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	find_v	scripture_n	3,607	5	6.0436	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15824	A modell of divinitie, catechistically composed Wherein is delivered the matter and method of religion, according to the creed, ten Commandements, Lords Prayer, and the Sacraments. By Iohn Yates, Bachelour in Diuinitie, and minister of Gods word in St Andrewes in Norvvich.	Yates, John, d. ca. 1660.; Yates, John, d. ca. 1660. Short and briefe summe of saving knowledge. aut; Richardson, Alexander, of Queen's College, Cambridge.	1622 (1622)	STC 26085; ESTC S103644	253,897	373

liue in ignorance and blindnesse If such weake Governours had charge of instruction Masters must not thinke that they are exempted by the translation of the Ministery to others We indeed haue the charge of the Soules of diverse families but euery Master hath still the charge of his owne Gen. 18.19 2 Tim. 3.15 There is nationall domesticall and personall mourning enioyned Zach. 2.10.13.14 So teaching c. Q. How was the Church in a People A. As it did consist of many families and had the bounds thereof exceedingly inlarged from the dayes of Moses Vntill his time God had but a familie or two to worship him At the great Deluge but eight persons saued in the Arke Gen. 7. The world was growne so foule with sinne that God saw it was time to wash it with an vniversall flood and saw it meete to let it soke long vnder the waters so close did wickednesse cleaue to the authors of evill Q. What is here to be considered A. The writing of the rule of Religion which was done by such extraordinary Governours as God had fitted and inspired by his holy Spirit thereunto for the edification of his Church For even then God had both extraordinary and ordinary teachers now wee haue the rule completely delivered in writing and therefore need not any extraordinary Governours in the Church 2 Tim. 3.16 2 Pet. 1.20.21 And this is that that makes vs receiue a more sure word of Prophecie c. 2 Pet. 1.19 Q. How was it written A. According to the necessitie of the Church diversely and at sundry times Heb. 1.1 God increased the dyet of his Church as he saw it was fit to beare it Q. What are the Bookes called A. For the matter contained The word of God for the manner of Record The Scriptures by an excellencie of phrase as the most worthy writings that ever saw the light and being compiled into one volume are called Bibles or many little Bookes vnited in one body so that both worke and writing carry away the names of all other Scriptures and Bookes as most admirable for vse Ioh. 1.8 2 Tim. 3.15.16.17 Oh the shame of Christians that these workes should be counted as a strange thing vnto them Hos 8.12 whiles other bookes as baites for fooles shall be followed and applauded Q. How are these to be considered A. As they are either in the originall tongues or in the Translations in the purest fountaines or the derived streames and conduits In the Originalls not onely the matter which is the Divinitie Dogmaticall Historicall c. but also the meanes of inferring which is the Logicke the manner of expressing and enforcing which is the Grammar and Rhetorique are all immediately inspired 2 Tim. 3.16 All scripture is inspired from God 2. Pet. 1.21 The holy mon of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost In the translations the subiect matter or substance of Theologie is equally inspired though mediately The Logicall coherence also and consequence of argument retaineth the same necessitie of illation because it dependeth not vpon diversitie of Languages but communitie of notions But as for the proprietie of Grammar and vigor of Rhetorique there must needs be some abatement and embatement First and principally because the skill and diligence herein vsed by Translators is not divine or inspired but meerely humane at the best and in tryall prooueth to be lyable to much latitude sometime more sometime lesse Secondly for that many emphaticall words and rigorous figures both of Grammar and Rhetorique proper to the originall Tongues such as are especially deriuatiues agnominations proverbes c. cannot to the life be expressed in other Languages Thirdly and lastly because in vulgar Languages there is such mutabilitie and change of fashions almost as much as in apparell that after a few yeares we scarce vnderstand what our fore-fathers meant in some passages of the Scripture in our mother-tongue much lesse in the Latine which in the Vulgar is so pestered with Barbarismes in stile beside defects in notion that not onely S. Hierome would write invectiues if he should see such a brat layd at his dore but Priscian himselfe would call for the ferula It was therefore a very pious and laudable intention in our learned and judicious Soueraigne to appoint all our English Translations of the Scripture to be receiued and the best of them corrected by neerest reduction to the originals and to the proprieties of our Language Q. How in the originall Tongues A. As they are in the tongue wherein the Spirit did indite them and they are of themselues to be receiued without all exception as being Canonicall and hauing their authority primarily from the spirit and by themselues secundarily from the Church 1 Tim. 3.15 and 2 Ephist 3. chap. ver 16. The Church is the pillar on which the truth must hang to be shewed to others or the ground on which it resteth it selfe finding little stay else-where Next to the testimony of the Spirit and word it selfe wee are to admit the Churches testimony Q. Doth the Scripture containe the whole body of Religion A. It doth most fully and plainely and therefore there is no need of vnwritten verities or Popish Traditions It is the rule of all faith and controversies of faith It is the standard or the Kings beame by which wee are to try all doctrine that is tendred to vs. Wee are not to goe by the common beame of custome and opinion but by these ballances of Gods sanctuary not suffering a drams waight to be iniected that may incline these golden scoales as we please Isa 8.20 When the law was written Moses recalls both himselfe and the people to it for tryall when he had written his fiue bookes the Prophets that followed were content to haue their sayings brought to Moses law for tryall Christ himselfe never refused any tryall by the law and Prophets yea ever and anone is hee appealing vnto them for proofe of his owne doctrine and so all the A postles did tread in their masters steps onely the man of sinne will not indure any such tribunall he will iudge all and be iudged by none Q. But they seeme not to be so plaine and perspicuous A. Yes in themselues they are evident enough concerning things necessary to salvation and if at any time they seeme hard it is by reason of the weakenesse of our vnderstandings Pro. 14.6 Psal 25.14 2 Pet. 3.16 We must therefore in the obscure passages pray to God and conferre one place with another and consider duely the cirumstances of the places and wee shall find the true meaning if not God will pardon our ignorance and require no more of vs then himselfe giueth wee vsing his meanes aright Iam. 1.5 Q. What sense is to be giuen of Scriptures and whence must it be taken A. The Scriptures haue euer one literall sense and meaning and that which must be fetched from themselues 2 Pet. 1.20 It is of no private interpretation or as man

set over seuerall Diocesses euery of which had a Bishop ouer it and these vnder the Emperour might call councels If the errour or schisme fell out within the Diocesse then might the Diocessan call a councell and if the error could be there ended and healed it went no further if not then the Province was assembled by the Arch-bishop If yet the error had so spred it selfe that the Province was too weak to conclude the greater number being infected then did the Patriarch call diverse Provinces and if there it could not be ended then came it to an vniversall Councell c. And by these meanes was the Church wonderfully eased of hard long travels This was holy and good But this excellent order was disturbed by the Patriarke in the West whose invasions and tyranny long haue and still doe tend to the destruction both of the Church and State Wee are free from this Westerne Patriarke not onely by reason of his intolerable tyranny but also because the dissolution of the Empire is the dissolution of the Patriarkes And euery Christian Prince is absolute in himselfe to call by his owne Arch-bishops or Bishops councels as he pleaseth And it is rebellion to the Prince not to come when he summons the guiltie to appeare A gaine if this authoritie were dissolued then would the power reside in the order of the spirituall Governours as they were left by the Apostles And so councels could not be called vniversall nationall provinciall Diocessan for as tyrants prohibite the publicke exercises of Religion so the publicke congregating of Councels And here let me sling this stone into the brasen foreheads of our adversaries which in their shamelesse challenges dare tell the world wee are an Antichristian Church What one iot of authoritie doe we borrow from the Pope Is not all jurisdiction and power in the Prince and for exercise in the Bishops Q. What further distinction is there of the Church A. Besides the visibilitie or invisibilitie Puritie or impuritie of Congregations and Churches It is distinguished by the times thereof as it was yet in a familie or people The Church was an Embryo in the hatching till Abrahams time In swathing bands till Moses In child-hood till Christ a man in Christ and shall be a man full growne in glory It did long sticke betweene the knees and want power to come into the light but at length by succession of times comes to perfection of parts and degrees As man is an epitome of the world so is euery Christian an abridgement of the Church best at his last Like the feast of Cana where the best wine was reserved to the end Wee must ever be growing from strength to strength for it is a fearefull condition to goe backward how can he be rich that growes euery day poorer Can he ever reach the goale that goes euery day a step backe from it Alas then how shall he ever reach the goale of glory that runnes euery day a step backward in grace He that is worse euery day can never be at his best True grace is contrary to nature for it will bee strongest at last Sure I am in regard of time that the Catholicke Church increaseth in number and grace yet visible Congregations are soyled with age and grow worse by the tracts of time Families a nation now the world growes decrepit in respect of their liuely beginnings Primitiue times were not pestered with those diseases that are now growne vpon the Church and vnder which it groaneth Like Ezekias Sunne wee are gone backe many degrees in the diall of perfection and yet the Catholicke Church like the Sunne till noone will ever be rising Fie on those Apostates whose beginnings like Neroes first fiue yeares are full of hope and peace and then decline into villany Hypocrites like the first moneth of a new servant out-goe all but like Horse-coursers Iades soone giue in and tyre Whose age is like vnto the foure ages of the world first gold at last iron Pictures of zeale like Nebuchadnezzars image from a precious head they fall to base feete These be the true hot-spurs that will soone runne themselues out of breath But we may well say such were never right bred for Gods Church gaines perfection with time Therefore all such as proue falling Starres never were ought but Meteors True Saints never loose light or motion Spirituall motion may be violent in respect of nature and perpetuall in respect of grace Psal 110.3 Isa 60.8 Zech. 14.20 Q. How long was the Church in families A. Vntill the time of Moses so long God had the first borne for his Priests and euery head of the familie was not onely Master but Minister c. Num. 3.12 Dainty mothers send their daughters a frosting betimes in a cold morning who seeking beautie indanger health but our heauenly Father kept his Church within doores till he saw it was safe to suffer it to goe abroad Q. Who were the Governours A. The extraordinary were the Patriarches Which were Prophets for the rule of Religion was alwayes to bee the same in the Church though God did diversely administer it Wee denie not but that the word of God may be devided into Tradition and Scriptures but our difference is about the kind of the distinction and distribution whether the word be so devided into his essentiall parts or into two distinct manners of deliverance Wee say the word is essentially the same whether it be spoken or written and that writing speaking are but two accidents of the same substance Furthermore wee say that the word delivered by tradition was as well inspired as when afterward it pleased God to reveale his will by Scriptures Tradition was fitter for a family then a Bible because dead letters had beene of no validitie to a weake Church Wee feed the childe with the spoone and dare not trust him with the knife Spoone-meat was fit for families though afterwards God would haue all his people vse the knife and learne to cut their owne meate and therefore he gaue the nation of the Iewes some Scriptures to feed on And here appeares the wrong Papists offer to the Churches of the Gospell who restraine them from Bibles as if they were still in the infancie c. To conclude God never taught by tradition but the deliverers were extraordinarily inspired otherwise the rest were no further to be trusted or beleeued then they had receiued their doctrines from the Patriarkes and extraordinary Prophets And if the Pope could make vs beleeue he had these inspirations wee should no more doubt of his Oracles then we doe of the Scriptures themselues The ordinary Governours were the heads and eldest sonnes of the families c. Gen. 4.26 and 18.19 Q. What were the Governed A. The residue of the familie And here wee may learne what was the most auncient kind of teaching to wit Catechizing or familie teaching and it is a shame to the master when he suffers his familie to