Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	catholic_a	church_n	faith_n	6,104	5	5.7683	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19459	A briefe ansvver vnto certaine reasons by way of an apologie deliuered to the Right Reuerend Father in God, the L. Bishop of Lincolne, by Mr. Iohn Burges wherin he laboureth to prooue, that hauing heretofore subscribed foure times, and now refusing (as a thing vnlawfull) that he hath notwithstanding done lawfully in both. Written by VVilliam Couell, Doctor in Diuinitie.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1606 (1606)	STC 5880; ESTC S108879	108,616	174

desire to ouertake and also a common enemie surpriseth vs with aduantage making vs to seeme in the eye of the world to bee of their minde because with greater moderation we abstain from that vehemēt zeale to reformation that others more rashly are trāsported with so that in this case the labour is neither easie nor safe For to answere our brethren at home with that trueth and freedom which both the cause and our loue to their persons doth chalenge from vs is but to open the mouth of the common aduersarie as if wee spake and thought as they doe and out of this feare to suppresse our answere were with much weakenesse to betray the trueth This consideration as it is not of small importance in the whole cause so especially in this point concerning the crosse where the diffence of a lawful ceremony may easily bee thought the erecting of that Idoll whereunto the most superstitious in those later times haue beene corruptly perswaded to giue honor For mine owne pa●t in satisfaction to the Church of Christ whereunto I owe the vttermost of that simple talent which GOD hath giuen mee I Protest that neither out of malice I oppugne our brethren at home nor willingly would bee thought to Patronize the least errour of the Church of Rome neither I hope hath any thing euer passed my pen with so sleight consideration since I was able to deale in this cause whereof I cannot giue a sufficient reason that it is farre from the defence of any error of the Romish Church And therefore in my opinion the late Authour of the Protestantes Apologie hath dealt somewhat vnkindly with mee and others to alledge vs as witnesses for their side but most inconsiderately to the disaduantage of his owne cause who now in the latter end beeing driuen from Scriptures Fathers and Councelles are compelled to support themselues with the wrested mistaken Testimonies of such as haue and are willing to fight against them and yet if wee erre of what valewe are our errours to conuince a trueth The daunger of this euill if it were fully considered by our brethren that will needes striue with vs would make them forbeare all further contention in this cause and Ioyne with our Church in cerimonyes as they doe in doctrine that all like the children of the same wombe might bee readye as with one heart and one voyce to resist their subtill and malicious attempts who vnder colour of Religion and the Catholike faith seeke treacherously the ruine and subuersion both of this Church and this commonwelth And therfore in the Iudgment of all wise and religious men vnexcusable is their paynes and trauell who extend their witts to the vttermost of that they are able to deriue an enuye vpon that gouerment as Infected with Popish superstition wherein hitherto they haue louingly peaceably and plentifully bene brought-vp It seemeth that the vse of the Crosse in Baptisme offendeth not so much as that the Infant by this means is dedicated to Gods seruice because say you If dedicated at which word you take all your offence then either Initiated or consecrated for the words in the Hebrewe doe onely signifie one of these two of which if we graunt the first you peremptorily conclude that Baptisme is made voyde if the second that then this signe is operatiue and hath vertue in it and yet say you in the true vse of speach to dedicate and to consecrate is all one I am sorry that in matters of this consequence for which men can perswade themselues that it is warrantable to forsake their flockes that at the last the conclusion being summed vp it should bee onely a contention of wordes yet I must tell you that to speake properly and as men of Iudgment haue done before vs to consecrate is to make of prophane thinges holy to dedicate is when they are appoynted to some certayne GOD fo● to dedicate or Initiate the Greekes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to consecrate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to sanctifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for to sanctifie as Peter Martyr saith is nothing else but to apply to diuine religious vses or to prepare himself to offer some thing to God Now if it may appeare as doubtlesse it will that not onely religious things were dedicated but other things also and that their dedication was in another kinde without any worship diuine but by first vsing what inconuenience wil follow if in the whole action of baptisme and those prayers that are vsed the Infant be dedicated which in the canon is ascribed vnto the crosse that being the onely externall cerimonie expressing the intention of the whole act Thus Dauids house was dedicated for which was made the thirtieth Psalme the walles of a citie Nehem. 12.27 were dedicated which was nothing else as P. Martyr saith but that the wals of a citie being made vp the people together with the Leuites and Priests and also the Princes went thither and there gaue thanks vnto God because the walle were reedified and prayed that the city might bee righteously vsed This kinde of Dedication was called by the Hebrewes Canach The other which was Chadash was to consecrate things holy to God Now which of these you vnderstand to bee done by the crosse in Baptisme it will not bee greatly material against vs seeing the verie act of Dedication or consecration dependeth not vpon the signe of the crosse but yet so said because the crosse is an anciēt significant cōuenient signe of that act of dedication or consecration which is done in Baptisme by the worde and prayer For our Dedication in Baptisme is as it were a surrēdering of al that tight which our parēts or our selues might haue in our selues into Gods hands wherein as in the dedication both of the Temple and the Tabernacle God gaue a manifest signe that hee tooke possession of both so it standeth with reason that on the Infants behalfe hereafter to put him in minde and for the present to admonish those that are lookers on that the minister signe him with that badge which is the ensigne of his merit victory whom the child must serue The ancient vse of the crosse at all other times was for infidels but in Baptisme for the good of beleeuers which is intended still but as they haue done in this so they exclude the crosse in the dedication of Temples as if it were all one to build a house to God and a parlour or Kitchin to our selues wherin though I allow not greatly the superstitious number of twelue in the building of Churches yet I am not altogether of their opinion who hold crosses vnmeete at the dedication of Temples which if some corruptly haue vsed to a false end wee cannot but mislike their superperstitious intention and yet retaine that warrantable signe which wel becommeth that place which ought to be the religious Schoole-house of Christs death If wee may credit antiquity in the

for information of manners yet seeing in those ancient times some of the fathers did inhibit the reading of them some say they were vsed by the Catechistes as wee permitted base coyne to the Irish some euen Councels forbad the reading of them and seeing by their first more innocent then prudent admission of them to be read in assemblies they wonne as appeareth in the third Councell of Carthage the stile first of Canonicall Scriptures and afterward the full dignity and haue since iustled with the Canon as Ismael did with Isack for precedēce and hauing wonne it by this stratagem do maintaine their stile from the s●me reason of being read and that euen amongst vs me thinks there was neuer so great cause of aduancing them so neare the Chayr of estate as is now of teaching them to know their distances eyther by sylencing their voyces in the assemblies as most of the reformed Churches do or else by teaching them to speake in a different time as doe those Churches that read them while the cōgregation is gathering not as parts to diuine seruice or at least that euery Minister were ioyned to giue them their note of difference that the people might know and discerne the voice of God from the voice of good men And if Hierom translating some of them did giue them a brand of difference why should not we in the reading Or if the elder brother suffer not the yonger to giue the armes of his house without a Crescent to distinguish them how will God that is so Iealous of his Honour put it vp that wee put no sensible difference betwixt the children of his spirit and the baser sonnes of men though good men In which cause my Lord I am the more earnest because I finde at the Conference Hierom taxed for calling them Apocripha and there though not truely for Cyril did it before him saide to bee the first that so termed them and his exceptions called the old euils of the Iewes and I find thē also tearmed Canonicall ad mores as if any writing but Gods could be properly Canonical which is co ipso canonica quo authentica as D. Whitaker well saith which make one feare that which I am loth to feare or speake must make me by so much the more afraid of allowing their admission by how much they incroch vpon the prerogatiues royoll of the Scriptures eyther in titles or in vsage ANSVVER THe custome of accusing the lawfull ordinances of this Church hath imboldened some men aboue both dutie and reason to continue still vehement in their first opposition which peraduenture at the beginning was vndertaken without cause this land as it neyther doth nor I hope euer shall professe any other doctrine but that which is sincere and true Our home aduersaries confessing that for the substance of Religion it maintayneth the true and the holy faith so for our publike Lyturgye which now is misliked by you wee will first take the censure of one as strickt as any that liued eyther since or before him and after if wee be further vrged enter into the particular defence of all that iustly can bee misliked in our Church not that wee are willing to giue any strength to this last errour or to flatter for aduancement the eye or the hand of this time an infirmitie which we hope shall not cleaue vnto vs but because wee are perswaded in conscience that the holy Spirit hath directed the consultations of the fathers of our Church euen then when first they banished superstition to frame by the assistance of a Diuine power a publike seruice of God in this land purer for the matter more effectuall for vse more chast for ceremonie more powerfull to procure deuotion then any Lyturgye publicklye established since the defection from the primitiue Church Of which as I promised I must tell you what Maister Deering said Looke if any line be blameable in our seruice take holde of your aduantage I thinke Maister Iewell will accept it for an article our seruice is good and godly euerie title grounded vpon holy Scriptures and with what face doe you call it darknesse But men are ashamed to seeme guiltie who alwaies haue beene Iudges or at least accusers That then which you mislike in this place for the rest wee shall indeuour to defend when wee come vnto them is the reseruation euen of the parcels of those Chapters some parts whereof we reiect as drosse that is to summe vp your whole accusation in few words that no Apocripha is publikely to be read in diuine seruice The Church of Christ according to her authoritie receiued from him hath warrant to approoue the Scriptures to acknowledge to receiue to publish and to commaund vnto her children so then that the Scriptures are true to vs wee haue it from the Church but that we beleeue them as true in themselues we haue it from the holy Ghost By this power the Church hath severed those parcels of Scripture by the name of Apocripha from those which vndoubtedly were penned from Gods Spirit In this diuision neyther hath the light nor the approbation beene all one seeing euen some partes penned by the holy Ghost and so now generally approued both by the Church of Rome and vs haue had some difficulty not without great examination to be admitted into the Catalogue of Gods Canon As the Epistle to the Hebrewes of S. Iames the second of Peter the second and third of Iohn the Epistle of Iude and the Reuelation And howsoeuer those that were neuer doubted of may seeme to haue in some sort greater authoritie then those that were yet wee giue them saith M. Zanchy equall credit with the rest and to the Apocripha the next place of all other to the holy Scripture The Canonical only wee allow for probation of the doctrine of Faith but the other being proued for the confirmation therof Nay the Church of Rome confesseth howsoeuer they and wee differ which are Canonicall that the Apocripha in the Canon are to haue no place Saint Austin calleth by a larger acceptation of the word Canonicall euen those which though they had not perfect and certaine authority yet accustomably were read in the Church to edefie the people a custome as it seemeth neither now nor differing from the practise of our Church Athanasius allowed them to some men The third Coūsel of Carthage not at al. Cyrill Bishoppe of Ierusalem reiectes them from beeing read in the Church of whome Doctor Whitakers whome you alledge giueth this censure in this Cyrill peraduēture was ouer vehement which forbad these bookes to be read at all For other Fathers although they accounted them Apocripha yet they permitted them to be read And Saint Hierome speaketh of the booke of wisdome and of Ecclesiasticus out of which two is more read in our seruice then out of al the Apocripha besides that they may be reade to the edification

necessitie or to conclude out of this care that the Church declyneth to a necessitie ouer rigorous and such as formerly was oppugned in our Church 2 Misconstrued the speech of the most reuerend father the now Lord Archbishoppe of Canterbury who as you say made no exception of Gods eternall purpose It cannot bee ignorance but want of charity which maketh you to misconster him thus seeing euen from that learned Deane who penned the whole conference you might haue collected what manner of necessitie was vrged by him his words are these which word Necessity he so pressed not as if God without Baptisme could not saue the childe but the case put that the state of the Infāt dying vnbaptized being vncertain to God only knowne but if it dy baptised there is an euident assurāce that it is saued What could be more religious agreeable to the doctrin of truth or more necessary in these presūptuous times wherin a Sacrament of so absolute necessity by practise of some is growen into such contempt which necessity if at any time wee haue denyed dealing with those of the church of Rome It is because ouerstrictly they bind frō the act done grace to the Sacraments as if none that receiue them could want it or none receiue that grace that do want them 3 False that the plac● of S. Iohn is not vnderstood of the Sacramēt of Baptisme which you seeking to shun least you shold magnify Baptisme ouermuch ought to take heed least you run into the contēpt therof the one being that wherūto al mē are inclined the other bringing lesse hurt to the church by a necessity ouer absolute which serueth but to make al men carefull not to neglect a thing of such institutiō so great vse whilst a fear to establish an absolute necessity bredeth by degrees a contēpt of that which is the only ordinary way into the church of Christ in heauē the only way into the church vpō earth And because the Iews had many rites which in a larger acceptatiō were called Sacramēts but in a strict acceptation as we only two to distinguish betwixt these the other it is added not without cause to the catechisme that there be two sacramēts as generally necessary to saluatiō noting that ours succeeding two of theirs Circūcision the Passouer retain a necessity as theirs more aboue the rest so that the intētion of our church being neither differing frō it self nor frō the doctrin of truth in this point you need neither feare by subscription to giue your allowance nor doubt least your subscriptiō might iustly be pleaded to a bad sence APOLOGY MY secōd exceptiō about the Sacramēts is to the interrogatories in Baptisme made to the child answered by the suretyes that this fashion was causlesly needlesly trāsferred frō those of years forerūners to Infāts free born in the church I hold with Beza Bullinger Zepper others yet thought it not vnlawful in this cōstruction namely that this professiō made in the childs name shold not import either such a distinct faith in the child which saith Austin were Insanus error or that the faith of the sureties should auaile the Infāt which the word reiecteth or that the sureties vndertook that the childe shal hereafter make good this profession which were Insana presūptio but that this profession was thus made by the mouthes of the Godfathers partly to admonish the vnderstāding congregation of that couenāt which Baptisme really inioyneth to euery Christian euen as the Prophet spake to the dead Altar to admonish liuing Ieroboam the Prophets as Chrisostom notes spake to the vnreasonable creatures to teach reasonable men how vnreasonable they were become and secondly to cast vpon the Godfathers a kind of charge with it an aduantage of calling vpon this childe when he came to yeares to knowe answere that stipulation of Baptisme which they made profession of as in his name whē he was Baptized to shew what he should haue done himselfe if he had bin of years in this sense I thinke it lawfull though perhaps too obscure and vnnecessarie But my Lord if the Catechisme which making Faith and Repentance that is the profession of Faith and Repentance necessary to those that are to be baptyzed proceeds to say that Infants perform this faith and repentance by their sureties If I say this intend as it doth insinuate a necessitie of such a profession to be made in the childes name before it might bee admitted to the Sacrament as I reiect that conceipt as an error fauoring this Anabaptisticall opinion that faith must fore-goe the Sacrament of Baptisme so I dare not subscribe to the practise so inioyned and intended and would wish it changed into that course that Bucer aduised ANSVVER IT seemeth there is a curious desire of reprehension in those men who are willing to reproue the practise of their owne Church for that which is a custome ancient necessarie and of much vse wherein wee reprehend not alone the disposition of such but wee are ready to let the world see that the things themselues are most innocent which they doe reproue Most of them are not yet come so farre as to deny Baptisme to Infants an arrour which may follow from their former opinions if they suffer Scisme to growe in them and humours to bee rules for conscience but they are ready to professe that there is no saith in the childe required to Baptisme and that to bee borne of faithfull Parents is as much for their admission into the Church as the profession of the faith which they make by the mouthes of others This as it is vnthankfull to spurne at the indulgence of the Church so it is a contempt of duety which God requireth on our part there is no attainment to life but through the onely begotten sonne of God nor by him otherwise then being such for beleefe as wee ought as if those Articles in the iudgement of God were set downe for all men first to subscribe vnto whom by Baptisme the church receiueth into Christs schoole and seeing no religion inioyeth sacraments the signes of Gods loue vnlesse it haue also that faith whereupon sacramēts are built could there as one well noteth which I am sory you obserued not before you stumbled at these doubts be any thing more conuenient then that our first admittance to the actuall receipt of his grace in the sacrament of Baptisme should be consecrated with profession of beleefe which is to the kingdome of God as a key the want whereof excludeth Infidels both from that and from all other sauing grace And howsoeuer we say with S. Austin that Infants haue not a present Actuall habit of faith yet they haue then the foundation of that wherupon afterward they build the first ground whereof was laid by the sacrament of Baptisme so that without any madd presumption as you tearme it we may say truly of