Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A40393
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LI sermons preached by the Reverend Dr. Mark Frank ... being a course of sermons, beginning at Advent, and so continued through the festivals : to which is added a sermon preached at St. Pauls Cross, in the year forty-one, and then commanded to be printed by King Charles the First.; Sermons. Selections
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Frank, Mark, 1613-1664.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing F2074A; ESTC R7076
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739,197
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may be perfect thorowly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. iii. 16 17. Inspir'd purposely by this Spirit to be a way to guide us into all truth and goodness But this may all pretend to and every one turns it how he lists We must adde a second And the second is the Church for we must know this says St. Peter know it first too 2 Pet. i. 20. That no Scripture is of any private interpretation There are some things so hard to be understood both in St. Pauls Epistles and also other Scriptures says he that they that are unlearned and unstable wrest them unto their own destruction 2 Tim. iii. 16. and therefore presently his advice follows to beware least we be led away with that error the error as he calls it of the wicked and so fall from our own stedfastness ver 17. When men unlearned or ungrounded presume to be interpreters or even learned men to prefer their private senses before the received ones of the Church 't is never like to produce better The pillar and ground upon which truth stands and stays is the Church if St. Paul may be allowed the judge 1 Tim. iii. 16. The pillar and ground of truth In matters of discipline when a brother has done disorderly tell it to the Church says Christ St. Mat. 18. 17. and if he neglect to hear that let him be unto thee as a heathen man and as a Publican He is no Christian. In matters 2. of doubt and controversie send to the Church to Hierusalem to the Apostles and Elders there conven'd in Counsel and let them determine it so we find it done Acts xv 2 28. In a lawful and full assembly of the learned Fathers of the Church such shall be determined that 's the was to settle truth In matters 3. of Rites and Ceremonies the Spirit guides us also by the Church If any man seem to be contentious about them St. Pauls appeal is presently to the Churches Customs We have no such custom neither the Churches of God that 's answer enough full and sufficient thinks the Apostle 1 Cor. xi 16. If the Churches custom be for us then 't is good and true we think or speak or do If against us 't is all naught and wrong whatever purity or piety be pretended in it Nay so careful was the Apostle to preserve the publick Authority of the Church and beat down all private ways and fancies by which ways only Schism and Heresie creep in that he tells Timothy though a Bishop and one well read and exercised in the Scriptures from a child 2 Tim. iii. 14. of a form of sound words he would have even him hold fast to 2 Tim. i. 13. and the Romans he tells of a form of Doctrine to be obeyed Rom. 6. 17. so far was that great and eloquent Apostle from being against forms any forms of the Church though he could have prayed and preached ex tempore with the best had tongues and eloquence and the gift of interpretation to do it too so far from leaving truth to any private interpretation or sudden motion whatsoever Nor is this appeal to the Fathers any whit strange or in Christian Religion only first to be heard of it was Gods direction from the first For ask now says Moses of the days that are past that were before thee Deut. iv 32. Stand you in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way says God Ier. vi 16. As if he had said Look about and see and examine all the ways you can yet the old way that 's the good one For enquire I pray thee of the former Age and prepare thy self to the search of their Fathers for we are but of yesterday and know nothing Iob viii 8. See how slightly things of yesterday new interpretations new devices new guides are accounted of And indeed in it self 't is most ridiculous to think the custom and practice and order and interpretation of all times and Churches should be false and those of yesterday only true unless we can think the Spirit of truth has been fifteen or sixteen hundred years asleep and never wak'd till now of late or can imagine that Christ should found a Church and promise to be with it to the end of the World and then leave it presently to Antichrist to be guided by him for above fifteen hundred years together Nor can I see why the Spirit of truth should now of late only begin to move and stir except I should think he were awak'd or delighted with noise and fury Nor is it reasonable to conceive a few private Spirits neither holier nor wiser than others for ought appears nor arm'd with Miracles to confirm their Doctrines should be more guided by the Spirit of truth than the whole Church and succession of Christians and Christian Fathers especially wherein at any time they agree Yet 3. not always to go so high Thou leadest thy people like sheep says the Psalmist by the hand of Moses and Aaron Psal. lxxvii 20. Moses and Aaron were the Governours of the Church the one a Priest the other a Prophet by such God leads his People by their lawful Pastours and Teachers The one the Civil Governour is the cloud to cover them from the heat The other the Spiritual is the light to lead them in the way The first protects the other guides us and we are bid to obey them those especially that watch for our souls Heb. xiii 17. Such as labour in the Word and Doctrine 1 Tim. v. 17. By such as God sets over us in the Church to teach and guide us into truth we must be guided if we will come into it In things unlawful nor one nor other is to be obeyed In things indifferent they always are In things doubtful 't is our safest course to have recourse to them provided that they be not of Corahs company that they exalt not themselves against Moses and Aaron nor draw us to it If they do we may say to them as Moses did to those Ye take too much upon you you Sons of Levi. God leads his People like a flock in peace and unity and by the hands of Moses and Aaron Thus 3. the Spirit guides into all truth because the Spirit is God and God so guides You have heard the way and means the first part of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Spirits guiding The Second follows his act and motion 1. He leads or guides us only he does not drive us that 's not the way to plant truth by force and violence fire and fagots not the Spirits sure which is the Spirit of love 2. Yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is we told you in it Some Act of the Spirit He moves and stirs up to it enlightens our understandings actuates our wills disposes ways and times occasions and opportunities to it that 's the reason we hear the truth more willingly at some time than other Paul
may plant Apollo water but the increase is this Spirit of Gods when all is done that man can do he must have his act or it will not be done 3. He leads on fair and easily for diducet it is no Iehu's pace that pace is only for an earthly kingdom not an heavenly The Spirit leads softly on like Iacob Gen. xxxiv 14. according as the Cattel and Children are able to endure according as our inferiour powers signified by the Cattel and our new begun piety and capacities intimated by the Children are able to follow 'T is danger else we lose them by the way He that presses even truth and piety too fast upon us is liker to tire us and make us give out by the way than to lead us out to our journeys end By degrees it is that even the greatest perfection must be come to Truths are to be scattered as men are able to bear them Christs own method in the verse before The way into all truth is by some and some 4. This guiding is by teaching one Translation has docebit shall teach and Chap. xiv 26. it is so too he shall teach you teach us the necessity of a Teacher How shall they hear without a Preacher Rom. x. 14. To this purpose the Spirit set Teachers in the Church 1 Cor. xii 28. Pastours and Teachers Eph. iv 11. Pastors to rule Teachers to teach both to guide us into the truth Yea but Teachers we now have store that to be sure guide not into the truth for they teach contraries and contradictions What Teachers then are they that teach the truth Such as be sent says St. Paul Rom. x. 15. sent by them that have authority to send them if they come without authority or from a false one from them that never receive'd power themselves to send others though they were sent themselves they are not sent by the Spirit and though they may guide now and then into a truth teach something that is true into all they cannot their very Function is a lie and their preaching of it 5. Leading or guiding into all truth as one omnem veritatem in the Singular will tell us that unity is his way of guiding No truth in division we cannot so much as see our faces true in the clearest water if it be troubled cast but a stone in and divide its surface and you spoil your seeing true cast but a stone of division into the Church and no seeing truth 'T is the spiritual man that only truly discerns and sees the truth the natural and carnal man he cannot 1 Cor. ii 14 15. And if there be Divisions or Schisms among you are you not carnal says St. Paul in the next Chapter 1 Cor. iii. 3. Yes you are so the Schismatick or he that causes rents and divisions in the Church is but a carnal man for all his brags and cannot see the truth how much soever he pretend it 'T were well if men would think of this we were likely then the sooner to see truth to be guided into all truth if we could once keep all together peace and truth go both together Thus far one word has led you The Connexion of that and the other with the former of his guiding with his coming will lead you further When He the Spirit of truth is come then he will guide you When he is come is when he is so grounded and setled in us that we can say he is come indeed he is in us of a truth then all truth will follow presently When the holy Spirit has once taken up his lodging in us that we also begin to be holy Spirits too then truth comes on a main If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God St. Ioh. vii 17. till our hearts be well fram'd to the obedience of Gods Commandments no truly knowing truth Divine knowledge is contrary to other knowledges they begin in speculation and end in action this begins with action and ends in speculation seeing and knowing God What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose Psal. xxv 11. When the Spirits holiness is come into us his truth will follow as fast as we can bear it till we come to the fulness of the measure of the stature of Christ to Christ himself that is the Truth the way now to come to the knowledge of truth is by holiness and true obedience Nor yet so to be understood as if the good man only knew the truth or that every one that has Christ or the Spirit dwelling in them were the only knowing men and therefore fit only to teach others Indeed if you take knowledge for practical and saving knowledge so it is no man knows God but he that loves him no man so knows truth but he that loves and follows it and no man is saved by knowing but by doing it But that which may serve to save a mans self will not serve to save others to bring them to salvation 'T was one of Corah Dathan and Abirams Doctrines indeed Numb xvi 3. All the Congregation is holy every one of them wherefore then do you Moses and Aaron lift up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord Why do you Priests lift up your selves so much to think you only are fit to teach and rule the people But the earth opened her mouth ver 30. and confuted the madness of these men Be the person never so holy if he have no Function to it he must not presume to teach others though he must teach himself Holiness is one gift the power of teaching is another though both from the same Spirit and no venturing upon Aarons St. Pauls or St. Peters Office unless the Spirit has set us apart to that end and purpose 'T is enough for any other that he has truth enough to save himself and 't is but Ambition Presumption and Sacriledge and by that a lessening of his goodness to pretend to that which God has not call'd him to but his own preposterous zeal or too high conceit of his own holiness and abilities and so far from being like to guide into all truth that our own days are sufficient witnesses all Errors and Heresies have sprung from it The way that the Spirit guides into all his truth is by the Scripture interpreted by the Church by the decrees and determinations and customs of it by the hand of our lawful Pastors and Teachers himself inwardly acting and moving in us inwardly working and perswading us outwardly ministring opportunities and occasions to us leading us by degrees preserving us in peace keeping us in obedience and holiness and charity Thus he guides into all truth ordinarily and no way else VII And to be sure lastly thus he will Christ here promises for him him that he shall for so we may render it He shall And he is the Spirit of truth says the Text. So