Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	authority_n	church_n	pillar_n	1,970	5	10.4442	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61101	A Protestants account of his orthodox holding in matters of religion at this present in difference in the church, and for his own and others better confirmation or rectification in the points treated on : humbly submitted to the censure of the Church of England.	Spelman, Henry, Sir, 1564?-1641.; Spelman, John, Sir, 1594-1643.	1642 (1642)	Wing S4940; ESTC R12772	24,078	35

A Protestants Account OF HIS Orthodox Holding In Matters of Religion at this present In difference in the CHURCH And For his own and others better confirmation or rectification in the points treated on Humbly submitted to the censure of the Church of England Printed Anno Dom. 1642. Good Reader THE dissentions in our Church about matters of Religion being so great as that there is scarce any thing in practice so well established but is by some or other called in question and the distempers of the State being such as not any man scarcely knows where to make addresse for resolution I do here as I hold it my duty make a publique presentment and submission of the judgement that upon calling my understanding to an account I have been able to make in these matters to the pious censure of our Mother the Church of England to the end that from her sincere admonishment both thou and I may receive as the case shall require either approbation or rectification in our judgements which I heartily wishing rest Thine in all faithfull affections J. S. A Protestants Account of his Orthodox holding in matters of RELIGION WHen in all Controversies about matter of Religion the dictate of the Word of God is principally to be attended and the certainty of that dictate depends upon the assurance of the true sense and interpretation of the Scripture It is necessary that in the first place we have consideration of the assurance one may have of the true and genuine sense thereof For though without controversie the Scripture be a Rule of the highest most absolute and most sacred Authority that may be and such as wheresoever it extends to give Rule bindes and regulates all humane Laws and Constitutions from what authority soever derived and though in many things as namely in the Fundamentalls of Religion in matters of necessary faith and in the expresse Commands of God the truths thereof are so manifest and of so assured receipt as that no authority no not of an Angel from Heaven is to be received to the contrary but every one must of his own illumination embrace and hold them yet are there other truths which may so easily admit dispute as that without the awe of some authorized Moderator men of perverse affections would inevitably subvert the peace of the Church with their infinite dissentions about them It is true that to the great calamities of the Church there is much dissention made about the Morator or Interpreter of the Scripture but that is not so much through error of Judgement as obstinacy of parties among whom the two most adverse and dangerous parties are neither of them so blamelesse but that they are culpable of detracting from the authority of the Scripture by authorizing unwarrantable interpretation of it It is true that in the first place the Church of Rome is the great subverter of the Scripture by assuming to her self the person of the whole Church Catholique and by vertue thereof to have infallibility of judgement in interpretation of Scripture for whilst she as Judge arrogates to her self infallibility she makes that there is no more regard to be had what the Text is than there is heed to be taken what was the Warrant that the holy Ghost had for those things which he hath at any time delivered for he that is infallible pronounces of his own authority and can no more depend or be restrayned to any originall out of himself than infinitenesse can be restrayned to a finite thing or God himself unto a creature wherefore there can be no extrneall Judge of Scripture of infallible authority for that of necessity annulls the Scripture and makes it no other than a dead Letter But in the second place they also destroy the Authority of Scripture who when in word and outward profession they magnifie it above all things do then by subjecting it indifferently to the judgement of every one that takes upon him to interpret it trample under foot the honour that they gave unto it for as infallibility of the Interpreter takes away the Scripture from the hearer so incertainty in the Interpreter takes away the hearer from the Scripture for how can one hear when he may either doubt the judgement or fidelity of the Interpreter or when as it often happens the Interpreters that are authorized one as much as another do make a diverse perhaps an adverse delivery of the Scripture As in the Romish errour the Scripture is made a dead letter so in this it is made a Trumpet of incertain sound which none can with safety hear and receive unlesse you will suppose some hearer also infallible To say truth as in the question whether one God or many it was truely said Dicite plure● dicite null●s so in the Interpreters of Gods Word whereof none can be authentique but with whom the Spirit of God is warrantably to be presumed if in equall degree and authority we make many we make as good as none at all We must therefore finde an especiall Interpreter and that of such potiority of judgement before all others as that we may safely confide therein and yet so confide as that we may not detract ought from the Authority of the Scripture by ascribing infallibility to the Interpreter We are taught negatively That no Prophesie of the Scripture is of private Interpretation We are also told That the Church is the ground and pillar of the truth And we are warned not to adhere to the doctrines of particular men be they never so eminent and famous in the Congregation but to weigh their Doctrines delivered as the Word of God and to see if they have alwayes been so understood and received by the Church for if we finde not authority of our own Church at least for them we are then but cautiously to receive them but if we finde the judgement of the Church Catholique against them we are altogether then to reject them for when the promises of the holy Ghosts assistance were made not to single disciples nor to some in particular but indefinitely to the universality of them I am with you unto the end He that heareth you heareth me He the Spirit of Truth will guide you into all Truth that is not some nor every one of you but generally the Body of you We cannot receive Doctrines with any confident assurance but from the concurrent Judgement of all the Pastors of the whole Church Universall to whom the promise of assistance is properly and in the first place made or in defect thereof from the concurrent Judgement of the Pastors of our particular Church which as to her own Members is to be received as the Judgement of the whole till the Judgement of the whole appeareth to the contrary For as the spirits of the particular Prophets in every Church ought to be heard and received of all the Members thereof untill it appear that their particular spirits and Doctrines recede