Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	faith_n	reason_n	5,276	5	5.9415	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92854	The humbled sinner resolved what he should do to be saved. Or Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of salvation for sensible sinners. Discovering the quality, object, acts, seat, subject, inseparable concomitants and degrees of justifying faith. The agreement and difference of a strong and weak faith; the difficulty of beleeving, the facility of mistake about it, and the misery of unbelief. The nature of living by faith, and the improvement of it to a full assurance. Wherein several cases are resolved, and objections answered. / By Obadiah Sedgwick, Batchelour in Divinity and late minister of the Gospel in Covent Garden.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1657 (1657)	Wing S2375; Thomason E900_1; ESTC R203520	234,690	315

the understanding by solid demonstration of infallible principles or else by the undeniable evidence of sense and experience as thus that every natural body hath power to move or that the Moon will suffer an Eclipse or that the fire is naturally apt to ascend and the water to moisten c. These things have both a naturall certainty and truth in themselves and there is an undoubted evidence and certainty in the minde of the person truly knowing them and so certaine and full is the perswasion of the minde about them that there is no scruple of doubt remaining to discuss as any uncertainty whether the things be so or no. Another is opinion which is an inevident evident assent if I may so phrase it My meaning is the understanding doth so assent and yield to the things as that yet it sees some contrary reason to suspect and question whether the thing be so or no for as much as in opinion the grounds are not fully evident to the minde but they are only probable and therefore the assent by opinion is but conjectural As take a man in a case of a scrupulous conscience there is to that man some evidence of argument which doth seem to warrant his action or attempt and yet that argument is not so entirely convincing of his judgment but on the other side there starts up a medium or argument which renders the practice probably sinful whereupon if you come to demand of him May you do such a thing he answers I do not certainly know that is I am not entirely and absolutely resolved of it yet I think I may I think it is lawful and this thinking which is opinion is alwayes accompanied with some fear and suspition so that the minde is like a paire of Scales tottering and tilting to either side Things are partly cleare and partly obscure partly evident and partly inevident and therefore the assent of opinion is alwayes doubtful Another is beliefe which is an assent unto things not from any evidence of the things themselves but only from the relation or testimony of another If I feel the fire to burne my hand I do not call this a believing but a sensitive knowing if Ahimaaz comes and tells David that his Son Absolom is hanged and slaine though this be knowledg in him who saw it yet it is belief in David who did heare and credit the tidings so that to be brief belief differs from knowledge in this that knowledge depends on the evidence of things themselves but belief though the things be certainly true to which it doth assent yet it assents unto them for the testimony or authority of him who relates and reports them Though this be most true That Jesus Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary and that he is the Messias and Saviour yet I beleeve it to be true because God hath given testimony or report thereof in his Word unto me Again Belief differs from opinion in this that opinion is an indifferent probable hazarding and difficultly inclinable assent but in believing the assent is firme certaine and fixed especially where testimony and authority is sufficient Believing as it is restrained to a theological and divine consideration that is in the generall an assent of the soul to the truth and goodnesse of all divine revelations upon divine testimony Here much might be said as for instance First that all divine revelations are the object of belief as supernaturally inspired Secondly that the ground of believing them is Gods own testimony Faith hath sufficient reason to believe all things there to be true in their relation because of his truth and authority who doth say so viz. God himself Thirdly of the generall nature of believing which is an assent unto all spoken by God as most true and credible Secondly particularly of justifying Faith Faith as you well know hath a double aspect one is to the whole revealed Word of God another is to God in Christ or to Jesus Christ I am not now to speak of it as an eye which may see all colours but as an eye fixing it self on some singular and special object viz. on Jesus Christ in respect of whom it is called justifying faith The believing on whom may be thus described CHAP. V. Faith in Christ what described IT is a singular Grace of God whereby the heart and will of a sensible sinner doth take and embrace Jesus Christ in his person and offices and doth wholly or only rest on him for pardon of sin and eternal life There are many things to be opened in this description forasmuch as all the force of true faith cannot at once in a few short words be clearly expressed SECT I. COnsider therefore the spring or fountaine of this faith is at heaven Gods eternall decree is the radicall cause of it so Causa Acts 13. 48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed And the instrumental cause of it is the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And the immediate and singular cause of it is the Spirit of God Gal. 5. 22. there it is an expresse fruit So Joh. 1. 12. speaking particularly of believing on the Name of Christ he addeth verse 13. men come to this not being borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God That the will or heart of man should be brought off from it self and to abhor its own condition and sufficiency and to take Christ as God propounds him to be the only rock upon which I must built my salvation to be the only Lord to whose Law and Will I must resigne up my whole soul and to cleave unto him in a conjugall union and affection This I say ariseth not from naturall principles nor from the wisdome of a mans free will nor from any endeavour or action which can find footing in man himself It is observed that there are two sorts of habits Two sorts of Habits 1. Some which are acquired by the industry of the person and through a right use of a segacious and understanding mind and such may be purchased by practise and use as the Scholar by writing gets the habit of writing and the Apprentise by his wise and honest observation and industry gets into the skill of his trade and calling Now faith is no such quality we can send forth no such singular acts or operations which are able in time to ripen or beget so excellent a Grace in the soul 2. Others are plainly and entirely infused Faith is not water in the Earth which a man may pump out but it is even in the fulnesse or littlenesse of it in the allnesse of it as the drops or showers of raine which come from heaven Though the subject of it be below yet the cause of it is above it is man who doth believe but it is Gods Spirit alone who gives him that faith to believe