Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	day_n	sabbath_n	week_n	6,281	5	10.0050	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42880	Panta dokimazete a sermon treating of the tryall of all things by the Holy Scriptures, the confest rule of faith and practice : shewing the deplorable abuse of that rule, with an attempt touching the examen of ceremonies / delivered in St. Paul's Cathedral November 8, being the xxi Sunday after Trinity, by J.G.	Goad, J. (John), 1616-1689.	1664 (1664)	Wing G902; ESTC R535	23,350	40

Custome the decent rational custome of the Church of God ver 16. Nay but what is the Rule The Apostle answers We know not how he will please you Tradition Apostolick ver 2. Which places if again consulted you shall find that he speaks of such Natural Light as it is shame not to obey Such Customes which have enough in them to silence the Contentious and such Traditions as he praises them for observing and exhorts them to hold fast and so I am upon my Text this third time Prove all things hold fast that which is good And this the Presbyterians abroad with open face acknowledge that much is to be attributed to the Antient Customes of the Church that it is no Derogation to the Perfection of Scriptures imployed in the determination of Greater Articles to leave the less to the Publique Wisedome of the Church but 't is not the Interest of ours at home that these things should be taken notice of Yet let Chamiers 9th Book de Canone be consulted particularly cap. 1. p. 20. where he saith Et sanè illum oportet esse oris impudentissimi qui eam Traditionem Consuetudinem Ecclesiae contemnat Nos verò illum parum abest quin sacrilegum appellemus quidem non tantum in Rebus levioribus the Ceremonies c. sed grauioribus c. Et ix cap. xviii sect 52. Resp per observantias nulla dogmata intelligi sed duntaxat varios ritus quorum exempla quaedam subnectit speaking of Origen Genu flexionem conversionem ad Orientem Ritus sumendae Eucharistiae c. Atqui illa omnia Catholici the Protestants libere permittunt Traditioni But once more for I appeal to the whole Book he hath these words Hinc autem non sequitur Scripturas esse imperfectas nisi prius demonstrentur dogmata Fidei ab Apostolis instituta esse quae omninò scripta non sunt ix 20 32. For as to the Rites he saies It is not denied quandam ab Apostolis potuisse constitui quae quia non essent de essentia naturafidei minùs curavint scriptis referre ix 19 20. Pray let it be ponder'd The same reason give we Scripture is not their Rule because it is above them Secondly Because they are of a mutable condition where the first constituent Reason of the practise proves to be such otherwise not There are some Traditions immutable which 't is not in the power of the Church to change as the institution of the Lords Day fixed on the first day of the Week and yet they bely Calvin if he would not have changed it to Thursday but that Reason of our Lords Resurrection hath determined it to that day of the Week as the Sabbath by another was determined to the Jew Here it is to be noted when we say Custome or Tradition we do not mean an Arbitrary usage of the Church as the Gentry put on their Garments and the Ladies their Fancies meerly for variety but there is discernible with it something more of moment either the Light of Nature as in all Humble Postures Institution of Festivals many times Gods and Christs own Wisdome and Spirit in all of them Reason sufficient to constitute them For why the Apostles Love-Feast Why the Veil S. Jude xii 1 Cor. xi 10 2 Cor. xiii 13 Why the Holy Kiss Why the Love-Feast because it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Love the Reason is in the Name Why the Kiss the Reason is in the appellation a Holy Kiss a Kiss of Charity Why the Vail because of Modesty and Reservedness in the Virgin in the presence of God and his holy Angels Thou shalt not adde thereto 1 Cor. xi nor diminish therefrom establisheth Gods authority but it doth not overthrow his Churches Moses his Chair and the Sanedrim were put up by God to make Canons of Church and State in points not decidible by the Text. The Church of God always knew it her Innocent Right to ordain a Ceremony on a just Reason before Moses was born Gen. xxxii 32 witness the abstaining from the sinew in memory of Jacobs wrestling so do the Jews ever since observe solemn Fasts for Miriams Leprosie Moses his breaking of the Tables and the Death of the sons of Aaron as the learned Vsher hath noted them and more for us in his Ages of the World Many that are used to this day come from Gods own wisdome under the Law-Dispensation and therefore adopted by the Church under the Gospel the Spirit of Christ so thought it good who is thereby throughly witnessed to the Jew to be their Messias promised by the God of their Fathers in this that bating the meer shadows and servile work in whose room he hath put substantial and more glorious services in founding his Church he hath retained all that was fit and solemn and decent such as are the distinction of the Courts of the Lords House the Orders of Priest and Levite their hours of Prayer their attendances by night in the Temple secubations in times of Humiliation the Baptism of the Infant about the eighth day the giving of the Name at Baptism and the Godfathers at they used at Circumcision the seclusion of the Woman after Child-bearing for a Moneths space the Reading the Law in their Synagogues their singing the Hebrew Amen and Alleluja the Dominical day for the Sabbath nay our very Sacraments themselves advanced from the Jews who had their Baptism and Cup Eucharistical and many others in which God God I say is visibly evident I should surfet you if I should lead you as I thought to have done through every particular but at present it cannot be Only thus far have I attempted to bring all good Christians to Truth and Vnity Let no man do me that wrong past repair to think that I have in any of this an evil eye toward the holy Scripture whatsoever is said I wish un-said that is not proved thereby If for matters of Faith and practical conscience the holy Scriptures suppose the Creed and Light of Nature it cannot exclude them If for matters of Ceremony the Scripture undertaketh not but commendeth to us other subordinate authority let those places be expunged or else we dare not say but what we have said If we be judged by Scriptures let us be judged by Scriptures and he that maketh conscience of one clause must make conscience of all uniformly or else he had better never seen it Would men but consider this That the holy Scripture is the Rule I have not insisted on because I took it for granted and I should have been tedious in asserting what every body knows It is a Rule and such a Rule that he that loves his salvation must diligently attend it see how many Precepts are in it Think not of x or xx but of x times xx And as many as there are I never counted my self to understand any thing till I perfectly believed that every one of them were my Rule in order to salvation so that men of unwary conversations such as I am cannot read them without a sigh and shaking of the head as S. Austin uses to say Yerret me this and that Precept frights me when I know how far I come short All that I have laboured for is that the Scripture may not be wrested that we may not lose the fruit of it by abusing it Hereby will I nill I owning it to be a Rule if it be but in this that it is liable to be wrested But let no man strange that Scripture may be abused as profane and audacious as the Practise is though I fear not commonly thought so even by those that seem to cry it up How do we take it when some cry up Liberty to bring in Confusion Do they not abuse Liberty thereby The seditious Party do so What think you of those that magnifie grace in flat opposition to all duty Do they not abuse it the Autinomian does so Nay if one shall cry up Jesus Christ himself can Christ be extolled too much yea but if he should be set up in opposition to his Father I have seen a Cursed Paper do so Nothing is done right but what is stated according to its due limits of explication This is the sourse of all our misery And now this objection is out of the way how shall I bespeak you to return to the unity of that Church to which if you had once proved all things by Scripture Rules you must at last retire the worst that you can gain is the character of an understanding and peaceable person a wise man and a meek one Why must a Ceremony fright you What deformed Multiplying-Glass do you see that in which of it self is rational innocent and solemn Do we place the substance of Religion in them Nay we say indeed there is no outward profession without them no real body but what will cast its shadow Which of us would not have censur'd Mary Magdalen of superstition to have wiped Christs feet with her hair and have pitied the ignorance of those men that threw their Garments under our Saviours Asses feet How many counted our Saviour himself a breaker of the Sabbath because they consulted not right reason and how many a Blasphemer because they knew not his authority Our Lord was not stanch enough for those that called him wine-bibber and the holy Baptist for his fasting and prayer had a Devil Have we no need of proving all things and take in all the lights and helps that God vouchsafes us Let not Reason Creed Scripture Christ all be against us for in the end they will be too hard for us FINIS

hath any way done and said to the Redemption of the world his immaculate Conception his Passion Resurrection Mission of the Spirit and the end of all the blessed Remission of our sins And thus we have a Little Creed at least And 't is evident that the very Institution of Christ points at a larger Form when he hath appointed all Baptized Persons to profess Belief in the Father Son and Holy Ghost S. Matth. xxviii Belief in their Names too which in the First Person cannot signifie less then God the Father Almighty Creator of the World and that 's all the Apostles Creed expresses and the Third Person the Holy Ghost cannot imply less then the Lord and Giver of Spiritual Life as the Nicene Creed hath it which yet the Apostles Creed spares to express It must not be denied but that the Antient Confessions of the Church of God in several places did not agree to every title or syllable the East and Western Church had several Forms as to this matter nay that of Aquileia in the same Italy differ'd saith Ruffinus from that at Rome But let it be considered that there was no Confession recited in publick but was in order to Baptisme yea and what presupposed a Larger Catechisme of the Novice into the Mysteries and Duties of Religion and then where will be the variety or will it not be fupplied out of the Principles premised to a perfect Agreement To illustrate this bating the Descent into Hell as the Romane Creed did and the Communion of Saints with Aquileia of which we cannot discourse here what is there in the Creed but is witnessed to have been there and naturally must be from the beginning For could any Confession leave out the Article of Remission of sin What and be a Confession in order to Baptisme Did any omit the Article of the Resurrection Nay 'T is confest none did and good reason too for without this Article our Religion were a Fable 1 Cor. xv 14 or the Incarnation of Jesus or his Death or coming to Judgment could any Confession or Catechisme leave these out Nay further Is it not natural for a new Convert in the day of his Addition to the Church to profess Sancta Ecclesia the Holy Church that was then descending into the Laver of Baptism the Sacrament of Initiation into that Church therefore Holy because none but the washed and the sanctified did enter Or was the word Catholique Church a new Addition as is pretended toward the prevention of Horesie this is but suspected by those that it may be consider not the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in S. Peters and S. James's Epistles But as to the thing it is evident they believed in the Apostolique and what is Apostolique throughout the World but Catholique What then if the Apostles Creed as it is call'd were not a Form agreed by them totidem syllabis yet the Effect and substance was agreed among them before ever they departed from Jerusalem to go preach to every Creature Do not the Church Monuments tell us so much See Ruffinus in Symbol S. Ambros ep 81. Hieron ep ad Pamach quoted by Vossius disp 1. sect 13. Nay you that will take the paines of a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem may be shewn the very place where the Fame says they made this Agreement See Mr Sandys and Mr Morisons Relations But why trifle we Did the Apostles trow ye preach Christ at Jerusalem And what is preaching of Christ but preaching such Articles concerning him his Dying for our sins Resurrection and Repentance unto Remission of sins Must we prove this out of Scripture Nothing more easie See Act. viii 5 cum 12. xxviii 31 1 Cor. i. 23 xv 12 Eph. vv 19 20. 1 Cor. iii. 2 Gal. iii. 1 Did not they then going abroad preach the same Christ and the same Gospel i. the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Bodie of Articles How is it called Eph. xv 5 One Faith indivisa in se divisa à quolibet alio What is meant by the Vnitie of that spirit which preacht Christ farr and near Eph. iv 3 And how is heed taken least they should preach 2 Cor. xi 4 several Jesuses any Form of Doctrine that should be dissonant from the Truth as a false scheme of the Grace of God Hence that of 1 Pet. v. 12 the true Grace of God wherein ye stand Did they preach the Name of Christ not the Thing Did they preach him any how or only did they protest but One saving way as the Truth is in Jesus Eph. iv 21 not introducing any false Article for then 't is a danger Christ may profit nothing Gal. v. 2 Nor omitting any true one especially that Great Article of REPENTANCE involved in Remishon of sins for the Apostle hopes whatever some may teach that His Charge will not learn Christ SO so falsely c. Eph. iv 19 What need we look for further presumtions when as Christs Institution is extant to his Apostles going to teach all Nations and to Baptize them Catechize them first into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost This only is enough to evidence it What is the issue then The summe of our Religion is a Rule then is the Creed also a Rule of Faith The first appears from several places of the Scripture You have obeyed from the heart that Form of Doctrine Rom. vi 17 That Form is the Rule of their Faith and Obedience A Rule I say of Faith for if any man shall teach contrary to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transgress that Rule he must be marked for one that causes Divisions and Herefies in the Church Rom. xvi 17 Yea if an Angel from heaven shal dare to do it he shall have his anathema as the Hereticks have Gal. i. Hence 't is expresly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Rule as I could make it out Gal. vi 16 The second appears from the illustrious Testimony of the Primitive uncorrupted Church in which solemnly and deliberately the Creed is noted as (a) Tertul. de Trin. Regula Fidei there being no other summe of Christianity extant but that And that you may see Tertullian lookt upon it as the Rule you shall finde him (b) advers Marcion l. 4. trying the Spirits and the Doctrines and the false Prophets yea and their false Gospels too by it To this purpose he formally repeats it to the Heretick as universally accepted from the beginning Marcion forsooth did believe a several God in the Old Testament and in the New and had a false Gospel coyn'd under the name of S. Luke This Antient Writer (c) Prax. contr P. de Virg. veland repels both because the Creed began I believe in One God c. And this was within lesse then (d) ab initio Evangelii decucurrisse advers Prax. 100 years after S. John the Evangelist And had not Saint John the Evangelist taught him and us this very Method of Examen who is