Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	ghost_n	son_n	trinity_n	2,658	5	10.0265	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29845	A letter in answer to a book entitled, Christianity not mysterious as also, to all those who set up for reason and evidence in opposition to revelation & mysteries / by Peter Browne ...	Browne, Peter, ca. 1666-1735.	1697 (1697)	Wing B5134; ESTC R19095	82,171	238

comprehend But it may be objected here that at this rate if both the Doctrines and Miracles are mysterious Then you prove one Mystery by another I answer that they are not equally mysterious for a misterious Doctrine is totally obscur'd from us both as to the manner and substance of the thing signified as it is in it self But in a Miracle the substance of the thing is obvious and intelligible and the Manner only of the operation is conceal'd And therefore in so doing that which is more mysterious is prov'd by that which is less so But this Blunderer will tell you that the Doctrines themselves are very knowable in all respects but Miracles are wholly obscur'd as to the m●nner of them And yet in the s●me breath Own that these obscure Miracles are for confirmation of these plain Doctrines This is another pi●c● o● his Logick to prove Notum per Ignotius He can't say that thô the Doctrines are plain yet that they came from God is not so and therefore Miracles were to assure us of this For if the knowing they come from God makes us give our assent to them then Authority is a ground of Perswasion And besides if they have that Evidence of their truth in themselves which he contends for let them come from whence they will we must give our assent to them And now I am come to his last Chapter wherein he pretends to give an account When Why and by Whom Mysteries were brought into Christianity There is not here so much as a pretence of reasoning but several vile Insinuations against all the Primitive Christians against the Clergy of all Ages and against Christianity it self making it as it is now profest only a sort of Heathenism and the Ministers of it in all respects no better than Pagan Priests By the title of this Chapter he was to have shewn how these Mysteries came into Christianity but instead of this of which he says not a word he talks in general how some Ceremonies were introduc'd and some Doctrines abus'd to superstition The dispute all along was about Mysteries and now it is turn'd to Ceremonies of which he speaks too after a confused manner making no difference between the Orthodox and Heretical Professors but charging all the mistakes and errors of every Sect indifferently upon the whole body of Christians in the general That miscarriages and errors crept in and that the Christian Religion was corrupted and abus'd by many in the Primitive times to superstition is without all doubt it is so now and is like to be so to the end of the World for it must needs be that Offences come But what is all this to those who are not guilty of these things suppose every thing in this Chapter true what is all this to us who in the celebration of Baptism and the Supper have rejected all these numerous Rites and superstitious Ceremonies which he speaks of As for those Ceremonies retain'd by us it is time enough to defend them when he says any thing against them and proves either that the Worship of God and Celebration of the Sacraments can be perform'd without any Ceremonies Or That those which we have retain'd are unlawful All he wou'd insinuate here of them is that they were in use among the Heathens and the force of what he says if it hath any is this Heathens us'd a White Garment in their Idolatrous Worship they had certain Times and Places and Persons and Actions appropriated to the Worship of their Idols therefore 't is unlawful to have any thing of this nature in the Worship of the true God The Heathens us'd washings Ergò Baptism is unlawful The Heathens used Eating and Drinking in honour of their G●ds Ergò the Eating and Drinking in remembr●nce of Christ is superstitious And thus by a direct and immediate consequence he destroys the Doctrine of the Sacraments Let him i● he can shew wh●t else can possibly be inferred from all this ridiculous incoherent s●uff What he would insinuate here concerning the Sacraments is that by a multitude of Ceremonies we obscure the nature of them we make them Misterious and do not celebrate them wi●h that simplicity they were at first instituted But let him in his next Bo●k shew what it is that we know our selves concerning the Sacraments which we conceal from the People In short let him make out that he hath any other drift in this whole Chapter than to shew that there is no difference between Christianity and Heathenism All this is by way of Amusement to People who do not know when a man speaks to the purpose Ceremonies are not Mysteries nor do they make a thing Mysterious Those things which we call Mysteries are the Nature and Attributes of God the Eternal Generation and Incarnation of the Son and Procession of the Holy Ghost The Union of the Divine and Human Natures in Christ the Resurrection of our Bodies the Operations and Influences of the Holy Spirit of God upon ours the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead the Glory and Felicity of the Saints in Heaven The Solemnity of the last Judgment c. These are the Mysterious Doctrines of our Religion Let him shew us When Why and by Whom these reputed Mysteries as he calls them were brought into Christianity For we affirm that they were brought into Christianity by Christ himself who alone was able to reveal them That they came in at the first publication of the Gospel and with design to make us wise unto Salvation and therefore we own our selves so fond of them that we will hazard any thing Life and all rather than part with them And thus I have gon through his Book and answered every thing that look'd like Reasoning in it If he will shew me where I have overlook'd any thing that hath the appearance of an Argument or where my Answer fails I will promise him not to let it pass And if any are offended with my manner of treating him I doubt not but they will be satisfied if they but consider what St. Paul said to Elyma● the Sorcerer upon a like occasion O full of all Subtilty and all Mischief thou Child of the Devil thou Enemy of all Righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord In the next Book he speaks of he has two things to perform 1. To shew that we are not oblig'd by Scripture to believe that there is any thing in any point of the Christian Faith which we do not comprehend as fully and perfectly as we do the common objects of this World 2. To discover to all the World those secrets in Religion which the Clergy have industriously conceal'd from the Laity under the notion of Mysteries and make them so plain that they shall cease to be such so that every one of them shall be as wise as e're a Priest of us all And indeed he is much to blame that defers it all this