Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	drink_v	eat_v	supper_n	10,350	5	9.1429	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53386	The opinions of certaine reverend and learned divines concerning the fundamentall points of the true Protestant religion, and the right government of reformed churches Wherein is declared the plaine path-way to a godly and religious life. Published by authoritie.; Good counsells for the peace of reformed churches.	T. I.; Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659.; Ussher, James, 1581-1656.	1643 (1643)	Wing O356; ESTC R216583	49,936	153

letters writ with his owne hand for the dishonesty of Westphalus forceth mee to speake thus foolishly so as to relate it in the very same expression which he himselfe used Afterwards when the Agreement was halfe finished at Marpurge and they were not yet departed from that meeting he affirme's that he retained the same esteeme of Occolampadius and Zuinglius as he formerly had done and he did there solemnly promise to account and respect them hence forth as Brethren Secondly what an intimate freindship familiarity there was betwixt Melanchthon Jacobus Andreae Brentius and our Divines the mutuall Salutations which passed betwixt them can abundantly witnes Melanchthon writing to Calvin begins his Letter after this manner Reverend and Christian Brother I trust we shall have a time to meet and conferre together And afterwards concluding I beseech the Sonne of God our Lord Jesus Christ the Guardian and keeper of his Church that he would guide and protect Thee and us All Farewell most deare Brother Besides what was observed concerning Melanchthon others by our Sturmius he himselfe will by no meanes conceale from us as though saith he Philip Melanchthon did not impart his Opinion touching the Sacrament to Peter Martyr afterwards to divers others with whom he still continued in love and freindship Further Jacobus Andreae and Brentius did unanimously adhere to the Opinion of Luther concerning the Eucharist of whom notwithstanding Calvin thus speaks your Letters worthy Sir and my much honoured Brother speaking to Jacobus Andreae were not a litle welcome to me for as much as I understand by them how that amids these sad and unhappy contentions wherein I am most unwillingly engaged you still continue like affected towards me as heretofore you have been Againe this your moderation of mind I embrace highly applaud Farewell worthy Sir and my much respected Brother I wish all happinesse to Brentius God Almighty ever guide and direct you by his blessed spirit strengthen and sustaine you by his power and shower downe his blessings in abundance upon you And againe in another Letter Brentius salute's you Thus were matters carried amongst thē and why should not We putting on bowells of meeknesse tread the steps of these Worthies Shall they breath out nothing but mildnesse and sweetnesse and wee nought but rage and fury God forbid I have done with the first Thesis I now proceed to the second The second THESIS That 't is possible for the most hot and rigorous spirits to be reconciled and agreed GIve mee leave to make use of that Maxime of Aristotle so frequently used in the Schooles but in a sense somewhat different Quae conveniunt in eodem Tertio inter se conveniunt such two things as agree in any one third agree likewise betwixt themselves In like manner I conceive that though we differ much in our Opinions about the Eucharist yet there are still remaining amongst us some common Principles and certaine notes or notions out of which any one who is not blinded with prejudice may draw an assertion One is the authority of Scripture sufficient of it selfe to challenge a beleife a second is the cleare light of Antiquity as cleare as the Sunne at mid-day But this is no fit place to discourse at large upon these Three other there are which in no wise may bee passed over seing they are such as are more proper and peculiar to the two adverse parts I wil begin with the first of thē The Augustane Confession is by the Divines of Saxony esteemed as an Oracle of undeniable and unquestionable authority now if our men allow and approve of that Confession ● doe not see what can possibly make more for the obtaining of a Reconciliation And for certaine Calvin herein agrees with them I desire saith hee as much as any man a sincere and true union so it be such as God hath approved in his word nor doe I reject the Augustane Confession whereunto I did once wittingly and willingly subscribe according to that interpretation which the Author thereof himselfe put upon it Againe I affirme saith hee that in that Confession as it was printed at Ratisbon there 's not so much as one word which is contrary to our Doctrine and if there be any ambiguity to be met with in the sense none is more ●it to be the Interpreter of it than the Author himselfe whose worth will easily obtaine him that honour with all pious and learned men So He. Neither is he singular in this but others there are though of the same Opinion with him concerning the Eucharist who will grant as much a I am of the number of those saith John Sturmius who concerning the receiving of the body blood of Christ approve of the Augustane Confession Hierome Zanchy hath a desire to bring in his verdict too b I professe saith hee that as often as I had occasion to speake any thing about this Point I did alwaies containe my selfe within the compasse of these three heads the first whereof is that in the Lord's Supper not onely bread and wine but the very body and blood of our Lord is truely offered us by Christ and likewise truely received truely eaten and drunke by us The second but this is done not by the mouth and teeth of our body but by a true and an actuall faith The last that therefore this is done by beleivers onely and by none others Now these heads are taken out of God's word nor are they repugnant to the Augustane Confession These things being so those worthy men have the more reason to be entreated by us that besides the said Augustane Confession which was anciently framed and ordained to be the common rule of Faith for all Protestants whereby they might be distinguished from Papists they would not obtrude upon us any other private Opinions of their own to the hinderance of the publike Peace A second Principle of the like nature which even Reason it selfe doth dictate is this that no Antecedent is to be urged and pressed the necessary consequent and sequell whereof may not bee granted by us But now it is well knowne that Luther to remove out of the way the perill of Idolatry did abolish all a worshipping at the celebration of the Eucharist which had formerly been practised and for the same end he abolisht the elevation of the host also that b Brentius likewise did with much earnestnesse oppose their Breaden God for so hee himselfe terme's it lastly that c Melanchthon did reject their Bread-worship in the Lord's Supper Those godly and learned men therefore are to be entreated that they would well weigh with themselves whether or no these same abuses which They with so great applause cryed down and abhorred be not for all that the genuine ofspring of that Vbiquity which at this day is maintained by them Thirdly least any man haply should pretend that no whit is to bee abated of that

brother He that is a proficient is never ashamed Hitherto have I laid down the meanes and manner how an Union may be setled and continued betwixt severall and independent Churches But because it may and often doth happen that there are divers men both learned and unlearned living in the same Church and within the Dominions of the same Prince whose consciences whether rightly or misinformed will not suffer them to subscribe to the common and more generally received Opinion in these Controversies let us in the next place enquire what course is best to be taken concerning such men And here the Governours of each severall Church if they have any regard respect to the safety of their weak Brethren they must see that they doe not intermixe with the publike Confessions and Articles of Religion which they would have received and assented unto by all such as live under their Jurisdiction any curious and unnecessary Controversies nor any decisions of nice and subtle Questions but rather they must take care that such publike Confessions be framed and temper'd to the capacity of the common people so as they may instruct edify the ignorant and promote the salvation of all Herein they should doe well to consider the wisdome of our Fore-fathers whose ancient Confessions unlesse we corrupt stuffe them with new Opinions of our own on purpose to disturb the publike Peace no sober and discreet man will refuse to subscribe unto them Neither is there any necessity why we should burden our publike Confessions with any such additions of our own since God himselfe hath ordained to bring his people to heaven and happines not through the rough knotty paths of perplex'd intricate Disputes but by the smooth and compendious way of Faith Charity Why then such strifes and contentions about words What make Schoole-nicities amongst Church-Confessions the Salvation of Christians is wholy placed in beleiving and serving God as that great Athanasius sometimes gravely spake Adde to this that they will have much adoe to maintaine a firme peace with other Churches who cease not to persecute men and expell them their Communion as if they were Hereticks onely because they maintain that Doctrine which those other Churches hold and professe for in so doing what doe they else but tacitly charge Heresy upon other Churches whom though in word they acknowledge for their Brethren yet they hereby show that in their hearts they much disapprove and dislike them Lastly unlesse the publike Confessions of Churches be cnofined to such Points onely as are fundamentall and generally received by all the Reformed Churches this inconvenience must of necessity follow thereupon that many learned pious and peaceable Ministers shall be driven out disenabled from exercising the Ministery in those Churches wherein they live But if any man doubt whether or no such men may lawfully entertaine a holy and spirituall Communion one with another in the same Church who yet agree not amongst themselves in all Points of Divinity this as I conceive is a matter out of all doubt and question For as touching that blessed Communion which is betwixt Christians at the receiving of the Lord's Supper it consist's cheifly in these particulars that by the common bond of the blessed Spirit we are all united to that sole head of the Church Christ Jesus that by the same Spirit and by Faith and Charity we are united amongst our selves and linked together as it were into one body that lastly like men fed at the same table we are all of us nourished up unto eternall life with the same quickning food to wit the body and blood of Christ in all these particulars doe they professe a Communion whosoever approach and are admitted to that holy Table But now as we doe not by this mutuall Communion professe our selves to have attained all of us either to perfection or to an equall measure of knowledge in Divinity so neither doe we hereby professe that there is an absolute and exact agreement amongst us about all Points of Divinity or that we are all of us in one and the same Opinion about all Disputes and Controversies If no Communion could be had amongst Christians but upon such hard termes as these I beleive it would hardly be found betwixt S. Peter and S. Paul certaine I am the Church of Corinth must of necessitie have fallen in peices and in these times of ours there would not easily be found many Divines of note and eminence which could with a safe conscience communicate together at the same holy Sacrament and Supper of our Lord It is therefore the duty of all Church-Governours as being conscious to themselves of the common infirmities of all men both themselves others to take heed least while they exact of their People a too strict and punctuall Confession of more than what 's necessary they thereby wound and weaken the sweet Peace and Unity of Christendome than which nothing more necessary So much for Church-Governours Come we in the next place to such Ministers and other Christians of what state and condition soever as desire to continue in the Communion of those Churches wherein they live but yet their Consciences will not permit them to allow professe all the common and received Opinions of the said Churches Such men must see that they show themselves teachable and tractable and not persist after a proud and pertinacious manner in defence of those Opinions wherein they dissent from their Church Now such a one is to be accounted teachable and tractable who lends a willing and attentive eare to the instructions and information of the Church who doe's not dissent from her out of any perverse and peevish humour but meerely out of the weaknesse of his judgement being not able in such profound Points to discerne that Trueth which men of greater learning and more acute wits easily see and perceive And because it is the peculiar prerogative of Almighty God to search the hearts it behoves us Christians to encline alwaies to the more favourable and more charitable side and where we have not cleare and evident reasons for the contrary we ought to judge of every man that he denies his assent rather out of conscience than contumacy and perversenesse They who thus behave themselves are not to be excluded and expelled the Communion of those Churches wherein they live for petty mistakes and errours in their Opinions but yet with this caution and condition that they take not upon them to oppose the received Opinion of the Church or to publish spread their own private Opinion amongst the common people Nor can they justly dislike of this caution or take it ill whosoever have a desire to live peaceably in the Communion of the Church for admit that the private Opinion of some Divine or any other Christian be true and the publike judgement of the Church erroneous yet neverthelesse if the Errour be such as doe's not prejudice a Christian

from others or once thought thereupon themselves The generall Doctrine of each severall Church is laid downe and comprised in publike Confessions severall for each side Their's namely the Doctrine of the Lutheran party in the Augustane Confession as they terme it that of the other side in many severall Confessions diversly expressed according to the diversity of Countries and Kingdomes From these are we to judge and esteeme what is held and maintained by both seeing they doe all professe themselves to assent and adhere to these and that they will live dye in this Faith But for ought I know neither doe they so generally approve the writings of Brentius or Chemnitius nor doe these so farre magni●ie Piscator or Beza as if they would that whatsoever is affirmed by those men should be admitted and acknowledged as the common and necessary Faith of all Christians Nay so farre are they both of them from this folly that they themselves freely reprove and censure their own men and mark out many passages in their writings as different from the common and received Doctrine of their Church Whence it follow's that the sayings of such men whosoever they be are unjustly and to speake the most favourably of it preposterously fatherd on the whole Church in which they lived And yet notwithstanding what else are all those Tenents with which Protestant Divines cast one another in the teeth with which they upbraid one another as if they were the publike and generall faults of the two adverse parts and for which they so labour to draw one another into envy contempt I say what else are they but the private Positions of some particular Doctors on both sides vented many times either in choler and passion or out of a vehement zeale to maintaine their Cause when they were hard pressed put to it either with the difficulty of the things themselves or the subtilty of an acute adversary and so spake rather out of necessity than judgement and premeditation For truely so sound and untainted are the publike Confessions of our Churches on each side that there is very litle and hardly any thing which either of them can finde wanting in the other's Confession Our Divines in Germany doe commend the Augustane Confession and no doubt but our Brethren the Lutherans will in like manner approve of ours for the farre greater part of it would they but once be pleased to read it over impartially without passion and prejudice Certainly neither in that Confession of theirs shall any man meet with that Vbiquity of Christ's body which wee condemne in Lutheranisme nor in this of ours that Stoicall Fate so much objected against us But a second fault there is very frequent amongst men of both sides and almost hereditary which ought as we conceive with all care and diligence to bee shun'd and avoided in this businesse namely that they who maintaine any Position should not bee thought to hold whatsoever seemes to us to follow thereupon by the rules of disputation For it often fall's out that he who hold's a Principle from which such a Conclusion is inferred may notwithstanding be utterly ignorant of that which is in ferred from his Principle For instance he that first observed the Loadstone to point towards the North Pole did not forth with perceive all the severall experiments that have been afterwards made from thence for the use and benefit of Navigation for Conclusions lye hid and buried in their Principles nor are they deduced thence without some paines and study He therefore who hold's some Principle and withall doth either not heed and regard it or else considers it but with an Intellect which is either dull or prepossessed with anger or affection or some other passion this man from that Principle of his which hee understand's doth not straightway understand whatsoever may be knowne and concluded from it Thus they who live in the Papacy having their mindes bewitched that I may so speake with the authority of their Leaders though they grant with us that the sinnes of men are most fully expiated by that sacrifice offered up by Christ on the Crosse yet can they not hence conclude although it evidently follow hereupon that their Sacrifice of the Altar is vaine and superfluous Now as he who understand's some one Trueth is sometimes ignorant of other Trueths which are consequent thereupon so likewise he who hath some erroneous Opinion must not therefore be thought to hold and maintaine all the absurdities that may be inferred from it for there 's the same account to bee made of consequences either way Thus Tertullian of old and many of the ancient Fathers taught that the humane soule is derived from the Father to the Sonne by way of propagation but that 't is mortall which followes upon the former this they were so farre from granting that they did alwaies expressely deny it As therefore wee doe not say that the Papists doe therefore deny their Sacrifice of the Altar because they grant as we doe the perfection and sufficiency of that Sacrifice which was offered up by Christ on the crosse though in all good consequence this overthrowes that sacrifice of theirs so neither doe we think that Tertullian others of the same Opinion touching the originall of man's soule ought to be charged for holding the Soule to be mortall because this latter errour seeme's to be deducible from the former Now then how extreme faulty in this kinde Divines of both sides have beene who is there that see's not For we commonly charge our Brethren the Lutherans with Eutychianisme though they in the meane time deny and disclaime it because this errour as we think follows upon their Doctrine concerning the Lord's supper they againe on the other side stick not to charge us with I knowe not what monstrous Opinions as if we made God the author of all sin and wickednesse assertions which we justly abhorre tremble at because they perswade themselves that this may be gathered from our Doctrine about God's Praedestination and Providence Wee will not here dispute whether these things be rightly inferred yea or no from our severall Tenents and Opinions on both sides it sufficeth that whatsoever they be whether justly or unjustly pin'd upon our Opinions they are denied by us both nor can we ever be induced by any arguments whatsoever to grant that they are agreeable and consonant to our Faith For so long as this is done as indeed it is it is manifest from what hitherto hath been delivered that neither can they without injustice and calumniation bee charged with Eutychianisme nor we with those monstrous and damnable Opinions although both these errours could by true solid consequence be concluded from our severall Positions which yet neither side will ever confesse for their own part Seeing therefore that all or most of those Doctrines which the one side taxeth in the other as pernicious and such as cannot consist with Salvation are but