Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	true_a	world_n	4,846	5	4.9933	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45639	The atheist's objection that we can have no idea of God refuted a sermon preach'd at the cathedral-church of St. Paul, February the 7th 1697/8 : being the second of the lecture for that year, founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by John Harris ...	Harris, John, 1667?-1719.	1698 (1698)	Wing H846; ESTC R15272	15,871	30

The ATHEIST's Objection That we can have no Idea of GOD REFUTED A SERMON Preach'd at the CATHEDRAL-CHURCH of St. Paul February the 7 th 1697 8. BEING The Second of the LECTURE for that Year Founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq By JOHN HARRIS M. A. and Fellow of the ROYAL-SOCIETY LONDON Printed by J. L. for Richard Wilkin at the King 's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1698. PSAL. X. 4. The Wicked through the Pride of his Countenance will not seek after God neither is God in all his Thoughts IN these words I have in a former Discourse taken notice of these Three Particulars I. The General Character or Qualifications of the Person here mentioned which is That he is a Wicked Man II. The Particular Kind of Wickedness or Origin from whence the Spirit of Atheism and Irreligion doth chiefly proceed and that is Pride The Wicked through the Pride of his Countenance c. III. The great Charge which the Psalmist brings against the Person here spoken of in my Text viz. Wilful Atheism and Infidelity He will not seek after God neither is God in all his Thoughts The Two first of these I have already dispatch'd and therefore shall now proceed to discourse on my Third Head viz. The great Charge here brought against this Wicked Person That he will not seek after God neither is God in all his Thoughts or as it is in the Margin with good grounds as I have before observed from the Hebrew All his Thoughts are There is no God Which appears to me to imply a wilful and malicious slighting and contemning of God and his Laws and an endeavour to banish the very Thoughts of his Existence out of their Minds And under this Head I shall make it my business to enumerate all the pretended Arguments and Objections which I have met with and are of any weight against the Being of a God in general and then endeavour to shew how Weak and Inconclusive they are and how miserable a Support they will prove for Atheism and Infidelity But first it will be necessary briefly to clear up one Point and to obviate one Objection that may be made against this very Attempt of mine of Refuting and Answering the Atheists Arguments and Objections It will I doubt not be said That there is not now nor ever perhaps was in the World any such Person as a Speculative Atheist or one that believes there is no God It is said with great assurance by some That the Ancient Atheists were only such as declared against the Plurality of Gods and the Idolatry and Superstition of the Heathen Worship And we are told by one very lately That he hath travelled many Countries and could never meet with any Atheists which are few if any and all the Noise and Clamour saith he is against Castles in the Air. To which I Answer That nothing can be more plain and clear than that both Ancient and Modern Writers do give us an account of such Persons as were known and reputed Atheists by those that were Contemporary with them and did well understand their Principles and Tenets I need not insist on Proofs from any of the Ancient Christian Writers for 't is sufficient that Plato Diogenes Laertius Plutarch Cicero and many others do acquaint us that such kind of Men there have been in the World Tho' I shall particularly produce the Testimony of two Authors one ancient and the other 't is probable now living to prove this Point and these are Sextus Empiricus and he that wrote the Thoughts on the Comet that appeared in the Year 1680. Sextus is express That Diagoras Melius Prodicus Chius Euemerus Critias Atheniensis Theodorus and many others were absolute Atheists and denied that there were any Gods at all And the French Gentleman saith the same of most of those mentioned by Sextus and other Ancient Writers and to the number adds some others of a Modern date And Mr. Blount saith that the Epicureans constantly affirmed there were no Gods Now the Evidence of these Authors will I hope be allowed because they seem Well-wishers to the Cause of Infidelity themselves To these I might add were it necessary That Vaninus himself tells us frequently of Atheists that he met with and no one will doubt but that he knew where to find one at any time and he calls Machiavel expressly Atheorum facilè Princeps But indeed this Assertion of these Gentlemen That there is no such thing as an Atheist in the World is like most other things that they advance Uncertain and Precarious and often contradicted by what at other times they deliver for though they are sometimes and in some Companies for Reasons that are very obvious unwilling to take the Title of Atheist on themselves or their Party yet they are often ready enough to bestow it on others and when it is subservient to their purpose will insinuate That the greatest Lights and Teachers of the Church believe as little of Religion as themselves But I say also 2. That 't is one thing to disbelieve the Existence of a God and another to declare so to the World And it doth not at all follow that a Man is not an Atheist because he doth not openly profess himself to be so at all times and in all Companies There are no Writers so insincere as these kind of Gentlemen they are very cautious and tender how they expose themselves to the just Punishment of the Law Vaninus himself though he did at last suffer Death madly for his Infidelity as one saith of him that died as madly himself yet is he very cautious and careful in his Writings how he renders himself obnoxious to the Censure of the Inquisition and he declares That he will submit all things to the Judgment of the Roman Church So a Gentleman of our own Nation though he endeavours as effectually as 't is possible under-hand to ridicule and undermine Religion yet he would fain appear to the World to be a good Christian and one that hath a mighty Veneration for God and his Laws but in the mean time 't is very easie to discover his true Principles and Design for he declares That he thinks it much safer to believe as the Church believes and to pin his Faith always on my Lord of Canterbury 's Sleeve as he saith he will do and subscribe to any ridiculous Legend rather than incurr the Censure of the Popish Clergy as he basely calls the Ministers of this most Excellent Protestant Church for the same laudable Reasons also he forbears communicating what he doth or ought to think Truth to Mankind as he tells us in many places Now if this be the case with these Men of Honour that they dare not speak their Minds nor discover their true Sentiments plainly to the World we must by no means conclude over-hastily of their Orthodoxy by what they say in Discourse at some times or publish in Print