Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	church_n	doctrine_n	unwritten_a	1,841	5	12.2029	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97360	The works of the judicious and learned divine Dr. Thomas Taylor, part 1. sometimes preacher of Aldermanbury, London. Published by himself in his life time, in several smaller volumes, now collected together into three volumes in fol. two of which are here bound together. The first volume containing, I. An exposition on the 32. Psalm ... The second volume containing, I. An exposition of the parable of the sower and seed, on Luk. 8. ... The third volume is in the press, and will containe in it, I. The progress of sts, to full holinesse ...	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1659 (1659)	Wing T560A	683,147	498

apart to their several offices by laying on of mens hands upon them even so God laid his hands on these that is Christ immediately by his own voyce called these to be witnesses unto him which was one of the priviledges of the Apostles 2 The Apostle in the words expresseth himself by limiting them to themselves to us namely Apostles who ate and drunk with him not only who before his death lived as it were at bed and board with him but after hee rose from the dead that we might not be deceived in our witnesse of him 3 To us whom be commanded to preach and testifie namely to the whole world these things together with his coming again to judgement Now for the further clearing of this publick witnesse of the Apostles wee will consider three things 1 That these twelve were appointed by Christ himself to this witnesse which the Apostle Peter plainly concludeth Act. 1.22 where speaking of one to be elected into Judas his room he saith he must be chosen of one of them which have companied w●th us all the time that the Lord Jesus was conversant among us beginning at the Baptism of John unto the day that he was taken up implying that whosoever was not thus qualified he was not fit to be made such a publick witnesse with them of his resurrection because to the making of an Apostle was necessary either an ordinary converse with Christ upon earth or else an extraordinary sight of him in Heaven by which latter Paul who made an honourable accesse to that number proved himself an Apostle T●e second thing is how they were furnished to this witnesse By what means the Apostles were furnished to their witness and this was su●●y ways 1 By their senses they ate and drunk with him that is were in a familiar sort conversant with him after he rose again 2 By word of mouth he gave them charge and commandement to doe it of both which wee are to speak in the text 3 By a Sacrament or sign of breathing upon them he confirmed them to their vocation saying As my Father sent me so I send you 4 By adding thereunto the thing signified for he opened their understandings and made th●m able to conceive the Scriptures and unfold all the Mysteries therein so farre as was behoveful for the Church 5 By bestowing sundry other great gifts upon them sending the Holy Ghost upon them in the likeness of fiery Tongues whereby they received the gift of Tongues he gift of Miracles of casting out Devils of healing the Sick by imposition of hands of preserving from poyson and deadly things of the Apostolical rod whereby death it self was at the command of their word either to take place as in Ananias and Saphira both struck dead with the word of the Apostle or to give place as in Dorcas who by a word of the Apostle was raised to life being dead By these means the Lord put into the hands of the Apostles great power to give witnesse of the resurrection of Christ Act. 4.33 The third thing is By what means they witnessed or gave testimony to Christ Ans Because they were to bee authentical and faithful witnesses to all the world and that both in the age wherein they lived as also in all the succeeding ages to the end of the world therefore was it necessary that they should give witnesse two wayes 1 By zealous and painful preaching by voyce while they lived 2 Even after their death by the holy Doctrin left behind them in their Works and Writings and thus doe they still remain publick witnesses to us on whom the ends of the world are come Doct. Hence observe that the office of the Apostles was to give testimony unto Christ after a peculiar manner Acts 1.8 When the Holy Ghost shall come upon you yee shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth I say they were to bee witnesses after a peculiar manner for these reasons The Apostles were to bee peculiar witnesses to Christ and why 1 To distinguish their witness from ours who are ordinary Ministers for every Minister is called of God to give witness to Christ but properly to speak they are rather Preachers and Publishers of things witnessed than witnesses or if witnesses yet herein they differ from the Apostles that they are not oculate or ear-witnesses nor such sensible witnesses as they were for this is an Apostolical speech and manner of preaching not derived to ordinary Pastors and Teachers to say That which wee have heard and seen and our hands have handled that we testify unto you 1 Joh. 1.1 2 They were all faithful witnesses and faithful men endued with faith and full beleef of the things they wrote and testified as all ordinary Ministers are not Whence the Evangelist John professeth of them all that they knew the testimony to bee true Joh. 21.24 True for the matter for they delivered the whole Counsel of God and kept nothing back that was fit to be known and true for the manner they all speaking as they were moved by the Spirit of God 2 Pet. 1.21 and therefore exempted from all error in their witness as we are not 3 And hence followeth that their witness is to bee beleeved as infallible being the witness of such as with their eyes saw his Ma●esty vers 16. who did not at any time deliver any thing which they either heard not of Christ or saw him not doing or suffering but all other ordinary Ministers are so far to bee beleeved as they consent with these and so far as they testify no other thing than what these oculate witnesses have left in writing Object But Christ needeth not the witness of any man hee hath a greater witnesse than John or than any Apostle therefore there is no use of the Apostles witness Answ Christ hath indeed three greater witnesses than the witness of his Apostles namely 1 His Father that sent him beareth witnesse of him 2 The Scriptures if they bee searched testify of him 3 His works that hee did bear witnesse of him Joh. 8.18 5.39 5.36 but yet howsoever in regard of himself hee need no other testimony of man that wee might beleeve and bee saved hee useth the witness of men 〈◊〉 John and the Apostles and of this Divine Testimony in the mouth of the Apostles may bee said as Christ did of the voice from heaven Joh. 12.30 This voice came not because of mee but for your sakes In divine things we must lean upon a sure word Vse 1. From this Doctrin wee learn how necessary a thing it is in causes of Faith to lean upon true and certain things and not upon tottring traditions or unwritten verities which are the main pillars of Popish Doctrin Oh how good hath our God been to this Church and Land of ours in giving us a surer word of the Prophets and Apostles to become a light unto us in

foundations are sandy all other proofs liable to exceptions Why then should Protestant-Preachers who defend against Papists the sufficiency of Scripture to make Gods people perfect and hold it the rule and square of all doctrin cross their judgement by their practice for every place of Scripture alleadging a dozen or twenty testimonies of Doctors Fathers Councils nay prophane Poets and Heathens all which are darkness it self and without light further than they borrow from the Sun in the Scripture I am not so nice as that I think not there may be a sparing and sober use of humane testimonies in Sermons sometimes in cases of Grammar sometimes in matters of great controversy to shew the consent of the Ancient Church especially dealing with an Adversary that will claim all antiquity for him sometime by way of conviction to shame Christians by the heathen as the Lord did the Jews by Chittim and Kedar and the sluggard by the pismire Neither am I an enemy to Learning but would have a man well seen in natural Philosophy in humane literature in the writings of Fathers and Schoolmen and bee as a good housholder stored with things new and old But needlesly and for ostentation to give tongues unto dead men and in the message of God to put to silence the voice of God speaking in the Scripture to set up Hagar the handmaid above Sarah her mistresse is a fearful sin against God and his Word and a crying sin of these daies wherein for a man to tye himself close to the Scriptures without such flourishes and to scorn to send a rich Jewel to the Painter is to bring a blot on himself that hee is a man of no learning For what meaneth else that common cry that no man is against this manner of preaching but they that cannot use it Well hath hee learned his art that can most hide it here that God may have all the glory for hee is not commended here whom men praise but whom God alloweth The Apostolical teaching of Christ was not in words which mans wisdome teacheth but Gods hee is the best Scholar that can teach Christ plainliest and for my part if I would set my self to bee idle I would chuse that kinde of preaching which is counted so laborious The same I say for disputations and controversies in the Church and Schools never can we look for an end of them till wee tye the determination of them to the Scripture alone the right Judge A stratagem of Satan for Antichrist to flye the Scripture which should soon end controversies and hide his poyson in the infinite windings of Fathers Councils Traditions c. Well I know that God hath a secret work in punishing the unbeleeving world by the continuance of the man of sin till his time come but having well thought of the props on which hee standeth yet in the daies of such light there is none that doth him more service than this hiding of his mystery in such a thicket of uncertainties wherein it is impossible to come to any end or issue Wee may follow the fox from one burrough to another and from hole to hole because we are forced But whosoever looks to come to an end of controversies by following him from Father to Father from Council to Council from one Decree to another from one Tradition to another with infinite labour examining and scanning the words and syllables of ancient and latter times hee shall fall short of his expectation For all this while the determiner of the Controversy is not present but set aside And what other Reason can bee given that whereas the chase and pursute of that beast of Rome hath been continued with extraordinary speed and strength for above these hundred years last past and hee hath been followed into every hole wherein hee hid himself yet the controversies so beaten and canvased are in mans eye as far from composition or determination as at first not one of them yeelded up on either hand I say no other better reason can bee given but that wee are not agreed of the Judge of the cause and so long as they can hold them off the Scriptures they will not bee set down by any other authority Vse 3. Thirdly This Doctrin must provoke us to the diligent reading and study of the Scriptures for hereby wee shall come to bee stablished in the truth and able to discern the abuse of Scriptures by conferring them with themselves this is the best way to keep us from errors and sects and to finde out the true sense of Scripture Object But do not our adversaries read the Scriptures as diligently as wee and are not they as skilful to compare Scriptures and yet abide in errour and heresie Ans Here we must consider 1 The person that must read 2 The rules to be observed in reading 1 The person must be a religious and rightly affected person that must read the word with understanding Obj. So the Papists say that only religious persons ought to read the Scriptures Ans Every Christian ought to have the Book of the Law with him as the Jewes had before their eyes and in their hands continually Deut. 6.10 every Christian ought to have the word of Christ dwell plenteously in him Col. 3.16 every one ought to be ready to give a reason of the faith hee professeth to every one that will ask 1 Pet. 3.15 every one ought to attend to the sure words of the Prophets and Apostles as a light shining in a dark place for so the Apostle Peter writeth to all Christians and not only the Clergy Yet no Christian ought to read unprepared neither can every one read to profit but such as are qualified 1 With humility in the sense of our own simplicity and infancy in heavenly things becoming fools in our selves that we may subscribe to Gods wisdome in the Scripture and captivating all our own thoughts to the obedience of Christ Psal 25.9 God teacheth the humble Matth. 11.25 Thou hast hid those things from the wise and revealed them to babe● And what is the reason that Hereticks Sophisters and Papists of great learning read the Scripture but understand not but because they give not up their reason and human wisdom which is enmity to God and scorn to bee children delivered to bee taught and formed by our heavenly Master 2 With desire and love of Christ and his Truth the scope of all the Scripture is Christ and thou must desire to know and advance nothing but Christ crucified Prov. 4.13 Love wisdom and she shall keep thee When men come prepossessed with opinions to set up mens devises and traditions and wicked opinions according to which they must interpret Scripture and not examine them by the Scripture or if they bring a purpose to magnifie the Pope and advance his religion instead of Christs no marvel if like the Images they have eyes and see not read and understand not They love not Christ nor will have him to rule