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	scripture_n	tradition_n	4,180	5	9.2107	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51652	Motives and reasons for dissevering from the Church of Rome and her doctrine wherein after the declaration of his conversion, he openeth divers absurdities practised in that Church, being not matters of report, but such things whereof he was an eye and ear witness / by Chr. Musgrave, after he had lived a Carthusian monk for twenty years.	Musgrave, Christopher, fl. 1621	1688 (1688)	Wing M3143; ESTC R28845	14,573	39

Confession did first begin to creep in put it down in his Church and all the Bishops of the East did the like in theirs as being not only a Novelty but also in their Judgments so far from being a sovereign Medicine for Sin as some men hold it that it was found rather to be a Nurse of sin Churches being converted into Stews Confession playing the Pander unto the Priest and his Penitents there to parle and consult I mean under Confession how to effect and practise their carnal Affections and Designs which indeed was the chiefest thing that moved Bishop Nectarius to thrust it out of Constan●inople to prevent such wickedness as by a woful experience of a Gentlewoman that was ravished he ●und to be practised And I can speak upon my own knowledge thus much That I have not noted any thing that hath opened a wider gate or way unto sin than Auricular Confession My Reason is this First that many care not what they do or say think it sufficient be they never so great swearers slanderers or blasphemers or whatsoever actual sins they commit to go once a year to Confession and moreover most Villanies and Conspiracies which are either intended or practised against either Princes or Countries some whereof I could specifie in particular if so it might be well taken are for the most part opened and consulted upon in Confession for Men not daring to open such things out of Confession and being desirous to have advice and direction in them propound such businesses in Confession and then under pretence of confessing their sins they maliciously consult how to effect and practise their sinful purposes And besides that experience which I my self have had of these things in that time that I heard Confessions but only amongst a handful of primest r●ligious Men so reputed amongst whom in their daily Confessions I found continual plotting and practising of Inferiours against their Superiours and such as were in any office and of Superiours against their Inferiours how to quit and rid themselves of such religious Men as they found to be zealous Biel in his Canon lect 77. saith of his time that it was an usual thing for Men and Women to turn their Confessions into Babblings and Curiosities mingling profane talk concerning vile things Now besides these absurdities and notwithstanding that there is no warrant of Scripture for it neither was any use of it in the Primitive Church there be divers and those very Learned that hold it not necessary at all And amongst others Michael Bonon in his Exposition upon the 29 th Psalm saith that seeing Justification is the infusion of Grace whereupon sin is remitted it followeth that Confession is not necessary either for the obtaining of Pardon for our sins or for our Justification for according to the true order of things Confession in time followeth Contrition and therefore seeing Contrition it self is not without Justification the said Justification may be had without Confession of this mind is Cajetan Tom. 3. q. 8. art 4. saying That a man truly contrite and sorrowful for his sins standeth clean in the Judgment of God and is a formed member of the Church Militant And Peter Lumbard in his fourth Book Distinct. 18. and divers others with him hold that the Priest hath no power to forgive sin or to work any spiritual effect by vertue of the Keys which is the Tenent of our Church of England which not disallowing Confession upon just occasion notwithstanding holdeth that the Priest cannot give the penitent any spiritual Grace neither absolve him otherwise then declare the penitent upon his true Contrition to be absolved through the Mercies and Merits of Jesus Christ. This Consideration of the little necessity men have of auricular Confession and likewise of the great Abuses and Absurdities committed under Confession was a great motive to withdraw my Affection from the Church of Rome CHAP. VI. Concerning divers other Points as of Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory of Purgatory it self Tradition and such like MAny other Motives to dislike the Doctrine of the Church of Rome did offer themselves unto the Eyes of my Soul the which I will only briefly set down without any long Discourse lest I should offend the Reader with Prolixity Another Motive did arise from the absurdity of that Tenent of the Church of Rome which teacheth and commandeth to pray for the Souls in Purgatory having no warrant of Scripture for it neither being able to prove by Scripture or by Tradition that there is any Purgatory at all for Baronius in the first Volume of his late written History going about to patronize Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory out of the second Book of Maccabees chap. 12. vers 43. which is Apocrypha he inferreth to prove Purgatory saying that since the Church hath admitted Prayer for the Dead there must of necessity be a Purgatory otherwise it were to no end to pray for the Dead But to warrant this Doctrine either of Purgatory or Prayer for the Dead he hath only this to say Pie creditur traditum esse ab Apostolis that is it is a charitable belief that the Church hath this Doctrine by Tradition from the Apostles And after that I began to reflect upon Tradition especially finding in the fourth Session of the first Councel of Trent chap. 1. that the Church of Rome doth equalize Tradition with Holy Scripture and that Baronius in his late written History is not ashamed to prefer it before Scripture saying Videas quanti ponderis sit ipsa Traditio ut ex ipsa Novi Testamenti scripta omnia Authoritatem acceperint Consider saith he of what force and authority Tradition is seeing that the New Testament is authorized by it And it followeth Traditio fundamentum Scripturarum in eoque istas excellunt quod illae nisi Traditione firmentur non subsistant hae vero etiam sine scriptis suam obtineant firmitatem that is the ground or foundation of Scripture is Tradition and herein doth excell it because Scripture cannot stand without Tradition but Tradition can stand without Scripture Looking upon the Opinion of Ancient Fathers touching this point I found that Basil the Great an Ancient Greek Author writeth to this effect It is necessary and consonant to Reason that every man learn that which is needful out of Scripture both for the fulness of Godliness and lest they be inured to humane Tradition Where out of this one mans Opinion a man may sufficiently gather that Tradition in the Primitive Church was of small Reputation but rather suspected as an Invention to subvert true Religion for when as the Church of Rome began to vary from the Doctrine of the Primitive Church and to bring in these Points of Purgatory Prayer for the Dead Auricular Confession Pardons Plenary Indulgences Praying to Saints Hallowing of Beads Medals Crosses Agnus Deis and such like Fooleries which are meer humane subtil Inventions arising from the avarice and

ambition of the Clergy which by these means glean the common People and pick their Pockets under pretended Piety whilst they make them pay so much for every Pardon so much for Masses that are said or sung for the Dead give this or that to the Church for to have an Annual or Anniversary Mass for themselves and their Friends and intice men to buy hallowed Medals Crosses Agnus Deis and such like perswading them that laying such hallowed things upon an Altar where Mass is said or sung they shall deliver a Soul out of Purgatory Having no warrant of Scripture for any such thing but only their Tradition depriving indeed the Laity of the use of Scripture yea and from reading of any Books whatsoever that do not agree with their Doctrine and Discipline impose upon them the Yoke of Tradition and by this means keep them not only in blindness of Conscience but also in slavish Obedience it being as they teach Anathema for any man to contradict or reject whatsoever the Church shall impose or injoyn under the Title of Tradition it being indeed the chiefest and strongest Pillar they have to support their Positions insomuch that Andradius speaking of Tradition saith Quam Traditionum Authoritatem si tollas nutare jam vacillare videbuntur that is many points of the Romish Faith would reel if they were not supported by Tradition The due Consideration of this point bred a great distaste in my Soul and no less dislike I took of Romish Doctrine and Discipline when I began to consider the great Ambition of that Church which is so far gone from the Humility of the Primitive Church that whereas in former times the Bishops of Rome lived in great Humility Patience and Poverty attending unto that one thing which is most Necessary and before the time of Constantine the Great and many years after were so far from assuming any secular Authority upon them that without the Emperours favour and assent no man was admitted to be Bishop of Rome now are so far gone from the path of Humility that they sit upon the Pinnacle of Arrogancy assuming more Authority by many degrees both spiritually and temporally then ever Christ gave unto his Apostles or unto Peter whose Successors they challenge themselves to be insomuch that as before no man could be Bishop of Rome without the Consent of the Emperour so now no man can be Emperour but by the assent of the Pope otherwise he shall be excommunicate yea and the Pope is now of that Authority or at the least taketh so much Authority upon him that he maketh no scruple to depose Emperours and Kings and to dispence with Subjects for withdrawing their Allegiance from their true and natural Princes which are any way opposite unto the Church of Rome These things are sufficiently known both by Ancient and Modern Histories which mention both Ancient and Modern Examples to this effect Again reflecting upon the bad behaviour and living of Romish Priests it did breed a great distaste in my Conscience to consider how Priests which as they hold have vowed Chastity lye wallowing in the sordid puddle of Lust. And if any man shall think or imagine that I speak out of spleen and not of sincerity I could refer him for proof hereof unto the very Place a great and populous City of theirs wherein he is not accounted a Noble and Worthy Gentleman that is not descended from a Priest either secular or religious the most part of that City being descended from Priests such is the Incontinency of that Place And not only there but also in all other places it is a common practice of Church-men under the pretence of keeping spiritual Daughters to keep damned and common Courtezans or else make little or no scruple at all to frequent dishonest Houses as a little before my coming away from Macline a Priest at Brussels did verifie by going in the Night-time to a dishonest House and missing the Door went unto a wrong House where knocking at the Door the good Wife came to open it and seeing the Priest told him that he was deceived and that that House was not a House of that quality he took it to be The Priest for anger drew his Knife upon the Woman which had a Child in her Arms the Woman crying out her Husband came in and reprehended the Priest whereupon the Priest cut him with his Knife quite over the Belly and hurt both the Woman and the Child Many such Examples might be produced both of seculars and religious Priests and Nuns The due consideration of these things and of many more of which I cannot now intend to discourse as also the daily reading of the Scriptures and Ancient Fathers together with the assistance of Gods Grace restored me to sight again which through my own Folly I had lost And when I clearly perceived how far I had done amiss not only by assenting unto the Church of Rome but also by betaking my self unto such a course of Life as that was I was wonderfully sorry and much afflicted in Conscience most willing if Opportunity had served to have given over all and retired my self unto my Mother Church only the Consideration of my Profession did somewhat daunt me thinking that I should be accounted an Apostata until it pleased the Lord to send me this Resolution that an undiscreet Vow is better broken then kept especially when it tendeth to the endangering of a mans Soul. And because some may ask of me wherefore I did not consider these things at the first in the time of my Probation I must answer as I did in the beginning That in the time of a mans Noviceship he is so much imployed in learning the Ceremonies and Observations of that Order that he hath no time vacant to look after other matters and besides he is not permitted to read any Books but such as the Prior and his Master shall appoint which commonly are Books fit only to nuzzle a man in blind Devotion not to instruct him in Matters of Religion Having therefore lived a long time in great Perplexity and not finding any comfort or rest of Conscience in that Sea of Disquiet and Perturbation I resolved with Noe's Dove to return unto my Mother Church the which by Gods good Assistance I have obtained unto the great comfort of my Soul and do with all my Heart imbrace all and every Article of the Church of England being most ready according to my Ability to impend all the Power and Strength both of my Soul and Body yea and my dearest Blood for the Assertion and Promotion of them desiring and wishing no greater Blessing at Gods Hands but that I may be found worthy and able though in the meanest degree to do God and my Sovereign Service in the Ministry FINIS John 9.10 John 9.32 Luke 1. The policy of Superiours to keep their Places Mat. 26.29 Mark. 14.25 Dialog in mutat Dialog inconfusus Historia Tripar lib. 9. cap. 35. Socra li. 5. cap. 9. Zozom lib. 7. cap. 16. Niceph. lib. 12. cap. 28. Pag. 256. edit Venit 1603. 1 Vol. Annal. An. 53. Regul Contrac 95. Orthodox explicat lib. 2.