A30242:1103
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgess ...The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgesse ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for T.U., 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
An unsound mind, as well as unsound life may undo a man. Austin once made a Question, and knew not well how to resolve it, viz. Which was worst, an Heretic living with an unblameable life, or an Orthodox man, with a vicious and corrupt life? Non audeo dicere, saith, I dare not determine it. Though Austin could not determine it; yet Salvian a religious and zealous Ancient, he seemeth to prefer an Heretic, if unblameable in his life, before a wicked liver. Now the truth is in some respects, one is worse than another; only herein there can be less said to excuse a profane wicked Christian than an Heretic, because moral duties, such as not to lie, swear, or to be drunk, or unclean, are more easily known, than many points in Religion, especially those which are of a sublime consideration: But yet if we speak in the general, they both do endanger a mans salvation. Thus the Apostle Peter saith, That ignorant men wr•st the Scripture to their own destruction, 2 Pet. 3.16. So that you see, a man may destroy his soul, not only by a profane life, but by a presumptuous abusing and wresting of the Scripture from the true sense. And the Apostle James speaketh of it, as a great matter, To convert one that erreth from the truth, he hath saved a soul and covered a multitude of sins, Jam. 5.20.
An unsound mind, as well as unsound life may undo a man. Austin once made a Question, and knew not well how to resolve it, viz. Which was worst, an Heretique living with an unblameable life, or an Orthodox man, with a vicious and corrupt life? Non audeo dicere, saith, I dare not determine it. Though Austin could not determine it; yet Salvian a religious and zealous Ancient, he seemeth to preferre an Heretique, if unblameable in his life, before a wicked liver. Now the truth is in some respects, one is worse than another; only herein there can be lesse said to excuse a prophane wicked Christian than an Heretique, because moral duties, such as not to lie, swear, or to be drunk, or unclean, are more easily known, than many points in Religion, especially those which are of a sublime consideration: But yet if we speak in the general, they both do endanger a mans salvation. Thus the Apostle Peter saith, That ignorant men wr•st the Scripture to their own destruction,