Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	faith_n	infallible_a	3,589	5	9.5501	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30898	The possibility and necessity of the inward immediate revelation of the spirit of God towards the foundation and ground of true faith, proved in a letter write [sic] in Latine, to a person of quality in Holland; and now also put into English. By R.B.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1686 (1686)	Wing B732; ESTC R214887	15,587	34

THE POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY Of the INWARD IMMEDIATE REVELATION Of the SPIRIT of GOD Towards the Foundation and Ground of True FAITH proved in a Letter write in Latine to a Person of Quality in Holland And now also put into English By R. B. Printed in the Year 1686. ADVERTISEMENT To the READER THIS serves to inform thee that it is above seven years since this Epistle was Printed in Latine the Person to whom it was write the Heer Paets is a Man of no mean accompt both in the Learned and Politick World The Conference I had with him was lately after his return from Spain where he had been Ambassadour from the United Netherlands I discoursed with him on the same subject last year at London where he was one of the Commissioners for the Dutch Eastindian Company but could not find him propose any thing new nor what I could conceive had any weight towards a Reph what his Reasons were not to prosecute this Matter further I shall not determine But thus far he readily yeelded That he had been mistaken in his notion of the Quakers for he found they could make a Reasonable Plea for the foundation of their Religion Vpon my reading it over again I find an inclination in my self and was perswaded by some Friends to publish it in a Language more obvious to all my Countrey Men. It is a Question now frequently tossed What is the Ground and Foundation of Faith And when the matter is sifted to the bottom it resolves in Tradition or Revelation for those who lay claim to the Scripture and would make it the foundation of their Faith do resolve it but in a Tradition when the Motives of Credibility are enquired unto since the subjective Revelation which they yeeld comes but in the last place and is by themselves termed medium incognitum assentiendi And such a Revelation those of Rome will not refuse to influence them to assent to the determination of the Church So those Protestants who say the subjective operation of the Spirit influences them tho they know not how to believe the Scripture presented and conveyed to them by Tradition as the Dictats of GODS Spirit and so understand them as their Preachers interpret them differ not much or at least have not Reason to differ from the Church of Rome who say the Spirit influences them to believe the Scriptures as proposed by the Church and according as her Doctors and Councils interpret them And neither has any better foundation than Tradition And to speak the truth plainly the Faith of both resolves in the veneration they have for their Doctors But whereas the one affirms they do it by an intire Submission they think it decent to say they judge them infallible And certainly it is most reasonable that such as affirm the first believe the last The other because they pretend they believe the Church but conditionally have denyed to her infallibility tho generally they be as credulous as the other And I find the Doctors of their Church as angry to be contradicted as the other that is an ingredient goes to the Composition of all Clergy-Men since it became a Trade and went to make a part of the outward policy of the World from whence has flowed that monster Persecution In short the matter is easily driven into this narrow compass we believe either because of an outward or inward Testimony that is because it is outwardly delivered to us or inwardly revealed to us For my part I think the Papists does wisely in pleading for Infallibility for certainly the true Church never was nor can be without it And the Protestants does honestly in not claiming it because they are sensible they want it I should therefore desire the one to prove that they are infallible and advice the other to believe they may and seek after it But I am sure neither the one is nor the other cannot without immediate Divine Revelation Therefore as to deny Revelation is a bad way to prove Infallibility so to deny Infallibility is a bad way to make a Reformation since they who do reform had need to be certain they are doing so The asserting of Infallibility in the Church of ●hrist is not the errour of the Church of Rome but the pretending to it when they have it not and placing it where they should not But since those who oppose immediate Revelation do it on the accompt that they reckon it either impossible or unnecessary I hope there will be as much found in this Epistle as will 〈◊〉 the contrary I have now exceeded the limits of 〈◊〉 Advertisement but being known not to be a Man of form I hope my Reader will excuse me to whom I wish true certainty of Faith and so bid him heartily Farewell R. BARCLAY The 9. of October 87. My Friend ALBEIT I judge I did fully answer to all thy Arguments in that Conference we had concerning the necessity and possibility of Inward Immediate Revelation and of the certainty of True Faith from thence proceeding Nevertheless Because after we had made an end and were parting thou would needs remit to my further Consideration the strength of thy Argument as that in which thou supposed the very hing of the Question to lye That I might satisfie thy desire and that the Truth might more appear I did further consider of it But the more I weighed it I found it the weaker And therefore that thou thy self may make the truer Judgement of it I thought meet to send thee my further considerations thereon which I had done err now had not I both at London and elsewhere been diverted by other necessary occasions Wherein I doubt not but thou will perceive a full and distinct answer to thy Argument But if thou cannot as yet yield to the Truth or thinks mine answer in any part to be defective so that there yet remains with thee any matter of doubt or scruple I doe earnestly desire thee that as I for thy sake and out of love to the Truth have not been wanting to examine thy Argument and to transmitt to thee my Considerations thereon So thou may give thy self the trouble to write and send me what thou has further to say which my Friend N. N. who delivers thee this will at what time thou shall appoint receive from thee and transmitt to me thy Letter that at last the Truth may appear where it is And that the whole matter may the more clearly be understood it will be fit in the first place to propose thy Argument whereby thou opposes the Immediat Revelation of GOD in the Saints thence concluding thou has fully overturned the foundation of the People called Quakers Which Argument of thine is That since as thou judges the Beeing and Substance of the Christian Religion consisteth in the Knowledge of and Faith concerning the Birth Life Death Resurrection and Ascension of Christ Jesus thou consider● the substance of the Christian Religion as a contingent truth