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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	word_n	2,934	5	4.8289	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03409	The Churches authority asserted in a sermon preached at Chelmsford, at the metropoliticall visitation of the most Reverend Father in God, VVilliam, Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury his Grace, &c. March 1. 1636. By Samuel Hoard B.D. and Parson of Morton in Essex.	Hoard, Samuel, 1599-1658.	1637 (1637)	STC 13533; ESTC S104116	44,865	76

their mariage were most or all of them made by their owne discretion Had these Iews to whom God had given a perfit platforme this liberty and have not Christian Churches to whom no rule is in this case given the same power in such things and a far greater And this liberty have all the governours likewise of Christian congregations used in their severall Churches and ages as I shall have occasion to intimate by and by All which examples are an evident proofe of the Churches power in these externall ordinances because 1. there is no Precept against these examples for against an expresse command examples prove nothing 2. The Apostles were more faithfull servants to their Lord than to intrench upon his royall prerogative and more humble than to goe beyond the bounds of their commission 3. It cannot with reason bee imagined that Christ would suffer his Church throughout all ages to sleep to securely in so great an error The power of the Church proved by consent of writers And therefore leaving this I come to my second argument for the proofe of the Churches power the Consent of Writers which is an argument beyond exception and able of it selfe to put the point in hand out of all question Calvin whom all Sectaries make their Oracle in their plea against Ceremonies hath these words (a) Calv Opus● pag 344. Ne quis nos calumnietur nimis morosos c. Let no man thinke or say that we are so severe and harsh as to take away all liberty in externall rites I here give all readers to understand that I contend not about ceremonies respecting order and decency in the Church Our dispute is against those acts whereby some thinke that God is truly and properly worshipt I deny that these are under the power of men And in (b) Idem Instit l. 4. c. 10. Sect. 14 another place he saith Ergo inquies nihil ceremoniale rudioribus dabitur c Therefore thou wilt say shall nothing Ceremoniall be appointed for the instruction of the ruder sort I say not so for I know well enough that all such helps are profitable to them only I contend that in prescribing them such a manner and measure be used as may illustrate not obscure Christ And (c) Calv ●b Sect. 30. in the same Chapter hee layes it downe for a conclusion That Christ would not prescribe particularly concerning ceremonies what we ought to follow but referre us to the direction of generall rules We hold saith Perkins (d) Perk. ●es Cat●ol of Traditions con●l 3. that the Church hath power to prescribe ordinances rules or traditions touching the time and place of Gods worship and concerning order and comelinesse to be used in the same Peruse the Harmony of confessions and see whether this be not the judgement of all those Churches More particularly for instance take the Auspurge confession Melancthon the contriver of it directly for this power saith (e) Aug. confes Art ult Apol. ej●dem Licet Pastoribus Episcopis c. It is lawfull for Bishops and Pastors to make Canons that things be done in order in the Church and he proves it by S. Pauls example Sic Paulus ordinat c. So S Paul ordained that women should cover their heads and confine their tongues in the congregation c. Only some Cautions he gives to this effect 1. That these orders be not imposed as parts of Gods worship 2. That they be not urged as things necessary in themselves 3. That for their matter they be not contrary to any Evangelicall truths for if an Angell from heaven should preach unto us another Gospell wee are to hold him accursed In all which cautions he doth not deny or abridge the power of Church-governours in these matters but only remember them how to use their liberty therein to that end for which they received it the glory of God and the Churches edification according to that speech of S. Paul This authority is given us for edification and not for your destruction 2 Cor. 10.8 But what need I stand upon particular instances Do we not all grant in our controversie with Papists about traditions that there are 2. sorts of traditions Apostolicall and Ecclesiasticall and that both these are under the power of the Church 1. We yeeld that there are Apostolique traditions rituall and dogmaticall which are no where mentioned or not enjoyned in the Scriptures but delivered by word of mouth from the Apostles to their followers for some of which these are reputed viz. the number of Canonicall bookes the Apostles Creed the baptisme of infants the fast of Lent the Lords day and the great festivals of Easter and Whitsontide These we justly take for theirs grounding upon S. Austins rule (f) Quod universa tenet ecclesia nec concil●s institutū sed semper ●tentum est non nisi authoritate Apost●l● traditum rectissimè creditur Aug. de Pap. cont ●onat l 4 c. 24. Those observations which have beene of universall use in the Catholique Church and appeare not to have beene the Constitutions of generall Councils we are in reason to hold for Apostolique traditions 2. Besides these wee confesse that there are and have been many ancient Ecclesiastique traditions also from which as their foundations grew those noted practise of (g) Tert. C● ●il c. 3. not fasting on the Lords day of (h) ●t ib. saying their prayers not kneeling but standing during the whole festivity of Easter and Whitsontide which in those dayes continued though in a remisse degree full 50. dayes (i) Just● a●q ad O●thod Te●t Apol. c. 16. Bas●d ●p●tu sancto c. 27. of praying to God and adoring Christ with their faces toward the East (k) Naz in l● Go●●a● per. Leon● p. 423 Aug. con l. 9 c. 13 of prostration before the Altar of (l) Cyp● p. 56. ad T●t at id l. de laps su●●n●t signing the baptized person with the signe of the crosse (m) Tert Co● mil. c. 3. of renouncing the devill of tasting hony and milk before baptisme (n) Tert. de bapt c. 13. of using God-fathers in the baptismes even of children (o) I●d Hisp l. 2. de div o● 20. y● H● osolan pro● co of exorcising the parties to be baptized (p) A●al l. 1. de●ccla● 2● Aug. S●m 1●7 de domin● 〈◊〉 pas● of putting a white garment upon them which they were to weare for the space of 7. or 8. dayes from the putting off of which the Sunday after Easter was called (q) Vi● 〈◊〉 ●tiq ●t 〈◊〉 t● 5. c. 12. dominica in Albis (r) Te●t 〈…〉 of receiving the Eucharist fasting (ſ) Just mar q. ad orth Cypr. ep 56. 63. of mixing water with the wine for the Communion (t) Cypr. ibid. of sending it to such as were absent (u) Cypr. l. de laps num 89. Tert. l. de orat sub sin id l. 2. ad ux of

is much in the power of the nurse or mother who gives them suck and brings them up and so are our peoples manners in these things sutable to our molds If we shall take liberty to break unsavory jests upon the reverend Fathers of our Church and their officers and to make our selves and others merry with talking of the Idolatry the adultery the murder and the felony of the Crosse and other ceremonies as sometimes Parker whether more foolishly or prophanely did if we make our Pulpits Pasquills in them presuming with a sad face of seeming piety to traduce our Superiours and cast our humorous and discontented aspersions in their faces if wee leave out the crosse when wee Christen to pleasure a friend or gain a bribe and the surplesse when we come to minister before the Lord and omit such other ceremonies as require our personable and exemplary obedience will not our people that hang upon our hands and lips and see and heare what we doe doe likewise If our breasts shall daily runne downe with such infecting stuffe what can be expected but that our people which lye sucking at them should prove a crazie generation And can it be thought that if we who are the watchmen of our people and if we spie a lion comming upon them a sinne ready to ensnare them should tell them so do either dissemble or which is worse incourage the sin of perjury in our Church-wardens for our owne bad ends their bills should give in true evidence and make a faithfull report of Parish-disorders It cannot bee and therefore some whom it too much concernes may well complaine and cry out with the Prophet O my people they that leade thee cause thee to erre Esay 3.12 Not at the people except first perverted But me thinkes I heare Aaron charging the people with his sin the people thou knowest are set on mischiefe Exod. 32.22 And Ieremy complaining that the Prophets prophesie falsly and the people love to have it so Ier. 5.31 It should seeme the root of inconformity lyes in them True it is some ministers deny or curtall their conformity and the people love to have it so But what people a people (a) Juven Sat. 14. Velocius citius nos Corrumpunt vitiorum examp● domestica magnis Cum subeant animos authoribus marred in their making catechized by their parents or Pastors with false principles and taught to beleeve that the Bishops are limbs of Antichrist the Surplesse a rag of Popery Conformity a mark of the Beast that every good man must abhorre them and pray to the King of the Church to sweep them out of his sanctuary such people love to have it so And therefore it concernes us ministers who should be examples to our flocks in all good things as S. Peter saith 1 Pet. 5.3 1 To looke to our own conformity 2 To teach our people throughly the point of obedience 1. We must looke to our owne conformity Considerations perswading to conformity and begin the reformation of disorder at our selves and to this three things me thinkes should move us 1. Our subscription to the Articles of our Church and the booke of common prayer by which wee have ex animo confessed two things 1. that it is in the power of the Church and consequently of ours to decree Rites and ceremonies 2. that our service book containes nothing in it repugnant to the word of God nothing that may not be lawfully used and by every one submitted to and that which follows upon this is that our Ceremonies and orders justified and imposed in the booke of common-prayer are agreeable to Gods word and to be used by us If we now after our often subscription to these things shall refuse or omit the use of them in our practises will not there be a grosse inconsistency between our judgements and behaviours doe we not condemne our selves in that which we allow a course which God will never blesse as we may see Rom. 14.22 Blessed is he that condemneth not himselfe in that which he alloweth 2. That voluntary and speciall obligation which we have brought upon our selves in our ordinations should likewise work with us For in the book of ordination which wee have also by our subscription approved to the Priests and Deacons ready to be ordered is put this Question Will you reverently obey your Ordinary and other chiefe ministers to whom the government and charge of you shall be committed following with a glad minde and will their godly admonitions judgements c The answer is affirmative and promissory We will the Lord being our helper and this promise wee doe not only make but ratifie in the oath of Canonical obedience which on sundry occasions we take So that every one of our tribe is held with a double bond 1 A common bond of subjection to superiours as we are subordinate and inferiour persons 2 A particular bond of oath and promise as wee are ministers Now if to break that generall bond of obedience which lies on all inferiours be a violation of authority a sin to which the guilt of damnation is annexed Rom. 13.2 to breake that awfull tye of a vow and voluntary promise must needs be a greater sinne and accompanied with a heavier guilt Solemne and deliberat promises are not like Samsons green cords easie to be snapt asunder but strongly binde either to performance or punishment Thirdly if we fling off these considerations yet let respect to our peoples welfare over whose souls we are set to watch and for whom we must give an account win us to obedience How can the disgracing and impugning of good orders and the making of factions and divisions in the Church stand with their good Was it well with the Iews when Korah and their Levites affronted their Prince and Priest Moses and Aaron Did not the flame of Gods fiery indignation break out upon them for their disloyalty and schisme Numb 16. to the destruction of a great part of the congregation Can it bee well with the body when the principall members conspire against their Heads and will not be guided by them Schisme hath ever been the bane of Churches and irregularity the beginner of Schisme yea of Heresie too and all kinde of confusion if S. Cyprian may be beleeved who attributes all the mischiefs that usually befall Churches to this Fury Hac sunt initia haereticorum Cypr. cp ad Rogat saith the Father orius atque conatus schismaticorum malè cogitantium ut sibi placeant ut praepositum superbo tumore contemnant Self-pleasing pride and scornfull despising of the heads of the Church is the viper from which both schismes and heresies draw their first breath Let us therfore by our submission to our Churches Rites commend that humble obedience to our people which they owe to their Fathers in Christ their rulers in the Church Next we must looke to our people People perverted hardly perswaded