Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	reason_n	4,345	5	5.9961	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84588	A guide to salvation, bequeathed to a person of honour, by his dying-friend the R.F. Br. Laurence Eason, Ord. S. Franc. S. Th. L.	Eason, Laurence.	1673 (1673)	Wing E99aA; ESTC R230984	39,971	127

had been a Servant to a Tyrant and that not once but often is his life and in that manner that the Athenians sacrificed to Ceres which was with the most Religious Ceremonies which were used in the superstions of the Gentiles And therefore he said truly that natural reason is as weak and blind towards divine things as the eyes of a Batt or Owl are to behold the brightness of the clear Sun And do we not manifestly see the truth of this now amongst us by the diversity of Sects and Opinions in Religion every one following the dictamen of their natural reason and so run into many absurdities in this kind and are continually changeing their judgments without certainty in any thing And we see that natural reason is weak and defective even in things within its own Sphear as appears in the divers and contrary Opinions among Philosophers and Scholastick Divines and in the differences in the judgments of men in ordinary occurrences what a blind Guide then must this needs be in divine and sublimer things From this then we must necessarily conclude that the light of Faith is required to direct us without errour in these Affaires The Apostle affirms that Fedes est substantia rerum sperandarum That Faith is the ground of things we hope for in the next Life and the foundation of our Spiritual Edifice if that be wanting there can be no building if that be not sound all must fall to the ground And the Apostle further declares the necessity of this Accedentem ad deum oportet credere he that will come to God he must believe aright And captivate his understanding and reason to the obedience of Faith to which Reason must be a Handmaid not a Mistris And our Blessed Saviour tels us that he who doth not beleeve is condemned And this Faith can be but one so the Apostle affirms Una fides One Faith one Baptism one Lord of all Hence is that of St. Fulgentius lib. de fide c 38. omni enim homini c. to a man that holds not firmly the faith and unity of the Catholick Church neither his Baptism nor Alms nor Death for the name of Christ will profit him to Salvation And St. Athanatius informs us in his Creed that he who will be Saved above all things must hold the Catholick Faith entirely and inviolably From hence it necessarily follows that a man though our Politicians imagine the contrary cannot be Saved in any sort of Religion for all these cannot be the only true one necessarily required to Salvation I will conclude this discourse concerning a meer honest Life with the judgment of St. Augustine Serm. 13. de verb. Apost The Epicurian Philosophers saith he practised vertue for the conveniency of the Body useing moderation in their eating and drinking in their prosperities and adversities and in their whole conduct for the welfare of their body that it may in no manner suffer dammage The Stoick Philosophers being more Spiritual practised Vertue for the natural good of the Soul and Reason to which Vertue is conformable and agreeable in fine he blameth them both that their vertues were defective and as the first were Sensual in their moderation and temperance so the second were proud in their Vertue which they practised for it self and the good of reason to which they ordred it The first saith he lived according to the flesh the second according to the reason of the Soul but neither according to God So according to St. Augustine one is not to rest in the utility and honesty of vertue but he will that a Christian Soul should raise it self higher to practise Vertue for God to glorify him by it So that the body should not be the end nor also the rational Soul but only God to whom it must be ordered and referred He only being our soveraign good and so alone deserves to be desired and searched for himself and in that manner as he hath prescribed without which there can be no true Vertue acceptable to him and the light of Faith is necessary to direct us in this seeing humane reason cannot do it Therefore Christ sends us to his Church to receave from her his Doctrine and Instructions and commands us to obey her under the penalty of being rejected as Heathens and Publicans which he Incurs who makes his imagination his Oracle his proper sence his Doctor and himself the Church he followes CHAP. II. The true Life of a Christian which is that of Faith JUstus autem meus ex fide vivit my just one saith God by the Prophet shall live by faith There are too Sorts of just men one according to the world the other according to God the just according to the world are those who are so by Humane reason maxims of Estate or temporal Interest The just according to God are those who have Faith for the Principle of their actions and rule of their lives A just man according to the world doth not injury to any because the light of reason dictates to him what he would not have done to himself that he should not do to another one just according to God doth no injury to any out of a further motive which is because Jesus Christ commanded and practised it for our example A just man according to the world gives alms to an indigent person out of a natural compassion and tenderness of heart A just man according to God doth it because Jesus Christ saith What you shall do to one of these little ones you shall do to me because they are members of Christ Whosoever gives a cup of could water shall not lose his reward it is the promise of Christ but he doth not promise this reward if you give an alms to one because he is one of the same country condition or nature you are of but if you give it to him because he is a Christian a disciple of Christ because he required it of you you gave it in the name of Christ or because he is ordain'd as a companion to glorify God with you in heaven A good Servant according to the world serves his master faithfully because he expects a reward from him for it a good servant according to God doth it because St. Paul exhorts servants to obey theirs Masters as Jesus Christ and for conscience sake One just according to the world nourisheth and brings up his children because they are his A just parent according to God doth it because they are members of Christ creatures ordained for his glory The reason of this truth is evident The life of a true Christian is a Supernaturall life faith is more above reason then reason above sence and as one who lives as a man is not governed by his sence as beasts but by reason so he who will live as a true Christian must not follow the conduct of naturall reason only as men do but he must be directed in his life by faith and Evangelicall maxims