Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	authority_n	faith_n	word_n	1,792	5	4.8868	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57064	The lightless-starre, or, Mr. John Goodwin discovered a Pelagio-Socinian and this by the examination of his preface to his book entituled Redemption redeemed : together with an answer to his letter entituled Confidence dismounted / by Richard Resbury ... ; hereunto is annexed a thesis of that reverend, pious and judicious divine, Doctor Preston ... concerning the irresistibility of converting grace.	Resbury, Richard, 1607-1674.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. De gratia convertentis irresistibilitate.	1652 (1652)	Wing R1134; ESTC R18442	131,505	254

which springs from it yet no such body shal spring from those seeds in the soyl of an unregenerate soul partly through darknes error and partly through pravity and perversnes therefore your conclusion here is most impertinent wherein you so insist upon the goodnesse of these seeds in their owne Nature and in reference to their Author God as you over-look the badnesse of man the subject of them through the corruption of his Nature so full of darknesse falsehood and enmity against the truth of God as thence these seeds must needs rot under the clods except the soyle be supernaturally changed CHAP. XVII Goodwin COncerning the mystery of the Trinity the incarnation of God or the Son of God the conception of a Virgin with some other points of like consideration commonly pretended to be against or at least above and out of the reach and apprehension of Reason I clearly Answer 1 That they are every whit as much yea upon the same termes out of the reach of faith as of Reason For how can I beleeve at least upon good grounds ●…d as it becommeth a Christian to beleeve that which I have no reason nor am capable of apprehending any reason nay for which there is no reason why I should beleeve it If it be said I am bound to beleeve the doct●ines specified because they are revealed by God I answer That this is a rationall ground whereof my Reason and Understanding are throughly capable why I should beleeve them the light of Nature clearly informeth me that what God revealeth or speaketh must needs be true and consequently worthy and meet to be beleeved If it be further said But Reason is not able to apprehend or conceive how three should bee really and essentially one and the same how a virgin should conceive and bring forth a Son c. I Answer That no faith or beleefe in such things as these is required of me nor would be accepted with God i● case it were in me above what I am able by Reason to apprehend and understand As I am not able by my Reason to apprehend the particular and distinct manner how the three persons subsist in one and the same divine Nature and Essence So neither am I bound to beleeve it that which I am bound to beleeve in this point is only this That there are three who doe thus subsist I mean in the same divine essence and for this my Reason is apprehensive enough why I should beleeve viz. Because God himselfe hath revealed it as hath been said If I should confidently beleeve any thing more or further concerning the Trinity of persons commonly so called and there is the same reason of the other points mentioned then what I know upon the cleare account of my Reason and Understanding it would be presumption in me and not faith and I should contract the guilt of those whom the Apostle chargeth with in truding or advancing themselves into the things which they have not seen i. e. rationally apprehended and understood But Resbury 1 Whereas you say these mysteries here mentioned of the Trinity Incarnation and the virgins conception are pretended to be against at least above Reason it seemes you deny even these to be above the reach of Reason in fallen man which yet in your discourse immediately insuing you grant in deed though not in termes but contradictions are no rare things in your discourse 2 Whereas you say they are every whit as much yea upon the same termes out of the reach of Faith as of Reason 1 It is false for Faith hath the proper and immediate ground of beleeving them the authority of the Word revealing them But Reason hath not an immediate ground of discerning them viz. such a light as whereby they of themselves are visible to the naturall understanding therefore when they are within the reach of Faith yet are they not within the reach of Reason upon the same termes 2 You equivocate for seeming to carry on your former doctrine you relinquish it Formerly you made Reason the touchstone of the Scriptures and whatsoever text of Scripture should not be found to agree with Reason and to be relished by it must be rejected here you make the Scripture to be above the tryall of Reason as appeares by that which followes For how can I beleeve c If it be said I am bound c. This is a rationall ground c. the light of Nature c. Here you grant that Reason is to beleeve what the word affirmes meerly for the authority of the word But 1. This is contrary to your former doctrine requiring that Reason finde a rationall tast and savour in the thing it selfe to bee beleeved 2. Here Reason beleeves rather then discernes the thing beleeved it discernes the ground of beleeving but not the nature or manner of the thing beleeved therefore as before the thing beleeved is not upon the same terms out of the reach of Faith as of Reason 3 Whereas you object That Reason is not able to apprehend or conceive how three should be really and essentially one and the same c. and then answer no faith or beleefe in such things as these is required c. Let me aske you this one thing Is it not a fruit of naturall corruption by the fall that we apprehend no more towards the distinct knowledge of these things If so then are you bound to know and knowing to beleeve more of them and your discourse about beleeving more then you apprehend how unacceptable it would be fals to the ground But here againe you discover that Popish Pelagian leaven that God hath no right to require of man any more then man hath power to performe as formerly you argued from the command of God to the faculty of man As for your Interpretation of Colos. 2. 18. I cannot receive it intruding into the things which they have not seen is in true interpretation which they have not seen in the doctrine of the Scriptures Goodwin 2 If it be yet demanded but is it not contrary to the grounds of Nature and so to Principles of Reason that a virgin should conceive a childe and if so how can such a doctrine according to what you have asserted be received as from God or as a truth I Answer It is no wayes contrary to Reason nor to any principle thereof that God should be able to make a virgin to conceive but very consonant thereunto 〈◊〉 the Apostle Paul supposed it credible enough as we lately heard even in the eye of Reason that God should make the earth bring forth her dead alive indeed that a virgin should conceive in a naturall way or according to the course of ordinary providence is contrary unto Reason but this Religion requireth not of any man to beleeve nor doth it bear hard at all upon any Principle of Reason that God should be willing to doe every whit as great and strange a thing as tha● I mean as

darkned our Land What Jesuite hath a blacker mouth or a stronger breath But let us enquire into his Doctrine and the mystery of deceit working in the bowels of it and that by distinct proceeding in particulars which he hath fraudulently wrapt up together in generall 1 Then it is true that in some sence Reason is to be made use of in these enquiries of Religion and Spirituall concernments as 1 Suppose an Heathen not yet owning the true God and his Word he is by arguments propounded to his reason to be dealt with by the Booke of the Creation to prove the one true God as likewise by extrinsecall arguments to be drawne to read the Word of God that by the word it selfe as the Spirit shall please to enlighten by it he may come to owne the Divine Canon for the true word of the true God 2 Granting the Scripture the un-erring Word of God in whatsoever it shall deliver we are diligently to employ our reason in searching into the minde of God by the Scriptures as our light to enlighten and rule to direct our reason as that word which is able to make wise unto Salvation and to make the man of God perfect throughly furnisht to every good worke And in two things here are our reasons to be exercised 1. The Grammar of the Scriptures or the formes of expression to finde out the truth of them 2. The Logick of the Scripture or the true discourse thereof and this in three things the Scope the Context and Selfe-consent Scripture compared with Scripture the more obscure places interpreted by the clearer and so in all the analogy of faith held Now Sir you know very well that in this sence and upon these termes none of those against whom you bend your stile deny the use of reason for they doe not teach that men in seeking into the meaning of the Scripture must become either fooles or mad-men or Enthusiasts And was it in this sence only that you require the use of reason or in any such sence as preserves the due authority of the Word as for it selfe to be beleeved as the perfect rule you had never raised such Tragedies about the use of reason or the laying it aside as here you have but we shall now passe to the enquiry in what sence it is to be laid aside and there I am affraid we shall finde you requiring the use of it so as to evacuate the authority of the Word therefore we say 2. It is true that in some sence man must lay aside his reason in matters of religion and in enquiries after matters of Spirituall and supernaturall concernment as 1 That our assent to such truthes as the Scriptures hold forth may be the assent of Faith the immediate ground of it must not be the Selfe-evidence of the thing testified by the Scriptures unto reason but the authority of God testifying Hence that knowne Doctrine of the Schooles that the formall object I like as well to say the proper ground of faith is the first truth or God himselfe revealing his minde Hence suppose a truth taught in the Scripture is likewise demonstrated to my reason by Philosophicall arguments as for instance That God created the world that is made it of nothing so farre is my assent to this truth the assent of Divine faith as it is grounded upon the authority of Divine testimony that assent which is grounded upon Philosophicall demonstration is not Divine faith but only Humane knowledge He that trusts a man no further then he sees him as we say Proverbially trusts him not at all Hence the Apostle Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seene were not made of things that doe appeare It is only the Christian sure not the meere Philosopher that by faith understands this though haply both of them may understand it by demonstration but the Christian alone by Divine testimony for its owne authority assented to 2 We may not oppose our naturall conceptions to the Word of God or make our apprehensions before-hand the rule of what we will receive for the Word and revealed Will of God and what we will reject but what the Grammar and Logick of the Word holds forth must be the rule of our apprehensions whether we can discerne how in reason the things affirmed should be or not we must not Afferre sensum Scripturae but referre otherwise we subject the authority of Gods Truth to our owne apprehensions and beleeve him not because he hath said it but because we by reason see it neither shall we ever otherwise embrace the Word of God for as much as the Word it selfe teacheth many things 1. Above reason Great is the mystery of godlinesse saith the Apostle yet it is no great mystery if reason may comprehend it What reason of men or Angels could ever have thought of such a thing as the three Persons of the God-head as the Personall union of God and Man in the Mediatour the imputation of the Mediatours righteousnesse to beleevers of Adams sinne to his Posterity with many others or who comprehends clearly these things at least some of them when revealed in the Word 2 Many things against reason that is crosse to the apprehensions of corrupt reason as it is now in all naturall men The minding of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be The naturall man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can hee know them because they are Spiritually discerned Your fruitlesse attempt to avoyd the strength of this text of Scripture we shall consider in due place It is one vertue of the VVord preached to cast downe the reasonings of the naturall man 2 Cor. 10. 5. Many others of like import we shall have occasion afterwards to mention On the one hand such is the blindnesse and wickednesse of man by Originall sinne which are withall daily encreased by themselves and Satan on the other hand such is the mysterious height and transcendent purity of the Word of God that mans reason must receive light from it is not a light otherwise then as enlightned by it whereby to judge of it And as the truth we are now upon is evident by the Word so is it by all experience name me any one people or any one person since man was Created upon earth that without the word or voyce of God for direction by the light and ducture of reason either worshipped the true God or did not fall upon a most abominable way of Worship or light upon the Gospel-way of Salvation to omit all other deviations Nay you your selfe who leane so much to your owne wisdome and are so much in advancing the Rush-Candle of reason against the Sun of the Scripture are amongst others an evidence even in this the Master-piece of your reason the Treatise in

to pray you to speak plainly and particularly you use the same Artifice and Cant most extreamly Afterwards in the first Chapter of your booke when you should lay downe your expresse doctrine about the divine influx and concourse we must try if wee can hunt you out of your holes there CHAP. XVI Goodwin 1. THough the spirit of God contributes by his assistance after that high manner which bath been declared toward the right apprehending understanding discerning the things of God by men yet this no wayes proveth but that they are the Reasons and Understandings of men themselves that must apprehend discerne and understand these things and consequently must be provoked raised ingaged imployed and improved by men that they may thus apprehend and discerne notwithstanding all that assistance which is administred by the spirit otherwise nothing will be apprehended or discerned by them Nor will the assistance of the spirit we speake of turn to any account of benefit or comfort but of losse and condemcondemnation unto men in case their Reasons 〈◊〉 Understandings shall not advance and quit themselve● according to their interest thereupon Resbury This may passe as impertinent It is the Reason of man that must apprehend c. But it is Reason sanctified that apprehends savingly man must stirre up his owne soule but it is by the worke of the sanctifying spirit that so he doth effectually These things have been proved abundantly already Goodwin 3 In case the Spirit of God shall at any time reveale I mean offer and propose any of the things of God or any spirituall Truth unto men these must be apprehended discerned judged of yea and concluded to be the things of God by the Reasons and Understandings of men before they can or ought to receive or beleeve them to be the things of God Yea before such a revelation can any wayes accommodate benefit and blesse their soule When our Savi●●● speaking of that spirit to his Disciples saith And he will shew you things to come And againe he shal receive of mine and shal shew them unto you Joh. 16. 13 14. he supposeth that they viz. with their own Reasons and Understandings were to apprehend and judge of the things that should be thus shewed unto them to have been shewed unto them by the spirit of God and not to have proceeded from any other Author Yea in case men shall receive the things of God themselves for the things of God or of the spirit of God before their Reason and Understanding have upon rationall grounds and principles judged them to be the things of God yet can they not receive them upon these termes as the things of God I mean as the tnings of God ought in duty and by command from himselfe to be received by men or so as to benefit or i●●ich the soule by their being received For as God requires of men to be praised with understanding i. e. out of a rationall apprehension and due consideration of his infinite worth and excellency so doth be require to be beleeved also and they that beleeve him otherwise beleeve they know not what nor whom and so are brethren in vanity with those that worship they know not what and build Altars to an unknowne God to trust or beleeve in God upon such termes as these is being interpreted but as the devotion of a man to an Idol yea the Apostle himselfe arraignes the Athenians of that high Crime and misdemeanour of Idolatry upon the account of their sacrificing to an unknown God Resbury This is of the same Spirit Error and impertinency with the last 1 The Spirits revelation he interprets his Proposall This is just Pelagius his revelation proposall by his word and doctrine 2 The things by the Spirit proposed must be discerned the things of God by our owne reasons c. Who doubts this but which he meanes not by our owne reasons enlightened by renewing and peculiar Grace hee saith They must be received upon rationall grounds true reason being by Scripture enlightned Goodwin 4 And lastly The interposure and actings of reason and understanding in men are of that soveraigne and most transcendent use yea necessity in and about matters of Religion that all the agency of the Spirit notwithstanding a man can performe 〈◊〉 thing no manner of service unto God with accep●… nothing in a way of true edification to himselfe with●… their engagement and service First I stand charg●… by God not to beleeve every Spirit but to try th● Spirits whether they be of God I demand b● what rule or touch-stone shall I try any Spirit wh●… or upon what account shall I reject one as a Spirit 〈◊〉 errour falshood and delusion and doe homage 〈◊〉 my judgement and conscience to another as the Spirit of God If it be said I ought to try the Spirits by the Scriptures or Word of God I demand againe But how shall I try my touch-stone or be sure that that Principle notion or ground which I call th● Word of God and by which I goe about to try the Spirits is indeed the Word of God There is scarce any errour that is abroad in the Christian world but freely offers it selfe to be tryed by the Word of God as well as the true Spirit of God himselfe i. e. by such meanings sences or conclusions as it selfe confidently asserts to be the Word of God i. e. the minde of God in the Scriptures so that I am in no capacity to try such a Spirit which upon such an account as this pretends his coming forth from God unlesse I be able to prove that those sences ●eanings and conclusions by which be offers to be tryed are not indeed the Word of God Now it is unpossible that I should prove this meerly and only by the Scriptures themselves because unto what place or places soever I shall have recourse for my proofe or tryall in this case this Spirit will reject my sence and interpretation in case it maketh against him and will substitute another that shall not oppose him Nor can I reasonably or regularly reject his sence in this case at least as an untruth unlesse I apprehend some relish or taste therein which is irrationall or some ●…on which j●rreth with or grateth upon some 〈◊〉 principle 〈◊〉 other of reason within me for as 〈◊〉 ●…e one hand what Doctrine or Notion soever clearly ●●cordeth and is commensurable with any solid and 〈◊〉 ●…ted Principle or ground of reason within me 〈◊〉 ●…by demonstrably evinced to be a truth and from God so on the other hand what Doctrine or saying s●…r beares hard or falls foule upon any such Principle must of necessity be an errour and somewhat that proceeds from Satan or from ●…n and not from God Resbury 1 The same things most impertinently stil over and over an endlesse waster of words 2 By what rule or touch-stone shall he●ry any Spirit or Doctrine he answers If it be said by the Scripture but how shall

least of these great and most important commands in any due manner but by interressing my Reason Iudgement and Understanding and this throughly and effectually in and about the performance The truth is I stand bound in duty and conscience towards God and in faithfulnesse to mine owne soule neither to beleeve any thing at all as coming from God which I have not or may have a very substantiall ground in Reason to beleeve commeth indeed from him nor yet to doe any thing at all as commanded by him unlesse there be a like ground in Reason to perswade me that it is indeed his command Resbury Many waste words still according to your manner One passage or two we must call to account 1. God commands you you say in such and such precepts to rise up in the might of your Reason c. Wee heare in Scripture of the weaknesse of Reason as to the things of God not sufficient of our selves to thinke a good thought c. We hear of the might of the Word Preached to cast down the strong holds and reasonings in man against the things of God But where this mighty Reason dwels I would willingly aske Mr. Goodwin but that I feare he will send mee Racovia 2. Nothign may you beleeve as comming from God which you have not very substantiall ground in Reason to beleeve commeth from him the like for obedience to his Commands If you meant Reason enlightened and sanctified by the Word and Spirit thence beleeving upon the authority of the Word your meaning was the same with theirs whom you oppose but your meaning is Reason by its own light receiving or rejecting the Word it selfe according as such and such Doctrines are above or not above contrary or agreeable to the apprehensions of the Naturall man as wee have clearly found you out formerly and to this you have been answered over and over according as your tautology hath given occasion Goodwin I confesse good Reader I have presumed at somewhat an unreasonable rate upon thy patience in detaining thee so long with the Argument yet in hand But the sense of that unconceiveable mischiefe and misery which I most certainly know have been brought upon the World Christian at least in our Quarters of it and which lyes sore upon it at this day by meanes of the reigning of this Notion and Doctrine amongst us That men ought not to use but lay aside their Reason in matters of Religion lyeth so intolerable sad and heavy upon my spirit that I could not relieve my selfe to any competent degree with saying lesse then what hath been said to relieve the world by hewing in sunder such a snare of death cast upon it most assuredly all the ataxies disorders confusions seditions insurrections all the errors blasphemous opinions aposta●ies from the truth and wayes of holinesse all trouble of mind and sad workings of conscience in me all unrighteousnesse and injustice all bribery and oppression all un-man-like selfe-seeking and prevaricating with publique interests and trusts all covetousnesse and deceit and whatsoever can be named in this world obstructive destructive to the present comfort and peace to the future blessednesse and glory of the sons and daughters of men proceed and spring from this one root of bitternesse and of death they neglect to advance and ingage home their Reasons Iudgements Understandings in matters of Religion to imploy and improve them according to their proper interests and capacities in these most important affaires Resbury Your tongue is your owne in way of apology for your wandring discourse hitherto you tell us of the deep apprehensions you had of that unconceiveable mischiefe c. brought upon the world by that doctrine That men must lay aside their Reason in matters of Religion a meer Hob-goblin of your own making that you may have somthing to pelt at How Reason is to be laid aside and how not we have shewed distinctly formerly not as you represent as if men should look at it as their duties to be Ideots and mad men in seeking into the things of God As for those Ataxies c. hence they are That men have been so bold to oppose their owne corrupt reasonings against the word of God instead of following the light and guidance of it and captivating their fleshly reason to the Doctrines of Faith Goodwin O Reader my mouth is open unto thee my heart is enlarged now for a recompence in the same I speake unto thee as a deare Brother in Christ be thou also enlarged say unto the world round about thee Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light doubtlesse the world should soone finde it self in another manner of posture then now it is and see the whole Hemisphere of it filled with the glorious light of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ if the inhabitants thereof every man from his quarters would be perswaded to rise up in the might of his abilities those heavenly endowments of reason judgement understanding wherewith God by Jesus Christ hath re-invested them to seeke after him by enquiring diligently into by weighing narrowly all those things as workes of Creation workes of Providence inscriptions upon the Soule and especially the sacred word of extraordinary revelation wherein and whereby God hath drawne neare unto men and as it were prepared postured and fitted himselfe on purpose to be found and knowne and this as well in the excellency of his Grace as of his Glory by all those who upon these termes seeke after him The time was when the Spirit was not given because Christ was not glorified in Heaven the time now is wherein the Spirit is not given unto the world according to the preparations and royall bounties and magnificence of Heaven because he is not glorified on earth by the worthy imployment of the meanes abilities opportunities vouchsafed unto men the Word of God makes it one argument of the wickednesse and sensuall wayes of men that they have not the Spirit yea the Apostle Paul by charging the Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit clearly supposeth it to be a sensuall straine of a voluntary unworthinesse in men if they have not a very rich and plentifull anoynting of the Spirit Resbury A word or two to this wordy Paragraph 1 Say unto the world awake c. Say you to your Reader But for as much as this sleep is the sleep of death as is here evident in that the waking from it is standing up from the dead where is now that mighty Reason Understanding Judgement you have so often told us of as here again you doe in the naturall man 2 The time now is you say wherein the spirit is not given unto the world according to the preparations of the royall bounty and magnificence of heaven because c. this is as formerly we have seen at large the Pelagian doctrine so famously branded that grace is given according to our merits the Popish doctrine of the