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spirit_n apostle_n speak_v word_n 9,283 5 4.1967 3 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A61951 A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall, May the seventh, MDCLXXVI by John Svdbvry ... Sudbury, John, 1604-1684. 1676 (1676) Wing S6138; ESTC R624 13,718 32

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understood the less necessary they are to be known God who hath made the Fruits of the Earth which are necessary for the food and sustenance of men to grow upon the face of it where every eye may see them and every hand may gather them but hid the Mines of Gold and Silver which serve for Riches and Ornament in the Bowels of the Earth where they cannot be found but with much seeking nor be wrought out and purged from that Dross with which they are mixt but with great labour hath likewise made all that Truth which is necessary to feed the Souls of men to Eternal Life so easie to be found that we may say of that as the Wise-man saith of Wisdom Wisd 6.12 Wisdom is easily seen of them that love her and found of such as seek her But there be many other Truths which serve to inrich and adorn the Soul which he hath reserv'd to exercise and reward the labour and study of them that seek for them as for Silver and as for hidden Treasures If there were an Infallible Oracle to determine all Truths the easiness of coming to the knowledge of them would much abate and lessen the value and esteem of them but when the difficulty of finding them excites desire and desire stirs up labour and study and labour and study find that Truth which could not be found without it it is the more joyfully embrac'd and more stedfastly retain'd But Thirdly The Truth of which the Church is the Pillar and Ground is that Truth which is no where to be found but in the Church but is so manifest in the profession of the Church that they who cannot find it any where else may find it there For as in all Sciences there are some Truths which are proper and peculiar to them as Truths in Logick Truths in Natural and Moral Philosophy Truths in all Mathematical Sciences so there are some Truths in Divinity which are proper and peculiar to it which as they could never have been known but by Divine Revelation so they have been made known to the Apostles by the Spirit of Truth which was given to them to guide them into all Truth and by the Apostles to the Church Such is that which St. Paul calleth The Truth of the Gospel Col. 1.5 The Truth of Christ 2 Cor. 11.10 The Truth of God Rom. 15.8 And many times it is called Truth and the Truth without any note of difference from all other Truth Truth in opposition to the Religion of the Heathen as Truth is oppos'd to Falshood and Lyes Truth in opposition to the Religion of the Jews as Truth is oppos'd to Figures and Shadows Truth in opposition to all other Truth not as contrary to it for one Truth cannot be contrary to another but in a superlative sense the most excellent and most incomparable Truth For though all Truth is Truth yet as St. Paul saith of the Law and the Gospel compar'd together 2 Cor. 3.10 Even that which was made glorious had no glory by reason of the glory that excelleth So we may say of Truths in Philosophy and all Sciences compar'd with the Truth of the Gospel That which is Truth is not Truth in comparison of the Truth that excelleth Such is the Truth of which the Apostle speaks in the next words to these of the Text which some have joyn'd together expounding these words by them Without controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received in Glory The Truth which he calleth the Truth which is after Godliness in hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lye promised before the World began but hath in due time manifested his Word through Preaching The Truth by which we are begotten again Jam. 1.18 Of his own Will begat he us again by the Word of Truth The Truth that maketh us Free-men Joh. 8.32 Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free The sanctifying Truth Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy Truth thy Word is Truth The saving Truth 1 Tim. 2.4 God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth And this is the Truth of which the Church is the Pillar and Ground in the sense of St. Paul Now what sense that is follows in my third and last Particular which is the importance of these words The Pillar and Ground of the Truth Here are two words the Pillar and Ground but they are very well joyn'd together for they signifie two things which are joyn'd together in a Pillar that standeth firm and stedfast The former word signifieth that which we call the Body of the Pillar the latter word signifieth the Basis or Foundation or Foot of the Pillar both together fignifie a Pillar standing upon a Basis or Foundation But the Pillar and Ground of Truth is a Metaphorical Expression and Metaphors are apt to beget Mistakes for in every Metaphor there is something which is like and something which is not like and as when the Metaphor is taken from something wherein there is a likeness the Metaphorical Expression makes the sense more elegant and clear but when it is stretched to something wherein there is no likeness in stead of making the sense more clear it makes non-sense As in this Metaphor of the Pillar and Ground of Truth A Pillar or rather many Pillars upon which a House or Church is built as the Temple of Jerusalem was built upon many Pillars and so was the Temple of Diana at Ephesus the Pillars are as the Foundation upon which the House or Church is built as the Foot of the Pillar is to the Pillar which stands upon it But in this sense neither the Church of Ephesus nor the Church of Rome nor any National Church nor the whole Catholick and Apostolick Church could be well and truly called The Pillar and Ground of Truth because the Truth is not built upon the Church but the Church upon the Truth And as there could never have been a True Church if the Truth of the Church had not been before the Church so if the Truth be removed from the Church it is no longer a True Church There is no Power or Authority in any Church to make any thing a Truth which was not a Truth before The Apostles delivered the whole Faith to the Church and if all the Churches in the World should joyn together they cannot make one new Article of Faith All that they can do is to deliver what they have receiv'd from them who have delivered what they also received till we come at last to the Apostles who delivered what they also receiv'd from the Spirit of Truth by which they were led into all that Truth which could not otherwise be made known to them and assisted in delivering those Truths which were by other infallible proofs made known to them But