Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
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A66976
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Two discourses the first concerning the spirit of Martin Luther and the original of the Reformation : the second concerning the celibacy of the clergy.
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R. H., 1609-1678.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing W3460; ESTC R38320
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133,828
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156
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made on the Scripture His rejecting 3ly the Authority of the preâ—â—â—â— Church not displeasing to many as yeilding much comfort to great sinners and relaxing strict life the next thing which followed was the throwing off his Obedience to her Authority But this by certain degrees Questioned for his Doctrines and upon this cited to Rome he made friends to have his cause heard in Germany Heard and condemned in Germany by Card. Cajetan for one a moderate and learned Prelate he now appealed to Rome and to the Pope But well perceiving also that his doctrine would be most certainly condemned there as it was he suddenly intercepted this Appeal with another see Adams vit Luth. opera Luth. 1. tom made from the Pope to a Council But perceiving that neither thus the usual former laws of Councils being observed or only this law of all Assemblies that the much major part shall conclude the whole his doctrine could stand as indeed it did not he appeals yet again from Councils to Scripture where now he knew himself safe as any Heresy tho never so absurd would be in chusing that to be the Judge or decider of the Controversie which could never deliver any new sentence on any side and concerning the meaning of whose former sentence is the present Controversy But if he means here an Appeal to the Scriptures i.e. to that which either Christian Princes or the common professors of Christianity in general for such he names for his Judges sometimes shall declare to be the true sense of them here first it seems unreasonable concerning the meaning of God's Word to prefer the judgment of the Laity before that of the Clergy of the Churches subjects before that of their Governours Secondly Thus also his cause is lost for after all his allegations of Scripture produced and divulged in his writings the Princes and the Common people also of Christianity that condemn his doctrine did then and do still very much out-number those who approve it § 15. n. 1 The 4th his dâ—nying the then present to be a true Church or the Clergy thereof a true Ministry affirming â—he Pâ—pe to be Antichrist He stayed not here only in an absolute disobedience not only of non-assent but also of open contradiction to all Church-authority but proceeded so much farther as to deny the present visible Church or that of many former Ages to be a true Church he De judicio Ecclesiae de quavis doctrina making this the only note of the true Church that therein the Gospel be purely and sincerely preached or to have in it any true Clergy or Ministry And again from this defect of a true Clergy he argued that there had bin formerly in celebrating the Eucharist no true Consecration of the Elements for operating the presence of the Body and blood of Christ tho the mean-while he justified his own and his Disciples Consecration to be effectual herein and therefore that the people had continually committed idolatry in worshipping the naked bread as Christ's Body This urged to him as he saith De Missa privata unctione Sacerdot by the Devil to reduce him for many years guilty of such Non-consecrations to despair he assented to and afterwards maintained Next from this he made yet a further discovery of the chief Bishop in the Church the Pope his being Antichrist the Bishops his Apostles and the Universities his Lupanaria or Brothel-houses for the Universities much afflicted him § 15. n. 2 the 5th his rejecting the authority also of the fâ—rmer and ancient Church Councils Fathers Thus having cast off blasted and defied to the uttermost all present church-Church-Authority next sollicited that at least concerning the sense and meaning or right exposition of the Scriptures he would stand to the judgment of the ancient Church and be tryed by it This also he expresly renounced frequently vilifying the doctrine of the Fathers their weak interpretations of Scriptures and accusing them of many errors and contradictions § 16 Some Instances and testimonies 1. Concerning hâ—s rejecting the presâ— t church-â—â—â—hoâ—ity For these things it were easie to produce out of his Writings a multitude of testimonies For the newness of his opinions and his marching alone against the Doctrines of present and former Church he every where acknowledgeth it not to say glorieth in it as a thing arguing his singular illumination and wisdom Nay Erasmus Ep. to Justus Jonas saith it was observed of him That where he agreed in Sense yet he strove to express himself contrary to the former usual doctrine Aiunt Lutherum aliquoties quum eadem doceat quae caeteri tamen verbis ipsis id videri conari ut diversissima videatur adferre as particularly appears in his Expositions of some of his condemned assertions Assertio Articulorum See his book de Captivitate Babylonica in the entrance of his discourse on the Mass where Rem arduam saith he quam forte sit impossibile convelli aggredior ut quae tanto saeculorum usu firmata omniumque consensu probata sic insedorit ut necesse sit majorem partem librorum qui hodie regnant pene universam Ecclesiarum faciem tolli mutari penitusque aliud genus caeremoniarum induci seu potius reduci Sed majori cura verbum Dei oportet observare quam omnium hominum Angelorum intelligentias A hard and perhaps unfeisible task the abolishing that which being ratified by the practice of so many ages and approv'd by general consent is at length so settled that the greatest part of books now in vogue nay almost the whole face of the Church must be taken away and chang'd and quite another kind of ceremonies induc'd or rather reduc'd But the word of God is more to be regarded than all the wit of men or Angels And in his Preface to his book de abroganda Missa privata Quot medicamentis saith he quam potentibus evidentissimis Scripturis meam iâ— sius conscientiam vixdum stabilivi aut auderem unus contradicere Papae credere eum esse Antichristum Episcopos ejus esse Apostolos Academias esse ejus Lupanaria quoties mihi palpitavit tremulum cor reprehendens objecit eorum fortissimum c. With how many powerful remedies and most evident Scriptures and yet all little enough to my wavering conscience did I bring my self at length to dare one single man to contradict the Pope and believe him to be Antichrist the Bishops his Apostles the Universities his Brothel-houses How often have I trembl'd and quak'd for fear and chidingly objected to my self that their strongest and onely argument Are you alone in the right Is all the world besides in the wrong In the Preface to his book Adversus falso nominatum Ordinem Episcoporum he as it were repenting of his former respects thus defies them and withdraws his doctrine from theirs and all humane cognizance and censure Jam ante pronuncio me de câ—tero quandoquidem
and remitted the former obligation of Confession of sins to the Priests and Fasting before receiving the Communion and generally held in matters of Religion no Ecclesiastical i.e. humane laws obliging see before § 19. Began a new Ordination of Bishops and Ministers vita p. 129. descending from him after having declared their former Unction null and God's Church to be only that where the Gospel was purely preached that was his By the same authority assisted with the power of the Prince he made new Bishops and put them in the places of the deceased Against the Canonical Election of another made his intimate friend Ausdorse Bishop of Neoburg see Mâ—lch Adam vita p. 150. and Georg. Anhalâ—tinus Bishop of Mersburg By the same Authority he sentenced the Canon-law consisting of the former decrees amassed as well those of Councils as those of Popes to the fire and assembling the University solemnly burnt it in Wirtenberg vita p. 115. By the same he frequently pronounced Anathema's and Excommunications to those reformed that dissented from him in Opinion § 24. n. 1. 〈…〉 For the things said here it is easie to produce a multitude of testimonies Concerning his presumption of his own Doctrines and Expositions of God's Word he saith see before § 16. Illum se aut â—â—â—am doctrinam Episcoporum aut ullius judicio Angeli de Coelo subjâ—cere non dignari he scom'd to submit himself or his Doctrine to the judgment of the Bishops or an Angel from Heaven And Extra aleam positam esse eam omnis humani judicii sed omnium Angelorum ' past the censure of men or Angels All this only out of a high presumption that his Exposition of the Scriptures was true the Church'es false And in an Epistle to Melancthon Adam vit Luth. p. 138 De publica causa satis magno otioso animo sum qui scio certo ipsam esse justam c. Certainly knowing the publick cause i. e. his own reformed Tenents to be just and true and Christ's and God's I am courageous and unconcern'd enough about it The threatnings of these bloody Papists I value not a if we come to the ground Christ will tall with us I had rather fall with Christ than stand with the Emperour In his answer to the Emperour's Edict 1531. concerning his way of Justification by Faith alone opposing the Church'es former doctrine in this point This Artide saith he will they nill they the Pope Emperour c will stand Hell-gates cannot prevail against it the Spirit of God doth dictate this unto me this is the true Gospel c. Casting the Pope's Bull the Canon-law and the writings of his Adversaties into the publick fire in Wirtenberg he used this insolent speech joyned with that insolent act vit Luth. Adams p. 115. Quia tu conturbasti Sanctum Domini conturbet te ignis aeternus because thou hast disturbed the Holy of the Lord get thee into eternal flames And upon Gal. 1.11 12. he thus answers an Objection made against the newness of his Doctrine taught contrary to that of the former Church by so inconsiderable a person which answer because it seems to contain all the defence he could make for himself I will set you down at large § 24. n. 2. First then he frames this Objection as made by the false Apostles against St. Paul fitting the application thereof to himself Quod Paulus longe inferior esset reliquis Apostolorum Discipulis qui quod docerent servarent acceperant ab Apostolis Cur igitur inferiori vellent obtemperare authoritatem iposorum Apostolorum qui Doctores essent omnium Ecclesiarum totius orbis terrarum contemnere Valde igitur saith he speciosum robustum hoc argumentum Pseudo-Apostolorum fuit c. Paul being much inferior to the other Disciples of the Apostles who had received from the very Apostles what they did and taught why therefore should they obey him that was inferior and despise the authority of the Apostles themselves who were constituted Masters of all the Churches in the world This then saith he was the specious and great-argument of the false Apostles which even now adays retains its force with many What! say they the Apostles the Holy Fathers and their Successors have taught so and so the whole Church judgeth so and believeth so and t is impossible for Christ to permit his Church to err for so many ages And do you now pretend to be wiser than so many holy men than the whole Church c Thus it is that the Devil transforming himself into an Angel of light treacherously sets upon me by the virulent tongues of certain Hypocrites We stand not much upon say they either Pope or Bishops Nay we detest the hypocrisy and impostures of Monks c. But we cannot in the least suffer the authority of the most holy Catholick Church to be infringed There are so many ages now that she has constantly judged so and taught so all the Doctors of the Primitive Church most holy men much greater and more learned than you have still judged and taught the same And who now are you that dare depart from all these and force upon us different tenents His answer to this is Quando Satanas hoc urget conspirat cum carne ratione perterresit Conscientia desperat nisi constanter adte redeas dicas Sive Sanctus Cyprianus Ambrosius Augastinus sive Sanctus Petrus Paulus aut Johannes imo Angelus de Calo alâ—tâ—r doceat tamen hoc certe scio quod humana non suadeo sed div na heâ—â—st quod Deo omnia tribuo hominibus nihil Memini initiomâ—â— causae Doâ—â—orem Staupitium tunc summum virum Vicarium Ordinis Angustini ad me dicere Hoc mihi inquit placet quod hac Doctrina quam prâ—dicas gloriam omnia soli Deo tribuit hominibus nihil Deo a â—â—m 〈◊〉 quod luce clarius est nimium gloriae bonitatis c. attribâ—i non potest Haec vox vehementer me tum consolabatur consirmabatâ— Malto ausâ—ta â—â—tias est tribuere nimium Deo quam homiâ—â—bus Ibo 〈◊〉 cum â—id 〈◊〉 dicere possum Esto sane Ecclesia Augustinus alii Doctores item Petrus Apostolus imo Angelus de Coelo diversum doceant tamen mea doctrina est ejusmodi quod solius Dei gratiam c. When Satan urgeth thus and conspires with flesh and reason against us our conscience is troubled and will certainly despair unless we resolutely stir up our selves and say Tho St. Cyprian St. Ambrose St. Angustin tho St. Peter Paul and John yea an Angel from Heaven teach the contrary yet this I certainly know that the things I propose are not humane but divine i. e. I attribute all to God and nothing to men I remember well what Dr. Staupitius a prime man then and Vicar of St. Augustin's Order told me in the beginning of my preaching I like well said he that this Doctrine you teach gives glory