Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	canon_n	old_a	testament_n	3,086	5	8.1547	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23752	The lively oracles given to us, or, The Christians birth-right and duty, in the custody and use of the Holy Scripture by the author of The whole duty of man, &c.	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Sterne, Richard, 1596?-1683.; Pakington, Dorothy Coventry, Lady, d. 1679.; Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691.	1678 (1678)	Wing A1149; ESTC R170102	108,974	240

nay made it the test by which to try true inspirations from false To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to it there is no light in them Esay 8. 20. So that the veneration which they had before acquir'd was still anew excited by fresh inspirations which both attested the old and became new parts of their Canon 27. NOR could it be esteem'd a small confirmation to the Scriptures to find in succeeding Ages the signal accomplishments of those prophecies which were long before registred in those Books for nothing less then divine Power and Wisdom could foretell and also verify them Upon these grounds the Jews universally thro all successions receiv'd the Books of the Old Testament as divine Oracles and lookt upon them as the greatest trust that could be committed to them and accordingly were so scrupulously vigilant in conserving them that their Masorits numbred not only the sections but the very words nay letters that no fraud or inadvertency might corrupt or defalk the least iota of what they esteem'd so sacred A farther testimony and sepiment to which were the Samaritan Chaldee and Greek versions which being made use of in the Synagogs o● Jews in their dispersions and the Samaritan● at Sichem could not at those distances receive a uniform alteration and any other would be of no effect Add to this that the Original exemplar of the Law was laid up in the Sanctuary that the Prince was to have a Copy of it alwaies by him and transcribe it with his own hand that every Jew was to make it his constant discourse and meditation teach it his children and wear part of it upon his hands and forehead And now sure 't is impossible to imagin any matter of fact to be more carefully deduced or irrefragably testified nor any thing believ'd upon stronger evidence 28. THAT all this is true in reference to the Jews that they did thus own these Writings as divine appears not only by the Records of past Ages but by the Jews of the present who still own them and cannot be suspected of combination with the Christians And if these were reasonable grounds of conviction to the Jews as he must be most ab●urdly sceptical that shall deny they must be so to Christians also who derive them ●●om them and that with this farther ad●antage to our Faith that we see the clear ●ompletion of those Evangelical prophecies ●hich remain'd dark to them and conse●uently have a farther Argument to confirm ●s that the Scriptures of the Old Testament ●re certainly divine 29. THE New has also the like means of ●robation which as it is a collection of the ●octrin taught by Christ and his Apostles must if truly related be acknowledged no less divine then what they orally deliver'd So that they who doubt its being divine must either deny what Christ and his Apostles preacht to be so or else distrust the fidelity of the relation The former strikes at the whole Christian Faith which if only of men must not only be fallible but is actually a deceit whilst it pretends to be of God and is not To such Objectors we have to oppose those stupendious miracles with which the Gospel was attested such as demonstrated a more then human efficacy And that God should lend his omnipotence to abet the false pretensions of men is a conceit too unworthy even for the worst of men to entertain 30. 'T IS true there have bin by God permitted lying miracles as well as true ones have bin don by him Such as were those of the Magicians in Egypt in opposition to the other of Moses but then the difference between both was so conspicuous that he must be more partial and disingenuous then even those Magicians were who would not acknowledg the disparity and confess in those which were truly supernatural the finger of God Exod. 8. 19. Therefore both in the Old and New Testament it is predicted that false Prophets should arise and do signs and wonders Deut. 13. 1. Mat. 24. 11. 24. as a trial of their fidelity who made profession of Religion whether they would prefer the few and trivial sleights which recommended a deceiver before those great and numberless miracles which attested the sacred Oracles deliver'd to the sons of men by the God of truth Whether the trick of a Barchochebas to hold fire in his mouth that of Marcus the heretic to make the Wine of the Holy Sacrament appear bloud or that of Mahomet to bring a Pidgeon to his ear ought to be put in balance against all the miracles wrought by Moses our Savior or his Apostles And in a word whether the silly stories which Iamblichus solemnly relates of Pythagoras or those Philostratus tells of Apollonius Tyaneus deserve to rival those of the Evangelists It is a most just judgment and accordingly threatned by Almighty God that they who would not obey the truth should believe a lie 2 Thes. 2. 11. But still the Almighty where any man or devil do's proudly is evidently above him Exod. 18. 11. will be justified in his sayings and be clear when he is judged Rom. 3. 4. 31. BUT if men will be Sceptics and doubt every thing they are to know that the matter call'd into question is of a nature that admits but two waies of solution probability and testimony First for probability let it be consider'd who were the first promulgers of Christs miracles In his life time they were either the patients on whom his miracles were wrought or the common people that were spectators the former as they could not be deceiv'd themselves but must needs know whether they were cur'd or no so what imaginable design could they have to deceive others Many indeed have pretended impotency as a motive of compassion but what could they gain by owning a cure they had not As for the Spectators as their multitude adds to their credibility it being morally impossible that so many should at once be deluded in a matter so obvious to their senses so do's it also acquit them from fraud and combination Cheats and forgeries are alwaies hatcht in the dark in close Cabals and privat Juncto's That five thousand men at one time and four thousand at another should conspire to say that they were miraculously fed when they were not and all prove true to the fiction and not betray it is a thing as irrational to be suppos'd as impossible to be parallel'd 32. BESIDES admit it possible that so many could have join'd in the deceit yet what imaginable end could they have in it Had their lie bin subservient to the designs of som potent Prince that might have rewarded it there had bin som temtation but what could they expect from the reputed son of a Carpenter who had not himself where to lay his head Nay who disclaim'd all secular power convei'd himself away from their importunities when they would have forc'd him to be a King And consequently could not be

manking with the particulars wherein that obedience was to be exercis'd This sure were so disagreeable to his wisdom and goodness that it cannot be charg'd upon his will and consequently they who own not that he has made any such revelation must tacitly tax him of impotence that he could not do it But if any man will say he has and yet reject all this which both Jews and Christians receive as such let him produce his testimonies for the others or rather to retort his own mesure his demonstrations And then let it appear whether his Scheme of doctrin or ours will need the greater aid of that easy credulity he reproches us with 64. I have now gon thro the method I proposed for evincing the Divine Original of the Scriptures and shall not descend to examin those more minute and particular Cavils which profane men make against them the proof of this virtually superseding all those For if it be reasonable to believe it the Word of God it must be reasonable also to believe it of perfection proportionable to the Author and then certainly it must be advanc'd beyond all our objections For to those who except to the stile the incoherence the contradictions or whatever else in Scripture I shall only ask this one question whether it be not much more possible that they who can pretend to be nothing above fallible men may misjudg then that the infallible God should dictate any thing justly liable to those charges I am sure they must depart as much from Reason as Religion to affirm the contrary But alas instead of this implicit submission to Gods Word men take up explicit prejudices against it condemn it without ever examining the truth of the Allegation 'T is certain that in a writing of such Antiquity whose original Language has Idioms and Phrases so peculiar whose Country had customs so differing from the rest of the world 't is impossible to judg of it without reference to all those circumstances Add to this that the Hebrew has bin a dead Language for well nigh two thousand years nowhere in common use nor is there any other ancient Book now extant in it besides those yet not all neither of the Old Testament 65. Now of those many who defame Holy Writ how few are there that have the industry to inquire into those particulars And when for want of knowledg som passages seem improper or perhaps contradictory the Scripture must bear the blame of their ignorance and be accus'd as absurd and unintelligible because themselves are stupid and negligent It were therefore methinks but a reasonable proposal that no man should arraign it till they have used all honest diligence taken in all probable helps for the understanding it and if this might be obtain'd I believe most of its Accusers would like those of the woman in the Gospel Jo. 8. 9. drop away as conscious of their own incompetency the loudest out-cries that are made against it being commonly of those who fall upon it only as a fashionable theme of discourse and hope to acquire themselves the reputation of wits by thus charging God foolishly But he that would candidly and uprightly endeavor to comprehend before he judges and to that end industriously use those means which the providence of God by the labors of pious men hath afforded him will certainly find cause to acquit the Scripture of those imputations which our bold Critics have cast upon it I do not say that he shall have all the obscurities of it perfectly clear 〈◊〉 to him but he shall have so many of them as is for his real advantage and shall discern such reasons why the rest remain unfathomable as may make him not only justify but celebrate the wisdom of the Author 66. YET this is to be expected only upon the fore-mention'd condition viz. that he come with sincere and honest intentions fo● as for him that comes to the Scripture with design and wishes to find matter of cavil and accusations there is little doubt but tha● spirit of impiety and profaness which sen● him thither will meet him there as a spirit of delusion and occecation That Prince of the Air will cast such mists raise such black vapors that as the Apostle speaks the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shall not shine unto him 2 Cor. 4. 5. Indeed were such a man left only to the natural efficacy of prejudice that is of it self so blinding so infatuating a thing as commonly fortifies against all conviction We see it in all the common instances of life mens very senses are often enslav'd by it the prepossession of a strong phancy will make the objects of sight or hearing appear quite different from what they are But in the present case when this shall be added to Satanical illusions and both left to their operations by Gods with-drawing his illuminating grace the case of such a man answers that description of the Scripture They have eies and see not ears have they and hear not Rom. 11. 8. And that God will so withdraw his grace we have all reason to believe he having promis'd it only to the meek to those who come with malleable ductile spirits to learn not to deride or cavil Saint Peter tells us that the unlearned and unstable wrest the Scripture to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 15. And if God permit such to do so much more will he the proud malicious 67. I say not this to deter any from the study of Holy Scripture but only to caution them to bring a due preparation of mind along with them Gods Word being like a generous soveraign medicament which if simply and regularly taken is of the greatest benefit but if mixt with poison serves only to make that more fatally operative To conclude he that would have his doubts solv'd concerning Scripture let him follow the method our blessed Lord has describ'd Let him do the will of God and then he shall know of the doctrin whether it be of God Jo. 7. 17. Let him bring with him a probity of mind a willingness to assent to all convictions he shall there meet with and then he will find grounds sufficient to assure him that it is Gods Word and consequently to be receiv'd with all the submission and reverence that its being so exacts SECT III. The subject matter treated of in the Holy Scripture is excellent as is also its end and design WE have hitherto consider'd the holy Scripture only under one notion as it is the Word of God we come now to view it in the subject matter of it the several parts whereof it consists which are so various and comprehensive as shews the whole is deriv'd from him who is all in all 1 Cor. 19 28. But that we may not speak only loosely and at ●overs we will take this excellent frame in pieces and consider its most eminent parts distinctly Now the parts of Holy Writ seem to branch themselves into these