Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A61625
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A sermon preached before the King & Queen at White-Hall on Christmas-Day, 1693 by the Right Reverend Father in God, Edward Lord Bishop of Worcester.
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Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing S5665; ESTC R8161
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16,121
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37
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entertained as such upon their utmost peril But can we believe farther than we have Reason to believe No God doth not expect it from us provided that with sincere and impartial Minds we set our selves to consider and weigh the Evidence and with great Humility beg the Assistance of Divine Grace without which God may justly leave us to our Unbelief It would be too large a Subject now to lay open the several Arguments to prove that it is as evident as a matter of Fact can be made to us that God did send his Son that the World through him might be saved Therefore I shall only mention these two things 1. That if the Matters of Fact are true concerning the History of Christ's Coming as related by the Evangelists there can be no Reason to doubt his being the Son of God For he that was the most Exact Pattern of Humility and Self-denial not only frequently assumes this Title to himself and his most intimate Disciples affirm it of him but God himself gave the most ample and convincing Testimony to it by his miraculous Birth and a Voice from Heaven to that purpose at his Baptism by a long Train and Series of Publick and Usefull Miracles to attest the Truth of his Doctrine by his Resurrection from the Dead and Ascension into Heaven and wonderfull Effusion of the H. Ghost with the strange Effects which followed it so that no one who doth believe these things to be true can have any ground to say that he cannot believe Christ to be the Son of God 2. That if these Matters of Fact are not to be believed as True we cannot be bound to believe any thing but what we see our selves For the distance of Time and Place are equal in this Case and no other Matters of Fact are so well Attesten as these are And so as the Apostle saith of Christ's Resurrection If he be not risen our Faith is vain so in this case I say if there be not Reason to believe these things All Faith is vain For no other Matters of Fact which we should be accounted Fools for not believing have had such a sort of Testimony which these have had For these things were not conveyed by a silent Tradition for some time till the Chief Parties were dead who could either Prove or Disprove them but they were Publick and Exposed to all manner of Examination They were not deliver'd by one or two who were trusted with a Secret but openly avowed by a great number of Competent Witnesses who were present and none of them could be brought by the greatest Sufferings to deny or falsify or conceal any part of their Evidence that when these things had been thus delivered by those who saw them who were most remarkable for their Innocency and Integrity in the next Ages they were examined and enquired into by Men of Sagacity and Learning who upon the strictest Search found no reason to suspect their Testimony and therefore heartily embraced and defended the Christian Faith And from thence they have been conveyed down to us not by an uncertain Oral Tradition which can hardly hold the same from one end of the Town to another but by unquestionable Writings of such Authority that the Christians would rather dye than deliver up their Books And in these are all those Circumstances contained which we are bound to believe as Christians among which this is one of the Chief that God sent his Son into the World for the Salvation of Mankind To summ up all I desire those who after all this pretend that they are willing to believe as much as they can and those who are liable to any Suggestions of Infidelity to consider seriously with themselves whether there can be a greater and more noble Design more becoming the Wisdom Power and Goodness of God to carry on than that of rescuing Mankind out of a miserable State and putting them into a certain way of Eternal Happiness Whether such a Design must not be discovered in some particular Age of the World with all the Circumstances relating to it Whether that Age were not the fittest of all others wherein the most remarkable Prophecies were to be accomplished as to the Coming of the Messias while the second Temple was standing Whether the Difficulties as to Human Testimonies be not equal to all Ages and Things Whether because it is possible for all men to deceive it be reasonable to infer that all men are deceived and that there is nothing but Illusion and Imposture in the World and that all men lye and deceive for the sake of Lying and Deceiving But if there be a Difference to be made between Men and between Testimonies then we are to examine the different Characters of Truth and Falshood and give our Assent according to them And if after the severest Examination we do not find sufficient Reason to believe that God sent his Son into the World for the Salvation of Mankind upon such Testimonies as are given of it we must conclude all Mankind to be made up of Fraud and Imposture and that there is no such thing as Sincerity and Honesty in the World or that if there be it is not possible for others to discern it Which are such fatal Reproaches upon Human Nature that no one who pretends to any Regard to it can be guilty of For if they be universally true they must condemn themselves if not we must see some very particular Reason why we should not rather think them deceived than fix such an Indelible Blot upon the Reputation of Mankind And surely it is a great Advantage to the Truth of Religion to find that it cannot be overthrown but by such Methods as equally overturn all Truth and Certainty and that the Faith of Christianity stands not only upon the same Bottom with the common Faith of Mankind But if we reject such Assurance as is offer'd us for the Faith of the Gospel our Infidelity cannot be the effect of Reason and Argument but of a causeless Suspicion and unreasonable Mistrust of the best Part of Mankind Who have most firmly believed the Truth of these things and have led the most Holy and Exemplary Lives in Hopes of a Blessed Immortality And if the Testimony of any Persons deserves to be taken before others it must be of such who could have no Design upon this World but were resolved by Faith and Patience to prepare for a Better To Conclude For us who believe and own the Truth of this great and fundamental Article of the Christian Faith we have something else to do than meerly to Vindicate and Assert it This at some times is more necessary than at others and I heartily wish this were none of them I am willing to hope the best of all who in such an Age of Infidelity have the Courage and Zeal to own the Faith of this Day viz. That God sent his Son into the World in order to the making us for ever