Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	rule_n	word_n	write_a	2,444	5	10.7174	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07845	The golden ballance of tryall VVherein the reader shall plainly and briefely behold, as in a glasse of crystall; aswell by what rule all controuersies in religion, are to be examined, as also who is, and of right ought to be the vpright iudge in that behalfe. Whereunto is also annexed a counterblast against a masked companion, terming himself E.O. but supposed to be Robert Parsons the trayterous Iesuite.	Bell, Thomas, fl. 1593-1610.	1603 (1603)	STC 1822; ESTC S120918	58,889	126

ecclesia constituitur ex collectione omnium fidelium vnde omnes fideles orbis constituunt istam ecclesiam vniuersalē cuius caput sponsus est ipse Christus Papa autē est Vicarius Christi non verè caput ecclesiae vt notat glossa in Clem. ne Romani de elect Quae notabiliter dicit quod mortuo Papa ecclesia non est sine capite ista est illa ecclesia quae errare non potest For concerning maters of Faith euen the iudgement of one that is a meere Lay-man ought to be preferred before the sentence of the Pope if that Lay person could bring better reasons out of the old and new Testament then the Pope did And it skilleth not if one say that a Councell cannot erre because Christ prayed for his church that it should not fayle For I say that although a general Councell represent the whole vniuersall Church yet in truth there is not truely the vniuersall Church but representatiuely For the vniuersall Church consisteth of the collection of all the faithful Whereupon all the faithfull in the worlde make this vniuersall church which cannot erre wherof Christ himselfe is the head The Pope is the Vicar of Christ but not truely the heade of the church as noteth the Glosse vpon the Clementines which saith very well that when the Pope is dead the church wanteth not then an head and this is that Church which cannot erre Out of these wordes I note first that by the opinion of the great Papist Panormitan a meere laye mans iudgement euen in matters of faith ought to bee accepted and receyued before the Popes constitution if that Lay-man bring better reasons then doth the Pope I note secondly that through the wonderfull prouidence of God euen the enemies of the truth the Papists I meane are enforced to testifie the truth against themselues in their owne printed bookes For doubtles this Testimony of this Papist is the foundation of that doctrine which is this day established in the church of England and in all other reformed churches throughout the Christian world I note thirdly that a generall councell may erre because it is not the Catholike or vniuersall church indeed A generall councell therfore yeeldeth not any infallible iudgement CAP. VII Shewing that the holy Scripture is the sole and onely infallible rule of truth IN the former Chapters I haue shewed first that all Bishoppes may erre seuerally secondly that many Bishops may erre ioyntly together when they teach one and the selfe same thing Thirdly that the Pope or Bishoppe of Rome may erre not onely in his priuate opinion but also in his publike sentence and definition Fourthly that Prouinciall Councels may erre Fiftly that generall counsels may erre It therefore now remayneth that I find out and set down some such rule as is infallible and will not in any respect point or clause deceiue them that follow it and leane thervnto Which rule say I is the holy scripture the sole and onely written worde of God And I proue the same briefly first by the written word it selfe which telleth vs plainely that the holy scripture was written by the instinct of the holy Ghost euen as God himself appointed it to be done That prophesie came not in old time by the wil of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost That God is not as man that he should lie neyther as the sonne of man that he should repent I proue it secondly by the testimony of S. Dionyse Areopagita whose wordes are these Omnino igitur non audendum est quicquam de summa abstrusaque diuinitate aut dicere aut cogitare praeter ca quae nobis diuinitus scripturae diuinae enuntiarunt In no wise therfore may we make bold to speake or thinke any thing of the high and ineffable diuinity but that onely which holy writ hath reuealed to vs from aboue I proue it thirdly by the verdict of S. Austen in these wordes Ego solis eis scripturarum libris qui iam canonici appellantur hunc timorem honorem didici deferre vt nullum eorum authorem scribendo aliquid errasse firmissime credam Alios autem ita lego vt quantalibet sanctitate doctrinaque praepolleant non ideo verū putem quia ipsi ita censuerunt sed quia mihi vel per illos auctores canonicos vel probabili ratione quod a veritate non abhorreat persuadere potuerunt I have learned to giue this feare and honour to those onely bookes of scripture which are called Canonicall that I firmely belieue no author therof to haue erred in any point but yet I reade others so that how holy or learned soeuer they bee I doe not by and by thinke it true because they say so but because they perswade me by those Canonicall Writers or by probable reason that that is true they say The same S. Austen in an other place telleth vs plainely that the holy Scripture is the rule of faith These are his wordes Sancta scriptura nostrae doctrinae regulam figit ne audiamus sapere plusquam oportet The holy Scripture setteth downe the rule of our doctrine that we presume not to be wiser then it is meete and conuenient The Iesuite Bellarmine whose words are most forceable against Papistes because he is the mouth of all Papistes confesseth plainely that the worde of God is the rule of faith that the written word because it is the rule hath this prerogatiue that whatsoeuer is contained in it is of necessitie true and must bee beleeued and whatsoeuer is repugnant to it is of necessitie false and must be reiected But because it is a partial rule and not the totall rule of faith thereupon it commeth that something is of faith which is not contayned in the same Thus writeth the Iesuite Out of whose wordes euerie child may gather that the scripture is the infallible rule of faith For although the Iesuite would make vnwritten traditions to bee a ioynt rule together with the written word whose opinion I haue disproued in my Booke of Motiues yet neyther doth hee neither can he deny but that all must bee reiected whatsoeuer is repugnant to the holy scripture By this my discourse hetherto it is cleare and euident to euery indifferent Reader that neither Fathers Popes nor councels prouinciall or generall are or can bee the infallible rule of faith but the sole and onely written word of God that is the holy Scripture But now remayneth a most intricate and d●fficult question who must bee the iudge of the Scripture that is who must determine and set downe what writinges what opinions what preachinges what doctrines are grounded vpon the Scriptures and are consonant to the same againe what opinions what Writinges and what doctrines are not grounded vpon the Scriptures nor are agreeable to the same Hic labor hoc opus est I therefore proceede to the next

seruiunt Domino in quantum reges sunt cum ea faciunt ad seruiendum illi quae non possunt facere nisi reges In this therefore do kinges serue God as they are kings when they do hold those things which none can doe but onelie kinges Where me must seriously obserue this reduplication of S. Austen kings as kings as a point of great importance For kinges as the same father teleth vs serue God two waies as they be men and as they be kings As men they serue God in liuing a Christian and godly life but as king they serue God in making godly lawes for the punishment of blasphemers idolaters heretiks and all kind of malefactors And this is that which S. Austen saith none can doe but kinges as rhey are kinges Yea this is that which the Prophet Esay telleth vs when he saith That kinges shall bee the nurcing Fathers of the Church and Queenes her nurces For albeit the Ministery of feeding of preaching the worde and administration of the Sacramēts pertaine onely to the ministers neyther may the meere ciuill Magistrate in any wise meddle therewith yet for all that it is most true that the prouision for the foode the ouersight that the children of God bee duely fed and that the Ministers doe exercise their functions in vigilant dutifull manner belongeth to the ciuill independent and absolute Princes For this respect is it that kinges and Queenes haue the name of Nurses not to nourish their children in ciuill matters and corporall foode onely but as in ciuill so also in spirituall that is In lacte verbi Dei in the milke of the worde of God For though the execution pertain to the ministers yet the prouision direction appointment care and ouersight which is the sepreme gouernment belongeth onely soly and wholy to the Prince as is already proued Now to the question proposed in the former Paragraffe vz. What remedie is to be had when a free and lawfull general Councell cannot be had To this question I answere that when any controuersies shall arise to the disturbance of the Peace of the church then euery absolute and independent ciuill Magistrate must commaund his Archbishop Bishoppe and other learned Ministers within his territories and dominions to come together and to celebrate a Nationall Councell or Synode and then and there to debate discusse and decide the controuersie in religion And he must charge them as did the religious kinges Dauid Salomon Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias and the rest of whom mention is already made to haue the fear of God before their eyes and carefully to examine all doubts difficulties contentions and controuersies in religion according to the infallible rule of the holy scripture This done the same ciuill independent magistrate must call together his wife and graue Counsellers and after mature deliberation had with thē confirme whatsoeuer shal tend to the aduancement of Gods glory and the peace of his church And withall he must publish sharpe penall statutes against all such as shal with disloyall contumacy violate and transgresse the same Thus did the good kings Reccaredus and Constantinus and this is this day most prudently and christianly obserued in the church of England God be thanked for it For first the Archbishops Byshops and other learned Ministers come all together in the Conuocation-house and there dispute discusse determine set down what they finde conuenient for the Peace of the Church and correspondent to the infallible rule of Gods word Secondly this done they present the same to her most excellent Maiesty most humbly crauing her royall assent for the confirmation therof Thirdly her Maiesty after consultation had with her graue Counsellers doth confirme and authorise by vertue of her royall and princely prerogatiue whatsoeuer seemeth expedient for the godly gouernment of her louing subiectes and withall enacteth necessary penall lawes against the insolent contumacy of seditious and disloyall people This godly and most christian maner of proceeding in religious causes is so liuely set downe before our eyes in the honourable fact of the Noble Spanish king Reccaredus as it is able to penetrate the very heart and throughly to perswade euery one that shall ponder the same seriously and in the feare of God This religious king Reccaredus in the year of our Lord 585. cōmāded al the Bishops with in his dominions of Spaine and Galicia to come together in his royall Citie of Toledo to confute and condemne the Arrian heresie When they were come thether the king sate downe in the middest of them and declared the cause that moued him to call them together After that hee enacted a publike Edict for the inuiolable obseruation of all the decrees of the counsell straitely charging aswell the Clergie as the Laitie to obeye and keepe the same Lastly hee subscribed his owne name and that before all the Bishoppes who in their due places subscribed after the king These are the expresse wordes of the king set down in the end of the said Edict Flauius Reccaredus rex hanc deliberationem quam cum sancta definiuimus Synodo confirmans subscripsi I Flauius Reccaredus the king confirming this consultation which wee haue defined with the holy Synode haue subscribed thereunto The next that subscribed after the king was Mausona the Metropolitane Bishoppe of the Prouince of Lusitania After him subscribed Euphemius the Archbishoppe of Toledo The residue followed in order as in the Councell is to be seen These particular subscriptions I note as a matter of great moment against the Papistes who will grant no prerogatiue or royall place to kinges in time of ecclesiastical Synodes Out of these wordes contayned in the kinges subscription I note first that the king confirmed the councell Secondly that the king subscribed to the Decrees of the Councel Thirdly that the king subscribed before all the Bishops Fourthly that the king decreed and defined the controuersies together with the Bishops To which I adde for the complement in the fift place that the councell was called and the Bishoppes assembled at the kinges commaundement For so saith the Councell Cum pro fidei suae synceritate idem gloriosissimus princeps omnes regiminis sui Pontifices in vnum conuenire mandasset c. When the same most glorious prince for the sincerity of his faith had commaunded all the Bishops within his dominions do come together to Toledo c. This was the practise of godly Princes aboue a thousand yeares ago when royall Prerogatiues were not brought into thraldome by popish tyranny An Obiection The councels which the Emperour called together were plenary and generall but those which you speake of are but Prouinciall or National The latter may erre the former are euer directed by the holy Ghost The Aunswere I say first that generall councels both may erre and de facto haue erred as is already proued I say secondly that the holy Ghost doth direct two or three gathered together in his