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	teacher_n	2,224	5	8.9443	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09400	A discourse of conscience wherein is set downe the nature, properties, and differences thereof: as also the way to get and keepe good conscience.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1596 (1596)	STC 19696; ESTC S110415	85,171	182

for the Apostolicall function Lastly Christ was sent euen as he was man to be a teacher of the Iewes therfore be is called the minister of circumcision Rom. 15. 8. so the Apostles are sent by him to teach the Gentiles Thus far is the comparison to be enlarged no further And that no man might imagine that some parte of this resemblance stands in a power of binding conscience Christ hath put a speciall exception when he saith Goe teach all nations teaching them to obserue al things that I have commanded you Arg. 6. Rom. 13. Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist ●●all receive to them selues iudgement and ye must be subiect not onely for wrath but also for conscience s●●e Answ. Magistracie indeed is an ordinance of God to which we owe subiectiō but how farre subiection is due there is the questiō For body goods outward cōversation I grant all but a subiection of cōscience to mans lawes I deny And betweene these two there is a great difference to be subiect to authority in conscience to be subiect to it for conscience as wil be manifest if we do but consider the phrase of the Apostle the meaning whereof is that we must performe obedience not onely for anger that is for the auoiding of punishment but also for the auoiding of sinne so by cōsequent for auoiding a breach in cōsciēce Now this breach is not properly made because mans law is neglected but because Gods law is broken which ordaineth magistracie withall binds mens consciences to obey their lawfull commandements And the dānation that is due unto men for resisting the ordinance of God comes not by the single breach of magistrates commandemet but by a transgression of the law of God which appointeth magistrates their authority To this answer papists reply nothing that is of moment Therfore I proceed Arg. 7. 1. Cor. 4. What will you that I come unto you with a rod or in the spirit of meeknes Now this rod is a iudicial power of punishing sinners Answ. For the regiment protection of Gods Church There be 2. rods m●…oned in scripture the rod of Christ the Apostolicall rodd The rod of Christ is termed a rod of iron or the rod of his mouth it signifies that absolute soueraigne power which Christ hath ouer his creatures wherby he is able to cōuert saue them or to forsake and destroy them And it is a peculiar priuiledge of this rodde to smite and wound the conscience The Apostolicall rodde was a certaine extraordinary power whereby God inabled them to plague and punish rebellious offenders with grieuous iudgements not in their soules but in their bodies alone With this rod Paul smote Elimas blind Peter smote Ananias and Saphira with bodily death And it may be that Paul by this power did giue up the incestuous man when he was excommunicate to be vexed in his body and tormented by the deuill but that by this rodde the Apostles could smite conscience it can not be prooued Arg. 8. 1. Tim. 3. Paul made a law that none hauing two wiues should be ordained a Bishop now this law is positiue and Ecclesiasticall and bindes conscience Answ. Paul is not the maker of this law but God himselfe who ordained that in mariage not three but two alone should be one flesh and that they which serue at the altar of the Lord should be holy And to graunt that this law were a new law beside the written word of God yet doeth it not follow that Paul was the maker of it because he used not to deliuer any doctrine to the Churches but that which he receiued of the Lord. Argum. 9. Luc. 10. He which heareth you heareth me Answ. These wordes properly concerne the Apostles and doe not in like maner belong to pastors teachers of the Church And the end of these wordes is not to confirme any Apostolicall authority in making lawes to the conscience but to signifie the priviledge which hee had vouchsafed them aboue all others that he would so farre forth assist them with his spirite that they should not erre or be deceiued in teaching publishing the doctrine of saluation though otherwise they were sinfull men according to Matth. 10. It is not you that speake but the spirite of my father which speaketh in you And the promise to be led into all truth was directed vnto them Arg. 10. 1. Cor. 11. I praise you that yee keepe my commandements Answ. Paul deliuered nothing of his owne concerning the substance of the doctrine of saluation the worship of God but that which he receiued from Christ the precepts here ment are nothing else but rules of decencie comely order in the congregation and though they were to be obeyed yet Pauls meaning was not to binde any mans conscience therewith For of greater matters he saith This I speake for your commoditie and not to intangle you in a snare 1. Cor. 7. 35. Arg. 11. Councels of ancient fathers when they commād or forbid any thing do it with threatning of a curse to the offenders Ans. The church in former time used to annexe vnto hir Canons the curse anathema because things decreed by them were indeed or at the least thought to be the will and word of God and they had respect to the saying of Paul If any teach otherwise though he be an angell from heauen let him be accursed Therfore councels in this action were no more but instruments of God to accurse those whome he first of all had accursed Arg. 12. An act indifferent if it be commanded is made necessary the keeping of it is the practise of vertue therefore euery law bindes conscience to a sinne Ans. An act in it selfe indifferent being commāded by mans law is not made simply necessary for that is as much as gods law doth or can doe but only in some part that is so far forth as the said act or action tends to maintaine and preserue the good end for which the law is made And though the action be in this regard necessary yet doth it still remaine indifferent as it is considered in it selfe out of the ende of the law so as if peace the common good comely order may be maintained all offence auoided by any other meanes the act may be done or not done without sinne before God For whereas God himselfe hath giuen liberty freedome in the use of things indifferent the law of man doeth not take away the same but onely moderate and order it for the common good Arg. 13. The fast of Lent stands by a lawe and commandement of men and this lawe bindes conscience simply for the ancient fathers haue called it a Tradition Apostolicall and make the keeping of it to be necassary and the not keeping of it a sinne and punish the offenders with excommunication Answer It is plaine to him that will not be

saith he leaue vntied of the knots of their s●●nes Lumberd the popish master of sentences The Lord saith he hath given to priests power of binding and loosing that is of making manifest that men are bound or loosed Againe both Origen Augustine and Theophilact attribute the power of biuding to all Christians and therefore they for their partes neuer dreamed that the power of binding should be an authority to make lawes Lastly the place Matt. 23. 4. overturnes the argument for there the Scribes and Phanses are condemned because they laid upon mens shoulders the burdens of their traditions as meanes of God● worship and things binding conscience Arg. 3. Act. 15. It seemes good vnto vs the Holy Ghost to lay no more burden on you the● these necessary things that yee abstaine from things offered to i●ols and blood and that which is strangled and fo●nication Here say they the Apostles by the instinct of the holy ghost make a new lawe not for this or that respect but simply to binde consciences of the Gentils that they might be exercised in obedience And this is prooued because the Apostles call this lawe a burden and call the things prescribed necessary and S. Luke tearmes them the commandements of the Apostles and Chrysostome calls the Epistle sent to the Church Imperium that is a lordly charge To this they adde the testimonies of Tertullian Origen Augustine Answ. Though all be granted that the law is a burden imposed a precept of the Apostles a charge againe that things required therein are necessary yet will it not follow by good consequent that the lawe simply bindes conscience because it was giuen with a reseruation of Christian libertie so as out of the case of scandall that is if no offence were giuen to the weake Iewes it might freely be omitted And that will appeare by these reasons First of all Peter saith that it is a tempting of God to impose upon the Gentiles the yoke of Iewish ceremonies hee therefore must needs be contrary to himselfe if he intend to binde mens consciences to abstinence from strangled blood and things offered to idols A reply is made that this abstinence is prescribed not by the ancient law of Moses but by a new Ecclesiasticall or Apostolicall authority I answer againe that a Mosaicall ceremony is still the same thing though it be stablished by a new authority And wheras Christ by his death put an end to the ceremoniall lawe it is absurde to thinke that the Apostles by their authority revived some part of it againe and bound mens consciences therto Secondly the Church of god in all places suffered this cōmandement to cease which the faithful seruants of God would neuer haue done if they had bin perswaded that this law had bound conscience simply It is answered that this law ceased not because the giuing of offence unto the Iewes ceased but because it ceased vniuersally yea but it could not haue ceased universally if it had bound conscience simply specially considering it was propounded to the Church without any mention or limitation of time Thirdly Paul was present in this counsell and knewe the intent of this lawe very well therefore no doubt he did not in any of his Epistles gainsay the same This being graunted it can not be that this law should bind conscience out of the case of offence For he teacheth the Corinthians that things offered to idols may be eaten so be it the weake● brother be not offended Here it is answered that when Paul writ his first Epistle to the Corinthians this cōmandement of the Apostles touching things strangled bloode was not come unto them Well to grant all this which can not be prooued let it be answered why Paul did not now deliuer it why he deliuereth● doctrine contrary to that which he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierusalem which was that the Gentiles should absolutely abstaine from things o●…d to Idols As for the testimonies of the fathers they ●…bused Indeed T●…li●● 〈◊〉 plainly that christians in his daies abstained 〈◊〉 of blood and he persvvades men to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so doing because he is of opinion being indeed farre deceiued that this very law of the Apostles must l●st to the end of the worlde ●which conceit if the Papists hold not what meane they to build vpon him Origen saith that this law was very necessary in his daies and no 〈◊〉 For by Idolithy●●s he understands not things that haue bene offered to idols are afterward brought to priuat houses or to the market as other common meates but he understands things that remaine consecrated to idols are no where els used but in their temples which we grant with him must for euer be avoided a● meanes and instruments of Idolatry wheras the law of the Apostlesspeaks only of the first kind As for things strangled and blood hee takes them to be the deuils foode and for this cause hee approoues abstinence from them And whereas Augustine saith that it is a good thing to abstain frō things offered to idols though he be in necessity 〈◊〉 must be understoode of the first kind of Idolithy●●● which ●re yet remaining in the idol-temples still consecrated unto them and not of the second of which the Apostles law as I haue said must be understood Arg. 4. Ioh. 21. Christ saith to Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my 〈◊〉 that is as the word importeth 〈◊〉 and rule my sheepe Answ. This feeding and ruling stands not in making new lawes but in teaching and gouerning the Church of God according to the doctrine which they had receiued from Christ. And this action of feeding is ascribed to all Christians Revelat. 3. 27. who can not therupon chalenge a power of making lawes to the conscience Argum. 5. Ioh. 20. As my father sent me so I send you but Christ was sent of his father not only with power of preaching and ministring the sacraments but also with authority of commanding and giuing iudgement Answ. Is this kind of reasoning may stand all the Apostles shall be made redeemers for they were all sent as Christ was and hee was sent not onely to preach the redemption of mankind but also to effect and worke the same It this be absurde then it is a flat abusing of scripture to gather frō this saying of Christ that the Apostles had power of binding conscience because he had so It is true indeed that there is a similitude or analogie betwene the calling of Christ and his Apostles but it wholly stands in these points Christ was ordained to his office before all worldes so were the Apostles Christ was called of his father immediatly and so were they of Christ Christ was sent to the whol worlde so were they Christ receiued all power in heaven and earth as beeing necessary for a mediatour and they receiued an extraordinary authority from him with such a plentifull measure of the spirit as was necessary