Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	catholic_n	church_n	tradition_n	2,180	5	9.3701	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34877	A supplement to Knowledge and practice wherein the main things necessary to be known and believed in order to salvation are more fully explained, and several new directions given for the promoting of real holiness both of heart and life : to which is added a serious disswasive from some of the reigning and customary sins of the times, viz. swearing, lying, pride, gluttony, drunkenness, uncleanness, discontent, covetousness and earthly-mindedness, anger and malice, idleness / by Samuel Cradock ... useful for the instruction of private families.	Cradock, Samuel, 1621?-1706.	1679 (1679)	Wing C6756; ESTC R15332	329,893	408

or principle of Operation These Divine Persons are so distinct in their peculiar subsistence * In the Divine Essence th●re is alius not aliud aliud The Persons several the Essence of all Three the same The Persons are distingui●hed by their incommunicable Properties that distinct Actions and Operations are ascribed to them And these actions are of two sorts First ad intra Such are those internal acts in one Person whereof another Divine Person is the Object And these acts ad invicem or ad intra are natural necessary and inseparable from the Being Existence and Blessedness of God Thus the Father knoweth the Son and loveth him and the Son knoweth and loveth the Father In these mutual actings one Person is the Object of the knowledge and love of the other Joh. 3.35 The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand Matth. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father And no man knoweth the Son but the Father Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him This mutual knowledge and love of the Father and Son we find expressed Prov. 8.30 I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him And in these mutual internal actings consists much of the ineffable blessedness of the Holy G●d Secondly There are distinct actions of these Divine Persons ad extra which are voluntary effects of will and choice and not natural or necessary And these are likewise of two sorts 1. Such as respect one another for there are external acts of one Person towards another but then the Person that is the Object of these actings is not considered absolutely as a Divine Person but with respect to some peculiar dispensation or condescention which he voluntarily submitted unto Thus the Father gives sends commands the Son he having condescended to take our Nature on him and to be Mediator between God and man Thus the Father and the Son do send the Spirit he having condescended in an especial manner to the Office of being the Sanctifier and Comforter of the Church Now these are free and voluntary acts depending upon the Soveraign Will Counsel and Pleasure of God and might not have been without any the least diminution of his Eternal blessedness Secondly Such as have respect and reference to the Creatures of which some are ascribed peculiarly to the Father some to the Son and some to the Holy Ghost * Though these works ad extra be common to all Three yet the manner of working is proper to each Person Thus Creation is attributed to the Father Eph. 9.14 15. Redemption to the Son Eph. 1.7 Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 Every Person doth work S●cundum distinctam rationem suae subsistentiae according to the distinct manner of his Personal s●bsistence Yet all their actings ad extra towards the Creatures being the actings of God are undivided and are all the works of one and the same God Having thus far explained the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity and I hope sutably to the Revelation made of it in the Scriptures I shall now lay down some Rules or Propositions for the further understanding of it First Each Person hath its own substance for the one substance of the Deity is the substance of each Person and so is still but one But each Person hath not its own distinct substance separate from the substance of the other Persons because the substance of them all is the same Where therefore Christ as the Son is said to be another from the Father or from God spoken of Personally as the Father it argues not in the least that he is not partaker of the Divine Nature with him 'T is true in one Essence there can be but one Person where the substance is finite and limited but it hath no place in that which is infinite Secondly Each Person is infinite as he is God For all Divine Properties belong not to the Persons on the account of their Personality but on the account of their Divine Nature which is one for they are all Natural Properties And therefore as the Nature of each Person is infinite so is each Person because of that Nature Thirdly The only true God is Father Son and Holy Ghost But when we say the Father is the only true God we respect not his Paternity or Paternal relation to his Son but his Divine Nature Essence or Being And the like may be said of the Son that He is the onely true God and so of the Holy Ghost For the Divine Nature though absolutely singular and one yet is communicated to more and hath a larger signification then either the Term Father Son or Holy Ghost So that though each Person be the only true God it does not follow that one Person must be another namely that the Father must be the Son or the Son the Father For though the Father be the only true God yet it does not follow that every one who is the true God is the Father For the Son is the only true God and so is the Holy Ghost because they are equally participant of the Divine Nature But to say whoever is the only true God is the Father is false Fourthly Distinction and inequality in respect of Office in Christ and the Holy Ghost does not in the least take away equality and sameness with the Father in respect of Nature and Essence Phi. 2.6 7 8. Christ Jesus being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant and was made in the likeness of men And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Fifthly The advancement and exaltation of Christ as Mediator to any Dignity whatsoever upon or in reference to the works of our Redemption and Salvation is not at all inconsistent with the Essential honour and Dignity which he hath in himself as God blessed for ever Though he humbled himself and was exalted as to his Office yet in Nature he was one and the same he changed not Sixthly Gods working in and by Christ as he was Mediator denotes the Fathers Soveraign appointment of the things mentioned to be done Not his immediate efficiency in the doing of them Seventhly That must be remembred which Zophar says Job 11. 7. We cannot by searching find out God we cannot find out the Almighty to perfection Some things may be above the comprehension of reason * Observe the words of a learned man Dr. H. in his Comment on the Creed p. 20. I thank God I can say with a very good Conscience that I b lieve the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity according to the Catholick Tradition of the Church of Christ yet I confess withall such is the weakness of my understanding that I am utterly unable and indeed who is not

unto Holiness 2 Tim. 2.19 Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The end of Christs gathering them out of the World to be his people is that they may be holy and a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Thus Moses speaking of the Congregation of Israel Deut. 7.6 Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God That is they were so by destination and engagement though many of them were not really so● 2. The Church may be called holy because it trains up people in the wayes of holiness and godliness 3. It may be called holy in respect though not of the greater yet of the better part of it whom God hath sanctified by the graces of his holy Spirit The other Attribute of the Church is Catholick Catholick as it is not in the Scriptures so was it not anciently in the Creed but inserted by the Fathers of the Constantinopolitan Council It signifies General or Vniversal Now the Church is called Catholick 1. In respect of place It being not now shut up in the narrow bounds of Judea but diffused through the World 2. In respect of persons All sorts of persons being promiscuously called to Faith in Christ Neither Jew nor Gentile neither bond nor free being excluded Gal. 3.28 3. In respect of times It comprehending all the Faithful that have been in all times and ages ever since the giving of the first promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head And to our Saviours dayes and since then to the age in which we live and is to contitinue from hence by a continual accession to the end of the world Nay it doth not only include that part of the Church is now militant on earth but that also which is triumphant in Heaven Both they with us and we with them make one body mystical whereof Christ is the Head And all together together with the antient Patriarches and other holy men of God which lived under the Law do make up that one glorious Church which is called in the Scriptures the general Assembly the Church of the first born whose names are written in the Heavens Heb. 12.23 Catholick then the Church may be called in regard of extent whether we consider time place or persons 4. In respect of Doctrine because it maintains the Catholick Doctrine quae semper quae ubique quae abomnibus credita est Adversus Haereses c. 3 as Lirinensis d sayes which hath allwayes and in all places by all sorts of real Christians been received as Orthodox Catholick in this sence is the same with Orthodox and a Catholick Christian the same with a true professor A private Christian may be called Catholick in this sense And thus the Fathers of the purest times made use of this word Catholick to distinguish themselves from Hereticks according to that famous saying of Pacianus Christianus mihi nomen est Catholicus cognomen Christian saith he is my name and Catholick my sir-name By the one I am known from Infidels by the other from Hereticks And so long as the main body of Christians retained the form of wholsom words and kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace it served fitly for a distinctive mark to know an Orthodox Professor from an Heretical But when the main body of the Church was once torn in pieces and every leading faction would be thought the true Church of Christ they took to themselves the name of Catholicks also And thus our great Masters in the Church of Rome have appropriated to themselves the name of catholicks accounting all men Hereticks that differ from them and do not hold communion with them in their errors And then they defend themselves by the name of Catholicks from having dealt unjustly with their fellow Christians men every way more Orthodox than themselves But let them talk what they will the Church which is truly Catholick containeth within it all those Congregations which are truly the Churches of Christ And all persons whatsoever who are true Christians belong to it So that whosoever is not of the Catholick Church cannot be of the true Church out of which ordinarily there is no Salvation 3. I come now to the distinctions of the Church 1. The Church of Christ may be considered either as Militant or Triumphant The Church Militant is that company of Christians here on earth who are in warfare warring against Satan the World and the Flesh 2. The Church Triumphant are those Saints who having vanquished and overcome those adversaries do now reign and triumph in Heaven This distinction is founded upon Ephes 3.14 15. Where the Apostle sayes I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family in heaven and earth is named The Family in Heaven is the Church Triumphant The Family on Earth the Church Militant of which the Apostle himself was one when he said 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith The Triumphant we may read of Rev. 7.9 After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white Robes and Palms in their hands Having thus premised this distinction of the Church Militant and Triumphant I come now to speak particularly of the Church Militant 1. Then we must know that the Churcrh Militant here on earth consists partly of such as are truly of it partly of such as only in respect of their outward profession belong to it As the Holy Ghost speaks Rev. 2.9 of some who professed themselves Jews I know the Blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan so we may say of some who profess themselves Christians that they are very far from being such in truth and reality For prophane persons and hypocrites are rather in the Church than of it The Militant Church is either visible or invisible The visible Church is a visible company of people professing the Gospel whether they do it in truth and sincerity or no. It doth consist of good and bad It is compared to a net cast into the Sea which gathered of every kind c. Matth. 13.47 And to a field wherein were both wheat and tares Matth. 13.24 And to a great house wherein are vessels of several sorts some to honour some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2.20 The invisible Church consists of such as truly are what they profess themselves to be It is called invisible because it is not visible to the eyes of men They can see the profession but whether it proceed from the heart or no they cannot see The Invisible Church therefore is hid in the visible and there is no more difference between them than between the whole and a part 3. The Church Militant is distinguished into Particular and Vniversal A particular

Christ and are purified thereby and are Sanctified by the holy Spirit of God and by vertue thereof do lead a holy life daily endeavouring to perfect holiness in the fear of God such persons are really and truly Saints and being true members of the Church of Christ are the proper subject of this Article 2. Who are those persons with whom these Saints have communion and in what doth this their communion consist 1. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with God the Father praying unto him and praising of him trusting in him and exercising such acts of worship as he requires 1 John 1.3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ David affectionately expresseth his desire of this communion Psal 42.1 As the heart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God 2. They have Communion with God the Son 1 Cor. 1.9 God hath called us to the fellowship of his Son For being united to Christ by faith they are thereby made partakers of his Righteousness and receive spiritual life and grace from him for the sanctifying of their natures and sincerely endeavour after conformity unto him 3. They have communion with God the Holy Ghost The Apostle hath two wayes assured us of the truth hereof one Rhetorically by a seeming doubt If there be any fellowship of the Spirit Phil. 2.1 The other directly praying devoutly for it 2 Cor. 13.14 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen This is the communion which the Saints enjoy with the three blessed persons in the Trinity John 14.23 If any man love me sayes our Saviour he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And the presence of the Spirit cannot be wanting where these two are inhabiting for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his The Spirit therefore with the Father and the Son inhabiteth in the Saints For know ye not saith the Apostle that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 3.16 4. The Saints of God living here in the Church of Christ have communion with the Holy Angels They are Ministring Spirits for our good Heb. 1.14 They rejoyce at the Conversion of a Sinner They do many good offices for the people of God which possibly they are not sufficiently sensible of And this their Ministry is exercised as 't is probable about the ordinary concernments of our lives and not in some extraordinary cases only 5. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with all the Saints departed out of this life and admitted to the presence of God The Godly on earth do in heart and affection converse with the Saints in Heaven And 't is probable the Saints triumphant wish to the Saints militant the happiness they enjoy and possibly pray for them in general though their particular cases they may not know But we are not to think as the Papists fondly conceive that they interpose their merits for us and that for this cause we are to invocate them or perform any Religious worship towards them These are but inventions of mans brain wanting warrant from the word of God 6. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with the Saints living in the same Church If we walk in the light sayes the Apostle we have fellowship one with another 1 John 1.7 And another Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 12.13 By one Spirit they are are all baptized into one body So that they have communion one with another in these offerings 1. They all joyn together in the use of and have benefit by the same ordinances and all partake of the same promises are all ingraffed into the same stock and receive life from the same root 2. According to their places and calling they teach and admonish one another 3. They endeavour to walk by the same Rule and to mind the same things * Acts 3.16 Heb. 3.13 4. They pray one for another Ephes 6.18 and Jam. 5.16 Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 5. They comfort and encourage one another in the wayes of God 6. In respect of temporal things they are ready to succour relieve and help one another according to their abilities Having thus opened the nature of this Article let us now consider what are the instructions we should learn from it 1. If we believe this communion of Saints which hath been before described then let us seriously consider whether we have a part and share in it or no. There are many instead of communion with God and with Christ have communion with Satan and instead of communion with Saints have communion with the ungodly and wicked and joyn with them in the practice of iniquity in swearing swaggering drinking revelling and scoffing at Saints and Saintship and this they account and call good fellowship But let no man deceive himself The Apostle tells us 1 John 1.5 6 7. That God is light and in him there is no darkness at all If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another c. 2. If we have a share and part in this communion it should inflame our hearts with an ardent love to all that are within this communion If similitude of shape or feature will beget a kindness if congruity of manners and disposition will unite affections what great love should there be among all the Saints who have the same image of God stamped upon them and are acted by the same spirit Surely all that are true members of Christ should heartily desire and pray for the welfare of all their fellow-members And should have their hearts touched with the miseries that befall either the Church of Christ in general or the particular members thereof See Amos 6.6 3. A belief of this Article should teach us that as we are to do good to all in our several places and according to our abilities so especially to those who are of the houshold of Faith SECT IV. Of Forgiveness of Sins the forgiveness of sins REmission or Forgiveness of Sins is a priviledge that belongs to them who are true members of Christs holy Catholick Church That we may the more clearly explain this Doctrine we shall consider 1. What Sin is 2. What are the kinds of it 3. What is the wages due to it 4. By whom sins are forgiven 5. Vpon what account they are forgiven 6. What forgiveness of sins doth contain in it