Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	age_n	young_a	youth_n	133	3	8.9385	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20770	A treatise of the true nature and definition of justifying faith together with a defence of the same, against the answere of N. Baxter. By Iohn Downe B. in Divinity, and sometime fellow of Emanuel C. in Cambridge.; Selections	Downe, John, 1570?-1631.; Baxter, Nathaniel, fl. 1606.; Bayly, Mr., fl. 1635.; Muret, Marc-Antoine, 1526-1585. Institutio puerilis. English.	1635 (1635)	STC 7153; ESTC S109816	240,136	421

commanded if of things indifferent accidentally only inasmuch as it is referred to the worship of God and therefore cannot without sacriledge be giuen to any creature 5. Theol. Pract. comp tract 2. c. 8. art 33. How then can the Popish Church vowing vnto Saints quit herselfe of notorious Idolatrie specially seing by the confession of Molanus a principall champion of hers a Vow is an act of latria that is of such worship as is due vnto God Neither can she cloake her Superstition with any shew of Scripture De cult Sanct. c. 9. for Bellarmin himselfe freely acknowledgeth that when the holy Scriptures were written the custome of vowing vnto Saints was not yet begun 6. The matter of a vow is things lawfull whether they be necessary as being commanded or arbitrary as being neither forbidden nor commanded For that duties commanded may be vowed appeareth euen by the vow in Baptisme In Psal 46. And although vertues as Chrysostom saith be due vnto God albeit they be not promised yet what letteth but what God bindeth vs vnto by precept we by vow as by a new knot may also bind our selues vnto De Monach. c. 19. 7. Bellarmin indeed is bold and affirmeth that it is the common opinion of Diuines that the Promise in Baptisme is not properly a vow Instit Mor. l. 11. c. 14. but Azorius his fellow Iesuite can tell him otherwise that the ancient Diuines together with the Master of the Sentences seeme to thinke that Baptisme is a vow properly and truly so called 8. That things of an indifferent and middle nature may also be Vowed is granted of all hands God hauing permitted vnto the Church and members thereof iudgement and dispensation of them Yet this must be vnderstood with caution for seeing as Saint Paul saith those things that are lawfull are not alwayes expedient and things otherwise lawfull may in regard of circumstance become vnlawfull those indifferent things that are inuested with such circumstances cease during the while to be the matter of a Vow 9. Iustly therefore are excluded from being the matter of a Uow first all such actions as are in their owne nature euill next such as hinder a greater good then those that crosse the generall Vow made in Baptisme farther such as are impossible and out of our power moreouer such as are friuolous and vnprofitable finally those things that are naturally necessary and if there be any other besides of the like quality 10. I adde farther by such as haue power so to doe for none may Vow but they who by their vocation haue liberty thereunto Now this vocation in regard of things commanded extendeth vniuersally vnto all and therefore it is free for euery man to vow them But in respect of things indifferent it stretcheth not so farre For first they who by reason of age or distemper haue not the vse of reason or iudgment secondly they who are vnder the authority and iurisdiction of others hauing not power of themselues because of their calling may not nor cannot lawfully vow without the consent and good liking of their superiors Num. 30. 11. This condemnes the impious practice of Popish Friers who inueigle yong youths from the obedience of their parents and without their consents intangle them in the vow of Monasticall life treading directly in the steps of their Great-grand-father Eustathius against whose wicked doctrine the Councell of Gangra thus decreed Can. 16. If any children shall forsake their Parents especially being faithfull vpon occasion of Religion thinking it iust so to doe and shall not rather performe due honor vnto them reuerencing euen this in them that they are faithfull let them be accursed 12. Finally the End of a Vow is partly to testify our affection to God as namely our thankfulnesse for benefits receiued and partly our duty in carefulnesse to preuent sinne and to preserue and increase Gods graces in vs. In a word it serues as an instrument or helping meanes to further our obedience to Gods Lawes And because the End it selfe is of greater importance then the meanes conducing vnto the End surely Obedience must needs bee better then Sacrifice that is then the Vow which fitteth only vnto it 13. The Romish Church therefore teaching that vowes are of greater perfection in this life and deserue an higher degree of glory in the next then the very works of the Morall law cannot be excused of manifest blasphemie Comment in Mat. 19. Which it seemes Cardinal Cajetan also saw when he said that Christ prescribeth no vow to him that will obtaine perfection of life because the obtaining of perfection consisteth not in the bonds of vowes but in the works themselues 14. This being the true nature and definition of a vow I conclude as touching the Obligation or bond thereof that euery vow thus made vnto God in such Forme of such Matter by such Persons to such End as wee haue said bindeth the Conscience vnto performance in so much as the breach thereof is no lesse then mortall sin and very dishonorable vnto God For if lawfull promises are to bee held with men much more with God Psal 15. And if we bee slack to pay them hee will surely require them of us and so should it be sin vnto us Deut. 23.21 15. But what if a man haue rashly vowed that which is vnlawfull Surely in such a case it is better to retract the vow then by keeping it to adde sin vnto sin For a vow saith the Canon may not be the bond of iniquity and excellently to this purpose counselleth Philo the Iew De leg spec Let such a one therefore abstaine saith he and humbly entreat God of his Clemency to pardon the vnaduised rashnes wherby he was so headlongly carried to sweare for to double the offence when thou mayst discharge thy selfe of the one halfe is extreame madnes and scarcely euer curable 16. Now let vs apply what hath beene said vnto the particular vow of virginity or single life And first whereas nothing may be the Matter of a vow but that which is lawfull and things lawfull are of two sorts eyther simply and morally good or arbitrary and indifferent surely Virginity cannot be ranked in the first order For to vse no other then Gersons reasons P. 3. de Consil Euang. stat perfect Morall vertues are commanded and are not destroyed but by vice and being lost may bee recouered by repentance But Virginity is no where commanded and is destroyed by Matrimony which is no sinne although Pope Syricius heretically call it vncleannesse and pollution of the flesh and being lost cannot possibly be recouered And therefore howsoeuer it may giue a kind of luster and grace vnto vertue yet vertue it can be none 17. Hereupon it followeth that Virginity and Mariage are not in themselues acceptable vnto God one more then another but that it is the mind which rightly vseth both the one and the other which