Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	ghost_n	holy_a	interpretation_n	2,811	5	9.4838	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66432	A vindication of the answer to the popish address presented to the ministers of the Church of England in reply to a pamphlet abusively intituled, A clear proof of the certainty and usefulness of the Protestant rule of faith, &c.	Williams, John, 1636?-1709.	1688 (1688)	Wing W2739; ESTC R10348	38,271	45

by the Catholick Church is their whole Rule of Faith. Is it asked again Whether there are no new Revelations no new Articles received as of Catholick Faith He answers These Truths are only received which the Church proposes as delivered to her by the Apostles The meaning of which Phrases the Gospel rightly understood and preserved by the Church and the Truths which the Church proposes as delivered is that which is thus preserved proposed delivered and interpreted by the Church is as much the Rule as the Scripture and that without this Tradition and Exposition of the Church the Scripture is in Bellarmine's Phrase but a partial Rule Scripture thus interpreted is a Catholick Rule of Faith the Addresser therefore meant nothing less than to diminish its Divine Authority his design was to preserve it and that each mans private sense might not sacrilegiously pretend to be that Word of God which as St. Peter minds us is not of private Interpretation 'T is not against the Authority or Use of Scripture he writ but against the Protestants unjust and insignificant method of using it I will here make good the Charge hoping that when he thinks fit he will much more fully perform it by the very answers given to his Questions which I shall set down in that Order and Sense in which the Answerer construed them Here he tells us 'T is not against the Authority or use of Scripture the Addresser writ The Divine Authority of Scripture consists in its being of Divine Revelation and the reason for which it was revealed is for the use instruction and salvation of mankind But if it be insufficient for attaining that end and either is wanting in what is neeessary or is writ in a way so obscure and dubious that it 's not to be understood by those for whom it was written it 's certainly a Revelation unworthy of God and a considerable argument against its Divine Authority And therefore he that undertakes to prove this must if he be in earnest have a very mean opinion of that Divine Book and designs to bring others to the like opinion of it But this is the apparent design of the Addresser who argues all along against the sufficiency and perspicuity of Scripture even in those points which our Author owns to be the two principal Articles of Christian Belief the Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ clearly giving away the Cause to the Arians and Nestorians and frankly acknowledging nay venturing in his way to prove that the Texts usually insisted on by the Orthodox in proof of those Articles are not sufficient for it So that in conclusion if the Scripture be so perplex'd and obscure so doubtful and ambiguous so unintelligible and insufficient a Rule they may as well lay aside the Scripture as that Father did the obscure Poet with an If thou art not to be understood thou art not fit to be read And yet after all this charge insinuated all along in the Address against the Scripture 'T is not yet against the Authority or Vse of it he writ What then did he write against It was against the Protestants unjust and insignificant method of using it and that each mans private sense might not sacrilegiously pretend to be that word of God which as St. Peter minds us is not of private Interpretation I must confess if each or any mans private sense be pretended to be the Word of God it 's both Vnjust and Sacrilegious since nothing can be the Word of God but what is by his immediate Inspiration But where are they that thus pretend What reason is there for this charge These are things he takes for granted but insinuates that this is done by the Protestants who interpret Scripture by their own private sense But why will this any more prove that because they interpret Scripture by their own sense they pretend their sense to be the Word of God than it follows that those that resolve all into a deciding Church-Authority do therefore pretend that the sense given by that Authority is the Word of God For I presume after all that they will not dare to say such their Interpretations are as much the Word of God as the Word is which they are the Interpretations of However he intimates it 's Sacrilegious to interpret Scripture by each mans private sense when St. Peter minds us the Word of God is not of private Interpretation But surely the Apostle doth not therein include the using and understanding of Scripture by private persons as if that was forbidden when he tells them they did well to give heed to it ver 19. Neither did he suppose they were uncapable of understanding it when he calls it a light and unto which they were to give heed till the day dawn c. Nor farther will the Apostles Argument admit of any such Exposition which is thus Ye ought to give heed to the Scripture for it 's not of private Interpretation for holy men of God spake as they were moved that is Scripture is the Interpretation of God's will the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost and though wrote by men is not of humane invention nor was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of their own motion nor an explication of their own mind but of God's Of this see a late Book called Texts of Scripture cited by Papists c. Pag. 35. The Prover now falls on in earnest and with great resolution saith he will make good the charge of the Protestants unjust and insignificant Interpretation of Scripture by the very Answers given to the Addresser's Questions and that he will set them down in that order and sense in which the Answerer construed them I wish he had added too in his own words as the Answerer did by him For I find no great reason to trust him either as to order or sense Qu. 1. Whether all things necessary to Salvation are contained in Scripture Ans Scripture must contain these Necessaries All Catholics ever owned what St. Augustin teaches That all things which concern Faith and Manners of Life are found in those things which are plainly contained in Scripture So that as St. Gregory expresses it God needs speak to us no more by any new Revelation For as the same St. Augustin observes in the Question betwixt Him and the Donatists about true Baptism which he held absolutely necessary to Salvation Tho we have no proof in this case from holy Scripture yet we follow the truth of holy Scripture even in this case when we do what the Vniversal present Church approves of which Church is commended by the Authority of the very Scripture All true Catholics without doubt ever owned what St. Austin teaches and that not so much because St. Austin teaches it as that what he herein taught is true But to use our Authors words pag. 7. I wonder how this man was so confident as to name St. Austin and quote this place after the Answerer and

he found nothing to reply 4. I proved it from the observation of that day and the Service celebrated upon it Act. 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2. What has he here to say I find Acts 2. 46. saith he how they that believed were daily continuing in the Temple but not a word of a day appointed for solemn Assemblies What use can be made of this accurate Observation and the stress he lays upon daily What but this The believers daily resorted to the Temple therefore they had no peculiar day and so it follows most admirably the Jews daily repaired to the Temple therefore they had no peculiar day no Sabbath But he finds not a word of a day appointed for stated Assemblies no not so much as Acts 20. 7. c. quoted and insisted on in the Answer Having thus dismiss'd the third question of the Answer with all the supernumerary Questions collected out of it by the Prover I went to look for Question the fourth as it is in the Answer and put by the Addresser and that is Whether it be necessary to salvation for him to believe the Trinity and Incarnation that cannot find them clearly express'd in Scripture though he reads it sincerely and with humility But of this not a word We may guess at the reason without casting a figure However it 's a little more honest to omit a Paragraph than it is to pervert it The former is an implicit acknowledgment of Truth the latter is a renouncing it Q. 7. Am I bound to believe the sense given to a doubtful Text because my Guides tell me I must do so Ans No plainly No And he hath two Texts for it the first 2 Cor. 1. 24. Not for that we have dominion over your Faith but are helpers says St. Paul and Mat. 23. 8. Call no man Master on earth for one is your Master Here not only the Walls of the City of God are broken down but the very Foundations of Prophets and Apostles are digg'd up is it all St. Paul could do all you allow him to give some light some helps when his Proselytes had any doubt about the sense of Scripture Were they not oblig'd to believe the Sense and Interpretation He gave to the Text Then that Faith is vain which was founded on the Apostles Preaching and all Christianity stands on a wrong bottom Here our Author is guilty of another omission For the Answerer exhibited a five-fold Charge against him of Fallacy and Collusion which he has taken no manner of care to clear himself of but suffers it to remain in its full force against himself He has indeed proceeded otherwise in this last Question For whereas before in the Address he set up a Guide that is a Judge whom it's necessary so to believe and to submit to as to receive from him such Necessaries to Salvation as are not contained in Scripture and the sense of such Necessaries as are not clearly contained in it he now in the proof softens and extenuates and expounds and the Question now is reduced to this Am I bound to believe the Sense given to doubtful Texts because my Guide tells me I must do so This indeed may better serve his purpose but after all is neither true in it self nor can be accommodated to his former notion of a Guide and the authority given to him For what has doubtful Texts to do with the Case where there are no Texts concerned What has a Sense given to Scripture to do with a Case which is to be determined without Scripture As it is in Necessaries not contained in Scripture and which we are to learn from our Guide that we are bound to follow But supposing we take his Exposition that this is when the Texts be doubtful yet the Things those Texts are supposed to be concerned in are Things necessary to Salvation and so to believe a Guide absolutely as to the sense of a doubtful Text is equivalent to the believing him where there is no Text pretended Since the Person in doubt is no more assur'd of the sense of these Texts in a Point necessary than he was without a Text. For when there is no Text for a thing necessary he absolutely relies upon his Guide who tells him it is necessary And when there is a sense given to a doubtful Text he believes that sense because his Guide tells him that is the sense of it and so he still relies upon his Guide and his Faith is thus immediately resolved into the Guide And it seems this the Answerer doth deny and that upon the Authority of our Saviour who disallows it Mat. 23. 8. and the Apostle who disclaims it 2 Cor. 1. 24. But here our Author is beside all patience and answers it with a dreadful Exclamation Here not only the Walls of the City of God are broken down but the very Foundations of Prophets and Apostles are digg'd up And why so because we will not admit a Guide of their own Imposition in defiance of our Saviour's and St. Paul's prohibition to the contrary But O saith our Author Is it all St. Paul could do all you allow him to give some light some helps when his Proselytes had any doubt about the Sense of Scripture Were they not obliged to believe the Sense and Interpretation he gave to the Text Then c. Here the Prover is either confounded in his own thoughts or intends to confound and amuse his Reader The Opinion he maintains is That in matters of doubt a Person doubting is to be absolutely concluded by his Guide I am to believe saith he because my Guides tell me I must do so Now he would have it that to deny this Authority to the Apostles is to allow them only to give some light some helps that is as I conceive he means to make them no more than Common Teachers But I shall endeavour if it may be to set our Author right in this matter Toward which it 's to be observed 1. That there is an absolute and sovereign Authority in the Church which all are bound to follow believe and obey without any dispute and that Authority is soly the prerogative of our Saviour and which no man or society of men can claim Mat. 23. 8 9. 2. There is a subordinate Authority which is immediately derived from him and this was peculiar to inspired Persons and is extraordinary So the Apostle saith of himself Gal. 1. 11 12. The Gospel which was preached of me is not after man For I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ But as such Persons were sent so they were able to prove their Commission and their Doctrine to be received from Christ And they did not require any to believe them because they told them they were their Guides and they must believe them because they tell them so for that was to have dominion over their Faith but they appealed to the Scriptures to