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	faith_n	infallible_a	3,589	5	9.5501	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67622	The reasoning apostate, or, Modern latitude-man consider'd, as he opposeth the authority of the King and Church occasioned by several late treatises / by John Warly ...	Warly, John, d. 1679.	1677 (1677)	Wing W877; ESTC R11108	25,929	127

the present case for the age is sufficiently weary'd out with Distinctions and terms of Art which like dry Bones knit together only make a Skeleton not a man but that which is censur'd is the launching out the licentious phrase of Stage 'T is true this is unworthy of Divine Discourse and the Priest ought to scorn variety of humour or phancy in his language as much as the Spaniard doth a fantastick Dress his language ought to strike so much aw according to the Character given of Job Though I smil'd says he they believ'd me not though any thing drop which seems not of equal moment with the rest of the Discourse the weight of the one overpoyseth the levity of the other This may be well suppos'd for Gravity and Levity in discourse seem to be as natural and as necessary as they are in Bodys And as no bodys are so dense or thick but some subtile matter lurks in the Pores so no discourse so close but it may have its airy matter intermix'd and in imbodi'd with it The grave Writings of the Ancient Fathers are as a Witness of this I could instance in some if it were necessary To say all Arguments like Arrows to which a Plume is no less necessary than a ponderous Metal whilst one gives it flight the other makes the wound Such necessary Levity at least may be pardonable but Scurrility is a vice in Morals much more in Religion However a sharp and severe way of Arguing must not be omitted for it is as necessary to the Priest as an Acid humour to the Stomach without which the meat would not be digested There is no new Method Nazianzens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an evidence of it and primitive Fathers sharply check the Gentiles for their folly Yet all this was without Scurrilous Language altogether unlike to Luther's railing Method which occasion'd some of the Roman Church to call him and his Disciples Mad Men. However he deserv'd well of the Church I presume none will deny and it may be retorted on those who object it that some of theirs have fixed odious Names on Protestants Dogs Infidels Magicians nay worse as a great Doctor signs their Banishments in these words Ut magos publica Authoritate arcemus civitate pellimus c. I might cite others to this purpose no less Black-mouth'd but I forbear to do that and shall only suggest this to the Readers thoughts As the Church of England though the first Reformers if it can be reasonably imagin'd that its first Reformers gave any credit to the Objections of some of the Roman Church were sensible that the Reformation was begun as in a storm of passion and irreverent language yet disowns not the consequence of it seeing it as a Tempest cast them on a happy shore now shall not all sincere Christians do as the first Reformers did who when they saw Religion well defended though in an unbeseeming and boysterous way For which there is no reason of complaint in this case would not have Religion suffer for it for that would have argued as much folly as if a Prince should disown a Victory because gotten by rash and imprudent means or like casting Joseph into the Pit only out of spight to his Coat if Religion suffer because not pleasingly worded I speak not this as an Abettor of Lucians scoffs or a Rabshekah's railing but only to shew how prudence makes use of them To conclude with a late observation of some Anatomists who say there is not known a certain use of the Splene and that some creatures may live without it I determine nothing in this case but only say I am confident there is no use of a Petulant Splene in Religious Debates Consideration II. Whether belief which relies and depends on the Authority of the Catholick Church and as it is encouraged by the Civil Magistrate may properly be said to be forc't and to proceed from an unwarrantable usurpation of the right of natural reason THe Church hath not been so effectually undermined by any Method as by representing its Authority under the odious names of Tyranny and calling all obligation to belief unwarrantable Impositions or force Wherefore it is necessary to examine what is meant by force in its several acceptations and then assert the Negative of the Question Sometimes it is taken philosophically for that Power which rests a being beyond its natural inclination or tendency according to this account of it the determination of the Will must be accounted violent so far as it is concerned in Religion and Grace it self is not able to escape the imputation of force for grace may as well be said to be an enforcing influence on mans nature in his corrupted state as that power which according to philosophy diverts the natural course of the Elements in bodies and imprisons them in one mixture otherwise they would retreat to their own first home The fire and volatile parts would be always moving towards heaven and the sluggish parts of earth fettered to their center This is demonstrated in another Treatise N. F. viz. that mens thoughts are with as much difficulty composed to a settled and true notion of God and the Soul as the Elements are commanded to comply in the composition of natural Bodies Therefore I shall wave this and consider it in another sense as it is more directly and boldly complain'd of and that is it which relates to the authority of the Church and interest of the Magistrate in matters of Religion which is look'd upon by some as a Battery to destroy all Religion This is the Force generally exclaim'd against by the Libertine which is an unreasonable and an unjust imputation for if the constant and universal Doctrine of the Church which hath an obliging influence on Religious minds must be call'd force our Reformation and Separation from the Church of Rome must be esteem'd violent and consequently illegal For I cannot apprehend that Separation was justifiable on any better terms but that the Doctrine of the Reform'd Church is agreeable to the Scriptures with the consent and evidence of Councils and Fathers Besides this not only condemns holy Councils and Fathers being usurpers of Christian Liberty by imposing matters of Faith but makes the whole Church lyable to Error which was never yet asserted by any sober mind For though it may be granted that Councils and Fathers each have been lyable to some errors yet when there is a consent of all it is an infallible argument of Truth vid. N. F. The Bishop of Rome is so sensible of this that his Assertors know not how to invest him with Infallibility till they have intitled him to be the Virtual Church Having considered Force as it relates to the Church in the next place I cannot but take notice of that as it concerns the Magistrate or Civil Power This is the Force which the Libartine most complains of for that of the Church in its dreadful Censures is lookt on but

urgeth it with Citations out of the Fathers which speak the danger of separation from the Catholick Church they apply it to their own as if to be Roman and Catholick were all one Thus a late Author would persuade the Unwary that the most Puritan Protestants Mr. Perkins and many others do agree with Papists in several points controverted which they were as far from as we can imagine they thought the Romish Religion distant from the true The Fathers themselves are cited against themselves which minds me of some opposers of the authority of the Church who make them as a Patronage to their factious Presumptions Thus Lactantius is cited the words are these Lib de Orig. Error Cap. 8. having in the former Chapter remov'd the superstitious Rites and custome of some ancient Fathers who instituted them in Paganism he infers this Quare opportet in eâ re maximè in qua vitae ratio versatur sibi quemque confidere suoque judicio ac propriis sensibus niti ad investigandam perpendendam veritatem quam credentem alienis erroribus decipi tanquam ipsum rationis expertem Now how injuriously this is affixed as a Preface to authorize a factious Discourse as it often is against the authority of the Church may appear from the scope and design of the Holy Father in that Chapter viz. to oppose Heathenish Traditions Dreams and South sayings which began before Christianity had footing in the word But let it be applyed in opposition to the defintions and impositions of the Church all that can be concluded from the Words in this he condemns those who in a stupid observation of the Traditions of their Fathers More pecudum ducuntur as he phrases it an unreasonable implicit Faith which the Church of England doth not commend to her Sons but rather opposes its Assertors To say all this Holy Author though an accute Disputant and of a peircing wit yet is so far from disdaining Authority that none more frequent than he in Citations of Heathen Authors of Poets themselves to prove the weightiest matters of Religion when he disputed with Infidels as he was necessitated to do as he says Lib. de falsa Relig. Cap. 5. Sed omittamus sanè testimonia prophetarum ne minus idonea probatio vidcatur esse ab his quibus omnino non creditur He though a Father of the Church himself lib. de justitia c. 4. cites St. Cyprian arguing against Demetrius by Reason only because he was not capable of being confuted by any other Method as appears by the account given in the same Chapter Nam cum ageret contra hominem veritatis ignarum dilatis paulisper divinis lectionibus formare hunc a principio tanquam rudem debuit This gives me occasion of considering what esteem Reason was in matters of Religion being esteem'd only fit to dispose Infidels for Belief and to instruct Novices but in this Age it is so exalted that it is thought worthy of the highest place of Judicature to judg of all Controversies in so much that the Smyctimnian Divines in their late Papers declare it to be as the Eye and Religion as the Light or the Object Sic res ingeniosa est esse Christianum in another sense than formerly and that which the Author of Smyrk says of Wit in a Jeer may be retorted on them for whilst they make Reason an intrepreter of Scripture we may ask them too if their reason is an extraordinary gift of the Holy Ghost To conclude this part of the Consideration that those who interpret Scripture thus may not boast themselves Lactantius his Disciples but rather Proselytes of the authority of Humane Reason and by this method of making their Reason the only Standard to measure Controversies seem to appropriate the Preface us'd in General Councils at least one and corrupting Visum est nobis Spiritui Sancto by changing the terms to every particular person who is adjusted with equal authority to say Visum est mihi Spiritui Sancto which boldness exceeds Poetical License which seeing extraordinary acts of Providence attributed it to the Gods whilst they said Sic visum est superis This being premis'd I pass to the other part of this consideration viz. of Schism and Heresie according to the new account of it and how Reformation is not so justifiable without Appeals to the constant Doctrine of the Church This Assertion must expect to find as furious a return as Water doth when cast on hot Iron Whilst I affirm that Schism and Heresie are two of the greatest evils of the Church and affirm as I think I safely may that some have abus'd Religion almost as much by their extenuation of these horrid sins giving a soft account of them suitable to the humour of the Libertine as the Schismatick and Heretick by practice for such Theory makes way for practice whilst they teach men that Schism and Heresie are only terms of Art which the Church hath us'd to impose on the Christian Schollars what Doctrine it pleases and that 't is the terrors of the two Greek words which have not so dreadful a signification as they say affrights the poor Christian like thundring and lightning to run to his Litany to pray for deliverance This slight of subtile men will miss its aim if it is consider'd that the Church is not only as a Lexicon or Dictionary to tell the English of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but hath power to inflict its Censures when unjustifiable separations are attempted This unity of the Church is as much to be endeavour'd by the Pastors of it as the being of the Church is and that is so necessary that I may say of the Catholick Church in matters of Belief unum verum sunt idem Unity and Truth are undistinguished Now as it is certain that without the Catholick Church there is no Salvation for it is more than a Parenthesis in our Creed so is the Unity necessary in order to it Wherefore all Churches who at any time endeavour'd a regular Reformation made Appeals to some beside their own private interpretation of Holy Scripture which might be esteem'd unreasonable For if it may be imagin'd that each man may make interpretation of the Scriptures it is very difficult if not impossible for men especially those who will have communion with none but those of whom they are assur'd are of the same opinion with them in all things to maintain so perfect charity with a single person much less with the whole Church For suppose two different interpretations of some part of Holy Scripture viz. This is my Body and one takes the Body of Christ in the Eucharist to be only figuratively and the other corporally and both agree in this that the Consecrated Bread is rightly call'd the Body of Christ and the worthy Communicants receive it Thus supposing that these words appear in different senses to different persons how shall one convince the