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	holy_a	scripture_n	3,181	5	5.9823	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03884	A treatise concerning the church Wherin it is shewed, by the signes, offices, and properties therof, that the Church of Rome (and consequently such particuler churches as liue in her communion) is the only true church of Christ. VVritten in Latin, by the Reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by I.L. of the same Society. The third part of the second controuersy.; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13997B; ESTC S114238	53,360	142

alwayes euer since the Apostles tyme performed ●ea there are many heresies the which euen our Aduersaries doe condemne which were in tymes past not by any genera●l Councell but only by the Church of Rome suppressed as that of the Pelagians Donatists Priscillianistes c. 18. The fi●th reason The office of the true Church is by her name cōmunion to distinguish true Catholikes from false and counterfaite but by the name and Communion of the Roman Church Catholikes were alwayes distinguished from heretikes He asked the Bishop sayth S. Ambrose speaking of his brother whether he agreed with the Catholike Bishops that is to saywith the Roman Church So also S. Ambrose and S. Victor Vticensis who liued in S. Augustines tyme do testi●y that the Arians were wont to call Catholikes Romans or Romanists the same w●iteth S. Gregory Turonensis of the Arrian Gothes which were in Spaine The Bishops also of Spayne being cōuerted from Arianisme to the Catholike fayth among other things they condemned a certayne booke set for●h by the Arians with this title The passage o● the Romans to the Arrian Church So the heretiks called Paulitians called Catholikes Romanists as Euthimius testi●ieth Soe finally now adayes Chatholikes are by our Aduersaries called Papists and Romists of the Pope and Bishop of the Roman Church 19. The sixt reason the office of the true Church is to keepe and mayntaine the holy Scripture faithfully continually But our Aduersaries can assigne noe other Church as keepers of the holy Scrip●ures besides the Roman Church Therfore it is only the true Church of God For our A●uersar●es cannot say that they receaued the holy Scripture from heauen ●or from any i●uisible and vnknowne Church but from the visible Roman Church Wherefore sayth Caluin It is most certaine that all the writings os the Prophets and Apostles came no otherwise to all posterity but as it were from hand to hand deliuered vnto vs by the auncient Fathers continually from yeare to yeare Thus he But none hath deliuered the Bibles frō hād to hand but the Romā Church Wherefore it is as certaine that the Roman Church is the true Church of Christ as that the holy Scripture is true Scripture seeing we do not know this which we haue to be true Scripture but by the authority tradition and testimony of the Roman Church 20. Vnto this that also belongeth which we haue proued before to wit that the true Church doth not only giue a bare testimony but also sufficient authoritie to the holy Scriptures for this the onelye Roman Church and no other aboundātly performeth 21. The seauenth reason The office of the true Church is to iudge of all controuersies which do arise among Christians eyther in points of fayth or other Ecclesiasticall affayres But to the Roman Church only and to no other besides all controuersies were brought which arose in the Church eyther in fayth or other Ecclesiasticall matters For vnto this as to the seate of S. Peter and the supreme Church all had recourse who had any iniury or wrong done them So S. Athanasius Patriarch of Alexandria so Peter his successor so S. Iohn Chrysostome Patriarch of Constantinople and many others did of whom Bellarmine and Baronius more at large the which Caluin also cannot deny 22. Heereunto also it belongeth that the Roman Church hath confirmed all generall Councels lawfully assembled as Bellarmine declareth and Baronius more at large in euery age 23. The eight reason The office of the true Church is to ordaine appoint lawfull Pastors and Ministers of the Sacraments and to conserue alwayes the ordinary vocatiō as we also proued before But our Aduersaries can assigne no other Church but the Roman which hath alwayes had this ordinary vocation and cō●inuall succession of Pastors and the ordinary authority to send and institute Pastors in the Church of God 24. The ninth reason The office of the true Church is to teach a true faith without any error so that in no one point of doctrine necessary to saluation she may erre as we haue already proued out of holy Scriptures But our Aduersaries can shew no other Church besids the Romā which hath not often erred in fayth Neyther dare our Aduersaries affirme that there is as yet among them any visible Church which cannot erre in fayth But Doctor Sanders Bellarmine Coccius and L●ro●ius do most euidētly demostrate that the Roman Church neuer erred hitherto in doctrine concerning matters of faith 15. And heere it is to be considered that in all other Churches found●d by the Apostles yea in the Patriarks seates themselues there haue not b●n only heresies but also many Archbishops heretikes but only the Roman Church among them all hath alwaies byn free vnsteined with any heresy The which Caluin doth plainly acknowledge when he writeth that the Roman Church in the tyme of old heresyes was not so troublesome as other Churches were and that it kept more exactly then the rest the doctrine once deliuered vnto her by the Apostles But he badly ascribeth this to the power and strength of nature or to the generous dispositiō of the Romans not to the prouidence and grace of God 26. Much better did the auncient Bishops of Rome referre it to the singular prouidence of God and to the praier of Christ of the which Christ himselfe speaketh when he sayth But I haue prayed for thee Peter that thy fayth fayle not And indeed Bellarmine alledgeth seauen auncient Bishops of Rome which attribute this to the prayer of Christ. 27. The tenth reason The proper and chiefest office of the true Church is to bring men to their eternall saluation so that without her helpe or without her we cannot hope to be saued as we proued before by our Aduersaries doctrine We aske therfore of them whether our predecessors who liued vnder the Bishops of Rome these thousand yeares past were all damned or no they dare not affirme they were damned but out of the true Church of God we cannot hope for saluation the Roman Church therfore wherein they liued and obteined their saluation is the true Church of Christ. CHAP. V. By the signes of the true Church it is declared that the Roman is the true Church of Christ. WE haue declared out of the holy Scriptures that there are foure most certaine signes of the true Church of Christ all which doe proue the Roman to be the same Church we speake of 2. First as concerning the vnity of faith and doctrine the Church of Rome hath the same faith in all and euery particular point therof with the primitiue Church as also with that Church which hath continued now for the space of almost a thousand six hundred yeares as Coccius clearely declareth out of the writings of all both auncient and late Historiographers and that through euery article now in Controuersy And we will hereafter

lawfully assembled and seeme to proceede orderly the definitions notwithstanding thereof will not be altogeather certayne according to the opinion of many Catholikes vnlesse they haue their approbation from the Bishop of Rome if he be not present at the Councell The reason is because before that the Councell be approued and allowed of by the Pope it is as yet an vnperfect body of Christ without any visible head and such a body may stumble fall 11. And hence it is that the Councell of Trent demanded her confirmation from Pius 4. who solemnely afterward confirmed it The which also the other auncient Councells demaunded yea euen those which our Aduersaries do admit as for example the first Nicene Councell that of Calcedon the sixt Synod to omit other later Councells 12. The first is that we affirme a Generall Councell approued by the Pope cannot erre in fayth The reason is because it is altogeather necessary that there be some supreme iudgmēt in the Church of God wherunto all should submit themselues and belieue assuredly in all matters in Cōtrouersy as we haue proued before but there can be no other supreme iudgment but this 13. Moreouer we see that euen frō the beginning of the Church till now all heresies and controuersies concerning matters of faith haue byn still ended taken away by the generall Councels Wherfore they who deny this do open make way for all old Heresies The which when our Aduersaries had learned by experience in the Anti-trinitarians Anabaptistes Vbiquitarians and such other sectes they were forced to admit those six more auncient Councels as we sayd before but the authority of all Generall Councells is alike and equall 14. Finally our Aduersaries themselues acknowledge that there is no better or surer remedy to roote out and take away all her●sies therfore eyther this is a certaine remedy or els there is none at all the which to affirme were to deny the prouidence of God and his loue of his Church 15. Moreouer that which our Aduersaries say to wit that the later Councels are not lawfull Assemblies because they haue not obserued due manner and forme is a false lye first because it doth not become euery priuate man to be iudge in this matter but it belongeth to the whole Church who hauing receyued for so many ye●res all these as lawfull Councells we must not call them any more in question 16. And seing that our Aduersaries do imbrace and approue the six first Councels the lawfull forme to be obserued in Councells is to be fetched from them the which is exactly obserued in the later Councells as Baronius sheweth euidently in euery one of the first six Councells But Caluin acknowledgeth no lawfull manner of any synodicall assembly nor any such to be gathered togeather in the name of Christ but where all things are proued by Scripture only reiecting all Ecclesiasticall traditions but we haue already proued that the Traditions of the Church of God are as a principall and chiefest part of the word of God 17. Yea euen this was the only cause why S. Cyprian and so many other holy Byshops erred in the African Councells when they determined that all those who were christned by Heretikes should be baptized againe for they confirmed this their opinion very probably by many places of holy Scripture but they reiected the auncient tradition of the Church the which they knew very well was opposite to this error as though it had byn contrary to the holy Scriptures as S. Vincentius Lyrinensis declareth very well and before him S. Augustine in many places 18. And that which is more S. Augustine manifestly writeth that he had byn of S. Cyprians opinion by reason of those probable reasons which were deduced out of holy Scripture but that the whole Catholike Church had defined the contrary And as the same holy Father teacheth at large they most of all oppugne the custome of the Church which were in the same error with S. Cyprian obiecting among other thinges that place of the holy Scripture the which our Aduersaries now adayes obiect against vs. God saith I am the truth he doth not say I am the custome Vnto whome S. Augustine answereth very well that the custome of the Church is not opposite to truth but it is euen truth it selfe 19. Our Aduersaries arguments are of small account or moment Caluin bringeth in the example of Caiphas and of the Iewish Councell wherin Christ wa● condemned the same argument Beza also alledgeth But who doth not know that this was neyther a generall Councell whereunto Christ was not called nor any other true belieuer nor lawfull in it selfe seing that it was not assembled in the name and authority of Christ who was then the supreme head of the visible and militant Church as also because it was called togeather against the true Church of God by the wicked and cursed Synagogue of the Iewes For that was the true Church which adhered vnto Christ and belieued in him but that other which was altogeather depriued had lost the true faith of Christ was rather a fit Church for Sa●han and other infernall spirits And I meruaile truly that Caluin ●nd Bez● do alledge that Councell as true and lawfull which was assembled against Christ himselfe as also by those who were not true belieuers in Christ yea who were filthily stayned with the most heynous synne of infidelity as Christ himselfe witnesseth but we willingly leaue such a Church and Councell to our Aduersaries 20. It was also manifestly foretould by the Prophet that Christ should not be receyued by the Iewes and that the Synagogue of the Iewes should then fall from her faith But the holy Scriptures teach the plaine contrary of the true Church of Christ to wit that Christ and his spirit shall remayne with her for euer 21. But neyther is that other argument which Caluin and Beza vse any better to wit that S. Augustine would not vrge the authority of the Councell of Nice against Maximinus the Arian For neyther can we vrge the authority of the new testament against the Iewes not because we haue any doubt thereof but because the Iewes do not admit the new Testament In the same manner when that Arian would not admit the Councell of Nice but did plainly rei●ct it S. Augustine should in vayne haue vrged the authority therof for otherwise it is well knowne that S. Augustine neuer had any doubt of the fayth explicated in the Councell of Nice the which euen our Aduersaries imbrace as the most true word of God 22. Such as desire to see any more concerning this controuersy of the Generall Councells let them read Bellarmine in his first second booke of the Church militant and Coccius in his first Tome the seauenth booke the 21. 22. article CHAP. XI Of the Authority of the auncient Holy Fathers NOvv it remayneth