Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	believe_v	faith_n	justification_n	11,818	5	9.2159	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84653	Severall queries concerning the church of Jesus Christ upon earth, briefly explained and resolved wherein is shewed and proved, 1. That there is a church of Jesus Christ upon earth. 2. What this church is? 3. How a people become a visible church? 4. That the churches in England were at first rightly constituted? 5. What manner of government Jesus Christ hath ordained in and for his church? 6. What manner of persons those ought to be, that may be continued in, or admitted into the church? 7. What is the duty of church members towards Jesus Christ their head, and one another. / By John Flowre M.A. preacher at Staunton in the county of Nottingham.	Flower, John, b. 1623 or 4.	1658 (1658)	Wing F1386; Thomason E2141_2; ESTC R208378	33,318	112

contradicted T is true those Histories say not that the whol Nation of England did embrace the Faith of Christ when it was first preach'd unto them as is conceived either by some of the Apostles or Apostolicall then as Philip or Simon Zelotes or Joseph of Arimathea but part of the Nation did and were then gathered into a Church-way For about six hundred years after this when Augustine was sent from Rome by Gregory the then Bishop of Rome to endeavour the conversion of the whole Nation he found both a Ministery and Churches of Jesus Christ setled in the Land For at his first coming he as the History relates assembled together the Bishops and Doctors of Britaine to discourse and reason with them and to request their assistance for the conversion of the Pagan English So that we may say and that truly that Christianity was in England propagated but not at first planted by Rome But grant this that Augustine was the first that planted the Christian faith in England and that there were neither Ministery nor Church before ordained and gathered by him and his assistants what is this to the now unchurching of the Church in England or the wrong constitution of it at the time Obj. The ministry and churches of England were ordained and constituted by Augustine and his assistants who were sent from Rome Therefore the Ministery and Churches of England had no right constitution and Ordination Sol. I deny the consequence if any man will go about to prove it it will be necessary that he prove and make appeare that the Ministery and Church of Rome were at that time a false and Antichirstan Ministery and Church But I think it is a clear case that the Church of Rome was then though a corrupt yet a true Church so continued for many yeares after that time Yea it is the opinion of some Godly learned and judicious from whom I see no Reason to dissent that the Church of Rome did not quite fall off from Christ or turne utterly Antichristian untill the Councel of Trent at which time the said Church of Rome did by a publick Councel disowne and destroy the very fundamentalls of Christian religion which she never did before that time at which time these absurd antichristian and unchurching errors were decreed and published as the faith of the Church of Rome and all were accursed and excommumicated that assented not unto these abominations 1. Popes supremacy 2. Dividing the bread and wine in the Sacrament allowing the people no wine 3. Justification by works 4. Worshipping of images 5. That the people ought not to read the Scripturess 6. That Traditions ought to be believed as Scripture Now these abominations which make desolate I mean unchurch the Church of Rome were not set up by publick decree and consent in the said Church untill the said Councel of Trent 'T is true the Mystery of iniquity did work before and these abominations as before were creeping into that church but they were corrected exploded by several Councells The Councels of Calcedon Affrick Constantinople Milevi Basil decreed against the Popes Supremacy the Councel of Basil decreed communicating in both kinds The divine worshipping of Images was forbid by the second Nicene Councel the Councel of Nice decreed that no Christian should be without a Bible To believe Traditions to be equall with the Scriptures to hold justification by works was never decreed by any Councel nor held out as the Faith of that Church before the Councel of Trent So that I may say though the Mystery of iniquity was many hundreds of years a working yet the disease came not to its full height and state so as to destroy the body until that time I mean the Councel of Trent So that the Church of Rome not having declared a publick disowning of the Faith and Gospelfundamentalls untill the Councel of Trent I see no reason as yet why shee may not be called a true Church untill that time I say a true Church though a Church very corrupt As a man may be called a true man though never so sick and weak and diseased until by the extremity and height of the mallady he becomes dead so a Church may truly be called a Church though very sick diseas'd corrupt untill by making shipwrack of the Faith and erring in fundamentalls it expires Thus it is clear that grant it were so as it was not that the Ministery and Church of England as to the whole were ordained and constituted by Augustine and other assistants from Rome yet this concludes nothing at all against the right ordination and constitution of the Ministry and Churches of England because the Church of Rome was at that time though very corrupt yet a true Church Ob. But it is objected the churches of England were not rightly constituted because the people became Christians not by the ministry of the word but by the commands and edicts of their Kings who after they were converted commanded all their subjects and people to embrace the said faith and religion Sol. To this I answer that the matter of this objection is wholly false and Scandalous It is wholly false that the Pagan people of England became Christians after the conversion of their Kings by penal Laws and edicts of their said Soveraignes After Augustine had converted Ethelberg King of Kent to the Christian faith let any one if he can shew any such act or edict put forth by him to enjoyne all his subjects to embrace the said religion upon any penaltie or forfeiture If there were any such thing it would surely be upon record But we read the contrary of him we read of this King Ethelberg that after he was converted Innumerable others dayly came in Mr. Fox Acts Monuments 1. vol. page 1656. and were adjoyned to the Church of Christ whom the King did specially embrace but compelling none for so be had learned that the faith and service of Christ ought to be voluntary and not coact And so I read of the other Kings that then reigned in this Land that after they were converted to the Faith of Jesus Christ they encouraged Ministers to go into their Countries and preach to their Subjects and by this means became the Pagan people of England to be Christians a Church by the preaching of the Gospel to them and not by compulsatory Laws of their Kings And they that do gainsay this it will be easy to prove that they are either ignorant or perverse Mr. Cotton late of New-England a man of great learning and reverence though he fully assented not to the way of the Churches of England and therefore separated from them yet he never found fault with their constitution at first for as to this he declares himself thus The efficient instruments of their first plantation meaning the Churches of England which were neither Apostles or Apostolicall men whether Phillip or Joseph of Arimathea or Simon Zelotes as any of our