Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52138	Plain-dealing, or, A full and particular examination of a late treatise, entituled, Humane reason by A.M., a countrey gentleman.	Marvell, Andrew, 1621-1678.	1675 (1675)	Wing M876; ESTC R23029	77,401	164

was true which he can never prove that God would not punish us for our wilful errours yet since the consequence of errours doth naturally lead us into the most damnable sins it therefore behooveth us if we tender our eternal happiness to take care to preserve our selves from errour which may be not only of dangerous but of damnable consequence to us What then is the wisest way for the most of men to guard themselves from these dangers This is a question well worth our consideration if we think we have such souls in us as are endangered by errour to be eternally lost and miserable What then must the common people here amongst us the greatest part of which have scarce reason enough to demonstrate themselves to be men do to secure themselves I answer It is the safest way for them to relie upon the Church especially in all matters of indifferency and of unnecessary disputes and upon some of those Guides which the Church hath lawfully called and authorized in all cases of conscience For since as this Gentleman tells us many nay most of men and the wisest of men have erred though they have had all the advantages to improve their reasons that this world could afford them how should any ordinary man who is void of all helps but his own natural reason dare to rely upon it alone in business of so great concern as his eternal happiness or misery Especially since he doth not think it convenient to rely upon it in business of lesser concern viz. That of his health or estate Now I appeal to all men that in difficult cases do consult their Lawyer and Physician whether they do not think it safer to rely upon their judgements then to be governed only by themselves they must say they do so else they were mad to consult them and give them mony for nothing So that this Author hath the suffrage of all wise men against his opinion when he tells us that upon the account of safety we ought to commit our selves wholly to our own reason in the search of truth Nay I will refer it to himself and challenge him upon his reputation if he hath any left to tell me whether his own practise doth not contradict his opinion that is whether or n● he consults his own reason and commits himself wholly to the guidance of it in cases that concern his life and estate or whether he is guided by the Doctor and the Barrister To this perhaps he will answer that he limits his discourse to the serch of Religious truths in which it is most safe for us to rely upon our own Reason But I pray you Sir why not then in all other can you shew me any cause of difference If you say because Religion is grounded upon probabilities I Answer so is Physick upon much more uncertainty then Religion and the Law is no less built upon uncertainties in many cases which have not been determined by presidents But suppose that religious matters are more intricate and obscure and less certain then other things since errours in Religion are no less dangerous to our Souls then errours in Law and Physick are to our Estates and Lives if we believe we have any souls We ought then to be more carefull to consult our Guides of Conscience then we are to take advice of our Lawyer or Physician But experience and practise is the best teacher Let us now suppose every private person to be wholly committed to the guidance of his own reason according to this Author's Doctrine and let us see what safety he enjoys thereby For then supposing he meets with a cunning Gentleman from Rome that hath been brought up in all advantages of Learning and Education that should baffle his reason for the defence of Protestantism then if he will act rationally he must presently turn Papist and so vice versâ The same thing would also hold if he should be baffled by any Jesuit under the disguise of any other Sectary whatsoever for he must so often change his Religion as he meets with more crafty Disputants than himself By which means he might every hour have a several religion and change so often till at last he had quitted all religion and turn'd Atheist which we see to be the ordinary consequence of frequent changes Nay further suppose he meets with some subtle Jesuit in disguise whose business it is to convert men first to debauchery then to Atheism and so by degrees to Popery who should baffle all his reasons for the practice of vertue nay for the immortality of his Soul and for the being of God as it may well be suppos'd where there is so great a difference in the advantages of the persons What then will become of him if he commits himself only to the guidance of his own reason he must then presently commence Brute and believe that he hath no more soul then his horse or any other beast and that he shall die and perish like one of them nay he must turn Atheist and not only deny the Lord that bought him but that God that made him and so be left altogether without any excuse Is not this person now very safe think you under the guidance of his own reason If therefore it be safe for us to run into Popery Heresie and Atheism let us follow our own Reasons and wholly commit our selves to our own guidance if not Let us follow the Church of England and those guides which she hath set over us in all difficult cases of which we our selves can be no competent judges and when we are press'd with any argument for a change in our religion which we are not able to answer let us repair to our own lawful Minister or to some other that shall direct us for a satisfaction of our doubts and objections And though this may seem a Paradox in this Age of Schism and Faction yet the relying on the Church is the very same direction that St. Paul gives 2 Tim. 3. 15. where he calls the Church of God The pillar and ground of truth For if so then all that are Christians ought to rely upon this pillar and to build their faith upon that which is the ground of truth But I know he there means the Universal Church But you 'l say how should I who am an illiterate person or a private Gentleman and understand not the languages in which the Scriptures and other Church writings are pen'd know what the Doctrine of the Universal Church is for I am not able to search for the Christian Doctrine my self I answer Read the Scriptures in English and practise those things that are plain and easie in them and as for difficult disputes either let them quite alone or else consult in all difficulties the directions of your own Church the Church of England by those guides which she hath set over you But may not these deceive me too as well as my own Reason I Answer It is

Reasons that are blinded with interest prejudice or passion that are wanting in qualifications necessary to inform themselves in matters of Religion or that are capable of being deceived by some one or all of these causes or else by the weakness of their understanding does far exceed the number of those that are wise sober and learned If he must affirm that he doth believe it why then would he have every man left to be guided by his own Reason Which is the best way to prevent Heresies for the Magistrates to let their Subjects follow their own wills and passions c. the greatest part of which they must know will thereby be exposed to irreligion and Atheism as well as all kind of heresie and debauchery or else to restrain them by moderate penalties within the pale and limits of the best and most Christian Church in the world But saith our Author it is no great matter for falling into heresies by the weakness of their understanding For saith he pag. 4. They are neither hurtful to themselves nor others But hold Sir I beseech you I had always thought that wilful ignorance had been so far from excusing a fault that it made it much greater so that the weakness of the understanding if it might have been remedied by our industry and humility will in no wise excuse us for heresie Nay I also thought that supposing our ignorance that leads into any crime was invincible and therefore the sin might not be damnable to us yet it might chance to be as this of heresie especially is very hurtful nay damnable to others by leading them into it after our example for which they could have no excuse but their own folly I always therefore thought it a very great duty in a Gentleman to abstain from common and scandalous vices not onely for fear of his own danger but for fear of endangering other men who I know are more led by the examples of the Nobility and Gentry then by the Precepts of the Clergy though they should speak like Gods or live like Angels There being then so much danger from heresies it behoveth all persons seriously to consider whether their weakness of understanding by which they are led into errours and by which this Gentleman would excuse all heresies does not proceed from their own wills and whether they are not ignorant because they will not be better inform'd For if their errours and weakness do proceed from their obstinate perverse and contumacious resistance of authority this turns even the least of errours into the most damnable and worst of heresies And this I heartily refer to the serious consideration of all those that seperate from the Church of England as they tender the publick peace and welfare of the Nation or the eternal safety of their own or other mens souls that they examine themselves impartially whether ever they did inform themselves concerning that which they dislike in the Church and if they did not let them do it speedily and sincerely For otherwise they will be guilty of speaking evil of those things which they understand not and of wilful Schism and Heresie As for that which our Author saith That to relie upon the Church was to add perpetuity and universality to our Errours It is nothing at all to us of the Church of England since I am sure the worst of her Enemies cannot accuse her of enjoyning the belief of any Errour If they can let them do it and I will promise them if it cannot be answered fully and satisfactorily to any unprejudiced judgment I my self will give them publick thanks for their information If they cannot accuse her of any Errour in all her Doctrine certainly it must be a piece of the greatest folly not to say contumacy to continue in a wilful breach of her Communion The Second Objection which he endeavours to hit off is The frailty uncertainty and disproportion of Divine Truths to our understanding c. pag. 5 6. I shall not quarrel with him as to the main of his Answer to this Objection but I cannot agree with him in saying as he doth That every mans soul hath in it self so much light as is requisite for our travel towards Heaven Pag. 5. For this I apprehend to be down-right Pelagianism an Heresie long since condemned by Saint Augustine and the concurring Votes of the whole Church or if it be not Pelagianism sure I am it is a much worse Heresie if not the very renouncing of Christianity What luck the Gentleman had to excuse the Heresie just in the last Paragraph since he falls into it him self in this God help the weakness of his understanding But perhaps he will tell us that he doth not believe it an Heresie notwithstanding it is condemned by the Church or contrary to the Christian Religion But Sir what would you say if it be condemned by Humane Reason Surely then you will consess it an Heresie Therefore that you may be convinced be pleased to look back but three Pages and you will find it directly contradictory to what that Book tells us Pag. 2. l. 14. That to guide him in the right way one had great need of a better Guide then that which was left us by the Fall of our first Forefather But what reed I pray you Sir is there when you your self tell us That every mans Soul hath in it self so much light as is requisite for our travel towards Heaven Is not this a sufficient Example of the frailty and uncertainty of Humane Reason since this Author who is the greatest pretender to it even in that Book in which he makes it his business to perswade others to follow it and nothing else doth so readily fall into so apparent an Heresie and contradiction to himself though by his Book in which he hath so well managed so ill a cause we must acknowledge him to have the advantage of most men in strength of Reason Is not this enough to abate our overweening confidence in our own opinions and make us a little afraid how we follow so uncertain a Guide as our own Reason which hath so palpably deceived our Author This I do acknowledge to him that by God's Free-grace and Mercy concurring with the Ministry of the Gospel every man hath sufficient Light to show him the way to Heaven if he will use those Helps which God hath prepared for him to that purpose but as for his direction that we must seek Truth in the centre and heart of our selves if he gives it universally to all Men and concerning all Truths as he seems to do in that he hath not at all limited it he might as well have bid men search there for all the demonstrations of Euclid though they never had time nor education enough to make them understand so much as one of the most ordinary operations in Arithmetick nor one Mathematical Definition or postulatum And he had as good damn such a man to the centre of