Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	doctrine_n	scripture_n	word_n	3,808	5	4.2807	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05459	Against the apple of the left eye of antichrist, or the masse book of lurking darknesse making way for the apple of the right eye of antichrist, the compleat masse book of palpable darknesse : this apple of the left eye, commonly called, the liturgie, or service book, is in great use both among the halting papists, and compleat papists, and the things written heere are also against the compleat masse book.	Lightbody, George.	1638 (1638)	STC 15591.5; ESTC S2182	52,108	90

chap. and 26 27 28 29. chap. Leviticus chap. 1. to 8. and 10.11.13.14.15.17.22.26 chap. Nombers chap. 1.2.3.4.18.19.26.33.34 chap. Deuteron chap. 14. Josua 11.12.14.15.16.17.18.19.21 2. Chronicl chap. inclusive 1. to 9. and 11.12.23.24.25.26.27.2 Chron. 3.4 Ezra 7. Nohem 3.7.11.12 Ezechiel 10. and 26. to 33. inclusive and 38. to 48. inclusive Amos 1. Nahum 3. in these the whole chapters are omitted 5. Prophesies and obscure Scriptures should b● read as reverently and attentively as the Apostles did heare obscure doctrine and parables out of Christs own mouth and they learned humilitie in that they would not bee wiser then Christ to make a glosse of their own upon his words but did patiently awaite untill that the Lord himself revealed the matter Gods Spirit by obscure Scriptures can also help our faith as Christ made the blinde to see with clay and spittle which otherwise maketh blinde This work of the Spirit is known when the Faithfull say in their hearts I know whatsoever you obscure words do meane it shall be fo● my well The traditions of men whether they be obscure or plain have no such authoritie nor warrand nor power of Gods Spirit therefore they have neither title nor right in this ministration 6. If Gods Word be true which saith All Scripturs is given by divine inspiration and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnesse that the man of GOD may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Then all Scriptures should bee read to make the man of GOD perfect But humaine traditions doctrine of errors and wil-worship do make the man of sin even antichrist perfect and furnished for all evill works their most charitable and pious works whereof they glory much are but evill and full of Divine-laesmajestie because they derogate from the merits of Christ in attributing merits unto creatures who before GOD have no merit of themselves so their most charitable works are most uncharitable Qu. 8. But these omitted scriptures do lesse edifie then other scripturs Ans 1. How much or little they edifie it is only known to God who by the weakest meanes effecteth the greatest works Therefore thou should only have said they seeme to edifie little 2. I suppone that they alwayes edifie lesse then other Scriptures yet the omitting of them maketh them not to edifie more but rather nothing at all which is worse We should do all things for edification 3. Their little measure of edification should not be despised but rather receaved with thanksgiving as we receive other benefites will a man pull out his infirm eye because it is more tender then the other eye Will he cut of his little finger because the other fingers are stronger Will a covetous Prelat refuse his small teynds because they are lesse gainfull then the other teynds Casteth he all away his coyne that is not gold Therefore as God abolisheth not the smallest stars in the firmament because they give not so great light as the Sun or Moone or greater stars so we should not reject the smallest lights of Gods truth albeit their shyning be not so bright as the glansing of other principles of Divinity The obscurest scriptures have some light in them and some cleer doctrine mixed with them for which cause also they should be read Qu. 9. Is not the reading of the masse book Divine service because of the passages of Divine Scriptures in it Ans There are as good passages of Scriptures in the Turks Alcoran in the Iewish Talmud and in witches charmes In these books and charmes the holy Scriptures are written to cloak and cover the deformitie and filthinesse of idolatrous superstitious and ●●mane traditions as good wine may hid deadly poison in the same cup. Qu. 10. You do choose on t particular Scriptures to be read as fittest for the purpose in time of plagues or extraordinary blissings and you confesse that to be Divine service so in this book wee have fitted the Scriptures for diverse occasions Therefore it is Divine service to read it Ans You have fixed the Scriptures unto set times but you have not fitted them for diverse occasions you are not Prophets you foreknow not the occasions we choose no Scriptures to be read at extraordinary times untill that God make the occasions sensible to our eyes and then his word inviteth us to choose such Scriptures saying Call upon me in the day of thy trouble and I will heare thee and thou shall glorifie me Psal 50. All our reading and preaching of such Scriptures are for expressing our desires in trouble and then God when he heareth us he blesseth us and then wee thank and glorifie Him extraordinarly in his worship but not in fixed dayes of the year Thou knowest not but thy fixed dayes of fasting and prayer for averting Gods judgements or delivering thee from plagues may be the very dayes of Gods greatest bountie in giving unto thee many spirituall and bodily blessings and then if thou keep thy humiliation foresaid thou art a mocker of God and lyest against him in pretending a plague when he blesseth thee and ●hus thou art unthankfull in not praising God solemn●y for these blessings The like mocking and lying against God are effected in thy fixed dayes of thanksgiving for his spirituall and bodily blessings when 〈◊〉 his anger God multiplieth his plagues Thus the antichristian Clergie are false prophets seeming to foretell by these fixed dayes of fasting and thanksgiving that God hath fixed His blessings and plagues unto the same dayes which God never intended 2. To read and hear divine service out of the canon of Scriptures which Gods Spirit hath authorized and sealed to be the rule of our faith and holy life and to be the register of Gods revealed will towards his kirk To read them I say out of this canon it is not divine service more then to read a witches charme which is full of Scriptures also But it is devilish service to obtrud the reading of them for divine service when they are incorporat into one treatise with humaine and devilish doctrine to beautifie and procure credit to the doctrine of devils The Scriptures are out of the authorized canon not when they are lying in louse sheets of paper or bound in severall books by themselves or when they are bound only with other books nor yet when they are made use of in sound doctrine of Divinitie for all these times they losse not their spirituall union and cohesion with the true canon But when they are incorporate into one treatise with humaine and profane doctrine with which they can have no spirituall union nor agreement of Divine veritie whereby they losse their dignitie more then if they were burnt in the fire for the burning of them procureth no credit to errors and lies as when they are incorporate into one treatise with errors and lies 3. The morall sentences of Philosophers containe many things which a●e in Gods word shall

pleased with such voluntary service no more is God pleased with the wil-worship of men 4. We are not bound in our prayers to say the Lords Prayer at all times in the precise words of the Text for Matthew chap. 6. at the fift petition saith forgive us our debts Luke chap. 11. hath other words viz. forgive us our sins The LORD and his Apostles oftimes thereafter prayed in the New Testament not using the words of this form of prayer Wee may either say this prayer as a perfect rule of prayer or we may conceave our own prayers after this manner as Matthew saith that is we should seek both heavenly and earthly things only so far as is needfull for setting forth Gods glory and for our own well salvation and seing in scripture none are bound to use the precise forme of the Lords words far lesse are we bound to be thralled with humane formes As for the set formes that we use for the weak memories of the infirmer sort we have libertie to change them also and we should change them if we think it needfull for the weak ones The Lords Prayer and the x. Commands are short compends the one of prayer the other of the contents of Gods Law both were ordeined chiefly for weak memories as the primitive kirk ordeined the articles of the Apostles Creed that weak memories might have perqueer a short summe of the historie of our salvation which is also a plaine kinde of preaching unto the ignorant explicating the chief passages of Scripture that concerne our faith Neither is it needfull at all times to rehearse and confesse the precise words thereof for in Act. 8. the Eunuch said only I beleeve that Jesus Christ is the Son of God And in John 20. Thomas said My Lord and my God Qu. 15. Is not the masse book as lawfull as catecheticall doctrine Ans 1. Catecheticall doctrine is for a memorandum to Preachers in catechising the people and for people to answere it hindereth not Preachers to propound and the people to answere other questions as GODS Spirit shall assist them 2. It is a preaching of the word by questions Preaching is commanded Matthew 28. vers 19 20. Luke 24.4 Act. 1.8 GODS word and the orthodox preaching thereof are both of Divine authoritie because God commanded both to be in his kirk but they are not of equall dignitie As by the same authoritie a man commandeth his treasure and the ark that containeth it to be keept in a strong house but the treasure is of greater dignitie So GODS word is of greater dignitie then the preaching of it The word is the light of a heavenly candle the Preacher is the candlestick preaching is a holding out of that light that men may see spiritually the masse book is a bushell under which the light of Gods word is hide and obscured Matthew 5. vers 6 7. Qu. 16. Did not God give liberty unto his Kirk to 〈◊〉 indifferent things as they please Ans Not as that thereby men shall obscure his glory pollute his worship corrupt his word or hurt the consciences of his people nor to persecute the professors of his truth nor to hinder his word to have free passage in reading printing preaching practising and professing it If indifferent things be thus abused they are no more indifferent but deadly unto Christian religion all these evils are effected by the masse book Civile magistrats have neither power nor authoritie to make indifferent things hurtfull unto Christian religion If any say that the royall authoritie is disobeyed when men obey not such hurtfull lawes I answer It is not disobeyed for there is not such a royall authority that may hurt Christian religion neither may the lawes of men be essentiall points of Christian religion GOD alone decreeth such lawes to be keept GOD giveth no power nor authoritie unto men but to defend Divine lawes and to make humane lawes conforme and subordinate unto the lawes of God and by the sword of justice to defend such lawes Hee will not give authoritie to men to command or do any thing against the law of God no more then a Prince will give power to a subject to spit upon his face If Magistrats ignorantly or by misinformation make lawes hurtfull to true religion if they repent amend God will forgive them albeit he approve not their sin Qu. 17. When then do lawfull rites and ceremonies become unlawfull Ans When opinion of necessitie or holinesse is known to be annexed to them either by such as impose them or by the people on whom they are imposed They then become unlawfull because they confirme and harden the people in their superstition Therefore Hezekiah rejected the brasan serpent which wont to be a divine ordinance much more should rites which never were ordeined of GOD be rejected in this case If thou say when Magistrats command indifferent things then they become necessare Ergo they should be obeyed I answer If they be hurtfull to true religion they are neither necessare not needfull to be obeyed but altogether to be rejected because they are contrary both to the commandment worship of GOD the supreme Magistrate 2. When the use of them is urged more or as much as the ordinances of GOD It is time to put the slave out of the house when he is obeyed as much or more then the Master of the house Absalon should not now live when he is more obeyed and respected then David the King 3. When the omission of them causeth men who otherwise agree with GODS kirk in matters of faith and manners to be esteemed shismaticks and sectaries and so are contemned as men of a contrary religion 4. When the omission of them is accounted and punished as a sin even out of the case of scandal 5. when they are hurtfull to true religion and to the professors thereof as was said in the preceeding question Qu. 18. Did not God without Scriptures teach the Patriarks as Adam and Abraham Sometimes with few Scriptures as in the dayes of the Judges May not God do the like now albeit we diminish the Scriptures Ans Who made thee wiser then GOD to dimin●●●●● the Scriptures which he hath registrat for the good of his kirk He may give lawes unto thee thou may not do so unto him he may abrogat thy lawes thou may not altar nor diminish his lawes neither restraine nor hinder the free passage of them 2. May as little food and rayment susteene men of a perfect age as susteeneth infants GODS kirk in the Old Testament was in the infancie when they had no written word yet in substance they had the same word of life which we have they had it by the traditions of their fathers which they heard of GOD personallie appearing and revealing his will unto them Sometimes he sent his Angels and prophets working miracles for their edification Afterwards the manner of revealing his wi●● was written and enlarged now wee want these

the presbyter being sufficiently provided alreadie when many of the clergie are present not only so many as might be for help but all must first communicat The cause then is only pride for they will be first in all things and yet they say that men should receive the Sacrament with greatest humilitie Qu. 23. What use have they of a communion table Ans They appoint a table neverthelesse they take it from the people in two respects 1. In respect of the people who kneele at the act of receiving the elements what use have they of a table when they neither sit at it to eat their meat neither take they their meat off from the table 2. In respect of the minister ●●at giveth the elements the ministers hands are only their table from which they receive their sacramentall food The communicants even when they kneele not yet they sit at the table not like feasters but like beggars at a dyke side waiting for the distribution of their almes The beggars may turne their backs as well as their faces towards the dyke for any use they have of it so may the communicants turn their backs to the table for any use they have of it Qu. 24. May not the table stand for the elements to abide on it untill that the Minister take them for to distribute unto the people Ans Then it is a table for the ministers attendance but not for the peoples feasting Some have byboards whereon vessels and meat stand untill they be placed on the feasting table and when the tables are drawn all is put on the byboard again that they may be put in order and taken away The antichristians make a by-board of the Lords table and the hands of the ministers are only their feasting table Qu. 25. Should not the Ministers give the elements to every one out of their own bands seeing it is their calling and Christ did so give them unto the Apostles and it may be that the laicks who sit neerest me be witches or profaine persons so it is not comely to take the elements from laicks Ans 1. It is the calling of ministers to consecrat blesse the elements by the word and prayer but no Scripture can prove it to be their calling to give alwayes the elements with their own hands more then by the hands of others it is alike if he give them by whose hands soever it bee He giveth not the Bible which is the audible word to every one out of his o●●● hands albeit he explicateth and preacheth the meaning end uses and application of both the visible word of the sacraments and the audible word of the Scriptures and albeit both the doctrine of the word sacraments are written in one canon if thou say that he giveth not except he do it with his own hands Thou may as truely say that Christ giveth not except he do it with his own hands 2. No Scripture proveth that Christ gave the elements to every one out of his own hands neither at Baptisme nor at the Lords Supper As for Baptisme John 4. 1. saith that the Pharisees heard that Jesus baptised mo disciples then John and in vers 2. he saith that Iesus baptised not but his disciples the first verse showeth that he gave the Sacrament by his authority and blessed it the 2. verse showeth that he gave it not with his own hands but by his apostles and at the Lords supper Luke 23.17 saith Take this and divide it among you this is meant of the cup of the Lords supper 1. because the same words which are subjoined to this cup here are subjoined to the cup of the Lords supper in Math Mark these are I will not drink of the fruit of the vine untill the kingdome of God shall come 2. If these words were of the cup of the Passeover they should be false for they drank wine after the Passeover at the Lords Supper Luke speaks twise of this cup in vers 17 20 In the vers 17. he speakes of it with the speach of the passeover because alike speach is subjoined to both for after the passeover he said words that were not mentioned by other Evangelists viz. I will not eat any more thereof untill it be fulfilled in the kingdome of God ●hat is I did eat oftimes the Passeover before but the thing signified by the Passeover was never fulfilled It shall not be so now for I will eat no Passeover after this untill it be fulfilled in my sufferings in the kingdome which GOD hath in his kirk on earth and albeit I never drank the wine of this new instituted supper before neither will I drink any more of it untill I drink the thing signified by it viz. I must drink the wine of the cup of GODS wrath by my suffrings He prayed his Father to take this cup from him if it were possible the bread and the wine of this new supper signified unto Christ the bread of affliction and the cup of the wine of GODS wrath which now should be his food in his suffrings as in his lifetime it was his meat to do the will of GOD so now at his death he feedeth in suffring Gods will for he saith not my will but thine be done This bread and wine signified to the apostles the body and bloud of Christ not as he was in health rest and peace but as he suffred tribulation and GODS wrath for our sins he was like a nurse that eateth bitter things for the health of the infant The wine of GODS wrath is mentioned in Revel 14.10 he drank it with the apostles not only because they were with him in the garden when he did sweat blood and water but as when the head drinketh the whole man is said to drink because of the union between the head and the members and because strength and comfort cometh to the members by the drinking of the head He drank personally they drank spiritually by faith in his suffrings and by imputation for his suffrings are counted their suff●ings but their sins were counted his he being their cautioner The taste of this cup was bitter to both for Christ pray●●● against it and the elect pray dayly to GOD to save them from it the fear of the danger of Gods wrath is bitter the effect of Christs drinking of this cup was sweet to both it was sweet comfortable to them to get mercy it was sweet and delectable to Christ to show mercy though he bought it with his bloud he drank this cup new with them because never man drank the like of it before and hee himself drank never such a measure of GODS wrath before the Elect under the gospel drinks it new by faith for the nature of the cup of Gods wrath which Christ suffered was never so cleerly known before the comforts of Gods Spirit given to the elect by faith in his sufferings were never so sweet before they are now sweet like new wine