Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	church_n	faith_n	word_n	5,431	5	4.5790	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01332	A sermon preached vpon Sunday, beeing the twelfth of March. Anno. 1581, within the Tower of London in the hearing of such obstinate Papistes as then were prisoners there: by William Fulke Doctor in Diuinitie, and M. of Penbroke Hall in Cambridge.	Fulke, William, 1538-1589.	1581 (1581)	STC 11455; ESTC S117689	47,991	130

hée had written that Timothie might know be able to instruct the church of God that it might be the piller of truth not that the church as the piller of truth should instruct him For Timothie was to teach the truth of Gods worde vnto the church y t the church might be the piller of truth he was not to learne of y e church as of a teaching piller in which sense Iames and Peter Iohn are called pillers And no doubt but they wer pillers of y e church and of the truth yet they were not priuiledged thereby but that they might erre in some parte as the errour of Peter is declared in the same place Againe it is certaine that the Apostle in saying the church is the piller and stay of truth speaketh of the church of Ephesus in which hée had lefte Timothie And the same is true of euerie particular church of God in any place that it is the house of God the piller and stay of truth so long as it is the church of the liuing God For hée teacheth not Timothie by this writing how to be conuersant in the whole vniuersall church of Christ but namely in that particular church vnto which Saint Paule hoped to come vnot him and by example thereof in any other particular church wheresoeuer vpon like occasion hée should be placed by the Apostle Now the papists them selues doe confesse that euery particular church may erre but it is the catholike and vniuersall church which they say can not erre But séeing that whiche the Apostle here speaketh is principally spoken of a particular Church and is true of euerie particular Church that it is the piller and stay of truth as well as of the vniuersall and Catholike Church The catholike church is no more priuiledged from erring by this texte of scripture then any particular Church in the worlde But this question of the Church is so intricate and vncertaine among the Papists themselues that although they holde this as a principle that the Church can not erre yet they can not define what they meane by the Church in this proposition For if you aske them whether you meane by the Church all and euerie member of the bodie they will deny it Where shal we then haue the determination of the truth many doubtfull cause They will answere of the generall Councell which is the Catholike Church represented But here if they are not resolued what maketh the generall Councell For some holde that the Councell is aboue the Pope and may determine without him against him Other hold that the pope is aboue the councell and that the councell may determine nothing either against him or without him But contrariwise that the Pope without the councel hath al lawes right and truth in the closet of his brest so that hée may determine of any doubt and that all men are bound to beléeue his determination as procéeding from him which can not erre The most of our english Papistes at this time doe holde that the Pope is aboue the Councell and that the determination of the Councell without the Popes approbation is nothing to build vpon So that when they haue prated neuer so long of the authoritie of the Church the ende of all the talke commeth to this point that the Church is not all the faithfull but the generall Councell only the Councel is not all the Prelates but the Pope only without whom they can determine no truth and who without them may determine all truth can determine no errour So that against this secte of Papistes it shall be sufficient to prooue that the Popish Church may erre if I can prooue that the Pope which is the only piller and stay of truth therein may erre But séeing wée knowe the Pope to be a meere mortall man howsoeuer some of them haue made him more thē a man yea a GOD aboue all Gods some neither GOD nor man but a newter betwéene both as if any of them will deny I can bring their owne sayinges to their shame and séeing the scripture pronounceth of euerie man which is but a man that hée is a lyar and that God only is true let vs consider what impudent shifte they haue to iustifie their Pope from errour that God only should not bée true Some of thē say the Pope may erre as a man but not as a Pope other say the Pope may erre as Pope also but not in matters of faith others séeme to say if they durst speake out that the Pope may erre also in faith but not to induce any mā into a false faith by his error Thus are they at variance among them selues and mince the matter so small y t at length it cōmeth to as good as nothing at all that they brag of the spirit of truth giuen to the Pope in suche measure that hée cannot erre But how do they assure them selues that the Pope hath such a priuiledge that hée cannot erre in matters of faith Our Sauiour Christ say they praied for Peter th●t his faith should not faile willing him after his conuersion to confirme his brethren And what in Gods name maketh this to prooue that the Pope cannot erre Yes forsooth hée prayed for Peter that is for him all his successors because he was the rocke of the church that none of their faith might faile that is they might not erre This is a very strange interpretation For the naturall sense of that place is manifest by that hée said before Simon Simon behold satan hath desired to winow you as wheat But I haue prayed for thée that thy faith should not faile By whiche wordes hée signifieth that the desire of Satan was vtterly to disperse the Churche that it might neuer bee gathered together and Peter was in greatest daunger of all the Apostles through his shamefull and cowardly deniall and forswearing of his maister howbeit hée declareth that hée hath obtained by his prayer that Peters faith should not be altogether qu●nched but that hée shoulde by repentance take holde of Gods mercy and be restored willing him after his conuersion and experience of Gods mercy to strengthen his brethren which likewise were weake in fayth though none so néere to falling away as hée So that the effect of Christes praier was that Peter through the greatnes of his sinne should not dispaire of forgiuenesse but by faithfull repentance bée renued and conuerted not that Peter should neuer erre in his owne person and much lesse that none of Peters successors should erre in any master of faith which thing by no logike in the worlde can possibly be concluded out of this place For what kinde of reasoning is this Christ prayed that Peters fayth should not faile Ergo Peter had suche a prerogatiue by Christes prayer that hée could not erre neyther hée nor any of his successours Christ prayed not only for Peter but for all his Apostles in this my text praieth for them all that

God That execrable and accursed praiers sacrifices doe not rather prouoke the wrath of God then his fauour Are not all the wayes of the impious vngodly man abhomination vnto the Lorde And howe shoulde that which God abhorreth dispose a man or how shoulde a man dispose himselfe by that which God abhorreth to bée a méete vessell to receiue the grace and fauour of God Forasmuch then as all men are vngodly or wicked before they bee iustified fréely by the grace of God all their works must needes bée vngodly wicked and vniust For they are only good and righteous workes which came from a righteous man from a man made righteous or iustified through faith by the grace of God according to the spirit of sāctificatiō which is giuen to thē only that are iustified although neither al the works of a iustified mā are good nor any perfectly good because we haue receiued y ● spirit in measure our sanctificatiō is begunne not perfected in this life therefore our Sauiour Christe praieth that his father would sanctifie his Apostles in his truth of whō he confessed before y t they were holy cleane that is sāctificatiō was begun in thē by his word which they had hearde in which worde of truth he now praieth that they may more more be sanctified made holy Wherefore all Popish preparations vnto sanctificatiō howsoeuer they denounce the denier of thē to bee accursed are in the sight of God no better then abhominable accursed euen by this worde For God only is the authour beginner continuer perfecter of sanctification séeing that our sauiour Christe prayeth for the continuance perfection of sanctification who was alredy begun in his Disciples who were baptised who had receiued the holy Ghoste who were to bee preserued increased in y t holines which they had receiued by this we learne y t we must daily pray for y e increase of sanctification and séeke it at the handes of God alone who hath promised vpon our earnest prayers to graūt his holy spirite by which wée shalbée daily more and more renewed in the inner man to hate sinne and to loue righteousnesse that the fruites of mortification renouation which are the two parts of sanctificatiō may appeare daily in our life cōuersatiō For this grace of continuāce increase in sāctificatiō y e apostle boweth his knées to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ by the example of Christ himselfe for the Ephesians that he would giue vnto them according vnto the riches of his glory to bee strengthened in the inner man by his spirite And therefore as the beginning of sanctification is only frō Gods grace with out all merite or good disposition of ours so is also the continuance increase perfection of the same the frée gift of God giuen vnto vs according to the riches of his glory and not procured either in whole as the Pelagiās say or in part as the Papists teach by the merites and desertes of men Wherby they make not God the whole only authour perfector of sāctificatiō but ascribe vnto mans merites a portion of this his glory while they affirme that by well vsing of the first graces of God wée may and do merite and deserue the second whereas the Lorde God testifieth by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will haue all nations to know that it is hée which sanctifieth Israel vnto whō also our sauiour Christe hath recourse in his prayer when he saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth By this hée declareth y t he desireth true sanctificatiō not coūterfet hypocrisie for fained holines dissembled sanctificatiō is worthily saide to bée double iniquitie The corrupte nature of man without the spirit of God is prone and readie vnto hypocrisie and feigned holinesse but all lying and dissimulation is abhominable vnto God wherefore that his Disciples might please God in true holinesse righteousnesse before him all y e daies of their liues He prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie thē in his trueth So shall they not séeke to mocke God with holinesse pretended and wickednesse intended but studie to serue him with an vpright heart vnfeignedly to seeke his honour walke in his wayes all the dayes of their life Moreouer where hée saith Sanctifie them in thy trueth hée sheweth euidently that as there is but one trueth which is the trueth of God so all other meanes and wayes of sanctification then in his trueth are false wayes and meanes and that no true holinesse is attained vnto by them but false holinesse false sanctification although it be neuer so well intended For true sanctification is only in Gods trueth Sanctifie them in thy trueth And this is the cause that the Gentiles in all their consecrations and blessinges could neuer attaine vnto true sanctification but were more more polluted in them because they presumed to séeke sanctification without the truth of God So that although euery thing which they tooke in hand and did was prophane vnholy yet their Temples their Gods their sacrifices their ceremonies their whole religiō was most of all vnpure vnholy vngodly yea most of all filthy detestable and abhominable and of all Christians to be abhorred forsaken because it was false holinesse sanctification and religion which they held and practised Euē so is it in the false religion holines sanctification of the Popists nothing is more abhominable detestable then y e which hath most of their false consecration and is accompted of them most holy as their holie water their holie bread their holie Candles Crosses and such like and especially their holie Masse wherof they make greatest account and their holie Father whom they name affirme not only to be most holy but to be holinesse it selfe But they will defend their coniured water and other their Popeholy ceremonies not to be false holinesse or vntrue consecrations for that they are sanctified in the trueth of God which is his worde for all the creatures of God are sanctified by the worde of God and prayer Thus doth Bristow take vpon him to defende their exorcising or coniuring water salt and suche lyke creatures that they may serue to bee vnto saluation both of bodie and soule Although I might easily answere that it is one thing to consecrate another thing to coniure yet who woulde beléeue they should be driuen to such impudent shifts and malicious wrestings of the scripture if they them selues did not professe it For the sense of the Apostles wordes in that place where he saith that al the creatures of God are good and none to be reiected being receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer the sense I say is manifest to be vttered of all y e creatures of God which are sanctified vnto Christians by Gods woorde and by prayer in the ordinarie lawfull vse of them and especially of meates forbiddē