Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	age_n	church_n	tradition_n	3,033	5	9.4226	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19459	A briefe ansvver vnto certaine reasons by way of an apologie deliuered to the Right Reuerend Father in God, the L. Bishop of Lincolne, by Mr. Iohn Burges wherin he laboureth to prooue, that hauing heretofore subscribed foure times, and now refusing (as a thing vnlawfull) that he hath notwithstanding done lawfully in both. Written by VVilliam Couell, Doctor in Diuinitie.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1606 (1606)	STC 5880; ESTC S108879	108,616	174

the present intention of our Church I dare not subscribe to such an vse of priuate Baptisme neither to the former Rubrick which being capable of a good sense may also be taken and hereafter pleaded vnder our subscriptions in a bad one ANSVVER WE cannot but wish that the holy pretenders of zeale had so much discretion that those things were iustly blameable for which they are so willing to forsake the executiō of their deuine function so boldly without consciēce to transgresse the lawful ordinatiōs of a religious King whose cōmaundements eyther to limit to their owne fancies or to censure after those opinions which they apprehēd to be vertuous iust were both to cōmit an act neuer warrantable in any age and to vsurp vpon that throne which they must not touch all men that liue in the bosome of a Church whose peace to thē ought to be dearer then 1000. liues are to be caried with that charity towards the doctrine lawes which it publikly professeth or wherwith it is well gouerned that all indeuors of reconcilement are to be bēded to this scope to make it seeme both to teach to gouern like the Church of Christ for there is nothing of that euidēce in the word of god nor euer was of that vse in the family of Gods house which oppositiō vnbridled could not peruert or vnhallowed boldnes misconster there is nothing left vpō earth to the Church of greater vse then the Sacramēts whose chiefest force vertue cōsisteth in this that they are heauēly ceremonies which God hath sāctified ordained to be administred in his Church first as marks to know when God doth impart his vitall or sauing grace of Christ vnto all that are capable therof secondly as means conditionall which God requireth in thē vnto whom he imparteth grace for as elswhere we haue noted It must needs be a great vnthankfulnes easily breed contēpt to ascribe only that power to thē to be but as seales and that they teach but the mind by other senses as the word doth by hearing which if it were al what reasō hath the Church to bestow any Sacramēt vpō infants who as yet for their years are not capable of any instructiō ther is therfore of Sacramēts vndoutedly some more excellent heauenly vse Sacramēts by reason of their mixt nature are more diuersly interpreted disputed of thē any other part of religiō besides for that in so great store of properties belōging to the self same thing as euery mans wit hath takē hold of some especial consideratiō aboue the rest so they haue accordingly giuē their censure of the vse necessity of thē for if respect be had to the duty which euery cōmunicant doth vndertake we may cal thē truly bonds of our obedience to God strict obligations to the mutual exercise of christiā charity prouocatiōs to godlines preseruations from Sin memorials of the principall benefits of Christ. If we respect the time of their institution they are annexed for euer vnto the new Testament as other rites were before to the old If we regard the weaknes that is in vs they are warrāts for the more security of our beleefe If we compare the receiuers with those that receiue thē not they are works of destinction to separate Gods own from strangers in those that receiue thē as they ought they are tokens of Gods gracious presence wherby men are taught to know what they cannot see for Christ his holy spirit with all their blessed effectes though entring into the soule of man we are not able to apprehend or expresse how do notwithstanding giue notice of the times when they vse to make their accesse because it pleaseth Almighty God to cōmunicate by sēsible means those blessings which are incōprehensible seeing therfore that grace is a cōsequent of Sacramēts a thing which accōpanieth thē as their end a benefit which he that hath receiueth from God himself the author of Sacramēts not frō any other naturall or supernaturall quality in them It may be hardly both vnderstood that Sacraments are necessary and that the manner of their necessitie to life supernaturall is not in all respects as meat drink and such like vnto naturall life because they containe in themselues no vitall force or efficacy but they are duties of seruice and worship which vnlesse we performe as the author of grace requireth they are vnprofitable For all receiue not the grace of God which receiue the Sacraments of his grace neither is it ordinarily his wil to bestow the grace of sacraments vpon any but by the Sacraments which grace also they that receiue by Sacraments or with Sacraments receiue it from him and not from them for as Hugo saith These do not giue that which is giuen by these and yet ordinarily as necessary to receiue these as those graces are necessary which we receiue by these so that Baptisme though it be not a cause of grace yet the grace which is giuen by Baptisme doth so farre depend vpon the very outward Sacrament as that God will haue it imbraced as a necessary means whereby we receiue the same and howsoeuer we dare not iudge those that in in some cases do want it for the want of it yet we may boldly gather that he whose mercy now vouchsafeth to bestow the means hath also long since intended vs that wherunto they lead so that we think in this discourse of yours concerning priuate the necessity of baptisme that some things are misunderstood some things misconstrued and some things false misunderstood where you make this to be the opinion of our Church that all who are Baptised must necessarily be saued or of the contrary whereas it is but vnderstood as eyther man hath euidence left to direct his iudgement or the Church hath power to admit into the house of GOD. And for others who want this Sacrament although wee cannot Iudge of the secret election of God yet we haue reason to feare a denyall of that Grace where we see a manifestation of the want of the meanes appointed for the obtaining of it for doubtlesse as one noteth the sacrament of Baptisme in respect of God the author of the institution may admit dispensation but in regard of vs who are tyed to obey there is an absolute necessitie for it is in the power of God without these to saue but it is not in the power of man without these to come to saluation And yet our Church holdeth constantly and truely notwithstanding your doubts as well touching other beleeuers as Martyrs that Baptisme taken away by ne●necessity taketh not away the necessity of Baptisme but is supplyed by the desire thereof For as the visible signe may be without true holinesse so the inuisible sanctification saith S Austin may sometimes be without the visible signe and yet these are no reasons either to debarre the Church from imposing priuate Baptisme vpon great peril from this

is worship And againe it is confessed by the learned that in dedication of the Temple at Hielrusaem mens houses the Priests the Altars or whatsoeuer was dedicated 〈◊〉 Gods seruice or protection the very ceremonies as being then built vpon a word of God were parts of Gods worship and concluded against the Popish dedicating ceremonies that we now may vse no other means or rites of dedication then the word Sacramēts thanksgiui●g and prayers such as Constantine onely vsed at the dedication of the Temple which he built at Hierusalem Add hereto that the Papists which abound in significant ceremonies for dedication do hold them all to be meane and parts of Gods worship finally yet if he that dedicated an Altar to an Idol were as Austine saith the worshipper of an Idol in that dedication thē they that dedicate a child vnto God are in that dedication worshippers of God and then the means of that dedication must be the means of his worship which for man to deuise de nouo and impose is to teach for doctrine mens traditions ANSVVERE THere is no plea we so willingly heare as that which striueth for the sincerity of Gods worship for that being mans duety and happinesse yet because easily corrupted least of all permitted to mans liberty God hauing prescribed an exact forme how hee will be honored wee ought all of vs both to search out and to further those holy obseruations which are free from superstition do serue vnto this end To dedicate the infant by this signe to Christ is to make this signe say you a meanes whereby Christ is worshipped and so will-worshippe is raised repugnant to the word of GOD a thing surely not fit either to bee commanded or performed by any that are vertuous in our Church It seemeth that in this more then ordinary curiosity of zeale you haue neither rightly waighed what it is to dedicate in that sense which the Church taketh it nor how many and of what nature are the parts of externall diuine worship For euery action referred to God of which kinde pearaduenture this is not to set out any part of our deuotion and duety to him is not of necessity worship for as in Baptisme wee are incorporat into the death of christ which was ignominious vpon the crosse so by this signe we doe externally testifie to the world that we haue cōmended our selues for it doth not please you to say dedicated vnto his seruice of whose death merit and profession we are not nor euer purpose to bee ashamed all which wee testifie by signing this signe in the seat of shame without any proportion or resemblance with diuine worship Only we acknowledge as D. Whitakers noteth that this is an anciēt ceremony from the first beginning almost of Religion and the christian church the reason wherof as hee noteth was this Vt Christiani qui tum inter Ethnicos viuebant qui a fide alienissimi essent sese omni ratione Christianos esse declararent atque testarentur publice That christians who then liued amongst the Heathen and such as were aliens from the faith might publickly restifie and declare themselues that they were christians For with this signe by reason of the contempt of the crosse which all others had the christians were accustomed to marke and signe themselues as with the ensigne of their owne profession which being the custome of those times as Doctor Whitakers noteth and no more then is performed at this day wee cannot but wonder at the cauelling of such as make it any part of Diuine worshippe and at the peeuishnesse of those who from hence would conclude a will-worship inuented from humane reason All men may knowe that there was vnto the Iewes and so is and shall bee in all Churches vntill the end of the world besides the Sacraments in the externall worshippe sacrifices oblations and such like which are not the inuentions of men but traditions of the church which in matters of this nature hath authority to appoint daies places and things furtherances and parts though not of the immediate yet in a large phrase of the externall worshippe of God of which external worship some parts belong to obedience doing and fulfilling the morall precepts some other to the obseruation of outward ceremonies and yet euen these are not all of one nature nor of equall nearnes to the principall parts of the outward worshippe for the ceremoniall worshippe which hath and shall bee in the Church in all ages consisting in things and actions is thus distinguished into those wherein the worshippe consisteth into those which are annexed to it These amongst the Iewes were Temples Altars Persons Garments Vessels Times and such like but with vs as one noteth they are for number fewer for signification more famous for vertue more excellent for● obseruation more easie And howsoeuer wee can bee content to say and thinke that it is not lawfull to worshippe God with any other externall and ceremoniall worshippe then is warranted in his word by his owne allowance yet if any thing bee varied which is not commaunded of God or added not as essentiall but accidentall and not as necessarie but as indifferent pertaining to comelinesse order and edification wee cannot thinke that there is any change in the worship commaunded nor any new worship brought in without warrant For example Christ celebrated the Supper at e●ening the Apostles and the Church after thē in the morning shall wee say therefore any thing is added or detracted in this Sacrament no because Christ did not command that this should be celebrated in the euening as he did but only that we should do that which hee did not at that time wherein hee did it so that the auncient Church as wee may reade in Iustin Martyr mingling and delaying the wine with water did not therefore or thereby change the institution of the Supper whereof there may be a twofolde reason one that the wine which Christ gaue to his disciples might be so allaid for any thing wee knowe seeing the Apostles haue set nothing downe to the contrarie and therefore probable that the ancient Church receiued it from them Secondly because the ancient Church did not adde ●his in the Sacrament as an essētiall necessary thing pertaining to the substance of the Supper but as accidentall to signifie a mysterie the like may bee saide of many things in Baptisme where either by adding or detracting to alter things otherwise not essentiall in Baptisme and therein stil following the lawes and ceremonies of that Church wherein wee liue is not to change either the sacrament of Christ or to prophane it by addition of any wil-worship to ordaine then new diuine worshippe is to adde vnto his word which thing is not lawfull seeing the word is necessarie bindeth the conscience deliuereth the substance of diuine worshippe and hath nothing in it expressed indifferent Now to adde hereunto is to ordaine somewhat as a thing absolutely

necessary pertaining to the essence of worshippe and which so bindeth the conscience as the word it selfe and therefore they adde not to the word which by the consent of the Church do ordaine any ceremony in the externall worship obseruing the limitations of order comlinesse and edification not as necessary but as a thing indifferent and free binding the conscience not out of the qualitie of the thing but onely from hence that it is commaunded for as there are as the schoolemen say somethings which are mala quia prohibita somethings which are prohibita quia mala so there are some things mandata quia necessaria some things necessaria quia mandata of which kinde in Baptisme we account the crosse But as wee neither allowe vnmeete nor purpose the stiffe defence of any vnnecessarie custome heretofore vsed in Baptisme so wee knowe not yet any reason why infants should be the worse if at their first admission into the Church of Christ if at the time when they are deliuered as it were vnto Gods owne possession for the Church and euery member thereof as Master Zanchy noteth ought first of all to offer it selfe to God ceremonies fit to betoken such intents be vsuall with vs as in the purest times they haue beene Hereby putting the whole congregation in mind that the Infant thus admitted into the church hath by the promise of his ●ue●ties renounced all obedience to the enemies of God surrendered vp himselfe for euer vnto his seruice who suffered for his redemption vpon the cros This being then our innouation and the beginning of that profession wherein wee purpose to continew to our liues end to haue either besides the thing which is Baptisme a significant signe which is the crosse or to call it a dedication seeing the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by the olde translatour of the Bible sometimes translated dedico sometimes initio or innouor which Quintinus obserued at the fift canon of the councell of Gangren cannot be in my opinion from the word Dedicate to make the crosse any part of diuine worship for though our dedication bee not such as the dedication of the Temple was and therefore the comparison vnfitly alledged in this place yet godly men as P. Martyr noteth are then visibly consecrated vnto God when they be washed in holy Baptisme and hereof to haue a signe externally to signifie their intention or this signe to bee the crosse cannot in any reasonable construction bee the inuention of a wil-worship And if this signe bee lesse lawfull at this time by the blemish it may seeme to receiue from Popery It is not impossible but that sometimes they may iudge as rightly what is decent about such externall affaires of God as in some greater things what is true The Hebrewes did dedicate and initiate their things not by simple and bare words but by adding of outward rites signes I meane and tokens which might bee seene not that they taught any holinesse or diuine quality to bee in those things for seeing it is in the soule these are not capable of it but so they thought because the rites beeing instituted by GOD whose authoritie in this case the Church now hath those things which were consecrated might become instruments of the holy spirit by which the faith of men might bee stirred vp this is the opinion of P. Martyr Seeing then our dedication as shall appeare afterward is not as you imagine wee conclude that it is neither vnlawful for the church to adde ceremonies significant in this kinde as accidentall parts of the externall worshippe nor though wee yet graunt you not so much vnlawfull amongst those for to account the crosse beeing neither by our church esteemed as a meanes of diuine worshippe nor imposed for Doctrine being but the tradition of men APOLOGIE IF the childe bee dedicated by this signe then either initiated as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 importeth or consecrated hereby as the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the former then Baptisme is made void if the latter then the crosse is operatiue and to say trueth in vse of speach to dedicate vnto holy vse and to consecrate is all one nor can it bee replyed that dedicated is as much as declared to bee dedicated though if it were so this signe should come into a needles office yea into that for whih Baptisme was ordained for beside that the phrase is not vsed the verie words of the Canon do reiect that sense by confessing our Dedication by this signe to be such as the ancient fathers before Popery did vse Now it is plaine that sauing the verie point of adoration and worship with which popery crowned this Idoll there is nothing ascribed to the crosse in or out of Baptisme by the ranckest Papists but the fathers are as deeply ingaged in the same So if we vse it as the fathers wee hold it to be so necessary for our defence as was the bloud of the passouer vpon the Israelites posts or as the marke on their foreheads in the ninth of Ezechiell without which none can be safe For so did the fathers and we take the soule to be fenced by the crossing of the body and the crosse to haue vertue of consecrating the sacramēt or the childe of driuing away diuels witchcraft and diseases of strengthing against temptations And if we will excuse the fathers by saying they spake thus relatiuè with reference to the crosse of Christ and his death neither will all their speaches heare this releefe nor haue we at all distanced them from the Papists who say as much for themselues and then what Popish superstition is that from which we haue purged it Specially if his maiestie were truely informed at the conference that in Ba●tisme the Papists neuer ascribe any power or spirituall grace therto as indeed he was not witnesse their writers and how either skilfully or negligently haue we vnder the faier name of the Primitiue and Apostolicall Churches reduced it to that vse of holinesse and consecration which in the name of the Papists could not haue beene borne I confesse my Lord I had rather thinke some committies to whom the penning of this Canon was betrusted to haue failed therin then misdeeme all that reuerend assembly to haue intended such a meaning But so long as this interpretation stands as the mi●de of our Church I shall feare it iustly knowing how vnder the couert of phrases the maine points of trueth haue beene surprised and therefore may be againe So I conclude that as the Israelites bore that alter for a signe which for Sacrificing they could not haue suffered so for a simple significatiue signe I could haue borne that of the crosse which for an altar of dedication I cannot approoue ANSERE WHILST some men in the sincerity of an vpright minde haue laboured with humility to giue satisfaction to contentious spirits both those persons runne more speedily from vs whom wee