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
A17054	A commentary upon the Canticle of Canticles, written first in Italian by Antonio Brucioli, and now translated into English by Th. Iames fellow of New colledge in Oxford; Annotationi sopra i proverbii di Salamo. English	Brucioli, Antonio, 1487-1566.; James, Thomas, 1573?-1629.	1598 (1598)	STC 3928; ESTC S118389	80,311	190

yong virgins Come sorth ye daughters of Zion and behold the king Salomon with the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his mariage and in the day of the gladnesse of his heart Come forth ye daughters of Zion that is to say ye daughters of Zion as many among all the nations of the world as haue receiued the words of life through Christ and the handes of the Apostles to beleeue come forth out of your errors and vanities being before instructed by the holie scripture behold the peaceable king Salomon which made of two churches one by taking away the hinderance and let as well of God towardes man as of the Iewes towards the Gentils by his death and passion on the crosse come see and behold the humanitie of Christ crowned with a crowne of the deitie O good God how great was the loue of God towardes man that hee gaue his onlie begotten sonne in the flesh to the end that euerie one that beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life either that they shall receiue it in that day when he shall come to iudge both the quick and the dead or that they haue receiued it already in that day when his humanitie was glorified the third day after his resurrection and triumph ouer the diuell the great enemie of all the faithfull people of God The fourth Chapter 1 Behold thou art faire my loue behold thou art faire thine eyes are like the doues among thy lockes thine haire is like the flocke of goates which look downe from the mountaine of Gilead 2 Thy teeth are like a flocke of sheepe in good order which go vp frō the washing which every one bring out twinnes and none is barren among them 3 Thy lippes are like a threde of skarlet and thy talke is comely thy temples are within thy lockes as a peece of a pomegranate The Commentarie The words of the Bridegrome vnto the Bride THe Church of God is commended for diuerse things in the Canticles First for her doues eyes that is to say her simplicitie and synceritie of minde and iudgement which is giuen her by the holy Ghost which is signified by the similitude and shape of a doue secondly for her ornaments and iewels which do not a litle beautifie and adorn the face because they are the ornamentes of the head and the head is Christ whose face shineth most gloriouslie and in whose countenance is all the glorie of all the faithfull wheresoeuer Thirdlie she is praysed for her haire for as the haires do grow on the head so the truth which we haue and receiue from our head Christ doth take fast root and increaseth in vs nowe it groweth and increaseth in vs by reason of the preachers of the Gospell which are as it were the haires of this head which depēdeth on Christ the true head of the church And the hairs of this head of the spouse are very properly fitly compared vnto Goats haires because whiles they attend wholly vnto the precepts of the Law and meditate vpō nothing but vpon heauēly things they are clean creatures which feed in high steep places And by Gilead which is as much to say by interpretatiō as an heap of testimonies is meant the multitudes of martyrs which cōfirme Christs doctrine by their deaths and passions Thy teeth are like a flock● of sheep in good order which go vp from the washings which euery one bring out twins and none is barren among them Thy teeth The teeth are the power of the holy Ghost by the which the true Bishops do ouercome the wicked and crush them in peeces by the preaching of the word and Christian conuersation and either conuert and turne them to the truth or else confirme and establish them in the truth by the power of the aforesaid word Againe the Bishops are teeth because they reprehend and reproue the wicked by the word of truth and make them members of Gods holy Church Moreouer they are teeth to break bruise the bread of doctrine so that it may be food for the weak And the teeth of the Church are described to be like vnto sheep after they are washed and shorne because the spirit of truth doth make the true professors of the Gospell and generally all the faithfull to become pure innocent simple or harmlesse as sheepe neither are they barren or fruitlesse because as the sheepe they bring forth twinnes alwayes abound in all maner of good workes Thy lips are like a thred● of skarlet and thy talke is comelie thy temples are within thy lo●kes as a peece of a pomegranat Againe the Church is commended for her lips that is to say for her words And her lips are said to bee red because all her speeches tend onely to this end purpose to set forth the death of Christ our Sauiour red with bloud for the saluation of the elect And her words are fyery hot with zeale and faith not knowing howe to l●e but able to ouercome the false and lying brethrē And by her cheekes is signified modestie and shamefastnesse because when a man is ashamed he blusheth or his cheekes do looke red and because the pomegranat is red in hewe therfore it may be most fitly applied vnto the passio● of Christ Now because the Church is not ashamed of Christs crosse but reioyceth rathe● in her passions and persecutions which sh● is to suffer for his sake and is wont to bear● the signe of the crosse verie patiently therefore it was well said that her cheekes wer● like a pomegranate especiallie like a peece of pomegranat because the redder part of it was hid and the white only was seen And as the number of graines which are in a pomgranat cannot be seene vnlesse the pomegranat be broken or bruised in peeces so likewise the vertue and power of the Church is not seene but in tribulations and troubles The Text. 4 Thy necke is as the tower of Dauid built for defence a thousand shieldes hang therein and all the targets of the strong men 5 Thy two breasts are as two yong roes that are twins feeding among the lillies 6 Vntill the day break the shadows flie away I will go into the mountaine of mirrhe and to the mountaine of incense 7 Thou art all faire my loue there is no spot in thee The Commentarie In this place he cōmēdeth the spouses neck as a tower built vp of a reasonable height hāged round about with strong shields what thing else is this in the spouse but the sweete agreement of holie maners or true strength fortitude against all aduersities that shall happen being alwayes adorned and decked with strong champions and Christian warriours which they keeping and preseruing do not only praise them but also in the power and vertue of him that is able to strengthen their weake soules endure and suffer all maner of aduersities The great Cannon which defendeth this Church is nothing els but

godly and therfore no maruell if they haue compassion on her and call vnto her not to disease or disquiet her selfe by putting her selfe to much trouble and sorrow but that she would rest a while from her labors and returne vnto the comfortable places of the holy scriptures to the end that out of the scripture they may learne see what things are to be done with ease and quietnesse and what with care and trouble And briefely this is that which the young virgines desire and couet for to know what the Church of God is and where it is in time of prosperitie and aduersitie and this is a thing most studiously to be obserued and noted that without the knowledge of the Church we cannot well attaine vnto the knowledge of Christ and they are so fast linked bound together that if you know one you may easily know to other The seuenth Chapter 1 How beautifull are thy goings with shoes ô Princes daughter the ioyntes of thy thighes are like iewels the worke of the hand of a cunning workeman 2 Thy nauell is as a round cup that wanteth not licour thy belly is as an heape of wheat compassed about with lillies 3 Thy two breasts are as tvvo young Roes that are tvvins The Commentarie The words of the Bridegrome vnto the Bride HE beginneth here in this place as it is manifest by the sequell therof to praise and command the Church whom he cannot chuse but loue as being his only deare spouse and his meaning and purpose is to say and shew no more then Isaiah saith in his 52. cha Nahum 1. and Rom. 10. How beautifull are the feet of thē that declare publish peace that bring good tydings publish saluatiō And the Church of God the true spouse of God is she which doth truely preach these good tydings because she alone declareth vnto vs the worde of God whereunto we must leane and these goings are said to be beautifull with shoes which words are spoken by way of similitude to shew instruct vs that as those which will go any farre iorney must be well shod so the professors and ministers of the Gospell which are to go a farre iorney to preach the Gospell throughout the whole world must be most readie to declare the truth vnto all men and verily they may be then said to be readie and neuer before when they do teach his word faithfully and sincerely So then beautifull are the goings of the. Church with shoes because when she is sent of God she is most willing and ready to declare vnto all men the words of saluation and thus you may see how Christ commendeth his owne good gifts in the Church and that before the young virgins to wit the soules of the faithfull because he would haue vs all to knowe what manner of thing the Church is and I doubt not but that it so commeth to passe by the singular prouidence and wisedome of God that there are so many places in this book of the Canticles where the Church commendeth Christ and is againe commended of him because we should know what a necessarie point of doctrine this is to be repeated and ingeminated in the eares of the faithfull seeing that the ignorance and want thereof hath almost seduced and beguiled the whole world In the second place he prayseth the Church for her vnspotted fruitfulnesse because her thighes signifie the power and vertue of bringing foorth others by the word being like vnto precious iewels and hereby is meant the diuine gifts of the holy Ghost which do adorne beautifie and make fertile the soules of the faithfull And be saith that they are the worke of a cunning workman because they are the workes of almightie God the most ingenious and cunning workemaister that euer was who hath all power and vertue to doe whatsoeuer him listeth who powreth his graces downe vppon vs which make vs to bee farre more excellent and pure then wee were before and without whose helpe we cannot doe any thing at all thy nauell is as a round cup that wanteth not licour thy bellie is as an heape of wheat compassed about with lillies Thy nauell what is this round bason or cup but the doctrine of the Gospell which neuer wanteth the licour of Gods spirit which is still put into it And here by the way we are to consider of how litle estimation the faithfull are at the first time when they are borne vnlesse they be recreated and refreshed with the liuely licour of Gods worde which when they haue once tasted they shall neuer need any more moysture hauing the continuall dew of Gods spirit whereby they are enabled and made powerfull to multiply and beget other sonnes vnto their husbande and the seede whereby they do conceiue and bring forth is the worde of God and then this is the exposition of these words To the end that thou sholdest beget children vnto me there needeth no carnall imbracings or copulation as in the generation of mens bodies because that when thou wert first affianced and betrothed vnto me by faith thou diddest receiue the spirit and giftes of the holy Ghost whereby thou mayest be able to conceaue and bring foorth children vnto God Faith and vnfained charitie is the copulation which is requisite in the procreation of these spirituall children and therefore there needeth no outward seede of the flesh because wee haue the seede of Gods word which is most effectuall to the conceiuing and bringing foorth of the fruites of good workes and this wonderfull strāge and pure kind of fertilitie is yet made more plaine by these words following thy bellie is as an heape of wheat compassed about with lillies Thy belly As if he should haue saide euen as in a heape of wheat there are many graines of corne so within thy fertile wombe there are contayned many multitudes of those which thou hast conceiued for mee and because thou art full or heauenly blessings no doubt of it but thou wilt bring them foorth in their due time and season and she conceaueth these blessings when she beleeueth but bringeth them foorth when they are done in faith and this belly is compassed about with lillies by the lillies we may vnderstand the faithfull because the wombe of the Church is wholly compassed about with the lillie-white innocencie of the faithfull thy two breasts are as two young Roes that are twins thy two the two breasts in this place signifie the old Testament and the New the doctrine of the Prophets and the doctrine of the Apostles which may bee very well compared vnto young Roes either for their puritie and whitenesse or else because they do runne about the whole world as the young Goates doe leape and skippe about the hilles and for the farther exposition of this place wee must entreate the gentle Reader to returne backe againe vnto the fourth Chapter where he shall finde this verse wholly interpreted only we will note this by the way that