Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	believe_v	church_n	faith_n	7,365	5	5.7654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52055	Smectymnuus redivivus Being an answer to a book, entituled, An humble remonstrance. In which, the original of liturgy episcopacy is discussed, and quæries propounded concerning both. The parity of bishops and presbyters in scripture demonstrated. The occasion of the imparity in antiquity discovered. The disparity of the ancient and our moderne bishops manifested. The antiquity of ruling elders in the church vindicated. The prelaticall church bounded.	Smectymnuus.; Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.; Young, Thomas, 1587-1655.; Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.; Spurstowe, William, 1605?-1666.	1654 (1654)	Wing M784; ESTC R223740	77,642	91

disclaimed the Prelates and have honoured the most glorious Lights of those Reformed Churches Calvin Beza and others with no better titles then of Rascals Blasphemers c. But the pith of his answer after a few good words is this that no such consequent can be drawn from their opinion for their Ius divinum pleads only for a Iustifiablenesse of this holy calling not for an absolute necessity of it warranting it where it is and requiring it where it may be had but not fixing upon the Church that wants it the defect of any thing of the Essence of a Church but only of the glory and perfection of it neither is it their sin but their misery And is it so doth not this Ius divinum argue a Necessitie but only a Iustifiablenesse of this calling nor is the want of it a want of any thing of Essence but onely of perfection we had thought that page the 20th where this Remonstrant strives to fetch the pedegree of Episcopacie from no lesse than Apostolicall and in that right Divine institution he had reckoned it among those things which the Apostles ordained for the succeeding administration of the Church in essentiall matters but here it seemes he is willing to retract what there fell from him there it was to his advantage to say this Government was a thing essentiall to the Church and here it is no lesse advantage to say it is not essentiall But if it be not Essentiall then what is the reason that when a Priest who hath received Orders at Rome turnes to us they urge not him to receive ordination among us again but when some of our brethren who flying in Queene Maries dayes had received Imposition of hands in the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas returned again in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth they were urged to receive Imposition of hands againe from our Bishops and some did receiv● it If those Churches that want Bishops want nothing essentiall to a Church then what Essentiall want was there in the Ordination of those Ministers that received Imposition of hands in those Churches that might deserve a Re-ordination more than if they had first received their Ordination at Rome And what is the reason that Bishop Mountague so confidently affirmes that Ordination by Episcopall hands is so necessary as that the Church is no true Church without it and the Ministery no true Ministery and ordinarily no salvation to be obtain●d without it And if this Remonstrant should leave Bishop Mountague to answer for himself yet notwithstanding he stands bound to give us satisfaction to these two questions which arise from his own Book First whether that Office which by divine right hath the sole power of Ordaining and Ruling all other Officers in the Church as he saith Episcopacie hath belong not to the being but onely to the glory and perfection of a Church Secondly there being in this mans thoughts the same Ius divinum for Bishops that there is for Pastors and Elders whether if those Reformed Churches wanted Pastors and Elders too they should want nothing of the Essence of a Church but of the perfection and glory of it But this Remonstrant seemes to know so much of the minde of those Churches that if they might have their option they would most gladly embrace Episcopall Government as little differing from their own Moderatorship save onely in the perpetuitie of it and the new Invention as he odiously calls it of lay-Elders But no question those learned Worthies that were intrusted by the Churches to compile their Confessions did comprise their Iudgements better than the Composer of this Remonstrance And to his presumtion we oppose their Confession We will begin with the French Church who in their Confession speake thus Credimus veram Ecclesiam gubernari debere eâ politiâ quam Dominus noster Iesus Christus sancivit ità videlicet ut fint in ea Pastores Presbyteri sive Seniores Diaconi ut doctrinae puritas retineatur c. Art 29. Credimus omnes Pastores ubicunque collocati sunt eâdem aequali potestate inter se esse praeditos sub uno illo capite summóque solo universali Episcopo Iesu Christo. Art 30. Gallicae Confessionis Credimus veram hanc Ecclesiam aebere regi ac gubernari spirituali illâ politiâ quàm nos Deus ipse in verbo suo edocuit ità ut sint in ea Pastores ac Ministri qui purè concionentur Sacramenta administrent sint quoque Seniores Diaconi qui Ecclesiae Senatum constituant ut his veluti mediis vera Religio conservari Hominésque vitiis dediti spiritualiter corripi emendari possint Tunc enim ritè ordinatè omniae fiunt in Ecclesiâ cùm viri fideles pii ad ejus gubernationem deliguntur juxta Divi Pauli praescriptum 1 Tim. 3. Confes. Belgic Art 30. Caeterùm ubicuuque locorum sunt verbi Dei Ministri candem atque aequalem Omnes habent tum Potestatem tum Authoritatem ut qui sunt aequè Omnes Christi unici illius universalis Episcopi capit is Ecclesiae Ministri We believe that the true Church ought to be governed by that policy which Christ Jesus our Lord established viz. that there be Pastors Presbyters or Elders and Deacons And again We believe that all true Pastors whereever they be are endued with equal and the same power under one chief Head and Bishop Christ Jesus Consonant to this the Dutch Churches We believe say they the true Church ought to be ruled with that spiritual policy which God hath taught us in his Word to wit that there be in it Pastors to preach the Word purely Elders and Deacons to constitute the Ecclesiastical Senate that by these means Religion may be preserved and manners corrected And so again We believe where-ever the Ministers of God are placed they All have the same equal Power and Authority as being All equally the Ministers of Christ. In which Harmony of these Confessions see how both Churches agree in these five points First That there is in the Word of God an exact form of Government set down Deus in verbo suo edocuit Secondly That this form of Government Christ established in his Church Iesus Christus in Ecclesiâ sancivit Thirdly That this form of Government is by Pastors Elders and Deacons Fourthly That the true Church of Christ ought to be thus governed Veram Ecclesiam debere regi Fifthly That all true Ministers of the Gospel are of equal power and authority For the reason he assigns why those Churches should make this Option we cannot enough admire that such a passage should fall from his pen as to say There is little difference between their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our Episcopacy save onely in perpetuity and lay-Elders for who knows not that between these two there is a vast a difference as between the Duke of Venice and an absolute Monarch For 1 the Moderator in Geneva is not of a

sed malus tantùm quia Antiprelaticus But he upbraids us with our Divisions Subdivisions so do the Papists upbraid the Protestants with their Lutheranisme Calvinisme and Zuinglianisme And this is that the Heathens objected to the Christians their Fractures were so many they knew not which Religion to chuse if they should turn Christians And can it be expected that the Church in any age should be free from Divisions when the times of the Apostles were not free and the Apostle tells us It must needs be that there be divisions in Greg. Naz. dayes there were 600 Errours in the Church do these any wayes derogate from the truth and worth of Christian Religion But as for the Divisions of the Antiprelatical party so odiously exaggerated by this Remonstrant Let us assure your Honours they have been much fomented by the Prelates whose practice hath been according to that rule of Machiavil Divide Impera and they have made these divisions afterwards complain'd of that which their Tyranny and Policy hath made It is no wonder considering the paths our Prelates have trod that there are Divisions in the Nation The wonder is our divisions are no more no greater and we doubt not but if they were of that gracious spirit and so intirely affected to the peace of the Church as Greg Naz. was they would say as he did in the tumults of the people Mitte nos in mare non erit tempest as rather then they would hinder that sweet Concordance and conspiration of minde unto a Government that shall be every way agreeable to the rule of Gods Word and profitable for the edification and flourishing of the Church A second thing we cannot but take notice of is the pains this Author takes to advance his Prelaticall Church and forgetting what he had said in the beginning that this party was so numerous it could not be summed tells us now these severall thousands are punctually calculated But we doubt not but your Honours will consider that there may be multi homines pauci viri and that there are more against them then for them And whereas they pretend that they differ from us onely in a Ceremony or an Organ-pipe which however is no contemptible difference yet it will appeare that our differences are in point of a superiour Alloy Though this Remonstrant braves it in his multiplied Queries What are the bounds of this Church what the distinction of the prefessours and Religion what grounds of faith what new Creed do they hold differenc from their Neighbours what Scriptures what Baptisme what meanes of Salvation other then the rest yet if he pleased he might have silenced his owne Queries but if he will needs put us to the answer we will resolve them one by one First if he ask what are the bounds of this Church we answer him out of the sixt of their late founded Canons where we finde the limits of this Prelatical Church extend as farre as from the high lofty Promontory of Archbishops to the ●erra incognita of an c. If what Distinction of professors and Religion we answer their worshipping towards the East and bowing towards the Altar prostrating themselves in their approches into Churches placing all Religion in outward formalities are visible differences of these professours and their Religion If what new Creed they have or what grounds of Faith differing from their Neighbours we answer Episcopacy by divine right is the first Article of their Creed Absolute and blinde obedience to all the Commandements of the Church that is the Bishop and his Emissaries election upon faith foreseen the influence of works into Iustification ●alling from grace c. If what Scripture we answer the Apocrypha and unwritten Traditions If what Baptism a Baptism of absolute Necessity unto salvation and yet unsufficient unto salvation as not sealing grace to the taking away of sinne after Baptisme If what ●u●harist an Eucharist that must be administred upon an Altar or a Table set Altar-wise railed in an Eucharist in which there is such a presence of ●hrist though Modum nesciunt as makes the place of its Administration the throne of God the place of the Residence ●f the Almighty and impresseth such a holinesse upon it as makes it not only capable but worthy of Adoration If what Christ a Christ who hath given the same power of absolution to a Priest that himselfe hath If what Heaven a Heaven that hath a broad way leading thither and is receptive of Drunkards Swearers Adulterers c. such a heaven as we may say of it as the Indians said of the heaven of the Spaniards Unto that heaven which some of the Prelaticall Church living and dying in their scandalous sinnes and hatefull enormities go to let our soules never enter If what meanes of Salvation we answer confession of sinnes to a Priest as the most absolute undoubted necessary infallible meanes of Salvation Farre be it from us to say with this Remonstrant We do fully agree in all these and all other Doctrinall and practicall points of Religion and preach one and the same saving truths Nay we must rather say as that holy Martyr did We thank God we are none of you Nor do we because of this dissension feare the censure of uncharitableness from any but uncharitable men But it is no unusuall thing with the Prelates and their party to charge such as protest against their corrupt opinions and wayes with uncharitablenesse and Schisme as the Papists do the Protestants and as the protestants do justly recriminate and charge that Schisme upon the Papists which they object to us So may we upon the Prelates And if Austin may be judge the Prelates are more Schismaticks then we Quicunque saith he invident bonis ut quaerant occasiones excludendi eos aut degradandi vel crimina sua sic defendere parati sunt si objecta vel prodita fuerint ut etiam conventiculorum congregationes vel Ecclesiae perturbationes cogitent excitare jam schismatici sunt Whosoever envie those that are good and seeke occasions to exclude and degrade them and are so ready to defend their faults that rather then they will leave them they will devise how to raise up troubles in the Church and drive men into conventicles and corners they are the Schismaticks And that all the world may take notice what just cause we have to complain of Episcopacie as it now stands we humbly crave leave to propound these Queries Queries about Episcopacie WHether it be tolerable in a Christian Church that Lord Bishops should be held to be Iure Divino And yet the Lords day by the some men to be but Iure Humano And that the same persons should cry up Altars in stead of Communion-Tables and Priests in stead of Ministers and yet not Iudaize when they will not suffer the Lords Day to be called the Sabbath-day for feare of Iudaizing Whereas the word Sabbath is