Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
nature_n divine_a father_n subsist_v 2,744 5 11.7766 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A17513 A iustification of the Church of England Demonstrating it to be a true Church of God, affording all sufficient meanes to saluation. Or, a countercharme against the Romish enchantments, that labour to bewitch the people, with opinion of necessity to be subiect to the Pope of Rome. Wherein is briefely shewed the pith and marrow of the principall bookes written by both sides, touching this matter: with marginall reference to the chapters and sections, where the points are handled more at large to the great ease and satisfaction of the reader. By Anthony Cade, Bachelour of Diuinity. Cade, Anthony, 1564?-1641. 1630 (1630) STC 4327; ESTC S107369 350,088 512

There are 3 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

the Eunuch who embraced the Old Testament Acts 8 28-35-37 c. And by Saint Peter to Cornelius and his company who had before receiued the Religion of the Iewes Acts. 10.2 22 35 43. And by Saint Paul Acts 13.14 16 -32 -38 39. c. The Apostles receiuing the Conuerts to Baptisme vpon adding to their former knowledge these few principles of true Faith in Christ Iesus and good life shewed that in their Iudgement they wanted no essentiall thing necessary for the making of them true members of the Church and perfect Christians or as our Catechisme calles them members of Christ Children of God and inheritors of the Kingdome of Heauen and that if God should take them out of this world in their first entrance into these principall grounds of saluation without further knowledge or practise yet vndoubtedly they should die sufficient Christans and in the state of Grace §. 6. Conformable to the Apostles practise the Christians of the Primitiue Church baptized those that were Catechized in the grounds of sauing doctrine as the essentiall points of Religion that constitute a Christian as appeareth by Irenaeus and Tertullian See Irenaeus and Tertullian cited before chap. 1. sect 2. sub 1. §. 2. whom I alleadged before and by the Creeds which were ordayned as Badges of Christians and differences of true beleeuers frō either vnbeleeuers or hereticks The Westerne Churches vsed in their Baptisme that short form of confession comōnlly called the Apostles Creed which in the more ancient times was breefer then now it is as our Learned Bishop Vsher hath punctually obserued B. Vsher serm at Wansted p. 28. The mention of the Fathers being Maker of Heauen and Earth the Sonnes death and descending into Hell and the Commuion of Saints being wholly omitted happily as not necessary for all men to know as Suarez saith or sufficiently implied in other articles or knowen by the light of reason and so not making difference betwixt Christians and heathen these reasons some for one point some for another But being in time made for better explication so full as it is now the whole Westerne Church hath long receiued as a badge of their Faith distinguishing the Beleeuer from the vnbeleeuer The Eastern Church vsed in Baptisme a larger Creed Vsher ib. p. 30. Euseb ep apud Socrat l. 1. hist cap. 8. al. 5. Theodoret. lib. 1. cap. 12. the same or very little different from that we call the Nicene Creed because the greatest part thereof was repeated and confirmed in the Nicene Councell to which it was presented by Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea with this Preamble As we haue receiued from the Bishops that were before vs both at our first Catechising and when we receiued Baptisme and as we haue learned from the holy scriptures and as we haue both beleeued and taught when we entred into the Ministery and in our Bishoprick it selfe so beleeuing at this present also we declare this our Faith vnto you To this the Nicene Fathers added a more cleare explication of the Deity of the Sonne against the Arrians which then troubled the Church professing him to be begotten not made and to be of one substance with the Father The second generall Councell assembled 56 yeares after at Constantinople approuing all the former added also something concerning the holy Ghost which then was oppugned by the Macedonian Heretickes The same Fathers also then added the Articles concerning the Catholicke Church and the priuiledges thereunto belonging The Roman Church after the dayes of Charles the Great added the Article of Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Sonne And the late Councell of Trent recommended it vnto vs Concil Trident. seff 3. as That principle in which all that professe the faith of Christ doe necessarily agree and the firme and onely foundation against which the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile And by which alone our Fathers sometimes drew Infidels to the faith ouercame Heretickes and confirmed the faithfull Such are the words of the Trent Councell So that in this Creed they confesse That onely foundation and principle of faith is to be found in the vnity whereof all Christians must necessarilly agree Section 2. § 1. The rule enlarged and approued in this Age. § 2 By Azorius out of the School-diuines in 14 Articles § 3. Some obseruations and censures of those 14 Articles § 4. The rule set downe by Bellarmine more briefly § 5. By D. Field farre more sufficiently in 6 Articles with his iudgement of the deductions therefrom euident or obscure § 6. B. Vshers distinction of superstructions vpon the foundation § 7. Consequents of this doctrine §. 1. But because we see this foundation of faith hath from the Apostles times continually been en●●ged by reason of errours and heresies arising in s●●erall Ages let vs search a little further how the most Iud●cious men do● bound it in these our dayes §. 2. Azorius the Iesuite deliuers the vnanimous consent of all the Roman Diuines in 14 Articles Azorius Institu tionum moralium part 1. lib. 8. cap 5. § At iuxta ibid § tertio quaeritur seq whereof seuen concerne the Diuine nature and seuen concerne the humane all which are to be beleeued explicitè with distinct vnderstanding of all men Of the first seuen there is taught in the First That God is in Nature and Substance eternall infinite immense and in maiesty highest euery where not onely in power might and efficacy but also in deed and truely present who hath power of life and death is the supreme Lord of all things who can with his becke and at his pleasure doe all things which he will who knoweth seeth careth for and moderateth all things Secondly The first person in nature and diuine substance to wit The Father is the beginning of two diuine persons and therefore the begetter of the Sonne and breather of the Holy Spirit vnbegotten subsisting of himselfe and by himselfe not receiuing and hauing his essence of another Third The second person in the Diuine nature is true God begotten of the Father onely from all eternity the naturall Sonne of God consubstantiall and equall to him in all things the onely Word and expresse Image of the Father most perfectly representing and expressing him Fourth The third person in the diuine Nature the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne from all eternity is true God coaeternall to them both co●quall and consubstantiall and to be worsh●pped with the same faith and with equall seruice and honour Fifth God is the creator of all things who by his onely becke and word out of nothing produced all things visible and inuisible or the whole frame of the worl● in the beginning of time and hauing produced them preserues directs cares for and gouernes them with great goodnesse and wisdome And as he is the creator of all things from whom all things be ng made of nothing did in time proceed so he is the end of all
to whom all things are referred Sixt. God is the giuer of all righteousnesse holines and grace He forgiueth sinnes and restoreth sinners by the grace of adoption to his fauour and friendship Seuenth God is the bestower of eternall glory and heauenly fel●city in whom the highest happinesse of blessed soules consisteth Of the other seauen Articles concerning the humane Nature The First sheweth that the Sonne of God for our sakes debased himselfe from Heau●n to these inferior parts descended and assumed the hum●ne Nature and coupled it to himselfe with a maruelous knot and bond in such sort that after that coniunction there was one person of both subsisting in two Natures diuine and humane and therefore in time he was conceiued without Father of an vncorrupt Virgin the power of the holy Ghost so working in her that the word was made flesh and God Man The Second sheweth the same Sonne of God taking humane Nature of the vndefiled Virgin was borne into the world in such sort that Many was at once the Mother of God and a pure V rgin The Third sheweth how Chri●● our Lord did most excellently performe the office of teaching working miracles died and made his end vnder Pilate the Iudge and President and vnder him endured an vniust condemnation and suffered the most shamefull kinde of punishment of the crosse and sustayned the most bitter death for vs and refused not buriall offered vnto him in another Mans sepulcher The Fourth article teacheth how Christ after he had died vpon the crosse descended in his soule into * Or the lower parts infero● hell both that he might shew himself● conquerour of death and Diuells and also the d●liuerer of the Fathers there detayned and in his body he lay three dayes in the sepulcher The Fifth professeth that Christ the third day returning conquer●n● from the lower parts to l●fe immortall and full of glory by his owne force and power did rise from the dead The Sixt sheweth how Christ hauing performed the worke of Mans redemption the fortieth day after his resurrection by his owne power ascended into heauen that in his humane Nature he might be exalted aboue all things and he aboue all might be chiefly worshipped of all who sits in heauen at the right hand of the power of God and as God exercising equall power with the Father and shining with diuine Maiesty The Seuenth article setteth out the last Iudgement day when Christ in his humane Flesh shall descend againe from the highest heauen and performing the office of the terrible Iudge of the whole earth shall openly render vnto euery one according as he hath done in his body whether it be good or euill before whose tribunall all men both good and euill shall stand whether that day of Iudgement finde them yet aliue in the flesh or dead before These 14 articles I haue set downe at large and in the full wordes of Azorius not that I approue euery word and point therin but to shew what is the generall doctrine of the present Roman Church what and how much is necessary for euery man to know and to beleeue explicitè to his saluation Note he is said to beleeue explicitè who assenteth to any thing that is told him or which he conceiueth in his thought and hee beleeueth implicitè which beleeueth any thing in generality and in that thing beleeueth many other things which are contained in it as when a man beleeueth all things which the Church beleeueth Azor ib. cap. 6. in calce Thus saith Azorius out of Gabriel the Schoolman §. 3. Abundant in superfluis deficiunt in necessarijs Be●● s●pr● l t●k See ●ellar in th●t chapter at large First These Articles vpon due consideration will bee found to haue two faults they containe too much and too little Too much for all things in them are not taught in the Scriptures as namely that of the fourth Article of the Humanity that Christ descended into hell to deliuer the Fathers there detained as by Bellarmines confession and the ancient Fathers testimonies they should be Costerus ●uchir cap. 1. pag. 49. § Caterum Costerus the Iesuite saith also that the chiefe heads of faith necessary for all Christians to know and to beleeue vnto saluation are plainly enough contained in the Apostles writings Secondly these Articles also containe too little for here want somethings that are deliuered in the Apostles Creed which Creed was ordained for the necessary instruction of all Christians and called Symbolum a badge or signe to d●stinguish Christians from Infidels and wicked people Axor ib. cap. 5. § Postremo ob●●tes There were indeed three Symboles or Creedes receiued in the Church for briefe comprehensions of the publicke necessary doctrines thereof for all Christ ans to know and professe the Apostl●s Creed the N●cene and Athanasius his Creed which three do not containe diuers doctrines but rather one and the same faith set forth more largely o● briefly ●n more or fewer words more cleerely and distinctly to confute heresies as they sprung vp in the Church In these Creedes we are taught that there is one holy Catholicke Church and Communion of Saints c. which in these fourteene Articles are not mentioned Thirdly Besides some other things which the Romanists account very necessary Articles of their faith as that of transubstantiation that of Purgatory that of the Popes supremacy which they haue wholly left out as they haue done also the worshipping of Images Inuocation of Saints Prayer for the dead and generally all other things almost which wee refuse shewing thereby and so much gratifying vs that in their own iudgement these things are not necessary for ordinary Christians to beleeue to saluation Fourthly and the view of these Articles may confirme any man in the sufficiency of the Protestants Religion because they stedfastly beleeue excepting that one clause of one of them all these Articles which the Romanists themselues say are sufficient for saluation Neither doe the Protestants hold any thing at all that crosseth them §. 4. But Bellarmine touching vpō this point Bellar. De verbo Dei lib. 4. c. 11. initio in answering to Irenaeus and diuers other Fathers that say The Apostles wrote all that they preached saith more briefely There are some things simply necessary for all men to saluation as the knowledge of the Articles of the Apostles Creed and of the ten Commandements and of some Sacraments other things are not so necessary that without the manifest knowledge faith and profession of them a man cannot be saued if so be that hee haue a ready will to receiue and beleeue them when they shall be lawfully propounded vnto him by the Church And this distinction saith he is gathered from hence that without the knowledge and faith of the Mysteries of the first kinde no man of a ripe Age is admitted to Baptisme but without the knowledge and Faith at least explicit of the latter men were ordinarily
admitted Acts 2 after one sermon of Saint Peter wherin he had taught the principall heads of faith in Christ in one day 3000 men were baptized who whithout doubt knew nothing else but those necessary things And therefore it is added that after baptisme they perseuered in the Doctrine of the Apostles that is they learned what yet they had not heard of Christian Misteries c. B. Vsher Sermon at Wanst●d pag. 32. See also his booke De Christianarum eccles successu statu cap. 1. § 15. This our Bishop Vsher agreeth vnto alledging the Apostles sermons to that purpose which treated onely of the first principles of the Doctrine of Christ vpon the receiuing whereof as of sufficient doctrine to make them Christians men were baptized And this he further confirmeth by the writings of Irenaeus and Tertullian and the Creeds receiued by the Church the Apostles Creed the Creed of Athanasius The Creed of the East Church See before cap. 1. sect 2. subject 1. §. 2. recited and confirmed for the beleefe of the whole Church in the Councells of Nice and Constantinople and the late Councell of Trent Whereof I haue spoken already § 5. D. Field of the Church booke 3. chap 4. Our Doctor Field doth more fully and perfectly describe those things that so neerely touch the very life and being of Christian Faith and Religion that euery one is bound particula●ly and expresly to know and beleeue them vpon paine of eternall damnation He reduceth them to sixe principall heades First concerning God whom to know is eternall life we must beleeue and acknowledge the vnity of an infinite incomprehensible and eternall essence full of righteousnesse goodnesse mercy and trueth The Trinity of persons subsisting in the same essence the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost coessentiall coeternall and coequall the Father not created nor begotten the Sonne not created but begotten the holy Ghost not created nor begotten but proceeding Secondly we must know and beleeue that God made all things of nothing that in them he might manifest his wisdome power and goodnesse that he made men and Angels capable of supernaturall blessednesse consisting in the vision and enioying of himselfe that he gaue them abilities to attaine thereunto and lawes to guide them in the wayes that lead vnto it that nothing was made euill in the beginning that all euill entred into the world by the voluntary aversion of men and Angels from God their Creator that the sinne of Angels was not generall but that some fell and other continued in their first estate that the sinne of those Angels that fell is irremissible and their fall irrevocable that these are become deuils and spirits of errour seeking the destruction of the sonnes of men that by the misperswasion of these lying spirits the first man that euer was in the world fell from God by sinnefull disobedience and apostacy that the sinne of the first man is deriued to all his posterity not by imitation onely but by propagation and descent subiecting all to curse and malediction yet not without possibility and hope of mercifull deliuerance Thirdly we must beleeue that for the working of this deliuerance the Sonne of God assumed the nature of man into the vnity of his Diuine person so that he subsisteth in the nature of God and Man without all corruption confusion or conuersion of one of them into another that in the nature of man thus assumed he suffered death but being God could not be holden of it but rose againe and triumphantly ascended into heauen that he satisfied the wrath of his Father obtained for vs remission of sinnes past the grace of repentant conuersion and a new conuersation ioyned with assured hope desire and expectation of eternall happinesse Fourthly we must constantly beleeue that God doth call and gather to himselfe out of the manifold confusions of erring ignorant and wretched men whom hee pleaseth to be partakers of these precious benefits of eternall saluation the happy number and ioyfull society of whom we name the Church of God whether they were before or since the manifestation of Christ the Sonne of God in our flesh For both had the same faith hope and spirit of adoption whereby they were sealed vnto eternall life though there be a great difference in the degree and measure of knowledge and the excellency of the meanes which God hath vouchsafed the one more then the other Fiftly we must know and beleeue that for the publishing of this ioyfull deliuerance and the communicating of the benefits of the same the Sonne of God committed to those his followers whom he chose to bee witnesses of all things he did or suffered not onely the word of Reconciliation but also the dispensation of sacred and sacramentall assurances of his loue set meanes of his gracious working that those first messenge●s whom he sent with immediate commission were infallibly led into all truth and left vnto posterities that summe of Christian Doctrine that must for euer be the rule of our faith that these blessed messengers of so good and happy tidings departing hence left the Ministery of Reconciliation to those whom they appointed to succeed them in the worke so happily began by them Lastly we must know and be assuredly perswaded that seeing the renouation of our spirits and mindes is not perfect and the redemption of our bodies still remaining corruptible is not yet therefore God hath appointed a time when Christ shall returne againe raise vp the dead and giue eternall life to all that with repentant sorrow turne from their euill and wicked wayes while it is yet the accepted time and day of saluation and contrary wayes cast out into vtter darkenesse and into the fire that neuer shall be quenched all those that neglect despise so great saluation All these things and these onely doe directly concerne the matter of eternall saluation saith Doctor Field These things saith he make the rule of faith whereof a man cannot be ignorant and bee saued By these all the holy Fathers Bishops and Pastors of the Church measured and made their Sermons Commentaries and interpretations of Scripture This rule is deliuered by Tertullian Irenaeus Tertull. de praescriptionibus adversus hareticos adversus Praxcam Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 3. See here before cap. 1. sect 2. subsect 1. §. 2. and other of the Fathers and with addition of conclusions most easily clearely and vnavoydably deduced hence by Theodoret in his Epitome Dogmatum For a second sort of things there are that attend on these first as consequents deduced from them or some way appertaining to them such as a man being perswaded of these will see the necessary consequence and deduction of them from these if they be propounded vnto him As that there are two wills in Christ that there is no saluation remission of sinnes or hope of eternall life out of the Church c. In such second things clearely deduced from the first principles if a man