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	primitive_a	4,139	5	9.1134	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04191	A treatise containing the originall of vnbeliefe, misbeliefe, or misperswasions concerning the veritie, vnitie, and attributes of the Deitie with directions for rectifying our beliefe or knowledge in the fore-mentioned points. By Thomas Iackson Dr. in Divinitie, vicar of Saint Nicholas Church in the famous towne of New-castle vpon Tine, and late fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford.; Commentaries upon the Apostles Creed. Book 5	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.	1625 (1625)	STC 14316; ESTC S107490	279,406	488

worship of Images was finally ratified in the Romish Church Of the vnadvised instructions which Gregory the Great gaue vnto Austine the Monke for winning the Pagan-English to the profession of Christianitie 1 IT is a very observable observatiō of some reverend and learned writers of this age that the Pope should make the first step or entry to his oecumenicall Supremacie by stickling for Images against the Emperour God methinkes by the circumstances of the Story and this briefe Comment vpon it would giue vs to vnderstand that to serue graven Images was to fall downe and worship Sathan seeing the admission of their worship into the Church gaue the Pope liverie de seasin of that heritage which Sathan proffered to our Saviour vpon condition he would fall downe and doe him homage for it The devill had too much wit either to tempt our Saviour to adore Images in that age wherein this service was so detested by the whole seede of Abraham or to sollicit professed Christians to adore his person immediately seeing our Saviour had so foyled him in this attempt His best policie to bring the visible Church to acknowledge this allegiance to him was to appoint dumbe Images with which he had beene so well acquainted in time of Gentilisme his Feoffees in trust If any inquire more particularly of the opportunities which he tooke for bringing this match about they were in part these 2. As in secular States we see those factions which haue beene expelled the Court with indignation at one gate to winde themselues in againe by gratious favour of new alliance at another especially after the impression of their vile practises in most mens memories be abated or after Courtiers beginne as within the compasse of one age they often do to change the old fashion of contention so that Image service which the primitiue Church had abandoned as the Liturgie of hell did out of an affected desire in Christians to hold correspondencie or to symbolize with the Heathen Barbarians which had seated thēselues throughout Europe finde opportunitie to gaine readmission into Temples to beare the same place and sway in the Courts of God that they had done in the Synagogue of Satan The execution of such instructions as Gregory the Great gaue vnto Austine the Monke for winning the Pagan-English vnto Christianitie would in any indifferent Polititians judgement that duely considers the estate wherin these westerne kingdomes then stoode bring over Christians vnto Paganisme or occasion these Converts to propagate a medley of both religions to their posterity whose religion being conquerors was likely to continue longest Greg. l. 9. Ep. 71. Cum vero vos Deus omnipotens ad reverendissimum virum fratrem nostrum Augustinum Episcopum produxerit dicite ei quod diu mecum de causa Anglorum cogitans tractaui viz. quia fana idolorum destrui in eadem Gente minime debeant sed ipsam quae in eis sunt idola destruantur Aqua benedicta fiat in eisdem fanis aspergatur altaria construantur reliquiae ponantur quia si fana eadem bene constructa sunt necesse est vt à cultu daemonū in obsequium veri Dei debeant commutari vt dum gens ipsa eadem fana sua non videt destrui de corde errorem deponat Deum verum cognoscens adorans ad loca quae consueuit familiariùs concurrat Et quia boves solent in sacrificio Demonum multos occidere debet etiam his hâc de re aliqua solennitas immutari vt die dedicationis vel natalitio sanctorū Martyrum quorum illîc reliquiae ponuntur tabernacula sibi circa easdem Ecclesias quae ex fanis commutatae sunt de Ramis arborum faciant religiosis convivijs solennitatem celebrent Nec Diabolo iam animalia immolent sed ad laudem Dei inesu suo animalia occidant Donatori omnium de satietate suâ gratias referant vt dum eis aliqua exteriùs gaudia reservantur ad interiora gaudia consentire faciliùs valeant Nam duris mentibus simul omnia abscindere impossibile esse non dubium est quia is qui locum summum ascedere nititur gradibus vel passibus non autem saltibus elevatur Sic Israëlitico populo in Aegypto Dominus se quidem innotuit sed tamen ei sacrificiorum vsus quos Diabolo solebat exhibere in cultu proprio reservavit vt eis in sacrificio suo animalia immolare praciperet quatenus cor mutantes aliud de sacrificio amitterēt aliud retinerent vt et si ipsa essent animalia quae offerre consueverant veruntamen Deo haec non Idolis immolantes iam sacrificia ipsa non essent Haec igitur dilectionem tuam praedicto fratri necesse est dicere vt ipse in praesenti illic positus perpendat qualitèr omnia debeat dispensare 3. A great part I dare avouch of his advice had no patterne either in the Apostles doctrine or practise of the primitiue Church The warrant it selfe which he pretends from Gods example in the old Testament though what was Gregory the Great if wee compare him with the Almightie that he should vsurpe the same authoritie is meerely counterfeit God did not onely permit the Iewes to offer sacrifice for the hardnesse of their hearts but commaunded oblations as part of his service He required them of Abraham yea of Abel before the devill sought them of any heathēs Nor had he ever sought them vnlesse God had required them first for the devill is Gods ape and alwayes sollicites men either to institute such rites vnto him as he knowes God requires or which is an equivalent sinne to obtrude such vnto God as for the time present he hath abandoned To haue offered such sacrifices then vnto that holy one as Gregory there commands had beene the same sinne onely inverted as to haue offered sacrifice before Christs comming vnto Idols And yet we may presume that Gregorie the Great was not the most indiscreet reformer of Paganisme amongst all the Romane Bishops or Prelates throughout Europe that lived during the time that those Barbarians invaded Christendome or setled themselues amongst auncient Christians Nor did the peculiar disposition of the English draw him to permit greater libertie vnto them than he his predecessors or successors either were enforced or thought fit to grant vnto other Pagans whose spirituall salvations they sought or whose temporall Armes they feared And somewhat in both respects I graunt might lawfully be tolerated which to continue after such extraordinary occasions ceased was heresie in doctrine and Idolatry in practise For the retaining of those lawes as necessary iniunctions for all ages which the Apostles had commended as expedient onely for late converted Gentiles was by orthodoxall antiquity adjudged no lesse than an heresie in the sect of Nazarens To haue suffered an historicall vse of Saints images in Temples might vpon peculiar circumstances of times haue argued religious discretion in Church governours but

all like attempts by common course of nature did continually though insensibly grow more dangerous in the processe This originall of superstitious performances towards the dead hath beene set downe before and is particularly prosecuted by Chemnitius to whose labours I referre the Reader 3. Againe the sweete comfort which some auncients of blessed memory tooke in the consort of mutuall prayers whiles they lived together made them desirous that the like offices might be continued after their decease Hence some in their life times if my memory fayle me not did thus contract that such of them as were first called into the presence of God should solicite the others deliverance from the world and flesh and prosecute those suits by personall appearance in the Court of heaven which they had joyntly given vp in prayers and secret wishes of heart whiles they were absent each from other here on earth To be perswaded that such as had knowne our minds and beene acquainted with our houres of devotion whiles wee had civill commerce together might out of this memory after their dissolution take notice of our supplications solicite our cause with greater fervency than we can is not so grosse in the speculatiue assertion as daungerous in the practicall consequent But if magicall feats can put on colourable pretences and Magitians make faire shewes vnto the simple of imitating Gods Saints in their actions what marvaile if Romish Idolatrie having in latter yeares found more learned patrones than any vnlawfull profession ever did doe plead its warrant from speculations very plausible to flesh and bloud or from the example of some auncients the preiudiciall opinions of whose venerable authoritie and deserved esteeme in other points may with many prevent the examinatiō of any reasons which latter ages can being to impeach their imperfections in this Y●t experiments in other cases approved by all manifest the indefinite truth of this observation That such practises a● can no way blemish the otherwise deserved same of their first practitioners vsually bring forth reproach and shame to their vnseasonable or ill qualified Imitators Now the pardonable oversight or doubtfull speculations of some Auncients haue beene two waies much malignified by later Romanists first by incorporating the superfluitie of their Rhetorical inventions or eiaculations of swelling affections in panegyricall passages into the bodie of their divine service secondly by making such faire garlands as Antiquitie had woven for holy Saints true Martyrs Collar● as a French Knight in a case not much vnlike said for every beast or chaines for every dead dogs ne●ke which had brought gaine vnto their Sanctuary Tou●hing the former abuse the incorporating of the●oricall expressions of the Auncients affection towards deceased Worthies into the bodie of their divine service Bellarmine is not ashamed to Apologize for the solemne forme of their publicke authorized Liturgie by the passionate ejaculation of Nazianzen his poeticall wit in his panegyricall Oration for S. C●priu● and for his kinde acquaintance while she liv●d with Basill the great It is enough as this Apologizing Oratour thinkes to acquit their service from superstition and themselues from irreligion that this Father who spake as they doe was one of the wisest Bishops Antiquitie could boast of As in granting him to be as wise as any other we should perhaps wrong but a few or none of the auncient Bishops or learned Fathers so we should much wrong Nazianzen himselfe if we tooke these passages on which Bellarmine groundeth his Apologie for any speciall arguments of his wisedome and gravitie Howbeit Nazianzen might without preiudice to his deserved esteeme for wisedome gravitie say much and for the manner not vnfitly of Cyprian and Basill which was no way fitting for latter Romane Bishops to say of their deceased Popes or for the Popes whilest they liued to speake of their deceased Bishops But such a sway hath corrupt custome got over the whole Christian world that looke what honor hath beene voluntarily done to men in office as due vnto their personall worth their successors will take deniall of the like or greater as a disparagement to their places albeit their personall vnworthinesse be able to disgrace the places wherein they haue liued and all the dignities that can be heaped vpon them Vpon this carnall humor did the mystery of iniquitie begin first to worke The choisest respect or reverence which had beene manifested towards the best of Gods Saints or Martyrs either privately out of the vsuall solecismes of affectionate acquaintance alwayes readie to entertaine men lately deceased with such louing remembrances as they had tendred them in presence or in publicke and anniversary solemnities for others encouragement vnto constancy in the faith were afterterwards taken vp as a civill complement of their Funerall rites or inioyned as a perpetuall honor to their birthdayes whom the Pope either of his owne free motion or at the request of secular Princes or some favorites would haue graced with famous memory Rome-Christian hath beene in this kinde more lavish than Rome-Heathen And as in great Cities it is a disparagement to any Corporation or Company to haue had few or no Majors or chiefe Magistrates of their Trade so in processe of time it became matter of imputation vnto some religious orders that they had not so many Canonized Saints as their opposits lesse observant of their Founders lesse strict rules could bragge of For want of such starres to adorne their sphere the order of the Carthusians otherwise famous for austeritie of life was suspected not to be celestiall The fault notwithstanding was not in the Carthusians or their Religion vnlesse a fault it were not to seeke this honor at the Popes hands who did grant it against their wills to one of their order and our Country-man at the King of Englands suite And left any part of Heathenish Superstition that had beene practised in the Romane Monarchie might be left vnparalled by like practises of the Romish Hierarchie as the Deification of Antinous was countenanced with feigned relations of a new starres appearance and other like Ethnicismes vsually graced by Oracles so were Revelations pretended in the Papacy to credit their sanctifications which stood in neede of some divine testimony to acquit their sanctitie from suspition 4. To giue the blessed Virgin a title vnto far greater honor then any Saint or other creature by their doctrine is capable of it hath beene maintained that she was conceived without originall sinne And wanting all warrant of Scripture or primitiue Antiquitie for this conceit they support it by revelations which must be beleeved as well as any Scripture if the Pope allow them By whose approbation likewise every private mans relation of miracles wrought by any suiter for a Saintship becomes more authentique than Apolloes Oracles by whose authoritie Hercules and other Heroickes were enioyned to be adored as gods amongst the Heathen 5. It was an ingenuous