Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	faith_n	reason_n	scripture_n	2,267	5	6.0519	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03334	The first motiue of T.H. Maister of Arts, and lately minister, to suspect the integrity of his religion which was detection of falsehood in D. Humfrey, D. Field, & other learned protestants, touching the question of purgatory, and prayer for the dead. VVith his particular considerations perswading him to embrace the Catholick doctrine in theis, and other points. An appendix intituled, try before you trust. Wherein some notable vntruths of D. Field, and D. Morton are discouered.	Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.	1609 (1609)	STC 13454; ESTC S104083	165,029	276

who saieth that to call any thing in question which is frequented by the vniuersall Church insolentissimae est insaniae it is the part of most insolent madnesse Which sentence applying it self clearely vnto my purpose inforced me to conclude that either S. Augustine was a prodigious asse in his cariadge of this matter or els that we Protestants are insolently mad who partly in the violēt streame of passion renounce the instruction of the vniuersall Church herein and partly by sinister interpretatiōs deriue it against hir knowen intention expressed so abundantly by hir chiefest Doctours Consuetudo est optima legis interpres and perpetuated so eminently by a continuall succession 5. Wherefore retiring my thoughts a little and drawing them from their former meditations I beganne to speake thus feelingly vnto my soule Canst thou desire testimonies more graue then theis in respect of the Authours more perspicuous in words or more effectuall in waight Where doth S. Augustine contradict this relation or who did euer contradict him therein Is Doctour Field a better witnesse and more to be respected in this decision then S. AVGVSTINE who being greatly experienced in the customes of the Vniuersall Church hath in his maturity of iudgement left vnto thee a fayre and euident prescriptiō in this behalf neuer reuersed by himself nor impugned by others hauing also the voyce of all ages both in doctrine and practise for its corroboration and strength Truly if it were so that in his ignorance or malice or some other obliquity and defect he had exceeded the purpose of the Catholick Church herein it is very probable that this errour could not escape him vnespied in all his diligent Retractations And if he were so vnhappy that he had no friēd to informe him for his amendment yet he could not be so happy as that no enimy should note it for his disgrace 6. Now therefore dearely beloued contreyman tell me I pray thee tell me in the vprightnesse of thy conscience and in the presence of him who searcheth the heart and reynes to whose direction guydance and instruction could I in this case committ a poore afflicted soule which I should endeauour to saue with care since Christ died for it in loue and whom could I follow herein with more alacrity and confidence S. AVGVSTINE or D. FIELD with all the troupe of Lutherans Caluinists Protestants Puritans or others howsoeuer they are distinguished in name or diuided in opinion 7. I saw antiquity in the first nouelty in the second I saw fidelity in the first * See the second Booke Part. 1. vnfaithfulnesse in the second I saw profound learning in the first very commendable also but yet much inferiour in the second And though I perceyued that his owne booke doth iustly afford that censure against him which is deliuered against Nestorius by a worthy q Vincent Lirinens cap. 16. Authour viz. Plussēper admirationis in illo quàm vtilitatis plus famae quam experientia fuit yet I will rather say that the * Bellarmine is no wayes matchable with Caluin and others in piety or learning though he weare a Cardinalls hart cōparisō which r pag. 149. he is pleased to make betwixt C. Bellarm. M. Caluin hath a more due proportion betwixt S. August and himself 8. Finally I considered that none of the Fathers resisted the first herein but who doth assist the secōd The doctrin of the first is now cōfirmed by the practise of that Church which we phrase a Popish Antichristian Synagogue c. but the reformed Congregation of D. Field hath no resemblance of theis things For though ſ Contra Campian pag. 262. D. Humfrey in his rhetoricall flourishes doth pretend that in our Colledges we retayn the ancient cōmendation of the dead yet I noted that the differences are many and chiefly theis three First in respect of the PLACE for the ancient commendation of the dead was at the * In precibus Sacerdotis quae Domino Deo ad eius ALTARE funduntur locū suum habet commendatio mortuorum S. Aug. de cura pro mort cap. 1. Altar but we haue none Secōdly in respect of the ACTION for it was in the holy Sacrifice but we contemne it Thirdly in respect of the INTENTION for it was to relieue the soules of the dead but we disclayme this doctrine Besides since our Zuinglian Communion is such a naked and contemptible feast as t See his Confess Luther himself abhorred and his disciple Conradus did tremble to behold for they had a more religious estimation of our Lords Supper then the Sacramentaries who deride the LVTHERANS because they absurdly and superstitiously attribute a sanctifying virtue vnto the * Hoc est Corpus meum words of Christ as it pleaseth u Decad. 5. Serm. 6. H. Bullinger to speake I was desirous to vnderstand how a piece of bread and a draught of wine may haue any power validity for theis purposes vnto which the holy * See S. Au. de Ciuit. Dei l. 22. c. 8. how one of his Priests offering the sacrifice of our Lords Body in the house of a lay person deliuered his family from the vexation of vncleane Spirits Fathers did often referr the sacred Oblation in the diuine Sacrifice of the MASSE or how our Zuinglian Communion can be a reuerend and dreadfull mystery such as wherein the holy Angels humble themselues vnto our common Lord by the offering whereof the mercy of God is intreated for the Soules of some men deceased in Charity and in the Catholick faith For I must professe that a serious consideration of theis things wrought a deepe impression in my heart 9. This was the summe of my DOCTRINALL REASON branched as you haue seene into two Parts that is to say deriued partly from Scripture and partly from Tradition in both which I followed the impeachable resolution of Antiquity and with it I must either stand or fall It is my comfort though it were sometimes my grief to see that as Dagon fell on his face before the Arke 1. Reg. 5. so Protestancy suffereth vtter confusion when it is presented before the Tribunall of the ancient Church I deliuer this assertion faithfully and iustly I speake the truth in Christ I ly not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost I haue tasted the wines of Caluin and Augustine I haue digested both I haue iudged of both and out of some experience which I haue had of both I am bold to assure you louing contreymen who spend your pretious time and exercise your noble witts in many froathy volumes that if you will repayr discreetely and conscionably vnto the blessed Fathers you shall draw better wine at the latter end then at the beginning Then you will clearely discerne See before § 1. num 3. whether Doctour Humfrey had any reason to impute Phrensy vnto his Romanists or not then you will ingenuously confesse with the penitent Donatists

more by the testimony of sondry Protestants and specially of two whose names were sometimes full of reuerence in my thoughts 3. The first was D. HVMFREY whose highly respected answere to Edm. Campian draweth to a conclusion with this sentence Thrasilaus in his mad humour tooke all the shippes which he beheld in the Attick hauen to be his owne though he possessed not any vessell Such is the phrensy of our Romanists yea greater also because they see and yet seing they dissemble that they are destitute of all defence from the Fathers Thus to cleare himself from that folly which g Rat. 5. Edm. Campian obiecteth vnto him and vnto M. Iewell his deare Achates he stretched his stile vntill it brake into a vast and notable vntruth 4. The second was D. FIELD whose praise is in the ghospell of England a man vpon whom the eyes of our * Oxford Vniuersity are cast as a sans pareill of this age for subtile dispute and profound science VVe reuerence saieth h pag. 148. he and honour the Fathers much more then the Romanists do c. Agayn i pag. 204. in marg Though Luther and the rest in the beginning did seeme to decline the triall by the Fathers because the corruption of their writings were so many as could not be discouered at the first yet now hauing found out by the helpe of so many learned men both of our aduersaries and amongest our selues who haue trauailled in that kind which are their vndoubted workes and which are doubtfull or vndoubtfully forged Not● VVe willingly admitt triall by the Fathers 5. Though D. Field doth vntruly alleadge the cause why Luther Zuinglius c. declined triall by the Fathers and mitigateth their folly with a fayr pretense that forsooth they seemed to do so yet it was not my purpose then nor now to employ my thoughts in dismaking the vanity of theis suggestions It was and is sufficient for me to consider that as his assertion concerning a triall by the Fathers is playn so it is countenanced by the authority of him who is the great Metropolitan of our English Church It pleased your Grace fauourably to approoue theis my poore paynes c. See the epist dedicat to the Archbish of Cānt And therefore such as professe themselues members of hir society cannot renounce that position which in the name of all and in the authority of the chiefest is so freely recommended vnto the world 6. Finally I concluded with that famous prescription of S. k Contra Iulian. Pelag Augustine saying let vs referr our selues vnto the Ancients who were offended neither with vs nor you but what they found in the Church they retayned and what they learned they taught and what they receiued of their Fathers they deliuered vnto their children Thus the question is translated à Iure ad Factum from the right vnto the fact for all wise and ingenious men will easily discerne that in this case and many like vnto it the later which is more cleare will lead vs vnto the former which seemeth more obscure §. 2. Prayer for the dead is deriued from the blessed Apostles 1. I Considered that one thing may haue a double proof to witt by Scripture and by Tradition also And hence it is that the most holy and most blessed Irenaeus as he is truly l Epiphan heres 34. called confuteth the Valentinians first by the euidence of Scripture and secondly by the tradition of the Apostles but specially in the Romane Church vnto which as he m Lib. 3. cap. 3. saieth all Christians must necessarily repayr because she is of more powerfull principallity then the rest A poynt very remarqueable by the way for vpon my knowledge it driueth the Protestants vnto many dishonest and impertinent euasions 2. I might giue instance in sondry doctrines which admitt this double proof and therefore I was desirous to vnderstand why D. n Pag. 240. 241. Field amongst other particulars should esteeme it a folly and an inconstancy in his Romanists to say that Purgatory is holden by Tradition and yet it is prooued by Scriptures also 3. But forasmuch as I saw that his desire to contradict doth transport him beyond his reason to conceiue I passed ouer this matter and I came vnto an other sentence fitt for my purpose which he affordeth with greater equity and moderation viz. o Pag. 232. It is not the writing which giueth things their authority but the worth and creditt of him that deliuereth them though but by word and liuely voyce alone And the Papists haue good reason to equall their traditions vnto the written word if they can prooue any such vnwritten verities Wherefore it was my desire vpon the security of such grounds to find out the fountayn and origin at least in the time of the Ghospell of prayer for the dead And here diuers testimonies presented themselues vnto me and specially two which rested my searching thoughts in good tranquillity and peace 4. The First was taken from S. Chrysostome the principall Father of the Greeks who in a p Homil. 75. ad Pop. Antioch sermō vnto the people deliuered this proposition It was not vnaduisedly decreed by the Apostles that in the fearefull mysteries Sacrifice of the Masse there should be a commemoration of the dead For they knew that the dead receiue great benefit and vtility thereby 5. The Second was taken from S. Augustine In Instit who being the chieftayn of Diuines as Caluin doth agnize and the hammer of hereticks as he is confessed by the publick voyce of the Catholick Church gaue me this solid cleare and ponderous information q Serm. 32. de verb. Apost There is no doubt but that by the prayers of holy Church and by the healthfull Sacrifice and by almes the soules of the dead are relieued that God may deale more mercifully with them then their sinnes haue deserued For this being deliuered by our Fathers is obserued by the Vniuersall Church 6. Here I considered with my self that whereas Traditions haue a quadruple distinction first from their Authours into Diuine Apostolicall and Ecclesiasticall secondly from their Matter into Doctrinall Morall and Ceremoniall thirdly from their Place into Generall and Particular fourthly from their Time into Perpetuall and Temporall that S. Augustine doth intreate here of an APOSTOLICALL Traditiō doctrinall general perpetuall And the reasons which perswaded me to conceiue so were many but principally theis three which here ensue FIRST because he doth not say inuentum but * Tradere tradita by a perpetual succession is an infallible note of the Catholick faith traditum not inuented but deliuered by our Fathers according to the sweet and sure prescription of r cap. 27. Vincentius Lirinensis in his little golden booke against the innouation of profane heresies * 1. Tim. 6. Custodi depositum c. Keepe that which is committed vnto thee And what is this depositum That which