Selected quad for the lemma: tradition_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
tradition_n	faith_n	reason_n	scripture_n	2,267	5	6.0519	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30563	An account of the Blessed Trinity argued from the nature and perfection of the Supream Spirit, coincident with the Scripture doctrine, in all the articles of the Catholick Creeds; together with its 1 mystical 2 fœderal 3 practical uses in the Christian religion, by William Burrough rector of Chynes in Bucks.	Burrough, William, b. 1639 or 40.	1694 (1694)	Wing B6058B; ESTC R214160	72,062	76

subsist otherwise than in three if we will venture to follow our own reason we must conclude there is a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead or else he is not absolutely perfect but if we find the plain expressions of the Scripture agree to this Conception in all the branches of it as friends and foes confess they do we cannot then without unreasonableness unbelief and immodesty continue our doubtfulness any longer Now this Coincidence of the Light of Nature with the Scripture in all points gives us the compleat evidence of this Doctrine 5. The Mystery of this Doctrine I have satisfied in the Book by dividing the Question of the Trinity into its two parts and shewed what belongs to the Natural Inquiry and what belongs to the Christian Mystery And therefore need say no more here than that no one can more acknowledge the Mystery of the Christian Faith in this point than is here taught which as such is wholly and solely of Scripture revelation But it is manifest that the other part belongs to the condition of the Divine Nature and so is of Natural Divinity and is a branch of the Theory of a Spirit If it may then appear by Nature that the Subsistence of a thing in the World is not more really its very self than it is the very Subsistence which the same thing has in the Divine Conception then it will also appear that the Divine Conception in this particular is of absolutely perfect truth and the Divine Mind thus Conceiving is a Being of absolute perfection This being evident it will follow from the condition of the Spiritual Nature that the Supream Spirit himself Subsists in three equally perfect and really distinct Hypostasies And is one God therefore and three Persons and whether all this be so or not is of Natural disquisition 6. And by this we may see why the Antients argued the Trinity only from Scripture Authority and made use but sparingly of the reason of the thing Because their Controversy was whether it was of Faith or no not whether it was of Natural Light or of Reason They therefore as Ministers of Religion taught this to be a part of the Gospel Doctrine which they could no otherwise prove it to be but only by the Scripture and the Tradition of the Church But for all that since there certainly is a Natural Enquiry about it that may be considered by a Natural Divine For if it be discovered by Natural Theory no one can doubt but it is required in Scripture and yet if it be not of Natural that does not hinder but it may be of Supernatural Revelation as many other things are which are unknown by the Light of Nature 7. Lest the Reader should surmise from any thing that has been said that he shall here meet with some new Doctrine of the Trinity to prevent any such prejudice at his entrance into this Discourse I must advertise him that he will meet with no conclusion touching the Trinity but the very Articles of the Three Creeds And the Propositions from whence those Conclusions are immediately deduced are acknowledged by all Christians and the Antitrinitarians themselves And the more remote principles which yield the evidence to those propositions are notorious dictates of Reason and Natural Sense So that here is nothing that can be new except the order in which the things are said And so new the Doctrine of every Book is which is neither Transcript nor Translation which indeed this pretends not to be And this I hope is enough to obviate the suspicion of Novelty which I much dislike in important Doctrines of the Christian Religion I have briefly pointed out the uses of it likewise that Faith and Charity may go together In doing this I was unwilling to beg my principles and thereby was forced to begin at some distance from the main point by which I presumed I should gain several advantages and the notions I had of several things become familiar to the Reader before he came to the pinch of the Question For being to contemplate the Supream Nature I thought it needful to begin the lower After I have told the Reader that the Nature of this Argument and Method will require some intentness of thoughts in the perusal that he may serve himself of it and assured him I know of no Objection but what I have anticipated or removed and therefore desire it may be read with the same candour wherewith it is offered I shall trouble him no further but commmend him to God and the Word of his Grace which is able to build us up in Truth and Holiness and so give us an Inheritance amongst all them which are sanctified Amen The ERRATA PAge 1. line 3. read remain p. 2. l. 3. r. being r. Substances p. 2. l. 4. r. Originate l. 6. r. Originate l. 19. r. valid l. 33. for Tradition r. Trinity l. ult r. condition p. 3. l. 15. r. restively p. 8. l. 9. r. operate p. 9. l. 34. r. do p. 10 l. 12. r. in infinitum l. 38. r. extension p. 11. l. 9. for pores r. partes p. 13. l. 35. for is the thought r. is in the thought p. 14. l. 6. r. depreciate p. 15. l 16. r. and p. 16. l. ult r. only one r. real p. 18. l. 43. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 19. l. ult r. eternal too p. 21. margin for one r. our p. 22. l. 3. r. Subsistence p. 25. l. 12. r. being so conceiving p. 25. l. 17. r. Subsistences p. 26. r. fecundity for moods r. modes for Souls r. Soul for effected r effect● for factors r. fautors p. 32. r. facing p. 33. l. 14. r. it self p. 34. for expediently r. expeditely p. 38. l. 43. for turned r. termed p. 40. l. 8. for cr r. nor l. 39. for Nature is one in as such r. Nature in one is as such l. 42. for same the r. the same p. 57. l. 20. de●e as p. 57 l. ult for since this r. since to this p. 59. for intruded r. obtruded p. 59. for Epicurians r. Epicureans literal slips are not here collected AN ACCOUNT OF THE Blessed Trinity Argued from the Nature and Perfection of the Supream Spirit CHAP. I. The Question Stated and Discussed BY the Blessing of God on the endeavours of his Church the Old-Heresies which denied the Unity of the God-head are long agoe extinct and there remains only some few of such as deny the Trinity together with others of a later rise which are yet to be reduced But these all seeming to confess there is but one true God and so far fully to acquiesce in the Catholick Doctrine The Question about which these are to be dealt with is in short Whether the True God in the Unity of whose God-head they consent with us does really subsist in three distinct personal subsistences Hypostases or only in one Or whether there being one God there be also but one Divine Person or else

three really distinct II. If the Case really be that God does indeed subsist in Three Persons then he can no more subsist in one only than he can cease to Subsist at all For then the Condition of the Divine Nature is such that it comports not with it to Subsist in fewer than three real Subsistences but if on the contrary it really doth Subsist in one only then the Nature is such as admits no more This therefore is a natural Question and touches the Reason of the Divine Nature III. But which of these two is really the Case cannot be concluded from our absolute certainty of the single Subsistence of every and all other things for they bring all dependent Substences and ●od Self Originte The Trine-subsistence which is repugnant and contradictious to the Nature of such dependent Beings may be the only way of Subsistence competible to a self original Being Now all the Arguments of the Opposers of the Trinity do plainly rest upon a supposed Parity or Identity of reason in this Case for they turning off their Eye from the Reason of the very thing it self which they were reasoning about and looking round the World to pick up reasons as they could spy them lying scatter'd up and down elsewhere imagin'd those reasons which they were certain suited exactly with the Subsistence of all other things could not but be fit measures of their Judgment about the Subsistence of the Deity in this Inquiry Now this way of Arguing being manifestly Fallacious they are plainly unreasonable in charging the Church's Faith with contradictions and absurdities IV. Since the single Subsistence of all dependant Substences is no valu'd Argument of the single Subsistence of the independant Being the onely Question in reason that remains is whether we knowing many things of God are thereby able to discover from the Conditions and Perfections of the Divine Nature it self that it subsists in three Persons or on the other hand in one only For if we can do neither of these we cannot at all use reason in this Question for then all reasonings about it are Sophistical But we must quit all pretence to reason from the Nature of things and follow wholly the reason of speech in the Scripture V. But whatever can be thus discover'd this is certain that the reason of the Divine Nature it self does not shew that one of the three Divine Persons if three there be is become Man in the Person of Jesus Christ t●erefore the Christian Tradition as such is a mystery and is wholly of Scripture Revelation which according to the Reason of Speech even by the Confession of the Adversaries does deliver the Doctrine of the Catholick Faith The Proceedings therefore which Christians have ever used in its defence have been exactly conform to the Quality of this Question for they never pretended to build their Belief of this Mystery upon the Reason of the Divine Nature or any other but on the Testimony of the Divine Word VI. As the Christian Faith of this Mystery is not built upon Natural Reason so it also appears that it cannot be impugned from any Reasons unless they be such as are deducible from the peculiar Conditions and Perfections of the Deity it self Now all these I shall endeavour to shew are so far from opposing the Christian Mystery that they Argue that the God-head according to the Reason of that Blessed Nature does Subsist in three Natural Persons so far therefore as Reason hath any Vote it gives it for the Church's Faith VII This would not have been needful to us Christians but that the importunity of the Anti-Trinitarians without Reason's suffrage will not be satisfied with the fulness of Scripture Evidence nor yield our Saviour his due Honour For though by Christ's appointment they are Devoted to the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost yet after this Vow they will make Inquiry as if they were still in a state of deliberation and were to consult ex integro whether they should stand to their Vow or not It being certainly much better joyfully to bear than resistively to cast off a Yoak of Christ's Imposing I confess I know no better Service could be done to these Men than to bring them back into the Bond of their Violated Covenant But I shall not undertake such an Office because I fore-see that I cannot on this Subject speak to them for the just Honour of our Blessed Lord and Master but they will take it for an Obloquy cast upon them For if I say and mean as I say that all Men are to honour the Son John 5. even as they honour the Father they presently feel I am rubbing on their sore place and I know the Opinion of a Party is a sore which brooks well enough to be clawed but will not indure to be rubbed VIII To spare them therefore and comply somewhat with my own Genius which little likes to deal with the extream touchiness of a darling Doctrine I shall apply my Self to this Work directly as a Service of Christ and his Church from whom I hope for better acceptance leaving them to their beloved liberty of taking what they like for their own use Being nevertheless perswaded that if whilst they refuse to captivate their understandings to the Obebedience of the Faith they have not at the same time enslaved them to the Tenents of Arius Socinus and such other confident but unwary Re●s●●ers they will find whilst I laboured to serve the Inter●●s of the He●venly Kingdom I have done and that not unawares what may be useful and even satisfactory to the more moder●te amongst them IX That I may make then this Discourse the more Serviceable I shall first shew that the reason of ●●e Divine Nature it self doth sufficien●●y 〈◊〉 the Being of one G●d and three Persons Secondly That the Holy Scripture does T●ach the very same Doctrine with the Nature of the thing Thirdly Because we Believe from the Gospel Institution that Jesus Christ is one of the Three Persons I shall give an Account how Congruous that Revelation is to what we infer from the Reason of the Divine Nature Lastly since Christ does enter our belief of the Trinity into the Stipulation made in our Covenant of Life and Peace with God I shall explain that its Faederal use and if upon the whole we find that the Reasons of the thing in its self and in its accord with the Scripture and in what befel it by Christ's Incarnation and in its Baptismal use do all concur to assure us of the Truth of the Blessed Trinity I hope it will no longer remain amongst us in the state of a Question but all sober men will agree in the Faith and Worship of one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity X. I am sensible that by my having ventured to blame other mens Reasonings I have imposed a Law upon my self which I shall think in the Rational Inquiry we sufficiently comply with if we transgress not