Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A37274
|
Sermons preached upon severall occasions by Lancelot Dawes ...; Sermons. Selections
|
Dawes, Lancelot, 1580-1653.
|
1653
(1653)
|
Wing D450; ESTC R16688
|
281,488
|
345
|
if thou strangle thy sefe with the smal cords of vanitie Thou must therefore be contented to forgo those little ones a great beam will put out a mans eye so may a mote too a great flame may burn a house so may a small sparkle a cart-rope may strangle a man so may a small cord a sword will take away the life of the strongest man and so may a little pen-knife nay the point of a needle a Canon shot may murther a man so may the shot of a pocket dagg the deep Ocean may drown a man and so may a smal River It is even so with sin the Aegyptians were as surely drowned that laid dead on the shore as those that were overwhelmed in the deep so the least sinne without repentance drowns a man in the gulfe of perdition as well as the greatest and let me add this which is a most certain truth though at the first it may seeme a paradox that more are damned to Hell for little sinnnes then for great Why Because as it is not the falling into the fire that burnes a man to death but continuing in it nor the falling into the water that drownes a man but lying in it so it is not the falling into sin that damns a man for then all should be damned seeing all fall into sin but cotinuance in sinne and impenitencie A great sinne may prove veniall and a little sinne the same kindâ—n mortall exempli gratia oppression may be veniall and the least desire of another mans goods mortall actuall adulterie veniall and adulterie of the heart unlawfull desire mortall shedding of innocent blood veniall and unadvised anger mortal one of these wee find pardoned in David another in Zacheus the third in Manasses and pardoned they shall be to all such as truly repent and believe the Gospel but these being breaches of Gods law are in their own nature mortall and unlesse repentance follow them they are sure to bring death with them not that these are more grievous in their own nature then those or did more provoke Gods wrath the contrary is true in both but because they often find mercie when the other doe not because they are often accompanied with repentance when the other are not and it is not the greatnesse or littlenesse of the sinne that makes it mortall or venial but the continuance in it or forsaking of it he that continueth in his sin though never so small shall not prosper but he that forsaketh them though never so great shall finde mercie Now many that have been overtaken with grievous and crying sinnes having had the looking glasse of the Law laid before them have been humbled and upon their humiliation pardoned and so their mortall sinnes made venial whereas these lesse sinnes wherein men walke securely and never are truly humbled for them but blesse themselves with the fancie that they are free of many hainous crimes wherewith many others in the world are stained these these I say bring many milions to hell experience sheweth that many dangerous wounds being timely looked unto are cured whereas the least as a stab with an Aule or prickle of a black or prickle of a black thorn neglected may indanger a member if not life So the greatest sinne soundly and timely repented obtains pardon whereas the least neglected as if there were no danger because of it self not so dangerous brings death on the back of it Let then the men of this world who make a sport of sinne mince and qualifie and extenuate their greatest offences let them thinke themselves happie because they are not the greatest transgressors let them never have any Scriptures but such as sound Gods mercies in their mouthes but for thee Beloved Christian if thou look to find favour at the hands of the Almighty though after thy fals and slips thou art to meditate upon Gods mercies lest thou be swallowed up with over much heaviness yet before to keep thee from falling mediate upon his judgements and fierce wrath against the least transgressions lay them open before God that he may cover them condemn them that he may forgive them confesse them to be by nature mortall that by grace he may make them veniall Thus much concerning the second proposition the last proposition is against the Romish doctrine of traditions wee receive traditions say the Fathers of the Councell of Trent pertaining to faith and manners with like devotion and reverence that wee doe the books of the Old and New Testament they meane divine and Apostolicall traditions these wee reverence and receive as well as they viz. if they be expresly delivered in the Scripture or may by necessary consequence be thence proved this is not their meaning but such as are not written but only said to be delivered by Christ and his Apostles very well but seeing the ancient received some for divine and Apostolical which are not rejected even by the Church of Rome as abstaining from blood and that which is strangled praying toward the East c. How shall I know what traditions are divine and Apostolicall Bellarmine gives me a good rule that is without doubt an Apostolical tradition saith he that is taken for Apostolicall in those Churches where is a continued succession of Bishops from the Apostles where is that marrie onely in the Church of Rome Et ideo ex testimonio hujus solius Ecclesiae sumi potest certum indubitatum argumentum ad probandas Ecclesiasticas traditiones and therefore from the testimonie of that Church onely may be taken a certain and infallible argument for proving of Apostolicall traditions This is the strongest stake that stands in the Popes hedge allow him this principle and he will be sure to win the field The Protestants have challenged the Romanists at three severall kinde of weapons Reason Antiquitie and Scripture The first they put off with their nice and aeriall distinctions the second when all other shifts have failed them they wipe oft with the wards of their expurgatorie indices wherein they deale with the ancient Fathers and some of their own side also as Terence in the Poet did with Prognâ— that is cut out their tongues that in future times they shall never be able to crie down Poperie when they are assaulted with the third which is the fittest that can be used to maintain Gods quarrell against his enemies being taken out of Davids Tower where hang a thousand shields and all the weapons of the strong men they put off this blow by their tradition yea but traditions are against the Word of God Ye shall add nothing unto that which I command you Deut. 4. Yea but traditions are the word of God though not written how prove you this because our Church holdeth them to be such Et quod nos volumus sanctum est as Tichonius the Donatist was wont to say Woe unto you yee Hypocrites for ye bind heavie burdens and lay them upon mens shoulders yee make the Law of
flie away But what need we stand of the possibilitie when the Act proveth it A certain man walking on his way while he looked not so wel to his feet as he should have done fell into a pit when divers of his acquaintance came by and saw his mischance they began to enquire one after another how he fell thither What a question is that said he you see that I am fallen thinke rather of some means how to help me up againe Wee never need make question whither and how Rome could revolt and fall from Christ certain it is she is fallen and well it were for her if she could be holpe up When Philip told Nathaniel that he had found the Messiah of whom it was written in the Law and in the Prophets and told him who it was viz. Iesus of Nazareth Nathaniel wondred at it and said Can any good thing come out of Nazareth If any shall wonder that there should be any defect in Rome which so many ages hath been counted the mother and nurse of true religion I answer him as Philip answered Nathaniel Come and see When thou art an eye-witnesse of all her abominations thou wilt subscribe to his testimonie who at his comming away bade her thus adew Roma vale vidi satis est vidisse revertar Cum leno meretrix scurra cinoedus ero I must confesse that when first I made choice of this portion of Scripture I did not intend to have played upon this string with my least finger But now that I have met Rome in my high way I cannot chuse but by your patience speake a word unto her before we part especially when I consider how ready she is to disgrace all such as will not drinke of her Cyrcean cups How she sendeth her panders amongst us to get her more customers and her pedlers to sell her deceitfull wares How busie she is in hanging up her spider-webs to catch our English butterflies which have neither wit to avoid them nor strength to break them and what pains she taketh in decking herselfe and in painting her ugly wrinkled face that she may allure Men destitute of understanding to forsake their first love and commit follie with her There was a time when Rome was a glorious Church Paul giveth her this testimonie her faith was published throughout the whorle world She was as some say the chiefe seate for one of the foure Patriarks or rather of equall dignitie with the others Her approbation was desired in sundrie Councels as one more incorrupt then the rest by reason that she was not shaken with Schismes and Heresies as were the Easterne Churches she was an Asylum for many which were persecuted for the testimonie of Jesus Christ this she was and this is all that she can boast her selfe of at this day Which when she had done she is no better then those degenerous spirits of Nobilitie and Gentrie who when they have nothing in themselves worthy the â—least commendation will digg up the colâ— root whence they sprang Si vita labat perit omnis in illa Gentis honos cujus laus est in origine sola He leaneth upon a rotten staffe which hath nothing to speak for him save his dead Progenitors vertues If any man think I do her wrong may it please him to compare her with the state of Ierusalem in the time when Jeremie prophesied the sinnes of Ierusalem were either in doctrine and matters of Religion or in conversation and manner of living for the former it is as much if not more corrupted at this day in the Romish Church then it was then amongst the Iewes The Prophets there Prophesied lies God sent them not and yet they ranne he spoke not unto them and yet they prophesied even a false vision and the dreames and devices of their owne hearts whether the Romanists doe this or no those impious assertions which they maintaine against the reformed churches for oppagning whereof many holy Martyrs have with their blood dyed the skirts of the purple whore may sufficiently witnesse What I shall tell you of their prayers for the dead their Sacrifice of the Masse their communicating under one kinde their vows their forbidding of maâ—riages their indulgences their Purgatorie their workes of Supererogation and a number moe by which like the Silver Smiths of Diana they have gotten their goods all which make a goodly show of holinesse to such as are blinded with the mists of ignorance by reason that the candle of the word is covered under a Bushell and locked up in the closet of an unknowne tongue but bring Davids Lanthorn to trie them and you shall finde that when they are viewed in the light they will prove like gloe-wormes and Toad-stools more like to any thing then that which they were taken for or like the Apples of Sodome which make a goodly show a farre off but if they be once touched they will presently fall into dust or like those Mathematical Shows which in the twilight seem to be gold or precious stones yet where the light comes prove nothing but lime and sand then their prayers unto Saints will prove but much babling their Images teachers of lies their forbidding of marriages doctrines of Devil their Purgatory fire borrowed from the Superstitious Ethnicks to keep their Kitchins hot their Masses massacres of soules their Holy-water crucifixes reliques and â—ags of Saints c. beggarly rudiments base Merchandise not worth the cheapning this they themselves know full well and therefore if you aske these Lucifugae scripturarum what warrant they have from the Oracles of God Romulidae Satyriquid diâ Poemata narrant They will tell you they have it by tradition or the Church hath ordained it or it is not needfull to bring Scripture for a ground of their positions which it pleaseth some of them to call a Lesbian rule and a nose of waxe and a blacke Gospell and inkie Divinitie and a dumb Teacher and a dead and killing Letter Indeed if they can wrest any place of Scripture though it be contrary to the meaning of the holy Ghost yet it must be taken for sound Divinitie because as a great Cardinall speakes if any man have the interpretation of the Romish Church of any place of Scripture although he know not whether it agree with the word of God or no yet it is not to be doubted but he hath the very Word of God Thus must these Expositions goe for sound Divinitie marke them and compare them with the Jewish glosses Drinke ye all of this that is not all but some to wit the Clergie Marriage is honourable amongst all men not all but some the Laitie Cast not Pearls before Swine that is suffer not the people to read the Scriptures in a knownetongue Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet that is under the Popes feet The fishes of the Sea that is the souls