Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	unwritten_a	5,821	5	12.7929	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03465	The historie of Adam, or the foure-fold state of man, vvell formed in his creation, deformed in his corruption, reformed in Grace, and perfected in glory. By Mr. Henry Holland, late preacher at Saint Brides Church in London	Holland, Henry, 1555 or 6-1603.; Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1606 (1606)	STC 13587; ESTC S104152	275,758	386

of God which hath these holy properties Iames. 3.15.17 it is pure next peaceable sober tractable ful of mercie and good fruits without iudgeing or dissembling The Papists endeuor to defend the locall descension with traditions and authoritie of the Church some Protestants which hold this defend it or desire to doe it by Scripture And albeit both agree touching his descent yet they disagree touching the end of his descension The Popish tradicion or vnwritten veritie is that there bee foure chambers in hell The first is purgatorie the second is the Limbo of the fathers beefore Christ the third is the Limbo of infants not baptised the fourth is the lowest place or hell of the damned Now they affirme forsooth that Christ went downe to the Limbo or lake where the Fathers were before his comming kept as it were in a barren drie cold wildernesse as in a prison for they spake of this place as of the porch or entrance into hell and they say they haue Scripture for it Psa 107.16.18 Zach. 9 11. Es 38.10 I answere first this popish inuention is farre from Scripture for wee neuer read of any such place or words tending to such a purpose Secondly the Scripture neuer speakes but of two places one for the elect and an other for the reprobate men and Angels thirdly as for Abrahams bosome it can not signifie either Purgatorie or any Limbo First for that there was ioy in Abrahams bosome but here as they say is none Secondly for the distance of place was so great betweene it and the hell of the damned Luke 16. that it can not bee any Limbo which as they say is so neere hell as if there were but an hedge betweene them Thirdly wee say the Fathers had the same Christ with vs. He. 13. the same faith Heb. 11. the same Sacraments in substance 1. Cor. 10.1.2.3 Ergo they had the same glory and therefore neuer came to Limbo Lastly it is cleerly auouched that the soules departed before Christ went to God that gaue them Eccles 12. The Protestants which defend a locall descention are of this iudgement for that they finde some Scriptures which seeme to serue well for this purpose The first Scripture which is most cited to this ende is 1. Pet. 3.19 Christ was quickned in spirit by the which spirit hee went and preached to the Spirits which are in prison First for this Scripture it is like that hee alludes here to that which is written Gen. 6. ver 3. My spirit shall not alwaies striue with man For it was the spirit of Christ which then preached by Noah and the ancient Patriarches before him against whom those Gigantine spirits of Cains progenie did so resist to their owne perdition I say therefore that the spirit of Christ which is here said to preach was not his soule but his God-head or the holy Ghost who proceedes from the Father and the Son And againe this is said here that this spirit did quicken him or rased him from the dead Now it is cleere that the holy Ghost quickned Christs dead body vniting his soule and body againe together in his resurrection and that by his owne almightie power Rom. 1.3.4 and 8.11 Further it is here said that he went to preach to the spirits that are in prison whereby they vnderstand the damned I answere take the words following which were disobedient in the dayes of Noah And now see what can they make of it But that he must goe preach to a few damned Ghosts and not to all in hell To be short then the meaning of this place is this that Christ in his eternall God-head did preach by Noah as by other Patriarches vnto the soules that are now in prison which in the dayes of Noah were men liuing on the earth at which time Christ did preach vnto them and neuer since The same Apostle hath the like speech 1. Eph. chap. 4. ver 6. Vnto this purpose was the Gospell preached vnto the dead The second Scripture most vrged for this purpose is the place before cited Act. 2.37 Thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption I answere Saint Peters drift here is plaine hee alleadgeth this Scripture to proue the resurrection as ver 33. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ what spake he namely these words his soule was not left in hell Now I trust no man will say there is any resurrection of the soule The word Soule signifies often the whole person Rom. 13.1 1. Cor. 15.41 Reue. 20.14 1. Co 1.15.55 as Leu. The Soule that sinneth shall dye The word here translated Hell signifies also as often the graue And Peters opposition betweene Dauids graue and Christs hell is to be obserued for Dauid saw-corruption in his graue but Christ did not albeit hee were locked vp in the graue as sure as he for three dayes Quest 41. I pray you passe by all other arguments and controuersies concerning this Article and let mee heare your iudgement and beleefe plainely as you can and what vse you make of this faith Ans I must then passe ouer their iudgement also which take the word Hell for the extreeme hellish sorrowes which Christ suffred on the Crosse and in the Garden And I will doe so willingly for I trust none of them loue to bee contentious Yet to giue reason of my dislike of this acceptation I answere such as bee brethren on this wise breefly First that Christ in his death and before did suffer extreeme sorrowes and therefore the same set downe clearely before may not here bee obscurely repeted Secondly that his passions before death were inuisible and inexplicable not terrors but hellish torments his bloudy a Luk. 23.24 sweat his b Mat. 27.47 strong crying his c Heb. 5.7 amazednesse are cleare and most euident demonstrations I doe therefore iudge these words hee descended into hell are best vnderstood in the fourth acception of the word for by the graue or this word Hell that base condition of the body lying in the graue as it were in the dungeon and bondage of death is often vnderstood and in this state was Christ in the graue all which time the Diuell and the Iewes and death seemed to triumph ouer him for thus the Scripture speakes as of him Es 53.8 Hee was taken out from prison wherefore for a time hee lay as swadled in the bands of death so of his type Ionas cha 2. ver 2. In mine affliction haue I called vpon the Lord and he hath heard me from the belly of Hell haue I called vpon thee and thou hast heard my voyce And albeit Christ was exceedingly humbled on the crosse and accounted as one forlorne and forsaken of God yet the rage and madnesse of his enemies had not beene satisfied vnlesse hee had wholy lyen shut vp and bound vp in the graue For they were not quieted nor secure touching their victorie

concerning it in the Old and in the New Testament Mat. 18.16 If thy brother * Sinne against thee offend thee goe and tell him his sinne betweene thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast won thy brother Here wee bee to note two things first a rule that a brother must reproue a brother for priuate sinnes priuately and our brothers offence must be knowne and manifest vnto vs that we may giue him no causelesse or vniust reproofe for that is dangerous next a reason is added to performe this dut●e if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother that is if he reforme what is amisse by priuate admonition then art thou the Lords instrument to keepe him from perdicion and thou dost saue his soule from death Iames. 5.20 Secondly of this dutie speakes Saint Iude ver 20.21.22.23 But yee beloued edifie your selues in your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost and keepe your selues in the loue of God loking for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ vnto eternall life and haue compassion of some in putting difference and others saue with feare pulling them out of the fire and hate the garment spotted with the flesh This Scripture teacheth vs first to performe this dutie to brethren not to strangers secondly that when we reproue we labour also to instruct and to edifie such brethren in the faith of Christ thirdly that we adde feruent prayer to our priuate admonition Fourthly that wee watch carefully one of vs ouer an other Fiftly that wee labour for the spirit of iudgement to discerne betweene such as sinne of infirmitie and them which sinne of pride and malice Sixtly that we reproue the weake with all compassion and lenitie Seauenthly that we deale more roughly and seuerely with the proud Eightly that such as will admonish must bee vnspotted and blamelesse Thirdly of this dutie speakes Saint Paul to the Galathians 6. Chap ver 1. Brethren if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self least thou also be tempted Here againe we be taught first that this dutie is to be practised onely among brethren Secondly there is no exception of brethren of any degree or condiciō whatsoeuer but if he offend hee must beare a priuate admonition Thirdly that we must discerne what kinde of sinne and in what maner our brother is fallen whether hee bee preoccupied by men or Angels and so fallen by occasion into any fault or resting and lying in a sinne not beefore manifested Fourthly that a Christian reproofe must bee performed with the spirit of meekenesse Fiftly that a Godly wise admonition is by good art and skill to cure and to restore a member fallen and loosed out of ioynt into his right place againe Sixtly the argument annexed to performe this cure with the spirit of lenitie and loue is this consider well thy selfe it may bee thou maist also be tempted and fall in the like manner Fourthly againe of the same dutie writes the same Apostle to the Hebrues the 3. Chap. ver 12. Take heed brethren least there bee in any of you an euill hart and vnbeeleeuing to fall away from the liuing God but exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you bee hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Here note againe first euery brother offending must be admonished Secondly any brother may fall without Gods speciall grace and the watchfulnesse of the godly brethren into most dangerous sinnes and so by degrees into apostacie Thirdly admonition must bee continued throughout the whole course of our life Fiftly againe to the Thessalonians 2. Epistle 3.14.15 ver hee writes on this manner If any man obey not our saying note him with a letter and keepe no company with him that hee may bee ashamed yet count him not as an enemie but admonish him as a brother This Scripture is principally to bee vnderstood of the publike censures of the Church yet it commendeth vnto vs greatly as well priuate as publike admonition and teacheth vs that we may not conuerse with brethren when they fall away from the holy canons of apostolicall doctrine either to bee vicious in life or hereticall or schismaticall in iudgement Sixtly to all these places of the new Testament wee may adde this one place of the old Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me for that is a benefite and let him reproue me and it shall be a precious oyle that shall not break mine head for within a while I shall euen pray in their miseries or rather as Tremelius quò amplius fecerit eò amplius erit oratio mea in malis eorum id est quaecunque mala ab eis feram eò magis grato animo pro eis precabor Where note first the godly christian must delight in admonition and remember that the wounds of a louer are faithfull and the kisses of an enemie vnpleasant Secondly hee that will recouer another by admonition he must be a righteous man himselfe and of good report in the Church of God Thirdly an admonition is as a sharpe corrosiue to our corruption smiting lancing and piercing deepely but by degrees it will appeare a most soueraigne balme to cure euen very rotten and festered vlcers in vs. Fourthly the Godly being admonished seeke vnto God by heartie and vnfained prayers and thanksgiuing for themselues and their brethren which haue done this cure vpon them Quest 97. Now describe this dutie of christian admonition according to the Scriptures Ans Christian admonition is a holy action performed by a brother proceeding from faith loue tending to awake and cure any brother offending carefully respecting the rules of pietie and the qualitie of the offence First wee say that an admonition is either priuate or publike Secondly for persons admonishing and reprouing Persons admonishing it is cleere this dutie appertaines to all degrees and states of men superiours inferiours equals carefully respecting the rules of faith and godlinesse as after shall bee shewed Thirdly the person admonished Persons admonished wee see by the consent of all the Scriptures hee must euer bee our brother professing with vs the Gospell of Christ no stranger wee haue nothing to doe to iugde or censure or to admonish them which are without 1. Cor. 5.12 Fourthly wee must account euery one a brother Who a brother which makes in the visible Church the same profession with vs being accepted into the same couenant with vs sealing it with the Sacrament of Baptisme according to Christs holy institution making profession with vs to renounce the Diuell the world and the flesh and promising to liue in faith and obedience of the Gospell of Iesus Christ The first distinction of brethren Fiftly euery brother is eyther true or false Sixtly true brethren are such and so to bee accounted as professe the faith of Christ and in all singlenes and vprightnesse of heart walke before men euer

hath in his humanitie so assumed all the essentiall properties of mans nature that he is become in all things like vnto vs. Heb. 2.17 sinne onely excepted for hee hath so personally vnited vnto himselfe our nature that wee can not say properly of his passion that onely the bare humanitie suffered which yet is onely passible but this wee are to say that the person which is very God hath suffred in our nature Fiftly and lastly I must not beleeue that the Lord Christ assumed our nature as hee did sometimes vnder the Law beefore his incarnation take to him the forme of man and Angell for a time but retaines still and for euer Christ God man for euer the very body and soule of man howbeit now glorified for the Apostle saith our Mediator not onely was but also is the man Christ Iesus 1. Tim. 2.5 liuing for euer to make intercession for vs. Heb. 7.25 Rom. 8.34 Consolations following this Faith concerning Christs pure Conception Incarnation and this inspeakeable vnion of natures in this one sacred person are these 1 Christ a comfortable and fit Mediator First I vnderstand and conceiue hee is a most fit Aduocate to his Father being very God and a most comfortable Mediator for me beeing very man well acquainted with all my greuances and one I may boldly draw neere vnto Heb. 2.16.17.18 and 4.16 Secondly I conceiue also that hee hath beene so acquainted in our flesh with our temptations that he hath a speciall experience of our infirmities in his owne sacred person 2 Christ had experience of our infirmities not that the Sonne of God had need of our affections and temptations to make him mercifull vnto vs but for that we can best perswade our selues of his mercy when we learne that hee hath beene acquainted with our passions Quest 29. Tell me now breefly what meane you by the properties of the humane and diuine nature and by the communication or coniunction of properties Ans When I say and beleeue that Christ did assume all the essentiall properties of mans nature I meane hee tooke not onely the soule and body of man but also euery qualitie and adiunct thereunto appertaining excepting sinne for he had the vnderstanding the reason the will and all the affections of man without sinne being made like his brethren in all things Heb. 2.17 Secondly againe when I beleeue and say Christ doth retaine still all the properties of his diuine nature that Christ did retaine in this personall vnion of both natures all the properties of his diuine nature I meane these and the like that hee was this very person now God and man Eternall Almightie Incomprehensible Immutable most Perfect for these and the like bee the properties of the diuine nature Thirdly Communication of properties the communication of these properties as Diuines speake for the better vnderstanding of some Scriptures vttered concerning this sacred person it this when wee ascribe that which is proper vnto one nature vnto the other because of the aforesaid personall vnion of both natures as when the Apostle saith Act. 20.28 God hath purchased the Church with his owne bloud This maner of speaking is with respect to this vnion and herein that which is proper to the humane nature is ascribed vnto the diuine for that this sacred person which did this great worke with his owne bloud is very God But here wee bee also to obserue that there is no communication of the essentiall properties of these natures but in concreat only as Logicians speake not in the abstract as we may say truely and according to the doctrine of Godlinesse that God dyed for vs but wee may not say therefore the Deitie dyed for vs. Quest 30. Tell mee yet more succinctly what diuine reasons haue you to shew the necessitie of this that our Mediator must bee very God and very man and that these two natures must thus admirably bee vnited together and his conception so pure Ans First breefly for the first hee must bee very God 1. Christ our mediator must be very God First because hee had receiued a charge from his Father which did require an infinite power to wit by his merits and vertue to saue the elect for it was needfull that his price should ouer-prise our sinnes Secondly if hee had not beene very God hee could not haue ouercome death Rom. 1.3.4 Thirdly for that it behooued him also to ouercome and kill sinne and death in vs euen in our consciences Ioh. 5. 24.25 and to quicken vs. Rom. 8.11 by giuing vs the spirit of faith to apprehend all his merits and to apply the same vnto our selues Now who can giue the holy Ghost but God himselfe Luke 11.13 Lastly hee was to loosen and to destroy all the accursed works of * 1. Ioh. 3.7.8 Mat. 12.2 Christ our blessed mediator must be very man Sathan in vs. Secondly and for the second point hee must be very man First that God might declare his vnchangeable iustice and hatred of sinne and his inspeakable loue and mercie to the elect the first hee sheweth in punishing sin in his owne Sonne the second hee declareth in that hee punisheth not our sinnes in our selues but in an other Secondly that we might conceiue rightly of the brotherly affection of our Mediator towards vs and how that hee which sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are all one Thirdly for that God had confirmed it with an oth that the Messias should come of the loines of Dauid Psal 133. and 89. and of the seed of the woman according to the Gospell preached in the beginning in paradise Gen 3.15 Thirdly for the third poynt this I beleeue and auouch breefly that saluation could not haue beene obtained for man vnlesse the nature of God and man were vnited together in one person First because otherwise this work had not beene performed by the bloud of the Sonne of God and so it had beene insufficient for vs. Secondly beecause the humanitie of Christ could neuer haue borne that punishment for sinne Thirdly Saluation thus obtained could neuer haue beene maintained but that these natures bee thus knit together for that Christ is and must bee the pledge of our reconciliation for euer Psal 110.1 Mat. 22.44 Fourthly by this meanes we haue as it were kinred with God in Iesus Christ who is become our Immanuel God with vs or God manifest in our flesh Mat. 1.1 Tim. 3.16 Fourthly for the fourth and last branch of the question I say and beeleeue that it was necessary that our Lord and Sauiour should bee pure without the staine of sinne in his conception and that the holy Ghost in this great work did so prouide First for that the most glorious and diuine nature of God could neuer else bee vnited vnto the humane Secondly for that a sinner could neuer haue beene accepted to make this attonement or to offer vp any sacrifice for sinne Thirdly for that hee could not haue