Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	believe_v	church_n	interpretation_n	3,657	5	10.5181	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61017	A rationale upon the Book of common prayer of the Church of England by Anth. Sparrow ... ; with the form of consecration of a church or chappel, and of the place of Christian burial ; by Lancelot Andrews ...	Sparrow, Anthony, 1612-1685.; Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626. Form of consecration of a church or chappel.	1672 (1672)	Wing S4832; Wing A3127_CANCELLED; ESTC R5663	174,420	446

imitate the Heavenly singing this at the Sacrament of his Body which the Angels did at the Birth of his Body And good reason there is to sing this for Christs being made One with us in the Sacrament as for his being made One of us at his Birth And if ever we be fit to sing this Angels song it is then when we draw nearest to the estate of Angels namely at the receiving of the Sacrament After the receiving of the holy Sacrament we sing an Hymn in imitation of our Saviour who after his Supper sung an Hymn to teach us to do the like Chrys. Hom. 83. S. Matth. And when can a Psalm or Hymn of thanksgiving be more seasonable and necessary than after we have received this heavenly nourishment Is it possible to hear these words This is my Body take and eat it Drink ye all of this This is my Blood and not be filled as with a kind of fearful admiration so with a sea of joy and comfort for the Heaven which they see in themselves Can any man receive this Cup of Salvation and not praise and bless God with his utmost strength of soul and body The Ancients did express their joy at this time in the highest manner that they could Some were so ravished with joy that they immediately offered themselves to martyrdom impatient of being longer absent from their so gracious Lord unable to keep themselves from expressing their love to Christ by dying for him the highest expression of love All men then counted it a sin to fully the day of their receiving the Eucharist with any sorrow or fasting these days they called daies of mirth daies of remission daies of Immunity solemn days Festival daies This Angelical Hyman was made of old by Ecclesiastical Doctors and who refuses it let him be excommunicated Conc. Tole● 4. c. 4. The Hymn being ended we depart with a BLESSING Goar in Euch. pag. 154. tells us That of old when the Communion Service was ended and the Deacon had dismist the people they would not for all that depart till they had the Blessing by this Stay saying in effect the same to the Priest that Iacob did to the Angel We will not let thee go unless thou blessest us The Priest therefore departing from them as our Saviour from his Disciples with a Blessing but first he comes down from the Altar by this descending shewing his condescension to the people in affection as well as in Body and standing behind the Pulpit Retro Ambonem whence the Blessing was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the midst of the people in this also imitating our Saviour S. Iohn 20. 9. who there gave the Bles●ing or peace of God standing in the midst by the place shewing how equally he stood affected to all how he would have his Blessings spread upon all Of BAPTISM HOly Churches aim being in all her Services to make them Reasonable that according to S. Paul 1 Cor. 14. We may all joyn with her in her Offices both with our spirit and understanding she hath been careful not only to put them into a known tongue but also to instruct us in the nature of them making thus her Prayer-Book a sum of Divinity Therefore here in the beginning she instructs out of holy Scripture concerning the necessity and efficacy of Baptism as very briefly so very pith●ly and fully First laying down this for a rule That we are all born in sin as it is Rom. 5. 18 19. all guilty in Adams fall so the Catholick Church spread over the world always understood it CON. MILEVAN c. 2. and therefore by our first birth have no right to heaven into which no unclean thing shall enter Ephes. 5. 5. Secondly that therefore there is need of a second birth to give us right to that as it is S. Iohn 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Thirdly that this second or new birth is by Water and the Holy Ghost S. Iohn 3 5. Except a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdom of God By Water and the Holy Ghost is there meant holy Baptism For first this is the most literal interpretation of the words for what is Baptism but Water and the Holy Ghost and therefore the best for that is certainly the sense of the Holy Ghost who as we all believe was the Author of the letter of the Scriptures and therefore of the literal sense where that is not contrary to but agreeable with the other Scriptures Now this literal sense given is agreeable to other texts as namely to Acts 8. 38. and 10. 47. Where Water is declared to be the element of Baptism And expresly again Ephes. 5. 26. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water And as this is the most literal so is it the most Catholick interpretation of the words and therefore also the best by S. Peters rule 2 S. Pet. 1. 20. Knowing this first that no prophesie of Scripture is of private interpretation That this is the most Catholick interpretation appears by S. August l. 1. de peccator mer. rem c. 30. Tertul. de Bapt. and all the ancient interpreters upon the place who expound it all of Baptism And indeed if it were lawful to expound it otherwise seeing no other Scripture contradicts this literal sense I know not how it can be avoided but that men may lose all their Creed by playing so with Scripture leaving the letter for figures Thus are we instructed in the nature necessity and efficacy of holy Baptism that it is the only ordinary means of our Regeneration or second birth which gives us a right and title to Heaven Then is prescribed a Prayer usually called the Benediction or Consecration of the Water which is used only for reverence and decency not for necessity as if the Water without this were not available to Baptism For as the Prayer hath it Iordan and all other maters are sanctified by Christ to the mystical washing away of sin So that there needs no Consecration here as in the other Sacraments there is where the Bread and Wine must be blessed by us saith S. Paul 1 Cor. 10. 16. before it be the Communion of the body and blood of Christ to us And that the Church does not think any Consecration of Water necessary appears in her office of PRIVATE BAPTISM where haste admitting no delays no such Prayer or blessing is used Then follows a Prayer for Gods merciful acceptance of the Infant that is brought that as he is to receive the Sacrament so he may receive all the benefits of it And lest any should doubt whether CHRIST will accept an Infant to Baptism and the Effects of it holy Church propounds to us the 10. chap. of S. Mark out of which she concludes CHRISTS love and good will to children in general For he

therefore is it called also the Constantinopolitan Creed This Creed began to be used in Churches at the Communion Service immediately after the Gospel in the year of our Lord 339. Afterward it was established in the Churches of Spain and France after the custome of the Eastern Church Conc. Tolet 3. c. 2. and continued down to our times The Reason why this Creed follows immediately after the Epistle and Gospel is the same that was given for the APOSTLES CREED following next after the Lessons at Morning and Evening prayer To which the Canon of Toledo last cited hath added Another Reason of the saying it here before the people draw neer to the holy Communion namely That the breasts of those that approach to those ●readful mysteries may be purified with a ●●ue and right faith A third reason is given by Dionys. Eccl. Hierar c. 3. par 2. 3. It will not be amiss to set down some passages of his at large because they will both give us a third reason of using the Creed in this place and discover to us as I conceive much of the ancient beautiful order of the Communion-Service The Bishop or Priest standing at the Altar begins the melody of Psalms all the degrees of Ecclesiasticks singing with him This Psalmody is used as in almost all Priestly Offices so in this to prepare and dispose our souls by holy affections to the celebration of the holy mysteries following and by the consent and singing together of divine Psalms to work in us an unanimous consent and concord one towards another Then is read by some of the Ministers first a Lesson out of the Old Testament then one out of the New in their order for the reasons before mentioned in the discourse of Lessons at Morning Service After this the Catechumens the possessed and the penitents are dismist and they only allowed to stay who are deem'd worthy to receive the holy Sacrament which being done some of the under Ministers keep the door of the Church that no Infidel or unworthy person may intrude into these sacred Mysteries Then the Ministers and devout people reverently beholding the holy signs not yet consecrated but blest and offered up to God on a by-standing Table called the Table of Proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praise and bless the Father of Lights from whom as all good gifts so this great blessing of the Communion does come with the Catholick hymn of praise which some call the Creed others more divinely The Pontifical Thanksgiving as containing in it all the spiritual gifts which flow from Heaven upon us the whole mystery of our salvation when this hymn of praise is finished the Deacons with the Priest set the holy Bread and Cup of Blessing upon the Altar after which the Priest or Bishop saies the most sacred that is the Lords Prayer gives the Blessing to the people then they in token of perfect charity a most necessary vertue at this time of offering at the Altar S. Mat. 5. 23. salute each other After which the names of holy Men that have lived and died in the faith of Christ are read out of the Diptychs and their memories celebrated to perswade others to a diligent imitation of their vertues and a stedfast expectation of their heavenly rewards This commemoration of the Saints presently upon the setting of the holy signs upon the Altar is not without some mystery to shew the inseparable sacred union of the Saints with Christ who is represented by those sacred signs These things being rightly performed the Bishop or Priest that is to Consecrate washes his hands a most decent Ceremony signifying that those that are to do these holy Offices should have a special care of purity I will wash mine hands in innocency O Lord and so will I compass thine Altar Psal. 26. 6. After he hath magnified these divine gifts and God that gave them then he consecrates the holy Mysteries and having uncovered them reverently shews them to the people inviting them to the receiving of them Himself and the Priests and Deacons receive first then the people receive in both kinds and having all received they end the Service with a Thanksgiving which was Psal. 34. After the Epistle and Gospel and the confession of that Faith which is taught in holy Writ follows THE SERMON Amb. ep 33. ad Marcel Leo 1. Ser. 2. de Pascha which usually was an exposition of some part of the Epistle or Gospel or proper Lesson for the day as we may see in S. Augustine in his Serm. de Temp. according to the pattern in Nehem. 8. 8. They read in the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading And the Preacher was in his Exposition appointed to observe the Catholick interpretation of the old Doctors of the Church as we may see in the 19. Can. of the sixth Council of Constantinople held in Trull The Canon is this Let the Governors of Churches every Sunday at the least teach their Clergy and people the Oracles of pie●y and true Religion collecting out of Divine Scripture the sentences and Doctrines of truth not transgressing the ancient bounds and traditions of the holy Fathers And if any doubt or controversie arise about Scripture let them follow that interpretation which the Lights of the Church and the Doctors have left in their writings By which they shall more deserve commendation than by making private interpretations which if they adhere to they are in danger to fall from the truth To this agrees the Canon made in Queen Elizabeths time Anno Dom. 1571. The Preachers chiefly shall take heed that they teach nothing in their preaching which they would have the people religiously to observe and believe but that which is agreeable to the Doctrine of the Old Testament and the New and that which the Catholick Fathers and Ancient Bishops have gathered out of that Doctrine These Golden Canons had they been duly observed would have been a great preservative of Truth and the Churches peace The Sermon was not above an hour long Cyril Catech. 13. Before the Sermon no prayer is appointed but the Lords Prayer the petitions being first consigned upon the people by the Preacher or Minister who is appointed to bid the prayers as it is in Edw. 6. and Queen Eliz. Injunctions that is to tell the people beforehand what they are at that time especially to pray for in the Lords Prayer which in the 55. Can. of the Constit Anno Dom. 1603. is called moving the people to joyn with the Preacher in praying the Lords Prayer Of old nothing was said before the Sermon but Gemina Salutatio the double Salutation Clem. Const. l. 8. c. 5. Optat. 1. 7. The Bishop or Priest never begins to speak to the people but first in the Name of God he salutes the people and the salutation is doubled that is the Preacher says The Lord be with you and the people answer

that no man quarrel at this harmless phrase let him take notice that to worship here signifies to make worshipful or honourable as you may see 1. Sam. 2. 30. For where our last Translation reads it Him that honours me I will honour in the old Translation which our Common-Prayer book uses it is Him that worships me I will worship that is I will make worshipful for that way only can God be said to worship man After the Priest hath prayed for grace and Gods assistence for the married persons to enable them to keep their solemn vow and contract then does he as it were seal that bond and contract by which they have mutually tied themselves with Gods seal viz. Those whom God hath joyned together let no man put asunder The persons having consented together in wedlock and withnessed the same before God and the Church and plighted their troth each to other and declared the same by giving and taking of a Ring and joyning of hands and the Priest having sealed and ratified all as it were with Gods seal which no man must break he pronounces them man and wife in the Ntame of the Father Son and holy Ghost Which Proclamation or pronouncing of the married persons to be man and wife thus in the Church by the Priest was one of those laws and rites of marriage which the Church received of the Apostles Euar ep ad Epis. Aphric Anno 110. Then the Priest blesses them solemnly according to the old rules Conc. Carth. 4. c. 13. Of the efficacy of which blessings hath been said formerly After this follows the 128 Psalm which was the Epithalamium or marriage-song used by the Jews at Nuptials says Muscul in loc Then pious and devout prayers for the married persons and lastly the COMMUNION Such religious solemnities as these or some of these were used by the Jews at marriages For their rites and ceremonies of their marriage were publickly performed with blessings and thanksgivings whence the house was called the House of Praise and their marriage song Hillulim praises the Bridegrooms intimate friends sung the marriage song who are called children of the Bride-chamber S. Matth. 9. 15. Godwin of Jews mar The Primitive Christians had all these which we have The persons to be married were contracted by the Priest the marriage was solemnly pronounced in the Church the married couple were blessed by the Priest prayers and thanksgivings were used and the holy Communion administred to them And these religious rites the Church received from the Apostles saies Euarist Ep. ad Epis. Aphr. And doubtless highly Christian and useful these solemnities are For first they beget and nourish in the minds of men a reverend esteem of this holy mystery Ephes. 5. 32. and draw them to a greater conscience of wedlock and to esteem the bond thereof a thing which cannot without impiety be dissolved Then are they great helps to the performance of those duties which God Almighty hath required in married persons which are so many and those so weighty that whosoever duly considers them and makes a conscience of performing them must think it needful to make use of all those means of grace which God Almighty hath appointed For if we duly consider the great love and charity that this holy state requires even to the laying down of life Husbands love your wives even a Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Ephes. 5. 25. of the weighty charge of the education of children which if well performed procures a blessing and an advantage to salvation 1 Tim. 2. 15. She shall be saved in child-bearing if they continue in faith and charity c. so if it be carelesly perform'd it procures a most heavy curse 1 Sam. 2. 29 31. c. Or lastly the chastity and holiness necessary to that state of marriage heightned now up to the representation of the mystical union of Christ with his Church Eph. 5. 32. This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the Church to which holy conjunction our marriage and all our works and affections in the same should correspond and be conformable I say if we consider all these duly can we think we may spare any of those divine helps to performance whether they be vows and holy promises to bind us or our Fathers and Mothers Gods and the Ci●●ches blessings or holy prayers for Gods assistance or lastly the holy Commun on that great strengthener of the soul If mens vices and licentiousness have made this holy service seem unseasonable at this time reason would that they should labour to reform their lives and study to be capable of this holy service and not that the Church should take off her command for the receiving of the holy Communion for their unspeakable good For would men observe Gods and the Churches commands and enter into this holy state not like beasts or heathens at the best but like Christians with these religious solemnities the happiness would be greater than can easily be exprest I know not which way I should be able to shew the happiness of that wedlock the knot whereof the Church doth fasten and the Sacrament of the Church confirm saith Tertual l. 2. ad Uxor VISITATION OF THE SICK THe Priest entring into the sick mans house shall say Peace be to this house so our LORD commanded S. Luke 10.5 And if the Son of peace be there his peace shall rest upon it Then knéeling down he prayes those prayers and ejaculations ●ollowing which whosoever reads and considers impartially shall find them to be both very pious and suitable to the occasion Then shall the Priest exhort the sick person after this manner The prayers are all prescribed but the exhortation is left arbitrary to the discretion of the Priest who can hardly be thought to make a better Then shall the Priest e●amine the sick person concerning his Faith whether it be Christian. And this is very necessary for if that be wrong all is wrong Christian Religion consists in these two a right Faith and a righteous Life and as a right Faith without a righteous Life will not save so neither will a righteo●s Life without a right belief He that hath said Do this and live hath said Believe and live and how then can we think him safe that lives indeed justly but blasphemes impiously Cyril Cat. 4. This then is a principal Interrogatory or question to be put to the sick person whether he believes as a Christian ought to do And this he does by rehearsing to him the CREED And there can be no better rule to try it by For whatsoever was prefigured in the Patriarchs or taught in the Scriptures or foretold by the Prophets concerning God the Father Son and holy Ghost is all briefly contain'd in the Apostles Creed S. Aug. Ser. de Temp. 137. This Creed 't is the touchstone to try true faith from false the rule of faith contrary to which no man may teach or believe