Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	catholic_n	church_n	profess_v	6,124	5	9.0713	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47737	The charge of Socinianism against Dr. Tillotson considered in examination of some sermons he has lately published on purpose to clear himself from that imputation, by way of a dialogue betwixt F. a friend of Dr. T's and C. a Catholick Christian : to which is added some reflections upon the second of Dr. Burnet's four discourses, concerning the divinity and death of Christ, printed 1694 : to which is likewise annexed, A supplement upon occasion of A history of religion, lately published, supposed to be wrote by Sir R-- H--d [Robert Howard] : wherein likewise Charles Blount's Great Diana is considered, and both compar'd with Dr. Tillotson's sermons / by a true son of the Church.	Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.	1695 (1695)	Wing L1124; ESTC R19586	72,850	37

Scriptures others all of it but some Particular Books which pleas'd their Fancies Others own'd other Scriptures never Received by the Church and publickly allow'd and practised Altering the Holy Scriptures which they called Mending of them and some of them said that Christ was begot by Joseph like other Men Nay by their Latudinarian Principles Mahomet himself and his Alcoran must be admitted into their Confederacy who speak more honourably of Christ than the Socinians themselves and deserve the Name of Vnitarians even in their own Sense as much as they can pretend to In the Church of Rome if you will but own Expressly the Authority of their Church to the Height they Assert it you shall be own'd a good Catholick and excused by an Implicit Faith in all other Articles of the Creed tho you be never so ignorant or hold particular Opinions different from the Church So with the Socinians if you will but reject the Consulstantiality of Christ you shall have Liberty to make him a God or a Creature or what you will You may talk of his Eternity his True and Real God-Head His being God of God Light of Light c. They have distinctions for all these And tho they love not nor like the Expressions yet they can make a hard shift with them They can puzzle People's Understandings tho by very foolish and contradictory Arguments How God by his Infinit Power might have bestowed True and Real Divinity upon another and that even from Eternity for what he can do to day he might have done Yesterday and so backwards for ever But then this would have been only a voluntary Act of God and what he did he might not have done if he had so pleased and consequently that this Adopted God tho from Eternity was still a Precarious tho a True and Real God and yet not properly to be called a Creature that is like Finite Things produc'd in time But on the other hand to make another Person Consubstantial that is of the same Nature with God the Father this infers the necessity of a Plurality of Persons in the very Nature of the Godhead and so to be of the Essence of God as Faculties are of the Essence of the Soul so that it could not be a Soul without the Faculties nor a God without the Persons and tho one depends upon another and springs from another yet they are all equally Necessary Co-Eternal and Co-Equal as being all of the same Nature This grows too hard for a Distinction and our Vnitarians as they call themselves will compound for any thing so you keep off from this Consubstantiality And therefore the Christian Church could find no other Criterion to discover the subtle Heresie of these pretended Vnitarians of several Degrees and Classes who tho differing never so widely among themselves yet all join and reckon themselves as Brethren against the most Glorious and most ample Revelations of the ever Blessed Trinity Recorded in the Holy Scriptures of God And whoever refuse this Test cannot be accounted sound in the Christian Faith But where there is unwillingness it will one way or another shew it self and it is easie to distinguish betwixt those Expressions which proceed from a hearty Conviction and those which are taken up out of force and necessity to clear our selves from an Imputation which lies upon Us. This your Dr. discovers pretty plainly in the present Case for being necessitated in a Vindication of himself as to the Doctrin of the Trinity to use the Word Persons he does it as brought to it against his Will very grudgingly and slightly he does pass it over and cannot conceal his Inclination rather to the Distinction used by the Anti-Trinitarian Hereticks to elude those Texts which speak of the Trinity which is that there are three Differences in the Deity which are express'd in Scripture by the three Denominations of Father Son and Holy Ghost and which they allow are spoken of after the manner of Persons as Wisdom is said to build hee House c. But they will not allow them to be truly and properly Persons or different Subsistences but only three several acceptations of the same Person according to the different Manner of his Revealing himself upon several occasions And thus they may make as many Persons in this Sense of theirs as their Fancy pleases to suggest And in this Sense and no other the Dr. is pleased to let the word Persons pass since we must have it tho at the same time he gives it such a stab as shews that he is by no means reconciled to it But take his own words which he gives as his determination of the whole Matter and the utmost to which he will be brought Serm. 2. p. 120. Here then I fix my foot That there are three Differences in the Deity which the Scripture speaks of by the Names of Father Son and Holy Ghost and every where speaks of them as we use to do of three distinct Persons And therefore I see no reason why in this Argument we should Nicely abstain from using the word Person tho I remember that St Jerom does somewhere desire to be excused from it Thus the Dr. and according to this where he has occasion to name the Three Persons of God he adds to explain himself his own word Differences which he likes better thus p. 122. The Three Differences or Persons in the Divine Nature expressed in Scripture by the Names of Father Son and Holy Ghost c. and so in other places And here He has fixt his foot you shall have no more of him if you be not pleased with this you must let it alone and trouble him no more about Socinianism Arianism or any of these like Matters But this somewhere of St Jerome's was a strange Quotation for so Grave a Dr. to bring into the Pulpit upon so serious a Subject if he thought it so For I fancy he spoke this with a Smile saying to himself I 'll make this poor Auditory believe that I have a place of St. Jerome under my Thumb to overthrow all this business of different Persons in God which word since they force me to use I 'll be revenged on it But I will not name the Place in St. Jerome for there are Rogues will be Examining of it and put me to a great deal of trouble It will do well enough for a Squib among the Crowd But these poor hopes are vanished for this Dr. has already been taken to task and stands Corrected for this by a much more Learned Person than himself The Author of the Animadversions upon Dr. Sherlock's Book Entituled A Vindication of the Holy and ever Blessed Trinity c. Printed 1693. There Chap. 8. p. 265. This Place of St. Jerome is quoted And it is shewn that St. Jerom did not Scruple to use the word Person or desired to be excused as our Author comically words it by way of wit but on the contrary that he did use

Salvo to secure his secret meaning So that upon these Reasons says he and not otherwise we may well and safely determine that Christ is truly God and man and that the God-head did as really dwell in his Human Nature and became Vnited to it as our Souls dwell in our Bodies and are Vnited to them This sounds very Orthedox But it is all to be understood only upon these Reasons That is which dwindle down Personality only to a Power to Command and Govern and by Christ is God and Man he means no more than that God dwelt in that Man Christ and so He was both God and Man but not that they were one Person any otherwise than as God did Command Govern or Enliven that Man as he does all Men. Christ was truly God That is as the Cloud was Jehovah which the Dr. asserts in this same page and is one of the Premises from whence he draws this Conclusion 2. The God-head dwelt in Christ and was Vnited to him as our Souls dwell in our Bodies and are Vnited to them that is as the Dr. has Explain'd it only to Command and Govern them Thus you see what true pains is taken by these two Great Doctors to Elude and totally to Enervat the whole Christian Doctrine and all the Terms wherein for suppression of Heresies it has been conceived and delivered down to us from Christ and his Apostles through all Ages of the Catholick Church If it be not so Why are not they content to set down their Faith in the plain Terms used by the Church Why all these New and Laborious Expositions Why do they thus Intangle and Perplex Why can they not say three Persons in the Trinity as well as three differences three somewhats Why do they confound us as this Dr. p. 96. with the difference betwixt distinct and distinction viz. That by Person in the Trinity we must not mean a compleat Intelligent Being distinct from every other Being But only that every one of that Blessed Three has a peculiar distinction in Himself by which he is truly different from the other Two Different but not distinct Not distinct but that has a Distinction What is the meaning of this What is the Quarrel at the word Person O that these Dr's would speak out That they would go fair over to the Socinian side Or do they stay that they may more Effectually undermine the Christian Doctrine by distinguishing and Accommodating all to the Socinian Hypothesis And by this means draw Men Insensibly into it Therefore we must deal plainly with them and tell because they will not what they would be at Which is to make the 3 Persons of God onely 3 Manifestations of God Or the same Person of God considered under 3 different Qualifications and Respects as our Creator Redeemer Sanctifier But we must Ask if it was only a Manifestation that was made Flesh If we are Baptized into the Faith and worship of a Manifestation why but 2. or 3 Manifestations of God are there not Hundreds is God or the first Person one of his own Manifestations Why then is He reckoned as one of the Three Are these three all one and the same Person Is this then the meaning of Mat. 12.32 That whosoever speaketh against one of these One shall be forgiven but whosoever speaketh against Another of the same One shall not be forgiven That we are Baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son who is the Same person with the Father and of the Holy Ghost who is the same Person with them both or in the Name of the Father and of Himself and of Himself This is the plain Easie and Intelligible Socinian System of Divinity This is the Rational account of their Faith And this Doctors Both you must stick to or give us leave to use the word Person in the already known and Received Notion of that Term and as the Holy Catholick Church hath always understood it in Expressing the Glorious Trinity of God Dr. B. Concludes this point with referring to the four bove-said Sermons of Dr. T. and clawing him for the Grace of this Imprimatur by giving his Judgment of that work as perform'd with great Strength and clearness of Reason p. 128. Thus these two Pillars stand bound jointly and severally for one Anothers Ingenuity and Performances And that they may keep even pace Dr. B. now passes on to the other great point of Socinianism the Sacrifice and Death of Christ p. 134. Wherein he Copys after and comes up to the full of that Diabolical Heresie so bare-fac'd set up by Dr. T. against the Satisfaction of Christ which is the only Foundation for the Remission of sin He first p. 134. Endeavours to Remove the Great Ground-Work of any Satisfaction being due to Gods Justice for sin by Advancing that Notion of Justice which Dr. T. does in his Sermon of Hell He calls it onely a Right of punishing which is vested in Himself and therefore which he may either use or not use at his pleasure Upon this is grounded the precariousness of Hell that God not being Oblidg'd in his Justice to inflict Hell notwithstanding of his threatening it It is not certain whether he will do it or not Dr. B. Says that this Justice is a Right vested in God Himself and which therefore He argues God may dispense with at his pleasure So far he argues truely That God is not nor can be accountable to any other And therefore in this sense he may do in every thing as he pleases That is as to any Outward Compulsion or giving an Account of his Actions to any whatsoever But on the other hand God is as I may so say Ty'd up to his own Inherent Rectitude and all the Perfections of his Nature It is not being Ty'd up or any way Limited It is the Highest and most absolute Liberty that he can never be otherwise If he could lose his Liberty He would not be so free Thus God cannot Die cannot cease to be God Cannot make Himself not to be Eternal Infinite c. And that he cannot depart from any of his Attributes not withstanding the sound of the word Cannot is no Stinting of his Prerogative but the Height of it Now Justice is as much an Attribute of God as his Mercy He is not onely just that is has Justice or a Great deal of Justice in him but he is Justice it self Justice in the Abstract Justice is of the Nature of God And therefore He can no more depart from it than from Himself The Highest Notion of Justice as of Love or Goodness that is God it is the very Nature of God God is Love 1 John 4.8 God is likewise Justice And as all the Love or Goodness in us is but a participation of the Infinite and Eternal Goodness so all the justice all the Notion we have of Right or Wrong is but a Ray Sent down to us from the Eternal and Essential Restitude and

be made a Priest And how it that most Sacred Office become amongst us Contemptible It is in Veneration to that High Character that I expose these Cursed Priests Latitudinarians and Socinians Enemies to the Cross of Christ the Ministers of Satan transform'd into His Ministers as Satan himself into an Angel of Light and then he is most a Devil It is a true saying That the Corruption of the best thing proves the worst A Corrupt Angel is a Devil and a Corrupt Priest the next in wickedness to him False-Christs and False-Prophets are much the greater Enemies ●o Christ that they come in His Name As False-Friends can do much more Mischief than Open-Enemies Vice is most dangerous when it is recommended under the Notion of Virtue Barefac'd Wickedness Atheism and Infidelity create a Horror in any Mind not thorowly debunch'd and hardened Therefore we are Caution'd against the Mystery of Iniquity And that is it which now worketh in these Men who Dispute against any Mystery in Religion where it is necessary and cannot be otherwise unless we were able clearly and fully to comprehend the whole Nature of God in which there is something which is and ever will be Mysterious that is Dark and Hidden not fully Vnderstood by all the Angels of Heaven to Eternity And yet where there is no necessity in the World so much as can be pretended except that of Knavery they write all Mystery and work under ground that they may not be discover'd They dwell all in Generals in which as the Proverb says Dolu●●later there is always Deceit at the bottom They will not tell plainly what they would beat But wound side-ways and by stealth as these Authors whom we have Examin'd And their admired Teacher Dr. Tillotson in his ad Sermon concerning Family Religion p. 61. gives special Caution not to have Children bred up in the JARGON of any Party But will not tell what Party or what JARGON he means You may apply it to all to Christianity it self as it was intended but so that you shall not fix it upon him he dwells in the Clouds and Mysterious Politicks more Subtile than any of which Aristotle was ever Master Whose Phylosophy the History of Religion takes pains from p. 74. to 80. to prove was brought into such esteemation by Priest-Craft on purpose to advance Mystery Great Wits make strange Discoverys It is the Bishop's Foot in the Pot which singes the Milk Among these Mysterious Arts of Priest-Craft there is none moves this Author's Spleen so much as Creeds and Rules of Faith Against which he vents his Indignation Hist Rel. p. 64. In very deed says he Creeds were the Spiritual Revenges of Dissenting Parties upon one another These Creeds are strange sort of things That a Man whatever he believes may not have Liberty openly to Profess and Preach what likes him best But must go about the Bush and take pains to Blaspheme And that Atheists Socinians and Latitudinarians cannot get in to the Preforments of the Church without Swearing Subscribing or Declaring I know not how many Lyes And all to no purpose For that will never keep them out He calls these Creeds p. 115. The Insolent value of Opinions Yet he values his own Opinion highly and would have others to value it above that of the Generality of the whole World in all Ages who have ever retain'd a great value for Religion and what he Blasphemes under the opprobrious New-made JARGON of Priest-Craft He calls Their valuing an Insolent Value This was to shew his Modesty and Good Breeding Insolent for any to be Pessitive but himself He has Prescription and would have the Monopoly he may have the Reward of it He shews great Respect to the Socinians because they retain nothing of Christianity but the Name Therefore in the same page he falls foul upon St. Athanasius his Creed knowing that most offensive to the Socinians And p. 85. He abuses the Homo-ousians that is the Christians and the whole Council of Nice which he says Shew'd a Spirit of Contention rather than of Peace and Charity This was for their Insolent Value of their Faith so as to Express it in a Creed And p. 116. He thinks to make great advantage to the Socinian Cause by the difference 'twixt Dr. Sherlock and Dr. South concerning the Trinity But this was only a difference in their Exposition of what both acknowledg'd The Holy and ever Blessed Trinity Whereas I can tell you Sir Possitive and ask your Priest-Craft at Lambeth if it be not true that the Socinians do differ not only in their Exposition of the Object of their Worship but in the thing it self and that not only two Doctors or so but whole Parties and Nations of them The Brief History of the Vnitarians upon Act. 9.14.21 tells us that the Polonian Vnitarians were so Zealous for Divine Worship to be paid to Christ that they Excommunicated and Depos'd from their Ministry such of their own Party as deny'd it Which I think they generally do in England Where likewise they are of most different Faiths tho' they call themselves Vnitarians and own one another in odium Tertij as Christian Brethren John Biddle's Confession of Faith touching the Holy Trinity Printed in the Devil's Reformation of 43. and now Reprinted with other Works of his among Volumes of Socinian Treatises which are with great Industry distributed Gratis since this Revolution owns Three Persons in the Holy Trinity But make the Second and Third Persons to be Creatures The rest of our Socinians as those that wrote The Brief History of the Vnitarians which is Printed in the same Volume with Biddle's Confession of Faith abovesaid do acknowledge a Trinity that is Three in Heaven but the Second and the Third i. e. The Word and the Spirit they would have to be the very same with the First that is the Father So that theirs is the only Contradiction in the Doctrine of the Trinity who would have Three to be Three and yet all the Three to be really but One. It is they who are out in Counting or Reckoning which the Hist of the Vnitarians calls Brutal in us The Christians and Biddelite-Socinians do confess Three in Heaven whom they acknowledge to be Three distinct Persons this is fair and plain Reckoning But then the Biddelites are guilty of very gross Idolatry in joyning two Creatures into the same Holy Trinity with God On the other Hand how is it that these Biddelites and the other Socinians do own one another to be of the same Faith and Print their Books together as setting forth the same Doctrine The Trinity of the one is Three who are One Person a most palpable Contradiction which no Distinction can solve the Trinity of the other is God and two Creatures which is rank Idolatry One Party of them say That the Word and Spirit are Persons the other say n●t One that they are God the other that they are not God one that they are Adorable