Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	faith_n	infallible_a	8,239	5	9.9784	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33549	A letter from John Cockburn, D.D., to his friend in London giving an account why the other narratives about Bourignianism are not yet publish'd, and answering some reflections pass'd upon the first.	Cockburn, John, 1652-1729.	1698 (1698)	Wing C4814; ESTC R37750	17,307	33

otherwise the Persons are truly irrecoverable no cure can be wrought unless they will think and consider and if once they do it I doubt not the success For as the Devil flees when he is resisted so Errour which comes from him loses ground when it is enquired into neither of them can endure a Tryal this is the peculiar property of Truth I may compare Bourignianism and some other Delusions to Glass-Drops which should be viewed at a distance and very slightly handled because upon the first Experiment they dissipate into Vapours These Reflections and Censures were written to me by a Friend But there is one who has printed his Judgment of this Matter in a Postscript to The State of the Philadelphian Society He is offended with a Passage of my Preface which insinuates That the Refutation of Bourignianism will overturn the Principles and Practices of our Quakers and Philadelphians as well as the Quietists and Pietists abroad because they are of the same kidney and do all stand upon the same foundation And I still think that I had good reason to say so because some Sentiments and Practices are common to all the Enthusiastick Tribe and whatever particular Differences there are amongst them they nevertheless flow all from the same Cause and Source viz. 1. An intolerable Pride That they have the Spirit more than others That all their Fancies and Conceits are of God And 2. Either a total Contempt and Disregard of the Scripture or a levelling it with their own private and particular Sentiments so that it must either speak as they do or have no Force and Authority Now that which is a good Antidote against these two Evils may be esteem'd a Catholicon for all the Distempers of Enthusiasm whatever Names and Distinctions they go under They say Omne simile claudicat and indeed I do not see how his is in anywise pat to the purpose Sure I am saith he That our Church of England-men and Presbyterians as well as the Unitarians and Zwinglians abroad are not so very easily to be wounded all by one Blow though they pretend to stand all upon the same Foundation and do resolve the Principles of their Faith according to the same Rule For as sure as he is I am very much persuaded and I believe so are you that he is mistaken for they do not stand upon the same Foundation nor have they the same Rule for resolving their Faith The Church of England and those of the Episcopal Persuasion you know defend Episcopacy by 1. It s being more proper to preserve the Order and Unity of the Church even in the Judgment of St. Ierom the great Patron of Presbyterians as they imagine 2. The Universal Practice of the Church which was never introduc'd by any Council or Humane Authority 3. The Practice of the Apostles which is above all Humane Authority 4. The Conformity to the Iewish Oeconomy which was established by God himself and which by the Example of Christ and the frequent Reasoning of St. Paul was to be the Rule and measure even under the Gospel as to all things suitable to the Nature and Ends of the same Now how can this Foundation be shaken by the proper Arguments against Presbytery As 1. The Confusion of Parity 2. The Novelty of its Constitution 3. Which was introduc'd and occasion'd by the Necessity of Calvin's Circumstances And 4. The Unsufficiency of his Authority when laid in the balance with that of the Catholick Church and the undeniable Instances of the Apostles Those of the Episcopal Communion cannot fall with the Presbyterian unless the Quaker can effectually prove that there is no setled Ministry and the Libertine that there ought to be no Government and the Erastian that Religion and the Church are and ought to be entirely subjected to the Prince and Civil State that their Will and Humour are as much to be regarded as the Practice of the Apostles the Example of Christ Reason or Divine Institution If Dr. Tillotson's famous Sermon and Dr. Wake 's late Book can be shewed as undoubted Demonstrations both the Church of England and Presbyterians may put up their Papers and lay their Hands upon their Mouths and so may both Protestants and Papists In like manner those who hold a Trinity build their Faith upon the Authority Certainty and Perspicuity of the Revelation of the Scripture constant Tradition which gives this with other Articles as the Faith once delivered to the Saints by Christ and the Apostles the weakness of Humane Reason to comprehend all Mysteries and particularly the Infinite Nature of God and the unreasonableness of refusing an assent to a plain Revelation only because the Subject is above our reach when there are many things in Nature which we are forced to acknowledge though their Consistency is an hidden and unintelligible Mystery But these are things which Unitarians will not yield they refuse this Foundation and build upon a particular one which may be overturned while the other stands sure Indeed both Trinitarians and Unitarians would be thrown to the ground if the Doubts of Deists could be turned into indubitable Proofs that there never was any Revelation at all or the Atheists Quibbles and Witticisms could be changed into solid irrefragrable Demonstrations that there is no God And at this rate there may be with as great likelyhood one Comprehensive Blow given to all the several Disputes amongst Mankind by advancing Sceptical Arguments that there is no Certainty at all that it is doubtful whether Men as well as Brutes may not be meer Automata without Sense Reason or Perception that it cannot be known when they are asleep or when awake whether they do not always dream when they think they see clearly If there be no other Life no State after this we and the Philadelphians both trouble our selves to no purpose And yet he must be very ignorant of our Principles who would say that we resolve our Faith alike or that the proving them guilty of gross Delusions does also prove that we have no sure fixed or sufficient Rule to walk by I cannot chuse but laugh when I see him endeavour to abate Mens Reasonable abhorrency of a private deluding Spirit by calling it the Principle of Internal Light as if soft and new Names could change the nature of old ugly Diseases Nor is it less ridiculous how he shuffles off the Imputation of Enthusiastical Impostures and Delusions from his Party and others of the same kidney by saying That none have written better or with more perspicuity and solidity against these than they who have possessed this Principle as if it was impossible or unheard of for one to be deluded and yet not to be sensible of it or to exclaim against a thing of which he himself is as guilty as any And I do not mean the Exclamations of gross designing Hypocrites as when a Rogue holds up his Hands and cries out Villany Villany or like that notorious Whore Sir Roger L'Estrange

Bourignianism I advance it in the Iudgment of some Some of the Favourers of this New Sect hope that my Narratives will rather recommend Antonia Bourignon than ruin her Principles if the rest be as the first If it be so I am very unhappy and have miss'd my aim very much It is true that weak Defences or Refutations are always Prejudicial and an Ignorant Zeal commonly has Effects contrary to that which is intended Nec semper feriet quodc●nque minabitur arcus I am far from the Vanity of thinking that these Errors and Delusions could not be better detected by another but also I do not think that how short soever my Performance may come I am so unlucky as to have rendred Bourignianism very lovely and desirable I do easily believe that I have by that Narrative excited the Curious to know more of the Life and Principles of Antonia Bourignon But I do not see what there is in that Account which may dispose Persons to love her I purposely shewed her with all the Advantages by which her fond Disciples do set her off I would not deal so unfairly as to conceal any part of that high Character which they give unto her But at the same time I judge that I have given very good Reasons why that Character is not to be received nor their Evidence admitted because their Proofs are Unsufficient their Expressions are Extravagant their Narrations are Inconsistent and in their transports of Zeal and Affection for this their Mistress which are very frequent they neither observe Truth nor Modesty Atque ita mentitur sic veris falsa remiscet *** Ut dum vitat humum nubes inania captet There is as little air of Truth in the Accounts of Monsieur de Cort and Monsieur Poiret as there is in the Poems of Prince and King Arthur in composing which the Author consulted his Fancy only and tho' some have censured his Vanity in proposing these Poems which he conceived and brought forth in Coffee-Houses and passing the Streets as a Pattern for other Poets to write by yet he could never be so vain as to think that either his Contrivance or Characters would be received for strict Truths otherwise he must have forgot what the greatest Masters of that Art have observ'd themselves and prescrib'd to others But neither Historians nor Biographers were ever allowed the liberty of Poets That which is without Rythme should have Reason and Truth Matters of Fact should be nakedly delivered without the byass'd Sentiments of the Relater As there is either a Real or a fancied Defect of Natural Beauty where Paint and Patching is used so pure Truth is wanting where Fancy is studied where big swelling words are affected where every Circumstance is exaggerated and no Consequence left to the Reader 's Judgment but all positively dictated and magisterially imposed not to perswade and convince but to ensnare the unwary and to obtrude upon them what might be rejected if fairly offered However Clamour Impudence and a multitude of words do catch only lazy and inadvertent Persons for the Judicious are rendred thereby more diffident and suspicious knowing that these Arts are seldom used but when Reason and Truth are unserviceable Wherefore whatever honour is due to Madamoiselle Bourignon whether she ought to be received as a new Light as the Organ of the Holy Ghost as the Great Restorer of the Church as the last and highest Gift of God to Mankind sent to perfect the Redemption begun by Jesus Christ of whom he was a Type and Figure whether she be greater or equal or how far a just Comparison may be made betwixt him and her whatever be in this certainly Messieurs de Cort and Poiret her two great Evangelists from whom the Rest copy are not to be compared to his nor near so worthy of Credit and yet it is not to be imagined why the last and greatest Manifestation of Wisdom Goodness and Mercy should not be as credibly Attested as the former and as free of Suspicion Abstracting from their miraculous Gifts the Candour and Simplicity of the Sacred Penmen are so convincingly visible that none but very perverse Persons will question their Veracity 'T is true they were as much in the Interest of Jesus as could be nor was it possible to be more zealous to have others into it yet like faithful and impartial Witnesses they deliver Matters of Fact nakedly and set down that which may seem to disgust as well as what is pleasing that Jesus Christ may be received not upon their Authority nor by virtue of enticing Words and subtle Reasoning but by the natural and undeniable Consequence of those things which they relate as Eye and Ear-witnesses Whereas the Spirit and Practice of De Cort and Poiret are quite contrary and therefore their Credit is too weak to sustain so important a Character as is raised by them to Madamoiselle Bourignon and they must be very credulous who upon their simple Authority believe her to be so extraordinarily Inspired and Dignified This was all I aim'd at in that First Narrative I purposed only in it to prove That their Judgments are not Infallible and far from being a competent Evidence of so weighty Matters and without great vanity I may be allowed to say That at least a second reading will convince those who are not prejudiced That I have done what I intended that is I have Cast and Disproved their Evidence But alas such is the Corruption of our Natures and the fatal Destiny of some that the plainest Representation of Errour and Vice can neither prevent nor cure them The offering help to recover them doth but provoke and the Provocation is the greater as the Errours with which they are tainted are the more gross If Persons were disposed to hear Reason calmly 't would be an easie task to expell Errour and to make Truth prevail But Reason bears little sway in the World the most are under the dominion of Prejudices which allow no Freedom to our Reasonable Faculties or which keep them under a very great Restraint Where Prejudices have entred and taken possession it is hard for Reason to force its way and yet we must not give over the attempts If Physick do not perfect the Cure at first it must be renewed and there is ground for Hopes if once the malignant Humours be loosened from their seat and set in motion which may be and often is done by other Remedies than those they call proper Specificks for commonly these are not applied until the Body be first prepared So I intended the First Narrative only as a Preparation to the main Cure and whether that be well or ill done it may be serviceable if it has but this effect to shake a little the lazy and unreasonable Credulity of the Bourignianists and if it does but put them upon the Enquiry into the truth of such important Matters as they have over-hastily believed I expect this at least