Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	seek_v	worship_v	worshipper_n	1,970	5	12.2546	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27015	The safe religion, or, Three disputations for the reformed catholike religion against popery proving that popery is against the Holy Scriptures, the unity of the catholike church, the consent of the antient doctors, the plainest reason, and common judgment of sense it self / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1657 (1657)	Wing B1381; ESTC R16189	289,769	704

3. I would desire any Papists living to tell me why the Text doth not as much oblige him to believe that The Cup is the New Testament substantially without a figure as that The Bread is his Body For the Text as expresly saith one as the other Luk. 22.20 This Cup is the new Testament in my Blood Yet I suppose they will be content to say that by The New Testament is meant the Sacrament or Seal of the New Testament 4. Why will not these blind wretches believe the Holy Ghost who calls it Bread at the eating after the consecration 1 Cor. 11.26 27 28. three times together and tells us that the use of it is to remember and shew the Lords death till he come I might here adde to this in the next place their worshiping o● Saints especially of the Virgin Mary with prayers to her as the Queen of Heaven to forgive their sins and to command her Son to forgive them with abundance more of such impious idolatrous or sacrilegious expressions as might make the ears of a sober Christian even to tingle But these things have been so oft told them and are so visible in their Offices and other writings that I shall pass them over As also their worshiping of Images and publike using them to that end in their Churches Though most of their Laity that I have met with say that they use them but for a remembrance of the Saints and do not worship them and that 's bad enough in such cases yet their learned Schoolmen and Doctors tell us another tale as is too visible in many of their writings Arg. 10. That Doctrine which teacheth men to turn the most of Gods worship into meer unreasonable ceremonies and vain formalities of mans dev ising is not a safe way to salvation But such is the doctrine of Popery Therefore c The Major is certain For 1. God hath taken down the ceremonial Law which he himself had made and therefore will not give leave to man to set up another in its stead and to burden his Church with unncessary things 2. It is contrary to the freedom and spiritual state of the Gospel Church The Apostle bids us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free And Christ saith that God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth for such worshipers the Father seeketh And he telleth the formal ceremonious Pharisees that they worshipped God in vain teaching for doctrines the Commandments of men Mat. 15.6 7 8 9. Joh. 4.23 24. Gal. 5.1 As for the Minor it were tedious to recite but half the Romish ceremonies and formalities with which ●hey both delude and burden poor sinners For the word of God in a tongue which they understand they must hear a sound of a strange language which they understand not Instead of singing praises with the heart as David and with the understanding as Paul requireth they sing over prayers and Scriptures and other things in uncouth notes and in the Latine tongue which the people understand not The Eucharist or Lords Supper is also celebrated in Latine and the prayers and praises adjoyned and the Cup taken from the people and all turned into a meer shew by elevation of the host adoration of it gaping while the Priest doth pop the Bread into their mouthes Prayers also are used in Latine so that the substance of publike worship is thus made a very Picture or unreasonable service Yea they teach them to pray partly in Latine in private and partly with vain repetitions multiplying over the name Jesu nine times together and rehearsing over their canting shreds and numbering their prayers on their beads to keep tale and observing such and such hours and praying to Saints to one Saint for this and another for that giving the elogies and prayers and praises to the Virgin Mary that are due to God alone Sacraments they multiply even Marriage which in the Clergy is a deadly sin and the avoiding it by the Laity is a work of supererogation yet must it be a Sacrament The Rules of their several Monastical orders were tedious to recite Touch not taste not handle not such meats must not be eaten on such a day such orders must use such meats and forbear such other Orders forbear other meats some must be thus shorn shaven clothed and some thus Much of their Devotion consisteth in being sprinkled with Holy Water anointed with Chrysme creeping to the Altar striking 〈◊〉 the breast making and wearing the Cross setting it up and worshiping it in high wayes and Church-yards worshiping Crucifixes and bowing before the Images of God the Holy Ghost in the form of a Dove and of the Saints travelling to certain Images and shrines in Pilgrimage offering to them especially to our Lady at some famous places compassing the Church so oft formal penances observing multitudes of Holy-dayes for the Saints hearing so many Masses saying such or such words carrying Palms taking ashes carrying banners following the Cross and host in processions and worshiping it bearing candles In Baptisme salting crossing spathing exorcizing washing hands Also baptizing bels Ceremonious consecrations saying Dirges and Masses for departed souls forswearing marriage renouncing propriety pardons and indulgencies from the Pope with abundance of the like delusory carnal formalities in which much of the Popish devotion doth consist And how can any unprejudiced man that is but possessed with the Spirit of God and truely knoweth what it is to worship him imagine that God is pleased with such histrionical gandes and childish things I confess the reading of their very books of devotion their offices to our Lady and others the like which are stuffed with such superstitious and unreasonable passages seems enough to me to turn the heart of a sober man against their way For who can think that the Holy and Blessed God will be delighted in their vain bablings and childish cantings and affected ropetitions of words and saying and hearing we know not what would any wise man regard such expressions of love or honor If your friend or your child should express his Love and respects to you by mimick gestures and gambals and making strange faces or repeating over your name nine times in a breath or ridiculous cantings complements and actings like a Stage Player would you applaud or delight in such expressions of love and honor as these Or would you not rather say as the Philistine King of David when he spit and scraped on the Wall Have I need of mad men It is sure a carnal unreasonable doctrine that leadeth men to such carnal unreasonable services of that God who will be served reasonably in spirit and in truth They that have but an Image or shadow of Faith and Grace and can expect no more of Glory are like enough to be well pleased with these Images and meer shadows of Gods worship But its like to be otherwise with him that hath a spirit of

is now used by the learned Papists to prove the Popes infallibity For they argue that the Pope cannot err de fide in Cathedra be●ause else the universal Church should fail with him if he fail The same Gregory in Epist 78. saith It is a thing too hard to endure that our Brother and fellow Bishop should be alone called Bishop in contempt of all the rest And what other thing doth this arrogancy portend but that the time of Antichrist approacheth already in so far as he imitated him who disdaining the company of Angels assayed to ascend to the top of singularity A man would think that all this should be plain enough to resolve us beyond all further doubting that the Popes Universal Episcopacy is new But to t●● the Papis● have no thing to say but a foolish pretence that John of Constantinople would have been the sole Bishop on earth and have had no Bishop else but himself alone which the Pope never arrogated Ans A silly shift which supposeth all the world to be so unreasonable as to be satisfied with any thing or else would make them so A shift that hath not a word of proof to support it but contradicteth the full course of History and the words of Gregory themselves which all shew that it was but an universal Episcopacy to which all other should be subject which John of Constantinople did challenge if so much And all their shew of proof of the contrary is because Gregory here saith that He would be alone called Bishop But that 's not as if directly in terms but onely by consequence he is supposed to lay such a claim in that he claimed the title of universal Bishop But I now see that the Papists will make a nose of wax of their own Popes Writings as well as of the Scriptures and that the Pope hath no more the gift of speaking intelligibly than Peter Paul or Christ himself is by them supposed to have And therefore what should they talk any more of a living judge when that living judge himself cannot speak so as to be understood Platina saith that Bonifacius tertius a Ph●ca Imperatore obtinuit magna tamen contentione c. That Boniface the third obtained of Pho●as the Emperor but not without great contention that the seat of the blessed Apostle Peter which is the Head of all Churches should be so called and accounted of all which place indeed the Church of Constantinople did seek to challenge to it self So that it was the same place or name which the Bishop of Constantinople would have had which Boniface after got and not as Bellarmine feigneth a quite different thing Nay I cannot perceive any probable evidence that Boniface himself had any thought of that Universal Jurisdiction which now is arrogated but onely to be the Greatest and Highest of all Bishops and in that sence called the Head or the universal Bishop If they knew the Pope to be the supreme infallible head of all the Church why did the Council of Calcedon the fifth general Council examin Leo's Epistle and profess to recive it onely on its agreement with former doctrine Yea why did this Council condemne Pope Vigilius his judicious sentence de 3 capitulis Yea and anathematize all that condemned not Theodorus of whom Vigilius was one and this in a Doctrinal Point Whether Hereticks may be condemned after death Yea they pronounce the Pope and his adherents defenders of impiety and such as cared not for Gods decrees or the Apostles pronunciations or the Fathers Traditions If these 165. Bishops had believed the Popes infallibility they would rather have craved his Definitive sentence And why did the Council of Calcedon also Decree without the Popes consent that the Bishop of Constantinople was equal with him and the 5-sixth general Council confirm it Any man of understanding that readeth over the Decretals of the several Popes shall find besides all other errors so many false expositions of Scripture even common reason and the Papists themselves being judges that there needs no other proof that they are too fallible Augustine in l. 2. Contr. Donatist saith Ipsa concila qua per singulas regiones c. That is Who knoweth not that the very Councils themselves which are held in several Regions or Provinces do without more ado yield to the authority of fuller Councils which are made out of the whole Christian world And that the full Councils themselves which were before are oft mended by the later when by some experiment of matters that is opened which before was shut up and that is known which lay hid and this without any smoak of sacrilegious pride without any inflation of arrogancy without any contention of livid envy with holy humility with Catholike peace with Christian charity This he brings as a majore to shew the Donatists the invalidity of Cyprians authority telling them that it is the holy Scriptures that are undoubted and of unquestionable credit but not the writings of any Bishops since no nor of Councils themselves This place of Austin doth confirm the French Papists as well as the Italian that they have nothing to say against it that without meer impudency can be thought to be of any weight What is vainly said by them you may see answered in A.B. Laud's Book against Fisher and A.C. Pag. 240 241 242. In Austines Book against Petilianus the Donatist the very question debated is How they may know where the true Church is And is it not a wonder that Austin never remembred to direct them to Rome or to the Popes infallibility if that had been the approved way Here then what way Austin went Cap. 2. pag. mihi Edict Paris 141. Quaestio c●●te inter nos versatur ubi sit Ecclesia utrum apud nos an apud illos Quid ergo facturi sumus in verbis nostris eam quaesituri an in verbis capiris sui Domini nostri Jesu Christi puto quod in illius c that is The question handled between us is where is the Church with us or with them What must we do then must we seek it in our words or in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ our head I think in his who is truth it self and best knows his own body 1 Tim. 3. The Lord knoweth who are his Cap. 3. p. 142. Sed ut dicere caeperam non audiamus haec dico haec dicis sed audiamus haec dicit dominus c. That is But as I began to say Let us not hear I say this and you say that but let us hear Thus saith the Lord. There are certainly the Lords Books to whose authority we both consent we both believe them we both obey them there let us seek the Church there let us discuse our cause Auferantur ergo illa de medio c. Away with those things from among us which we bring against one another not out of the Divine Canonical Books but from

nothing at all to gain-say But now seeing what thou recitest is not Canonical by that liberty to which the Lord hath called us I refuse it c. And he compareth it to Peters compelling the Gentiles to Judaize Gal. 2. shewing that even Peter should have been so refused in error The words of Austin in Epist 19. ad Hieron are commonly cited I have learned to give onely to those writings which are now called Canonical this reverence and honor as that I dare say that none of them erred in writing but others I so read that how holy and learned soever they be I do not therefore think it true because they so judged but because they perswade me either by those Canonical books or by probable reason that they say true As commonly cited is that li. 3. Cont. Maximin Arrian c. 14. pag. mihi 306. Sed nunc nec ego c. But now neither ought I as fore-judging or for prejudice to bring forth the Nicene Council nor thou the Council of Ariminum I am not bound by the authority of this no● thou of that Let matter contend with matter caus● with cause reason with reason by the authoritie of the Scriptures which are witnesses not proper to either of us but common to both It were too long to recite the fourtieth part which Augustine hath to this purpose He that would se● more let him read his Epist 112. de Morib Eccles● Cathol c. 7. Epist 111. Contr. Faustum li. 11. c. 5 de Trintat li. 3. c. The words of Optatus lib. 5. advers Parmen ar● frequently cited by our writers which are thu● Quaerendi sunt judices c. We must seek judges I● Christians they cannot be admitted on either side because by siding the truth is hindred We must seek a judge abroad or without If a Pagan he cannot know the Christians secrets If a Jew he is an enemy to the Christian Baptism On earth there can no judgment of this matter be found We must seek a Judge from heaven But wherefore should we go knock at heaven when we have it here in the Gospel A Testament I say because here we may well compare earthly things to heavenly is such as that a man that hath many sons doth command them all himself as long as the father is present there is then no need of a Testament So Christ as long as he was present on earth though yet he be not wanting or absent commanded the Apostles whatever was needful for the time But as a father when he feeleth himself neer to death fearing lest after his death the Btethren should unpeaceably quarrel doth before witness put his Will out of his dying brest into writings which may endure And if there shall rise any contention among the Brethren they go not to the Grave but seek the Testament and he that resteth in the Grave doth silently speak by the writings The Living Lord whose the Testament is is in heaven Let his will therefore be sought in the Gospel as in a Testament The Author of the imperfect work on Mat. commonly imputed to Chrysostome Homil. 49. saith At this time since heresie hath possessed these Churches there can be no proof of true Christianity nor any other refuge of Christians that would know the truth of Belief but the Divine Scriptures For before it was declared by many means which was the Church of Christ and which was Gentilism But now it is by no way known to them that would know which is the true Church of Christ but only by the Scriptures How therefore should he that would know which is the true Church of Christ come to know it but onely by the Scriptures One would think this were plain enough if the Papists were not the Judges of the meaning of all writings as well as the holy Scriptures which condemne their cause Junilius ad Primasium ● part divin legis li. 2. qu. 29 Saith Vnde probamus libros c. How do we prove that the Books of our Religion are written by Divine inspiration Many wayes of which the first is the truth Scriptur● it self then the order of things the agreement o● precepts the manner of speech without affectation or compasses and the purity of words Ther● is added also the quality of the writers and preachers that meer men could not have delivered such Divine things and vile men such high things and uneloquent men such subtile things unless they were filled with the Holy Ghost And the force o● the preaching of it which it had when it was preached though by a few contemned men Hereto is added the witness of the contrary party as the Sybils or Philosophers the expulsion of adversaries the utility of the consequents the event which by acceptations and figures and predictions were foretold and lastly the Miracles which were continually wrought till the Scripture it self was received by the Nations of which this sufficeth for the next Miracle that it is known to be received by all Saith Chamier citing this passage Here are arguments enough to prove the authority of Scripture internal and external but no mention of the Churches antecedent judgement to determine it The same may be said of Eusebius Anstia and the rest that prove the Scripture and Christian Religion Hieromes words are frequently cited on Math. 23. Hoc quia de Scripturis c. This is as easily contemned as proved because it hath not authority from the Scriptures And on Isaiah 8. He saith Side aliquo dubitatis c. If you doubt of any thing know what is written If you would know the things that are doubtful rather give up your selves to the law and to the testimonies of the Scriptures And on the 86. Psalm He saith Quamvis sanctus aliquis c. Though there be some Saint after the Apostles never so eloquent yet he hath not authority And Epist ad Rustic Since covetousness entered into the Church as into the Empire the Law is perished from the Priests and the vision from the Prophets And the same Hierome Epist ad Evagr. fol. 150. Edit Basil per Froben 1516. Tomo 3. pag. 329. Edict Basil 1536. Tomo 2. Saith thus Quid ●uim facit excepta ordinatione Episcopus quod presbyter non faciat Nec altera Romana urbis Ecclesia altera totius orbis existimanda est Et Gallia Britannia Africa Persis Oriens Judia omnes Barbarae nationes unum Christum ad●rant unam observant regulam veritatis Si Authorit●● quaritur Orbis major est Vrbe Vbicunque fuerit Episcopus sive Romae sive Fugubii sive Constantinopoli sive Rhegii sive Alexandriae sive Tanis ejusdem meriti ejusdem est sacerdotii Potentia divitiarum paupertatis humilitas vel sublimiorem vel inferiorem Episcopum non facit Caeteram omnes Apostolorum successores sunt Sed dicis Quomodo Romae ad testimonium Diaconi