Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	concern_v	faith_n	justification_n	2,843	5	9.2516	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85394	Hagiomastix, or The scourge of the saints displayed in his colours of ignorance & blood: or, a vindication of some printed queries published some moneths since by authority, in way of answer to certaine anti-papers of syllogismes, entituled a Vindication of a printed paper, &c. ... / By John Goodwin, pastor of a Church of Christ in Colemanstreet.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1647 (1647)	Wing G1169; Thomason E374_1; ESTC R201334; ESTC R201335	139,798	168

supposeth the erroneous opinion Sect. 53. of Consubstantiation to be farre more grosse and dangerous then many particulariz●d in the Ordinance these Gentlemen Answer That Luther● error of Consubstantiation is neither so grosse nor so dangerous as any of the opinions threatned by the Ordinance with death Doe not these men deserve and that ex abundanti their places in the Assembly for this Seraphicall strain The Queree querieth of them wh●ther Luther d●served either imprisonment or death for his opinion about Consubstantiation To this they Answer that this error is not so grosse or dangerous as any by the Ordinance threatned with death So then by the way they grant that the Civill Magistrate under whom Luther lived was defective in his duty towards God that he did not put his great Embassadour and most faithfull servant Luther into prison and there keep him fast from doing the devill any more harme all his dayes But with what face of sense reason learning or Religion can these men affirme that The Error of Consubstantiation is neither so grosse or so dangerous as any of the opinions threatned by the Ordinance with death Certainly in point of grossenesse there is scarse any if any at all of these opinions from the first to the last of them to be compared therewith The error of Consubstantiation is apparently so grosse that the gross●st of the outward senses themselves I meane that of touching is able to discover and confute it Is the error of God his not being one in three persons or that the Holy Ghost is not God Sect. 54. with severall others threatned by the Ordinance with death are these I say errors of so terrene a calculation or so obnoxious unto a redargution by the senses And for matter of danger I would gladly learn from these Grandees what difference there is between holding the Error of Consubstantiation and that Christ is not ascended into Heaven bodily which latter is one of the opinions threatned by the Ordinance with death But Thirdly and lastly this Answer goeth out in this snuffe The Sect. 54. opinions which he and others held which were erroneous were in the beginning of the Reformation when thre had not been such means of conviction nor such a cleering or setling of Truth as there is amongst us aspecially in the fundamentall Doctrines c. But First why were there not such meanes of conviction in the beginning of the Reformation as there is now amongst us Certain I am that there was as much learning and as much labour and as much conscience and faithfullnesse in and about the beginning of Reformation in very many of those persons whom God interessed in this honourable service as there is amongst us Luther Melancthon Calvin Zuinglius P. Martyr Bucer Occolampadius with many more names of like note with these have not their Superiours in any of these now amongst us I wish they had their equalls There is no more comparison for stature in learning and in all manner of worth between young Luther * Mr. Edwards Gang. 3. par p. 77. printeth a passage of a letter sent by a godly Minister as he useth to call all those that will honor or rather flatter him wherein this minister affirmeth that he spake prophetically that usually called him the said mr Edw. in Cambridge ●●●g LVTHER and old then is between the thistle in Lebanon and the Cedar in Lebanon And for countenance from heaven the Histories of those times make it evident that the Worthies mentioned had another manner of a Divine presence and assistance with them then all the cleerers or setlers of Truth so called now amongst us can with any colour or face of Truth pretend Secondly I shall write my self a debtor of a very high favour unto these Gentlemen if they will please to informe me what cleering or setling of Truth there is now amongst us either in fundamentall Doctrines of Religion or in any other above what the primitive times of the late Reformation injoyed If by setling of Truth they mean suppressing of Truth by casting the diabolicall aspersions of Socinianisme Arminianisme Popery Antinomianisme c. * Mr. Edw. Gan. 3 par pag. 114. upon it that so it may stand still and rest where it is and propagate no further well may they glory or indeed be Sect. 54. ashamed of that setling of Truth now amongst us But if by setling of Truth they mean a building setling or holding of it forth upon substantiall cleere and demonstrative grounds what meanes the continuall enterfe●rings and clashings of our Presbyterian Pulpits themselves one against another yea how comes it to passe that so seldome can any one Sermon be heard out of their pulpits but quarrels with it self What meane the numerous Anti-Votes in the Assembly it self and some of these proceeding from persons of the most eminent worth amongst them if not against all or the greater part yet against some of the main and most materiall Doctrines concluded there what mean the crosse-lines and contradictions of that frequent occurrence in bookes lately printed and these not onely in and about the point of Presbytery between Presbyterians themselves and particularly between Mr. Rutherford and Mr. Edwards whereof instance might be given in sundry particulars but in Doctrines also of a farre more fundamentall consequence as about the power of man in his unregenerate yea and in his regenerate condition too about the nature of Justifying Faith yea about Justification it selfe then which I know no Doctrine more fundamentall concerning which notwithstanding it is a very rate thing to finde any two either of our late Writers or our present Preachers uniforme in their judgements yea or to finde any one of either of these intirely consistent with himself Severall months since I heard a Parliament man of eminent worth and note reckon up six or seven severall Sects or subdivisions amongst the Presbyterians themselves since which time I make little question but that their Sects have multiplyed So that whereas my Anti-Querists talke of so much cleering and setling of truth amongst us above the happinesse of the first times of Reformation in this behalfe the truth is that that Truth they speak of even in her maine and most fundamentall branches was never more disturbed perplexed intricated obscured made more inaccessible to the understandings capacities and consciences of ordinary men from the beginning of the Reformation they speake of then it is at this day amongst us O England England if thou dependest upon thy Teachers for truth even in the greatest points of that Religion which thou professest thou must fish for it in Sect. 55. their troubled waters In their eleventh Answer having built upon the rubbish of the Sect. 55. foundations lately demolished and told us First that the doctrine of the Lords day was not so cleared as it is now I wonder by whom or by what light of demonstration Secondly that even now it is not

his being in London though it be never so true that there he is yea and that he hath inform'd Peter of never so many things It is not the ground cause or reason of any thing which necessarily furnisheth a man with the knowledge of the thing but the apprehension and knowledge of them and that in their relation of causality unto the thing So that the Vindicators are quite out in assigning the contrariety which is in the Opinions sentenced in the Ordinance to the manifest word of God together with their destructivenesse to the foundations of Christian Religion as a reason or ground why the makers of the Ordinance must needs CERTAINLY know them to be damnable heresies Fiftly whereas our Querie opponents talke with so much peremptorinesse Sect. 24. and importune confidence of a CERTAINE knewledge in the Ordinance-makers and consequently in themselves that the Opinions condemn'd in the Ordinance are damnable heresies I am halfe jealous from the aire of their confidence that Sect. 25. they understand not what they say nor whereof they affirme a 1 Tim. 1. 7. I meane that they know not or at least consider not what belongs to a CERTAINTY OF KNOWLEDGE in matters of Religion and the things of God It is a gracious and excellent degree of perswasion concerning the truth of the Gospel and much more concerning the Truth of particular Doctrines in it when men being called to it by God are made able and willing thereby to lay downe their lives for them or in confirmation of them If themselves have attained such a perswasion or knowledge of the Truth of Gospel-Doctrines as this they have cause to be thankfull and to glorifie God abundantly in this behalfe He hath no● dealt so with many of his children nor have thousands of Professors any such perswasion or knowledge of them Yet these Gentlemen may please to understand that such a knowledge of spirituall Truths which is sufficient to strengthen a mans hand to die for them may very possibly be farre from a CERTAINE knowledge of them Wee have read and heard of man 〈…〉 who have been enabled to die yea and have died for some Doctrines or Opinions out of that strength of perswasion which they had of the Truth of them which notwithstanding wee generally know were not true Now most certaine it is that there can be no CERTAINE knowledge of the truth of any thing that is false Therefore such a knowledge or perswasion of any Gospel-Truth which makes men willing and ready to die for it is no sufficient proofe of a CERTAINTY in this knowledge Which considered that opposition between a necessity of being Scepticks in Religion and a necessity of knowing some things certainly which our Answer-men make in the sequell of this part of their Answer gives no testimony at all either to their learning or understanding For no man I presume will call him a Sceptick in Religion who is so farre perswaded and confidenced of what he holds in it that he is willing and ready to die in attestation of the Truth thereof And yet as hath been said such a perswasion or confidence as this doth no wayes import a CERTAINTY of knowledge Sixtly It is the common Doctrine and Opinion of those Authors Sect. 52. which are generally by Protestants reputed Classique and Orthodox though mine owne Jugdement I confesse rather inclines another way that all other Arguments and proofes which Sect. 25. are usually yea or which can be brought to prove the Divinity of the Scriptures and the Truth of this Gospell are but Dialecticall and probable not demonstrative or conclusive without all feare of Truth on the other side or however not sufficient to perswade men to a firme assent unto them They onely allow the supernaturall and immediate worke of the Spirit * Atque hoc argumentum nempe Testificatio Spiritus Sancti c. ut est renatorum proprium ita solum corda eorum non solum de veritate Authoritate Scripturae sacrae convincit sed etiam persuadet ut assentiantur in eâ firmiter acquiescant reliqua omnia communia sunt etiam non conversis quos quidem etiam convincunt atque ora contradicentibus obturant sed SOLA NON PERSUADENT NEC MOVENT AD ASSENTIENDUM NISI INTUS TESTIMONIUM SPIRITUS SANCTI ACCEDAT Ursimus Catech. Proleg c. 4. Sect. 14. Haec cer●è à legentibus audientibus percipiuntur Sed ut cum fructu fiat verâ fide necessarium est ut suorum uniuscujusque afflatu Spiri●ls sui cor tangat ut veritatem Divinam in his Scriptis elucentem agnoscat ad quorum lumen alioqui ambulare non possunt qui spirituali caecitate detin●ntur donee Deus iis quibus verbum illud legitur aut praedicatur CORDA ILLUMINET sine quo Spiritûs motu Ecclesiae verae testimonium quod medium ad fidem utile etiam censemus sed neque unicum NEQUE SUFFICIENS prorsus esset inefficax Andr. Rivet Isag cap. ● Sect. 8. Quare quod piis hominibus sole clarius est illis qui sunt mentibus obtenebratis quavis est caligine obscurius Musc Loc. De sacris Scripturis Quare si nostrum illud credere Scripturae pendet à Spiritu Sancto quid obstat quò minùs concl●damus quod proposuimus Scripturae authoritatem quoad nos pendere à Spiritu Sancto agente in Conscientiis nostris Probatur jam minor Nemo c●edit iis quae continentur i● Scripturâ Sanctâ nisi doctus à Deo At quicunque credit Scripturae credit iis omnibus quae continentur in eâ Ergo nemo credit Scripturae nisi doctus à Deo id est per fidem insusam Minor per se patet quia Scripturae credere in hac saltem controversiâ est eam habere pro verè Divinâ extráque omnem comparationis aleam Chamier Panstrat lib. 6. cap. 3. Sect. 2 3. Et posteà loquens de Augustino Sic bonus ille Pater propriá experientiâ didicit eam fidem quâ amplectimur Scripturarum Authoritatem esse à Deo NON VERO ACQUISITUM ALIQUID asserting and sealing up the Truth of both in the Consciences of men as an Argument of that Interest I meane as an Argument demonstratively and infallibly conclusive Is it then such an hideous or enormous supposition as these men desire to informe the world in thunder and lightning or is it at any such distance from their owne Principles to suppose that men may possibly not know CERTAINLY the great Truths of the Gospel to be Truths and consequently not know CERTAINLY that the opinions threatned with death in the Ordinance are damnable heresies Is there any thing more horrid or strange in such a supposition then there is in this that God hath not by the supernaturall infallible Sect. 26. immedate worke of his Spirit revealed and sealed up to the Consciences of many men the unquestionable Truth of the Gospel And is it any

the Ordinance doe nothing else therein that can be interpreted a desire to be called Rabbi then to charge men that they teach no other Doctrine then what the word of God holds forth and the Prophets and Apostles have taught a Pag. 7. Most unworthy men First there is not one jot or tittle of any such charge as this in the Ordinance 2. There is that in the Ordinance which was even now mentioned which in the strictest and most proper sence of the phrase is to compell men to call them Rabbi and this of no affinitie at all with the tenour or substance of such a charge And whereas it further addeth that if any Church-Censures be to be used for any matter of Doctrine this will be as much to force men to call them Rabbi as the Civill Magistrates making this Ordinance forces any to call them Rabbi I answer this assertion or comparison is true onely with this explication viz. when any Church-Censure shall be used for any matter of Doctrine without any sufficient account given by this Church of the erroneousnesse of this Doctrine unto the person or persons against whom the censure shall passe In this case Church-Censures for matters of Doctrine and the Ordinancecensures are much of one and the same consideration 3. As this Answer saith that for the proofe of the minor it is nothing else but a reiteration in other language of the former blasphemies against the Doctrine of God and Christ belched out in the former Querie and needs no other answer then that so say I of this assertion it is nothing else but a reiteration in fewer words of those truth-lesse reason-lesse sap-lesse sence-lesse imputations belched out against that Querie and needs no other Answer then what hath been already at large given to it But 4. And lastly This Answer is a most notorious Delinquent Sect. 33. against the truth in asserting that those that have any sence of Religion Sect. 40. know whether the Magistrate should recommend them or not those Doctrines viz. which are any wayes sentenced in the Ordinance for the Querie on which this Argument pretends to be built queries concerning all the Doctrines specified in the Ordinance to be the sacred Truths of God as being the KNOWNE PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIANITIE and clearly to be proved out of the word of God Certainly there have bin and are thousand thousands in the world who have had as rich and deep a sence of Religion as our Anti-Querie-masters themselves who never esteemed either the Government of the Church by Presbyterie or the lawfulnesse of Baptizing Infants or the being of the Churches of England true Churches with many Doctrines more punishable by the Ordinance to be any of the known principles of Christianitie Nay did there any untill now even among those whose judgements stood for Church-Government by Presbyterie or that held the Churches of England to be true Churches ever assert these for the knowne Principles of Christianitie That N. B. ought to be Parson or Pastor of the Parish-Church of D or that M. N. ought to stand in the same relation to the Parish-Church of another D. are not these also the knowne Principles of Christianitie O Church or Churches of England be ye true or be ye false as you love the things of your peace look out better Oracles then such Teachers as these to consult with about the Principles of your Christianitie In their fourth Argument as likewise in their Answer to it they Sect. 34. take no notice at all of what the Querie honestly desired to remind them viz. of any dying themselves for the maintenance and defence of their Religion but onely of putting others to death for th●se ends I hope they do not intimate hereby that their lives are dearer to them then their Religion though other mens lives be not Well but how doe they prove that it is Christian to maintaine Religion by putting others to death though they know not it seemes what to say of maintaining it by dying themselves Their proof is that staple commoditie in the Classiq●e Trade viz. the Law of God in the old Testament which commanded false Prophets and Blasphemers and those that seduce to Idolatrie to be put to death But if I should goe about to prove that the man Moses is now alive by this argument viz. because he was alive under the old Testament should I not spread a table of mirth for these men Or if I should goe about to prove that such or such an habit is of the French fashion because it is of Sect. 34. the Spanish would they approve my Logique If they did I should scarce approve of their approbation And is there any better sinew in their reasoning wherein they prove a thing to be Christian because it is Jewish Yea but they were aware of this exception and way-layed it thus This Law of God given under the old Testament for putting false Prophets Blasphemers and seducers to Idolatrie to death is still in force even for the maintenance of Religion But how doe they prove this thus because the reason which God gives of such a Law is this that all the people may heare and feare and doe no more so wickedly Deut. 13. 11. The ground upon which this reason stands and must be made Orthodox if there be any such thing in it is this that whilst the reason of any Commandement or Law takes place or is in force the Law or Commandement it selfe grounded upon that reason must take place and be in force also But of how ill a compliance such a reason or assertion as this is with the Truth will sufficiently appeare by these parallels Abraham received the signe of Circumcision a seale of the righteousnesse of Faith a Rom. 4. 11. i. in the nature of a seale or that it might be a seale unto him and his posteritie of the righteousnesse of Faith But this end of Circumcision the sealing of the righteousnesse of Faith still takes place i. it is still necessary that the righteousnesse of Faith be sealed unto men Therefore Circumcision or the Law commanding Circumcision is still in force Take another God commanded the children of Israel under the old Testament to make them fringes in the border of their garments thoroughout their generations there is no such clause as this in the Law for putting blasphemers or Idolaters to death for the perpetuation of it and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue And that it should be unto them for a fringe that they might look upon it and remember all the Commandements of the Lord and doe them and that they seek not after their own heart and their own eyes b Num. 15. 38 39. But the end of these fringes and of the looking of them viz. the remembring of all the Commandements of the Lord and the doing of them and the not seeking after our own heart or eyes takes place and is still

one or the other is so or such as he beleeveth them to be As to the two instances wherein they insist the Doctrine of the Sect. 91. Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God affirming that a man ought not to refuse to beleeve them although for the manner of them he cannot by his reason comprehend them I Answer First that as by my reason I can and doe comprehend and know them to be incomprehensible so I beleeve them accordingly to be Again Secondly as by my reason I neither doe nor can comprehend or conceive the particular modus or manner of either so neither doe I or ought I nor indeed can I without running an extreame hazzard of an erroneous belief beleeve any thing at all concerning them save onely their incomprehensiblenesse in the generall or that they are incomprehensible which as was said I am able by my reason to comprehend So then these two Assertions or Doctrines well understood First That a man ought to beleeve no more then what he hath reason and ground for in the Word of God And Secondly t●●● That a man ought to beleeve no more then what he is able by his reason to comprehend are but of an equipollent import and there is nothing more much more nothing more erroneous in the one then in the other That towards the beginning of this Answer yea there is a piece of a duplicate of it in the end of the Answer too is extreamely unreasonable and obnoxious wherein they suppose yea little lesse then in terminis affirme that they that will be satisfied what the Ordinance meaneth by making it an errour to hold That a man ought to beleeve no more then what by his reason he is able to comprehend must read the Socinian Books and there inform themselves what their proper opinion is For is it in any degree reasonable equall or just that such an Ordinance or Law should be made and that for the imprisonment which is by interpretation the utter undoing of men in case of delinquency the sense or meaning whereof they are in an utter incapacity to understand unlesse they read such books which first are onely extant in such a language which not one of an hundred is able to Sect. 92. understand and secondly are so rare and hard to be gotten that for the space of 13 yeers and upwards ever since my comming to the citie though I have from time to time made a narrow inquiry after them and laid out in severall places where I conceived I should be most likely to speed for some or other of them yet could I never to this day procure either for love or money as the saying is so much as any one of them Their groundlesse mistake about what the Querist as they say would imply to be the sense of the words in the Ordinance and their turning of the Querie with a wet finger as if there were nothing materiall in it but an heap● of words I passe by and pardon being content they should be numbred amongst their infirmities quotidianae incursionis In their Answer to the thirtieth Querie they maintaine that Sect. 92. the Ordinance doth expresse what it meaneth by obstinacie when it threateneth the publishing of such and such doctrines with obstinacy Their reason is because the Ordinance appoints admonition to go before punishment But is this an explication of what it meaneth by obstinacy Certainly these grand Assertors of the Ordinance had quitted themselves upon termes of more wisedome for the honour of it if they had plainly g●●●ted that it had not indeed made any sufficient explication of it selfe in that particular For is a man to be judged obstinate who shall do that though after admonition which his admonition notwithstanding he judgeth and that upon good grounds to be his duty to doe Were the Apostles obstinate for preaching in the na●● of Jesus after that the High-Priest Rulers and Elders solemnly met in a Councill had admonished them yea and straitly charged and commanded them that they should in no wise speak or teach any more in that Name * Act. 4. 18. Oh England awake for I feare thou sleepest look about thee and consider how easily and when thou least thinkest of it thou maist be an obstinate offender if men of this spirit should be thy Judges In their 31 Answer they tell a mysticall or mistie story of Sect. 93. the sense or meaning whereof I am no wayes guilty yet I shall tell it after them because some possibly may understand it though I cannot As some perhaps say they of the Querists friends may be thanked for it they speake of that strong opposition insinuated in Sect. 93. the Querie between the government established by the Parliament and that so importunately desired by the Ministers who have endeavoured to binde heavy burthens upon others ever persecuting them for not yeelding to those things which even the consciences of those that presse them know they cannot and beleeve they may not yeeld unto so carefull and tender are they of their Brethrens consciences so is it neither of that kinde they would have it being no way in favour of there Ind●pendency For First It is the strangest news to me that I have heard many a day that any of my friends should deserve thankes either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the opposition they speake of between the two Governments I cannot believe that any person man or woman Congregationally inclined did ever either perswade any of the Ministers they speake of to oppose that Government by Presbytery which is established by the Parliament nor yet distill into them any of that spirit or those principles out of which they oppose it How then should they be accessary to the opposition Secondly whereas they charge the friends of the Querists yet further with endeavouring to binde heavy burthens upon others ever persecuting them for not yeelding to c. this is tidings yet seven degrees stranger then the other If it be true then is the scandall of Independency ceas●d from amongst us For if Independents also endeavour to binde heavy burthens upon others and to persecute men for not yeelding unto those things which in conscience they cannot yeeld unto then are we all of one minde and of one judgement and practice the same things But Thirdly I would faine know what heavy burthens they are which the independents since they must be so called endeavor to binde upon others Doe our Brethren of the Presbyterian interest call or judge this a heavy burthen to be restrained from or not to have their hand strengthened by the Parliament or Lawes unto the troubling or molesting of their Brethren who dissent in some particulars from them I know no other burthen but this any wayes endeavoured by any of that parswasion to be imposed or bound upon them If they call or count this a burthen better they hurthened with the peace of