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truth_n church_n foundation_n pillar_n 3,741 5 10.6899 5 true
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A04766 Ouranognōsia. Heauenly knowledge A manuduction to theologie. Written in Latin by Barthol. Keckerm. done into English by T.V. Mr. of Arts. Keckermann, Bartholomäus, ca. 1571-1608 or 9.; Vicars, Thomas, d. 1638.; Vicars, Thomas, d. 1638. Briefe direction how to examine our selues before we go to the Lords table. 1622 (1622) STC 14896; ESTC S103956 89,591 228

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the Apocryphall VVhat is the first proprietie of the holy Scripture The first proprietie is that it deriues all its authority from God alone not from the assembly of godly men which is called the Church How prooue you this I prooue it by these reasons first the testimony of God hath not any authoritie from men The Scripture is the testimony of God alone Ergo It hath none authority from men yea the most holy men that be and consequently not from the Church which is nothing else but a company of godly and sanctified men The force and pith of the argument you shall find 1. Ioh. 5. If we receiue the witnesse of men the testimony of God certainely is greater Secondly that must needs be before the Scripture in naturall order of which the authoritie of the Scripture dependeth But the Church is not before the Word of God Ergo. The Maior proposition is euident because that which dependeth of another must needs come after that on which it dependeth The Minor is thus prooued That which is gathered gouerned regenerated by the Word or by the Scripture that is in order after the Scripture But the Ch. Ergo. The Maior is plaine the Minor is prooued by 1. Pet. 1.23 VVee are regenerated borne a new by the word of God Iames 1.18 Hee hath begotten vs by the word of truth Ioh. 17.20 VVhich by their word shall belieue in me Thirdly the foundation of any building depends not on the roofe or vpper roomes which are built vpon the foundation but contrarily those same vpper roomes and the roofe depend vpon the foundation but the Word of God is the foundation Ergo. The Maior is plaine in it selfe The Minor is confirmed by that Ephes. 2.20 You are built vpon the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles The Papists obiect to vs that place 1. Tim. 3.15 VVhere the Church is said to be the pillar and ground of truth Whereto we answer that this argument is sophisticall or a fallacie commonly called a Dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter For the Church is not called the piller and ground of truth in regard of it selfe but in regard of Christ the head who is that corner stone And further it is so called in regard it is the keeper of the Scripture forsomuch as God hath made the Church onely to haue to doe with the treasurie of his Word and in the Church as on the pillar and doore of his house or pallace he hangeth those holy Tables which euery man must go thither to reade No otherwise then the Magistrate hangeth vp on pillars and gates of his Court Tables containing in them his Lawes and Decrees to the end that his subiects may there reade them as in a publike place Lastly the Church is called the Pillar of truth in this respect because that God vseth the testimony of the Church as his instrument and meanes for the proposing teaching and expounding of the holy Scripture vnto men for the Ministers of the Church are the conseruers of truth and the interpreters of the Scriptures yet not so as if the authority of the Scripture did depend on them but because God vseth them as his seruants and Ministers to propound and to beate into the memories of men his holy Scripture euen as a Prince vseth a Cryer for the promulgation of his lawes vnto his subiects And here take this similitude with you a man goeth to the Vniuersitie as vnto the very shop and store-house of learning yet herevpon it followeth not that the truth of that learning we are taught there in the Vniuersitie doth depend on the authoritie of the Vniuersity Besides this must also bee obserued that whatsoeuer the Papists say touching the authoritie of the Church aboue the Scripture doth nothing at all profit them but that they manifestly begge the point in question whilest they thus argue The Church hath authoritie aboue the Scriptures The Pope of Rome is the Church Ergo. For suppose wee grant them their Maior which notwithstanding is false as wee haue manifestly prooued yet they are neuer able to proue their Minor as shal be showne anon more distinctly VVhat is the second propriety of the Word of God or the holy Scripture That it be entire perfect and sufficient to saluation which is proued by that Ioh. 20.30 Many other signes did Iesus which are not written in this Booke but these things are written that you may belieue that Iesus is the Christ that Sonne of God and that you belieuing might haue life by his name Out of which place I thus reason That which is so written that by it wee may belieue in Christ Iesus and so obtaine eternall life that I say is sufficient to life eternall But the Scripture is so written Ergo. Againe thence I thus argue The holy Scripture was written to this end that wee might belieue in the Sonne of God and get eternall life Ergo Whatsoeuer Word is not written profiteth or auaileth vs nothing to faith and to eternal life which must diligently be noted against the errour of the Papists which say there are two words of God the one written the other vnwritten vpon which pretence they will needs obtrude vnto vs Traditions which they call Apostolicall the Decrees of the Popes and the custome of the Church Of which the Councell of Trent in the fourth sessiō thus speaketh VVhosoeuer doth not with like affection of mind reuerence the Traditions of the Church as he doth the holy Scriptures let him be accursed But against these Traditions first note the sufficiency of the Scriptures Secondly this argument The Traditions of the Church either agree with the holy writ or they dissent from it If they be consonant to it then they say the selfe same thing the Scripture saith and so they are Scripture for that ought not in all reason to be done by moe which may be performed by fewer Or they dissent from the Scripture as all the traditions of the Popes as namely that tradition whereby the Cup in the Lords Supper is prohibited to be administred vnto the lay people and such like And if they disagree with the Scripture they cannot fill vp the Scripture for that which is repugnant to any thing doth not fil vp but rather quite ouerthrow it Another testimony of the perfection of the holy Scripture is most manifest in the 2. Tim. 3.6 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration from God and is profitable to teach to reproue to correct to instruct that the man of God may be perfect and perfectly instructed to euery good worke From whence wee may frame these arguments First the Scripture is a totum an entire thing Ergo it is perfect for a totum is that which wanteth no necessary parts Secondly that which sufficeth vs for doctrin for reproof for correction and instruction that is full and compleate for there is none that can shew any thing besides wherunto the
people I answere them first that the Pharisies also did run about both by sea and land to draw men vnto their faith and yet for all that their religion was not true Secondly I say that the Papists haue slaine moe in the Indies then they haue conuerted as you may see by a place which I haue cited in my politiques l. 1. c. 4. that in a very short time a hundred fortie thousand men were murdered by them Thirdly I am sure the Diuell also goes a compassing the whole world and seduceth many yet is hee for that neuer a whit the better Fourthly I auerre that our Ministers also haue taught the true Gospell in America inasmuch as Calum sent thither two Ministers of the Church from Geneua the one whereof was Ioannes Lerius who committed that storie to writing And at this day there are Orthodoxe Ministers in the East Indies which do publikely preach the true Doctrine of the Gospell carried ouer thither by the Merchants of the Low-Countries And doubtlesse toward the end of this world the true Religion shall be in America as God now is preparing the way for it by the English and Low-Countrie Merchants that that of Christ may bee fulfilled Matth. 23. The Gospell shall bee preached throughout the whole World that it may bee a witnesse to all Nations For GOD in all his workes is wont to effect a thing successiuely and therefore first hee sends vnto those nations some light of his essence and his truth by the Papists and afterward will make these things shine more clearely vnvnto them by the true and faithfull Ministers of the Gospel The fourth note the Papists say is vnitie and good agreement I answere Consent and vnitie is but so farre a marke of the Church as the consent is in truth and goodnesse and not in euill and falsehood for such an agreement in euill and falsity is among the very Deuils and what greater agreement consent then among robbers so also among the Turkes there is very great consent so that Mahometisme is farre and neare by them propagated yet doth it not hence follow that Mahometisme is the true Church Secondly I answer that in our Church there is great consent in the truth for howsoeuer after Luthers time there arose many Churches the Diuel being alwaies busie to cast his plots against the true Church and to stirre vp in it diuers hearts yet the Orthodoxe Professours are at good agreement about the Articles of Faith as that excellent Booke called the Harmony of Confessions doth testifie wherein it is manifestly prooued that there is exceeding great consent betwixt the Churches of France England Scotland Bohemia and those which are in Germany neere vnto Rhene and in other Prouinces for that disagreement which is betwixt the Lutherans and the Orthodoxe Professours doth not straightway quite dissolue the vnitie which is betwixt the true church Thirdly I deny that there is so great agreement in the Romish Church as they boast of for it can bee easily showne that the popish Writers agree not in any one Article among themselues as it doth appeare out of Bellarmine who ordinarily disputed against other Papists and alleageth their oppositions and contradictions to themselues this may further appeare by Ioh. Pappius and Matthias Iohn his booke of the Sects and Dissentions and contradictions among Popish Doctours printed at Basil 1565 whereunto the Papists haue not as yet answered Andr. Chrastouius likewise hath written a book he cals Bellum Iesuiticum The good agreement the Iesuits haue among themselues who neither is as yet cōfuted That same booke of Chrastouius was printed at Basil in quarto 1593 it contains 205 Iesuiticall contradictions Which is that bare or secondary proprietie of the Church To the Church of the new Testament this propriety doth also agree that it is Catholick that first in respect of places not because it possesseth many kingdoms but because it is scattred ouer the whole world not tied to any certain place to any determinate country or city Secondly in respect of men because it doth consist of men of all sorts gathered out of the conditiō of all men of al nations Act. 10. Thirdly in respect of times because it shall continue all times euen vnto the end of the world as it is said Mat. 28. I will be with you euen vntill the end of the world Fourthly in respect of vnitie because the Catholike Church is at all times but one to wit in vnity of doctrin consent in that doctrine And thus much wee haue spoken of the proprieties of the Church Now if we shall examine and trie the Popish Church by these proprieties it will appeare to be no pure Church but be very corrupt euen as a rotten apple is an apple corrupted and no otherwise then a man that is infected with the plague is a man but no sound man And that the Popish Church is not the pure Church I will prooue it by two manifest reasons the first an idolatrous Church is not the true pure Church but such a one is the Popish Church Ergo The proposition is euident because God doth abhorre nothing more then idolatrie therefore hee saith Flie from idols and No Idolater shall bee saued The assumption I confirme thus That Church which giues that honor which Dauid giues vnto God the Creator in the very same words vnto the creature to wit the Virgin Marie that same Church is idolatrous But the Church of Rome doth so goe now that the Church of Rome doth attribute that honour which is due vnto God vnto the Virgin Marie I proue it by a most euident testimonie out of that same Psalter of Marie the Virgin which was compiled by Bonauentura who liued 250 yeres agoe and canonized of the Pope of Rome so that hee is accounted among the Saints and the title of a Seraphicall Doctour which is more then Angelicall giuen vnto him This same Psalter was by the permission of the higher powers printed in Latin at Brixia and Bononia in Italy eight yeares since being before printed at Ingolstadium in the Dutch tongue some 20 yeares agoe in the Preface wherevnto it is expressely said that it was compiled the holy Ghost inditing and dictating it And further that very Psalter is in speciall vse in the Romish Church but especially is it currant among the Monkes of Saint Bennets Order which are called Cistercians Now in this Psalter all those things which Dauid attributes to the high and most mighty God are by them put vpon the Virgin Marie as Psal. 51. Haue mercy vpon me O Lady and cleanse me from all mine offences But that of all other is most blasphemous which they apply vnto her out of the Psa. 109. according to that distinctiō The Lord said vnto my Lady sit thou mother mine at my right hand where Mary is made the mother of God the Father as though the Father had bin incarnat made man