Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	holy_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	22	3	9.2301	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25212	Melius inquirendum, or, A sober inquirie into the reasonings of the Serious inquirie wherein the inquirers cavils against the principles, his calumnies against the preachings and practises of the non-conformists are examined, and refelled, and St. Augustine, the synod of Dort and the Articles of the Church of England in the Quinquarticular points, vindicated.	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.; G. W.	1678 (1678)	Wing A2914; ESTC R10483	348,872	332

Glory and to confirm them in th●…r blind Idolatries when the God that made Heaven and Earth gave the fullest discoveries that it was fit for Mankind to expect Upon the Account of this the Jews rejected that Messias they had so long expected and gloried in before he came though he exactly answered all the Characters of Time Place Lineage Doctrine and Miracles that their own Writings had described him by No wonder then if the Non-consormists suffer under Prejudice amongst those that have not only seen their Doctrine stigmatized with the odious Marks of Judaism their Churches with the Brand of Schism their Persons with Treason and Rebellion but also had been formed into a Combination against them and so had both their Consciences and worldly Interest engaged against them and it For few have the generosity and strength of mind to bear up against the Torrent of Times or confidence enough to oppose the Impetuousness of common Vogue or prevailing Opinion There are not many that have the sagacity to discern the true Images of things through those thick Mists that cunning Politicians cast about them It 's very ordinary to take the Condemnation of any Person or Party for a sufficient Proof of the Accusation and to think the Indictment Proved It was enough both with the Jews and Gentiles against our Saviour that he was condemned as a Malefactor The Ignominy of his Cross was a greater Argument against him with the Generality then the excellency of his Doctrine or Evidence of his Miracles was for him The Arguments against Non-conformity were not weighed but numbred An Impeachment of Accumulative Disorder Schism Faction Judaism Popular Rashness and Disobedience to Magistrates was formed against them and still there was more in the Conclusion then ●…uld be made ●…ut by the Premises and in the Sum Total then in the Particulars of which it consisted for though no Point of all these could be proved against their Doctrine Worship or Discipline yet they must be so upon the whole This being Agreed the Cry is then Crucifige Destroy it Root and Branch To all which add that it was the corrupt interest of some to deceive others into an ill Opinion of the Reformation partly as being enraged that any sparks of Primitive Purity should be left unquenched which might burn up their vast hopes they had conceived of dividing the spoil amongst themselves Partly being conscious to themselves that by Reason of their no more then Declamatory Vulgar and Puerile Abilities improved from Apothegms and Proverbial Sentences they could not be fit to fill any considerable place in a Church Reformed according to the Scriptures nor yet to content themselves with a private station in a persecuted Society they therefore chose to fall in where they might be entertained as useful Tools and rewarded for their singular Talents of Reviling And when once it is come to that pass That by this Craft we get our Livings one two or three like the Silver-smiths of Ephesus no wonder if the Apostolical Doctrine and Government be cried down and the Great Diana of Pauls-conformity cried ●…p sooner then built The sum is this some men are blindly led by their Education and care taken that they never come to a view of the Dissenters principles others by Interest forced to espouse that Religion that has the fairest Dowry A third sort by their Reputation that they may not seem to have been in an Errour And when all these Causes shall as they too frequently do happily concur such an associated and complicated Temptation will form a prejudice strong enough to oppose the clearest Demonstrations and to stir up so much rancour and malignity as shall incessantly persecute mis-represented Truth I will add one word from the Learned Author of Orig. Sacr. and conclude It cannot be conceived That many out of Affectation of Novelty should declare themselves Christians in the Primitive times when so great hazards were run upon in the professing ofit Few soft spirited men and lovers of their own ●…ase but would have found out some fine distinctions and nice evasions to have reconciled themselves to the publick Laws and such things which the Primitive Christians so unanimously refused when tending to Idolatry and Prophaneness An ordinary Judgement will soon determine whether party may more plausibly complain of being pressed down with unreasonable prejudices They that will appear in the Quality of Dissenters must stem the violent Current of prevailing Example inveterate Custom whilst others have nothing to do but skull away with the Tide when it comes in with the Celeusma of Queenhithe westward hoe Lambeth hoe Dissenters must storm the Turn-p●…kes of Reproach Poverty and those more formidable ones of the displeasure of Friends and wrath of Superiours smoaking out in Imprisonment or other penalties besides the Ecclesiastical Chariti●…s of Excommunication The rest have nothing more to do but patiently and meekly submit to Preferments and Dignities And if they can but compass such a measure of self-denial as to renounce ruine and misery and rise to such a height of contentment as to be willing to enter upon Ease and A●…luence the worst is over and their greatest prejudices conquered 4. The last cause of the Distractions and ill Estate of this Church is the want of true Christian Zeal and of a deep and serious sense of Piety And the Enquirer wishes that it be not the greatest as well as the last And so do I too for the want of Zeal for Gods Commands makes us so scalding hot for Humane Constitutions The want of such a Zeal for the Authority of Christ as a King makes us so bold to Invade his Office The want of Zeal for the Perfection of Scriptures makes us so Zealous for unscriptural Traditions The want of Zeal for the substance makes us so Zealous for Ceremonial shadows When all those Spirits that Holy ardour of Soul that flame of Affection which ought to be expended in the love of God and his Law is evaporated in Airy speculations contentions for and impositions of new Inventions This Cause is plainly in the number of those which like the Weathercock conform to every gust of Wind It is Communis juris and therefore the first occupancy creates a Title What was it made the Primitive Church so unanim●…s that it was not crumbled into parties nor mouldred away in Divisions nor quarrelled about Opinions nor separated one part from another upon occasion of little scruples but because the turbulent ●…pirit of Imposition was not yet raised nor ambitious domineering over the Faith and Consciences of the Brethren had not yet got any considerable Head It 's true there was a spice of this encroaching Humour found amongst the Iudaizing Christians who would needs obtrude their Ceremonies upon the Gentile Converts as necessary to Communion with the Church but the divinely inspired Apostles were ready at hand to check the growing Evil and vindicate the Churches from the servi●…ude ●…f beggarly Rudiments It

to tell you how Panlinus Bishop of Nela calls him the great Light set upon the Candlestick of the Church or how Prosper gives him the Character of a very sharp Wit clear in his Disputations Catholick in his Expositions of the Faith But to what purpose should we control him with inferior Evidences after that of a Pope or to what end Subpoena our little Witnesses after these Grandees For surely he that will break Austins Pate will not fear to dash out Prospers Brains § 5. Another Branch of this endless Indictment is That being hard put to it by the Manichees on the one hand and the Pelagians on the other he was not able to extricate himself Se in illas Ambages induxit ut non invenerit qua se extricaret You see I hope that if ever we should want an able Head to translate Grotius into English our Enquirer is the Man Never was poor Man so bewildred so sadly intangled in the Bryers as this Austin between the Manich●…an fatal Necessity and the Pelagian Contingency one while he 's just a splitting upon the Seylla of Free-will and whilst he goes a Point or two too near the wind he 's ready to be swallow'd up of the desperate Gulf of Stoical Necessity I shall say no more let the Reader seriously peruse St. Austins Works and when he has done study this Enquirers Volumes and by that time he may be satisfied whether all his Rhetorick and Confidence will make him a competent Judge of St. Austins Learning § 6. His Conclusion of his Charge is That he was rather forced into his Opinions than made choice of them H●… whose Tongue is his own may employ it how he pleases but this slander carries its Consutation as well as its Confidence in its Forehead 'T is as if we should conclude That Men become Enemies because they have shed one anothers Blood whereas most think they wound and shed one anothers Blood because they were first Enemies It was the Zeal of this Learned and Holy Person for the cause of God that put him upon Study that drew him out in the open Field against the open Enemies of the Grace of God who might otherwise have slept secure in a whole skin Dispute cleared up Truths to him but he was not forced from any or into any I shall conclude this Head with that of Bradwardine another famous Champion in the same Cause with Austin Eccè enim quod non nisi tactus dolore Cordis refero sicut●…lim contra unum Dei Prophetam octingenti quinquag inta Prophetae Real simil●…s reperti sunt quibus innumerabilis populus adhaerebat Ita hodiè in hâc causâ Quot O Domine hodiè cum Pelagio pro libero Arbitrio contra gratuitam gratiam tuam pugnant contra Paulum Pugilem gratiae specialem Exurge ergo Domine sustine protege robora consolare seis enim quod nusquam virtute mei sed tuâ consisus tantillus aggredior tantam causam Behold which I cannot mention without gri●…f of Heart as of old against one Prophet of God eight hundred and fifty of the Prophets of Baal and such like were found to whom a great multitude of People did adhere so in this Cause How many O Lord at this day contend for Freewill with Pelagius against thy free Grace and against St. Paul that Famous Champion of Grace Arise therefore O Lord uphold defend strengthen comfort me for thou knowest that not trusting to my own strength but thine so weak a Combatant has engaged in so great a Cause ¶ 2. His second assault is against the Synod of Dort A Task as needless as the Answer itself and such as will not quit for cost for having already routed Austin this poor Synod must fall in course with him and be buried under his Ruines That it was a Dutch Synod I cannot deny Dort is and always was in the Province of Holland and therefore to pare off as much needless Controversie as may be let him Triumph in our Concession and make his best on 't The Synod of Dort was a Dutch Synod That England was not within the Iurisdiction of Dort I shall easily admit Nay I can be contend that it be exemp●…ed from the Popes West●…rn Patriarchate if Grotius B. Bran●…hal and some others would agree to it The Question then is How far the Church of England was or is concerned in at Agreement with or obliged by the Decrees thereof That King Iames sent thither several of his most Learned and Eminent Divines premunited with an Instrument and ther by impowred to sit hear debate conclude upon those Arduous Points that should be brought before them I think is not denied but by those who deny there ever was any such Synod That they did according to their Instructions go thither sit there debate upon and at last subscribe to the determinations of that Convention is also out of dispute If their subscription did not formerly oblige the Nation yet it evidently proves what was the Iudgment of the Nation Nor do I think it had been for the Honour of this Church to have been of that Religion because those Delegates had subscribed but they therefore subscribed because they were in their own Judgments conformable to that of the Church of the Religion and Judgment of the Council There had been formerly one Bar●… in the University of Cambridge who delivered himself some what broadly in favour of the Arminian Novelties Hereupon the Heads of that University sent up Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Tyndall to A. B. Whitguift that by the interposition of his Authority those errours might be crush'd in the Egge which were but New-laid as yet and not hatch'd in the bosom of this Church The Zealous Prelate presently convenes some of the most Judicious Divines of his Province and Nov. 10. 1595. by their Advice draws up the Lambeth Articles coming up to if not going beyond the Dordrectan Creed Forthwith he transmits these Articles to his Brother of the other Province the A. B. of York who receives and approves them So that now we have the Primate of England and the Primate of All England owning more than virtually the Decrees of that Synod and surely two such persons so learned as having been both of them Professors of Divinity in the University and of so great Power in the Church must be presumed if any to understand the true meaning of the 39 Articles in the Five Controverted Points After all this King Iames allows the inserting them into the Articles of the Church of Ireland and it were some what difficult to believe that a Prince so wise and learned would allow that Doctrine for Orthodox in one of his Kingdoms which was reputed Heretical in the other unless we will say they were erroneous at home but purged themselves like French-Wines at Sea by crossing St. Georges Channel or that the malignity or latent poison of them was suck'd out by the sanative Complexion of

which the present necessity did restrain 4. Churches are not to feighn necessities and Imaginary Exigencies as an Engine of ambitious spirits to try conclusions upon mens Consciences or practise upon their ●…ameness and therefore the necessity ought to be such as carries its own evidence along with it There are many things which the Divine Authority had determined as to its ●…id and sort which yet are not so determined in the In●…viduals now when a Church meets with any of these she must come to a determination for otherwise the Divine Commands cannot possibly be reduced into act nor our duty Exercised Thus he has commanded his Churches to assemble themselves together for publick worship he has appointed them Ordinances wherein to receive mercy and grace from him and Officers to administer the Ordinances in the Church the Church therefore is obliged to do whatsoever is necessary to the doing of her duty Thus Go●… having obliged them to worship they must come to an agreement about the place meerly because 't is impossible to meet no where But if the divine will hath not determined in specie man cannot under the most specious pretence of decency or adorning the worship institute any thing because it wants some head of a Divine Command to which to reduce it Thus God having given no Command to any Church to worship him under sensible formes and signes of Invisible Grace no Church has power to Institute any such and worship God by them For in this case Divine wisdome Love and Authority have demonstrated themselves and setled Enow to answer Gods Ends and ours If he had said as often as you baptize besides the washing with water which I have commanded you see that you make some figure over the face of the person to be baptized and not determined the figure whether Hexagonal pentagonal or the like the Church must come to a conclusion about some figure or the duty must for ever lye fallow But a General Command that all things be done decently and in ●…der will never introduce these Symbolical Ceremonies because the Command may be satisfied without them or any of them they are ●…ot necessary so much as by disjunction whatsoever is comprehended under a Divine precept is a necessary duty at least by disjunction Antecedent to any Command of any Church but these Ceremonies are not necessary in any sense antecedently to the Command of a Church and therefore are not comprehended under that General precept Let all things be done decently and in order And indeed if they were the sign of the Cross would be a necessary duty not only in o●… at Baptisme but in the Lords Supper in every prayer in al●… preaching in singing of Psalms and in every Religious Exercise seeing that precept enjoyns all things to be done decently and in order And we may presume that our Saviour with his Disciples and Apostles performed All divine service in the most decent congruous and edifying modes and yet they never practised that or any other Ceremony of that sort and therefore they are not comprehended under the Rule Nevertheless our Enquirer is resolved he will give us two Instances of this Truth that some things are necessary to the Constitution and administration of a particular Church that are not in themselves necessary absolutely considered And if he thinks it worth the while he may give us two hundred for we are perfectly unconcerned in them all 1 The first instance is in the Apostles times the abstaining from things strangled and blood was by the Council of Ierusalem adjudged and declared necessary to be observed by the Gentiles in order to an accommodation between them and the Iews and yet I suppose scarce any body thinks the observation of that Abstinence so Enjoyned necessary in it self Let us apply it either then the abstaining from Ceremonies must be adjudged necessary in order to an Accommodation between our Church and other Protestants or the obs●…rving of them be adjudged necessary in order to an accommodation between us and the Romanists which he would chuse I am not informed But let us Examine a little his great Instance § 1. It was adjudged and declared necessary to be observed sa●… he Therefore say I it was enjoyned because first necessary and not made necessary by the Injunction The thing was not unnecessary before the Syn●…dal Letters nor the Council at liberty to have determined the contrary unless an accommodation between Jew and Gentile was a thing unnecessary 15. Acts 28. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon yo●… no greater burden then those necessary things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now let him try his skill to conclude a power to impose things unnecessary from this fact of theirs who only imposed things necessary § 2. That a Council had the Immediate assistance of the Holy Ghost and might more safely adventure upon such an Imposition then any particular or National Church who as they have no promise cannot in faith expect any such extraordinary direction and we hope that no Church will assume equal power to impose unless they could produce equal authority for their power in which the Consciences of Christians might securely acquiesce It would be strange language from a Synod It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no other burdens then these necessary things that yet observe all Ceremonies of our appointment § 3. The people might reasonably conform to that decree which had their own Antecedent consent and the more patiently bear the burden which was not imposed upon them without themselves for this Canon was not only sent to the Churches by the order of the Apostles and Elders and the whole Church v. 22. but what ever obligatory power there was in it from man It ran in the name of the Apostles Elders and Brethren But alas the Case is otherwise with the poor Churches in reference to impositions of late Ages who know no more what Impositions shall be laid upon their Consciences then the poor horse is acquainted whither his Master intends to ride him § 4. This was a Decree not to burden them but to case and relieve them not to pinch the Gentiles but to discharge them of those servile loads which some Judaizing Converts would have imposed on them we read v. 1. That certain came down from Iudea which taught the brethren and said Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved And when Paul and Barnabas opposed this Tyranny yet such was their Zeal for their old Ceremonies that they reinforced their scatter'd squadrons from certain of the Sect of the Pharisees who believed v. 5. saying That it was necessary to Circumcise them and Command them to keep the Law of Moses At last the Case comes before the Council and they determine against these Judaizing Bigots That their blind Zeal should not be the measure of what was necessary or unnecessary and yet not to

sends us this offer That since there is no Grand Master of Religion concerned in the Controversies between us nor any violation of the Laws of God in our Complying with the Laws of this Society and since Mahomet must either go to the Mountain or the Mountain must come to Mahomet i. e. one side or other must yeeld we will be perswaded to think it reasonable that the subject should submit to the Governour and opinion give place to ancient Custom and Novelty to the Laws in being This is his friendly Motion and one so Modest that we would be perswaded to think it reasonable If he had given us Reasonable arguments to be perswaded which that he has not I think is Evident from what has been already said with these further Considerations § 1. That his motion is grounded on a false suggestion That there 's no grand matter of Religion concern'd in the Controversie nor any Law of God violated by our Complyance for the Perfection of the Scriptures as the Rule of Faith worship and Church-Government is a Grand matter of Religion and greatly concern'd in this Dispute The soveraignty of Christ over his Church His compleat discharge of all his Offices His Kingly Office in Making Laws his Prophetical in revealing the whole mind of God is no small matter of Religion and greatly concern'd also in this dispute which Law-giver by his Express Law and Royal Edict has Commanded all his true Ministers 28. Math. 19. 20. To Disciple all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Tra●…hing them to Observe whatsoever he has Commanded them Adding a gracious promise of his special asssisting presence in this work That he would be with them always unto the end of the world we think that the Terms of enjoying all the Ordinances of Christ is but Observing whatsoever Christ has Commanded which Law is apparently expr●…sly palpably violated to use his own expressions when any thing else or less or more is made the Condition of our admittance into the Kingdom of Christ. § 2. I know no Reason why any party should be the Immoveable Mountain that is too stiff in the hams to Come to Christ I have ever judged Christ him self to be that Mountain to which Mahomet and all Pretenders ought to move It was Noted as a piece of arrogant Moroseness in Austin the Monk that he would stir no more then a Mountain to meet the British Christians half way in an Amicable Association But if the Church will needs be the 〈◊〉 yet let her remember that Christ is set upon that Holy hill and if she will not Move in Deference to his Authority He that touches the Mountains and they smoak and makes the Hills to tremble can by his Almighty power send such an Earth-quake in her bowels as may cause her to yeeld to Reason § 3. Though Opinion and Custom may fight it out for me yet let the proudest Ancient Custom bow down to the institutions of Christ. It has ever been as a Common so a successful Peliey to clap hoary Periwigs upon juvenile innovations to conciliate some Reverence to their Antique Looks Errour has often a more wrinkled face then Truth but Truth alway's Carries the Graver aspect They that Imp their pin-feather'd inventions wich plumes borrowed from Time's wings do not Teach them to fly but flutter Antiquity is like Romulus his Assylum where all pursued Corruptions take sanctuary 'T is the grand Borrough and safe Retreat of superstition when fetretted out of her Lurking-holes of Counterseit Reason He can say very little for his opinion that cannot plead Antiquity Custom and such like Mormo's Thus the Aquarian Hereticks pleaded Custom to use water mingled with wine in the Eucharist whose folly Cyprian thus Censures Victi ratione opponunt consuetudinem quasi Consuetudo Major esset veritate Being beaten at the weapon of Reason they fetch out the old Rusty sword of Custom As if such aBilbao sword durst try its edge against the tryed scimitar of Truth such a roat does Tertullian give these childish pretences Consuetudo ab aliqua ignorantiâ vel simplicitate initiam sortita in usum per successionem Corroboratur it a adversus veritatem vindicatur sed Dominus Noster Jesus Christus veritatem se non Consue●…udinem cognominavit Haereses non tam Novitas quam veritas revineit quodcunque adversus veritatem sapit erit haeresis etiam vetus consuetudo A Custom of Base and dunghil Extract yet gaining some Repute by Long usage and prescribing for it's gentility time out of mind grows sawcy and Malapert against Truth it self But our Lord Iesus Christ called himself by the Title of Truth not of Custom The clearest conviction of Heresy is not by the leaden Lesbian Rule of Practise but by the Golden Rule of the Scriptures Errour is Errour still and will be so of plebeian Bre●…d and Ignoble parentage though it has purchased a coat of Armes scrapes acquaintance with some Ancient families and would make it out that it came in with the Conquerour The Gibeonites Acted very subtlely when they came to Io●…na with Old sacks upon their Asses and wine-bottles old and reut and bound up and ●…ld shooes and clonted upon their feet and all their provision dry and mouldy as if they had come from far when all this while they were but their Next Neighbours It 's a pretty sight doubtless to see the State which the great Czar of Muscovy uses upon publick Festivals and Entertainments The great Chamber all beset with grave Personages Adorned with Ermines and Gold from head to foot dazling the weak eyes of vulgar spectators and yet perhaps you shall find some of these Knezzes next day in their Blue Aprons who shall think it no Empeachment of their late Glories to sell you a penny worth of Pepper such a Masque we have presented to us of old Customs all gorgeously attired like the Antediluvian Patriarchs and when we come to examine them they are little better then to use our Authors expressions The Dictates of Ambition the Artifices of gain and a colluvies of almost all the superstitions errours and Corruptions of former Ages § 4. Since there must be a yeelding in order to peace then surely they have all the Right and Reason on their sides to have the Honour of the Condescension Who Consess that the Matters in difference are Indifferent in themselves such as where in no grand Matter of Religion is concerned rather then they who ate bound up by immoveable persuasions that they are sinful 2. They who are most Remote from the primitive simplicity and not they who have no higher Ambition then to perform all things which and as Christ has Commanded 3. They who have made the Additions which Cause the Divisions and not they who only take up their Religion as near as they can as they found it delivered and recommended to them by the unerring word of God 4. They who have enough