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	reason_n	scripture_n	1,987	5	6.3322	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94772	The Scriptures proved to be the word of God, and the only foundation of faith, and rule for our obedience. Or, A clear conviction of the errours of those that are called Quakers. Who blasphemously affirm that the Scriptures are not the word of God, nor the foundation of faith, nor the only rule for our obedience ... / By Sampson Tounesend, minister of the Gospel, and pastor of S. Austins, and Saviours parish in Norwich.	Townsend, Sampson.	1654 (1654)	Wing T1986A; ESTC R185411	14,687	23

THE SCRIPTURES Proved to be the Word of God And the only foundation of Faith and Rule for our obedience OR A CLEAR CONVICTION Of the Errours of those that are called QUAKERS Who blasphemously affirm That the Scriptures are not the Word of God nor the foundation of Faith nor the only rule for our Obedience Against which Errours these two Propositions are maintained I. That the Scriptures contained in the Books of the Old and New Testament commonly called the Bible is the revealed Will Word of God II. That the Scriptures which is the Word of God is the only foundation for our faith and the only rule for our obedience By SAMPSON TOVNESEND Minister of the Gospel and Pastor of S. Austins and Saviours Parish in Norwich Prov. 13.13 Who so despiseth the Word of God shall be destroyed Jer. 8.9 Lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdome is in them Exod. 32.16 And the Tables were the work of God and the writing was the writing of God graven upon the Tables 2 Pet 1.21 For the prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them London Printed by S.G. for R. Tomlins at the Sun and Bible in Pye-Corner 1654. TO CHRISTOPHER ADKINSON JAMES LANCASTER GEORGE WHITEHEAD and THOMAS SIMONDS Now in Norwich Gaol for their blasphemy and miscariages IF ever the truth of God were turned into a lye Rom. 1.25 It is by you that deny the Scriptures to be the truth of God and pretend immediate revelations to be the rule for your actions I shall mind you of a passage of a reverend minister now with God * Mr. Burroughs on Hosea 8.12 pag. 91. he saith There is a generation of men rising now if not risen that begin to have vile thoughts of the written word of God and think to understand the mind of God otherwise c. But saith he when they are rotten and it may be when their souls are perished in hell the written word of God shall stand and be honourable in the eies of all his Saints You acknowledge the Scriptures to be the trnth and yet deny them to be the word of God A strange paradox As if the scriptures which are called the truth of God And God which is the God of truth should not be the author of the truth 1 King 17.24 Rom 3.7 Deut. 32.4 Psal 31.5 Or as if man which is vanity yea a ly should yet be the onely author of the truth Upon this your error depēd your other errors of denying the scriptures to be the only ground of your faith and the onely rule for your obedience for did you believe the scriptures to be the word of God they would cleerly convince you of the errors of your judgement and practice in many things Let me reason with you a little you acknowledge the scripture to be the truth you must of necessity also grant that whatsoever is contrary to truth is an error And having granted this see what will follow upon it by way of trial of your judgement and practice It is your judgement that you are perfect and free from all sin see this to be an error contrary to the truth in Eccle. 7.20 1 John 1.8 10. You deny the power of the Magistrate in the matters of God contrary to the truth in Rom. 13.1 to 6. Joh. 31.11 28. You not only speak evill of governers but of government also contrary to the truth in Tit. 3.2 2 Pet. 2.10 Jude 8. You condemn the ministers of the Church of England and despise them as false teachers and say they know nothing of the true light although they speak nothing but what is according to the Law and testimonie of God in his word which is the rule to try all teachers by Isa 8.20 This your judgement is an error it being contrary to Tit. 2.15 and know that in thus doing ye doe not onely despise man but God I shall not foul paper 1 Thes 4.8 Luk. 10.16 in mentioning your judging censuring and condemning of both Magistrates and Ministers onely see how contrary this your practice is to truth Mat. 7.1 2. Rom. 14.10 13. Jam. 4.11 You condemn rhe ministers of the Church of England for preaching for hire whereas ye do not know their ends in preaching and thus you are become judges of evill thoughts Jam. 2.4 Contrary to the truth in 1 Cor. 4.5 Judge nothing before the time And you deny that ministers should take any wages for their work But your error herein you may easily perceive If you consider that Christ and the Apostle give strong reasons for their maintenance Mat. 10.10 Luk. 10.7 1 Tim. 5.18 1 Cor. 9.13 14. note it Likewise the Apostle himselfe took wages of the Churches to do service in the ministerie 2 Cor. 11.8 and laid an injunction upon the people to give him wages Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things Mark he doth not say let him contribute as an almes but communicate as a right as wages And in the next verse Gal. 6.7 he intimates that God is mocked when his Ministers are not maintained But God will not be mocked neither will he be robbed but they shall hear ye are Cursed Mal. 3.8.9 Jer. 12.13 I shall mention no more of your errors My designe according to promise is To prove the Scriptures to be the word of God the onely ground of faith and rule for our obedience which I have here presented you with Read it examine it if it be not truth witnesse by truth against it If it be truth as undoubtedly you will find it so then submit to it be ruled by it And doubtlesse your bodies shall be freed from your deserved imprisonment and your souls from the threatned damnation against false Prophets 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. 1 Tim. 5 12. and such as cast off their first faith I rest an enemie to error and A friend to truth Sampson Tounesend From my studie January 29. 1654 5 THE EPISTLE To the READER READER IF thy heart be not grieved to hear the blasphemy of those that deny Gods truth his messengers his ordinances thou hast much cause to suspect thy love to God his truth or ordinances The first step to errour is to have our love abated towards the truth You need not marveil if those that receive not the truth in the love of it that they may be saved but deny God to be the authour of the truth 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. that they are carried on by strong delusions to believe a lye that they might be damned the judgement is long since threatned When men forsake the right way they must needs goe astray When men forsake the fountain of

make it the only foundation of their faith Abraham the father of the faithful he believed according to that which was spoken Rom. 4.18 and David Psal 119.42 I trust in thy Word And the Disciples Iohn 2.22 they believed the Scriptures and the Word which Jesus had said And observe S. Pauls Confession Acts 24.14 15. I confess unto thee that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets and have hope towards God c. And the Bereans Acts 17.11 12. searched the Scriptures whether those things were so therefore many of them believed And thus you see they made the Scriptures the only foundation for their faith 4. They cannot have faith in Christ that believe not the Scriptures this is clearly proved by these Scriptures Ioh. 5.46 47. For had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me for he wrote of me But if ye believe not his writings how shall ye believe my words Luke 16 31. If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rise from the dead And saith Christ Ioh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye look to have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me By these Scriptures it is clear that those that believe not the Scriptures cannot have faith in Christ by any other means And therefore the Scriptures must needs be the only foundation of faith 5. It is only faith in the written Word of God that will fill the soul with spiritual joy Rom. 15 12.13 and hence it is that David saith Psal 119.162 I rejoice in thy Word as one that findeth great spoil and saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 1.4 These things have I written unto you that your joy may be full There can be no spiritual joy in those that build not their faith in the written Word and promises of God It is by faith in the Word that believers of old and at all times obtained promises Heb. 11.33 And Christ when he was upon the Earth prayed for such as should believe on him through the Word written by the Apostles and Evangelists John 17.20 Therefore the written Word of God must needs be the only foundation of faith Lastly we are commanded to make the Word of God the ground of our faith and it is condemned as a sin not to believe the Word of God 2 Chro. 20.20 Believe in the Lord your God so shall you be established Believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper Ps 106.24 They believed not his Word Heb. 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them not being mixt with faith in them that heard it And thus you see God commands we should build our faith upon the Scriptures therefore they must needs be the only foundation of faith Before I conclude this take this Caution Although the Word of God be the only foundation for us to build our faith on Caution yet the Word as it consisteth of letters and syllables hath no strength to beget faith in mens hearts for many hear but do not believe Isa 6.9 10 And therefore it is only from the Spirits working together with the Word that faith is wrought 1 Thess 1.5 Our Gospel came not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost The Word works not faith without the Spirit neither doth the Spirit work faith without the Word but the Spirit by the Word works sanctification and a lively faith founded upon the Word as ye may see in these Scriptures John 17.17 John 6.63 Isa 59.21 Hag. 2.5 And thus have I proved the first part of the Proposition That the Scriptures is the only foundation of faith Secondly I come now to the second That the Scriptures which are the Word of God are the only rule for our obedience I might for proof of this give you many testimonies of Scripture but I shall name a few for all Deut. 5.32 33. Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord hath commanded you ye shall not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you Deut. 6.25 And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these Commandments before the Lord as he hath commanded us Josh 23.6 Keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses The Word of God in the Old and New Testament is a perfect Law Ps 19.7 James 1.25 Rom. 8.2 And hence it is the Scriptures are said to bee able to make the man of God perfect 2 Tim. 3.17 And it must needs be so because where there is no transgression of the Law of God there is no sin for all sin is the transgression of the Law of God 1 Ioh. 3.4 And therefore God promises to all those he enters into Covenant with To write his Law in their hearts Ier. 31.33 Heb. 8.10 And of every righteous man it is said The Law of God is in his heart Ps 37.31 By all which it appears the Word of God is the only rule for our obedience It may also yet farther appear if ye consider 1. The Lord is the only Law-giver Iam. 4.12 and his Word is the only right rule for our obedience Ps 33.4 and therefore it is called the sure Word 2 Pet. 1.19 it will never fail 2. It is an everlasting rule so long as we live on Earth 1 Pet. 1.25 The Word of the Lord endureth for ever 3. No man can be blameless in his life unless his conversation be ordered according to the Word of God Psal 119. 9 Luke 1.6 Titus 2.5 4. Every man shall be judged according to what is written in the Book of Gods Word Iohn 12.48 Rev. 20.12 Lastly there are many promises made to the keeping of Gods Word and many threatnings denounced against such as walk contrary to the rules of Gods Word Gal. 6.16 Rev. 22.14 Luke 11.28 And for threatnings read Deut. 28.15 c. Before I conclude take these two Cautions Caution 1. Although the written Word of God be a perfect rule of righteousness and the only rule for our obedience yet know that no man can or does perfectly fulfill the Law of God for Iames 3.2 In many things we offend all and Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from sin The most eminent believer sins in many things but the unbeliever sins in all things Heb. 11.6 Yet every godly man hath respect to all and desires and endeavors to keep all the Commandments of God Ps 119.5 6. and do not willingly allow himself in any constant violation of Gods Law but delights in it in the inward man Rom. 7.15 16. and the 22 verse Caution 2. Take this Caution although believers are freed from the condemning power of the Law yet are they not freed from the commanding or directing power thereof 1 Cor. 9.21 1 Tim. 1.8 To conclude they that make not the Word of God the rule for their actions are led either by their own fancies or the Devils temptations or both FINIS