Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	prophet_n	scripture_n	3,225	5	5.6489	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69071	Directions to know the true church. Written by George Carleton, Doctor of Diuinitie	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.	1615 (1615)	STC 4632; ESTC S112818	32,595	148

of ancient writers in this poynt I will take a few of both S. Paul saith Whatsoeuer Rom. 15. 4. things are written before are written for our doctrine that by patience and consolation of the Scripture wee might haue hope Whereby the Apostle teacheth plainely that the Scriptures are the rule of our doctrine so that nothing may bee taught nothing may bee learned concerning our faith but according to this rule deliuered in the Scriptures And againe All Scripture is giuen 2. Tim. 3. 16. by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction for instruction in righteousnesse that the man of God may bee perfect throughly furnished vnto all good workes The Apostle declareth how the Scripture is profitable and perfect The Papists confesse that the Scripture is profitable but not perfect They denie the perfection the Apostle prooueth both It is profitable to perfect the man of God that profitablenesse that is able to make men perfect is both profitablenesse and perfection If the Scripture can make the man of God perfect then there is no neede of any traditions of men to make vp this perfection This hath bene the common doctrine of the Church that the Scriptures are so perfect in themselues that they containe the whole rule of faith In this confession agree the Greeke Church the Latine Church the Church of Rome and all Writers in the Church of Rome haue helde vp this common faith vntill the Council of Trent which Councill ended some fiftie yeres agoe And then began these men whom now we call Papists to change this rule of faith in the Council of Trent For whereas before the rule of faith was euer confessed to be in the doctrine of the Scriptures in that Council vnwritten Traditions were taken into the rule of faith and so they teach now that the Scripture is but one part of the rule of faith and vnwritten Traditions of the Church of Rome another part So that the whole rule is in the Scriptures and in Traditions Whereby it appeareth that the rule of faith is by them changed For I say that they are not able to prooue by any writer of the Church of Rome much lesse by ancients that the vnwritten Traditions of the Church of Rome were helde to be a part of the rule of faith before the Counci● of Trent And because the Church is certainely knowen by preseruing the rule o● faith for that is the true Church which through al● successions holdeth the same faith deliuered by the Apostles and Prophets and that is no true Church which holdeth not the same faith an● the same faith is knowen by the same rule therefore th● Church of Rome that now is hauing changed the rule o● faith hath assuredly change● the faith and hauing changed the faith ceaseth to be ● true Church of Christ because the Church is knowe● by the faith which the Apostles left to the Church An● that Church such as it is following now a new rule of faith can prooue their antiquitie no ancienter then the rule That rule being then deuised some 50. yeeres agoe it followeth that when they seeke out their antiquity they will finde their Church to be according to the antiquitie of the rule of their faith of some 50. yeres standing and no ancienter In the meane time they cousen the simple people that cannot iudge with great boasting of their antiquitie and of the cōtinuance of their faith from the Apostles But these be but vaine brags as it will further appeare in the processe thereof But first that we may know how faithful and peremptory the ancient Fathers and Writers of the Church of Rome haue beene in this point to prooue that nothing may be receiued into the rule of faith sauing only the Scriptures of many testimonies I will cite some Clemens Alexandrinus saith Strom. lib. 6. The Ecclesiasticall rule is the consent and conspiration of the olde and new Testament By the Ecclesiasticall rule hee declareth what is that rule which ruleth the Church And speaking of the holy Scriptures he saith There is no other worke but this onely that can bring saluation to men Athanasius saith Contra gentes The holy Scriptures inspired by God are sufficient to instruct men in the trueth Basill sayth Ascet de fide It is a manifest sliding away from faith and an euident signe of pride either to reiect any thing of that which is written or to bring in any thing that is not written Where he prooueth this both by Scriptures and reasons For Christ his sheepe heare his voice therfore it must be the known voice of Christ in the Scriptures that must rule our faith And the Apostle saith That though it be a Gal. 1. 15. mans testament yet if it be confirmed and ratified no man may disanull it or adde any thing to it Whereby Basill most powerfully proueth that the Testament of Christ being confirmed by his death may not be disanulled or haue any thing added vnto it For this were euident forgerie in a mans Testament And what then shall wee call this adding of vnwritten Traditions to the Testament of Iesus Christ Constantine the great had learned this of the orthodox Bishops and therefore hee sayth as Theodoret deliuereth Theodor. lib. 1. ca. 7 his saying in the first Nicene Council The Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the oracles of the olde Prophets doe fully Plene nos instruunt instruct vs what we must vnderstand of the will of God therefore laying aside all contentions let vs seeke out the solution of those doubts that are proposed out of the holy Scriptures S. Chrysostome In 2. Cor. Hom. 13. sayth Seeing wee haue a most exact rule balance and gnomon that is the doctrine of holy Scriptures I beseech you ●hat you will not regard what this ●r that man sayth but seeke all ●hese things out of the Scrip●ures Where S. Chrysostome ●reacheth to the people and ●rayeth them to read and search ●he Scriptures A cleane con●rary course take these Popish doctors who debarre the peo●le from reading the Scrip●ures in a known tongue and ●o keepe them in ignorance ●elling them that they must beleeue nothing but that which the Church teacheth by the Church they meane themselues who are their teachers And they neuer declare to the people how by the rule of faith deliuered in the Scriptures they should examine their doctrines but the blind people must take all at their handes who are resolued to holde them blinde still As Cardinall Caietan comming into Paris and finding the people blinde was not desirous to remooue their blindnesse by instruction but content to abuse their blindnesse and to leaue them as blinde as he found them For when the people were desirous to haue the Cardinals blessing and therein the Popes the Cardinall at the first refused but finding the people earnestly set vpon that motion hee turned to them and sayde these words Quandoquidem

we finde the rule chāged in the present Church of Rome therfore we are sure that it cannot bee the true Church that hath chāged the rule of faith by which the true Church was alwaies knowen heeretofore and must bee knowen heereafter And as they haue changed the rule of faith so haue they changed the Iudge of the controuersies of faith For before the Councill of Trent the Church neuer held the Pope to be Iudge of Controuersies of faith Before the same time the Church neuer helde the Pope to bee aboue generall Councils but his authoritie alwayes euen in the greatest ruffe and pride of Popes was yet helde to bee vnder the authoritie of a generall Councill Concerning the iudge of controuersies of Faith the ancient Writers and the writers of the Church of Rome haue written no otherwise then as we write and speake In the Council of Nice Theodoret Lib. 1. cap. 1. declareth how Constantine described the iudge of controuersies of faith In the disputations of things diuine sayth hee the Bishops haue the doctrine of the holy Spirit written For the Euangelicall and Apostolicall bookes and the oracles of the ancient Prophets doe fully instruct vs and therefore let vs take the determination of questions from the wordes of the holy Ghost In which words he declareth first that in diuine Disputations or in Controuersies of Faith wee haue the doctrine of the holy Ghost written then let them tell vs from what spirit the vnwrittē word of Trent proceedeth Secondly he sayth that the writings of the Prophets and Apostles doe fully instruct vs then that writing is the full rule of faith for that which doeth fully instruct vs and not in part is the full rule and not a part thereof Thirdly he saith that all determinations of doubts must be taken from this written word Then hee prooueth vndoubtedly that this written word doeth suffice to ende all controuersies of faith because the words of men may be subiect to errour but the wordes of the holy Ghost are not This is the Catholike determination of the iudge of controuersies in faith which hath beene in all succession preserued vntill the Councill of Trent Optatus an ancient Father holdeth the same way in seeking a iudge for thus he reasoneth against the Donatists Let no Optat. lib. 5. man beleeue you let no man beleeue vs for all we are contentious men Iudges must be sought but if wee take Christians they cannot be helde indifferent for both sides because the trueth is encumbred by contentions Wee must then seeke a iudge without But if he be a Pagan hee cannot vnderstand our mysteries if a Iewe he is an enemy to Christian baptisme Therefore on earth no iudgement will be found for this wee must seeke the Iudge from heauen But what need we knock at heauen seeing wee haue him here in his Gospel Thus Optatus sought a iudge and could find none but Christ speaking in his Gospel in his written word How easie had it beene for Optatus to haue named the Pope if the Pope had then beene esteemed the iudge of controuersies of faith But this is a late inuention not knowen to the ancient fathers Saint Augustine speaketh in like sort This matter Libr. 2. cap. 33. de nupt concupisc saith he writing against the Pelagians requireth a Iudge and therefore let Christ iudge And then hee produceth the words of Christ as the words of the Iudge Hee saith also Let the Apostle iudge with him for in the Apostle Christ speaketh And then he produceth the words of the Apostle as being the words of Christ the Iudge And in another place It is not without great cause that Ad Cresc lib. 2. cap. 31. the Canon of the Scriptures is ordeined with such wholesome vigilance whereunto certaine books of the Prophets and Apostles doe pertaine which wee dare not iudge at all but according to them may we freely iudge of other writings whether they be written by beleeuers or no beleeuers After this till the Councill of Trent the Church helde the same determination still concerning the Iudge of controuersies of faith Indeed there were some Friars and Canonists that flattered the Pope and the Pope was as willing to make vse of their flatterings But these flatterers were reiected as men odious and could neuer finde any credit in the world before the Council of Trent In so much that the Popes themselues and what is it that they durst not doe durst not claime this authoritie before that time Pope Clement the first hath Dist. 37 cap 14. This Pope liued anno 1047. these wordes You must not seeke a strange sense which may be adulterated and inwardly corrupted nor confirme such a sense by the authoritie of Scripture but a man must take the sense of the trueth from the Scriptures themselues seeing that one may haue the full and firme rule of faith and trueth in the Scriptures Thus sayth a Pope Integra firma regula veritatis ex Scripturis Then there were no vnwritten Traditions thought of at that time to be thrust into the rule of faith Secondly he saith that the vnderstanding of the trueth must be sought out of the Scriptures themselues So that hee knew no other Iudge of the controuersies of faith Thus was the doctrine of the Iudge of controuersies maintained vntill the time of the Council of Basill The Councill of Basil doth likewise maintaine the ancient doctrine of the Church concerning this point For thus they say Lex diuina praxis Concil Basil Sess 4. Christi Apostolica Ecclesiae primitiuae vna cum Concilijs Doctoribusque fundantibus se veraciter in eadem pro verissimo indifferente iudice in hoc Basiliensi Concilio admittentur That is The diuine Law or holy Scripture the practise of Christ of his Apostles and of the Primitiue Church together with Councils and Doctours grounding themselues truely thereon shall be admitted for the most true and indifferent Iudge in this Council of Basill We finde by this what was the sense and iudgement of the Church in our fathers dayes for this was done about the yeere of Christ 1440. Then before the Councill of Trent there was no change in these things but there they haue changed all and made a new Church but with such sleights and cunning that it is apparant that it was not religion and conscience which mooued them but ambition and a singular estimation and pride of their owne wit holding such a scorneful conceit of other nations whom they call Tramontani that they presume that they can make all other men fooles This they practised in the Council of Trent and through the simplicitie and ouer-much credulitie which they haue found in some haue partly well confirmed their purpose for there were certaine questions which were determined in that Councill of Trent and yet neuer discussed as namely whether the Popes authoritie be aboue the authoritie of a generall Councill and whether the Pope be the