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	scripture_n	testament_n	10,292	5	8.2542	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62644	Sixteen sermons, preached on several subjects. By the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the third volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1696 (1696)	Wing T1270; ESTC R218005	164,610	488

imperfect State we know but in part and see many Things very imperfectly But when we shall come into a more perfect State that which is imperfect shall be done away the Light of Glory shall scatter all those Mists and Clouds which are now upon our Understandings and hinder us from a clear Sight and Judgment of Things we shall then see God and other Things as they are and be freed from all that Ignorance and those many Childish Mistakes which we are liable to here below and till then it is not necessary that we should be secured from them Humility under a sense of our Ignorance is better for us than Infallibility would be Secondly This Temper and Disposition of Mind which I have been speaking of is a certain security against Fatal Mistakes in Religion and a final continuance in such Errors as would prove Damnable and this is all that this Discourse pretends to or our Saviour hath promised in this Text. And considering the Goodness of God nothing is more improbable than that an honest Mind that seeks impartially after Truth should miss of it in Things that are Fundamentally necessary to Salvation And if we could suppose such a Man to fall into such an Error either it would not be Fundamental to him having not been perhaps proposed to him with sufficient Evidence and would be forgiven him upon a general Repentance for all Sins and Errors known or unknown or he would not be permitted to continue in it but the Providence of God would find out some way or other to convince him of his Error and to bring him to the acknowledgment of the Truth that he might be saved God would rather speak to him immediately from Heaven as he did to St. Paul than suffer him to continue in such an Error as would infallibly carry him to Hell Thirdly There is no such depth of Judgment and subtilty of Wit required to discern between gross and Damnable Errors in Religion and Necessary and Saving Truth but that an ordinary Capacity may be able to do it There is so plain a Line drawn between great Truth and gross Errors that it is visible to every Capacity and an ordinary Understanding that is not under a violent Prejudice or blinded by some Vice or Fault of the Will may easily discern it Indeed in Matters of lesser Moment and Concernment and which have no such considerable and immediate Influence upon the practice of an Holy Life the difference betwixt Truth and Error is not always so gross and sensible as to be obvious to every unprejudiced Eye But we have all the Reason in the World to believe that the Goodness and Justice of God is such as to make nothing necessary to be believed by any Man which by the help of due Instruction may not be made sufficiently plain to a common Understanding God hath so tender a Care of good Men who sincerely love him and his Truth that we may reasonably presume that he will not leave them under an unavoidable Mistake concerning those Matters upon which their Eternal Salvation does depend The Judge of all the World will do right and then we may certainly conclude that he will not Condemn any Man for no Fault and make him for ever miserable for falling into an Error which with all his Care and Diligence he could not possibly either discern or avoid Fourthly God hath made abundant Provision for our security from Fatal and Dangerous Errors in Religion by these three ways I. By an an Infallible Rule sufficiently plain in all Things necessary II. By sufficient means of Instruction to help us to understand this Rule III. By an Infallible Promise of Security from Dangerous Errors and Mistakes if with an honest Mind and due Diligence we will apply our selves to understand this Rule and make use of the Means of Instruction which God hath provided for that purpose First God hath given us an Infallible Rule sufficiently plain in all things necessary He hath given us the Holy Scriptures which were given at first by Divine Inspiration i. e. by Men Infallibly assisted in the Writing of them and therefore must needs be an Infallible Rule and all Scripture Divinely Inspired is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness as St. Paul tells us 2 Tim. 3. 16. speaking there of the Books of the Old Testament and there is the same Reason as to the Inspired Writings of the New Now if the Scriptures be an Infallible Rule and profitable for Doctrine and Instruction in Righteousness i. e. to teach us to believe and do it follows of necessity that they are sufficiently plain in all Things necessary to Faith and a good Life otherwise they could not be useful for Doctrine and Instruction in Righteousness for a Rule that is not plain to us in these Things in which it is necessary for us to be Directed by it is of no use to us that is in truth it is no Rule For a Rule must have these two Properties it must be Perfect and it must be Plain The Scriptures are a perfect Rule because the Writers of them being Divinely Inspired were Infallible and they must likewise be Plain otherwise tho' they be never so perfect they can be of no more use to direct our Faith and Practice than a Sun-Dial in a dark Room is to tell us the hour of the Day For tho' it be never so exactly made unless the Sun shine clearly upon it we had as good be without it A Rule that is not plain to us what ever it may be in it self is of no use at all to us 'till it be made plain and we understand it II. God hath likewise provided sufficient means of Instruction to help us to understand this Rule It is not necessary that a Rule should be so plain that we should perfectly understand it at first sight it is sufficient if it be so plain that those of better Capacity and Understanding may with due diligence and application of Mind come to the true Knowledge of it and those of a lower and more ordinary Capacity by the Help and Instruction of a Teacher Euclid's Elements is a Book sufficie●tly plain to Teach a Man Geometry but yet not so plain that any Man at first Reading should understand it perfectly but that by diligent Reading by a due Application and steady Attention of Mind a Man of extraordinary Sagacity and Understanding may come to understand the Principles and Demonstrations of it and those of a more ordinary Capacity with the help of a Teacher may come to the Knowledge of it So when we say that the Scriptures are plain in all Things necessary to Faith and a good Life we do not mean that every Man at first Hearing or Reading of these Things in it shall perfectly understand them but by diligent Reading and Consideration if he be of good Apprehension and Capacity he may come to a sufficient Knowledge of them and if he