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	faith_n	revelation_n	2,202	5	9.5251	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26946	The judgment of non-conformists of the interest of reason in matters of religion in which it is proved against make-bates, that both conformists, and non-conformists, and all parties of true Protestants are herein really agreed, though unskilful speakers differ in words.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1676 (1676)	Wing B1293; ESTC R1374	14,946	24

the great and hourly Work of Prudent Reason and of exceeding great use to our daily innocency and peace 24. The more the Understanding of a Christian discerneth the Evidences and true Reasons of all things in Religion the far greater advantage his Will hath for the Love of it and fixed Resolution never to forsake it and for seriousness and constancie in a holy self-denying Life and for patience in sufferings and joyful hopes of Heavenly Glory for Grace worketh on Man as Man that is as a Rational free Agent whose Will must be guided by the light of his Understanding And he must needs be the lowest and loosest Christian that hath least Knowledge and Intellectual apprehension explicite or implicite why he is a Christian 25. It is a great cause of the slight superficial Religion and weakness of all Grace which abounds among us that too many taking the Essentials of their Religion too much on the trust of those that educate them or with whom they live do labour only to build upward on such an ill-laid Foundation when as Trees grow downward in the Roots as well as upward they should be all their days still growing downward in the confirmation of their Faith and in the clearer and more orderly discerning of their Fundamentals and the Evidences of them It being an increased sight of Evidence of Truth intensively and extensively in depth and clearness of perception as well as material Evidences which is indeed the true increase of Knowledge and Belief And the ablest Christians should be not questioning but as long as they live growing clearer and stronger in the Knowledge of God the Immortality of the Soul and reality of the future Life and Misteries of Redemption and Sanctification where holy Reason will find the most necessary great and fruitful Work 26. Objective Religion being the thing which Reason must discern it is as vain to ask whether Religion or Reason should be preferred as to ask whether we should in seeing preferr the Eye or the Light or the material Objects which must all Concur to make one Act And they that ask Whether Reason and Religion be contray must know 1. That the Faculty of Reason as such is no more contrary to Religion than the visive Faculty to the Light or Object 2. That so far as Reason hath any pravity in Disposition or Act privative or positive ignorance or errour in the matters of Religion so far it is contrary to Religion 3. That so far as Reason is sound in Act and Habit it is agreeable to Religion 4. Therefore the worse any Mans Understanding is the more it is against Religion And not only the Learnedst and Wisest but also the Holiest and best having but an imperfect Illumination in this Life hath still some remnants in him of that which is contrary to Religion and every Man so far as his blindness and pravity is yet uncured 5. But as to the Objective parts themselves it is said before that none of them are contrary The Common Principles or Notices of Nature have nothing contrary to them in the Scripture There is nothing in the Doctrine of the Trinity Incarnation or Resurrection contrary to any Natural Verity nor any thing which true illuminated Reason by true Divine Revelation cannot prove 27. The blessed in Glory whose Intellects are perfected will see for ever such Reasons for all the parts of Religion even the Trinity Incarnation and Resurrection as will delight them everlastingly as seeing the admirable Harmony of all the sacred Truths and Works of God and the transcendant Wisdome of God manifested in all And Christ who is now both essentially in himself and o●jectively to Believers the Wisdome of God will as such be admired by Believers as he is now by Principalities and Powers in Heavenly places who know the manifold Wisdome of God by the Church Eph. 3.9 10. Even that Misterious Wisdome of God which seemeth Foolishness to the Worldly Wisdome of foolish Men 1. Cor. 1 2. And must be spiritually discerned 28. As the Devils believe and tremble so it is probable that the Judge of all the World will convince the wicked and Infidels at last that it was a Reasonable Gospel which they rejected and a Reasonable Faith and Service which God required of them and that they lived against Reason in their unbelief and sinning against God For the Spirit doth reprove the World of sin because they believed not in Christ John 16.8 And he that will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and will punish them with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the Glory of his Power and will come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe in that day even because they believed 2. Thes 1.9 10. Will sure convince Men that Faith was a reasonable and Infidelity an unreasonable thing In all these particulars we have reason to believe that not only Conformists and Non-conformists but all true Protestants are agreed And they agree in the Renunciation of these contrary Opinions though we cannot say that any Man living is so perfect as to hold nothing that hath some remote Contrariety to the Truths which he doth profess not discerning the Contrariety I. They all reject the Infidels Opinions who think that the Misteries of Christianity and the Gospel are not to be believed at least as certain because Reason without supernatural Revelation cannot know them or who hold that the Gospel hath no Evidence of certain truth II. They all reject their error who take some part of Gods supernatural Revelation to be false and will judge what is true and what is false by the Conjectures of their Reason which ought to see the Truth and Concord of all And that supposing falsly a Contradiction do set up one part of Gods own Word against the rest III. They all reject their error who will not believe the difficulties of Faith upon the Reason or Proof of Gods Veracity and Revelation unless the thing revealed be evident in it self and may be proved by Natural Proof alone IV. They reject the proud conceits of those who when they find passages in Gods Word which they cannot reconcile or think not probable are readier to accuse or suspect Gods Word than their dark and erring understandings V. We all reject their impudent errour who feign Miracles where there was none or put false Constructions on the Text yea on the Articles of Faith and charge their own errours by misunderstanding on Gods Word even when those errours are contrary to the common Notices of Nature or the greatest clearest and most evident Doctrines and then tell Men that they must either deny those great Doctrines as cross to Gods Word or else that both must be believed as of God even the Canon Verities and these Mens inconsistent errours And we reject their Method that will try many plain great

certain truths and Texts by such as are more rare and more obscure and of smaller moment Much more their scandalous abuses who perswade Men that we can be no surer of the truth of Christianity it self than we are of every Lection Translation or Exposition when they are doubtful various or contrary And who tempt Men to Infidelity by obtruding their own Forgeries and Contradictions to be believed as the Word of God and of equal Verity with the essentials of our Faith VI. We all reject their errour who make every Circumstance of Religion unlawful which hath not a particular Command in Scripture as if Reason might not regulate such by the General Command As if Reason might not without express particular Precept choose a Text Method Words and Notes for remembrance in Preaching or might not Translate the Scriptures or turn the Psalms into Metre and put Tunes on each and many such things VII We all reject the Fanatick or Enhusiastical Opinion of them that pretend a necessity of immediate inspiration instead of Scriptures to teach Men inwardly Doctrines which they never outwardly heard or more than is before revealed in the Word And who thus equal their Revelations to those of the Apostles or feign this Immediate Light or Revelation to be the chief Rule to all Men of their Religion As if objectively there wereas many Religions in the World as there are Men of different degrees of Light within that is as there are Men. And that pretend that none are farther bound to believe the Gospel than they either see Miracles themselves to confirm it or else have this immediate Inspiration before described to attest it VIII We all agree in rejecting the fore-described Papal Fanatiticisme which maketh the Pope and Council though ne're so ignorant or erroneous to be secured of the gift of Infallibility as if it were by Miracle in judging of that which their Reasons are unmeet for and they do not understand especially their foresaid feigned World of Miracles by the sottishest Priests in Transubstantiation And especially their persecuting all that are not as unreasonable renouncers of common Sense and Reason and deposing Temporal Lords that will not exterminate them And their requiring all Christians to resolve their Faith into the Authority of this Fanatick Church as being bound to take that and only that for the Articles of their Faith and Word of God which they assert to be so and as needing no other Proof than the Pope and his Councils assertion And on whose Authority then doth the Pope and Council themselves believe it IX All Protestants disclaim that inhumane atheistical assertion that in Religion Inferiours must believe all that their Superiours assert and do all that they shall command and avoid all that they shall forbid them without using their own Reason to discern judicio privato whether it be agreeable or contrary to the Laws of God As if all Subjects must be of the Soveraigns Religion be it Heathen Mahometan Jewish or Christian Popish Socinian or what ever Or as if Man were above God from whom he receiveth all his power and might Command Men to blaspheme him or sin against him or forbid all to confess and worship him and God must ask Men leave whether he shall be God or be obeyed or worshipped And as if it were in the Rulers power whether any of the Subjects shall be Religious or be saved or as if Subjects were not reasonable Creatures or could obey without the use of Reason discerning whom and how far to obey If they have not a judicium discretionis how shall they know their King whom they must obey honour and protect from an Usurper or Traytor whom they must disown and oppose X. And we hope all true Protestants are agrreed against that impious Opinion that if an Inferiour be uncertain or doubtful whether the matter be Lawful or Sinful he must do it if his Governour Command it and forbear it if his Governour forbid it because an uncertainty must give place to a certainty and we are certain that the Ruler is to be obeyed but not that the thing forbidden is duty nor that the thing commanded is sin 1. For we suppose all agreed that it must go with a caeteris paribus 2. And that we are certain that no Ruler can oblige us to sin and therefore we are not certain that he is to be obeyed where we fear upon good reason that it is sin which he Commandeth For if I am justly fearful that it is sin that is Commanded I must be fearful that it is sin to obey by sinning And to be certain that I should obey and fearful that I sin in obeying are contradictory 3. And we doubt not but all Protestants are agreed that if all the Subjects or any can but be ignorant enough as to be uncertain whether there be a God a Christ or a Life to come or that it is a duty to relieve the Poor c. it will not therefore by any Mans prohibition cease to be all their duty to love or obey God or worship him or to relieve the Poor Or if Men be so sottish as to be uncertain whether Blasphemies Idolatry Persecution Murder Adultery Perjury c. be sins we all agree that no Mans Command can make it the duty of those uncertain Persons to commit them nor make them to be no sin whatever any Man of violence may say to the contrary in passion We conclude upon this Induction that till some omitted instance be produced this Enumeration of our Agreements will prove that not only Conformists and Non-conformists but all true Protestants are agreed really of the Interest and use of Reason in matters of Faith or of Religion Consectaries I. HEnce we see then that Divines have great cause to take heed of setting Christians together by the Ears by feigned differences where there are none and so destroying Love and Concord and tempting the ignorant to hate and falsly accuse their Brethren to the trouble of the Church and the hazard of their Salvation And therefore that while Men have not attained a through acquaintance with the matter and in discussing ambiguities of Speech and distinguishing Verbal Controversies from real if they forbear not their Censures and publique Controversies till they attain a more ripe distinct understanding they may greatly serve Satan while they think that they are serving Christ And how little the Church is beholden to those Men that either through factious worldly designs or ignorant Zeal against error have made the World believe by Pulpit invectives and voluminous Controversies that Christians differ really when it is but verbally experience might have satisfied us long ere this II. Those that have been guilty of such feigning of difficulties and wronging the Church should make repairation by open repentance and all Christians should study the difference between matter and expressive art and words and be desirous and skilful for the narrowing of differences as others are in widening them We are not in Love with the Spirit and Practise of Incendiaries Love-killers or Dividers We find too many contending in this case as if they thought the difference real but not any Party against another many Conformists as well as Non-conformists being jealous of giving too much to humane Reason But we suppose we have fully proved a real Concord among us all though unskilful word-warriours discern it not If any will be a dissenter he must be a stragler from all the Protestant Churches His Majesty in his Declaration of Ecclesiastical Affairs expressed his displeasure of such as pretended that the Church-doctrine needed reformation as if in Doctrine we were not agreed Seeing we all Subscribe the same Scripture and Articles of Religion and all agree in the twenty eight Conclusions and ten Rejections before express'd if any yet proceed in their Accusations we desire them for our Conviction to state the Case in which they suppose the difference is and prove their Charge and to remember what it is to strive about words and what have been and yet are the effects and that the Wisdome from above is first pure then peaceable and without partiallity and hypocrisie and that the Fruit of Righteousness is sown in peace and that blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the Kingdom of God We whose Names are Subscribed not undertaking that no Individual Person is otherwise minded do our selves believe the real Concord of Protestants as it is here expressed Th. Manton W. Bates Tho. Case Gabriel Sangar Rich. Baxter Math. Pemberton Mat. Silvester Henry Hurst Roger Morice Edw. Lawrence Benjam Agas James Bedford Sam. Fairclough John Turner Joseph Read ERRATA PAge 5. line last for distance read difference P. 5. l. penult for theirs r. Men. P. 6. l. penult for neer r. neerer P. 6. l. 23. for Impulses r. Impresses l. 13. r. Impress P. 11. l. 26. for to r. of P. 12. l. 5. for be r. was FINIS