Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	admit_v	baptism_n	child_n	2,681	5	5.7534	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06606	A treatise of the iudge of controuersies. Written in Latin, by the R. Father Martinus Becanus of the Society of Iesus, Professour in Diuinity. And Englished by W.W. Gent; De judice controversiarum. English	Becanus, Martinus, 1563-1624.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1619 (1619)	STC 1707; ESTC S101284	69,267	198

a Sacrament Luther indeed doth thus define it A Sacrament is a promise annexed to an externall signe Melancthon thus A Sacrament is a rite which hath the commandment of God to which is adioyned a promise of grace that is to say of free reconciliation or remission of sinnes as he explicateth himselfe Caluin in this manner A Sacrament is an outward signe by the which Calu. l. 4. Instit cap. 14. §. ● our Lord doth seale to our consciences the promise of his good will to vnderprop the weaknes of our fayth But verily none of all these definitions are in the Scripture Nay one of them doth not agree with another For Luther in his definition sayth that the promise is of the essence of a Sacrament Melancthon houldeth that it is annexed to the Sacrament But Caluin insinuateth in his that the promise is not annexed to the Sacrament but rather that the Sacrament is annexed and added to the promise and not that the promise is of the effect of Gods good will towards vs. Therefore according to Melancthon thus the promise were to be expressed if any shall receaue the sacramēt of Baptisme or of the Eucharist Him I promise the remission of his sinnes But according to Caluin in this māner God hath promised to you remission of sins and life euerlasting and this promise he declares and seales by the Sacraments Thirdly whatsoeuer is to be thought of these definitions which our Aduersaryes haue newly inuented how will they shew out of the Scripture that they agree to Baptisme and the Eucharist I for my part see not But let vs try One definition is this A Sacrament is a rite which hath a Commandment of God to which is annexed a promise of remission of sins Let our aduersaryes proue out of scripture that this definition is agreeable to the Eucharist Let them proue I say this out of Scripture that the Eucharist hath a promise of remission of sinns annexed vnto it Or that which is all one That God in the Scripture doth promise vs remission of our sinns if we receaue this Sacrament They can neuer proue it For this Sacrament is not ordayned of God to remit a man his sinnes or to make of a wicked man or a sinner a iust holy man but rather it is instituted to the end that it may nourish confirme and increase that iustice grace and sanctity which was in him before he receaued this Sacrament Nay rather it is so farre off from remitting of sinnes as it is pernicious to a sinner if he come to it knowing himselfe guilty of deadly sinne Hence it is of the Apostle to the Corinthians But let a man proue himselfe and so let him eat of that bread and drinke of that chalice for he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth drinketh iudgment to himselfe And Christ in his last supper would not giue the Eucharist to his Apostles before he had washed their feet to the end that he might giue vs to vnderstand that none vnles they be washed pure and free from all mortall sinne are to be admitted to the holy table of our Lord. And the reason is plaine out of the nature of this Sacrament For what is the Eucharist but a kind of spirituall meate and drinke by the which our soule is refreshed and made strong For my flesh sayth Christ is truly meate and my bloud is truly drinke And therefore as corporall meate and drinke doth not profit the body vnles it be aliue euen so neither the Eucharist doth helpe the soule vnles it be voyd of sin which is the death of the soule The third Controuersy is whether exorcismes and other ceremonyes vsed in the Catholike Church may be admitted in Baptisme That Lutherans admit them the Caluinists reiect thē Yet neither of them both can confirme their opinion out Scripture Not the Lutherans because the Scripture in no place maketh mention that such ceremonyes ought to be vsed but only we receaue them from the tradition of the Church Of the which thus S. Augustine writeth By the most ancient tradition of the Church sayth he children are exercised Aug l. 2. de nupt concup cap. 29. and breathed vpon that they may be translated to the kingdome of Christ from the power of darknes Not the Caluinists without it be in this manner No ceremonyes are to be vsed in the Church but those of the which there is expresse command in the Scripture But there is no command of the ceremonyes which the Catholikes vse in Baptisme Therfore such Ceremonyes are not to be vsed But the M●ior is both false and contrary to the Caluinists themselues For the Caluinists do vse many ceremonies in Baptisme of the which there is no command in the whole Suripture such are these 1. That the infant must be baptized before al the people and that it should be on a Sunday or some other day when the people is wont to come togeather 2. That they who bring the infant to be baptized should be asked whether they will promise to instruct the child in fayth and manners after he shall grow to perfect age 3. That a name should be imposed vpon the infant who is baptized 4. That the forme of Baptisme should be pronounced in their country language 5. That the Creed our Lords prayer others also should be recyted Which ceremonyes Caluin prescribeth in a litle booke treating of the forme of ministring the Sacraments But where I pray you is commanded in Scripture Baptisme ought to be ministred Certainly in no place Hence therfore followeth that either they must reiect all those their ceremonyes or els graunt that all those which we vse are not therefore to be condemned because they are not expresly commanded in Scripture The fourth Controuersy Whether those who are baptized of heretikes are to be baptized againe S. Crprian in tymes past who was Bishop of Carthage did affirme it with some others But S. Augustine did deny it and followed that doctrine which was more true the which he did defend by no other meanes then by the Apostolicall tradition practise of the Church For so he writes against the Donatists VVhich custome sayth he to wit that baptisme may not be iterated I beleeue to haue proceeded Aug. l. 2. cont Donat c. 7. out of the Apostolicall tradition And againe That custome which was opposed against Cyprian is to be beleeued to haue receiued it beginning from the Apostolicall tradition to the which Cyprian did not yeald because it seemed to him vtterly destitute of any authority from the Scripture There are many other such like controuersies which cannot be decided out of Scripture alone but they must of necessity haue some other Iudge which heer I will briefly poynt to 1. Whether Baptisme may be giuen by one dipping 2. Whether Christians may worship Sunday in place of the Sabboath 3. Whether our Lady remained a Virgin after her Childbirth 4. Whether S. Peter the Apostle was Bishop

meane thereby as he is one in essence or as he is three in person if of Christ whether it be vnderstood as he is God or as he is man or when mention is made of his coming whether it be of his first or of his last or when the Church is named whether the militant or triumphant thereby is signified it is hard to vnderstand But to explaine it the better I will giue an example of euery one The Scripture maketh mention of Mar. 6. v. 9. God in saying Our Father which art in heauen Now it is doubtfull whether it be spoken of God according to the vnity of his essence or according to the distinctiō of his persons or as the Deuines do propound it whether the name of Father be taken there essentially as it is common to three persons or personally as applied to the first person only There are authors of both parts yet it is more likely to be taken in that place essentially as it is to be gathered out of these words of Christ Ioan. 2. 17. I ascend to my Father and your Father Where the word Father is taken both wayes For the Father of Christ according to his eternall generation is the first diuine person as he is distinguished from the sonne and the holy Ghost But our Father according to our creation gouerning and adoption is the whole Trinity as he is one God Therefore when he sayth I ascend to my Father he speaketh only of the first person but when he addeth and your Father he speaketh of three persons as they are one in essence and nature S. Paul maketh mention of Christ VVho is the Image of the inuisible God the first Colos 1. 15. borne of all creatures because in him were created all things and he is the head of the body the Church first borne of the dead Heere also it is doubtfull whether this be to be vnderstood of Christ in respect of his diuinity or humanity Many thinke that some part of the senteuce is to be vnderstood one way some part another with whom I agree For Christ according to his diuinity is the Image of God the Father and also by him and in him all things are made but according to his humanity he is the head of the Church and first borne of the dead And in both senses he may be called the first borne of euery creature according to the sundry expositions of the interpreters as may be seene in their comments vpon that same place There is also a certaine speach of the coming of Christ And when againe Heb. 1. ● he bringeth in the first begotten into the world he sayth And let all the Angells of God adore him Wherein consists a question whether this was spoken of his first coming at his natiuity or of his last coming in the day of iudgment If were spect that word againe it seemeth rather to be of his later comming But taking all the circumstances together it may appeare to be of his former So the interpreters of this place Of the Church also the Apostle writeth But that Ilierusalem which is aboue is free which is our mother Gal. 4. ●6 For it is writtē Reioyce thou barren that bearest not breake forth and cry that trauailest not because many are the children of the desolate more then of her that hath a husband Heere therefore is a difficulty to know whether it be meant of the Church militant or triumphant Which difficulty is in another place of S. Paul But you are Heb. 12 22. come to mount Sion and the Citty of the liuing God heauenly Hierusalem and the Church of the first borne And in the same Apostle Eph. 5. 25. Christ loued the Church and deliuered himselfe for it that he might sanctify it cleansing it by the lauer of water in the word of life that he might present to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle To this kynd of obscurity may also be reduced that some things which are spoken of Christ in Scripture are to be vnderstood of the head of the Church which is Christ somtymes of both as S. Augustine noteth For the head of the Church Christ is taken in that place of the Apostle lib. 3. de doctrina Chri. c. 31. Math. 28. ●0 Behould I am with yow all dayes euen to the consummation of the world Where Christ as the head of the Church promiseth to the body and members thereof his perpetuall assistance protection and gouerment For of the body and members of the Church is that place of the acts to be vnderstood Saul Saul why dost thou persecute Act. 9. 4. me For Saul did not persecute the person of Christ seing that he was in heauen where he could not be persecuted but his Apostles who were the members of his Church Also that of Zachary After glory he sent me to the nations Zach. ● 8. Where Christ speaketh in person of the Apostles As though he had sayd my heauenly Father will send me to wit my Apostles to the conuersion of the Gentills But when will he send me after glory that is after I haue shewed my glory and diuinity in my Resurrection and Ascension After the same manner also S. Austine in the exposition of the 147. Psalme doth interpret that place of S. Matth. Then if any man shall say Math. 24. 23. vnto you loe here is Christ or there do not beleeue him For he thinketh that there by Christ is signified his Church whose words are these There shall rise false Christs and false Prophets and shall say loe here and loe there but they shall not speake of the head himselfe behould here behould there for it is certaine that Christ is in heauen but of the Church And out of this place he confuteth the Donatists who sayd Behould here in Affrick is the Church and in no other place besides And that of the Prophet Isay of Isay 61. 10. both He hath clothed me with the garment of saluation and with the garment of iustice he hath compassed me as a bridegroome decked with a Crowne and as a bride adorned with her Iewels Where Christ is called the bride and the bridegroome that is the head and the body and that of the Psalme Psal 2. The kings of the earth haue stood vp and the Princes haue gathered together against our Lord and against his Christ Which was fullfilled in the head and daily is fullfilled in the members The first cause of the obscurity of scripture ariseth from this that oftentymes when we thinke least passage is made from the litterall sense to the mysticall from carnall things to spirituall from temporall to eternall from the Kings of Israell to Christ the king himselfe and contrariwise This especially is performed in the Psalmes and the Prophets as is to be seene in the 7. Chapter of Isay where from the History of two kings of the which one was Rasin King of Syria