Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	humane_a	person_n	personal_a	3,612	5	9.5664	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67561	An apology for the mysteries of the Gospel being a sermon preached at White-Hall, Feb. 16, 1672/3 / by Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum.	Ward, Seth, 1617-1689.	1674 (1674)	Wing W815; ESTC R38484	24,128	100

that he was sent to Preach and not to Baptize that this was that which Christ sent him to Preach and that he determined to know nothing else among them but Iesus Christ and him Crucified and in Chap. 1. v. 23. he declares this to have been the occasion of the Scandal taken both by Jews and Gentiles I Preach Christ Crucified to the Iews a stumbling-block c. The Scandal taken was against the Mysteries of the Gospel and the Nature and Mediatorian Office the Character and Personal Concernment of Christ and work of Redemption by his blood spilt upon the Cross are the two great and comprehensive heads to which the whole Mystery of the Gospel is easily naturally and immediately reducible The Justification Sanctification entire Oeconomy of the salvation of man depends immediately upon the work of Redemption by the blood of Christ. The value and efficacy of his blood resolves into the Excellency of his Person and of his Nature That he was the Son of God the Father Conceived by the Holy Ghost which Father Son and Holy Ghost are one So that in the last resolution the conjunction of the Divine and Humane Natures in the Unity of the Person of Christ and the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Nature of the Godhead is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gospel And this is also the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great thing whereof it is imagined that a Christian or a Preacher ought to be ashamed Which will be yet more evident if we shall make a brief reflection upon the Nature and Symptoms of the Prejudices against the Gospel and the Character of the persons more especially obnoxious to these Prejudices 3. Beside the consideration of Interest real or imaginary and the disappointment of mens desires and expectations an ordinary eminent and predominant ingredient in the prejudices of all men there are two things which in men pretending to prudence and vertue or to reason and understanding are apt to create a distaste against any way of Institution or any Doctrine wherein they are supposed or presumed to be 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an apprehension of Turpitude or dishonesty either intrinsecally contained in that which is propounded or consequentially involved with it 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an apprehension of some Absurdity or unreasonableness in it 1. Of the former sort are Principles of Atheism Irreligion Immorality the Doctrines of Diagoras who denyed the being of God of Carneades concerning good and evil of Diogenes concerning Incest c. which have an Intrinsick and immediate turpitude The Doctrine of Epicurus concerning the Mortality of the Soul a consequential Principle of all Impiety Injustice and Debauchery if that be the case Let us eat and drink c. These are injurious to the Interest of Mankinde and they put an indignity upon the practical reason and principles of men and are apt to be distastefull and offensive instances whereof there are very many among the Heathens as among others that of the Athenians who banished Protagoras and caused his Books to be burnt in the open Market-place because he wrote doubtfully concerning the being of a God But as for these it hath not been in the power of malice to fasten them upon the Gospel or in the compass of mistake to suppose them in it so that it hath been clearly exempted from this Prejudice 2. The other thing that creates an aversion against any Doctrine is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Apprehension of absurdity or unreasonableness in the things propounded wherein the Wit and Theoretick Reason or Understanding of men takes it self no matter whether it be justly or unjustly to be affronted and this is as distastefull as the former An Instance whereof we have in the sixth of St. Iohn where when Christ told those that followed him of eating his flesh and drinking his blood speaking in a figure not obvious to their vulgar understanding they cryed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was a hard saying and taking themselves to be abused they finally forsook him I say that the apprehension of Moral turpitude or Logical absurdity are equally distasteful But in their more peculiar Subjects and Symptoms and Aptitude to mistake and Prejudice they differ The former aversion hath its peculiar seat and residence in Vertuous and Prudent men the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and discovers it self in Zeal and Indignation as against things dangerous and pernicious the later is subjected in persons who are or take themselves to be men of Wit and Learning the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Symptoms of it are scorn and contempt as of things absurd and nonsensical foolish and irrational And in matters of this nature men are more inclinable to fall into mistake and Prejudice than in the former The Notions of Truth and Falshood lie more abstruse than those of Good and Evil and men are more apt to be deceived in their wit than in their honesty No Truths are so liable to mistake and prejudice as the professedly Mysterious and without controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness The ground of this Prejudice is an Impotency to distinguish betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betwixt Truth and Clearness Obscurity and Absurdity Being inconceivable and incredible Being incomprehensible and Being unaccountable 4. This Impotency is an Infirmity to which the Brisk and the sudden the forward and impatient the talkative and disputatious all such as scorn the dulness of consideration and think themselves above the drudgery of thinking that is to say the Wits and Beaux esprits are of all men living the most obnoxious And from hence it is that by persons of this Character to be despised hath alwayes been the fortune of the Gospel The condition of the Gospel amongst our selves I shall not in this place at this time labour to declare I come not hither to accuse my Nation But that it was thus in the Apostles time we have sufficient assurance He tells us that the most eminent despisers the Contemptores legitimi of the Gospel were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Tropical Rhetorician and the Flanting Orator the Jibing Satyrist and Scurrilous Comedian the Sophistical Philosopher and Everlasting Disputant the Conceited Scribe and Pharisaical Opiniator Where saith the Apostle is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the disputer of this World The entertainment which the Gospel found at the hands of such as these was generally that of scorn and contempt Speaking in the person of men of this Character whether Iews or Gentiles our Apostle in the compass of two Chapters doth nine times call the Mysteries of the Gospel foolishness and foolish things things weak ignoble and despised and

alwayes will be Prejudices against the Gospel and an imagination in some persons that Ministers and Christians ought to be ashamed of it is so deplorably manifest that I need not insist upon either the proof or declaration of it That it is and hath been alwayes so it is not only the unhappy complaint of the present Age but hath been of every Age and Generation since the first Promulgation of the Gospel And that it will be so we have an infallible assurance from Christ and his Apostles That the latter dayes shall be times of Infidelity and departure from the Faith that there will be Scoffers at the Gospel and cruel Mockers we have the assurance of the Apostles St. Paul St. Peter and St. Iude. That when the Son of man shall come to judge the World he shall hardly finde Faith on the Earth we have the Prediction of our Lord Christ himself Briefly and summarily our Lord Christ in several places of the Gospel declares and supposes that many will be offended at him that they will be ashamed of him and of his words both of his Person and of his Gospel Our Apostle declares that he himself is not ashamed exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed commends Epaphroditus that he was not ashamed St. Peter exhorts those that suffered for the Gospel not to be ashamed If there had not been an imagination in the world that they ought to have been ashamed to what end were all these Declarations Commendations Exhortations concerning being not ashamed 2. I pass therefore to the second thing propounded to enquire what is the special Object of these Prejudices or what are those things contained in the Gospel whereof in an especial manner it is imagined that we ought to be ashamed Though the whole System of the Gospel lies under Prejudices yet not all parts of it alike some more than other and some by reason of the other The whole Gospel is generally dividable into 1. Historical Narrations 2. Moral Institutions and Motives 3. Dogmatical Mysteries These are delivered sometimes distinctly and severally and sometimes they are combined and mixed together That there was such a person as Christ that he was born of Mary that Ioseph was his reputed Father The manner of his Life and of his Death his Actions and his Teachings are matters meerly Historical That this reputed Son of Ioseph was indeed the Son of God conceived by the Holy Ghost born of a Virgin and the like have in them a Combination of the Mystery together with the History of the Gospel I stand not to shew how the Morality is sometimes simply delivered and sometimes in Combination with the Mysterious parts of the Gospel 1. Now concerning those parts of the Gospel which are merely and simply Historical and Moral I suppose they cannot be here intended Because that to such persons as the Romans were men pretending to Reason and Philosophy they afford no colour for an imagination that a Minister or Christian ought to be ashamed Supposing the truth of what is there delivered whereof I have spoken heretofore what was there in the Birth or Life or Death the Conversation or Actions ordinary or extraordinary of Christ or his Apostles whereof in the opinion of a Philosopher a Christian ought to be ashamed Was it the meanness of Christs Nativity That he was the reputed Son of Ioseph who was of a mean and despicable Occupation Was it that he lived an Ambulatory kinde of life teaching and disputing concerning good and evil happiness and unhappiness in the Synagogues and in the Temple and the Streets and Markets and in the Wilderness every where Preaching the Doctrine of the Kingdom Or lastly Was it because of the occasion and manner of his Death because he was Condemned and Executed by his Countrey-men upon an accusation of corrupting the People and making an Innovation in Religion upon pretence of holding intercourse with God Every one of these circumstances had been coincident in Socrates long before the time of the writing of this Epistle to the Romans He was the Son of Sophroniscus as poor a man as Ioseph a Carver of Images in Stone his Mother was a Midwife His Conversation was Ambulatory discoursing and reasoning at all times and in all places in Academia in Lycaeo in Foro in places of walking and of publick Exercise when he ate or drank or played in the Camp the Market or the Prison with all the men he met withall concerning Virtue and Vice and the summum bonum concerning Wisdom and Folly And he had been condemned and executed by the Athenians upon the very same pretences which were objected against our Saviour Yet all these disadvantages had not hindred Socrates at that time after about 500 years from the Admiration and almost Adoration of all men pretending to Philosophy and Wisdom not only amongst all the rest of the Gentile World but even amongst the Romans also And therefore the mere Historical part of the Gospel could minister no colour of suspicion why a Minister or a Christian should be ashamed of it 2. Moreover the same may be said of those parts of the Gospel which are merely Practical and Moral The Precepts concerning Piety and Justice and Temperance in all the several branches of them and the motives to them The Morality of the Gospel infinitely excells the Institutions of any of the Heathen Philosophers all that they could object against it was its too great purity and holiness that it puts a violence and stretch upon Humane Nature causing men to strain after degrees of purity and sanctity unpracticable and unattainable It excells all the Precepts and Institutes of the Jews Christ made a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even of the Moral Law of Moses and tells us that the Righteousness of Christians must exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees and the Apostle comparing the entire Systems of the Mosaical and Christian Oeconomies in reference to Christian Duties and the motives to them justly pronounces that the Christian hath received a better Covenant founded upon better Promises 3. It remains therefore that the peculiar and special Object of those Prejudicate imaginations whereby it is concluded that Ministers and Christians ought to be ashamed are the Articles of mere Belief Dogmatical Mysteries of the Gospel At the expence of your time and patience in a long discourse to tell you what are the Mysteries of the Gospel were to suppose that in compliance with the barbarity of later times you had neglected to be instructed in your Catechism and had need that one should teach you what are the first Elements of Christianity My design engages me no further than only to name them and that also very briefly In the two first Chapters to the Corinthians we finde our Apostle handling this Argument largely and ex professo And there he reduces the whole mystery to two words namely the Cross of Christ he tells them