Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A44337
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Judicious Hooker's illustrations of Holy Scripture in his ecclesiastical policy; Ecclesiastical polity. Selections
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Hooker, Richard, 1553 or 4-1600.; Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing H2634; ESTC R4356
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20,633
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51
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Church in those days did baptise made profession of Christian belief and undertook to live accordingly Neither do I think it a matter easy for any man to prove that ever baptism did use to be administred without interrogatories of these two kinds Whereunto S. Peter as it may be thought alluding hath said that the baptism which saveth us is not as legal purfications were a cleansing of the flesh from outward impurity but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an interrogative trial of a good conscience towards God S. 63. xvxvii Apoc. 7. 3. In the forehead nothing more plain to be seen than the fear of contumely and disgrace For which cause the scripture as with great probabilitie it may be thought describeth them marked of God in the forehead whom his mercy hath undertaken to keep from final confusion and shame Not that God doth set any corporal mark on his chosen but to note that he giveth his elect security of preservation from reproach the fear whereof doth use to show it self in that part S. 65. xxxviii Mar. 14. 22. Let our Lords Apostle be his interpreter my body the communion of my body my blood the communion of my blood 1 Cor. 10. 16. Is there any thing more expedite clear and easy than that as Christ is termed our life because through him we obtain life so the parts of this sacrament are his body and blood for that they are so to us who receiving them receive that by them which they are termed S. 67. xxxix Io. 6. 63. When some did conceive amiss of eating his flesh our Saviour to abate that error in them gave them directly to understand how his flesh so eaten would profit them nothing because the words which he spake were spirit that is to say they had a reference to a mystical participation which mystical participation giveth life Ib. xl Phil. 3. 11. Our general consolation departing this life is the hope of that glorious and blessed resurrection which the Apostle St. Paul nameth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to note that as all men shall have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and be raised again from the dead so the just shall be taken up and exalted above the rest whom the power of God doth but raise and not exalt S. 68. xli Exod. 3. 5. If all either places or times were in respect of God alike wherefore was it said unto Moses by particular designation This very place wherein thou standest is holy ground Why doth the prophet David choose out of all the days of the year but one whereof he speaketh by way of principal admiration This is the day which the Lord hath made Psal 118. 24. No doubt as Gods extraordinary presence hath hallowed and sanctified certain places so they are his extraordinary works that have truly and worthily advanced certain times for which cause they ought to be with all men that honour God more holy than other days S. 69. xlii Esa. 1. 13. For as much as the Jews who alone knew the way how to magnifie God aright did commonly as appeared by their wicked lives more of custom and for fashions sake execute the services of their religion than with hearty and true devotion which God especially requireth he therefore protesteth against their Sabbaths and solemn days as being therewith much offended S. 70. xliii Gal. 4. 10. St. Paul although it were not his purpose to favour invectives against the special sanctification of days and times to the service of God and the honour of Jesus Christ doth notwithstanding bend his forces against that opinion which imposed on the Gentiles the yoke of Jewish legal observations as if the whole world ought for ever and that upon pain of condemnation to keep and observe the same such as in this perswasion hallowed those Iewish Sabbaths the Apostle sharply reproveth saying Ye observe days and months and times and years I am in fear of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain ib. xliv Rom. 14. 17. Albeit concerning Iewish abstinence from certain kinds of meats as beng unclean the Apostle doth teach that the kingdom of heaven is not meat nor drink he derogates not from that abstinence whereby we either interrupt or otherwise abridge the care of our bodily sustenance to shew by this kind of outward exercise the serious intention of our minds fixed on heavenlier and better desires the earnest hunger and thirst whereof depriveth the body of those usual contentments which otherwise are not denyed unto it S. 72. xlv Dan. 10. 2 3. When men fasted it was not always after one and the same sort but either by depriving themselves wholly of all food during the time that their fasts continued or by abating both the quantity and kind of diet We have of the one a plain example in the Ninivites fasting and as plain a precedent for the other in the prophet Daniel I was saith he in heaviness for three weeks of days I ate no pleasant bread neither tasted flesh nor wine ib. xlvi Mat. 6. 4. Our corrupt inclination well considered there is cause why our Saviour should account them happiest that do most mourn and why Salomon might judge it better to frequent mourning than feasting houses Eccles. 7. 4. not better simply and in it self for then would nature that way incline but in regard of us and our common weakness better ib. xlvii Pro. 30. 8. By reason of mans imbecillity and proneness to elation of mind too high a flow of prosperity is dangerous too low an ebb again as dangerous for that the vertue of patience is rare and the hand of necessity stronger than ordinary virtue is able to withstand Salomons discreet and moderate desire we all know give me O Lord neither riches nor poverty xlviii Io. 20. 22. The Holy Ghost may be used to signifie not the person alone but the gifts of the holy Ghost and vve knovv that spiritual gifts are not only habilities to do things miraculous as to speak vvith tongues which never were taught us to cure diseases without art and such like but also that the very authority and power which is given men in the Church to be Ministers of holy things this is contained within the number of those gifts whereof the Holy Ghost is author therefore he which giveth this power may say without absurdity or folly receive the Holy Ghost such power as the Spirit of Christ hath endued his Church withal such power as neither prince nor potentate King nor Caesar on earth can give S. 77. xlix Esa. 8. 6. The Prophet Isaiah receiving his message at the hands of God and his charge by heavenly vision heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send Who shall go for us whereunto he recordeth his own answer then I said here Lord I am send me Which in effect is the Rule Canon whereby touching this point the very order of the Church is framed The appointment of times for solemn ordination is but the publick demand of the Church in the name of the Lord himself whom shall I send who shall go for us The confluence of men whose inclinations are bent that way is but the answer thereunto whereby the labours of sundry being offered the Church hath freedom to take whom her Agents in such case think meet and requisite S. 77. l. Towards the ministery what doth the blessed Apostle else but encourage saying he which desireth it is desirous of a good work What doth he else by such sentences but stir kindle and inflame ambition if I may term that desire ambition which coveteth more to testify love by painfulness in Gods service than to reap any other benefit although of the very honour it self and of other emoluments annexed to such labours for more encouragement of mans industry we are not so to conceive neither as if no affection could be cast towards them without offence Ib. li. Revel 4. 4. A Presbyter according to the proper meaning of the new testament is he unto whom our Saviour Christ hath communicated the power of spiritual procreation Out of twelve patriarchs issued the whole multitude of Israel according to the flesh And according to the mystery of heavenly birth our Lords Apostles we all acknowledge to be the patriarchs of his whole Church St. John therefore beheld sitting abâ—ut the throne of God in heaven four and twenty presbyters the one half Fathers of the old the other of the new Testament S. 78. lii Act. 5. 4. It seemeth in these days a question altogether vain and superfluous whether Tithes be a matter of divine right because howsoever at the first it might have been thought doubtful our case is clearly the same now with theirs unto whom St. Peter sometimes spake saying While it was whole it was whole thine When our Tithes might have probably seemed our own we had colour of liberty to use them as we our selves saw good but having made them his whose they are let us be warned by other mens example what it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wash or clip that coin which hath on it the mark of God S. 79. The stile of ancient Graunts and Chartersis We have given unto God both for us and our heirs for ever ib. liii Tit. 1. 5. Act. 14. 23. Other distinction of Churches there doth not appear any in the Apostles writings save only according to those Cities wherein they planted the Gospel of Christ and erected Ecclesiastical Colledges Wherefore to ordain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throughout every City and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throughout every Church do in them signifie the same thing S. 80. liv 2 Tim. 2. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to divide aright doth noâ—e in the Apostles writings soundness of doctrin only and in meaning standeth opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the broaching of new opinions against that which is received For questionless the first things delivered to the Church of Christ were pure and sincere truth Which whosoever did afterwards oppugn could not choose but divide the Church into two moieties in which division such as taught what was first believed held the truer part the contrary side in that they were teachers of novelty erred S. 81. FINIS
effects without Travel Pain or Labour But his commanding those things to be which are and to be in such sort as they are to keep that tenure and course which they do importeth the establishment of Natures Law S. 3. vi Mat. 6. 10. Touching Angels which are Spirits immaterial and intellectual the glorious Inhabitants of those sacred palaces where nothing but Light and blessed Immortalitie for ever dwell as in number and order they are huge mighty and royal Armies so likewise in perfection of Obedience to that Law which the Highest whom they adore love and imitate hath imposed upon them such Observants they are thereof that our Saviour himself being to set down the perfect Idea of that which we are to pray and wish for on earth did not teach to pray or wish for more than only that here it might be with us as with them it is in Heaven vii Deut 13. 19 Goodness is seen with the Eye of the Understanding and the light of that Eye is Reason So that two principal Fountains there are of humane Action Knowledge and Will Which will in things tending towards any end is termed Choice Concernâ—ng Knowledge behold saith Moses I have set before you this day Good and Evil Life and Death Concerning Will he addeth immediately choose Life that is to say the things that tend unto Life them choose S. 7. viii Rom. 2. 14. The Apostle St. Paul having speech concerning the Heathens saith of them They are a Law unto themselves His meaning is that by force of the light of reason wherewith God illuminateth every one which cometh into the World men being enabled to know Truth from Falshood and Good from Evil do thereby learn in many things what the Will of God is Which Will himself not revealing by any extraordinary means unto them but they by Natural Discourse attaining the knowledge thereof seem the Makers of those Laws vvhich indeed are his and they but only the Finders of them out S. 8. ix 2 Cor. 4. 17. Small difficulties when exceeding great good is sure to ensue and on the other side momentany benefits when the hurt which they draw after them is unspeakable are not at all to be respected Upon this infallible ground the Apostle enjoyneth patience to himself The present lightness of our Affliction worketh unto us even with abundance upon abundance an eternal weight of Glory while we look not c. Therefore Christianity to be embraced whatsoever Calamities in those times it was accompanied withal ib. x. Mat 22. 38. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart c. This is the first and great Commandement saith our Saviour and the next is like unto it He meaneth in amplitude and largeness in as much as it is the Root out of which all Laws of Duty to Men-ward have grown as out of the former all Offices of Religion towards God ib. xi 2 Pet. 2. 5. We all make complaint of the iniquity of our times not unjustly for the dayes are evil But compare them with those times wherein there were no civil Societies with those times wherein there was as yet no manner of publick Regiment established with those times wherein there were not above eight persons righteous living upon the face of the earth and we have surely good cause to think that God hath blessed us exceedingly and hath made us behold most happy dayes S. 10. xii Joh. 6 29. The way of supernatural Duty which God hath prescribed to us our Saviour in the Gospel of St. Iohn doth note terming it by an excellency the Work of God This is the Work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent Not that God doth require nothing unto Happiness at the hands of men saving only a naked belief for Hope and Charity we may not exclude but that without belief all other things are as nothing S. 11. xiii Ioh. 20. 31. The main drift of the whole New Testament is that which St. Iohn setteth down as the purpose of his own History These things are written that ye might believe that Iesus is Christ the Son of God and that in believing ye might have life through his Namâ— The drift of the old that which the Apostle mentioneth to Timothy 2 Tim. 3. 15. The holy Scripturees are able to make thee Wise unto Salvation So that the general end both of old and new is one The difference between them consisting in this that the old did make wise by teaching Salvation through Christ that should come the New by teaching that Christ the Saviour is come and that Jesus whom the Iews did crucifie and whom God did raise again from the dead is He. When the Apostle therefore affirmed unto Timothy that the Old was able to make him Wise unto Salvation it was not his meaning that the Old alone can do this unto us which live since the publication of the New For he speaketh with presupposal of the Doctrine of Christ known also unto Timothy And he addeth Through the Faith which is in Christ. 14. xiv Apoc. 14 6. St. Iohn peculiarly terms the Doctrine that teacheth Salvation by Jesus Christ Evangelium aeternum an eternal Gospel because there can be no reason wherefore the publishing thereof should be taken away and any other instead of it proclaimed as long as the World doth continue Whereas the whole Law of Rites and Ceremonies although delivered with so great solemnity is notwithstanding clean abrogated in as much as it had but temporary cause of God's ordaining of it 15. xv Rom. 13. 1. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers The publick power of all Societies is above ever Soul contained in the same Societies And the principal use of that power is to give Laws unto all that are under it Which Laws in such case we must obey unless there be reason shewed which may necessarily enforce that the Law of Reason or of God doth enjoyn the contrary Because except our own private and but probable Resolutions be by the Law of publick Determinations over-ruled we take away all possibility of sociable Life in the World 16. xvi Act. 15 20. As mens private fancies must give place to the higher Judgment of that Church which is in Authority a Mother over them So the very actions of whole Churches have in regard of Commerce and Fellowship with other Churches been subject to Law the contrary unto which had else been thought more convenient for them to observe as by that order Act. 15. of abstinence from strangled and bloud may appear an order grounded upon that Fellowship which the Churches of the Gentiles had with the Iews ib. In Book II. i. 2 Tim. 3. 16. The whole Scripture is given-that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect unto all good works He meaneth all and only those good Works which belong unto us as we are men of God and which unto Salvation are necessary Or if we understand by men of God