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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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

Catholick Religion but yet even these are falsely pretended by hereticks and by the feigned semblance of these it is that they indeavour and oft times with too much success to seduce their auditors from the faith These Seducers have been more or lesse in all ages but I think I may safely say never more than in this and if you mark it you shall finde the Old cheats still practised The Papists on the one hand pretend to the Church Traditions Miracles and a formal sanctity The Socinians boast much of Reason The Antinomians of Liberty The Anabaptists Quakers and such like of Enthusiasms a light within breathings impulses and discoveries of the Spirit All Sects have some mixtures of truth and would father their Errours upon the Scriptures And now being encompassed as it were with such subtle Sophisters crafty Seducers what need is there of a prudent vigilancy lest wee bee insnared by them according to that excellent advice of St. Peter Beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastnesse Behold saith our blessed Saviour to his Disciples I send you forth as sheep among wolves bee yee wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves wise as Serpents to defend themselves innocent as Doves in not offending others or as Prosper to our present purpose innocent as Doves in not circumventing any and wise as Serpents in not suffering themselves to bee circumvented and surely this Serpentine wisdome is that which concerneth all Christians in some measure to attain so much the rather because these wolves as our Saviour elsewhere speaketh come in sheeps cloathing for this reason saith Optatus Ut prius ovis mordentem lupum sentiat quam praesentiat venientem that they may seize upon the sheep before it can perceive them comming Hee that walketh among snares had need bee cautelous and no less reason have we to bee circumspect who are in the same danger which those Christians were in of them that would seduce then and so much shall suffice to have been spoken of the first General namely the mischievous design of the false Teachers I go on to a more brief dispatch of the other which is The Pious care of true Apostles These things have I written to you concerning them For the full discussion whereof I shall look upon the writing here mentioned in a double reference namely as it was a result of the Spirits dictate and as it was an argument of St. Johns care 1 As a result of the Spirits dictates for St. John and the other holy men of God spake and wrote as moved by the Holy Ghost and so wee are here to take notice that the Divinely inspired writings are of excellent use against Seducers Indeed as a straight line discovers what is crooked and the clear light dispells darknesse so the word of God serveth to discover who are Seducers and to dissipate their clondy errours you erre saith our blessed Saviour to the Sadduces not knowing the Scriptures tacitly teaching us that the Scriptures well known and rightly understood are a guard against errour The whole Scripture saith St. Paul is of divine inspiration and is profitable as for reproof of sin so for the correction of errour Let it therefore bee our business especially in such erroneous times as these to study the Scriptures and not onely to bee well versed in the letter but acquainted with the meaning of them that as our Saviour refelled the tempter so wee may bee able to refute seducers with a scriptum est No darts pierce so deep as those which are taken out of the Lords armory no arrows hit the mark like those which are drawn out of Gods quiver nor is any sword so sharp as that of the Spirit and therfore as David hid Gods word in his heart that hee might not fall into sin so let us that we may not run into errour 2 But that which would bee chiefly taken notice of is that his writing these things concerning Seducers was an argument of his care that the people might not bee deceived by them It is that which wee finde to have been not only the care of this but the other holy Apostles the greatest part of St. Judes Epistle and of St. Peters second Epistle is concerning these Seducers frequent caveats wee meet with in St. Pauls Epistles to the same purpose witnesse his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Col●ssians Beware lest any man spoil you nay his threefold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Philippians beware of Dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision and to name no more his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Romans beseeching that they would mark and avoid such It were easy to let you see how the Fathers of the Church have in this particular traced the footst eps of the Apostles Ignatius bespeaketh the Christians of Antioch in words much like those of St. Paul to the Philippians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Beware of Dogs Serpents Dragons Aspes Bazilisks Scorpions St. Cyprian in his Epistle to all the people is very urgent with his ●r● vos fratres and again with his admone● pariter et consulo advising admonishing intreating that they would not beleeve the smooth words of false Teachers lest they did mistake darknesse for light night for day and poyson for a remedy Irenaeus in his Preface to his first book against Heresys saith this was the reason of his writing those books that the wolves might not devour the sheep of Christ through his default for the same cause were those things written by Epiphanius Athanasius St. Augustin and many others which are extant concerning heresies Nor was it without a great deal of Reason that those holy men were and in particular here St. John was so careful to write concerning Seducers and that both respectu populi in regard of the people for the preservation of their safety and respectu sui in regard of himself for the discharging of his own duty 1 In respect of the people St. John well knew 1 That all men are naturally prone to errour their understanding as well as will being corrupted yea that the best being but men may through want of judgement and partiality of affection bee led aside The bad through wickedness and the good through weaknesse sometimes like sheep have gone astray 2 That the errours to which these Antichrists did indeavour to seduce them were in things fundamental for so it appeareth by the charge hee laiet● against them which is that they denyed the Father and the Son that they denyed Jesus to bee the Christ a doctrine upon which the whole Christian Religion is founded St. Hierom upon that o● our Saviour Bee wise as Serpents observeth Serpentis astutia ponitur in exemplum quia toto corpore occul●at capu● ut illud in quo vita est protegat the Serpent is therefore mentioned as an Example of Wisdome

either to errour of Doctrin or evil of manners and surely if they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the Sun in Heaven they who turn many from it to errour and wickedness shall burn as coals in Hell But I fear seducing Hereticks whilest they have open mouths and n●mble tongues to the perverting of others have their ears heavy nay closed lest they should bee converted themselves and therefore though I shall not cease to pray for I shall forbear any longer to speak to them The Improvement that should be made of this doctrin by the godly and Orthodox is 1 That wee take heed of going amongst or conversing with Hereticks lest wee be seduced by them Indeed it were ground enough of abstaining their society lest wee should bee thought such but much more lest we should prove such This Holy Apostle would not stay in the bath with that Arch-heretick Cerinthus out of a just indignation against him we should not frequent the company of such out of a wise circumspection in reference to our selves The Orthodox hearers of Athanasius forsook the Church when Lucius the Arrian Bishop came to Preach both the private society and more publique meetings of Hereticks should bee avoided by us it is ill coming within the breath of such rotten persons There is not more danger of being burned by comming too neer the fire of being defiled by touching pitch or dirt and of being infected by comming neer one that is sick of the plague than of being seduced by hearkning to and having familiarity with Hereticks It is that indeed which may bee extended and I would to God were observed as a general rule in regard of all wicked company Come out from among her my people saith God concerning Babylon lest thou bee partaker of her sins Depart from me you evil doers saith David for I will keep the Commandements of my God Wicked men will strive to make us like themselves nor have wee any promise of assistance against their inticements if wee needlesly associate with them The Psalmist saith Blessed is the man that walketh not after the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners Indeed he that would not walk in the wickeds counsel must not stand in his way lest if the wicked finde him in his way hee entice him to go along with him 2 That they obliquely imitate these seducers in striving to make others as sound in the faith and conscientious in their lives as themselves why should and yet how often is it so the Devils instruments be more forward than Christs Servants his messengers more active than Christs Ministers Did Heliogabalus take care to make his Son like himself luxurious and shall not religious Parents endeavour that their children may serve the Lord did the Pharisees compass Sea and Land to make a Proselite and shall not Christs Apostles do as much to make Christians Are the Wolves ranging up and down to worry and shall not the Shepheards bee watchful to preserve the sheep Are Hereticks industrious to seduce from and shall not the Orthodox be solicitous to reduce to the truth God forbid Oh let the heavenly stars as readily give forth their light to guide the people into the way of Truth and Peace as those fiery meteors are to lead them into the bogs and ditches of sin and errours Them that seduce you But this is not all that our Apostle intends by this expression The word here rendred seduce is elsewhere in this Epistle yea generally through the New Testament translated deceive and accordingly Planus which is derived from it is used by the Latine Poet to signify an Impostor now decipimur specie recti wee are deceived by specious pretences and accordingly such a kinde of seducing which is by making us beleeve wee are in the right when we are in the wrong way is that which is here meant It lets us see what is the cunning of Heretical seducers St. Paul saith of them that by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple like the Hyaena which when shee intends to devour feigneth a mans voice St. Austin observeth that the Devil seeing his Temples forsaken Altars demolished and Oracles silenced by Christs comming into the world to make a new supply of his Kingdome stirred up certain Hereticks of whom Christ himself foretold and whom no doubt our Apostle here meaneth qui sub vocabulo Christianae doctrinae resisterent Christianae who under the name of Christian doctrin should oppose Christianity like Pyrates who hang out their colours whom they mean to surprize Indeed it hath ever been the practice of false Teachers to lead into errour by a pretext of truth like those to use Irenaeus his comparison who give lime mixed with water instead of milk deceiving by the similitude of the colour herein as St. Paul observeth learning of their Master the Devil who though the Prince of Darkness oft times transformeth himself into an Angel of Light The truth is as the forementioned Father observeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 errour loveth not to appear naked as being foul and ugly no wonder if she cover her self with borrowed robes that she may be the more amiable It will not I suppose bee a digression from the Text nor losse of time to inquire into the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to use St. Pauls language sleights and methods of errour whereby these Seducers lye in wait to deceive and these wee shall finde to bee of many sorts Hereticks Proteus like make use of several shapes under which they delude many In particular we my observe them seducing by the mixtur of some truths the Promise of much Liberty the Plea of long Tradition and the shew of glorious Miracles under the veil of an outside religion the vernish of humane reason the colour of divine Revelation the glosse of sacred Scripture the name of the true Church 1 A mixture of truth with errour is an usual trick of these impostours herein doing like those who put off lead or brass in Coines with the mingling of silver or who convey poyson in milk or some such wholesome food This St. Gregory took notice of when hee saith of Hereticks miscent recta perversis ut ostendendo bona auditores ad se pertrahant et exhibendo mala latenti peste corrumpant They joyn right Doctrines with perverse that by an open publication of the one they may secretly instil the other even these Antichrists did acknowledge some truth Preaching a Christ that came from heaven but withall denying Jesus to be the Christ 2 A Promise of Liberty is another cheat of these Jugglers as well knowing how suitable liberty is to mans corrupt nature Hereticks how rigid soever they may bee upon design in their personal Practice yet are commonly libertines in their doctrin indulging to their followers a lawlesse licentiousnesse This St. Peter

and St. Jude observed in these Antichrists of whom the one saith they did promise to the people liberty and the other that they did turn the Grace of God into Lasciviousnesse 3 The Plea of Tradition is much used by Hereticks all Nations and Persons both Jews and Gentiles being very tenacious of those things which they have received from their Ancestors By traditions it was that the Pharisees in Christs time indeavoured to make the Law of God of none effect and with traditions it was that the Hereticks in the Apostles time did spoil the people of the Truth for so much St. Paul intimateth when hee giveth that Caveat Beware lest any man spoil you through vain deceit after the traditions of men Not that all sorts of Traditions are to bee sleighted yea the Traditions which have been delivered and received in the Universal Church from age to age are to bee regarded by us next to the written word but not in opposition against or in competition with it such vain superstitious traditions were those which the Apostle condemned and which the Hereticks made use of 4 A show of Miracles is that which is sometimes made by these Deceivers Look as of Old when Moses and Aaron wrought Miracles Jannes and Jambres the Aegyptian Sorcerers imitated them So in the beginning of Christianity as God confirmed it by real Miracles so the Devil opposed it with Lying wonders This was our Saviours prediction concerning these Antichristian Seducers wherof my Text speaketh There shall come false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew signes and wonders so St. Mark Great signes and wonders so St. Matthew to seduce and deceive if it were possible the very Elect and thus the comming of the man of sin is said by St. Paul to bee after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders where that Epithite of Lying would not bee passed by those wonders which the Devil worketh by Hereticks being lying not onely because they accompany doctrins of Lies but likewise because they are for the most part delusions not realities nor are the greatest of those wonders above the power of nature and therefore though they are matter of wonder to us who oft times cannot understand how they are wrought yet they are not so in themselves But surely there is no device more subtle and prevailing than this men being very apt to beleeve that their words are Oracles whose works are Miracles and indeed were they so really it were a sufficient ground of beleef but as they are to wit onely so in appearance they have too great an influence upon the vulgar 5 A veil of Religion is many times put on by these Cheaters their garb their look their Language speak nothing but holinesse whilest their doctrins breath nothing but Heresy As too many of the Orthodox dishonour their teaching well by living ill so do many Hereticks credit their ill-teaching by well-living It is one of St. Pauls characters of Seducers Having a shew of godlinesse and Gregory Nazianzen saith of the Macedonians that their life was admirable whilest their Doctrin was abominable Thus as Harlots paint their faces and perfume their beds to allure Hereticks feign godliness and profess Religion to seduce 6 A vernish of Reason is drawn over false opinions by these Seducers because that is very taking with a rational creature This St. Paul intimateth in that fore-mentioned Caution Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit Accordingly Tertullian observeth that the Ancient Heresies concerning the Ae●nes were fetched from Plato's Ideaes the equality of the first matter with God from Zeno the death of the Soul from Epicurus and the denial of the Resurrection of the Body de unâ omnium Philosophorum Scholâ from the Schools of all the Philosophers Upon this account it is that the Father elsewhere asserts Philosophers to bee the Patriarks of Hereticks and that all Heresies are founded upon and supported by the rules and dictates of Philosophy not that Philosophy and natural Reason is to bee rejected by the Orthodox as of no use nay indeed it is an help to Divinity when in its right place but our Divinity must not bee regulated by Philosophy and our Religion bounded by reason The Orthodox use her as an handmaid to wait but the Heterodox make her a Mistress to seduce 7 The colour of a Revelation is oft times used to set off lying Doctrin When St. Paul saith If an Angel from Heaven Preach any other Gospel let him bee accursed hee intimateth that some might pretend to bring another Gospel from heaven and indeed such there were who broached fictitious Gospels as if they had been divinely inspired Simon Magus pretended himself to bee the Holy Ghost so did Montanus and vented the Dreams of his Whores Priscilla Maximilla and Quintilla for prephecies Indeed Divine Revelation is the proper ground of Faith No wonder if Hereticks that they may gain credit and so seduce the people lay claim to it 8 The Glosse of Scripture is very oft times put upon false opinions by the assertours of them to delude the people In this as St. Hierome well observeth they trace the Devils footsteps who quoted Scripture thereby fondly imagining hee might delude Christ himself Thus the Judaizing false Teachers in the Apostles time made use of the Old Testament Scripture quoting Moses and the Prophets and Irenaeus observeth of the Hereticks of those times that they dealt by the Sacred Writings as a Graver doth by the goodly image of a King which by altering the form hee turneth into the likenesse of a dog or wolf and then affirmeth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the lovely image of the King they take the words of Scripture and put upon them their own sense and then say it is Scripture it is so indeed materially but not formally as the metal is the Kings but the stamp is a Wolf so the words are Scripture but the sense the Hereticks 9 To all these I may add the name of a Church is no small bait whereby Hereticks allure and catch the simple in their snares our Saviour tells us what their sayings should bee Lee here is Christ and there is Christ in this conventicle and that meeting by which they withdraw many from the Apostolical assemblies In this respect St. Judes Character of them is that they did separate themselves to wit from the Apostles and which must needs follow they no doubt assumed to themselves the title to the true Church of Christ and thus did the Novatians in St. Cyprians time and the Donatists in St. Augustines time fighting against the Church under the name of the Church By all this wee see how Antichristian hereticks abuse the best things to the worst designs Truth Liberty Tradition Miracles Holinesse Reason Revelation Scripture the Church are all of them of singular concernment and advantage to the Orthodox Christian

more do we plead for the Baptizing of Infants Is it not because as Origen and Austin assure us it is a practice which the Church received from the Apostles and so an Apostolicall tradition which the more plainly appeareth because in St Cyprians time though there was a Controversie about Baptizing Infants upon the Eight day yet the thing it self is supposed as a practice then in use and though we do not read totidem verbis in the Scripture that the Apostle Baptized Infants yet it is very probable when as St Paul cald the Children of a believing Parent holy if he do not by the very phrase intend as the Learned Dr Hammond not improbably conceiveth yet that he did allow Baptism to those Children and where we read that whole Families were Baptized the Children might be among the number In one word It is the glory of the Church of England that her Doctrines are exactly consonant to Universall and Primitive antiquity nor do we desire any other rule to examine them by then this which here is laid down by our Apostle The old Commandment is the word which we have heard from the beginning 2. To let this go That which is chiefly to be considered is the Minor of the Syllogisme That the Commandment of love was from the beginning Now that which would here be enquired into is whence this beginning taketh its date Indeed haec vox pro materiâ substratâ varié accipi potest this word beginning may admit of a several reference and I find no less then four several expositions of it here all of which are not repugnant to but consistent with each other from the beginning of their conversion of Christian Religion of the Mosaical administration and of the Creation 1. Some Interpreters render the sence of the words thus from the beginning that is from the time you became Christians and first gave up your names to Christ and were called to the faith according to which sence our Apostle seemeth to assert that one of the first lessons of Christianity is love St Paul speaketh of milk for babes and meat for strong men intimating that there are some Commandments and Doctrines which are only fit for grown Christians but this Commandment of love as it is meat for the strongest so it is milk for babes 2. Others give this construction of the words from the beginning that is From the beginning of the Gospels Publication ever since the Faith of Christ was made known to the world Soon after Christian Religion was revealed there were many who endeavoured to bring in other Gospels but this Commandement which St John wrote of was as old as Christianity and what he delivered to them he received from Christ himself In that Sermon of Christ which is first mentioned by the first of the Evangelists St Matthew this Precept of love is expressed and in the last Sermon that ever he preached this lesson of love is commended to them and being taught by Christ himself it must needs be from the beginning of Christianity 3. Many take the date of this beginning a great deal higher even as high as Moses That which you Israelites had of old in the writings of Moses delivered to you So that we now give no other Commandement in charge to you then that which God cmmanded Moses and the Prophets to preach It is the exposition which I most incline to For since it is not improbable as hath been already suggested that those to whom this Apostle wrote were if not only yet principally the Jews and the design of St John by these words being to prove that what he wrote was no new but an old Commandement it is improbable that he would prove it by a date of not much above sixty years nor would it especially to the Jews have been any conviction of the antiquity of his Doctrine that it was from the beginning of Christian Religion when as in their opinion Christs Religion was a new Doctrine Upon this ground it seemeth a more rationall construction to referre this beginning to Moses and our Apostle could not use a more prevailing Argument to the Jews then by letting them know that the command he gave them was as old as Moses and before enjoyned by him There is only one Objection to be Answered that if this from the beginning be taken so far of how doth the Apostle say not only which you had but which you heard whereas this beginning was many hundred years before they were But the learned Grotius hath framed a fit Answer to my hand interpreting vos by majores vestri you that is your Ancestours according as it is to be taken where it is said whom you slew and did not Moses give you the Law That then which according to this construction is here asserted is that the Commandment of Love was from the beginning of Moses and required in the Law as well as in the Gospell This is that which in some sence is granted by all even the Socinians but so as that they assert something to be added to it by Christ and that upon that account it is called in the next Verse a new Comandment In what sence this Epithete of new belongs to it shall be by and by discovered In the mean time that which the Orthodox assert and I shall endeavour to make good is That the Evangelicall command of Love was from the beginning of the Law and so nothing new enjoyned by Christ which was not before by Moses To this end Be pleased to know that the command of Love may be considred either Extensivè or Intensivè Extensively in regare of the Object or Intensively in respect of the Act. In both these respects say the Socinians Christ hath added to the Law for whereas say they the Law requireth the Jews only to love their Countrymen their Friends the Gospell requireth us to love our enemies and so the extent of the Object is larger And whereas the Law required only of the Jews an Active Love the Gospell requireth a Passive so far as to lay down our lives for the Brethren The chief ground on which they build the former is that of our Saviour You have heard that it hath been said thou shalt love thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemy but I say to you love your Enemies and the foundation which they lay of the latter is that the Law commanded only to love their Neighbours as themselves but the Gospell To love one another as Christ loved us which is in effect to love others better then our selves by laying down our lives for them which is more then the Law required To enervate both these Arguments and establish the truth of the Orthodox Assertion Be pleased to know 1. That Neighbour which is set down as the Object of Love in Moses his Law includeth Enemy as well as Friend To clear this I shall propose a double demand