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	reason_n	scripture_n	3,945	5	6.1612	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64336	The saints duty in contending for the faith delivered to them a sermon preached at Pauls church before the right honourable the Lord major, and aldermen of the city of London, July 17, 1659 / by John Templer ...	Templer, John, d. 1693.	1659 (1659)	Wing T666; ESTC R12673	26,766	48

conceive better of his intellectuals Nulla res aequabilius inter bomines distributa quam bona mens Cartes method p. 1. then the merit of them will bear It is the observation of a Philospher that nothing is more equally distributed by nature amongst men then Understanding and Reason for every man thinks he hath enough That mind which is never satiated with honour or with profit would deem it a disparagement to be thought not to have wisdom and understanding enough Upon this account 't is not expedient that any should judge in his own case when he is invested with sufficient ability to warrant the relinquishing his own and the invading anothers place This breaking our ranks hath exposed the Faith of Christ to the assaults of the enemy Let the magistrate continue in his sphear the Minister in his the private Christian in his Let Magistrates and private Christians conspire to uphold a powerful Ministry What disparagement soever men may think fit to cast upon it yet in the thoughts of him who was both God and man it was of that moment that when he ascended on high and as a Conqueror did spargere missilia distribute his bounty he made choice of it as the most excellent gift and cast it as a peculiar Testimony of favour to his own spouse Ephes 4.11 12. I having thus directed my self to all sorts do desire to leave this Exhortation with you that every one which is a Saint would remember Gods Depositum what he hath committed to his Trust that he may keep it as it was delivered in its primitive Perfection Bessarion writes of Pythagoras that when he died Lib. 1. in 〈…〉 p. 2. he left with his daughter in a large volume the whole summe of his doctrine with an injunction upon no terms to part with it She was so obsequious that although she was reduced to poverty and had a great summe of money tendred for it yet made it her choice rather to suffer the inconvenience of penury then to violate her fathers commands T is a good pattern for our imitation our heavenly Father hath delivered the doctrine of faith to all the Saints with the same injunction let us be carefull to buy the truth but sell it not And now I am come to the third particular the manner how this contention is to be managed We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to contend after the manner of the Agonists in their games and exercises and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added to denote the intension or reinforceing of their action The manner of their contending will appear from the Lawes they were regulated by to which the Apostles alludes in these words He is not crowned except he strive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lawfully 2. Tim. 2.5 Amongst their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Laws they were obliged to conform to Three I observe very applicable to my present purpose 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Theophyline in Epist 2. ad Tim. cap. 2. v. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Before the Contest they were bound to prepare themselves by a set diet and to acquire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good and full state and habit of body 2. In the Contest they had their bounds and limits on either side which they might not transgress 3. At the end of the Contest they had their judge by whom doubtfull cases were decided 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whom no appeal was lawfull These rules will declare what our deportment ought to be before in and after our contending for the faith delivered to the Saints Before the Contest we must aquire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good state and habit of mind as they did of body Three Ingredients are requisite to make up this state Information Purity and Peace The mind must be well informed Pure Peaceable Well informed of these five things 1. Of the Soveraignty of Gods will 2. The infinity of his understanding 3. Of his prescience 4. Of the order and importance of all his particular truths 5. Of the seasons when he requires we should openly contend for them 1. Of the Soveraignty of the divine Will The great Misteries of the Faith of the Gospel being acts of Will and Soveraignty having no necessary connexion with the holiness of the divine nature are with difficulty entertained None dare but own such Truths as have an immediate relation to the essential goodness of God but those which result from meer pleasure and Soveraign will are received but by few The reason is manifest his essentiall goodness hath the advantage of innate ideas within to make it known His Soveraign Will appears only from Scripture without Now these impressions being nearer then the Scripture will naturally produce a more facile assent to what complies with them Therefore he having displayed much of Soveraignty in the Gospell in imputing the sin of the first Adam the righteousness of the second in preparing effectuall grace for some in not preparing of it for others the ready way to arm the mind with resolution to appear in the asserting of such truths which have not the help of an inbred notion to commend them is frequently to meditate upon and possess our selves with deep apprehensions of this attribute 2. Of the Infinity of his Understanding Some truths too big to be confined within a created mind do cast a damp upon Zeale Every one in the midst of his pursuit is ready to stop at them as the Israelites did at Amasa Men have an aversness from contending for and giving credit to that which they are not able to comprehend Ti 's natural to desire not only to render a reason of our belief but of the thing believed by us The ready way to prepare the mind that it may be fit to engage for such truth is to ponder the nature of an immense and infinite understanding How unfit a finite being is to take a survey of it how unable to penetrate its Counsels to perceive the reason of all its Contrivances that somtimes it is the interest and glory of God to conceal a mattet to teach us who are apt to judge of Divine things by our own measure that there is an understanding far more excellent then ours that he steers by One propounds this Question Despagne upon the Creed why sometimes in scripture Man seems to reason better then God he instances in the story of Abimelech Gen. 20. He him-himselfe is threatned with death his wife and women-servants struck with barrenness his whole family afflicted In his own Justification he pleads the innocence of his family the integrity of his heart which God himselfe acknowledged if man might judge Abimelech seemes to have the better The reason is obvious we being men easily understand his reasons who was but a man of a finite extraction but we do not so easily comprehend the reasons of God who is infinite This is that which gives so great an advantage to the

indifferent what outward worship they had so the purity of the heart was preserved Grotius such were those among the Corinthians who made no scruple to sit down in the Idol-Temples This is believed to be the reason of Johns Admonition Little Children keep your selves from Idols The Tempter knows if all external worship the solemn appointments of God in which he hath obliged himself to make conveyance of his Truth be taken away or made indifferent he can with the greater facility impregnate the mind with apprehensions repugnant to the faith of Christ Lest these designs prove abortive he attemps the corrupting of the Christian Faith by a prophane mixture of Paganism Simon Magus and his Adherents were his principal Instruments in this design This seems to be the reason of the Apostles caveat Col. 2.8 Beware lest any spoil you through Philosophy Philosophy here signifies the Doctrine of the Pagan Religion which some endeavoured to incorporate into the Christian Faith Such mixtures have always been attempted by Satan if he cannot pul down the Ordinances he will indeavour to imploy such in the dispensing of them as shall intermingle their own erroneous Conceits if he cannot remove the golden Candlesticks he will infuse what dross he may into them He indeavours to make such a potion as the Jews once offered to Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gentiles wine mixt with the Christians Myrrhe which hath a Narcotick vertue and in time will extinguish all the sense of Religion If we had no other Argument but this the frequent attempts of Satan to destroy the Christian Faith it would give in a sufficiency of Light to evidence the value of it What Tertullian says in his Apology of Nero Qui scit illum intelligere potest non nisi grande aliquod bonum a Nerene damnatum may be well applyed to the Devil he that knows his nature may understand that it is a very great good which is persecuted and condemned by him 3. From the Resolution of the Saints to defend it All the Devices which the Understanding could frame were used to compell them to renounce their Faith The Heathens set their own wits upon the wrack to invent tortures for them Filesaci select tom 1. p. 44. Prudentius in hymno Cyptiani witness the Candida Massa at Carthage a deep pit filled with lime into which great numbers were cast head-long Vlpian wrote seven Books to shew the several punishments which ought to be inslicted upon Christians They were condemned to the fire to the Cross to the Mines incredible numbers suffered every day Jerome writes that there is not a day in the year to which the number of 5000. cannot be ascribed What effect did all this produce not any affrightment to the survivers The cuting off of these branches made the Vineyard to grow the faster They like the plant upon Olympus did flourish in the midst of burning Flames They were daily increased the love of their Saviour made them to forget their own safety This firmness and constancy to the Faith which by the Apostle is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Pet. 3.17 a stedfastness peculiar to a Christian was so well known to the Heathens that with Galen it was grown a Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he would express an impossible thing A man may as soon unteach Christians what they have learnt of Christ Austin relates when the Oracle was consulted by one how he might convert his wife from the Christian faith that the answer was he might as soon engrave letters on a swift stream or fly in the ayr as bring his desires to pass This resolution of their's is a fit pattern for our imitation Before I proceed I must remove a scruple Quest Must we contend for every branch and parcle of faith as for foundation truths they are worthy of Zeale but as for others which are not of indispensable necessity to eternal life we are apt to pronounce the expence of our thoughts and indeavors about them vain and superfluous Answ Amongst those truths which belong to the superstruction some are neerer the foundation some are more remote every truth calls for a measure of vigour and zeale sutable to its situation and nature and every errour a proportionable opposition For 1. The least slip in any article of faith portends danger to the whole if a man be at the top of a house where he is most remote from the foundation in case his foot slip 't is very doubtful whether he will stop till he comes to the bottom If a man lets his hold go in any part of the doctrine of Christ 't is very uncertain where he will stay a little errour imbases the mind Effecit poto Mithridates saepe veneno Toxica ne possent sava nocere sibi and by a hurtfull influence prepares it for the reception of a greater The King of Pontus by taking at first weaker poysons wrought himselfe by degrees into such a constitution that he could concoct the strongest 2. Though the being of a Christian depends upon his holding the foundation yet the well being and comfort of his life lies in the superstruction Though a house may have a sure foundation yet if there be an errour in the superstruction if it be not contrived into convenient roomes fit for habitation the Inhabitant will be deprived of the comfort of his life 3. It is an argument of a selfish spirit to contend only for such truth as is of absolute necessity to its own salvation T is a sign it is moved by a private interest of its own and not by the publick interest of heaven Was there no reward at all yet the owning of truth none of the least stars in the bright constellation of divine perfections in every tittle and apex would be a piece of that homage we owe to God These arguments speak our duty to contend for every branch of Faith whether it belong to the foundation or that which is built upon it Although I would not contend so much for the slate of a house as for the foundation stone yet both are worthy the contending for if the foundation be taken away the house must presently fall but if the slate which use to defend it against the importunity of the weather it may in time fall and the foundation it self perish Having thus opened the duty and the reasons of it I shall in the next place before I proceed to the Third particular look back a little and make some inference from what has been spoken 1. Observe it is Faith we are to contend for a matter of pure revelation the eternal wisdom of God disclosed a Doctrine given from heaven The heathen could tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 More then a superficiall regard is to be had to the Illustrious gifts of the gods The faith of Christ is one of the Choicest gifts of heaven life and immortality are brought to light by it the way