Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	creed_n	2,605	5	10.2206	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45396	Hagieā theoū krisis Iudgment worthy of God, or, An assertion of the existence and duration of hell torments, in two occasional letters, written several years since / by ... Henry Hammond ; to which is added an accordance of St. Paul with St. James, in the great point of faith and works by the same author.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1665 (1665)	Wing H515; ESTC R15162	47,364	178

bear full consent with these which consequently have establisht the faith of this Article that it was by the Apostles of Christ enter'd into that depositum which they left in every Church where they preach'd as appears by the last words of the Apostles Creed the life everlasting which as it is expresly contrary to annihilation which is excision and determination of life in respect of duration or lasting so being subjoyn'd to the resurrection of the body must be indefinitely coextended to that and so belong to all bodies that are rais'd And that it is thus comprehensive appears more manifestly by the Athanasian Creed which to the rising and coming again of all men with their bodies and giving account for their own works which is parallel to the Resurrection of the body subjoyns as the Explication of Everlasting life this express Dogma And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire And this was no doubt the concordant sence of the Churches that had this depositum of Christian faith both from the Scriptures and the preaching of the Apostles and their Successors committed to them And so there remains no cause of doubt of the validity or plainness of demonstration as far as any matter of doctrine is capable of it from the testimony of Christ and of God What followes of the incredibility of this doctrine making some men desperately doubt of the truth of the whole body of Religion can have no force against the truth of it All Christ's duri sermones had that effect of his teaching them they were offended at him and the meaning of that is They forsook the whole Religion Having gone thus far in particular Reply to all that have been propos'd in favour of the Affirmative of the question I need not accommodate any Answer to the remaining fifth page of the first part The three Postulata's if all granted as they may in some limited sence will gain him nothing Not the first for the letter of Scripture favours not him as hath been shew'd death and destruction no way signify or conclude annihilation Not the second for there is no one Text clear in phrase and signification yet produc'd for the affirmative nor any that by any age or orthodox Father hath been so interpreted Not the third because in our doctrine set upon its due basis there is nothing so much as of a seeming disagreeableness to piety or the nature or Attributes of God as hath been shew'd also Then for the scandal of those disputes about Predestination c. which is thought to be allay'd by the opinion of Annihilation I answer that they which deny all irrespective decree of Reprobation or Praeterition against Supralapsarians and Sublapsarians that affirm universality of Redemption and of the gift of sufficient grace all which are maintain'd by Bishop Overall to whom the disputer professeth to encline and are known to have been maintained by concordant votes of all the Fathers of the Greek and Latin Church before St Augustin and since him by a considerable part of the Church through all Ages and the contrary never universally receiv'd as a Doctrine and so remaines to have been but a disputable question at the most cannot be imagin'd to be under any part of this scandall or consequently to receive benefit by the Allay that is spoken of And if the Doctrine of Reprobation c. have need of this Antidote to avert the ill and dangerous consequences of it and to reconcile their dictates with piety and reverence to God Almighty then it is more then time that the favourers of that Doctrine should rather change their poysons for wholsome dyet then like the Mountebank on the Stage presume to swallow the poyson in confidence of this only antidote which I have not yet heard that he believes to have any force in it In a word let us all renounce the irrespective decree of Reprobation as I professe to do and there is no more pretence for the denying of eternall torments of the Reprobates upon that account As for the punishment of personall sins and their circumstantiall abatements that hath been accounted for already The second Part. IN the Second Part the view of the places producible for Eternall Pains begins with a prejudice viz. that it is no where plainly and directly denyed that the Reprobates shall be destroy'd But that negative Argument as it is simply invalid so it is most unseasonably prefixt to the setting down of Testimonies for the perpetuity of their Torments For if one such Text be produc'd that shall really conclude their torments perpetual as certainly do the words of Christ Revel 20.10 of their being tormented Day and Night for ever and ever it is then most certainly consequent that the Reprobate shall not be destroy'd immediately after the day of Judgment and what is that but the plain and direct denial of it And to adde that it is no where said that they shall live for ever but that incorruption seems to be the priviledge of the Elect is sure but another branch of the same paralogisme for they that are tormented for ever have sence and life for ever but that being a life of misery eternal hath no semblance of the priviledge of the Elect whose Crown it is to live and reign not to live and be punisht for ever And so this yields not the least mite of advantage to the former opinion Now for the phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 18.8 25.41.48 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 25.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 3.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 9.43.44 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 45.46.48 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Pet. 2.17 Jud. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revel 14 11. and the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever Revel 20.10 All these are endeavour'd to be evacuated first by a general Answer then by particulars accommodated to each particular phrase The general is that the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not alwaies signify an absolute eternity but either a long time or an irreparable estate of things or during unto the cessation of the subject And without disputing the truth of this answer it will be sufficient to my turn if either some of these phrases do sometimes signify an absolute eternity for then I shall have no reason to except against the Interpretation of the universal Church of God for so many Centuries which thus understand all unquestionably most of these places or if they here denote an irreparable state of those things that are spoken of for then the wicked being cast into fire are in that state irreparably Math. 18 8.25.4● being in eternal punishment Math. 25.41 are irreparably there and so in the rest which notion of eternal would never mind any man of the annihilation of those that are enter'd

for interminable paines are but two or three and those opposed to as many hundreds which are to be alleaged against this sence I answer that as few or as many as they are it matters not for number one affirmation of God's will establish a truth First they accord with many others in writings not obscure or prophetick Secondly there is no one much less many hundreds producible to the contrary sence as hath hitherto appeared by examining all such as were pretended to be opposite but were found very reconcileable with the sence Thirdly when the obscurity of the writer is again mentioned that hath been already spoken to on the first place Concerning the reasons which are used to secure the places for eternal life for to signify that though eternal torments be not allowed to be properly eternal I have little to say because I fully acknowledg that importance of the word eternal whether to blisse or wo. And I think it hath already appeared that there are not these reasons of difference between them as now are mentioned For first as there are no texts in the Gospel which seem to oppose the absolute sence of eternity in the promises so those that were thought to seem to oppose the absolute eternity of the threats having been brought to tryal have been found very light and secondly the doctrine of eternal torments truly stated and vindicated from the mistakes by men introduced into the doctrine hath appeared most credible also to those that believe the Gospel and as necessary to God's justice as he is Rector of the Universe and as agreeable to his goodness who earnestly averts their dying that will needs dy as the eternal promises are reconcileable to all the attributes of God Thirdly that as there are negatives that irrefragably confirme the truth of the article concerning eternal life so there are affirmatives and negatives both each is therefore is not quenched that as irrefragably establish the truth of the doctrine of eternal torments As for the Philosophical doctrine of the immortality of the soul I yield it can import no more then either it s not being corruptible from any outward principles nor destructible from any created power I yield it for all that destructible by God but have formerly answered how that place Mat. 10.28 hath nothing to do with his will or purpose to annihilate it Lastly as for tradition as that signifies the suffrages of all the men in the world Heathens of all sorts Jews of all sects Mahometans Christians heretical as well as orthodox it matters not though this doctrine be not deduced by such absolutely universal tradition I yield that many Heathens there were that believed it not that the Sadduces denyed it that the Jews now adaies care for none but themselves and so make no provision for other men that there have been Origenist Hereticks and some such as Augustine mentions Enchir c. 12● de civit Dei l. 21. cap. 17.18 't is no newes that there should have been false teachers and believers in the world But that Augustine who is confest frequently to assert the doctrine and frequently to defend it against adversaries should yet be believed to doubt lib. de serm Dom. in mont tom 4 super Mat. 5.25.26 I am not apt to give heed to it Because first if the same Augustine should be so uncertain and unconstant he were little worth heeding on either side Secondly there would be reason to resolve that the place where the doubting is found was either not written by him who wrot elsewhere so contrarily or were written by him before he had competently considered the grounds whereon afterwards he establisheth his acknowledgments of the truth But the truth is I discern not how those words neque ita hoc dixerim ut diligentiorem tractationem videar ademisse de poenis peccatorum quomodo in Sacris dicantur aeternae should be interpreted so as to express him a doubter in this matter In other circumstances he might well give men liberty of expression yet himself never have the least suspicion or doubt of the truth of the main Article It remains therefore that the Scripture as that hath been found consonant and agreeable to all other places of its self and as it hath been interpreted by all learned Orthodox men of all ages and as from the Apostles time to this day their doctrine hath been delivered down in the Creed of the Apostles and other occasional explications thereof doth as evidently affirm the eternity of the torments of the wicked on the one side as the eternity of the joyes and bliss of the Godly on the other side and that as far as the Catholick Church in all ages hath extended in opposition to the heterodox and haeretical so far the tradition of this Article for eternal pains is universal and therefore in no reason to be doubted of by a meek Son of this persecuted Church which professeth readily and uniformly to receive all Catholick Tradition truly so call'd as that includes the writings and preachings of the Apostles Having gone thus far and at last arrived to the conclusion in the same posture with some intermissions of the Chair wherein the Gout had fastned me I now find the use of my foot return'd again and so take my leave of this paper and my chair together and by the length of it suppose I have your full leave so to do When you have survey'd it as deliberately as you desire I desire that you will return mine own to me not weighing too severely what was written thus hastily But remember if any one text of Scripture or testification of the Churches sence of all times including the Apostles be producible it is sufficient for the establishing this truth though many passages produced or defences made for the farther confirming of it should not be found rigorously Concludent or Demonstrative The God of Heaven Author of all Grace and Truth be now and ever with you SIR IN your account of the eternity of infernal punishments you make them consist in the persevering appetition and aversation of those things then impossible to be obteined or avoided which formerly in via men have desired and averted To this stating of this matter much what the like with Sr Ken Digbies and Mr Whites I have more to object then is fit for a Letter Some few heads of Exceptions I shall briefly note to you First I see not how this agrees with the nature of the judgment to come the giving and executing a sentence upon wicked men This we are every where taught in Scripture and our Creed But your stating which only leaves men with those desires and aversions wherein they lived here and so die without sentencing them to any other punishment but what they thus bring with them and so is already inflicted on them and needs no Devils to execute it seems not reconcileable herewith Secondly the Matter of this sentence is express'd in Scripture to be a lake of

more then is necessary to be suppos'd to the defining several degrees of torments in Hell that the mighty sinners might be mightily punished it doth not at all concern the justice of that sentence that decrees every unreform'd impenitent to those flames For repentance as it signifies some degree of sincere renovation being the minimum quod sic without which all shall perish even under the Gospel that utmost dispensation of strict Law that God will permit any to hope for that doth not give the lie to his message in the mouth of his Son they that come short of this have no more to plead from any other circumstance imaginable because that God which gave space for repentance hath also provided such counterballances either of aids or pardon to such circumstances as shall utterly frustrate and prevent all plea that can from thence be drawn either against his justice or his mercy 2. It must be remembred that there be other states to which those titles of flagitious and contumacious lives are not competible which yet have no lesse of malignity in them by that consideration such are that of the intricate disguis'd painted hypocrite that hath God alwaies in his mouth and his glory the design of his foulest actions and yet his damnation as just as any man's that of the wicked Christian carnal Gospeller that under the vow of baptisme i. e. Christs banner equals the sinnes of Jew Turk or Heathen Worshipper that of recidivation into forsaken sins Apostacy Temporary adherence to Christ but in time of temptation presently they are offended the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or cowardly Gnosticks that Christ in the Revelation ranks with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unbelievers each of these upon other as just accounts as those under which the flagitious and contumacious is acknowledged to fall and perish may as reasonably be resolv'd to have their portion the richest talents being rather more then less accountable for then the meanest and the utter darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth peculiarly assign'd to the unprofitable servant that being apt to object severity and austerity against God did not yet endeavour by improving his Talent to approve himself unto him By the way that parable forewarns us how possible it is for a man negligently to loose all his opportunities of graces and advantages toward heaven and engulfe himself in endless woe whilst his heart is secretly objecting against the reconcileableness of God's judgments with those Attributes which he thinks fit to be vindicated in all his inflictions In this Section after the middle of the 4th p. it is resolv'd that the opinion of eternal torments properly so call'd is not to be accepted upon less termes then of plain demonstration from Scripture But what that signifies I cannot guess God's affirmation when once reveal'd as there is no just cause to doubt the testimony to be divine will bear down all difficulties which any improbability of the matter will suggest to us Reason it self thus judgeth that God is to be believed rather then any humane reasoning If therefore Christ who sufficiently testify'd himself to come from God and to have the signature of his Authority on all his affirmations did teach eternity of torments properly so call'd and express that doctrine in such plain words as all that heard him and his Commissioners preach were firmly resolv'd to signifie the real everlastingness of those torments then I suppose here is as plain demonstration as the weightiness of the matter or the Objecter's exceptions can exact And that thus it is it may not be amiss briefly to shew in this place Besides those testimonies which are by the Objecter produc'd and as they are enervated by him have and shall be vindicated and clear'd to have force in them and so are not to be mention'd here I insist on these three 1. The parable of Dives and Lazarus which being yielded to be but a parable hath yet from Christs using it these grounds of assuring our faith that there is as certainly after this life a state of torments as of bliss and those torments executed by scorching but not devouring and consuming much less annihilating flames He that is in them hath nothing to beg but a present cooling of his tongue and that may not be had because Dives hath had all his portion of good things in this life and so must have no more such though it be but the least allay of his pains for one minute which sure excludes annihilation which is the perfect superseding of them Again there is a gulf fixed which interscinds all entercourse between Heaven and Hell whereby any aid or relief should come to them These circumstances put together must conclude that the fire being not such as of it self consum'd those that were tormented in it and Abraham that was now a Comprehensor knowing that there was now no place left for the least degree of release to the sufferer and no relief being to be hop'd for from Heaven from whence only it was possible to come the fire and so the continuance in the torments must be eternal I foresee but one objection to this viz that this was before the Day of Judgment and then this non obstante the fire after the day of Doom may annihilate To this I answer that the Parable is not bound to refer to the time wherein it was delivered Other parables of the King and the Bridegroom referr'd to after times and this here by the seeing Dives bodily in Hell and the scorching of the tongue and the mention of dipping the finger c must refer to the state of conjunction of souls and bodies in Heaven and Hell and that must be after the Resurrection and so that supersedes that one objection and I foresee no other Secondly I mention Christs words of Judas that it were better for him never to have been born and of him that should offend a tender disciple and avert him from Christ that it were better a Milstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the midst of the Sea Here I shall suppose annihilation as fully express'd by these two phrases as by any it could be and yet that somewhat worse then that expects wicked men which must needs be founded in eternal miserable being for eternal Being if not miserable is much better and miserable Being if not eternal but immediately determin'd by a swift destruction as Christ supposeth is not certainly and unquestionably worse then never having had a Being Thirdly I resume again though I now perceive they are after mention'd the express words of Christ Revel 20.10 that the Beast and the false Prophets i. e. some wicked men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be tormented in a lake of fire and brimestone day and night for ever and ever Nothing could have been more expresse And to these I adde that there is no one seeming dissent of contrary testimony producible from the whole Scripture but innumerable that