Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	unwritten_a	5,821	5	12.7929	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91899	Safe conduct, or The saints guidance to glory. Opened in a sermon preached at Dunstans in the East London. November the second, MDCLIV. At the funerall of the vertuous and religious gentlewoman, Mris. Thomasin Barnardiston, late wife of Mr. Samuel Barnardiston, merchant. / By Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Wolnoth, Lumbardstreet, London.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1655 (1655)	Wing R1711; Thomason E823_7; ESTC R203376	61,656	101

Law is Light If any Doctrin of faith if any precept for Life and manners abide obscure to us it is not because the Scriptures are dark but because our understandings are blinde or because through slothsulness we neglect to use those Spiritual keys of Prayer Meditation comparing one text with another which God hath appointed as helps to unlock the meaning of his Word All the words Prov. 8. 9. of Wisdom are right to them that finde knowledge and plain to him that understandeth He is either grosly ignorant or desperately envious that chargeth the Word of God at least in the principal Doctrins thereof with obscurity God who is the great Master both of Understanding and Language knows how to speak plainly that the meanest capacity may be edified The Sun in the Firmament doth not shine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost with more clearness than the Sun of the Scriptures doth to those that do not wilfully shut their eyes against it Whatsoever is necessary is plain evident perspicuous to him that desires understanding This makes it fit to be a guide Secondly It is a perfect word there is nothing 2 It is perfect needful to be beleeved for Salvation nothing necessary to be done but it is to be found in the Holy Scriptures either in express tearms or by necessary deduction and consequence All false ways are here discovered all Sins are here forbidden all Holiness is here commanded The Prophet David tells us that The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul Psal 19. 7. and the Apostle saith that All Scripture is given by inspiraetion of God c. That the Man of God may be perfect 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. throughly furnished unto all good works and therefore is a Curse denounced against those that either adde or take away any thing from it Revel 22. 18 19. The Scripture is profitable for Doctrin for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness as the Apostle speaks and therefore perfect It proceeds from a most perfect voluntary cause and therefore must needs be exactly every way perfect The Church of God needs not the help of any unwritten mouldy Traditions to compleat the Holy Scriptures of truth We are not commanded to beleeve Human Traditions or the Doctrins of men but such things as are promulged and written by the Prophets and Apostles Those that argue without the Scriptures do but tye Ropes of Sand such Arguments have no strength in them Ego vocem magni pastoris inquiro saith Austin Lege mihi hoc de Prophetâ recita de lege Aug. lib. de pastore cap. 14. recita de Evangelio recita de Apostolo I enquire what the great Shepherd saith read me such things out of the Writings of the Prophets rehearse out of the Law out of the Evangelists out of the Writings of the Apostles whatever is not according to the Law and the Testimony is to be rejected as that that hath no light in it As the Word of God is a pure Word so it is a perfect Word because of its perfection it is fit to be a Guide Thirdly It is a sure Word it is infallible The Apostle speaking of the written Word saith We have 3 It is sure a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto yee do well that yee take heed He had been discoursing of that voyce 2 Pet. 1. 19. which came down from Heaven at the transfiguration of Christ in the Holy Mount and yet he saith That the word of Prophecy which God hath put into the hands of the Church is a more sure guide than that he doth not say a more true Word for that voyce came from the excellent glory but a more sure word All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revelations are to be tried by the written word of Prophecy The Apostle commands us to try the Spirits 1 Job 4. 1. We have no other standard to try any Doctrins which men pretend to bee from the Spirit but the Word of God which we are sure was indited by the Spirit and because it is the breathing and inspiration of the holy Spirit it must needs bee infallible as the Spirit is And it is a sure word in regard of the stability of it as well as the infallibility of it it is a Word that abides for ever It is Davids comfortable meditation For ever O Lord thy Psal 119. 89. Word is setled in heaven The Mountains may fail and the Hills may be removed but the Word of God stands fast for ever Thy testimonies O Lord are very sure Psal 93. 5. The Church and People of God have no other foundation for the assurance of their Salvation but the unchangeableness of Gods Nature and the certainty of his Word and being a sure Word it is fit to be a guide Fourthly It is an Uniform word The Holy ● It is uniform Scripture is in all things constant and like to it self There is no discord or jarring but a sweet Harmony and concord in all tho●e blessed writings some appearing disagreement there may seem to be but no real contradiction He that compares one place with another shall finde a sweet consent in all That there is any shadow of dissent between one text and another ariseth not from any dissimilitude of Scripture to it self but from the Readers ignorance or unexperiencedness in the word of righteousness That which is forbidden by one Prophet is forbidden by another that which is enjoyned by the Prophets is enjoyned by the Apostles in their writings The Apostle Paul proves his Doctrin concerning the Messiah out of the Prophets and out of Moses he said No other things than those which the Prophetss and Moses did say should come And the Apostle Peter in that excellent Acts 26. 22. 23. Sermon which he preached to Cornelius and his Friends shews how unanimous the Prophets were in their Writings about that Doctrin To him give all Acts 10. 43. the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins And hereby indeed it appears that the Scriptures are of Divine authority because there is such a perfect harmony in them Though they were penned by several men at several times and these distant one from another not advising or conferring one with another yet they often speak the very same words and always when they write of one subject the same sense without the least contradiction which is an unquestionable Argument to prove that they were dictated unto them by the same Spirit And because of this consent they are fit to be the Beleevers guide And as the Word of God is so fit for this work so Secondly The Spirit of God is a fit Guide This will evidently appear by the ensuing considerations The Spirit of God a fit Gu●de because 1 The Spirit makes the word plain First The Spirit of God is able to expound the VVord of God and to make it plain

to our under standing The Holy Ghost is the Churches Interpreter he gave the Scriptures and he can reveal unto us the sense and meaning of the Scriptures He is called the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation because it is his work to make known to the Church the Spiritual Eph. 1. 17. sense of that word which God hath given to be the rule both of faith and manners Our Saviour when he was about to leave the world tells his Disciples That he would give them his Spirit to bee a guide in his absence He shall lead you saith he into Joh. 16. 13 14. all truth Now how the Holy Ghost should perform this work is laid down in the next Verse He shall take of mine and shew it unto you he shall so powerfully press the Doctrin of the Gospel upon their spirits that they should understand it to be Christs Doctrin It is by the effectual perswasions of the Spirit that wee beleeve the Divine authority of the word Secondly The Spirit of God is able to incline 2 The Spirit bows the heart to obey the Word Ezek. 36. 27. and move the heart to yeeld obedience to the Counsel of the Word It is Gods promise in the Covenant of Grace to his people that he will put his Spirit within them and cause them to walk in his Statutes and that they shall keep his Judgements and do them Did the Spirit only shew the Beleever the rule according to which God would have him walk and not enable him to a ready and cheerful endeavour to conform to it he would fall short of eternal life for man by Nature doth not only want light to see his way but a heart to walk in the way when it is discovered It is a good prayer which David makes to this purpose Incline mine heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness Psal 119. 36. The Spirit of God sweetens the rule and renders it acceptable and grateful to the heart The heart of man needs not only Moral perswasion but the strength of effectual and determining Grace to engage it to obedience The heart is naturally imprisoned that it cannot move God-ward until it bee set at liberty the Holy Ghost therefore which God hath given to be a guide draws it and then it runs I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt Psal 119. 32. enlarge my heart Heart-enlargement is as necessary for the Christian Travellor as Heart-inlightning Draw us saith the Church and we will run after thee The Spirit of God draws no man to Heaven against his Cant. 1. 4. will but yet he must and doth over-power the Will and make it willing Trahe quodammodo invitam ut facias voluntariam as Bernard glosseth upon that text Bernard in Loc. The renewed Soul findes too often an indisposition in it self to follow Christ and therefore doth still desire the attractive power of the Spirit Thirdly The Spirit of God is able to preserve the 3 The Spirit preserves from fainting Soul from tiring in the way and herein it excels all other guides No guide can give the Travellour strength when he is weary but the Spirit of God can and doth give fresh strength unto all those whom he guides The Prophet David having had experience of this in himself writes it down for the comfort of others He restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the Psal 23. 3. paths of righteousness for his names sake The Spirit of God hath a restorative vertue as well as an inlightning vertue Historians tell us that the rod of Myrtle in the hand of Travellours preserves them from weariness I know not how true that is but I am sure the Spirit of God in the heart of the Spiritual Travellor doth give him fresh strength when he is weary They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they Isa 40. 31. shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint The way of the Lord could not bee strength to the upright if the Spirit did not increase strength to such as walk in those ways The Holy Ghost is not only a Guide to the Beleever but his viaticum upon which he feeds till he come to the end of his Journey The Spirit of God doth by those continual influences which he gives out to the Saints in their Pilgrimage put new life into their hearts that they cannot tire till they come to take up their lodging in Heaven He anoints their heads with the fresh oyl of his Grace whereby they are enabled to go from one measure of strength to another till they appear before God in Sion It s said of the people of God that they shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing Psa 92. 14. Other trees have a time of bearing and a time of barrennesse but the trees that are planted in Gods house are never past bearing whence is it that the people of God dye bearing fruit but from the continuall influences of the Spirit of Grace If it be demanded how the holy Ghost preserves the Saints from fainting I answer briefly First He carries the divine promises open before them in his hand those great and precious promises as the Apostle By revealing the promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. calls them hee claps warm upon their hearts every morning and how can those tire so as to fall down who have such sovereign plasters upon their souls The promises of God are such water of life as that they will make the hearts of dying men live when Jonathan was faint hee did but dip the end of his rod in the hony comb and his Eyes were inlightned 1 Sam. 14. 27. The Spirit of God causeth the fainting travellors to dip their rods every day in the hony-comb of some promise and by such Cordialls recovers their decayed strength Secondly Hee gives them some glymses of the By giving some tasts of glory glory of that heavenly Country whither they are going Though the full meal of glory bee reserved till the saints come to heaven yet they have some litle tasts of it in this life The Scripture makes mention of the first fruits of the Spirit what are these but the foretasts Rom. 8. ●3 of eternall life they are some drops of that new wine which beleevers shall drink with Christ in the Kingdome of God they are as little bunches of grapes sent down from the celestiall Canaan The Spirit of God doth as it were cause them to peep into heaven and the least glimmerings of glory are sufficient to make the lame man leap as an Hart. The Apostles though they met with much affliction in the way to heaven yet they tell us they fainted not what was it that upheld them wee look not at the things 2 Cor. 4. 18. which are seen but at the things which are not seen The Spirit sometimes carries the Saints up to the top of