Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	doctrine_n	rome_n	2,813	5	6.6425	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44394	Four tracts by the ever memorable Mr. John Hales of Eaton College. Viz. I. Of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. II. Of the power of the keyes. III. Of schism and schismaticks. IV. Missellanies.	Hales, John, 1584-1656.	1677 (1677)	Wing H268A; ESTC R223741	37,038	64

many formalities and ceremonial circumstances upon no warrant but their own which circumstances by long use begat in the minds of Men a conceit That they were essential parts of that to which indeed they were but appendant and that only by the device of some who practised a power in the Church more than was convenient Thus much for the first common mistake The Second is worse than it You see that both Parties agree in the acknowledgement of the real presence of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist though they differ in the manner of his Presence and application of himself to the receiver though the Protestant Disputant seems to have gone a little beyond his Leader Had he express'd himself in the point of Bread and Wine what became of it whether it remain'd in its proper nature yea or no I could the better have fathom'd him Now these words of his That the Bread and Wine after consecration are truly and really the Body of Christ howsoever they are suppled and allayed with that clause not after a carnal but after a spiritual manner yet still remain too crude and raw and betray the speaker for a Lutheran at least if not for a favourer of the Church of Rome for as for that Phrase of a spiritual manner which seems to give season and moderation to his conclusion it can yield him but small relief For first To say the flesh of Christ is in the Bread but not after a carnal manner is but the same nonsense which the Divines of Rome put upon us on the like occasion when telling us That the Blood of Christ is really sacrificed and shed in the Sacrament they add by way of Gloss that it is done incruentè unbloodily by the like Analogy they may tell us if they please That the body of Christ is there incorporated unbodily Flesh not carnally may pass the Press jointly the next Edition of the Book of Bulls Again in another respect That clause of a spiritual manner doth your Protestant Disputer but little service if any at all for the Catholick Disputant contriving with himself how to seat the Body of God in the Eucharist as may be most for his ease tells us That he is there as Spirits and glorified Bodies which St. Paul calls spiritual are in the places they possess so then the one tells you the Body of Christ is there really but spiritually the other That he is there really but as a Spirit in a place and what now I pray you is the difference between them By the way in the passage you may see what account to make of your Catholick Disputer Aristotle and with him common sense tells us thus much That he that compares two Bodies together must know them both Doth this Gentleman know any thing concerning the site and locality of Spirits and Bodies glorified if he doth let him do us the courtesy as to shew us at what price he purchased that degree of knowledge that so we may try our Credit and see if we can buy it at the same rate Tertius è Coelo cecidit Cato Is he like a second Paul lately descended out of the third Heavens and there hath made us the discovery for by what other means he could attain to that knowledge my dulness cannot suggest But if he doth not know as indeed he neither doth nor can for there is no means left to make discovery that way then with what congruity can he tell us That the Body of Christ is in the Bread as Spirits and glorified Bodies are in their places if he know not what manner of location and site Spirits and glorified Bodies have I shall not need to prompt your discretion thus far as that you ought not to make dainties of such fruitless and desperate Disputers who as the Apostle notes thrust themselves into things they have not seen and upon a false shew of knowledge abuse easie Hearers and of things they know not adventure to speak they know not what To return then and consider a little more of this second mistake common to both your Disputants I will deal as favourably as I can with your Protestant Disputer for though I think he mistakes himself for I know no Protestant that teacheth that the common Bread after the word spoken is really made the Body of Christ yet he might well take occasion thus to err out of some Protestant Writings For generally the reformed Divines do falsly report that Holy Action whether you regard the Essence or Use thereof For first if in regard of the Essence some Protestants and that of chief note stick not to say That the words of Consecration are not a meer Trope and from hence it must needs follow that in some sense they must needs be taken literally which is enough to plead authority for the Gentleman's Error But that which they preach concerning a real presence and participation of Christ's Body in the Sacrament they expound not by a supposal that the Bread becomes God's Body but that togegether with the Sacramental Elements there is conveyed into the Soul of the worthy Receiver the very Body and Blood of God but after a secret ineffable and wonderfull manner From hence as I take it have proceeded these crude speeches of the Learned of the Reformed Parts some dead some living wherein they take upon them to assure the Divines of Rome That we acknowledge a Real Presence as well as they but for the manner how con or trans or sub or in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we play the Secpticks and determine not This conceit besides the falshood of it is a meer novelty neither is it to be found in the Books of any of the Ancients till Martin Bucer rose He out of an unseasonable bashfulness and fear to seem to recede too far from the Church of Rome taught to the purpose now related concerning the Doctrine of Christ's Presence in the Sacrament and from him it descended into the Writings of Calvin and Beza whose Authority have well-near spread it over the face of the Reformed Churches This is an Error which as I said touches the Essence of that holy Action but there are many now which touch the end and use of it which are practised by the Reformed Parts for out of an extravagant fancy they have of it they abuse it to many ends of which we may think the first Instituter save that he was God and knew all things never thought of For we make it an Arbitrator of Civil businesses and imploy it in ending Controversies and for Confirmation of what we say or do we commonly promise to take the Sacrament upon it we teach That it confirms our Faith in Christ whereas indeed the receiving of it is a sign of Faith confirmed and Men come to it to testifie that they do believe not to procure that they may believe For if a Man doubt of the truth of Christianity think you that his scruples would be removed

which St. Paul would never have refused to do Mean while wheresoever false or suspected Opinions are made a piece of the Church Liturgy he that seperates is not the Schismatick For it is alike unlawful to make profession of known or suspected falshoods as to put in practice unlawful or suspect actions The third thing I noted for matter of Schism was Ambition I mean Episcopal Ambition shewing it self especially in two heads one concerning Plurality of Bishops in the same See another the Superiority of Bishops in divers Sees Aristotle tells us that Necessity causeth but small faults but Avarice and Ambition were the Mothers of great Crimes Episcopal Ambition hath made this true For no Occasion hath produced more frequent more continuing more sanguinary Schisms than this hath done The Sees of Alexandria of Constantinople of Antioch and above all of Rome do abundantly shew thus much and our Ecclesiastical Stories witness no less of which the greatest part consists in the factionating and tumultuating of great and potent Bishops Socrates Apologizing for himself that professing to write an Ecclesiastical Story he did oft-times interlace the actions of secular Princes and other civil businesses tells us That he did thus to refresh his Reader who otherwise were in danger to be cloy'd by reading so much of the Acts of unquiet and unruly Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which as a Man might say they made Butter and Cheese one of another For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may shew you a cast out of my old Office and open you a Mystery in Grammer properly signifieth to make Butter and Cheese Now because these are not made without much agitation of the Milk hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a borrowed and translated signification signifies to do things with much agitation and tumult But that I may a little consider of the two Heads which I but now specified The first I mentioned was the Plurality of Bishops in one See For the general practice of the Church from the beginning at least since the original of Episcopacy as now it is was never to admit at once more than one Bishop in one See And so far in this point have they been careful to preserve Unity that they would not suffer a Bishop in his See to have two Cathedral Churches which thing lately brought us a Book out of France De Monogamia Episcoporum written by occasion of the Bishop of Langres who I know not upon what fancy could not be content with one Cathedral Church in his Diocess but would needs have two which to the Author of that work seems to be a kind of spiritual Polygamy It fell out amongst the Ancients very often sometimes upon occasion of difference in Opinion sometimes because of difference amongst those who were interessed in the choice of Bishops that two Bishops and sometimes more were set up and all Parties striving to maintain their own Bishop made themselves several Churches several Congregations each refusing to participate with others and many times proceeding to mutual Excommunication This is that which Cyprian calls Erigere Altare contra Altare to this doth he impute the Original of all Church disorders and if you read him you would think he thought no other Church-Tumult to be a Schism but this This perchance might plead some excuse For though in regard of Religion it self it matters not whether there be one or more Bishops in the same Diocess and sometimes two are known to have sat at once for Epiphanius reckoning up the Bishops of Rome makes Peter and Paul the first and St. Austin acknowledgeth that for a time he sat fellow Bishop with his Predecessor though he excuseth it that he did so by being ignorant that the contrary had been decreed by the Council of Nice yet it being a thing very convenient for the Peace of the Church to have it so neither doth it any way savour of Vice or Misdemeanor their Punishment sleeps not who unnecessarily and wantonly go about to infringe it But that other Head of Episcopal Ambition concerning Supremacy of Bishops in divers Sees one claiming Superority over another as it hath been from time to time a great Trespasser against the Churches Peace so it is now the final Ruin of it The East and the West through the fury of the two prime Bishops being irremediably separated without all hope of Reconcilement And besides all this mischief it is founded in a vice contrary to all Christian humility without which no Man shall see his Saviour For they do but abuse themselves and others that would perswade us that Bishops by Christ's Institution have any Superiority over other Men further than of Reverence or that any Bishop is Superiour to another further than positive order agreed upon amongst Christians hath prescribed For we have believed him that hath told us That in Jesus Christ there is neither high nor low and that in giving honour every Man should be ready to prefer another before himself which sayings cut of all claim most certainly to Superiority by title of Christianity except Men can think that these things were spoken only to poor and private Men. Nature and Religion agree in this that neither of them hath a hand in this Heraldry of secundum sub supra all this comes from Composition and Agreement of Men among themselves Wherefore this abuse of Christianity to make it Lacquey to Ambition is a vice for which I have no extraordinary name of Ignominy and an ordinary I will not give it least you should take so transcendent a vice to be but trivial Now concerning Schism arising upon these Heads you cannot be for behaviour much to seek for you may safely communicate with all Parties as Occasion shall call you and the Schismaticks here are all those who are heads of the Faction together with all those who foment it for private and indifferent Persons they may be Spectators of these contentions as securely in regard of any peril of Conscience for of danger in Purse or Person I keep no account as at a Cock fight Where Serpents fight who cares who hath the better The best Wish is that both may perish in the fight Now for Conventicles of the nature of which you desire to be informed thus much in general It evidently appears that all Meetings upon unnecessary Occasions of Separation are to be stiled so that in this sense a Conventicle is nothing else but a Congregation of Schismaticks Yet Time hath taken leave sometimes to fix this Name upon good and honest Meetings and that perchance not altogether without good reason For with publick Religious Meetings thus it fares First it hath been at all times confessed necessary that God requires not only inward and private Devotion when Men either in their Hearts and Closets or within their private walls pray praise confess and acknowledge but he further requires all those things to be done in Publick by troops and shoals of Men and from