Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	divine_a	reason_n	revelation_n	1,875	5	9.2536	5	false

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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

judge a proper Argument to begin with For should I be able to produce never so convincing proofs of the Truth of Christianity yet if those who hear me should be utterly indispos'd to consider and receive them all my discourse must be necessarily lost upon such men And therefore 't is remarkable that our Saviour in divers other places as well as this doth ascribe the Infidelity of his Hearers to the Indisposition of their Minds as the true cause of it and that too an Indisposition proceeding from some fault either in their Tempers or Practices as on the contrary he declareth who were in a fair way to become his Disciples namely such as were of a Temper capable of considering and receiving Truth when it should be propos'd to them Thus Joh. 8.47 He that is of God heareth God's words ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God And again To this end was I born Joh. 18.37 and for this cause came I into world that I might bear witness to the Truth Every one that is of the Truth heareth my Voice Neither is this asserted by our Lord without evident Reason as will appear to any one who considers this matter fairly Christianity lays it's claim to a Divine Original Both our Lord himself and all who call themselves his Disciples affirm that it is a Revelation from God The Adversaries of this Reliligion say on the contrary that it is the Product of Superstition or Design and consequently that both its Original and Progress are wholy owing to humane Weakness or Policy that is Wickedness for such would a Policy to invent and propagate a false Religion and thereby to impose upon the Understandings and Consciences of men be justly reputed How then must this Controversie be decided Why by such Evidence as a matter of this nature is capable of by such Proofs as are fit to be alleged for the truth of a Divine Revelation and proper to convince the judgment of a reasonable Creature But who shall Judge of this Evidence Why every man must be allow'd to judge for himself and every man to whom such Evidence is propos'd is without question oblig'd at his utmost peril to judge impartially But the Man that is ignorant of Almighty God or estranged from him especially whosoever is an Enemy to God as being of a disposition and temper opposite to that of the Divine Nature must necessarily be unfit to judge of this kind of Evidence If this Religion should prove to be divinely reveal'd as it pretends such a man would probably think it his Interest to be sure it would be his Inclination to make all the Objections and to raise all the Cavils that he could possibly invent to invalidate the Proofs of it At least he would not easily nor clearly discern the force of the Arguments alleged for it Whereas on the other hand Whosoever hath been taught of God whosoever hath heard and learn'd of the Father whosoever hath attain'd to right conceptions of him and is reconcil'd in his Mind to him such a Man is well prepar'd to attend to whatsoever it shall please God farther to make known to him he will easily and clearly discern the force of any good Evidence which shall be produc'd for a Revelation which is truly Divine and will be naturally ready and forward to embrace it But to come to the Words themselves in treating of which it will be proper to consider these three particulars In what way and manner God may be said to teach Men in order to their receiving any new Revelation from him Who they are that may be said to have heard and learn'd of the Father in order to the same end What Qualifications are requisite both to the hearing and learning of the Father and coming to the Son Let us consider in what way and manner God may be said to teach Men in order to their receiving any new Revelation from him It is written in the Prophets They shall be all taught of God The teaching of God which the Prophets and particularly Isaiah in the place before-cited refers to seems as I have already hinted to be that more plain and plentiful Instruction which was to be communicated to Men in the days of the Messiah But our Saviour in applying this Prophecy seems also to take in all that previous Teaching of God whereby he had prepar'd Men for the receiving him when he should come For the same God who by his Providence had reserv'd so large a communication of Divine Knowledge for the times of the Messiah had from one Generation to another been disposing the World for such farther communications as he should think proper for it not having in any age or place left men without witness of himself It may be reasonable therefore upon this occasion to consider the several ways in which men might be said to be taught of God in order to their receiving any farther Revelation from him And I shall name these four Men were taught of God in order to this end by the Works of Creation and Providence By the Suggestions and Dictates of their own Consciences By some extraordinary Persons raised up by Providence and qualified to teach others By the secret Motions and Influences of the Divine Spirit upon the Minds of Men. I shall only take a short view of each of these Men may be said to have been taught of God by the Works of Creation and Providence From that vast number of Beings which have been form'd by God their Variety Excellency Beauty and Order together with the constant care he taketh of all that he hath form'd and the abundant Provision he hath made for every Being suitable to it's Nature there are plain Intimations and Instructions given by the Deity to those Creatures whom he hath made capable of observing and contemplating his Works And this I may take for granted without any farther proof will be allow'd by those for whose use I principally design my following Discourses such I mean as seriously own the Being and the Providence of the Almighty And I need not labor to express my self farther upon this head than in the Words of the Psalmist which a Deist will subscribe to as true though not as spoken by an inspired Author Psal 10.1 The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy work Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge And this is a way in which God hath taught all Mankind at once for as it there follows Ver. 3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the World And therefore the Apostle justly pronounces them inexcusable who have not by this way of instruction attain'd to the knowledge of God That which may be known of God Rom. 1.19 saith he is manifest among them that is among the Heathens for God

The Qualifications requisite towards the Receiving a Divine Revelation A SERMON Preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. PAVL January the 2d 1698 9. Being the First for this Year of the Lecture Founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq By SAMUEL BRADFORD M. A. Rector of St. Mary le Bow LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Three Crowns and Bible in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1699. TO THE Most Reverend Father in God Thomas Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Sir Henry Ashhurst Baronet Sir John Rotherham Serjeant at Law John Evelyn Senior Esq Trustees appointed by the Will of the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq Most Reverend and Honoured I Humbly present to you this with the following Discourses which I Publish in Obedience to your Order and with my thankful acknowledgment of the Honour you have done me in appointing me your Lecturer for the Year ensuing The best way of establishing any Truth is by making a fair and just Representation of it Truth being to the Mind what Light is to the Eye always discernable where there is no defect in the Organ My design therefore is to endeavour so to represent the Christian Revelation that it may appear by it's own Light and by that means as far as may be to prevent Objections before they are rais'd And because I am fully perswaded that the true Cause of Infidelity where the Gospel is publish'd is some vitious Indisposition in the Minds of men I thought it expedient to begin with laying down the Qualifications which are necessary for such Persons as shall concern themselves about this Subject I am very sensible of my want of Ability proportionable to this Vndertaking but I humbly beseech that God and Saviour in whose Cause I am engag'd to enable me in some measure to promote the pious and generous Design of our Honourable Founder a Person who convinc'd the World that Christianity is consistent with excellent natural Parts and great Learning as well as with noble Birth and good Breeding After this I have nothing farther to do but to rely upon that Goodness which so freely employ'd me favourably to interpret the Endeavours of Most Reverend and Honoured Your most obliged and humble Servant Samuel Bradford JOHN vj. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me THE Honourable Founder of these Lectures having appointed them for proving the Christian Religion against notorious Infidels viz. Atheists Deists Pagans Jews and Mahometans my design is by God's Assistance to direct my following Discourses principally against the second sort of these Adversaries to our Profession the Deists I mean properly so call'd those who are not sunk so much below humane Nature as to call into question the Author of their Beings or to deny that Providence by which the World is govern'd and themselves and all things in it preserv'd and taken care of but yet pretend to disbelieve or at least doubt concerning the Christian Revelation It must needs seem strange to those who are throughly convinc'd of the Trutho of Christianity and discern very plain and strong Evidence for the confirmation of their Faith in all the parts of it that there should be any who being educated where this Religion is profess'd should either remain or become Infidels especially if at the same time they seriously own the Principles of natural Religion to which those of reveal'd are so very agreeable How far such men are in good earnest is best known to God and to their own Consciences but if there be any such 't is certainly worth the while to convince them and I should hope it would be no great difficulty to do it provided they may be prevail'd upon to do what is absolutely necessary and highly reasonable on their part in order to their receiving and owning such conviction For which reason I have chosen to begin with these Words wherein we are inform'd by our Lord himself what sort of Persons those are who are qualified for receiving him and his Doctrine viz. such as are taught of God such as have heard and learn'd of the Father The occasion of the Words was this Our blessed Saviour had been saying Ver. 38 that He came down from Heaven at this some of the Jews murmur'd saying 41 Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph whose Father and Mother we know 42 How is it then that he saith I came down from Heaven To which our Lord reply'd not by proposing at that time any Arguments to convince them that he really did come down from Heaven but by hinting to them the true cause of their unbelief and letting them understand that considering their temper which he very well knew Ver. 43 44. he was not at all surpris'd at their rejecting him Murmur not saith he among your selves No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him But may not the Father draw men and they not follow him Yes certainly Ezek. 24.13 as well as he might be said to have purged Israel and yet that Israel was not purged and therefore it follows in the next Words It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me It is written in the Prophets that is this is a Prediction you may find in divers places in the Books of the Prophets in the Old Testament They shall be all taught of God that is in the days of the Messiah the World shall be blest with more plentiful Instruction from Heaven there shall be a greater measure of Divine Knowledge imparted by God to Mankind together with a larger Effusion of the Divine Spirit upon the Members of God's Church whereby they shall be taught the Will of God more plainly and fully than in times past Particularly the Prophet Isaiah foretelling the state of the Church in the days of the Messiah hath these very words which our Lord citeth All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Isa 54.13 Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learn'd of the Father cometh unto me as if he had said Whosoever therefore will come unto me that is receive me for the Messiah and acknowledge my Doctrine to be of God must be taught of God according to the prediction of the Prophets and on his part he must both hear and learn of the Father he must attend that is to his Instructions and comply with them For if he shall refuse to hear the Father he can never acknowledge me who came from him but if he will hear and learn of him and consequently be taught by him he will readily come to me also So that the Words contain as I have already observ'd the Character of those Persons who are qualified and dispos'd to receive the Christian Doctrine when it is publish'd to them And this I

But more particularly they may be reduced to these two following sorts Those who have attain'd to worthy apprehensions concerning God and natural Religion Those who have together with these apprehensions fixt in their Minds an honest purpose and resolution to act agreeably to them By taking a short view of these two particulars we shall easily perceive both that these are the results of God's teaching men and that they are each of them preparatory to the receiving farther communications from him Such men have heard and learn'd of the Father who have attain'd to worthy apprehensions concerning God and Natural Religion By worthy apprehensions of God I meah that they should conceive of him as a Being infinite in all Perfection and particularly in those we call the Moral Perfections of the Divine Nature commonly exprest by the general term of Holiness comprehending the Truth the Justice and the Goodness of God that they should think of him as the Original of all Being the great Maker and Preserver of the World and the Supreme Lord and Governour of it that they should look upon him as the great Parent of the intellectual part of the Universe who hath a tender care of and concern for this his Off-spring that they should apprehend him to be a Being infinitely good to all his Works and especially propitious to those his Creatures who have always retain'd or are willing to return to the temper of dutiful and obedient children who as on the one hand he will not suffer his Laws to be violated and his Authority contemn'd without making the Transgressors sensible and afraid of his displeasure so on the other hand also he will be ready to compassionate in all compassionable cases and to make all such allowances as are proper to be made by a Creator to his Creatures By worthy apprehensions of natural Religion I mean that they should see and acknowledge the eternal and immutable difference between moral good and evil together with the necessary and indispensable Obligation a reasonable creature is under to chuse the one and refuse the other that they should discern the fitness of yielding Reverence and Love Worship and Obedience to our Maker of exercising Justice and Charity one towards another of subjecting our Flesh to our Spirits and reducing our Appetites and Passions under the direction and government of Understanding and Reason of improving our Minds as our principal part and using our several Faculties according to the nature and design of each of them These I take to be worthy apprehensions of God and natural Religion and such as will be entertain'd by all those who are taught of God and have not only heard but learn'd of the Father And whosoever hath these Apprehensions well settled in his Mind will be always ready to embrace a Doctrine which comes from God and approves it self to be worthy of him he will be apt to entertain a Revelation as Divine which renders all the Attributes of God conspicuous and illustrious he will diligently listen to and easily believe a fair account of the Goodness of God to the apostate children of men reconcil'd with his Wisdom and Justice in governing the World and he will heartily approve an Institution which throughly explains and heightens the Obligations which reasonable Creatures are under to all that is truly good and praise-worthy that is he will be well dispos'd to become a Christian these being as I hope hereafter to shew the just Characters of Christianity Upon this ground it was that our Lord gave his approbation to the Judgment of the Scribe upon his saying there was one God Mark 12.32 33 34. and that for a Man to love this God with all his heart and to love his Neighbour as himself was more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices The Text says that when Jesus saw that he answer'd discreetly i. e. when he discover'd so just apprehensions of God and the nature of Religion in general he said unto him Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God as far as his Judgment went at least he was almost a Disciple of Christ being well dispos'd to entertain the Doctrine which he taught But then There must be added to this that those who have heard and learn'd of the Father have together with these Apprehensions fixt in their Minds an honest purpose and resolution to act agreeably to them The perfection of a reasonable creature consists in the regularity of his Will and Affections as much at least if not more than in the improvement of his Understanding Nay the very use of any information given to the Understanding is that it may direct and influence the Will and Affections of the Man and consequently the great design of all God's teaching which is without question intended to perfect our Natures is to improve the temper and disposition of our Souls so that no man can be said to have heard and learn'd of the Father till he have form'd his temper by the knowledge which is imparted to him from God and reduc'd his Notions to practice All the Truths of God are to be receiv'd in the love of them and the end of their communication is that we may yield our selves to be directed by them and he that is arriv'd thus far has heard and learn'd of the Father in the full sense of that Expression and after this can want nothing more towards the entertaining any new Revelation from God than a fair proposal of it to him This is agreeable to what our Saviour hath told us and what is evident from the nature of the thing that If any man will do the will of God Joh. 7.17 he shall know of his Doctrine whether it be of God or whether he spake of himself And this 't is likely was wanting in the Scribe before-mention'd whom our Saviour declar'd not to be far from the Kingdom of God Had he added to his just apprehensions of Divine truths a full purpose of mind to yield to their influence he would not only have approach'd but enter'd into the Kingdom And here in truth lies the main difficulty with most men Their Apprehensions would be more easily set right if their Wills and Affections were but subdued but this latter requiring some pains they too often make their Judgments comply with their Inclinations and suffer their Wills and Affections to conduct their Understandings It may therefore be worth the while enquire once more What Qualifications are requisite both to the hearing and learning of the Father and coming to the Son which was the last particular I propos'd to be consider'd I shall mention only the three following A serious and compos'd temper of Spirit A good degree of Humility Purity of Heart A serious and compos'd temper of Spirit This is a Qualification necessary in order to proficiency in any other sort of learning that is of considerable use and much more is it so where God is the Teacher and Religion the Subject of

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