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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	authority_n	believe_v	scripture_n	2,665	5	6.9327	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65715	A sermon in confutation of R. H. the author of The guide in controversies Shewing that his most plausible arguments produced against Protestants, do more effectually conclude for Judaism against Christianity. By Daniel Whitby, D.D. chantor of the church of Sarum.	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1679 (1679)	Wing W1736A; ESTC R222007	21,763	39

worship vain That they transgressed the commandment of God by their Traditions That notwithstanding their instructions the people were as sheep without a Shepheard Matt. ix 36. Matt. xv 14. or only had such Guides as would most certainly if they submitted to their guidance lead them to the pit Hence therefore I infer 1. That even those Spiritual Guides who are by Gods appointment constituted to instruct his people and to feed his flock for such our Lord acknowledged the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers of the Jewish Church to be may scatter and destroy that flock And they who are set for the judgment of the Lord and for controversies may violate corrupt pervert that Law they should interpret they may be partial in it they may depart out of the way they may make the Commandments of God of none effect and his whole worship vain by their traditions they may cause their sheep to err stumble and go astray and that so dangerously that they who are led by them shall be destroyed with them and find no entrance into bliss And hence I hope I may assume the boldness to conclude against the Infallibility of our Spiritual Governours or the concurring judgments of the major part of them which is sufficient to root up even the foundations of the Romish Babel 2. Hence I infer that notwithstanding all the formentioned Scriptures which say it was the duty of the people to ask of their Spiritual Guides the meaning of the Law and seek the knowledg of it at their mouths and to enquire after their judgments in all those Controversies they were not able to resolve I say hence I infer that notwithstanding this the people were not absolutely obliged to rest in the decision of the major part of these Church Guides or bound to practise all that they approved for then an obligation must be laid upon them not only to err in judgment with them to countenance false Prophets and to speak peace to themselves when there is no peace but also to violate the Law and to comply with their false glosses and corrupt interpretations of it nay which is more unreasonable they must be then obliged to be destroyed to fall into the pit and to exclude themselves from the enjoyment of Christ Kingdom Whereas it is a contradiction to say that God obligeth any Person to transgress his Law and it is little less than Blasphemy to say h● doth require them to destroy themselves to fal● into the pit or to deprive themselves of the enjoyment of his Kingdom Hence therefore I infe● this Corollary That neither are all Christian people Churches 〈◊〉 Nations absolutely bound to rest in the decisions of th● major part of Christian Bishops or to practise all th●● they approve and impose Which proposition overthrows that absolute and blind obedience to their Church Guides or Councils which Romanists ●● stifly plead for 3. Hence it is also evident that private persons or that the minor part of the whole Church may have sufficient ground either from reason or clea● Scripture for their refusal of assent and of submission to the Authority and definitions of the major part of their Church Guides for the Jews were bound to believe Christ to be the true Messiah although the High Priest and the Elders had pronounced him a deceiver and a Malefactor They were obliged to believe his Miracles were wrought not by Belzebub but the Spirit of God that Christs Kings was not of this world that John Baptist was that Elias which was for to come and that to eat with hands unwashed to heal the sick to pluck some ears of Corn upon the Sabbath day were not unlawful actions although the major part of their Church Guides taught and believed the contrary Matt. xv 5. They were obliged not to void that Law of nature which required Children to relieve their own distressed Parents and therefore stood obliged not to comply with those traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees which made the word of God of none essect and would not suffer them to yield obedience to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark vii 8. And seeing they had many traditions and decrees of the like nature which obtained amongst them and only were rejected by the Saduces and the Disciples of our Lord in none of these could they comply with their Church Guides without the violation of that Law of God which sure they had sufficient ground and reason to observe In a word in all those cases in which they were not bound to rest in the decisions of the major part of their Church Guides or practise what they did approve that is in all the cases mentioned in the former head they must have had sufficient ground either from Scripture or from Reason for their refusal of submission to them Now these three inferences do fully justifie the Reformation of the Church of England 4. From what hath been discoursed we may see the weakness of those pleas the Roman Doctors make in their own defence and of the Arguments they use to shew that 't is impossible they should be guilty of those corruptions in Doctrine or in manners which we charge them with For their most specious pretences are to this effect that we confess the Church of Rome was once both true and Orthodox shew then say they how we did cease to be so whether by Schism or Heresie With Schism you cannot justly charge us R. H. Rational account disc 3. Chap. 5. §. 63. p. 203. for that can never be of a much major and more dignified part in respect of a less and inferior subject to it because this main body in any division is rightly taken for the whole from which a separation is Schism and to which every Member ought to adhere as to the body and head here upon earth to which it belongs we therefore being the much major and more dignified part of the Church cannot be Schismaticks in reference to Protestants who are and were at their departure a less and an inferior body to us If Heresie be the crime charged upon us by what Church were we condemned what body of men before you found fault with those corruptions which you pretend to reform for sure it was not possible for so many errors and corruptions to come into the Church and no one take notice of them could this be so where was the watchful eye of providence over the Church But if we could suppose this providence was unconcerned for preservation of the Church could all the Pastors fall asleep at once or could they all conspire together to deceive their Posterity Moreover since God will always have a visible Church what can you mention besides that which holds Communion with the Church of Rome as the then present visible Church of Christ when you began your reformation except perhaps some Eastern Churches which you dislike almost as much as that of Rome And if that Church could teach such

imagin that these Pharisees and Rulers should be the men ordained by God for Controversies and by whose words they must be tried and yet should be such blind and stupid Guides as by your Jesus they were said to be that he who was led by them must fall into the ditch Moreover were no assistance from above to be expected in this case is it not reasonable to think that these great Doctors of the Law those numerous Priests who made it their whole business to study Vid. Answ in Numb xi 16 17. and search out the meaning of the Law of Moses those Members of the Sanhedrim who were still chosen out of the most Learned Persons and the most eminent for wisdom I say may we not reasonably conceive such Persons to be fitter and more able Judges of the sense and meaning of that Law or of the truth of any miracles pretended to be wrought by Christ or his Apostles than was that rude and giddy Multitude which had no knowledg of the Law They therefore considering their Superiors study and Learning in such things Divine and also their own ignorance R.H. discourse Chap. 13. p. 13. they considering both the special ordination and commission of their Superiors from God to teach them in necessary truths and his charge laid upon them to obey their Ecclesiastical Superiors ought to depend upon and adhere to their directions so much the more in any point of faith by how much it is esteemed more necessary as wherein there is a much greater hazard if they should err 3. All that your Gospel doth suggest or reason may pretend for the exemption of the first Jewish Converts from obedience to these decrees of their Superiors in the Jewish Church may saith the Jew be fully answered from the plain Principles and almost in the words of Roman Catholicks For to proceed in the expressions of R. H. the Guide in Controversies with very little variation of them 1. Will you affirm that all the Priests and Rulers Scribes and Pharisees and the whole Sanhedrim acted against their faith and conscience in these determinations by which your Jesus was condemned as an Impostor Answ Discourse 1. Ch. 3. §. 37 38. p. 26. R. H. will tell you there is a moral certainty that so many such persons cannot conspire in such a matter viz. a necessary to Salvation to falsifie the truth against their own belief and conscience to their Subjects and Posterity with an Anathema to all dissenters or an excommunication of all who preached and believed that Christ was the Messiah promised to the Jews and was already risen from the dead when their own consciences could tell them that these things were true Ibid. p. 25. If any can be so uncharitable as to credit of them so great a wickedness that the Supream Councils of the Jewish Church should with design decree an error contrary to their faith or knowledg in this necessary matter and then enjoyn all their Subjects to believe it under Anathema he must believe that they most certainly do devote themselves to eternal perdition And therefore if not out of Charity or reverence to such sacred persons yet from the irrationality of such a defence it is much better to pass over this objection 2. Will you say that these Superiors were only to be appealed to in doubtful matters and that this thing whether the Scriptures declared your Jesus to be the true Messiah was not doubtful Answ R. H. informs you that a right judgment cannot but account all those places doubtful Disc Chap. 3. §. 44. p. 29. in the sense whereof either the Antient or present major part of Christianity are of a contrary judgment from himself That must be therefore doubtful according to the ground and reason of this Rule which you presume not to be doubtful since it was that in which the major part of the then present Jewish Church was of a contrary judgment from the Christian Convert 3. Will you plead in favour of the vulgar that they were bound to hearken to these Jewish Guides no longer than they followed the Rule of Scripture Answ Ibid. p. 28. Be it so But saith R. H. Who is appointed judg of these supreme Judges when they transgress against this Rule their Subjects who are from them to learn the sense of the Rule where difficult and disputed and who are bidden to follow their faith The right exercise of Judgment will not judge so For if the vulgar may pass this judgment of the Decrees of many Councils and the concurring judgment of their Superiors and Church Guides I hope the matter must be evident even to the vulgar sort that notwithstanding the contrary judgment of Chief Priests and Rulers Scribes Pharisees and Elders and almost all the Jewish Nation that sense of Scripture must be false which their Ecclesiastical Guides alledged to prove that Jesus was not the true Messiah and that according to their Law he was to die and that sense of the Scripture must be true which by the Apostles and their few Converts was alledged to prove that Jesus was the Messiah promised to the Jew Ibid. p. 143. Now how vainly saith R. H. doth any one pretend or promise himself a certainty of any thing wherein so many Councils and a much major part of the Church having all the same means of certainty as he judgeth contrary Rational account disc 3. Chap. 4. §. 42. p. 179. where it seems the Scripture may be so doubtful that the sense of the then Catholick Church or its greatest Councils they say can be to them no certain or infallible interpreter of it where the judgment or common Reason of these Councils thinks it self so certain of the contrary as to Anathematise dissenters or cast them out of the Church On what grounds here these private Persons or new erected Churches could assure themselves of their own sense of Scripture to be true they having left that of the Churches Councils and of a major part of Jews who also judged their sense false I understand not Surely they will not say they have this certainty from the Scripture because the true sense thereof is the thing so mainly questioned and the certainty or infallibility of the traditive sense of the Jewish Church they renounced and then which only is left their own judgment or their own common reason when that of their greatest Councils or major part of their Church-Guides differs from it one would think should be a more fallible ground to them than the judgment or common reason of the Church For a man to presume himself certain in a matter of faith Ibid. disc 2. Chap. 2. §. 15. p. 95. or in his own sense of Scripture though the literal expression he never so clear where so many Learned and his Superiours comparing other Texts c. are of a contrary judgment this saith R. H. is the same as if in a matter of sence a dim

for Miracles they tell us that there is no certain way of judging true from false but by the Authority of the Church Now if these things be so what ground could the first Jewish Converts have to believe Christ was the true Messiah or a worker of true Miracles when in believing both these things they must oppose the Authority of the then present Church 4. All that hath been discoursed in answer to the former pleas serves also against this For who shall be judg whether these Miracles were true and were sufficient to confirm the Christian Faith those Persons whose Office it was to judg both of true Prophets and true Miracles or those who had no power or commission so to do Was not the Jewish Sanhedrim and other Rulers of that Church more able Judges of the Truth and the validity of any Miracles pretended to be wrought by Christ and his Apostles than was that Multitude which as experience teacheth may be imposed upon with ease Were not those Guides who were appointed to be Judges in all other matters the proper Judges of this Controversie Have we not reason to believe their judgment was as free from interest and passion and their endeavors to search out the truth of these relations as sincere as was the judgment or endeavours of the Laity When therefore these Church-Guides did notwithstanding those pretended Miracles of Christ and his Apostles conclude unanimously that Christ was a Deceiver was it not absurd to say that what they so universally determined might be discerned by any private judgment to be the clearest falshood that vulgar persons had demonstration in this matter against the judgment of the whole body of their Guides and that their common reason was able to discern that to be manifestly true which the same common reason of their Superiors judged to be manifestly false Thus have we seen that Scripture and Reason do more countenance the Jew pleading against our Lord and the first Christian Converts than they do countenance the Papist pleading against Protestants In the last place the Jew may argue from Tradition thus viz. These Spiritual Guides in making this determination and passing of this judgment concerning Jesus were guided by that Rule Synod Tri● Sess 4. which by the greatest part of Christians I mean the Roman Catholicks is highly magnified and equaled with the Holy Scriptures viz. Tradition acknowledged by the present Church for such And so your Jesus must also upon this account be deemed an Impostor or the pretences and pleadings of the Romanist against the Protestant from the Tradition of the Church must be acknowledged to be vain For 1. It is most certain that the Jews had a Tradition generally received amongst them that their Messiah at his coming should restore the Kingdom to Israel That he should subdue the Nations under them and should erect a Temporal Dominion in the Jewish Nation over all their Enemies Even the Disciples of our Lord did constantly believe this Article till by the Holy Ghosts descent upon them they were better informed Matth. xviii 1. Matth. xx 21. Witness their contests who should be greatest in that Kingdom and the desire of the Sons of Zebedee to sit one at his right hand another at his left hand in it This was our Faith saith Cleopas Luke xxiv 21 we trusted that this Jesus should have Redeemed our Israel And when they were assembled after the Resurrection their first enquiry is this Act. i. 6. Lord wilt thou now restore the Kingdom to Israel It is therefore certain that this was the received Tradition of the whole Jewish Church grounded as they supposed upon the Scriptures which did necessitate them to expect a glorious Messiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dial. p. 249. B. not such a one saith Trypho as your mean and despised Jesus was 2. It was also a Tradition which generally obtained amongst the Jews that their Elias who was called the This bite was to appear again in person before the advent of the true Messiah Mal. iv 5. so was that place of Malachi Translated by the Seventy three hundred and eighty years before our Saviours coming Behold I send unto you Elias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the great and glorious day of the Lord come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dial. p. 268. A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark ix 11. All we expect saith Trypho that Christ should be anointed by Elias who is for to come and because this Elias is not come we think your Jesus cannot be the Christ Accordingly the Scribes or the Expounders of the Law did with one voice declare it necessary that Elias should first come 3. It was the general Tradition of the Jews that the Law of Moses should be perpetually obliging to them and that it was to be observed even in the days of the Messiah On this presumption certainly it was that Christs Disciples after his Resurrection were strict observers of the Law of Moses for a considerable time and so were also many thousands of the Jewish Converts St. Peter was so nice in observation of the Jewish customs that till he was informed better by a vision he thought such meat was utterly unlawful as was forbidden by the Law so that when in that vision he was bid to slay and eat he presently cries out as a man tempted to an unlawful act Act. x. 14. Not so Lord for I have never eaten any thing that is unclean St. James gives an account to Paul of the great Zeal that all the Jewish Converts had to the Law of Moses in these words Act. xxi 20. Thou seest Brother how many thousand of Jews there are which believe and they are all zealous of the Law He farther tells him how highly they were all offended with him Verse 21. because they were informed he had taught that they were not obliged to yield obedience to the Constitutions and Customs of the Jewish Law and lastly doth exhort him to do what might be proper to cause these Zealots to believe that he also walked orderly and kept the Law Verse 24. a Chron. 2. St. Jerom and b Lib. 2. c. 45. Sulpicius inform us that fourteen immediate succeeding Bishops with their flocks were all observers of the Law of Moses And by the unbelieving Jews nothing was more abhorred than the thoughts of changing their Mosaick Customs For upon this account St. Stephen was accused of Blasphemy against Moses and the Law Act. vi 11 14. because he said that the Messiah should change the customs which Moses had delivered to them This accusation before the Scribes the Elders and High-Priest was deemed sufficient to prove him guilty of that capital offence of Blasphemy On this account they bring St. Paul before the judgment seat of Gallio because say they he did persuade men to worship God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. xviii 13. against or otherwise than was commanded by the Law of Moses