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A61439 A profession of faith comprizing the ancient forms of the Catholick Church with other articles relating to the terms of communion with the present church of Rome / by E.S., an English Catholick. E. S., English Catholick.; Stephens, Edward, d. 1706. 1700 (1700) Wing S5436; ESTC R13750 20,568 25

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for Christians as were any or all the Sacrifices of the Jews for them that therein is performed the most Solemn and Peculiar part of the true Christian Worship that accordingly it hath been held in great Veneration and much frequented with great Reverence and Devotion by a great Number of Saints and all the most Holy Christians in all Ages that the Opposition which hath been raised against both Name and Thing hath been raised through the Malice and by the subtile Energy or Operation of the Devil and that to deny the same is Heresie and to abolish out of the Publick Liturgy of any Church what doth import any thing of an unbloody Sacrifice Sacrilege and Anti-Christian Impiety v. Dan. 8.31 14. That the Commemoration of the Saints in the most Solemn Christian Worship is a common Practice of the whole Catholick Church of great Antiquity and immemorial Prescription without any known Beginning of very commendable Observation for the Communion of Saints which we profess to believe an Act of Charity Honour and Respect to them well-pleasing to God and beneficial ●● our selves in rendring Thanks to God for them with Prayers for our selves that we may follow their Example and have Communion Part and Society with them and a part in the Benefit of their Prayers and that to put that out of the Service savours of a Complication of very evil Humours as Superstition Arrogance Contempt of the Authority of the Catholick Church Affectation of Reformation Contention and malicious Reflection of Odium upon others and Separation from the Mystical Body of Christ of which they were most illustrious Members through the Delusion and Instigation of the wicked Anti-Christian Spirit who being overcome by them through Christ dwelling in them abhor all Acts of Affection and Respect to them and that their Triumphs should be celebrated to the Honour of Christ who is honoured in them and for whose Sake all is performed to them 15. Of this I have lately printed a Discourse dedicated to the Lord Chancellour and Judges That Prayers for the Dead departed in the Communion of the Church in this Solemn Worship is also a Practice of the whole Catholick Church of as great Evidence of Apostolical Authority as part of the Holy Scripture it self and other things believed and observed by those who oppose it Innocent Inoffensive Charitable Desirable opposed only upon the same Principles Motives Humours and Instigations with that last mentioned 16. That in the Holy Eucharist there is a Divine Change of the Elements from common Bread and common Wine by the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Prayer of the Church whereby they are consecrated not by a meer Separation for a Sacred use but by an actual Sanctification and made the Body and Blood of Christ inriched with a Divine Power and Virtue for the Sanctification of the duly disposed Communicants But I cannot say a Transubstantiation because I find no Catholick Tradition for that in the vulgar Sense but rather the contrary as appears by that of Ireaeus duabus rebus constans coelesti terrena and the like in Theodoret and others nor doth it seem necessary or necessarily implyed in any words of our Saviour recorded in the Gospel tho' Cyril of Hierusalem Nyssen and some others may seem to favour it But if there be any proper Explication of it to a Sense truly Catholick I conceive it becomes not any private Person to contend with Authority about a Word only the vulgar sense of Transubstantiation I cannot subscribe to and doubt it is Scandalous and prejudicial to the Interest of the Kingdom of Christ especially to make it a Term of Communion 17. That for Communion in one kind in publick Assemblies and denial of the Cup to the Laity there is no Appearance of ●●y Catholick Authority but the quite contrary for above 1000 years even in the Latin Church and in all other Churches to this Day Nor was it introduced at first upon any good Deliberation and Consultation of the Clergy but as evil Customs and Abuses crep in insensibly That for any part of the Church to presume to impose it upon all National and Provincial Churches who have Authority to order such things as are lawful in themselves as they see most expedient for their own People seems to savour of great Arrogance unjust Usurpation and an Occasion of Disturbance in the Peaceful Kingdom of Christ Men of Wit and Parts may say much for any thing But in such matters it is good to consider whom we have to do with lest we betray our own Souls and the Church too which we pretend to serve by our Unfaithfulness to it as well as to our Lord to some Divine Judgment It is fit the Church it self should give Example to all if there be Occasion of Humiliation and giving Glory to God I can submit for Peace sake and out of respect to Authority to what I cannot approve but that will aggravate the Sin of those who abuse the Authority committed to them 18. That the Custom of attending at Mass without Communicating is not of any truly Catholick Usage or Authority but contrary to the most ancient Canons of the Church to the common Practice of the first Ages and to the earnest Exhortations of most Eminent Persons * It is very remarkable that the great Confusions in the Greek Churches and Decays of true Piety in the Latin soon issued after their Neglect of frequent Communion began as if by a special and appropriated Judgment of God To be prelent and not communicate was anciently one so●t of Penance both of the Greek and Latin Churches proceeded from Decays of Devotion at first and hath produced greater seems to savour of Disrespect to our Saviour and to be very prejudicial to his People being an implicit refusal of Communion and Confirmation of the Holy Covenant with him which is implicitly comprehended in the Act of Communion and an inconsiderate and ingrateful Neglect of a most Holy and effectual Means of Grace most graciously offered to them so that as by what was last mentioned they are deprived of part by this they are defrauded of the whole And in both the Subtilty of the Serpent is much to be suspected 19. Nothing seems more likely to have provoked so severe a Judgment of God upon this Church by Hen. 8. than the Severities before-exercised upon People for what was commended in and by the ancient Christians Reading and Teaching the Scriptures c. in a Language they understood That to keep the Publick Offices of the Church and the Holy Scriptures in a Language not understood by the People hath no Apostolical or true Catholick Authority but is directly contrary to both was at first the Effect of that Alteration of Languages which Wars and other Occurrences produced not only in the Latin but Greek Churches also and is still so continued in both and others besides which were it through Negligence seems hardly excusable much less
such as provoke as great Judgments tho' longer before they come to the height so ought the like Means of Humiliation Self-Condemnation giving Glory to God and Amendment be used by them to prevent greater Severities of his Judgments If the true State and Dignity of that Church amongst all the Churches according to the Ordinance of God was better considered on all sides it would soon make all more sensible of their Duties and of their Transgressions of it for which they have much to answer For as that Church is the Principal in the Kingdom of Christ upon Earth and hath always been so esteemed so ought all true and considerate Christians to have a special concern for so eminent a part of the Body of Christ and to pray for and seek the Peace and Prosperity of this our Hierusalem even to the last after the great Example of our Saviour And on the other side they who hold so eminent a place in the Kingdom of Christ ought not like Men of the World to think too highly of themselves for the Dignity of the Place but like true Christians be humbled in themselves through a due sense of the Importance of the Duty and a proportionable Concern for the faithful Discharge of it according to the special Caution of one of their Founders to themselves Rom. 11.18 20 21 22. and the necessary Admonition of the other 1 Pet. 5.2 3 4. as he himself had been admonished by his Master Jo. 21.15 16 17. and according to the most excellent Instructions Directions Admonitions and Example of that great and most excellent Master of all to all who treated all with all the Mildness Gentleness Condescention and Tenderness that could be instructing and speaking unto them as they were able to hear it Mark 4.33 and forbearing many things till his Disciples could bear them Jo. 16.12 and forbad the forbidding of such as of good Will promoted his Service and were not against them tho' not yet in their Company Mar. 9.38 39 40. and of such as brought but little Children unto him Mar. 10.14 and was amongst his own not as a Lord but as one that serveth Luk. 22.24 27. But all ought to consider well the Nature of this Kingdom and what is the true Interest of it that it is a Spiritual Kingdom not imaginary but real and most powerful and to know whence and how that Power is to be attained and how to be retained and used and to consider well and understand not only the general Rules and Instructions given at first by our Lord but the special Notices of his Pleasure signified in the several Acts of his Providential Discipline and what all this doth require of them in their respective Stations and wisely apply themselves to the Performance of it This would soon detect and rectifie all that is amiss But it is not for me nor for this place to proceed farther in discourse of these things Some are offended or think it strange that I should offer to communicate with the Church of France where such terrible Persecutions are executed against Protestants I confess I pity them as Sufferers and more as Sufferers for Conscience tho' perhaps mistaken Conscience in many things but I do not think ever the better of them for being Protestants Nor do I know that the Church of France is concerned in it but believe it proceeds from Reasons of State and very good reason I am well satisfied there is that the King should desire and use all just and reasonable means that his Subjects may all agree in the same Religion The Disturbances in that Kingdom heretofore by bringing in Foreigners and the Indignities that have been done by some of the principal of their Ministers with the Approbation and Applause of too many others to the Primitive Christians and the Catholick Church and in them to Christianity it self are things which I think deserve a sharp Penance But I wish on each side it was well considered what is necessary to make their own Cause good in the sight of God and Man for I am sure then there would soon be an end of their Differences The People ought to consider that divers points heretofore as confidently asserted by their Leaders as any have since been detected by learned Men amongst themselves to have been much mistaken and that may reasonably make them less to presume upon any of the rest and because Obedience to Civil Magistrates in omnib●● licitis honestis is a certain Duty they ought to go as far in Obedience as they can without any Exception but such as they can assure themselves will be allowed by Almighty God and if it may be by all moderate and judicious Christians Such a Tender as this I should hope might move the King's Clemency to consider of his Terms of Conformity that there may be nothing in them but what is truly Catholick as to Matters of Religion and such as he can assuredly expect the Approbation of God and his Blessing in his Proceedings upon them and to remove all Scandals out of the way which I think as Glorious a Work as any thing he can undertake For those unhappy Divisions are undoubtedly a Judgment of God and Scandals a special Cause of it Of how great Concern it is to this Nation that these matters of Religion be taken into better Consideration I have lately already in the Preface to my Discourse Of Prayers for the Dead said as much as I thought necessary and therefore forbear to say any more of it here A Profession of Faith Comprizing the Ancient Forms of the Catholick Church With other Articles relating to The Terms of Communion With the present CHURCH OF ROME By E. S. an English Catholick I Believe in One GOD the Father Almighty Creatour of Heaven and Earth and of all things Visible and Invisible And in One LORD Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God begotten of his Father before all Worlds God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made consubstantial with the Father by whom all things were made who for us Men and for our Salvation descended from Heaven and was conceived and incarnate by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and made Man and also suffered for us under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried descended into * Tho we have no word of an adequate signification with this yet must this here signifie more than Dead for that 's a tautology not fit for a Summary Hades and the third day rose again from the Dead according to the Scriptures and having forty days frequently conversed with his Apostles speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God the Church and given them Commands special secret Instructions ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right Hand of God the Father Almighty and from thence shall come again with Glory to judge both the Living and the Dead Whose Kingdom shall have no End And in the Holy Ghost