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	great_a	speak_v	2,174	5	4.1269	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33722	Liberty of conscience, asserted and vindicated by a learned country-gentleman ...	Care, George.	1689 (1689)	Wing C503; ESTC R21541	21,512	30

Here it 's like some will say That although some things are dark and hard to be understood yet other things are plain and easy namely Fundamentals I answer Many things may be evident enough to make Men obnoxious to God's Judgment which is always according to Truth and yet not make Men liable to Mens Judgment who sometimes are very apt to swim with the Stream of the Times and call every little thing Heresy and who cannot as yet agree what is fundamental and how many Fundamentals there be Some say that in the Christian Religion there is only this one viz. That Jesus is the Christ and such other things are only necessary without which this Article cannot be retained but what they are is hard to say Neither can we tell how far God will forbear Mens Mistakes about things which in themselves are damning so was Circumcision if retained as necessary even to the Jews for Paul says Gal. 5. 2 3. If ye be circumcised c. for I testify again to every one that is circumcised that he is a Debtor to the whole Law yet was this Error tolerated a great while and some judicious Men think that Paul never intended this Sentence to be so comprehensive as to anathematize universally all even weak Jews who might mistake out of Tenderness and Infirmity Add to this That many understanding and charitable Men have thought and do think that negative unbelief even of that capital Article doth not certainly exclude all the Heathens from Salvation tho 't is true they are therefore out of the way viz. the Road-way the authorized way of Salvation to say nothing that Acts 19. there were some called Disciples who did not know whether there was any holy Spirit or no which take it in what sense you will was requisite to Christian Baptism and we do see as much difficulty and there hath been as much Controversy in Articles thought fundamental as in others remoter from the Foundation and 't is certain by 2 Pet. 3. 16. that some Scriptures are hard to be understood which yet are of that moment that Mens Salvation are concerned in the right understanding of them IV. My fourth Argument shall be taken à naturâ Fidei from the Nature of Faith and the things which are revealed which are spiritual and supernatural Faith is in an eminent manner the Gift of God and the natural Man receiveth not spiritual things for they are spiritually discerned and so far transcending Mens ordinary Reason that they cannot be the matter of humane Courts for example take the great Article of the Resurrection of Christ Our Saviour's own Apostles who had conversed with him and seen all his Miracles and although he had told them before of his Resurrection yet were very slow to believe them who had seen him after he was risen and Thomas would not believe except he might see therefore these things cannot be the matter of the Magistrates Courts for who will say that a Man is to be punished for denying that which is so very hard to be believed by by a meer animal Man and much less ought a Man to be punished for believing it may be but part of a great spiritual Truth I instance in this Article because it being one of the principal Articles of our Religion my Argument holds à fortiori in matters of lesser Consequence the Truth and Virtue whereof for the most part depend upon this Article and the belief thereof which it self depended in great part upon the Testimony of faithful Men and still must be supposed harder in that respect for them who never saw nor spake with the Apostles themselves who did so testify therefore our Saviour saith Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed Thus Baptism and the Lord's Supper can signify nothing except the Resurrection of Christ be supposed true and certain and if a Man be supposed to deny the Resurrection of Christ he may be supposed to deny the use of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as wholly signifying nothing and of no use or benefit to him and much less are Men to inflict temporal Punishment upon him if he misbelieve only as to some circumstances of them Shall misbelief of Christ's Presence in the Lord's Supper be punished and unbelief of Christ's Presence in Heaven not punishable As one said wittily that the Italians would burn a Man for not believing Christ's real and Bodily Presence in the Sacrament whenas themselves did not believe him to be in Heaven It is much which Evagrius saith lib. 1. c. 15. That Synesius was desired by the Christians to accept of the Priestly Function although he did not admit the Article of the Resurrection nor would be brought to believe the same out of charitable hopes for the future that he would discern the Truth after a while Much more are Men to be suffered to enjoy their Lives and Liberties how indisposed soever they may seem to believe out of charitable hopes when as they may be very skilful to till the Ground or exercise some mechanical Trade and so be very useful to the Commonwealth and fit to live in it Education indeed tends much to make the Truth easy to be believed but it will do as much for an Error and so far as a Man believes meerly for that cause his Faith must needs be of little avail however I will not deny but that with other circumstances as divulging before such Persons in such time in such place with such Impudence and Effrontery may turn a Man's Fault into a Crime and make it reducible to an Error against natural Light possibly a Man may be justly punished for preaching the Truth as suppose to rail against Transubstantiation in a Sermon before the King of Spain or call Mahomet a damnable Impostor to the Grand Signiour's face Though the Jews are not within the design of this Treatise yet I think this Argument proves that they are to have their Liberty if they live peaceably without impudently affronting the Christians As an additional Supplement to this Argument let me add these two things 1. First That Faith is the Substance of Things hoped for the Evidence of Things not seen and God would have our Faith to contain in it these difficulties without which it would lose its real worth and value the Object whereof would not be as now it is a Touch-stone and Trial of true Grace and Godliness before God who searcheth the Heart and Reins and whose Judgment is according to Truth and to whom it is therefore fit the Judgment of Matters of Faith should be remitted 2. The other is That no Man hath been thought fit to be punished for not performing the supernatural and perfect Precepts of Christ in the most perfect way of Charity in giving and forgiving which yet is more necessary to Salvation than Faith is and therefore why should any Man be punished for not believing or believing amiss concerning the supernatural Doctrines of Christ As for that