Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	able_a	faith_n	salvation_n	3,115	5	6.7195	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84947	Theios divine beames of glorious light. Shining from the sacred scriptures, which expell the fogges of error, that engender darknesse, in doubting soules, by mistaken thoughts, touching the diety, faith, and Christain ordinances. With a cordial to heal the corasives which the ill potion prepared by Mr. John Fry, a late member of Parliament, hath ingendred. / Written by one, who desires more that God may be glorified, then to affix his name to gain the vaine applause of man. Licensed and entered in the Stationeers Hall book.	Fry, John, 1609-1657, Attributed name.	1651 (1651)	Wing F2256; Thomason E625_10; ESTC R206458	8,705	15

screw'd faces doe they make c. This savours of much lightnesse in Mr. Fry like the carriage of the Scribes and Pharisees to Christ and his Apostles deriding and scorning them for their devotion and as the poor Publican was disdained by the boasting Pharisee who smote upon his breast and prayed saying God be mercifull to me a sinner But Christs Apostles were of another minde they rejoyced to heare of devout praying yea the holy and blessed Spirit of God is promised to help the infirmities of those whose desires are so full that they cannot expresse themselves Rom. 8. Yea and Jesus Christ himselfe wept and groaned when he prayed at the raising of Lazarus and fell down on the ground when he prayed in his Agony in the Garden devotion when it is most sound and heavenly in the heart will teach the mouth Prov. 16.23 and stirre up the body to a zeale heaven-ward as of sincerity as in the sight of God speaking in Christ 2 Cor. 2.17 III. Exception Master Fry saith againe in the same book in derision of this devotion How like a company of Conjurers doe they mumble out the beginnings of their prayers that the people may not hear them and when artificially they have raised their voyces what a puling do they make But this is very much for the advantage of the people for when Ministers begin with a loud voyce their spirits are usually so spent that before they have halfe done their Sermons few can heare them in a large Congregation and the voyce is much the clearer and plainer the whole time of Prayer and Sermon by beginning low and increasing the elevation of their voyce IV. Exception out of the said booke is this viz. Mr. Fry saith I must confess I have heard much of beleeving things above Reason and the time was when I swallowed that pill but I may say as St. Paul c. When I was a childe c. Every man that knoweth any thing knoweth this that it is Reason that distinguisheth a man from a beast If you take away his Reason you deny his very Essence and therefore if any man wil consent to give up his Reason I would as soon converse with a beast as with that man and whatsoever pretence some may make of Religion in this particuler certainly there is nothing else in it but ignorance and policy Hereby is Heathenisme much exalted by Mr. Fry and the excellency of faith defaced as doth very clearly appeare by the Gospel Will you know what faith is The Holy Ghost tels us in the Scriptures That it is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 Faith teacheth us that all things were made by God of nothing vers 3. Reason cannot reach this and in that Chapter we have many examples above reason which our faith is engaged to beleeve As Abels speaking being dead Enochs translation Noahs Arke Sarahs Childe by Abraham in their old age Isaacks deliverance by the Ram Moses preservation in the Flagges c. Augustine saith that the Saints know God not by the outward sences but in divine ravishings And so Paul told the Ephesians that it was not from darke naturall Philosophy and carnall reason but Gods opening of Beleevers eyes by Divine inlightnings that they come by faith to know what is the hope of their calling and the riches of the glory of Christs Inheritance in them Ephes 1.17 For we are saved by grace through faith which is not to be attained unto by reason of our selves it must be beleeved above reason because even faith it selfe is the gift of God also Ephes 2.8 Peter Martyr tels us that Faith abundantly gathereth out of the holy Scriptures the knowledge of God as much as sufficeth to Salvation or as much as this our life is able to receive yet Paul testifieth this knowledg to be unperfect For now we know him by a Glasse in a shadow and but partly Who knew that his reason could not apprehend what his faith could reach but by beleeving pressed forwards towards the price of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3.12 13 14. In a word the eye hath not seen nor eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man by reason to know the things which by faith we are to beleeve God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11 12. FINIS

is to be built up according to the rule of the Scriptures which we are to search and follow all our dayes And whatever Papists say it is not with us as with them for they beleeve the Scripture no otherwise then as the Church beleeves but we preach that the Church is to be beleeved in what it concurres with the Word and as Paul saith so ought every Minister of the Gospel to teach saying So follow me even as I follow Christ which is the rule of Gods Word 2 Thess 3.7 8 9. Heb. 13.7 1 Pet. 2.21 And we have great cause to blesse God for the flourishing of the Gospel and liberty which he hath given the Saints to serve him in so much peace as is at this day in this Nation Indeed for one of Mr. Fryes assertions I doe not see but we may very well close with it I doe not know any Orthodox Minister in England that will deny it viz. That men cannot justly be taxed with immodesty or turbulency of spirit for not closing with all their Teachers would obtrude upon them if after a carefull and conscionable search they finde no footing for such things in the Scriptures But yet Christians must take heed they doe not under that pretence like Alexander the Copper-smith designe great evils against the sincere Preachers of the Gospel for the Lord will reward such according to their workes and of such the Apostle bids the Saints beware as with-standers of the Gospel of salvation preached to the people 2 Tim. 4.14 15. As for that great Controversie he makes about Free-will wherein he saith there is a great contradiction in what is taught I cannot insist upon every thing what every man saith yet because those seeming contradictions that he alledgeth may become a stumbling block to simple people if not cleared give me leave meekly to vindicate those Scriptures and cleare the truths First he alledgeth 1 Cor. 3.5 Phil. 2.13 Ephes 3.8 James 1.17 as crossing Isa 1.16 Isa 5.4 Phil. 2.12 but if you mark the scope of 2 Cor. 3.5 2 Cor. 9.8 you wil finde these places of Scripture wil be easily reconciled our sufficiency is of God but it is ours when God hath given it us when God inables us we can wash and be cleane when he gives us power we can put away the evil we before acted As a sick man whom God gives an appetite to can then eate Consider but this That the same God saith that in him we live and move and have our being Acts 17.28 yet we know that God gives us meanes to live and that is by food Is it not in mans will to eate and live for a time in this life or fast and dye I doe not say man hath this power at all times when he will there is a time at which and at no time else it may be said Now is the appointed time Jer. 8.7 Dan. 11.35 There is a glorious harmony in the Scriptures if they be not mis-understood as those who are led by carnall reason cannot but doe but the right knowledge of the Word is Spirituall by beleeving Rom. 8. John 1. c. Another parcell of Scriptures he hath gathered and saith that if we tye our selves to the bare letter we shal finde but little harmony between them viz. Isa 1.16 17. Phil. 2.12 Mat. 11.28 with Joh. 6.4 and 2 Cor. 3.5 with Jam. 1.17 The former rule wil help us to reconcile these places of Scripture also It is true no man can come unto Christ except the Father draw him but when God by his Spirit hath broken their hearts and made them weary with the load of their sins and drives them to thoughts of a necessity of seeking Christ and to behold mercy tendred by Christ then they are by his Spirit enabled if they wil to goe to Christ even when he by his Spirit knocks at the doores of their hearts without Christ we can doe nothing Iohn 15.5 but in Christ we can doe all things through him that strengthens us Phil. 4.13 And so againe it is true we cannot of our selves thinke a good thought but when God gives us a sufficient measure of grace we can then through Christ work out our salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 and by faith in the power of Christ lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim 6.12 not in our own strength but in that sufficiency which we have from God 2 Cor. 3.5 And againe every good and perfect guift is from God but when God tenders the meanes of grace we may wash and be cleane though not of our selves yet in his strength his grace is sufficient for us 2 Cor. 12 9. There is a time wherein if we seek God he will be found which if let slip perhaps we shal never injoy such an opportunity again Mat. 23.37 Now I pray you tell me whosoever will seriously lay it to heart whether this method hath not more of Gospell truth in it and gives not more satisfaction and comfort to a dejected soul then M. Fryes decisions and those needlesse discords which he raiseth to disturbe the harmony of the sacred Scriptures and obstruct the way of pressing the people to an hearty seeking God in his Ordinances which he seems to discourage Though afterwards he would seem to minse it But to passe by these and some other particulars that I might insist upon I shall cheifly fasten on the most materiall exceptions in both his bookes declared against by the Parliament viz. 1. Exception Mr. Fry saith in his booke entituled The Accuser shamed c Thus viz. That chaffy and absurd opinion of three persons or subsistences in the Godhead That grosse and carnal opinion of three distinct persons or subsistences in the Godhead persons and subsistences are substances or accidents As for the word person I do not understand that it can be properly attributed but to man It is out of doubt with me that if you ask the most part of men what they mean by a person they wil either tel you 't is a man or else they are not able to give you any answer at all And for the word accident I suppose none wil attribute that to God For according to my poor skil that word imports no more but the sigure or colour c. of a thing and certainly no man ever saw the likenesse of God as the Scriptures abundantly testifie And therefore neither of the words persons or subsistences can hold forth such a meaning as Accidents in God Athanasius in his Creed saith There is one person of the Father another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost others say That there is three distinct subsistences in God Wel these three persons or subsistences cannot be accidents neither do I think it is the meaning of any Then certainly they must bee substances if so then they must be created or uncreated limited or unlimited if created and limited then the person of the Father is a creature the person of