Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	command_n	command_v	lawful_a	2,968	5	9.4987	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71273	The verdict upon the dissenters plea, occasioned by their Melius inquirendum to which is added A letter from Geneva, to the Assembly of Divines, printed by His late Majesties special command, with some notes upon the margent under his own royal and sacred hand : also a postscript touching the union of Protestants.	Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685.; Diodati, Giovanni, 1576-1649. Answer sent to the ecclesiastical assembly at London by the reverend, noble, and learned man, John Deodate.	1681 (1681)	Wing W3356; ESTC R36681	154,158	329

give light to his Profession and Practice Hic erat Confessionis casus saith our Synopsis Here was a Case of Confession and so saith Lyserus in his Aulâ Persicâ p. 57 c. Fidem suam egregiâ Confessione testatur saith Oecolampadius He testifies his Faith by an egregious Confession He enters into his house but he does not shut himself up for fear for if he had done so he would have shut his Windows but he set them open on purpose that such as watcht to betray him might have the clearer prospect of his Faith and Piety Notandum est saith Mr. Calvin It is to be noted that 't was not the inward Worship of God that was here in agitation but the outward Profession of it When he saw his Faith was put upon the trial and an experiment to be made of his Constancy he would not so much as dissemble or counterfeit a forgetfulness of his Religion and Piety And no doubt the holy Prophet opened his Windows that by this help saith he he might consult his own Infirmity and stir up himself to a greater Liveliness of Faith and ardour of devotion And from hence we should learn saith Mr. Calvin when we are sensible or jealous of our own infirmity or coldness to collect all the helps and advantages we can to awaken our care and correct that torpour and sluggishness whereof we find our selves conscious This was the Prophets design when he opened his Windows towards Jerusalem Hoc etiam symbolo He had also a mind to let his Family see by this Symbol or Mystical Ceremony the Constancy of his Faith and his stedfast hope of the promised Redemption This is the sense and Judgment of Mr. Calvin Where we cannot but observe that the Holy Prophet out of the fervent zeal of an inward Piety made use of a Symbolical sign before the Princes of the Empire to protest the truth and sincerity of his Faith and Worship And also here was no special Command or divine Institution for the Practice yet it gain'd an approbation from Heaven and such as was attested and seal'd by a Miraculous deliverance Now that the Sign of the Cross among the Ancients was a Real protestation of their Faith and like Daniel's opening of his Windows to let others see what Religion he profest we have the attestation of no less man that Mr. Perkins who saith Annis à Christo 300 That the first Three hundred years after Christ the Sign of the Cross was taken for an outward Profession of the Faith used in their common course of life or their ordinary actions And a little before he reports thus Veteres se Cruce contra Daemones muniêrunt The Fathers used to arm themselves against the Devil with the Sign of the Cross not that they ascrib'd any such Power to the Outward figure but because they would make shew and profest to others Suam fiduciam in Crucem their Trust in the Cross that is saith he in the Passion and Death of Christ by this solemn Ceremony and use it also as he goes on Quodam quasi Monitorio fidem excitare as an Item or Watch-word to awaken and stir up their Faith which Conquers the World and all Evils in it Here from this Holy man we may observe That this transient Sign of the Cross was in use from the beginning and in the purest which were also the persecuting times of Christianity and 't was used upon a double account 1 As a symbolical Profession of their Faith 2 As a ready Monitor to excite and quicken the exercise of it This twofold use of the Cross Mr. Perkins does not disallow though with all good Protestants he utterly condemns the worship of it Crux non fuit à veteribus adorata The Cross was never worshipt by the Ancients much less with Divine Worship They had only a veneration for it that is saith he they used it with reverence and for an attestation of their Faith and extoll'd it also as a sign of their undaunted Belief in Christ crucified before the Gentiles and this they did even then when the Gentiles threatned them with Torments Thus Mr. Perkins Non sine causa saith Venerable Bede out of St. Austin c. 'T was not without cause that Christ would have his own sign fixt upon our Forehead as the seat of Modesty that the Christian may not be asham'd at the reproach of Christ. And Soto Hac ratione c. For this reason the sign of the Cross is made upon the Forehead of the baptized that as the Church of England also hath it They may not be ashamed publickly to confess the Faith of Christ and him crucified De la Cerda and Hugo Cardinalis say the same thing upon the same Text Rom. 10. 10. And the Learned Gerhard tells us also That Christians to shew they were not asham'd of the Cross of Christ painted it upon the midst of their Foreheads and Cyril of Jerusalem long before him exhorts the Christians after this manner Let us not be asham'd of Christ crucified but with our fingers let us imprint the Sign of the Cross upon our Foreheads By these and a multitude of other Testimonies which might be produced 't is evident that the Sign of the Cross hath alwaies been lookt upon as a Real Confession of the Faith of Christ crucified and a symbolical Protestation of it so that we may sum up our Discourse in short after this manner Confession is an Act of external Worship under a General command of Christ which does bind Semper though not Ad semper and consequently the Duty is alwaies lawful though not alwaies in prudence practicable 2 That a General Command comprehends all particular Instances 3 That the Sign of the Cross is one Instance of Confession and so determined by the Authority and Practice of the Church From which premisses it will unavoidably follow that we are under an obligation to observe it And indeed there is sometimes a necessity for it for a confession by word of mouth or by subscription is neither practicable nor possible at all Times by all Persons in all Places Some have their Tongues cut out some are mute and speechless some are among Barbarians who understand not their Language Some other way therefore is to be pitcht upon and what should that be rather then what may reasonably be concluded from such intimations of Holy Writ as these Looking at Jesus who endured the Cross despising the shame And I have determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and If any man will be my Disciple let him deny himself take up his Cross and follow me From which expressions granting a Real Confession of the Faith or a Symbolical Protestation of it to be requisite what could be more convenient than that which hath been in use as far as we are able to collect from the

Rule a just Authority and a due Appointment The Order must first be duely made and then carefully observed 1. For this cause left I thee in Crete saith St. Paul to Titus that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting The foundations were laid and the men instructed in all the Articles which concern'd the sum of Salvation what concern'd the Government the Order and Decorum of the Church These things were yet wanting and great care was to be taken lest these Cretians should forget the Truth they had been taught or suffer themselves to be drawn from it by perverse and wicked Teachers Therefore to supply what was requisite to the Conservation external Discipline and Ornament of the Church of Crete Titus was left there and impower'd by the Great Apostle Such Orders we find made among the Corinthians 1 Cor. 7. 11. 14. 16. and among the Colossians Col. 2. 5. And when such Orders were made the Apostle was very strict to have them observed 2 Thess. 3. 11 14. Let all things be done decently and according to order 1 Cor. 14. ult He had scattered some Notions about Rites aud Ceremonies in the former part of his Epistle but here he collects all into one short sum He does establish an Order to avoid Confusion and preserve a Decorum in God's publick Worship and Service and this Mr. Calvin makes the Rule Ad quam omnia quae ad externam politiam spectant exigere Convenit which is to measure all things that belong to the outward Polity and administration of the Church The Power to Decree and make such Orders is lodged in the hands of such as are in Authority The Bishops who are called Stewards and Rulers who have the Keys of Christ's Kingdom intrusted to them A power of Jurisdiction both Directive and Coercive This power we find exercised by single persons and persons Convened in Councils whose Authority is of greater extent and veneration The rest will I set in order when I come saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 11. ult from whence Grotius does very well infer that the Apostles had Right and Authority to appoint such things as served for Good Order the Liturgy of the Church and the Ministery about Holy things Haec est Origo Canonum qui dicuntur Apostolici Here saith he is the Original of those Canons which are called the Apostles which tho' not all written yet were brought into use by them And we see St. Paul invested Titus with the like Power For this cause left I thee in Crete that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting This charge the Apostle gives that no man might think Titus undertook any thing of his own head or the desire of vain glory but according to the mind and at the command of the Apostle saith Crocius But it may be objected That the Apostles and Apostolick men were inspired of the Holy Ghost and did act by Revelation To this I answer If they had done all by immediate Inspiration there had been no need of Ocular Inspection But St. Paul did not only receive Information touching the state of particular Churches but he comes to see their temper and observe their wants and what will be most convenient for their present Condition before he offers to establish Orders to regulate their practice 1 Cor. 11. the last The rest will I set in order when I come But if he had made Orders by Revelation he might have done it at a distance That the Apostles and Revelations is out of question And that they took pains to search the Scriptures and had been instructed in them by Christ himself cannot be denied 'T is certain also That after such instruction and search of Scriptures as wise men they knew how to use their Reason better than others of their quality Hereupon when they Taught being endued with more than a vulgar stock of Grace and Divine assistance they propounded not only those Revelations which they had received but also whatever they had attain'd to under the Discipline of Christ and by a continual search of Scripture and the Prudent use of Reason And so in a different respect they may be call'd Prophets and Divine Doctors That Title was due to them as they had their Prophetical Revelations This as they confirm'd their Doctrine after an infallible manner both by a Divine assistance above the vulgar rate and by holy Scripture and their own Reason But that St. Paul did not order all things by immediate Inspiration is evident from his own Text 1 Cor. 7. 25 And herein Mr. Calvin makes him an example of a faithful Teacher Fidelis hîc veracem Significat qui non tantum pio zelo agit quod agit sed etiam Scientiâ praeditus est purè fideliter doceat such a one as is a Man of Truth who acts not only out of a pious Zeal but out of a pure and stedfast Knowledge Neque enim in doctore sufficit bonus animus nisi adfit prudentia veri cognitio For a good meaning is not sufficient in a Teacher unless he be endued with Wisdom and the knowledge of the Truth It will be a very hard matter to prove that Titus who had Authority to make Orders in the Church did act by inspiration The whole Epistle which St. Paul wrote to him being a kind of Ritual or System of Canons for his direction in the management of his Episcopal Office speaks otherwise And yet if we speak of a more general assistance of the Holy Ghost I doubt not but the Bishops and Prelates of the Church when they weigh and establish their Decrees and Canons according to the Rule of God's Word have a fair Title to it from the Promise of our Saviour Mat. 28. 20 Loe I am with you always to the end of the world This Power is essential to the Church and inherent in the Governours thereof who did exercise the same when there was never a Christian Magistrate in the world 'T is true God was pleased to supply the want of such Civil Administrations by a miraculous assistance for such as were delivered up unto Satan by the Censures of the Church He had Power grievously to afflict them and many times did torment them bodily How long this miraculous assistance lasted or whether it be in any measure in the Greek Church now under Persecution as some affirm I shall not take upon me to determine But this I am sure of Christ did not intend to leave his Church always exposed and like an Orphan for he has promised her Thou shalt suck the breast of Kings Isa. 60. 16. that is v. 10. Kings shall minister unto thee And to the same purpose Isa. 49. 23. Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers and their Queens thy nursing Mothers which signifies saith Mr. Calvin their Ministery and obsequiousness to