Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	faith_n	rule_n	scripture_n	4,181	5	6.7162	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49318	The reasonableness of the Christian religion a sermon preached at the visitation held at Stoakesly in Cleveland, in Yorkshire : being the first visitation of the Reverend Mr. Long, B.D. and Arch-Deacon of Cleveland / by Ja. Lowde ...	Lowde, James.	1684 (1684)	Wing L3302; ESTC R14296	20,988	54

differ from the Church of England as those of Deposing Princes and absolving Subjects from their Obedience of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead and the like how these both in their own Natures and as they are managed by those that entertain them do more Naturally tend to get Riches and maintain a secular Pomp and Grandeur then to promote Piety in the lives of their Professours These are the Men who partly by their Contrariety of Doctrine partly by their loose Rules of Conscience partly by their frivolous Distinctions and Evasions have made many of the most weighty Duties of Christianity of none effect And some of these Roman Doctrines particularly that of Disobedience to and Resistance of lawful Authority has been exactly copyed out by some I cannot say of our Communion those I mean of the Separation I am no Friend to the fixing of bad Names upon any scrt of Men yet this I think I may truly say that there is more real Popery so far as it is false and dangerous in this single Opinion of resisting of Authority which is so much espoused by some of our Separatists then there is in all the Innocent Ceremonies and those other things which have occasion'd so many groundless Clamours against the Church of England Indeed this Doctrine of Resistance is too ugly to appear bare-faced in the World and therefore has always had some specious pretence or other as the Glory of God the Purity of Religion the Liberty of Conscience or the property of the Subject and all these back'd with a great many of false and Foolish Silly and dangerous Distinctions But the most modern Mask that this Opinion has appeared in of late is this that Non-Resistance say they was only a temporary Command proper only for those first and primitive Ages of the Church when Christians suffered according to the Laws of the Country but the Case was much different in after Ages when the Laws were in Favour of Religion and Christians persecuted contrary to Law I shall not need to speak much in Answer to this Argument the Weakness and Falseness of it being already fully and sufficiently shown by several Worthy Persons I shall only intimate these two things 1. To say that Passive Obedience was only a Duty Incumbent on Christians in the first Ages of the Church is an Assertion without the least Ground or Evidence of Proof for Scripture speaks of Obedience to Authority as a Constant indispensable Duty of Christianity without any Restriction or Limitation as to time or place and we must know that Scripture was intended as a Rule of Faith and Manners not only to that particular time wherein it was writ but also to all succeding Ages and it would be a great Reflection upon the Scripture as to the Perfection of it if it requir'd Non-Resistance of Authority only as a temporary Duty and yet never in the least to intimate how long it should continue thus or how we should know when the time was expired or by what Rules and Measures we should guide our selves when things came to be otherwise I hope they will not say that this is Casus Omissus in Scripture and so to be supplyed either by the Popish Additions or Euthusiastick Interpretations of later Ages But in short these mens way of arguing seems very much to resemble that of Mr. Hobb's in another Case of whom it is observ'd that he supposed Men worse then they were and from thence drew Principles to make them worse then otherwise they would be That is from the Observation of the General Depravation of Humane Nature and the Vicious Inclinations of most Men hence he unwarily drew such Conclusions as these that Violence and Oppression Self-Preservation and Interest without any respect to any higher Principles are the Prime and Fundamental Dictates ofNature and Reason in general without ever distinguishing betwixt pure and corrupted Nature or betwixt Reason truly so call'd and that which is only the Dictate of inferior Sense and Appetite So these Men from some irregular Proceedings either falsely imputed to the Christians about Julian's time or if truly yet but the Miscarriages of some particular Men yet from such premises as these would draw such false and dangerous Conclusions as should justifie and legitimate the like irregular Practises to all succeeding Ages 2. This Assertion has a very bad Influence upon several other Duties of Christianity for thus they argue where there is any Variation of Circumstances now different from what was in the Apostles times there that ceases to be a Duty now which was one then I deny not but where the thing is in its own Nature indifferent and the Reason of the Obligation depends upon the present Circumstances there the Circumstances being chang'd the Obligation ceases but it is not so in his Case Obedience to Magistrates is an Eternal Duty and that which the very Essential Constitutions and Principles of Government require of us here the Variation of some smaller Circumstances will not alter the Nature of the thing if it did we might also by the same way of Arguing prove that voluntary Charity to the Poor now is no Duty incumbent upon Christians this indeed we may say was a Duty in the first Ages of the Church because there were then no Laws in Favour of the Poor but their whole Subsistance depended upon Voluntary Contributions but the case is far otherwise now and thereforethis kind of Charity ceases now to be a Duty the weakness of this Argument I suppose easily appears to any Considerate Man at the first view For tho' there is Provision now made for the Poor by the Law yet notwithstanding there is no Law neither of God nor Man against Voluntary Charity to the Poor So tho' the Laws thanks be to God be in Favour of our Religion now yet there are no Laws neither of God nor Man in the least to encourage Rebellion or Resistance of lawful Authority for Religions sake 2. We must Preach Christ Crucified both in Opposition to some Hereticks of Old who tell us that Christ did not really and truly suffer but in Appearance only so subverting our Faith and also to some later Enthusiasts of our own Age. These seem to be offended upon the same Account that the Jews were here in the Text that is at the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel those Men think every thing Foolish that has not something of Mystery and Enthufiasm in it making all Religion to consist in airy Notions and nice Speculations these are the Religious Chymists of the Age who think they then only speak nothing to the purpose when they speak so as to be understood makeing it their great business to involve and intangle the otherwise plain and easie Doctrines of Christianity These Men pretend to make Religion a far more profound and mysterious thing then God ever made it and whenever any one Argues any thing against 'em according to the best and truest Principles of

by some as expiatory I shall not here enquire into the first Ground and Original of those Sacrifices among them only shall leave it to Consideration how far these tho' Wicked and Barbarous in them yet might in the Methods of Divine Providence be suffered among the Gentiles thereby to prepare their minds facilitate their Conceptions and in due time to convince them of the unreasonableness of Christ's Crucifixion for the Expiation of Sin But more particularly It doth not become a Christian whilest he is answering the Scandals cast upon his Religion unjustly to recriminate and load his Adversaries with false Imputations the generous and vertuous Temper of Christianity as it needs not so it scorns to build its Reputation upon the Ruine of other Mens Therefore I do not here go about to charge the Heathens in general with that stupid and grossest sort of Idolatry which some are too apt to do as if they own'd no higherObject of their Adoration then that of the Sun or the Soul of the World and that all their Worship did not suppose the belief of any higher Deity I humbly conceive we have neither Reason nor Scripture in favour of this Assertion but much of both to the contrary But tho'I go not thus far in my Charge against the Gentiles in general yet this I may truly say That their Notions of God and of the Divine Nature come very much short of those which Christianity affords us both in respect of truth and certainty But however true in some respects their Notions of God might be in the Theory yet their Religion as a Doctrine of Worship was very false and Idolatrous and tho' they did know God yet they did not Worship him as God Thus all or most of their Religious Rites of Worship were but so many various Modes of Idolatry and sometimes they became wicked in Imitation even of those Gods whom they worshipp'd and upon this account others sometimes as they thought out of a Principle of Devotion and Religion became Atheists choosing rather to believe there were no Gods at all rather then think them such as some Men had represented them But now Christianity corrects the falseness of these mistakes and teaches us to Worship the true God in a true manner God did not require the Blood of Bulls and Goats in the Jewish Sacrifices for their own sakes nor did he at all require the bloody and wicked Sacrifices of the Gentiles the Gospel teacheth us that a broken and contrite Spirit is the true Christian Sacrifice that we must offer our Souls and Bodies an Holy living Sacrifice acceptable unto God not by any Barbarous Cruelties exercis'd upon either but they are to be offered unto God in a way of Purity and Holyness Secondly Christianity doth not only correct the salse but also improves those better and truer Notions which the Gentiles had to higher Degrees of Perfection and Clearness then they were ever able to do 1. The Greeks had some Notions of the being ofGod and the Immortality of the Soul but then they were very much mistaken in the Nature of the Deity and their belief of a future State was joyn'd with a great deal of doubt and uncertainty it was only the Gospel that perfectly acquainted us with the one and fully assur'd us of the other They had indeed sufficient Grounds to believe both but yet they came as far short of the Strength and Evidence of those Arguments which the Gospel affords us as reason comes short of Revelation Not but that Christians may also make a very good use of those Arguments which Reason and Philosophy afford us for it much strengthens our Faith in the belief of those things declar'd in Scripture when we find the same also confirmed by reason tho' Reason alone had been herein but a weak and insufficient Ground of Faith Socrates who yet died as it were a Martyr to his Natural Religion argued very well when he came to die of a future State yet it was with such a Degree of uncertainty as Christianity would have quite removed in the like Circumstances 2. The Greeks had some Notions of the thing tho' not of the Name and Nature of Original Sin that is they did acknowledg an Universal depravation of Nature but then as to the cause and head of it that was as unknown to them as that of Nilus they thought it rather from the beginning essential to our Natures rather then any ways afterwards contracted they looked upon it indeed as their Misery but not their fault And being thus Ignorant of the Cause they were as far to seek for the Remedy the best and highest means that they ever used in order thereunto being only the imperfect Rules of Art and Philosophy But now Christianity as it shows us the true Cause of it in Adam so doth it provide a sufficient means for the removal of it viz. the blood of Christ and the Grace of the Gospel 3. The Greeks were conscious to themselves of the necessity of a Divine Revelation as may appear from that high esteem and constant recourse they had to the Oracles their pretended Deities But then they were so far from being bettered by these that this seemed the very Master-piece of the Devils malice and subtlety thus to enact Wickedness by a Law and to give it the Stamp of Divine Revelation But now God in these last days hath spoken to us by his Son by whom he hath fully and clearly revealed his Will to Mankind thus have we the true Oracles of God committed to us not with an intent to deceive us but to guide us in the undoubted ways to Happiness 4. The Gentiles had some Notions of the pacability of the Deity this all their Sacrifices did necessarily imply and indeed Mercy and Goodness seems in the first place to offer it self in that Notion of a Deity which is Naturally Imprinted on the Minds of Men. Quamvis Meritis venia est indebita Nostris Magna tamen Spes est in bonitate Dei Ovid. But then Sin and Guilt being naturally full of Fears and Jealousies tho' perhaps we might have some glimmering hopes of Pardon which yet could not be fixt upon any good Ground or firm Foundation yet we could never have arriv'd at that full assurance which the Gospel hath now given us God having thus provided sufficient Answers to all those doubts and fears with either the Malice of the Devil or our own guilty Consciences can possibly suggest So that we have now all the assurance of Gods being reconcil'd with us upon the Terms propounded in the Gospel that either God can give or Man reasonably require But further suppose that it had been knowable by the Light of Nature that God upon our begging Mercy would have pardoned our Sins Yet we could never have any Reason to believe that he would conter on us such high Degrees of Happiness as now we are assur'd of without a particular Revelation And thus much for the