Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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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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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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
as Parents Children Masters Servants Husbands VVives Friends Enemies Neighbours Strangers Pastors People Princes Subjects Societies and Combinations Not of single Persons onely in a meer Personal Independent Capacity I adde also That on this account No sins of Societies could ever be Pardoned For it not Societies but single Persons that are Regenerate and do Beleeve in Christ without which there is no Remission VVe say therefore That as Societies are but made up of single Persons so the Acts of Societies and of persons Related in such Relative capacities whether Sinfull or Virtuous are indeed and in Gods account the Acts of Particular Persons in such Relations and Societies And are in those Persons punished and rewarded according to their deserts both in this World and in that which is to come And thus the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrha with those about them are sayd to suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire when indeed it is the Persons of those Cities that so suffer 'T is true that in this World God doth many times punish the Sins of men in a way sutable to those capacities wherein they are committed the Sins of a Father by loss of Children or by a disobedient Child or unhappy Children the Sins of a Prince by loss of his Dominions or Rebellion of his Subjects the sins of a Nation by a common Calamity wherein the Innocent do many times Suffer with the Guilty God by this means pointing out the Sin in the Affliction or Punishment But he doth not Allwayes do so the Sins of a Parent may be sometimes punished by the hand of the Magistrate and the sins of a Prince by the hand of a Traitor whom he had not offended much less is he Obliged so to do And when he doth so He doth not Therefore do it because he cannot otherwise reach them Nor is this the adequate Punishment of those sins but onely a part of it The greatest part of their punishment even for these sins being that of another VVorld And though the Sins of men combined in societies are in the Judgement of Men accounted as one Joint Act wherein the Innocent are oft involved with the Guilty and suffer accordingly Yet the Judgement of God is according to Trueth He will distinguish between the Innocent and Guilty in a mixt Society and Spare the one or but Afflict thâ—m for their good while he doth properly Punish the other And as Abraham speaks not destroy the Righteous with the Wicked And those that are Guilty each according to the Proportion of his Guilt Not alwayes in this World where some times all things Fall alike to all and One event to the Righteous and to the Wicked or where sometimes it happeneth to the Righteous acording to the Work of the Wicked and to Wicked according to the Work of the Righteous But at lest at that Day At the day of the revelation of Gods righteous Judgement when he shal render to every man according to his deeds when he shall bring every Work into Judgement and every Secret thing In that day the sentence of Goâ— ye Cursed for I was Hungry and yee gave me no Meat I was Sick and ye Visited me not VVill as well reach the sins of Societies in not providing for the Sick and Needy as of those Persons who do not Relieve them It is a Righteous thing with God sayth St. Paul to recompense Tribulation to them which trouble you whether they be Societies or single Persons in that day when the Lord Jesus shall be reveiled from Heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with Everlasting destruction And St. Jude tells us expressely that Sodome and Gomorrha and the Cities about them as well as single Persons do suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire And our Saviour upbraiding the Cities wherein most of his mighty workes were done tells us of Chorazin and Bethsaida of Capernaum and the Cities against which the Disciples should shake off the dust of their feet upon refusal to receive them That it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon for Sodome and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgement than for those Cities And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shall be cast down to Hell And what is sayd of Cities may be equally understood of Kingdomes Nations Towns Families and other Societies There be many Practical Uses which be proper Consequents from this Doctrine of a Glorious Resurrection to Eternal Life As that of St. Peter Seing all these things must be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godlynesse Looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God And that of St. Paul Having these Promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all Filthyness of flesh and Spirit perfecting Holyness in the Fear of God And that in the close of this Chapter Wherefore beloved brethren be ye Stedfast and Vnmovable allways abounding in the work of the Lord For as much as yee know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. But of these things I shal say nothing at present that I may not anticipate the following Discourses on subjects of this nature Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath raised up Christ from the dead who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through Faith Confirm and stablish us in every good Word and Work And preserve us blameless unto his Heavenly Kingdome and to the Glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like unto his Glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself To whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS Arati Phaenomena Initio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ............. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ERRATA REad pag. 5. l. ult of its p. 14. l. 21. as if it had p. 16. l. 26. to a. p. 29. l. 9. might be In English thus BEgin we first of all with God on high Men as we are By no means passe him by His Presence fills all places far and near Where ever Men Assemble Hee is there The Sea is full of Him and Havens Wide And all Mankind His Influence abide Need his Assistance All in Every thing His Progeny Wee are from Him we Spring Hee 's Kind to Man affording Seasons good He stirs them