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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	nature_n	person_n	union_n	5,028	5	9.9848	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35021	The legacy of the Right Reverend Father in God, Herbert, Lord Bishop of Hereford, to his diocess, or, A short determination of all controversies we have with the papists, by Gods holy word	Croft, Herbert, 1603-1691.	1679 (1679)	Wing C6966; ESTC R1143	85,065	144

As for example If one of their Priests should pronounce the words of Consecration in the Lord's Supper and not intend to consecrate the Bread then 't is no Sacrament but the Bread remains bare Bread still because he did not intend to consecrate it I pray you remember this for I shall have occasion to mention it again hereafter So when any Bishop says the words for ordaining a Priest and doth not intend really to ordain they say he is no Priest So when an Archbishop seeming to consecrate another Bishop says the words but doth not intend his Consecration then they believe this Man is not hereby really made Bishop the words without the intention having no effect From hence 't is evident That if the Bishop that consecrated the Pope did not intend to make him Bishop he is none or if the Bishop that consecrated that Bishop that consecrated the Pope did not intend it then he was no Bishop and consequently could not consecrate a Bishop he being none himself So that going back from Bishop to Bishop if one of a hundred in process of time hath failed of intention then there can be no assurance that this Man is really a Bishop and Pope Now considering how many devilish wicked Bishops have been among them 't is more than probable some one of them hath minded the business of his Consecration no more than a Horse nay perchance in the wickedness of his heart hath laughed at that thing as a meer foppery as that blasphemous devilish Pope laughing said O quantum nobis profuit haec Fabula Christi What mighty advantage hath that Fable of Christ brought unto us But whether he really intended Consecration or no that being in the secret of his own heart alone is impossible to be known by another 'T is then most evident we cannot possibly have any assurance that such a M●n is a Priest Bishop Pope and St. Peter's Successor and if he be not St. Peter's Successor then his Determinations signifie nothing as the Papists confess Where then is their assurance of any Pope's ●nfallibility having no assurance that he is Pope Bishop or Priest Can any Man think Gods infinite Goodness and Providence would leave hi● Church in so great distraction as the Papist s belief of their Pope's Infallibility embroils us in No certainly but God hath left us a short and safe way his holy Scripture in searching of which with sincerity and humility we shall be sure to find eternal life for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble I have a desire to go yet a little farther And let us suppose there were Infallibility settled in the Church of Rome I desire to know particularly where 't is to be found Here we shall find the Papists at a great stand Some say 'T is in the Pope alone some in a General Council alone some say in Pope and Council together Nay some will farther tell you That whether Pope or Council or both together decree any thing yet that Decree is not obligatory in any National Church as for example in the Church of France unless the Church of France have approved and received that Council You see at what a loss we are still for Infallibility they themselves are not agreed where 't is to be found But certainly of these three several Opinions I pass over the fourth it is most rational and coherent to their first Principle That the Infallibility is fixed in the Pope whom they all grant to be St. Peter's Successor for this Infallibility being originally granted to St. Peter 't is most coherent to this that it should descend to his Successor Besides they that would have it in the Pope and Council together say That the Pope only hath the power to call General Councils and to confirm the Decrees of the Councils so that if he doth not both call and confirm all the Decrees they are of no force nor any obliged to submit to them And thus in effect this Infallibility determines in the Pope alone the Council signifying nothing without him And then if this Infallibility be residing in the Pope I pray you remember what I told you but now the impossibility of assurance of any man's being rightly Pope which requires so many assuring Circumstances But now after all these innumerable difficulties and perplexities to find out where this Infallibility lies I meet with another grand difficulty yea as great as all these put together For if we consider what strange horrid wicked Creatures have been Popes since the Creation of the World there have not been persons more abominably and devillishly wicked what possible assurance then can be found sufficient to make us believe the Infallible Spirit of the Holy Ghost inhabits in such Dens of uncleanness and cruelty as the Breasts of such detestable Monsters of Iniquity To believe the high incomprehensible mystery of our Saviour s incarnation That the Omnipotent Divine Nature and the weak Nature of Man are united in one Person of Christ is sure a thing of very hard belief and requires the express Word of God to make us to submit and captivate our understandings in obedience to it What then can be sufficient to make us believe this so extreamly contrary to all reason That the All-glorious and All-holy Spirit of God and the spirit of the Devil should be united in the heart of such abominable Popes What can captivate our hearts to this belief I confess we are to submit to God's Word though it seem ever so contrary to reason I dare not say otherwise But then I beg leave to say That I may require to see the Word of God for this as plainly and as expresly as we see the Sun in a clear Sky at Noon Gideon as it is set forth Iudg. vi after that God had plainly declared unto him by an Angel That he should conquer the Midianites and had confirmed his Word by that miracle of Fire rising out of the Rock and consuming the Sacrifice yet presumed to require of God a farther assurance by a Miracle of Dew filling a Fleece of Wool yea and after that a third Miracle of having the Fleece dry and all the ground wet round about it and the great goodness of God hearkened to him in all I hope then the infinite goodness of God would not be angry if I should desire one two or three evident assurances to make me believe a thing to humane reason far more impossible than his conquering the Midianites God was graciously pleased to assure us by his beloved Disciple St. Iohn of the Incarnation of his Eternal Son that he had heard and 〈◊〉 ●nd looked upon the Original word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies consideringly to observe yea and his hands had handled the Word of Life all which put together is as compleat an assurance as can be imagined and all this to assure us of the Union of the two Natures Divine and Humane in one Person as I

said before and yet the Divine and Humane Natures are not so extreamly opposite as the Spirit of God and the spirit of the Devil May we not then in all humility desire to hea to see narrowly observe yea and handle with our hands some fi●m Evidence of this Union of the Spirit of God and the spirit of the Devil in the heart of Pope Alexander the sixth guilty of Rapine Murther Incest and all other Abominati●ns imaginable Let then the Papists shew us from St. Iohn or some other Apostle some such full Evidence as this of St. Iohn for this incredible Union and I shall submit but certainly never till I hear see and handle it let them believe what they please Having thus as I suppose given you sufficient reasons to take you off from so long a Journey as to Rome to consult his infallible Holiness the Pope Perchance you will ask me to whom then you are to make your address for the determination of such doubts and disputes as may arise in matters of Religion Hath God left his Church without any Head to guide and govern it No certainly we have a Head and Guide Infallible Christ Jesus our Lord. But he is in Heaven we cannot ascend thither nor must we expect miraculous Voices from thence to answer us I grant it for there is no need Hearken to St. Paul Rom. x. 6 7 8 9. Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above Or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it The Word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the Word of faith which we preach That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt believe in thine heart That God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved You have Christ s Word at hand God be blessed for it 't is daily before you If thou shalt confess with thy mouth and believe with thy heart what is there plainly set forth thou shalt be saved You have God's Word for it in several places as I have shewed you and that there is nothing more necessary to be believed and if you will not believe God's Word in this you will not believe though one rose from the dead nor though an Angel descended from Heaven And as for doubts and disputes there is no need lay them by nay there is hurt in them for they gender strife of words from whence cometh envy railings evil surmisings 1 Tim. vi 4. I have often told you What is necessary is plain without disp●te But you will say The common people do not understand half no● 〈◊〉 quarter of the Scripture as it there lies What then Then 't is necessary to instruct them further In the Name of God do so make them understond as much as you can of Scripture the more the better though not necessary And I dare affirm That whoever believes explicitely as much as he understands of Scripture though it be not the hundredth part of it and believes all the rest implicitly that is believes all the rest to be true because God spake it and also practises according to that he doth understand that man shall be saved And this I will undertake to make good against all the Wise and Disputers of the World But if any man will be contentious we have no such custom nor the Churches of God 1 Cor. xi 16. T is probable you may Object It often happens that Disputes do arise both among the People and among the Priests also and though the things disputed be not necessary yet 't is necessary to have some of Authority to determine and compose them otherwise great Disorders and Tumults may follow No doubt but restless and perversespirited men will raise Disputes and Troubles where there is no ground for them yet there will be no need to determine the truth on either side but rather to compel both Parties to peace and quiet that neither cause disturbance to Church or State and this belongs to the Civil Magistrate and his Authority For 't is not the determination of Priests or Pope will keep such busie-bodies quiet they will as readily dispute their determination Was it not so in the Arian dispute which was determined by that famous Council of Nice yea and confirmed also by the Emperor's Decree yet all without effect the Arians stifly maintaining their Opinion hundreds of years after We see then that Determinations are as fruitless as needless But in the first three hundred years of Christianity there was no 〈…〉 of Faith but the Scripture alone neither did any Man or any Assembly of Men after the Apostles take upon them to determine any new matter of Faith though there were several Heresies started in those days The Pastors of the Church only preached the Scripture and required Men's Obedience to that they that refused were excluded the Congregation and Society of the Faithful and they proceeded no farther If it be answered That all the Princes of the World were then Heathens by reason whereof no General Councils could be called to determine more though ever so requisite I answer let us then see when that great General Council of Nice was called under Constantine a Christian Emperor what they determined The Church then had three hundred years experience to find out what was wanting and composed another Creed for all the World yet added no new Article of Faith to that called the Apostles Creed but only explained some things in that more fully and whoever believed and subscribed to that Creed passed for an Orthodox a true believing Christian. Doubtless so many Learned and Godly Bishops would not omit any thing necessary to Man's Salvation Let us then hold fast to that for now I hope all was compleated The Bishop of Rome as well as other Bishops approved and subscribed to this We all profess that Nicene Creed and if that Creed was sufficient to save all Christians then sure it will save all Christians now Why then do they require us now to believe more Purgatory praying to Saints and a thousand other things whereof there is no mention in the Nicene Creed or Council The Papists will answer Because many oppose them now but nobody opposed them before the Council of Nice They answer most truly no man opposed them before and why because no man professed them before These are new matters of a later hatching no man in these days so much as dream't of such things But 't is not at all to our purpose whether any then professed them or any opposed them for be they true or be they false there is no necessity to believe them This is true or else all the Bishops of that Council were fowly to blame in not putting them into their Creed from whence 't is evident they thought them not necessary then and so may we safely think now But the