Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	divine_a	faith_n	humane_a	4,064	5	8.7140	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49515	Three sermons preached at Sherborne in Dorsetshire by William Lyford ... being his last sermons ...; Sermons. Selections	Lyford, William, 1598-1653.	1654 (1654)	Wing L3557; ESTC R3029	24,872	37

and not spare my heart my dearest corruptions Let it discover my ignorance my hypocrisie my unsoundnesse in repentance my formalitie in duties c. It shall not be unto me as an enimies sword but as a Surgion's knife that cuts to heale my wound my festered soule Although the word puts you to strong fightings to sad feares to doubtings and disputings within your selfe yea to lowd cries through depth of sorrow and bring you into combates with Satan yet you will see there is a savour of life in it you will not let goe your hold of it till it bring forth judgement unto victorie As one in danger of drowning will take hold of a naked sword though it cut him rather then sinke in the water it is better to be cut then drowned so the saved ones will keep and hold fast the word though with some great difficulties rather then give over their soule into the Divel's hands and themselves into perdition Thus the word is a savour of life to them though it cut and smart there is life in it it is good it 's sweet they rellish spirituall counsell in it it proves to them a true and faithfull word Thus by occasion of peoples frowardnesse and discontent at the word it proves odor mortis 3 Thirdly By reason of prejudices and hard conceits of the Preacher many a sound truth is lost and disrellished for the sake of him that brings it as Ahab said of Micaiah Here is one Prophet of the Lord but I hate him c. If the same truths were delivered by other men O how pretious would they be But such a man I cannot endure to heare though they cannot be charged with negligence or unsufficiency in their Ministry nor with scandall and disorder in their lives But some by-respects turnes away our hearts from them and from their Doctrine for their sakes As some are young and have no judgement some are old and they wax childish againe some are rich and they are covetous some are poore and therefore Contemptible and we will not be taught by such some tell the peoples faults in the Pulpit and meddle with that they have nothing to do withall and we doe not like that for they are malitious and at enmitie with us some are not of our side c. And though none of these things be faults yet people stumble at them It therefore much availes with what affections we come to heare The ignorant and scandalous the superstitious and factious are just offences unfit to be Teachers But doe not lay a stumbling-block in thine own way because the person is not in every respect such a one as thou desirest If thou wert on the Scaffold to be beheaded thou wouldst welcome a pardon though brought by the hand of a person not so well thought of so c. 4 Fourthly a savour of death because people doe not heare the words as the word of God but of man People doe not come to it nor look upon it as an ordinance of divine authoritie but an exercise of humane wit and charitie and accordingly they doe not receive it with reverence and faith but with the head with applause or dispraise according as the matter is carried See 1. Thess 2.13 Yee received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God that 's the right way of receiving heavenly truths not because we say it but because it is God's word and that 's the true way to profit by what we heare for then it worketh effectually in them that believe An ordinary retainer to a Kings Court may tell what the Embassadours message is but that 's of no respect unlesse the Embassadour doe deliver it as from his Master that sent him So c. I have seene it printed and heard it spoken by way of complaint that the ordinances now adaies have lost their converting power And well it may be so when as gifted men are heard with equal respect to God's Ministers Gifted men are like but a retainer to the Court they cannot preach in the name of the Lord they cannot lay obedience upon mens conscience and why Because the Lord hath not sent them the Lord speaks not by them they speake of themselves And since they are cried up and God's messengers decried the conscience of the hearer is at libertie to obey or not obey the word And doubtlesse much is to be laid to their charge for the generall contempt of the Gospell preached it 's made a matter of indifferencie whom we heare c. Beware of that errour See Mat. 7.29 For he taught them as one having autority So must we preach and so must you heare Vse 2 Signe 1 For Conviction Because some gather poyson from the sweetest flowers from the most wholesome truths frō the Doctrine it selfe such is the blindnesse of some and the perversnesse of other mens wits reasonings As for Example the Comfortable Doctrine of Predestination yeelds a deadly savour to some for thus they argue If God have appointed who shall be saved and that none shall be saved but the elect then say some To what end should the Gospell be preached to reprobates In vaine is all prayer preaching and holy Endeavours If we be not elected All our striving is in vaine if we be elected we shall be saved though we doe take such paines about salvation c. This Doctrine you see yeelds a deadly savour to some it 's made a cloack to carelesnesse and security Ans First consider the nature of God's decree it is not a simple absolute peremptory ordayning of an end without meanes God's Act electing is Relative and Copulative with respect unto Christ Eph. 1.4 He chose us in him that we should be holy and without blame before him in love with 2 Th. 2.13 We are bound to give thankes to God for you brethren Because God hath from the Beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit beliefe of the truth 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man therefore purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessell of honour c. These things are conjoyned God's elect are not a profane berren uncleane kind of people good for nothing but holy pure fruitfull and by such good workes is our calling made sure 2 Pet. 1.10 And the proper result of this Doctrine is this I will strive to be holy to purify my conscience from all iniquitie They which make Religion their businesse c. have the seal of Election upon their hearts Hence they thus reason Is not the knowledge of my election unto life worth all the paines that I shall take to attaine it and worth all the sweete sins which I am to relinquish for it will all the world be able to recompence the losse of my soule of my God what stronger motive to Godlinesse can be proposed to an unconverted soule Secondly especially considering that this Doctrine does not tell any man in particular that he