Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	3,070	5	9.4971	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56650	A discourse about tradition shewing what is meant by it, and what tradition is to be received, and what tradition is to be rejected.	Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.	1683 (1683)	Wing P787; ESTC R7194	31,259	57

have been so delivered But know withall that this universal Tradition of the Books of Scripture unto which you have added several Apocryphal Writings which have not been constantly delivered as those we receive is no part of the Tradition or Doctrine delivered That is no Doctrine distinct from the Scriptures but onely the instrument or means of conveying that Doctrine unto us In short it is the fidelity of the Church with whom the Canon of Scripture was deposed but is no more a Doctrine not written in the Scripture than the Tradition or delivery of the Code or Book of the Civil Law is any opinion or Law not written in that Code And we are more assured of the fidelity of the Church herein than the Civilians can be assured of the faithfulness of their predecessours in preserving and delivering the Books of their Law to them because these holy Books were always kept with a greater care than any other Books whatsoever and in the acceptance of them also we find there was great caution used that they might not be deceived all Christians looking upon them to be of such importance that all Religion they thought was concerned in them Of which this is an Argument that they who sought to destroy the Christian Religion in the primitive times sought nothing more than to destroy the Bible Which they were wont to demand of those who were suspected to be Christians to be delivered up to them that they might burn it And according as men behaved themselves in this trial so they were reputed to be Christians or not Christians And the Traditours as they were called that is they who delivered the holy Scriptures into the hands of the Pagans were look'd upon by Christians as men that were content to part with their Religion For which there could be no reason but that they thought Christian Religion to be therein contained and to be betrayed by those who delivered them to be burnt By which I have proved more than I intended in this part of my Discourse that in the holy Scriptures the whole will of God concerning our Salvation is contained Which is the true Question between us and the Church of Rome Not whether the Scripture be delivered to us as the word of God or no in this our people ought to tell them we are all agreed but whether they have been delivered as the whole will of God And from that argument now mentioned and many more we conclude that Universal Tradition having directed us unto these Books and no other they direct us sufficiently without any other Doctrines unto God and to our everlasting rest And if they urge you farther and say that the very credit of the Scripture depends upon Tradition tell them that it is a speech not to be endured if they mean thereby that it gives the Scripture its authority and if they mean less we are agreed as hath been already said for it is to say that Man gives authority to God's Word Whereas in truth the holy Scriptures are not therefore of Divine Authority because the Church hath delivered them so to be but the Church hath delivered them so to be because it knew them to be of such authority And if the Church should have conceived or taught otherwise of these Writings than as of the undoubted Oracles of God she would have erred damnably in such a Tradition I shall sum up what hath been said in this second particular in a few words Christ and his Apostles at first taught the Church by word of mouth but afterward that which they preached was by the commandment of God committed to writing and delivered unto the Church to be the ground of our Faith Which is no more than Irenaeus hath said in express words L. III. C. 1. speaking of them by whom the Gospel came into all Nations which they then preached but afterward by the will of God delivered unto us in the Scriptures to be in time to come the foundation and pillar of our Faith III. And farther we likewise acknowledge that the sum and substance of the Christian Religion contained in the Scriptures hath been delivered down to us even from the Apostles days in other ways or forms besides the Scriptures For instance in the Baptismal Vow in the Creed in the Prayers and Hymns of the Church Which we may call Traditions if we please but they bring down to us no new Doctrine but onely deliver in an abridgment the same Christianity which we find in the Scriptures Upon this there is no need that I should enlarge but I proceed farther to affirm IV. That we reverently receive also the unanimous Tradition or Doctrine of the Church in all ages which determines the meaning of the holy Scripture and makes it more clear and unquestionable in any point of Faith wherein we can find it hath declared its sense For we look upon this Tradition as nothing else but the Scripture unfolded not a new thing which is not in the Scripture but the Scripture explained and made more evident And thus some part of the Nicene Creed may be called a Tradition as it hath expresly delivered unto us the sense of the Church of God concerning that great Article of our Faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Which they teach us was always thus understood the Son of God begotten of his Father before all worlds and of the same substance with the Father But this Tradition supposes the Scripture for its ground and delivers nothing but what the Fathers assembled at Nice believed to be contained there and was first fetch'd from thence For we find in Theodoret L. I. C. 6. that the famous Emperour Constantine admonished those Fathers in all their questions and debates to consult onely with these heavenly inspired Writings because the Evangelical and Apostolical Books and the Oracles of the old Prophets do evidently instruct us what to think in Divine matters This is so clear a Testimony that in those days they made this the complete Rule of their Faith whereby they ended Controversies which was the reason that in several other Synods we find they were wont to lay the Bible before them and that there is nothing in the Nicene Creed but what is to be found in the Bible that Cardinal Bellarmine hath nothing to reply to it but this Constantine was indeed a great Emperour but no great Doctour Which is rather a scoff than an Answer and casts a scorn not onely upon him but upon that great Council who as the same Theodoret witnesseth assented unto that Speech of Constantine So it there follows in these words the most of the Synod were obedient to what he had discoursed and embraced both mutual Concord and sound Doctrine And accordingly S. Hilary a little after extols his Son Constantius for this that he adhered to the Scriptures and blames him onely for not attending to the true Catholick sense of them His words are these in his little Book which

of the writing of this Epistle without the Doctrine of the Gospel completely written because among the Thessalonians some Traditions or Doctrines were as yet unwritten Which can in reason be extended no farther than to themselves and to this Epistle which did not contain all the Evangelical Doctrine though other writings which it is possible were then extant in some other Churches did And I say as yet unwritten in that Church because the Thessalonians no doubt had afterward more communicated to them in writing besides this Epistle or the former either viz. all the Gospels and the Acts of Apostles and other Apostolical Epistles which we now enjoy Which writings we may be confident contain the Traditions which the Apostle had delivered to the Thessalonians by word concerning the Incarnation Birth Life Miracles Death Resurrection and Ascention of our blessed Saviour and concerning the coming of the Holy Ghost and the mission of the Apostles and all the rest which is there recorded for our everlasting instruction And therefore it is in vain to argue from this place that there are still at this day some unwritten Traditions which we are to follow unless the Apostle had said hold the Traditions which ye have been taught by word which shall never be written And it is in vain for us to enquire after any such Traditions or to rely upon them when they are offered unto us unless we were sure that there was something necessary to our Salvation delivered in their Sermons which was never to be delivered in writing and unless we knew where to find it as certainly as we do that which they have committed to writing And it is to no more purpose to shew us the word Tradition in other places of Saint Paul's writings particularly in the III. Chapter of the same Epistle v. 6. where by Tradition S. Chrysostome understands the Apostle's Example which he had given them and so it follows v. 7. for your selves know how you ought to follow us c. or it may refer to the commandment he had given them in his former Epistle IV. 11. which the Reader may be pleased to compare with this but cannot with any colour be expounded to signifie any Doctrine of Faith about which the Roman Church now contends with us For it is plain it hath respect to their good manners and orderly living for the information of which we need go no whither but to the holy Scriptures wherein we are taught fully enough how we ought to walk and please God in all things The same may be said of that place 1 Cor. XI 2. Now I praise you Brethren that you remember me in all things and keep the Traditions or Ordinances as we render it or Precepts as the Vulgar Latin it self hath it as I delivered them unto you For we are so observant of what he hath delivered that we are confident if Saint Paul were now alive and in this Church he would praise us as he doth the Corinthians for keeping the Traditions as he delivered them and on the contrary reprove and condemn the Roman Church for not keeping them as they were first delivered And we have good ground for this confidence there being an instance in that very Chapter which demonstrates our fidelity in preserving the very first Traditions and their unfaithfulness in letting them go For he tells us v. 23. that he had delivered to them what he had received of the Lord and that which he received and delivered was about the whole Communion as you may reade there and in the following verses 24 25. in both kinds the Cup as well as the Bread Thus he saith the Lord appointed it and thus he delivered it and this Tradition we keep intire as he received it of the Lord and delivered it to his Church in this Epistle which is a part of the holy Scripture whereas they do not keep it but have broken this Divine Tradition and give the Communion of Christ's Body and Bloud otherwise than Saint Paul delivered keeping the Cup from the people By which I desire all that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity to judge which Church keeps closest to the Apostolical Tradition for so Saint Paul calls this Doctrine of the Communion in both kinds that which he delivered or left as a Tradition with them they that stick to what is unquestionably the Apostolical Doctrine or they that leave it to follow those Doctrines or presumptions rather which at the best are very dubious and uncertain And farther I desire all that reade this Paper to consider whether it be reasonable to think that those Rites which have no Authority in the holy Scripture but were instituted perhaps by the Apostles have been kept pure and uncorrupted according to their first intention when those sacred Rites for instance the holy Eucharist are not preserved intire which are manifestly ordained in the holy Writings And so much may serve for the first thing for it would be too long to explain all the rest of the places of holy Scripture which they are wont to alledge though the word Tradition be not mentioned in them to give a colour to their present pretences How pertinently may be judged by these places now considered II. Secondly then That word of God which was once unwritten being now written we acknowledge our selves to be much indebted to the Church of God in all foregoing Ages which hath preserved the Scriptures and delivered them down to us as his word which we ought to do unto those that shall succeed us as our Church teacheth us in its Twentieth Article where the Church is affirmed to be a Witness and a keeper of holy Writ This Tradition we own it being universal continued uninterrupted and undenied Though in truth this is Tradition in another sense of the word not signifying the Doctrine delivered unto us but the manner and means of its delivery And therefore if any member of our Church be pressed by those of the Romish persuasion with this Argument for their present Traditions that Scripture it self is come to us by Tradition let them answer thus Very right it is so and we thank God for it therefore let this be no part of our dispute it being a thing presupposed in all discourses about Religion a thing agreed among all Christian people that we reade the word of God when we reade the holy Scriptures Which being delivered to us and accepted by us as his word we see no necessity of any other Tradition or Doctrine which is not to be found there or cannot be proved from thence for they tell us they are able to make even the men of God wise unto Salvation And if they press you again and say how do you know that some Books are Canonical and others not is it not by a constant Tradition Answer them again in this manner Yes this is true also and would to God you would stand to this universal Tradition and receive no other Books but what