Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	ceremony_n	church_n	ordain_v	3,759	5	9.3766	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31437	Diatribe triplex, or, A threefold exercitation concerning 1. Superstition, 2. Will-worship, 3. Christmas festivall, with the reverend and learned Dr. Hammond / by Daniel Cawdry ...	Cawdrey, Daniel, 1588-1664.	1654 (1654)	Wing C1626; ESTC R5692	101,463	214

2. The Worship of the Law was for the most part Ceremoniall in externall pompe and services But the Worship of the Gospel is lesse ceremonious and gaudie and more spirituall Joh. 4. in spirit and truth opposed to those ceremoniall typicall shadowes and figures of the Legall worship The Gospel Worship is for the most part morall praying preaching hearing c. without any thing like to that ceremoniall worship except the observation of the Lords day and the two Sacraments designed and instituted by Christ himself or by his Commission But if the Church have a power to institute ceremoniall Worship she may bring us back to a Legall worship equall with the Jewes as the Church of Rome hath done 2. If the Church have any such power to institute Ceremonies they must be either Non-significant ones but those Protestants disclaim as idle fooleries or significant and then either by nature or Institution Those of nature need no Institution If Institution be pleaded it must be either Divine but the Church hath nothing to do with them they are instituted to her hands Or Humane but that 's expreslly against the second Commandement as hath been said elsewhere God onely can prescribe his own worship Hence it was that those Traditions of worship introduced by the false teachers are coudemned because they were the Doctrines and commandements of men Col. 2.22 which when our Divines urge against such kind of ceremoniall worship in the Church of Rome as Humane Institutions they have no way to avoid it Vide Estium Corne l. A lapide in locum but to say Ceremonies instituted by an humane spirit as ours are are there condemned but theirs are instituted by the holy Ghost joyning with their Pastors in the Regiment of the Church as the Rhemists speak on Math. 15.9 and others more And therefore Papists may better plead their binding power than ours can do I shall adde to this That to institute significant ceremonies as a part of Worship is a superstjtious excesse and so Wil-worship which I prove from the Doctors own Concessions To put more virtue and efficacie into things Of Superstition sect 45. then either naturally or by the Rule of Gods Word is in them is a nimiety so Superstition but for men to institute significant ceremonies for edification to teach and instruct c. is to put more virtue and efficacy in them then naturally or by the Rule of the Word that is Divine Institution God put in them ergo The Major is the Doctors own the Minor is evident They have it not by Nature nor by divine Institution then they needed not humane Institution ergo it is superstitious and consequently the Church hath no such power 3. Grant her but such power and there will be no end of Ceremonies no man can tell where she will stay Of Superstit sect 38. unlesse some bounds be prescribed in Scripture The Doctors qualifications That they be few and wholsome have no ground to rest on For who shall judge of the number or unwholsomnes without a Rule Not any private man that 's denyed and very reasonably Not a particular Church the Universall may judge otherwise Not the Universall Church of one Age for the next Generation may be wiser and thinke them too few or too many not wholsom or unwholsom and so may either multiply or annul them See more of this in the Discourse of Superstition Sect. 32.33 Upon this ground grow all those more then Jewish ceremonies of the Romish Church That of the first 2. The Doctor takes for granted also that the Church hath power to institute Holy daies such as Christmas and to make them equall with the Lords day For of this he is speaking while he gives the Church this unquestionable power but he cannot but know this is denyed by many Divines 3. He also takes as yeelded That there is some ancient Institution of this Church for his Christmas from our first conversion which must be the ground for it to stand on and a competent Authoritie for the continuance of such a practise in this Kingdome but this he hath not proved 4. Once more he takes as granted That such ceremonies or Festivals established by a Church That were to restrain our liberty and to exchange one burthen for another So the Dr. of Superstition sect 56. may not without great temerity be changed or abolished by any What not by the Universall Church not by the succeeding Church That were to make the Laws of a particular Church like those of the Medes and Persians unchangeable and equall with the Laws of God Or else to cut short the succeeding Church from the same priviledge of the former and so in time the Church may lose all power to institute New ceremonies or else ceremonies may be multiplyed to the end of the world And so much of the first the Authority of the Church to institute Ceremonies A word of the next Secondly we must enquire whether if the Church have any power to ordain any Ceremonies this of Christmas be such as she may ordain We have said and say again to institute Holy daies and to make them parts of Geds worship is a priviledge of God alone If now the Doctor shall say The Church institutes this Festival onely as a circumstance or Adjunct of Worship commanded it will bee little to his purpose and makes it no more holy than any other day when the same worship is performed But it s evident that in the Church of Rome this and other Festivals are not counted meer Ceremonies in that sense but as parts of Divine Worship and so observed with greater solemnities and more Ceremonies than the Lords day it self which is both superstitious and sacrilegious And thus it hath been with some yea many of our Prelatical and Cathedral men esteemed and observed not onely as equally holy with the Lords day but with more solemn services with more abstinencie from labour and recreations as we shall hear our Doctor confesse anon We now consider what he sayes to prove the disusing of these Feasts blameable § 10. These are part of that establishment which the Reformation in this Kingdom hath enacted for us by act of Parliament To this we say 1. The Reformation formerly made in this Kingdome we have good cause to blesse God for but we know it was not so full and perfect as the Reformers themselves could have wished by reason of the times new come out of the darknesse of Popery and the tenaciousnesse of old customs received by tradition of their Fathers 2. This seems to grant that the Reformation and so the establishment of these Festivals in this Nation was made by the State and not by the Church which now is pleaded for § 11. Secondly This other Feasts of Christ are in the Reformed especially the Lutheran Churches stil retained and where they are taken away in some Churches by some sober members wished for We answer to

keep it stilo novo 10. daies before us Which difference of observation as was said of Easter argues it not to be Apostolicall nor soon after our Saviours daies as the Doctor saies For if they had instituted such a Feast to the honour of our Saviour they would all have agreed upon the same day in all places as they did in observation of the Lords day for our Christian Sabbath § 8. Upon those his premises he drawes out two Corolaries or Characters set upon this or any other Christian Solemnity Easter Pentecost c. of immemoriall usage in this Nation First that the antiquity of it doth no way argue that it hath any thing of the corruptions of the Roman See adhering to it but the contrary To which we have partly spoken afore and now adde that as the observation of Easter differently from the Western Church doth argue that wee received not our Christianity from Rome so the Antiquity of the observation of Christmas and some other Festivalls suppose in the third or fourth Century may also argue that they have nothing of the corruption of the Roman See we mean since it was judged Antichristian about the yeare 600. adhering to them But yet may have too much of the Corruption of those Churches wherein they were first invented Corruption we say which crept into those Churches not long after the Apostles daies It 's known to all that read the Histories of the Church how many Innovations and Superstitions were crept into the Church long before Rome began to be Babilon And Romish Religion is a bundle of most of those Corruptions § 9. But for the second inference That any such antient usage of this particular Church if it had no other ground to stand on as its foundation or concurrence of all other Churches as pillars to sustaine it were a very competent Authority for the continuance of such a practice in this Kingdome Wee shall take leave to demur a little upon this For grant as wee may that this Anglicane or British Church be very antient by its foundation and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for its authority as subordinate to no Forrain Patriarch yet we justly question though the Doctor doe not whither it be invested with such an unquestionable power to institute what Ceremonies it please which may not upon good reasons be changed and abolished It is known sufficiently that many antient Customes and Ceremonies as antient perhaps as his Christmas instituted or taken up by this and the concurrence of many if not most Churches have without temeritie been altered and abolished and others may and must when they be abused to Superstition and prophaness as this Feast will appear to have been It will not be amiss here briefly to consider what that unquestionable power of this or any Church is to constitute Ceremonies for its selfe as it shall judge most useful most for edification and most agreeable to the Analogie of faith which consequently may not without great temerity be changed and abolished by any And then whither this Feast be a Ceremonie of that nature For the first the Authority of the Church to constitute Ceremonies for its selfe it is not justly called unquestionable for it hath for many years past beene the apple of contention between the Prelates and the Non-conformists But before we debate it we desire to know and be satisfied in two things 1. What he meanes by the Church whither 1. the Universall Church for he often speakes of that Sect. 12.45 c. and charges us with seperation and Schism for departure from the Universall Church If so I would say two things First that the Universall Church of the first ages or since never met to institute any Ceremonies for all Churches nor in speciall for this of Christmas Secondly if they had met yet that Church had no power to bind after Churches if they met if they saw cause to abolish them for a reason anon to be given But 2. if he take it of a particular Church as this of England as here he doth then I say again 1. We read of no such Cannons made by the Church at the first conversion to make the usage so antient and to bind all her Children in after ages 2. If we did find such yet the Succeeding Church having the same Power may annull if she see cause what was by them instituted 2. We desire also to know what he means by Ceremonies for this is an ambiguous word under which the Romanists do shroud their Superstitious Will-worship Ceremonies then are of two sorts 1. Meere Circumstances of commanded Worship for the more orderly and decent performance of it Or 2. Parts of Worship as the Iewish Ceremonies for certain were If the Doctor mean it in the latter sense as I think he does wee must again distinguish of such Ceremonies they are either dumbe and non-significant as the Church of Rome hath many or Significant and that either by Nature or by Institution If significant by institution then either by Divine or Humane Institution These Distinctions being premised wee suppose the Doctor does not meane of the Ceremoniall circumstances or Adjuncts of commanded worship for that will not stand him in any stead nor does any man deny the Church a Power to order those But he must meane it of Ceremoniall Worship as opposed to Moral And that not for Dumbe or Non-significant Ceremonies those he dislikes in the Church of Rome but for Significant Ceremonies not significant by Nature those need no Institution but by Institution not Divine that were little lesse than a contradiction but Humane Institution Then the question is this Whither the Church Universall for all Churches or a particular Church for her own members have an unquestionable Authority to institute Significant Ceremonies as parts of worship which may not upon just reasons be changed or abolished This was the Question to be proved but is onely taken for granted in these particulars by the Dr. 1. That the Church whether Universall or particular hath such a power to institute Ceremonies unlesse they be such as tend to Eutaxy and Decencie and the preservation or furtherance of Gods commanded worship what and how many she please as she shall judge most usefull most for edification c. as the Doctor saies but goes not about to prove but takes it as unquestionable This we do deny and wee thinke upon good reasons besides the judgement of Reformed Churches If the Church be allowed such a power the mischiefes will be many As. 1. It s prejudicious to the simplicity of Gospell-worship 2 Cor. 11.3 the simplicity which is in Christ That is in the Gospell of Christ Ceremonies burthenous in the number might turn it into evill Will worship sect 25. It was spoken with respect to the false Apostles who by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subtle perswasive words did corrupt both the Doctrine and Worship of the Gospell as may appear by comparing this place with Col.