Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	church_n	scripture_n	way_n	3,397	5	5.4178	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE his MAIESTIE and vpon other speciall occasions Viz. 1 The Pillar and ground of Truth 2 The New Life 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity 4 Exact Walking 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull Sinners By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN PRESTION Dr. in Diuinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne LONDON Printed for Leonard Greene of Cambridge and are to be sold by Iames Boler at the Signe of the Marigold in Pauls Churchyard 1630. To the Reader THE AVTHOR himselfe being hindred by death from digesting his thoughts into Tractates more accommodate for all mens vse presaged notwithstanding a little before his death that they would be pressed into publike view by one or other which might perhaps bee lesse carefull who that he might preuent hee bequeathed the care of those Sermons that were only preached at Lincolnes Inne to those his worthy friends by whom you see them faithfully set forth who liuing in the City were better conuersant with those that tooke them from his mouth All others whatsoeuer vnto vs who though much more vnworthy and vnable were yet more frequently his Auditors in other places and had reason fully to know his Doctrine manner of life purpose c should therefore bee more guilty of vngratefull negligence if any of those Lamps into which he emptied the golden oile out of himselfe should not by vs be lighted vp to serue the Temple to which vndoubtedly by him they were deuoted Moued therefore with the necessity of our duty their former good example and the successefull entertainment the rest haue found we doe here aduenture into light these fiue short Sermons preached at speciall times and in Auditories of greatest worth and expectation and accordingly composed of more exact materials and closer put together which in him may well be pardoned who in all his other works did bow his more sublime and raised parts to lowest apprehensions Wee haue laboured what we could to discharge the trust by him reposed in vs and desire that others would be pleased to forbeare the putting forth of any thing of his without acquainting some of vs therewith by him deputed for that worke who as soone as may be will be carefull to present thee with what else soeuer we shall think vsefull the Lord grant they may doe as much good as the Author of them did intend T. G. T. B. THE PILLAR AND GROVND Of TRUTH 1. TIM 3. 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the Truth THere are two maine principles upon which the whole frame of Popery is founded first That the Church of Rome is the onely Catholike Church secondly That the Church cannot erre By which latter principle they have brought on themselves a desperate necessitie never to amend or reforme whatsoever is once decided by the Church These are the principles they first instill into their Novices these are the trains wherewith they seeke to winne men to themselves for when they cannot prove their points in speciall and particular they take them all in grosse and by this one principle Our Church which cannot erre hath so decided it they prove a bundle of them altogether So when they can shew no ground in Scripture for their clouded ungrounded superadded opinions they fasten them and hang them all upon this pinacle of the Church which because it is infallible admits of no examination And whereas truth seekes out no corners desires to see the light and come to triall Poperie delights to hide it selfe in these obscure and uncertaine generalities As for example aske them what ground they have for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images Indulgences superadded Sacraments and a multitude of superstitious ceremonies their answer is The Church hath so decided and her decrees are all infallible and not to be examined by particular men which are inferiour So that pull but this pillar downe as Sampson did and the whole frame of Poperie with all that stay themselves upon it comes presently tumbling downe Yet because they think it too improbable a course to build all on the naked assertion of the Church which is onely to interprete and not to make the Text therefore they bring in Traditions which they call unwritten verities and make them of equall value and credite with the Text but if you aske them what these unwritten verities are and how they may be knowne from counterfeit they say onely the Church can tell that to whose custodie they were committed and who onely is able to iudge infallibly which are the genuine Traditions and which not And if Scripture at anie time bee brought against any of these points they say it belongs to the Church of Rome to declare what bookes of Scripture are canonicall what translation is authenticall what interpretation must be the sense of Scripture and in effect they will be onely iudged by themselves and whatsoever we say they choke us with these principles Theirs is the only Church and The Church can never erre Now of all places of Scripture whereby they would vindicate to themselves this priviledge this verse that I have read is one of the chiefest but how iustly wee are now to consider Sayes the Apostle to Timothy I have written unto thee that thou mayest know how to behave thy selfe in the house of God as if he should say It is of much moment that the house of God be ordered and kept aright be swept continually and purged because it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is the ground and place where truth which is the housholds food is nourished and doth grow into which if falshood creepe their food will soone be poisoned and so not nourish but corrupt not fit them to salvation but destruction so that the Apostle in this verse hath this double scope First to describe the Church by this distinguishing propertie that it is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that is Truth is the signe whereby this house of God is knowne from other houses Secondly he sayes in the house of God c. not in the Church of Ephesus lest anie should conclude as now the Papists would that the truth were so nailed and fastened to anie one particular house or pillar that it could never be taken downe from thence and hanged up in another place which is flat contrarie to the scope of the Apostle in this place who in the beginning of the next chapter shewes evidently that in the later times some should depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats The Papists would make us beleeve that because the truth was once at Rome it is there still Indeed the house and place where once it was they

alone againe if our religion were thought to be the right that onely will be entertained but when we mingle thus and will not runne without a by as but for advantage halt willingly betweene both wee cannot bee accepted This we speake but for prevention not knowing what temptations aftertimes may bring it is good preventing Physicke to know the truth Secondly seeing wee have proved that the iudgement of the Church is not infallible in points of faith doctrine hence we may learn to take up nothing meerely upon trust not to thinke things are so onely because the Church hath said it this foundation is too sandy for us to build our faith upon that should be built upon the rocke which is the word of God upon which ground in a manner the whole Fabricke of Poperie will soone be overthrowne seeing all or most of them are only tooke up upon the Churches credit for in all the book of God ye shall not finde a word for invocation of Saints worshipping of Images universalitie supremacy of the Bishop of Rome purgatory Popish indulgences praier in an unknowne tongue praier for the dead consecration of oyle tapers and holy water and all that rabble of superstitious ceremonies but are the hay and stubble that men have heaped together now one and then another according to their seuerall fancies till the mysterie of iniquitie was come vnto its fulnesse for all these controversies are founded either upon the decrees of the Pope or unwritten traditions or the authority of the Church or Scripture wrested from the native sense to that which they are pleased to put upon it so that this principle of their Church not erring is that indeede on which the very waight of Popery doth depend let this be taken away and all comes quickly down Thirdly as the Apostle here exhorts Timothie and in him all Ministers to take heede how hee behaves himselfe in the Church of God so may we doe all Magistrates both supreme and subordinate to be circumspect wary how they behave themselues in this Church of God for though the Ministers be the bees that make the honey yet the Magistrates are the hives wherin it is made and kept the Ministers are the vines that bring forth grapes yet Magistrates are the elmes that underprop and hold up these vines the Minister defends the Church with tongue pen the Magistrate with hand power wherewith for that end God hath furnisht him Ministers are the preachers of both tables Magistrates the keepers the executiue power of Word and Sacraments belongs alone to Ministers but directiue and coactiue for the orderly and well performance belongs to Magistrates And the text it selfe affordes us motives It is the house of God and its reason the tenant should keepe the house in reparation and they are Magistrates as well as Ministers for if the ruines and breaches of the house bee once neglected both heresies and superstitions will soone creepe in and carrie captiue with their errours those of the family It is the Church of God of which good Magistrates are nurses Esay 49. 23. as therfore the nurse is bound to looke to the childe and see it cherished with wholsome food and kept from dangers as they will answer to the parents whose childe it is so Magistrates are bound to defend and keepe the Church to see it nourished with milke and not with poison that is with truth and not with errour as they will answer to that God who with his owne blood hath purchased it unto himselfe Acts 20. 28. It is the flock of God and it s no disparagement for Kings to bee his shepheards as David was if Wolves therefore doe enter through their negligence and snatch up now a sheep and then a lambe the Lord will one day require it at their hands as Laban did at Iacobs It is the pillar and ground of Truth that is the field or garden wherein Truth growes and Magistrates the gardiners or husbandmen and therefore bound to see the good plants watered the weedes and stones throwne out that hinder growth the hedge kept strong and good about it lest as the Serpent got into Eden and beguiled Eve so the Serpents of our times creep through into this Garden and corrupt the minds of any from that simplicitie which is in Christ. The like Motives are every where in Scripture scattered Revel 2. 20. I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Iezebel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants to commit for nication and to eate things offered to idols Therefore neither Errours nor their Authours in the Church of God are to be suffered Iohn 15. 13. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall bee rooted out And who should root them out but Magistrates to whom Gods Vine-yard is committed Let 's come to the Old Testament where the lives of Magistrates are represented as the face is in a glasse that shewes both spots and beauty 2 Chron. 17. Iehoshaphat commanded the Priests and Levites to instruct the People in the Law from the seventh verse to the tenth but that 's not all but in the sixth verse it is said His heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord so that hee tooke away the high places and the groves out of Iudah Let us cast our eyes upon the other Kings of Israel and Iudah and consider what God himselfe hath marked and observed in them seeing his observation cannot but be of moment like asterismes in the margents of a booke Of Salomon God hath observed 1 King 11. 4. that when hee was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God that is satte loose from God and then the Lord left off to do him good Of Rehoboam 2 Chron. 11. 17 that for three yeares hee walked in the way of David but when hee had established the Kingdome and had strengthned himselfe he forsook the Law of the Lord and all Israel with him chapt 12. 1. 2. therefore in the fifth yeare of Rehoboam Shishak King of Egypt came up against Ierusalem because they had transgresses against the Lord Of Asa 1 King 15. 11. c. that hee did what was right in the sight of the Lord tooke away the Sodomites out of the Land removed all the Idols that his Fathers had made removed Maacah his Mother from being Queene because she had made an Idoll in a grove and burnes her Idoll by the brooke Kidron but the high places were not taken downe therefore verse 16. there was war between Asa and Baasha King of Israel all their daies yet those high places were but the groves where the Tabernacle and Altar were which Moses made where before the Temple was built it was lawfull for them to offer sacrifice yet this was that for which the Lord is so offended because when the Temple once was

they beginne to doe it But as God hath commanded the earth to bring forth grasse so hee hath commanded the skinnes of beasts to bring forth haires and feathers and wooll to bee fit cloathing for them And as it 's in cloathing so his providence is also in defending and in fortifying them against the injuries of one another Some have hoofes and hornes and tuskes to defend them those that have not these have legs to runne away those that want that have holes and dennes to hide themselves in and which is to be observed the weaker creatures goe in heards together the stronger goe alone for if they should goe in multitudes no man nor beast could stand before them this you shall finde set downe Iob 37. Psal. 104. Now if the Queene of Sheba when shee came to Salomons Court and saw the meate of his table the sitting of his servants and their apparell 1. King 10. was astonished I say if she were so then when she saw the wisedome and provision in the house of Salomon how much more when we looke into this great house of the world where there are so many uprising down-lying that must have bread and meate from day to day how much more I say should wee admire and acknowledge this great providence of God which openeth his hand and giveth them their meate in due season This is the fourth observation The fifth is taken from the combination and connexion which is among the creatures that dependence they have one upon another men cannot live without beasts to feede them the beasts cannot live without grasse to nourish them that cannot bee maintained without the influence of the heavens to nourish it which subordination you shall see set down Hos. 2. 21. I will heare the heavens and the heavens shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne Whence wee may reason thus Either this was done by accident or by providence not by accident for so you may as well say that a multitude of letters cast together by chance can make a History or Poem as that this order this connexion and dependence of the creatures should come to passe by accident and if it be not by accident then it is by providence for this can no more bee done without providence than in a Historie or Poem there can be a dependence of one word or sentence upon another without the art of wit and reason in him that composed it The last observation is from the wisedome of the Creator which is set and stamped upon all his workes even as the skill of an Artist is upon all the worke he makes When we see the statue of a man made wee acknowledge that it was done by the skill of him that made it and shall not wee acknowledge it in the maker of man himselfe When we see a glasse eye an ivory tooth and a wooden legge wee say it is done by a skilfull Artist and shall wee nor observe a speciall providence and wisedome in the making of the members themselves for the things are better that are done by nature than those that are done by art for art doth but imitate nature and that which is imitated is better than that which doth imitate and shall wee attribute skill and wisedome to the workes of Art and not to the works of Nature which do far excell them When we see a Diall describing the hours of the day we acknowledge it to bee done by the skill of man when wee see the same done in the heavens ordering the times seasons shall we not acknowledge a wisedome in him that makes and guides the heavens It is reported that Archimedes made a Spheare wherin the revolution of the heavens the course of the Sunne the ebbing and flowing of the Sea is described and kept in the order that themselves doe move in which when a man sees he is ready to say this was not done by accident but by the skill of some excellent Artist and if so then certainely the thing it self which that Spheare doth but imitate could not bee done but by the wondrous power and wisedome of him that doth it I will proceed no further in this but come to make some application First therefore seeing beside the Testimony of the Scripture there are so many proofes even from the things that the eye sees and that the eare heare that God is by whose Providence all things come to passe it should strengthen our Faith in that first and main Principle that God is For though an object may bee seene by a small light yet when more candles are brought in and when there is a greater light wee see the same object more cleare and distinctly so though we beleeve by Faith that God is yet the addition of more Arguments should strengthen us in this beleefe and confirme this conclusion and adde more to our assent to it For my Beloved though it bee not observed yet it is certaine that all that unevennesse all those exorbitances which are found in the lives of men doe proceede from the weaknesse of this spring that these first Principles are not firmely and thoroughly beleeved Men will not neglect Religion altogether neither will they make their hearts perfect with God in all things and whence comes it but from this that this first Principle is in part beleeved in part not beleeved that is they say in their hearts it may bee thereis such an Almighty God that made heaven and earth and it may be not and therefore they will have some care in the duties of Religion but a full care they have not whereas if they did beleeve it fully they would serve him with a full and perfect heart But is this all the use that is to be made of it is this all the Prophet driveth to in this place No his verie scope is to shew us that if there be such a God then it is he that doth the terrible things that are done to us they come not to passe by accident therefore wee so propound the point that by the things that the eye seeth and the eare heareth it appeareth that there is such a God that doth terrible things which wee looke not for If it be not by chance and by accident nor the wisedome and endevours of men but the Lord which doth both terrible and mercifull things both the good and the evill which befall us then let us live by faith and not by sense that is feare him and meet him in the way while it s yet time lest we fall into the errour of the Israelites here to have terrible things done to us before we looked for them For though we beleeve there is such a God yet if we doe otherwise we forget the Lord and wee live without God in the world Everie man when the evill is upon him startles at it as a beast when he falls and sinkes into a ditch or quagmire he struggles and doth his best to get out