Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	authority_n	divine_a	tradition_n	2,703	5	9.2704	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65559	A sermon against neutrality whether as to the main substantials of religion or matters of injoyned order / preached at the visitation of the Reverend Doctour Cary, Arch-deacon of Exon, at St. Marie's Exon, on Friday in Easter Week, 1663 by E.W.	Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.	1663 (1663)	Wing W1516; ESTC R27060	24,015	54

the forenamed particulars and have said If there be any nobler and more divine knowledge than what the Christian Faith delivereth follow it If there be any better Precepts of life than what the Gospel injoyns practise them But on the contrary If the knowledge of an infinite Majesty Creatour of all things his Nature and Works of another Life after this and an Eternity of Happiness if faithfull of Misery if vicious to be enjoyed by the immortal Soul and raised Body united of blessed Angels our Companions and Ministers If also these Precepts of Holiness Justice Temperance Love Peaceableness and Unity be all of them so good so much the best that they have and daily do extort from their unwilling Adversaries whose practices tend to destroy them the praise of them Fas est ab hoste doceri believe then and follow these And as to the last of the aforementioned Heads If the Builders of any of those Ecclesiastical Babels for our Age hath been more fertile of Confusion than to afford onely one can shew such a divine Authority for their intentionally erected Frame of Government as hath been produced for this let them take all But if their way of asserting their be by wresting some more dubious Texts from their natural intent and the received sense which the constant Tradition of the Church the best Interpreter of Scripture but Scripture hath ever since the Apostles their very Authour's days given of them and then by picking out some uncertain passages or broken Sentences of Fathers and Councils to contradict the manifest current of all their joynt Suffrages then though they prophesie at this rate with Baal's Prophets till the time of the evening sacrifice and cut not themselves but three Nations with their zealous Steel till Rivers of Bloud gushing forth from each unite their over-flowing streams into one common Deluge then I say remember that as this was never the custome of the Church of God by such means to propagate its Doctrine so that neither the one expedient of putting force upon Writings nor the other of sanguinary compulsion of King and Kingdom hath any encouragement from the God of Truth and Peace and therefore be constant and obedient to that which hath Having done with the Premises of the Prophet's Argument it remains that I should conclude against Neutrality which I had intended by applying all that I have said in reproof thereof and so to have resumed the Prophet's How long halt ye It was a Law either amongst the Athenians or Lacedaemonians my memory will not at present recover whether that in case a Civil War happened and therein any sate at hoee quiet neutral to both Factions the Apud Suetonium etiam Consultante ●● Pompeio de med●● neutram partem sequentibus ●n Domitius censuit hostium nu●●●ro habendos Sue● Nero. Sect. 2. War being ended both should come and pull down his House to the ground and his Goods become confiscate Certainly Beloved as to those who in the main of Christianity have been neutral God will deal with them worse than so at the consummation of all things I have already said that Neutrality in the Substantials of Religion differs not from Atheism and then let such judge what retribution that day of recompence will bring them And as to those who stand neutral in things determined by lawful Authority we have said and as far as I can see evinced that halting herein is the same in effect with disobedience Rom. 13. now the Apostle saith They that resist and little difference betwixt resisting and refusal of due obedience shall receive damnation at least they do incur it I shall not apply this more particularly to my Brethren of the Ministry than by taking up Salvian's words Quicquid de aliis omnibus dictum Ad Eccles Cathol l. 2. est magis absque dubio ad eos pertinet qui exemplo esse omnibus debeni quos utique tanto antistare caeteris oportet devotione quanto antistant omnibus dignitate And elsewhere Magis De Gubernat Dei l. 4. damnabilis est malitia quam titulus bonitatis accusat reatus impii est pium nomen If Neutrality be a sin in others 't is doubly so in us especially seeing our Lives teach as much as our Doctrine not onely the common sort but * The French Philosopher whose Principle it was to doubt of all things though he professes he meant not that in maters of practice yet elsewhere makes imitation of the wisest men the rule of manners at least saith it was of his Ut certè intelligerem quid●am sapientissimi reverà optimum censer ●●t ad ea q●● agebant potiùs quàm ad ea qua loquebantur attendebam Des Cartes in dissert de methodo many other now adays whose wisdom may pass current for a degree above vulgar in matters of Morality walking more by Example than they do by Precept Shall I deal plainly May not the Neutrality of the People both as to Substantials and matters of injoyned order derive it self from ours in each case 'T is well if we can excuse our selves in both Matthew of Paris in his History ad Annum Dom. 1072. relates that about that time Literas ab inferno missas commenti sunt quidam in quibus Satanas omne contubernium inferorum omni Ecclesiastico coetui gradui gratias emisit quòd cùm in nullo voluptatibus suis deessent tantum numerum subditarum sibi animarum vitae praedicationis suae incuriâ paterentur ad infernum descendere quantum saecula anteacta nunquam viderint God be thanked the contumely cannot without the greatest injury be applied to this Age But we must take care that no particular persons of us give occasion of such Calumnies to those who are already apt to give us more in such cases than our due yet if the Devil should have occasion at the last day to thank any of us but for one accursed Proselyte which our negligence or corruptness had sent him it would surely much imbitter if possible Heaven it self The Levitical Law we know admitted no Levit. 21. 17 18 c. Priests that were lame And I am much deceived if I may not say of the Laws of our Church the same in some sense For that she never intended either the reception or fostering of such Halters as we have spoken of we may see in that she neither admits any Minister till according to the XXXVI Canon of 1603. he have simply subscribed lubens ex animo nor intends that Subscription as a formal Ceremony but as a binding Engagement as appears by Canon the XXXVIII which is If any Minister after he hath once subscribed shall omit to use the Form of Prayer or any of the Orders or Ceremonies prescribed in the Communion Book let him be suspended and if after a moneth he reform not and submit himself let him be excommunicated and if not within another moneth let him be deposed Wherefore I humbly our halting brethren that while they curteil the prayers lay aside their Surplices in favour of some mens humours put them on onely for fear of others and such like things many they will be pleased to consider if they wrong not hereby First th●ir own consciences with the guilt of breaking this solemn subscription which sure comes but little short of an Oath made to the Church and Secondly their security in making themselves liable by every such Act to Suspension and further punishment as they proceed Sure I am they wrong their honest brethren who think themselves albeit they have sworn and subscribed to no more then they obliged thereby to a total Conformity and doing their duty herein are for their sakes who neglect theirs traduced by the male-contented party who brook every man the better by how much less obedient for persons more Superstitious as they call it than they need If such will not consider their engagements I hope the respective Church-wardens will look to their Oath and make a true answer to every proposed Article But if neither will hold touch and both conspire to be unfaithful to God by whom and the Church to whom they have sworn fidelity I doubt not but that at long run they will meet with some honest Neighbour who will do them both the justice of a presentment and then I presume though in the mean time they should think my words fit for nothing but to pass away with the breath which utters them they will be taught effectually what it is to betray their trust to halt between two opinions when they are most justly engaged by all that 's Sacred to follow one onely Now the God of peace that brought again from Heb. 13. 23 21. the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great shepherd of the sheep through the Eternal Spirit perfect his Church in every Psa 13● 9. 16. good work clothe his Priests with righteousness and cause his people to shout for joy make the one able faithful and successful in their work and edifie and keep constant the other in their most holy Faith and in the end bring both with Angels and all the hosts of Heaven to sing unto himself the one Lord yet Father Son and Holy Ghost most Triumphan Praises and Thanksgivings world without end Amen FINIS

comprehend all the most refined precepts of Philosophick morality the best rules of prudence the mysteries of States and Governments could I distinguish as thin as an Angel and speak as sweetly as the imaginary Suada in a word and with reverence to the Almighties wisdom had I if possible the Omniscience of God himself that knowledge alone being excepted by which he knows himself so that it might be supposed that though I knew all things else I knew not him I see not how such an Omnisciency it self could truly denominate me wise For if Wisdom be what it was ever defined the knowledge of the best and most sublime matters and there be none better than the first and chiefest good none higher than the most High then whatsoever knowledge sticks at any thing below him falls so much short of Wisdom and may no more truly be call'd so than an Heap of Rubbish may a Treasure Wherefore my Brethren whatever the particular issue of things may here below ever prove let us never repent our selves of our espoused study nor at any time slacken our diligence herein The LORD being God let us follow him the Science in which we labour delivering to us the knowledge of him let it have our utmost pains our best hours our chiefest thoughts Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be 1 Tim. 4. 15. dwelling in them if thou intendest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proficiency you know whose counsel it is When Eccentrical studies for the main take up a Divine it is a thousand to one but he proves corrupt in Doctrine remiss in practice one or both but it will assuredly follow that he shall grow negligent and dull in his Office and hear ill amongst the people You will pardon the confidence of the Assertion for its Truth What we have said of matters of Christian II. faith we will say also of the Precepts of Christian life If the Law or Rules of Living which the Scripture delivers are the Law of this God then ought they and that above all other Precepts to be observed This holds still due analogy to the ground of the Prophet's argument that whosoever is God is to be followed It is most divinely observed by Plato that of the Ph●●done gods counsel or will nothing can be known without an Oracle and I will not fear to gratifie the Enemies of Scripture so far as to grant what I am sure the Christian Church will not refuse that if there be any Oracle in the world which can be proved to contain a Revelation of the divine will by so good Arguments as the Scripture may it shall be esteemed by us of equal nay of greater authority But the best Morals ever extant in the world besides what we read in Scripture bear their Authours in their faces with whose frailties every page of them is intersperst and whatsoever of virtue they teach we shall sinde the same to be either some of the lower rudiments of Christianity or at least to be had more purely from these sacred Fountains It is indeed reported of Julian that he preferred Pindar's Odes before David's Psalms and Phocylides before Solomon's Proverbs yet as he could not pretend that either of those his admired Authours were inspired by God so whosoever shall consider them together which is not the Work of a Sermon shall finde a greater disparity than of that in the Adage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of all the pretences in this case that which hath most taken in the World since our Saviour's Turcarum gens pugnacissima facile suscepit suscepit religionem moribus suis congru ntem Hug. Grot. de ver Christ Rel. l. 6. coming is the Alcoran which the Turks and their Dominions easily received as delivering a Religion suitable to the Genius and manners of the People But besides that Histories which give us its rise easily discover its imposture it most manifestly betrays it self in owning our Jesus the Saviour of the World and yet not onely denying his Death contrarily to the Relations of Heathen Writers themselves but obtruding a Rhapsody of Precepts for his which even Nature her self with that half dye she yet hath can discern to be vicious and the whole World knows to contradict the Body of that Doctrine which was divulged and received in the World as his long before Mahomet breathed About the Year 1200. came forth at Paris a Nichol. Eymeric director Inquisit p●rt 2. quest 9. sect 4. Idem Ma● Paris ad An. Dom. 1256. Book under the name of the Eternal Gospel or the Gospel of the Holy Ghost which pretended to be Melius perfectius dignius than the Gospel of Christ and did pronounce that upon its coming and promulgation Evacuaretur Evangelium Christi written by one Johannes de Parma an Italian Monk and then of the Order of the Mendicant Friers whose Order this Gospel endeavouring above all other to establish was by them for about 56. years space endeavoured to be introduced but it excelled the Gospel of Christ onely for such absurd Blasphemies as these that granting both the Son and Holy Ghost to be God yet it did assert Quòd Spiritus Sanctus accepit aliquid ab Ecclesià sicut Christus in quantum homo accepit aliquid à Spiritu Sancto Quòd Christus Apostoli non fuerunt perfecti in vitâ contemplantium Quòd vita activa jam fructuosa non est sed vita contemplativa Quòd nullus simpliciter est idoneus ad instruendum homines de spiritualibus aeternis nisi qui nudis pedibus incedunt with much more such and worse stuff Now these being the accursed and vain Doctrines of the Pretenders to another Gospel or Rule of Christian li●e what do they but in effect confirm the Gospel of our Lord in the possession of its long and justly obtained authority It being then of God let us closely follow it and think our selves no otherwise Christians than as we walk as well as speak and believe according to this Rule And then further If we receive that the Lord III. being God is to be followed we must also receive that the Vnity of the Church of this God being this God's Ordinance is to be observed at least not to be forsaken When the Scripture terms the Church Christ's Body the House of the Living God the Mother of us all it is most clear to me that whosoever forsakes the Church cannot conclude himself to be a Member of Christ's Body or Childe of God's Family And for men to content themselves with the conceit of holding union with the Invisible Church when they must needs acknowledge they desert the unity of the Visible is for them to resolve to be of no other Church but the Church of Heaven for that 's the Invisible Church though they themselves are yet in an earthly state But on the contrary That that part of the Church which is on earth is

out of any design of lifting out the Lords day or it's observation which let him be accursed that shall do but of discovering it's true grounds I shall briefly lay down that parallel which a most skilful hand drew in this case contracting or adding according to present occasion There was saith my Author this ground in nature for the Lords day that a certain part of our time should be set apart for the special worship of God in publick and the like ground is there for Episcopacy that to the celebration of that worship certain persons by way of Office should be assigned who for their labours herein should be worthily rewarded Now I adde that whereas in nature there was no more particular ground for one day in seven than for one in eight or one in ten for that reason in the Commandment the Lord rested the seventh day is not intrinsecal to the nature of the thing but proceeded onely from the Will of the Lawgiver prescribing his own example as an incentive to the observation of this his Law Whereas I say there was no more particular ground for that there is in this case a particular ground in the nature of the thing that betwixt all such consecrated persons there should not be a parity or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is this That they are not all of equal ability nor of equal integrity and the State of all Churches here on earth ever was and will be such that they must depute those to teach and watch over others who have need themselves in many cases of their work to walk by the light of others eyes whose Counsels every man naturally prizing his own would have little sway if their Authours had no Authority over them which Authority is also otherwise necessary to keep all in their duty or else punish and remove them so that the People may as well cast off their Ministers as the Ministers their Bishops and we see when the one had hapned the other had very neer succeeded But to return Of the Lords day there was amongst the Jews a pattern one day in seven to be sanctified to God and the like pattern was there of Episcopacy the Government by Chief Priests Priests and Levites Ordained by God himself The Institution of the Lords day came not immediately from Christ himself on earth but from his Apostles whom he left invested with a like Authority to his own after his departure A like institution was there of this also from the same Apostles guided as well in one as in the other by an infallible spirit Which Apostolike Institution give me leave to say may be proved by as good testimonies and authorities as any thing of this nature can be yea by the very same By which we prove the Canon of the Scripture to be the Canon of the Scripture that is these Books no more and no less to be Scripture and if there be any credit to be given to Ancients and he must leave Qui au●toritatem omnem majoribus suts ad●mit sibi nullam relinquit Dr. Pria●aus Fassic Controv. ob 4. himself none who will deny all to them and be besides most miserably guilty of dishonouring his Father and Mother the order came not onely from the Apostles but was honored Percurre Ecclesias Apostolicas apud qua● ipsae adhuc Cathedrae Apostolorum suis locis praesident aliis praesidentur by their being of it Tertullian one of the most Ancient Writers after a challenge made to the Hereticks He had a little before said of the Hereticks Edant origines Ecclesiarum suarum cvolvant ordinem Episcoporum ita per successiones ab initio decurrentem c. Hoc enim modo Ecclesiae Apostolica census suos deferunt sicut Smyrnaeorum Ecclesia habens Polycarpum ab Johanne collocatum refert sicut Romanorum Clementem à Petro ordiratum edit proinde utique caterae exhibent quos ab Apostolis in Episcopatum constitutos Apostolici seminis traduces habent De p●aescript adversus haeret Cap. 32. to shew their succession from the Apostles affirms that as to the true Church the Sees wherein the Apostles themselves had ruled were not onely then in being but had respectively a kind of preheminence and not onely so but could produce Bishops placed in them some by the Apostles some by Apostolike men that had long lived with the Apostles But we must again return to our Authour and say further The Observation of the Lords day was occasioned by that Solemn Action of Christs rising again thereupon And this was occasioned by those several Orders which were in the Church under Christ viz. that in which Christ himself was that of his Apostles inferiour to him that of the seventy Disciples inferiour unquestionably to them all The mention of that under the name of the Lords day we meet with Revel 1. once in the Revelation and under the equipollent Acts 20. 7. term of the first day of the week twice or thrice 1 Cor. 16. 2. elsewhere And no whit less obscure is the mention of the Order of Bishops under a like Apocalyptical expression of the Angel of the Revel 2 3. Chapte●s Church of Ephesus c. which by undoubted proofs hath been manifested to belong to this cause and under the name of the Ruling Elder which how contrarily to it's intent of 1 Tim. 5. 17 18. late it was interpreted of Lay-Elders by those who notwithstanding they thus interpreted would not thus fulfil the Text in their own interpretation by allowing those their ruling Elders the double honour especially that which the next words thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn enforce a share with them in the Church-maintenance I leave to the judgement of those very expositors proceeding with my Authour to what Saint Paul saith to Timothy and Titus that he left the one at Ephesus to see that some taught no other Doctrine 1 Tim. 13. Which is manifestly to have inspection over the teaching Ministry and the other at Crete to set in Order things that were wanting and to Tit. 1. 5. Ordain Elders in every Church To all which we may adde the oftner mention of Bishops Presbyters or if we will give it a French-English word Priests and Deacons any where of the Lords day The obscure mention of the Lords day in Scripture was explained in the writings of the first age and particularly in Ignatius his Epistles In the like manner the obscurity of the Holy Text in this case was as by others so by the same Ignatius in all his Epistles and particularly in each of those six first which were of such Authority of old that Saint Jerome witnesseth they used even in his days publickly to be read in the Churches and have of late after a Fiery trial made of them received as well an ample Vindication from a famous Prelate Bishop Usher against whom the adverse