Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	spirit_n	3,973	5	5.1707	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29105	The qualifications requisite, towards the receiving a divine revelation a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, January the 2d, 1698/9, being the first, for this year, of the lectures founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by Samuel Bradford ...	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1699 (1699)	Wing B4118; ESTC R19718	14,828	33

worldly-minded any man is by so much the more he is in danger of having his Understanding byas'd in his enquiries after the truths of Religion 'T is an uneasie thing to own a truth which directly opposes it self to the bent of our inclinations and therefore a man that is resolvedly vitious will rather chuse to have his understanding mifled and his judgment brib'd than yield his assent to such truths as he very well knows would prove a constant vexation to his Spirit Besides that as in the former instances so here also it cannot be expected that the Holy Spirit of God by whom the minds of all good men are illuminated and assisted in their searches after divine knowledge should co-habit or co-operate with a soul grosly impure and vitious Thus I have dispatch'd the three particulars I at first propos'd and the sum of what I have been saying is in short this That whosoever will take upon him to judge of the truth of reveal'd Religion or that which pretends to be so ought to be a man who has first well consider'd and yielded to the convictions of that which is natural and that there are certain Qualifications necessary in order to the considering and entertaining either natural Religion or reveal'd The application I would make of the whole shall be only in two words I infer that if any person who is not furnish'd with the Qualifications above-mention'd in a good degree and for want of them hath not been taught of God shall yet take upon him to deny the truth of the Christian Religion he is to be neglected as one that is no competent Judge in this dispute Jesus Christ may be the Son of God and the Saviour of Mankind and his Religion may have had its original from Heaven as we Christians profess heartily to believe for any thing such a man knows or can know to the contrary 'T is therefore remarkable what I hinted in the beginning of this discourse that our blessed Saviour doth upon all occasions ascribe the unbelief of his Hearers to the indisposition of their tempers to their pride and vain-glory their sensuality and love of the present World their ignorance of God and of the nature of Religion in general to their affected blindness and the wilful hardness of their hearts and the Apostles likewise do the same And in like manner if Infidelity has prevail'd in a high degree in the Age and Nation in which we live we may by a very little observation find out the true grounds and reasons of it A considerable number of those who reject Christianity do at the same time openly express their contempt of all Religion in general and not only so but even of every thing that is serious and of weight in humane life They are men of light and inconsiderate tempers who very hardly admit of any serious thoughts even about the common affairs of the World Such whose time is wasted in sport and luxury who have never improv'd or exercised their higher Faculties according to the design of their Natures nor furnish'd their Heads with any solid materials to think upon There are others who are not it may be altogether so airy and unthinking but yet being throughly vitious violently addicted to the gratifying their sensual Inclinations or deeply engag'd in the love and pursuit of this vain World however serious and compos'd they may sometimes be when they concern themselves about secular affairs they put the thoughts of God and Religion far from them as creating uneasiness to their Minds disturbing and interrupting them in their Enjoyments and raising continual scruples and doubts and fears within them There are some few besides not to be reduc'd to either of the former ranks who yet by their supercilious and scornful way of treating reveal'd Religion discover such a degree of haughtiness and self-conceit such a vain opinion of their own Understandings and ways of thinking and such a scorn and difdain with respect to all that shall presume to differ from them as plainly shews them not at all to be under the government of that Religion which is natural Now whenever the Question is concerning the truth of Christianity it cannot with any shew of reason be referr'd to these mens Judgments They are either wholly unconcern'd in the matter or too evidently prejudic'd to judge impartially so that there lies an Appeal from them to the more serious modest humble and honest part of Mankind I would seriously admonish these sorts of men if there be any such that now hear me both of the Unreasonableness and the Danger of the course they take 'T is altogether unreasonable for them to pretend to pass their censure upon what is not within their cognisance what they either never have at all consider'd or never yet were in a temper fit to think of And 't is extremely dangerous because that temper which renders them unfit to consider and judge in this case is vitious in a notorious degree Levity and Pride Impurity and Dishonesty are some of the grossest stains and vilest reproaches of humane Nature If any man apprehend not aright of God and of natural Religion especially when he has had great advantages for his instruction if he have refus'd or neglected to exercise his Faculties upon these subjects or if having attain'd to just apprehensions he yet withholds the truth in unrighteousness such a man lives and acts besides the great design and end of his Nature and must necessarily be accountable to his Maker first for not approving himself a Man and in the next place because by that means he fail'd of becoming a Christian To conclude it seems not in the least unworthy of God to offer such a Revelation to Men and in such a way and manner as that it shall prove a Test to try and distinguish their Tempers so that if they are but tolerably serious humble and honest they will be apt to discern it's evidence and follow it's directions they will according to our Lord's expression justifie God Luk. 7.29 by complying with his design but if they are of the contrary temper they will frustrate the counsel of God 30. intended for their good if they are of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the well-dispos'd towards eternal life Acts 13.48 they will be glad and glorifie the word of the Lord but if they are otherwise dispos'd Ver. 45 ● they will perhaps contradict and blaspheme at least they will put away the word of God from them and judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life This I take to be the case of the Christian Revelation so that it is of great concernment to those who will enquire into the truth of it to examine well what Spirit they are of FINIS BOOKS Printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel FOrty Nine Sermons on the whole Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians by Monsieur Daille Minister of the Reformed Church in Paris Folio A Treatise of Knowledge and Love in Two Parts By Mr. Richard Baxter Quarto The Poor Mans Help and Young Mans Guide Octavo An Argumentative and Practical Discourse of Infant Baptism in which the Lawfulness is demonstrated Objections answer'd Usefulness asserted the Sinfulness of Re baptizing manifested Non-necessity of Dipping evidenced and the Practical Use of Infant Baptism Urged and Inforced Both by William Burkitt M. A. of Pembrook Hall in Cambridge now Vicar of Dedham in Essex Octavo Sermons and Discourses on several Divine Subjects By the late Reverend and Learned David Clarkson B. D and sometime Fellow of Clare-Hall Cambridge Folio