Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	article_n	faith_n	tradition_n	3,058	5	9.0436	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35021	The legacy of the Right Reverend Father in God, Herbert, Lord Bishop of Hereford, to his diocess, or, A short determination of all controversies we have with the papists, by Gods holy word	Croft, Herbert, 1603-1691.	1679 (1679)	Wing C6966; ESTC R1143	85,065	144

being in the form of the true Church was a true Baptism But Cyprian notwithstanding the Decree of Stephen with his Bishops persisting in their opinion of Rebaptizing them Stephen Excommunicates them which S. Cyprian valued not a straw but called Stephen his obstinate Brother and a favourer of Hereticks Marcion Valentine Apelles and other Blasphemers against God as is set forth in his Epistle to Pompeius writing of this business And Firmilianus another Bishop of the African Church writing to S. Cyprian of the same matter says that the Roman Church vainly pretend the Authority of their Apostles meaning St. Peter and St. Paul seeing that they did not observe those things which were delivered them from the beginning by their Founders Eos autem qui Romae sunt non ea in omnibus observare quae sint ab origine tradita frustrà Apostolorum authoritatem praetendere And a little before expresly affirms that as the Hereticks are persons condemned of themselves so the Romanists favouring and approving their Baptism did adjudge and make themselves partakers of their damnable Heresies By all which it is most evident that S. Cyprian and the other Bishops of Africa did not mean the Roman Church for the Mother Church and Noah's Ark out of whose Communion there was no Salvation for though they were Excommunicated by the Bishop of Rome and his Clergy persisted in their Opinion and slighted very much his Excommunication and esteemed their own Church to be that Mother Church and Noah's Ark out of which there was no Salvation And in like manner I conceive all other Fathers who so magnifie the Churches Authority mean that Church who are of the same Faith and Communion with themselves supposing still their own to be the right though ever so wrong So that before you can with reason submit your self to the Faith and put your self into the Communion of any Church it is requisite for you to be assured which Church hath the true Faith and saving Communion which must be found out by that only safe Rule of Scripture by which all Churches ought to be examined and tried And now I shall proceed a little farther with the Papists and here challenge them to bring me any one sentence from any one antient Father of the Church who with all his magnifying the Authority of the Church of Rome or the whole Church in general doth yet ascribe unto it power to propose any new Article of Faith by their own Authority without Scripture-proof much less to countermand any one Scripture-precept And unless the Papists can shew this they shew nothing for their belief and practice of those many things I have formerly mentioned and for which they have not one tittle of Scripture proof And this I have said for the fuller confutation of the Papists for we take the Scripture for our only rule of faith and conceive our selves bound to believe nothing more than what is there declared as I hope I have fully proved The conclusion then of all must be That we can have no infallible assurance for our faith to rest upon but the Scriptures the word of God and not of man In the Scriptures we have Eternal Life and therefore are commanded to search them for it and there we shall find all necessary saving truth plainly set forth as I shewed you The humble searcher and fervent Prayer cannot fail of it He that thus seeks hath our Saviours never-failing promise to find And thus the beginning and ending of our discourse must be one and the same Search the Scriptures for in them ye have Eternal Life Having at length finished the several parts of my Text I shall now in as few words as may be declare unto you my motive end why I undertook this work No man is such a stranger in our Ierusalem as not to know what is daily discoursed in all places Many timerous Zelots cannot hold in their fears many insulting Papists cannot hold in their hopes that Popery will again bear rule in this Nation For my own part weighing things according to reason I mean such a measure of reason as God hath given me I cannot see any great probability of it for the great goodness of God hath given us so gracious a King and so averse to Popery as that when it would have been a very great advantage to him he could not by any means be brought to embrace it We may be then assured he will not hearken to it now when in all probability it will dangerously shake if not overturn also the very foundations of Regal Government in this Nation Besides the Sunshine of the Gospel for ever blessed be God for it hath so long appeared in our Church and so discovered the grossness of Popish errors in matters of faith such foppish superstitions in their practice as that men women and children plainly see and deride them So that Scripture and Reason being so prevalent against Popery and the Universal genius of the Nation so averse to it in reason I should think we are pretty safe from it But when I consider our course of life is so contrary to Reason and so bestial so contrary to Religion and so atheistical so contrary to Gospel light and such deeds of darkness daily committed it seems too probable we may soon become of any or no faith who are already become such beasts and devils in practice Have we not then great cause of fear that God after so many and so great blessings to draw our hearts unto him with cords of love and these failing of effect after so many chastising judgments to fright us from our sins by smarting Rods and all these also rendred vain and God daily provoked more and more by our loud crying sins for vengeance Have we not great cause of fear that God will bring upon us that sinal and severe judgment as to take from us the light of his Holy Gospel which we have so desperately abused and profaned and leave us to our own blindness to work out our present confusion and future damnation Hence and hence only arises all my fear This makes the whole head sick and the whol heart 〈◊〉 Isa. i. 5. For this cause I did resolve to advise you That whilest you have the light you would walk as Children of the light and whilst you have the Scriptures before you you would search into them and arm your selves against the assaults of the world and the flesh against the powers of darkness and cunning craftiness of those that lie in wait to deceive What God pleases to do with us he only can tell I will never cease to hope in his infinite mercy nor can I cease to fear our own wickedness almost infinite certainly never so excessive in this Nation Whether God for this hath determined to bring upon us the evil day I know not but this I know that if he hath so determined now is the time to prepare for it before hand and not when 't

Papists farther Object Many damnable Heresies may arise which the Fathers of that Council being no Prophets could not foresee I grant it What then why then it will be necessary to suppress them I grant this also and earnestly desire it Suppress whatever is new set up but set up no more new as necessary to be believed This is the Point we still hold to Men were saved and may still be saved without believing more Till they can confute me in this their talk is vain and without weight And thus all both Men and Women may be able to stop the mouth of Papists with their own Argument when they cry unto you in their absurd wonted manner Hear the Church You must believe as the Church believes answer Yes you do believe as the Church believes as the Church and Council of Nice believed you hold every Article of their Creed 'T is you Papists who believe not as the Church and Council of Nice believed you have altered the Faith and have built a great deal of Wood Hay Stubble upon the old foundation which can never abide the trial of Scripture From whence 't is evident you are the Hereticks for you have wilfully taken up to your selves several Opinions contrary to Scripture which you profess to be the Word of God and therefore you are according to St. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned of your selves for you acknowledge the rule and yet go on in your will-worship contrary to the rule Yet notwithstanding all that I have said here I declare this When there are several Opinions and Disputes in a Nation about Matters in Religion the Supream Magistrates and Church-Governours may in Prudence think it necessary for the peace of Church and State to require all that are to enter into places of trust in Church or State to subscribe to such Articles as they conceive most conducing thereto and he that refuses they may refuse him no man is injured by this either in his Salvation or Life or Liberty or Estate he is as free as he was before I hold only to this That no man be required to believe any thing as necessary to Salvation but what is plainly contained in Scripture A Tract concerning the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which I promised in the Preface Good Reader YOu must first understand What it is to take a saying in a Literal or a Figurative sence For example If a Man take a Stick in his hand and say This is my Staff you take this in a Literal sence that is you take it according to the bare words and usual meaning of them that this Staff is his he is the owner of it But if he say This is my Horse you see that Stick is not a real Horse therefore you conceive he means not a real Horse but that as a Horse is used for a help to carry a Man on his way so this Stick helps to support his Body and carry him on his way This we call a Figurative sence that is signifying something otherwise than the bare words usually express For the word Horse is not here taken as usually for a real Horse but for another thing used as a Horse Now all Men that reade the Scripture find it necessary to take many things spoken there in a Figurative sence for it would be contrary to all Reason and Religion to take them in a Literal sence As when our Saviour said I am the Door no Man conceives Christ to be a real Door and therefore he takes it in a Figurative sence by way of comparison to a Door that as a Door is the entrance into a House so Christ tells us he is the Door the entrance for us into Heaven no Man can enter there but by him and his Merits So Christ said I am the Bread that came down from Heaven no Man takes this in a Literal sence according to the usual meaning of the word Bread for real Bread but by way of comparison as Bread nourishes our Bodies so Christ is come down from Heaven to nourish our Souls Again Christ taking Bread in his hand said This is my Body We know that Bread is not Christ's real Body we therefore conceive Christ means a comparison that as this Bread is broken and bruised under your teeth and so passes down into your breast to nourish your Body so my Body shall be broken bruised and killed that by my Sufferings and Death your Souls may be nourished to eternal Life In all reason we must conclude thus unless Christ had said something more to make us think otherwise for we have no other way to understand any thing Christ spoke but according to the Rule of Reason which God hath given us to speak and understand all things But the Papists who understand the former words I am the Bread in a Figurative sence meerly because their Sense and Reason tells them that Christ is not real Bread yet will needs understand these words This is my Body in a Literal sence That the Bread is made Christ's real substantial Body though their Sense and Reason tells them 't is still real Bread for which I desire them to give me a satisfying Reason for in all appearance both Affirmations are of the same nature Certainly then they must shew us some great Motive that induces them to take the two forms of speech so very differently being in themselves both alike First From Reason no Motive can possibly be found for by Reason 't is equally hard to understand Christ to be Bread as Bread to be Christ. Secondly If according to Religion we captivate our Reason in obedience to Faith 't is as easie to believe Bread to be Christ as Christ to be Bread And 't is very impertinent here to talk of God's infinite Power how that can effect things impossible to Reason for we most readily grant it And therefore the Papists do as falsly as foolishly accuse us of Unbelief and that we are wholly guided by our Reason and deny the Bread to be Christ's Body because our Reason cannot comprehend it Do not we believe God created all the World of nothing three Persons to be one God God and Man to be one Person Christ Sure these are harder to believe than that God can change Bread into his Body and we would more readily believe this than the former highest Mysteries had we this miraculous change as plainly set forth in Scripture as those Mysteries greater and harder to be believed Let them then plainly shew us in Scripture that Christ changed the Bread into his Body and we shall as readily believe it as they but they barely tell us Christ said of the Bread This is my Body and we again tell them Christ said I am the Bread They require us to believe the first to be a miraculous change and we likewise require them to believe the second to be as miraculous a change they refuse the second so we refuse the first why not This is

back that was profitable Doth not this I pray you fully confirm what I said That the belief of any thing more than what is declared in Scripture may prove rather a hinderance than a help to Salvation Nay 't is not only may be but probably if not certainly will be a hinderance and not a help since the Apostle assures us that he declared all things profitable that is all things helpful And doth not St. Peter 2 Epist. i. 8. and following verses discourse to this purpose For there he tells them that in doing those things which he had taught them they should make their calling and election sure and that thereby an entrance should be ministred unto them abundantly Were it not then as sensless as dangerous to venture on any other means or helps as they call them than what the Scripture shews for our Salvation for if we follow that it makes our Salvation abundantly sure But say the Romanists all that the Apostles declared was not committed to writing but some by word of mouth and so passed by tradition from hand to hand and for this they bring us a Scripture 2 Thes. ii 15. My Brethren stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught whether by word or our Epistle From whence say they 't is evident that all things the Apostles taught for mans Salvation were not delivered in writing but some by tradition from word of mouth The answer to this is very easie for though St. Paul did not teach the Thessalonians all things by writing but some by word of mouth yet it doth not follow but that his Epistles to the Thessalonians with other his Epistles as also the Epistles of the other Apostles the Acts the Gospels all together did contain in them all things necessary and profitable also to Eternal Life For this reason St. Paul commanded his Epistles written to one Church to be read to other Churches as I formerly shewed you And so St. Peter in his Epistles commends to the people likewise the Epistles of his beloved Brother Paul And therefore I did not say that any one Epistle two or three did contain all things necessary to Eternal Life Nor did our Saviour tell the Iews that in any one or more Prophets they had Eternal Life but in the Scriptures they had Eternal Life in Moses Psalms Proverbs Prophets in the whole Scripture And if the Old Testament were so perfect and so glorious as to contain in it all things necessary to Eternal Life which glory was to be done away as St. Paul saith shall not the New Testament the Ministration of the Spirit be much more glorious and perfect 2 Cor. iii. 7 8. Would God be less careful of his Church establish'd by his own Son in Person which was to remain to the end of the world than of that erected by Moses his Servant which was but a shadow of that to come Can any man be so simple as to think this though perchance so perverse as to affirm it This and such like things they may whisper in a corner to silly women or men as silly but certainly none can have the face to say this to any man of understanding 't is so absurd and so fully confuted by St. Paul not only in the places before cited but also in 2 Tim. iii. 16 17. where he tells him that all Scripture is given by inspiration from God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works Observe I beseech you That the man of God may be perfect perfect in Doctrine in faith in good works in all things Oh! my beloved God send me and you the perfection of Scripture the Doctrine and Works there taught and let the Papists follow their Doctrines of men their perfection their works of merit yea and of supererogation too Whereas we learn from Scripture that when we have done all we can we are unprofitable Servants but their Doctrines of men teach them that their great Saints Bennet Francis Dominick Ignatius and many hundreds more are such profitable Servants and have done such mighty works of perfection as not only to merit Heaven for themselves but also to gain Heaven for others by their superabundant merits which the Pope hath power when he pleases to apply to Souls scorching in Purgatory and dismiss them away presently to Heaven Sure a hard hearted cruel man that will let any lie long in those raging flames if he have power to release them Who can but pitty those poor silly Souls that are led into everlasting flames by these seducing Teachers so flatly contrary to the Scriptures cited now and others That no man may deliver his brother or make agreement unto God for him For it cost more to redeem their Souls it cost the blood and death of our Saviour Jesus For our sins being trespasses against the infinite majesty of God none but our Saviour who is also of an infinite Majesty both God and man could make a just satisfaction for them Had a thousand Bennets Dominicks c. and ten thousand thousands more been sacrificed on Crosses all had been in vain we should all lie for ever in everlasting flames These Scriptures are shut up from the eyes of poor blind-folded Papists But Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear Matt. xiii 16. Your eyes and your ears see read and hear these Scriptures daily preached unto you Hold fast these the words of Eternal Life which alone will make you wise unto Salvation and throughly furnish you unto all good works make you perfect without any Doctrines of men as you shall hear more particularly by and by What then must we lay aside all the Writings of the Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church even in the purest times by no means for they may be very helpful to us in expounding obscure places of Scripture for which several sorts of learning are very useful First The perfect understanding of the Original Languages in which the Scriptures were written as the Hebrew the Syriac the Greek Languages Now many of the Primitive Fathers were either born or much educated when those Languages were naturally spoken and thereby could much better judg of the propriety and full signification of many words which we are much to seek in and each Country Language hath several proverbial sayings and antient forms of speech which in process of time grow out of use and very hard to be understood we see that very few now are able to understand old Chaucers Language English being very much altered since Secondly History and Geography are very necessary for the understanding of several passages in Scripture And certainly those Primitive Fathers living near the times and places when and where our Saviour and the Apostles taught and acted may be able to inform us of several circumstances and give us great light in many