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book_n rule_n scripture_n word_n 2,727 5 4.5992 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A58605 A mirrour of truth, of the highest concern to all sorts of people, noble and ignoble, rich or poor, soveraigne or subject B. P. S. 1672 (1672) Wing S12; ESTC R13638 16,798 48

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A MIRROUR OF TRUTH OF THE HIGHEST CONCERN To all sorts of People Noble and Ignoble Rich or Poor Soveraigne or Subject 1. Rom. 14. To the Greeks and to the Barbarians to the wise and unwise I am a Debtor Printed in the Year 167● A MIRROUR OF TRUTH The Preface IT is for the Lovers of Peace and naked Truth for whom I write this in a few but substantial words declaring the grounds thereof and no more without the least dispute or Contest with any The Truth KNOW therefore that as all things are Vanity of Vanities but only to Love and serve God Eccl. 1.2 So all Knowledge which is not to that End is blind ignorance And all otherwise seeming Truth plain deceit and falshood For there is no Truth but that which leads to God Truth it self the Beginning and End Alpha and Omega nor any Errour or falshood but what seduces from Him Truth indeed is the chief of all most to be loved and sought after Esd 3.4 All the Earth calleth for Truth and Heaven blesseth it thus Esdras And let it be seriously sought after and firmly embraced above all in this foundation and ground-work of all true Vertue and Perfection Divine Faith without which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.1 Now Faith is the ground of things to be hoped for and the evidence of things which are not seen If this point be rightly understood well observed the great stumbling-block to Errors Heresies is taken away This is St. Paul's definition of Faith and most true it is Observe then that since Faith a supernatural gift of God is the Evidence of those things that by no sence or understanding can be perceived but only through this free and gracious gift of God why do we so much busy our Understandings to conceive the Articles of our Faith and believe in a manner Nothing but what we would pretend clearely to know and understand All which is incompatible with Faith which must have no other Operation of the Understanding but simple subjection and obedience to that Divine Light And for this reason He teacheth us to bring into Captivity all Vnderstanding in Obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 As if he should say Good People in vain it is for you to trouble your heads discussion and search in these matters will not quiet or satisfy you The true Rule of Faith you must simply believe because God revealeth and the Church proposeth That which Faith tells you is above your capacity You may as well put the whole Ocean into a small Pitt as the least of these high mysteries into your Understanding you may as well understand the nature of God Himself as the least of them They are all alike little and great high and low as delivered by Faith We may not therefore search them Pro. 25.27 Exod. 19.12 For who is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by Glory And the Beast that toucheth the Mountain shall be stoned These be Edge-tool's there is no jeasting with them Humane reason cannot reach thus high We must simply submit to the Divine Revelatian and the Churches Proposition All the Disputation in the world is to no purpose in these matters We must not contend in words for it availeth nothing but to the subversion of the Hearers It is not Man's Wisdom can teach us these things but the plain evidence of the Spirit of Truth And for this cause St. Paul gave this Admonishment to Timothy saying O Timothy keep that which is committed unto thee 1 Tim. 6.19 and avoid profane and vain babling and opposition of science falsly so called which while some profess they have Erred concerning Faith A Sentence worthy to be written in every Man's heart with indelible Characters for his direction to attain and gain the true Faith which must be committed by the Church to Him and he must take heed of loosing it again through vain Science falsly so called by the curious itching of which we come to breake out in Faith and loose our integrity How come we then to hear these vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called from many who Esteem themselves right believers yea Masters in Israel vaunting of their light from God to know and discern all truth and to dive into the highest Mysteries of Faith yea assume unto themselves a Prerogative Royal proper to Christ only and his Substitutes and Commissioners endued with his Holy Spirit to define what is Faith and what is not O Petty Undertakers who receive no Rule of Faith but their own fancies which they would have all to follow Saying this is no Article of Faith How can we believe a peece of bread or white wafor to be turned into the Body of Christ I see not to what End there should be a continual sacrifice since Christ hath been offered once for all How doth it not derogate from the honour of God to pray to the Saints what power vertue can there be in their Reliques what vain superstition is it to use the signe of the Cross holy water Beads c. How can Man forgive sins How ridiculous is it to think there is a third place or Purgatory with infinite other such like Infidel questions if they knew what they asked For by these and the like questions they seem to shew they believe no more then they see reason for according to their own conceits And so in Truth and very deed they have no Divine Faith at all which is above humane reason and understanding and not by it to be judged Yea these prophane voices sound so high that they themselves will rule and be Judges of that which they constitute the rule of Faith I meane the holy Scriptures admitting and refusing what they please as the Machabees the book of wisdom the Epistle of St. James with much more And why because they like them not and so judge them not to be Scripture And the like is not onely of the word of God it self As God himself is inscrutable to our understandings so is his holywrit Lib. 32. contra-Faustum 〈◊〉 19. but also of the true sence and meaning of it of which they will have no other Judge but their own sense and meaning so that we may say unto them what St. Augustine said to Faustus one of their own Crew You seem to do that saith he which taketh away all Authority of Holy Scripture making every ones Mind the Interpreter of it As God himself is the Authour of holy Scripture so must ●●e be the sole ●●terpreter ●●y His Holy ●nd infallible Church what in every place he please to make the sense meaning of it That is not to be subject to the Scriptures in believing but to make the Scripture subject to Him Not liking any thing because it is right written by Supream Authority but therefore it seems to be right written because it likes Him Thus this Holy sublime wit shews