Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	nature_n	soul_n	2,893	5	5.2542	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90866	Theos anthrōpophoros. Or, God incarnate. Shewing, that Jesus Christ is the onely, and the most high God· In four books. Wherein also are contained a few animadversions upon a late namelesse and blasphemous commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrewes, published under the capital letters, G.M. anno Dom. 1647. In these four books the great mystery of man's redemption and salvation, and the wayes and means thereof used by God are evidently held out to the capacity of humane reason, even ordinary understandings. The sin against the Holy Ghost is plainly described; with the cases and reasons of the unpardonablenesse, or pardonablenesse thereof. Anabaptisme, is by Scripture, and the judgment of the fathers shewed to be an heinous sin, and exceedingly injurious to the Passion, and blood of Christ. / By Edm. Porter, B.D. sometimes fellow of St. John's Colledge in Cambridge, and prebend of Norwich.	Porter, Edmund, 1595-1670.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1655 (1655)	Wing P2985; Thomason E1596_1; ESTC R203199	270,338	411

and matter here handled is the most noble and high cause in the World and the most neerly concerning the glory of God and the salvation of man to which I was drawn by the importunity of some Learned and Religious friends and also by the iniquity of a most blasphemous Book lately Printed and called A Commentary on the Hebrewes written by a namelesse Doctor of Divinity who new resideth in this Countrey but formerly in Broad-gate Hall so it was then called wherein he hath vented such blasphemies against Jesus Christ as without special revocation and repentance will in the end bring both himself and all his seduced Sectaries to that wofull Broad-gate of which mention is made Matth. 7. 13. Lata est porta quae ducit ad perditionem The Controversies are not concerning the mighty and glorious reformrtion of a square-cap a Surplisse and Crosse and a painted glasse-window or the like which have been an out-side pretendment amongst Vulgars to bring upon this Land innumerable Calamities But that Commentary hath laid the axe to the root and foundation of our Christian Religion by un-Godding Jesus Christ and blasphemously denying his grand and most gracious Work of Redemption and it is feared that the pernicious doctrines therein contained have many abetters and favourers in these dangerous Times albeit this Commenter is the first of all the Serpents nest that dared to peep out and appear in our English print who both by this Book and by his personal insinuations hath already as we know perverted many from the saving truth of the Gospel to the evident danger both of theirs and of his own soul and his i●pious ambition to be the Ring-leader in this blasphemy hath in this Countrey procured to him such a Title and Character as was fastned on Marcion the Heretick by Polycarpus when he called him Euseb hist ● 4. c. 14. Primogenitum Satanae Wherefore setting before me the honour of Jesus Christ and the service which I owe to the Church and to my Countrey and also the care which a Father ought to have of the soules of his Children I have endeavoured both to detect the blasphemies of this Commentary and also to set down with all such possible plainnesse as so weighty a cause would admit the evidences of our most necessary and precious Christian faith in the Eternal Son of God both by shewing his Divine nature and glorious Godhead who is our True Onely Supream and Eternal Jehova and also the Incarnation of this our God by assuming an humane body and soul and thereby the inestimable benefits which our Redeemer and Saviour hath acquired for us First in exempting his servants from eternal death by his obedience Passive in suffering death in our stead and Secondly by meriting eternal life for us by his Obedience Active in performing the whole Law of God as a Surety and Undertaker for us These things have I endeavoured to set forth not onely by the sacred evidences of the holy Scriptures and by the constant doctrine of the Church-Catholick in several ages thereof but also by humane illustrations and the probable correspondence of our Christian faith with right reason Which thing hath been formerly much wished and thereupon laudably begun in some of the high mysteries of our Religion long ago by a Writer of good antiquity to supply the defect thereof in the elder Writers whereof he saith Rich. de St. Vict. de Trin. l. 1. c. 5. Legi de Deo meo quòd sit Unus Trinus sed undè haec probentur me legisse non memini Abundant in his authoritates sed non aequè argumentationes i. We read the high and holy Mysteries of Christian Religion evidently and abundantly affirmed by authority of Scripture but where to read the proof thereof by humane arguments to convince our Carnal reason we find not This task I have taken upon me now especially in these dangerous Times for that the abounding of moral iniquity and dogmatical impiety maketh me fear that Christianity is upon the point of departure from our dear Countrey as it hath done formerly from most places both in Asia and Africa and also from some parts of our Europe where it once flourished as high as ever it did here I see false prophets multiply with great applause and that the greatest number of the true godly and learned Prophets are disgraced discountenanced silenced and left speechlesse and in their places God knowes for which this Kingdome generally groaneth a new Succession is sprung up like Darknesse succeeding light Which by an Ancient and Wise States-man was observed to be a forerunner and symptom of a Lands destruction Naevius apud Cicer. de Senect Cedo quî vestram Rempub. tantam amisistis tam cito Proveniebant Oratores Novi Stulti Adolescentuli For the like pressures which we now suffer extorted such a sad expression from the holy and learned Bishop Gregory Nazianzen when by reason of the insolencies of the domineering Sectaries he was fain to resign his Church of Constantinople saying in a publick Oration Naz. Orat. 46. ad Nect Deus Ecclesias vitam hanc deseruisse videtur He feared that God had withdrawn his providence from that Church and State Indeed God did in after-time remove the golden Candlestick from thence when he suffered the Turks to possesse that City God in mercy with-hold the like Judgment from this Land both in our dayes and for ever after us But yet when for the present we see so many most impious blasphemies not onely printed and published but also in shew licensed and connived at and that in so many Congregations unlearned intruders are crept in and take upon them to teach others what themselves never learned it seems to me a visible representation of our Saviours words foreshewing a fall For if Matth. 15. 14. the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch at least it seemeth to be like that which we have often seen a poor blind man led by a dog Certainly these things must needs make godly Parents very anxious how their posterity can be instructed in the succeeding generation I have heard a most learned and prudent Gentleman in these Times professe That for the reason before alledged he would be careful to provide some printed Books of the true old Clergy of England that in them the necessary doctrines of Christianity might be had when such will not be found in the new verbal time-serving and men-pleasing Sermon-makers This I confesse hath been a great motive to me for the penning and publishing this Book that so I may in some measure lay up both an antidote and also a store for the good of the soules of mine own family and of others also Which consideration my Lord I am firmly perswaded is deeply printed in your honourable and pious heart as being tenderly affected to your own noble off-spring the surviving Jewels of your most vertuous and dear Lady already with God Which care is imposed upon

c Amb. n. 37. de Virgin Tull. Epist 69. Aug. Cont. Jul. l. 3. c. 13. Libri non erub s●unt your black Comment cannot blush Yet St. Austin said of Julian a P●lagian for asserting an heresie lesse dangerous then yours Puto ipsum libri tui atramentum erubescendo convertitur in minium CHAP. VIII Sheweth against this Commenter that mens soules dye not with their bodies I Must not omit your rare doctrine concerning the soules of dead men You tell us that they are void of all sense of time intervening between the time of our p. 228. 267. death and resurrection though Scriptures speak as if we should wholly live till Christs coming but 't is because thousands of years seem but as one minute to one that sle●peth or is dead so long and None are entred into heaven besides Christ c. I perceive you like not the opinion of those Anabaptists who taught the Psychopanychian or sleeping of dead mens soules neither are you arrived to the height of the Jewish S●dduces or heathenish Epicures for they denyed a resurrection which you confesse yet you have chose a fair middle way and with them you believe that our soules dye with our bodies and your confessing of the resurrection is but a reserve by which you re-inforce your doctrine of the Soules mortality for when you perceived that the words of Christ against the Sadduces made also against you when he alledged Matth. 22. 32. Exod. 3. 6. those words I am the God of Abraham to prove that Abraham then lived because Abraham's soul lived for those words were spoken long after Ab●aham was dead to avoid this you tell us that it proves onely that Abraham must one day be recalled to life so though Abraham's soul was then dead and therefore Abraham was not living yet God is the God of the living that is of the living dead Abraham because some thousands of years after Abraham may be revived you may do well to reform Church-Creeds and adde to The Resurrection of the body the resurrection of the soul which hath been alwayes omitted because the Church thought that onely the body falleth and that the body onely is c●dav●r and onely of that there will be a resurrection to the penitent Thief it is said This Luke 23. 43. day shalt thou b●w●th me in P●●●d se this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not yet come by your doctrine though sixteen hundred years are run out since St. Paul in the narration of his rapture into the third heaven confesseth he 2 Cor. 12. 2. knew not whether he were in the body or out of the body therefore in his opinion pos●●bly his soul might be in that heaven whilest his body was on earth and St. Stephen at his Marty●dome said Lord Jesus receive Acts 7. 59. my 〈◊〉 if his soul was then to dye I marvel why he would not as well say Lord Jesus receive my body but surely he thought his spirit or soul was not mortal and this is consonant with the doctrine of the best ●ilosophers who proved the soul to be separably existible because they discovered that our soul hath operations which are ino●ganical for the intellective faculty useth the body onely as an object but not as an instrument and our most excellently learned Physician and rare Philosopher Doctor Thomas Brown of Norwich hath taught us d R●lig Medici pa●t 1. sect 35. 〈◊〉 l. de Ani●● c. 44. vide 〈◊〉 l. 7. c 52. 〈◊〉 Hes●ch●●m in vita Aris●●ae Epimenidis ● 4● 46. That in the dissecting of a man no Organ is found proper to the Reasonable Soule and that in the brain of man there is nothing of moment 〈◊〉 then in the Cranie of a ●east And Tertullian telleth a story of one Hermotimus whose soul used to leave h●s body for a time and Evagari as his word is to wand●r abroad whilest his body lay like a dead corps and to return again till his enemies took advantage and whilest his soul was absent they burnt his body And such another story doth Origen tell of the same Orig. cont Cels l. 3. man whom he cals Clazomenius Now whether this be true or not yet it argues that in the judgment of these profound Philosophers the soul possibly may exist out of the body I perceive that the Judgment of the Church hath but little power to sway you for you snatch at any paradox though heretical that comes in your way Eusebius tells us that this very opinion Euseb hist l. 6. c. 27. of the soules dying with the body and rising again with the body was accounted heretical by the Church and that it was in an open Council confuted by Origen though Origen himself erred on the other side and St. Austin in his catalogue of Heresies calls Aust haer 83. Aug. de Ecclesiast dogm c. 15. n. 72. Basil hom de avar n. 12. Philo. de mundi opificio p. 31. n. 2. this of yours the Arabick heresie and our humane soul is by him called Anima substantiva i. e. a substautivesoul because it can subsist alone and of such men which say their soules are mortal St. B sil saith they have Animam p●rcinam a swinish soul and Philo the learned Jew saith that a man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a creature mortal and immortal because he hath a mortal body and an immortal soul and this the Church hath taught in all ages and is so delivered Ambr. de fide l. 2. c. 3. n. 22. by St. Ambrose That the soul of man cannot dye The sleeping of dead Saints which you read of in Scripture is meant just as their rising is not of soules but of bodies Many bodies of the Saints which slept arose Matth. 27. 52. But what think you of the soul of Christ did that die with his body No Christian that ever I heard of thought so perhaps neither do you or if you do I care not the same argument which the Apostle drawes from Christs resurrection to prove our resurrection will be as firm to prove the immortality of our soules by the immortality of his soul 1 Cor. 15. 16. If the dead rise not then is not Christ risen So if man's soul be not immortal then was not Christ's soul immortal and if Christ's soul dyed not neither will our soules dye The doctrine of the Soules immortality is so demonstrable by nature that the Ancient Christians symbols or rules of faith did not expresly declare it as an article of faith Christian because even * Si in hoc erro quòd animas hominum immortales credam libe●●èr erro hunc er●orem mihi extorqueri nolo aveo patres vestros mortuos videre Cic de Senect heathen Philosophers both confessed and proved it but yet in the later Creeds of the Church the article of Christ's descent was added for no greater cause at first that ever I could learn or discover then this as

the most principal to assert the Immortality of his humane Soul and thereby to set forth this true doctrine of the Immortality of all mens soules and the Church had great reason for it because all Christians for some Centuries of years generally believing this doctrine In the fag end of the primitive times many atheistical and Ep●cur●an professors sprung up and denyed this truth obstinately and then it became an heresie and was so recorded by St. Austin as is said before under the title of the Arabick heresie and so occasioned a new article of Christs descent although it was an old Scriptural received truth to be put into the Creed I am not ignorant that in Epiphanius the Epi●u●eans are set down Epiph. haer 8. among hereticks who denyed this truth and so are S●oicks and Pythagoreans and Jewes which I take to be something unproper because none can be called hereticks except they at least professe Christianity and perhaps Epiphanius meant such Christians who in Philosophy were of those Sects or Jewes by birth CHAP. IX Of the most ancient Creed why so many additions have been made and particularly the article of Christs descent THe Reasons that move me to think that the new article of Christs descent was added to the Creed principally to set forth the Immortality of man's soule are now to be brought forth to the Readers view It was a long time before the Church-Creed went about in writing though some private men did so preserve it yet it was learned by oral tradition and so rehearsed Hil. de Synodis cont Arian n. 7. at baptismes and this is noted by St. Hilarie Fides Apostolica non scripta erat literis sed Spiritu Conscriptas sides hucusque nesciverunt Episcopi i. The Apostles Cre●d or faith was not written by letters but by the Spirit untill these dayes about the Nicene Council the Bishops did not take notice of any written Creeds and the same Father findeth fault with the writing of Creeds Fides scribenda est quasi in corde non fuerit i. Hilar. contr Const l. 3. n. 6. Faith must now adayes be written as if it had no place in mens hearts and although this symbole or Creed were not written yet it is confessed that it went about traditionally and without additions from the Apostles as Ter●●llian for his time sheweth Ab initio Evangelii Tert. Cont. Prax. d●cucurrit ante priores quosque haere●icos i. The rule of faith spread from the beginning of the Gospel and before Praxea's her●sies began And again he saith Regulam Tert. de praescr haeret hanc Ecclesia ab Apostolis Apostoli à Christo Christus à D●o tradidit i. The Church delivered the Creed as it came from the Apostles and the Apostles from Christ and Christ from God for there is nothing in that Creed but what is the expresse doctrine of Scripture Now the reason why the Apostolical rule of faith or Creed was not published then in writing is rendred by Ruffinus in Cyprian The Apostles did not deliver this Symbole Cypr in Symb. i● paper or parchment but by tradition oral to be laid up in the heart that so it might the better appear that the doctrine thereof was really from the Apostles for Infidels might have got it into their hands If it had been written and by that colour of rehearsing this Creed hypocritically migh● have undermined the Church therefore it was delivered rather vocally then in writing just as the Commander in War giveth the Word or sign v●cally and no● in writing by which friends are discerned from enemies which wate hword is called Symbolum as the Creed is that is a token or signal Thus far Ruffinus The most ancient record of the Christians Symbol● which I find written and without exception for that which is in the Constitutions of Clemens I believe is much later is in Tertullian who was a Writer as himself saith in the year after the birth of Christ 160. Tert. de Monoga which I have here inserted that the Reader may see how much hath been added to that first Creed untill these dayes as I find it in Tertullian lib de Veland Virgin principio Regula fidei una immobilis irreformabilis Tert. de Velan Virginibus Credendi in unicum Deum Omnipotentem mundi conditorem Vide Doctrinam praedicationis Apostolicae apud Irenae lib. 1. ● 2. Filium ejus Jesum Christum natum ex Virgine Maria Crucifixum sub Pontio Pilato tertia die resuscitatum à mortuis receptum in coelis sedentem nunc ad dextram Patris venturum judicare viv●s mortuis per carnis ctiam resurrectionem The onely Rule of Faith unmoveable and unreformable is To believe in one God Almighty maker of the World and his Son Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary c●ucified under Pontius Pilate the third day raised from the dead received into heaven sitting now at the right hand of the Father that he shall come to judge the quick and the dead by the resu●r●ction also of the flesh This is all in that place the same again in substance is rehearsed but in a few more words * Tert. de Praesc p. 92. Cont. Prax. p. 379. Lib. de praescriptionibus with the mention of the Mission of the Holy Ghost and the same again Lib. Cont. Praxean mentioning also the Mission of the Holy Ghost without any other considerable difference the same Father in the place above noted de praescript tells us Haec Tert. de Praescript regula nullas dubitationes habet nisi quas har●ses in ferunt i. that this rule of faith hath no doubts or dissensions among Christians but such as a e raised by heresies therefore what doubts and dissensions have been so raised is next to be considered CHAP. X. Of Heresies which occasioned ne● additions to the old Creed THat the springing up of the tares of heresie gave occasion to the Church to enlarge the Creed thereby endeavouring to extirpate those errours it may appear by these instances whereof some are undeniable and the rest very probable and have been so thought formerly by † Erasm ad facul Theol. Sorbon others 1. In the Creed of Ruffinus in Cyprian is Credo resurrectionem hujus carnis i. e. the resurrection of this flesh because the Origenists would not believe that the resurrection should be of the same body but of another new body 2. By the Nicene Fathers to the words Jesus Christ was added Unum Dominum i. One Lord against the Arians who would not confesse the Father and the Son to be but one One Lord. 3. The same Fathers added the word Homoousion against the said Arians because they would not believe that the Father and the Son were both of one Godhead or substance 4. The Article of Remission of Sins was added after that the Nova●ian hereticks refused to admit any to their Communion though they were penitents which after baptisme