Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
scripture_n believe_v church_n interpretation_n 3,657 5 10.5181 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A51740 A letter to a friend, shewing the vanity of this opinion that every mans sense and reason is to guide him in matters of faith. Manby, Peter, d. 1697. 1688 (1688) Wing M386; ESTC R31875 8,647 7

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

A Letter to a Friend shewing the Vanity of this Opinion That every Mans Sense and Reason is to guide him in matters of Faith. This may be Printed March 30. 1688. Patr. Clogher SIR SAint Austin in the first Book of his Retractations tells us of a certain Friend of his named Honoratus a Manichee that was wont to ridicule the Catholique Religion as irrational for teaching men to Believe rather then understand To convince this Person he wrote his Book De utilitate Credendi Wherein he observes the imbecility of all humane understanding and the incapacity of most men to discern betwixt true Reason and the Appearance of it and how Christians are therefore bound to believe One Holy Catholique and Apostolique Church against which the Gates of Hell shall never prevail I pray be pleased to remember our Saviours words to Saint Thomas the Apostle Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed John 20.29 What great matter is it saith the same St. Austin to believe nothing but what our Sense or Reason can comprehend it being the Excellency of Faith to believe what we do not see To this purpose Ruffinus in the third Chapter of his Ecclesiastical History lib. 1. delivers a passage which hapned at the first Council of Nice about 318 years after Christ The Council being assembled liberty was granted to all learned Pagans to come and object what they could against the Articles of the Christian Faith. Many came and among the rest a Philosopher of great fame for Sense and Reason who disputed very rationally as he thought and desp●sed all the Answers given by the learned Men of the Council At last one of the Assembly a man of great Simplicity says Ruffinus whose name or quality he does not mention stands up and praying liberty to speak insted of other Resolution to the Arguments of that Philosopher makes a bare Rehersal of his Creed to this effect viz. I believe in God who made me of the dust of the Earth and by the power of his Word created all things This Word is the Son of God who compassionating the lost condition of mankind condescended to assume our likeness and expos'd his Life as a Satisfaction for our Sins I believe his Resurrection from the Grave His Ascention into Heaven from whence he shall return to give Judgment on all our Actions whether Good or Evil c. It pleased God that this plain recital of his Faith was more regarded by that Philosopher than all the other Answers he had rece●ved Insomuch that he confessed openly whilst matters were controverted in the way of his own Reason he never wanted somewhat to Oppose but now he could not resist the Power of God So that immediately he went forth and was baptized The Plain Man was in the Right not to enter into more Controversie with a Person so opinionated of his own Reason For the Mysteries of our Faith which we receive on the Authority of God and his Church are not to be brought down before the insufficient Tribunal of every Mans Reasons We cannot there fore more effectually put to silence the Arrogance of Schism and Heresie then by those words of St. Paul I have delivered unto you that which I also received 1 Cor. 15. which you are to believe at your peril The first step to Health is to know the root of our Disease the root of all Schism and Heresie is the Opinion of our own Sense and Reason or which is the same thing Scripture interpreted by every Man 's Reason Do but ask a Socinian why he denies the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ He will answer you 't is against Reason and Scripture to believe it but then he means his own Reason and his own Interpretation of Scripture Ask a Protestant why he denies Transubstantiation and he will return you the very same Answer Likewise the Presbyterian and Independent will produce you Reason and Scripture enough as they understand it against the Common-Prayer Book and Ceremonies of the Church of England Thus every Man's Reason or Interpretation of Scripture being set up for his Guide in Religion there must of necessity follow as many Distractions and Subdivisions amongst the Protestants as there are varieties of Reason or Fancy in mens Heads In matters relating to their Temporal Estates wise Protestants are not usually very confident of their own Reason but in matters of Faith not so obvious to humane Sense or Apprehension 't is strange how every one thinks it his wisest course to follow his own Judgment of Discretion presuming so far upon it that he runs headlong with it as though it were every Mans Wisdom to suspect his own Judgment in the Transitory concernments of this Life but not in those of his Soul which are of everlasting importance Now to be so diffident of their own Reason and so apt to submit to other mens advice about the security of their Estates and so negligent in the matter of their Souls what is it in reality but to believe an immortality of their Estates rather than their Souls Well Sir But let us not forget the Answers that are wont to be made to this kind of Discourse First say you if Sectaries mistake Scripture and pretend to Reason what 's that to the true Protestant who makes good use of his own Judgment and Reverences the Authority of the Church Very good but is it not the avowed Principle of all sorts of Protestants that every Man let him be Sectary or what he will must be allowed a Judgment of Discretion to read and interpret the Scripture for Himself so as not to Pin his Religion on the Sleeve of the Church to private men we yield only a Judgment of Discretion saith Bishop Bramhall that is we would not have reasonable Men like Davids Horse or Mule void of understanding To the Pastors of the Church we give a Judgment of Direction and to the chief Pastors or Bishops we give a Judgment of Jurisdiction page 1017. of his Works printed at Dublin Now Sir remember your own Principle every Sectarian Preacher must be allowed his Judgment of Discretion and every little Shopkeeper the liberty of Scripture but what if that Shopkeepers Judgment or Interpretation of Scripture happens to contradict the Judgment of Direction which belongs to the chief Pastors or Bishops of the Church Do you allow any man to read the Bible and then debar him the use of his Reason or liberty of his Conscience Does he mistake Scripture because he cannot see with your eyes or understand as you do And whereas you say the true Protestant reverences the Authority of the Church I pray tell me what Church-Authority did the first Reformers under Edward 6. submit to there being at the death of Henry 8. no such thing as a Protestant Church of England but Mass said in all Churches of the Nation yes and in almost the whole Christian World. And