Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	prophet_n	testament_n	5,085	5	8.1969	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29105	The qualifications requisite, towards the receiving a divine revelation a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, January the 2d, 1698/9, being the first, for this year, of the lectures founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by Samuel Bradford ...	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1699 (1699)	Wing B4118; ESTC R19718	14,828	33

The Qualifications requisite towards the Receiving a Divine Revelation A SERMON Preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. PAVL January the 2d 1698 9. Being the First for this Year of the Lecture Founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq By SAMUEL BRADFORD M. A. Rector of St. Mary le Bow LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Three Crowns and Bible in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1699. TO THE Most Reverend Father in God Thomas Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Sir Henry Ashhurst Baronet Sir John Rotherham Serjeant at Law John Evelyn Senior Esq Trustees appointed by the Will of the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq Most Reverend and Honoured I Humbly present to you this with the following Discourses which I Publish in Obedience to your Order and with my thankful acknowledgment of the Honour you have done me in appointing me your Lecturer for the Year ensuing The best way of establishing any Truth is by making a fair and just Representation of it Truth being to the Mind what Light is to the Eye always discernable where there is no defect in the Organ My design therefore is to endeavour so to represent the Christian Revelation that it may appear by it's own Light and by that means as far as may be to prevent Objections before they are rais'd And because I am fully perswaded that the true Cause of Infidelity where the Gospel is publish'd is some vitious Indisposition in the Minds of men I thought it expedient to begin with laying down the Qualifications which are necessary for such Persons as shall concern themselves about this Subject I am very sensible of my want of Ability proportionable to this Vndertaking but I humbly beseech that God and Saviour in whose Cause I am engag'd to enable me in some measure to promote the pious and generous Design of our Honourable Founder a Person who convinc'd the World that Christianity is consistent with excellent natural Parts and great Learning as well as with noble Birth and good Breeding After this I have nothing farther to do but to rely upon that Goodness which so freely employ'd me favourably to interpret the Endeavours of Most Reverend and Honoured Your most obliged and humble Servant Samuel Bradford JOHN vj. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me THE Honourable Founder of these Lectures having appointed them for proving the Christian Religion against notorious Infidels viz. Atheists Deists Pagans Jews and Mahometans my design is by God's Assistance to direct my following Discourses principally against the second sort of these Adversaries to our Profession the Deists I mean properly so call'd those who are not sunk so much below humane Nature as to call into question the Author of their Beings or to deny that Providence by which the World is govern'd and themselves and all things in it preserv'd and taken care of but yet pretend to disbelieve or at least doubt concerning the Christian Revelation It must needs seem strange to those who are throughly convinc'd of the Trutho of Christianity and discern very plain and strong Evidence for the confirmation of their Faith in all the parts of it that there should be any who being educated where this Religion is profess'd should either remain or become Infidels especially if at the same time they seriously own the Principles of natural Religion to which those of reveal'd are so very agreeable How far such men are in good earnest is best known to God and to their own Consciences but if there be any such 't is certainly worth the while to convince them and I should hope it would be no great difficulty to do it provided they may be prevail'd upon to do what is absolutely necessary and highly reasonable on their part in order to their receiving and owning such conviction For which reason I have chosen to begin with these Words wherein we are inform'd by our Lord himself what sort of Persons those are who are qualified for receiving him and his Doctrine viz. such as are taught of God such as have heard and learn'd of the Father The occasion of the Words was this Our blessed Saviour had been saying Ver. 38 that He came down from Heaven at this some of the Jews murmur'd saying 41 Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph whose Father and Mother we know 42 How is it then that he saith I came down from Heaven To which our Lord reply'd not by proposing at that time any Arguments to convince them that he really did come down from Heaven but by hinting to them the true cause of their unbelief and letting them understand that considering their temper which he very well knew Ver. 43 44. he was not at all surpris'd at their rejecting him Murmur not saith he among your selves No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him But may not the Father draw men and they not follow him Yes certainly Ezek. 24.13 as well as he might be said to have purged Israel and yet that Israel was not purged and therefore it follows in the next Words It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me It is written in the Prophets that is this is a Prediction you may find in divers places in the Books of the Prophets in the Old Testament They shall be all taught of God that is in the days of the Messiah the World shall be blest with more plentiful Instruction from Heaven there shall be a greater measure of Divine Knowledge imparted by God to Mankind together with a larger Effusion of the Divine Spirit upon the Members of God's Church whereby they shall be taught the Will of God more plainly and fully than in times past Particularly the Prophet Isaiah foretelling the state of the Church in the days of the Messiah hath these very words which our Lord citeth All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Isa 54.13 Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learn'd of the Father cometh unto me as if he had said Whosoever therefore will come unto me that is receive me for the Messiah and acknowledge my Doctrine to be of God must be taught of God according to the prediction of the Prophets and on his part he must both hear and learn of the Father he must attend that is to his Instructions and comply with them For if he shall refuse to hear the Father he can never acknowledge me who came from him but if he will hear and learn of him and consequently be taught by him he will readily come to me also So that the Words contain as I have already observ'd the Character of those Persons who are qualified and dispos'd to receive the Christian Doctrine when it is publish'd to them And this I