Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B21327
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A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting of the sons of clergy-men in the church of S. Mary le Bow on Thursday, Decemb. 2, 1686 by Henry Dove.
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Dove, Henry, 1640-1695.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing D2051
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15,981
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40
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A SERMON Preached at the Anniversary Meeting OF THE Sons of Clergy-men In the Church of S. Mary le Bow On Thursday Decemb. 2. 1686. Printed at the Desire of the Right Worshipful The Stewards of the Feast To whom it is Humbly Presented By HENRY DOVE D. D. One of his Majesties Chaplains in Ordinary Imprimatur Dec. 13. 1686. Jo. Battely LONDON Printed for Benj. Tooke at the Ship in St. Paul's Church-yard 1687. Gen. Ep. of St. Jude v. 3. That ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints IF it was needful for the Apostles to write unto the Churches and to exhort them to stedfastness and perseverance in the Faith while the Gospel was yet fresh in their memories it is certainly more necessary for us who live at this distance if we expect the same common Salvation to be instant and to urge the like Exhortations by how much the reason of their diligence and zeal is far more prevalent in our times For unless the Complaints of all sober men be groundless unless the publick Voice and our own Experience deceive us the sundry Prophecies of the last days are fulfilled in ours and the Mischiefs that did but creep in the beginning of Christianity gather strength and multiply among us upon whom the Ends of the World are come Should I read unto you this whole Epistle of St. Jude or the greatest part of the second of St. Peter which in most things agrees with this your own Observation would presently suit each Character you would point out the Persons to whom they belonged and think it not improbable that when the Spirit of God did inspire these holy men he might do it with an eye to the present Age. But being I come not hither to censure others but to confirm our selves in the true Faith and being Errour falls and disappears of it self when the Truth is set in a clear light I shall wave those black descriptions both of the Persons and their Doctrines which the Apostle has here exposed before us and shall onely use them as so many Arguments of our care and caution that if we meet with the men as 't is hard to avoid them we may notwithstanding shun their Errours that while we complain of Divisions on one hand and Corruptions on another of Ignorance in some Irreligion in others and Carelesness in most we may be sure not to contribute to the increase of either but that we labour for knowledge and a good Conscience the loss of which is enough of it self to endanger our Faith though there were none without us to oppose it and then that we study to be quiet and as much as lieth in us and if it be possible follow peace with all men for these we know are infallible Evidences of a Gospel-temper and inseparable Concomitants of a meek and sincere Christian Or if it be not possible for us to compass peace with all seeing all men have not Faith all men are not sincere let not that discourage but rather whet our diligence in doing our own undoubted duty Though it exceed our power and skill to make all men of one mind and we cannot of our selves attain unto it yet since we are sure of the mind of Christ and his Apostles let us always remember what he revealed and what they preached believing the Truth as it is in Jesus continuing in the Truth as 't is after Godliness living peaceably charitably and unblameably our selves and praying continually both for our selves and others and thus earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints The words are a plain but pathetical Exhortation to an indispensible and weighty Duty incumbent on every man that hath given up his Name to Christ that professes the true Apostolick Faith and hopes to be saved in that Profession And surely my Brethren if this be required of every Christian it will highly become us that are here assembled when we reflect on the relation wherein we stand not meerly as Professours but some as Fathers many as Dispensers and all as Sons in the common Faith to be very earnest and zealous for it that so we may at once credit our Extraction and adorn the Gospel of God our Saviour that we may walk worthy of that good Providence which attended us in our Birth and blessed us in our Baptism and manifest the efficacy of that primitive and sound Doctrine which both our Fathers and our Church have taught us That therefore I may recommend the Duty to your practice I shall observe what is proper for our instruction in the words and handle them in a method that may fairly conduce to each In order to which I shall endeavour I. To explain the meaning of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Faith. II. To consider the manner of its conveyance and the Persons that received it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delivered to the Saints III. To observe the emphasis or force of the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Faith was delivered to the Saints and that but once IV. To conclude all with the earnest Exhortation of St. Jude that upon these and some other motives I shall offer we may be effectually perswaded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to contend earnestly for it i. e. to defend it with our utmost vigour to strive together that we lose it not not with the fury of a blind misguided Zeal which produceth Confusion and every evil Work but with the Spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind and with meekness of wisdom as becometh Saints I. I need not stay to tell you that this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Faith hath as many and perhaps more significations than any single word in the whole Scriptures which are obvious and easie to every careful Reader I shall onely explain the sence of it in this place as 't is drawn from the nature of Faith. Divine Faith in general is nothing else but an assent to the Truths of God upon his own Word and Testimony let it appear that God hath declared it and there needs no other ground of our Belief And the Faith of a Christian is an assent to the same truths and upon the same grounds but as the Church of Christ now stands and must continue to the end of the World it admits of this addition as they are delivered unto us in the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets In which you may easily distinguish two things the assent of the Understanding and something credible the act of Believing and the object of Faith. Now although the Faith in the Text doth not exclude but rather suppose the former for how should we contend for that which we do not believe yet it principally denotes the latter i. e. the word of Faith the Doctrine that brings Salvation the undoubted Principles of our holy Religion contained at large in the Gospel and sum'd up in the Apostolical and Primitive Confessions