Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	ghost_n	holy_a	inspire_v	2,844	5	10.2489	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49314	A discourse concerning the nature of man both in his natural and political capacity, both as he is a rational creature and member of a civil society : with an examination of Mr. Hobbs's opinions relating hereunto / by Ja. Lowde ...	Lowde, James.	1694 (1694)	Wing L3299; ESTC R36487	110,040	272

so easie to give an account of Scripture doth not go about meerly to beg a favourable reception in the World as if it stood in need of such mean methods of proceeding seeing it may justly challenge a due regard and veneration from all sober and considerate persons it doth not desire to make use of any precarious Principles in its own defence nor refuses to joyn issue with its Adversaries in the most severe method of Raciocination 'T is true indeed as the Translator tells us in his Preface that it is unbecoming the dignity of such sacred Truths as the Christian Religion teaches us to build them upon unsound Principles or defend them by Sophistical Arguments If this be applied to the following Letters designing thereby to reflect upon the contrary Opinion and to magnifie the soundness of the Principles and Cogency of the Arguments contained in these I doubt not but Mr. Lowth's Answer is sufficient to convince any considerate person to the contrary The sum of the Author's Hypothesis in the five Letters seems to be this he absolutely rejects some of the Books of the Old Testament and very much questions the Authority of others of the new He doth not allow Scripture in general either as to the matter or as to the words to be inspired by the Holy Ghost excepting only some few particular Instances And as for the Difficulties that occurr therein he doth not much concern himself about 'em but takes this more easie way of solving all by acknowledging when any thing of that nature is objected that the holy Pen-men were there mistaken and contradicted themselves And as the Translator in his Preface p. 6. tells us the use of all this is to settle our Christian Religion upon a basis not to be shaken by the Difficulties about the Scripture which the Learned are forced to acknowledge to be insuperable But I am apt to believe that too little reading and considering the best Authors and too great a Tincture of Prejudice upon the Minds of Men doth sometimes make that seem an insuperable difficulty which is not so in it self Or suppose there were some such in Scripture must we therefore reject the Divine Authority of the whole because we do not understand some parts of the Bible Vid. Letter to a Deist But I do not see what sufficient Answer he returns to that place 2 Pet. 1. 17. The holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acted or carried by the Holy Ghost Here Beza gives this seasonable Caution Dextrè hoc intelligendum est ne quis divini spiritûs rectè compositos verè divinos afflatus comparet profanorum Vatum furoribus c. But the aforesaid Author comes short of the true import of the Phrase when he makes this Impulse or Influence of the Holy Ghost to be nothing more than the meer result of a pious and well-disposed Mind acting only by the strength of Memory and a well-inform'd Understanding But for a man to espouse such a dangerous and unwarrantable Opinion and when he is urged with plain and express places of Scripture such as seem non sine numine and as it were purposely so worded as if designed to obviate such a Tenent for him then to tell us as this Author doth p. 146. That no Doctrine which we esteem important ought to be grounded barely on certain manners of speaking which we cannot be sure they were exact because the Sacred Writers not affecting exactness of Style may have used that manner of expression without any design This is only to study Evasions and to lay a Foundation of something like Sceptism in Religion for after this way of arguing a man may assert or deny any thing having first thus taken off the edge of the Scripture so as that he need to fear no danger thence But he tells us p. 34. That St. Luke confesses himself in the beginning of his Gospel That he learned not that which he told us by inspiration but by information from those that knew it exactly To this I answer 1. Divine Grace is very well consistent with the sober and rational use of our Faculties tho' perhaps it is not very easie to explain the way and method how 't is done Nor is such an Inspiration as is here asserted any ways contrary to those subordinate means which St. Luke might make use of in that case Dubitandum non est quin piam diligentiam Deus direxerit 2. St. Luke doth not say that what he there writes he had only by Information It seem'd good also to me who having had perfect knowledge of all things ab initio from the beginning the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supernè coelitus from above Thus Ia. 1. 17. Every good and perfect Gift is from above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Io. 19. 11. And this the Criticks say is the proper and usual signification of the word Vt sit adverbium loci à quâ significatione non temerè recedendum illua autem à principio sensum angustiorem reddit includitur in eo quòd se omnia consecutum esst scripturum ordine dicat The said Author is much offended at those expressions in Psal. 109. which he says are all Curses and Imprecations But he may as well say that those Woes which our Saviour denounces against impenitent Sinners Matt. 23. 14. are all Curses too whereas they are rather tender-hearted Expressions and Commiserations for those Evils which he foresaw they would bring upon themselves by their wilful Wickedness And what he says further in confirmation of his Opinion is only this That if all these words were render'd in the future tense to avoid making the Psalmist pronounce such Curses there are a great many more places in the Psalms where the Version would need to be reform'd But what if this were granted would any thing of absurdity or inconvenience follow thence 'T is further observable that he boldly advances his own Opinion many times without ever taking the least notice of those Answers that have been return'd to it both by ancient and modern Writers Thus 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration os God and is profitable c. But p. 189. he says this may be very well thus translated All Scripture that is divincly inspir'd is profitable but it cannot well be translated thus unless he can prove that St. Paul did suppose some of the Books of the Iewish Canon not to be inspir'd Otherwise Theophylact's Confutation of this very Opinion will still hold good where in answer to his way of reading the words Omnis scriptura que divinitùs inspirata est illa est etiam utilis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. oportebat eos novisse quòd cum suprà dixerit sacras literas nosti nunc ait omnis scriptura qualis de quâ disserehat de quâ dixit quòd sacra est omnis igitur hujusmodi divinitùs inspirata