Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	account_n	day_n	idle_a	2,166	5	9.1920	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67569	A philosophicall essay towards an eviction of the being and attributes of God. Immortality of the souls of men. Truth and authority of Scripture. together with an index of the heads of every particular part.	Ward, Seth, 1617-1689.	1652 (1652)	Wing W823; ESTC R203999	52,284	168

things which he delivered he was borne near hand he travelled through Palestina might converse with those very men upon whom Jesus had wrought his miracles such as had seen the life of Jesus his death and resurrection The Acts of the Apostles were likewise written by Saint Luke and that Book containes some things done by the rest of the Apostles but the most of it is concerning the actions of Paul after his miraculous conversion the former it was easie for him to know either from the Apostles themselves or others of the latter he could not be ignorant because he was continually with Paul in all his labours and his journeys even from the time of his conversion to his imprisonment at Rome As for the matters of fact which are delivered in the Epistles of Paul and Peter and James and John and Jude they are such as either were done by themselves and so they could not possibly be ignorant of them or by others with whom they held a correspondence or by our Saviour whose Apostles they were all but Paul or else they are things done by others publiquely and notoriously known Lastly As for the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Revelations though the authours of them be not certainly known in the Church yet thus much is plain that the Authour to the Hebrews saith that the Gospel of Iesus was preached at first by Christ and confirmed unto him Us by them that heard him 2. v. 3. and so that he could not be ignorant of that nor yet was it possible that the Authour of the Revelations should be ignorant whether or no he had those visions which he hath delivered Now these are all the Books of the New Testament and it appears that the Authours of them had as much opportunity to know the things which they delivered as is possible to be had wherefore the businesse is clear in respect of their Sufficiency of knowledge and all the Question which remains it must be in regard of their Integrity Whosoever challengeth or questions the Integrity of an Historian and upon that cause refuseth to receive his Testimony it is requisite that he produce the reasons of his suspition that he charge the Authours of corruption and prove the charge which he hath objected or that he discover and manifest the ends which he might propound to himself as the reward of his imposture that he shew the gain that might accrue or the losse or perill or ignominy that he might avoid and manifest that his accusation hath not proceeded from malice but from judgement from some grounds of reason and not from perversenesse or spight or any inhumanity Here then it is that we challenge men or Devils to produce the crimes to detect and prove the villanies of these Writers nay to assign the ends which they might have in relating falshood the gain the pleasure the glory the safety or whatsoever it is that prevails upon the appetites and lusts of men and let their infidelity and jealousie out-doe the malice of the grand Apostate Indeed I think scorn to stand upon this argument it was the contemplation of these things chiefly that gained from me that second assertion That there is greater reason to beleeve the Scripture then any other writings in the world the first Proposition being already demonstrated That we have as great SECT. V. That there is much greater reason to beleeve the History of the New Testament then any other History HAving already demonstrated that considering the qualifications of the persons who have recorded unto us the New Testament of our Saviour there is as great reason to give credence to their Histories as to any other ancient Histories in the world by reason of their means of knowledge and opportunities for discovery of the truth of those matters of fact which they have delivered It follows now that we make good that which in the second place we propounded concerning them which was That we have greater reason to beleeve them then to beleeve any Historians whatsoever and this now will be manifested to us by these Arguments following 1. Greater obligation 2. Their sufferings 3. Their Miracles 4. Their predictions First then They were more powerfully obliged to the delivery of the truth then others not that others were not obliged likewise to deliver nothing but the truth there is in the conscience of every soul setled a principle dictating unto him that he ought not not to recede from the truth in his relation but yet this principle is in the most of men very much overclouded and overborn as is manifest not only by the fabulous relations of ancient Histories even after the institution of the Olympiads but by that inclination which we finde almost in all men to make their relations handsome in order wherunto even the gravest of them Josephus Livy and the rest of those orders of Historians have often changed the form of Circumstances and varied from the truth to make a coherence of things according to their fancy such as might please their owne imaginations The truth is that which held in the Heathen so far as they were held within the boundaries of truth it can be conceived to be no other then a certain magnanimity and a morall generosity that was actuated and quickned in them by the conceit of a reputation thereby gained amongst the people of their own generation their hopes of perpetuating their owne fame together with the acts which they recorded and consecrating them to eternity and immortality I do not say that this was all the motive which they had but that upon the consideration of them in the whole complexion of their circumstances I cannot finde out any more powerfull motive nor any stronger obligation But besides all that these men had to move them the writers of the New Testament had likewise other motives as farre beyond these as the heaven is beyond the earth either in dignity or situation A most severe injunction of their Master such as they themselves have delivered such as they could not neither durst neglect their writings abound in precepts of truth and of veracity and that prescribed under far other conditions and setled upon a far surer foundation upon the foundation of truth it self the originall and the Ideall truth of the world and propounded to them under far other penalties they knew full well and taught to others that of every idle word which men shall speak an account must be given at the day of judgement how dreadfull an account then must they have expected if they should have delivered falshood in the place of truth if they should have told a lye for God or lyes of God or delivered impostures in the name of God nay verily the necessity which lay upon them compared to others doth as farre exceed it as the fear of a little disreputation is exceeded by the horrour of eternall torments and now their practise was also answerable to their obligation and what they delivered