Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	agree_v	church_n	true_a	1,693	5	5.5079	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64137	XXVIII sermons preached at Golden Grove being for the summer half-year, beginning on Whit-Sunday, and ending on the xxv Sunday after Trinity, together with A discourse of the divine institution, necessity, sacredness, and separation of the office ministeriall / by Jer. Taylor.; Sermons. Selections	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1651 (1651)	Wing T405; ESTC R23463	389,930	394

of scorn and men made names as they listed or as the fate of the market went And if a Doctor preaches a doctrine which another man likes not but preaches the contradictory he that consents and he that refuses have each of them a teacher by whose name if they please to wrangle they may be signified It was so in the Corinthian Church with this onely difference that they divided themselves by names which signified the same religion I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I am of Peter and I of Christ these Apostles were ministers of Christ and so does every teacher new or old among the Christians pretend himself to be Let that therefore be examined if he ministers to the truth of Christ and the religion of his master let him be entertained as a servant of his Lord but if an appellative be taken from his name there is a faction commenced in it and there is a fault in the men if there be none in the doctrine but that the doctrine be true or false to be received or to be rejected because of the name is accidental and extrinsecall and therefore not to be determined by this signe 3. Amongst some men a sect is sufficiently thought to be reproved if it subdivides and breaks into little fractions or changes its own opinions indeed if it declines its own doctrine no man hath reason to beleeve them upon their word or to take them upon the stock of reputation which themselves being judges they have forfeited and renounced in the changing that which at first they obtruded passionately And therefore in this case there is nothing to be done but to beleeve the men so farre as they have reason to beleeve themselves that is to consider when they prove what they say and they that are able to do so are not persons in danger to be seduced by a bare authority unlesse they list themselves for others that sink under an unavoidable prejudice God will take care for them if they be good people and their case shall be considered by and by But for the other part of the signe when men fall out among themselves for other interests or opinions it is no argument that they are in an errour concerning that doctrine which they all unitedly teach or condemn respectively but it hath in it some probability that their union is a testimony of truth as certainly as that their fractions are a testimony of their zeal or honesty or weaknesse as it happens and if we Christians be too decretory in this instance it will be hard for any of us to keep a Jew from making use of it against the whole religion which from the dayes of the Apostles hath been rent into innumerable sects and under-sects springing from mistake or interest from the arts of the Devil or the weaknesse of man But from hence we may make an advantage in the way of prudence and become sure that all that doctrine is certainly true in which the generality of Christians who are divided in many things yet do constantly agree and that that doctrine is also sufficient since it is certain that because in all Communions and Churches there are some very good men that do all their duty to the getting of truth God will not fail in any thing that is necessary to them that honestly and heartily desire to obtain it and therefore if they rest in the heartinesse of that and live accordingly and superinduce nothing to the destruction of that they have nothing to do but to rely upon Gods goodnesse and if they perish it is certain they cannot help it and that is demonstration enough that they cannot perish considering the justice and goodnesse of our Lord and Judge 4. Whoever break the bands of a Society or Communion and go out from that Congregation is whose Confession they are baptized do an intolerable scandal to their doctrine and persons and give suspicious men reason to decline their Assemblies and not to choose them at all for any thing of their authority or outward circumstances and Saint Paul bids the Romans to mark them that cause divisions and offences But the following words make their caution prudent and practicable contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them they that recede from the doctrine which they have learned they cause the offence and if they also obtrude this upon their congregations they also make the division For it is certain if we receive any doctrine contrary to what Christ gave and the Apostles taught for the authority of any man then we call men Masters and leave our Master which is in heaven and in that case we must separate from the Congregation and adhere to Christ but this is not to be done unlesse the case be evident and notorious But as it is hard that the publike doctrine of a Chruch should be rifled and misunderstood and reproved and rejected by any of her wilful or ignorant sons and daughters so it is also as hard that they should be bound not to see when the case is plain and evident There may be mischiefs on both sides but the former sort of evils men may avoid if they will for they may be humble and modest and entertain better opinions of their Superiours then of themselves and in doubtful things give them the honour of a just opinion and if they do not do so that evil will be their own private for that it become not publike the King and the Bishop are to take care but for the latter sort of evil it will certainly become universal If I say an authoritative false doctrine be imposed and is to be accepted accordingly for then all men shall be bound to professe against their conscience that is with their mouthes not to confesse unto salvation what with their hearts they believe unto righteousnesse The best way of remedying both the evils is that Governours lay no burden of doctrines or lawes but what are necessary or very profitable and that Inferiours do not contend for things unnecessary nor call any thing necessary that is not till then there will be evils on both sides and although the Governours are to carry the Question in the point of law reputation and publike government yet as to Gods Judicature they will bear the bigger load who in his right do him an injury and by the impresses of his authority destroy his truth But in this case also although separating be a suspicious thing and intolerable unlesse it be when a sin is imposed yet to separate is also accidentall to truth for some men separate with reason some men against reason therefore here all the certainty that is in the thing is when the truth is secured and all the security to the men will be in the humility of their persons and the heartinesse and simplicity of their intention and diligence of inquiry The Church of England had reason to separate from the Confession and practises of Rome in

no purpose and to no necessities of his Church for the supplying of which he hath given Apostles and Evangelists Prophets and Pastors Bishops and Priests the spirit of Ordination and the spirit of instruction Catechists and Teachers Arts and Sciences Scriptures and a constant succession of Expositors the testimony of Churches and a constant line of tradition or delivery of Apostolical Doctrine in all things necessary to salvation And after all this to have a fungus arise from the belly of mud and darknesse and nourish a gloworm that shall challenge to out-shine the lantern of Gods word and all the candles which God set upon a hill and all that the Spirit hath set upon the candlesticks and all the starres in Christs right hand is to annull all the excellent established orderly and certain effects of the Spirit of God and to worship the false fires of the night He therefore that will follow a Guide that leads him by an extraordinary spirit shall go an extraordinary way and have a strange fortune and a singular religion and a portion by himself a great way off from the common inheritance of the Saints who are all led by the Spirit of God and have one heart and one minde one faith and one hope the same baptisme and the helps of the Ministery leading them to the common countrey which is the por●ion of all that are the sons of adoption consigned by the Spirit of God the earnest of their inheritance Concerning the pretence of a private spirit for interpretation of the confessed doctrine of God the holy Scriptures it will not so easily come into this Question of choosing our spirituall Guides Because every person that can be Candidate in this office that can be chosen to guide others must be a publike man that is of a holy calling sanctified or separate publikely to the office and then to interpret is part of his calling and imployment ●nd to do so is the work of a publike spirit he is ordained and designed he is commanded and inabled to do it and in this there is no other caution to be interposed but that the more publike the man is of the more authority his interpretation is and he comes neerest to a law of order and in the matter of government is to be observed but the more holy and the more learned the man is his interpretation in matter of Question is more likely to be true and though lesse to be pressed as to the publick confession yet it may be more effective to a private perswasion provided it be done without scandal or lessening the authority or disparagement to the more publick person 8. Those are to be suspected for evil guides who to get authority among the people pretend a great zeal and use a bold liberty in reproving Princes and Governours nobility and Prelates for such homilies cannot be the effects of a holy religion which lay a snare for authority and undermine power and discontent the people and make them bold against Kings and immodest in their own stations and trouble the government Such men may speak a truth or teach a true doctrine for every such designe does not unhallow the truth of God but they take some truthes and force them to minister to an evil end but therefore mingle not in the communities of such men for they will make it a part of your religion to prosecute that end openly which they by arts of the Tempter have insinuated privately But if ever you enter into the seats of those Doctors that speak reproachfully of their Superiours or detract from government or love to curse the King in their heart or slander him with their mouths or disgrace their persons blesse your self and retire quickly for there dwells the plague but the spirit of God is not president of the assembly and therefore you shall observe in all the characters which the B. Apostles of our Lord made for describing and avoiding societies of hereticks false guides and bringers in of strange doctrines still they reckon treason and rebellion so S. Paul In the last dayes perillous times shall come the men shall have the form of Godlinesse and denie the power of it they shall be Traitors heady high minded that 's their characteristic note So Saint Peter the Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse and despise government presumptuous are they self willed they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities The same also is recorded and observed by Saint Jude likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh despise dominion and speak evil of dignities These three testimonies are but the declaration of one great contingency they are the same prophesy declared by three Apostolical men that had the gift of prophecy and by this character the Holy Ghost in all ages hath given us caution to avoid such assemblies where the speaking and ruling man shall be the canker of government and a preacher of sedition who shall either ungirt the Princes sword or unloose the button of their mantle 9. But the Apostles in all these prophecies have remarked lust to be the inseparable companion of these rebel prophets they are filthy dreamers they defile the flesh so Saint Jude they walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse so Saint Peter they are lovers of pleasure more then lovers of God incontinent and sensual So Saint Paul and by this part of the character as the Apostles remarked the Nicolatians and Gnosticks the Carpocratians and all their impure branches which began in their dayes and multiplied after their deaths so they prophetically did foresignifie al such sects to be avoided who to catch silly women laden with sins preach doctrines of ease and licenciousnesse apt to countenance and encourage vile things and not apt to restrain a passion or mortifie a sin Such as those that God sees no sin in his children that no sin will take us from Gods favour that all of such a party are elect people that God requires of us nothing but faith and that faith which justifies is nothing but a meere believing that we are Gods chosen that we are not tied to the law of commandments that the law of grace is a law of liberty and that liberty is to do what we list that divorces are to be granted upon many and slight causes that simple fornication is no sin these are such doctrines that upon the belief of them men may doe any thing and will do that which shall satisfie their own desires and promote their interests and seduce their shee disciples and indeed it was not without great reason that these three Apostles joyned lust and treason together because the former is so shameful a crime and renders a mans spirit naturally averse to government that if it falls upon the person of a Ruler

and as it is purer then the beams of the morning so it is stronger then a tempest or the combination of all the windes though united by the prince that ruleth in the aire And we finde that the Nicene faith prevailed upon all the world though some Arian Bishops went from Ariminum to Nice and there decreed their own articles and called it the faith read at Nice and used all arts and all violence and all lying and all diligence to discountenance it yet it could not be it was the truth of God and therefore it was stronger then all the gates of hell then all the powers of darknesse and he that tells a lie for his religion or goes about by fraud and imposture to gain proselytes either dares not trust his cause or dare not trust God True religion is open in its articles honest in its prosecutions just in its conduct innocent when it is accused ignorant of falsehood sure in its truth simple in its sayings and as Julius Capitolinus said of the Emperour Verus it is morum simplicium quae adumbrare nihil possit it covers indeed a multitude of sins by curing them and obtaining pardon for them but it can dissemble nothing of it self it cannot tell or do a lie but it can become a sacrifice a good man can quit his life but never his integrity That 's the first duty the sum of which is that which Aquilius said concerning fraud and craft bona fides the honesty of a mans faith and religion is destroyed cum aliud simulatum aliud actum sit when either we conceale what we ought to publish or do not act what we pretend 2. Christian simplicity or the innocence of prudence relates to laws both in their sanction and execution that they be decreed with equity and proportioned to the capacity and profit of the subjects and that they be applied to practise with remissions and reasonable interpretations agreeable to the sence of the words and the minde of the lawgiver but laws are not to be cosened and abused by contradictory glosses and phantastick elusions as knowing that if the majesty and sacrednesse of them be once abused and subjected to contempt and unreasonable and easy resolutions their girdle is unloosed and they suffer the shame of prostitution and contempt When Saul made a law that he that eat before night should die the people perswaded him directly to rescind it in the case of Jonathan because it was unequal and unjust that he who had wrought their deliverance and in that working it was absent from the promulgation of the law should suffer for breaking it in a case of violent necessity and of which he heard nothing upon so faire and probable a cause and it had been well that the Persian had been so rescued who against the laws of his country killed a Lion to save the life of his Prince in such cases it is fit the law be rescinded and dispensed with all as to certain particulars so it be done ingenuously with competent authority in great necessity and without partiality But that which I intend here is that in the rescission or dispensation of the law the processe be open and free and such as shall preserve the law and its sacrednesse as well as the person and his interest The laws of Sparta forbad any man to be twice Admiral but when their affaires required it they made Araeus titular and Lysander supravisor of him and Admiral to all real and effective purposes this wanted ingenuity and laid a way open for them to despise the law which was made patient of such a weak evasion The Lacedemonian Embassador perswaded Pericles to turn the tables of the law which were forbidden to be removed and an other ordained in a certain case that the laws should sleep 24. hours A third decreed that June should be called May because the time of an election appointed by the law was elapsed these arts are against the ingenuity and simplicitie of laws and lawgivers and teach the people to cheat in their obedience when their Judges are so fraudulent in the administration of their laws Every law should be made plain open honest significant and he that makes a decree and intricates it on purpose or by inconsideration layes a snare or leaves one there and is either an imprudent person and therefore unfit to govern or else he is a Tyrant and a vul●ur It is too much that a man can make a law by an arbitrary power But when he shall also leave the law so that every of the ministers of Justice and the Judges shall have power to rule by a loose by an arbitrary by a contradictory interpretation it is intolerable They that rule by prudence should above all things see that the patrons and Advocates of innocence should be harmlesse and without an evil sting 3. Christian simplicity relates to promises and acts of grace and favour and its caution is that all promises be simple ingenuous agreeable to the intention of the promiser truly and effectually expressed and never going lesse in the performance then in the promise and words of the expression concerning which the cases are several 1. First all promises in which a third or a second person hath no interest that is the promises of kindnesse and civilities are tied to passe into performance secundum aequum bonum and though they may oblige to some small inconvenience yet never to a great one and I will visit you to morrow morning because I promised you and therefore I will come etiamsi non concoxero although I have not slept my full sleep but Si febricitavcro if I be in a feaver or have reason to fear one I am disobliged For the nature of such promises bears upon them no bigger burthen then can be expounded by reasonable civilities and the common expectation of kinde and the ordinary performances of just men who do excuse and are excused respectively by all rules of reason proportionably to such small entercourses and therefore although such conditions be not expressed in making promises yet to perform or rescind them by such laws is not against Christian simplicity 2. Promises in matters of justice or in matters of grace as from a superiour to an inferiour must be so singly and ingenuously expressed intended and performed accordingly that no condition is to be reserved or supposed in them to warrant their non-performance but impossibility or that which is next to it an intolerable inconvenience in which cases we have a natural liberty to commute our promises but so that we pay to the interested person a good at least equal to that which we first promised And to this purpose it may be added that it is not against Christian simplicity to expresse our promises in such words which we know the interested man will understand to other purposes then I intend so it be not lesse that I mean then that he hopes for When our Blessed Saviour

condemn but whether his rule can extend to this case is now to be enquired 1. It is certain that children may be cozned into goodnesse and sick men to health and passengers in a storm into fafety and the reason of these is because not onely the end is fair and charitable and just but the means are such which do no injury to the persons which are to receive benefit Because these are persons who are either naturally or accidentally ignorant and incompetent judges of affaires and if they be also wilful as such persons most commonly are there is in art and nature left no wayes to deal with them but with innocent charitable and artificial deceptions they are not capable of reason and solid discourses and therefore either must be exposed to all harms like Lions whelps when their nurse and sire are taken in a toile or else be provided for in wages proportionable to their capacitie 2. Sinners may not be treated with the liberty we take to children and sick persons because they must serve God with choice and election and therefore although a sick man may be cozened into his health yet a man must not be cozened into his duty which is no duty at all or pleasing to God unlesse it be voluntary and chosen and therefore they are to be treated with arguments proper to move their wills by the instrument of understanding specially being persons of perfect faculties and apt to be moved by the wayes of health and of a man It is an argument of infirmity that in some cases it is necessary to make pretences but those pretences are not made legitimate unlesse it be the infirmity of the interested man with whom we do comply My infirmity can not make it lawful to make colours and images of things But the infirmity of him with whom I deal may be such that he can be defended or instructed no other way But sinners that offend God by choice must have their choice corrected and their understandings instructed or else their evill is not cured nor their state amended 2. For it is here very observable that in entercourses of this nature we are to regard a double duty the matter of justice and the rights of charity that is that good be done by lawful instruments for it is certain it is not lawful to abuse a mans understanding with a purpose to gain him 6. d. it is not fit to do evil for a good end or to abuse one man to preserve or do advantage to another and therefore it is not sufficient that I intend to do good to my neighbour for I may not therefore tell a lie and abuse his credulity because his understanding hath a right as certain as his will hath or as his money and his right to truth is no more to be cozened and defrauded then his right unto his money and therefore such artificial entercourses are no wayes to be permitted but to such persons over whose understandings we have power and authority Plato said it was lawful for Kings and Governours to dissemble because there is great necessity for them so to do but it was but crudely said so nakedly to deliver the doctrine for in such things which the people cannot understand and yet ought to obey there is a liberty to use them as we use children who are of no other condition or capacities then children but in all things where they can and ought to choose because their understanding is onely a servant to God no man hath power to abuse their credulity and reason to preserve their estates and peace But because Children and mad people and diseased are such whose underdandings are in minority and under Tuition they are to be governed by their proper instruments and proportions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Proclus a good turn is to be preferred before a true saying it is onely true to such persons who cannot value truth and prefer an intellectual before a material interest It is better for children to have warm clothes then a true proposition and therefore in all senses they and their like may be so treated But other persons who have distinct capacities have an injury done them by being abused into advantages and although those advantages make them recompence yet he that is tied to make a man recompence hath done him injury and committed a sin by which he was obliged to restitution therefore the man ought not to be cozened for his own good 4. And now upon the grounds of this discourse we may more easily determine concerning saving the life of a man by telling a lie in judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 said Pericles of Athens when his friend desired him to swear on his side I will assist my friend so far as I may not dishonour God and to lie in judgment is directly against the being of government the honour of Tribunals and the commandement of God and therefore by no accident can be hallowed it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle said of a lie it is a thing evil in it self that is it is evil in the whole kinde ever since it came to be forbidden by God and therefore all those instances of crafty and delusive answers which are recorded in scripture were extra judicial and had not this load upon them to be a deceiving of authority in those things where they had right to command or inquire either were before or besides the commandment not at all against it and since the law of Moses forbad lying in judgement onely by that law we are to judge of those actions in the old testament which were committed after its publication and because in the sermons of the prophets and especially in the new testament Christ hath superadded or enlarged the law of ingenuity hearty simplicity we are to leave the old scripture precedents upon the ground of their own permissions and finish our duty by the rules of our religion which hath so restrained our words that they must alwayes be just and alwayes charitable and there is no leave given to prevaricate but to such persons where there can be no obligation persons that have no right such with whom no contract can be made such as children and fools and infirm persons whose faculties are hindred or depraved I remember that Secundus extremely commends Arria for deluding her husbands fears concerning the death of his beloved boy and wiped her eyes and came in confidently and sate by her husbands bed-side and when she could no longer forbear to weep her husbands sicknesse was excuse enough to legitimate that sorrow or else she could retire but so long she forbore to confess the boy's death til Caecinna Paetus had so far recovered that he could go forth to see the boy and need not fear with sorrow to returne to his disease It was indeed a great kindnesse and a rare prudence as their affaires and laws were ordered but we have better means to cure our sick