Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	body_n	soul_n	unite_v	970	5	9.6533	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38827	A winding-sheet for the schism of England contriv'd for to inform the ignorant, resolve the wavering, and confirm the well principled Roman Catholick. By J. E. missioner.	Everard, John, missioner.	1687 (1687)	Wing E3534A; ESTC R218229	44,881	140

ever yet she went not forth from any Body or Congregation how could she being infallible in her self 1 Tim. 3.15 she being the House of God which is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Firmament of Truth if not why should any be esteemed a Heathen and Publican for not hearing her Add to this Christ being the Head of the Church the Holy Ghost the Soul thereof guiding and directing in all truth the Church could not err unless you 'l make Christ and his Spirit an Impostor and a Lyer which is down-right Blasphemy seeing that he prophesied That the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against her viz. Error Falshood Schism or Heresie hence I infer by good illation that any Congregation of People despising Christ forsaking his Church and remaining out of it pertinaciously is guilty absolutely of Apostasie and Schism see St. Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me c. Lo the misery of Protestants who are likewise really guilty of Heresie in adhering to so many false opinions and errors of Faith contrary to the generally approved Doctrine of the Church of Christ from which they wilfully and blindly divided themselves breaking of Communion with the ancient one Holy-Catholick Apostolick Roman Church And sure that Church to which Apostacy Schism and Heresy doth agree is a false and erroneous Church and this is the Church of the pretended Reformation The Power of glorious Jesus our Redeemer did marvelously shine in the Empire of his Church which his heavenly Father did put into his hands to build it raise it cement it with his Sacred Blood to illuminate it with his Light nourish it with his Body to make Laws in it establish Sacraments as conveyances of Divine Graces to eternize a most dread and propitiatory Sacrifice to create Pastors and Priests invisibly to rule it by a visible Head a Power never to be shaken even to the Gates of Hell to exercise a Jurisdiction over Souls to bind them unloose them pardon Sins and change Hearts and you may know that this ever blessed Jesus having the source of all power in him did in Divine Providence distribute the same his Divine Power to Popes and Kings constituting the one for Spiritual Government leading to eternal Glory the other for the Temporal and it is his will and pleasure we honour the Character of that his Divine Authority both in the one and the other and not to argue controul or impugn upon idle whimsical Phantasies those heavenly Powers And it is most evident that in all times before Heresie began there has been rendred to Popes Vicegerents of Christ and lawful Successors to St. Peter the Honour they deserved as such and as the sovereign universal visible Pastors under Heaven see the Council of Calcedon in Epist. ad Leonam Papam where the Pope is called Caput omnium Episcoporum totius Christi Ecclesiae Also we confess and acknowledge our Sovereign Liege-Lord and most gra-King IAMES the Second true and absolute Monarch of these his three Kingdoms singularly honouring and obeying him and with most true cordial faithful loyal affection loving him as an animated real Portraiture of the greatness of the Divine Majesty and sure there is no Science more noble nor more advantageous than to honour and obey these two Powers neither can there be any true lasting Felicity but in the accomplishment of the Will of the Almighty the Sovereign Master and Ruler of all On the contrary it is observed in the History of many Ages that dire Vengeance and Wounds from Heaven have fallen signally upon those who have disobeyed these two Powers for the Wind blowing from blasphemous and seditious Mouths returned on their own Heads since it is fit such Impiety and horrid Iniquity should first kill it self with its own Poyson What the Soul is to the Body the same is true Religion to a Kingdom the Body without a Soul signifies nothing even so a Kingdom without true Religion is disjoynted confused and comes to ruin whereas Divine Religion in it self is the Basis and Foundation of all Moral Virtues the ground and support of all just pious Laws the cement that strongly combine all human Society and is the very life of upright impartial Justice and constant Honesty Finally true supernatural Religion is the golden Chain that unites God to Man and Man to his Duty to God and brings down the rich Blessings to poor mortal Sinners on Earth O what a glorious and most happy Kingdom is that where are to be seen as in a clear optick Glass these two most heavenly Objects the King 's most excellent Majesty prostrate on bended knees paying with ravishing Devotion the humble religious Homage of Heart Hands and Knees to the Divine Majesty of Almighty God! As a Member and obedient Child of the visible Church of Christ honouring a visible sepreme head Vicar of Christ and Successor to St. Peter as Universal Pastor of all Pastors And it is a most undoubted truth that Kings are not made by the invention of active ambitious or politick Wits as blind Enthusiasts Dreams neither are they Creatures of the People's making or the Product of a giddy Multitude as the Independents with many other seditious blind persons maintains but they are grounded on the very Law of Nature in high paternal Authority coequal with the World they are founded on the pure Law of right Reason which gives a Dignity and Authority to the First-born over all his Brethren so as Kings are rooted in the Original Laws of Nations as Cicero lib. 3. de legib testifies Omnes antiquae Gentes Regibus paruerunt All the ancient Nations in the World were ruled and governed by Kings They are confirmed by God's unerring Law who instituted Kingly Government over his own chosen People Deut. 17.15 and gave express command for David to be anointed King of Israel 1 Sam. 16.1 Finally Kings are prophetically promised as a very great Blessing to his Church Isa. 49.23 Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers and Queens shall be thy Nursing Mothers And Plato that Seraphick Philosopher calls Kingly Government the most Divine Government Herodotus who is stiled Pater Historiarum The first Historian among the Heathens calls it The most ancient Government Aristotle the most rational of all Philosophers stiles it The most excellent Government for Monarchical Government is the meer imitation of the Government of Heaven which is by one God 't is the restitution of the Primitive Government in this World which was by one King and it is the meer reflection of the admirable Government of Nature which rules the many Members of the Body by one Soul. Daily experience proves that Ship to be best guided which is steered by one Pylot tho' trimm'd by many Saylors that Army sure is best ordered which is commanded by one General tho' assisted by many inferiour Officers Ergo that Nation is more happy and best governed by one King tho' advised by

de Eucharistia And was adored with outward Gestures as the true Body of Christ in Concil Ephes. in Epist. and Nestor in Concil Nicaen c. 14. To give prime Honour and supreme to St. Peter Bishop of the first See as Universal Pastor and Vicegerent of Christ Concil Nicaen c. 15. Concil Chalced. Act. 4. 16. constit c. 5. To pray to Saints that they may intercede for us in Concil Chalced. Act. 11. Prayers for the Dead offered publickly and privately in St. Augustin's time August de cura pro mortuis In those days the Church held the Fast of Forty days of Lent as Apostolical Tradition St. Hier. ad Marcel Ep. 54. Fridays likewise Confession and priestly Absolution St. August Homil. 49. saith The Keys given to the Church is to some purpose sure We must not frustrate the words of Christ. So St. Basil Tertullian St. Clement c. And thus of all other Points in Controversy we may find Reason Authority Practice and uninterrupted Custom in all Ages as Napier in his Treatise on the Revelations pag. 145. confesseth saying After 300 years the Emperour Constantine subdued all Christian Churches to Pope Silvester from which time till these our days the Pope and his Clergy hath possess'd the outward and visible Church Protestants employment being not at all to convert Heathens but to pervert those already converted Tertul. praescr c. 42. And we may find in the Writings of Roman Catholick Authors Orthodox Fathers that the Doctrine now held by Protestants were condemned as Heretical in those Persons that then held them For Example The Protestant hold that the Church may err so did the Donatists who were condemned by St. Augustin Potestants deny unwritten Tradition and urge Scripture only so did the Arrians and were condemned by St. Augustin and Epiphanius Protestants teach that Priests may marry so did Vigilantius and condemned by St. Hierom contr Vigilant c. 1. Protestants deny Prayers for the Dead so did Arrius condemned by St. August haer 53. and St. Epiphan haer 75. Protestants deny invocation of Saints so did Vigilantius for which he was condemned by St. Hierom contra Vigilant c. 3. Protestants deny the Real Presence so did the Capernaits and Berengarius who reclaimed and did Penance Protestants deny confession of Sins to a Priest so the Novatian Hereticks did reproved and condemned by St. Ambros. lib. de penitent c. 7. So did the Montanists condemned by St. Hierom Epist. ad Marcel 54. I leave off an addition of many other Points which makes really the new-moulded Protestant Sect appear but a meer frippery or hodge-podge of old condemned Heresies Hence you may understand that the Doctrine of the Roman Church is this day as it was 1600 years ago still one Holy Catholick Apostolick and Unchang'd grounded on such a solid unshaken Foundation that it is never to be brought down by the Gates of Hell i. e. Heresie Schism Apostacy Wranglings foolish Fopperies Lyings Railings c. Now Sir if you are sufficiently toss'd and wearied out with variety of Disputes and desire to put an end to them now follow the guide and direction of the Roman Catholick Church in Faith Religion Sacraments Sacrifice and Doctrine all which are derived from Christ himself to his blessed Apostles from the Apostles down to us and is to continue in the same heavenly Channel of Succession unto the end of the World Which Roman Catholick Church hath obtain'd supreme Authority from the Apostolick See by a wonderous succession of Bishops by the judgment of the People by the gravity and authority of Councils and lastly by the Majesty of Miracles And not to submit to this Divine Authority sure is the height of Impiety and precipitant Arrogancy and not to Dotages of particular idle Intruders Now as Rebellion is the bane of Civil Government in Kingdoms and Peace and Concord the preservation of the same so is Schism Division and diversity of Faith the ruin and calamity of the Church and Unity Peace and Uniformity the special Blessing of God therein and in the Church above all Commonwealths because it is in all points a Monarchy tending every way to Unity there being but one God one Christ one Church one Faith one Hope one Head one Body one Baptism Christ's Church is a Society of those that God hath called to Salvation by the profession of the true Faith Religion dread Sacrifice the sincere Administration of Sacraments and the adherence to a lawful Pastor as Head which Description is so fitted and proportioned to the Church that it resembles the Nest of the Halcyon which according to Plutarch is of such a just and exact size for the measure of her Body that it can serve no other Bird either greater or lesser Since Christianity is a Doctrine of Faith a Doctrine whereof all Men are capable of and since the high virtue of Faith is in the humility of our Understanding and the merit thereof in the ready obedience to embrace it what madness it is for any Man to tire out his Soul to wast away his Spirits in tracing out all the thorny Paths of the main Controversies of these our backsliding days wherein to err is easie and dangerous what through the malice of Authors abusing him what through Sophistry beguiling him what through blind Passion and Prejudice transporting him and not rather betake himself to the right way of Truth whereunto Christ Reason Nature and Experience do all give witness and that is to associate himself to that Church established by Christ whereunto the custody of a heavenly and supernatural Truth hath been from Heaven it self committed to weigh and find out discreetly which is the true Church to receive it chearfully and discreetly without doubt or discussion whatsoever it delivers without any farther inquisition she having the warrant that he that hears her hears Christ and whosoever hears her not hath no better place with God than a Publican and Pagan And what folly is it now to receive Scriptures upon the credit of her Authority and not to receive the interpretation of them upon her Authority and Credit also Sure if God should not always protect his Church from Error and yet peremptorily commanding Men upon pain of Damnation to obey her always then had he made very slender provision for the Salvation of Mankind which conceit concerning God would render us very ungratefully impious These Considerations or Motives may very easily perswade Persons of Reason and Piety to embrace and maintain that which they know to be the Religion of their Fore-fathers before her Adversaries had a Name her Doctrine having had a very long continuance which cannot easily be supposed in the present possessors to be a Design since they have received it down from so many Ages and it is not likely that all Ages should have the same purposes or that the same Doctrine should serve the several different ends of divers Ages relying upon the Grounds to wit that Truth is more ancient than Falshood