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
A28839	An exposition of the doctrine of the Catholique Church in the points of controversie with those of the pretended reformation by James Benignus Bossüet, counseller in the King's counsels, Bishop and Lord of Condom, tutor to His Royal Hyghness the Dolphin of France ; translated into English by W.M.; Exposition de la doctrine de l'Eglise catholique sur les matières de controverse. English	Bossuet, Jacques Bénigne, 1627-1704.; Montagu, Walter, 1603?-1677.	1672 (1672)	Wing B3782; ESTC R30305	47,803	218

AN EXPOSITION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CATHOLIQUE CHURCH IN THE POINTS OF CONTROVERSIE with those of the Pretended Reformation By JAMES BENIGNVS BOSSÜET Counseller in the King's Counsels Bishop and Lord of Condom Tutor to his Royall Hyghnesse the Dolphin of France Translated into English by W. M. PRINTED AT PARIS By VINCENT DU MOUTIER Mont S. Hilaire at the signe of the Looking glasse M.DC.LXXII With Approbation and Permission APPROBATION Of my Lord Arch-Bishop and Duke of Reimes the first Peer of France and of other Lords Bishops WE haue reade the Treatise intituled An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholique Church in points of Controuersie composed by IAMES BENIGNVS BOSSÜET Bishop Lord of Condom Tutor to his Royall Hyghesse the Dolphin and after hauing examined it with as much application as the importance of the matter required we haue iudged the Doctrine conformable to the Catholique Apostolique and Roman Faith Which moues vs to propose it vnder that notion to the persons God hath committed to our charge and as we assure our selues that those of the Catholique Communion will be edified by it so we may hope that those of the Pretended-Reformed Religion who shall peruse this worke with attention may receaue from it clearings and disabuses very conducing to guide them into the way of Saluation CHARLES MAVRICE LE TELLIER Arch-Bishop Duke of Reimes CHARLES DE ROSMADEC Arch-Bishop of Tours FELIX Bishop Earle of Chalons DE GRIGNAN Bishop of Vsez D. DE LIGNY Bishop of Meaux NICOLAS Bishop of Luson GABRIEL Bishop of Autun MARC Bishop of Tarbe ARMAND IOHN Bishop of Beziers STEPHEN Bishop Prince of Grenoble IVLIVS Bishop of Tule TO MY DEAR COVNTRYMEN OF ENGLAND Cognoscetis Veritatem Veritas liberabit vos Jo. 8. v. 32. Yee shall know the Truth and the Truth shall sett you free TRVTH is so much the Center of the Spirit of Man as it pretends to moue towards it euen in all the digressions Deuiations it makes from it For euen most of our Errors Delusions passe themselues vpon vs vnder the notion of Truth The Spirit of Falsity disguiseth himself into the Apparēce of an Angel of Light to haue the easier accesse Did not Pilate himself seeme desirous to know Truth when he inquired of our Sauiour what Truth was But most inquier like him as soone as menaced with this terror if you receaue it you are no freind to Caesar you incurre the displeasure of the State and the Penalty of the Laws they decline the further persute of Truth and shrinke into that weakenes which our Sauiour reproached to his timorous inquirers they lou'd the Glory before Men more then the Glory before God Others there are who seeme frighted as the children of Israël were with the misreports of the inhahitants of the land of Chanaan which were falsely represented to them as Gyants and Monsters for so their Pretending Explorators disguise to them the Roman-Catholique Religion vnder the Forged figures of Idolatry or Superstitiō to diuert an inquiry into the true state and constitution of it But as when Iosuah shew'd the children of Israël a true and sensible parcel of the fruits of that earth they were disabused and inflamed with a desire to partake of the blessed fertility of the land of promise so Godbe praised there are many who vpon an equal ingenuous view of the true and natural state of Catholique Doctrine are disabused and protest against the false reporters as the Psalmist did in reiection of vaine inuentions of the Heathens Narrauerunt mihi iniqui Fabulationes sed non vt lex tua Omnia mandata tua Veritas Vniust men make their own storys but what they say is not like thy law All thy commandements are Truth Here is therefore a true naturall parcel of the fruits of that land of promise the Church of CHRIST to which this blessed promise was made that it should be led into all Truth and that CHRIST IESVS the founder of it would remaine with it vnto the end of the world This promise can not be verified in any Church which hath had a notorious deficiency and interruption for many ages which marke of inconformity to CHRIST'S figure and description of the True Church is euident in all the Pretended-Reformations But the designe of this Author was only a short easy exposure of such Catholique Doctrines as the beleefe thereof is fully sufficient to render the professor an intire Orthodox Catholique so that this short Treatise may be call'd rather a Factum of the case then Pleading of the cause since it doth but singly expose the matter of Fact in all our Beleefs whithout any Arguing against the opposite Opinions Whereupon I may not improperly say this is a true picture by the life of Catholique Religion which designeth only a iust and natural representation of it not a character that raiseth beautifyeth the figure it exposeth And in conformity to this profession the pious and prudent Author declareth in the close of this discourse that it was designed only for a Faithfull Manifest in the name of the Catholique Church the vtility whereof was expected in the disabusing all ingenuous Readers in those misreported Doctrines which are wrongfully imputed to her And God hath bless'd this pious proposall so as to recommend it very notoriously by the satisfaction which is profess'd to haue bin receaued by one of the most considerable persons of this age for the honour of his Birth and eminency of all sorts of Merit he hath acknowleged much of his cleer full information of the Catholique Doctrines as receaued from this excellent discourse And surely I haue not seen any edition of this nature as may be more aptly call'd a Mapp of Catholique Religion for all the lesser Controuersies are marked out in very smale points touches but the two Capital seates are distinguish'd by some larger markes which represent them so you will find the Reall Presence of CHRIST in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Masse as being the Capitall seates of our Controuersies extended in a much larger figure then the other questions and the drawing these two figures at their full length with their true features was the most requisit application by reason they are the most aspersed disfigured by the Maligners of the Church And these two Articles rightly understood as they are profess'd and explain'd in this Treatise may promise the remoue of the greatest difficultyes which most frequently auert many ingenuous candid Protestants from entring into an equal impartial inquiry concerning the seeming difficultyes of these two points namely this of the Reall Presence of CHRIST'S Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist as pretending it s not being cleerly explained and likewise the Controuersy about the Sacrifice of the Masse as not appearing euidently specified in holy Scripture Me thinks these two may not be improperly

which comprehend the expresse Doctrine of the Councel of Trent they would forbeare to obiect to vs that we injure the Mediation of CHRIST IESVS and that we inuoke Saints adore Images in a manner peculiar to God himself It is granted by reason that in some sense Inuocation Adoration and the name of Mediator are competent only to God and CHRIST JESVS that it is easy by a perverse vse of those termes to traduce our Doctrine and render it odious but if they are ingenuously receiued in that sense we haue exhibited these obiections loose all their force and if there remayne in the minds of the Pretended Reformers any lesse important difficultyes naturall equity and syncerity will oblige them to auowe themselues satisfy'd in the principall exceptions Besides this there is nothing more vniust then to charge the Church with the stating of all piety in this devotion to Saints since as we haue already euinced the Councel of Trent iudgeth it sufficient to informe and teach Catholiques that this practise is Good Vsefull without advancing it further so that the Churches intent is to condemn such as reiect this practise either by Contempt or Misconstruction and the Church is obliged to condemn them by reason that she ought not to indure the condemning of salutary and usefull practises nor that a Doctrine which all Antiquity hath authorised should be reiected by the Nouellists Doctors The matter of iustification will manifest yet a greater light how many difficulties may be avoyded by a syncere exposition of our opinions Those who are never so little acquainted with the history of the Pretended Reformation can not be ignorant that those who were the first Authors of it did propose this Article to all the world as the principall and as it were the most essentiall ground of their separation so that this seemes the most necessary point to be rightly understood First we beleeve that our sinns are forgiuen freely by the divine mercy for JESVS-CHRIST'S sake these are the expresse termes of the Councel of Trent which addeth further that we are said to be iustified freely because none of those things which precede our iustification either our faith or our works can merit this grace And by reason the holy scripture explains to us the remission of our sinns expressing it some times by saying that God couers them and others that he takes them quite away and effaceth them by the grace of the holy Ghost which renders vs new creatures we conceiue that we are to combine all these expressions to forme a compleate Idea or notion of the iustification of a sinner we doe therefore beleeue that our sinns are not only couered but intirely effaced by the blood of CHRIST IESVS and by the grace by which we are regenerated and this perswasion is so farr from detracting from that image we ought to frame of the merit of that blood as quite contrary it indeareth and eleuateth the value of it for by this meanes the righteousnes of Christ is not simply imputed but actually imparted to the faithfull by the operation of the holy Ghost in so much as they are not only imputed but euen rendered righteous by the grace of Christ. If our righteousnes were only in the sight of man it would not be the operation of the holy Ghost it must then be iustice euen before God since it is God himself who produceth it in vs by an effusion of his charity vpon our harts It is notwithstanding but too true that the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and we all offend in many things Wherefore albeit our righteousnes be a true one by the infusion of Charity yet is it no perfect one by reason of the combat between it our concupiscence so that the sighing and sorrowing of a soule repenting her sinns performes the most necessary duty of Christian righteousnes which obligeth vs to confesse with S. Augustin that our righteousnes in this life consists rather in the remission of our sinns then in the perfection of our virtues Wherefore as to the point of Merit imputed to our workes the Catholique Church teacheth that Eternall life ought to be proposed to the children of God both as a Grace mercifully promised by the meanes of our Sauior IESVS CHRIST and as a Reward which is faithfully rendred to their good workes and to their deserts in virtue of that promise these are the expresse termes of the Councel of Trent but least the pride of humane nature should be flattered by the opinion of a persuming Merit the same Councel determineth that all the worth and value of Christian good workes is deriued from that sanctifying grace which is freely conferr'd vpon vs in the name of CHRIST JESVS and that is an effect of the continuall influence of that diuine head vpon his depending members True it is indeed that the exhortations the promises the menaces and reproaches of the Gospel doe declare sufficiently that we are to worke our saluation by the motion actings of our own wills concurring with the Grace of God which assists vs but it is a fixt principle that free will can performe nothing in order to Eternall beatitude but by the same degrees it is moued and eleuated by the holy Ghost Whereupon the Church knowing that it is the holy spirit which worketh in vs by his Grace all the good we doe she ought to rest perswaded that the good workes of the faithfull are very acceptable to God of great estimation in his sight and she doth rightfully vse the terme of Merit concurrently with all Christian Antiquity cheefly to signify the value dignity of our workes which we performe by the motion of his Grace But by reason all their sanctity is deriued from God who workes them in vs the same Church hath receiued from the Councel of Trent as the Doctrine of the Catholique Faith this saying of S. August that God crowns his own Gifts when he crowns the Merits of his seruants We intreate all such as loue truth peace to be pleased to read the whole context of the Councel of Trent's words that they once be disabused and deliuered from those wrong impressions which are suggested to them of our Docctrine Notwithstanding we discerne cleerly say the fathers of that Councel that the holy scriptures esteeme so much Good woorks that IESVS-CHRIST himself promiseth that a cupp of cold water giuen a poor body shall not want its reward and that the Apostle declareth that a moment of light payne suffered in this world shall produce an Eternall weight of glory yet God forbid that a Christian should trust glory in himself and not in our Lord whose goodness towards Man is so aboundant that he allowes his own Guifts to them to be accounted their Merits This Doctrine is spread through the whole Councel which teacheth in an other session that we who are not sufficient to doe

any thing alone by our selues can doe euery thing by him who inableth vs so that Man hath nothing wherein he can glorify himself nor any cause to confide in himself but that all his confidence and his glorying is in CHRIST JESVS in whom we liue and in whom we merit in whom we satisfy bearing worthy fruits of repentance which deriue their power from him and by him are offered to God the Father in him are accepted by the Father So that we preferr all our suites place all our hopes render all our thanks by our Lord IESVS-CHRIST We proclaime in a loud voice that we are acceptable to God only in him by him and we can hardly conceaue how any other intent or application can be imputed to vs. We fix in him alone so intirely all the hope of our saluation as we present to God euery day those words in the Sacrifice Vouchsafe ô God to graunt vnto vs sinners your seruants who hope in the multitude of your Mercys some part and fellowship with your blessed Apostles and Martyrs ... into which we humbly beg to be admitted not considering our Merit but forgiuing vs by your Mercy for our Sauiour's sake CHRIST IESVS Shall the Church neuer be able to persuade her children now become her ennemies neither by the explication of her Faith nor the decisions of her Councells nor by her most solemn prayers presented in her Sacrifices that she doth not owne any life nor conceaue any hope but in the merits of IESVS-CHRIST alone and this hope is so powerfull that it imprints in the children of God who walke faithfully in his ways that peace which passeth all vnderstanding as the Apostle assures vs. But yet although this hope be stronger then the promises or menaces of the world and be sufficient to calme the terror of our conscience yet doth it not suppresse intirely our feare by reason that though we are assured that of himself he neuer doth abandon vs we can neuer be certain that we shall not depart from him by our own faylings in reiecting his inspirations and God hath bin pleased to temper allay by this sauing feare that confidence he inspireth into his children for as S. Augustin saith such is our weakenesse in this seate of perills temptations that an entire assurance would produce in vs slacknesse and presumption whereas this fear which in the Apostle's mind makes vs worke our saluation with fear and trembling renders vs more vigilant and moueth vs to fasten our selues by an humble dependance on him who worketh in vs by his grace the will and the acting according to his good pleasure as the same S. Paul declares vnto vs. This is what is most necessary to be held and practised in the Doctrine of iustification and our Adversaries must be very vnreasonable and perverse not to confesse that this Doctrine is sufficient to instruct Christians in their duty of attributing to God by CHRIST IESVS all the glory of their saluation If the Pretending-Reformers after this exposition fly vnto nice subtile questions it is not amisse to aduise them that it is not now proper to raise or insist vpon needlesse difficultys reflecting vpon what they haue condescēded vnto towards an vnion with the Lutherans and what they have graunted to their own fraternity in the points of Grace Predestination That proceding ought to have instructed them to restrain confine their inquiries in this matter to that singly which is of absolute necessity to establish the foundation of Christian piety And if they could once resolue to bound themselues within those limits they would quickly be satisfied soone would desist from their obiecting to vs our nullifying the Grace of God by our ascribing all to good workes since we haue euindenced to them in so cleer termes of the Councel of Trent these three points so decisive in this matter viz. That our sinns are pardon'd by pure mercy for CHRIST JESVS his sake That we owe vnto a free gracious liberality the righteousnesse infused into vs by the holy Spirit And that as many good workes as we performe are so many free guifts of grace And we cannot but confesse that the most Learned of their party doe not now contend so much in this point as they did at the beginning of the Schisme and there are few that will not auowe that a Separation ought not to haue bin made vpon this Controversy But if this so important difficulty in the point of Iustification of which their first Authors raised their strongest fort is no longer accounted so capitall by the most intelligent and sufficient persons of their party we desire them to reflect what iudgment ought to be made of their Separation and how much we might hope a Reconciliation if they would raise their minds from vnder all prepossession and renounce the spirit of Contention It will not be amisse that I explaine further in what manner we conceaue our selues capable to satisfy God by his Grace in order to the leauing no doubt or scruple in this matter The Catholiques doe vnanimously professe teach that CHRIST IESVS only God Man vnited was sufficiently qualifyed by the infinite dignity of his person to make satisfaction for our sinns but hauing superaboundantly satisfyed he had power to apply vnto vs an entire abolition without reseruing any punishment or by commutation of a greater into a lesser penalty that is exchanging an Eternall paine into Temporall sufferances and by reason that this first sort of mercy is the most compleat and most suting to his goodnesse he hath taken that course in our Baptisme but we maintaine that he vseth the second manner in the remission he graunteth to those who after Baptisme relapse into sin being in a manner forced to it by the ingratitude of those who haue abused his guifts so that such offenders are condemned to some temporall paines although the Eternall punishment be remitted But from hence it ought not to be inferr'd that IESVS-CHRIST hath not fully satisfyed for vs but rather the contrary viz that he hauing purchased an absolute right and title of propriety in vs by the infinite price of his blood pay'd for our saluation he graunteth our pardon with what condition and vnder what law and reseruation he pleaseth to impose We should be very vngratefull iniurious to our Sauiour should we presume to question the infinitenesse of his merit by this pretext that hauing pardoned vs the sin of Adam he did not deliuer and free vs at the same tyme from all the consequences of it leauing vs still subiect to death and to so many corporal and spiritual infirmities vnto which that sin hath sentenced vs. It is surely grace enough that IESVS-CHRIST hath once pay'd the price for which we shall one day be deliuered from all the miseries which oppresse vs it is our part to receiue with humility and gratitude euery part of his benefit considering the motion