Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	authority_n	believe_v	church_n	6,044	5	5.1817	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46755	Two treatises the first concerning Gods certaine performance of his conditional promises, as touching the elect, or, A treatise of Gods most free and powerfull grace, lately published without the authours privitie, and printed corruptly, by the name and title of Solid comfort for sound Christians : the second, concerning the extent of Christs death and love, now added to the former : with an additionall thereunto : both of them preached at New-Castle upon Tine ... / by Robert Ienison ...	Jenison, Robert, 1584?-1652.	1642 (1642)	Wing J565; ESTC R2256	76,502	298

or to agree with other places and as it is commonly called with the analogie or Proportion of faith But what if wee cannot make these agree But by bringing their understandings in obedience to the word so as to satisfie our selves In this case let us ingenuously and as there is true cause suspect yea acknowledge our owne shallownesse and our Ignorance which onely makes all Contradictions in Scripture must wee bee wiser or full out so wise as is God himselfe If God please to keepe secret from us the connexion of things the order and manner of his working It will become us to search no further for there is no searching of his understanding but to rest in that which is clearly revealed By resting in things revealed and in such things so in the generall revealed though for manner and circumstance not so clearly conceived to deny our owne reason and to bring with us an humility of understanding I meane not in the Popish sence to beleeve by an implicite faith what by mens authoritie Without determining of things secret under pretence of the Church shall be imposed upon us but to submit to the truth of Gods word of the Scriptures the authority of which is greater then the whole capacitie of humane understanding and wit as one speaketh that generally in all such things as we otherwise can s●e no reason of as for example when judgements like the overthrow of Sodom Gomorrah c. were to befall Gods people of Israel and Judah so that the question in regard of the strangenesse circumstances of the evills was foretold to be Deut. 29.23 24 25 wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of this great anger men shall give this answer and say It was because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their fathers c now this answer might soon safely be given out of the revealed will and word of God but if any would inquire further as how or whence it came that God would suffer them so to provoke him and not stay them by his power c. their mouth is stopt with that which followes And verse 29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may doe all the words of this Law That they were destroyed for their sinne is evident that 's revealed but if you inquire into any higher cause in God that 's a secret and we should sinne to seeke a reason of his counsells here wee should captivate our reason understanding to Christs word not diving into the reason or depth of Gods doings and judgements as knowing most certainely that both that is most true which he speaketh and just which hee doth as an ancient writer truly speaketh and with Paul cry out O depth how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out wee eannot call that unjust in which wee cannot deny the judgement of God Ro. 11.33 for his will is the chiefe and supreame Iustice of all neither is that therefore not just which God doth because man cannot comprehend the power of his Iustice saith Salvian Curiositie condemned The instance given is not impertinent to the case in hand Christ died for all men yet the most of men by Gods just judgement perish in their sinnes and if wee speake of those that have heard of Christ in and for their unbeleefe and impenitencie This is the onely cause of their perishing which wee are to looke unto if we will needs search and looke higher As dangerous seeke out reasons of Gods will we shall lose our selves and the truth too if wee will needs pry into the arke we shall be destroyed with those of Bethshemesh if wee will search and gaze upon the majesty of God and dive into those depths we shall bee overwhelmed with his glory perhaps come into the bottomlesse depth of all our onely wisedome will bee to become fools that we may bee wise 1 Cor. 3.18 The best answer of doubtfull things in Scripture is our faith to beleeve what God teacheth when wee see not the reason of it if ever wee would profit in Gods Schoole and to deny our owne reason where God denies to give a reason Points of this Nature are matters of faith not of dispute and faith will beleeve that it sees not and yeeld its assent to those things the causes whereof it knowe not which rule I wish it were as well practised as is well said by an Arminian Of such things and doubts as we cannot easily answer especially in reconciling seeming differences bring faith saith an ancient Father and martyr that is a ready solution of all doubts Let us not leane to our owne understanding Iusti● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none is saith prosper a more eloquen● preacher and publisher of such deepe mysteries and secrets then he that confesseth that the things which hee teacheth are such as cannot be expressed And so I will conclude with a saying of Cajetane in the case of Gods particular Election of some according to his Immutable decree Cajetane in Rom. 9. and of mans free-will free from compulsion which case includes this of ours which is Christ died for all men and Christ died specially and with intention and purpose according to Election to save some onely namely the Elect This onely will quiet our understanding I find saith he of the one I of the other both in the Scripture both are true now if you shall say joyne these two true things together make them agree J answer I know for certaine that one truth is not contrary to another but how to conjoyne them I know not This Ignorance quiets my understanding And so in this our case if that which hath otherwise beene said will not do it seeing both truths are evidently taught in Scripture Let not us oppose the one to overthrow the other for in the ●ence explaned It may ●e ●●anted that Christ died 〈◊〉 all men but rather in this and in all other like cases let 〈◊〉 acknowledge ●our owne weaknesse of judgement and Ignorance and let this Ignorance quiet and bound our understandings FJNIS