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	receive_v	scripture_n	3,204	5	6.0081	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34064	A discourse upon the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating bishops, priests, and deacons, according to the order of the Church of England by Thomas Comber ...	Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.	1699 (1699)	Wing C5464; ESTC R1808	281,164	522

Tradition or New Revelations to make us wise to Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (z) 2 Tim. iii. 15. that there is enough written in it to make us capable of Eternal Life through believing (a) Joh. xx 30 31. and that being received with meekness and a due submission to its Doctrines and Precepts it is able to save our Souls (b) James i. 21. Finally That it is so perfect a Rule That nothing can be added to it or taken from it (c) Deut. iv 2. Rev. xxii 18. Wherefore unless we can be so impious to imagine that the God of Truth designed to deceive us we must give credit to his Character of Holy Scripture and believe it contains all necessary Truths And this was the constant opinion of the Catholick Church in all Ages as I have proved elsewhere I will only note here that the Fathers declared Nothing was fundamental in Religion which was not attested by God's word (d) Nullum fundamentum aut firmitatem possunt habere quae nullis divinarum vocum fulciuntur oraculis Lact. l. 7. c. 2. and that a compleat Systeme of Divine Mysteries was only to be drawn from this Fountain (e) Universa divinarum rerum Mysteria non nisi ex ipsis fontibus hauriri queant Sulp. Sever. Hist Sacr. l. 1. Yea this of old was the Doctrine of the Roman Church for Pope Celestine's Letter to Nestorius affirms That he deserves an Anathema who adds to or takes from that Faith which being fully and plainly delivered by the Apostles needs no encrease and must have no diminution from us (f) Celestin Epist in Concil Ephes Bin. Tom. 1. Par. 2. p. 136. but this was before they had brought in so many New Doctrines and Practices grounded on Tradition only that they were forced to decree at Trent That Traditions were to be received with the same pious Affection and Veneration that they received the Scriptures (g) Omnes Libres tam V. quam N. Testamenti nec non traditiones pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia suscipit c. Concil Trid. Sess 4. Decr. 1. But in the Primitive Ages nothing but the Word of God was allowed to decide controversies of Faith and therefore the Holy Bible alone was placed on a Throne in Christian Councils as the only Judge in all such cases (h) Vid. Concil Aquil. ap Bin. T. 1. Par. 1. p. 545. Concil Ephes ibid. Par. 2. p. 214. Wherefore 't is very necessary every Priest should declare his belief of the perfection of Scripture and Secondly That he should promise to teach no Doctrines but what may be proved by it For this is the greatest security of his being Orthodox which the Church can have since no man can be an Heretick who takes his Faith from the plain Words of Scripture and proves it by necessary Consequences drawn from thence And it is of such importance to the Church that those She admits for Guides to others be not in a wrong way themselves that all the Reformed Churches ask the same Question of their Candidates The Lutherans say Do you believe the Faith which the whole Christian Church believes c. And do you condemn all Errors and Heresies that are condemned by Scripture and by the genuine Christian Councils (i) Creditisne fidem quam Universa Christiana Ecclesia credit c. Damnatis omnes errores haereses per S. Scripturam Christiana probata Concilia damnatas Form Luth. Ord. Lips 1624. item Form Belg. Eccl. p. 261. Scotch Psalter J. Knox p. 19. The Belgick and Scottish Churches ask the like Questions upon the same occasion For this is sufficient evidence that they who answer this Question sincerely do not hold nor will they teach any Heresie whatsoever but more particularly this excludes all Papists and Enthusiasts from Holy Orders because the former pretend Traditions and the latter New Revelations for the proof of their False Doctrines and though they seem very different yet both agree in denying the perfection of Holy Scripture and both do this with the same design viz. that they may Coin new Articles of Faith as often as they please which false Principles and dangerous Design would make our Faith changeable and uncertain and nothing fixes our fundamentals in Religion like binding all Priests to a written and unalterable Rule It is thought an excellent means to preserve Mens civil Rights to bind the Judges to decide all Causes according to the Written Laws of the Kingdom (k) Ut Judices secundum Scriptam Legem judicent non secundum Arbitrium suum Capitul Reg. Franc. Tom. 1. p. 370. And it is equally prudent and more necessary to use this Caution in Divine Truths of which the Bible is the only Collection and that Standard from which no private Man may vary he may hold some pious Opinions and urge some innocent Practices from Reason and Antiquity but these must not be pressed as necessary to Salvation for nothing is so but what is contained in or can be proved by the Holy Scripture and so long as we keep close to that Rule no dangerous Heresie nor notorious Corruption can come in §. 2. Quest 3. Will you then give your faithful diligence c. This Question shews the matter and manner of their Duty in Divine Administrations A Minister is often compared to a Shepherd whose Office it is to feed his Flock in Green Pastures and to lead them forth besides the Waters of Comfort and with his Shepherds Staff to drive in such as wander into the Valleys of Death and Destruction (l) Psal xxiii 2 4. So our Spiritual Pastor is to feed and nourish his People that are regular by the Word and Sacraments those that are irregular he is to fetch back to the Fold by Holy Discipline privately labouring to convince them of their Errors and convert them from their Sins and if that be not sufficient giving them up to the censures of the Church for their Reformation and Amendment This is the matter of their Duty As to the manner they are to administer Doctrine Sacraments and Discipline so as the Lord hath commanded in his word and so as the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Realm do appoint which are not blessed be God two different ways here in this pure Church because we have declared that we have no power to make any Laws in these matters contrary to God's word (m) Non licet Ecclesiae quicquam constituere quod verbo Dei scripto adversetur Reformat Leg. Eccles c. 11. p. 5. The Scripture teaches the manner of our Ministrations as to the main and our Offices and Canons for Discipline are drawn up by those Divine Directions the rest is supplied out of Primitive Antiquity as to Ceremonies and things not Essential and both are finally confirmed by our Laws Thus we have accurately prescribed Forms for all our Ministrations from which if any private Minister might vary and follow his

Canone Carthag c. secundum Apostoli dictum Morin de Lat. Ordin p. 275. And then all the Questions like ours tended only to try his Faith and his Life But after the Papal Monarchy was set up about the year 900. two Questions more were added about receiving and keeping the Traditions of the Fathers and the Decrees of the Apostolical See and about Fidelity to St. Peter and his Vicar (s) Vis traditiones Patrum ac Decretales S. Ap. sedis c. Vis B. Petro ejusque Vicario c. Morin ibid. p. 320. And the Modern Roman Pontifical hath made this Second Question still larger putting in the Pope's Name and binding them to pay Fidelity Subjection and Obedience in all things to him and his Successors (t) Vis B. Petro ejusque Vicario Dom. nostro Dom. N. Papae suisque Successoribus Romanis Pontif Fidem Subjectionem Obedientiam per omnia exhibere Pontif. Roman p. 62. which shews that of late they are more concern'd for Bishops subjection to the Pope than for their being Orthodox in their Faith or Religious in their Lives But all this being meer Innovation was justly expunged by our Reformers and we have reduced this Preface to what it was in the Primitive Ages yea to what it was in the Church of Rome while it was pure and uncorrupted And in this as well as in many other things we have left them only in those things wherein they had first left their own Orthodox and Pious Predecessors and so departed from themselves and from the right way §. 2. Of the Second Question Are you persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain c. This Question is the same with that which is put to a Priest and had not been necessary to be considered here but only to give an account that this is instead of that large Declaration of Faith which every Bishop was obliged to make before his Consecration in the Ancient Church of which we will now observe that St. Paul makes it a necessary Qualification for a Bishop to hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught and to preach sound Doctrine (u) Titus i. 9. And doubtless care should be taken that he be very Orthodox who is not only to instruct a whole Diocese but to teach and inspect the inferior Teachers which part of the Episcopal Office was of great importance in the Primitive times while such swarms of Hereticks infested the Church of God and hence there was a very strict enquiry then made as appears by the Canons of Carthage cited before whether the Candidates for this Superior Order understood and believed the true Churches Sence of all the Articles of the Creed especially about the Trinity and the Incarnation Passion and Resurrection of Christ then most disputed about To which were added divers Queries concerning their renouncing the Heresies then infesting the African Church especially those of the Manichees the Novatians the Donatists and Pelagians as may be seen at large in the aforesaid Council (w) Concil 4. Carth. Can. 1. Bin. ut supr And the old Roman Formularies taken out of the Vatican keep almost the same words as we noted out of Morinus before only requiring the Bishop elect to give his assent explicitely to every Article and except the additions contrived to support the Papal Supremacy the Modern Pontifical varies but little from the old Form As for the Greek Church 't is certain it hath been very anciently used there for a Bishop to make a full confession of his Faith to the Metropolitan who Ordained him from that passage in Synesius who hearing he was nominated to be a Bishop in order to excuse himself pretended he held divers Heterodox Opinions which he could not dissemble when he came to be ordained but resolved he would then declare them before God and Man and desires his Friend to tell the Arch-Bishop who was to consecrate him all this before hand (x) Synes Epist 105. p. 249. And to this day the Greek Bishops besides repeating the Nicene Creed make a large Confession of their Faith concerning the Incarnation of our Saviour the Unity of his Natures in one Person the Trinity c. and they do also specially name and condemn the Heresies of Arius Macedonius Nestorius and others who had disturbed the Eastern Church (y) Euchol Graec. Ord. Episcopi p. 306 c. Which large Forms we now omit both because most of the ancient Heresies are now vanished and also because we have other securities that our Bishops are Orthodox but especially by the several Subscriptions they have made in the lower Orders whereby they declare their assent to the three Creeds and to all the Articles of the Church of England Which method of Subscribing I could prove to be as old as the time of the Nicene Council And St. Hierom saith such as refused it were put out of the Church in his days (z) Aut scribendum eis fuerit aut exeundum de Ecclesia Hieron ad Pammach Epist 65. T. 2. p. 283. And this same Method is yet continued in the Reformed Churches of Helvetia where no man can be admitted to serve a Cure unless he do first subscribe their Confession of Faith and promise to obey all the Rules made in their Synods (a) Vide Bullengeri ap Melch. Adam p. 493. And it is to be considered that Subscriptions remain on Record as a perpetual Evidence against the Party if he shall prove an Apostate afterward whereas a Verbal Profession may be forgot or mis-told by such as hear it but once And therefore it was required in the Primitive Ages that all inferior Bishops should send a Confession of Faith in Writing to their Metropolitans and they to their Patriarchs immediately after their Consecration And the Popes themselves as I have shewed elsewhere for divers Centuries writ to the Emperors after they were advanced to the See of Rome to prove themselves Orthodox But finally this question of their believing all things contained in Scripture and promising to Preach nothing contrary to it is sufficient to secure the Church that they are no ways Heretical but sound and Orthodox in all Points §. 3. Quest IV. Are you ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange Doctrine c. We have heard how strictly St. Paul charged the Bishops of Asia to watch against those grievous Wolves the Hereticks that were likely to break into their Folds (b) Acts xx 29. and 31. And requires Titus the Bishop of Crete after two admonitions if they prevailed not to Excommunicate an Heretical Teacher (c) Titus iii. 10. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Expulsus sit è numero gregis Bez making it a necessary qualification of a Bishop to be able by sound Doctrine to convince the Gainsayers (d) Titus i. 9. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such as speak against the Truths revealed in Scripture and