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	rome_n	scripture_n	10,110	5	6.8423	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47046	Of the rule of faith a sermon at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, William Lord Bishop of Lincolne, holden at Bedford August 5, 1674 / by William Jackson ...	Jackson, William, 1636 or 7-1680.	1675 (1675)	Wing J95; ESTC R16801	18,948	43

reason makes us sensible of but can neither remedy nor clearly discover In all the infinitely various and entangled Cases wherein men are concerned it never so much as once crosses their reason or understanding but always helps it forward It is the onely Doctrine that ever taught mankind to abstract from the world to disengage Religion from worldly designs and temptations without which it is impossible that our understanding should attain the full liberty of Iudging or the true measures of believing It calls up the mind to those sublime and heavenly contemplations to that divine and inflaming ardour as force reason to stand at a distance and acknowledge that her most refined and studied wits her most severe Stoicks and Recluses had not so much as the husks of that fruit which this Tree of knowledge and life affords That the strength of all her productions were they never so genuine cannot enrich her votaries with so true and solid learning with so pure and charming a holiness with so firm and delicious a happiness as the meanest of the students of this Book are enabled to attain It propounds mysteries of so high and glorious a nature with so much Naifvetie so much clear native perspicuity and so much commanding and dreadfull Majesty as cannot be communicated any whence but from that infinite and eternall Wisdom who is alone able as to discover and reveal so to comprehend fully the Mysteries contained in the Scripture Mysteries so much above our weak reason so attractive of it and so healing to it as may from their own nature and merit claim and exercise the Energy and Authority of a Rule of Faith IV. Lastly Scripture contains the onely doctrine that ever could obtain to give law to all the world and the first that ever pretended to so large a Iurisdiction But the Rule of Faith as it is absolute admits of no appeal so the extent of it is illimited and universall over all Persons to whom it is made known of what nation age quality or pretence soever And that both in respect of the contents of it which are of a like importance to all to receive and believe as of that power by which it stands which is a like Soverain over all Now call to mind what was done in the world for the first 4000 years at the end whereof this Doctrine was revealed and you will find as many Lawgivers and Masters of Religion almost as Countries Nor have there been since any pretenders to an Universall Monarchy in Religion besides his Infallible Holiness of Rome and the Seraphick Author of the Alcoran But S. Iude tells us this Faith was delivered when he wrote his Epistle and therefore both these are cut out by a far elder claim And the Ancients made use of this very Topick viz. The universall extent of the Gospel to prove that main point of Faith on which the rest depends namely the Divinity of Christ the Author of it No Book ever came neer that high pitch of historicall credit that this hath had ever since it was publish't And he that brings but that belief with him to the reading of it cannot upon reading but believe it is Divine and look for a Rule of Faith in it In a word it hath the two Essentiall properties required in a Rule Certainty in it self and Evidence to us both which appear a Posteriori from the constant Consent of all Churches in one abstract of things fundamentall to Salvation taken out of it And we have as much proof that it is to be such as we can possibly have suppose it were so And now surely it may seem a strange presumption in flesh and blood to attempt to put down this Oracle from that praeeminence and power over the Faith of Christendom wherein the Almighty did at first place it and wherein it hath by undoubted possession prescribed for so many ages since An attempt that could not have entred into the hearts of men if extream and overgrown corruption both in Faith and manners had not first thrown out all fear of him who hath threatned utter excision to all them that dare add to or detract from his word To him we must leave them who will stand by his own word and bring to light the hidden things of dishonesty and consider what returns of duty become us and they are especially three I. The first is that which is to appear in us in the first place upon the receipt of any mercy or blessing whatsoever and that is thankfulness and gratitude that we offer up a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and that for this it be a dayly sacrifice because this word is of more necessary and frequent use to us then our dayly bread II. A chearfull and absolute resignation of our Faith and Understanding to it III. A zealous and unwearied endeavour to keep and maintain this Faith whole and untainted in all trialls and oppositions The third we are now to speak to expressed by S. Iude in these two words Contend earnestly which Iointly imploy these two things 1. The use of all means necessary to attain so noble an end 2. Zeal and perseverance in the use of them I. The means most likely to preserve our Faith are I conceive these that follow 1. The Preservation of the letter of Scripture intire and uncorrupt and a diligent study of the literall meaning of it For we do not by the Scripture understand the bare characters abstracted from the sense as a bold SerIeant of the Church of Rome is pleased to say of us but by what Authority appears not Possibly it may be some remnant of his weak Faith before his defection which by his defection seems to have gone no farther then the bare characters never to have been well grounded in the true sense and meaning of it We mean by Scripture the literall sense of it especially in the points fundamentall to Salvation which are the very points of Faith not as he saith of which this Rule of Faith is to ascertain us but of which it consists which make it up as the parts make the whole These we say are contained in the first and most obvious sense of the words of Scripture God being graciously pleased to lay them open to all capacities and so making it a common Salvation as S. Iude here calls it As common reason will teach us that any Writer that would be understood will endeavour to deliver the main parts and substance of his discourse most plainly and expresly And therefore it is no wonder that the mysticall exposition of plain Scripture prov'd so mischievous to the Faith of the Ancient Church But so long as we have the letter of Scripture whole and understand the literall meaning of it so long we have our Rule of Faith safe I shall not need to tell you how both the one and other are best done by a study of the Originals of both Testaments by comparing the severall