Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	david_n	psalm_n	sing_v	2,543	5	9.4001	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01299	A briefe confutation, of a popish discourse: lately set forth, and presumptuously dedicated to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie: by Iohn Howlet, or some other birde of the night, vnder that name Contayning certaine reasons, why papistes refuse to come to church, which reasons are here inserted and set downe at large, with their seuerall answeres. By D. Fulke, Maister of Penbroke Hall, in Cambridge. Seene and allowed.	Fulke, William, 1538-1589.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Brief discours contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to church.	1583 (1583)	STC 11421; ESTC S102704	108,905	118

The fourth the Iudge of matters of faith for which is quoted Innocentius Epist. 93. apud August and Leo Epist. 84 These are both bishops of Rome and partiall witnesses to depose of theyr owne Prerogatiue shewing what they claymed and not what al antiquitie gaue vnto them The Romane Prelacie as Socrates testi●…e in that time although it were a thousande partes more modest then it is at this daye yet was it then passed beyonde the bondes of Priesthood into forayne Lordship And oftentimes the bishops of Rome challenged more authoritie then of other bishops would be graunted as appeareth by many decrées of the Councels in Africa agaynst appealing to the bishop of Rome and against his ambitious titles of high Prtest c. Which this reasoner sayth was giuen him by all antiquitie The fifth title is the repurger of heresies for which is quoted Sy Alex. 4. apud Athanasium But Athanasius allowed no suche title to the Romane bishoppe whom he confesseth to haue subscribed to the Arrian heresie Liberius deinde c. After Liberius had passed twoo yeeres in exile he was turned and through threates of death induced to subscription The sixth title is The examiner of al bishops causes for which is quoted Theodor. lib. 2. hist. cap. 4. UUhere there is no such matter but that Athanasius desired to haue his cause examined and tried by Iulius Bishop of Rome which when it procéeded not because his aduersaries would not appeare his cause was referred by the Empérour Constantius his commaundement to the councell of Sardica when finding no helpe in Iulius the Byshoppe he had first appealed to the Emperour Constance The last title is The great Priest in obeying whom all vnitie consisteth and by disobeying of whome all heresies and Schismes arise Cyp. Epist. 55. This place is alreadie answered to pertaine no more to the bishoppe of Rome then to any other Bishop A second cause he rendreth why our seruice is blasphemous because wee pray to be deliuered from papistrie which hee sayth is onely true religion but that hath neede of many suppositions to prooue it A third cause he yeeldeth Because they sing it and make other simple men to sing it in the beginning of sermons and otherwise as though it were scripture it selfe and one of Dauids Psalmes If men were as ignorant in the scriptures and Psaimes of Dauid as the Papists would haue them to be this pretensed cause coulde haue but smale coller seeing the title of this hymme in euery booke plainly sheweth that it is none of Dauids Psalmes and the prayer conceiued therein for the Queene and her Councell with diuers other requestes pec●…ier to our time and state declare manifestly that it cannot of any man that hath his fiue wittes be taken for the expresse woordes of the auncient Canonical Scripture Much lesse can it with any apparance of reason be gathered that there is any purpose in them that cause it to be song to induce any man neuer so simple into such a grosse error that he shoulde thinke the same song to be scripture it selfe or one of Dauids Psalmes The fourth reason in particuler why the Protestantes must be déemed naught is Albeit it had not all this euill in it yet because it hath not in it those good thinges which christian seruice should haue for seruice sayth he may be euill as well for hauing too little as for hauing too much as the Arrians seruice for singing glory to the father and not singing the same to the sonne As if a man should recite his Creed and leaue out one article as in effect the Protestants doe the article of discention into hell all the whole Creede were naught thereby In deede whatsoeuer is defectiue in any necessarye parte cannot bee perfectly good in the whole but that for wante of some good partes all other good partes shoulde bee naught that is a great vntrueth as also it is a senselesse ●…launder that wee leaue out in effect the Article of Christes descention intoo he●… for whiche hee giueth noe reason but his bare woorde He might as well say we leaue out the whole Créede because wee vnderstand it otherwise then they doe But what our seruice wanteth whiche is necessary to bee hadd hée will shewe in twoo or thrée thinges First therefore saieth hée they haue lefte out the chiefest and highest thinges of all whiche is the Blessed Sacrifice of Christe his bodye and blood appoynted by Christe too bee offered vp euery daye for thankesgeuing to GOD for obteyning of grace and auoyding of all euill and for remission of sinnes bothe of quicke and dead as with one consente the F●…hers of the Primitiue Churche doe affirme That any sacrifice of Christes body blood by Christe is appoynted not onely the Apostles and Euangelists which set foorth the institutiō of the Lords supper make no mentiō but also y e Apostle to the Hebrewes plentifully sheweth that the sacrifice of Christ was but once offered found eternal redēption y ● he offered himself but once for if he had he must haue suffered more then once séeing y ● without shedding of blood there is no remissiō of sins Neither doe the fathers of the Primitiue church w●…ō he quoteth affirme the cōtrary He beginneth w t Dionisius the counterfeite Areopagi●…e Hier. 3. Where beside y ● the Author beareth a wrōg name being not so old as the Apostles times by 600. yéeres more yet is not this imagined sacrifice by him in such order aduouched The next of the olde writers names with whom the Margent is paynted as Ignatius Epi. ad Smirnenses which if wee should receiue for Authenticall and not counterfeited yet hath it nothing to the purpose but the name of sacrifice Proptereanon licet c. Therefore y●… is not lawfull without the Byshop neither to offer nor to make sacrifice nor to celebrate Masses as the Latine translation is of celebration of the communion If this were bothe a true antiquity to be obserued the Popishe seruice were not lawfull but where it is ministred by a bishopp for that also is affirmed in the same Epistle Thirdly he commeth to Iustinus dial cum Triphone A Reuerend Father indéed whose woords if hée had set downe they would not onely haue cléered our seruice of the supposed crime but also haue béen sufficient to expounde whatsoeuer in any other auncient writer is vnproperly and figuratiuely vttered in the name of sacrifice priest and Aultar c. The woordes of Iustinus are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Euen so wee whiche by the name of Iesus as all shall bee one man in GOD the maker of all things hauing put of our filthie garmentes that is our sinnes by the name of his first begotten sonne and being set on fire by the woorde of his calling are a right kinde of high priestes of GOD as God himselfe doeth witnes that in all places among the Gentiles acceptable and pure sacrifices are

keepe it to your selues and trouble not the state and so that you wil for obedience sake sometime come to our s●…agogues shewing your selues conformable men to our proceedings Nay what if they shoulde haue saide Some of you also for outward shewe keeping alwaies your consciences to your selues must flee this odious name of Christians and seeme to communicate now and then with vs in our sacrifices and ceremonies wee are content also that some of you shalbe our officers and Iustices of peace counsellours and the like so that you will sometimes for orders sake punishe some of those vndiscreete felowes of your religion which cannot be content to keepe their consciences to themselues so you wil also giue some pretie sharpe charge in your circuites sessions and assemblies alwayes keeping your consciences to your selues and if some of you also wil some times step vp into the Pulpet and speake three or foure earnest woordes against this religion it shal be verie grateful vnto vs especially if you wil affirme i●… with an othe which wee haue deuised for the same purpose and this doing wee assure you that you shal liue quietly to your owne consciences and we shal account you for good subiectes If I say the Magistrates of Iurie at that time should haue giuen to the Apostles and other Christians this sweete charme doe you thinke that they could haue abidden to heare it al out whose hearts did rise and swel at two woordes only that they spoke for the intreating of them to holde their peace And yet many a thousand now in Englande beeing as throughly perswaded in heart of the truth of the catholike religion as the Apostles and other Christians at that time were of theirs are content notwithstanding to heare digest admit and execute al or most part of these thinges recited contrarie to the saide religion And yet besides al this which is more to be wondred at they are not ashamed to persuade them selues that they shal one day come to that glorie wherein the Apostles nowe are But this is desperate presumption And therefore we see what a iust cause this is for a catholike to refuse to come to the churches of the contrarie religion The sixth reason THe sixt cause hée saieth why a catholike may not come to church is because he cannot come without dissimulation Therefore let the Popishe Catholike leaue his dissimulation and become a good Christian rather then to leaue the Church and become an obstinate Schismatike In this reason as in the rest certeine leaues are spent in shewing that God abhorreth dissembling and will not hold them guiltlesse which holde their peace when he is ●…ishonoured and are ashamed clearely to confesse Christ and his trueth before men c. But that the going to Protestantes Churches is a deniall of Christ a dissimulation of his truth or any such matter there is nothing at all brought to proue it But sée I pray you his ●…ditious insinuation which hée maketh in his fonde supposition which hée woulde haue to be applied to our time what if the high Priestes and Magistrates shoulde haue saide to Peter and the Astles Well wee are content that you liue with your consciences so you keepe it to your selues and trouble not the state and so that you will for obedience sake sometime come to our Synagogues shewing your selues conformable men to our proceedinges Nay what if they shoulde haue saide Some of you also for outward shewe keeping alwayes your consciences to your selues must bee this odious name of Christians and seeme to communicate nowe and then with vs in our sacrifices and ceremonies Wee are content also that some of you shalbe our Officers and Iustices of peace Councellers and the like so that you wil sometimes for order sake punishe some of those indiscreete fellowes of your religion which cannot be content to keepe their consciences to them selues so you wil also giue some pretie sharpe charge in your Circuites Sessions and assemblies alwayes keeping your consciences to your selues and if some of you also wilsometimes steppe vp into the Pulpet and speake three or foure earnest woordes against this religion It shalbee verie gratefull vnto vs especially if you wil affirme it with an oth which we haue deuised for the same purpose and this doing wee assure you that you shal liue quietly to your owne consciences and wee shal account you for good subiectes This trayterous supposition which you will vs to apply to our time and note in the Margent to be the maner of dissembling Schismatikes liuely expressed to be done by many in Englande declareth howe reuerently you thinke speake and would haue ignorant persons to conceiue of her Maiestie and the principall Officers and Magistrates of the realme that shée with them not onely exhorteth men to dissimulation false meaning and periurie but also that her Maiestie is content to haue such hypocrites and false forsworne persons to be her Officers and Iustices yea her Councellers and Prelates of the Church No meruaile if you protest of your duetifulnesse and obedience which thus villainously conceiue and write of her excellent Maiestie and call her to the reading of it which were too intollerable to be iudged of any person of wisedome and honestie of howe lowe degrée and calling soeuer hée were It is hard therefore to susteine a counterfeit person long For euen while you declayme against dissimulation you haue discouered your selfe to bee an horrible dissembler The seuenth reason THE seuenth reason why a Catholike may not yeeld to come to the Protestants churches is because the seruice which they vse is nought and dishonourable to God and therfore no man can come to it or heare it or seeme to alow of it by his presence without great offence to God Neither is it sufficient to say as cōmonly they vse to say to beguile simple people withall that it is the Scripture taken out of the Gospels Epistles Psalmes and the like For by that argument the Iewes seruice were good at this day which is taken out of the olde Testament and al Heretikes seruice that euer was seemed to be nothing but Scriptures For as S. Austen in diuers places noteth it was alwayes the fashion of heretikes to haue Scripture in their mouth and to cleaue only to scriptures and to refuse traditions as inuentions of men And we reade of the Arrian Heretikes howe they were wont to sing Psalmes in the streetes of Constantinople thereby to allure the people to them And yet we may not say that their seruice was good like as wee cannot say that the deuils talke was good with Christ albeit it were decked with allegation of scripture and other sweete words Although therfore their seruice be ful of scripture it is no good argument that it is therefore infallible good For as S. Ierom saith of al heretikes Whatsoeuer they speake or think that they do speak in the praise of God it is the

to commit it For whereas the Tyrant did commaund him to ●…ate of the sacrifized meats and he refused the same the vnder officers of the Tyrant being mooued with vniust compassion as the scripture tearmeth it offered him secretly other fleshe not offered to Idoles and of the which hee was not forbidden by his lawe to eate meaning thereby to deliuer him and to giue out that hee had now satisfied the Prince his commaundement But the good old man considering what other men might thinke of it and what Scandale there might ensue of it answered thus as the Scripture saieth That hee would first b●… sent downe vnto hell before hee would doe it for saieth he it is not conuenient for our age to fayne whereby perchaunce many young men thinking that El●…azarus now of ninetie yeares old hath past ouer to the life of the Gentiles may through my dissimulation be deceiued This therefore is the second point of scandale which S. Paule forbiddeth when hee saieth Keepe your selfe from all shewe of euill The third point of seandale is in respect of the enemy that is when although I doe not induce any man to sin or offend any mans conscience yet I do disedefie the enemy and do that thing wherby the enemy is scandalized and taketh an occasion to blaspheme God his trueth his cause his lawe or the like Whereof S. Paule speaketh to the Corinthians Be you without offence or scandale to the Iewes and also to the Gentiles And in an other place Giuing offence or scandale to no man to the end that our function or ministerie be not blamed thereby And this is that great scandale that Dauid being a King and a Prophet gaue to Gods enemies by his fall and for the which he was sore punished as it appeareth by the words of the scripture which are these And Dauid saide to Nathan the Prophet I haue sinned against my Lord and Nathan said to Dauid God hath taken away thy sinne but yet because thou hast made the enemies of God to blaspheme for this cause the sonne which is borne to thee shal dye the death This also is the scandale that Esdras comming out of Persia towards Ierusalem with his countrimen the Iewes was afraid to giue to the king of Persia by causing him to think basely of God as not able to helpe and defend his seruants if hee should haue asked him aide to conduct himselfe and his companie to Ierusalem for so hee saith I was ashamed to aske of the King aide and horsemen to defend vs from our enemies in the way because we had saide to the king before that the hande or defence of our God is ouer all them that seeke him in honestie that his Empire and strength and 〈◊〉 is vpon all them that forsake him Finally of this scandalement S. Paule and S. Peter also when they said that the worde of God was blasphemed or spoken euil of by the aduersarie parte for the euil life of certaine noughtie Christians Nowe that a Catholike going to the Churches seruice or prayers of them of the contrarie religion cannot but commit this great sinne of scandale in the highest degree that is in all these three pointes before rehearsed it is euident to all the worlde For touching the first point if hee bee a man of any calling his example shal induce some other as wife children friendes seruauntes or the like to doe the same And howsoeuer ●…ee scape himselfe they may bee infected and so damned and their blood layde vppon his soule but much more if hee exhort or constraine any man to doe the same as commonly many Schismatiques doe vse And touching the second point hee cannot b●…t offend many mens consciences for they that doe know him inwardly to bee a Catholike wil thinke him to sinne against his owne conscience and perhaps be induced to doe the like And they who knowe him not must needes presume him to goe of conscience and as a fauourer of that religion and so bee brought to like the better of that religion and the worse of the Catholike by his example And as concerning the third and last point their is no enemy of the Catholike religion in the world whether he be Gentile Turke Iewe or Heretike but that he must both thinke and speake the worst of the saide religion seeing the professors of the same are content for worldly pollicy to dissemble it and leauing their owne Churches to present them selues to the Churches of their open and professed enemies To conclude in this matter of scandale men must not flatter and deceiue them selues thinking that they walke in a net and are not seene when they giue scandale to all the worlde which fixeth his eyes vppon them if not for their owne cause yet for the religions sake God is not to be mocked The godly and learned Father Saint Ambrose did accuse Valentinian the Emperour for giuing a publike scandale to the worde because hee did but permit certaine a●…lters to the Gentiles saying that men would thinke that hee priuely fauoured them And his scholler Saint Augustine thinketh it a scandale if a man shoulde heare a Donatist but speake and he to holde his peace for that the hearer might thinke that if this were euill which the Donatist saieth the other woulde reproue him But if saint Ambrose had seene the Emperour to haue gone to the Panims Temples or S. Augustine the other to frequent the Donatistes Churches what then would they haue saide What excuse then would they haue receiued and this is our verie case The second reason THe second reason saith hée why a Catholike can not yeeld to go to church is because he cānot go without scandale which is a sin more mentioned more forwarned more forbidden more detested more threatened in the scripture then any sinne els mentioned in the same except it be Idolatrie I will not stande to examine the comparison but certaine it is that the wilfull giuing of offence or as hée calleth it newly scandale is in scripture often and greatly detested and verie damnable and abhominable a thing well knowne to them that are wise and learned in the scriptures and therefore néeded not the one quarter of quotations and textes that are cited for it There are also diuers kindes therof and neuer a good of them all Whether it be by inducing other men to sinne by false doctrine or wicked example by offending the weake conscience of our brethrē in a thing of it selfe lawful which our reasoner setteth downe absolutely without regarde of such circumstances If I doe offende an other mans conscience in a thing of it selfe lawfull As though our sauiour Christ might be accused for neglecting the offence of the obstinate Pharisees Or whether it be by giuing occasion to the enemy to blaspheme when a man doeth wickedly which also our Aduocate of the Recusantes doeth set downe so nakedly that he woulde make

lyft vp a straw to the deuill in token of obedience it were as much as if he did word by word denie his Creede These poyntes and many moe that myght be thought of being put together and one entyre action made of them the question is whether this enty●…e action of going to churche with these annexes be of it self vnlawfull or no And euery wise man will thinke it is Neyther if you could by some deuice pluck from this action one or two of these things must we think that by and by the action were lawful As for example if by a protestation you could signifie that your minde were not in going thither to consent to their seruice as also that the princesse minde to you in particular were onely that you should goe for temporal obedience sake yet were not by this all the matter amended For if a peece of meate were venomous for ten causes concurring together ifyou should take away two of them and so eate it you might for al that be poysoned therwith One only thing there is which as the Diuines iudge might make going to church lawful which is if a man did goe thither for some meere perticuler known ●…emporal busines as to beare the sword before the Prince to the chappel to consult of matters of war at Poules by the Princes appointment albeit it were in time of seruice thelike But here is to be noted that I say first for meere temporal busines For if a man shold go partly for seruice and partly for temporall busines as to talke with the church wardēs in the church after seruice it wil not serue Secōdly I say for particular tēporal busines For it is not enough for the Prince to saye in general I wil haue you go only for obedience which is a tēporal respect without assigning any perticular busines to be don For that was the saying of alprinces to the martyrs in the primitiue church that they wold haue thē confoō them selues in exteriour actions to other men that for obedience sake howsoeuer they ment inwardly Thirdly I say for some knowen busines For if the busines were not knowen men might think that they went of conscience to seruice and therfore to take away this scandale they ought to protest for what busines they go To these three qualificatiōs adde this forth which is that a man that should thus go might not giue any signe of reuerence or honour to their seruice as by kneeling putting of his hat o●… the like more then he would doe if the seruice were not there And that it is lawful to goe to any church of theirs obseruing these foure poyntes it is euident For this is as much to say as not to goe to church at all seeing he goeth in this case to their meere material church that is to that matterial house or building which is their church neither goeth he to it as to a church but as to a house to doe his busines in And this was the case of Naaman the Syriā who being vpō●… sodain conuerted from Idolatrie promised that he would neuer sacrifice or offer more to Idols howbeit because his office was to stay vp the king of Syria with his hands when hee wente to adore the Idolles in the temple of Remnon and because he could not do that except he bowed himself down when the king bowed downe who vsed to leane vpon him for this cause he desired the Prophet Elizeus to pray to God for him that it might be pardoned him the Prophet answered him departe in peace Which words can importe no more but a graunting to his request which was to pray to God that hee woulde pardon him if he went so to chuch or at the vttermost as some will enforce it a tolleration with him being yet a Proselite or a new gotten man to do this temporal seruice vnto his king for he went not vpon commandement to shew his religion as our men doe especially it beeing such a country as no scandale could folow therof And that many thinges are tollerated with nouices which afterwards are takē away it appeareth by S. Paule who circumcised Timothy for satisfying the weak Iewes and yet afterward he condemned in al menal circumcision Neyther maketh it any matter although he say Si ador auero in templo Remnon adorāte rege in eodemloco vt ignoscat mihi Dominus pro hacre That is If I shall adore in the temple Remnon when the king doth adore in the same place that God will pardon me for this thing As though he should aske pardon for to adore the Idols with the king This kinde of speach I say importeth nothing For neither doth he aske pardon to commit Idolatry therby seeing immediately before he sayd that he would neuer omit it more nor if he had asked such leaue could the Prophet haue licenced him or would Cod haue pardoned him But his meaning was only to haue pardon for his seruing theking in that place bowing down with him for the better staying of him vp when he did adore For the same word which we translate here adore doeth in Hebrew Greeke and Latine signifie often tymes onely bowing downe without any diuine adoration As when Iaoob adored his brother Esaw seuen tymes that is bowed downe to him seuen times And Dauid adored Ionathas king Saule his sonne three times Abigaile also adored Dauid twise And the like in other places of scripture where adoring is taken for bowing downe only without any diuine adoration at al as here it is in this place Fourthlye and lastlye it followeth of that which is spoken before that seeing this going to church is so forbidden by Gods law as it is and hath so many great inconueniences in it as hath bene shewed that a man may not yeeld in any one little poynt in the same as for example to come to church once a yeere to haue seruice in his house to shewe him selfe present at a peece of seruice or the like For most certaine it is that if all bee not lawefull then no parte of it is lawefull And Christ saith that hee will not haue one iot of his lawe to bee past ouer vnkeept and who soeuer shall breake one of the least of his commaundementes shall haue least part in the kingdome of heauen The which wordes of Christ Saint Iames explicating saieth Hee that keepeth all the whole lawe and doeth offende but one thing onely yet is he guiltie in all the rest And Christ himselfe in the Apocalipes commendeth much the Angell of Ephesus for his good works labour patience and for many things besides ther recited but yet for being imperfect in some thinges contrary to the wil of Christ which would haue vs perfect he is commanded to repent quickly vnder the paine of leesing his candlesticke that is of leesing his vocation and his place in the booke