Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	according_a	church_n	discipline_n	2,858	5	9.0169	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69765	Some reflections on that part of a book called Amyntor, or, The defence of Milton's life, which relates to the writings of the primitive fathers and the canon of the New Testament in a letter to a friend.	Clarke, Samuel, 1675-1729.	1699 (1699)	Wing C4560A; ESTC R15286	14,145	50

majus aliquid homine in C●r●sto agnovisse hoc quidem tempore constanter nec sine magnis argumentis negant Scriptores antiqui Grot. in Mat. 4.3 Grotius not without good Grounds denied the Devil to have known any thing at first of the great Mystery of the Incarnation will not for this passage condemn Ignati us of Ignorance 3. The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippiaus is a very valuable Monument of Antiquity containing nothing in it unworthy the Character of so great a Father * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Hist l 4. c. 14. ex Irenaeo Irenaeus calls it a most compleat Epistle out of which they that are careful of their own Salvation may learn what was the Belief of that Apostolical Man and what the form of sound Doctrine which he delivered in his Preaching 4. The Pastor of Hermas is a Book full of very excellent Moral Instructions delivered for the the most part in easie and natural Similitudes and these also explained at large to the apprehension of the meanest capacities For which reason though it was not received into the Canon of Scripture yet as Eusebius testifies it * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Hist l. 4. c. 3. was judged by the Ancients a most necessary Book especially for those who were to be instructed in the first Principles of Religion and was therefore accordingly read in Churches And Origen who was far from being an ignorant Man judges it to be a * In Rom. 16 14. most useful Book But Mr. T. saith it is the silliest Book in the World Why he should think so I cannot apprehend unless it be because there are here and there some few odd Passages scattered in it very different from our modern way of Writing which perhaps he can single out and expose And so there is hardly any Book extant in the World which a witty Man may not turn into ridicule All the Objections which I think have been hitherto made to this Book are these That * Libri fabulosi sunt in quibus contra Apostolicum consensum adstruitur Liberum Arbitrium una Paenitentia Solitudo Monastica quod memoratu dignum purgatorium ab anu quâdam in visione tertiâ prosertui Scultetus de Script Apoch it contains fabulous Visions That it makes too much for Free-will That it assigns to every Man two Angels That it favours the Novations in allowing but one Repentance That it favours Monkish Solitude and that it speaks of Purgatory The three first of these Objections we shall consider immediately But the three latter are so directly false that one would wonder how prejudice could possibly be so strong as to make Men see in any Author those things of which there is not the least syllable or hint in the whole Book That the Visions contained in it are fabulous we ought not to say unless we be sure either that God never afforded any Visions to the first Christians or that these Visions have some particular Circumstances which prove that they could not come from God But if it were so yet taking that which is used in this Book to be no other than a Parabolical way of Writing wherein the Church is introduced as representing its own Doctrine and Discipline to a Person in a Vision it ought not to be stiled fabulous any more than * Parable of the Pilgrim of the Prodigal c. other Books of that kind which are written in our Age. That maintaining the freedom of Mans Will in the sense that Hermas asserts it is a good Objection against a Book I suppose neither Mr. T. nor any Man else at this time of day will contend That Hermas assigns to every particular Man two Angels if the Titles of the Chapters were of any Authority could not indeed be questioned But in the Book it self there is no such thing expresly affirmed All that the Author there says is only in general That * Duo sunt nuntii cum homine unus aequitatis unus iniquitatis Mandat 6. there are two Angels with Man one of Righteousness the other of Iniquity and that when good thoughts arise in a Mans heart then the Angel of Righteousness that is some good spirit is with him and when evil thoughts arise in his heart then the Angel of Iniquity that is some evil spirit tempts him Which perhaps is no more than what all Christians believe So that Cotel●rius in his Notes upon the place might have spared the pains of proving other Fathers to have been of the same opinion with Hermas till he had shown that these words do necessarily signifie that Hermas himself was of that Opinion That Hermas by allowing but One Repentance for great and scandalous Crimes favours the Novatians whose Heresie consisted in allowing no other Repentance at all than that of Baptism is so far from being true that he in express words opposes his One Repentance to Baptism and says more for the validity and efficacy of that after-Repentance for Crimes committed by Baptized Christians in this one little Book than perhaps is to be found in all the other Wrirers of the three first Centuries put together insomuch that Tertullian after he turned Montanist and had embraced the Opinion of the Novatians * Cederem tibi si scriptvra Pastoris quae sola maechos amat non ab omni concilio Ecclesiarum inter Apocrypha falsa judicaretur adultera ipsa inde patrona sociorum De Pudicitia exclaims with all imaginable bitterness against this Book for that very reason because it was more favourable than any other Book then extant in allowing Repentance to Adulterers after Baptism which the Novatians denied That this Book favours Monkish Solitude is also so far from being true that on the contrary it even expresly allows † Mandat 4. Second Marriages which was more than most Writers of that Age were willing to do Lastly So far is this Writer from establishing the Doctrine of Purgatory that there is not one syllable about it in the whole Book All the places where he speaks of Mens undertaking many hardships and so purging themselves from their sins being as plainly meant of the Penances to be gone through according to the then established Discipline of the Church as 't is possible for any thing to be expressed by words 5. The Epistle of Barnabas was very much esteemed among the Antients And though it must indeed be confessed that it contains some very strange and allegorical Interpretations of Scrigture yet he that considers how much that manner of Interpretation was antiently in use among the Jews in their Targums and how many important truths were that way conveyed so that the Apostles themselves in their arguing with the Jews did often make use of it as we see in their uncontroverted Writings I say whosoever considers these things will rather chuse modestly to suspend his Judgment than rashly to upbraid this Author with the Terms of foolish and

a large passage out of his Epistle to the Romans which passage is now extant word for word in that Epistle being published with the rest above-mentioned And that all the Epistles now extant under these Titles are the same with those mentioned by the Antients is sufficiently proved by the very Learned Bishop Pierson in his Vindiciae Cotelerius and others 3. The Epistle of Polycarp to to the Philippians is mentioned by † Lib. 3. c. 3. Irenaeus that knew him living and by * Hist l. 3. c. 36. Eusebius † In Catalogo c. Hierom and others whose Testimonies set down at large by Cotelerius I need not transcribe And that the Epistle now extant under his Name at least the greatest part of it is the Genuine one is acknowledged by * See Dr. Wakes Genuine Epistles and Coteler not 1. in Epistolas Ignatii all Writers eminent for Judgment and Learning 4. The Pastor of Hermas is incontestably a most antient work being cited by almost all the Primitive Fathers extant that lived in or near the second Century viz. by † L. 2. 4. 6. Irenaeus by * De Orat. c. 12. de Pudic. Tertullian by † Hom. 8. num lib. 1 2. 3. de Princip Comment in Mat. Hom. 37. in Luc. multisque aliis in locis Origen by Clem. Alexand. c. whose Testimonies are set down at large by Nicol. de Nourry at the end of his Apparatus ad Bibliothecam maximam veterum Patrum and praefixed to the Oxford Edition of Hermas and to that of Cotelerius Whether the Author of this book be the same Hermas that is mentioned by St. Paul though it is affirmed by many of the best and most judicious writers yet is it not so certain nor of such consequence that we should be obliged to defend it 5. The Epistle of Barnabas is also without controversie antient a work of the Apostolick Age being quoted by almost all the * Clem. Alex. Strom. 2. Strom. 5. Origen contra Cels lib. 6 c. Primitive Fathers as you may see by the Testimonies set down at large in all the same Authors with the Testimonies concerning Hermas Upon these great Authorities then though we cannot be absolutely sure that these Writings are Genuine yet we may well conclude and believe them to be so notwithstanding the suspitions which some have raised to the contrary There are also sundry other Arguments which may be drawn from the simplicity of the stile and way of arguing used in these Writings agreeable to the custom of the Age in which they are supposed to be written from the conformity of the matters contained in them to the Doctrine and Discipline of those times and from the exact Agreement of all the Quotations of the most antient Authors to the Copies extant at this day All which taken together afford so good Reason to believe these Books to be genuine that whosoever considers them may very well wonder at the confidence of Mr. T. who is pleased to affirm that 't is the easiest Task in the World to prove all these Writings spurious and fraudulently imposed upon the credulous II. Secondly Though these Writings are not received as of the same Authority with the Canonical Books of the New Testament yet ought they to have a proportionable Veneration paid to them both with respect to the Authors and to the Writings themselves Clemens was a Companion of the Apostles and Ignatius and Polycarp their immediate Successors and if the Authors of the Epistle of Barnabas and of the Pastor of Hermas were not the same with the Fellow-Labourers and Contemporaries of the Apostles known by those Names yet are they so undeniably antient being certainly of the first Age as to challenge all the respect that can possibly be due to any Writers upon the account of Antiquity And as to the Writings themselves though Mr. T. will not be persuaded to grant with the Learned Dr. † In his Discourse of the Authority of the genuine Epistles p. 175. Wake that they contain the true and pure Faith of Christ without the least Errour intermixt with it yet this we may be bold to affirm that in general they are so far from betraying either the Ignorance or Superstition of their Authors which Mr. T so confidently charges them with that they contain a very good account of that Doctrine and Dicipline of the purest ages of the Church which all learned and good Christians heartily wish could be restored at this day 1. The Epistle of Clemens is stiled by Eusebius as I have already observed a great and admirable Epistle and was publickly read in the Christian Churches both before and in his time And indeed it does not at all come short of the highest Praises which the Ancients have given to it being a Piece composed with such an admirable spirit of Love and Charity of Zeal towards God and of concern for the Church of the most excellent exhortations delivered with the greatest plainness and simplicity of speech and yet pressed many times with such moving eloquence too that I cannot imagin what could have been desired in such an spistle more proper for the end for which it was composed what could have been written more becoming an Apostolical age and the Pen of one of the most eminent Bishops of it Thus the Learned Dr. Wake His making the Scarlet thread hung out by Rahab to the Spies a Type of the Blood of Christ however it may possibly seem strange to such as Mr. T. was yet in the Opinion of the Ancients very agreeable to the Tenour of the Scripture and particularly to that Type of the Scarlet Wool wherewith the Blood of the Sacrifice was sprinkled on the People under the Law Heb. 9.19 The History of the Phaenix mentioned in this Epistle is confessedly a Fable But he that considers that it was a Story at that time generally told and believed as Tacitus largely relates and that the best of Men never had any assurance of being preserved from vulgar and innocent Errors will not be hasty in censuring an excellent Man and an excellent Book for making such a vulgar error the Topick of a Popular Argument 2. The Epistles of Ignatius are written indeed in a plain simple and unaffected stile as are most of the Books of the Holy Scripture it self but whatever Mr. T. says there is nothing in them either of ignorance or Superstition unless a Firm belief of Divine Revelation must be esteemed Ignorance and a strict Observance of the Laws of Christ is to be called Superstition One Passage indeed there is in his Epistle to the Ephesians which Mr. T. cannot but smile at viz. that the Virginity of Mary and her delivery was kept in secret from the Prince of this World But he that considers the manner of our Saviour's temptation and how the Ancients constantly and in the judgment of the very Learned * Sanè Diabolum