Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	scripture_n	word_n	write_a	2,223	5	10.7210	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20187	The opening of heauen gates, or The ready way to euerlasting life Deliuered in a most familier dialogue, betweene reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the vnderstanding of the weakest capacitie, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.	1610 (1610)	STC 6619; ESTC S116579	52,599	137

for there-vppon would al this packet of vntruth lustly depend viz. That the Church of God was drowned in the generall ouerflowing when al the world was drown'd and the church of satan saued in the Arke That the church of God perished-among the Sodomites and iust Lot and his family were y● church of the diuel y● the Iewes Scribes Pharisees were the Church of Christ and Christ him-selfe with the remnant of beléeuers the Church of Antichrist In conclusion that theyr Church is now the true Church because of the multitude and ours the false we wil demand but one thing of those multitude of men which if they truly tell vs and proue they shall haue our hand and our heart wée will become as true to them as stéele and consent to any religion of theyr forefathers which is that they shew forth at what time the estate of the world was in so good case that the best thinges did please the greatest number or when iniquity had not the most consent of adherents except at that time when all were drown'd except eight persons Alasse theyr proofe is euen as farre to séeke as heauen is distant from hell God graunt therefore the condition of consent be no nearer vnto vs. For it is written broad is the way that leadeth to perdition and many walk therein but narrow is the path to saluation straight is the gate and few do enter therat And further though the childrē of Israel were as y● sand of the sea yet shall but a remnant be saued This is yet more plainly verified by Elias the Prophet who saw not one man frée from Idolatry and the subiection of Belial besides himselfe in all the world yet did he willingly all regard of the multitude laid apart serue the Lord of heauen truly Wherefore though our fore-fathers serued those Gods on the further side of the flood or the Gods of the Amorstes or the gods of their owne handes Let it amaze vs no more then it did good Iosua who said and let vs also say with him we and our houses will serue the God of heauen And with Iudith we will not follow the sinnes of our fore-fathers which forsake their God and worshipped strange gods The holy Hrophet receaued from the mouth or secret inspiration of God all that doctrine y● they deliuered or taught the Apostles proued their Doctrine out of Prophets the godly of ensuing ages haue rested vppon them And shall wee alone be carelesse or accompt it ynough if many men haue gon before vs contrary to the Prophets and Apostles No no Al men haue sinned from the first except one and shall doe to the last yet it is nothing lawfull for vs to follow their steps therein Therefore although our forefathers were Idolaters yet must wee learne to serue the Lord And that wee may the better performe our duties in that behalfe it behoueth vs to be wise in the trying of spirits least we become clyents to our forefathers superstitions or superstitious in our owne fancies so ignorantly neglect the precepts of our God Let vs therfore looke vpon the iniunctions of Popery that we may be able to reprehend the Church of Rome but let vs call home theyr generall Councels with the rabble of theyr decretals to the same Prophets and Apostles And woe shal anon perceiue that we haue no cause to feare theyr times out of mind knowing that an euil custom is no better then a commō pestilence which by how much the more is old and ancient by so much the more it is rotten stinking nor yet their commō consents séeing the state of gods childrē is oftētimes to be desolate And because there is no heresie but will challenge som maintenance out of Gods word saying that theyr Church is the Church Apostolicall which the Papist as boldly sweareth taketh vpon him as if nothing were good but his Masse let them shew vs the Prophets and Apostles for their Masses Dirges Trentals praying to Saints praying with brads praying to help soules out of purgatory worshipping of Idols Bishopping of baptized children kissing of Pares Créeping to Crosses baptizing of bells coniuring of water coniuring of balme coniuring of hearbes buying of bulles and pardons and auricular confession the rest of their sacraments paying of vaine vowes going on pilgrimage pace-eggs manyples licking of rotten bones Auc-Maryes blessing with two fingers annoynting annoyling absoluing knéeling knocking whipping crouching kissing crossing shauing greasing and ten thousand such trickets moe I appeale to the iudgement of the wise-harted whether God abrogating the ceremonies of his own law did purpose that the Pope should institute and erect a new of such traditions as these If we hold them hard to the proofs of these and such other by the touchstone aforesaid namely y● word of God theyr next leape is longer then the passage betwéene Douer and Callice for they crosse the broad ss as to vnwritten verities But how colde theyr entertainment is there we would not much feare to make thē-selues the Iudges if shame grace had not forsaken them In déed wee know and confesse that more was spoken then is written And that whatsoeuer Christ the Apostles preached was the word of GOD were it written or not But we know also that if more had bene necessary to saluation then is written God would not suffer vs to want it least with them we might happen to runne a whoring after our owne deuises But aboue all wee are most assured that the Spirit of God neuer was nor will be contrary to it selfe Therefore let vs try how truly theyr berities vnwritten doe accord with the written word We finde in the Scripture that wee ought to worship God alone and not to make our selues any grauen Image but is it possible that the Word vnwritten should tollerate their prayers to saints theyr sacrificing to Idols and theyr falling downe before blocks In his word written it is called the Doctrine of dinels to forbid matrimony to any man and can it bee his word vnwritten that Ministers shall neuer marry it is his word written that all that depart this world in the Lord do rest from theyr labours and is it also in the word vnwritten that they bee purged of many torments in the fire of Purgatory before they do rest it is playne by the word written that wee haue no remission of sinne but in the blood of Christ without whome we are dead and condemned to the bottome of hell but is it as playne by his word vnwritten that the Pope can saue that who-soeuer shal die in a white fryers scapulary shal be saued or he that dyeth in a gray fryars frocke shall neyther come in Purgatory nor in hell and aboue all is it his word vnwritten that a man may get in s 〈…〉 heap of deseruings 〈…〉 superrerogation 〈…〉 s friendes w 〈…〉 against the hea 〈…〉 Is not this preposterous geare who would thinke that these men

together Reli. These two are reconciled and well made manifest in his sonne For after our first parent Adam by the eternall decreement had cast him-selfe and al his progeny into the defilement of sinne God did raise him vp againe in this second Adam euen Iesus Christ for which cause he is called the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world Rea. What meane you by that word sinne Reli. I call any thing sinne that in thought word or deed is committed contrary to the law and will of God Rea. And may a man say without sinne that sinne is willed by God Reli. Surely God ought not to be called the author of sinne for how can iniquity issue from that fountaine where nothing is saue onely the clear● water of righteousnesse Notwithstanding so farre am I of from holding him a sinner that reuerently doth ascribe all things to the prouidence of God that I accompt him rather an Ignorent and blasphemous sinner that supposeth any thing to happen by fortune or chance as if God were ignorant or carelesse thereof Reas Here I perceiue the nayle is driuen to the head therefore you had need go discreetly to worke least God bee disabled in any thing that is dew to his omnipotency or that more be attributed to his power then agreeth with his iustice Verily this is the thing wherein I haue not onely long time longed to bee instructed but also beene greatly troubled in minde about the same I pray you therefore what is the prouidence of God Reli. By this word prouidence is meant the incomprehensible fore-knowledge and wisedome whereby from the farthest end of eternity God did behold appoint and prouide when where and wherefore all thinges in heauen and earth should bee as also his vnmeasurable and omnipotent power by which hee hath brought bringeth and will bring all the same things in their seasons effectually to passe according to his own will and purpose Reas But sith the Lord is righteous and so farre off from willing sinne that on the contrary part hee doth not only forbid it but also most greeuously punish it how can we say that sinne doth attend vpon the ordinances of God Reli. Certainely my very soule doth feare least by ouer much bouldnesse I should violate or séeme to neglect that rule of reuerence that in Gods behalfe is to be obserued On the otherside I would be loath that by to much cowardize I should dishonor the truth therefore as there want not testimonies of scripture to warrant this doctrine so I thinke it not vnméete that herein I follow that generall sentence of the Apostle whereof wee haue already spoken namely that God bringeth all things to passe according to the councell of his owne will and least I may s●en●e to giue to much liberty to my owne interpretation I wil also incline to the doctrine of Saint Augustine who sayth to the very same effect The wil of God is the chiefe and principall cause of all maner of actions motions whatsoeuer for there is nothing that proceedeth not from that vnsearcheable wisdome and will of his Of these two we gather that if the wil of God be the principall and originall cause of all things that is to say of all actions and motions Either that sinne doth come to passe according to that souereigne will of his or else that sinne is nothing at all that is to say neither action nor motion which obsurdity by no meanes can be granted wherefore vnder these two banners though the first may animate a right cowardly soldier I dare now more bouldly shew thée a reason of mine owne this it is By Angels men did sinne take possession of this world as appeareth rightly in the derlining of our first parents Adam and Eue. But neither Angels nor men were euer seperated from the gouernment and subiection of their Lord and maker Ergo. Sinne doth possesse the world by the ordinance that is to say the will and appointment of God This thing is witnessed by the ●●ostle who saith that No man shal re●i●●●●e wil of God Moreouer behold saith the Lord I haue created the Smith that bloweth the coales in the fire and him that bringeth sorth an Instrument for his work I I say haue created the destroyer to destroy Many such testimonies may bee recited out of the word of God But because the wicked will here take the bitt in theyr teeth accompting God the author of sinne and runne on head-long after theyr owne appetite to all kinde of mischiefe as though it were not meerley vnlawful wee must before wee go any further seeke to abate their courage and take away that buckler where-vnder they will shield and defend their pretended innocency Therefore although by that almighty eye of God nothing doth passe in the whole world vnséene and therefore not vnwilled yet cannot God be called the Author of euill for saith the Apostle there is no vnrighteousnesse with God But the corr●●●●●n of the minde of the first mon sai●●●●●●ter Caluin by which we are ●●c●me ●●eers ●ame partly by the pr●●●●ement of Sathan partly by the fr●●●y of nature which nature man did de●●e by his owne voluntary and wilfull fall from whence we perceiue ●pecting the meane and second cau● that mankind doth perish through ●owne default And in as much as no ●● sinneth vnwillingly but of his own ●ord for the most part no man is vn●ly punished by the hand of God for ●y That is the only cause of sinne that 〈…〉 exclude all other causes besides it 〈…〉 But God excludeth no mans wil in ●own actions Ergo God is not y● only ●se of sinne If any man wil obiect y● 〈…〉 is not the cause of his owne euill in much as God the soueraigne cause of ●ses doth prescribe the euent and di●t euery action to the appointed end answer out of the Maior of my former ●ument That is the onely cause of ●ne which excludeth all causes besides ●elfe But man in the wicked actions of ●olatry Murther Adultery Theft and ●●h other neglecteth the commande●●nt of God and so far forth as in him ●●th excludeth all causes saue his ●ne wicked lust onely Ergo Man in ●t respect is the only cause of sinne 〈…〉 iustly deserueth the wrath and correction of God as witnesseth the Prophet saying thy destruction O Israell commeth of thy selfe Reas I haue heard thee say ear now that Angells and men were created according to Gods owne likenesse that is of a sound and vpright disposition and will which thing truely is very conuenient in the eye of reason for if they had beene ordayned euill by nature or to that end that they should decline from that estate by the will of God it would argue God to bee vnrighteous at least in respect of that purpose of his Reli. Nay it is rather an inconuenience many waies which thou