Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	err_v	1,649	5	9.6490	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE his MAIESTIE and vpon other speciall occasions Viz. 1 The Pillar and ground of Truth 2 The New Life 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity 4 Exact Walking 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull Sinners By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN PRESTION Dr. in Diuinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne LONDON Printed for Leonard Greene of Cambridge and are to be sold by Iames Boler at the Signe of the Marigold in Pauls Churchyard 1630. To the Reader THE AVTHOR himselfe being hindred by death from digesting his thoughts into Tractates more accommodate for all mens vse presaged notwithstanding a little before his death that they would be pressed into publike view by one or other which might perhaps bee lesse carefull who that he might preuent hee bequeathed the care of those Sermons that were only preached at Lincolnes Inne to those his worthy friends by whom you see them faithfully set forth who liuing in the City were better conuersant with those that tooke them from his mouth All others whatsoeuer vnto vs who though much more vnworthy and vnable were yet more frequently his Auditors in other places and had reason fully to know his Doctrine manner of life purpose c should therefore bee more guilty of vngratefull negligence if any of those Lamps into which he emptied the golden oile out of himselfe should not by vs be lighted vp to serue the Temple to which vndoubtedly by him they were deuoted Moued therefore with the necessity of our duty their former good example and the successefull entertainment the rest haue found we doe here aduenture into light these fiue short Sermons preached at speciall times and in Auditories of greatest worth and expectation and accordingly composed of more exact materials and closer put together which in him may well be pardoned who in all his other works did bow his more sublime and raised parts to lowest apprehensions Wee haue laboured what we could to discharge the trust by him reposed in vs and desire that others would be pleased to forbeare the putting forth of any thing of his without acquainting some of vs therewith by him deputed for that worke who as soone as may be will be carefull to present thee with what else soeuer we shall think vsefull the Lord grant they may doe as much good as the Author of them did intend T. G. T. B. THE PILLAR AND GROVND Of TRUTH 1. TIM 3. 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the Truth THere are two maine principles upon which the whole frame of Popery is founded first That the Church of Rome is the onely Catholike Church secondly That the Church cannot erre By which latter principle they have brought on themselves a desperate necessitie never to amend or reforme whatsoever is once decided by the Church These are the principles they first instill into their Novices these are the trains wherewith they seeke to winne men to themselves for when they cannot prove their points in speciall and particular they take them all in grosse and by this one principle Our Church which cannot erre hath so decided it they prove a bundle of them altogether So when they can shew no ground in Scripture for their clouded ungrounded superadded opinions they fasten them and hang them all upon this pinacle of the Church which because it is infallible admits of no examination And whereas truth seekes out no corners desires to see the light and come to triall Poperie delights to hide it selfe in these obscure and uncertaine generalities As for example aske them what ground they have for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images Indulgences superadded Sacraments and a multitude of superstitious ceremonies their answer is The Church hath so decided and her decrees are all infallible and not to be examined by particular men which are inferiour So that pull but this pillar downe as Sampson did and the whole frame of Poperie with all that stay themselves upon it comes presently tumbling downe Yet because they think it too improbable a course to build all on the naked assertion of the Church which is onely to interprete and not to make the Text therefore they bring in Traditions which they call unwritten verities and make them of equall value and credite with the Text but if you aske them what these unwritten verities are and how they may be knowne from counterfeit they say onely the Church can tell that to whose custodie they were committed and who onely is able to iudge infallibly which are the genuine Traditions and which not And if Scripture at anie time bee brought against any of these points they say it belongs to the Church of Rome to declare what bookes of Scripture are canonicall what translation is authenticall what interpretation must be the sense of Scripture and in effect they will be onely iudged by themselves and whatsoever we say they choke us with these principles Theirs is the only Church and The Church can never erre Now of all places of Scripture whereby they would vindicate to themselves this priviledge this verse that I have read is one of the chiefest but how iustly wee are now to consider Sayes the Apostle to Timothy I have written unto thee that thou mayest know how to behave thy selfe in the house of God as if he should say It is of much moment that the house of God be ordered and kept aright be swept continually and purged because it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is the ground and place where truth which is the housholds food is nourished and doth grow into which if falshood creepe their food will soone be poisoned and so not nourish but corrupt not fit them to salvation but destruction so that the Apostle in this verse hath this double scope First to describe the Church by this distinguishing propertie that it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is Truth is the signe whereby this house of God is knowne from other houses Secondly he sayes in the house of God c. not in the Church of Ephesus lest anie should conclude as now the Papists would that the truth were so nailed and fastened to anie one particular house or pillar that it could never be taken downe from thence and hanged up in another place which is flat contrarie to the scope of the Apostle in this place who in the beginning of the next chapter shewes evidently that in the later times some should depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats The Papists would make us beleeve that because the truth was once at Rome it is there still Indeed the house and place where once it was they

may still shew perhaps but the inhabitant is now departed and the truth which was the signe is taken downe and hanged up elsewhere in stead whereof these verie errours hang which the Apostle doth foretell to be the signes of Truth 's departure forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats If they object they forbid not all to marrie I answer no hereticke or people since the beginning of the world did ever doe it nor is it credible that anie ever will for then the world would soone be at an end but they forbid some to marrie at anie time as the Clergie all at sometimes and that not as a precept of conveniencie but necessitie and holinesse The Papists indeed say thatthe Church is so the pillar and ground of truth that there is no truth but what comes from the Church that whatsoever comes from the Church is true infallibly and not subject to errour but this cannot be the Apostles meaning here First there may be truths in other Writers that are not of the Church though the Garden bee the most convenient and ordinarie place and ground of hearbs yet some Violets may be gathered in the Woods and on the high-way side By Truth therefore here is meant divine and sacred truth a plant of Gods owne Garden not growing in the Wildernesse and Wast Besides as some truths may be found without the Church so some errours may be found within the Church though the Garden be the proper ground and place of hearbs yet weedes may also grow there as tares may in the field which notwithstanding is the proper place of wheat Againe when hee saith The Church is the pillar and ground of truth his meaning is that in the Church of God the truth ought alwaies to bee preserued and kept that is those that professe themselues to bee the Church ought to maintaine the truth that is their duetie which they are bound at all times to performe but it 's no good consequence to infer A thing is surely done because some ought to doe it for men doe not alwaies performe their dueties nor discharge the trust that is committed to them Lastly it is to bee marked that the Apostle saith in general tearmes The Church is the pillar and ground of truth not this or that particular people of Ephesus or Corinth or Rome or anie other citie or countrey for the Church may make a progresse from one people to another as now it hath from those famous cities of Asia unto other parts Indeede while the Church continues in a place so long the fundamentall truthes continue but when shee changeth habitation the truth goes with her for these cannot dwell asunder while the Church continued at Rome so long the truth continued but no longer If they object that a pillar is the prop and sustent aculum of that building wherein it is and therefore cannot bee removed to another place unlesse the building be destroyed and perish since then the Church of Rome was once the pillar and ground of truth it is so still I answer the Apostle in this place speaks of a pillar not more architectanico as understanding by it some essentiall and inseparable peece of the building but more forensi for such a post or pillar on which tables and proclamations and such things are wont to hang and from such pillars such things may soone bee separated Such a pillar was this people of Ephesus which stood long after the truth was taken downe and Mahumetanisme hanged up in stead therof And that its thus meant appears by the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ioined with it which signifies a seate or receptacle at all times separable from what is in it And indeed as before I said the Church is the ground of truth as the garden is the ground of herbs which wee know may bee plucked up and planted in another place As therefore that which hangs on the pillar may be plucked down or other things hanged with it as herbes may bee translated from one garden to another or weedes grow with them so that people which are now the Church of God may cease to be so or continuing the Church may bee obnoxious unto errours And that this is the meaning of the place and not that which the Papists hence deduce namely That the Church cannot erre may appeare by these reasons First not to be capable of errour is the inseparable attribute of God himselfe for God and truth are termes conuertible which cannot bee said of any creature because to creatures truth is a rule from which they may decline as the Carpenters hand may from the line that guides it Truth is not of the essence of a creature as it 's of Gods and therefore separable and distinct as the Carpenters line is a thing distinguished from his hand and therefore may be separated his hand may sometimes deuiate and goe awry The decree and will of God is the rule it selfe and from it selfe it cannot deuiate or erre but the creature hath a line of rectitude drawne to it by the Scripture from which though now de facto it doth not swerue yet de possibili it may Esa. 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimonie if they speake not according to this word it is because they haue no light in them As if one should say to a Pilote Know that in your eye and in your hand there is no inseparable and inbred rule to guide you in your course but here is a compasse for to direct you if you look beside this or neglect this you will fall vpon the rockes and sands so the Lord saith to his Church Know that in you there is no inherent selfe-sufficient light but here is my word to be a lanterne to you if you keepe not your eye on this you may erre quickely and make shipwracke of your faith Secondly where there is ignorance there may bee errour for ignorance is the cause of errour as darkenesse is of stumbling for a man cannot haue a perfect iudgement of things except he haue a perfect knowledge of them now the most learned Bishops that euer were in generall Councels which is the representatiue Church in all mens iudgements least subiect unto errour haue beene ignorant of manie things for euen in humane things whereof we are more capable the wisest men have beene readie to professe that the greatest part of that they knew was the least of that they knew not much more in things divine in which our eyes are like the eyes of battes and owles vnto the brightest sunneshine too weake and too angust to comprehend them therefore their knowledge beeing defective their iudgement likewise must needes be so 1. Cor. 13. 11. Wee know in part saith the Apostle therefore wee prophesie in part Aristotle could say He that looks not round about a thing and sees not all the parts and corners of it can give no certaine judgement of it now who can say in

divine mysteries hee is able to see all things and if he be not hee may both bee deceived and deceive Lastly where God intends to give the end he alwaies gives the meanes to effect and bring that end to passe but he giues not to the Church the meanes of infallibilitie as perfect knowledge of the truth sincere loue of it right ordered zeale for it hee takes not alwaies from them those sinnefull lusts which breed errings from the faith and often thrust and impell men into errour How oft have generall Councels beene distracted into factions leavened with malice puft up with pride c and shall we say when their hearts and mindes are thus corrupted that their tongues are notwithstanding infallibly ouer-ruled to poure forth nothing else but oracles To say that at that instant there fals a spirit upon them to guide them with immediate revelation is to approve the fanaticall fancies of the Anabaptists which they take on them to abhorre which notwithstanding if anie doe affirme as some have beene bold to doe they must consider that the Prophets which were guided by such spirits and had the truth inspired by visions and immediat revelations did never argue discusse or reason of the things they spake and wrote but only did declare and manifest what was revealed but in generall Councels the truth is bolted out by reasonings to and fro the conclusions many times disputed of and strongly argued on both sides now where the premisses are onely probable the conclusion cannot bee infallible for they are the cause of the conclusion and there cannot be more in the effect than was formerly in the cause This is sufficient to evince that though generall Councels doe not at all times defacto erre for wee all acknowledge the great benefit of the foure first generall Councels yet to say that de possibili they cannot is vtterly vntrue Christ hath promised Iohn 16. 13. to send his Spirit which should lead them into all truth and Matth. 28. 20. to be with them to the end of the world These places must needes bee understood primarily of the Apostles themselues who onely were infallibly led into every truth and but secondarily of their successors that is so farre as they insist in their steps and doctrine for if that were the sense that Bellarmine Stapleton and other popish writers give namely that the promise is indifferently made to their successors as well as to themselves then particular Bishops and Ministers should be infallible judges of truth falshood so all controverfies in the Church would presently have an end so as never to spring againe If they say it s not to beunderstood of them taken single apart but as met together assembled in a Synode I answer there is not the least intimation of this distinction in those places but the place for such a promise is Matth. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them But this place is to bee understood of the least meetings of true Christians in the name of Christ as well as of the largest Councels and so the smallest companie or convention should bee capable of this promise of infallibilitie as well as the most general and ample Councell But they farther object If there should not be a visible external unerring judge to which at all times those might resort for resolution that are not themselues able to wade through the depth of diuinity-controuersies there would be no end of wrangling and disputing nor any certaine meanes to finde the truth in matters questioned Though there bee no infallible visible humane iudge yet there is an invisible in fallible judge and that is the holy Ghost speaking in the scriptures which are therefore called the word of God And this judge in many respects is better and fitter than anie other First this may be easily had is alwaies readie and at hand to which men of all sorts may soone repaire the other ambulatory to many inaccessible and to all difficult to bee obtained Secondly the sentence of this judge is certaine and inflexible not subiect to errour but the others mutable like a leaden rule that may bee bended to and fro for in men affections haue their place which is the reason that among men there are Lawes because the Law is not capable of affections but the Lawyer is Thirdly this judge is better knowne and may sooner bee agreed upon by all for bee it granted that the true Church is a judge infallible yet it may be sooner known which is the true Scripture than which is the true Church there beeing more pretenders to the one than to the other While the Church is militant upon the earth God hath not said there should bee any such end of controuersies as these men dreame of but rather he hath said the contrarie 1. Cor. 11. 19. There must bee heresies in the Church that those may perish who receiue not the loue of the truth to bee saued and that those which are approued might be knowne If there were anie such meanes by God appointed in his Church to determine controversies infallibly yer a generall Councell though in his place to be respected is not likely to bee it for is it like God would appoint a meanes for ending controuersies in his Church that for at least three hundred yeares that is till the time of Constantine the great could not be had and though he and others his successours while the Empire was undivided might easily assemble Councels yet when the Empire fell into many subdiuisions and the parts thereof were gouerned by seuerall Kings of different religions as now they be it is impossible the Church should haue the benefit of them What is the vse then and benefit of generall Councels if they could be obtained They are the best meanes to finde out Truth for manie candles give more light and manie eyes see more than one and in the multitude of Counsellors there is health and as they are the best meanes to finde it so from them it hath no small authoritie yet notwithstanding they may erre in necessary and fundamentall points as the Councell of Ariminum and Seleucia where there were as manie more Bishops as at the first Nicene Councell and therefore held in two Cities because no one was able to containe them yet erred in a fundamentall point decreeing for Arrius heresie against the Deity of Christ. The second Councell at Ephesus did the like and so ten Councels at Tyrus Ierusalem Philadelphia Ariminum Seleucia Constantinople Alexandria c. so the second Councell at Nice set up Images and commanded them to bee worshipped which in the second Councell of Constantinople immediately before were utterly condemned More instances might easily bee given but these suffice to warrant this conclusion That a generall Councell may erre in fundamentall points For though the universall Church of Christ taken for his

mysticall bodie on earth and complete number of his elect cannot erre in matters fundamentall for then they might fall away and the gates of hell prevaile against them yet the externall visible bodie of the Church may erre because the truth of God may bee locked up within the hearts of such a companie as in competition of suffrages cannot make a greatet part in a generall Councell so that the sentence decreed therein may bee a fundamentall errour From these grounds thus laid may fitly rise a threefold application First seeing it is thè received and approved doctrine of the Papists That the Church of Rome cannot erre in points of Faith and Doctrine wee see how little hope there is that wee and they should ever bee reconciled or that one truth should arise from a composition of their and our opinions for if they yeelde in any thing to us it would presently follow that in that wherein they now yeelde before they erred and so this fundamentall point of their Churches not erring would from thence be overthrowne Wee may alter our Tenents if wee will but they are strongly engaged to keepe theirs without anie change or variation we may goe to them they cannot come to us witnesse the Germane Interim so carefully and often tempered wherin there were but few of their ingredients left out yet was it more than Charles the Fifth could do to get it entertainment on eitherside and therefore those Cassanders that thinke by wit and policie to reconcile us attempt a thing impossible For of what materials shall any middle course bee framed when neyther side can spare the smallest piece of timber in their building they cannot because thereby they should bee argued of erring for merly we cannot for true Religion is of a brittle nature breake it you may bend it you cannot no not in the least degree It cannot bee accommodated to interests and respects of policie and seruing turnes it cannot be mixt with errour no more than oyle with water iron and steele with clay Daniel 2. 43. They shall mingle themselves with the seede of men but they shall not cleave one to another even as iron is not miset with clay or as the elements when once they are mingled in a compound bodie doe lose their proper formes even so Religions when made ingredients and compounding parts of any other do lose their formes and cease to bee religions in Gods account 2 King 17. 33. It is said the mingled people of Samaria feared the Lord and served their owne gods after the manner of the Nations whom they carried away from thence that is they jumbled all together the fear of God worship of their Idols thinking thereby to fit both parties Iewes and Heathens with a religion wherein both might bee gratified But what saith God doth he approve this mixture verse 34. Vnto this day they doe after the former manners they fear not the Lord neither do they after their statutes or after the law or commandement which the Lord commanded God will not owne his owne commanded worship when mingled and compounded with another So Gal. 5. 1. 2. Bee not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage that is take heede of entertaining those rites and customes of the ceremoniall law from which now by Christ ye are set free Well but what if circumcision the ancient character bee still retained and joined unto Christ is it not better to be sure of both See what he answers in the second verse Behold I Paul say unto you that if you bee circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing And again vers 4. Christ is become of none effect to you As if hee should say Take whether you will either Christ or circumcision for both yee cannot have So Esay 1. vers 21 22. How is the faithfull Citie become an har lot But how proveth hee that Thy siluer is become drosse thy wine mixt with water He denies not but they had silver and wine amongst them but as silver mixt with baser mettall becommeth drosse and is no longer accounted silver so wine when it is mixt with water leaves off to be accounted wine Ier. 23. 28. Hee that hath my word let him speake my word faithfully for what is the chaffe to the wheat Whatsoever of our owne we offer to annexe to the word of God in Gods account is as if wee added chaffe to wheate by which addition the wheate can bee no gainer They that goe about to mixe true and false religions are like those that take too big a graspe and so let whatthey meant to have sustained fall and breake as wee see in Ieroboam who mingled truth and falsehood not changing the worship as hee thought but the place and manner of the worship onely lest the kingdome should returne unto the house of David that was the interest whereunto he thought to make religion stoope 1. Kings 12. 26. c. But what came of it He made a nullitie of religion and of his and his posterities title to the kingdome Saul had a strait command to destroy all the Amalekites but because in execution of it hee needs would interpose his owne discretion in sparing Agag and some of the cattel God takes the kingdome from him for it Moses will not yeeld to the King of Egypt to leave one hoofe behinde him of any thing that did belong unto the Israelites Mordecay because God forbad them to make peace with Amalek for ever will rather hazzard his owne and others safetie than so much as bow the knee to Haman an Amalekite Daniel when God commanded to pray towards the Temple will not omit that circumstance of his praier though he cannot practise it without hazzard of his life This is the disposition of all whose hearts are perfect with their God they dare not pare away the least lap from the garment of religion nor adde the least flye to this boxe of precious ointment for in this curious clocke-worke of religion every pin and wheele that is amisse distempers all And as we are wont to lay aside cracked vessels and distempered watches as unusefull so doth God distempered and mixt religions As to the Iewes a garment made of linzy woolsie might not be worne so to vs a Samaritan religion made vp of true and false is not to be endured but as the stomacke loathes lukewarme water so God lukewarme religions As therefore Eliah exhorts the people to follow either God or Baal and not to halt betweene them both so it 's good for vs to take heede of mingling truth and falsehood whereof God is more impatient than of either of the two extremities apart For one to be a downe-right Papist may be a sinne of ignorance but to blend and mingle with it to picke and choose some tinctures of it to serue our worldly turnes cannot but be a sin of knowledge for if one were fully in his heart perswaded that Poperie were the truth he would embrace that and cleave to that