Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	canonical_a	contain_v	scripture_n	1,918	5	5.8542	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17865	A tract of the soueraigne iudge of controuersies in matters of religion. By Iohn Cameron minister of the Word of God, and divinity professour in the Academie of Montauban. Translated into English by Iohn Verneuil. M.A.	Cameron, John, 1579?-1625.; Verneuil, John, 1582 or 3-1647.	1628 (1628)	STC 4532; ESTC S107505	32,785	50

they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Truely God revealeth not his will the Prophets the Apostles teach it not but by his word wee haue this word what can wee aske more would wee know what the judgement of God is what the testimony of the Prophets and Apostles are concerning that doctrine ought not God himselfe to declare it should not the Prophets and Apostles Publish it Wee haue this declaration wee haue no Christian doubteth thereof the authentique coppy of this publication haue we not then what wee neede what we seeke and aske so earnestly to wit a sentence and a finall decree on our controversies Truely it is not necessary that the King the Secretary the Court the Register bee all present wheresoever it is requisite that the Kings will be knowne if wee haue the order of the Court wee are assured of the Edict and decree Wee stand at this day on these termes wee haue not to do with the Iewes neither with the Turkes who denie the authority the one of a part the other of the whole Scripture Wee are Christians wee beleeue wee all protest that we haue in the Canonicall booke of the Scripture of the old and new Testament the declaration of the will of God We acknowledge on both sides that whatsoever is there contained is the word of God which is able to make vs wise vnto salvation and throughly furnished vnto all good workes Why do we then so earnestly demand the corporall presence of our judge why do wee desire that he should giue vs a Vicar a substitute since wee haue his decree and acknowledge that hee hath pronounced it CHAP. 2. The demand and proposall of those who desire a holy reformation This is the complaint of them who at this day grieue and sigh lamenting the desolation of Israel and Iuda who wish and demand that as good Iosiah caused the book of the Law to be read before him as Esdras and Nehemiah did the like before the congregation when they endeavoured to reforme the Church and restore it to her first integrity so the like may be practised at this day If in Christendome all things be foūd conformable to this law in matters of Religion there will be no neede of changing any thing therein but to punish rather those vnquiet spirits those troublesome and schismaticall heretickes which trouble and marre by their novelties the peace of the Church and repose of the whole world But if this conformitie be not there to bee found but on the contrary a difference disagreeing why should not Gods truth be preferred before humaine inventions the law before there customes and the kingdome of Iesus Christ before the tyranny and dominion of him who hath vsurped both over the living and the dead over soule and body prince and people an authority in effect wholy soueraigne And here let every soule in which there is left any touch of conscience let every man in whom there is found the least sparke of manhood remaining in such a division of the Church in such a disagreeing especially about things of so great importance judge which of the two doth rather practise the craft of Alcibiades in shunning and declining whether they who demand that their proceedings be examined by the rule of this word which we all avouch to be inspired dictated and registred by the spirit of God or else those who shunne nothing more then the censure of this word of this Scripture so farre as to charge it with defects vnsufferable even in humaine writings accusing it of obscurity ambiguity and imperfections which truly are the proprieties of the Oracles of Apollo of the leaues of Sybil's but little agreeable to the the law of the Almighty the which the kingly Prophet so much magnifieth as beeing perfect pure sure and giving wisdome to the simple CHAP. 3. Wherein the objections against the foresaid demand are set downe and that which is framed against the person of those which require it is refuted Since then wee are brought to this poynt that instead of pleading the cause throughly there is a question made whether wee ought to come so farre they stand much vppon the quality of the accuser they conteste against the sufficiencie of the Iudge to whom hee appeales Wee are constrayned first of all to examine the equity or injustice of this manner of proceeding And first as touching the quality of the accusers they terme them new start-vps they aske them what calling they haue thereunto by what authority they haue made so bold an attempt as to protest they desire the reformation of the Church The thing then objected to them is noveltie and rashnesse But both of these objections are but a recrimination the which cannot be verified but that first their accusation be convinced of vntruth and therefore ought not neither can it be receiued before that point of their accusation be cleared They vndertake to proue that the doctrine of our Lord and of the Apostles hath beene altered and changed in that Church which termeth it selfe Catholique they vrge that every other doctrine is to be rejected no other admitted but that alone They protest then not that they will bring in but that their meaning is to banish novelties for which cause Noveltie cannot bee obiected vnto them so long as it cannot be proved that they are innovatours which is the chiefe point of the controversie the question beeing not here of the Nouelty of the persons but of that of faith and doctrine according to which we ought to iudge of the persons and not of it according to the persons As learnedly Tertullian Seing then that the summe of their accusations consist in this that they accuse the Church falsely called Catholique to haue innovated so long as it doth not appeare whether their accusation be true or no novelty cannot be obiected to them As for the rashnesse of the accusation no more can it be obiected vnto them vntill that the accusation bee retorted by a direct and just defence for even as in an estate and commonwealth every man is admitted to accuse in case of high treason and none is reiected but vpon a manifest falsity of his accusation neither is he accounted to accuse rashly who accuseth truly so in the Church whosoeuer accuseth of high treason against God is to bee heard without objecting vnto him rashnesse vntil it be prooued that his accusation is false In an armie in a besieged towne whē there is questiō of treasō no advise whatsoever is neglected but they rather duly weigh consider not so much from whom it proceedeth as the importance of it the accusers are not punished if their accusation be not found false but if it be true they are applauded rewarded advanced and often promoted in the offices and places of the accused In the Church of God in matter of conscience wee ought not to stoppe any mans mouth but to

whatsoeuer things haue beene written afore time haue beene written for our learning and therefore by the same reason clearely plainely there being no greater enemy to learning then obscurity It was the Scripture which he termed to be giuen by inspiration of God and profitable to teach and instruct how can this be if it be obscure likewise he sayth that Timothy had knowne the holy Scriptures from his child hood nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his very infancie do we vse to reade darke obscure authors vnto little children It was the Scripture which the Apostle Saint Peter calleth a light that shineth in a darke place And what difference is there betweene darknesse and light a lanthorne and obscurity And to be breife it was the scripture the reading of which hath beene so much recommended by the Ancient Fathers namely by Saint Chrysostome whose exhortation so patheticall and pithy so often reiterated and inculcated shew plainly that this abuse of not reading the Scriptures vnder a colour of their obscurity did long agoe in his time begin to creepe into the Church but was neither receiued nor approued by it as now it is And here it may be some will say vnto vs that it cannot be denyed but the Scripture is obscure otherwise to what end serue so many cōmentaries homelies and sermons But the answere is very easie that we deny not that the Scripture is in many places very obscure God hauing so ordained it of his infinite wisdome for to beate downe the presumption of man and to rouse vp his lazinesse to a holy studie and diligent reading of it as S● Augustine hath very well observed But wee say with the same Father That in those things that are most plainly sette downe in the Scripture are contained all things which concerne faith and good manners For as touching what is over and aboue that the whole militant Church were it vnited in one were not able to expound all the obscure places in the Scripture otherwise she would not haue beene so vncharitable as not to haue taken care to haue furnished her children with an ample and authenticke conmentary which might make all the Scripture cleare and without obscurity And as touching preaching and commentaries they serue not alwayes to illustrate and explaine but oftentimes to delate and amplifie and when they do illustrate they do it not by any light borrowed elsewhere then from the Scripture itselfe interpreting the Scriptures by the Scriptures themselues following therein the Councell of the Fathers and the practice of the Levites of whom it is written that they did read in the booke of the law of God expounding it and rendring the true sense of it causing it to be vnderstood by the Scripture So that we way iudge of the sense of that which is obscure by the sense of that which is cleare likewise discerne whether the interpretatiō be agreable to the place of the Scriptures by that which goeth before and followeth after whereas in a place that is difficult to speake properly when the interpretation of it is given cannot be receiued but vpon credit and with relation to the authority of the interpretors because in such a case wee cannot see the correspondence that is betweene the Text and the commentary the words and the sense which cānot be said of good whole some interpretation of the Scripture which therefore ought not to bee condemned of obscurity CHAP. 11. The verification of the second meanes of Nullity against the third and fourth allegation The third accusation of ambiguitie is as vniust as the two former for if the Scripture had beene ambiguous and capable of divers interpretations how had it bin possible for the Apostle S● Paul to convince the Iewes by the Scriptures can one by any saying having an ambiguous and double meaning force the vnderstanding and the conscience of an obdurate and obstinate enemy how could the Iewes of Berea examine by the Scripture the doctrine of the same Apostle S. Paul That which is ambiguous and may bee bent too and fro can it serue for a rule the question not beeing of a Lesbian rule which is rather ruled then doth rule and measured then it selfe a measure which is bowed and bended whither soever wee list but of a certaine and constant rule which is alwayes the same And how did our Lord imploy not only his authority as the sonne of God but the Scripture it selfe when he would proue the resurrection of the dead against the Sadduces and so pregnantly that even the Deuill himselfe with all his sophistry could not answere the argument shall we thinke hee proued a truth which he vndertooke to cleare and put out of all doubt by a passage the sense whereof was doubtfull and vncertaine And what for we also alleage the Fathers are not both Athanasius and S. Augustine of this opinion that by a due consideration had of what goeth before and what followeth after and by the consent and agreement it hath with the Principall scope of the matter which is there treated of the Scriptures are to be interpreted against hereticks How could it be showne by the same Scriptures which is yet dayly practised that a false and hereticall interpretation doth not agree to the Scripture And finally is it in conscience seemly in calling the Scriptures ambiguous to brand them and disgrace them so farre as to fasten vpon them the marke of Satans Oracles If they had beene such if Tertullian had beleeued them to be such the hereticks had never given them occasion to call them hee himselfe had never called them Lucifugas Scripturarum such as shunne and flie the Scripture as the oule or batte doth the cleare sun-shine The fourth accusation of the imperfection of the Scripture is noe lesse grevious and vnjust for since the Scripture hath beene ordained of God to make men wise unto saluation and perfect vnto every good worke It must without doubt containe all doctrine necessary to salvation otherwise it could not attaine its end And since Scripture it selfe doth promisse this so exact and perfect doctrine either its witnesse is not of God or what it testifies of it selfe is true Nay which is more God hath expressely prohibited to adde to it or to diminish any thing from it And if this hath had place in the old Testament shall it not in the new which is much more full and perfect it is not to bee beleeued Let vs then adore as Tertullian speaketh the fulnesse of the Scriptures and let vs not heare as Athanasius speaketh neither receiue any thing besides or aboue thē in that which concernes the doctrine of faith For touching the policy ceremonies vsed in the Church it is another matter wee avouch that the Fathers did not thinke themselues bound to giue an accompt of them by the Scripture But a great part of those ceremonies vsed in their times hath bin quite abolished so that they are