Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	tradition_n	word_n	write_a	3,323	5	10.7817	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B13858	Episcopacie by divine right. Asserted, by Jos. Hall, B. of Exon	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1640 (1640)	STC 12661.5; ESTC S103631	116,193	288

registred by themselves which we must believe they did or enacted For doctrine necessary for salvation we are for him but surely for evidence of fact or rituall observation this is no better than absurd rigour than unchristian incredulity Where is there expresse charge for the Lords Day Where for Paedobaptisme Where for publike Churches Where for Texts to be handled in Sermons Where for publike Prayers of the Church before and after them and many such like which yet we think deducible from those sacred authorities That is true of Hierome Hieron Tom. 6. in Agge 1. Quae absque authoritate c. Those things which men either finde or feigne as delivered by Apostolike tradition without the authority and testimonies of Scripture are smitten by the sword of Gods Spirit But what is this to us who finde this which we challenge for Apostolicall recorded in the written Word of God Or with what conscience is this alledged against us which is directly bent against the hereticall doctrines and traditions of the Marcionites either utterly without or expresly against the Scripture §. 11. The two famous Rules of Tertullian and S. Augustine to this purpose asserted I May not baulke two pregnant testimonies of the Fathers wherewith this great Anthierarchist and his Northerne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much and justly troubled as our cause is advantaged not so much because they are the sentences of ancient Fathers which they have learned to turne off at pleasure with scorne enough as for that they carry in them such clearenesse and strength of reason as will not admit of any probable contradiction The former is Tertull. con●r Marcion c. 4. that of Tertullian Constabit id esse ab Apostolis traditum quod apud Ecclesias Apostolorum fuerit sacrosanctum That shall clearely appeare to be delivered by the Apostles which shall have been religiously observed in the Churches of the Apostles What evasion is there of so evident a truth Vbi supra Me seemes saith Parker that Tertullian understands onely those Churches which were in the very time of the Apostles not the subsequent for he saith not Quod est but Quod fuerit and thus it may be held true But this is to mocke himselfe and those that trust him and not to answer all the Fathers testimony The question must be what in Tertullian's time should be held to have beene Apostolike and therefore he saith Constabit not Constitit now if he shall speak to Parkers sense he shall say That which was religiously kept in the Church planted by the Apostles and in their own time is to be held Apostolike what is the reader ever the wiser since it were equally hard to know what their Churches then did and what they themselves ordained to be done were it not for the continued tradition and practice descending from them to the succeeding ages so as either they must trust the Churches then present for the deduction of such truth or els nothing would be proved Apostolike Neither is there any thing more familiar with the Fathers than to terme those the Churches of the Apostles even for some hundreds of yeares after their decease wherein they after some residence had established a government for future succession which had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Synesius speaketh as it were too easie to instance in a thousand particularities yea that it may appeare how Parker shuffles here against his owne knowledge there is a flat mention of the Churches after the time of Saint Iohn the longest liver of all that holy traine which he cals Ioannis alumnas Ecclesias Tert. l. 4. contra Marc. c. 5. So as this of Parkers is a miserable shift and not an answer The other is that famous place of Saint Augustine against the Donatists agi●ated by every pen Quod universa c. That which is held by the universall Church and not ordained by any Councell but hath beene alwayes retained in the Church is most truly believed to be delivered by no other than Apostolicall authority which Parker sticks not to professe the Achillaean argument of the Hierarchists Neither have they any cause to disclaime it the authority of the man is great but the power of his reason more For that which obtaineth universally must either have some force in it selfe to command acceptation or els must be imposed by some over-ruling Authority and what can that be but either of the great Princes as they are anciently called of the Church the holy Apostles or of some generall Councels as may authoritatively diffuse it through all the world If then no Councels have decreed the observation of an ordinance whence should an universall not reception onely but retention proceed saye from Apostolike hands No cause can work beyond his owne Sphere Private power cannot exceed its owne compasse Let not any adversary think to elude this testimony with the upbraiding to it the Patronage of the Popish Opinion concerning Traditions we have learned to hate their vanities and yet to maintaine our owne Truths without all feare of the patrocination of Popery We deny not some Traditions however the word for want of distinguishing is from their abuse growne into an ill name must have their place and use and in vaine should learned Chamier Fulk Whitakers Perkins Willet and other Controversers labour in the rules of discerning true Apostolicall Traditions from false and counterfeit if all were such and if those which are certainly true were not worthy of high honour and respect And what and how farre our entertainment of Traditions is and should be I referre my Reader to that sound and judicious discourse of our now most Reverend Metropolitan against his Iesuite A.C. Onwards therefore I must observe That whereas Chamier doth justly defend Cham. Panstrat de Traditionibus that the Evidence of these kind of Traditions from the universall receipt of the Church doth not breed a plerophory of assent he doth not herein touch upon us since his Opposition is only concerning points of faith Our defence is concerning matter of fact neither do we hold it needfull there should be so full a sway of assent to the testimony of the Churches practice herein as there ever ought to be to the direct sentence of the sacred Scripture Will none but a divine faith serve the turn in these Cases which Parker himselfe professes to bee farre from importing salvation Is it not enough that I doe as verily believe upon these humane proofes what was done by the Apostles for the plantation and settlement of the Church as I doe believe there was a Rome before Christ's Incarnation or that a Iulius Caesar was Emperour or Dictator there or Tully an Oratour and Consul or Cato a wise Senator or Catiline a Traytor Certainly thus much beliefe will serve for our purpose who so requires more besides the grounds of the Apostolike Ordinances recorded in Scripture thus seconded may take that counsell which boyes construe the Lapwing

of power a Priority of Presidencie for the time not personall Beza yields him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he acknowledges Justine Martyr to call him President of the Presbytery imo ne perpetuum q. istud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 munus esse necessario opportuisse but perhaps not perpetuall wherein I blesse my self to see how prejudice can blinde the eyes of the wise and learned for what Author in the whole world ever mentioned such a fashion of ambulatory Government in the Church And do not our Histories testifie that Polycarpus the Angel of Smyrna dyed Bishop there that Onesimus by Ignatius his testimony so continued Bishop of Ephesus James at Ierusalem and of these errors taxed by the holy Ghost were but for the time of a shifting Presidencie why should any one of the momentany guides of the Churches be charged so home with all the abuses of their Iurisdiction How easie had it been for him to shift the fault as hee did the chair for how could it concerne him more then the next men surely this conceit is more worthy of pity than Confutation No indifferent Reader can looke upon that Scripture and not confesse it a strained Construction Here then were certainly both Continuance and Iurisdiction Wherein Parker braves our learned Docter Field as relying meerely upon the proofs of humane authority but that worthy Divine had he insisted upon the point which hee but touched in the way could easily out of the very Text it self have evicted the Angels power and Iurisdiction for how plain is it that the Angell of Ephesus had taken the Examination of the counterfeit Apostles and found them lyers which if a meer Presbyter had undertaken to do to bee sure hee had been shaken off with scorn enough It is imputed to the Angell of the Church of Pergamus that however himself in his own person held constant to the Faith yet that there were those under his charge who held the doctrine of Balaam the beastly errours of the Nicolaitans lhey were of his Clergie that taught these wicked Doctrines And for this the Bishop is texed and menaced how should this be if he had not had a coe cive power to restraine and punish them And more plainly the Angell of the Church of Thyatyra notwithstanding all his good parts graces services is sharply taxed What is his fault Revel 2.26 That thou sufferest the woman Iezabel who calleth herself a prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants c. Were he but an Ordinary Presbiter unarmed with power how could he helpe it Or why should he be charged with what he could not redresse Let an ingenuous reader now judge whether these bee not more than probabilities of a Supereminent and Iurisdictive power in these speciall Angels of the Asian Churches Shortly then upon these clear passages of Saint Paul and Saint Iohn meeting with the grounds laid by our blessed Saviour I am for my part so confident of the Divine Institution of the Majority of Bishops above Presbiters that I dare boldly say there are weighty points of faith which have not so strong evidence in holy Scriptures Let me instance in that power which we that are Evangelicall Ministers have by the vertue of our sacred Ordes given to us alone for the Consecration and distribution of the holy Eucharist a point not more highly than justly stood upon by all Orthodox Divines yea Christians What warrant can we challenge for this right but our Saviours practise And with all that speech of his to his Disciples Luke 22.20 Do this in remembrance of me Now if this Hoc facite shall be taken as it is by some as not spoken of the Consecration or benediction but of the receit what warrant had the Apostles and all their holy successors in the Church of God ever since to enjoyne and appropriate this sacred worke to none but those that are Presbyters by Ordination The receiving of Infants to holy Baptisme is a matter of so high consequence that we justly Brand our Catabaptists with heresie for denying it yet Let me with good assurance say that the evidences for this truth come farre short of that which the Scriptures have afforded us for the superiority of some Church-governors over those who otherwise indeed in a sole respect of their ministeriall function are equall He therefore that would upon pretence of want of Scriptures quarrell at the divine Institution of Bishops having so evident and unavoydable Testimonies might with much better colour cavill at those blessed Ordinances of God which the whole Church hath thought her self bound upon sufficient reason to receive and reverence §. 8. The estate and order of Episcopacy deduced from the Apostles to the Primitive Bishops DId not the holy Scriptures yield unto these firme grounds whereon to build our Episcopacy in vain should we plead the Tradition and practise of the Church ever since for as much as we have to deal with those who are equally disaffected to the name of a Bishop and to Tradition and are so fore-stalled with their own prejudice that they are carried where Scripture is silent to an unjust jealousie against the universall practise of the whole Church of God upon earth But now when Christ and his Apostles give us the text well may the Apostolicall and universall Church yield us the Commentary And that let me boldly say is so clear for us that if our Opposites dare stand to this triall the day is ours their gultinesse therfore would fain decline this barre Tertull. de prescrip c. 24 25. Parker taking advantage from a word of Tertullian Nihil interest quando quid sit quod ab Apostolis non fuit It matters not when any thing is which was not under the Apostles that is Adulterine what ever it be that is not named by the Apostles inferres What then It matters not when the Episcopall Hierarchy began whether sooner or later Qi d igitur Nihil interest c. l. 2. c. 8. it is enough that it is Adulterine for that it is not named by the Apostles And contrarily it matters no whit at what time the reformed dis ipline was impayred whether in the very first Church or no or whether in the time immediatly succeeding Thus he And shall we take him at his word Where then did the Apostles name this mans Consistory Where his Lay-changable Presbytery Where his Discipline It is therefore Adulterine As also Where name they the peoples voyce in their Ministers Election where Classes or Synods Are all these adulterine For us we are not concerned in this Censure Our Episcopacy is both named and recommended and prescribed by the Apostles As for his discipline seeing it never came within the mention either of an Apostle or of any Christian for above fifteen hundred yeers since our Saviour left the world what can that be but grosly adulterine But to make up all Parker should have done well to have taken notice of the following words of