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A09339 A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.; Selections Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605. 1600 (1600) STC 19646; ESTC S114458 1,329,897 1,121

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to oecumenicall counsels themselues absolute and soueraigne power to determine and giue iudgement in matters of religion considering they are in danger to be ouertaken with notable slippes and errours And therefore the soueraignitie of iudgement is peculiar to the sonne of god who is the only doctour and law-giuer of the Church and he puts the same in execution in and by the written word As for the speech of the papists calling the Scriptures a dumbe Iudge it is little to be regarded for the Scriptures are as it were the letter of the liuing God sent from heauen to his Church vpon earth and therefore they speake as plainely and as sufficiently vnto vs of all matters of faith as a man can speake vnto his friende by letter so be it we haue the gift of discerning Yet doe we not barre the Church of God from all iudgement For the ministeriall power of giuing iudgement both publikely and priuatly is graunted vnto it of God and that is to determine and giue sentence of matters in question according to the word as the lawyer giues iudgement not according as he will but according to the tenour of the law Thirdly wee learne that personall succession is no vnfallible marke of the true faith and of true pastours vnlesse withall be ioyned succession in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles For Caiphas held his office by succession from Aaron and yet in publike assembly condemned the Messias spoken of by Moses and the prophets Therefore the succession of bishops of Rome from Peter is of no moment vnlesse they can prooue that their religion is the religion of Peter which they can neuer doe And thus much of Christs first condemnation The second was by Pontius Pilate who sate in an other court as a ciuill iudge and the tenour of his sentence was that the Iewes should take him and crucifie him Here we must consider the reasons that mooued Pilate to determine thus the first was the impatience of the Iewes he for his part was loath to defile his handes with innocent blood but the Iewes cried his blood be vpon vs and on our children which according to their wish came vpon them within fewe yeares after and so remaineth still vnto this daie By which we are taught to take heede of imprecations against our selues our children or seruants or any other creatures for God heareth mens praiers two waies either in mercy or in his wrath and danger If thou curse thy selfe or any other except thou turne vnto the Lord by speedie repentance he may heare thy praier in his wrath and verifie thy curse vpon thee to thy vtter confusion The second reason that mooued Pilate to condemne Christ was because he feared men more then God for beeing deputie vnder Tyberius Cesar ouer the prouince of Iudea for feare of loosing his office and of displeasing the Iewes hee condemned Christ after hee had absolued him whereby wee see that it is a grieuous sinne to feare dust and ashes more then the liuing God And therefore Saint Iohn saith that the fearefull shall haue their portion in the burning lake that is such as are more afraide of man then of God And this sinne in Pilate wanted not his iust rewarde for not long after he lost his deputie-shippe and Cesars fauour and fled to Vienna where liuing in banishment he killed himselfe And thus God meetes with them that feare the creature more then the Creatour That we may therefore auoid the heauie hand of God let vs learne to feare God aboue all else we shall dishonour God and shame the religion which we professe The proper ende of Christs condemnation set downe though not in Pilates will yet in Gods eternall counsell was that he might be the cause of absolution at the barre of Gods iustice vnto all those whatsoeuer they are which shall come to life eternall For we must still remember that when Christ was condemned by mortall Iudges he stood in our place and in him were all our sinnes condemned before God Therefore to conclude this point if this were the ende of the counsell of God to haue his owne sonne condemned by Pontius Pilate a mortall iudge that we might not be condemned but absolued before Gods iudgement seate let vs all labour to haue this absolution sealed vp in our hearts by the testimonie of Gods spirit For one day we must come to the barre of Gods iudgement and if wee haue not an absolution by Christs condemnation at Pilates earthly barre let vs looke for nothing else but the fearefull sentence of condemnation at the celestiall barre of Gods iustice to be vttered at the day of the last iudgement If a man should commit such an heynous offence as that he could no other way escape death but by the Princes pardon he neither would nor could be at rest till by one meanes or other he had obtained the same and had gotten it written and sealed which done he would carrie it home locke it vp safe and sound and many times looke vpon it with great ioy and gladnesse Well this is the case of euery one of vs by nature we are rebells and traytours against God and haue by our sinnes deserued tenne thousand deaths Now our onely stay and refuge is that Christ the sonne of God was condemned for vs and therefore in Christ we must sue for pardon at Gods hands and neuer rest till we haue the assurance thereof sealed vp in our hearts and consciences alwaies remembring that euer after we lead a new life and neuer commit the like sinnes against God any more It were a blessed thing if this would enter into our hearts but alas we are as dead in our sinnes as a dead carkasse is in the graue The Ministers of God may teach this often vnto vs and we may also heare the same but satan doth so possesse mens hearts that they seldom or neuer begin to beleeue or receiue it till it be too late Euery one can say God is mercifull but that is not enough for Christ beeing most righteous was condemned that thou beeing a wretched sinner mightest be saued and therefore thou must labour for thy selfe to haue some testimonie of thine absolution by Christs condemnation sealed vp in thine owne conscience that thou maist more assuredly say God is and will be mercifull vnto thee Hauing spoken of the whole arraignment of Christ and of his passion in generall Now let vs proceede to the parts of the passion which are three Christs Execution his Buriall and his Descending into hell This beeing withall remembred that these three parts are likewise three degrees of Christs humiliation Christs Execution is that part of his passion which he bare vpon the crosse expressed in the words of the Creede he was crucified and died In handling of it we must obserue fiue things I. the person that suffered II. the place where he suffered III. the time when he suffered IV. the manner howe he
death in our selues because we should not trust in our selues but in God which raiseth the dead Hauing thus seene what bee the duties of the sicke man to himselfe let vs nowe see what bee the duties which hee oweth to his neighbour and they are two The first is the dutie of reconciliation whereby he is freely to forgiue all men and to desire to be forgiuen of all In the olde testament when a man was to offer a bullocke or lambe in sacrifice to God he must leaue his offering at the altar first go be reconciled to his brethren if they had ought against him much more then must this be done when we are in death to offer vp our selues our bodies and soules as an acceptable sacrifice vnto god Quest. What if a man cannot come to the speech of them with whome he would be reconciled or if he doe what if they will not be reconciled Ansvv. When any shall in their sicknesse seeke and desire reconciliation and can not obtaine it either because the parties are absent or because they will not relent they haue discharged their conscience and God will accept their will for their deed As put case a man lying sicke on his death bedde is at enmitie with one that is then beyond the sea so as hee can not possibly haue any speech with him if he would neuer so faine howe shall he stay his minde why he must remember that in this case a will and desire to bee reconciled is reconciliation it selfe The second dutie is that those which are rulers and gouernours of others must haue care and take order that their charges committed to them by God be left in good estate after their death and here come three duties to be handled the first of the Magistrate the second of the Minister the third of the master of the familie The Magistrates dutie is before he die to prouide as much as he can for the godly and peaceable estate of the towne citie or common-wealth and that is done partly by procuring the maintenance of sound religion vertue partly by establishing of the execution of ciuil iustice outward peace Examples of this practise in Gods word are these When Moses was an hundred and twentie yeare olde and was no more able to goe in and out before the people of Israel he called them before him and signified that the time of his departure was at hand and thereupon tooke order for their wel-fare after his death And first of all he placed Iosua ouer them in his stead to be their guide to the promised land secondly he giues speciall charge to all the people to bee valiant and couragious against their enemies and to obey the commandements of God And Iosua followes the same course For hee calls the people togither and shews thē that the time of his death is at hand and giues them a charge to be couragious to worship the true God which done he endes his daies as a worthie captaine When king Dauid was to goe the way of al flesh and lay sicke on his death bedde he placed his owne sonne Salomon vpon his throne and giues him charge both for maintenance of region and exequution of iustice The dutie of ministers whē they are dying is as much as they can to cast prouide for the continuance of the good estate of the Church ouer which they are placed Consider the example of Peter I will saith hee indeauour alwaies that ye also may be able to haue remembrance of these things after my departure If this had beene well obserued there could not haue bin such aboundance of schismes errors and heresies as hath beene and the Church of God could not haue suffered so great hauocke But because men haue had more care to maintaine personall succession then the right succession which stands in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles therfore wolues haue come into the roomes of faithfull teachers and the Apostasie of which Paul speakes hath ouerspread the face of the Church Thirdly housholders must set their families in order before they die as the Prophet Esai saith to Ezechiah Set thine house in order for thou must die For the procuring of good order in the family after death two things are to bee done The first concernes this life and that is to dispose of lands and goods And that this may bee well and wisely done if the Will bee vnmade it is with godly aduise and counsell to be made in the time of sicknes according to the practise of auncient and worthie men Abraham before his death makes his Will and giues legacies so did Isaac and Iacob in whose last will and testamēt are contained many worthie blessings and prophesies of the estate of his children And Christ our Sauiour when he was vpon the crosse prouided for his mother specially commending her to his disciple Iohn whom he loued And indeede this dutie of making a will is a matter of great weight and importāce for it cuts off much hatred and contention in families staies many suites in law It is not therefore alwaies a matter of indifferencie which may bee done or not done as many falsly think who vpon blind sinister respects abstaine from making wills either because their wealth should not bee knowne or because they would haue their decaied estate to bee concealed or because they feare they shall die the sooner if the will be once made Now though the making of wills belong to another place and profession yet so much may be spoken here as the holy ghost hath vttered in the worde and that I will reduce to certaine rules The first is that the will must be made according to the lawe of nature and the written worde of God and the good and holesome positiue lawes of that kingdome or countrie whereof a man is a member The will of God must be the rule of mans will And therefore the will that is made against any of these is faultie The second is that if goods euill gotten be not restored before they must euen then be restored by will or by some other way It is the practise of couetous men to bequeath their soules when they die to God their goods euill gotten to their children friends which in al equitie should be restored to them to whome they belong Quest. Howe if a mans conscience tell him that his goods bee euill gotten and hee knowes not where or to whom to make restitution Ansvv. The case is common the answer is this When the partie is known whom thou hast wronged restore to him particularly if the partie bee vnknowne or dead restore to his executors or assignes or to his next kinne if there be none yet keepe not goods euill gotten to thy selfe but restore to God that is in way of recompence and ciuill satisfaction bestowe them on the Church or common-wealth The third rule is that heads of
we despise not the vniuersall cōsent or traditiō of the Church in this case which though it do not perswade the consciēce yet is it a notable inducement to mooue vs to reuerence regard the writings of the Prophets and Apostles It will be said where is it written that scripture is scripture I answer not in any one particular place or booke of scripture but in euery line and page of the whole Bible to him that can read with the spirit of discerning and can discerne the voice of the true pastour as the sheep of Christ can doe Obiect III. Some books of the canon of the Scripture are lost as the booke of the warres of God Num. 21.14 the booke of the iust Iosua 10.13 the bookes of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Iuda 1. King 14.19 the bookes of certaine prophets Nathan God Iddo Ahiah and Semiah and therefore the matter of these bookes must come to vs by tradition Answ. Though it bee granted that some bookes of Canonicall scripture be lost yet the scripture stil remaines sufficient because the matter of those bookes so farreforth as it was necessarie to saluation is contained in these bookes of Scripture that are now extant Againe I take it to be a truth though some thinke otherwise that no part of the Canon is lost for Paul saith Whatsoeuer things were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures c. Rom. 15.4 Where he takes it for graunted that the whole Canon of holy scripture was then extant For if he had thought that some books of scripture had beene lost he would haue said whatsoeuer was written and is now extant was written for our learning and comfort For bookes that are lost serue neither for learning nor comfort Againe to hold that any bookes of scripture should be lost calls into question Gods prouidence and the fidelitie of the Church who hath the bookes of God in keeping and is therefore called the pillar and ground of trueth And touching the bookes before mentioned I answer thus The booke of the warres of God Num. 21. 14. might be some short bill or narration of things done among the Israelites which in the daies of Moses went from hand to hand For sometime a booke in Scripture signifieth a roule or catalogue as the first chapter of Mathew which containeth the genealogie of our Sauiour Christ is called the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. Againe the booke of the iust and the bookes of Chronicles which are said to be lost were but as the Chronicles of England are with vs euen politicke records of the acts and euents of things in the kingdome of Iuda and Israel out of which the Prophets gathered things necessarie to bee knowne and placed them in holy scripture As for the bookes of Iddo Ahiah Semiah Gad and Nathan they were contained in the books of the Kings and Chronicles and in the bookes of Samuel which were not written by him alone but by sundry prophets 1. Chr. 29.29 as also was the booke of Iudges As for the bookes of Salomon which are lost they did not concerne religion and matters of saluation but were concerning matters of philosophy and such like things Obiect IV. Moses in Mount Sina beside the written lawe receiued from God a more secret doctrine which he neuer writ but deliuered by tradition or word of mouth to the Prophets after him and this the Iewes haue now set downe in their Cabala Ans. This indeede is the opinion of some of the Iewes whome in effect and substance sundrie Papists follow but wee take it for no better then a Iewish dotage For if Moses had known any secret doctrine beside the written law he would neuer haue giuen this commandement of the said lawe thou shalt not adde any thing thereto Obiect V. Heb. 5. 12. Gods word is of two sorts milke and strong meate By milke we must vnderstand the worde of God written wherein God speakes plainely to the capacitie of the rudest but strong meate is vnwritten traditiōs a doctrine not to be deliuered vnto all but to those that growe to perfection Ans. We must know that one and the same word of God is milke and strong meat in regard of the manner of handling and propounding of it For beeing deliuered generally and plainely to capacitie of the simplest it is milke but being handled particularly and largely and so fitted for men of more vnderstāding it is strong meate As for example the doctrine of the creation of mans fal and redemption by Christ when it is taught ouerly and plainly it is milke but when the depth of the same is throughly opened it is strong meate And therefore it is a conceit of mans braine to imagine that some vnwritten word is meant by strong meat Obiect VI. Sundrie places of scripture be doubtfull and euery religion hath his seuerall exposition of them as the Papists haue theirs and the Protestants theirs Now then seeing there can bee but one trueth when question is of the interpretation of Scripture recourse must bee had to the tradition of the Church that the true sense may be determined and the question ended Ans. It is not so but in doubtfull places scripture it selfe is sufficient to declare his owne meaning first by the analogie of faith which is the summe of religion gathered out of the clearest places of scripture secondly by the circumstances of the place and the nature and signification of the words thirdly by conference of place with place By these and like helps contained in scripture we may iudge which is the truest meaning of any place Scripture it selfe is the text and the best glosse And the scripture is falsely tearmed the matter of strife it being not so of it selfe but by the abuse of man And thus much for our dissent concerning traditions wherein we must not bee wauering but steadfast because notwithstanding our renouncing of poperie yet popish inclinations and dispositions be rife among vs. Our cōmon people marueilously affect humane traditions yea mans nature is inclined more to be pleased with them then with the word of God The feast of the natiuitie of our Sauiour Christ is onely a custome and tradition of the Church and yet men are commonly more carefull to keepe it then the Lords daie the keeping whereof standes by the morall lawe Positiue lawes are not sufficient to restraine vs from buying and selling on the Sabboth yet within the twelue daies no man keepes market Againe see the trueth of this in our affection to the ministerie of the worde let the preacher alleadge Peter and Paul the people count it but common sluffe such as any man can bring but let men come and alleadge Ambrose Austine and the rest of the fathers oh he is the man he is alone for them Againe let any man be in danger any way and straight he sendeth to the wise man or wizzard Gods word is not