Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	catholic_n	church_n	visible_a	3,605	5	9.5506	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47133	The deism of William Penn and his brethren destructive to the Christian religion, exposed and plainly laid open in the examination and refutation of his late reprinted book called, A discourse of the general rule of faith and practise and judge of controversie, wherein he contendeth that the Holy Scriptures are not the rule of faith and life, but that the light in the conscience of every man is that rule / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1699 (1699)	Wing K156; ESTC R6589	71,572	164

whereas the best skilful in the Method of Teaching both pious and learned have not only greatly esteemed but highly admir'd the Method of the Scripture even when it seems least to have Method and most especially the Method of our Saviour's Sermons recorded in the Four Evangelists and of that most excellent form of Prayer he taught his Disciples And if the Scriptures must be rejected from being not only the Rule of Faith and Life but a written Rule as his express words above noted are though in contradiction to himself who elsewhere calls them a Rule but not the Rule now he will neither have them to be the Rule nor a written Rule for want of the Method of a Rule he may quarrel against diverse parts of God's Creation as not being placed in that Method and Order that his Wisdom thinks meet Sure I am some Atheists have argued at such like rate against the Worlds being Created by an infinite Wisdom and Goodness because as they imagined things lye in great disorder throughout the visible World here a spot of the Earth fruitful there a great part of it unfruitful and uninhabitable some parts have too much Water that drown the dry Land overflow Cities fruitful Fields and pleasant Meadows other parts are scorched with drought and uninhabitable for want of Water other large parts not fit for Habitation for Cold. Also the Providences of God towards Mankind are greatly disputed by Atheists because of that seeming disorder and want of method in things and Events that happen to Men of all sorts virtuous Men neglected oppressed afflicted and vitious Men exalted honoured and praised It is a great Default in W.P. thus to argue against the Scriptures for want of Method as being the Rule wherein he too much resembles the Atheists arguing against the Ways and Methods of Divine Providence from thence concluding there is no Rule of Divine Providence in the World as W.P. concludes there is not the Rule of Faith and Life in the Holy Scriptures Section 15. Whither the Laws and Precepts of God and Christ as written in the Holy Scriptures do bind the Faithful to Obedience W.P. his absolute Necessaries of Religion no other but what are generally owned by Infidel Jews Mahomitans Deists and the greatest Hereticks HAving thus finished my Answers to his Arguments against the Scriptures being the Rule of Faith and Life yea not only against being the Rule but a Rule as above noted in contradiction to himself who sometimes calls them a Rule to wit a Subordinate Secondary and Declaratory Rule but yet he will not allow this to the whole Scripture but that several parts of it are so that is so much of it as Heathens and Deists have taught them by the Light within to wit Precepts of Moral Honesty c. but Salvation by Christ Crucified and Remission of Sins by his Blood is not taught them by their Light within therefore this Doctrine of the Scripture is not so much as a Secondary Rule to W.P. and his Deist Brethren the unsoundness of which Distinction I have above shewed I shall now briefly point at some other Impertinencies in his Book now before me and so conclude Page 25. We confess saith he the reason of our Obedience viz. to the Precepts written in the Scriptures is not meerly because they are written for that were legal but because they are the Eternal Precepts of the Spirit in Mens Consciences Here divers things need Correction First I know none that ever said that the reason of our Obedience to those Precepts is meerly because they are written but chiefly and principally we are obliged to believe and obey them being the Commands of God but though the reason of our Obedience to them is not meerly that they are written yet being now written and the Wisdom of God having so appointed it that they should be written and the Writers being inspired to that very purpose to write them for our Instruction and that we should believe them and obey them we ought both to believe them and obey them as they are outwardly written otherwise if their deliverance to us by writing have no Influence on us to believe them and obey them we may wholly disregard them as such and only mind those eternal Precepts of the Spirit as he terms them in the Consciences of Men to wit Jews Mahometans Heathens Deists Again that he saith It is legal to obey them meerly because written I see not how it was legal for the Law did not command them to obey them meerly as written but because they were the Commandments of God but to reject them as having any Influence on us or laying any Obligation on us as written is to reject Christ's Prophetical and Kingly Office a part of which was to inspire his Evangelists and Apostles to commit them to writing But again That nothing is to be obeyed for a Rule or the Rule but the eternal Precepts of the Spirit in Mens Consciences as he affirmeth This indeed makes a very short and near way to Heaven were it as true as short and near He seems to give us an account what these eternal Precepts are Page 44. But most Perswasions saith he are agreed about the absolute Necessaries in Religion from that Light and Witness God has placed in Man's Conscience viz. That God is that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him that the way of God is a way of Purity Patience Meekness c. without which no Man can see the Lord. Answ Note well Reader these few things That every Deist Jew and Mahometan that are sober and rational will acknowledge are all the absolute Necessaries in Religion that he lays down But how falsly doth he alledge that most Perswasions are agreed that these without all the Articles peculiar to the Christian Faith as concerning the Holy Trinity the Incarnation of the Word the Satisfaction of Christ by his Sacrifice on the Cross to Divine Justice c. in a word all the twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed are all the absolute Necessaries in Religion Is the whole Christian Catholick Church of Christ throughout the World in all Ages no considerable part of Mankind having Religious Perswasions Or if they are let him tell us what part of Christ's Catholick Church ever held or doth now hold that none of all the twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed or few of them are the absolute Necessaries in Religion together with other Moral parts relating to Moral Virtues I think he can tell us scarce any but such as may be justly doubted or disowned to be Members of the Church of Christ If he bring in himself and his Party and Deist Brethren he but begs the Question to say they are a part of the Christian Church while they deny the great Fundamentals of her Religion to be absolutely necessary But let us hear him further in the same Page he saith Nay they accord in some considerable Matters super added as some of