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
A59650	A discourse of superstition with respect to the present times wherein the Church of England is vindicated from the imputation, and the the charge retorted not only on the papists, but also on men of other perswasions / by William Shelton ...	Shelton, William, d. 1699.	1678 (1678)	Wing S3097; ESTC R10846	60,551	205

Azorius such as these Purgatory Azor. Institut Moral Part. 1. lib. 8. Cap. 4. Transubstantiation Invocation of Saints worshipping Images Communion in one kind enough for Laicks c. Whereas the question may be again ask'd how shall we know that these are Divine Traditions after some other Rules Bellarmine wholly rests it upon the Bellarm. De Verbo Dei non scripto Cap. 9. Testimony of the Romish Church Ex Testimonio hujus solius Ecclesiae sumi potest Certum Argumentum ad probandum Apostolicas Traditiones From the Testimony of the alone Church of Rome may a man have a certain Argument to prove Apostolical Traditions Which rule I suppose he intends for the assuring us of Divine Traditions too for so he had before join'd them Asserimus in scripturis Id. ibid. Cap. 3. non contineri Totam Doctrinam necessariam sive de fide sive de moribus proinde praeter verbum Dei scriptum requiri etiam verbum Dei non scriptum i. e. Divinas Apostolicas Traditiones We assert that the scripture does not contain all necessary Doctrine whether about Faith or manners there is therefore moreover requir'd Divine and Apostolical Tradition From these premises I argue to the superstition of the Church of Rome Because they practise in their Sacraments and elsewhere upon superstiti●us opinions The Devotion of the Jews Isai 29. is thus challeng'd Their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men The Messages which God Almighty sent them by his Prophets were not the Rule of their worship but the Traditions of men were instead of the word of God And this was their Indebitus cultus their superstition This Text the Septuagint translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In vain do they worship me Matth. 15. teaching the commands of men and Doctrins St. Matthew hath alter'd the site of one word and there we read in application to the Pharisees In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commands of men The case to which this quotation is there applyed is their making the Fifth Commandment of none effect by their Tradition That which God had made necessary by his Command Honour thy Father and Mother with that they dispens'd That which God had not made necessary by any express Declaration of his pleasure that was made necessary by their Tradition And this was their superstition To which the case of the Church of Rome is but too parallel They make the second Command of none effect by their Tradition of worshipping Images In other things they make that necessary which the written word of God hath not made so Some of which Traditions if they be not directly contrary to the word of God yet because they are arrogantly equalled and commanded to be received Pari pietatis affectu reverentiâ the practices that flow from these Doctrines cannot be excus'd from superstition as we now use the word and as they as well as we define the thing for an excess in Religion whereby men worship God after such a manner as they ought not 2. The second Account of their Sect. 20. superstition is that they ascribe an Efficacious sanctity to their Ceremonies Here also Instances will make it plain both that they are thus chargeable and that the Church of England does reject these Opinions The Doctrine of Rome is that the Cross is to be worshipped with the highest kind of worship Crux Christi in Aquin. tertia Pars qu. 25. Artic. 4. quâ Christus Crucifixus est tum propter repraesentationem tum propter membrorum Christi contactum Latriâ adoranda est Crucis vero Effigies in aliâ quâ●is materiâ priori tantum ratione Latriâ adoranda est The Cross whereon Christ was Crucified is to be worshipped with Latriâ both because of its representation and because of its touching the Body of Christ But the sign of the Cross elsewhere is to be worshipped only for the former reason which last words were well put in for it would be a wonder indeed if the sign of the Cross made at Rome should deserve worship propter Contactum This we contend is superstitious because the Opinions they have of the Cross are such For they ascribe such Effects to the Cross which neither the word of God ascribes to it nor any mans reason without the help of feigned Miracles or Traditions before accounted for would expect from it Take it in Bellarmin's words 1º Tres sunt Effectus Crucis Bell. de Imagin Sanctorum lib. 2. Cap. 30. mirabiles Terret fugat Daemones 2º pellit morbos omnia mala 3º Sanctificat ea quibus imprimitur There are Three wonderful effects of the Cross First It frights and seares away the Devil Secondly It drives away Diseases and all Evils Thirdly It sanctifies those things upon which it is made The first of these effects he ascribes to it for Three Causes Ex apprehensione Daemonis Ib●● ex Devotione hominis ex Instituto Dei From the apprehension of the Devil from the Devotion of man from the Institution of God So that they suppose the appointment of God hath empowr'd the Cross to scare the Devil The power of sanctifying that upon which the sign of the Cross is made he makes parallel with the power which he supposes in Reliques Sanctificantur Ibid. aliquo modo ii qui tangunt Reliquias which he hath the confidence to assert upon the Authority of the Fathers Our 30th Canon as hath been said rejects these superstitions and errors Which superstition we therefore lay to their charge because they ascribe an effect to a certain Cause without a sufficient warrant That the sign of the Cross hath not naturally in it self any power of sanctifying or curing Bellarmine can't but acknowledge Signum Crucis operatur mirabilia non ex Id. ibid. virtute suâ naturali quam habet ut figura quaedam sed ut signum divinitus Institutum The sign of the Cross works wonders not as a certain figure by any natural virtue but as a sign appointed of God Here is then superstition to esteem the sign of the Cross more holy than indeed it is to believe it to have such a relation to God which it can't be prov'd to have to ascribe to it a virtue which no syllable in the H. Scripture declares to us And who hath known the mind of God any farther than he hath been pleas'd to reveal it to us Estius makes a little attempt to deliver Estius in sentent Tom. 3. Distinc 37. Sec. 8. such like Ceremonies as this is from superstition Si debito decentique modo exspectetur effectus aliquis à Deo etiamsi naturali virtute haberi non potest nulla est superstitio If the effect be expected in a due and decent manner though the cause cannot by any natural virtue produce it it is no superstition So he says the Church does consecrate Salt and Holy-Water c. because

qualiscunque ratiocinatio cogitantis qut quia in vuâ patriâ sic ipse consuevit aut quia ibi vidit ubi peregrinationem suam quò remotiorem à suis eò doctiorem factam putant tam litigiosas excitant quaestiones ut nisi quod ipsi faciunt nihil rectum existimant Words which by a little alteration and paraphrase are but too accommodate to the case of our present Dissenters To the grief of my Soul I have often observ'd how weak and scrupulous minds have been miserably perplex'd in matters of Religion by the contentious obstinacy and superstitious fearfulness of some who seem to be very Godly men Differences arise in matters Indifferent and alterable in their own natures such as the H. Scripture hath not any where particularly determin'd nor hath any tradition of the Universal Church fix'd them in one certain course nor can it be said that for the bettering the lives of men it must be thus and may not be so yet there are Jealousies and scruples in their minds it may be they remember it otherwise in their times and where they have lived It may be they have been as far as Scotland Amsterdam or Geneva and have a greater opinion of what is done abroad For one reason or other they are litigious and troublesome and think nothing well done but what they do themselves From this scrupulosity are men apt to call any thing into question and for fear lest they should err on one hand and run into superstition and Popery they run as far on the other and their Omissions are as superstitious as they fear'd their practice would have been Such was the case of the Jews 1 Machab. 2. when they were assaulted by their Enemies on the Sabbath day rather than violate the Sabbath by defending themselves they tamely suffer'd themselves to be destroyed The law of self-preservation could not perswade them to any resistance and if Mattathias had not been wiser than the rest they might all have perished Such also was the superstition of the Knol Turk History Souldiers in Sfetigrade when Amurath besieg'd it An. 1449. A Traytor in the City had cast a dead dog into the only Well which supplyed the City with Water which when it was espied in the Morning by the Souldiers no Importunity could perswade them to drink of that Water which they reputed Unclean by a dogs Carcass so was the Governour compell'd to surrender the City And such surely was the conceit of that zealous man some while since among our selves who cut out of his Bible the Contents of the Chapters and so would cut out the word of God it self that was on the other side of the page rather than suffer any Humane mixture with the pure word of God Whether the case of our N. C ts be not somewhat parallel is now to be consider'd They suspect superstition in the use of the Surplice and Cross c. and therefore Religiously abstain from them but what if this Abstinence also should be superstitious If the Rites and Ceremonies of our Church be as they imagine it must be either because we judge that lawful which is Unlawful or that necessary which is but Indifferent or because these Ceremonies though granted in their own nature Indifferent yet by reason of some Accident that attends them may not be impos'd and may not be submitted to if impos'd All which things have already had their Consideration after all which I have not doubted to conclude that our Rites may be us'd without superstition But now I move a doubt on the other side to which if they cannot give a better Answer than I am aware of they can't excuse themselves from superstition For what other reasons Conformity may be refus'd I now enquire not If any refuse it because they cannot wear a Surplice or use the Cross and if any private persons neglect the Sacrament of the Lords Supper because they cannot kneel as is commanded I desire to know for what reasons they are not free to join with us in these Usages Either they think them lawful or Unlawful If lawful such as may be submitted to and yet for some politick respects they will not submit this Abstinence of theirs may be free from superstition but some other way it will be as Unaccountable For he who without violating his Conscience can conform but will not let him if he can excuse his disobedience to the Powers which God hath set over him let him if he can deliver himself from the Character of a contentious man If without fraud or guile there be a man who does not act because he dare not who is perswaded in his Conscience he should sin against God and do that which is Unlawful if he should wear a Surplice c. This is the man whom I charge with superstition because he judges that Unlawful which is Indifferent because he proceeds upon a mistake of the nature of things because a false opinion betrays him to this abstinence He declares hereby that he hath a wrong Notion and apprehension of God when he thinks him displeas'd by such an Action against which the Scripture hath not declar'd his displeasure As men may teach for Doctrines the positive Commands of men so may they also teach for Doctrines the prohibitions of men and this is adding to the word of God And in this does Ames condition take place In illâ Abstinentiâ Medul Theol. prius Honor aliquis singularis Deo intenditur They conceit they Honour God by abstaining from that which is no where forbidden It is no where said neither in express words nor in any equivalent phrase That it is the will of God no man should wear a white Garment when he Ministers in Divine Offices that no man should kneel when he receives the Sacrament c. Wherefore what God hath cleansed why should we call Common Where is the man that hath Authority to pronounce that Unclean which God hath not so pronounc'd The necessary use of these things when they are commanded does not take away the Indifferency of their nature and this delivers us from superstition But to abstain from them as Unlawful in their nature does directly contradict the opinion of their Indifferency and leaves the men who so abstain under the guilt and bond of superstition So may men find that at a Conventicle which they are afraid to meet at Church Superstition lodges in the minds of men and they who are inclin'd to it may discover it when they sit still as well as when they move Touch not tast not handle not are not greater Indications of a superstitious abstinence than are wear not kneel not Cross not when the Doctrine of these Ceremonies is known to be Innocent and allowable Wherefore they who are indeed afraid of superstition who are afraid of mixing their own Inventions with the worship of God and doing that which is not requir'd at their hands are concern'd rightly to inform themselves in what they are commanded to do And when they find that the H. Scripture hath no where forbid the use of the Surplice upon those Terms upon which it is enjoin'd only the liberty which they themselves had power to determine is by the Magistrate determin'd for them not lightly or wantonly but for grave and weighty reasons Let them not fear they shall transgress where there is no law Let them not fear superstition in those practices to which they are induc'd by Opinions not superstitious But on the other side let the fear be lest they make the way to Heaven straiter than our Saviour hath made it Lest they scruple and condemn that which does not appear unlawful Lest they split upon Scylla while they shun Charybdis Lest they run into superstition while they desired to avoid it and lest an Innocent Ceremony scare them to an Unjustifyable Separation FINIS