Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	life_n	resurrection_n	6,698	5	8.6419	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30898	The possibility and necessity of the inward immediate revelation of the spirit of God towards the foundation and ground of true faith, proved in a letter write [sic] in Latine, to a person of quality in Holland; and now also put into English. By R.B.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1686 (1686)	Wing B732; ESTC R214887	15,587	34

GOD speaking to the mind of Man is a supernatural Beeing and stirreth up in us a supernatural Idea by which we clearly know that inward Voice to be the Voice of GOD and not the voice or operation of another or of any evil Spirit or Angel because none of these has a supernatural Idea as the Voice of GOD and his Divine Operation hath for it is full of Vigour Virtue and Divine Glory as saith the Psalmist who had often experience of it and we also in our measures are witnesses thereof for the Voice of GOD is known to be his by its Divine Virtue Seventhly The senses are either Outward or Inward and the Inward senses are either Natural or Supernatural We have an example of the Inward Natural Sense in being Angied or Pacified in Love and Hatred or when we perceive and discern any Natural Truth such as the Natural Maxims to wit That the whole is greater then the part or when we deduce any Conclusion by the strength of Natural Reason that Perception also in a larger sense may be called an inward Sense But an Example of an Inward supernatural Sense is when the Heart or Soul of a pious Man feels in it self Divine Motions Influences and Operations which sometimes are as the voice or speech of GOD sometimes as a most pleasant and glorious Illustration or visible Object to the inward Eye Sometimes as a most sweet Savour or Taste sometimes as a Heavenly and Divine Warmness or so to speak Melting of the Soul in the Love of GOD. Moreover this Divine and supernatural Operation in the Mind of a Man is a true and most glorious Miracle which when it is perceived by the Inward and supernatural Sense divinely raised up in the Mind of Man doth so evidently and clearly perswade the Understanding to assent to the thing revealed that there is no need of an outward Miracle for this Assent is not because of the thing it self but because of the Revelation proposing it which is the Voice of GOD For when the Voice of GOD is heard in the Soul the Soul doth as certainly conclude the truth of that Voice as the truth of GOD'S Beeing from whom it proceeds These things being thus premised I now proceed to a direct Answer For what is said that GOD cannot make a contingent Truth to become a necessarie Truth I agree But when any Contingent Truth is manifest to us by the Immediat Revelation of GOD There is in it two things to be considered to wit the thing revealed which is Contingent And the Revelation it self which upon the Supposition that it is a Divine Revelation is no contingent Truth but a most Necessarie Truth And this all mankind will say that this Proposition Every divine Revelation is necessarly true is as clear and evident as that Proposition That every Whole is greater then its Part. But thou wilt say how knows thou that a Divine Revelation is a Divine Revelation I answer how knows thou that a Whole is a Whole and a Part is a Part Thou wilt say by the natural Idea excited in me of a Whole and of a Part. I answer again even so a Divine Revelation is known to be such by a Supernatural Idea of Divine Revelation stirred up in us and that by a Divine Motion or Supernatural Operation But it is no wonder that Men who have no Experience of Supernatural Ideas or at lest do not heed them doe deny them which is as if a man naturally blind denyed Light or Colours or a deaf man Sounds because they experience them not Therefore we cannot dissemble that we feel a fervent Zeal even Divinely kindled in us against such an absurd opinion as affirms That God cannot ascertain us of his will in any contingent Truth but by proposing it to the outward Senses This Opinion does in a manner turn Men into brutes as if Man were not to believe his GOD unless he propose what is to be believed to the outward Senses which the beasts have common with us yea it derogats from GOD's Power and imputes weakness to him as if he could not do that which not only both good and evil Angels can doe but which the meanest Creatures can doe and the most unsensible As for instance the heat of the fire the coldness of the Air Water worketh upon us yea if a Pinn prick us we feel it that by the outward Sense because the Objects are outward and carnal But since GOD is a most Pure and Glorious Spirit when he operateth in the Innermost parts of our Minds by his will Shall not he and his will be clearly felt according to his Nature That is by a spiritual and supernatural Sense For as the Nature of GOD is so is the Nature of his will to wit purely spiritual And therefore requireth a Spiritual Sense to discern it which Spiritual Sense when it is raised up in us by a divine Operation doth as clearly and certainly know the voice or revelation of the will of GOD concerning any thing which GOD is pleased to reveal however Contingent as the outward Sense knows and perceives the Outward Object And it is no less absurd to require of GOD who is a most pure Spirit to manifest his will to Men by the outward Senses else not to be credited As to require us to see sounds and hear Light and Colours For as the Objects of the outward Senses are not to be confounded but every Object is to have its proper Sense So must we judge of inward and spiritual Objects which have their proper Sense whereby they are to be perceived And tell me how God doth manifest his will concerning matters of Fact when he sends his Angels to men since Angels as is commonly received have not outward Senses or at least not so gross ones as ours are Yea when Men dye and apear before the Tribunal of GOD whether unto eternal Life or Death how can they know this having laid down their bodies and therewith their outward Senses And nevertheless this Truth of GOD is a Truth of Fact as is the historicall Truth of Christs Birth in the Flesh. And which is yet more near how do good and holy Men even in this Life most certainly know that they are in Favour and Grace with GOD No Outward Revelation doth make this known unto them but the Spirit as saith the Apostle beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of GOD. For the meer Testimonie of a human Conscience without the inward Testimonie of the holy Spirit cannot beget in us a firm and immoveable Testimony of our Sonship because the Heart of Man is deceitfull and if the Testimony thereof were true at most it is but a Human Testimonie which begetteth in us only an human Faith But that Faith by which holy Men believe they are the Sons of GOD is a Divine Faith which leans upon a Divine Testimony of the holy Spirit witnessing in them that they are the Sons

THE POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY Of the INWARD IMMEDIATE REVELATION Of the SPIRIT of GOD Towards the Foundation and Ground of True FAITH proved in a Letter write in Latine to a Person of Quality in Holland And now also put into English By R. B. Printed in the Year 1686. ADVERTISEMENT To the READER THIS serves to inform thee that it is above seven years since this Epistle was Printed in Latine the Person to whom it was write the Heer Paets is a Man of no mean accompt both in the Learned and Politick World The Conference I had with him was lately after his return from Spain where he had been Ambassadour from the United Netherlands I discoursed with him on the same subject last year at London where he was one of the Commissioners for the Dutch Eastindian Company but could not find him propose any thing new nor what I could conceive had any weight towards a Reph what his Reasons were not to prosecute this Matter further I shall not determine But thus far he readily yeelded That he had been mistaken in his notion of the Quakers for he found they could make a Reasonable Plea for the foundation of their Religion Vpon my reading it over again I find an inclination in my self and was perswaded by some Friends to publish it in a Language more obvious to all my Countrey Men. It is a Question now frequently tossed What is the Ground and Foundation of Faith And when the matter is sifted to the bottom it resolves in Tradition or Revelation for those who lay claim to the Scripture and would make it the foundation of their Faith do resolve it but in a Tradition when the Motives of Credibility are enquired unto since the subjective Revelation which they yeeld comes but in the last place and is by themselves termed medium incognitum assentiendi And such a Revelation those of Rome will not refuse to influence them to assent to the determination of the Church So those Protestants who say the subjective operation of the Spirit influences them tho they know not how to believe the Scripture presented and conveyed to them by Tradition as the Dictats of GODS Spirit and so understand them as their Preachers interpret them differ not much or at least have not Reason to differ from the Church of Rome who say the Spirit influences them to believe the Scriptures as proposed by the Church and according as her Doctors and Councils interpret them And neither has any better foundation than Tradition And to speak the truth plainly the Faith of both resolves in the veneration they have for their Doctors But whereas the one affirms they do it by an intire Submission they think it decent to say they judge them infallible And certainly it is most reasonable that such as affirm the first believe the last The other because they pretend they believe the Church but conditionally have denyed to her infallibility tho generally they be as credulous as the other And I find the Doctors of their Church as angry to be contradicted as the other that is an ingredient goes to the Composition of all Clergy-Men since it became a Trade and went to make a part of the outward policy of the World from whence has flowed that monster Persecution In short the matter is easily driven into this narrow compass we believe either because of an outward or inward Testimony that is because it is outwardly delivered to us or inwardly revealed to us For my part I think the Papists does wisely in pleading for Infallibility for certainly the true Church never was nor can be without it And the Protestants does honestly in not claiming it because they are sensible they want it I should therefore desire the one to prove that they are infallible and advice the other to believe they may and seek after it But I am sure neither the one is nor the other cannot without immediate Divine Revelation Therefore as to deny Revelation is a bad way to prove Infallibility so to deny Infallibility is a bad way to make a Reformation since they who do reform had need to be certain they are doing so The asserting of Infallibility in the Church of ●hrist is not the errour of the Church of Rome but the pretending to it when they have it not and placing it where they should not But since those who oppose immediate Revelation do it on the accompt that they reckon it either impossible or unnecessary I hope there will be as much found in this Epistle as will 〈◊〉 the contrary I have now exceeded the limits of 〈◊〉 Advertisement but being known not to be a Man of form I hope my Reader will excuse me to whom I wish true certainty of Faith and so bid him heartily Farewell R. BARCLAY The 9. of October 87. My Friend ALBEIT I judge I did fully answer to all thy Arguments in that Conference we had concerning the necessity and possibility of Inward Immediate Revelation and of the certainty of True Faith from thence proceeding Nevertheless Because after we had made an end and were parting thou would needs remit to my further Consideration the strength of thy Argument as that in which thou supposed the very hing of the Question to lye That I might satisfie thy desire and that the Truth might more appear I did further consider of it But the more I weighed it I found it the weaker And therefore that thou thy self may make the truer Judgement of it I thought meet to send thee my further considerations thereon which I had done err now had not I both at London and elsewhere been diverted by other necessary occasions Wherein I doubt not but thou will perceive a full and distinct answer to thy Argument But if thou cannot as yet yield to the Truth or thinks mine answer in any part to be defective so that there yet remains with thee any matter of doubt or scruple I doe earnestly desire thee that as I for thy sake and out of love to the Truth have not been wanting to examine thy Argument and to transmitt to thee my Considerations thereon So thou may give thy self the trouble to write and send me what thou has further to say which my Friend N. N. who delivers thee this will at what time thou shall appoint receive from thee and transmitt to me thy Letter that at last the Truth may appear where it is And that the whole matter may the more clearly be understood it will be fit in the first place to propose thy Argument whereby thou opposes the Immediat Revelation of GOD in the Saints thence concluding thou has fully overturned the foundation of the People called Quakers Which Argument of thine is That since as thou judges the Beeing and Substance of the Christian Religion consisteth in the Knowledge of and Faith concerning the Birth Life Death Resurrection and Ascension of Christ Jesus thou consider● the substance of the Christian Religion as a contingent truth