Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	strong_a	unrighteousness_n	1,917	5	11.2143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38046	Some thoughts concerning the several causes and occasions of atheism, especially in the present age with some brief reflections on Socinianism, and on a late book entitled, The reasonableness of Christianity as delivered in the Scriptures / by John Edwards ...	Edwards, John, 1637-1716.	1695 (1695)	Wing E215; ESTC R18870	42,384	151

notion of a God for 't is counter to his course of Living Therefore he goes on in his Debauchery and huffs and swaggers and perhaps swears by the Divinity that there is none It is plain that this sort of men decry a God because they would not be obliged by his Laws Sensuality makes them desirous to remove all stops of a wicked life and therefore they whet their wits such as they are to annihilate Religion and to extirpate a Deity An abhorrence of the Practical part of Piety engages them against the Theory Their Lives influence on their Belief They are addicted to Atheism by their Lewd and Prophane Courses For we must observe this that these two mutually advance one an other As Atheism is the highway of Wickedness which the Psalmist takes notice of when he saith The fool hath said in his heart There is no God Corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquity Psal. 53. 1. so 't is as true that Wickedness is the original of Atheism and Infidelity For 't was rightly said by a Great Man None deny there is a God but those for whom it maketh that there were no God For they know that if there be one he will certainly judg them for their evil doings They cannot therefore be secure in their sins unless the notion and remembrance of a Deity be blotted out It is their supposed Interest then not their Reason that makes them deny a God for it is their Concern to be perswaded that there is none to punish them Briefly they are unwilling to believe any thing but what their Lust shall put into their Creed Thus you see the true Reason of the Atheism of these times It is fed and pamper'd by Luxury the constant Fumes and Steams of this affect the Brain and discompose the Intellect Practical Atheism leads to that which is Dogmatical i. e. holding and believing that there is no God Evil and perverse minds profane and debauch'd lives strangely byass and incline men to this Wherefore if you would effectually shut out this Vile Perswasion take care to suppress your Evil Affections and Practices for these are wont to court mens understandings to turn Atheists VII Atheists take occasion from our Divisions Broils and Animosities from the many Parties and Squadrons of Sects that are in the World to bid defiance to all Religion and they resolve to profess none till they can see them all Agreed Thus Tully observed of old that the Dissentions of Philosophers the various Sentiments and Opinions that prevail'd among them were a cause of some mens denying a Deity at least of their staggering about it And truly this Observator himself in his Books De Natura Deorum is so given to the Academical vein of Disputing that he seems sometimes to be irresolv'd whether there is any God or no. So it hath been among some of those who have taken upon them the external Denomination of Christians The Differences in Opinion the Errors and Heresies which they take notice of cause them to suspect yea to renounce all Truth A great deal of the Atheism of this present Age may be ascrib'd to this Some behold the great Scufflings that are about Religion not only the Single Combates but the Pitch'd Batelts that are about it and thereupon they discard all thoughts of any such thing and become perfect Libertines And herein they are promoted and push'd on by such persons as the Author of Fiat Lux and the Treatise of Humane Reason who both design Scepticism and so Atheism But though it is thus though the Different Perswasions about Religious Matters have this ill effect yet this can be no true Reason why any man should renounce the Belief of a God For he that is truly rational and considerate will rather make this an Argument of the contrary for it was foretold by Christ and his Apostles that Errors and Delusions should be in the World and therefore the Fulfilling of these Prophecies be as witness not only to the Truth of the Writings of the New Testament and consequently of Christianity but of the Divinity it self For things of this nature which depend wholly on free and arbitrary Causes cannot be foretold without Divine and Supernatural help None but an All-seeing eye could have a prospect of these future Occurrences The Predicting of such things to come is an Evidence of an Omniscient Deity And then as to the thing it self why should any man think it Strange and Unaccountable that there are Dissentions in Christendom He may as well wonder that there are Men in the World for as long as these retain their nature i. e. are subject to Prejudice Love of Interest Passion Pride and the like there will be Errors and Heresies for these proceed from some of those ill Principles and unless God should change the frame of the World and destroy the freedom of Man's will i. e. make him another Creature it cannot be otherwise How unreasonably then do men question a God and cry out against Religion it self because they see so many of this sort of Disorders in the world Whereas it is certain that it is not the fault of Religion that things are thus but they are thus because men have so little Religion Again the Cheats and Delusions that are in the world are useful for the Trial of Mankind that as the Apostle saith they who are approved may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11. 19. I do not say they were design'd for this for no Evil is design'd by God yet it is certain they are expedient for this purpose and there is no better way to have an experiment of the Upright Judgment Sincerity Faithfulness and Constancy of Persons than by their being expos'd to these Impostures Lastly God deservedly Punishes men with erroneous and false Doctrines 2 Thess. 2. 10 11. Because they receive not the love of the truth yea because they hate it and oppose themselves to it and have pleasure in unrighteousness for this cause he sends them strong delusion that they shall believe a Lye and that they shall defend and maintain it It is just with God to leave men to the Error and Blindness of their Minds and judicially to give them over the Atheistical Perswasions when they have wilfully debauch'd and abused their Faculties This is the dreadful but just Judgment of God and I doubt not but the present Atheism of this Age is such Thus it is evident that Errors and Dissentions about Religion are so far from being Arguments of the Non-Existence of a Deity that they are undeniable Proofs of it Let not then the diversity of Sects and the Disputes of wrangling Heads as particularly the late upstart Contrast between the Unitarians and Trinitarians prejudice us against our Christian Faith But let us rather be stirr'd up hence to hold fast the Principles of our Belief and to own a Deity when there are so many in this degenerate Age that deny it And withal let

Nay some of these Persons seem to be partly sensible of it and change the name into that of Deist At this day Atheism it self is slily call'd Deism by those that indeed are Atheists Though they retain the things yet they would disguise it by a false Name and thereby hide the Heinousness of it But let us not be deceived and blinded by pretended Shews but throughly apprehend the Vileness of this Opinion which some endeavour to palliate It is a very denying the Creed of Nature it is a Renuntiation of that which the very Devils believe and tremble at It is briefly but fully represented in St. Cyprian's words This saith he is the sum of this most beinous Crime that those who are guilty of it wilfully refuse to acknowledge Him whom they cannot be ignorant of For their own Beings and Natures furnish them with Arguments for a God and if they did not obstinately shut their eyes they must needs behold a Deity Therefore to be Atheists or without God in the world as the Apostle speaks cannot but be a Great Prodigy it is Unaccountable almost if the Degeneracy of Manking were not so great as it is that the World it self should not administer to mens Thoughts Convictive Arguments of a Divinity Whence it hath been observ'd by a very Wise Man that there never was any Miracle wrought by God to convert an Atheist because the Light of Nature might have led him to confess a God This shews how detestable and pernicious Atheism is and much more might be said to this purpose Wherefore I hope I need not multiply words when I call upon you to keep out of the Company of those men who you know are infected with this hellish Poison 3. Let us labour to work in our selves and others a profound Sense of that Great God with whom we have to do Generally the Belief of a Deity is from Custom and Education because it is the Perswasion of the Place and the Persons we converse with but we should not content our selves with this but arrive to the Knowledge of the true Grounds and Reasons of this Belief Seeing this is the First thing in Religion and no Man can be Religious and Vertuous unless he believes there is a God let us fortifie our Minds against Atheism by those several Arguments and Considerations which are wont to be propounded by Learned and Religious Writers that we may as throughly be perswaded of this Great Truth as of our own Being which a Great Philosopher makes one of his First and Indubitable Principles But especially view the Works of the Creation and perswade your selves of this that a Material World without an Immaterial Cause of it is mere Nonsnse Look abroad and behold the Heavens and the Earth and all the Furniture of them there you may believe a Deity because you do as 't were see it The Creator is made visible by his Works Every thing in the Sensible World is an Image a Picture a Footstep of the Deity From this Exquisite Fabrick we infallibly gather the Existence of its All-wise Architect and Moderator Of which I shall give the Reader a particular Demonstration in a short time And that you may effectually extirpate Atheism out of your minds frequently peruse the H. Scriptures Read God in his own Book There you will certainly inform your selves concerning the Superintendence of Spiritual or Immaterial Agents viz. Angels which makes way for the Belief of a God who is a Spirit There you will meet with those Wonderful Operations and Events which can no ways be solv'd without granting an Omnipotent and All-wise Disposer of things And there you will find this Supreme Governour of the World communicating his Will and Pleasure to Mankind I question not but one great Reason and I might have mention'd it among the rest why men are so disposed to be Atheists is because they never or very seldom consult this Holy Volume they refuse to hear God Himself speaking to them in these Writings Wherefore I recommend to you the serious and frequent reading of the Bible as the most effectual means to confirm you in the Belief of a Deity Assure your selves that this Book is the best Antidote against Atheism 4. and lastly Labour to be truly Religious and Holy beg the Divine Assistance to sanctifie you in your Hearts and Lives and thereby you will be let into the intimate knowledge of this Grand Verity which I have been discoursing of You will then more sensibly understand and be convinced of it than by all the Arguments that can be offer'd or rather this one will make all the rest effectual Whereas on the contrary Men of Unsanctified Minds and Profane Lives despise and scoff at that of which they have no experience and will not believe the Existence and Power of God which they never felt Strive then by an Inward Experiment to confute Atheism so that you may not have any Inclination to say in your hearts though you do not utter it with your tongues There is no God but that you may be so strongly convinced of the contrary Truth that you may be able to assert it with a firm and unshaken Belief and from an internal sense of it on your hearts to attest the reality of it to the whole World FINIS ERRAT Pag. 104. lin 8. dele to * Sermon of the Folly of Atheism Sermon at the Queen's Funeral * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierocl * His Essays * 1 Tim. 6. 16. * Exercitat 99. * De Cometis * Preface before his Philosoph Writings † Search after Truth Book 3. Chap. 4. * Bishop Ward 's Serm. † Copernicus Lansbergius Clavius Petavius Tacquet Scheiner Gassendus Fromondus Kircher Ricciolus Oughtred Ward Wallis More Glanvil * Sir Tho. More Sir Phil. Sidney Sir W. Raleigh Sir Hen. Wotton Lord Bacon Mr. Selden Mr. Cowley c. * Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor Pap. Stat. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Lord Bacon's Essay of Atheism * De Nat. Deorum Lib. 1. * Mat. 7. 16 Luke 17. 1. † 1 Tim. 4. 1. 2 Tim. 3. ● 6. 2 Pet. 33. Jude 18. * Sir Edwyn Sandys * Lord Bacon's Essays * Considerations on the Explications of the Doctrine of the Trinity Page 5 6 7. * Praelect cap. 8 9 10 11. † Fragment Disp. de Adorat Christi ‖ Deus est Spiritus aeternus spiritum autem cum nominamus substantiam intelligimus ab omni erassitie qualem in corporibus oculorum arbitrio subjectis cernimus alienam Hoc sensu Angelos dicimus Spiritus Aerem c. De Deo Attrib cap. 15. * Comment Vol. 1. page 118. * De Uno Deo P. lib. 2. sect 1 2. * Letter of Resolution concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity The Unreasonableness of the Doctrine of the Trinity † An Accurate Examination of the Principal Texts c. chap. 5. ‖ Observations on the Answer to the brief History of the Unitarians chap. 2. † Letter of Resolution concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity * Observations on the Answer to the brief History of the Unitarians chap. 1. * Of the Mysteries of the Christian Faith * An Exhortation to a Free and Impartial Enquiry c. * Spinosa Tract Theol polit cap. 8 9 10. * Dr. Woodward's Hist. of the Earth Part 3. 161. * Du-Pin Hist. of Eccles. Writers Prelim. Dissertat * Search after Truth Book 1. † Princip Philos. Pars 4. * Enchirid. Metaphys Cap. 11. † Mr. L●ck concerning Education * Dr. Woodward's Nat. Hist. of the Earth Part 1. * De Corde * Concerning Education * Mr. Hobbs Leviath chap. 34. Mr. Websters Display of supposed Witchcraft Dr. Becker's Enchanted World * Chap. 1. Concerning the Articles of Faith * P. 302. * P. 302. * Page 303. * 1 Tim. 3. 16. * Page 302. * Deut. 4. 2. † Rev. 22. 18 19. * Dr. Cudworth's Intellectual System * L'Histoire d' Henr. 3. * In his Europae Speculum † An Essay in a Letter from Oxford * Just. Mart. Apol. 2. * Haec est summa delicti nolle agnoscere quem ignorare non possis De Vanit Idol * Ephes. 2. 12. * Fab. Faventini Disp. 4. adv Atheos Tho. Campanella Spizel Scrutin Atheismi Muller Atheismus devictus Ian. Ioach. Ian. Disputat contr Atheos Dr. More Mr. Smith Sir Charles Woosley Dr. Tenison now Archbishop of Cant. Dr. Cudworth Dr. Barrow † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato