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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	catholic_n	church_n	universal_a	3,343	5	9.1066	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53985	The true mark of the beast, or, The present degeneracy of the Church of Rome from the faith once delivered to the saints a sermon on November 5, 1681 / by Edward Pelling ...	Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.	1682 (1682)	Wing P1106; ESTC R1620	19,445	35

the Faith which all the Apostles preach'd which all Christian Churches receiv'd and for which the Roman Church is here commended was made up of those principal Doctrines which at this day we find in our Creed To these were it necessary to add the Testimonies Tert de veland Virgin de prascrip Atkanas in initio fine Symbol of Church-writers I might instance in Tertullian Athanasius and divers more who speaking of the Creed own'd it to have been the One only immoveable and sufficient Rule which all Christians went by the Catholick Faith and the Faith of all Churches in the world which whosoever believed was a right Catholick and sound Believer But to avoid prolixity I shall only take notice of what we meet with in Irenaeus who lived in the Iren. adv Haer. lib. 1. c. 2 3. 4. very next age to the Apostles for rehearsing the Articles of the Creed he tells us that That was the Faith which the whole Church over the whole world had received from the Apostles and their Disciples that every Church held taught and kept with all diligence and care and that the Churches in Germany in Spain in France in the Eastern parts of Egypt in Africk and in the mid-land parts of the world which takes in Rome too did in His dayes believe no other Doctrines than what were contained in the Apostles Creed and that the Universal Church was One because the Faith of every Church in the world was one and the same and that none either taught more or believed less than that One Faith did amount unto Alas in those dayes the Creed of all Christians was a plain easie and short one for they thought themselves obliged to this only to believe the Essentials of Christianity and to lead good lives and it had been well for Christendom had after-ages taken no other care but by multiplying Articles some have multiplyed Errors too and as Seneca observed of the old World that while men lived upon a Simple and Natural sort of Diet they were very healthful and strong but multos morbos multa fercula fecerunt when they came to be Nice and Luxurious and would have variety of costly Dishes served up at their Tables many diseases followed so it is observable in this Case as long as Christians contented themselves with a Simple Religion and a plain short Creed so long the Faith continued in a good state but when they came to be wanton and would needs have this and that Point set out according to their Gusto Religion became Sickly and men Unsound and by abusing their Learning they were the less Virtuous and the less Orthodox but yet the more Techy and Imperious 2. But to come to our next Point I know the Church of Rome will by no means hear of this that She has play'd any Tricks with the Ancient Faith either by Adding to it or by Taking from it or by Embasing it with any Novel Mixtures nor indeed that it was Possible for Her to do it considering that Singular Prerogative of an Un-erring Judgement which she pretendeth to have above all Churches beside But this is a most vain and ridiculous conceit for because she was faithful once it will no more follow that she hath been so ever since then it will follow that because the Husbandman soweth Wheat in his Field it shall bring forth no Tares or that because a Child is Innocent upon his Baptism he shall never grow up to be a Man of Sin or that because a Virgin is yet unspotted she will never turn Whore or that because a man is yet in Health he shall never be crazy or that because a Town is yet free from the Plague it shall never be visited with it or that we shall not be mortal because our Climate is Temperate our Air good our Physicians skilful and our Food at present is wholsome A long Tract of Time produceth many and great Alterations for one Generation passeth away and another comes and many times we see that the Posterities of men are not half so good as their Predecessors were and that Religion which was sprightly and visible in One Age may be almost Lost in another Anciently the Faith of the Church of Rome was Right and her Bishops were Wise and Holy men but because she had this Honour in the Primitive times was it impossible for her ever to lose it Was it Impossible either for the Sheep in the fold to catch the Bane or for the Shepherds to fall asleep or for Wolves to creep in unawares or be encouraged and invited to come in at Noon-day Why look ye now This is as great a piece of Non-sence as if you should believe that because the City of London is now well stockt with a Knowing and Honest Clergy it may not be as ill stockt with a pack of Illiterate and ill men should Times alter and our Laws and Government be subverted 'T is true Christ promised his Church That the Gates of Hell should not prevail against her But this promise belongs not to any One particular National Church but to the Church in General 'T is true also that Christ said Lo I am with you alwayes even to the end of the world but 't was spoken to All the Apostles and to all their Successors for ever 'T is true likewise that Christ prayed That Peter 's Faith should not fail but this was a Personal respect to Peter himself but no security for those that came after him and we may well wonder how it should come into the head of any Papist to dream from that Text that because Peter himself did not utterly forsake the Faith ergo it was impossible for Marcellinus to become an Idolator or for Eleutherius to turn Montanist or for Liberius to fall off to the Arians or for Honorius to be a Monothelite or for Anastasius to turn Nestorian or for Pope John the 23d of that name to teach That there is no Future state of Happiness nor any Resurrection of the dead And yet we have proved it upon them that these things were done and taught and that the Faith of these and other Bishops of Rome hath actually failed either in whole or in a very great part When St. Paul writing to the Church of Rome gave her this warning Be not high minded but fear Rom. 11. 20. and when he besought them to mark such as caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which they had learned Rom. 16. 17. either the Church of Rome was then in danger of being tainted with Scandalous Principles and of Apostatizing from the Truth and of Falling from the favour of God or else the Apostle was an Impertinent man and ill adviz'd to give them such Needless admonitions and to tell them of danger when there was none 3. But not to argue any longer at this rate If it be made appear that the Primitive Faith of the Church of Rome is Actually corrupted and

Priest or Bishop or any other excepted to be subject to the higher powers and that not only for wrath but for conscience sake I say when these Doctrines are so Plain before us may we not think that they who have Sanctified Treason and taught the world to be Base did wholly over-look their Bibles or had a greater veneration for a Cursed Hildebrand or an Ignatius Loyola than for that noble pair of Apostles who were the Founders of the Church of Rome To be sure we may as soon make the Artick and Antartick Poles to meet as ever reconcile the Apostolick Faith with the Faith of our Romanists though it be not Theirs onely whereby it is made lawful forsooth to depose and destroy Princes to absolve Subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance or to Interpret Oaths in a sense that will serve their own Turn to raise Rebellions to blow up Parliaments to murder Magistrates whom they call Heretical and Bishops whom they call Malignant or Prerogative-men and for the advantage of a wretched cause to do such other Barbarities as render Nero Domitian and Dioclesian kind and good-natur'd Cut-throats in comparison I do not wonder that the Papists care no more to look into the Scriptures than a Monkey cares to look into a Glass so very ugly is the Picture in it But the Fathers they say are all on their side and they say so the rather because their Writings are in Latine or Greek which common people cannot understand and which every knowing man hath not time to read Now though to confute this pretence enough has been said in the many Apologies and Appeals for the Reformed Religion yet let us Examine the Truth of this a little and setting aside all other Ancient Writers let us see whether the Old Bishops of Rome themselves that succeeded the Apostles will do them any good 2. Now St. Clement is supposed immediately to have succeeded St. Peter as Bishop of the Jewish Hammond Dissert 5. Church at Rome and we have extant two Epistles which go under his name one whereof is confessedly genuine and it was written upon this occasion There had hapned in the Corinthian Church sad Controversies and Schisms such as are now in the Church of England about thlngs not appertaining to Salvation Yet these small matters occasioned a huge breach for the healing whereof Clement wrote them a most Excellent Epistle yet not as their Primate or Bishop but as a charitable good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 71. Neighbour for he exprest his desires touching the Criminals at Corinth that they would yield or be in Subjection not to Us saith He but to the will of God This makes it clear that he claimed no Primacy or Jurisdiction over any Churches but his Own and the whole Epistle is written not in a Magisterial style savouring of any pretence of Dominion over the Corinthians but is full of Gentleness Meekness Intreaties Prayers Exhortations and Arguments from the Word of God all which had been needless had He had any Superintending Power and Authority over them for then he might and we may well think would have presently past a Definitive Sentence and determin'd the Controversie without any more ado But he sends them to the Holy Scriptures as to the Rule which they were to judge things by commends their knowledg of the Scriptures wishes them diligently Pag. 68. to look into the Scriptures and particularly Pag. 58. he recommends to them the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians He tells them That we are justified Pag. 61. not of our selves nor by our wisdome or knowledg Pag. 41. or piety or works though we do them with simplicity and purity of heart but by faith and by the will and good pleasure of God He exhorteth them to submit to their own Pastors and Governors and Pag 63. tells them that the Greater a man is either for Knowledg or Goodness the more Humble he ought to be And in his other Epistle which seems to be as genuine as the former he admires the goodness V. Bevereg Cod. vindicat l. 2. c. 9. of God to them that they did no longer worship Stones and Wood and Gold and Silver and Brass the works of mens hands and so intreats Pag. 1. them to Repent while they had Time to Repent and while they had an opportunity of being healed For saith he after we are once gone out of This world we cannot make confession of our Sins or Pag. 5. Repent of them so as to be saved Here then let the world judge whether they that make the Bishop of Rome to be the Universal Pastour of all Churches in the world that suppress the use of the Holy Bible that teach Blind Obedience that talk of Salvation by their own Deserts that adore Images and Pictures that preach the Doctrine of Purgatory and pretend to shew us a Trick how we may be saved and how we may be delivered out of Torments after Death though we die in Sin Judge I say whether these men have not corrupted the Faith and changed it to another thing from what it was in the dayes of St. Clement 3. Another of the old Popes of Rome was Anicetus in whose dayes that Controversie arose when the Lent Fast should conclude and Easter be kept some arguing that it ought to be kept on the day of the Jews Passeover which was the Custome in Asia others that it should be kept on the Resurrection-day which was the Custome at Rome and in other Churches Upon this Polycarp St. John's Scholar goes to Rome and disputes with Anicetus about this and other matters but neither party convinced the other and so after some little heats they parted good friends and in perfect charity both of them having received the Holy Communion Now can any man in his Euseb Eccles Hist l. 5. c. 24. Wits believe that in those dayes the Popes Judgment was thought Infallible or that Anicetus himself thought it so when he neither Presumed to determine the Controversie nor could do it nor was able to satisfie any of the Eastern Bishops 4. Within a while after Him succeeded Eleutherius in whose days the Doctrines of Montanus made a filthy stir and to stifle the spreading of that Plague the Gallican Church wrote Letters into Asia and another they sent to the Pope himself admonishing him to follow the things which made for Peace For Tertullian is witness that the Pope Tertul adv Prax. in initio was infected with Montanism But yet so it was that through Fear on the One hand and through the solicitations of Praxeas on the other he was fain to Reject Montanus and his followers And can we imagine that the world then counted Eleutherius's Judgment Infallible when they found him to have been Haeretical or that Eleutherius himself thought he could not Err when he Condemned Montanism which before he had Embraced 5. Pope Victor was the next and of him I