Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A30992
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The authority of church-guides asserted in a sermon preach'd before our Late Gracious Sovereign King Charles II, at Whitehall, Octob. 17, 1675 / by Miles Barne ...
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Barne, Miles, d. 1709?
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1685
(1685)
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Wing B856; ESTC R12523
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19,284
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35
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withstood the murmurings and ingratitudes of a rebellious People freed us from the Slavery and Tyranny of our Egyptian Task-masters brought us out of a Wilderness of Confusion and placed us within the prospect of a Canaan of Peace and Order and yet to his lawful Successor the mighty Joshua Providence decreed the full possession of those Blessings which he the lamented Moses only liv'd to have a sight of And what may we not promise to our selves under his most auspicious Reign and in nothing more auspicious than in the peaceable devolution of the Crown upon his Head after so many bold and wicked Attempts to cut off his Succession this seems no less miraculous than his Predecessor's Restauration may his Subjects learn from hence That Kings are of Divine Right and dread the Vengeance of that God by whom they reign may they never forget the miseries they have escap'd nor grow weary of the benefits they are sure to enjoy under his wise and steady Conduct may his Reign be long and prosperous and to compleat his Happiness may all his People give him the same dutiful Obedience now he is King which he so religiously paid to his Sovereign when he was the highest of Subjects and to say no more may he live to accomplish those glorious things for this Nation for which he seems to be design'd by that special Providence which has attended him through the whole course of his life and has now plac'd him on the Imperial Throne 2 Pet. Chap. 3. ver 16. In which are some things hard to be Vnderstood which they that are unlearned and unstable Wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own Destruction THE clearness of Scripture in all points necessary to Salvation to all such as sincerely endeavour to believe and find out the True Sense thereof as it is a Principle which suits very well with the nature and design of a Rule with the Justice and Goodness of God in propounding it as such and hath been urged with some success against those who plead a necessity of having One Supreme infallible Judge to decide and determine all Controversies which shall happen to arise concerning that Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints Whose Decisions and Determinations say they ought to be Receiv'd by all the Sons of the Church for as much as the Church is the same in all Ages with equal Assent and Veneration with those of the Apostles And this to be the only sure way to keep the Vnity of the Faith in the Bond of Peace Whereby on the other hand 't is said New Articles of Faith may be daily imposed the Doctrines of men pass for the Commandments of God and humane Inventions receive the stamp of Divine Authority whereby men seem precluded the genuine methods of coming to the Knowledge of the Truth and those Precepts of searching the Scriptures seeking the Kingdom of Heaven trying the Spirits are rendred Ineffectual whereby men are so far from being able to give an account of their Faith that their Vnderstandings are enslav'd by a Principle of blind Obedience so far from being led into the ways of Religion by the cords of men that they seem rather to be driven like Beasts and acted like Puppets as 't is phras'd by a late Author As this Doctrine of the Clearness of Scripture hath prov'd successful to the beating down the pretences to an absolute Infallibility and uncontroulable Soveraignty over the Consciences of men so on the other hand hath it mightily embolden'd the Patrons of Liberty not only to despise their Ecclesiastical Superiors to throw off all obedience to Christ's Ministers Whom He notwithstanding a little before his Return to his Fathers Court for the further negotiating and advancing the affairs of His Church Anointed and Ordain'd to perform the Apostolical Offices of Preaching the Gospel Remitting Sins Inflicting Censures Ministerially conferring the Holy Ghost Deciding Controversies and Administring the Sacraments in his stead here on earth till his second coming but likewise to invade their Function usurp their Sacred Calling especially that part of it which consists in Preaching and Expounding the Word For say they since 't is confess'd the Scriptures are sufficiently clear to all unprejudiced minds such as are free from the clogs of Passion and Interest Why should these pretended Ministers of Christ take so much upon them Are not all the Congregation Holy and Learned as well as they Are they the only Temples of the Holy Ghost And doth the Spirit of Prophecy reside solely in their Breasts During the Dispensation of Moses 't is confess'd there was a necessity of an Aaron all along under the Legal oeconomy the Priests Lips did preserve Knowledge and likewise during the Reign of the Prophets there was an appropriate Ministry But the case is quite different under the Gospel God having made clearer discoveries of himself and poured out more liberally of his Spirit upon all Flesh The sense of the Law that was Doubtful Typical and Mysterious the Prophecies were industriously couch'd under dark Parables and deliver'd in obscure sayings But then the light the glorious light of the Gospel as 't was universal 't was likewise so clear that any one that runs may read Why then should we not assert that Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and since we have a Command to work out our own Salvation Why should we pin our Faith upon other mens sleeves Thus these men under the goodly Pretences of Christian Liberty become enslav'd to spiritual pride and conceitedness plead the Prerogative of the Gospel in prejudice of Christ's own Ambassadors urge for their own private Conceptions clearness of Scripture to their own Confusion and pry so long into the Doctrines of Theology till at length they light on those hidden Mysteries which they being Vnlearned and Vnstable Wrest unto their own Destruction The way thus prepar'd my Text yet leads me into these following Considerations 1. That the clearness of Scripture doth no ways lessen the Authority or take away the Necessity of Spiritual Guides 2. That though the Scriptures be clear in themselves yet private men abandoning their Lawful Guides and following their own Corrupt Fancies may deprave and distort them to their own Destruction 3. That for preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 't is the duty of Private men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear that such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word I. I begin with the First That the Clearness of Scripture c. For if the Scriptures be so Clear and Self-evident as is pretended then may men with greater security rely on the Directions of their Guides and they have the less Reason to suspect their Conduct in those things wherein they themselves being Judges they cannot be mistaken if they sincerely attend them the clearness of the Law
that we have to deal with men of such a sceptical Genius as that they do not only inquire into the Grounds and Reasons of our Faith but moreover deny our very Creed with whom a Treatise of Humane Reason is of more Force than the Revelation of St. John the Divine To the Consideration of these Men I offer Two Things which I judge most proper I. First The Answer which Origen made to Celsus when 't was objected by that Calumniator against the Christians that their Religion was built on a very sandy Foundation which durst not undergo the Test of Reason but commanded its Converts not to Examine but Believe and their Faith should Save them In part he owns the Objection but wisely retorts it upon his Adversary by telling him that the Philosophers were the greatest Dictators in the World Witness the Ipse dixit of Pythagoras that their Systems contain'd some such secret Dogmata which their Disciples swallowed solely upon the Credit of their Masters And if the Masters of the Wisdom of this World which is either Foolishness or at best but Science falsly so called required so great submission from their Scholars how much greater is to be given to those Doctrines which are contain'd in the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles who were Taught of God and spake as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost II. Secondly I urge the Authority of my Lord Bacon whose if any methinks should be admitted by these Virtuosi in Religion The Divine Prerogative saith he extends it self to the whole Man and requires not only Obedience from our Wills but Submission from our Understandings And therefore as we are bound to obey the Divine Law though our Wills reluct never so much against it so are we obliged to believe whatsoever God hath reveal'd though never so improbable to our Understandings For if we believe no more than what we can demonstrate to be true we do not believe the Truth deliver'd for the Authors sake but the Author for the Truths sake and so we pay no more Respect to the Oracles of God than we do to the Writings of Men though never so much suspected by us The Faith which justified Abraham was conversant in a matter incredible to Reason And therefore the higher the Mysteries of Religion are above our Reason the greater is the exercise and triumph of our Faith and the Honour done unto God in Believing To conclude this Point Great is the use of Reason in Religion both as to the manner of interpreting the Scriptures and the deducing true Consequences and wholesom Conclusions from thence and if it be wholly suppress'd our Religion will degenerate into Superstition we shall be so far from paying God a Reasonable Service that we shall offer Him the Sacrifice of Fools But then it must be kept to a due temper for if it be not managed by prudent Guides 't is apt to grow wild and extravagant to hurry us on to a Belief of the Foulest Impostures to a Practice of the Grossest Impieties which either the prevalency of the World the domineering Enmity of the Flesh or the implacable Malice of Satan can propound to be believed or practis'd II. The second Reason of private Mens falling into Error is their Instability in not adhering to their Guides but forsaking them to go astray in the intricate paths of Error and Deceit Heresie being nothing else but an Excision from and Disobedience to the Church in points of Faith And therefore the Apostle pronounceth an Heretick Self-condemned one who hath want only chosen to himself those Opinions for an obstinate Defence whereof after full and plain means of Conviction he justly falls under the Censures of the Church is Excommunicated the Assembly of the Saints and so without Repentance and Reconciliation continues in a very dangerous estate if that of Heathens and Publicans be acknowledg'd such Not in vain then are those frequent Cautions against Falling away those repeated Admonitions to Perseverance those earnest Exhortations to hold fast the Profession and contend for the Faith which was once deliver'd those so much inculcated Commands of obeying those who are set Over us in the Lord Heb. 13.7 Remember them which have the Rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow Ver. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls For in vain may those men commit themselves to the immediate Assistance of God who neglect to hear his Guides and violate His Commandments in hopes to procure His help and favour For from that very moment of time they cease to be Members of the Holy Catholick Church they are become Out-lawries in a Gospel-sense they have lost the Protection of the Heavenly King and they lay under the Deprivation of the Benefits belonging to the Subjects of that Jerusalem which is above And what wonder if being in this forlorn condition the Tempter take his advantage lead them into the Wilderness and there present to their disturb'd Fancies false Schemes of Religion suggest unworthy apprehensions of God and whatsoever is by him thus suggested is by them mistaken for new Light and holy Inspirations And because this Spirit of Delusion dares put forth among Christians no Doctrines but such as pretend to be founded on the Scriptures to this purpose they are wrested and tortur'd their Scope is mistaken their Sense abused their Periods miserably mangled their whole Design perverted to countenance every Wild Opinion which either a capricious Fancy can imagine or a malicious Wit invent And from hence it comes to pass that we have as many several sorts of Christians as there are different Humors or Interests of men and the Gospel with St. Paul though in a quite contrary sense is become all things unto all men And having made thus bold with the Scriptures it cannot be expected that they should deal more modestly with any Authority inferiour to that the most ancient Traditions must now give place to new Discoveries The Consent of the Catholick Apostolick Church be born down by the Dictates of a private I might say familiar Spirit Whereas there is all the reason in the World to believe that the Apostles best knew the mind of their Master that they faithfully and fully communicated their knowledge to their Successors and so by certain steps and degrees we may arrive at this fundamental Truth That as the Church is the most faithful Keeper so the most authentick Expositor of Scripture Which fairly ushers in my third and last Consideration That for the preventing Mistakes from rising and suppressing Errors when risen 'T is the duty of Private Men to submit their Judgments in matters of Religion to the Determinations of those whom God hath Constituted to be their Spiritual Guides and Governours unless it manifestly appear That such Determinations are contrary to Gods Word And this I shall assert very briefly both from the Qualifications of the Persons who