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	scripture_n	word_n	4,862	5	4.4594	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66396	The divine authority of the scriptures a sermon preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Sept. 2. 1695 : being the sixth of the lecture for the said year, founded by the honourable Robert Boyle, Esquire / by John Williams ...	Williams, John, 1636?-1709.; Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691.	1696 (1696)	Wing W2704; ESTC R1959	15,908	41

D r WILLIAMS's SIXTH SERMON AT Mr. BOYL'S Lecture 1695. The Divine Authority of the Scriptures A SERMON Preached at St. Martins in the Fields Sept. 2. 1695. BEING THE Sixth of the LECTURE For the said YEAR Founded by the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE Esquire By JOHN WILLIAMS D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed for Ri. Chiswell and Tho. Cocke●ill Sen r Jun r At the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard and at the Three Legs in the Poultrey M DC XC VI. HEB. I. 1 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son c. IN these words we have as has been observed 1. A description of Revelation 't is God's speaking or declaring his Will to Mankind 2. The Certainty of that Revelation 't is by way of Declaration God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake c. 3. The Order observed in delivering that Revelation as to Time Manner and Persons In time past by the Prophets and in the last days by his Son 4. The Conclusion and Perfection of that Revelation 't is in the last days by his Son Under the Second I have shewed 1. That there has been such a Revelation 2. That the Scripture is of Divine Revelation and has upon it the Characters belonging to such Revelation For the better disposing of what I had to say under this Head I proposed Four Questions to be resolved viz. Q. 1. How we can prove the Matter of Scripture to be true Q. 2. How we can prove the Matter of Scripture to have been of Divine Revelation Q. 3. How we can prove the Books of Scripture to have been of Divine Inspiration Q. 4. How we prove these Books that are now extant and received by the Christian Church as Canonical to be those very Books I have already Treated of the Two former and shall now take the Two latter into Consideration Where we may observe somewhat as to the Writers and then as to Inspiration 1. As to the Writers of whom we may reckon Three sorts 1. Merely Human such as St. Luke speaks of that out of a good and pious intent took in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which were most surely believed And this may be done without any material Error by Persons duly qualified for it 2. Those that had what they wrote immediately dictated or at least approved by such Persons as were inspired So Eusebius saith that the Gospel of St. Mark was approved by St. Peter and St. Luke's by St. Paul 3. Such as were immediately Inspired in the writing as St. Peter and the rest of the Divine Writers are supposed to have been Now though the first of these may be sufficient in ordinary cases and of good use in the extraordinary where there is no better yet where the Salvation of Mankind is concerned there is somewhat farther necessary and that is that the Persons that write should be assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit of God or write by the direction and approbation of those that are Inspired 2. As to the Inspiration that is Twofold 1. Either when the Matter Words and Order are immediately Dictated by God himself as the Decalogue was and all that was Revealed by Voice for then it was as Discourse with us 2. Or When Persons Selected wrote by Direction or Command from God what was Revealed to them as to the Matter only whether by way of Declaration or Representation In which last case the Persons Inspired took their own way which is the reason of the difference in Style and Phrase between their several Compositions that for example Isaiah writ in a lofty courtly Style and that Amos a Herdsman writ after a more Rustical way So Erasmus saith of St. Luke that he writ in a purer and clearer Style because of his skill in the Greek Tongue Here the Office of the Divine Spirit was to suggest the Matter or to represent the case to assist and supervise so that no Error should be in the Original Copy though he left each to the liberty of their own way in expressing it As if we were to send several Messengers upon the same Errand we deliver the Message to them and tell them what they are to say but leave every one of them to express it as they think fit and as they are able Each of which is a faithful and wise Servant though he keeps not exactly to the very words of his Master and all agree in the drift and substance though they differ in the expression or circumstance So it is in the Evangelists where they all agree in the material parts of the History though they differ often in the words and sometimes perhaps in some minute passages relating to it In one or other of these two senses the Scripture may be said to be wrote by Divine Inspiration that is either by immediate and verbal Suggestion or by Direction And this I shall now endeavour to prove by answering the Third Question viz. Q. 3. How we do prove the Books of Scripture which contain the matter of Revelation to have been of Divine Inspiration In proceeding upon this I shall premise 1. That the proper course for proving the Divine Authority of the Scripture is to begin with the Matter abstracted from the Books as I have already done and then to proceed from thence to the Books And therefore they begin at the wrong end that would disprove the truth of the Revelation or Matter contained in Scripture by such Objections as they make from the Writing and the Books For the Matter stands upon a proof and evidence of its own as I have shewed and will stand though the written Word or Scripture should fail of supporting its own Authority Therefore those that will venture upon disproving the Revelation must in reason begin with the Matter let them there try their skill and call in question the proof by which that is supported But this we have already prevented by having proved the Matter of Scripture to have been of Divine Inspiration 2. Though there seems not to be so clear and full a proof for the Inspiration of the Books as there is for the Matter since the Matter has the utmost attestation it is capable of viz. Miracles but there were no Miracles wrought to prove these Books to have been of Divine Inspiration as has been before observed Yet if we prove that the Books were written by Inspired Persons and that what they Wrote is the same with what they Taught it is equivalent and much of the same Force and Authority For what need was there of Miracles to prove the Books to be written by Inspiration when the Persons writing them were Inspired and that what they wrote is the same with what they taught and when what they taught was confirmed by the Miracles