Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	prophet_n	testament_n	5,085	5	8.1969	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13629	The reasonablenesse of wise and holy truth: and the absurditie of foolish and wicked errour	Terry, John, 1555?-1625.	1617 (1617)	STC 23912; ESTC S118354	27,907	56

serued and glorified and our selues beautefied thereby Ioh. 6. 29. but also that so we may stop the mouthes of our adversaries For among al the most slanderous imputations that they lay to our charge this is not the least that they avouch that wee teach a bare and naked faith without the fruit of all good workes in that wee affirme that faith is alone in the worke of our iustification The which is as true as if they should say that wee hold that the eye is alone in the body without the residue of the other senses seeing that wee avouch that the eie is alone in the apprehension of all such things as are subiect vnto sight And yet for this cause we must be called Sol●fidians as if wee reiected all other fruits of the spirit with the practise exercise of all good works Nay let vs make no lesse vse hereof then Philip did of those slanders the which the Athenians had raised vp against him I am much said he beholding to the Athenians for that by their slanderous reports I am made the more careful to look to my waies that I may hold a right course that so I may confute them both by my words and workes So likewise whereas our doctrine is that the true Christian saith is accompanied with all manner of divine and heauenly graces and is fruitfull in all good workes let vs giue all diligence to confirme the same by an holy life and conversation that so we may confute them by our deeds also And so we may bee bold to retort vpon them iustly and truly that which they vntruely charge vs withall For in that they avouch that the true Christian faith may not only be in the reprobate but even in the very divels themselues thereby they teach that it may be alone without the company of any vertue without the practise of any good worke And therefore they may be truely tearmed not onely Solifidians but Implijfidians ' Diabolifidians also Vndoubtedly hereby they make it manifest to the whole world that they hold not the true Catholike faith seeing thereby in the iudgement of S. Austine the iust are discerned from the vniust Aug. ad Bomf l. 3. c. 5. Whereas by that faith which themselues hold to be Catholike they cannot be discerned from the very Divels themselues Now if they bee not severed from the Divels in their faith neither can they bee seuered from them in their workes seeing faith is the root works are the fruits and such a root such a fruit Now if they bee severed from the Divell neither in their faith nor workes how can they bee severed from him in their punishments Wherefore let them disgrace this gracious gift of faith which haue no part nor portion in the reward thereof But as for vs which acknowledge it to be a principall part of true sanctitie and holinesse let vs most carefully obserue the meanes whereby it is coliated by God set downe in these words of our text Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth Wherein we are to obserue these two points First that God doth sanctifie his by the truth secondly that this truth is contained in Gods word even in that word of God which is delivered vnto vs by the Prophets and Apostles Concerning the first which is that truth is the true meanes whereby we attaine to an holy faith and to all the residue of the graces of sanctification it is manifest in this that truth doth rectifie our vnderstanding will affections in the vprightnesse of the which our whole and totall sanctification doth consist And therefore by S. Austine truth is tearmed The virginitie of the soule and the chastitie of the mind As falsehood and vntruth is the adulterous pollution of them all insomuch that all such as in Gods service embrace lyes either taken by tradition from their ancestors or sucken out of their owne heads are iustly charged by the spirit of God to goe a whoring after humane inventions Num. 15. 39. Here of it is that men of al professions lay claime to the truth and for proofe thereof make a shew to deriue the pedegree of their doctrine from God the author of truth and from his word the authenticall and vndeniable evidences thereof As it may appeare by Celsus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who as Origen reporteth entituled his bookes The word of truth which yet hee wrot against the truth Wherefore as the Apostle exhorteth we are not to beleeue every spirit but to trie the spirits whether they are of God or no and wisely to examine the grounds of all doctrines before that we make them Articles of our Creed that so we may imbrace the knowledge of the truth whereby we may bee saved and reiect the strong delusion of Satans lies which are the venome and poison of our soules 2. Thess 2. 10. Now the word of God which our blessed Saviour the wisdome of God Prov. 8. revealed by his spirit to the Prophets and Apostles is this word of sanctifying and sauing truth For if we continue in the same We shall knowe the truth the truth shall make vs free Ioh. 8. 32. And how doth truth make vs free but by sanctifying vs with al divlne and heavenly vertues For a true vertuous man is the only free man Let vs then come to the second point and take a true view of such proofes as may be produced to make manifest that the word of Christ revealed by his spirit to the Prophets and Apostles is only the rich treasury of that pretious truth whereby all the elect of God are brought to a sanctifying and sauing faith The which thing that we may effect let vs first search and enquire where and what truth is that so truth may speake and manifest it selfe Truth is either in things or words Truth in things is the fit and apt agreement of the causes with their effects and the effects with their causes of the accidents with their subiects and subiects with their accidents and so of all other arguments and reasons with the things whereof they are argumēts reasons Vera est propositio quādo praedicatum convenit subiecto Tum praedicatū cōvenit subiecto cum est genus c. So truth in words is when true reasons which agree with the things whereof they are reasons are accordingly set downe in the words which are deliuered to expresse the same Hence then we thus conclude that if all true reasons whereby the true God and true Godlinesse may be knowne and embraced are rightly set downe in the doctrine revealed by Christ to the Tum veritas est in verbis quando ita est in rebus quemadmodum verb● significant Prophets and Apostles and by them registred and enrolled in the Canonicall Scriptures of the old and new Testament then this word is the word of God and the word of truth But in these bookes are set downe all manner of most forcible and

indued with a sanctifying faith albeit they cannot produce the actions thereof no more then it is an absurditie to say that they are indued with a reasonable soule albeit the effects there of appeare not in them But Bellarmine himselfe happily doubting of the absurditie of these former doctrines in the last instance wil be sure to produce an absurd position indeed which is that God is the author of sinne which yet as he affirmeth is taught by Calvin But this is an impudent and a shamelesse slander refused and refuted also by that worthie seruant of God himselfe Wherefore Bellarmine hereby manifestly declareth that the doctrine of the Romish church whereof he is so stiffe a maintainer is absurd false vntrue therefore not taken out of the word of truth seeing it is not neither indeed cannot bee defended but by false slanders and lies For the law of God shall bee fulfilled without lies seeing wisdome is sufficient to a faithfull mouth Eccl. 34. 8. And verily that all the particular doctrines of the Church of Rome are vnreasonable and absurd and therefore vntrue by Bellarmines owne rule vntrue it may be iustified in them all but at this time I will giue instance only in some of their particular doctrines which concerne the word of God the Sacraments Prayer Faith And first concerning the word of God the Church of Rome absurdly teacheth that it is delivered vnto vs partly in the Scriptures and partly by tradition For if it bee an absurd thing for a wise and provident Father to deliuer his last will and testament partly in writing and partly without it is much more absurd to ascribe any such action vnto the most wise and provident God Secondly if it be an absurd thing for a father to interdict any of his childrē to get a coppie of his last will and testament wherein some great legacy is giuen vnto him and some speciall duties are required at his hands then it is more absurd to avouch that God doth interdict all his children of the Laitie the hauing of the bookes of the old new Testament in the which so great legacies are bequeathed vnto them and so many speciall duties are required at their hands Thirdly if it be an absurd thing that a wise and louing father should make his last will and testament in a language vnknown to his children seeing he maketh it to this end even to make knowne to all and every of them what portion and legacie hee bestoweth vpon them and what dutie hee requireth at their hands then much more absurd is it to avouch that our heavenly father making his wil and testament to the same end would haue the vnderstāding thereof kept close from any of his children vnder the locke key of a strange language Fourthly seeing every wise father hath a speciall care to set downe his mind in his will and testament in plaine and cleere words that so he may take away all iust occasion of discord and dissention among his children it is absurd to imagine that the God of peace and loue would set downe his mind in the bookes of the old and new Testament in darke and obscure tearmes and in phrases of such a doubtfull and ambiguous signification that like a nose of wax they may be bowed as wel this way as that way and so minister occasion of discord and strife which he therein so straightly and severely interdicteth And verily as it is an absurd thing to avouch that the light of the sunne is darke because sore eies cannot well behold it blind cannot apprehend it at al so is it more absurd to avouch that the holy Scripture being a light that proceedeth from Christ the sonne of righteousnes Ap. 12. 1. is darke and obscure because the sore eyes of some mens sicke minds are offended with it and the blind mindes of other that are starke dead in their sins cannot apprehend it at all Fiftly seeing it is an absurd thing to thinke that any person in a manuary craft can become a good Artisan vnlesse he vnderstand the particular rules thereof and the reasons of such workes that are to be wrought thereby it is no lesse absurd to determine with the Church of Rome that a blind and a colliar-like faith can make a true faithfull man and a good intent can make a good worke when the party vnderstandeth not the particular doctrines of faith nor the severall reasons whereby a good worke may bee done rightly acceptably vnto God For is it not absurd as Chrysostome saith that a Physitian a Tanner a Cloth-worker and all other craftsinen shall be able to stand in defence of their arts and a Christian shall not be able to giue a reason of his faith Whereas these arts neglected bring losse only to our temporalties the contempt of the other bringeth damage to our soules Yet saith he such is our madnesse that wee imploy all our thoughts vpon the former and little regard the necessary most strong fortifications of our salvation albeit wee bee commanded to bee ready to giue an answer to every one that should aske vs a reason of our faith also to haue the word of God dwelling in vs most plentifully Chryf hom 16. in Ioh. Sixtly if we thinke it absurd to trust another mans telling in the receipt of mony or another mans eie in the feeding of our horse or another mans tast in the food of our owne bodies It is more absurd to receaue from our teachers the heauenly coine of faith hope loue vpon their bare word or to trust his eies and tast in the food of our soules by receauing and approuing all doctrines deliuered by them vnto vs without all examination and triall So S. Chrysostome It is an absurd thing in the receipt of mony not to trust another but to tell it our selues and in matters of farre greater moment to content our selues with another mans bare word especially whereas we haue a most exact ballance squire and rule even the determination of the divine lawes Chryf hom 13. in 2. ep ad Cor. Lastly is it not most absurd that a translation made by some which were not inspired guided therein by the spirit of God should be commanded to be receaued by all as only authenticall to be preferred before the text it selfe set down in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture penned in the Hebrew Greek tongues by the Prophets Apostles which were immediatly inspired and guided in that very action by the speciall motion of the vnerring spirit of God 2. Pet. 1. 20. 21. Is it not I say absurd that all truth most purely set downe by such notaries as were immediately thereto designed by God should not be so well preserued in their register bookes from all errors and corruptions by divine providence as in the writings of any other which were not immediatly by God designed therevnto For is water more cleere in the streame where it