Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	believe_v	faith_n	rule_n	12,199	5	7.5465	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53386	The opinions of certaine reverend and learned divines concerning the fundamentall points of the true Protestant religion, and the right government of reformed churches Wherein is declared the plaine path-way to a godly and religious life. Published by authoritie.; Good counsells for the peace of reformed churches.	T. I.; Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659.; Ussher, James, 1581-1656.	1643 (1643)	Wing O356; ESTC R216583	49,936	153

foundation of our Christian faith what is it else but to revolt from Christ the rocke on which the Church is founded built Of this last Obstacle because it is of speciall use and moment I shall treate somewhat more at large In the first place therefore I conceive that to be a Fundamentall point which by the ordination of God revealing such a truth is of such necessity unto salvation to be knowne and assented unto as that a bare Ignorance much more a wilfull Opposition of it carries with it a certaine perill of exclusion from the kingdome of heaven Divines now-adaies have no Commission to invent or coine any new Articles of this nature and obtrude them on Gods Church that which was not fundamentall in the Apostolicall and Primitive times all our assertions and altercations and Anathema's will never bee able to make it such These first and fundamentall Trueths collected out of the whole body of the Scriptures put together in the Apostles Creed make up that Rule of Faith which S. Austin terme's pusillis magnisque communem a common Rule for all men both great small and which is by him accounted necessary to bee beleived constantly by all Concerning the which that speech of Hilary also is much to the same effect 't is our safest and best course to hold fast that first onely-Evangelicall Faith which we made confession of at our Baptisme And to these fundamentall Trueths the Apostle I beleive had an eye when he stiled Titus his owne sonne {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} after the common Faith This common Faith laid downe in the Apostles Creed proposeth to all Christians to be beleived by them the wonderfull Production of all creatures out of nothing the unsearchable mysterie of the glorious Trinitie the fruit benefit that redound's to miserable sinners from the Incarnation Passion Resurrection and Glorification of Christ what follow's thereupon the Redemption of mankind the Sanctification of the Elect the Communion of Saints the Remission of sins the Resurrection of mens bodies and the Glorifying of the Faithfull He that beleive's all which wee have here comprised in this short Creed and endeavour's to lead his life according to the Commandements and Precepts of our Saviour Christ cannot justly be denied the title of a Christian nor expelled the fellowship and communion of any Christian Church whatsoever On the other side He that shall deny or oppose any one of the said Articles although he arrogate to himselfe the name of a Christian yet is he to be excluded and banished the society of all orthodoxe and sound Christians Besides these there are I confesse many other Trueths contained in the Scriptures and deducible from thence by good and solid consequence which are very profitable to be knowne and of singular use to further us in the knowledge of Divinity but they are then only and not otherwise necessary to be beleived under paine of forfeiture of our salvation or communion with the Church when 't is clearely evidenced unto us that they are contained in Gods word or may necessarily be inferred from it In these points therefore if any particular Church cannot make the Trueth which she her selfe beleive's so cleare and manifest to other Churches as thereby to winne them over to the same beleife shee must forsake them in their Errours but by no meanes may she because of such errours deny them her charity and Communion I adde further that if it should happen that two Churches should vary about some particular place of holy Writ the one conceiving that it confirme's a fundamentall point of Faith and the other thinking that it doth not so yet is not such a difference as this a sufficient cause why they should fall at odds and separate one from another so long as they agree both of them in the Point it selfe and acknowledge it to have cleare solid foundation in other places of God's word And last of all this may be added yet further that 't is not a thing impossible nor any way contrary to the duety of good Christians to entertaine a communion with those Churches which hold such a doctrine as seemes to us inconsistent with some fundamentall Trueth so that in the meane while they doe expresly beleive professe that fundamentall Trueth it selfe For 't is utterly against all Charity yea and Reason too that a man should be thought meerely for some consequences which he neither apprehend's nor grants to deny and reject a fundamentall point which yet he strongly beleive's , expresly affirme's yea and if need so required would not stick to seale the trueth of it with his dearest blood How much truer and more charitable is that opinion of a grave and moderate Divine We must not saith he so much consider what will follow in the thing it selfe from every assertion as what will follow from it in the apprehension and judgement of those who maintaine any such assertion as seeme's to us repugnant to some fundamentall point of Faith For as he who assent's to the trueth of some Principle cannot therefore be said properly to beleive and understand whatsoever and abler Schollar can by consequences infer from that Principle so neither can he who maintaine's a false Opinion justly bee thought to hold all those absurdities which a nimble head easily observe's to adhere unto or follow upon that erroneous Opinion of his We may indeed urge and presse these consequences upon our Brethren to see if haply wee can by this meanes beat them off their errour but malitiously to fasten them upon them as though they were their profest Opinions this we may not doe How farre this extend's and of what excellent use it is to the setling of a brotherly union amongst the Reformed Churches all wise men and such as unfainedly desire the peace of Gods Church will easily perceive For if it once be granted that a Peace and Union is not impossible that is not unlawfull save onely with such as actually disbeleive some fundamentall point of Faith or maintaine some such Heresy as strike's at the heart of Religion and cut's off the Abettors of it from having any communiō with Christ then will it follow that betwixt a sound and a diseased Church betwixt two Churches whereof one is more the other lesse pure there may be such a brotherly communion as we desire among the Germane Churches Let therefore the Orthodoxe Churches separate themselves from all such as have plaid the Apostates fallen away from fundamentall Faith but let them not separate from those which erre onely in points of lesser moment and such as doe not cut off the maintainers of them from being members of the mysticall body of Christ the sole author and fountaine of our salvation The Apostle command's us to receive not reject such as are weake in the Faith And the same Apostle tel's us how that we which are strong ought to beare the

that this Union of the Reformed Churches we speake of is not a thing impossible is confirmed further from that agreement amongst the Polonian Churches begun of late at Sendomire ever since carefully by them kept and observed it is true they could not bury all controversies but they could banish all contentions and establish so perfect a peace as that they refused not to admit of each other into their publike Congregations to the preaching of the word and Administration of the Sacraments Which holy brotherly concord of those Churches that most wise Prince Lodowick Electour and Count Palatine did not only by his letters to them congratulate but desired of Almighty God in his prayers that the Germane Churches also might be blessed with it What therefore was long since said to that blessed peace-maker King Solomon concerning the building of the Temple at Jerusalem the same say I to all moderate and peaceable Divines concerning the uniting of the Reformed Churches arise yee Worthies and be doing and the Lord will be with you Never despaire but that may be now effected which all men will grant hath been done heretofore But least this groundlesse bugbeare of a fancied impossibility should yet slacken the endeavours either of Princes or Divines or any other pious and well affected Christians and deterre them from proceeding herein I will recount all those lets and hinderances which render the peace and union of Churches utterly impossible to be obtained from whence it will easily appeare that there 's no one of them here to hinder why the Germane Churches notwithstanding some points of difference amongst them may not setle a firme peace amongst themselves and being once setled preserve it inviolable Now the first and maine Obstacle that hinders those Churches which agree not in all points of Religion from entertaining a Communion amongst themselves is the usurping and exercising of a tyrannicall power and authority one over another For if any one Church will take upon her to domineer and lord it over the faith of other Churches so as not to acknowledge any for her brethren nor admit of any into her fellowship and Communion but such onely as will be content to beleive and speak just as shee will have them all hope is then taken away of ever obtaining or preserving any agreement in any differences or disputes whatsoever For the sacred Scriptures forbid us thus to enslave our selves to any humane authoritie and our sole Lord and Master Christ Jesus forbid's us to acknowledge any upon earth for a Lord over our Faith and Conscience and that Church which enter's into a Communion with another upon these termes doth not hereby purchase a Peace but rather resigne's up her selfe to a most unjust slavery Onely the Church of Rome is come to that height of pride madnesse that she will take upon her to exclude from the communion of Saints damne to the pit of Hell all such Churches as will not submit their necks to that Antichristian yoake of absolute and blind obedience God of his goodnes ever keep off this Popish folly and fury from setting foot in the Protestant Churches which if it should once take place that union of our Churches which we are all bound to pray for would bee no longer either to be hoped or wisht for But blessed be God for it it is well known there 's not any of the Reformed Churches but doe from their soules detest and abhorre all such Antichristian ambition and desire of Soveraignety And thus have I removed out of the way the maine Obstacle which usually occasion's a perpetuall division rent betwixt such Churches as differ in some points and thereby make's an union of those Churches to become impossible A second let or hinderance which may render the said union of different Churches for example the Saxon and Helvetian Churches impossible is the approbation and practice of Jdolatry in the one the utter detestation of it in the other That of the Prophet Hosea is well knowne though Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah offend come yee not unto Gilgal neither goe yee up to Beth-aven Likewise also that of the Apostle what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols And a number of places more to the same purpose Neither is that saying of Tertullian touching this matter unworthy our observation Idolatry saith he is become the grand and generall sin of whole mankinde the Epidemicall disease of the whole world Since therefore God so severely chargeth us to keepe our selves from Idols all kinde of Idolatry though never so speciously colour'd over wee may well call that morally impossible which cannot be performed without some staine and tincture of Idolatry and without a high and hainous offence against the sacred Majestie of God Here then we may behold that grand let whereby the Reformed Churches to their great greife of heart are forced to shunne a Communion with the Church of Rome For so farre in love is shee with her Idolls and so rigorously doth shee impose the worshipping of them upon all her children that no man can be admitted into her Communion at least not continue in it unlesse he will become a notorious and down-right Idolater If the case so stood that the Germane Churches could not enter into and enjoy a blessed Unity and Peace one with another except they must be required and bound either to practise an Idolatrous worship or at the least to beleive and professe that such practice is not unlawfull I would not stick to affirme that a Communion which cannot be had but upon such hard conditions is indeed impossible to bee had since as Lawyers use to speake wee can doe onely so much as may lawfully be done by us And here we have just cause to blesse God that the Reformed Churches although they have not the happinesse to agree in all matters of lesser moment yet doe they all of them by his grace unanimously conspire joyne together against Idolatry so as not onely to condemne but also to beat downe and abolish it insomuch that if at this very houre they were all disposed and desirous to joyne hands and strike a league of amity and union it might be done without any the least danger of Idolatry Away then with that pretended impossibility of a Reconciliation grounded upon the perill of Idolatry nor let any such false surmises weaken the heart or hands of any religious Christian from going on with so good a worke The third last Obstacle which doth block up the way to an union render's it impossible is the differing of severall Churches about some fundamental point of Faith necessary to be knowne and beleived by every christian upon paine perill of eternall damnation so as that the one side doth solidly hold and maintaine it the other heretically denie's and oppose's it For to be at peace with Heretickes who goe about to undermine and subvert the