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truth_n holy_a true_a word_n 4,682 5 3.9653 3 true
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A02607 An inquisition of the true church, and those that revolt from it being a sermon pronounced at the second session of the Parliament / by Christopher Lo. Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of all Ireland. Hampton, Christopher, 1552-1625. 1622 (1622) STC 12737.5; ESTC S4341 16,169 42

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when it is not appropriated or fixed to any certaine place as the Iewes did dreame of Ierusalem long agoe and the Papists doe now dote of Rome but reacheth unto all parts and places of the world secondly it is called Catholike in respect of persons comprehended in it because no sort of people are excluded or refused For now the wall of partition is pulled downe and wee are all one in Christ Iesus thirdly it is called Catholike in respect of time that whensoever it had beginning yet it continueth for ever eyther militant here upon earth or triumphant in heaven So the whole family or house of God is divided Fourthly and lastly the Church is called Catholike in respect of doctrine therein professed for it imbraceth maintayneth not parts or portions but the whole body of Prophetical and Apostolical doctrine The Church of Rome is not Catholique in any of these respects and therefore we pleade Not guilty of apostasie in leaving it Let our adversaries meditate rather how to cleere the Church of Rome of apostasie for it is fallen away from them of whom it received the Gospell Faith Religion and the name of a Church Let them refuse their Synagogues forsake their broken cisternes that will hold no water returne to that true ancient faith for which they were once renowned through the world and wee shall runne together againe in an holy union with them If they will not I call heaven and earth to record against them this day that they themselves are fallen from the Gospell from truth from word from Sacraments from Religiō from Christ from the Apostles church of Christ all which wee uphold with great endevour For they have broken the bands wherwith they were coupled to the Apostles they have relinquished that cōmunion which formerly they held with the Church These bands be of two sorts outward and inward The outward bands may bee cut in sunder as the profession of true doctrine and the right administration of the Sacraments Both which bands are broken by our adversaries as wee have shewed some proofe of before And they shall never be able to throw any just aspersion upon us in that kind the Lord of heaven and earth be praised for it Amongst the inward couplings Election is first for all that belong truely to the Church are bound together in heaven in the bundle of life with their God The other is the band of Christ his holy Spirit which worketh the same faith and love in the members that is in Christ our head These inward bands cannot be dissolved or cut in sunder for neyther can God his eternall election be avoyded neyther can the faith of those that are elected faile totally or finally The visible Church hath in it selfe two different sorts of people the one make an outward bare profession onely the other by inward election are firmely joyned unto Christ The first are in the visible Church alone but not of the Church invisible They participate in the outward Sacraments of Christ but not with the inward blessings of Christ and so they may fall away they may be in the Church but not of the Church They which are inwardly coupled to Christ by his election and holy Spirit cannot fall away from Christ his church So our Text teacheth us their constancie and perseverance If they had beene of us they would have continued with us The outward joynts and participation may be dissolved for all they are not the Israel of God which are of Israel No many of thē are Israelites they were amongst the multitude that was called they were not of the small number that was elected Mali in Area nobiscum esse possunt in horreo non possunt Hypocrites and false Gospellers may bee in the Church with us they cannot be of the church they are like Summer fruit they hold not out they continue not On the other side they that bee of us they continue with us After they be matriculated have their names registred in the holy Rolls of the Church they doe not revolt but are established All that the Father giveth me shall come to mee and him that commeth unto mee I cast not away The counsell of the Lord endureth for ever Vnde saith Saint Augustine nisi de nobis quos antea praescivit praedestinavit Quis tollit praedestinationem Dei ante mundi constitutionem vidit nos fecit nos emendavit nos misit ad nos red●mit nos hoc ejus consilium manet in aeternum haec ejus cogitatio manet in secula seculorum How doth the Lords counsel endure for ever but in us whom he hath seene and predestinated Who can take away God his predestination before the foundation of the world he did foresee us he made us he reformed us he sent unto us he redeemed us this counsell of the Lord abideth for ever this thought of the Almightie remayneth thoroughout all ages Behold the ground and certainty of their faith marke how they which are inwardly coupled to Christ his Church cannot fall away from the one or the other for Christ sayes None can take them out of his hands Another reason is expressed in the same place My Father which gave them to mee is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my Fathers hands These reasons were not good if they might fall away from Christ which are inwardly coupled to him for then Christ and his Father must bee weaker then hee that did take them out of their hands and that is a blasphemie worthy to be detested If faith could fayle the elect might perish for without faith it is impossible to please God But our Saviour Christ doth testifie that it is not possible that the elect should perish therefore their faith cannot fayle If their faith could fayle the elect should be regenerate often but the elect are borne of incorruptible seed and as the seed is so must the generation also be incorruptible To that purpose S. Iohn writeth Hee that is borne of God sinneth not neither can hee because the seed of God abideth in him How should faith be variable that hath God his promise I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not goe from me If God will not have his to fall away how should they fayle If he will put his feare into their hearts that they should not fayle how can they lose that feare No no. Besides that they have a further preservative namely the efficacie of Christ his prayers Keepe them in thy truth Ioh. 17 Againe I have prayed for thee that thy faith doe not faile Luc. 22. The mountaines shall remove and the hills shall fall downe but my mercy shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away saith the Lord Esay 54. You have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordeyned you that you goe and bring forth fruit and that your fruit remaine If Christ
detriment to the Wheate but suffer both to grow together untill the Harvest and let him separate which hath the Fanne in his hand to purge the floore I know it will here be objected that the Antichristian sort may be well discovered by their apostasie and relinquishing the Church when the Church it selfe is not controverted but where the Church is ambiguous that men make question where the true Church is whether it be with those that professe the Gospell of Iesus Christ sincerely or amongst such as have addicted themselves to the Bishop of Rome there the notice of apostasie is not perspicuous it is not easily to bee taken For as Waspes make themselves combes like to Bees so hereticks have their Conventicles their Synagogues which they adorne with the stile title of Churches And this painting hath ever made a debate Inter nos Donatistas quaestio est ubi sit Ecclesia Quid ergo facturi sumus In verbis nostris eam quaesituri an in verbis capitis sui Domini nostri Iesu Christi puto quòd in illius verbis potius eam quaerere debemus qui veritas est optimè novit corpus suum novit enim Dominus qui sunt sui When doubts are moved where the Church should be there are but two manner of enquests or trials to finde it either by the markes which we have devised our selves or by evidences which Christ Iesus the lively head of the Church hath prescribed for the manifestation of it And this latter inquisition by the judgement of Saint Augustine is the surer and fairer proofe for CHRIST is truth and knoweth his owne bodie best Doeth not the Lord knowe who bee his Yes certainely Hee calleth his owne sheepe by name Ioh. 10. On the other side sadde experience teacheth us that live in this age how miserably they are mistaken that goe about to point out the Church not by anie certaine demonstrations out of the holy Scripture but by deceiveable fantasies of men Wherein they commend Antiquitie first for a speciall marke of the Church and consider not that it may bee counterfeited or pretended without anie truth of right and just antiquitie Did not the Gibeonites pleade it in that manner for their ragges their over-worne shooes and moulded bread So they did if they circumvented a wise and vigilant Governour with such colourable pleas how much easier is it to beguile ignorant and simple people or to put them into errour by maskes and pretences of feined antiquitie And though wee have not anie cause to avoide or shunne the triall of true antiquitie which commeth from the Ancient of dayes nor our adversaries to presume of it the unpartiall and due consideration of the thing it selfe will certainely evict that Antiquitie cannot bee anie firme or individuall companion of the Church and so no good marke For then the Church must have beene ancient in the verie infancie or beginning thereof which is a thing impossible Antiquitie is commendable not in it selfe or when it is alone but as it is joyned with veritie Therefore I conclude this article with the same exhortation that the Prophet Ieremy used to the men of his time Stand upon the wayes and consider which is the olde way and the good way and walke in it that you may finde rest to your soules Let us passe on further to the consideration of other markes and you shall see it cannot stand good to make the Church alwaies visible or conspicuous That would take away an article of our Faith and Creed VVhen wee beleeve there is a Church we doe affirme plainely that it is not visible or ocularly to be discerned for Faith is an apprehension of things that cannot be seene So beleeving there is a Church as is by all professed we acknowledge therein that the same is not visible Why should anie speake of multitudes to be a marke of the Church seeing Christ himselfe calleth it a little flocke Quid gaudendum ad multitudines This marke of multitudes had beene a weake and impertinēt allegation when all the world was drowned but eight persons saved in the Arke and that was then the whole number of the Church Or when the five cities were destroyed with fire and Lot onely escaped with his two daughters or in Elias time when hee cōplained he was left alone The Church is not ever in one state but like the Moone sometimes encreasing sometimes diminishing sometimes at the full sometimes in the waine and therefore the multitude or paucity of people in the Church being but accidents and not essentially inherent in the Church are made markes of the Church unproperly Thus they are deceived and deceive others that seeke and set forth a Church in their owne words Nolo humanis documentis sed divinis oraculis sanctam Ecclesiam demonstrari I will not have any demonstration of the Church made unto me saith S. Augustine out of mens instructions but from the oracles of God Seeke then for the Church in the words of Christ and the demonstration thereof will be infallible Our blessed Saviour sendeth his Disciples into all the world that is the extent of the Church he chargeth them to preach the Gospell unto every creature to baptize them in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and to teach them to observe all that he hath commanded These be the things which the Sonne of God would have practised in his house and by them you may easily finde out the Church of God The sincere doctrine of the Gospell the true and right administration of the Sacraments and that forme of discipline which may bring obedience to his commandements who can make that a Church where these things be wanting who can deny it to bee a Church where they be exercised My sheepe saith our Saviour heare my voyce Therefore the Word of God must be read it must be preached it must sound amongst them else how is it possible that they should heare it Ecce Scripturae communes ecce ubi novimus Christum ecce ubi novimus Ecclesiam The Scriptures which are propounded to all men saith S. Augustine are the usuall markes to know Christ and his Church by So Christ saith himselfe If yee abide in mee and my words abide in you yee are verily my Disciples But alas how can his wordes abide in those which heare not of them that are forbidden to heare or know them Non est pax sed bellum nec Ecclesiae jungitur qui ab evangelio separatur There can be no peace but warre with such people neyther can they be joyned to the Church that sever themselves ●●om the Gospel Or put case they have the Gospell yet if it bee not expounded truely unto them if it bee not taught purely and sincerely what advantageth it them As all gold was not holy but that only which belonged to the Sanctuary so every sense that is without the compasse of Holy Writ glistering without