Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A91516
|
The right religion, reviewed and inlarged / by L.P. Gent.
|
L. P., Gent.
|
1658
(1658)
|
Wing P74C; ESTC R181384
|
42,130
|
187
|
Religion having been generally received for a divine truth maketh it altogether impossible for any Pope to be or to have been the first Contriver of it What is further alledged in opposition of Religion from perswasion power and custome makes against other Religions which depend upon fancy shewing that nimblenesse of wit volubility of tongue may gain belief of such power grown terrible fright into a profession of the same and custome give a good likeing and zeal of both So Luther and Calvin perswaded their Novelties Queen Elizabeth forced a profession of them and custome rendred them to most seeming good and true and not against the Roman Catholique Religion that hath its relyance upon the certain universality of Tradition Christ's never failing assurance of the holy Ghosts assistance and which by reason of its austerity and strictness of its profoundness and incomprehensibility of its restless ayming at proficiency and growth in vertue and perfection had to enter the lists and encounter with them all with flesh and blood as to which suffering and pain would be troublesome and displeasing with reason as to which heavenly mysteries would seem strange and mazefull with power as to which new endeavours would be suspectfull and provoking to Custome as to which Change would be repugnant and destructive To say truth it is a clear demonstration of truth in the Roman Catholique Religion that having to struggle with flesh and blood with the bloody crueltyes of the fiercest Tyrants it should be able maugre all their oppositions by meanes of a few contemplible men to prevail so as to gain and keep the Dominion and mastery of the cheifest and largest part of the Earth CHAP. 11. Of set Prayer EXtravagancies being simpton's and tokens of distemper it is a plain case that the traducers of set Prayer are not well at ease For what more extravagant than to levell and strike at the very Acts of Christ and his Church as these doe scripture declaring expressely that as well the one as the other have made and imposed set prayer mark well the words When ye pray Mat. 6. let it be Our father loset prayer made and imposed by Christ Have ye a form of sound words 2. Tim. 1. Observe them that walk so as you have our form sing unto our Lord in Psalms hymns Canticles Phil. 3 Here the Church in St Paul makes and imposes set Prayer and as for their power in doing it Christ sayes first for himself All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth John 14. next for the Church Mat. 16. hee that heares you heares me neither grant is limitted or restrained and the end of both is to instruct in all Chrstian duty therefore must needs reach prayer as a chief part thereof I quarrel not with extemporary prayer in gifted persons if all ought to improve their talents why should any be debarred the use which is the meanes to improvement All I contend is that Christians are to have a regard of decency and order for that Christ who is the God of order and not of confusion came not to bestow the beautifull and pretious jewell of Christianity upon a confused and hell-like multitude but upon a well ordered company consisting of a perfect subordination of inferiours to superiours amongst whom as there is a commanding power so there is a duty to obey a power being to small purpose unless it can challenge observance Nevertheless superiors having not tyed up all inferiours actions but left some loose and free as extemporary power c inferiours may pray at pleasure of their private store so as they doe not passe their bounds to find fault and clash with superiours it is not at all misbecoming a householder to order his family after his own mode if it be done without opposition to or contempt of the lawes but should the sun it self in its naturall motion resist or thwart the common motion of the heavens it must undoubtedly discompose marre the melodiousness of their harmony The Exception against set prayer that it hinders attention and elevation hath not the least ground because extemporary prayer requiring study is rather apt to distract and beat down whiles it seeks and dives to find out what to say whereas set prayer being made to our hands needs no study and consequently brings no such inconvenience CHAP. 12. Of the meanes to reconciliation with God HAving thus endeavoured to set forth a sound and good Christian handsomeness of order requires to declare next a Remedy for such as are diseased and ill in complyance wherewith I shall say that Christ hath appointed repentance as the onely safe and sure meanes to reconciliation and doubtless so it is for diseases as well spirituall as corporall are properly to be cured by contraries and the Spirituall disease of an ill Christian in pride malice whose contraries are faith humility fear Love sorrow hope purpose of amendment confession and satisfaction all which are the essentialls of Repentance and being soe argue desperateness in those that dare hazard their reconciliation upon confidence of forgiveness which rather sydes with than opposes their disease as will appear by stating the case betwixt man and man thus a Master bearing affection to his servant bestowes on him favours and benefits this servant instead of deserving growes savage and insolent insomuch that he reviles and abuses his good Master afterwards reflecting upon his ingratitude calls to mind his Masters worth thence raiseth to himself a confidence that he hath forgiven him Clearly this proceeding is so far from lessening that it increaseth this servants offence as adding thereto presumption Now Gods friendship surpassing mans imperfection the breach of it must be worse and consequently a greater and more exact reparation is necessary It behooveth then every Christan desirous of spirituall health to beware of this impertinent and pernitious confidence and when Conscience accuses of sinne to take Christs Remedie as followeth in the first place by way of Preparative crave Gods assistance then stir up an Act of humility by acknowledging your unworthiness an act of faith by considering Gods omnipotence veracitie an Act of fear by considering his severity in punnishing sinne an Act of love by considering his goodness in creating preserving redeeming and adopting you to be his Child an Act of sorrow by considering his displeasure and your losse an Act of hope by considering his promises of mercy which done make a firm purpose to doe so no more confess your fault and take upon you some Penance of Prayer fasting or Almes-deeds in part of satisfaction for the injury offered This way may benefit Christians of all perswasions but can hurt none because Religion though it be above yet it is not against reason and prudence allowes you encourageth the tryall of safe and harmless meanes great affaires seldom complain of too much care and diligence there being in good no danger of excess And here it will not be unseasonable
to Christs Mediation either in confounding or equalling the same with that of Saints and Angells that she puts as wide a difference betwixt them as can be betwixt two things of different appellations acknowledging in Christs Mediation a worth or right whereto the thing desired is of Justice due in the mediations of Saints and Angells onely a vertue of moving Gods goodness and mercy to grant their desires which being not held in jurious to Christs Mediation to allow of as good in the prayers of sinners hated and abominated by God for their Crimes and iniquities much less ought it to be esteemed a wrong to attribute it to the intercession and prayers of Saints and Angells whose purity and sanctity render them gracious and pleasing in the sight of God 2. It will be opposed in the vast distance as is betwxt heaven and earth Saints and Angells cannot hear Repl. blessed Soules in their state of separation have as Angells Luke 15. an hearing quite other from that of soules immersed and plunged in flesh and blood these hear by meanes of corporall organs which limited within a certain distance cannot receive impression out of the same Those hear with their understandings which are by so much the more open and quick of apprehension by how much the less their dependence is on matter The Saints then being freed of Corporall Cloggs may hear at any distance 3. It will be opposed Be it Saints can hear at what distance soever yet this is not possible unless objects be proposed and what capacity in prayers sent sofar off as to reach to Heaven Repl. Catholiques boast not of any such vertue in their prayers but they beleive as is confessed by all that God is every where in Heaven on Earth and all the way betwixt both and that he is the cheif and principall cause of all effects and so of mans prayers Now it being proper for every cause to relate to its effects and so to represent the same as looking glasses do faces and other opposed objects the Saints whose happiness consists in a clear vision of God must needes see and behold amongst other effects of his goodness and mercy the Petitions of those who become humble suitors to them 4. It will be opposed If Saints and Angells hear not mens prayers before God proposeth them he knoweth them beforehand whence may be inferred that their intercession is needless Answer Gods foresight of mens prayers makes not the intercession of Saints and Angells any way unprofitable or fruitless inasmuch as the effect intended thereby is not to better Gods understanding but to obtain from his blessed will mercy and compassion For which the intercession of Saints and Angells is powerfull as well because it is an act of fervent Charity the practise whereof is most pleasing and acceptable to God as also because Saints and Angells are Gods freinds and favourites Princes have often notice of subjects imprisonments and condemnations yet seldome give reprieves or enlargements but at the entreaty of some freind or favourite Men are warranted yea wished to pray for one another 1. Tim. 2. notwithstanding God hath the foresight of their wants and necessities Davids adultery and guilt of blood were in the sight of God unpardoned till after a low humiliation and an hearty acknowledgment of his fault 1. King 12. Objection 6. 1. The sixth Objection is the Roman Church entertaineth division and Contrariety in Religion the Dominicans maintaining a Phisicall predetermination The Jesuits a morall Those that the Virgin Mary was conceived in originall sinne these that she was prevented by Grace conceived in the same And if this be not enough to inferre contrariety in Religion severall Councells have contradicted each other Answer Not every difference but a difference in pointes of faith makes division and contrariety in Religion the Dominicans and Jesuits onely quarell about opinions it being no matter of beleif that Gods predetermination is Phisicall or Morall or that the blessed Virgin was conceived in originall sinne or in grace These are meer Schoole nicities and not at all destructive to that unity which Catholiques so much Reverence in Religion It is as untrue that generall and approved Councells have contradicted one another in matters of Faith or Occumenicall decrees They have indeed talked and discoursed contrary yea latter Councells have altered and changed Laws and constitutions of government made and established by former But this onely proves that Councells admit a liberty and freedome to debate matters of Religion and that what was once good and convenient may prove afterwards Circumstances varying bad and inconvenient which no wayes prejudices beleif And this is it and all St Austïn hints where he sayes the precedent generall Councells are mended by the following lib. 2. Cont. Donatist Cap. 9. Objection 7. 1. The seventh objection is the Roman Church is injurious to Christs merits approving of humane merits Answer Reason and experience shew a diversity of Agents That as some are necessitated as beasts other some are fee as men and therefore capable of merit and demerit whereby they are differenced from beasts which are uncapable of either The Assertion then of humane merits is no other wrong to Christ than the affirming of a plain and clear truth can be wrong to him 2. It will be opposed men are capable of merit and demerit in order to temporall but not to eternall reward Repl. As God hath enabled men to deserve temporall so eternall Rewards as is apparent in Scripture terming Heaven a Crown of Justice a Reward a Goale 2. Tim. 4. Math. 5.1 Corint 9. which necessarily suppose merits as their correlatives bare actions void of desert being look'd on onely as by way of gift It were indeed no less than Blasphemy to go about to equall in worth other merits with Christs but the Roman Church offereth not any such thing whilest she beleiveth Christs merits to be of infinite value others onely of finite Christs merits to have their desert and worth from no other others to hold dependance for both of them Rather the Roman Church by asserting other merits and withall acknowledging their desert and worth to flow from Christs merits attributeth more to Christs merits than they do who deny other merits For hereby are yeilded to Christs actions a capacity of meriting themselves and a communicability of the same to other actions which are two perfections and to acknowledg two perfections in a thing is undoubtedly to give more to that thing than to acknowledg onely one 3. It will be opposed All actions besides Christs are dutyes and dutyes are inconsistent with merit Repl. They are so without Covenant and acceptance so is obedience in a Childe a servant a subject due to his father his master his Prince Nevertheless as a father a master a Prince making a Compact to gratify some particular act of his Childe his servant his subject innables the same and entitles it to what was promised even so by the meanes