Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	faith_n	love_n	temperance_n	1,648	5	11.0080	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47133	The deism of William Penn and his brethren destructive to the Christian religion, exposed and plainly laid open in the examination and refutation of his late reprinted book called, A discourse of the general rule of faith and practise and judge of controversie, wherein he contendeth that the Holy Scriptures are not the rule of faith and life, but that the light in the conscience of every man is that rule / by George Keith.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1699 (1699)	Wing K156; ESTC R6589	71,572	164

Word and Doctrine doth not depend on the Church nor is built on the Church but the Church depends on it and is built thereupon Eph. 2.20 Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone and great Foundation of both Section 7. The Rule of the Christian Faith must be a Doctrine which sets before our Minds all the Credenda or things necessary to be believed in certain Propositions concerning which the Mind of Man can give a Judgment Affirmative or Negative AGain that the Doctrine is the most perfect Rule being compared with the new Creature or work of Sanctification is evident because so far a Man is said to be the more sanctified and redeemed the more that his Faith Love Hope Humility Patience Temperance Justice and other Virtues comes up to a Conformity to the precepts of God and Christ faithfully declared to us in the Holy Scriptures And notwithstanding the high pretentions of some among the People called Quakers to perfection yet I appeal to W. P's Conscience if he can or dare say or think that his Sanctity or Virtues come up to a full Conformity to the Holy precepts delivered in the Holy Scripture Is his Faith as great as the Doctrine given us in the Holy Scripture requires it to be Is his Love as perfect perfect and compleat Is his Meekness Patience and Humility Justice Temperance and Piety equal to the heighth breadth depth and length of all God's Commands even as outwardly delivered in the Holy Scriptures I trust he hath so much discretion as to say nay then let him not exalt his Sanctity or Work of the New Creature wrought in him above the Sanctity of the Holy Doctrine and precepts of God and Christ contained in the Holy Scripture making his Sanctity or New Creature in him superior or primary Rule to the Doctrine but let the Doctrine have its due place to be a superior and primary Rule to his Sanctity or work of the New Creature wrought in him let his Faith and Love and other Virtues if he hath them be Ruled by the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures and subjected thereunto but let not the Doctrine be subjected unto his Faith and Virtues which are far inferior to the Purity Spirituality and Holiness of the Doctrine But if he will say the New Creature in him is the greatest and highest and most perfect Rule whereby to square his Faith and Life it followeth that he is arrived at the highest pitch of Holiness for what can be beyond or above the highest and most perfect Rule of Sanctity But again the greatest Sanctity that is possible of Men or Angels simply considered could not have given the knowledge of Christ's Incarnation and of our Redemption by him without a divine Revelation therefore the Sanctity or New Creature in the Holiest of Men could not be to them a Rule of Faith as touching these Mysteries If he will say there is a higher and more perfect Rule of Sanctity than the New Creature wrought in him let him tell us what it is if not the Doctrine delivered in the Holy Scriptures the Laws Precepts and Commandments delivered there If he say the Light within or Christ and the Spirit within is that highest and most perfect Rule of Sanctity To this I answer The Spirit or Light within abstractly considered cannot be properly a Rule I say abstractly considered from the Doctrines and Precepts delivered by the Spirit whither internally without any external Medium or externally by some external Meidum Nothing properly can be a Rule of Christian Faith as in respect of the peculiar Doctrines of the Christian Religion but that Doctrine which sets before our Minds certain propositions of Truth to which the Mind can and ought to assent from sufficient Motives of Credibility which W.P. from his own definition of Faith must allow For he defines Faith Page 4. to be an assent of the Mind in such manner to the discoveries made of God thereto as to resign up to God and have dependance on him as the great Creator and Saviour of his People Where Note that he wholly passeth by Christ Considered as God-Man from being concerned in the object of Faith and so his Faith is no other but the Faith of a meer Deist Now seeing he defines Faith to be an assent of the Mind to certain discoveries made of God thereto c. These discoveries must be certain propositions set before the Mind in some form of Words mentally conceived and apprehended for the Nature of the Mind or intellect of Man is such that it cannot Judge what is true or false but as the truth is set before it in certain propositions consistng of Words at least internally conceived and apprehended for the assent of the Mind is a Judgment of the Mind formed whereby it Judgeth this or that to be true and if it be a true Judgment it must have some proposition consisting of words concerning which it is enabled either to affirm or deny what is really true as the Mind cannot assent to this great truth that God is not a Body but by a negative proposition consisting of some words which is a negative Judgment nor can it assent to this other proposition that God is a Spirit but by an affirmative proposition consisting of some words at least Internally conceived called by some Idea's which is an affirmative Judgment and therefore so far as Faith is an act of the intellect and an assent of the Mind it must needs have some Words at least internally proposed to it whereby it is capable to give an assent to the Truth of what it Judgeth and seeing in matters purely of Faith the Mind is not capable of giving an assent to the truth of them without some sufficient motives of Credibility as that they are given of God who is a God of Truth and cannot lye nor deceive From these Considerations it is evident that as there can be no assent of the Mind or intellect without words or Idea's so there can be no Faith without them and consequently that the Rule of Faith must be certain propositions consisting of words and sentences such as God delivered to the Prophets and which are recorded in Scriptures such are That the Word was made Flesh that a Virgin should Conceive and Bare a Son and that Son should be the Saviour of the World that by his Death he should reconcile us unto God That he should rise again from the Dead on the Third Day and ascend into Heaven and that he should there remain appearing in the presence of God for us our mighty Advocate and Intercessor until he come again to Judge the Quick and the Dead c. How can the Mind of Man assent to these great Truths without words at least Internally conceived if he cannot as every intelligent Person must acknowledge then those very words as they lye in a certain series and order of propositions are the Rule of his Faith But seeing these words have no

c. Which saith he could not be without the Light of his Son shines in Man's Conscience therefore the light of Christ in the Conscience must needs have been the General Rule c. Answ His Consequence is again denied which he doth not prove it has the same defect with his foregoing proofs that he confounds the Author and Efficient cause of Faith with the Rule which is the instrumental Cause thereof But let it be further considered what the following words are not mentioned by W.P. here and let them be compared with the foregoing words Ver. 7. Will the Lord be pleased with Thousands of Rams or with ten Thousands of Rivers of Oyl shall I give my first born for my transgression the Fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul Ver. 8. He hath shewed thee O Man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and love Mercy and walk humbly with thy God And it will appear that the words at least have a Comparative Sense as intimating that Justice Mercy and Humility or Humble walking with God are more acceptable to God and the greater things of God's Laws than all outward Sacrifices were But doth it therefore follow that God did not require those outward Sacrifices then to be offered up or that God did not require Faith in the People of Israel that he did Command them And if such a Faith was then required of them which the common dictates of the light in every Conscience did not teach them but special Revelation by the like reason it can be proved that the Faith of Christ the great Sacrifice as he was outwardly to be offered up of which all the outward Sacrifices were Types was also required by the Lord from that People the which Faith all the faithful then had and by which Faith they received the remission of their Sins according to Acts 10 43. But seeing the Light within every Man gives them not this Faith nor teacheth it them it evidently follows that the Light within every Man is not the Rule of the Christian Faith it may be further said that the words Micah 6.8 9. if they were to be understood with respect to meer Heathens and Gentiles who have not the External Word might imply that no more is required of them than those general things which the Law or Light in them doth teach them and is the only Rule they have but these words seem not to be spoke with respect to meer Gentiles but rather to them that were by Profession the Church of God and though neither Faith nor Repentance nor many other Evangelical Virtues and Duties are there expressed yet without doubt they are implyed as well as where Faith is only exprest in many places of Scripture Love and other Virtues are implyed And indeed by the like Fallacy W.P. might infer that our whole Religion consists in practiseing the Duties of the 2d Table from James's words Pure and undefiled Religion is to visit the Fatherless and the Widow and to keep unspotted from the World And that Consequently he that doth this though he practise none of the Duties of the First Table he has Religion enough yea though he have no Faith in God no fear of him nor Love to him if he be Charitable and temperate as it has been reported some Atheists have been Page 5. His next Argument is It was by this Law that Enoch Noah Abraham Melchisideck Abimilech Job Jethro c. walked and were accepted as saith Jreneus and Tertullian they w●re Just by the Law written in their Hearts then was it their Rule too and in that Just State Answ This Argument hath several defects in it 1. To argue from a Law or Rule of Moral Justice to a Law or Rule of Faith in Christ the promised Messiah without which Faith there is no promise of Eternal Life and Salvation in all the Scripture Secondly That he Jumbleth Abimelech and Jethro none of which were prophets with Abraham and others that were Prophets and had extraordinary Revelation concerning the Messiah Thirdly That he makes no distinction betwixt what the Light or Word did reveal commonly in all Men by the common Illumination and what that same word did reveal to the Prophets and by them to the Faithful by special Revelation and Illumination And indeed all his Arguments are in great part built on this Fallacy of not distinguishing but confounding the common or general Illuminations given to all Men from the special and extraordinary given to some That the common Illumination of the Divine Word was to the Patriarchs Abraham Noah c. a Law or Rule of Justice is granted but that it was to them a Law or Rule of Faith whereby they believed in the promised Messiah is denied for that was a special Revelation that was the Law or Rule of that Faith and not the common Illumination though both common and special were and are from the same Divine Word yet this hinders not their Distinction as all the Creatures of God have one Creator and Author of their Being yet this hinders not but that the Creatures are widely distinct one from another Section 3. His first and second Arguments that the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith and Life Answered Page 5. IN the next place he pleads that the Scriptures cannot be the Rule arguing thus Arg. 1. How can they be the general Rule that have not been general Answ He is still guilty of confounding and jumbling things that ought to be distinguished 1. None saith that the Scriptures are a general Rule If by a general Rule he means a Rule actually obliging all Men whomsoever for the Scripture obligeth none but such who either have them or at least can by some possible means have them 2. It is granted that the Law or Illumination that is in all Men is the general Law or Rule of Justice and Morality to all Men. But what then will it follow that Christians have no other Rule but that of moral Justice 3. He ought to have distinguished betwixt the general Law or Rule of Justice given to all Mankind and the general superadded Law and Rule of Christian Faith and Practise given in general to Christians but for want of this distinction he deceives himself and seeks to deceive others with fallacious Arguments Page 6. He brings an Objection thus But granting that the Light within were so viz. the general Rule before Scripture was extant yet c. Answ He supposeth that to be granted which ought not to be granted viz. That the common Illumination before Scripture was extant was the Rule of the Faith of all the Faithful who lived and died in the Faith of the promised Messiah by whom they believed to have Remission of Sin and eternal Life This is altogether denied for this Faith they had not by the common Illumination but by special Revelation given to some by Prophesie and to others by means of their Prophesies Page

even in them to wit the Doctrine of the Kingdom together with which some inward Seed of Light might have been sown in some of their Hearts by his Ministry beyond and above the common Illumination But what proof is this that the Gentiles had the Kingdom of God in them in this Sense who never to this day heard Christ or any of his Ministers nor received any Gospel Doctrine by any outward Testimony by voice or writing And Heb. 8.10 compared with Jer. 31.33 and all the other places do wholly respect that part of Mankind to whom the Gospel is outwardly preached and for most part such who did believe it or were in due time to believe it as that noted place Titus 2.11 12. by the Grace of God that had appeared to all cannot be understood the common Light or Illumination in all because v. 13. it was such a Grace that taught such who gave up to be taught by it and obey it to look for that blessed Hope and glorious Appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to dye for us that by his Death and precious Blood outwardly shed for us he might redeem us from all Iniquity Now can W.P. or any of his Deist Brethren prove that any Jew Mahometan Heathen or Deist that obey the Dictates of the Light within are taught thereby to look for this glorious appearing of Jesus Christ when he shall come in his glorified Manhood to judge the Quick and the Dead for that no doubt is the glorious Appearing here meant the most Obedient of his Jewish Mahometan Brethren to the Light within them and the most strict and exact Deists here in England will tell him they believe no such thing their Light within them hath taught them no such Faith nor Hope yea Cornelius that was a most excellent Gentile for Virtue and I suppose in his Gentile state surpassed for Piety and Virtue the best Deist in England was not taught by the Light that was formerly in him in his Gentile state to believe Remission of Sin through Faith in Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews hanged on a Tree c. but was informed by the Angel to send for Peter to preach this Jesus to him nor did the Angel direct him to the Light in him simply for Information but to the Apostle Peter without him that by means of his Ministry he might receive the Christian Faith and the special Illumination of the Holy Ghost as accordingly was fulfilled And as to the words Jer. 31.34 compared with Heb. 8.11 they shall not teach every Man his neighbour and every Man his Brother saying Know the Lord For all shall know me from the least to the greatest This Promise doth only belong to the Children of the New Covenant to wit the Members of Christ's Catholick Church and not to all Mankind therefore cannot be meant of the common Illumination in Heathens and Infidels nor of many Thousands living under a visible Profession of Christianity who are not so taught of God that they need not a Man to teach them or to say know the Lord for to be so taught is a high State and the words have their full and perfect accomplishment in the future State though in part here and comparatively they have their present fulfilling as often indeed many places of Scripture have a comparative meaning Besides that it is granted that that high degree of Divine knowledge above described that is a divine enjoyment of God by Spiritual Sensation Sight and Taste one Man cannot teach it to another for it surpasseth all words either uttered or conceived as one Man cannot teach another that is Blind to see or Deaf to hear or that hath not his Taste to Savour though as to the Doctrinal knowledge he may teach him and by means of that Teaching be made instrumental by the blessing and Grace of God to open his Spiritual Eyes and excite those Spiritual Sensations in him And what though Christ left nothing in Writing by himself for the Rule of Faith and practise as W.P. argueth what his Apostles and Evangelists committed to Writing by his Inspiration was sufficient why it should be received to be the Rule of our Faith that is the outward Instrument whereby Faith is wrought in us and whereby we may be helped through the Spirits inward Illumination and assistance how to discern what we are to believe to be true Doctrine and what we are to practise But it 's very strange what he further saith That had he intended the Rule of his followers to have been a written Rule note a written Rule he would have left it upon record with all punctuality this must be believed and that done on pain of Eternal Death His words plainly import as if such punctuality had not been recorded but as if People who read the Scriptures or hear them ever so truly expounded were left at liberty to believe this or the other thing or not belive it though written and commanded and also to do or not do without any danger of Damnation whereas the plain words of our Saviour are recorded by Mark 16.16 He that believeth not shall be Damned believeth not what surely both what Christ Preached and what his Apostles and Evangelists were inspired to write by his Spirit to whom those Writings should come for others to whom they have not come their Sins against the Law and Light in their Consciences are sufficient to render them without excuse But saith he nor did his followers write in the method of a Rule How knows he that Is he so great a Master of Method so as that he can prove they write not in the Method of a Rule What saith he to Christ's Sermon on the Mount and his other Sermons recorded by the Four Evangelist's which alone though we had no other parts of the New Testament are a sufficient Rule both of Faith and Life which yet makes not the other parts superfluous It is a good saying Abundance of the Law breaks not the Law as God's ways are not as Man's ways so God's Method in delivering us the Rule of Faith and Life is not as Man's Method And what saith he to Luke who Luk. 1.13 declareth that having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first it seemed good to him to write them in Order and said John John 20.31 These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have Life through his Name It is strange that a Quaker should argue against the Scripture being the Rule of Faith and Life for wanting the Method of a Rule who may be thought very improper Judges of Method being so immethodical themselves both in Writing and Preaching and cry out against others for Method and yet now the Scriptures must be rejected from being the Rule of Faith and Life for not being writ in the Method of a Rule If W.P. must be believed