Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	apostle_n	church_n	infallible_a	2,448	5	9.5556	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14258	The hundred and ten considerations of Signior Iohn Valdesso treating of those things which are most profitable, most necessary, and most perfect in our Christian profession. Written in Spanish, brought out of Italy by Vergerius, and first set forth in Italian at Basil by Cœlius Secundus Curio, anno 1550. Afterward translated into French, and printed at Lions 1563. and again at Paris 1565. And now translated out of the Italian copy into English, with notes. Whereunto is added an epistle of the authors, or a preface to his divine commentary upon the Romans.; Consideraciones divinas. English	Valdés, Juan de, d. 1541.; Ferrar, Nicholas, 1592-1637.; Herbert, George, 1593-1633.	1638 (1638)	STC 24571; ESTC S119070	234,477	356

many words cannot want much vanity Next these great Writers have drawne all the Sriptures to Questions and Disputations and made as it were an Academy thereof raising such doubts in every thing as they have made the Doctrine of the Son of God and of his Apostles and our most certaine and infallible hope of Eternall life to become a matter altogether doubtfull And this which I shall now adde is not of lesse importance then the other inconveniences and that is that with their ample and infinite volumes they have withdrawn and estranged men from the study of the truly holy Scriptures and from the Contemplation of simple verity and instead of Christ's Disciples have made them mens Scholars So that we are come to that passe as more and greater credit is given to those which are termed Doctors as if so be Christ and his Apostles were not the true and Eternall Doctors and masters of the Church then to the simple Doctrine of Christ himselfe This is the benefit and the edification that the Church hath reaped from these huge volumes which our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ seeing the safety of his Church being more deare unto him then his owne life hee hath stirred and raised up some and opened their eyes to the intent that they should by litle and litle reduce his sheepe to the greene and healthfull pastures of holy Scripture and to the pure cleare and sweet Fountaines of God's Word And herein every one hath busied himselfe according to his talent that is the gift which hee hath received But to me it seemes and I hope it will doe so likewise to a●… that have a true relish of Christs Doctrine that this our Author in these divine Considerations and some other writings of his hath so well considered and propounded to all our Considerations the duties of a Christian man that there are but a few very few that can goe before him He hath not indeed writ so huge a Volume nor scribled so much paper No the Bookes which he hath written are litle and few but pure cleare and truly Divine Many have written of the vertues manners and duties of a wise and good man as Aristotle Panetius and Cicero and amongst Christians Ambrose and in our age Thomas Venatorius But none of all these hath intreated with such sublimity nor made such effectuall demonstration nor discoursed with such sweetnesse nor with such Maiesty nor with such authority nor with such grace as our Valdesso This this is that which truly deserves to be entitled the Booke of Christian duties the Booke of Christian demon●…rations and of truly divine speculations Herein is shewed the Originall the Cause the Progresse and the End of every motion of every action of every event that is done under heaven either by God or the Divell or by the godly or by the wicked man and all this from cleare certaine and unquestionable Principles of holy Scrip●…ure accompanied with so good and proper examples and similitudes and compassions and divisions and definitions that unlesse we will be too too obstinate and out of common sense we must needs come to agreement touching that which a man owes unto God to himselfe and to his Neighbour And further what the benefit of Christ is and to whom it is profitable what the infirmity and what the Power of Christ is his abasement an●… his exaltation our owne Mortification and our Vivification Election and Reprobation and a thousand other like good and profitable heads are here to be clearly learned in such manner as growing practique in this Booke you shall come to understand all things necessary to holy Scripture better then by the great and many Commentaries of many others Now for this great and heavenly treasure we are all debtors to M. Peter Paul Vergerius as the instrument of the divine Providence in causing it to be printed for the view enioyment of every one He comming from Italy and leaving his feigned Bishoprick to come unto a true Apostleshippe whereunto he was called by Christ brought with him many excellent compositions doing herein as men use to doe when their houses are on fire or their City sack'd and ruin'd every one endeavours to escape away with the best and most precious things that he hath so our Vergerius esteeming nothing more deare then the glory of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ brought away with him those things which might best serve to the illustration and enlargement thereof Hee abandoned therefore the earthly treasures and brought away with him the heavenly and divine treasures amongst which this is one of the best and most rare that can be imagined And knowing that good and excellent things become so much greater better and more praise-worthy as they become more common hee left unto me these hundred and ten Considerations that I should cause them to be put in print which I have as you see accordingly performed with as much diligence as I have known or beene able to use These Considerations as many well know were first written by the Author in the Spanish language but afterward by a certaine pious and worthy person translated into Italian Yet have they not beene able altogether to quit those forms of speech which are proper to Spain And besides there are some words though not many of the language of the Author For Iohn Valdesso was by Natiō a Spaniard of noble kindred of an honourable degree and a resplendent Chevali●…r of the Emperour but a much more honourable resplendent Chevalier of Christ. True it is he did not much follow the Court after that Christ had revealed himselfe unto him but abode in Italy spending the greatest part of his life at Naples where with the sweetnesse of his Doctrine and the sanctity of his life hee gained many Disciples unto Christ and especially among the gentlemen and Cavaliers and some Ladies he was very eminent and most praise-worthy in all kind of praise It seemed that hee was appointed by God for a Teacher and Pastor of noble and illustrious Personages Although hee was of such benignity and charity that hee accounted himselfe debtor of his Talent to every me ane and rude person and became all things to all men that he might gaine all to Christ. And not this alone but he gave light to some of the most famous Preachers of Italy which I very well know having conversed with them themselves He never had wife but lived most continently nor did he attend to ought else as much as he could then unto tru●… Mortification in which death overtaking him hee became perfectly mortified so to b●… perfectly quickned in the Resurrection of the Iust and to enioy our Lord Christ. He died in Naples about the yeare 1540. Hee hath left behinde him also certaine other good and pious Compositions which as I hope shall by Vergerius his meanes be communicated ●…nto you Goe to then Brethren and Sisters in the Love of God and in the precious blood of

we shall all come through Christ to be like unto God as Christ is every one in his own degree Christ as the Head and we as the Members And verily it shall be a marveilous happinesse to see goodnesse mercifulnesse justice faithfulnesse and truth in men and to see them also impassible immortall to see them much like to Christ and to see them much like to God and to see that together with this happinesse of men the glory of God encreaseth and the glory of the sonne of God encreaseth by whose meanes we shall all acknowledge to haue obtained our happinesse acknowledging all of us for our Head the selfe same Iesus Christ our Lord. CONSID. II. That mans happinesse consisteth in knowing God and that we cannot know God except we first know Christ. MAny men haue laboured much desiring to understand in what a mans happines doth properly consist and having endeavoured this as men by humane wisdome haue all of them erred in their imaginations as they likewise erre almost in all other things which they endeavour to know by the selfe same meanes This matter which I say so many haue with much l●…bour desired to understand Iesus Christ our Lord teacheth us in one word saying This is eternall life that they may know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ As if he should haue said herein consisteth mens happinesse That they should know God and Christ. But how ever Christ teach it none understand it but they that leave to be men that is they which leave the image of Adam and take the image of Christ for these only know Christ and in Christ and through Christ they know God Men whilst they remain still men come indeed to a certain knowledge of God by the contemplation of the creatures but they find not happinesse in this knowledge For in truth happinesse doth not consist therein consisting only in that knowledge of God which they get that leaue to be men and know God as they are incorporated in Christ first knowing Christ. And to them as I understand the reading of holy Scripture and the contemplation of the creatures serves to encrease and augment in them that knowledge of God in which happinesse and eternall life are found That knowledge of God which they get who know him by the creatures as I understand is like to that know ledge which an ill Painter gets of a most perfect Painter by seeing the things which he hath depainted And that knowledge of God which they get who know him by the holy Scriptures as I understand is like to that knowledge which an ignorant man and unlearned gets of a most famous learned man by reading the things which he hath written And that knowledge of God which they get who know Christ are incorporated in Christ as I understand is like to that knowledge which I haue of the Emperour by having seen his image by having had very particular information of all his usages by the relation of persons who are very inward with the Emperour And they that know God after this manner as I understand know God in the reading of holy Scripture as a learned man knowes one that is very highly learned by reading of his works And the selfe same as I understand knew God by contemplation of the creatures as a good painter knowes a most perfect painter by viewing the things which he hath depainted Having understood this I understand in what the happinesse of man doth consist and I finde my selfe to bee happy and I understand much better then I did before the great obligation that men haue to God and to the Sonne of God our Lord. CONSID. III. In what the Sonnes of God differ from the Sonnes of Adam IN as much as we suffer our selves to be ruled and governed of God in so much are we ●…e sonnes of God so saith S. Paul They which are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God And certainly so it is that he that is the sonne of God suffers himselfe to be ruled and governed of God and that he who suffers himselfe to be ruled and governed of God is the sonne of God And on the contrary they who rule and govern themselues by humane wisdome they are the sonnes of Adam and the sonnes of Adam rule and govern themselves by humane wisdome neither knowing nor feeling any other regiment or goverment I understand this regiment and goverment as well touching that which belongs to the body as touching that which appertaines to the soule The sonnes of Adam ruling governing themselues by their own humane wisdome haue certain Rules and Medicines to conserve themselves to maintain themselves healthfull and they have others to regain health when they are infirm having as they have Hearbs and Boots and many other things that serve to this effect But the point lieth that they know at what time and season to make use of these things which is almost impossible The selfe same sonnes of Adam haue to conserve and maintain their soules in Purity and simplicity the Law of God and they haue the Doctrine of Christ his Apostles The point lies that they know how to understand this Law and this Doctrine and that they know how to make use of it which I hold to bee much more impossible And in case that both the one and the other were possible I should peradventure say that as if they knew how to make use of the creatures they should conserve themselves and maintain themselves healthfull so likewise if they knew how to make use of the holy Scriptures they should conserve and maintain themselves healthfull But holding both the one and the other for impossible I doe equally hold it impossible that a sonne of Adam should maintain himselfe with bodily health or with spirituall health The Sonnes of God as they goe mortifying their humane wisdome goe equally renouncing the utility of the medicine with all other things conjoyned and pertaining thereunto holding only for Physitian the selfe-same God who is to them a Father by whom they are immediatly governed maintained in corporal health if not as much as they themselves would at least as much as is sufficient and may serve for their spirituall health which is the principall in them God suffereth them to fall into infirmity but sometimes to mortify them sometimes to try them and sometimes that they may know him for their Father Lord And when they are infirme hee oft times heales them without using the medicines which the sonnes of Adam use These selfe same sonnes of God as they goe approaching to God they goe becomming like unto them of Samaria that said unto the woman Not for thy speech they also saying unto holy Scripture Not for thy speech Other law and other Doctrine haue we that maintaines and conserves us in holinesse justice This is the Spirit of God which abides in us which rules and governes