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death_n die_v end_n life_n 13,615 5 4.8465 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A36132 A discovery of theisme together with such philosophical and mathematical observations as are consonant thereunto : deliver'd in a more refin'd manner then hitherto written, against atheisme and prophaness / by a person of quality. Person of quality. 1698 (1698) Wing D1660; ESTC R16081 23,490 112

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the open face of Providence other then the universality of temporary living and dying with their appurtenancies as they relate to every Individual of Life And therefore conclude that Mortality is the total end of Mankind there being nothing as they conceive in any method of Providence that gives any assurance of surviving after Death or apparent Being of Immortality But Men of this genius whilst they imploy the inquisitive subtilities of their Brain below themselves omit the Judgment they might receive from their Eyes in taking their prospect upwards by which they might visibly apprehend that the Skies are adorn'd with numberless Stars that by no humane observation had ever any alteration or periods Incident to dissolution And therefore so many admirable Emblems of the Immortality that has Being in them as by the Essential proprieties of their Nature Figure Continuance and Motion is very manifest and it has been pertinently prov'd in the second Particular of this Treatise that a Thought of the Mind can resemble by suddain expedition the swiftest Acceleration of a Star And may not therefore the Soul of Man from whence such Thought proceeds be as Immortal as the brightest of the Orbs above And thus may be encourag'd the sublime Hope that Mankind ought to have of endless Life and Perfection since by the Dispensation of the Almighty there is Immortality beheld in the Luminaries of Day and Night And why the humane Soul should not be granted as capable of Everlasting subsistence is not to be disprov'd Too many there are that by their infamous Conversation and Lives are so far from meriting a mention in the refin'd List of Immortality as they deserve not to enjoy the common benefits of worldly Life Whilst in Soul they possess so uncomfortable a Being that by Reason of their Impieties 't is their utmost wish that Mortality may be their Period Wherefore they Judge that 't is no Interest to their Lives to pray unless their supplications might be admitted whereby they would be exempted from Death and continu'd as bad as they are and so they are here left to themselves till they think fit to be better And now to conclude with the Method of the Theist's Devotion to which he conceives he has so many palpable motives from the bounties of the Almighty to the Life he possesseth and whatsoever tends to his comfort in Body and Mind that he were guilty of a sloathful Impiety should he not acknowledge his thankfulness with his daily Bread and the more because frequently bestow'd by the mercies of providence As to his manner of Prayer the Theist affirms it inseparably annexed to the Entireness of his Belief and Method of Devotion which he conceives cannot have a more refin'd Evidence than that it perfectly avoids all disputable Commixture or Impurity from any Notions of Erronius Faith or their Parcels of Belief complicated or intermix'd with the diffus'd Creeds of some others Wherefore he considers his Persuasion as an infallible Purity or refin'd Nature of Belief absolutely concommitant with the Worship of one God palpably Reveal'd in the stupendious Being of his Works and the Conduct of Providence visible in them on which account it is impossible to add to so many Superlative Convictions of the Soul any particular Article of Faith that is less manifest than the Miracles of Omnipotency perspicuously dispers'd throughout the total Fabrick of the Universe as it comprehends the Wonders beheld above and below And as Divine Admiration must necessarily produce Reverence from the humane Soul 't is no less undeniably consequent that an Eternal Conviction by actual Wonders is a Motive above all others whereby is Effected the Piety of Devotion confirm'd by the bare-fac'd Miracles of the World and its Universal Providence On which Basis by the acknowledgment of the Theist does consist the common Place of his Religion as has been precedently Instanc'd If other Devotions have enlarg'd their Creeds beyond open Miracles or as they were in Effect so many providential Proposals of Worship Universally Evident from the time that Mankind had Being in the World the Progression of such Beliefs could have no other Rise then as they were suppos'd to be Reveal'd to particular Persons And were more or less valu'd by Men that duely consider'd the original Start or Comencement of different Persuasions as the Authors or first Propagaters of them were renown'd for extraordinary Prudence Moralities of Life and holy Conversation Or signally Celebrated for miraculous Deeds conceiv'd to be produc'd by them and consequently by Education and Custome descended so reputed to Posterity Inumerable Examples might be given of this kind from undoubted Stories of Ages past but none more remarkably Antient or of longer continuance then the gross or horrible Impiety that Worshipt the Almighty in the Persons of Men or like to an Arithmetical Fraction of ½ divided Godship by conceiving it Infus'd into humane Body And thus did not a few of the Antients who attributed to heroick Persons and famous Founders of pious Institutions and Precepts the Titles of Demy-gods Not as they believ'd them such but as their Signal Examples and Sacred Ordinations could not have sufficient Reputation without a sublime Epithite And the more pardonable in those Authors because no better meanes was known to them whereby Mankind might be indued to Holy Obedience and the Sacred Duty that appertain to civil Society and Government But as the Intention might be in some respects pardonable the Consequence was highly pernitious to the Devotion and Peace of Men as one fellow or other in several Ages of the World presum'd to be Inspir'd with Celestial Dictates Or for more supreme Confirmation of his Doctrine attributed Divinity to himself when he observ'd that Men were credulous enough to believe him But these could signifie no other then so many contriv'd Impostorages and were by degrees accordingly discover'd as may be observ'd from Stories with which the Theist does in no kind intermix Christianity notwithstanding it has not that dateless Evidence as to that Denomination with his own It being undeniable that the Belief of one God was a Primitive Motive that had its Original with the Being of the World and therefore precedent to all subsequent Worships But since the Profession of Christianity was deliver'd by the Preaching and Writings of Holy Persons who by the simplicity of their Lives and Conversation could have no such Indirect Ends and Interests that might derogate from the assurance conceiv'd by them of whatsoever they Attested The Theist does no ways detract from the Goodness of their Doctrine and the rather because it has an agreeable excellency with the manifest Text of Devine Providence For 't is a Devine Christian Moral unparallel'd by other Persuasions that good Deeds are to be done for the sake of Good notwithstanding the unworthiness of the Receiver So by the Conduct of Providence its Munificence is visibly diffus'd to all Stations of Mankind however desertlesly perceiv'd and injoy'd by them The