Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A81577
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A short essay of modern divinity, by Robert Dixon. D.D.
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Dixon, Robert, d. 1688.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D1748A; ESTC R231408
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33,711
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62
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not beloved by the most dishonest And they that do live dishonestly are disapproved and hated sufficiently by them that are most Honest But what care they that are Atheists But they that believe a God will care But wise men do take care of all vitious Actions of Hatred and Disgrace by men but not of God and blame Fools that are so careless even of men because the poor that are oppressed by them raise them to their sames and God much more Indeed and in truth they are the shame as well as grief of Mankind whether they came for it or no. They may depart the world when they will no Body will stop'um they have their pass they shall never be mist I 'le warrant'um As they regard nothing but Eating and Drinking and Lusting and Oppressing c. so who regards them though their looks be never so high and scornful But to leave these Miscreants and this Diversion I am extreemly troubled at the Church of Rome that calls Divine Revelation into Question and when they have done charge us for so doing as if the truths that be so revealed might not have been or might have been otherwise What odd expressions are these to come from wise men of both sides I wish they would better think of it The Papists glory Infallibility of the Infallibility of their Church and therefore they are Cock-sure But 't is we poor wretches that want this Infallibility and consequently this Assurance What a case are we in and what shall become of us I wish some of ours had better considered than to affirm that the Grounds of our Faith are only probable and might have been otherwise so to give the Adversary occasion to insult over us for having no Church nor no foundation for our Faith at all so to overthrow our Religion so to overthrow all Religion if it were so that that which is true may be false then all may be false and at last all is false and where are we then As for Infallibility the business so much boasted of it is none but God not the Church nor all Mankind put all together that have been or are or ever shall be They may set their hearts at rest for they shall never find it nor shew it us while this World stands But yet Christian Religion is certain for all that Certainty And the grounds of Faith are such as they have ever been are and ever shall be and could never be otherwise though there be no Infallibility in men at all The Foundation of God standeth sure be men never so changeable and fallible And God's word is more dureable than the Frame of the Universe For though there be no Infallibility in men yet there is Infallibility in God and that 's enough for us to believe and the wisest men trust to it and cannot fail of their hopes thereby For we believe in God and not in the Church nor in Mankind And this is our Foundation here we fix and resolve our Faith into God Whether hath Pride and Malice driven us Such is the Papists hatred against the Protestants to make them odious to all the World for having no Faith nor no Church Though we hold the same Christ as they do and acknowledge that other Foundation can no man lay than what is already laid Jesus Christ and him Crucified and no other name given under Heaven whereby we can be saved but only by the Name of Jesus Christ And no Mediator between God and Man but the Man Christ Jesus They make the Infallibility of the Pope or a Counsel or the Church to be the Ground of Faith We say God is the only Ground of Faith he cannot deny himself He will never leave nor forsake his Church nor shall the Gates of Hell be ever able to prevail against her They therefore believe because the Church is Infallible But we believe because God is Infallible And what God hath revealed he hath revealed to those that are fallible but the things revealed are the Infallible Truths of God and were never otherwise nor never shall be otherwise whether our Fathers have or we do or our Posterity shall believe them or no. 'T is no absurdity to believe God and his Word to be Infallible though we be fallible and to stand the everlasting Objects of our Faith though we be not the Subjects that embrace them I hope God is no less true though man be a Lyar. And I hope the Gospel is no less true and the same for being believed or disbelieved God's word being Eternal and unchangeable as himself Well but all this while we are beating our Brains about finding out the truth 1. The Athiest he believes nothing but laughs at all He goes on and lives and dies in Wickedness Atheists like a Beast hoping for no Salvation 2. The Papist he is the bravest fellow Papists and in the safest Condition of any man in the World for let him sin his heart out he hath all his Pardon 's ready if he should live a Thousand Years 'T is but whispring a word in his Confessors Ear and listning to a word of Absolution from him again and he is purer than the Chystal Streams and as clear as the Light it self He takes no care for himself for the Church takes all the Care and provides what he should believe and what he should do he need not trouble himself at all unless it be to go barefoot a little or fast or whip a stroke or two which he may buy off when he pleases according as his Purse is Nay to make all sure if he want Merits those Saints that have had more than they knew what to do with have laid them up in store to help their idle Brethren at a dead lift and the Pope delivers them out at such a Price as the Market goes for them they are to be purchased every day In a word he is sure be he what he will because his Church is sure Sin and Confess Confess and sin and so continue till you dy and be reconciled to the Romish Church and so at last you go to Heaven to rights 3. The Fatalist Fatalists Be he Jew or Turk takes as little care as the rest for there is a Lottery thinks he or a Dooms-day Book If he be in for a Prize or a Blanck he knows not therefore Have at all hit or miss If it be to come it will come once If it never come there is no remedy He is lost God would have it so and it must be so no help for it So all alike aim to sin as much as they can and as long as they can Thus men are willing to befool themselves and to charge God foolishly But they that walk Righteously walk safely 1. Because they are sure of a good Report among the Saints here 2. Because they are sure of a good Reward with God hereafter Knowing therefore the Terrors of God I wonder any should
A SHORT ESSAY OF Modern Divinity BY ROBERT DIXON D.D. LONDON Printed by S. R. for R. Clavell at THE PREFACE THE Invasion of the Pulpit and the Separation from the Publick Worship are the Mothers and Nurses of Dogm's and Practises of Rebellions and Massacres for the Ruin of Civil and Ecclesiastical Government The Supream Power hath Religiously commanded general Humiliation of Fasting and Prayer to prevent our Distractions and Destructions The Outward Command is obeyed of God and the King the next is the Inward Duty of Reformation and Fasting from Sin Let every one turn from the Evil of his Way and from the Violence that is in his Hands lest it be returned upon us by God after our Sawcy Charge upon God Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our Soul and thou takest no knowledge Behold in the day of your Fast you find pleasure and exact all your labours Behold ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of Wickedness Ye shall not fast as ye do this day to make your voice to be heard on High Is it such a Fast that I have chosen A day for a man to afflict his Soul Is it to bow down his Head as a Bullrush and to spread Sackcloth and Ashes under him Wilt thou call 〈◊〉 this a Fast and an Acceptable Day to the Lord Is not this the Fast that I have chosen to loose the Bonds of Wickedness to undo the Heavy Burdens and to let the Oppressed go free and that ye break every Yoke Is it not to deal thy Bread to the Hungry and that thou bring the Poor that are cast out to thy House When thou seest the Naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thy self from thine own Flesh Vnto which Praecept is added the Promise due when the Command is performed Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousness shall go before thee and the Glory of the Lord shall be thy Reward Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say Here I am If thou take away from the midst of thee the Yoke the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity And if thou draw out thy Soul to the hungry and satisfie the afflicted Soul Then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day and the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfie thy Soul in drought and make fat thy Bones and thou shalt be like a watred Garden and like a Spring of Water whose Waves fail not And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places thou shalt raise up the foundations of many Generations and thou shalt be called the Repairer of the Breach the Restorer of Paths to dwell in for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Know therefore for certain That the performance of the Covenant on our Part engages the performance of the Covenant on God's Part. This is Justice with God and Man Look to it Do no private wrong to your Neighbour do no publick wrong to the Government of Church or State which is Gods Both these are good nay the best of Governments yet as all other things are subject to failings these may be rectified but the Government its self must stand or else we must fall Blind Sampsons will pull down a strong House over their own heads for a private Revenge or in fond hopes to build a better by their Children when they are dead but the cause of Ruine is rather like to fall upon them who have ruined others If therefore after Fasting and Praying we fall to pulling down and rooting up we mock God and undo our selves with our own hands so our Destruction is from our selves and we frustrate our own hopes when in God we might have help The teeming Cause that produces the sad Effects of of all our Miseries and Distractions being the Malice and Cruelty of the Church of Rome on the one side and the Factious Sects on the other side endeavouring the same Extirpation of the Church of Engand and of the Government of this Kingdom which they did once bring to pass in the late Twenty Years Rebellion to the allmost final Ruine of the Royal Family the Nobility Gentry Clergy and Magistracy whose Honours Estates were swallowed up by them I thought fit to add this small Treatise to demonstrate the necessity of promoting the true Reformation of Theology from those Seditious Superstitious and bloody Principles which have prevailed over this part of Christendom as being the only Remedy under God to set all to rights in this Church and State Therefore I beg the favour of all Divines who most of all Professions have the Peoples ear and consequently most influence upon their Actions to make it their more than ordinary business to Preach and Practise the Pure Doctrine and Spiritual Worship of the Gospel after the Pattern of the Primitive times This will be most acceptable service in this Critical Parocysm of Jealousies and Fears While we stand stareing one upon another in fury watching to destroy one another or as in a storm in fear looking when the Waves should open their Mouths to devour us all together When we had more need to look up unto God to save us in our extremity and by Fasting and Prayer and mutual Charity unite against the Common Enemy to propitiate the offended Deity Other Remedies besides this there can be none it will be our wisdom to joyn all together for this Holy purpose before it be too late Are we mad to Act the same Tragedy over again in the same Age by the same Persons most of them must be dead on both sides those that are alive must be old on both sides and shall the young ones out-fool or out-knave the old ones shall the young Men rise up to play their bloody sport before the old ones again will they suffer it Shall the Sword devour for ever and we make our selves and our Posterity miserable once more Take heed trust them not you have smarted by them already It will be bitter in the latter end And what will you do in the end thereof Dulce Bellum inexpertis The burnt Child should dread the Fire A SHORT ESSAY OF Modern Divinity SECT I. Christ Infallible CHrist as God and Man is Infallible The Apostles as all Men were Fallible as Inspired Apostles Infallible in Revelations in what they were Inspired while they were Inspired Infallible In other things deceived in their own Opinions like other men As of the Temporal Kingdom of Christ and being the Greatest therein As of the Day of Judgement to come in their days c. Erred in their Manners denied forsook their Master sought for greatness Paul not free Peter most to blame sifted by Satan yet their Faith did not fail Only their Revelations were Infallible Such as their