Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	ancient_a	church_n	doctrine_n	1,896	5	6.2759	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27234	The doctrine of a general resurrection wherein the identity of the rising body is asserted against the Socinians and scepticks : in a sermon preach'd before the University at St. Mary's in Oxford, on Easter-Monday, Apr. 5 / by Tho. Beconsall ...	Becconsall, Thomas, d. 1709.	1697 (1697)	Wing B1656; ESTC R1506	19,938	35

Resurrection of our vile mortal Bodies for they shall be fashioned like unto his glorious Body Therefore as Christ the First-fruits is risen in his own proper Body so shall every one of us be raised in our own proper Bodies at his coming Thus far it appears that the current of Scripture as well as the nature of the Thing declares for the Identity of the Rising Body But that we may confirm the one and not be mistaken in the Sence of the other give me leave to reflect a little the Sentiments of the Primitive Church And because it would be impertinent in this place to produce particular Passages of Authors I shall only endeavour to represent this Argument in a few Observations And first its evident the Suffrage of the Primitive Church determined for the Resurrection of the same Body since the Belief of this very Article was the great Prop to the Constancy and Perseverance of Martyrs and Confessors Their very Persecutors observ'd it in 'em and they resolutely attested the Power and Efficacy of it at the place of Martyrdom They were perswaded that the very Hairs of their Head were all Number'd and should one Day be restored to 'em and therefore they powerfully bore up under the Cruelties of their Executioners tho' torn piece-meal by Racks and Saws or devoured by wild Beasts Again it s well known the grand Objection from the various Transmigrations of Matter was in Being in the first Ages of the Church and taken notice of on both sides and the Heathen Persecutors as was observed before took care to improve it by exposing the Faithful to the Ravage of wild Beasts It s well known the Fathers fix the Resurrection of the Body on the Justice of God in the distribution of Rewards and Punishments It s well known they contended for the Resurrection of the Flesh and expound most of the fore-cited Passages of Scripture of that very Body and Flesh that was committed to the Grave nay which is more than all this the Style of most of the ancient Creeds was I believe the Resurrection of the Flesh And therefore since these are unquestionable Truths we must conclude that the Doctrine of a numerical Resurrection constantly prevail'd in the Primitive Church Give me leave to add but one word more The Judgment of the Primitive Church for a numerical Resurrection is indisputably evident from the Censures that passed upon Origen since we find him more than once condemned as Heretical sometimes by Councils for asserting that we shall make our Resurrection in an Aethereal Body or rather that our rising Body is only formed from a seminal Principle of the corruptible Body Upon the whole then it appears that the Voice of Reason Scripture and Antiquity jointly declare for the Resurrection of the same Body and therefore we have all the Authorities which a Matter of this Nature is capable of that we are not mistaken in our Notions of it Therefore we must not only believe that we shall all be raised in our own Bodies but Earnestly contend for this Faith as originally delivered to the Saints And now since it is concluded the Resurrection we are to make will be a Resurrection of the same Body it remains that we Enquire into the Nature of its Identity or wherein this Sameness consists And that we take just Measures of the Identity of the rising Body I think it will be necessary to offer something concerning the Nature of Humane Identity or which is all one the Identity of a humane Person because the Identity of the rising Man will certainly be formed upon the same Rules and Principles with that of the living Man And first since Man or which is the same thing a humane Person is certainly a Being compounded of Two distinct Principles an animal and a spiritual Principle a Soul and a Body I cannot comply with a late Reformer of Humane Vnderstandings that places Personal Identity purely in Consciousness or a Faculty of Reflecting on our own Thoughts and Actions and ascribing 'em to our selves as such I shall take liberty to consider it because this Author speaks of it only as applied to a humane Person and expresly applies it to the Resurrection no doubt as an Expedient to solve the difficulties of it It s true for as much as Consciousness is an incommunicable Property of every intelligent Being it will easily be granted that there cannot be personal Identity without Consciousness but we can by no means allow that Consciousness is the sole Principle or Foundation of personal Identity as this Author plainly asserts Indeed he gives it such an absolute Sovereignty in this Affair and discovers such an over-weening Fondness for the Notion That the little Finger cut off from the Body if Conscious must be the same Person Sect. 17. That Consciousness inhabiting successively several Bodies must be all One and the same humane Person That Two distinct Consciousnesses acting in the same Body one by Night and the other by Day must make a Night-man and a Day-man and Two distinct Persons Sect. 22. In a word he fairly suggests That Transmigration is a Doctrine no way absurd but very probable and a good piece of Christian Platonism And in plain terms That Socrates after this Life can no way be the same Man but by Consciousness Sect. 20. Now certainly as for the Doctrine of Transmigration it will be readily allow'd to be a good Piece of Platonism but he that owns himself an Advocate for it renders his Christianity justly suspected For whosoever admits the Resurrection of the same Body must pronounce Transmigration extravagantly absurd for certainly if Socrates's Soul has successively inform'd presided and acted in several Bodies there will be as great a Contest at the Resurrection which Body shall be Married to Socrates's Soul as the Sadduce foolishly supposed when he demanded Whose Wife shall she be of the Seven As for the Identity of Socrates's Resurrection I hope to make it appear that it does not consist in Consciousness But to return Personal Identity can never consist in Consciousness tho' we take Person for an Intelligent Being without any regard to any particular Substance wherein it exists since it is only a reflex Act or Faculty of an Intelligent Being and supposes several Faculties antecedent to it whereas the Identity of any Being must arise from the first Principles of its Existence But now its evident Person implies an Intelligent Being with regard to the particular Substance and the Parts and Principles of it whereby it exists for otherwise I would fain know how its possible to distinguish a Humane an Angelick and a Divine Person Mr. Lock will reply That they are only to be distinguisht by distinct Principles of Consciousness but thus far every particular Humane Person is distinguisht and consequently there must be something else than Consciousness to distinguish the several species of Persons I am sure an Angelick and Humane Person must be distinguisht by diversity of substance

THE DOCTRINE OF A General Resurrection WHEREIN The Identity of the Rising Body is asserted against the Socinians and Scepticks IN A SERMON PREACH'D Before the UNIVERSITY at St. Mary's in OXFORD on Easter-Monday Apr. 5. BY THO. BECONSALL A. M. and Fellow of Brasenose College OXFORD Printed by Leon. Lichfield for GEORGE WEST Bookseller An. Dom. 1697. THE PREFACE THE Biass of Humane Nature towards those things we in any Sence call our Own is so notorious and remarkable that it often influences our Judgments in the Affairs of States and Kingdoms no less than Families and private Persons But certainly there 's a Parental kind of Affection exercis'd towards the Off-spring of our own Minds as well as that of our Bodies that often transports us into over-weening Fondnesses and unaccountable Partialities Hence writing of Books or publishing of Thoughts from the Closet or Pulpit is by the rest of the World generally pronounc'd a piece of Affectation and Vanity founded in an Opinion of some extraordinary intrinsick Worth or Merit Men are not content to conceive and bring forth in a private Apartment and view and admire their own Productions but height of Admiration sends 'em forth into the open World to exercise the same Faculties in others no doubt with an Intention that the Praises of all should be return'd back on the Original I must confess this is a Censure which may sometimes carry a great deal of Truth in it tho' at last it seems to be a very uncharitable Truth unless every short-sighted Mortal can pretend to be a Searcher of the Heart and Reins or unless no Attempts of this kind could be acted by any other Motive that is truly Just and Honourable But however this Doctrine may prevail in common Cases certainly the special Obligations I 'm unfortunately under in doing Justice to my self and others will at this time free me from the Imputation of it It has been more than once represented how much I lie under the Displeasure not to say the Reproaches of some Men for shamefully Mis-representing the Author of the Essay concerning Humane Understanding for branding his Notions of Identity with little less than the Imputation of Heresy whilst at last I was forc'd to have recourse to 'em to establish my own Hypothesis This is a Charge form'd on a transient Delivery of a Sermon and for the Truth of the greatest part of it I submit it to every Ingenuous Reader upon a View on both sides But certainly it seems to reflect as much Positiveness and Presumption on its Authors as it industriously fixes Folly and Disgrace on me It might have been considered who presides in the University-Church to censure all such notorious Miscarriages and consequently they might at least have expected a Reprimand from Authority before such a severe Sentence had passed upon me This would have given them not only an Opportunity to express their Resentments or Indignation but added weight and force to ' em As the Case stands I 'm not now to be a Judge I can only declare I 'm as yet so unhappy to be wholly unsensible of any Misrepresentations and consequently of any Injustice committed against Mr. Lock And therefore being so highly charged I thought the best Expedient to set both sides to Rights to put the one into a Condition of Vindicating himself and the other of being Informed of an Errour was to publish the whole Discourse which as far as concerns Mr. Lock I 've done without the least Alterations Having said thus much give me leave to offer something by way of Pre-caution I can safely declare I am acted by no Personal Prejudices no more than Unchristian Designs for this Author is as absolute a Stranger to me as I am to him The Subject I was engag'd on directed me to the Controversy and the Duty I owe to what appears to me to be Truth and especially a Fundamental Christian Truth obliged me to enter the List with those that have advanc'd Positions that apparently shake or over-turn it and perhaps the Duty and Obligations are justly heightned in an Age when the Assailment of the most important Articles of Faith is become so exquisitely Fashionable But now if in the Defense of Truth it at last appears that I have done this Author the least Injustice either in mis-representing or mis-applying his Sence or Notions I shall heartily and freely make him Satisfaction and that too as publick as he or his Friends shall think fit to make my Mistakes A Sermon c. JOH Chap. V. ver 28 29. The hour is coming in the which All that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth They that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation THE present Solemnity has engaged me on a Subject which as 't is the support and glory of the Just and Faithful so it has always been the contempt and laughter of the Impious and Unbelieving It s true the Learned have often attempted to trace the Foot-steps of a general Resurrection from certain Resemblances in the Book of Nature or from certain Doctrines advanced I know not how in the Schools of Philosophers Thus the Earth hath been represented as a kind of Grave or Sepulchre to the Vegetable World where the vital Powers are sealed up and stifled all the Winter and yet at Spring are actuated expand and send forth a lively Verdure Thus every Grain of Corn that ministers Life and Sustenance to our own Species must suffer Death in order to receive a new vital Principle Thus the Doctrine of Transmigration in the Schools of Plato and Pythagoras has been sought to to speak out that of the Resurrection And the Doctrine of a general Conflagration among the Stoicks must usher in the Restitution of all things These are Arguments by no means the Product of any Modern Wits but of the earliest Apologists and Advocates for the Faith As if the Doctrine of the Resurrection had been legible in the very Frame and Constitution of Nature and to deny it in the Old Schools of Philosophy were to renounce their own avowed Principles But yet for all this it s well known the most powerful Assailants of the Christian Faith made their greatest Efforts against this Christian Bulwark It did not become the subject of Drollery and Ridicule to the Stoicks at Athens alone but it engaged the Wit and Malice too of Lucian and Celsus of Julian and Caecilius In a word when it came to the Test neither the most improved Doctrine of Transmigration nor of the Soul's Immortality nor of a future State was sufficient to introduce the Belief of it For the whole Tribe of Gentile Philosophers tho' otherwise sufficiently distinguish'd in their Notions and Principles do here unanimously conspire to pronounce it Absurd and Impossible and its Professors for this very reason Vile and Despicable In a word Tho' the Doctrine of a Resurrection particularly that of