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
A60563	A pacifick discourse of the causes and remedies of the differences about religion, which distract the peace of Christendom	Smith, Thomas, 1638-1710.	1688 (1688)	Wing S4226; ESTC R3425	22,287	40

business or curiosity of travelling brought Christians of different nations together upon the first acknowledgement of this faith which shewed that they were Christians they run into each others embraces and found that they agreed in the same points of religion as if they had been bred up under the same masters and had spent their whole time together And indeed it could scarce be otherwise through the piety innocence zeal and constancy of those times not as if there were no opinions started about which they might have different sentiments for that in such great variety and disproportion of understanding and temper was scarce possible but they held fast to the Apostolical doctrine and tradition and provided that their faith in Christ was entire and orthodox in lesser matters liberty of judgment was allowed without censure No one was oppressed with unjust suspicions and prejudices they shunned not such an ones company as if he had been excommunicated but received and embraced him as a Brother and fellow Christian. The holy Apostles who by their unwearied diligence and preaching had form'd and establisht Churches every where that they might make just provisions for the Christians of all ages after their decease thought it highly concerned them to commit to writing the doctrine of faith which they had taught that in case any doubt should arise in aftertimes and new doctrines should be introduced by wanton and over curious wits desirous and over apt to innovate in matters of religion under a pretense of Apostolical tradition these infallible oracles might be consulted as the measure and standard of divine truth Accordingly to these sacred writings they had recourse as to the only rule of faith they derived all the streams of saving truth from these uncorrupt springs here was the tryal whether any one was sound or reprobate concerning the faith so the great truths of Religion were preserved entire there was no trouble given to any one upon the accompt of any subtle or nice questions All equally enjoyed the same right of communion they were present at the same holy offices of religion with a most agreeable piety they all were partakers of the same holy Sacrament from which if any were by the strict discipline of the Church debarred it was wholly to be imputed to the miscarriages of life whereof they were guilty which the Church desired to amend and make them sensible of by this severe course and method But when the pertinaciousness of Hereticks relying upon the quirks and subtilty of unsound wit would in no wise acquiesce in Scriptural propositions of faith when with a sacrilegious boldness they would break into the very secrets of heaven which were above the capacity of humane understanding fully to make out and comprehend when despising and rejecting the revelations of Scripture they disclaimed the profession and acknowledgment of the truths and mysteries of the Christian religion and when by their evil designs arts and practices the weaker sort of Christians whom they had infected with their corrupt and poisonous doctrine were drawn away from the profession of the true faith it then became necessary and most worthy the serious thoughts and care of Constantine the great and the other pious Emperors to call General Councils in order to prevent those disturbances and breaches of the Churches peace which were likely to arise from the change and alteration of faith and all the industry of those great men who were summoned to attend and assist at those solemn and venerable assemblies was laid out and imployed not in inventing and making new Articles but in interpreting and explaining the old ones for both their zeal and piety forbad that they should give way to any innovation or suffer the ancient Catholick faith which was at first delivered to be antiquated and the profession of it disused For to use the words of Vincentius Lirinensis what other thing has the Church of Christ designed and effected by the decrees of Councils but that that which was before simply believed might now be believed with greater diligence that which before was more rarely and gently preached might now be preached with greater zeal and concern and that which was held and maintained more securely might now be studied and maintained with greater care and solicitude So that to stop the mouth of heresy and to give it its deaths wound those Heroes mostly and chiefly relying upon the authority of the sacred scripture and calling in to their aid and assistance the constant practice and consent of the Orthodox Christians of the preceding ages and antient and Catholick tradition made a most excellent provision for the security of the Christian faith which Arius Macedonius Nestorius and the other infamous Haeresiarchs had with their false glosses perverted by laying down short forms and professions of faith that so the several mysteries of it upon the belief of which the true religion and the happiness of its Professors depend might be better and more easily admitted and understood By this Test the Catholick Church distinguished those of her communion from the hereticks and by this unity of faith united their hearts in love and affection all who made profession of her doctrine in what part of the world soever they were being acknowledged and received for friends for brethren for Catholicks For there was no need of any other character or recommendation and hence that pious and laudable custom and practice of keeping up and maintaining this Ecclesiastical communion by the Epistolae formatae which were usually sent from one Bishop to another nor did the Bishop of Rome exempt himself upon their instalment had their original nor was there any other proof exacted or demanded of their retaining the profession of the true Christian faith than a firm and hearty assent to those antient Creeds How happy it had been for the Catholick Church if the terms of communion had continued thus enlarged the meanest capacity may easily be sensible of for most assuredly if the antient faith the profession of which has saved so many myriads of Christians had been preserved uncorrupt and entire from the encumbrance and addition of novel opinions which owe their original and propagation to meer phantasy and superstition and secular interest and if all who acknowledge that Faith might have been present at the publick worship and service of God upon the same conditions as in the first ages according to the rules established by the supream Ecclesiastical authority there had not been that great confusion every where in the world as now there is By this just and easy method schism might have been prevented and a liberty of judgment being allowed in matters no way fundamental and essential to faith an eternal peace had been established Of the violation of which we justly accuse the Roman Church which having wholly neglected and laid aside the rules of primitive Antiquity has as mistress of the faith of all Christians obtruded new articles under the specious pretense and

Imprimatur ●●g 16. 1687. Guil. Needham A Pacifick Discourse OF THE CAUSES AND REMEDIES OF THE DIFFERENCES ABOUT RELIGION Which distract the Peace of Christendom LONDON Printed for Sam. Smith at the Prince's-Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard 1688. A pacifick discourse of the causes and remedies of the differences about Religion which distract the peace of Christendom HOW much the saving doctrine of the Christian religion doth conduce to the establishment of an universal peace in the world beyond the utmost force and reach of humane wit and policy it were to be wisht it could be as clearly made out by fit and suitable events and by the lives and behaviour of Christians as it is most justly demonstrable from the design of Christ and the proper and genuine ends of such an holy institution For with what just severity doth that most perfect rule of life require of us to lay restraints upon our passions and to stifle and suppress the first motions of them lest our ill will and dissatisfactions break forth into enmity and our enmity soon improve into downright malice and hatred how doth it give and restore to the mind a full power of reducing unto reason all those tumults and disorders which either anger or lust are wont to raise with what great ●●re even a care worthy of God is it there provided for that no one should deserve ill of his neighbour nor so much as treat his enemy as his enemy that is in a furious disdainful and hostile way but rather forgive him and shew him kindness and mercy that we should be more afraid to do or return and revenge an injury than undergo death it self that we endeavour to the utmost of our power to do good to all and in several cases have less regard to our own than anothers advantage and sacrifice our lives and dearest interests to the publick peace Under what terrible sanctions and with what fulness and clearness of expression hath the divine Author and establisher of the Christian law enacted that the rights of every one whether founded in nature or introduced by custom and the common usages of life or by civil and municipal laws should in no wise and upon no pretense whatever be violated but be preserved in their full extent and vigour How had the world been blessed with a solid and lasting peace if these excellent rules had been observed and if no unjust force had been used if men had religiously and conscientiously abstained from invading the right and property of others and had been content with that state and condition of life in which providence had placed them without having recourse to fraud and evil arts or to violence and arms Thus we see Christ hath consulted most wisely and effectually the peace and benefit of all mankind in general beyond the institutions of the most famous Law-givers whatever But how more deeply and zealously concerned and fuller of holy care was our blessed Saviour for all such as should believe in his name and make profession of his religion in all ages of the world that the mutual love which the acknowledgment of the same Faith which the partaking of the same holy rites and mysteries and which the hope of the same immortal happiness and glory to be enjoyed in the other world justly challenged and required and obliged them to upon so many excellent accompts should be continually kept up and made appear at all times by an hearty desire and readiness of doing good in their several stations and whensoever an opportunity presented it self by all offices of love and kindness He was so intent upon this necessary and essential part of Christianity in the last stage of his life that in that divine discourse which he made to his Apostles St. John chap. 14. just before he was to leave the world and offer up his most pretious blood as a just price and satisfaction for the sins of mankind he commends nothing more to their imitation and makes this the great characteristick of his Religion and shews that nothing could be more dear and grateful to him and more advantagious and beneficial to them or could more powerfully and evidently shew their love to him and better deserve their care than their punctual and diligent observance of this new command that they should love one another as he had loved them Now this command being grounded on the greatest authority and the highest reason and equity imaginable and which cannot be violated without the imputation of impiety and folly and without great hazard of Salvation who would believe that Christians should be so unmindful either of God or themselves as to dare to contravene it as if they were not any longer to be known to be of that denomination by reciprocal affection and charity and by unity and harmony of mind and by the most endearing acts of generous friendship but by bitter invectives and reproaches by siding with parties and by disagreement and hatred one of another It is a long time since that the Catholick Church of Christ hath felt the sad effects and consequences of this foolish and mad perfidiousness even almost soon after she was blest with peace and freed from the horrid butcheries and cruel persecutions of the heathen Roman Emperours who made it their business to keep up their idolatrous worship with all the arts of subtilty and furious rage and exterminate the very name of Christian out of the world and hath been forced to endure and suffer far worse things from her own children hurried on with the excesses of mad zeal and all the bitterness of enraged passion by reason of which unchristian misbehaviour she soon perceived that she had but little reason comparatively to complain of the proceedings of Nero Decius Diocletian and the rest of her merciless Persecutors For this was the sad case and temper of those times that they whom fear and modesty and a due regard to and reverence of the name of Christianity and whom common dangers and sufferings had endeared to each other to the great astonishment of their enemies now when they no longer stood in awe of the tribunals of the Gentile Magistrates and of the pursuit and arrest of soldiers and officers of the civil Courts when they were no longer in danger of being dragged to prison or condemned to crosses stakes gibbets and wild beasts in their Amphitheaters when by the protection of the civil power they might profess Christianity with all possible security the whole Empire becoming Christian and embracing that faith which it had for some ages before endeavoured with so much fury and madness to root up these very persons abusing this wonderful change that God had brought about when they had no enemies to exercise their faith and their patience soon grew peevish and froward and insolent towards one another The doctrine of faith as it is proposed in the holy Gospels was slighted and carelesly past over and fierce contests arose about matters of