Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	doctrine_n	part_n	sum_n	3,251	5	11.0356	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08402	The sinne against the Holy Ghost discouered and other Christian doctrines deliuered: in twelue sermons vpon part of the tenth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrewes. By Sebastian Benefield ...	Benefield, Sebastian, 1559-1630.	1615 (1615)	STC 1872; ESTC S101615	138,488	190

hence is our hope it may be our vaine hope that it shall be as well with vs for all our sinnes as it was with Noah Lot David Peter many other the strongest pillars of the Lords Temple for their many downefalls Here I endeavoured as I could to imprint in our hearts the wholesome doctrine contrary to these three misconceits and withall because it was thereby manifest that Gods chosen children doe sin also willingly I tooke occasion to put some difference betweene them so sinning and the sinfull reprobates and for that purpose I thē remembred you of two evident truthes in Christian Religion 1 The Saints of God may fall grievously dangerously 2 They cannot fall finally in the end not vtterly at any time Touching the third circumstance wherein were obserued the name the nature and the obiect of this sinne we haue heard that this sinne is commonly called the sinne against the holy Ghost not because it is against the Godhead of the holy Ghost for the same God is also Father and Sonne the Godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost is all one their glory is equall their Maiestie is coeternall nor because it is against the person of the Holy Ghost for that is no greater then the person of the Father and of the Sonne the whole three persons are coeternall together and coequall but because it is against the goodnesse of the holy Ghost against the goodnes that is against those good graces of the holy Spirit bestowed vpon vs for the setting forth of the praises of the Lord. For whosoever shall despise those good graces and turne them to the contempt of Gods Maiestie and tread them vnder foot and account them prophane and purposely and wilfully and maliciously cary them away to all wantonnesse he crucifieth againe vnto himselfe the Sonne of God he despites the spirit of grace he sinnes against the holy Ghost Whereby it is plaine that the nature of this sinne is such as we find it to be described Heb. 6.1 2. where the Apostle mentioning repentance from dead workes faith towards God the doctrine of baptisme of laying on of hands of resurrection from the dead and of eternall iudgement and in the same place calling all these the doctrine of the beginning of Christ speaketh vers ● of an apostacie of a falling away from all these points even from the very foundation and first beginning of Christian faith giving vs thereby to vnderstand that they who are holden in this transgression and haue sinned this sinne haue forsaken all the principles of Christian religion haue lost their former light haue departed from their first vnderstanding From the name and nature of this sinne thus considered wee came to seeke the obiect of it and found the malice of this sin to be directed against the very Maiestie of God himselfe and against his Christ directly to respect the first table of the morall law to be not a particular slipping aside but a generall apostacie a generall falling away from God and that totally Here I came to the first reason vsed by our Apostle to disswade vs from committing so vile a sinne contained in these words there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne Out of which words because Novatus hath made a collection void of comfort namely that if a man sinne after he is once baptised to him there remaineth no hope of pardon for his sins first I applied my selfe to establish comfort in our hearts by setting downe the contrary doctrine and secondly I came to the consideration of the truth of that which these words doe naturally afford did proue vnto you that the sinne against the holy Ghost is not at any time nor can ever be forgiven There remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne Hauing thus repeated vnto you the summe of that which heretofore I haue delivered I come now to the second reason in my second generall part to speake of this fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall devoure the adversaries The doctrine grounded vpon the first reason of our Apostle in this place might haue sufficed to make all that loue God to looke to their steps that they fall not away by committing so grievous a sinne But there is a generation of men monstrously mishapen in the powers of the soule who like the Kings and Princes of the earth i Psalm 2.2 banding themselues and taking counsaile together against the Lord and against his annointed are ready to breake the cords of religion asunder and to cast her yoke from them and to say with those in Tully lib. 1. de natura Deorum Totam de dijs immortalibus opinionem fictam esse ab hominibus sapientibus reip causâ vt quos ratio non posset eos ad officium religio duceret iudging the service of God to be a meere devise of man for the better governement of the common wealth wherein inferiours since they will not be ruled by reason must bee ordered by religion Tell such of Scriptures you may as wel vrge them with Lucians narrations of repentance they cast it behinde them of faith they regard it not of baptisme they hold it of no greater price then the washing of their hands of the resurrection this feeds them with many a merry conceit they thinke pleasantly with themselues what maner of bodies they shall haue at that day of what proportion their bodies shall bee whether their nayles and haire shall rise againe I only note them as I passe by the way whom were they vsed for their deserts the preacher should k Levit 13.44 pronounce and the Prince proclaime the foulest leapers that ever yet sore ranne vpon well worthy to bee excluded the host and to haue their l Levit. 13.46 Num. 5.2 2. Kin. 15.5 habitation alone and more then so to be exiled the land to be expelled from nature it selfe which so vnnaturally they striue to bring to naught For though the Lord God of hosts by his Ministers and servants doe call them vnto weeping and mourning to baldnesse and girding with sackcloath as he called the Iewes Esai 22.12 Yet behold with them is ioy gladnes slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine for say they to morrow we shall die Now if our Apostle to disswade such men from sinning willingly should vse this as a reason because there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne what would it advantage them being fully perswaded that the dead are not raised vp that in death there is no difference betweene them the vilest worme that ever they could tread vpon Therefore to meete with these mē also our Apostle bringeth a second reason able at some time or other to affright the hardest heart that ever yet Atheisme had infected telling them that for them which sinne willingly though there remaineth no more sacrifice which they regard not yet there remaineth something which shall touch them neere even a fearefull looking

cause of errour It caused the Iewes to erre they tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching his owne body Ioh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it vp againe It caused Nicodemus to erre hee tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching mans regeneration Iob. 3.3 Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God It caused the Disciples of Christ to erre they tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching the execution of his Fathers will Ioh. 4.32 I haue meate to eate that yee knowe not of I hold it to be an errour of Nicephorus and others to take it after the letter as if Paule had indeed fought vpon a theatre with Lyons at Ephesus because he faith 1. Cor. 15.32 That hee f●ught with beasts at Ephesus for in the iudgement of Tertullian and Theophylact of old of Beza Baronius and some n R●inold de Idol 2. 6. 6. other very learned of this age he spake it figuratiuely to designe note that disordered assembly gathered together against him at Ephesus vpon the complaint of the silversmyth Demetrius for defence of great Diana I am assured it is an errour of all the Papists to take it after the letter which Christ spake Mat. 26.26 This is my BODIE There is a figure in the speech For in all sacraments there is a great difference betweene the signes and the things signified the signes are visible the things invisible the signes earthly the things heavenly the signes corruptible the things immortall the signes corporall the things spirituall as a reverend o D BILSON B. of Winton of Christian subiection par 4 p. 577. edit Lōd in 8. 1586. Father speaketh in the person of Theophilus The signes are one thing the truth is not the same but another thing by plaine Arithmeticke they be two things and not one This is my body There is a figure in the speech Hee calls the bread his body by way of signification by way of similitude by way of representation after the maner of sacraments in a signe not according to the letter but in a spirituall and mysticall vnderstanding and if you respect the precise speech improperly and figuratiuely I will not hold you with other like instances these few already spoken of may serue to make it plaine that the not admitting of a trope or a figure there where in great reason it ought to be admitted is a cause of errour I haue beene bold beloued to giue this note in this place because the phrase here vsed to fall into the hands of God being spirit and life hath beene mistaken and applied to a carnal sense Frō hence as from other places of holy Scripture in which other the members of mans body are ascribed vnto God as the p Psal 34.10 face the q Deut. 8.3 mouth r 2. Kin. 19.16 eares ſ Zach. 4 10. eyes t 1 Kin. 8 42. armes u Mat. 22.44 feet and some other Tertullian liuing neere vnto the Apostles time hath not doubted to conclude GOD to be a BODIE This his erroneous and false opinion died not with him It was on foot many yeares after him in the time of Arius patronized by those hereticks who by Epiphanius are called Audiani and by x De Haeres cap. 50. Augustine Vadiani after whom also it was egerly maintained in the time of Chrysostome by certain monks of Egypt who were therevpon called Anthropomorphitae But all these are dead and gone their monstrous errour lies buried with them there is no man of any knowledge nowe a daies so blinded as to fall into errour with them It is an axiome in Divinity Quaecunque de Deo corporaliter dicuntur dicta sunt symbolicè whatsoever is spokē of God bodily that same must be vnderstood figuratiuely Bellarmine saith as much lib. 2. de imaginib Sanct. ca. 8. Mēbra quae tribuuntur Deo in scripturâ metaphoricè esse accipienda That those members which the Scripture assigneth vnto God are to be taken in a Metaphor Thus farre we are yours Bellarmine Wee mainteine with you that the members attributed vnto God in holy Scripture are to be taken figuratiuely But you builde herevpon chaffe stubble Should we doe the like it could never abide the triall of the fire To proue a non licet to be your Licet licere pingere imaginē Dei Patris in formâ hominis senis to proue it to be lawfull to represent God the Father by the image of an old man you draw one argument from those places of Scripture which doe attribute vnto GOD bodyly members Your conclusion is by way of question thus The Scripture in words attributeth vnto God all mans mēbers while it saith he stands he sits he walks nameth his head his feete his armes and giveth to him a seate a throne a footestoole therefore why cannot a picture be made to represent GOD Why not an image in the shape of man Why It 's easily answered Because every such picture or image or stocke call it as you will is censured by Ieremie to be a doctrine of vanity chap. 10.8 by Zachary to be a speaker of vanity chapter 10.2 by Habakkuk to bee a teacher of lies chapter 2.18 and Gods expresse commaundement is against it Deut. 4.16 You shall not make you a graven image or representation of any figure A reason of this prohibition is adioyned verse 12. and 15. by which it is manifest that God simplie and absolutely forbiddeth any image at all to be made of himselfe For yee saw no similitude in the day that the LORD spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire yee saw no similitude only yet heard a voice The Prophet Esaie is plentifull in this demonstration to shew how vnseemely absurd it is y Rom. 1.25 to turne the truth of God into a lie as they do who forsake the blessed Creator to worship the creature to turne the Maiestie of God invisible into a picture of visible man to turne the z vers 23. glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man His vehement expostulation with idolaters to this purpose is in the 40. of his prophecie verse 18. To whom will yee liken God Or what similitude will yee set vp vnto him The workeman melteth an image the goldsmith beates it out in gold or silver plats The poore see now the rage fury and madnesse of Idolaters though they haue not wherewith to suffice their own necessities they wil defraud themselues to serue their Idols the poore chooseth out a tree that will not rot for an oblation and puts it to a cunning workeman to prepare an image that cannot be moved The lik expostulation the Prophet ascribeth to God himselfe chap. 46.5 To whom will yee make me like or make me equall or compare me that I should be like him They draw gold