Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	faith_n	scripture_n	1,714	5	6.0562	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03880	A treatise of the vnvvritten Word of God, commonly called traditions. Written in Latin, by the R. Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by I. L. of the same Society. The second part of the first controuersy; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13996.A; ESTC S115739	25,730	61

A TREATISE OF THE VNVVRITTEN WORD OF GOD commonly called TRADITIONS Written in Latin by the R. Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland Doctour of Diuinity of the Society of Iesus And translated into English by I. L. of the same Society The second Part of the first Controuersy Permissu Superiorum M. DC XIV THE FIRST CHAPTER Of the true state of the Question HAVING already in the precedent Treatise spoken of the written Word of God and of all other things therunto belonging now it remayneth we speake a litle of the vnwritten word cōmonly called Traditiōs But to the end that the state of this controuersy may more easily be vnderstood I will heere set downe foure things diligently to be considered in this matter we treate of The first is that by the vnwritten Word we only vnderstand that which is not written in the old or new Testament for of the vnwritten word of God in this sense is our whole Controuersy in this place Wherefore that obiection of our Aduersaries is both friuolous and nothing worth to wit that the word of God which we call the vnwriten word may be found extant eyther amonge the holy Fathers or in the books of the Councells or other Canons of the Church But this nothing belongeth vnto this purpose for it is sufficient for vs that this word of God is not written in any booke eyther of the old or new Testament 2. The second is that a thing may be cōteined in the holy Scripture 2. wayes The one way is implicite that is to say in some generall principle from whence this other may be certaynly deduced and in this sense we acknowledge that the whole word of God is conteined in holy writ and not only in Scripture but also in the Apostles Creed yea euen in that one article I belieue the Catholike Church so that it be diligently examined and well vnderstood as S. Augustine very well noteth For so sayth Christ the whole Law and Prophets doe depend vpon two precepts of charity as in the same place S. Augustine noteth For seing that the holy Scripture teacheth that we are bound to belieue the Church in all things that it can neyther deceiue vs nor be deceiued as we will euidently proue in the next Controuersy in the 〈◊〉 Chapter it consequently also teacheth the whole and entire word of God seing that all that which is not expressed in the holy Scripture is conteined expresly in the doctrine of the Church the which the Scripture commendeth vnto vs as infallible as S. Augustine very well sayth and declareth in many places For euen as God the Father comprehended in these few words This is my wellbeloued Sonne heare him the whole word of God so Christ proposed vnto vs the whole word of God when he commaunded vs to heare the Church 3. And in this sense do the holy Fathers oftentymes say that all the points of fayth are conteined in the holy Scriptures to wit in that generall principle in the which they admonish vs to belieue the Church but many of the holy Fathers sayings are falsifyed corrupted by Martinꝰ Kēnitius and some Caluinists as may be seene in Iudocus Ruesten in his first tome defending the Councell of Trent against Kemnitius 4. Secondly a thing may be conteined in expresse words in the holy Scriptures as that Christ is borne suffered and risen againe c. And in this sense we deny that the whole word of God is conteined in the Scriptures That obiection of our Aduersaries by this may easily be answered when they say that we affirme that Traditions are the vnwriten word of God and yet we goe about to proue thē by Scriptures For we do not proue euery particuler Tradition by expresse words of Scripture but we only deduce and gather them out of it and conuince in generall that there are Traditions 5. The third thing which is to be considered is that our Aduersaries being conuinced by truth doe acknowledge that many things were deliuered vnto vs by the Apostles besids those which are written But say they those were only externall rites and ceremonies seruing only for the ornament or discipline of the Church but nothing concerning doctrine of fayth was deliuered by the Apostles which they haue not set downe in writing So Caluin and some others which follow his opinion Wherfore it remayneth for vs to proue that not only external ceremonies but also those which belong vnto the doctrine of fayth were deliuered vnto vs by the Apostles and that they were neuer expressely set downe in writing 6. The fourth thing is that seing our Aduersaries cannot deny that which was obiected vnto them by Catholikes to wit that the Scripture in many places maketh expresse mentiō of the word of God preached deliuered and diuulged ouer the whole world as we haue already declared euen out of the holy Scriptures they are wont to answere that long since in the Apostles tyme this word of God was deliuered preached and not written but the Apostles afterwards set downe in writing all the preached word of God or at the least as much therof as was necessary vnto saluation The which solutiō albeit it be very weake and friuolous seing that it relyeth vpō no sure ground yet notwithstanding that it may more fully be confuted we will declare hereafter that many of the chiefest points of faith were not expressely set downe in writing by the Apostles And thus much of the state of this Question CHAP. II. Out of the first and chiefest principles of faith it is clearly conuinced that there are Traditions THE first argument wherby we proue Traditions is taken out of some of the chiefest principles of faith For there are three chiefe and most necessary points of faith yea the thiefe grounds of our whole faith which are not to he found expressely in Scriptures 2. The first that there must needes be some Catalogue or Canon of the sacred Bookes aswell of the old as of the new Testament the which all Christians with an assured faith should imbrace as a most certaine and an vndoubted truth and this is a very necessary point of faith yea of it dependeth the authority of all the bookes of holy Scripture because by this Canon the sacred and true books of Scriptures are discerned and made knowne from all those which be Apochriphall especially because aswell in times past as in these our daies there hath byn so many and so great Controuersyes about the Canonicall and Apochriphall bookes of Scripture and such a Canon was altogeather necessary aswell in the auncient Church before Christ as in our present Church after Christes tyme the which also our Aduersaries themselues haue learned by experience For they haue also placed their new Canon of the bookes of holy Scripture in their Confession made at Rochell and in the later end of some of their Bibles and yet neyther in the tyme of the old Testament nor in the tyme of the

blasphemously spoken as the Antitrinitarians are wont to doe against the Blessed Trinity the which he calleth heere and there the Roman Idolatry these things he addeth of his Prince 6. But this our Prince saith he being instructed by God easily vnderstood what was the truth and with earnest desire imbraced it and with no lesse pleasure of mind defended it for being accustomed euen from his childhood to reade the holy Scriptures he made them very familiar vnto him presently he found that such things which were contrary to the phrase of Christ and his Apostles were in the ensuing ages by a wicked curiosity brought into the Church and that they are not at all to be numbred amongst those things which add any firmity or strength to the Author of our saluation especially seing that the Aduersaries themselues acknowledge that the words wherby these subtilties of this new opinion are explicated if not rather as I may well say more obscured are not to be found in the writings of the Apostles 7. And a little after Wherfore little regarding eyther the multitude of wranglers or the torments and paints which others had endured who first endeauored to breake this ice he manifestly condemned the falsity of the Trinity freely professing his owne opinon therein And after a few words For what hath he not done what assemblies and disputations hath he not ordayned and caused to be had about this matter both in Hangary and in Transiluania that the sense or meaning of the Scripture might the better be explicated by conferring those thinges togeather which were then said or spoken of where he would not only be present himselfe but also taking the place or office of the Iudge and vmpyre in the said disputations he very wisely and grauely confuted the great absurdities of that superstition warning often the Aduersaries that reiecting the fancies or fond expositions of men they should lesse impudenily and more sincerly carry themselues in the explication of the heauenly doctrine Thus farre Sommerus of the great care diligence of the Prince of Transiluania in defending the heresy of the Antitrinitarians 8. Moreouer it is also manifest that out of this opinion of our Aduersaries to wit that we must not belieue any thing which is not expressed in Scriptures this wicked heresy of the Antitrinitariās in these our dayes had her beginning For that Michael Seruetus who in our age was the first of them that by printed bookes presumed to oppugne the mystery of the Blessed Trinity doth plainely testify writing in this manner For the solution saith he of all things which may heere be alledged by the Philosophers for thus he calleth the Catholikes thou must obserue this rule which is an axiome among lawiers that those thinges which do not deserue any speciall note or marke are vnderstood and esteemed as things neglected vnlesse they be specially noted But I pray thee iudge whether this article of the Trinity deserue any speciall note or no seing that it is the chiefest and first ground of all our faith wherof the whole knowledge of God and Christ dependeth And whether it be expressely noted or no may be seene by reading ouer the Scriptures seing that there is not one word to be foūd of the Trinity in the whole Bible nor of the persons therof nor of the essence or vnity of the supposition nor of the vnity of nature in many distinct thinges and such like Thus farre Seruetus By these it euidently appeareth that all these monstrous strange opinions of latter Arrians who are also called Antitrinitarians do proceed from this one principle of our Aduersaries to wit that we must only belieue Scriptures and by this they are encreased But let vs now see other matters 9. The second point of faith is that Infants are to be baptized For our Aduersaries will neuer shew this in the holy Scriptures For that one place which doth clearly conuince this to wit vnlesse he be borne againe of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God they wrest and expound it in another sense For they will not haue this word water to signify the element of water but the holy Ghost so Caluin hence arose that wicked sect of the Anabaptistes who affirme now adayes that it is an vnlawfull and prophane thing to baptize Infants seing that there is no solide reason heereof extant in the Scriptures 10. For that wherunto Caluin and his followers do fly for refuge to wit that in the old Law Infantes were circūcised the Anabaptistes do easily confute both because cōcerning that there was an expresse precept of God but there was none of the baptisme of Infants and the similitude also betwixt circumcision and baptisme doth not hold in all thinges for otherwise women should not be baptized but only men 11. The third point of faith is that the Blessed Virgin Mary the mother of God remayned alwayes a Virgin euen after her childbyrth For this is extant no where in Scripture and yet Heluidius was condemned as an Heretike by the whole auncient Church because he presumed to deny this 12. When Bellarmine had alleadged this vnwrittē poynt of faith to proue that all such pointes of faith were not expresly set downe in holy writ Franciscus Innius to answere vnto this difficulty was forced to take and approue the condemned heresy of Heluidius For he denyeth that we ought to belieue as a point of faith the perpetuall Virginity of our B. Lady But the ancient Fathers had neuer condemned Heluidius as an Heretike vnlesse he had denyed a point of faith But in this manner are our Aduersaries forced to renew the old heresies of tymes past to the end they may defend this their paradoxe that we must only belieue Scriptures CHAP. IIII. Whether there are any pointes of faith to be alleadged which are no where extant in the Bible THE fourth point that our Aduersaries also belieue but without expresse Scripture for it is that Christians cannot lawfully haue more wyues at once for the Councell of Trent hath very well defined this to be a point of faith against the heresy of these tymes wherof we will speake more presently But yet our Aduersaries can neuer proue this out of Scriptures only abstracting from the authority of the Church albeit they also agree with vs in the beliefe heerof Yea the examples of holy Scripture do rather perswade the cōtrary For those most holy men Abraham Iacob Dauid and many others had more wyues at once yet neuer did God reprehend this in them albeit he often spake vnto them 2. When Bernardine Ochine one of Caluins schollers did consider this he was not afrayd to perswade both by word and writing that Polygamy was yet lawfull of whome and of his most wicked lyfe Beza writeth at large But Ochinus grounded only this his heresy in that principle of our Aduersaries before alledged to wit that we must

is neuer contrary to the antecedent The Apostle therefore speaketh of doctrine contrary to his and not absolutly of any other distinct doctrine 10. And in this sense the Fathers doe often say that S. Paul affirmed in this place that nothing was to be taught besids that which is in the holy Scripture For so S. Augustine speaketh in one place But in another he clearly explicateth himselfe by this word praeter to vnderstand contra because we must preach nothing contrary to the holy Scripture That this is the true sense and meaning of S. Augustine it is manifest by the words themselues wherby also he proueth that the word praeter in those words of the Apostle doth signify diuers but not contrary thinges For in this manner he writeth when he warneth his schollers to take heed of the opinions of the Manichaeans other heretikes because these are not only distinct but also contrary to those which the Apostles taught Let the admonition sayth he of the holy Apostle neuer depart from your hart If any shall Euangelize vnto you besids that which you haue receiued let him be an Anathema He doth not say more then you haue receaued but besides that which you haue receaued For if he should say that he should be preiudiciall to himselfe who coueteth to come to the Thessalonians that he might supply that which was wanting to their fayth Now he which supplieth addeth that which is lacking taketh not away that which was But he which ouerpasseth the rule of fayth doth not goe on in the way but departeth frō the way That therfore which our Lord sayth I haue yet many things to say vnto you but you cannot beare them now were to be added to those things which they knew and not to be ouerthrowen by those they had already learned Hitherto S. Augustine CHAP. X. Wherein other obiections of our Aduersaries against Traditions are resuted THE fourth argument is deduced out of those words of the Apocalyps which they also cite and alledge in their confessiō at Rochell If any man shall adde to these things God shall adde vpon him the plagues written in this booke But who doth not see that S. Iohn speaketh expresly of the booke of the Apocalyps only and not of the whole Scripture for he sayth I testify to euery one hearing the words of the Prophesy of this booke if any man sall adde to these things c. and in the 19. verse following If any man shall diminish of the words of the booke of this prophecy c. he speaketh therfore only of the propheticall words of the Apocalyps For it is manyfest otherwise out of Ecclesiasticall histories that S. Iohn wrote his Ghospell after the Apocalyps and consequently that he added many things besids the Apocalyps But let our Aduersaries take heed least they incurre those paynes which S. Iohn threatneth to those which adde or detract any thing from the Apocalyps seing that they so often and so bouldly wrest the prophesies of the Apocalyps to many strange senses against the Pope and the Catholike Church 2. Our Aduersaries alledge many other things but their arguments which be of lesse moment are taken out of those places of Scripture which commend vnto vs the great excellency of holy Scripture But all these are very easily confuted by that one ground which as we haue declared before euen our Aduersaries do admit to wit that to the end the holy Scripture be perfect in it selfe and sufficient to euerlasting saluation it is not necessary that it should expresly cōteyne al points of fayth but it is sufficiēt that all such poynts may be deduced by a good consequence out of it But all the Traditions of the Church which belong vnto fayth may be gathered as we haue sayd out of Scripture the which also we declare more at large in euery one of these controuersies Our Aduersaries therfore haue not reason to say that we teach the Scripture to be imperfect or insufficient For as concerning this sufficiency and perfectiō of Scripture they are forced at least to yield and subscribe vnto our opinion herein but these their arguments whereof they make great account we haue therfore alledged to the end all may know how badly they interpret the holy Scriptures and by how friuolous reason they are perswaded to forsake the Catholike fayth 3. But euen this sufficiency of Scripture which they pretēd they proue very foolishly by those wordes of the Apostle wherein he teacheth that the Scripture is very profitable as though forsooth euery thing which is profitable for obtayning some particuler end or purpose were also absolutely sufficient then the which nothing can be spoken more absurdly The head truely is not only profitable but also necessary that a man may liue but who I pray you will say that the head only without the rest of the body is sufficient for the lyfe of man But to our late Aduersaries to the end they may make this their discourse or reason the stronger say that in humane thinges not euery thing which is profitable is also sufficient but in diuine matters whatsoeuer is profitable is also sufficient whervnto Iunius like a fine young stripling addeth that this can be ouerthrowne by no sophistry But who doth not see that the Eucharist by the diuine vertue thereof is profitable to the obtayning of eternall saluation and yet notwithstanding without Baptisme it is not sufficiēt as also without faith and pennance the same may be sayd of Baptisme and of euery booke of Scripture Yea euen the Apostle doth not speake of the whole Scripture as our Aduersaries thinke he doth when he saith that euery Scripture is profitable but of euery particuler part thereof For how could he speake of a thing which was not then extant But as then the Ghospell of S. Iohn was not yet written nor the Apocalyps For these were after S. Pauls death written by S. Iohn hence it is that the Apostle S. Paul doth not say the whole Scripture but euen Scripture inspired by God is profitable For there is not one parte of Scripture which is not profitable vnto vs if it be well vnderstood Yea for all that notwithstanding euery one part precisely in it selfe abstracting from the rest of the Scripture as all do very well know is not sufficient 4 Finally it is also to be considered that all those places wherin the integrity perfection and vtility of the Scripture is commended vnto vs must needes be vnderstood not of the bare wordes only but of the same well and rightly vnderstood But this true vnderstanding of the words cannot otherwise be had then by Tradition and the vnwritten doctrine of the Church it selfe as we haue already declared Wherefore all those places which do commend vnto vs the holy Scriptures do also consequently cōmend vnto vs Traditions and the vnwritten Word of God seing that therein consisteth the principal part of