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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	proper_a	sense_n	signification_n	2,806	5	9.7840	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04429	The opinion, judgement, and determination of two reverend, learned, and conformable divines of the Church of England, concerning bowing at the name, or naming of Jesus. The one somtime a member of the Vnivertie of Cambridge, in a letter to his Christian freind: the other sometime a member of the Vniversitie of Oxford, in a treatise to his brethren the ministers of the Church of England. Printed at Hambourgh, 1632	H. B., Bachelor of Divinity.; I. H., Bachelor of Divinity.; S. O., fl. 1630-1634.; Ofwod, Stephen, attributed name.; Burton, Henry, 1578-1648, attributed name.	1634 (1634)	STC 14555; ESTC S106466	28,118	82

his Gospell and the true professours of it Such are they that would set up Antichrist againe that are so ready to bow cap cring or kneel to this Superstitions being ennemies of the crosse of Christ Whose end is damnation whose God is their belly which mind Earthly things Now the Lord purge us more and more from all Antichristian Superstition and Idolatrie and establish our hearts in his saving Truth to our eternall salvation AMEN Your true loving freind in Christ Iesus OF Doing reverence and particularly of bowing the knee at the name of IESVS By the Reverend I. H. Bachelour in Divinitie Who sometimes having erred and gone astray from the Church afterwards at a publike place preached by command published a Testimonie of his heartie re-union humble submission to the church of England his acknowledged deere Mother To his reverend Brethren the Ministers of the Church of England IT is certaine that the Christians who lived in the best Ages of the Church did aunciently observe the Ceremonies of uncovering the Head at the Name of Iesus as learned Zanchy doth manifestly confesse in his Comment upon Phil. 2 10. A custome saith he not to be dissalovved for it was a testimony of reverence adoration of our Lord Iesus Christ which was introduced Originally in regard of the Iewes and Gentile who despised him and reteined afterwards against Arrians and other Hereticks impugning the Divinitie of Christ. This reason of the said Ceremonie now ceassing the Ceremonie it selfe might ceasse with it for so it is in the Law the soule thereof namely the reason of it being gone the Law doth consequently ceasse with it Notwithstanding because Mr. Hooker lib. 5. Sect. 50. and many learned men doe observe some other reasons for the continuance of the Ceremonie of bowing the knee at the name of Iesus as a thing Lawfull yea lawdable in some sort but in no wise necessarie as it shall afterward appeare I will co●f●sse with that famous Divine Doctour Fulk on Phil. 2 10. that it may be well used Howbeit as Zanchy noteth of uncovering the Head so I may say of bovving the knee at the name of Iesus that it hath beene perverted to a superstitious practise For as many abuse this Ceremonie in the Church of Rome so some abus● it in the Church of England Now the reasons why Christians did use reverence at the name of Iesus by cap or knee or both rather than at any other name though it and they importing one and the same thing so their understandin are many First because this name above all other Names was in great detestation and contempt as Festus speaketh of him Acts 25. 19. The Ievves had question against Paul touching one Iesus This name also by the ignominie of the Crosse upon his title Iesus of Nazareth was placed became more execrable to the unbeleevinge World Secondly it was his proper name or the name of his person appointed by God foretold by the Angell Luke 1 31. imposed in his circumcision Luke 2 21. where he had his peculiar and distinct appellation and yet this is his personall Name not only as he is Man but as he is one Christ and subsisteth in two natures Divine and Humane Thirdly because of the signification for it doth expresse the Office of the Redeemer in the worke of Salvation Matth. 1 21. Fourthly men tooke occasion of this complementall reverence from the very Text it selfe Phil. 2 10 as sounding to that purpose The question is therefore whether or how far forth we are bound to this externall act of reverence either by force of the said Scripture or by authority of any constitution of the Church Of both which I will treat in order 1. Of the true meaning of the Scripture Phil 2 10. At the name of Iesus shall every knee bow both of things in Heaven and things in Earth and thiugs under the Earth If it be the true proper and literall sense of this Text that we must bow the knee by externall reverence at the name of Iesus then it is a precept binding us to the necessitie of this practise by indispensable obligation If it be not the true proper and literall sense of the said Scripture to bow the knee at the name of Iesus by such an externall act of reverence then are we not bound to the practise of this Ceremonie by the force and vertue of the Scripture To enter therefore into a more exact and sound discussion of this point wee must observe 3. rules which serve to open this particular and sundry other in the sacred Scripture 1. Whereas no point of Religion can be demonstrated out of the Scripture but as the Scripture is taken in the true proper and literall sense which the learnedst in the church of Rome do also confesse we must acknowledge that the Scripture hath but one true proper literall sense the sense of it being the very forme of it and every thing hath but one forme as reason and Philosophy do dictate to our understanding so that all other senses so called as Tropilogicall Allegoricall Analogicall are inded not properly senses of the Scripture but an accommodation of the Scripture to the use of the Readers Hearers 2. Secondly that is the true proper literall sense of the Scripture which the intention of the speaker and the nature of the thing it selfe doe importe to our understanding by what words soever proper or unproper the said sense be expressed in the Scripture 3. Thirdly we must therefore observe that the true proper and literall sense of the Scripture is not allwayes that which the words do beare immediately in their grammaticall signification but that the words of the Scripture are sometimes proper as Christ is the Son of God sometimes improper or methaphoricall as Christ is a vine a Dore. Now if the words be improper and metaphoricall as we shall see anon we must note that as D●s Whitakers did truely advertise Bellarmine the improper vvords carry not in them the literall sense of the Scripture immediately for then great absurditie would follow but mediatly that is to say as they are reduced unto proper words as here bowing the knee at the name of Iesus is an improper or methaphoricall speech and is reduced to this proper speech viz. a subjection of the Creaturs to the Sonne of God which being the true proper literall sense of that Scripture is contained in an improper metaphoricall speech I come therefore punctually to the thing in question and say that the true proper literall sense of the Scripture doth according to the intention of S. Paul and the nature of the thinge it selfe represent unto our understanding not an outward Ceremonie of bowing the knee of the body but a reall subject on of all the Creatures in Heaven Earth and Hell unto the Sonne of God even as he is the Sonne of Man also now exalted unto Glory Whereas therefore S. Paul saith God

hath given him a name above every name Phil. 2 9. The cleere and evident sense whereof is this that Christ so humbled before in the assumption of our nature in the cours of this life in the maner of his death c. is now advaunced and honoured by his Father first by the publike manifestation of his Divinitie which before seemed obscure and secondly by exaltation of his humanitie So that now he having a name above all names in Glory and Power all Creatures voluntarily or necessarily are subject to his Dominion which subjection is expressed by a metaphoricall act as Esther 3 2. The Servants of Ahashuerosh the King bowed the knee unto Hamon and reverenced him which Mordechai refused to performe and therefore incurred his indignation vers 5. That this sense is the true proper and literall sense of the Scripture according to the intention of the writer and according to the nature of the thing it selfe you may cleerely discerne by all the circumstances of the Text and amongst many to evince the same I present these 5. ensuing to your consideration First because it is not the very name of Iesu literally and syllabically taken to which reverence is here due and should be performed by every Creuture but the person signified by this Name and so in other of his Names For when we heare this Name of Iesus and thereupon do an Act of reverence either inwardly in the mind or outwardly in the body it is by mediate inference of it in our understandings unto the thing or person it self signified in and by tha● Name otherwise this Act were a literall or syllabicall Idolatrie by restraining it to the Name and not extending it to the Person Wherefore when I heare any other of his Names as Immanuell Christ c. I am by vertue of the said reason bound to do the like reverence at the sound of these other names if I be bound unto it at the name of Iesus because the same person is in every name imported to my understanding Else in regarding one Name of his person more than an other I shew that I regard the Name more than the person or the name without the person the first being wicked the second a foolish conceipt And yet neverthelesse that these Ceremonialists entertaining Iesus with reverence dismisse Christ with neglect 2. Againe if the Text bind us in the true proper and literall sense to this externall act of adoration in bowing the knee at the name of Iesus then those Ceremonialists who say so or must say so or else they say nothing must performe this Act of adoration at all times and in all places whensoever and wheresoever they heare the sound of this name for the text speaketh absolutely generally definitely of bowing the knee without any imitation or restreint And yet these Ceremonialists either wanting judgement in what they would affirme or conscience in what they should performe do not exercise this Act of Adoration at all times and in al● places at the sound of this Name Yea which is more they ought by force of their owne reason ●f it had any force ●o practise this act of reverence whensoever they read this name of Iesus in the Scripture or any other Author Nay ought they not whensoeyer they thinke of this Name bow the knee For their ●eason if it enforce what obey pretend enforceth all this which I alleage 3. Thirdly these grave supercilious Ceremonialists as when they sit they can ●ot do this peculiar act of reverence or ●t the least not with due cōplement which ●n all things they effect so some times ●hough they stand yet they bow not their knees but only uncover their heads upon the sound of the Name But now wher ●s their Science Or where is their conscience For if they bind us so strictly ●o the Letter of the Text we will bind them also as strictly to the same An● therefore we say that though by uncove●ring their heads they do an act of reve●●rence yet this act answereth not precisel● to the letter of the text aud though ther● be often a Commutation of Pennance i● the Bishops Court yet we cannot allo● them and the Scripture will not her● allow them this Commutation of rev●●rence in the Court of Christ. First becaus● the knee and not the Cap is here strict● prescribed Secondly because the Ca● is a lesser dutie than the knee Eithe● therefore observe your owne rule 〈◊〉 discharge us from the necessitie there●of 4. Fourthly we may observe by a pe●●spicuous and forcible reason drawne 〈◊〉 impossibile that this Ceremonious-act 〈◊〉 bowing the knee at the name of Iesus is n● the true proper and literall sense of th● Scripture for whereas we have here a d●●stinction of 3. sorts of Creatures whic● must bow the knee at the name of Iesus vi● Angells things in Heaven Men thin 〈◊〉 ●n Earth and Devills things under t● Earth We know that the first and the last have no knees to bow and so it is two to one that this externall act of bowing the knee at the name of Iesus is not the true proper and literall sense of this Scripture and that by force of it we are not obliged to this externall act 5. Lastly you must observe that S. Paul in this place Phil. 2. 10 alludeth to the word of God Isai. 45. 23. Every knee shvll bow to me which is properly and literally understood not of corporal genuflexion but of actuall subjection unto God This very place in Isai the Prophet understandeth to be verified in the person of Christ at the last Iudgement when every knee shall bow to him as the great Iudge of all the world For to this purpose S. Paul produceth that place Rom. 14. 11. namely by the subjection of all Creatures voluntary in some involuntary in others but necessarily to the Lord Iesus sitting on his Tribunall seat of Iustice not that all shall do this outward act of reverence but that all shall be in subjection which is signified and intended in the same For God descendeth often unto Man to speak after the manner of Man because Man cannot immediatly and freely assent unto the things of God To conclude therefore you may easily perceive that S. Paul understandeth this bowing of the knee no otherwise than he understandeth it Rom. 14 11. and no otherwise in either place than the Prophet Isaiah before him Isai. 45 23. And so much of the Scripture by which the Ceremonialists inforce the external act of Courtlike Complement at the name of Iesus Of the Canon viz. 18. I come therefore from the Sripture to the Canon which runneth in these words When in the time of Divine Service the Lord Jesus shall be mentioned due lowly reverence shall be done by all persons present as it hath been accustomed But if the Scripture be not against us in that which the Ceremonialists pretend we shall the lesse feare the shot out of this CANON and