Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A67406
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The resurrection asserted in a sermon preached to the University of Oxford on Easter-day, 1679 / by John Wallis ...
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Wallis, John, 1616-1703.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W602; ESTC R18038
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24,852
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41
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ignorant concerning them which are Asleep to sorrow as others that have no hope For if we beleeve that Christ Died and Rose again even them also that Sleep in Jesus will God bring with him I or we that are Alive and Remain at the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are Aslâ—ep For the Dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Hence it is that the place of Christian Burial is wont to be called Coemeterium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Dormitory or place to Sleep in From whence at the Resurrection as the phrase is Dan. 12. they that Sleep in the Dust shall Awake And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Former clause fitly answers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Latter For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suscitari doth properly signify to be Awakened or Rise from sleep 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is Awakened or Risen from the Dead as fâ—om a sleep the First fruits of those that Slept That is of the dead which Dy in the Lord. For of Their resurrection it is that the Apostle is here discoursing Now as for the Persons with whom he doth here dispute and the Arguments suted to those Persons for This Branch as well as the Former We are to consider that they were Christian Gentiles Who had before learned the Heathen Philosophy but did now imbrace the Christian Religion and Acknowledged most of the Doctrines thereof Onely this they doubted of as not consistent with their Philosophy That the Dead should Rise again And therefore the Arguments he makes use of are drawn from Principles of Christianity If there be no Resurrection then is not Christ Risen Which yet is a matter of Fact so notorious and fully testified that you Christians cannot doubt it And If Christ be not Risen our Preaching is vain and your Faith is vain And those that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished And we are found false witnesses of God who have testified that he raised up Christ. Which Consequents were things unworthy to be admitted by any who professed themselves Christians And If in this life onely we have hope we are of all men most miserable We Apostles and you Christians who upon this account are exposed to a multitude of Miseries in this Life and do therefore most egregiously play the fools if in another life there be not a Compensation All which Arguments though to one who is not a Christian they would be very Insignificant are very Cogent to one that is And good Reason the Apostle had to argue at this rate Not onely as being the part of a good Disputant to take advantage of the True Concessions of those with whom he disputes as good foundations of a conclâ—sive Argument But especially Because these are the True Topicks in Disputes of this nature For the Truthes of Religion being of â—wo sorts some discoverable by Natural Light Others by Revelation onely Those of the later sort are not to be proved Conclusively without admitting that Revelation by which alone we can come to know them Thus That there is a God that made the World and That this God is to be Obeyed and Worshiped and This in such Manner as himself would have it Are things which may be argued from Natural Light And that of the Souls Immortality also at lest with a great deal of Probability if not with so much Evidence as to convince a wilful Sceptick who therefore Sees not not for want of Light but because he shuttes his Eyes But the Doctrine of the Trinity of Salvation by Faith in Christ and the Resurrection of the Body Are purely matters of Faith and their Certainty depends onely on Divine Testimony That God is Able to raise the Dead and that there is no Inconsistence in the thing may be discoursed from Natural Light But That he Will do it and in what manner we can no otherwise know than as He hath Declared to us either by himself immediately or by such as we have good reason to beleeve are sent by him Thus Christ arguing the same point with the Sadduces Yee err saith he not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God Had they well understood the Power of God they would not have doubted its Possibility And had they well understood the Scriptures they might thence have learned that it must be so And in St. Pauls discourse with King Agrippa Act. 26. As to himself he had no more to say but Why should it be thought a thing Incredible that God should Raise the Dead But as to the Jews who owned the Scripture then extant he pleads The Promise made to the Fathers to which Promise their Twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night hoped to come To him who did not admit the Scriptures he could onely argue That the thing was not Impossible not Incredible But to them that did he argues the Certainty and that they ought to Beleeve it And in this Chapter he argues it yet further As having here greater Concessions from Christians than from the Jews As to the Possibility he argues ab Esse ad Posse Christ is Risen therefore the thing is Possible Which matter of Fact that Christ is Risen He argues from the Notoreity of it and from the Testimony of so many Eye-Witnesses as themselves could not but beleeve the proper Topicks to prove matter of Fact And what was Actually done in him was noâ— Impossible as to others But as to the Futuritiâ—n that indeed it shall be so He argues from Divine Revelation Not onely as testified in the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets but also by Christ himself and his Apostles by commission from him 'T is saith he the Gospel which I have preached to you and which you have reâ—eived and wheâ—ein you stand and whereby if you persist in it you are to be saved Nor is it a Forgery of my own Fansy But what I delivered I first of all Received That is as chap. 11 I received of the Lord what I delivered unto you And what I taught was taught also by the rest of the Apostles according to such directions as they received from Christ. Whether I or They so We preach and so Yee beleeved And if as to the rest of the Christian Doctrine you receive our Testimony you have no reason to think that in this we prevaricate as false Witnesses of God Thus arguing with Christians from the Doctrine of Christ as elsewhere with the Jews from that of Moses and the Prophets And thus much for the Explication of the Text and the Doctrines thereof I shall now by way of Corollary observe Three Things First that this Method of the Apostles arguing may be a good Direction for Us in like cases When we are
preaching to Christian Auditories such as this it is not prudence to quit the Principles of Christianity and divert to those of Reason and Natural Light onely As if we were Preaching to Heathens not to Christians Much of our Religion depends on Revelation And though not Repugnant to Reason is yet much Above it and not discoverable by it without the Scriptures where those Revelations are recorded We do but too much gratify men of Atheistical and Unchristian Principles when to comply with their Cavills instead of Holding fast what is good we let go our Hold and dispute our Principles As if we were now Planting Christianity amongst Heathens and not Edifying a Christian Church 'T is true that in Building great care is to be taken that the Foundations be well lay'd otherwise the Building cannot be Firm. But there is a time whâ—n Leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ and laying again the Foundation we are to go on to Perfection and Build upon the Foundation so layd Not like Children Who when for the time we ought to be Teachers have now need to be Taught what are the First Principles of the Oracles of God as having need of Milk not of strong Meat And When will this time be if after more than sixteen Hundred years possession we do yet admit the Foundations of Christianity for matter of Doubtfull Disputation If out of a needless scrupulosity to satisfy the Cavils of those who do not desire to be informed we be alwaies Digging at the Foundation upon pretence of Searching it We do thereby weaken rather than strengthen it And like the foolish Builder having layd the Foundation shall never be able to Finish it Ever Learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth The Being and Providence of God The Authority of the Scriptures his written Word The Divinity and Incarnation of Christ his Satisfaction for the Sins of Men and our Salvation by Faith in Him The necessity of Holyness and a Godly life The Immortality of the Soul and the Resurrection of the Body and the Judgement to comâ— A Heaven for the Righteous and a Hell for the Wicked Are Fundamentals in the Doctrine of Christianity well setled long agoe And if any go abouâ— to shake these Foundations we are not therefore in compliance with their humours to admit for Disputaâ—le what ever they please to Cavill at But to hold Fast the Truth to hold Fast the Form of sound Words as well settled and long since agreed upon And If any man list to be Contentious sayth the Apostle we have no such Custome nor the Churches of God If they demand New Miracles and New Revelations of what hath been sufficiently Revealed and confirmed already Our Savior tells us in the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Glutton They have Moses and the Prophets let them Hear Them And we have moreover Christ and his Apostles If they hear not These neither would they be Perswaded though one should Rise from the Dead Now if the Miracles and Revelations in the time Moses and the Prophets were sufficient for those who lived in the days of Christ notwithstanding that they lived not in Moses days much more may those also of Christ and his Apostles suffice for those that live in Our days And if a sufficient Evidence such as would be enough for a Sober person that is Willing to be Taught prevail not with them neither would they be perswaded though they should be gratifyed in what they now demand Our Saviour did not think fit to gratify the Humours of the Scribes and Pharises whensoever they listed to Ask a new sign But refers them to that of the Prophet Jonas Nor are Wee to be always casting our Perls before Swine But after a competent instruction they are to be Neglected as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self-condemned persons Who 's error lyes more in their Will than in their Understanding 'T was Because they did not Like to retain God in their Knowledge Rom. 1. that God gave them over to a Reprobate sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mind void of judgement And it was not so much because they could not Beleeve the Truth as because they did not Love it 2. Thes. 2 because they received not the Love of the trueth that they might be saved that God sent them strong Delusions to belâ—eve a Lye that they might be Damned Because they did not Love what they should Beleeve God left them to Beleeve what they Loved And because they did not Love those Trueths by which they be Saved he left them to Beleeve those Lyes by which they should be Damned In the last times we are told there shall come scoffers walking after their own Vngodly Lusts and therefore Mocking at the Promise of Christs coming Men of Corrupt minds and therefore Reprobate concerning the Faith Mockers and filthy Dreamers who therefore Beleeve not the Trueth because they take Pleasure in Vnrighteousness Who do not so much Doubt of it as Cavill at it to their own Destrction To those that are Contentious says the Apostle and Obey not the Truth to those who out of Contention or a spirit of Contradiction Cavill at the Truth sufficiently discovered Indignation and Wrath. And If our Gospell be Hid it is hid to those that are Lost. It may perhaps pass for a piece of Witt not of Wisdome amongst Debauched persons with whom Atheism and Ribaldry pass for Witt to be able to speak Plausibly against those things which the common sense of Man-kind admitts for True And 't is very Easy for any man that will allow himself to be Profane thus to be Witty But St. Paul gives it a truer Character Rom. 1. speaking of Wiser persons than these are Professing themselves to be Wise they became Fools 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 while they pretend to be Witty they play the Fool. And 1 Tim. 6. reduceth it to its true cause Pride and Ignorance If any man consent not to wholsome Words and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness Hee is Proud or Foolish and â—noweth nothing Doting upon Questions and strife of words or idle Cavils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence come Railing and Perverse Disputings of men of Corrupt minds and dâ—stitute of the Trueth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blaspemies and â—dle Discourses as of Crack-brain'd men and void of Sense from whom Turn away Have nothing to do â—iâ—h them While we are taking pains to Satisfy such who Resolve not to be satisfyed we may sooner raise new Scruples in the minds of well-meaning persons than satisfy those who are Willfully ignorant Be not deceived saiâ—h our Apostle here Evil Communications corrupt good Manners 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as Dr. Hammond chooseth to render it good Dispositions Such corrupt Discourse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are apt to seduce or work upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉