Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	apostle_n	church_n	creed_n	1,331	5	10.2664	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17650	A commentarie on the vvhole Epistle to the Hebrevves. By M. Iohn Caluin. Translated out of French; Commentarii in epistolam ad Hebraeos. English	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Cotton, Clement.	1605 (1605)	STC 4405; ESTC S107380	203,524	268

hee blameth them for the same fault or at the least not very much diuers from this For he saith they were not able to beare strong meate because they were carnall Milke then is the doctrine of the first beginnings to enter them which as yet know nothing S. Peter takes it in another sense when hee wils vs to desire the sincere milke of the word that wee may grow thereby 1. Pet. 2.2 For there is a double infancie one in malice and another in vnderstanding S. Paul saith in another place Be not children in vnderstanding but in malice 1. Cor. 14.20 So then they which are so tender and delicate that they cannot receiue a doctrine a little higher than the first rudiments are called children by way of reproch For the true vse of the ministerie of the word is to frame vs in such wise as we may grow to be perfect men according to the measure of the age of the fulnes of Christ and not to be as children wauering and carried about with euery winde of doctrine as it is said Ephes 4.13.14 I grant those are to bee borne with that haue not yet tasted Christ if so be they be not yet capable of strong meate but if hee which ought to increase according to the time he hath had doth notwithstanding alwaies continue in his infancie he is vnworthie to be pardoned For we know that Isaiah brands the reprobates mongst them I say there is no lesse carelesnesse than if the doctrine were wholy forbidden them Thus for want of exercise we are blindfolded still and destitute of all sound iudgement CHAP. VI. 1 Therefore leauing the doctrine of the beginning of Christ let vs be led forward vnto perfection not laying againe the foundation of Repentance from dead workes and of faith towards God 2 Of the doctrine of Baptismes and laying on of hands c. of the resurrection from the dead and of eternall iudgment WHerefore leauing Vers 1 c. After he hath sharpely reprooued them he exhorteth them that in leauing the beginnings they goe on forward ayming to the marke For he calles the doctrine of beginning the rudiments by which the ignorant are to begin when they be receiued into the Church Now in that he commands them to leaue such rudiments or beginnings his meaning is not that the faithfull should forget them but that they should not sticke fast as it were in them the which is better known by the similitude of laying the foundation which by and by followeth For when an house is to be builded men must neuer shrinke away from the foundation and yet notwithstanding it were a mockerie to be alwaies about that to goe no further For howsoeuer the foundation of the building is to be laid yet he which shall alwaies busie himselfe about that neuer fitting or preparing matter wherewithall to raise vp the building shall he not busie himselfe foolishly and in vaine In a word as we are to beginne by the foundation so the labour of the master builder is to hasten that the house also be raised vp in due season The like is it in Christianitie For the foundation is laid in vs by learning the rudiments but by and by after a more highe doctrine ought to follow which may finish vp the whole building Wherefore those who alwaies sticke in the first rudiments goe forward but ill because they propound no end vnto themselues As if the master workman imploying his whole labour about laying the foundation VVe ought not to content our selues with good beginnings but to aime to perfection should vtterly neglect to build any thing vpon it And therefore he would haue our faith so laid in the beginnings that it should still rise higher and higher vntill at the last it bee perfected by continuall increases Of repentance from dead workes He had respect here to the forme vsed in the Catechisme From whence wee may draw a probable coniecture that this Epistle was not written by and by after the publishing of the Gospel but rather after there was some forme of gouernment vsed in the Churches The forme was that he which was newly instructed in religion made a confession of his faith before hee was baptized Now there were certaine articles the which the Pastor demanded of them as may be seene by many testimonies of the ancient Fathers and the examination was chiefly vpon the confession of faith which wee commonly call the Symbole or Creede of the Apostles This was as the first entrance into the Church for those who being alreadie of age meant to become Christians as those who before were strangers from the faith in Christ The Apostle makes mention of this custome because no long time was giuen to such new conuerts to be taught in the first grounds of the Christian religion For a schoolmaster teacheth children their A B C because they might foorthwith come to know greater things But let vs consider what the Apostle saith He names repentance and faith wherein consists the whole perfection of the Gospell For what other thing doth Christ commaund to his Apostles but that they should preach faith and repentance Luk. 24.47 And therfore when S. Paul meant to protest that he had faithfully discharged his dutie he alleageth for himselfe that he had diligently and continually taught them from house to house to imprint these two things in the hearts of his Auditors to wit Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ Act. 20.20.21 May it not seeme absurd then that the Apostle should command them here to leaue faith and repentance wherein they were to perseuere the whole course of their liues But in adding from dead workes he shewes that he speakes of the first repentance when men began first to be Christians For although euery sinne be a dead worke because it begets death or because it proceedes from the spirituall death of the soule yet notwithstanding all the faithfull which are alreadie regenerate by the Spirit of God are not properly said to repent themselues of dead workes True it is that regeneration is but begun in them but how little soeuer this seede of the new life be in them yet that is the cause why they are no more reputed dead in his sight Wherfore the Apostle comprehends not all repentance in generall wherein we ought carefully to meditate and to exercise our selues day and night but he onely meanes that beginning of repentance by which those who being euen newly conuerted to the faith did enter into the way of newnes of life Also the word faith signifies that briefe summe of the doctrine of godlines which is commonly called the Articles of the Faith Hereunto also appertaines The resurrection from the dead and eternall iudgement For these two things are the greatest secrets of the heauenly wisedome yea euen the very marke of all our religion whereat wee ought to aime all our whole life But because one and the same thing is taught otherwise to

out vnto vs. For if this had not beene added a doore had beene opened to many false co●●ectures But now the matter is out of all question None ought to be condemned but such as are conuinced by witaesses that he speakes here of Apostasie Yet wee must note herewithall this equitie which almost all Politiques haue followed to wit That none be condemned till he be conuicted by witnesses Which treadeth vnder foote the Sonne of God This is common both to the Apostataes of the law and the Gospel to wit that both the one and the other doe perish without mercie but the manner of their ruine is diuers For the Apostle threatens not bodily death alone to the contemners of Christ but also eternall damnation For this cause he saith that these haue deserued a most grieuous torment Now he sets forth the reuolt of Christians by three formes of speech For he saith first that by this meanes the sonne of God is troden vnder foote 2. that his blood is counted a prophane thing 3. that they despite the spirit of grace Now it is worse to tread vnder feete than to despise and the dignitie of Christ is far aboue the dignitie of Moses And note also that he doth not simply oppose the Gospell to the law but the person of Christ and of the holy Ghost to the person of Moses onely And counteth the blood of the Testament as an vnholy thing He aggrauates this ingratitude by making comparison of the benefits Questionlesse it is a great villanie to prophane the blood of Christ which is the matter of our sanctification Now they doe it which reuolt from the faith for the eie of our faith lookes not vpon the bare and naked doctrine but to the blood by which our saluation is established And therefore he calles it the blood of the Testament because the promises thereof are then ratified and confirmed vnto vs when this pledge of our redemption is added But he shewes what the meane of this ratification is when he saith by which we are sanctified because the blood which Christ shed should nothing profit vs if we were not sprinkled therewithall by the holy Ghost From thence comes both our purgation and holinesse Notwithstanding he alludes to the auncient manner of sprinkling which serued nothing at all to true sanctification Foure effects which the holy Ghost works in vs. but was only a shadow or figure of it The spirit of grace He calles it the spirit of grace because of the effect for as much as by him and his vertue we inioy that grace which is offered vs in Christ For it is he that illuminates our vnderstandings by faith which seales vp our adoption in our hearts which regenerates vs into newnesse of life which ingrafts vs into the body of Christ to the ende hee may liue in vs and wee in him He is rightly then called the spirit of grace seeing by him Christ with all his benefits is made ours Now it is too great and wicked an impietie to despite him who bestows vpon vs so many and so excellent benefits From this we may gather that all those who willingly doe cause the spirit of God to become vnprofitable vnto them which once they receiued doe thereby reuile and despite him Therefore wee are not to wonder if God doe so seuerely punish such sacriledges we must not maruell if he stoppe his eares to those which haue trode vnder foote Christ the Mediatour who only obtaines for vs that which we neede wee must not wonder if he shut vp the way of saluation to those who haue repulsed their only leader which is the holy Ghost For we know him that hath said vengeance belongeth vnto me c. These two places are taken out of the 32. of Deut. 35. Now seeing Moses there promiseth that God will shew vengeance vpon them that haue wronged his people it seemes that that which is there spoken of vengeance is here improperly wrested to the matter in hand For what should the Apostles drift now be He saith that the impietie of those who haue mocked God shall not goe vnpunished And S. Paul in the 12. to the Rom. 19. following the true meaning of this place of Moses applies it to another ende For exhorting vs to patience he commands vs that we them by another meanes As often then as the troubles which we haue suffred for Christ shall come into our minds let them bee so many goades in our sides to pricke vs forward to profit more and more Partly while ye were made Vers 33 c. We see to what manner of persons he speaketh to wit to such whose faith had been tried by no small experiences and yet he ceaseth not to exhort them to greater things Wherefore let no man deceiue himselfe through false flatteries as if hee were come to the goale or had no more need to be stirred vp by others Now he saith that they were made gazing stockes by reproches and afflictions as if they had bin brought vpon scaffolds Whence wee may gather that the persecutions which they endured were great But we must diligently obserue the other member where he saith they were made companions of the faithfull in their persecutions For seeing the cause for the which al the faithfull do suffer is the cause of Christ yea the common cause of them all therefore whatsoeuer one of them endures the rest ought to beare the burthen with them and to take it to heart as if they themselues did endure it And truly thus wee must doe vnlesse wee meane to separate our selues euen from Christ himselfe And suffered with ioy the spoyling of your goods Vers 34 It is not to be doubted but the losse of their goods was cause of sorrow and heauines vnto them for questionlesse they were men subiect to humane affections but their sorrow was so tempered that it hindred not this ioy whereof the Apostle speakes For as pouertie is reputed among aduersities so no doubt the spoiling of their goods considered in it selfe was cause of sorrow and griefe vnto them but looking higher by the eyes of faith they conceiued occasion of ioy whereby all the griefe which they had sustained was sweetened For it behooueth that our senses bee thus turned from the world when we behold the heauenly reward Neither doe I say ought whereof the faithfull haue not experience For the truth is wee ioyfully receiue that which we are perswaded shall turne to our saluation Now it is certaine that the children of God haue this very feeling in the combates which they endure for the glorie of Christ Wherefore the affection of the flesh can neuer so ouerwhelme them with griefe that they should not lift vp their mindes to heauen and by this meanes enter into a spirituall ioy as in the example of Steuen And so much doth the reason which he afterwards addes emport Knowing saith he in your selues how that you haue in heauen a better and an enduring