Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A91481
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David restored. Or An antidote against the prosperity of the vvicked and the afflictions of the iust, shewing the different ends of both. In a most seasonable discourse upon the seventy third Psalme, / by the right Reverend father in God Edward Parry late L. Bishop of Killaloe. Opus posthumum.
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Parry, Edward, d. 1650.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing P556; Thomason E1812_1; Thomason E1812_2; ESTC R209776
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187,261
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357
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Calvin got honour for the prosecution Light shakes of darknesse without violence or tumult careful Doctrine discreet reproof and sound instruction in righteousnesse is the onely way to cleare up the errors of the mind and therefore it becomes Christians to take this more sober and rational course and in Meeknesse to instruct those that oppose themselues 2 Tim. 2.25 Christ took no other way but this to his Disciples Luk. 24.45 then to open their understandings and towards the whole World he who with a word could have commanded Legions of Angels to prosecute a conversion yet rather sends to teach Math. 28.19 To open mens eyes Act. 26. And for the accomplishment of this worke hath left behinde him his holy word sufficiently profitable for Doctrine 2 Tim. 3.16 By which alone the Church was founded the World converted Idolatry expelled Heresies overthrowne and when a Reformation was wrought it was not the confederate swords but this word did it with the preaching of those who with evidence of truth recommended themselves openly to the consciences and understandings of Men. From hence secondly we may gather that in case of doubts and Temptations thereupon 2. Vse it will concerne us to provide for our understanding and to minde cheifly the satisfaction thereof with principles of truth Men too commonly strive to put of their doubts by their owne devised phansies as that other men are of their opinions or by running to some Worldly diversion and to shake of their doubts by recreations but this will scarce do it He that is Hungry do's not send for a Painter that his curious peeces may delight his eye nor a Musitian to ravish his eare nor for a perfumer to gratify his nose nor for others that are full nothing in this case will content but somewhat to breake his appetite And in cases of doubt all other means are vaine unless the understanding be satisfied and the Judgement setled Then a calme began to cover the Prophets soul when he could say then I understood This is the ground of the Apostles earnest prayer Ephes 1. vers 17 18. That God would give them the Spirit of wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of him that the eyes of their understanding being enlightned they might know c. For this reason Prophecying is preferred before speaking with tongues The understanding being more edified in the one then in the other 1 Cor. 14.2 3 4. And the Apostle assures us that he had rather speak five words with his understanding that he might teach others then ten thousand words in an unknown Tongue v. 19. And they who deliver Gods will and instruct others in a clear doctrinal Method may well hope for an happy a very comfortable returne For the understanding once satisfied and the judgement once convinc't The will and affections will more easily come in and be more readily wrought upon and made pliant God a clearer of doubts The subject which received satisfaction the Prophets understanding thus discours't of the Author of this content even God is the next thing to be reflected on I went into the Sanctuary of God there he received it Though our Reason and invention may be at a losse yet is not the matter desperate for God can supply our failings and manifest as his power in our weaknesse so his wisdome in our ignorance He is the Father of lights the fountaine of wisdome the giver of understanding His Spirit searches all things and reveals that which none of the worldly Princes could reach unto 1 Cor. 2.8 David still makes recourse to him for understanding and to be taught in the way Psal 119. Although this may seem extraordinary and peculiar to those persons and times wherein Holy men spake as they were inspired yet we may remember that it is a promise though supernaturally yet ordinarily fulfilled in the covenant of grace Joh. 6.45 They shall be all taught of God Heb. 8.10 11. And the Apostle assures us Tit. 2.11 That the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us c. Though men may highly under-value these Moderne times as degenerating from the primitive yet the promise still remaines in force and capable of a performance we may hope and expect to be taught of God and to be resolved in those necessary doubts which may concerne us to be satisfied in though this withall may be added that since notwithstanding Christs open instruction of men we finde so many shamefully erring and deceived It may be concluded That there are some qualifications and conditions whereupon this is vouchsafed unto men That they are taught of God Things make men capable of being taught by God 1. Ingenuous honesty and love of truth Wherein for the present I shall but touch some of those which made the Prophet capable The 1. was the ingenuity and open honesty of his heart which free acceptable temper it concernes those to look after who would be true receivers of truth There will be but a small increase in a stony or a thorny ground whilst an honest heart bears fruit in an happy plentifull returne Math. 13.23 Which honesty of heart two things may make discernable in us 1. When we love truth for it self and would not willingly imbrace an error They who take pleasure in unrighteousnesse and love not the truth are very subject to strong delusions to believe a lye 2 Thess 2.11 Whereas he that entertaines not opinions for faction advantage for gaine or byrespects if he erre his error is more pardonable and is in a more likely capacity to have his foot taken out of the snare It being not to be presum'd but that God whose providence reaches to the ravens will not be wanting to reveale truth to an heart that loves it and abhors what is false and erroneous 2. Another testimony of an honest heart may be the not cherishing of known corruption a practical conscientious living according to those truths which the understanding hath already received Thus an honest heart Luk. 8.15 bears an opposition to that which is full of covetousnesse and a licentious love of worldly pleasures And Christ tells us Joh. 7.17 If any man do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God 2. A desire of being informed As an open ingenuity and free honesty of heart So secondly a desire to be rightly informed was very eminent in the Prophet as it ought to be in us too I desired to know this The Wise man tells us that if we apply our heart to understands And incline our eare to wisdome we shall understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God for the Lord giveth wisdom out of his mouth commeth knowledge and understanding 2 Prov. 2.2 3 4 5 6 2. A going to God 3. In this desire an honest heart hath recourse unto God I went into the sanctuary of God cries the Prophet and thus must we too in an high
when his Passion had moved him to anger he should repeate the Alphabet before he would put any thing to execution Upon this Ground Theodosius the Emperour at S. Ambros his desire enacted a Law the occasion of which was that Theodosius being highly incensed with the Citizens of Thessalonica had in his passion commanded 9000 of them to be put to the sword for which passionate cruelty S. Ambrose admits him not into the Church and upon the Emperours repentance obtained a decree that 30. dayes might be interposed betwixt the sentence of death and the execution In a word as the serious consideration of what is done oft works Repentance 2 Cor. 7 8 9. c. for if we throughly search our ways we shall easily turne unto the Lord Lamen 3.40 so preconsideration before the perfecting and accomplishment of sin is of sufficient efficacy to stifle our lust and to make it become abortive and therefore it concernes us to look before we leap not to be too hasty rash in our actings Let us make use of our reason in a due reflexion upon what we are about to doe that so that which is ill may be prevented and this is the safer way for although Thoughts after sin do oft yet they do not always prove successfull Though Esau would afterward have inherited the blessing he was rejected and found no place for repentance though he sought it carefully with teares Heb. 12.17 Judas after his betraying of his Master may sensibly cry I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent Blood yet that will but hasten his despaire to an halter To proceed to the 2d particular Though the Prophet took all this paines yet all his premeditated considerations could not afford him satisfaction he found the nut too hard for his teeth and he confesses it was too painfull for me from hence we may inferr That there is an high danger and a powerfull prevalency of the Temptation for when a man by his greatest inquiry by the strongest use of his reason and Judgement cannot answer his doubts nor unwinde himselfe out of difficulties it argues that the temptation is high and that he has a very hard taske to struggle with Here a querie may interpose it selfe Object whether this search did nor concude the Prophet excusable in these his thoughts of religion considering that having used his best indeavours to untie this knot he could not with all his skill and strength performe it and therefore these thoughts might seem to have been somewhat of necessity more then will To which Querie it may be returned Difficulty of answering objections will not excuse the conclusion against fundamentall Truth That much may seem plausibly alleadgable in this case That it is as naturall to man to follow the dictates of Reason as for beasts to be led by sence That where his Reason fails his Thoughts may do so too and his footsteps slip That things above his Reason involve him not in Guilt and Necessity may make him excuseable Yet it must be remembred that though it be necessary that offences should come Mat. 18.7 Yet there is a woe to the world because of offences and it were better for those by whom they come that they had been buried in the sea then be the unhappy cause thereof There are many who out of a contracted habit and a pernicious custom in sin cannot cease from sinning 2 Pet. 2. vers 14. Some there are who are so stained as they can no more wash off the spots then the Aethiop his blacknesse Yet this Temper is so far from excusing as that it is a provocation of greater Judgements Therefore will I scatter them as stubble Jerem. 13.23 24. Though Oportet Haereses esse be true yet neither the Broachers nor entertainers of Heresies are free from guilt I confesse much is to be granted to humane frailty and infirmities Dent veniam quilibet aliud opinantes ego magis credo tanto Apostolo in suis pro suis literis Juranti quam cuiquam doctissimo de alienis literis disputanti Aug. ad Hieron Ep. 19. p. 50. but this favourable grant must not be in errours fundamentall which strike at the head and are contrary to such truths as are to be believed under paine of separation from Christ of which kind is this Heresy which the Prophet had well nigh fallen into That Religion is vaine The Pretence of Reason's being given us by God will not excuse for our affections are equally his gift to and both the one as well as the other may be depraved and corrupt and consequently inexcusable In those cases where the strength of our reason fails us it is our duty to know That where God gives the conclusion we must hold it fast against all arguments made against it We may to this purpose observe That as Gods Laws carry in them the greatest perspicuity and plainenesse A plaine Truth revealed to be stuck to against all objections of flesh and blood so are the fundamentall principles of Religion delivered with that easy clearenesse as their sence may be understood of all as the Articles of the Creed do evince As therefore in matters of Practice we are to stick close to the cleare precept of Christ although our own feares or advantage may advise the Contrary so in matters of Faith we must hold the conclusion against all the Arguments which flesh and blood can oppose and though our Reason may seem to comply with the latter yet we must not suffer it to be convinc't but must rather deny our own Judgements then recede from Gods truth Thus in the case in hand Though the Arguments that appeared opposite surpassed the Prophets skill to answer yet should he have stedfastly in an unremoveable resolution held the conclusion That Religion hath and shall have its reward Nor is there any thing required in this but what is just 1. God is truth and what ever he delivers is so too Joh. 17.17 Thy word is truth he can neither deceive nor be deceived and therefore it is most safe to adhere to his word 2. Arguments against fundamentall truths may be reduced to these two heads either they are drawn from our not comprehending or understanding of the true reasons of that Truth or from other crosse motives and diswasions Of the former Nicodemus may be an example who entertaines the mysterious doctrine of Regeneration with a demand How can these things be Joh. 3.9 He apprehends not the mysterie therefore could not believe in this case it is mans Ignorance not Gods Truth is in fault A blind man is not excused from an untruth in denying the Sun to shine because he sees it not nor can he be free who denies the Trinity of Persons the Deity of Christ the Resurrection of the dead Truths for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly delivered and revealed because he cannot fathome the bottome understand the Reasons of them or how they can be so And therefore