Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A66485
|
Reflexions upon a pamphlet intituled, An account of the growth of deism in England together with some considerations about the Christian religion.
|
Willis, Richard, 1664-1734.
|
1696
(1696)
|
Wing W2816; ESTC R38311
|
32,108
|
81
|
be encouraged too It is look'd upon by some as a sufficient Reason to throw away any thing a Minister can say without considering because they say it is his Trade the thing by which he gets his Living and therefore that he must talk so To which I shall only reply in a word that it is absurd enough that since Heathens have done persecuting their Ministers they won't believe their Religion unless Christians themselves will persecute them too But however this be whatever Ministers may get now by their Religion the first Ministers of it it 's very plain did not get any thing by it but the Saving of their Souls so that there is no reason why they should question believing them 3. From what was laid down before we may infer That as our Religion could not be an Invention of State nor an Invention of those who Preached it so neither could it come from Enthusiasm or any thing of that kind which is the only thing that can be pretended besides From what has been said of the Apostles c. no Man can reasonably doubt of their being honest Men and really believing what they said to be true so that there remains nothing but to see whether they were deceieved or no. But as I shewed before a great part of the things they Preached and such as confirm the Truth of all the rest were plain and open Matters of fact the things which they had seen and heard and those repeated in so many Instances that they could not be deceived as may appear to any that will but consider what has been said before or read carefully over the History recorded in the Evangelists and the Acts of the Apostles Matters of Opinion and Speculation may easily be imposed upon fanciful People but such a Series of Matters of fact cannot be imposed upon Mens Sight and Hearing and yet if those are true All the rest of our Religion must be true too 4. This shews us a manifest Difference betwixt the Miracles wrought by the Apostles c. and some that have been since pretended in Confirmation of the Popish Errors That the Apostles plainly could have no Interest to invent or relate Matters falsly if they did not believe their Religion true it was their Interest to lay it down and have nothing more to do with it but as for the other to say no worse of them they do evidently serve a Turn and what does so unless there be very good Evidence for it we have just Reason to suspect Having done in short with what I designed to speak to about the Christian Religion I would now seriously address my self to those who have any doubt about these Matters and especially to those who set up for Deism in England The Matter is certainly of very great Consequence and what we are all very much concerned in and therefore does at least deserve a serious Examination and not to be slightly passed over or made matter of Jest as has been the Custom of too many who I believe have little considered whether these things are true or no or what the Importance of them is supposing they are true But a Man had need be very sure before he venture to affront God and what he has revealed to us in such a manner I desire therefore they would consider with me these few things 1. That supposing the Christian Religion be true it must be a very dangerous thing to be an Infidel It 's a common Opinion in this Age that Men are under no Laws or Obligations as to their Belief and Opinions of Things and therefore cannot be punished for them let them be what they will and this makes them easily declare for or against any thing as Humour or Inclination leads them without much considering the Matter And indeed so far they are in the right that God requires no Man to believe without Evidence and if a Man knows what he does he cannot believe any thing but so far as he finds it true But it 's very plain on the other side that God may command his Creatures to take notice of some things at their Peril and if their Disbelief of what he reveals comes by their own Fault this is then as criminal as any other Immorality And therefore our Religion frequently reckons Infidelity among those Sins for which Men shall be punished in the other World The very Words by which our Saviour gave his Apostles Commission to preach the Gospel shew this Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned By which I suppose he means every one that has the Gospel preached to him but either through Negligence or fear of Persecution or some other Corruption of Heart remains still in his Unbelief And St. John in Rev. 21.8 reckons up Unbelievers among those that shall have their Portion in the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone But the Fearful and Unbelieving and the Abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their portion in the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone What God will do with those that never heard of the Gospel he has no where told us no question but he will deal with them according to the Rules of Justice and Mercy But it 's plain that God has no where promised Heaven but upon condition of Faith in Christ that being a free Gift which he can dispose of on what Conditions he pleases and as for those who live under the preaching of the Gospel but through any fault of their own remain Infidels according to the Scriptures Infidelity is in such a Sin of as dangerous a nature as any Sin whatever And therefore a Man had need be very sure and have examined the matter very throughly before he set up for an Infidel when the Consequence of it is like to be so terrible if the Christian Religion should prove true at last 2. I desire they would consider how little Reason there is why any Man should be proud or fond either of being or being counted an Infidel The great Principles of Infidelity at present are That there is no Future State no such things as Rewards or Punishments in the other World Now suppose this might be proved true What would the Infidel get by all this He would only prove himself to be a mean pitiful and contemptible Creature a Creature the most awkwardly made of any in the whole Creation a Creature which is to be included within the space of a few Years and spends almost all that time either in little Follies or vain Hopes or toilsome Cares either in fruitless Desires or insipid Enjoyments either in real Sufferings or imaginary Fears or something or other of that kind and when this short impertinent Scene is ended must then only become a little Dirt as mean contemptible Dirt as any he now treads