Richard Hooker
Theologian, 1554-1600
Cited as Hooker. — 227 quotations
Abjection
That this should be termed baseness, abjection of mind, or servility, is it credible?
Acceptation
Some things . . . are notwithstanding of so great dignity and acceptation with God.
Acknowledgment
Immediately upon the acknowledgment of the Christian faith, the eunuch was baptized by Philip.
Act
The seeds of plants are not at first in act, but in possibility, what they afterward grow to be.
Allude
These speeches . . . do seem to allude unto such ministerial garments as were then in use.
Alteration
Alteration, though it be from worse to better, hath in it incoveniences.
Ancient
Junius and Andronicus . . . in Christianity . . . were his ancients.
Antagonist
Our antagonists in these controversies.
Appertain
Things appertaining to this life.
Appetite
The object of appetite it whatsoever sensible good may be wished for; the object of will is that good which reason does lead us to seek.
Ascertain
The divine law . . . ascertaineth the truth.
Attendance
Languishing attendance and expectation of death.
Available
Laws human are available by consent.
Beforehand
They may be taught beforehand the skill of speaking.
Belief
No man can attain [to] belief by the bare contemplation of heaven and earth.
In the heat of persecution to which Christian belief was subject upon its first promulgation.
Better
Their betters would hardly be found.
The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be bettered.
Bloom
Charitable affection bloomed them.
Boot
What booteth it to others that we wish them well, and do nothing for them?
Bosom
Within the bosom of that church.
But
It cannot be but nature hath some director, of infinite power, to guide her in all her ways.
Catechism
The Jews, even till this day, have their catechisms.
Champ
They began . . . irefully to champ upon the bit.
Choice
Choice there is not, unless the thing which we take be so in our power that we might have refused it.
Coessential
We bless and magnify that coessential Spirit, eternally proceeding from both [The Father and the Son].
Colorable
Colorable and subtle crimes, that seldom are taken within the walk of human justice.
Comfort
God's own testimony . . . doth not a little comfort and confirm the same.
Commodity
Men may seek their own commodity, yet if this were done with injury to others, it was not to be suffered.
Common
Such actions as the common good requireth.
Communion
We are naturally induced to seek communion and fellowship with others.
Comprehension
In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old.
Conclude
The very person of Christ [was] concluded within the grave.
Conform
Demand of them wherefore they conform not themselves unto the order of the church.
Congregate
Any multitude of Christian men congregated may be termed by the name of a church.
Congruity
With what congruity doth the church of Rome deny that her enemies do at all appertain to the church of Christ?
Constitution
The positive constitutions of our own churches.
Continuate
We are of Him and in Him, even as though our very flesh and bones should be made continuate with his.
Contradict
No truth can contradict another truth.
Convict
Imagining that these proofs will convict a testament, to have that in it which other men can nowhere by reading find.
Correspondent
Action correspondent or repugnant unto the law.
Corrosive
Such speeches . . . are grievous corrosives.
Counsel
They all confess, therefore, in the working of that first cause, that counsel is used.
Countermand
For us to alter anything, is to lift ourselves against God; and, as it were, to countermand him.
Credible
Things are made credible either by the known condition and quality of the utterer or by the manifest likelihood of truth in themselves.
Credit
The things which we properly believe, be only such as are received on the credit of divine testimony.
Dark
What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.
Debase
It is a kind of taking God's name in vain to debase religion with such frivolous disputes.
Defraud
Churches seem injured and defrauded of their rights.
Demonstrative
An argument necessary and demonstrative.
Deodate
Wherein that blessed widow's deodate was laid up.
Derogate
If we did derogate from them whom their industry hath made great.
Descent
No man living is a thousand descents removed from Adam himself.
Directly
No man hath hitherto been so impious as plainly and directly to condemn prayer.
Dissolution
To make a present dissolution of the world.
Distinction
To take away therefore that error, which confusion breedeth, distinction is requisite.
Disturber
A needless disturber of the peace of God's church and an author of dissension.
doctrinal
The word of God serveth no otherwise than in the nature of a doctrinal instrument.
doctrine
Articles of faith and doctrine.
Doubt
Even in matters divine, concerning some things, we may lawfully doubt, and suspend our judgment.
Dull
Attention of mind . . . wasted or dulled through continuance.
Dumb
To unloose the very tongues even of dumb creatures.
Earnest
They whom earnest lets do often hinder.
efficience
The manner of this divine efficiency being far above us.
Efficient
God . . . moveth mere natural agents as an efficient only.
Encroach
Superstition, . . . a creeping and encroaching evil.
Encumber
Not encumbered with any notable inconvenience.
Erect
Vigilant and erect attention of mind.
Estrange
Had we . . . estranged ourselves from them in things indifferent.
Eternal
Law whereby the Eternal himself doth work.
Every
Daily occasions given to every of us.
Excellency
Extinguish in men the sense of their own excellency.
Exclamation
Exclamations against abuses in the church.
Exorbitant
The Jews . . . [were] inured with causes exorbitant, and such as their laws had not provided for.
Expedite
To make the way plain and expedite.
Exulcerate
Minds exulcerated in themselves.
Fidelity
The principal thing required in a witness is fidelity.
Fiery
The sword which is made fiery.
Figurative
This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity.
Flagrant
Flagrant desires and affections.
Flit
It became a received opinion, that the souls of men, departing this life, did flit out of one body into some other.
Flower
The choice and flower of all things profitable the Psalms do more briefly contain.
Follow
We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love.
For
That which we, for our unworthiness, are afraid to crave, our prayer is, that God, for the worthiness of his Son, would, notwithstanding, vouchsafe to grant.
Forcible
That punishment which hath been sometimes forcible to bridle sin.
Formally
You and your followers do stand formally divided against the authorized guides of the church and rest of the people.
Generation
All generations and ages of the Christian church.
Gesture
Humble and reverent gestures.
It is not orderly read, nor gestured as beseemeth.
Gloss
It is no part . . . to set on the face of this cause any fairer gloss than the naked truth doth afford.
Heinous
It were most heinous and accursed sacrilege.
Hither
Hither we refer whatsoever belongeth unto the highest perfection of man.
Homage
All things in heaven and earth do her [Law] homage.
Hopeful
Men of their own natural inclination hopeful and strongly conceited.
Humiliation
The former was a humiliation of Deity; the latter a humiliation of manhood.
Illumination
Hymns and psalms . . . are framed by meditation beforehand, or by prophetical illumination are inspired.
Immaterial
Angels are spirits immaterial and intellectual.
Import
Every petition . . . doth . . . always import a multitude of speakers together.
Improbity
Persons . . . cast out for notorious improbity.
Incident
As the ordinary course of common affairs is disposed of by general laws, so likewise men's rarer incident necessities and utilities should be with special equity considered.
Incomprehensible
An infinite and incomprehensible substance.
Inconvenience
They plead against the inconvenience, not the unlawfulness, . . . of ceremonies in burial.
Indignity
A person of so great place and worth constrained to endure so foul indignities.
Individually
How should that subsist solitarily by itself which hath no substance, but individually the very same whereby others subsist with it?
Influence
God hath his influence into the very essence of all things.
Innovation
The love of things ancient doth argue stayedness, but levity and lack of experience maketh apt unto innovations.
Instancy
Those heavenly precepts which our Lord and Savior with so great instancy gave.
Instant
There is scarce an instant between their flourishing and their not being.
Institution
The institution of God's law is described as being established by solemn injunction.
Insufficiency
The insufficiency of the light of nature is, by the light of Scripture, . . . fully supplied.
Intent
The principal intent of Scripture is to deliver the laws of duties supernatural.
Interest
The mystical communion of all faithful men is such as maketh every one to be interested in those precious blessings which any one of them receiveth at God's hands.
Labor
Being a labor of so great a difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for.
Level
The glory of God and the good of his church . . . ought to be the mark whereat we also level.
Lightsome
That lightsome affection of joy.
Limitation
The cause of error is ignorance what restraints and limitations all principles have in regard of the matter whereunto they are applicable.
List
Them that add to the Word of God what them listeth.
Litany
Supplications . . . for the appeasing of God's wrath were of the Greek church termed litanies, and rogations of the Latin.
Literal
A middle course between the rigor of literal translations and the liberty of paraphrasts.
Loam
We wash a wall of loam; we labor in vain.
Maim
Surely there is more cause to fear lest the want there of be a maim than the use of it a blemish.
Mean
Their virtuous conversation was a mean to work the conversion of the heathen to Christ.
Memorial
Churches have names; some as memorials of peace, some of wisdom, some in memory of the Trinity itself.
Misconceive
Those things which, for want of due consideration heretofore, they have misconceived.
Molest
They have molested the church with needless opposition.
Moral
Keep at the least within the compass of moral actions, which have in them vice or virtue.
Muster
Ye publish the musters of your own bands, and proclaim them to amount of thousands.
Mystic
God hath revealed a way mystical and supernatural.
Naught
Things naught and things indifferent.
Note
Whosoever appertain to the visible body of the church, they have also the notes of external profession.
Notwithstanding
They which honor the law as an image of the wisdom of God himself, are, notwithstanding, to know that the same had an end in Christ.
Nourishment
Learn to seek the nourishment of their souls.
Obdurate
The very custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary.
Object
Some strong impediment or other objecting itself.
Oneness
Our God is one, or rather very oneness.
Order
The church hath authority to establish that for an order at one time which at another time it may abolish.
Otherwise
It is said, truly, that the best men otherwise are not always the best in regard of society.
Overcapable
Overcapable of such pleasing errors.
paradox
A gloss there is to color that paradox, and make it appear in show not to be altogether unreasonable.
Passible
Apolinarius, which held even deity itself passible.
Peculiar
Hymns . . . that Christianity hath peculiar unto itself.
Permit
What things God doth neither command nor forbid . . . he permitteth with approbation either to be done or left undone.
Personal
Every man so termed by way of personal difference.
Persuasion
If the general persuasion of all men does so account it.
Polity
Nor is possible that any form of polity, much less polity ecclesiastical, should be good, unless God himself be author of it.
Popular
Homilies are plain popular instructions.
Positive
In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.
Precedent
Examples for cases can but direct as precedents only.
Precious
Many things which are most precious are neglected only because the value of them lieth hid.
Presbyter
I rather term the one sort presbyter than priest.
Presentation
Prayers are sometimes a presentation of mere desires.
Presuppose
Each [kind of knowledge] presupposes many necessary things learned in other sciences, and known beforehand.
Prime
In the very prime of the world.
Rainfall
Supplied by the rainfall of the outer ranges of Sinchul and Singaleleh.
Reading
The Jews had their weekly readings of the law.
Recognition
The lives of such saints had, at the time of their yearly memorials, solemn recognition in the church of God.
Redress
Reformation of evil laws is commendable, but for us the more necessary is a speedy redress of ourselves.
Regard
Change was thought necessary in regard of the injury the church did receive by a number of things then in use.
Rehearsal
In rehearsal of our Lord's Prayer.
Relinquish
We ought to relinquish such rites.
Resemblance
These sensible things, which religion hath allowed, are resemblances formed according to things spiritual.
Revocation
One that saw the people bent for the revocation of Calvin, gave him notice of their affection.
Reward
Rewards and punishments do always presuppose something willingly done well or ill.
Righteousness
There are two kinds of Christian righteousness: the one without us, which we have by imputation; the other in us, which consisteth of faith, hope, and charity, and other Christian virtues.
Rogation
He perfecteth the rogations or litanies before in use.
Say
If those principal works of God . . . be but certain tastes and says, as it were, of that final benefit.
Scandalize
I demand who they are whom we scandalize by using harmless things.
Scandalous
Nothing scandalous or offensive unto any.
Scope
The scope of all their pleading against man's authority, is to overthrow such laws and constitutions in the church.
Scrupulous
Abusing their liberty, to the offense of their weak brethren which were scrupulous.
Secrecy
It is not with public as with private prayer; in this, rather secrecy is commanded than outward show.
Seeming
Nothing more clear unto their seeming.
Seemly
Suspense of judgment and exercise of charity were safer and seemlier for Christian men than the hot pursuit of these controversies.
Seldom
Wisdom and youth are seldom joined in one.
Sensual
The greatest part of men are such as prefer . . . that good which is sensual before whatsoever is most divine.
Sequester
When men most sequester themselves from action.
Serve
They think herein we serve the time, because thereby we either hold or seek preferment.
Session
So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do import.
Set
This law we may name eternal, being that order which God . . . hath set down with himself, for himself to do all things by.
Several
They had their several for heathen nations, their several for the people of their own nation.
Side
The law hath no side respect to their persons.
Sift
Sifting the very utmost sentence and syllable.
Simply
[They] make that now good or evil, . . . which otherwise of itself were not simply the one or the other.
Single
An agent singling itself from consorts.
Men . . . commendable when they are singled.
Singularity
No bishop of Rome ever took upon him this name of singularity [universal bishop].
Skill
Learned in one skill, and in another kind of learning unskillful.
Sociable
They are sociable parts united into one body.
Solemnize
Baptism to be administered in one place, and marriage solemnized in another.
Sort
Flowers, in such sort worn, can neither be smelt nor seen well by those that wear them.
Sovereign
We acknowledge him [God] our sovereign good.
Speciality
On these two general heads all other specialities are depedent.
Speculative
The mind of man being by nature speculative.
Square
They of Galatia [were] much more out of square.
Stain
Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or stain of heresy.
Station
Their manner was to stand at prayer, whereupon their meetings unto that purpose . . . had the names of stations given them.
Stay
All that may stay their minds from thinking that true which they heartily wish were false.
Storehouse
The Scripture of God is a storehouse abounding with estimable treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Subjection
Because the subjection of the body to the will is by natural necessity, the subjection of the will unto God voluntary, we stand in need of direction after what sort our wills and desires may be rightly conformed to His.
Sufferance
Somewhiles by sufferance, and somewhiles by special leave and favor, they erected to themselves oratories.
Surrender
To surrender up that right which otherwise their founders might have in them.
Sway
The example of sundry churches . . . doth sway much.
Syllable
Before any syllable of the law of God was written.
Tale
The ignorant, . . . who measure by tale, and not by weight.
Thereat
Every error is a stain to the beauty of nature; for which cause it blusheth thereat.
This
Their judgment in this we may not, and in that we need not, follow.
Touch
A true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy.
Traduce
The best stratagem that Satan hath . . . is by traducing the form and manner of them [prayers], to bring them into contempt.
Travail
As everything of price, so this doth require travail.
Treatable
A kind of treatable dissolution.
Trifle
They trifle, and they beat the air about nothing which toucheth us.
Turn
The turns and varieties of all passions.
Under
Medicines take effect sometimes under, and sometimes above, the natural proportion of their virtue.
Uniform
The only doubt is . . . how far churches are bound to be uniform in their ceremonies.
Upward
Looking inward, we are stricken dumb; looking upward, we speak and prevail.
Urgent
Some urgent cause to ordain the contrary.
Usual
Consultation with oracles was a thing very usual and frequent in their times.
Uttermost
He cannot have sufficient honor done unto him; but the uttermost we can do, we must.
Voluntary
God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him.
Wary
It behoveth our words to be wary and few.
Weak
A case so weak . . . hath much persisted in.
Weigh
Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only what is spoken.
Will
Appetite is the will's solicitor, and the will is appetite's controller; what we covet according to the one, by the other we often reject.
Withdraw
Impossible it is that God should withdraw his presence from anything.
Worldly
Many years it hath continued, standing by no other worldly mean but that one only hand which erected it.
Worthiness
The prayers which our Savior made were for his own worthiness accepted.
Writhe
The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed.