Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	authority_n	doctrine_n	scripture_n	2,840	5	5.9217	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14353	Most learned and fruitfull commentaries of D. Peter Martir Vermilius Florentine, professor of diuinitie in the schole of Tigure, vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes wherin are diligently [and] most profitably entreated all such matters and chiefe common places of religion touched in the same Epistle. With a table of all the common places and expositions vpon diuers places of the scriptures, and also an index to finde all the principall matters conteyned in the same. Lately tra[n]slated out of Latine into Englishe, by H.B.; In epistolam S. Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos commentarii doctissimi. English	Vermigli, Pietro Martire, 1499-1562.; Billingsley, Henry, Sir, d. 1606.	1568 (1568)	STC 24672; ESTC S117871	1,666,362	944

though they coulde finde no remedye wherby to auoyde reprobation or ells doe put so much confidence therin to liue losely and at pleasure saying that it maketh no matter for that seing they are predestinate they can not be condemned what doe they els but most wickedly abuse a good thing Euery thing ought to be taken by that part wherby it may be holden For a sworde is not drawē by the edge or by the blade but by the Euery thing must be taken by that part wherby it may be holden hafte neyther is a vessell taken by the middest of the bellye but by the handle or eare So predestination ought to be referred to the commodities now declared and not to those thinges which may engender destruction These notes and these titles hath Paule affixed vnto hys name that we shoulde not thinke hym to be a wandryng man which rashlye sowed contentions concernyng religion and that we shoulde vnderstand that there is a great difference betwene Apostles and other common ministers although there be some which dare teach that we must no lesse beleue the Byshop of Rome then Paule the Apostle I graūt in deede that eyther of them do both thunder and lighten but yet after a farre diuers and sundrye manner The Pope thundreth and lightneth with bulles belles gunnes and weapons of warre but Paule hath by the worde of God The Pope and Paule do diuersly thunder and lightē by admonitions rebukinges wholesome doctrine by miracles thundred and lightned in the Church But let vs see by what reason these men defend theyr opinion They say the byshops succeded the Apostles wherefore both haue one and the selfe same authoritie and to both ought we to obey a lyke But we aunswere them thus It is true that the Apostles departyng out of thys world left Byshops to be gouernours ouer Churches but we vtterly deny that Apostles Byshops are not of lyke authoritie Byshops succeding the Apostles are endued with the selfe same or lyke authoritie and that thyng we proue after thys sorte Fyrst because we see that the Apostles were to thys end chosen to constitute the religion and dignitie of the Gospell and to publishe vnto the beleuers the thynges which they had heard of The difference betwene the Apostles Byshops Christ But byshops are to this ende instituted to defend those thynges which are conteyned in the Gospell and in the holy Scriptures which they must so take in hand to defend that they adde no newe thynges vnto them nor fayne any new traditions at theyr owne will and pleasure Farther the holy fathers which were Byshops when they gaue them selues to wryting do confesse that they are onely intreaters or interpreters of the holy Scriptures and will not that those thinges which they write should be had in so great authoritie as we attribute vnto the Canonicall Scriptures yea rather they forbidde that any credite should be geuen vnto them if they speake any thyng agaynst the holy Scriptures Thyrdly to the Apostolicall doctrine were adioyned many miracles wherby theyr authoritie is confyrmed which thyng we see is not done in these traditions of the elders Farther we are sure that the Apostles wrote by the inspiration of the holy ghost which thing vndoubtedly we dare not affirme of our Byshops Wherefore we conclude that the Apostles could not erre in those thynges which they wrote But we see that the Byshoppes very often tymes made vngodly decrees as touchyng rules of religiō as it appeareth in the Counsell of Ariminum and also in the seconde Synode of Ephesus and also in many other yea and they also erred very much in their actes At Chalcedon and Chrysostome deposed Constantinople were Synodes gathered together in which Chrysostome was condempned and deposed which thyng also was done in the name of those Byshoppes which were of a ryght and perfect fayth And there myght be alleaged many examples of the lyke sorte Paule also writing vnto Timothe prayeth hym to saue that which is geuen hym to keepe declaryng that he ought neither to adde nor to diminishe any thyng of the doctrine of the Gospell receaued that is to keepe iustly the thyng committed vnto hym Let thys also be added that the Apostles be so vnto the Bishops and Ordinarye pastours as in the olde time were the Prophetes vnto the high priestes and priestes For they myght write bookes and adioyne them vnto the Canonicall Scripture For Samuell added hys bookes vnto the Scripture Esaie Ieremie and the other Prophets added theyr Monuments vnto the Scripture which thyng the Scribes Priestes and high Priestes could not doe The Apostles called the Gentiles and abrogated the ceremonies of the lawe which thing was aboue the power of the high priestes and priestes The Apostle doth therefore set forth hym selfe by these titles that Why Paul ascribed vnto hym selfe these titles when we read hym or heare hym we should thinke that we heare not the wordes of a man but oracles from heauen Here is also put in the prayse of the Gospell which must bee read by a parenthesis and the same extendeth euen vnto thys place where he sayth To all which are at Rome c. The Gospell to speake brieflye is the preachyng The grosse definitiō of the Gospell takē of the matter of Christ offred vnto vs to saluation accordyng to the promises made in the olde tyme. Thys commendation is taken of the matter which is entreated of in the Gospell because euery science and facultie hath hys dignitie of the thyng that it intreateth of Afterward is geuen an other definition and that is An other definitiō of the Gospell takē of the efficient cause taken of the strength of working namely that the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation that is the instrument wherby Christ would haue vs saued Definitions takē of these causes ought to be ioyned together to the end to haue the more full knowledge of the Gospell In that it is sayd VVhich he had before promysed c. It is a preuenting whereby hee declineth the enuious name of newnes For the Gospell was counted a new doctrine For they which heard Paule thus reasoned with them selues The olde Patriarches and the Prophets had saluation and a Church and yet they wanted your Gospell therefore thys doctrine is not necessary yea rather more then needeth Here Paule confesseth that the elders were saued but The doctrine of the Gospell is not newe not without the Gospell For in as much as God had before promised it by the fayth of thys promise they were all made safe But now it appeareth new doctrine vnto you because ye haue ouerwhelmed thys promise with humane traditions and haue made it obscure with your owne inuentions Thys selfe same argumēt may we at this day make against our aduersaries which cry out that we bryng in new doctrine Vndoubtedly we go about no new thyng but they haue vtterly brought in straunge and new

he is God must be worshipped as he hath declared in the word of the scripture set forth vnto vs in the holy scriptures as a Lord and father they worship him obey him and study to aduaunce his honour as muche as they are able And agayne when they see hym declared as a iudge they set his iudgement seate before theyr eyes in all theyr actions lest they shoulde transgresse in any thinge and incurre the anger of theyr mighty iudge But they doe not so feare hym that they hate hym or that they woulde flye from hym yea and thoughe there were graunted them a place to flye vnto they woulde chose rather to embrace him punishing and chasteninge them And amonge these thinges whiche oughte to haue the principall place as touchinge this spirituall worshipping God is worshipped by obedience is obedience wherof we rede that it is better then sacrifices Neyther had God a regard in a manner to any other thinge in the whole lawe and rites of ceremonies than to haue men truly subiect and obedient vnto him But we forasmuche as we haue contracted a corrupte and viciate nature by the sinne of Adam are in nothyng more diligent and exquisite then to obtrude our own innēcions and fayned rytes for the worshipping of God and greater seueritye is vsed agaynst the transgressors of the Commaundements of men then there is agaynst those which publikely violate the Commaundementes of God A man shall euery where see blasphemers whoremongers adulterers and periured persons laughed at by the magistrates so farre are they of from punishynge them But agaynste hym whiche will vse the sacramentes of the Euchariste in both kinds they rage euen vnto the fyre And to be brief men are condemned to death for neglecting of humayne traditions but for violatinge of the lawe of God they are not so muche as once accused Wherefore God did not without a cause in Deut. commaund Moyses Onely the thynges whyche I haue commaunded shalte thou keepe neyther shalte thou adde nor diminyshe any thynge And we haue A remedye agaynst humane traditions no pr●sēter remedy against this pestilence then dayly to be occupied in the holy scriptures and to gather out of them by what meanes God would declare him selfe vnto vs and to picke out such wayes whereby he hath chieflye commaunded vs to worship him in thus doyng we may wtout any great difficulty serue god in spirite And contrary to this spiritual worshiping is to serue god in flesh To serue God in flesh that is onely wyth fayned rytes and outward ceremonies laying away faith and inward piety This Antithesis or contrarye posicion Paul touched when he sayd vnto the Galathians Yee which began in the spirite beware ye end not in the flesh Those Galathians were rightly instructed but by the deceates of false Apostles they declined vnto the Iewishe ceremonies and outward rites which thyng was to fynish in the flesh that whych was with holynes and vpright 〈◊〉 begonne Vnto the Philippians also he sayth We are the circumcision whiche serue God in sprite hauing confidence in God and not in the flesh Then he manifestlye declareth What it is to trust in the flesh what it is to trust in the flesh saying Although I if any other may put confidence in flesh as whych am of the kindred of Israel of the tribe of Beniamin an Hebrew borne of the Hebrewes and of the secte of the Pharisies by feruentnes persec●tinge the church of Christe and as touchinge iustifications of the lawe I was conuersante without blame c. Thou seest nowe that carnall woorshippynge consisteth of all these thynges But spirituall worshippyng consisteth altogether of fayth and charity Paule addeth In the gospell of his sonne By which wordes he declareth that thys spirituall Nowe God is serued in the Gospell of hys son worshipping if it be expressed in outward workes consisteth principally in this the we should preach Christ that we should allure vnto him as much as lyeth in vs as many of our neyghbours as we can He hath alreadye declared what God he called to witnes now he goeth to the thyng which he woulde haue signifyed vnto the Romanes And that is that he contynually made mencion of them in his prayers Neyther can it hereby be gathered that Paule did alwayes so praye that he neglected other duetyes He preached he iorneyed be laboured with hys handes and fynallye he executed all such thinges as pertayned vnto hys office Wherefore we must not expound those thynges which are here spoken accordyng to the word but according to the sense and we must vnderstand them no otherwise thē that as often as the Apostle prayed he made mencion of them And the prayers of the Saincts are deuided into two kyndes Two kindes of prayer For there are certayn which are appoynted as whē they are had in a publique congregation at appoynted and prescribed dayes the Lordes day I say and if there be any other oppoynted by the Church for publike prayers Farther it is the duety of a Christian man to haue euery day also appoynted haures wherin to pray vnto God and that three times in a day or fyue tymes or seuen times as hys busines wyll suffer him There is an other kynd of those prayers which are called vncertayne for we vse them so often as any present daunger vrgeth vs. But Paule sayth now that he alwayes maketh mencion of these men in his prayers and in some bookes is added this aduerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth euery where althoughe some exemplars haue put it out There were heretikes which were called Messaliani and of them Tripartita Historia maketh mention An heresye of the Messalianits or Euchites They attributed all things vnto prayers and that so much that they vtterly derogated both the word of God and also the sacraments affirming that al these things do nothing profyte but what commodity soeuer we haue the same cōmeth by prayers and they could not abyde to labour wyth theyr handes or to do any other thing If a man had vrged them to worke they would haue said that that nothing profyted for as much as we oughte to do nothinge but pray when as yet the Apostle expressedly admonisheth that he whiche laboureth not ought not also to eate He also wryteth that a man must not neglecte to haue a care ouer his owne especially his houshold which fault if any man commit he should be counted euen as an infidell But omitting this superstition we ought The children or God ought to pray often to attribute much vnto prayers forasmuohe as this is the nature of the children of God to geue themseltes oftentimes to prayers for that is to acknowledge the prouidence of God For whilest we beleue that a man can obtayne nothyng whych is not geuen him of God we are oftentimes prouoked to emplore hys ayde for such necessities as happen And whilest we pray we doo no lesse submitte

things of greate wayght are added signes commonly vsed As when princes are consecrated whē matrimonies are contracted when bargainings gifts or other such like couenaunts of great waight are made For we desire to haue them to the vttermost witnessed and to be knowne not only by reason but also by the sences But there can be no other efficient cause of the sacramentes geuen but either God or our Lord Iesus Christ who also is verily God and of them ought we to haue an euident testimony out of the holy scriptures Which thing is most plainly declared by the definition which we haue now set forth For thus we defined them namelye that sacramentes are signes not indede naturall but appointed that by the will of God And this his will can not be made known vnto vs but onely out of the holy scriptures And therfore it is no hard matter to know how many they are in number in the new Testament We sée y● How many the sacramentes of the new testament are New found out sacramentes excluded Christ instituted Baptisme and the Eucharist but the other sacramentes which the schole deuines set forth can not by the worde of GOD be proued to be sacraments We speake not this as though we deny that matrimony is to be had in reuerence or that the ordinations of ministers is to be retained still or that penance is to be doue although we reiect auriculer confession and other the abuses thereof deny it to be a sacrament otherwise euen we also do highly esteme these things but not as sacraments Neither dislike we with that confirmation whereby children when they come to age should be compelled to confesse their faith in y● church and by outwarde profession to approue that whiche was done in Baptisme when they vnderstoode nothing but yet in such sort that of such an action we frame not a sacramēt But as touching extreme vnctiō it is manifest y● it nothing pertayneth vnto vs especially seing it had no lōger any force then whilest the gifts of healings were extant in the Church And forasmuch as those giftes are now long since taken away it were absurde to kepe still the vayne signe thereof Neither also dyd Why besides baptisme and the Eucharist the rest are not properly sacramentes Basilius putteth vnction amongst traditions neither saith he that it is had out of the scriptures Christ commaund that this vnction should perpetually be vsed in the church But those other things which we before spake of although they may still be wyth profite retained yet are they not properly sacramentes eyther bicause they haue not outward signes or els bicause they wantmanifest words of promises which should by a visible signe be sealed or els bicause there is no commaundemēt of God extant wherby we are bound to obserue these thinges Basilius in his booke de spiritu sancto where he reckneth vp the traditions of the church maketh mencion of the signe of the crosse wherwith we ought to defend our selues and that adorations vppon the Sonday and from the resurrection vnto the feast of Penticost ought to be done standing vpright Amongst others also he reckeneth holy vnction Hereby we sée y● this father held not that this vnction is had out of the holy scriptures which thyng our aduersaries rashly do Farther by his wordes we gather of how great waighte it is when as it is put amongst the number of those thinges which haue now long since growen out of vre Now let vs sée what be the effectes of the sacraments The Effectes of the sacramentes maister of the sentences in the 4. booke in the first dist putteth thre effectes of the sacramentes For he would that as men for pleasure sake haue made themselues subiect vnto thinges sensible and inferiour vnto themselues so now they should for piety sake do the same that of a certaine modesty or as they speake humilitie they should suffer themselues to be made subiect vnto these visible signes of the sacraments By the sacraments we are not made subiect vnto creatures In the sacramentes we are instructed touching thinges diuine But herein he far erreth For by the sacraments we are not made subiect vnto creatures neither ought we to worship them Onely the mind is there erected vnto God that man may be restored vnto his olde dignitie For he is set to be aboue all things which are sene and not to be subiect vnto them The second effect he putteth to be erudition that by the outwarde signes we should be instructed of things heauenly Which thing we also vndoubtedly affirme Lastly he sayth that therfore thei were iustituted that we should not be idle but be profitably exercised in true ceremonies rasting away supersticions But this vnles it be declared is not very plaine For we are sufficiently occupied in beleuing praying readyng of the word of God and doing good to our neighbours But outward ceremonies although they be instituted of God yet without faith they nothing profit Wherfore the exercising of them doth not of it selfe please God Howbeit if faith be presēt supersticions can take no place for that it hath alwayes a regard vnto the worde of God Wherfore after this maner they may be called exercises of faith and of pietie and be counted acceptable vnto GOD. But we will after a better sorte set forth these effectes of the sacraments First we say that they instruct vs which thing is alredye said Secondly that they kindle in vs fayth a desire of the promises of God Thirdly that they knit vs together in a streighter bond of charity for that we are By the sacramentes the holy ghost kindleth in vs fayth Other effectes What thinges are repugnante vnto the sacramentes Vnto the sacraments are sometimes attributed those thinges which long vnto the thinge signified Who be sacramentaries They are not bare signes A sacramēt is not of his owne nature a sacrifice all initiated with one and the selfe same mysteries And to these may two other effects also be added For by the sacraments we are both seperated from other sects also are admonished to lead an holy life But touching grace whither it be conferred by the sacraments or no we shall afterward sée These things being thus ordered there are two thinges which are contrary and repugnaunt vnto the nature of the sacraments The first is if we attribute to much vnto them For by y● meanes is easely brought in idolatry when as that which belongeth vnto God onely is ascribed vnto a creature And if at any time the sacraments are sayd either to saue or to remit sinnes or any such like thing the same ought to be vnderstand of the thing signified and not of the signes For these thinges onely procéede of the promise and liberality of God whiche is sealed vnto vs by visible signes And oftentimes it happeneth that both the scriptures and the fathers seme to attribute vnto the signes those things which only belong

man called into doubt But yet by that litle which he hath may sufficiently be vnderstand what his iudgement was as the saying is that Protogenes knew Apelles by the draught of one line only Ireneus sayth that the old Fathers euē those also which were before the law were iustified by fayth For first when he had spoken of Abraham he ascēdeth from him vnto Loth them vnto Noe and vnto Enoch and afterward he addeth a reason why in these mens time the law was not written Bycause sayth he they were alredy iust vnto whome the law was not geuen For the iust haue the law written in theyr hartes But paraduenture thou wilt scarcely admitte this testimony bycause Ireneus in that place when he speaketh there of Enoch sayth that he was sent a legate vnto the Angells which may seme to be Apocriphall But I thinke that the same is cited not so much out of any booke which is counted apocriphall as out of some old tradition For many things were as it were by hand deliuered vnto the elders which indede are not to be riected so that they be not repugnant with the holy scriptures Otherwise if for that cause we reiect this testimony why do we not also reiect the epistle of Iudas For he also citeth a sentence of Enoch that God shall come with thousands vnto iudgement But wheras Ireneus sayth that Enoch was a Legate vnto the Angells I suppose that it may thus bee vnderstande to say that those Angells were men which were princes and great kinges or such as were borne of the famely of Seth. For so in Genesis the sonnes of God are sayd to haue sene the daughters of men that they were fayre Paraduenture Enoch was sent vnto them by God to reproue them And thus much out of Ireneus Tertullian in his booke of Baptisme sayth that a perfet fayth hath security of saluation Wherfore it is not we alone that haue brought in a perticular fayth touching the remission of sinnes Neyther ought it any thing to moue vs that in that booke he defendeth most manifest errors touching Baptisme and exhorteth men to differ Baptisme till they come to ripe age and not to make hast vnto it before they marry For although we allow not these things yet in y● meane time whilest he entreateth hereof he hath many thinges which ought not to be contēned which were at that time receaued and confessed in the Church So Ciprian when he entreateth of rebaptising of heretikes when they returned vnto the Church hath in the meane time many true and weighty testimonies which we can not reiect although in the very state of the question we vtterly disagrée from him And what father I pray you is there amongest them all which in some one place defendeth not some sentence which is not to be allowed and yet ought not all theyr workes therfore to be contemned For there is no Pomegranet so fayre which hath not in it some rotten carnells Nowe let vs come vnto Origen He in his first booke vppon Iob if yet that be Origens worke thus writeth All thinges which men do whether it be in virginity or in abstinency or in chastity of the bodye or in burning of hys fleshe or in distribution of his goodes all these thinges I say they doo Gratis that is in vaine if they doo them not of fayth In this place whereas he sayth Gratis all men vnderstande in vaine Whiche thing doubtles Pigghius and his companions will not admitte For they will haue these thinges to be certaine preparations vnto iustification But that Origen is by expresse wordes against them those wordes which follow do more plainly declare For thus he writeth That all holines and righteousnes which a man doth without faith he doth it in vaine and to his owne destruction And he citeth this sentence of Paul whatsoeuer is not done of faith is sinne I am sure that neither Pigghius can deny but that Origen in this place maketh on our side that he in that sence vnderstoode these woordes of Paul whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne whiche wordes yet he crieth out that we are accustomed to abuse Althoughe not onely Origen but also Augustine Basilius and other fathers as we haue before taught expound those wordes after the selfe same manner Wherfore he doth vniustly and impudētly accuse vs but if he will say that we must not so much regard what interpretacion the fathers bring but must sée whether the place in the texte may so be taken therin we commend him For we gladly admit appealing from the Fathers vnto the word of God But he ought to haue remembred that it is not the point of a good man to reproue that in others which he doth himselfe Wherefore he should suffer vs also on the other side when the matter so requireth to appeale from the Fathers vnto the scriptures But as touching the very matter we haue els where declared that that sentence of Paul as it written in his Epistle is so to be expounded that of it may be inferred that the woorkes of men not regenerate are sinnes Origen afterward addeth Of whome shall he receaue a rewarde Of him thinke you whome he sought not for whome he hath not acknowledged in whom he hath not beleued He shall not sayth he receaue of him a rewarde but iudgement wrath and condemnation If these thinges be rendred vnto such woorkes who will denye but that they are sinnes Afterward he bringeth a similitude Euen as saith he he which buildeth without a foundation loseth his labour and hath onely trauaile and sorrow euen so it is with him which will build vp good workes without faith And euen as vnto him whiche beleueth all thinges are possible to finde refreshing at his handes in whome he hath beleued so vnto him that beleueth not nothing is possible Euen as the earth without the Sun bringeth not foorth fruites so except the truth of God do through faith shine forth in the hartes the fruite of good workes springeth not forth For so sayth he all that whole yeare wherin Noe was saued from the floud for that the Sunne shined not forth the earth could bring forth no fruite Thus much hath Origen in that place which we haue now cited by whiche we conclude that faith sormeth and maketh perfect al good workes which follow and not that it as these men I can not tell who haue fained taketh and boroweth his forme of them The same Origen vpon the. 4. chap. vnto the Romanes thus reasoneth If he which beleueth that Iesus is Christ be born of God he which is born of God sinneth not thē is it certain that he which beleueth in Christ Iesus sinneth not This kinde of argumēt is called Sorites is allowed of y● Logicians For y● Stoikes were wont oftētimes to vse it The assumptes of this argumēt cannot be denied For they are takē out of the holy scriptures But he addeth afterward And if in case he sinne