Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
truth_n authority_n reason_n scripture_n 2,849 5 5.9910 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A37969 Brief remarks upon Mr. Whiston's New theory of the earth and upon an other gentleman's objections against some passages in a discourse of the existence and providence of God, relating to the Copernican hypothesis / by John Edwards ... Edwards, John, 1637-1716. 1697 (1697) Wing E197; ESTC R21718 27,908 59

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

traducing the Mosaick Creation as unreasonable unequal irregular indecent disproportionate disagreeable to the Divine Wisdom unsuitable to the nature of things for these are the Epithets he bestows upon it p. 57 65. What can he think when he finds him professedly Ridiculing of it p. 57. and representing it as unbecoming the simplest Artificer What can any man think and imagine I say but this that our Theorist hath a mind to null the Authority of Moses's Writings to lessen the esteem of other parts of Scripture to set Revelation and Reason at odds to vacate all Reveal'd Truth and in a word to gain Proselytes to Deism I am exceedingly troubled to let such words as these go abroad into the World but I should be much more so if I did not upon this occasion deliver my thoughts If I did not freely tell the world what my Resentments are as to this matter I never taught my Pen to write either for Ostentation or for Preferment but I have labour'd to bring it up an obedient servant to Truth and I hope it will never be ashamed of so Honourable a Master In so Sceptical an Age as we live in it becomes us not to be Indifferent yea we are obliged to be very Warm and Concern'd and not to let Temper as 't is now fashionably call'd chill our Religion and betray the Truth And I use this Freedom the rather because I deal with a Person of Ingenuity who approves of a due Liberty in Discourse and will both give and take it I only suggest what Standers-by may think concerning his way of Writing not what he designs for I will not entertain an ill thought concerning him as to that I only remonstrate against his unwary giving occasion to his Readers to cavil at the Mosaick Account of the Creation and thereby to open a door to the evacuating of all the Historical part of Scripture But what are the Reasons that are assigned by this Ingenious Gentleman and his Associates why they reject the Mosaick doctrine about the Formation of the World They are these four especially which I will briefly touch upon First They oppose Moses's Account of the Creation because it favours not their Opinion and Conceit of the existence of some Other People in the World besides those of Adam's race This Author talks of the Inhabitants not only inanimate but animate and Reasonable in the other Planets p. 40 41. And he is at it again p. 58. There may be millions of other Species of Noble Creatures not inferiour to Man p. 91. And therefore the Mosaick History is a poor mean thing because it takes not in those other Inhabitants of the World it brings us no tidings of the people that dwell in the Moon But they should rather argue thus the Adamick race and no other is mentioned by Moses and thence we may rationally conclude that there is no other for it being Moses's business to set down the Origin and Rise of Mankind if there had been another stock of them he would certainly have told us of it But he doth no such thing yea on the contrary he assures us that Adam and Eve were the first Persons that were created and particularly that Eve was the Mother of all living Gen. 3. 20. i.e. the source and Original of all men and women that are in the world and therefore an Other Generation of Humane kind is a mear dream and fiction But it is probable say they that the Moon and other Planets are furnish'd with Animals like our selves seeing they are as capable of Inhabitants as our Earth I answer No man can tell that Though they be gross and solid bodies and therein be like our Terrestrial Globe yet they may not be a fit dwelling for any sort of Living Creatures for Man especially And indeed why should any man think that Men like our selves were originally placed in the Planets when we are assured that these Heavenly Bodies were made for the Use of Men upon Earth only But of this afterwards Secondly they fancy that Moses's Description of the Creation is not suitable to the Greatness and Vast Extension of the World they are of opinion that he talks too much of the Earth and gives too Magnificent a Character of it whereas the Smallness of it deserves no such thing Accordingly this Author insists a long time upon this p. 54 55 56. And urges that it is an Inconsiderable Spot in respect of the Vast Heavenly Bodies which stand Still till that wheels about For this reason they discard Moses and are not a little displeased with him because he is no Copernican But these Gentlemen are to be told that they weakly argue from the Vast Proportion of the rest of the World in comparison of the Earthly Globe for 't is not Greatness and Bulk that give a value to things They discourse idly and injudiciously who extol the Orbs of Heaven merely because they are Vast and Spatious and despise the Earth because it is but a Point in regard of them No man of true and generous Philosophy can argue thus No it is impossible he should unless he can first prove that Bulk is Worth Iudea was but a spot in respect of the Whole Earth the same that the Earth is in respect of the World yet God made choice of this small inconsiderable portion of ground to be the Scene of the most Glorious things that ever happen'd since the Creaation Why then may we not think or rather why do we not believe it seeing it is so Evident and Bright a Truth that the Supreme Being created this Pittance of Earth for great and glorious ends to be the Stage of the Worthiest transactions in the world and consequently to dignify it above all other parts of the Universe be they never so Great and Large And it is certain he did so and we may see it plainly in the First Chapter of Genesis It is observable that the Whole Material World is divided into heaven and earth V. 1. and therefore this latter the Earth can be no mean part of it And we cannot but take notice that this poor Pightel this Moaicum of Earth as you may call it is described and represented by Moses as the Main and Principal Work and Concern of the All-Mighty and preferable to all the Heavenly Bodies and the Whole Universe Therefore we have no reason to quit Moses for Copernicus but to believe that the Earth though so small a Globe is of greater dignity than all the Celestial System than all the Planetary and Fixed Lights They that discourse otherwise betray a great Narrowness of Soul and Meanness of Spirit because they set a value upon Space and Quantity and dote upon Roomth and Magnitude which are of no real worth and esteem but at the same time they undervalue the Order and Appointment of the Soveraign Marker and Disposer of the World who plainly shews us the Transcendent Dignity and Superlative Excellencey of the Terrestrial System