Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	pope_n	3,103	5	6.3417	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03064	A treatise of faith diuided into two parts. The first shewing the nature, the second, the life of faith. ... By Iohn Ball.	Ball, John, 1585-1640.	1631 (1631)	STC 1319; ESTC S100833	364,072	489

or next cause alwayes terminates the resolution The one imit●tes the other inuerts the order of composition In the first acceptation the first veritie or d●uine infallibilitie is that into which our faith is lastly resolued For this is the first step in the progresse of true beliefe the lowest foundation whereon any Religion can be built But in the second acceptation as wee alwayes take those tearmes when we resolue our owne perswasions that is for a resolution of all doubts or demands concerning the subiect whereof we treate A Romane Catholiques faith must according to his Principles finally bee resolued into the Churches or Popes inf●llibilitie For this is the immediate ground or first cause of any particular determinate point of Christian Faith and the immediate is alwayes that into which our perswasions concerning the effect is finally resolued seeing it can satisfie all demands doubts or questions concerning it It will not helpe them to colour ouer the matter and say God reuealing diuine truth is the formall obiect of faith For seeing God worketh mediately and reuealeth no truth vnto vs but by externall meanes and diuine authoritie in it selfe is hidden and vnknowne therefore the thing whereinto our faith is resolued must be something externally knowne which we may reade or heare And our Aduersaries must lead vs to secret reuelation which in words they pretend so much to defie or yeeld vs an externall foundation and formall obiect of faith And reiecting the Scriptures whatsoeuer they glose in wordes they neither can nor doe name vs any other indeed but the Romane Pope and Church Nor will it boote them ought to say that Gods Word in the Churches mouth is the rule of faith whereinto it is finally resolued seeing the Church defines nothing but by Gods written or vnwritten For this is more then the partie which belieues it can know nor hath he any other motiue to belieue it besides the Churches definition or assertion Suppose then wee should conceiue so well of a temporall Iudge as to presume hee did neuer speake but according to the true meaning either of statute or customarie law yet if wee could not know either the one or the other or their right interpretation but only by his determinations the law were little beholden to him vnlesse for a floute that should say he were resolued ioyntly by the Iudge and it For seeing the Law is to him altogether vncertaine but by the Iudges auouchment or interpretation his last resolution of any act of Iustice must be only into the Iudges skill and fidelitie It is true indeed that the Churches authoritie is not comprehended in the obiect of beliefe whilest it only proposeth other Articles to be belieued No more is the Sunne comprehended vnder the obiect of our actuall sight whilest we behold colours or other visible things by the vertue of it But yet as it could not make colours or other things become more visible vnto vs vnlesse it selfe were the first visible that is vnlesse it might bee seene more clearly then those things which we see by it so we would direct our sight vnto it so would it be impossible the Churches infallible proposall should be the reason of a Romane Catholikes beliefe of Scriptures or their orthodoxall sence vnlesse it were the first and principall credible or primarie obiect of his beliefe or that which must bee most clearely most certainly and most stedfastly belieued so as all other Articles besides must be belieued by the beliefe of it Nor is this proposall of the Church necessarie to the first plantation of faith only but to the growth and continuance of it as well after faith is produced whilest it continues as whiles it is in planting §. 3. God Christ not the Church and Saints is the only obiect of all true confidence trust Esay 26.34 Psal 130.5 6 7 22.5 Prou. 3.5 Iohn 14.1 1. Pet. 1.21 Rom. 3.22 Psal 2.12 Ier. 17.5 § 3. But to leaue this misterie of Romish iniquitie and to returne to the matter the authoritie of the Church is not the ground of Christian faith but the holy Scriptures and faith resteth not vpon the Saints but vpon Iesus Christ God and Christ is the obiect of confidence according to the Scripture God as the authour and parent of all good things of whom are all things and wee in him Christ as the onely Mediatour of God and Men by whom are all things and we by him or by whom God bestoweth vpon vs all sauing blessings and by whom we come vnto God They are accursed who make the arme of flesh their stay and trust in man in whom there is no helpe or power The present faith of Belieuers hath the same obiect with the faith of Adam after his fall Abel Abraham Noah Dauid the Virgin Marie all the Patriarches Ephes 4 4. Heb. 13.8 Prophets and Apostles For faith is one in obiect and kind though different in number and degree But the confidence of Adam Abel Noah Abraham c. was exercised about or directed vnto God in Christ not set vpon any Saint Abraham and the rest who liued before and vnder the Law belieued in the Messias to come The Apostles and all the faithfull since belieue in Christ alreadie come But in nature the obiect of their faith is one and the same Our Aduersaries confesse thus much Bellarmine proues Christ to bee God Bellar. de Christ lib. 1. cap. 5. because it is written of him Blessed are they that put their trust in him And the Scripture saith he teacheth euery where that wee must put our trust in the true God alone The Romane Catechisme teacheth Catech. Rom. part 1. cap. 11. q. 19. that wee belieue the holy Church not in the Church by which diuers forme of spe●king say they God the Creatour is distinguished from things created Rhem. annot in Rom. 10.14 But the Rhemists in defence of their Saint-inuocation are driuen to say that wee are to trust in the Saints departed and that the Scripture vseth also this speech to belieue in men Exod. 14.31 2. Chron. 20.21 as They belieued in the Lord and in his seruant Moses Belieue in the Lord and yee shall bee established c. This is their first pretence whereby they seeke to couer their Idolatrie whereas they might easily haue knowne that the vulgar and the Seuentie both translate these places Deut. 28.66 Iob 24.22 Esay 33.15 1. Sam 27.12 Iohn 3.5 They belieued Moses and belieue his Prophets and not they belieued in Moses Belieue in his Prophets And it is certaine the preposition here added in Hebrew doth not euer answere to In in our language What that it is no lesse then blasphemie to say that the Israelites were commanded to put their confidence in Moses and the Prophets either as the principall authours and parents of any good or as Mediators betwixt God and them by and through whose mediation they should obtaine all good things spirituall