Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	divine_a	revelation_n	2,369	5	9.5965	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67621	The natural fanatick, or, Reason consider'd in its extravagancy in religion and (in some late treatises) usurping the authority of the Church and councils by John Warly ...	Warly, John, d. 1679.	1676 (1676)	Wing W876; ESTC R15139	52,674	234

of a visible Church at any time since it was founded if not the being of any truly so called For that principle which obligeth a man to believe that all Councils have been fallible will never put him out of doubt whether the profession of the Church at any time was agreeable to the truth of Religion For seeing the Reasoners rule admits of nothing as certain further than it is knowable by some faculty of the Soul independent form Divine assistance it is impossible that he can have any more than conjectural knowledg Reason being not able to inform him of a Criterion of a true Church by its own evidence but by Revelation which says the true faith shall not fail Now that this true faith is in a doubtful case must be determin'd by those who have power from God to make a certain discovery of it That which is said is so agreeable to the Apostolical rule no Scripture is of private interpretation which must be confest by the Reasoner though there was no Sacred Authority to confirm that Canon that it is only necessary that objections are remov'd The first of which may be this that by the delivery of Reason in private persons to be determin'd by that which prevails in a multitude is to make or set up a Rational Papacy For as each Member of the Roman Church is no further esteem'd Orthodox than he delivers up his private reason either to the Pope alone or as he is in juncto with a general Council which is said to have such power to determine infallibly though the interpretation make Scripture to be no Scripture So every Christian is to be esteem'd Orthodox or Haeretical according to the sense of the Council which hath power to interpret and make his reason to be no reason No such conclusion can follow and if it did it would not break the force of the arguments which confirm the former positions For suppose the Definitions of Councils as conclusions which Reason draws from the premises nor as none can be so rash as to say Reason makes the conclusion true which was so before only it could not commend it to the will and understanding as an object of natural faith till the two propositions were brought as witnesses of the truth of the conclusion or that Logick creates truth but only assists the invention in its search for it so by the same reason none may say that Councils make Articles of true Religion though they are the means of their discovery But let this objection be consider'd as it relates to Papal Decretals The name Pope will never affright the sober man out of that reverence which is due to just Authority Councils and holy Synods or if it be found to be so in a single person For if it could be prov'd as some have affirm'd that the Pope was and is the Church Virtual it would be beyond dispute that infallibility did at some time since Christian Religion was in the World sit in the Chair or at least may do when fundamental controversies arise which threaten the Churches ruine without the imputation of making Scripture to be no Scripture by his Authority It may be safely said by any Christian that he would not give assent to several Doctrines which are urg'd as matters of faith necessarily to be believ'd for the attaining Salvation did not the Church declare them to be so yet the same person on the same principle is not oblig'd to think that which is so defin'd by the Church is made true by its definition Hitherto I have us'd this comparison which makes the determinations of Councils as conclusions of a Syllogism made by the Heads of the World to illustrate the answer to an objection but it being so apposit to another design it shall be us'd to shew that the Reasoner in a Council is not capable of making a Syllogism from mere natural Topicks to demonstrate the truth of that which is debated This will appear to be true from the consideration of the Structure of a Syllogism which leads us to the knowledg of a proposition which was less known by others which are more evident and easie to be understood For the medium which is an ingredient of both propositions is as clear and as certain as a common notion and the truth of the conclusion depends on it which if mistaken makes the Syllogism a fallacy Suppose therefore the Members of a Council as so many Scholasticks arguing they have no such common notions as Philosophers have by which as media they can draw conclusions Although it must be confest that the understanding by its own evidence can judg of the truth of some propositions viz. It is impossible God can do any act which implyes a contradiction c. Yet Divine Revelation is the medium by which truth in propositions which are more obscure is determined Hence it sollows that the Sanctions and Definitions of Councils must be said to be Hypothetically pronounc'd true as this saying is viz. If the Moon is Eclipsed the Earth interposeth it self between it and the Sun Not unlike this is the way of arguing in a Council which proves Christ's humanity from his Passion for if he suffereth humane nature did interpose it self else he could not suffer Now as none will say there is and always was anecessity not in the nature of the Moon but in the manner of its motion that it must be Eclipsed at some times for to say so is to confine the Almighty's wisdom to one System and to take away the possibility of the Worlds being in such a frame in which neither Sun or Moon might be Eclipsed but when it is seen to be so it is evident that the Earths interposition is the cause of that seeming defect So a Council cannot conclude the necessity of Christs being Man but Hypothetically For the Divine decrees which reason cannot know but by Revelation are as the condition or antecedent which makes Christ's humanity necessary Let not this assertion seem strange since it is impossible but that reason must be defective as it appears from the former instance as also from this consideration that the mere Reasoner cannot conclude the necessity of Christs incarnation and will be more at a loss in other mysterious matters of faith The definitions and conclusions of Councils thus hypothetically drawn are not less certain because they are such seeing the Antecedents of their propositions are matters of fact contain'd in holy Scriptures and those who discourse have Divine assistance in discerning the connexion and inferring the consequences Now the connexion and sequel is true because of the Divine direction as is already prov'd and the Antecedent viz. matters of fact is so as it appears from the miracles which confirm'd their truth which were such as reason might discern to be Divine for Reason may be allow'd a Judg in this case though not in all doubts which come under debate in a Council The reason of which is this

also consider'd if the will and understanding are the Elements of Faith that an Ethnic laying aside the Divine Testimony and retiring to his reason would be more confirm'd in his perswasion As a Chymist asserts his principles and practical knowledge above that which Theory teacheth whilst he Analyses or dissolves a body by which he makes sense a witness of his reason and gives evidence of the truth by both or as the Mathematical knowledge challenges greater certainty than that in other Sciences which taking a Scheme asunder by demonstration and rebuilding it on the same principles confidently and justly calls it true but the success is different in Religious cases as in some curious contexture which is defective by its too fine threads and not far remov'd from nothing when most tenderly unwoven To this another consideration may be added how it can be imagined that the Heathens should be ignorant of the contents of Religion at least so far as practical seeing Reason is allow'd a Judge naturally qualified for decision of Religious controversies and consequently able to comprehend matters of Faith and in capacity to frame Religious precepts or notions without any assistance from without but only furnisht with its own innate faculty For that as well as he who is set up as judge in all controversies must be supposed to understand the whole Law though particular cases determine the sentence to some parts of it Let this be illustrated by that fam'd instance of a Theorem revealed to Pythagoras by a Daemon which although acknowledged to be borrowed from Revelation yet the principles by which judgment was past on it were not derived from that kind Spirit and it may be though possible that the Sophy might have made the discovery without that Monitor and himself proclaim the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This instance apply'd to the present case will force the Reasoner to confess that it was possible that the Ethnic might have luckily discover'd the matter which Religion proposes to be believ'd by his own saculties following their natural conduct which cannot be granted If it is objected that a great part of Religion is to be found in Heathens writings It may find an answer from this consideration that no arguments taken from Pagans Books for the proof of the truth of Religion can be said to prevail otherwise than by being probable and perswasive and they borrowing their force from Christian Interpretations and those which have influence on practice notwithstanding the seeming affinity between Reason and Religion are like Towers or Buildings which at a great distance seem contiguous which the eye by a nearer approach finds remov'd from their fallacious neighborhood That which is said may find another check from the Reasoner's fundamental position which concludes that it is a sufficient assistance to reason in act of faith if the object be brought nigher by Revelation which if true he may impute Heathenish ignorance in matters of Religion to no other cause but the want of holy Scriptures and retort the force of the former considerations by proposal of this question whether it is possible that the curious and secret Mechanism of nature in Animals and other Bodies could be discern'd without a Microscope which being deny'd may make it applicable to the former case Revelation being as necessary for the begetting of faith in the Heathen as a Glass for discerning the small parts of matter This must not be deny'd but if by Revelation the bare proposal of holy Scripture is understood as sufficient to command assent this will be a necessary consequence That the true Religion was not imbrac'd or believ'd in several Ages for no other reason than the Sporades which were confusedly discern'd in the Viá lacteá were not discern'd till Galilaeus made the discovery For as a Telescope was necessary for the discerning of the one so the holy Scriptures for believing of the other the want of which cannot be thought the sole cause of infidelity the contrary being demonstrable from the practice of the Jews who must not altogether by one peremptory sentence be depriv'd of their Reason who have not and perhaps could not be reduc'd to belief though conversant with holy writings this makes way for this Disquisition Whether in the act of faith the understanding is enlightned and consequently the will determined in such manner as it cannot be by a mere natural conduct The affirmative of this may be proved according to the method of the Schools from this Topick of Gods concurse with man which alwayes leaves goodness as its effect which must be called perfection according to the meaning of the Character which was given of the whole Creation that all that was made was good viz. Every Creature perfect in its kind seeing therefore faith is the work of God on the understanding 't is past doubt that it is improv'd and the sight more perfect How it is perfected shall be declared in another disquisition in this place 't is enough if I remove prejudices which the former assertion may create by saying that the perfection which the Soul hath in the act of faith is not such as advances its nature to an Angelical degree of knowledge yet it hath more than could be the result of mere natural powers guided by their own methods Neither must this perfection be restrain'd to simple apprehensions or notions but complex which would be as Ropes of Sand without any true connexion which must be such because matters of Religion transcend reasons highest pitch which knows not how to compound its notions or thoughts so as to make true propositions as may appear from an instance in one fundamental If this question be proposed to reason whether God and Man could be in streight an union as they are in Christ's person it must remain undetermined And God and Man must stand in the proposition as Subject and Praedicate till Divine testimony comes as a Copula To prevent such misprisions this explanation may be added viz. That by the perfection attributed to the Soul in the act of faith no new faculties are to be suppos'd that could transform its nature and remove humanity to another kind However that which is said may make way for an objection if the mind is thus perfected or inlightned to discern the truth of proposition of which it must be ignorant whilest guided or inform'd by its own natural evidence and conduct all believers are Enthusiasts This is no necessary consequence of the former assertion For Enthusiasin derives not its name from the Divine concurse with the Soul in some particular acts but when it comes at times when it is not expected and out of the common course and method or when knowledge which seems extraordinary such as a man could not attain to by use of his reason and which he doth not understand when spoken Now the improvement of the pious mans knowledge which is acquir'd by regular means which Religion commands to be us'd deserves not