Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	divine_a	reason_n	revelation_n	1,589	5	9.4988	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45354	A defence of revealed religion in six sermons upon Rom. I, 16 : wherein it is clearly and plainly shown that no man can possibly have any real ground or reason to be ashamed of Christianity / by Henry Hallywell.	Hallywell, Henry, d. 1703?	1694 (1694)	Wing H459; ESTC R26653	55,183	216

Mission of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles who was also one of Christ's Witnesses then the Sin became deadly because the last means were used and the fullest proofs of Credibility given that could be expected for matter of Fact that is there was every thing done which might procure Belief in a disinteressed Person And therefore for any obstinately to contradict this is quite to prescind his own hopes and shut the door against himself by wilfully rejecting all those Arguments which might and ought to have gained belief I pray GOD open the Eyes of those who slight and undervalue Christianity as if it were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a faithful and true Word and every way Worthy to be Received that they may timely see and repent of their Error and through a sincere acknowlegment of the Truth may be eternally Saved A DEFENCE OF Revealed Religion SERMON II. ROM I. 16. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ WE have shewn from these Words That the History of the Life and Actions of our blessed Saviour his Death Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven is true and being so we have no reason to be ashamed of our Religion which is built upon these things Truth is a thing that none need to be ashamed of because it is a Perfection a Ray and Beam that descends from God the Fountain of all Truth Now the Truth of the History of the Gospel depending upon the Veracity of those that wrote it we shewed that the Apostles could not be deceived because they were present and Eye-witnesses of the things they set down And we have no reason to suspect they would deceive others because they might have been discovered and besides had no self-ends nor designs in broaching a Falshood but on the contrary were ready to Sacrifice their own Lives for the Truth of what they said and lastly That they gave as high a Testimony of the Resurrection of Jesus on which all his other Miracles depended as possibly can be given by Men to any Thing or Matter in the World 2. The next cause of Shame is if the Doctrine delivered to us be not Rational therefore we come now to shew that Christianity or the Doctrine of the Gospel is rational that is agreeable with those common Notions of Reason and Understanding which God has planted in the Souls of all Mankind And indeed if we believe that it is true and came from GOD it must necessarily follow that there can be nothing contained in it that is unreasonable forasmuch as GOD being the highest Reason cannot be the Author of any thing that is unreasonable for then he would be the Author of something unlike himself and that had no Analogy or Correspondence with any of his Attributes And therefore to affirm that GOD can propound to us what is altogether Irrational and bears no Harmony or Agreement with any of our Faculties is to make him the Author of Nonsence Contradictions and Impossibilities Reason is that Light and Candle of the Lord which he has set up in the Souls of Men to guide them safe from Error Falshood and Delusion And when we say a thing is reasonable we say that it hath a Conformity with those Intellectual Principles the sovereign Author of our Beings has planted in us There is a suitableness and agreeableness of such things with the rational frame and make of our own Souls Therefore the Apostle calls our Conformity to the Divine Will which he terms Rom. 12.1 a presenting our Bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God a reasonable Service that is such a Worship as if we understand our selves is fitted and accommodated to our natural Faculties of Reason and Understanding And hence it is that St. Peter bids us to be ready 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to give an Answer or make an Apology to every Man that asks us a Reason of the hope that is in us i. e. he would have us prepared to give a satisfactory and rational account why we are Christians But now if there were any thing in Christian Religion that were unreasonable what Apology could be made for it Or how should any man defend a thing that were wholly contrary to that Light which God has set up in his Soul to discern between Truth and Falshood So that if there lie an Obligation upon us to give a Reason of our Faith then we may be sure there is no part of it unreasonable But here we must note in the mean time that it is one thing to say that there are some Articles of the Christian Faith above Humane Reason and another thing to say they are unreasonable or contrary to sound Reason The frame of Christianity it self is called by St. Paul 1 Tim. 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Mystery and a Mystery we know must have something hidden and recondit in it which is discerned only by capable Minds And there may be and doubtless are some sacred and hidden Doctrines in Christian Religion above Humane Reason in this Sense viz. That our Reason could never have lighted upon them or found them out without a Divine Revelation But notwithstanding these Mysterious Truths are very agreeable with our Reason now they are discovered and there is a rational Defence to be made for them and a satisfactory Account to be given of every one of them We could never by the bare help of Reason have known any thing of the Union of God with Humane Nature nor discovered the Doctrine of the sacred Trinity nor the Mystery of the Resurrection of our Bodies nor the Joys and Felicities of Heaven if God had not revealed these things to us But now that they are made a part of our Faith we can shew that none of them is contradictory to the Principles of sound Reason If therefore there be any unreasonableness in Christianity it must arise either 1. From the Frame and Contexture of it Or 2. From the Doctrines contained in it That there is no unreasonableness or incongruity in the Frame of Christianity will appear thus the great End and Design of it is to release and free the Souls of Men from a State of Sin and Evil into which they had unhappily plunged themselves and to recover them into a holy blameless and heavenly Life and Nature that behaving themselves harmlesly and unblameably as the Children of GOD though encompassed with many Hardships and Afflictions which they meet withal in their Passage through the Wilderness of this World they may at last thro' his infinite Goodness arrive by orderly steps and degrees to the Land of Righteousness their ancient Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven This is the free Counsel and Determination of Almighty God which flowed only from his immense and boundless Love Now the Methods and Ways which GOD hath made choice of to bring this great design about are such so fitted and adapted to to our Case and Condition and so agreeable to the Nature

particular Object 1. It may here be said If the Gospel i. e. Christian Religion be so plain and fitted to the meanest Capacity why is it then called a Mystery Now a Mystery is a sacred and hidden Piece of Wisdom containing under it some great and excellent Truth and such is the Gospel which the Apostle calls Eph. 3.4 5. The Mystery of Christ which in other Ages was not made known to the Sons of Men as it is now revealed unto his Holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit And again Coloss 1.26 It is called the Mystery which was hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest to the Saints Now if as we see the Apostle tells us the Gospel be such a Mysterious thing how comes it to be so plain and obvious as we have said to every vulgar Capacity In answer to this we must consider that Christian Religion is indeed a Mystery and it is deservedly called so by the Apostle but yet notwithstanding this does not hinder but that it is plain and open in all things necessary to Salvation We shall therefore first shew the Reasons why it is called a Mystery and that it is very requisite it should be so i. e. that there should be something hidden and reserved in it that should not presently be discerned by every oscitant and careless Person and then make it appear further that it is not difficult to be understood in those things that are absolutely necessary to every Christian's Salvation Now besides that the Apostle expresly affirms Christianity to be a Mystery there are many Instances which prove it to be so There are many Doctrines which are very obscure and difficult to be understood such as the Divinity of our Saviour the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity nay the very Resurrection of our Bodies is termed a Mystery as containing something above common and vulgar conceits and apprehensions And when we reflect upon the different Sentiments and Perswasions of Men about these things it will fully evince some obscurity in Religion and that it is not every where of the same make but has some unfathomable Depths as well as shallows that are easie and obvious to be Forded and understood by a mean and ordinary Capacity For it is impossible that ever so many Divisions about the Doctrines of Religion so many Sects of different Perswasions should have arisen and so long troubled and vexed the Christian Church if all things had been at first sight plain and intelligible to every one Not to mention the many Prophecies uttered in the Holy Scriptures which are no otherwise known but by their events and fulfilling and till then Men make but uncertain Guesses and Conjectures about them And that this obscurity in some things of Religion is very becoming the All-comprehensive Wisdom of GOD appears to be very reasonable 1. To conciliate reverence and esteem to Religion Should GOD at once have laid open all the Pearls of the Gospel to every Carnal Eye they would have been apt to have contemned and despised them since it is the common guise and fashion of the World to esteem that of little worth and value that costs no Labour and Pains to come at Whereas they apprehend something more than ordinary some great matter to be contained in that which is wrapt up and kept secret and reserved from common sight Therefore that this great gift of GOD might not prove despicable and contemptible he is pleased to Veil it in a good measure that Men might not know the worth of it at once but that the more they look into it the more they should admire the unvaluableness and richness of it It is recorded of some of the Kings of Persia that they shewed themselves to their Subjects but once a Year that they might be more reverenced and adored when they offered themselves to the People's View And GOD that he might gain more Reverence and Estimation to this infinite Treasure wherewith he hath enriched the World he keeps a great part of it hidden and is not won without many Prayers and earnest Importunities accompanied with great diligence to shew unto Men the glorious Beauty of it 2. It is very becoming that some things in Religion should be obscure and that there should be some high and raised Truths above the level of common Understandings that so all Holy Persons might find matter of Delight and Satisfaction according to their several statures and growth in Grace Hence St. John 1 Ep. 1.13 speaks of Little Children and Young Men and Fathers in Religion and according to this their several growth and stature in Christ Jesus there must likewise be a difference in the Meat or Food they are nourished withal A Man is not contented with that which will nourish an Infant but requires stronger Meat Therefore St. Paul rightly distinguisheth of this Heb. 5.12 13 14. For when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one Teach you again which be the first Principles of the Oracles of God and are become such as have need of Milk and not of strong Meat For every one that useth Milk is unskilful in the word of Righteousness for he is a Babe But strong Meat belongs to them that are of full Age Now that the Gospel may be fitted for all these sorts of Persons it is necessary that it should be furnished with such things as are plain and which may be delivered in a Catechetical way as things absolutely necessary to the Salvation of every one and then that it should be stored with higher and more raised Doctrines for the gratification of them that are of full Age in Christ who by reason of their growth in the Divine Life have their Senses exercised to discern both Good and Evil. And accordingly the Apostle when he lays down the Characters of a Bishop says 1 Tim. 3.6 that he must not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Novice i. e. one that only knows the first Rudiments of Religion but is not able to pierce into the depths of it 3. That there should be some difficulty in Religion is but reasonable to exercise Mens diligence in searching after these hidden Treasures of Wisdom For 't is not to the Careless Oscitant Person but to the Diligent and Inquisitive that GOD has promised an increase of Wisdom He that would attain to Divine Knowledge must seek her as Silver and search after her as for hid Treasures as Solomon long since advised Prov. 2.4 And our blessed Saviour in a Parable Mat. 13.45 46. Likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a Merchant-Man seeking goodly Pearls who when he had found one Pearl of great Price he went and Sold all that he had and bought it All these things denote our diligent search and careful enquiry after Wisdom Now GOD that he might gratifie the innocent desires of Men after Knowledge and likewise reward their Pains and Labour in searching after it he opens and discovers to them such Treasures