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	judgement_n	scripture_n	1,546	5	5.9918	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26883	Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,; Catholick theologie	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1675 (1675)	Wing B1209; ESTC R14583	1,054,813	754

to sin entertained we must go as far from sin as we can But poor deceived souls run into it under the conceit of going far enough from it and sometimes into greater than they avoid S. What sin have such Protestants run into in their opposition to Popery P. I will tell you some I. In Doctrine and II. In the consequent● and practice I. It is more than one injudicious Protestant Divine that hath printed such unfound Opinions as these in opposition to Popery for want of judgement 1. While they plead against the Romish false Tradition they have weakned faith by denying that necessary use of Historical Tradition of Scripture which Christianity doth suppose As others have denyed the necessary use of Reason unto faith 2. They have wronged the Church by undervaluing the Tradition of the Creed and the Essentials of Christianity by many means besides the Scriptures 3. They have much wronged the Protestant Cause by denying the perpetual Visibility of the Church and almost given it away as I have shewed against Johnson 4. And their d●nyal of its Universality and confining it long to the Waldenses and such others is an exceeding injury to the Church and Truth 5. And so is some mens over-doing as for the Scripture who teach men that they can be no surer of Christianity as delivered many years in Baptism before any of the New Testament was written than they are that there is no one error in all the Bible by the carelesness of the Scribes and Printers nor any humane frailty in the phrase 6. And also their feigning the Scripture perfection to consist in its being a particular determiner of all those circumstances of which it is only a general rule 7. And those that make every form of prayer or Ceremony to be Antichristian 8. And those that make Justifying faith to be a certainty or full perswasion that we are elected and pardoned and shall be saved 9. And those that say that To believe that I am justified is to believe Gods Word or ●ides divina either as most say because one of the premises is in Scripture or as excellent Chamier saith because the Witness of the Spirit is Gods Word 10. And those that say All that have true faith are sure they have such as Keckerman and too many others 11. Those that deny Christ to have made any Law 12. And those also that assert Imputation of Christs Righteousness in that sense which I have proved to subvert the Gospel 13. And those that deny Faith it self to be Imputed for righteousness 14. And those that deny that there is any personal Evangelical Righteousness in our selves that is any way necessary to our Justification 15. And those that lay all the stress of Faiths Justifying us on the notion of Instrumental efficiency 16. And those that say we are Justified by no act of faith but its receiving Christs Righteousness and all other acts of faith are the Wor●s by which none is justified 17. And those that say that Evangelical obedience is not meritorious as it signifieth only Rewardable in point of Paternal Evangelical Governing Justice and as all the antient Fathers used that word because we merit not by Commutation 18. And those that say that man hath no free-will at all of any sort to spiritual good 19. And those that say that Christ was in Gods reputation the greatest sinner or wicked man Adulterer Murderer hater of God in all the world 20. And those that say that he suffered in soul Pain altogether of the same kind with those that the damned suffer in H●● 21. And those that in opposition to the Popish Government Confession Austerities and several acts of Worship do run into the con●rary extream against due Government Confession Austerities c. And those that from dark uncertainty or à minus noti● do gather many conclusions against known truth I pass by such as the Antinomians who as I have proved subve●t the Gospel it self by running into the contrary extream from Pope●●● S. You are as ●ad as Parker or the Debate-maker that th●s l●y s●●ndal on the Reformers themselves If these were their faults you ●●●● cover them and not open them This had been enough for ● Romish R●bshakeh P. You know not what it is that you say This is to a●ho●●●●●●tance and to preferr the honour of man before the honour of God yea to let the shame be cast on Gods Word and Religion lest the erro● of ●●●● be shamed But all men are lyars that is fallible and God is ●●●● He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy but he that hideth it shall not prosper Are there not with you even with you also saith the Prophet sins against the Lord our God Why hath God recorded in Scripture the faults of so many of his servants and fome● them to such open Confessions Did Paul wrong Peter and ●●●● Gal. ● or the Ministry when he said All seek their own thing● and no●e the things of Jesus Christ or did the Evangelists wrong all ●he Disciples by saying that They all forsook him and fled or James all C●●stians saying In many things we offend ●ll I think the Prou● Impe●itence of many Professors that will not confess sin nor endure to be ●●led to it lest Religion be dishonoured is that great dishonour to Religion which God hath been long punishing us for When such evils have ●●●● held and done as our age hath known either it must be said that they are not evil or that they are If we deny it and say they are God ●●●● and m●ns duty we feign God and Scripture and Religion to be for all that evil which is to blaspheme If we say It is evil we must sa●● that we are the guilty causes of it God will teach Ministers and Professors instead of Pharisaical self-justification to take open shame to themselves that he and Religion may be vindicated before he will deliver us from shame and sorrow And he that will save his honour against this shame shall lose it and he that will thus lose it and cast it away shall most effectually recover it S. I think you would fain perswade us that Protestants are as bad as Papists and perswade us into the Roman Tents P. That is but your pievish inference But little do you know how much of Popery it self you have while you think that you hate it more than I. S. You would make me believe any thing if you make me think that I have more of Popery than you P. 1. Do not you agree with them in consining the Catholick Church to one Sect or Party only They to their Sect and You to yours 2. Do you not agree with them in your vehement condemnation of dissenters only they excommunicate and burn them and you deny them your communion and reproach them But their charity extendeth much further than yours and you condemn more dissenters than they do 3. Do you not agree with them in

better than themselves Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Who made himself of no reputation 1 Cor. 1. 10 11 12 13 14. Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement For it hath been declared to me of you brethren that there are contentions among you that every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized into the name of Paul I thank God that I baptized none of you c. 1 Cor. 3. 1 2 3 4. I could not speak to you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal as to babes in Christ For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men See Eph. 4. 1 c. after John 17. 20 21 22 23. I pray for them which shall believe on me that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in Thee that they also may be One in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Matth. 5. 9. Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God Rom. 12. 18. If it be possible as much as in you lyeth live peaceably with all men 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would lest there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbitings whisperings swellings tumults Lest God will humble me among you and I shall bewail many c. Gal. 5. 19 20. The works of the flesh are manifest hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings 1 Cor. 14. 33. God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace as in all Churches of the Saints Acts 20. 30. Of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Phil. 1. 15 16. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of good will The one preach Christ of contention not sincerely Rom. 16. 17 18. Now I beseech you brethren Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of The Angelical Gospel of the Ends of Christs Incarnation Luke 2. 19. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL TO MEN or WELL-PLEASEDNESS IN MEN. John 20. 26. Peace be unto you Grace Mercy and Peace with all that are in Christ and Love Gal. 6. 16. Eph. 6. 23. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 5. 14. 2 Pet. 1. 2. 1 Thess 5. 13. 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally brethren farewell be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you Amen 1. Assert THe BAPTISMAL COVENANT expounded in the antient CREED is the summ and Symbol of Christianity by which Believers were to be distinguished from unbelievers and the outward Profession of it was mens Title to Church-communion and the Heart-consent was their Title-condition of Pardon and Salvation And to these ends it was made by Christ himself Matth. 28. 19 20. Mark 16. 16. 2. All that were baptized did profess to Believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and devoted themselves to him with profession of Repentance for former sins and renouncing the Lusts of the Flesh the World and the Devil professing to begin a new and holy life in hope of everlasting glory 3. This form of Baptismal Covenanting and Profession begun with Christianity and called our Christening or making us Christians hath been propagated and delivered down to us to this day by a full and certain tradition and testimony and less alterations than the holy Scriptures 4. The Apostles were never such formalists and friends to ignorance and hypocrisie as to encourage the baptized to take up with the saying I believe in the Father Son and Holy Ghost without teaching them to understand what they said Therefore undoubtedly they expounded those three Articles And that exposition could be no other in sense than the Creed is And when Paul reciteth the Articles of Christ 1 Cor. 15. and mentioneth the Form of sound words we may be sure that they all gave the people one unchanged exposition as to the sense Christianity was one unchanged thing 5. Though I am not of their mind that think the twelve Apostles each one made an Article of the Creed or that they formed and tyed men to just the very same syllables and every word that is now in the Creed yet that they still kept to the same sense and words so expressing it as by their variation might not endanger the corrupting of the faith by a new sense is certain from the nature of the case and from the Agreement of all the antient Creeds which were ever professed at baptism from their dayes that cited by me Append. to the Reformed Pastor out of Irenaeus two out of Tertullian that of Marcellus in Epiphanius that expounded by Cyril that in Ruffinus the Nicene and all mentioned by Usher and Vossius agreeing thus far in sense And no one was baptized without the Creed professed 6. As Christ himself was the Author of the Baptismal Creed and Covenant so the Apostles were the Authors of that Exposition which they then used and taught the Church to use And they did that by the Holy Ghost as much as their inditing of the Scripture 7. Therefore the Church had a Summary and Symbol of Christianity as I said before about twelve years before any Book of the New Testament was written and about sixty six years before the whole was written And this of Gods own making which was ever agreed on when many Books of the New Testament were not yet agreed on 8. Therefore men were then to prove the truth of the Christian Religion by its proper Evidences and Miracles long before they were to prove that every word or any Book of the New Testament was the infallible perfect Word of God 9. Therefore we must still follow the same Method and take Christs Miracles to be primarily the proof of the Christian Religion long before the New Testament Books were written 10. Therefore if a man should be

will be an universal Concord in very MANY or UNCERTAIN UNNECESSARY things And O that I could write it on all mens hearts or doors at least that The Christian world will never have Concord but in a FEW CERTAIN NECESSARY things Therefore Paul said to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 11. 2 3. I am jealous of you with Godly jealousie For I have espoused you to one husband c. But I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve though his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in or towards Christ O mark these words all ye contentious Church TYRANTS DOGMATISTS and SUPERSTITIOUS ones Read and study them well God laid down the terms of the Churches Concord in seven Unities 1. One Body or Church Catholick 2. One Spirit or Holy Ghost as the soul of that Church 3. One Hope or Heavenly felicity hoped for 4. One Lord of the Church our Head and Saviour 5. One Faith or Creed or Symbol of our belief and Belief thereof 6. One Baptismal Covenant 7. And one God and Father of us all who is above all through all and in us all Eph. 4. 3 4 5 6. And it is the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace that on these terms we are charged to keep v. 2 3. with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love But now cometh the Serpent note 1. The author and by subtilty 2. Note the means even as he beguiled Eve 3. Note the precedent which was by promising her more knowledge and exaltation to be as God and he corrupteth mens minds 4. Mark the effect though it is knowledge and advancement of mind that he promiseth and pretendeth Even by drawing them as to higher POWER KNOWLEDGE or HOLINESS from the Christian simplicity 5. Mark what the Corruption of Religion is And what is this Christian SIMPLICITY which they forsake and how are they thus Corrupted from it I. The Church TYRANT departeth from the SIMPLICITY of Church Government first and will not hear Christs vehement charge Luk. 22. With you it shall not be so He cannot understand such Texts because he would not Hence how unlike is the Secular-Papal and Patriarchal state to the Ministry appointed and described by Christ To reduce them to that they think is to be enemies to the Church And do they not then take Christ for their Capital enemy because they are enemies to humility mortification and the Cross Phil. ● 18. To cross bearing not to cross making The Papists think that Greg the seventh that took down Princes was the most glorious instrument of the Churches exaltation And by turning all to corporeal Glory they lose hearts and destroy the souls whom they profess to save And having first corrupted GOVERNMENT from the Primitive simplicity and made Princes their Lictors as Grotius speaks in that excellent Epistle newly translated by Mr. Barksdale they next corrupt DOCTRINE and WORSHIP consequently For TYRANTS must have their Wills in every thing and numerous and needless Laws and Canons must be made to shew their power and fulfil their wills that they may be Law-givers and a Rule to all the World And when they have made a seeming Necessity of doing things unnecessary then to plead the Necessity which they have made is the summ of all their arguments And they that are against strict and precise adhering to the Scriptures or observance of Gods own commands are yet so strict for obedience to their proud imperious wills that they perswade themselves and others that without it there can be no order no unity no peace but rebellion and confusion And so they cry up Obedience Obedience that their Idol wills may be bowed to by all without controul And when they are meer Usurpers and use no Power given them by God they yet get the advantage of making all odious that obey them not in the least and greatest matters by the names of schism unruliness or such like O say the Papal Usurpers The Church must be obeyed or there will be no order Disobedience in small matters is no small sin when they have set up an Idol power against Christ as if to disobey him whose Laws they make void by their Traditions and Usurpations were a lesser fault And when they have departed as far from the Christian simplicity in Doctrine Government and Worship as their voluminous Councils and Decretals and Missals differ from the ancient simple Christianity and have made as many snares and engines to divide and tear the Church of Christ as there are noxious that I say not Needless Laws Canons and Decrees imposed as necessary to peace and concord then no mens mouths are more opened against schism when they have unavoidably caused it yea are the greatest schismaticks And no men call so loud for Unity and Concord as they that have first made it a thing impossible Let none think that I am speaking against any true Church-Government or faithful Pastors But I appeal to the Consciences of these Papal Tyrants 1. Whether it would not be far easier for Christians to Agree in A FEW PLAIN and NECESSARY things of Christs own Institution than in a multitude of humane decrees and articles composed in words more lyable to Controversie Will not more subscribe to the Creed than to all the Councils 2. Have they not room enough to shew their Power and work enough to do in seeing to the execution of Christs own Universal Laws and preserving meer Order and Decency in undetermined circumstances that all may be done to edification 3. Doth not every needless Oath and Subscription by which they would tye men faster to themselves in controvertible cases plainly tend to undermine themselves and keep up still a conscientious party against them For while men have nothing to do but live quietly under a Government they will be glad of peace But when they are put to Subscribe Declare Covenant and Swear that all this is good or lawful or that they will never be against it it sets men unavoidably on the deepest studies of the case and so all the people are set on trying and judging of that which else they would never have meddled with For what honest man will say swear or promise he knoweth not what Even as some crafty Rebels would undermine Princes by drawing them to put the controverted parts of their Prerogative into the Subjects Oaths that so they may make all the people Students and Judges of the cause and unavoidably make factions and dissenters that else would have lived quietly if they might so do the Papal Clergie ruine themselves by such over-doing impositions I remember Lampridius tells us that Alexander Severus that great enemy of injustice was so severe that he would have made a Law to regulate mens Apparel But Ulpian changed his mind by telling him that Many Laws cause Divisions and make occasions of disobedience They cry out There will be no order if Ministers and people be