Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	faith_n	true_a	5,913	5	5.6645	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17650	A commentarie on the vvhole Epistle to the Hebrevves. By M. Iohn Caluin. Translated out of French; Commentarii in epistolam ad Hebraeos. English	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Cotton, Clement.	1605 (1605)	STC 4405; ESTC S107380	203,524	268

hee blameth them for the same fault or at the least not very much diuers from this For he saith they were not able to beare strong meate because they were carnall Milke then is the doctrine of the first beginnings to enter them which as yet know nothing S. Peter takes it in another sense when hee wils vs to desire the sincere milke of the word that wee may grow thereby 1. Pet. 2.2 For there is a double infancie one in malice and another in vnderstanding S. Paul saith in another place Be not children in vnderstanding but in malice 1. Cor. 14.20 So then they which are so tender and delicate that they cannot receiue a doctrine a little higher than the first rudiments are called children by way of reproch For the true vse of the ministerie of the word is to frame vs in such wise as we may grow to be perfect men according to the measure of the age of the fulnes of Christ and not to be as children wauering and carried about with euery winde of doctrine as it is said Ephes 4.13.14 I grant those are to bee borne with that haue not yet tasted Christ if so be they be not yet capable of strong meate but if hee which ought to increase according to the time he hath had doth notwithstanding alwaies continue in his infancie he is vnworthie to be pardoned For we know that Isaiah brands the reprobates mongst them I say there is no lesse carelesnesse than if the doctrine were wholy forbidden them Thus for want of exercise we are blindfolded still and destitute of all sound iudgement CHAP. VI. 1 Therefore leauing the doctrine of the beginning of Christ let vs be led forward vnto perfection not laying againe the foundation of Repentance from dead workes and of faith towards God 2 Of the doctrine of Baptismes and laying on of hands c. of the resurrection from the dead and of eternall iudgment WHerefore leauing Vers 1 c. After he hath sharpely reprooued them he exhorteth them that in leauing the beginnings they goe on forward ayming to the marke For he calles the doctrine of beginning the rudiments by which the ignorant are to begin when they be receiued into the Church Now in that he commands them to leaue such rudiments or beginnings his meaning is not that the faithfull should forget them but that they should not sticke fast as it were in them the which is better known by the similitude of laying the foundation which by and by followeth For when an house is to be builded men must neuer shrinke away from the foundation and yet notwithstanding it were a mockerie to be alwaies about that to goe no further For howsoeuer the foundation of the building is to be laid yet he which shall alwaies busie himselfe about that neuer fitting or preparing matter wherewithall to raise vp the building shall he not busie himselfe foolishly and in vaine In a word as we are to beginne by the foundation so the labour of the master builder is to hasten that the house also be raised vp in due season The like is it in Christianitie For the foundation is laid in vs by learning the rudiments but by and by after a more highe doctrine ought to follow which may finish vp the whole building Wherefore those who alwaies sticke in the first rudiments goe forward but ill because they propound no end vnto themselues As if the master workman imploying his whole labour about laying the foundation VVe ought not to content our selues with good beginnings but to aime to perfection should vtterly neglect to build any thing vpon it And therefore he would haue our faith so laid in the beginnings that it should still rise higher and higher vntill at the last it bee perfected by continuall increases Of repentance from dead workes He had respect here to the forme vsed in the Catechisme From whence wee may draw a probable coniecture that this Epistle was not written by and by after the publishing of the Gospel but rather after there was some forme of gouernment vsed in the Churches The forme was that he which was newly instructed in religion made a confession of his faith before hee was baptized Now there were certaine articles the which the Pastor demanded of them as may be seene by many testimonies of the ancient Fathers and the examination was chiefly vpon the confession of faith which wee commonly call the Symbole or Creede of the Apostles This was as the first entrance into the Church for those who being alreadie of age meant to become Christians as those who before were strangers from the faith in Christ The Apostle makes mention of this custome because no long time was giuen to such new conuerts to be taught in the first grounds of the Christian religion For a schoolmaster teacheth children their A B C because they might foorthwith come to know greater things But let vs consider what the Apostle saith He names repentance and faith wherein consists the whole perfection of the Gospell For what other thing doth Christ commaund to his Apostles but that they should preach faith and repentance Luk. 24.47 And therfore when S. Paul meant to protest that he had faithfully discharged his dutie he alleageth for himselfe that he had diligently and continually taught them from house to house to imprint these two things in the hearts of his Auditors to wit Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Iesus Christ Act. 20.20.21 May it not seeme absurd then that the Apostle should command them here to leaue faith and repentance wherein they were to perseuere the whole course of their liues But in adding from dead workes he shewes that he speakes of the first repentance when men began first to be Christians For although euery sinne be a dead worke because it begets death or because it proceedes from the spirituall death of the soule yet notwithstanding all the faithfull which are alreadie regenerate by the Spirit of God are not properly said to repent themselues of dead workes True it is that regeneration is but begun in them but how little soeuer this seede of the new life be in them yet that is the cause why they are no more reputed dead in his sight Wherfore the Apostle comprehends not all repentance in generall wherein we ought carefully to meditate and to exercise our selues day and night but he onely meanes that beginning of repentance by which those who being euen newly conuerted to the faith did enter into the way of newnes of life Also the word faith signifies that briefe summe of the doctrine of godlines which is commonly called the Articles of the Faith Hereunto also appertaines The resurrection from the dead and eternall iudgement For these two things are the greatest secrets of the heauenly wisedome yea euen the very marke of all our religion whereat wee ought to aime all our whole life But because one and the same thing is taught otherwise to

chiefe paterne which was shewed vnto Moses in the mountaine But if so be the forme of the Tabernacle had a further end than that which was seene with the eye as much then is to be said of the ceremonies and of all the Priesthood From whence it followes that there was no stabilitie in any of all these things but that we must still come vnto that which was shadowed out by them Behold an excellent place because it containes in it three sentences worthie to be noted For first wee learne by this that the ceremonies of old were not forged by mans braine neither did God meane to exercise his people therein as in sports fit for little children the Tabernacle also was not built in vaine as if it serued to no other purpose but only to draw the eyes of the beholders to gaze vpon the outward magnificence of it as if they were to stay in that For the signification of all these things were true and spiritual because Moses was commanded to frame them all according to the first paterne which was heauenly Therefore their opinion is too prophane which say that the ceremonies were onely commanded to serue as a bridle for staying the inconstancie of the people least they should haue gone to seeke out strange ceremonies among the Gentiles This indeede is something which they say but not all For they leaue out that which is of much more importance to wit that they were exercises to hold the people in the faith of the Mediatour Yet notwithstanding it is not needfull that we should be ouer curious so as to seeke out some high or profound mysterie in euery pinne and in euery small piece of the Tabernacle as Hesichius and the greater part of the ancient authors who haue trauailed too curiously in this behalfe for whilest they goe about subtilly to diuine in things to them vnknowne they haue failed very blockishly and shewed themselues ridiculous bablers So then we must keepe a meane herein which wee shall doe when wee desire to know no more than that which is reuealed to vs in Christ Secondly we are here taught that all seruices which men haue forged after their owne minde and without the commandement of God are false and corrupt For seeing God commands that all things should be framed according to the rule and paterne it is not lawfull to make any thing els or contrarie vnto it For these two manners of speech See that thou make all things according to the paterne and Take heede thou make nothing more than the paterne are in weight one VVe must not goe an haires bredth from Gods commandement in things pertaining to his worship as much as the other Wherefore in requiring streightly that we keepe the rule which he hath giuen vs he therewithall forbids vs to turne aside an haires bredth from it By this meanes all seruices deuised by men fall flat to the ground and those which some call Sacraments which notwithstanding were neuer ordained of God Thirdly we may learne from hence that there are no true signes and Sacraments in religion but those which are referred to Christ But we are withall to take great heede that whilest we endeuour to appropriate and to make our inuentions to agree to Christ that we doe not transfigure him as the Papists doe that hee should bee no more like himselfe For we haue no authoritie to inuent what wee thinke to be good but it only belongs to God to shew what we ought to doe For it is said according to the paterne which he shewed thee But now our high Priest Ver. 6 c. Euen as heretofore he gathered the excellencie of the couenant by the dignitie of the Priesthood so now also he maintaines that the Priesthood of Christ is more excellent because he is the Mediatour and Ambassadour of a better couenant Both the one and the other were necessarie because it was needfull that the Iewes should be turned from the superstitious obseruation of ceremonies which were so many impediments to hinder them from going directly to the pure and simple truth of the Gospell Now the Apostle saith that it was reason that both Moses and Aaron should giue place to Christ as to the more excellent because the Gospel is a more excellent couenant than the law and the death of Christ much more noble than the sacrifices of the law But that which he addes is not without some difficultie to wit Obiection that the couenant of the Gospel was established vpon better promises For it is certaine that euen the very same hope of eternall life which we now haue was set before the auncient Fathers which liued vnder the law The grace of adoption beeing as common to them as to vs. Their faith then must needs be built vpon the same promises Answere But this comparison of the Apostle must be rather referred to the forme than to the matter For although God did promise them the same saluation which he promiseth vs now at this day yet notwithstanding the measure or manner of reuelation was neither equall nor alike But if any wil see more of this let him haue recourse to our Institution and to that which is written vpon the fourth and fith chapter of the Epistle to the Galathians 7 For if that first Testament had been vnblameable no place should haue beene sought for the second 8 For in rebuking them he saith Behold the daies will come Ier. 32.31 32 33 34. Rom. 11.27 Chap. 10.16 saith the Lord when I shall make with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah a new Testament 9 Not like the Testament that I made with their fathers in the day that I tooke them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt for they continued not in my Testament and I regarded them not saith the Lord. 10 For this is the Testament that I will make with the house of Israel After those daies saith the Lord I will put my lawes in their minde and in their heart I will write them and I will bee their God and they shall be my people 11 And they shall not teach euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them 12 And I will be mercifull vnto their vnrighteousnesse and I will remember their sinnes and their iniquities no more The 12. verse is expounded after verse 10. 13 In that he saith a new Testament he hath abrogated the old now that which is disanulled and waxed old is readie to vanish away FOr if the first Testament Vers 7 c. He confirmes that which he said touching the excellencie of the couenant which god hath made with vs by the hand of Christ Now his confirmation stands vpon this that the couenant or testament of the law was not stable For if it had beene perfect what neede had there beene that another should be put