Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	bishop_n	church_n	exposition_n	3,560	5	11.1579	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04528	The Catholique iudge: or A moderator of the Catholique moderator Where in forme or manner of a plea or suite at law, the differences betweene those of the Reformed Church, and them of the Romish Church are decided; and without partialitie is shewed which is the true religion and catholique Church, for the instruction of either partie. Together with eight strong arguments or reasons, why the Popes cannot be competent iudges in these controversies. Written in the Dutch and French tongue, by Iohn of the Crosse, a Catholique gentleman. Translated out of French into English, by the right worshipfull and learned Knight Sir A.A.	John of the Crosse, a Catholique gentleman.; A. A., Sir.	1623 (1623)	STC 14651; ESTC S107831	50,836	96

should not lift it selfe vp aboue Christ Aug. con Crosc cap. 2. because hee iudged alwaies truely and rightfully but Ecclesiasticall Iudges often faile and fall into error Amb. lib 2. de Offi. cap. 18. Saint Ambrose saith that religion and divine service requires neither gold nor silver and also that by gold we haue not the fruition of those things which cannot be bought for gold Spirdion saith that hee did freely eate flesh vpon such dayes as others did abstaine from it because he was a Christian Aug. super meno reap 17. Epiphanius Austine writeth that Monkes shuld not liue on other mens goods although they were continually occupied in speculations or contemplations in praying studying Epiphanius saith that it is a shamefull and vile thing to see in the Churches of Christians any Images painted or resemblance of Christ or any other he or shee Saint Now then forsomuch as the Church of Rome it selfe transgresseth and passeth ouer such and like sentences and maximes of the ancient fathers and doctors I pray you with what right say the Reformed can it prescribe to others to obserue fullie and wholie that which it selfe leaues vndone and vnregarded And since that neither Popes nor Councells nor fathers can in any sort decide this controuersie and difference in religion That traditions cannot be Iudges in religion to whose Iudgment then must wee referre and yeelde our selues Must we relie vpon Traditions By Traditions must be necessarilie vnderstood either Ritus the rites the ordinarie vsages or Customes of the Church Euseb lib. 3. hist cap. 4. lib. 5 cap. 8. Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 14. lib. 1. cap. 13.12 Tertull in praescript ad haeres or else Christian doctrine it selfe Concerning vsages or customes Ecclesiasticall how ancient soeuer they may be notwithstanding so far forth as they are either hurtfull or improfitable or repugnant to the word of God or haue beene heretofore abrogated or disanulled they should by no meanes bee tolerated much lesse entertained or obserued in the Christian Church For the Lord expresly forbiddeth to serue or honour him with a doctrine forged or deuised out of mans braine or fancie Tertull in prae fat heres And concerning Traditions which concerne doctrine they must necessarily containe either the written word of God or the words and expositions of the faith against Heretikes which by consequence are drawne and fetched from the foundation of the holy Scripture or else Traditions of doctrine comprehend and containe things either added or diminished and taken away from the written word of God be it apparently done or couertly When by Traditions the written word of God is vnderstood or the Creede and Orthodoxe expositions of Christian faith who would not most readily and willingly embrace allow such Traditions But if by traditions be meant things inuented and deuised beside and against the word God who would not set light by and reiect them that is desirous to keepe a good and sound conscience before God Moreouer what vertue and authoritie Traditions can haue to suppresse or appease the debate and differences about Religion auncient Histories doe sufficiently certifie Aug. ad Lasulam Epist 8. For whereas in times past a great contention did arise in the Church about the feast of Easter and that such a stirre and contention that almost all the world was there with disquieted Both betooke themselues for their refuge to the Traditions which are called Apostolicall which are neither written nor contained in any certaine booke and whereas either partie maintained that they obserued the feast of Easter at the same verie time which was ordained and set downe by the Apostles at length the matter came to this point Irenaeus Epist vit Epist Rom. Aug lib de vera religo that in such the like indifferent things the Christian Churches should be left to their libertie So that by this example it manifestly appeareth how weake humane traditions are to remoue and determine differences in religion Shall they then be miracles which must giue vs to vnderstand who follow the better partie That miracles cannot be true workes of religion and which is the true Catholike Church It is impossible say the Reformed because the end or purpose and gift it selfe of miracles now ceaseth For in these dayes no new Gospell or strange doctrine is Preached in the Christian Church which hath neede to be confirmed by miracles but the same doctrine is taught which our Lord Iesus Christ and his Apostles haue long since sufficiently confirmed and seated by their miracles Moreouer we doe not reade that all such as haue heretofore reformed Religion and diuine seruice haue done miracles In which ranke and number wee may reckon and place Iohn Baptist vnder the new Testament and vnder the old testament Asaph Ethan Iedithem Iliman Core 1 Chron. 22.30 Ierom. 10.35 8.16 and certaine Prophets And if the gift of doing miracles be not referred to the onely and wise gouernement and guiding of God miracles cannot confirme any doctrine It being verie certaine that euen the miracles of Iesus Christ as excellent and full of efficacie as they were Luk. 11.19 did not helpe forward the obstinate Iewes towards Christian faith and true pietie Ioh. 12.26 2 Thes 2. Deut. 13. Finally how say the Reformed shuld miracles in themselues and of themselues be necessarie markes or tokens of true religion seeing it is most euident that Antichrist himselfe and the false Prophets haue shewed and done many signes and miracles and so may doe in time to come Wherefore the Reformed affirme that all such as at these dayes require miracles should be themselues esteemed maruilous men and strange monsters seeing that they relie so much vpon miracles after that the gift of them haue long agoe ceased Howbeit for all that we cannot but account it a kind of miracle that true Religion Christian doctrine should be Preached and aduanced or set vp without miracles among such resistances and furious endeuours of Antichrist That the personall succession of Popes Bishops cannot be Iudges of true Religion Shall it be then the continuall succession of the Bishop of Rome that must distinguish the true Religion from the false No man surely can denie but that there is a succession of true doctrine and a succession personall of persons only and therefore the Reformed maintaine that when succession of persons is accompanied with the succession of true doctrine Prophetical and Apostolicall that then without all doubt such a succession is of great efficacie And in this sense and meaning it is that heretofore all the Orthodoxe doctors of the Christian Church opposed their successions against heretikes For he that maketh profession of a doctrine those are the words of Nazianzen is also pertaker of the the same Throne Chaire or State but he that embraceth contrary doctrines such an one shall not be accounted as a true successor And this second hath the name

and title but the first hath true effect of succession without which succession is but a bare following of one thing after another when the disease is said to succeed or follow after health darknes after light tempests after calme folly and rashnesse after wisedome and prudence lees or dregs after wine or beere Hitherto continue the words of Nazianzen Also as we say that Nero succeeded Augustus and Cambyses Cyrus Considering then that the succession of the Propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine hath long since ceased in the Church of Rome the Reformed conclude that the ordinarie succession of the Popes of Rome and of the Bishops of the Romane Church is not sufficient to establish true religion When the succession of doctrine ceased in the Romane Church nor in any sort thereof to determine But it may be they of the Romane Church will demand of the Reformed Christians at what time and vnder what Pope the succession of true doctrine was interrupted changed and altered To which the Reformed answer that the Popes and Bishops of Rome must be distinguished and divided into three ranks or sorts For first all the Reformed deny not The first ranke of Romane Bishops but that from Linus to Melchiades the first Bishoppes of Rome being thirty and one in number were faithfull Pastors of the Church of Christ who laboured in the vineyard and harvest of the Lord even vnto death and therefore they may rightly be called starres remayning in the right hand of our Lord Iesus Christ but from Sylvester the first The second sort of Popes to Sabian the Thuscan thirty three in number they say the Reformed were but Bishops with Miters which albeit they were not the worst did notwithstanding by their traditions and decrees prepare the state and throne for the great Antichrist All the other Popes from him vnto the Pope at this present The third sort of Popes are called and held by the Reformed for Antichrists in such sort notwithstanding as that the first of those Popes vnto twenty and nine after Boniface the fift and Leo the fourth are accounted to be in the kingdome of the great Beast the other thirty and one Popes ensuing from Iohn the eight vnto Iohn the seuenteenth are registred and recounted in the kingdome of the great Whore Apoc. 17. and the other nine and thirty Popes succeding vnto Celestine the fourth Apoc. 17. Apoc. 20. Apoc 9. belong to the kingdome of the great Dragon and all the last Popes from Innocent the fourth vnto the present Pope which exceedeth the number of fiftie are enrowled or numbred in the kingdome of Grashoppers according to the ancient prophesie which the Lord hath vouchsafed to reveale vnto vs concerning the kingdome of Antichrist Beholde how plainely it appeareth say the Reformed that the personall succession of Bishops is of very smal importance and authority to decide the difference of religion The consent and accord in the outward service cannot be a marke of true religion But yet say they of the Roman Church cannot the vnion good agreement and consent in publique doctrine and outward service demonstrate which is the true Catholique Church To which the Reformed reply that if bare consent and accord in outward service could performe so much that then neither the Iewes nor the Turkes nor any other Heretiques Pagans and Infidels could bee excluded from the Catholique Church for as much as experience in all times doth sufficiently proue them marvelously to agree and to be of one iudgement and consent in their perverse heresies and false errors whereas contrariwise wee see often-times great and excellent Orthodoxe Doctors Dissention of diverse excellent Doctors Act. 15. to haue had sharpe and bitter dissention and contention one with the other Betweene Paul and Barnabas such strife was stirred and kindled that one departed from the other euen so Peter Alexandrine and Melitus did striue and contend each against other as also Epiphanius and Saint Crysostome Soz. l. 1 c. 16. Socr. l. 4. c. 32. Orig. con Cels lib. 7. Srom. 7. Saint Ierome and Saint Augustine and Ruffin likewise Ciril Iohn of Antioch and Theodoret. Yea pagan Infidels haue often vpbraided and reproched Christians for their disagreement and disunion Whence it appeareth more cleere then the Sun at noone-day say the Reformed that as externall agreement or the onely vnion and consent in the outward service of God cannot decide or determine of the truth of religion so on the contrary part also every kinde of dissenting and partaking is not by and by a token or marke of false religion Yet with this proviso or caution that the foundation of the truth be not subverted by the debate and difference in the dissention That the most ancient custom is not a marke of the true Church Shall it be then the cōmon publike custom of diverse ages that can shew vs where we must seeke and find the true Church The Reformed answer that as the eternall God hath expresly forbidden the faithfull to permit and suffer his eternal and divine truth in any sort to be impayred defaced or diminished either because of time or proscription of many yeeres or by any custome bee it never so ancient● or by any conspiring and generall assent whatsoever yea although it were of the whole world So that wee see that the good Patriarch Noe with all his familie Gen. 7. Heb. 11. although hee saw all men to conspire and consent together in impiety and dissolute life it being growne to a custome in certaine ages afore-going hee notwithstanding did rather embrace with those of his familie divine doctrine then consent with all other to the impiety and prophanation of the whole world Must it then bee the Church that ought to suppresse and compound all these grear controversies in religion The Reformed say that first and foremost we must learne well to distinguish the true Church from the false Synagogue and the assembly of the vngodly That the only written Word of God should be Iudge of religion which cannot be effected by any other meanes then by the only written Word of God Must then the holy Scripture be full and sole or competent Iudge of the difference and state depending betweene these disagreeing and divided inheritors The Reformed Christians are altogether of this opinion and thereupon are fully resolved For indeed they maintaine and certainely shew with S. Austine S. Ciprian and diuers other very ancient fathers and Orthodox doctors that the things which are necessarie to the saluation of the faithfull and children of God Luk. 16. Io. 4. Io. 6. Io. 15. Act. 28. Pro. 30. 2 Tim. 3. Esa 8. are all exactly contained in the written word of God which is commonly called the holy Scripture For Saint Austine verie well saith Aug. tract in Iohan. ca. 11. Chrysost hom 41. c. 22. in Ioh. It is only to the bookes of holy Scripture now called Canonicall that wee must

attribute and giue this honour and reuerence firmely to beleeue that none of their authors haue tripped or erred in their writings But concerning other writers and authors we reade them in such manner that although they haue beene verie holy and Godly and of much knowledge yet so it is that wee hold not what they haue written for true only because they taught this or that but because they haue beene able to perswade and to make vs vnderstand it so to be either by those Canonicall writings or by some other reasons which in substance agree with the truth and word of God So that wee owe this onely to the Canonicall Bookes as Saint Austine saith elswhere that is to submit our selues to them without any contradiction Lib. de na gra cap. 6. Con. Faust lib. cap. 5. ad Oros cap. 11. ad Pan. ad Fortu. lib. 2. Con. Moreouer it may be lawfull to refuse any other writtings and to varie from them in opinion but all persons must yeeld consent to the Canonicall writings be he Laicke be he Priest be he King be he Emperour let him giue heede and attention to the holy Scripture for in the whole world nothing can be found so holy and so necessarie as the holy Scripture Crescon gram cap. 32. Ad Vnam Don Epst 4.8 What I pray you can be found or met with all more cleare and euident then all those excellent testimonies and sentences of Saint Austine And in truth say the Reformed if we could once come to this point that God himselfe might be acknowledged to be Iudge of all differences in Religion and that by his voice which clearely soundeth and vttereth it selfe in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles we would not refuse likewise to accept and allow the Councells Fathers and Miracles and such like for deposed witnesses in this cause or action Prouided alwaies that first of all distinction be discreetly and considerately made between the true Church which is the assembly of Iesus Christ and the Sinagogue and assembly of Sathan betweene the auncient fathers and Orthodoxe doctors worthy of creedit and Heretikes betweene the lawfull Councels and Synods and Tirannicall Councels Sinods betweene the true writings of Orthodoxe men and bastard bookes or suborned writings betweene true miracles and and counterfeit ones betweene rightfull succession of true Doctrine and the disguised succession of persons betweene true consent and holy Vnion and peruerse and obstinate complotting and agreement in opinion Briefly betweene the true Traditions of the Apostles and the false glosses or expositions of men Herevnto replie they of the Romish Church and demand how all this can be effected by the written word of God seeing that in like manner all Heretikes defend arme or strengthen themselues with this written word of God The Reformed answere How the Scripture may be iudge albeit all Heritekes abuse it that Heretikes cannot more conueniently and fitly be confuted and conuinced which abuse this holy Scripture then by the same written word of God the which only and alone can suppresse and determine all controuersies in religion Ad Cresum lib. 2. cap. 31. for as Saint Austine verie well saith we must by no meanes Iudge or controule the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles but we ought rather according to those bookes to Iudge of all other bookes of Religious professors or of Infidels Euen so we see that our Sauiour Iesus Christ confuted and confounded by the holy Scripture Mat. 12. 4. the Scribes Pharises and Sadduces yea Sathan himselfe all which abused the Scriptures So likewise Saint Stephen conuinced the Iewes and Philip conuerted the Eunuch of Queene Candace by the holy Scriptures Act. 6.7 In like manner did the Apostles confirme the doctrine of the Gospell by the writings of the Prophets And the Iewes of Beraea compared the Preaching and doctrine of the Apostle S. Paul with the doctrine of the Prophets by this meanes trying whether it agreed with the writings of the Prophets In summe after the same manner the Councell of Nice condemned the Heretike Arrius that of Constantinople the Heretike Macedonius that of Ephesus Nestorius that of Chalcedon Eutiches that is to say by the onely word of God Even as Saint Augustine also convinced the Heretique Pelagius Aug. de con sen Epist 163. lib 3. Con ca. 6. Sozom. l. 1. c. 3. and Tertullian the Heretique Drapeas Briefly all the other faithfull Doctors haue so resisted that is by the holy Scripture all Heretiques These are the very words of Saint Austen lib 2 cap 32. contr Cresc Wherefore as Saint Augustine very well saith Let no man in disputations presumptuously obiect or oppose against vs the writings of the ancient Fathers or Councels for we hold them not in themselues Canonicall but doe examine them by the Canonicall writings and whatsoever agreeth with the authority and excellency of the holy Scripture wee accept of with commendation but that which accordeth not therewith wee reiect it with their leaue and consent That the Scripture is neither hard nor obscure If they of the Romane Church reply that the holy Scripture is obscure and hard to be vnderstood Saint Augustine answereth them that wee more certainely wade or passe through the holy Scripture then through Traditions For when we will diligently search into it being darkened with some obscure words nothing wil ensue that can breed any difficulty or if there doe arise any difference or doubtfulnesse it must be at length cleared and decided by sundry more plaine testimonies of the same Scripture And indeed as the same ancient Father saith the holy Ghost hath so tempered and composed the Scripture that whatsoever seemeth obscure in one passage is more cleerly expounded in some other Wherefore the Reformed conclude for all the reasons afore-saide that this is the only meanes powerfull to satisfie and appease those two pretending or contending parties that is to say if endeavour be vsed to suppresse and decide by the pure Word of God the controversies aboue mentioned adiudging that alone to bee the true religion and Catholike Church which agreeth fully and wholy with the Word of God rightly expounded and vnderstood according to the same Word of God and the Analogie of the Articles of the Christian Faith The exception of the Church of Rome They of the Romane Church pondering these reasons of the Reformed Christians doe protest that albeit indeed they well perceiue the religion of the Reformed not much to decline from the written Word of God and if it wholly accord with the the same that yet they would not hold and pronounce the same Reformed religion to be good because say they the sayd Reformed religion was first set on foot and published by Heretikes and Doctors that were not sent by God nor had a lawfull calling and who were innovators and new devisors in religion The answer of the Reformed The Reformed Christians doe earnestly entreat