantage of the Mahumetan which came in by force me thinkes De Regno especially since Synesius hath told us and reason told men so before Synesius that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every thing is destroyed by the contrary to what setled and composed it It should be to take ill care of Christianity to seeke to hold it up by Turkish meanes at least it must breed doubts that if the Religion had alwaies remained the same it would not be defended by wayes so contrary to those by which it was propagated I desire recrimination may not be used § 28. for though it be true that Calvin hath done it and the Church of England a little which is a little too much for Negare manifesta non audeo excusare immodica non possum yet She confessing She may erre is not so chargeable with any fault as those which pretend they cannot and so will be sure never to mend it and besides I will be bound to defend no more then I have undertaken which is to give reasons Why the Church of Rome is fallible I confesse this opinion of damning so many § 29. and this custome of burning so many this breeding up those who know nothing else in any point of Religion yet to be in readinesse to cry To the fire with him and To Hell with him as Polybius saith in a certaine furious faction of an army of severall nations and consequently languages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All of them understood onely this word Throw at him this I say in my opinion was it cheifely which made so many so suddainly leave the Church of Rome that indeed to borrow the Authors phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They needed not perswasion to doe it but onely newes that others had begun For as this alone if beleived makes all the rest be so too So one thing alone misliked overthrowes also all the rest If it were granted that § 30. because it agrees not with the Goodnesse of God to let men want an infallible Guide therefore there must be one and that the Church of Rome were that one yet if that teach any thing to my understanding contrary to Gods Goodnesse I am not to receive her doctrine for the same cause for which they would have me receive it it being as good an argument this Guide teaches things contrary to Gods Goodnesse therefore is not appointed by God as to say It is agreeable to his Goodnesse there should be a Guide therefore there is one And sure it is lawfull to examine particular doctrines whether they agree with that principle which is their foundation and to that me thinkes to damne him that neither with negligence nor prejudication searcheth what is Gods will though he misse of it is as contrary as the first can be supposed I would know whether he that never heard of the Church of Rōe shall yet be damned for not beleiving her infallible § 31. I have so good an opinion of them as to assure my selfe they will answer he shall not I will then aske Whether he that hath searched what Religions there are and finds hers to be one and her infallibility to be part of it if his reason will not assent to that shall he be dāned for being inquisitive after truth for he hath committed no other fault greater then the other Whether such an ignorance I meane after impartiall search be not of all the other the most invincible Nay grant the Church to be infallible § 32. yet me thinks he that denies it and imployes his reason to seeke if it be true should be in as good case as he that beleives it and searcheth not at all the truth of the proposition he receives for I cannot see why he should be saved because by reason of his parents beleise or the Religion of the Countrey or some such accident the truth was offered to his understanding when had the contrary beene offered he would have received that and the other damned that beleeves falshood upon as good ground as the other doth truth unlesse the Church be like a Conjurers circle that will keepe a man from the Devill though he came into it by chance They grant that no man is an Heretique that beleeves not his Heresie obstinately § 33. and if he be no Heretique he may sure be saved It is not then certaine damnation for any man to deny the infallibility of the Roman Church but for him only that denies it obstinately and then I am safe for I am sure I doe not Neither can they say I shall be damned for Schisme though not for Heresie § 34. for he is as well no Schismatique though in Schisme that is willing to joyne in communion with the true Church when it appeares to be so to him as he is no Heretique though he hold Hereticall opinions that holds them not obstinately that is as I suppose with a desire to be informed if he be in the wrong Why § 35. if it be not necessary alwayes to beleeve the truth so one beleeve in generall what the Church would have beleeved for so they excuse great men that have held contrary opinions to theirs now before they were defined or they knew them to be so why I say shall not the same implicit assent to whatsoever God would have assented to though I mistake what it is be sufficient When indeed to beleeve implicitly what God would have beleeved is to beleeve implicitly likewise what the Church teacheth if this doctrine be within the number of those which God commands to be beleeved I have therefore the lesse doubt of this opinion § 36. that I shall have no harme for not beleeving the infallibility of the Church of Rome because of my being so farre from leaning to the contrary and so suffering my will to have power over my understanding that if God would leave it to me which Tenet should be true I would rather choose that that should then the contrary For they may well beleeve me that I take no pleasure in tumbling hard and unpleasant bookes and making my selfe giddy with disputeing of obscure questions and dazled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caesariut If I could beleeve there should alwayes be whom I might alwayes know a society of men § 37. whose opinions must be certainely true and who would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synesius labour to discusse define all arising doubts so as I might be excusably at ease have no part left for me but that