Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	tradition_n	9,173	5	9.2350	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14435	A very Christian, learned, and briefe discourse, concerning the true, ancient, and Catholicke faith, against all wicked vp-start heresies seruing very profitably for a preseruatiue against the profane nouelties of papists, Anabaptists, Arrians, Brownists, and all other sectaries. First composed by Vincentius Lirinensis in Latine, about twelue hundreth yeares ago. And now faithfully translated into English, and illustrated with certaine marginall notes. By Thomas Tuke.; Pro catholicae fidei antiquitate libellus. English	Vincent, of Lérins, Saint, d. ca. 450.; Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657. aut	1611 (1611)	STC 24753; ESTC S102090	49,335	192

taketh away the sinnes of the world Who are rauening Wolues but the sauage and rauening opinions or conceits of heretickes which alwaies annoy the Foldes of the Church and rend assunder the Flocke of Christ on what part soeuer they are able But that they may steale more slily vpon the vnwary sheepe retaining still their woluish cruelty they lay aside their shape of a Wolfe and wrap themselues within the sentences of the holy Scriptures as it were within certaine Sheepe-skinnes that when a body hath felt afore the softnesse of the wooll hee might not bee afraid of the bitings of the teeth But what saith our Sauiour Yee shall know them by their fruits That is when they shall begin not only now to vtter those sayings but also to expound them nor as yet to cracke of them only but also to interpret them then that bitternesse thē the sourenesse and madnesse is perceiued then this new deuised poison will bee breathed out then are prophane nouelties disclosed then may ye see the bounds of the Fathers to be remoued the Catholicke faith to be then but chered and the doctrine of the Church torne in peeces CHAP. 37. SVch were they whom the Apostle Paul reproueth in his second Epistle to the Corinthes saying For such false Apostles saith hee are crafty workmen transforming themselues into Apostles of Christ What meaneth this transforming themselues into the Apostles of Christ The Apostles alledged examples of the Law of God and so did they The Apostles cited the authorities of the Psalmes and so did they the Apostles produced the sayings of the Prophets euen so did they too not a iot the lesse But when they had begun to expound those sentences diuersly which they had alike alledged then were the simple Apostles discerned from the subtill Apostles the sincere from the counterfeite the right from the peruerse and finally the true from the false And no wonder quoth he For Sathan himselfe transformeth himselfe into an Angel of light it is no great thing therefore though his Ministers bee transformed as Ministers of righteousnesse Therefore by the Apostle Pauls doctrine so often as euer either false Apostles or false Prophets or false Teachers all edge the sentences of Gods word with the which being vnderstood amisse they seeke to maintaine their owne errors there is no doubt but that they follow the crafty deuises of their Author which he would neuer without doubt deuise but that hee knowes that there is no way at all more ready to deceiue then that where the deceit of a wicked errour is vnderhand introduced There the authority of Diuine sentences should bee pretended But some man will say how is it proued that the Diuell is wont to vse proofes of holy Scripture Let him read the Gospels in the which it is written Then the Diuell tooke him that is the Lord and Sauiour and set him vpon a pinacle of the Temple and said vnto him If thou be the Son of God cast thy selfe downe For it is written that hee hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy waies and with their hands they shall lift thee vp least it may bee thou shouldest dash thy foote against a stone What will this Fiend do to silly men that set vpon the Lord of glory with testimonies of Scripture If quoth hee thou be the Son of God cast thy selfe downe Why so For saith he it is written The doctrine of this place is to bee diligently marked and reteined of vs that when we shall see some alledge the words of the Apostles or Prophets against the Catholicke Faith we should in no wise doubt considering such a remarkeable example of Euangelicall authority that the Diuell speaketh by them For as then the Head spake to the Head so now also the Members speake vnto the Members to wit the members of the Diuell to the members of Christ the vnfaithfull to the faithfull the sacrilegious to the religious finally Heretiques to Catholickes But what I pray you saith hee If quoth he thou bee the Sonne of God cast thy selfe downe That is to say thou wilt be the Son of God and wilt receiue the inheritance of the kingdome of heauen Cast thy selfe downe that is throw thy selfe off from the doctrine and tradition of this high Church which is also counted the Temple of God And if any man should aske some hereticke which perswades him to doe thus How dost thou prooue vpon what ground dost thou teach that I ought to forsake the vniuersall and ancient faith of the Catholicke Church Hee would presently answer For it is written And forthwith hee prepares a multitude of testimonies examples and authorities from the Law frō the Psalmes from the Apostles from the Prophets through the which being after a new and naughty manner interpreted the vnhappy soule might bee plunged headlong into the gulfe of heresie And now with those promises following the hereticks are wont to deceiue vnwary men For they presume to promise and to teach That in their Church that is in the conuenticle of their communion there is a great and special and in truth a certaine personall grace of God so as that they whosoeuer they bee that are of their company without any labour without any study without any trauell though they neither seeke nor aske nor knocke are yet for all that so ordered by God that being lifted vp in the hands of Angels that is being preserued by Angelicall protection they can neuer dash their foote against a stone that is they can neuer be scandalized or offended CHAP. 38. BVt some man doth say If the Diuel and his Disciples do vse Diuine speeches sentences and promises amongst whose Disciples some are fals-Fals-apostles False-prophets and False-teachers and all of them generally heretiques what shal Catholicke men and the Children of the Church our Mother do How shall they discerne the truth in the holy Scriptures from falsehood Surely they shall haue speciall care to doe this which wee haue in writing set downe in the beginning of this aduertisement to haue beene deliuered vnto vs by holy and learned men namely that they doe interprete the holy Scriptures according to the traditions of the vniuersall Church and by the rules of Catholicke doctrine wherein also it is necessary that they follow the vniuersality antiquity and consent of the Catholique and Apostolique Church And if at any time a part shall rebell against the whole if nouelty shall thwart antiquity if the dissention of one or of some few erronious persons shall crosse the consent of all or surely of the greatest number of Catholickes let them preferre the soundnesse of the whole to the corruptnesse of a part in the which same vniuersall body let them make more account of religious antiquity then of profane nouelty in like manner in the same antiquity let them first and foremost afore all thinges preferre the generall decrees if there

great deale of matter in a few words and commonly expressing the thing by some conuenient new tearme for the clearenes of vnderstanding and not for any new meaning of the Faith CHAP. 33. BVt let vs returne vnto the Apostle O Timotheus saith he keepe that which is committed to thee auoiding the profane nouelties of words Auoid them saith he as a Viper as a Scorpion as a Cockatrice that they may not smite thee not onely by touching but by sight also and by breathing What is it to auoid Not to eate meate with such an one What meaneth this Auoide thou If there come any vnto you saith Saint Iohn and bring not this doctrine What doctrine meanes he but the Catholicke and vniuersall which both continueth by an vncorrupted tradition of the truth one the same throughout all succeeding ages and shall continue for euer and for euer without end But what followeth Do not quoth he receiue him to house neither bid ye him God speede For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his euill deeds Profane nouelties of words saith Paul What is profane Such as are altogether voyde of holinesse and religion vtterly strange from the bosome of the Church which is the temple of God Profane nouelties of words saith he nouelties of words that is of doctrines things opinions which nouelties are contrary to antientnesse to antiquity Which if they should be receiued it cannot bee but that the Faith of the blessed Fathers should be violated either all or for a great part thereof at least it must needs bee that all the faithfull of all ages all the Saints all the chaste the continent virgines that all the Cleargy Leuites and Priests that so many thousands of Confessors so great armies of Martyrs so great an assembly and multitude of cities and people that so many Islands Prouinces Kings Nations kingdoms countries and finally that now almost all the world being incorporated into Christ the Head by the Catholicke faith it must needs bee I say that all these aforesaid should be said to haue beene ignorant for so long continuance of time to haue erred to haue blasphemed and not to haue knowen what they should beleeue CHAP. 34. AUoid saith he profane nouelties of words which to receiue and follow was neuer the propertie of Catholickes but alwayes of Heretickes And in truth what heresie was there euer which did not spring vp vnder a certaine name in a certaine place and at a certaine time Who euer brought vp heresies but which first separated himselfe from the viuersall and antient consent of the Catholicke Church Which that it was so examples shew most cleerely For who euer before that prophane Pelagius presumed that the power of Free-will was so great that hee did not thinke that the grace of God was necessary to helpe it in good thngs in euery act Who euer before Celestus his prodigious discipline denyed that all mankind was guilty of Adams transgression Who before sacrilegious Arrius dared to diuide the vnity of the Trinity who durst confound the Trinity of vnity before wicked Sabellius Who before most cruel Nauatianus affirmed that God was cruell for that he had rather the death of him that dyeth then that he should returne and liue Who before Simon the Magitian whom the Apostle cursed from whom that whirle-poole of filthinesses flowed by a continual and hidden succession euen vnto Priscilianus the last and hindermost who I say before that Simon durst affirme that God the Creator is the author of euils that is of our abhominable acts impieties and wicked enormities For he did auouch that God himselfe did with his owne hands create the nature of men so as that by reason of a certaine proper motion or impulsion of a certaine necessary will it could doe nothing else it could will nothing else but commit sin because it being chafed and inflamed with the furies of all vices it is carried by an vnsaciable desire into all the gulfes or whirlepits of dishonest and filthy facts Innumerable examples there are of the like nature which for breuity sake we pretermit by al which yet we haue euidently and clearely inough shewed that this with almost all heresies is solemne as it were and according to Law to delight alwaies in prophane nouelties to contemne the ordinances of Antiquity and through oppositions of knowledge falsly so tearmed to make ship-wracke from the faith On the contrary also this is almost proper vnto Catholickes to keep those things which were left in the custody of the holy Fathers and were committed to them and to condemne prophane nouelties and as the Apostle sayd and sayd againe If any shall preach otherwise then that which was receiued to Anathematize or curse him CHAP. 35. HEere some man perhaps may aske whether Heretickes also do vse the testimonies of the holy Scripture Indeed they vse thē and in truth with vehemency for you may see thē flie through all euery booke of the word of God through the bookes of Moses and of the Kings through the Psalmes Apostles Gospels Prophets For whether it bee amongst their owne Followers or with others whether priuately or publickly whether in Sermons or in Bookes whether at Banquets or in the streetes they neuer almost vtter any thing of their owne which they labour not also to shadow with their words of the Scripture Reade the pamphlets of Paulus Samosatenus of Priscillian Eunomius Iouinian and the rest of those Plagues you may see an infinite masse of examples that no page welneere escapes which is not painted and colored with the sentences of the Old or New Testament But they bee so much the rather to bee taken heede of and feared by how much the more closely they lurke vnder the shadowes of Gods word For they know that their stinking errours would not quikly bee pleasing almost vnto any man if they should bee vented barely and as they are in their owne nature and therefore they bespice them as it were with the word of God that he which would easily despise the errour of man might not easily contemne the Oracles of God They doe therefore as those are wont which being to giue some bitter potions to children for to drinke doe first rub their mouthes about with honey that the silly little ones hauing before felt the sweetenesse might not be afraid of the bitternesse Which thing they also are carefull of which set the names of medicines vpon ill hearbes and hurtfull syrrops that almost no body would suspect poyson where he read a remedy written ouer CHAP. 36. FInally our Sauiour also cried out for the same thing Beware yee of false Prophets which in sheepes cloathing come vnto you but inwardly they are rauening Wolues What is sheepes cloathing but the sentences of the Prophets and Apostles which they with a certaine sheepe-like sincerity haue wouen as certaine fleeces for that immaculate Lambe which