Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	church_n	faith_n	17,021	5	6.3601	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15304	The schysmatical puritan A sermon preached at Witney concerning the lawfulnesse of church-authority, for ordaining, and commanding of rites, and ceremonies, to beautifie the Church. By Giles Widdowes rector of St Martins church in Oxford.	Widdowes, Giles, 1558?-1645.	1630 (1630)	STC 25594; ESTC S120720	21,327	48

in order THE 19. of the 39. Articles of Religion affirmes that the Church may erre that the Church hath erred The reason why the erring Church is become the lost sheep is because shee submits not vnto the onely true rule of faith which is Gods faithfull word The 20. Article saith that the church cannot erre that t is no erring church but a true church not a church voide of authority but a church having authority to decree Rites and Ceremonies to handle iudge and decide the hard subtile and deceiving controversies of faith For this well tempered and well governed church obserues Gods not deceaving nor deceaved word to be her principium fidei her principle of faith to be faithfully beleeved to be her true signifying Rule to be taught learned and kept Whatsoeuer is contrary to this heavenly voice she hates being all diabolicall lies whatsoever exposition doth make scripture to be contrary to scripture she examines confutes reformes by the true rules of exposition Whatsoever is besides scripture shee reiects for mans inveution for humane tradition for superfluous vnnecessarie Herein the church is a faithfull keeper and a faithfull witnesse of holy writ And let the church let this church persevere a faithfull witnesse and a faithfull keeper of Gods most true and most holy word to preserue her authority in rites and ceremonies in resolving Faiths factious controversies to expound the scripture learnedly according to rule in summo gradu necessitatis in the propriety of truth and to reiect mans flattering additions prudently according to Gods all-sufficient precept This is the summe of S. Pauls spirituall councell to advise and instruct the church Let all things be done decently and in order Which words are the substance of the 20. of the 39. Articles of religion they containe fowre parts The first is Commande Authorizing Let. The second is how many things are Authorized All things The third is the obeying of this commaunding Authority Be done The fourth is the manner of obeying this command This is Decently and in order In the commande Authorizing obserue Who and what Commands who commands This is first God the Holy Ghost secondly S. Paul What commands This is Gods will this is Gods word Let. In how many things there are authorized obserue the doctrine of faith the discipline the rites and ceremonies of the church All things In the obeying of this commaunding Authority obserue who must obey and this is the church Secondly that shee doth obey in keeping the doctrine discipline rites and ceremonies commaunded Be done Let all things be done In the manner of obeying this commaund obserue how many-fold this manner is and this is twofold first decently secondly in order in the outside by beawtie decently within and without according to rule In order Let all things be done decently and in order You haue the diuision of my text God commaunding the Church to decencie and order of doctrine and discipline and therefore let no man accuse me ignorantly that I am not come to edifie for if Gods S. Paules doctrine and discipline may edifie I shall edifie And let noe temporizing faction act the dissembling Hypocrite and say that my doctrine is not true but rayling for I am come to you with the doctrine of our receaued and established faith And let no trembling Neuter plead that my words are too deepe mysteries to be vnderstood No but let him striue to know his Faith how it differs from heresie that he may be truely faithfull in the pure and vndefiled Religion My text doth not stay to request but requires my text doth not intreate and pray but doth will and commaund you to be faithfully religious and that in a word and that in the first word of my text Let. This word is commaund though t is but a signe yet by it commaund is vnderstood and vnderstood to speake not by prohibition to make any stopp or stay but with commaund to make hast and not to fayle at your perill This Let is the actiue part of Gods commaund in the first place of S. Paule in the second place in person commaunding thirdly of the scripture which is S. Paules commaund which is Gods souereigne and vncontrouleable commaund You know the almighty power of Gods commaund that by it he made nothing to be all things For he spake and it was done he commaunded and it stood fast And shall he now speake and shall nothing be done Shall he now commaund and shall nothing stand fast Gods word is sharper then any two edged sword and 't is as possible to resist Gods word and liue eternally as 't is to resist a sword dividing the heart and after that to enioy this temporall life At the giving of the law Gods voyce was so terrible that the people that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more for feare of death Heb. 12. 19. For Gods voyce did then shake the earth and it shall once more shake both heaven and earth Heb. 12. 26. Here is maiestie and power and Gods will must be done for he commaunds to the terrifying of heaven and earth Gods word is not a bare sound but his word is a conuerting word and if the conuerted will not stand in grace God hauing giuen the will and the deede what doe they that resist but neglect great saluation But see that yee refuse not him that speaketh For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turne away from him that speaketh from heauen Heb. 12. 25. It concernes you then very much to heare Gods commaund S. Paule Gods deputed commaunder tells you that it concernes your saluation and loose this loose all the world But what 's the matter that mens hearts are so litle knowne to a commaunding God Who hath bewitched them that they will not obey truth T' is true that there must be Heresies for lying and dissembling tongues doe deceaue seduce and vnder a colour of a little godlines bring Church and Common wealth into confusion and destruction of soule and body And is it not then high time to exhort you with S. Paule Beware of dogs beware of evill workers Philip. 3. 2. Beware of them that barke at the Articles of religion Beware of thē that bite at the gouernment of the Church Beware of fiery zeale set on fire by a factious spirit Beware of despisers of Gouernours of inuentors of evill things Beware of the disobedient For they hate the doctrine and discipline the rites and ceremonies of the Church which is my second part of text implyed in these words All Things By all things are not vnderstood all things of this world for they are enmitie against God But by All thinges are vnderstood all things which God commands to build and beautifie the Church which God commands to gouerne preserue the Church So that these All things are all Ecclesiasticall things all things that belong to

flesh by covenant by troth plighted by Church-authority which is the essentiall vnion is the fundamentall cause of the signifying vnion which is the ring giuen in marriage to signifie that mā wife are no more twaine but one flesh T is expresse Scripture that t is granted to the Church to weare fine linnen white and cleane Rev. 19. 8. There is a similitude betweene the triumphant and militant Church and so an expression of the ones glory by the others signification and is it then contrary to decency and order to weare the surplisse Holy daies are contain'd in the Scripture The Lords passeover which we call Easter Levit. 23. 5. The feast of vnleavened bread Levit. 23. 6. The feast of first fruits Lev. 23. 10. to the 24. verse The feast of Trumpets Lev. 23. from 24 to the 34 verse The feast of Tabernacles Mordecai had his Holy day Hest 9. Iudeth had her Holy day Iudeth 16. Macchabeus had his Holy day Macchab. 1. 4. And seeing that Holy daies did not transgresse the fourth commandement before Christs comming the Apostles Agapae Festivall daies and our Church-holy-daies doe not transgresse that law We should bee very vnthankfull vnto God for the multiplying of his great mercies if we did not solemnely keepe them the reason is shew'd before In his rebus de quib nihil certi statuit scriptura divina mos populi Dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenendasunt D. August Epist 68. to Casulanus In those things which the Scripture hath not verbatim set downe the customes of Gods people or the institutions of our Predecessors ought to bee receiued for lawes so that they be deduced from Scriptures and be not contrary to Scriptures they are S. Augustines limitations Seeing then that the church hath authority giuen her let her exercise her authority Let all things be done For as long as the church is rul'd by Scripture Shee is the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. to the vnlearned to the catechised to the vulgar vnderstanding then S. Augustine being an infant in faith beleeues quia dixit Ecclesia because the church did teach him to beleeue As long as the church is rul'd by Scriptures Shee cannot erre hell gates cannot prevaile against her Mat. 16. 18. And therefore let all things be done decently in order whatsoever our well reformed church commands to be done Let the Priest weare the surplisse let little children to be baptized haue their Godfathers and Godmothers let the baptized be signed with the signe of the Crosse Let all communicants kneele reverently at receiuing the Lords Supper Let all bow in solemne assemblies at the name of IESVS Let them that are to be married be married with the Ring Let Holy daies be kept Let the Lord bee praised vpon Church Organs and on the Sabbath and Holy daies thus let him bee magnified with the musicall sound of all Church-bells Let the dead be honorably buried You haue a little booke of Articles which containes seven generalls all our church-traditions The first is concerning the church-yard Vicarage-house The second is concerning the Ministerie divine service and Sacraments The third is concerning Ecclesiasticall Courts The fourth concerning School-masters The fift concerning the parish clearke and Sexton The sixt concerning the Parishioners The seuenth concerning church-wardens Sides-men Let all these things be done For the doing of them well doth honour God and saue your owne soules But if church-offenders are growne hard-hearted stiffe-necked stubborne not to be reformed by neighbourly loue good counsell wholsome exhortation Dic Ecclesiae tell the church For all things must be done Decently and in order which is my fourth part of text Decently and in order Here is the manner how Gods command first secondly how the churches command is to be obeyed and this is Decently and in order On the outside by beauty Decently within and without according to rule In order Nihil peruerso ordine vel per contentionem vel per inanem gloriam faciatis so S. Hierome vpon these words where there is perversenesse ouerthwarting faction there is noe church-decencie factious contention and vaine spirited glory is noe part of this church-order Non temerè non indecorè non insanè ordine conueniente so S. Chrysostome Not rashnesse not vnseemelines not distemper is the decency or order that which is seemely is church-decency that which is conuenient is church-order Omnia cum pace disciplinâ so S. Ambrose the peace of the church this is church-decencie the discipline of the church this is church order The decencie of the church is opposite to vanity to sordidnesse to luxury The order of the church is opposite to confusion and troublesomenesse soe Pareus The decency of the church is that Gods temple should be all glorious at least very conuenient that church-vessells and the materiall parts of the church be cleane and comely that the Priests vestments be seemely that all church actions publique and priuate be void of lightnesse and superstition that church-teachers and hearers behaue themselues with diuine grauity modestie and piety as it becometh them that stand in the presence of God and his holy Angells Church order giues euery one his conuenient place to superiors superior places to equalls equall places to inferiors inferior places to euery church-necessary a necessary place Order obserues church-time as well as church-place and it staies not there but appoints who shall be church-teachers and who shall be church-hearers and to keepe both in order there are appointed times to pray to preach to sing psalmes to catechise to communicate to baptize c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caueatur aedificatio ecclelesiae singulorum maximè promoueatur so Pareus The transgressing of church-decencie and order must be shun'd the edifying of the church and of all in the church must be carefully obserued And we must goe a little farther the beautifying and honour of the Church must be carefully regarded And wee must on a little farther The able gratious practise of the Church must be preferred aboue all the edifying beautifying and externall honour of the church S. Hierome saith that there is no church-decency no church-order where is peruersenesse and diuision and therefore Thomas Cartwright was noe true teacher of church decency and order let his 21 dangerous points of doctrine and his one and fifty vntruths falsifying of Scriptures fathers of the church Historiographers and other classicall Authors be witnesse as 't is obserued by D Whitguift in his booke against M. Cartwright S. Chrysostome saith where there is rashnes vnseemelinesse distemper that there is noe church-decencie noe church order and therefore the precise ones are noe teachers of church-decencie and order for they are rash to thrust that vpon vs for true religion which began at the 250 yeare after Christ and was put downe by the first Councell of Nice S. Ambrose saith that there is church-decency where is the peace and the discipline of the church

the Lord Iesus ceased from his worke Heb. 4. He then appoynted a certaine day by saying to day ver 7. And because Christ rested from his worke of restoring his kingdome to Israel in the same manner as God did from his ver 10. appointing the first day after the creation to be the sabbath Therefore the first day of the Iewes weeke the scripture calls and t is instituted for to be the Lords day for this is the day of Christs rest religiously to be celebrated with holy worship in remembrance of our iustifying sanctifying sauing victorious and trivmphing Redemption But concerning other holy dayes there were seauen together in the time of the law Deut. 16. Therefore when God was to be praised for preseruing Israel in tents when he brought them out of Aegipt c then the text saith not labor 6. dayes but keepe holy 7. dayes c. So when God is to be praised for the Angells good newes to the Blessed Virgin for the Natiuity of our Sauiour for his circumcision c then the Church teacheth not 6. dayes labour but to praise the Lord on the holy time appoynted This Puritan sinnes against the 35. Article at the 7. 12. 13. 14. 16. and 17 homilies For these doe teach the holy obseruing of feasts vnto the Lord. The Anti-disciplinarian is he whose purenes is aboue the Kings Supremacy Imperious Imagination His holines is the Churches greatest Authority and as good a Rule for to know the Reformed true faith as holy writ He is a strict obseruer of the law therefore his Religion is the best religion But our Sauiour teacheth that mercy is the best part of Religion Matth. 9. 13. And he neuer learned that Christs kings office is aboue Christs Priests office in spirituall things for as much as Christ a Priest died for to make satisfaction for our sins to God the Supreame Iudge who is Christ a king and that from this office of Christ a king the king is derived and that the Priest is derived from Christs Priests office This Puritans tenet is that kings must be subiect to the Puritan-Presbyters Censure submit their Scepters throw downe their Crownes and licke vp the dust of their feete Thus Mr Rogers in the 11. page of his Preface to the 39. Articles and thus T. C. teacheth in his Reply page 180. Thus the oath of Supremacie allegiance are broken This Puritan is an Arch-traitor His prowd holynesse sinnes against the 21. Article which affirmeth that Princes in their Dominions haue supreame Authority to gather together Generall Councels and against the 35. Article at the last homily which preacheth downe Rebellion and against the 37. Article which saith that the King is supreame Governour of Church and Common Wealth next and immediately vnder Christ in his Dominions in all causes and over all Persons Ecclesiasticall and Civill His tenet is that all Priests should be Equall But who ever gaue all Priests authority to ordaine and did exalt inferiour Priests and pull downe Superiors for that equality but Farellus and Viretus by Sermons two Geneva-Presbyters But by what Law Whence was that authority This Puritan sinnes against the 23 33 and 36. Articles which teach the lawfulnes of Arch-Bishops and Bishops Superiority and Iurisdiction This Puritan is an enemie to Church-Ceremonies as if Gods Ministers and his house should be naked without all externall beauty He saith that he is only for essentials at baptizing c. And yet Metaphysicall divinitie is farre beyond the spheare of his plainely and briefly c. For the Scriptures deduceable sence transcends his capacitie This Puritan sinnes against the 20. Article The Presuming Predestinatist is he whose purenes is an inspired knowledge that hee shal be saved by Gods absolute election He is so sure of his salvation as if he were now in heaven as if thete were no life in him but Gods essentiall glory This is to sin without feare or wit He considereth not that the World the flesh and the Deuill are such cruell and subtile enemies that they did soe terrifie S. Peter as that he denied with an oath that he knew the Rocke of Saluation and the other Apostles fled And pray thou Continually that thou enter not into temptation Thus the 17. Article teacheth thee And presume not that thou art absolutely certaine of saluation for in denying Christs soules locall descent into Hell which is against the 3 Article thou deniest a part of Christs subduing euill spirits and his triumph ouer the power of hell for this end Christ descended to the spirits that were disobedient in the daies of Noah 1. Pet. 3. 18. 19. 20. And thou seemest to deny that good workes are the striving instrumentall causes for salvation in that thou regardest not Examples of good life by abhorring Apocrypha scripture which is against the 6. Article Suffer the words of exhortation be not factious in the Church to mainetaine an Imperious ruinating holynesse to amaze silly people to gaine a competency by way of collection God hath given the tenth part in al Israell for an inheritance to mainetaine the Priesthood Num. 18. 21. And if the humane positiue law hath not made provision according to this divine law stay the Lords leasure till he shall assist the king and the generall Councell of this land to reforme this thing as yet full of difficultie If thou hast no Benefice faction can never bring thee any de iure but reformation may Downe on thy knees repent and amend and praise God Almighty for as much as thy Dread Soveraigne Lord and king hath spared thy life so long thou being nothing better in tenet than an Arch-Traitor Downe on thy knees giue harty thankes to God in that the Most Reverend Arch-Bishops and the Right Reverend Bishops thy holy and Ghostly Fathers haue not delivered thee over to Satan Maiori Excommunicatione cursing thee forth from the Church and all humane societie thou being a most contumacious Schysmatique It is not sufficient that thou deny that thou art any such Puritan for thy faction is visible almost every where in this land Downe on thy knees and pray for Gods holy spirits illumination that thy zeale may be according to the infallible knowing faith and that God may thus incline thy heart to our true faithfull reforming Christian Religion The Lord Almighty and most mercifull make the light of his countenance to shine vpon thee and to reforme thee Then the Church shal enioy her much desired vnitie In which how happy a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together for Christians to liue and die I desire you to consider I pray you I beseech you Even I though I am very disdainefully hated of you am so charitably affected I labour alwaies to the vtmost of my praiers and studies to instruct you with true sanctifying reformation and so shall till death remaine Your hearty well-wisher to solid Reformation GILES WIDDOWES 1. COR. 14. V. VLT Let all things be done decently and