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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	know_v	name_n	1,893	5	5.0397	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45356	A discourse of the excellency of Christianity	Hallywell, Henry, d. 1703?	1671 (1671)	Wing H461; ESTC R25404	37,770	96

Wonders by the help of Apostate Spirits which if it were so is a very pregnant Testimony that Jesus performed his Miracles by the Divine Power and Approbation for otherwise his Fraud would soon have been detected by that great Council 4. That there are prestigious and Satanical Miracles is an Evidence that there are likewise True and Divine as in Nature the being of Worse argues the existence of Better Sophisms and Falshood the reality of Truth and the operations of Second Causes lead us to the knowledge and being of a First wherefore if it be granted that evil and lapsed Genii can work Miracles it is apparent that the first and best Cause of all things may and does produce Effects of a Divine Power and Virtue and that the Miracles of the blessed Jesus were such appears partly from the Holiness and Purity of his Life and Manners in all parts of them blameless and irreprehensible and partly from the Design and Intention of his Miracles namely to confirm and give credit to that sublime and heavenly Doctrin he brought into the World whose End was to correct and reform the Lives of men and disseminate the blessed Life and Nature of God upon Earth which Considerations are sufficient to beget a firm and undoubted Perswasion that the immaculate Soul of Jesus was extraordinarily assisted and acted by a Divine Power and Efficacy which enabled him to perform those stupendious Operations that are recorded in the Gospels 3. We have reason to believe that there was a timely History of the Life and Transactions of Jesus compiled For we can no ways doubt but that the Disciples of our blessed Lord bearing so tender and dear a Love to their Saviour and being so fully convinced and satisfied in their Minds that he was the promised Messias who should regenerate and renew the World did compose and draw up an Abstract or Compendium of his Life And if we consider likewise how much it would conduce to the carrying on the Design they were setting on foot in the World that all men should believe in the Holy Jesus and imitate his immaculate and faultless Example we cannot readily believe that they were so stupid as to neglect such an effectual Instrument for the promoting their purpose or so uncharitable as to envy Mankind so great a Good 4. That the Histories of the Gospel were compiled by those whose Names they bear in the forefront And for this we have no greater Reason to doubt than we have to question whether the Pentateuch or five first Books of the Bible were written by Moses or whether those Writings which bear the Names of Cicero and Virgil as their Authors were ever composed by them Suppose now we would know who was the Author of some very antient Writing to prove this one Testimony must be taken from those who were contemporary with the Author or at least very little distant from him and from the perpetual Consent of wise and learned men and in this the sacred Volumes have infinitely the advantage above any other Writing whatever Tertullian affirms that the Archetypal Copies written with the Apostles own hands were extant in several Churches in his time Age jam qui voles curiositatem melius exercere in negotio salutis tuae percurre Ecclesias Apostolicas apud quas ipsae adhuc Cathedrae Apostolorum suis locis praesident apud quas ipsae Authenticae Literae corum recitantur And is it any more incredible that the very Autographa of the Apostler should be seen in Tertullian's time than that Cicero's hand should be shown in Quintilian's or Virgil's in Gellius his age But beside that we have the concurrent Testimony of Justin Martyr Irenaeus and Clemens Alexandrinus all of which were the very next to the Apostolical Age we never find any Controversie moved either by Jews or Pagans whether those Writings were theirs whose Names they bear Julian in Cyril acknowledges that the Epistles of Peter and Paul the Gospels of Matthew Mark and Luke are the very Writings of those Persons with whose Names they are adorned Add to this further that amidst the early Differences and Dissensions amongst Christians we never find any sober and grave Person questioning this Truth Indeed we read of the Ebionites a sort of Judaizing Christians who rejected the Epistles of St. Paul but yet they denied not that he was the Author of them but refused them because they thought St. Paul an Undervaluer of and Apostate from the Law of Moses But suppose the Author of any of the Books of the New Testament be to us unknown as it is of the Epistle to the Hebrews yet ought it not to be of any less Credit and Authority with us for either the Doctrin or History contained in it because the Matter and Substance of the Book is more to be regarded than the Name of the Author and therefore because for example we find nothing in the Epistle to the Hebrews which may rationally invalidate our Belief of the things contained in it and over and above have sufficient evidence that it was never repudiated by the Christians who succeeded the Apostles we deservedly receive it as Canonical Scripture 5. That we have all imaginable Reason to ground our Faith upon those Histories of the Gospel delivered to us And this appears 1. Because 't is not likely those who wrote them should be deceived 2. Neither is it probable they would deceive others There is no likelihood they should be deceived because they were either Eye-witnesses of the things they delivered to Posterity or else wrote them from the mouths of those who were Spectators of them and we never find a Miracle recorded which Christ did alone without the Company of two or three of his Disciples When he was transfigured he took with him Peter James and John when he raised the Ruler of the Synagogues Daughter he carried the same three with him Matthew was one of them who perpetually accompanied our blessed Lord and saw the greatest part of those things which he wrote Mark it is thought was an Associate of St. Peter and wrote his Gospel from his mouth And Luke beside that he was one of those who travelled about with St. Paul who had his Commission and Revelation from Heaven he also in his Dedicatory Preface to his Gospel professes himself to have had perfect Understanding of all things from the very first as they were delivered to him from those who were Eye-witnesses of them St. John was the beloved Disciple and always followed the Lord Christ where-ever he went and setting aside the Metaphysical Sermons recorded in his Gospel he relates very few miracles or new things but what are confirmed by the Testimony of some one of the other three As for that notable Miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead after four days burial omitted by all the rest it is capable of this account St. John lived long after all the rest of the Apostles and Evangelists even to the

of them that embraced Christianity was Repentance from dead works and Faith towards God and upon this followed Baptism then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I take to be Catechizing and after that Confirmation by the Bishop agreeable to this Apostolical Custom is the Practice of the Church of England who after Baptism appoints Children to be instructed in the Church-Catechism and then brought to the Bishop to receive Confirmation For others whose intellectual Capacities were fit for the reception of higher Mysteries there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full and rational Explication of the several Dogmata of Christianity and of these St. Paul is to be understood when he says We speak wisdom among them that are perfect even the wisdom of God in the Mystery of the Gospel And St. John distinguishes the several Ages and Growths of Christians I write unto you little Children because your Sins are forgiven you for his names sake I write unto you young men because ye have overcome the wicked one I write unto you fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning Now that the Stewards of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven may give every one his meat in due season it is necessary there should be a diversity in the Gospel that every proportion and degree in Grace may receive somthing which may both strengthen and gratify the knower A man is not satisfied with that which will nourish and content an Infant and and he that is well grown in Piety and Holiness leaving the Rudiments and Principles of Christianity ascends to higher Notions and is infinitely satisfied and ravished with the Contemplation of the Works of Nature and Providence in beholding the Divine Goodness and Wisdom in the Manifestation of that Mystery which lay hid from Ages and Generations and whose only Design being revealed is the complete Restauration and Perfection of Human Nature And in this is the Saying of the wise man verified Eccles 2.26 God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy CHAP. II. Of the Truth of Christianity THe second Illustration of the Excellency of Christian Religion is That it is true which will best be evidenced by these Gradations 1. It is certain that there was such a Man as Jesus in the World And here I would desire the Enemies of this Truth whether Jews or Heathens to give me liberty to make use of the same Arguments they themselves do in proving the Truth of their Histories For how are they assured that there were any such men in the World as Moses and Aristotle If they say they have it from a constant and unquestionable Tradition we can bring the same proof for the Christian Religion the Truth of which hath been delivered successively from one Generation to another for above these sixteen hundred years If they appeal to the Writings of those who were contemporary with them the Christians have the same Plea For the very Enemies of Jesus such as Celsus the Epicurean and Julian the Apostate never questioned his Existence and Being upon Earth The words of Celsus we have in the second Book of Origen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Julian confesses as much as we find by Cyril in his sixth Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I might here bring in the Testimony of Tacitus Pliny and Numenius the Pythagorean who in his third Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Origen tells us relates a certain piece of the History of Jesus which he afterwards allegorizes but I need not be copious in this the Jews themselves who never thought they could sufficiently detest and hate the Name of the Holy Jesus yet could not deny but he once lived among them and therefore call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Lucian in derision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him that was hanged on a Tree 2. It is likewise as unquestionable that Jesus wrought many notable Miracles while he conversed with men and they are such as if we look into the Quality and Design of them do evidently prove his Mission from Heaven and therefore that all men ought to believe on him And this miraculous Power ought to have convinced the Jews by their own Law for this was the Sign or Token left by Moses to discern between the true and false Prophet Deut. xviii 21 22. And if thou say in thine heart How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken When a Prophet speaks in the name of the Lord if the thing follow not nor come to pass i. e. if he do no Miracles that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken And consequently if there shall come one whose Doctrine tends to the establishing the pure Worship of the true God and delivers nothing but what is for the promotion of Piety and Holiness and shall confirm this his Doctrine by Miracles both Jews and Gentiles ought to believe in him But if any one come and seek to draw men from real and substantial Holiness and the Worship of the true God and to gain credit to his pernicious Design shall work a Miracle we are not to believe him because God sometimes permits such things to be done to try the Constancy and Stedfastness of men Deut. xiii 1 2 3. To this the Jews object and say that our blessed Saviour performed his Miracles by magical and diabolical Arts for so they tell him that he cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils To this impious Cavil we may return 1. the Answer which our Saviour made them Mat. xii 25 26. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself how shall then his kingdom stand For the Doctrin of Christ being so exactly opposite and destructive of the kingdom of Unrighteousness and Darkness as Porphyry himself acknowledged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the Head and Prince of this wicked Polity should abet the Lord Christ so far as to impower him to cast out his associates from their usurped Habitations it would undoubtedly beget an intestine War and the Powers of Hell would be at an eternal Variance and Dissension with one another which at last would be the cause of the ruine of their Kingdom 2. This were an invincible Tentation put upon Mankind for there can be no surer manifestation of the Presence and Approbation of the Deity than when a man is inabled to work Miracles And it were irreconcileable with the Goodness and Wisdom of Almighty God to suffer the most innocent and harmless Persons in the world to be fatally and inevitably deluded 3. The great Synedrium consisting of the High-Priests the Elders of the People and the Scribes or Lawyers as their Assistants whose Office and Right it was to try the Prophets are said by the Jews to be skilled in Magick Rites for the better and surer Exploration of those who pretended to be true Prophets but wrought their