Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	church_n	rome_n	visible_a	2,048	5	9.2278	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14656	Fishers folly unfolded: or The vaunting Iesuites vanity discovered in a challenge of his (by him proudly made, but on his part poorely performed.) Vndertaken and answered by George Walker pastor of S. Iohn Euangelist in Watlingstreet London	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.; Fisher, John, 1569-1641. aut	1624 (1624)	STC 24959; ESTC S101731	26,612	52

you what I have seene with mine eyes and heard with mine eares this day But the thing which did most astonish the beholders was the desperate behaviour of the Popish Novice the procurer of this meeting who did in the time of this conference most lively expresse the slavish nature of a seduced Romane Catholike to whom God hath sent strong delusion to cleave to lies and to reject the truth For he did most manifestly shew as the standers by well observed that he came with a full purpose and resolution and an heart and forehead hardned to scoffe deride and gainesay whatsoever was said against the minde of his ghostly father Fisher the Iesuit whether good or bad and to extoll and admire with most intemperate noise and clamour whatsoever Fisher did averre without regard of right or wrong truth or falshood In so much that one time when Master Walker had spoken something which seemed to give content to the hearers and they openly applauded and the Novice as his manner was scoffing at the speech said to his younger brother and others neere unto him that he never heard a more absurd and foolish reason and that any childe might answer it Master Walker over-hearing urged him to tell wherein the absurditie and foolishnesse of his reason did consist and what it was But he was not able to repeat one word so that all the hearers laughed and condemned him for an headstrong foole in speaking evill of that which he neither knew nor cared to understand But all this could not bridle his tongue nor make his impudent face ashamed For a little after when Master Fisher the Iesuit was speaking something which Master Walker seemed to sleight and to smile at the popish Novice spake out in a passion more loud than ordinary to his brothers and others about him Loe there is an argument to the purpose which I warrant you can never be answered by the best of your Ministers let him answer it if he can Which Master Walker noting turned once more to the Novice and desired him to repeat that strong argument or if he could not doe that to tell the meaning or the matter of it but hee was not able to repeat a word nor to tell what was the matter in hand which made the beholders astonished at his desperate impudencie and wilfull blindnesse in so much that some sharply rebuked him to his face others blamed Fisher for nuzling him up and suffering him to goe on in such notorious impudencie and wilfull blindnesse and divers did not sticke to say that they never saw nor heard of such a dangerous example and that undoubtedly they perceived this Novice to be so devillishly addicted and devoted to his Master Fisher that if Fisher would blaspheme the name of Iesus Christ this Novice would iustifie his blasphemie and maintaine it unto death And thus the conference ended But at the breaking up the Iesuit gave in writing to be answered at leysure the confused speech before mentioned And Master Walker wrote downe an argument which he gave to him to be considered and directly answered in writing upon mature deliberation The summe of the Argument was this That Church which hath the chiefe properties of the great whore of Babylon mentioned Revel 17. is undoubtedly that great whore and the Church of Antichrist The present Church of Rome now subject to the Pope hath those properties ergo it is the great whore The assumption confirmed These following are the chiefe properties of the great whore First shee must bee such a Church as being once most famous and renowned over all the faithfull Spouse of Christ hath by degrees fallen away into spirituall whordome that is Idolatrie and Image-worship for the Scriptures doe never stile by the name of whore any Citie or Church but such as thus fall away Secondly shee must still hold her visible succession of Bishops in the same place and Sea and professe her selfe the chiefe spouse of Christ while she commits Idolatrie in the Churches of Christ and mingles it with his outward and verball worship and while hee doth by persecution sacrifice to her God Molech such children as she by meanes of the Scriptures and some parts of his worship which shee still after a sort retaineth hath begotten and borne to Christ. Thirdly shee must bee the mother of whoredomes by assuming to her selfe the power to canonize for Saints whom she pleaseth and to authorize the worship of them and their Images and by obtruding upon the Churches of other nations Cities and Countries her formes of idolatrous worship Now there is no Church or Citie in the world which hath or can have these properties but onely the present Church and Sea of Rome 1. For she was for faith renowned in all the world as Saint Paul Rom. 1. and many of the ancient Fathers in their writings doe shew 2. And she now continuing her visible succession of Bishops ever since the Apostles in the same place and Sea is become a worshipper of Images which is Idolatrie as all the world may see and observe 3. And though shee doth challenge to her selfe the authoritie to canonize Saints and to authorize all Image-worship going a whoring from Christ her first love after his pretended Vicar the Pope and his superstitions and obtruding upon all nations her abominations yet she still glories in the name of the chiefe spouse of Christ and under shew and colour of zeale and love to him doth persecute and murder such godly men as being converted to Christ by those meanes of Christianitie which shee still retaineth doe reprove and rebuke her for Idolatrie superstition and other vices as Ierusalem did when shee was a great spirituall whore and adultresse Ezech. 16. Therefore the present Church of Rome now subject to the Pope hath the chiefe properties of the great whore of Babylon and by consequence is that great Babylonish whore and the Church of Antichrist This argument being to this effect delivered in writing to the Iesuit hee departed and hath not yet returned an answer Onely hee sent within a few daies after to Master Walker by his disciple above mentioned certaine propositions which hee commonly carries about him as the chiefe weapons of his warfare and by which he doth provoke and challenge all Protestant Divines with whom hee doth meet in any place FINIS

but also by the inward heavenly comforts and spirituall strength which they thereby and from thence receive doe sensibly perceive that Gods hand is with them and he doth in them speake to their consciences then they need no more the judgement of the Church nor of any externall judge to assure them that the Scriptures are Gods true infallible word for though all professors in the world or an Angell from heaven should preach and affirme the contrarie they will not assent unto them but rather count them as Anathema and accursed as the Apostle commands Gal. 1. 8. Mr. Fisher. They who are true Catholikes and rest upon the judgement of the Church have as much assurance and certaintie of the truth of the Scriptures as is needfull from the testimonie of the Church for they build vpon the rocke against which the gates of hell cannot prevaile But you teach men to build their faith on their owne private spirit and you are lead every one of you by his owne conceit which is the cause of so many sects and schismes and severall opinions among you every one assuming to himselfe presumptuously such an infallibilitie of judgement in matters of faith as doth not belong to any private man neither can bee attained unto by the common and vulgar sort of Christians Mr. Walker You shew your selfe by this speech of yours to be not onely a meere carnall man such a one as hath never felt the lively worke of Gods spirit in his heart nor tasted of the heavenly gift but also a brutish man corrupting that reason and darkning that light which by nature is in you which I will evidently shew divers waies First you preferre the externall testimonie of the Church before the internal testimonie of Gods spirit and make it a more sure rocke to build on than the Holy Ghost who is the spirit of truth Secondly you seeme to exempt and exclude the common sort of Christians and all private men from the communion of the Holy Ghost and from that gift and grace and inward worke of the spirit by which they are illuminated to see and perswaded to beleeve the truth of Gods word every one particularly in his owne soule and with his owne heart contrary to the Scriptures which teach that the spirit of Jehovah resting first and originally on Christ the head Isa. 11. 2. is from him inspired and infused into all and every faithfull member of his body the Church Rom. 8. 9. in such sort that they are said by that one spirit to be baptized into one bodie whether they be Iewes or Gentiles 1 Cor. 12. 13. and their bodies are said to be temples of the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in them 1 Cor. 3. 16. and 6. 19. and by this spirit they are said to have the gift of knowledge and faith 1 Cor. 12. and to be led into all truth Ioh. 16. Thirdly you call the holy spirit of Christ which we challenge in Christ by a common right as common to all the elect and which doth worke the same faith and knowledge in every particular Christian by the name of a private spirit wherein you shew most palpable ignorance overspreading your carnall eyes and possessing your carnall heart For that spirit which flowes from that one common fountaine of all goodnesse even God the Father of all and is sent forth in and through the name of that one common Mediatour and Saviour of the world his Sonne Iesus Christ which is also the same in Christ the head and in the whole universall bodie of the elect and faithfull and doth worke in all and every one particularly the same common knowledge of the same truth and the same common faith in the same promised seed And all this by no private motions or inspirations separated from the word of God but onely by that common meanes even the word of Christ spoken by his mouth and written by his Prophets and Apostles in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament this spirit can in no case be called a private spirit For it is the propertie of the Holy Ghost the true Comforter to come from the Father in the Sonnes name and to teach the truth and worke faith by the common rule and meanes of the Scriptures and not to speake of himselfe new things which Christ had not spoken before but onely to speake what he hath heard and so to receive of Christs and to give to us and to lead us into all truth by calling to our mindes the word spoken by Christ and recorded in the Scriptures and by writing it in our hearts as our Saviour plainly testifieth Ioh. 16. 13 14. This spirit which is discerned by these properties we challenge to our selves by the common right of the elect in Christ and he it is who doth testifie to our spirits that the holy Scriptures are the true infallible word and doth transforme our soules into the obedience of them and doth worke in us that same faith by which all the Saints have beene justified and saved from the beginning of the world But now as I have shewed you which is the true spirit of God common to all the elect and faithfull and that by his properties observed from the words of Christ our Saviour and also that the spirit of Protestants is that spirit So I demand of you whether you Papists have any such spirit working in you that faith and knowledge of the Scriptures which you build on the testimonie and authoritie of the Church If you say that you have no such spirit but are led every one by his owne sense then are you carnall and sensuall men not spirituall by your owne conf●ssion If you say that you have the spirit moving every one of you particularly to rest on the judgement of the Church of Rome and causing you to beleeve that the Pope cannot erre and that the Scriptures which he doth commend unto you are therefore Gods word then I would know of you why that spirit so resting and working in every particular Papist should not be esteemed a private spirit as well as that which works in every Protestant Mr. Fisher. Your spirit is a private spirit because he leads every one of you into severall opinions and private interpretations of Scripture which have never beene received in the Church nor commonly acknowledged of the godly Fathers and Doctors Mr. Walker If you have no more to say for your selfe than this I shall easily convince you by your owne mouth and prove from your owne words that the spirit of Papists not the spirit of Protestants is indeed a private spirit For first our spirit perswades us to receive for Gods infallible word no other Scriptures but those which by the common consent of all the ancient Fathers and of all sorts of Christians even of you Papists your selves are held for Canonicall but you Romanists receive divers Scriptures for Canonicali which by S. Hierome and other Ancients and by all the reformed Churches