Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	faith_n	reason_n	reveal_v	2,166	5	8.9320	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11460	Tvvo sermons the former, concerning the right use of Christian liberty, preached at S. Pauls Crosse London. May 6. The later, concerning the perswasion of conscience, preached at a metropoliticall visitation at Grantham Lincoln: Aug. 22. 1634. By Robert Saunderson chaplaine to his Maiestie.; Two sermons: the former, concerning the right use of Christian liberty. The later, concerning the perswasion of conscience	Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.	1635 (1635)	STC 21710; ESTC S116631	77,313	112

Trent-Councel and that under a curse taking it as I suppose in a wrong construction but not worthy of so heavy a censure if it be rightly understood according to the doctrine of our Church in the thirteenth Article of her Confession and according to the tenour of those Scriptures whereon that doctrine is grounded Viz. Mat. 12. 33. Rom. 8. 8. Tit. 1. 15. Heb. 11. 6. c. Howbeit I take it with ●ubjection of judgement that that Conclu●ion what truth soever it may have in it selfe hath yet no direct foundation in this Text. The Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beleeve and the Nowne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith or beleefe are both of them found sundry times in this Chapter yet seeme not to signifie in any place thereof either the Verbe the Act or the Nowne the Habit of this saving or justifying Faith of which wee now speake But being opposed every where and namely in this last verse unto doubtfulnesse of judgement concerning the lawfulnesse of some indifferent things must therefore needs be understood of such a perswasion of Judgement concerning such lawfulnesse as is opposite to such doubting Which kind of Faith may be found in a meere heathen man who never having heard the least syllable of the mystery of salvation by Christ may yet be assured out of cleare evidence of reason that many of the things hee doth are such as hee may and ought to doe And as it may be found in a meere heathen man so it may be wanting in a true beleever who stedfastly resting upon the blood of Christ for his eternall redemption may yet through the strength of temptation sway of passion or other distemper or subreption incident to humane frailty doe some particular act or acts of the lawfulnesse where of he is not sufficiently per●waded The Apostle then her● speaking of such a Faith as may be both sound in an unbeleever and also wanting in a true beleever it appeareth that by Faith hee meaneth not that justifying Faith which maketh a true beleever to differ from an unbeleever but the word must be understood in some other notion Yet thus much I may adde withall in the behalfe of those worthy men that have alleaged this Scripture for the purpose aforesaid to excuse them from the imputation of having at least wilfully handled the word of God deceitfully First that the thing it selfe being true and the words also sounding so much that way might easily induce them to conceive that to be the very meaning And common equity will not that men should be presently condemned if they shall sometimes confirme a point from a place of Scripture not altogether pertinent if yet they thinke it to be so especially so long as the substance of what they write is according to the analogy of Faith and Godlinesse Secondly that albeit these words in their most proper and immediate sence will not necessarily enforce that Conclusion yet it may seeme deducible therefrom with the helpe of some topicall arguments and by more remote inferences as some learned men have endeavoured to shew not altogether improbably And thirdly that they who interpret this Text as aforesaid are neither singular nor novel therein but walk in the same path which some of the ancient Fathers have trod before them The Rhemists themselves confesse it of S. Augustine to whom they might have added also S. Prosper and whose authority alone is enough to stop their mouthes for ever Leo Bishop of Rome who have all cited these words for the selfe-same purpose But we are content for the reasons already shewne to let it passe as a collection impertinent and that I suppose is the worst that can be made of it There is a second acception of the word Faith put either for the whole systeme of that truth which God hath been pleased to reveale to his Church in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testamēt or some part therof or else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the assent of the minde thereunto In which signification some conceiving the words of this Text to bee meant doe hence inferre a false and dangerous conclusion which yet they would obtrude upon the Christian Church as an undoubted principle of truth that a men are bound for every particular action they doe to have direction and warrant from the written word of God or else they sinne in the doing of it For say they faith must be grounded upon the word of God Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom. 10. Where there is no Word then there can be no Faith and then by the Apostles doctrine that which is done without the Word to warrant it must needes be sin for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne This is their opinion and thus they would inferre it I know not any p●ece of counterfeit doctrine that hath passed so currently in the world with so little suspition of falshood and so little open contradiction as this hath done One chiefe cause whereof I conjecture to be for that it seemeth to make very much for the honour and perfection of Gods sacred Law the fulnesse and sufficiency whereof none in the Christian Church but Papists or Atheists will deny In which respect the very questioning of it now will perhaps seeme a strange novelty to many and occasion their miscensures But as God himselfe so the holy word of God is so full of all requisite perfection that it needeth not to beg honour from an untruth Will you speake wickedly for God or talke deceitfully for him I hold it very needfull therefore both for the vindicating of my Text from a common abuse and for the arming of all my brethren as well of the Clergy as Laity against a common and plausible errour that neither they teach it nor these receive it briefely and clearely to shew that the aforesaid opinion in such sort as some have proposed it and many have understood it for it is capable of a good interpretation wherein it may be allowed first is utterly devoid of truth and secondly draweth after it many dangerous consequents and evill effects and thirdly hath no good warrant from my present Text. The Opinion is that to doe any thing at all without direction from the Scripture is unlawfull and sinfull Which if they would understand only of the substantials of Gods worship and of the exercises of Spirituall and supernaturall graces the assertion were true and sound but as they extend it to all the actions of common life whatsoever whether naturall or civill even so farre as to the taking up of a stram so it is altogether false and indefensible I marvell what warrant they that so teach have from the Scripture for that very doctrine or where they are commanded so to beleeve or teach One of their chiefest refuges is the Text we now have in hand but I shall anon drive them from

to the greatest power upon earth As the three yong men did to the great Nebuchadnezar Be it knowne unto thee O King that we will not serve thy gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up And the ancient Christians to the heathen Emperours Da veniam Imperator tu carcerem ille gehennam And the Apostles to the whole councell of the Jewes whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more then unto God judge yee Acts 4. He that will displease God to please men he is the servant of men and cannot be the servant of God But honest and conscionable men who doe not easily and often faile this way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word is Rom. 16. men that are not evill are yet apt sometimes to be so farre caryed away with an high estimation of some men as to subject themselves wholly to their judgements or wills without ever questioning the truth of any thing they teach or the lawfulnesse of any thing they enjoyne It is a dangerous thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Iude speaketh to have mens persons in admiration though they be of never so great learning wisdome or piety because the best and wisest men that are are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subject to the like infirmities as we are both of sin and error and such as may both deceive others and be themselves deceived That honor which Pythagoras his Scholars gave to their Master in resting upon his bare authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a sufficient proofe yea as a Divine Oracle many judicious even among the heathen altogether misliked as too servile and prejudiciall to that libertas philosophica that freedome of judgement which was behoveful for the study of philosophy How much more then must it needs be prejudiciall in the iudgement of Christians to that libertas Evangelica that freedome we have in Christ to give such honour to any other man but the man Christ Iesus onely or to any other writings then to those which are in truth the Oracles of God the holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament There is I confesse much reverence to be given to the writings of the godly ancient Fathers more to the Canons and decrees of generall and provinciall Councels and not a little to the judgement of learned sober and godly Divines of later and present times both in our owne and other reformed Churches But we may not jurare in verba build our faith upon them as upon a sure foundation nor pin our beleefe upon their sleeves so as to receive for an undoubted truth whatsoever they hold and to reiect as a grosse error whatsoever they disallow without farther examination S. Iohn biddeth us try the spirits before wee beleeve them 1 Iohn 4. And the Beraeans are remembred with praise for so doing Acts 17. We blame it in the schoolmen that some adhere pertinaciously to the opinions of Thomas and others as pertinaclously to the opinions of Scotus in every point wherein they differ insomuch as it were grande piacutum a heynous thing and not to be suffered if a Dominicane should dissent from Thomas or a Franciscane from Scotus though but in one single controversed conclusion And we blame it iustly for S. Paul blamed the like sidings and partakings in the Church of Corinth whilest one professed himselfe to be of Paul another of Apollo another of Cephas as a fruit of carnality unbeseeming Christians And is it not also blame worthy in us and a fruit of the same carnality if any of us shall affect to be accounted rigid Lutherans or perfect Calvinists or give up our iudgements to be wholly guided by the writings of Luther or Cnlvin or of any other mortall man whatsoever Worthy instruments they were both of them of Gods glory and such as did excellent service to the Church in their times whereof we yet finde the benefit and we are unthankfull if we do● not blesse God for it and therefore it is an unsavoury thing for any man to gird at their names whose memories ought to be precious But yet were they not men had they received the spirit in the fulnesse of it and not by measure knew they otherwise then in part or prophecyed otherwise then in part might they not in many things did they not in some things mistake and erre Howsoever the Apostles interrogatories are unanswerable what saith he was Paul crucified for you or were yee baptised in the name of Paul even so was either Luther or Calvin crucified for you or were yee baptised into the name either of Luther or Calvin or any other man that any one of you should say I am of Luther or any other I am of Calvin and I of him and I of him what is Calvin or Luther nay what is Paul or Apollo but ministers by whom ye beleeved that is to say instruments but not Lords of your beliefe To summe up and to conclude this first point then To doe God and our selves right it is necessary wee should with our utmost strength maintaine the doctrine and power of that liberty wherewith Christ hath endowed his Church without either usurping the mastery over others or subjecting our selves to their servitude so as to surrender either our judgements or consciences to be wholly disposed according to the opinions or wills of men though of never so excellent piety or parts But yet lest whiles we shun one extreme we fall into another as the Lord be mercifull unto us we are very apt to doe lest while we seeke to preserve our liberty that we doe not lose it we stretch it too far and so abuse it the Apostle therefore in the next clause of the Text putteth in a caveat for that also not using your liberty for a cloake of maliciousness● Whence ariseth our second observation Wee must so maintaine our liberty that we abuse it not as wee shall if under the pretence of Christian liberty wee either adventure the doing of some unlawfull thing or omit the performance of any requisite duty As free and no● using your liberty for a cloake of maliciousnesse The Apostles intention in the whole clause will the better appeare when wee know what is meant by Cloake and what by Maliciousnesse The Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is no where else found in the whole new Testament but in this verse onely signifieth properly any covering as the covering of badgers skins that was spred over the Tabernacle is in the Sep●uagints translation called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it is very fitly translated a cloake though it doe not properly so signifie in respect of that notion wherein the word in our English tongue is commonly and proverbially used to note some faire and colourable pretence wherewith we disguise and conceale from the conusance of others the dishonesty and faultinesse