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	scripture_n	tradition_n	2,838	5	9.5550	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12800	Cassander Anglicanus shewing the necessity of conformitie to the prescribed ceremonies of our church, in case of depriuation. By Iohn Sprint, minister of Thornbury in Glocester-shire, sometimes of Christ-Church in Oxon.	Sprint, John, d. 1623.	1618 (1618)	STC 23108; ESTC S117795	199,939	306

Gods of worships not accidentall And secondly that these our Ceremonies are esteemed imposed and obserued by the intention and doctrine of the Church of England for things of such nature For this I constantly auerre and resolutely holde that if they can be proued matter of this nature that they are doubtlesse to bee refused of all in a case of confession vnto the losse of Ministery and of life it selfe Howbeit of this I can by no meanes be perswaded as yet and I will giue my Brethren the reasons thereof namely because the Church of England doth not so esteeme them impose them or obserue them for parts of Gods worship But here it wil be first asked what I mean by the Church of England To which I answere that as the Church is considered two wayes first for the Congregation of the faithfull scattered here and there or for the whole societie of English men compact in one entire body visibly professing the religion of Christ distinguished from the bodies of Scotland France Germany other Countreys So by the Church of England in either acception ceremonies are not esteemed imposed or vsed as parts of Gods worships Of the Church in the former sence I know my Brethren make no question the latter I will iustifie For the doctrine and practise of the Church of England I take to be that which by cōmon consent of the whole State King Nobles Bishops Iudges Commons in Parliament is taught and commanded Whatsoeuer commeth hence cometh from the compleate bodie of the Church of England and is to bee ascribed to it as to the visible Church Now the doctrine of this Church of England is included in the Bookes established by this power which are the booke of Articles and the booke of Common prayer Now for the doctrine of our Church in this point the booke of Articles expresly teacheth first that it is not lawfull for the Church to ordaine any thing that is contrary to Gods word Act. 20. Secondly that the Church ought not to enforce any thing to be beleeued besides the holy Scriptures for necessitie of saluation Act. 20. Thirdly that nothing of traditions and Ceremonies be ordained against Gods word Act. 34. Fourthly that euery particular or Nationall Church hath authoritie to ordaine change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained onely by mans authoritie so that all things bee done to edifying Act. 34. So likewise the Preface of the common prayer booke tit of Ceremonies enacted by Act of Parliament that is by the authoritie of the visible Church of England this doctrine of Ceremonies is set downe We thinke it conuenient that euery country should vse such Ceremonies as they shall thinke fit to the setting forth of Gods honour and glory and to the reducing of the people to a most peafect and godly liuing without error or superstition and that they should put away other things which they perceiue to bee most abused as in mens ordinances it often chanceth diuersly in diuers countreys And thus wee see the doctrine of our Church doth not esteeme any Ceremonies as parts of Gods worships but doth disclaime it vtterly And for the application of their doctrine to our Ceremonies that wee may see what maner of Ceremonies and of what nature the Church of England doth propose to be practised and with what affection such as practise them should performe it the said Preface to the Booke of Common prayer saith of the Ceremonies prescribed in that Booke That they are retained for a discipline and order which vpon iust causes may bee altered and changed and therfore not to be esteemed equall to Gods Law Now according to this doctrine and application thereof by our Church all doctrines and practise of intention and action should bee conformed to this they should be referred If there bee any contrary direction or doctrine taught published or inioyned by any one person or many together or in diuers places it is nothing to the point For they who preach esteeme practi●e and impose any Ceremonies otherwise by any conceit word or acte then according to the afore mentioned direction they doe it contrary to the iudgement of the Church of England and it is to bee esteemed as the iudgement and practise of priuate persons violating the doctrine and lawes of this Church for the which they shall answere vnto God and are liable to the censure of authoritie Whatsoeuer Ceremonie therefore of our Church is either imposed or the omission censured by any persons or by any Minister practised or obserued by superstitious or ignorant people as a part of Gods worship is onely accidentall adherent and not inherent to our Church neither ought it to bee laide vnto the charge of our Church Neither doe any of the Diuines Abridg. fol. 38. 39. mentioned in the depriued Ministers reasons nor can any Diuinity iustifie or say that the questioned Ceremonies are imposed by the Church as parts of Gods worships for this cause or will perswade men to suffer themselues to be depriued for refusing to cōforme vnto them For here is no such case of confession to which we are inforced seeing we may all freely and ought as in obedience to the Church confesse the doctrine thereof agreeing to Gods Word and conforme vnto the Ceremonies according to the doctrine namely as to things which are no worships of God nor needfull to saluation And as for them that hold teach or conforme vnto them as to the parts of Gods worships they are to be esteemed as malefactors condemned by the Church which can no more preiudice the doctrine of the Church then the practise of theeues rebels and murtherers can preiudice the good lawes of our Common-wealth that are made against them and it were no lesse strange to blemish our Church with the iudgement or practise of the one then to brand the Common-wealth with the practise of the other Now where my Brethren say that the Apostles neither obserued nor imposed the Ceremonies of the Iewes as parts of Gods worship I referre them to my answere in the former member touching the seruice of God and do adde that if they vsed them not as parts of Gods worship taken strictè yet they did vse them inioyne thē as parts of his worship taken latè or in a larger sence seeing God may be said to be worshipped by that he is serued and he is serued by duties done according to his will and they conformed inioyned cōformity to those ceremonies that they might do duties according to his will viz. the winning of the Iewes the freedome of their teaching and the like But now whereas it is demanded further by my Brethren what it is vnto the purpose I alledge that the Iewes esteemed imposed obserued them as necessary to saluation Acts 15. 1. 5. and the rest I answere first that I might make those Ceremonies analogicall with ours that as our Ceremonies were and are holden as parts of Gods worship and needfull to

Apo●tles at Ierusalem to circumcise Titus * Aretius in act 16. 3. fol. 75. Gualter in act 16. hom 106. fol. 149. Beza annotat in Gal. 2. 5. Because they were vrged as necessary to saluation Acts 15. 15. Because by them false brethren laboured to bring their Christian libertie into bondage Gal. 2. 3. 4. Because by that practise in that sense he should teach iustification by workes Gal. 2. 14. 15. 16. This case sorteth therefore to the Papists who teach that God is worshipped by them That a man is iustified by practising of them That a man is bound in conscience to vse them as hee is the precepts of God al which false doctrines are in so many words disclaimed both by oath doctrine and confession of the Church in the booke of the Articles of religion as also in Artic. 11. 20. 34. the preface to the booke of common Prayer where the superstitious vse of these Ceremonies is disclaimed as also the opinion of Gods worship by them and the reasons set downe of prescribing these namely the quiet and decent order in the Church And that the conueniency or agreement of our case with the Apostles conforming not with the Apostles refusing the Iewish Ceremonies may the better appeare I haue added these paralells which I desire may be considered The Apostles and the Church of Ierusalem The Church of England To auoid offence of weak and obstinate Iewes and to winne them To auoid offence of weak and obstinate Papists and to winne them Prescribed and inioyned Ceremonies abused superstitiously Prescribe and enioyne Ceremonies abused superstitiously Holden as the worships of God and needfull to saluation Holden as the worships of God and needefull to saluation By the vnbeleeuing and weake Iewes By the superstitious Papists popishly affected But not by the Apostles nor faithfull Christian But not by any sincere Protestant teachers or people The members therefore of eyther Church may and ought equally to conforme to either Ceremonies in a case of necessitie and of superiour reason Againe The Apostles The depriued Ministers In a case of superiour reason as to further the Gospel to preuent the hindering of their preaching In a case of superior reason as to further the Gospell to preuent their depriuation and suspension Conformed to Ceremonies many wayes inconuenient abused superstitiously and holden necessary by the Iewes Ought to conforme to ceremonies though many waies inconuenient in their opiniō abused to superstitiō holden necessary by the Papists Imposed by weakenesse and violence of the Iewes Imposed and vrged as they construe it by weak Christians authority threatning depriuation Obiect Others perceiuing more force in this argument then some haue done to presse them to the practise of our Ceremonies in the case of depriuation and yet remaining peremptory in their former iudgement doe answere it another way thus Answ That Saint Paul did euill in vowing shauing himselfe contributing offering sacrifice circumcising Timothy because they were Ceremonies of practise But the Apostles constitution Acts 15. 28 was onely of Ceremonies of omission of like nature with our abstaining from flesh on fasting daies not of the Crosse or Surplesse They who thus reply haue had I confesse a light of this their answer from some * Hier. apud August Epist 19. Hierom. Ep. 89. Gualt in act 23. hō 138. fol. 248. Bullin in act 21. M. Parker of the Crosse part 2. sect 14 fol. 70. learned men which vsually haue their differences from others according to the reasons mouing them who thus did censure Saint Paul in these actions Yet Gaulter and Bulling doe onely doubt of the place Acts 21. not of the rest but to this I say We may probably see how these repliers if they had liued in these dayes would haue behaued themselues towards the holy Apostle at least they would haue reprooued him and condemned him for committing a sinne and would by all meanes haue disliked his doings yea they would haue cast off a thousand weake beleeuing and obstinate Iewes and suffered depriuation of a thousand ministries rather then to conforme to that which the inspired Apostle Paul did submit himselfe vnto But withall we may consider whether authoritie in practise were rather to bee esteemed theirs or Saint Pauls And indeed it is a miserable shift when no better answer can be framed to accuse the inspired Apostles in their doings because their practise will not stand with the reasons which themselues haue framed or vndertaken to maintaine the suffering of depriuation for refusing to conforme A very feeble answer as I suppose which will not stand but by heauing at the pillars of the Church of Christ Though they accuse the Apostles for this conformity yet the Scriptures doe not so and it may seeme to much boldnesse to speake especially in so dangerous a case of laying sin vnto the charge of such and so great persons where the Holy Ghost is silent But this practise of S. Paul may be easily and strongly iustified 1. Because he was aduised to this practise by Saint Iames and the Church of Ierusalem Acts 21. 18 20 21 23 24. Which persons inioyning other Iewish Ceremonies in the like case were directed and inspired by the holy Ghost in so doing Acts 25. 28 29. 2. Because the Holy Ghost seemeth to iustifie the reason of Paul in circumcising Timothy not onely in not condemning him in his practises but in approuing of his reason in so doing Acts 16. 3. Paul circumcised him because of the Iewes of those quarters For saith the holy Ghost in the text they knew all that his Father was a Grecian 3. Because Paul iustifieth this practise of his in those Scriptures of his Epistles wherein vndoubtedly he did not erre as the 1. Cor. 9. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. and 10. 13. and giueth a maine reason thereof because by his practise hee would winne the more vnto the liking of the Gospel and be a meanes of their saluation 4 Because it cannot bee immagined that Paul was ignorant if it were a sinne for hee was at the Synod at Ierusalem Chap. 15. where circumcision other Ceremonies were denied in other cases and if he knew it to bee a sinne it were strange hee should so many times fall into a relapse Acts 16. 18. and 21. and obserue the Iewish Sabboth so continually Acts 17. 8. and 18. 4. and 13. 14. 44. 5 Aretius giueth another reason to iustifie this fact of Paul * Aretius in cap. act 21. fol. 95. Antiocheia ecclesia bona parte constabat ex gentibus itaque maior pars non erat offendenda in gratiam paucorum Hic vero Ierosolymis maior pars imo omnes Iudaei sunt quos Paulus debuit considerare And of his iudgement are the best interpreters namely Augustine Caluin Beza Aretius Piscator Gualter Zanchius Iunius Bucanus who with one consent doe hold these things indifferent which indifferent things should serue for the edification of the Church Touching the Apostles constituion