Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostolical_a	church_n	tradition_n	4,989	5	9.5918	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29925	Vlastēma ex hypsous, or, The best vvisdome propounded to the gentry of Suffolk in a sermon at Ipswich : prepared for the 9th of April, 1660, the day of election of Knights of the shire for the afore-said county, but preached the morning after / by Benjamin Bruning ...	Bruning, Benjamin, 1623?-1688.	1660 (1660)	Wing B5231; ESTC R2801	32,130	63

be like Davids upon them that are faithful in the Land one of the great advantages that the Devil hath made of politick and jugling pretences to godliness hath been to render real godliness and godly men odious to the world The Lord give them repentance by whom the offence come and keep you from the woe of them that take the offence Remember it hath been a time of exquisite temptation the ingenuity of a Gentleman and much more the charity of a Christian may well suggest thoughts that some that belong to God and are dear to him have been sadly miscarried in the simplicity of their hearts by others more crafty then themselves shew all possible kindness to such that will consist with Peace and order in Church and State and I am confident to say That the God of heaven will take it kindly at your hands Remember what I have told ye concerning Religion that Magistrates by the Ordinance of God are appointed to the vin●ication and guardian-ship of it Let the concernments of it have the preheminence in your aimes and actions every person among us is made up of soul and body now though the Law of God and Nature obligeth to a care of both yet the excellency of the Soul requires the chief care and what will it advantage a man if he get the whole world and loose his soul Thus is the publick Interest of Nations that own Christianity compounded as it were of soul and body of religious and civil Interests A true publick spirit will have an eye at both but more especially at the Interest of the Gospel and Religion let him go like an Atheist as he is that thinks not this the life and soul of the body politick We may well say What wil it advantage us should we gain the Lordship of both the Judges and have the whole world at our command if we loose the Soul of our Nation the soul of our publick welfare Let it be seen Honoured Patriots that the precious concernments of Religion purity of Doctrine and purity of worship are truly precious in your eyes As for Government in the Church I am as far from presuming punctually to prescribe as such a presumption would be from becoming me thus much I say A tender regard to such a Government in the Church as will most conduce to purity of Doctrine in the encouragement of a learned and faithful Ministry and suppression of Heresie and to purity of worship in the prevention of superstition I could heartily afford to beg it of every Parliament-man upon my bended knees for the Lord's sake And let not second Table purity be left out do justly and love mercy or ye do nothing As for particular cases that may nearly concern the civil state of the Nation the mention of them will be fitter for a Parliament than a Pulpit This only I shall say as ye are intrusted for the whole Nation so it behooveth ye in all good and righteous wayes to take care for the body of it from head to foot how glad a people should we be to see judgment that hath sprung up as hemlock at length to return to righteousness and where ye find the vowes and oaths of God upon the Nation let the world see that ye are men that fear an oath In a word be pure and no great fear but ye will be peaceable did I know that any of ye would so much as offer to dream of Peace in contrary wayes and upon other tearms I should make bold as a messenger of God to say What have ye to do with Peace and to tell ye that my God saith there is no Peace to the wicked Unless the God of Heaven layes aside his pure nature or be shortned in the power of his wrath what Peace can be expected in impure wayes I have already hinted concerning sin that should the Lord leave it to it self and not follow it with any other punishment then what is the genuine off-spring and product of it we should find it as natural for sin to breed disturbance and trouble as for a Dunghill to breed Nettles and Vermine In the times of our late troubles whence came the Wars and strifes of the Nation but from the lusts of men whence came the beginning of latter separations but from former superstitions and whence came the zealous inclinations of many to old superstitions but from the miserable effects of late separations and should God punish us with a Parliament that would cherish these inclinations what could be expected but more separations and thus one extream by a most unhappy antiperistasis would beget another in infinitum And may I take the boldness to speak freely I cannot but tell ye that I find a great deal of liberty taken by some to suspect that this is the time in which we are like to return to our old extremities I hope better things things that accompany moderation and the peace of the Church I am not unsensible that worthy Gentlemen may meet with tempters and temptations enough to court them to a zealous love of Ceremonies by the plausible mention of the Fathers and the ancient Church so far am I from reflecting disparagement upon them that I really account the Histories we have of the ancient Church and the Writings of the Fathers one of the richest treasuries of the Christian World And a rare accomplishment it is not only for a Divine but for a Christian Gentleman to be well studied in them a great deal of excellent Instruction they afford not only in matters of Doctrine and Conversation but likewise concerning the prudent management of Church affairs witness that rare Tractate of Vedelius de prudentiâ veteris Ecclesiae But to take them up as a determining rule in matters of Doctrine or Worship this is plainly to set them as a check-mate to the Bible It is true the Fathers are ignorant of us but could they see us in such an action and speak to us from Heaven they would say as the Angels to John We are your fellow servants why do ye worship us And as I think it unreasonable in them that slight almost every thing in God's Worship that is not new so on the other hand I cannot assent to them that will take up any thing meerly because it is ancient if truth and error be compared I readily grant that truth is the most ancient But who can say that truth is of one whole dayes longer standing in the world than error and doth not St. Paul say of his time the mistery of iniquity doth already work Don't we read of several carriages of divers Churches even in the Apostles time that were far from being apostolical Had the carriage of the Church of Corinth about the Communion been brought to our knowledg any other way but by Scripture and without the rebuke of the Apostle some no doubt would have thought it a great impiety not to have imitated the practise of a Church so

ancient Nor is it inconsiderable in this matter that we have so uncertain and imperfect notice of the customes and practises of the Church for the first 300 years after Christ and especially of the times that more immediately succeeded the Apostolical age As if the Lord foreseeing an abuse resolved by such a providence to admonish us that we cleave the closer to our Bibles And for the multitude of Ceremonies that were in St. Austin's time they that will please to read his 119 Epistle may find his thoughts of them and what complaint he makes of the burthen that lay upon the Church by that meanes That I may not be thought to wrong him I shall give you some of his words Omnia itaque talia quae neque sanctarum Scripturatum autoritatibus continentur nec in consiliis Episcoporum Statuta inveniuntur nec consuetudine Universae Ecclesiae roborata sunt sed diversorum locorum diversis moribus innumerabiliter variantur ita aut vix aut omnino nunquam inveniri possint causae quas in iis instituendis homines sequuti sunt ubi facultas tribuiter 〈◊〉 omni dubitatione resecanda existimo All such things as are neither authorised by holy Scripture nor found to be the injunctions of the Councils of the Bishops nor are confirmed by the custome and practice of the universal Church but are varied according to the divers manners of divers places so that the causes of their institution can scarcely be found out I am not at all doubtfull but that they are to be abolished by authority if there be opportunity for it By the Councils of the Bishops I humbly conceive the Father intends only such as were general and Oecumenical and not particular Councils convened upon the account of some particular Church or Churches This I collect from that which follows concerning the confirmation that he speaks of by the custome and practice of the Universal Church which comprises the whole body of the Christian Church in the several ages and places of its being Now whether there be any religious Rites thus enjoyned for Gods worship by the concurring votes of Oecumenical Councils and thus confirmed by the custome and practice of the Universal Church but what are likewise warranted by the authority of the holy Scripture I leave it to consideration The Church of England long since affirmed the negative in a passage before cited out of the 34 Article where it is plainly declared that Traditions and Ceremonies meerly Ecclesiastical have at all times been divers and changed according to the diversity of Countreys Times and Mens manners Now for ceremonies of this nature let but Austins judgment sine omni dubitatione resecanda existimo take place and the controversie is at an end But to follow the Father who concerning Ceremonies proceeds thus Quamvis enim neque hoc inveniri possit commodo contra fidem sint ipsam tamen religionem quam paucissimis manifestissimis celebrationum sacramentis miserecordia Dei esse liberam voluit servilibus oneribus premunt ut tolerabilior sit conditio Judaeor●m qui etiamfi tempus libertatis non agnoverint legalibus tamen sarcinis non humanis praesumptionibus subjiciuntur Though it cannot be found how they are contrary to the faith yet Beligion which the mercy of God would have at freedome with very few and very manifest religious Rites in the celebrations of it this they load with such servile burdens that the condition of the Jews may be lookt upon as more tolerable for though the Jews understood not the time of their liberty yet they are subjected to such heavy carriages as were of legal appointment and not to humane presumptions And here by the way Bellarmines evasion is to no purpose he would have us believe that Austin aimes at such Ceremonies as were practised by private persons and especially women without the warrant of Ecclesiastical Authority I marvail what coloured Spectacles Bellarmine used whilst he read Austins words to such a sense Is it not plain enough that the Father speakes of such Ceremonies as oppressed Religion and made it subject to humane presumptions and doth he not plainly compare these burdens with the heavy carriages that lay upon the back of the Jewish Church and were not these publick and not private Ceremonies As for what the Father saith concerning very few and very manifest Religious Rites or Ceremonies which God would have used in the Celebrations of Religion I freely assent to it What are the Sacramental elements and actions in Baptism and the Supper of the Lord but Sacred Ceremonies These are Christ's appointments and with all reverence to be attended and concerning these there hath ever been the harmonious concurrence of general Councils in the true Christian Church to provide for their due observation and the universal Church in all times and places hath commended them to us by its practise But Austin proceeds yet further in such words as these Sed Ecclesia Dei inter multam paleam multaque zizania constituta multa tolerat● tamen quae sunt contra fidem vel bonam vitam non approbat nec tacet nec facit The Church of God among a great deal of chaff and cockle tolerateth many constitutions whilst it approves not of nor connives at any thing that overthroweth the faith 〈◊〉 is contrary to a good life If Ceremonies that were ●sed in the Church in Austins Time were not the things that he intends by chaffe and cockle I freely confess myself unable to understand him But to say no more in this matter if there be any meer humane ceremony contended for upon the account of the authority of any of the Fathers o● the practise of the ancient Church I humbly conceive I may without presumption undertake to produce some other thing every whit as ancient which I take for granted that all of us would be unwilling with but if any desired to be further resolved in the truth concerning the authority of the Ancients let them read the truly learned tractate of Daille a French Divine concerning the right use of the Fathers you will find that Author a true reverencer of them and throughly acquainted with their writings The proper intent of his work is to prove that the Authority of the Fathers is not decisive in points of controverted Doctrine but if we weigh his Arguments with reflections upon the matter of worship we shall find them for the most part not beside the purpose for which I mentioned him But no longer to presume upon your patience that which hath been spoken in order to the purity of Divine Worship my aime in it I hope hath been at the Honour of God and the peace of the Church England hath tried extreams already and hath felt to some purpose the mischiefs that have attended them 't is not a politick but if I mistake not a scriptural moderation that hath been pleaded for I am encouraged to hope that it will find acceptance as a word in season The Lord give us a right understanding in all things and teach our Senators such Wisdome as is first pure then peaceable FINIS