Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A52779
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A letter to a gentleman touching the treatise entituled, Two hundred queries concerning the doctrine of the revolution of humane souls and its conformity to the truths of Christianity / by a pacifick Christian, a member of the Catholick Church, tho not of the Roman synagogue falsely so called.
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Pacifick Christian.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing N42; ESTC R24019
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20,535
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64
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to the Consideration of Men in the most modest way possible I suppose there are no Sort or Sect of Christians that do think that any part or Scripture dropt by chance as Men call it from the Pens of the Holy Men tho' there might be more sometimes in the manner of Expression perhaps than the very Penmen themselves did then apprehend which might be reserved to be farther opened in future Ages according to the Counsel of God's Wisdom in whose Hands the Times and Seasons are Nor do I at all doubt but it will be readily granted by the most sober of all Parties but there have been Truths so couched in Scriptuee that they have for many Ages not been so clearly and generally understood even by serious heedful and pious whether learned or not learned Readers as they have been in after-Ages when the appointed time in the Providence of God for the more clear opening and general spreading of them has come Nor do I believe that any Man will deny but that there may be some such and very probably are so which are reserved for the latter Ages of the World more especially seeing the. Scripture speaketh of them as of Times in which Knowledge should more generaly abound and Christ saith That there is nothing bidden which shall not be revealed I doubt as little that all will confess that there are deep Mysteries in Scripture which tho' not equally necessary to be known and believed by every Christian upon pain of losing all Fellowship and Communion with Christ are yet to those that shall see them in true Light and receive them in pure Love of great advantage to â—onfirm their Faith and increase their Love to God and their Neighbour which as Christ saith is the Law and the Prophets Nor do I think that there is any one Man in any one Sect whatsoever that hath that overweening Conceit of his Attainments and Proficiency in Scripture-knowledge as to imagine that he knows not only all things necessary but even all the most deep Mysteries and Truths Natural and Divine contained in the Scriptures that are knowable by the Illuminations of God's Spirit which at any time ever have been now are or ever can be of any true advantage to any one Soul But it may be you may ask to what purpose I say this which no prudent Man will contradict Truly to no other purpose at all but to put Men in mind that every thing is not an Error that they nor their Forefathers before did not see Nor that all is Truth that they have taken for such That on the one hand every Erâ—â—â— merits not to subject those that â—â—ieve it to an Anathema Maranathâ— Nor every Truth of that concern â—hat it merits a particular Altar to â—e erected to it or that a new Fraâ—â—ion or Sect be made among Chriâ—â—ians for it if Men could but once â—â—me to be wise and considerate I would from my heart that I could move all Men to that Moderaâ—ion and Tenderness towards each â—thers Principles Persons and Repuâ—â—tions as not to be so censorious as they are till they are sufficiently saâ—â—sfied in themselves and at least in â—â—me measure capable to evince to â—thers that they are so satisfied that â—â—e Principles which they do impugn â—â—d condemn have some tendency 〈◊〉 not to subvert the Christian Faith in whole or in part at least to weaken it as some think that the Doctrine of the Salvation of the Heathens that never hear of Christ doth or that they do on the other hand tend to the propagation of Loosness and hindring of a Godly Life as People of divers Persuasions do judgâ— the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation as it is maintain'd by some Men naturally to do In both which Parties we yet cannot doubt but that there are very serious Christians that hate the thoughts of reducing Christianity to Paganism on the one Hand and on the other that detest any thing that leads to Profaneness The next thing I would I could persuade all Men to is That when they think themselves obliged and qualified to proceed to censure any thing in any Man they would take care to proceed with that evenness of Ten per and Spirit as to endeavour more in Live to detect the Error to the Persons engaged and entangled â—n it in order to the better informing and reforming of their Judgments than as great Doctors of the Chair pro authoritate to condemn them without ever vouchlasing to enter into any arguing the base with them A way so disingenuous that certainly it cannot prevail in the least degree with a free Mind which as it is most easily led by the Powers of Light or Love so it is as immovable as a Rock by any the Thunderbolts which weak and empty Heads can utter against them Tools only adapted to the State of enslaved Minds Fâ—â— suppose this Man and others do think that they see more than most Men from Psal 90. ver 4. and do apprehend that from those Proportions is deducible the whole Chronology of the Scripture being confirmed in it by several Examples alledged in the Queries and that the Doctrine of the Revolutions is sufficiently intimated to be just Twelve and no more nor less being compar'd with other Scriptures Must they for this admitting it to be a Mistake become the Objects of Ecclesiastical Fury or be delivered over to Satan as Men given up to a Reprobate mind Or shall they on the other hand if it be a Truth therefore be authorized to separate themselves from their Brethren the may be willing to bear with them tho' they judge it an Error God forbid that either of these things should come to pass and grant on the other hand that through an amicable discussion of things if this Hypothesis will not fully do it some other that may go farther may be found that so that bright Light of Truth by the agitation of the various Measures in which Men do stand may clearly shine forth of which that Prophecy speaks which honest George Withers publish'd in his Britain's Genius above Forty Years ago reprinted by Richard Janeway 1681. pag. 51. of a Treatise called Multum in Parvo where the Confusions of the late evil and boisterous Times and as the Margin tells us the Restauration of his Majesty being foretold these Lines do immediately follow Then shall Righteousness ascend the Throne Then Love and Truth and Peace re-enter shall Then Faith and Reason shall agree in one And all the Virtues to their Council call For tho' Men by their shallow and narrow reasonless Conceits and stiff adhering each to their own Sect Separation Divison or Church imagining themselves to have hit the Mark and gotten to the Herculean Pillars beyond which they think there is no going cannot being prest satisfactorily either to themselves or to others reconcile any one of their Systems or Confessions of Faith to Reason or Scripture by a clear Solution of all the Difficulties with which every one of their particular Ways may be justly charged Yet seeing it is with me a Truth past all doubt That all Truth doth pâ—oceed from the same Divine Root and Fountain from which Right Reason doth proceed that is even from Jesus Christ who is the Truth it self the True Light which at one time or other doth enlighten every man I say every man that comes into the world I see no reason why as the little Crafts of Men and that ridiculous empty Thing called Authority without Light and Conviction comes to be worn out of Mens Minds and they come to mind what 's propounded to them to be believed e're they receive it and not to receive any thing but upon a sound and previous Examination by that Light of Truth which God in Christ has imparted to them I see I say no Reason why we may not hope to see this fulfilled so far as the Mind of Man is capable of it provided we be but as ready to give up our selves to obey what we have or shall come to discover to be the Will of the Father as we are greedy of knowing if And that this is a necessary Requisite Christ himself hath testified saying He that will do the will of my Father shall know of my Doctrine Nor is there any other lawful way of striving And thus having trespassed upon your Patience too far I crave leave to subscribe my self Dear Sir Yours in all Offices of Love N. N. Philanthropos FINIS
147. on the the other hand to furnish the Athestick Spirits of these Times the very Scab of the Age with Matter of Mockery against the Doctrine of Gospel while they find so unreasonable and absurd a Doctrine as this with so much Zeal and Confidence preached up as one of the most weighty Doctrines of Christ Jesus by all Sects that make profession of his Name which therefore without all examination they take for granted to be his and so make no difficulty of exploding all the rest because they do clearly find this to be false That therefore it had been much better and safer that Men had at first kept in a Matter of this consequence to the Terms Qu. 135. which the Holy Ghost hath used to express this great and terrible Damnation by and that they would yet return to the same viz. that it shall be everlasting for ever for ever and ever or for Ages of Ages of which no Man and only God alone doth know the end That those who believing this cannot be induced to leave their Bosom-sins for fear of so great Judgment Qu. 149. in which yet they can clearly and distinctly conceive a possibility of a Proportion and Consistency with Justice will never leave them for that other unreasonable Addition which they clearly discern to have no Foundation in Justice at all but iâ— a meer Chimera and they that â—o not believe such a Punishment as 〈◊〉 consistent with Justice can much less believe the other that is not so That tho' the fear of Punishment be a reasonable and necessary Motive to advance against Sin Qu. 150. yet that of the Love and Mercy of God in Jesus Christ is much more prevalent Yea that that of Fear without the hope of this of Mercy can be of no force to persuade the Soul of any Man That it is of the Nature of God's Vindictive Justice to aim at the Amendment and Conversion of Sinners Qu. 141. And that all his Afflictions and Punishments are the meer Effects of his Love applied as so many Medicines for their Recovery Behold here Sir if not all for some may have slipt my observation at least the most important and principal Doctrines as I think pointed at in the Two hundred Queries Concerning which you will with me no doubt conclude That it was not without Reason that the Author said he did not presume to the utmost assurance of every Particular there proposed and therefore would not impose them upon his Christian Brethren as the infallible Dictates of the Holy Ghost and much less as necessary Articles of their Faith While yet he seems tho' to have so many Reasons for his Chief Doctrine of the various Revolutions of the Souls of Men that he cannot doubt of the Truth of it As first Because the Scripture teacheth it in express Terms as he saith in divers places Ps 90.3 4. Matth. 21.23 35 36 37 38 39. 1 Thess 2.15 Matth. 11 14. Rev. 11.1 as a general Docrine and confirms it by particular Examples Because it has been all along received in the Church under the Old Testament as a constant Truth Because it hath been received from the Jewish Church by the most celebrated and serious of the Heathen Philosophers as such Because it was believed as such then Christ came in the Flesh by the better part of the Church even by such the Jews became his Disciples as appears by their Questions to him Mark 8.28 Luke 9.19 John 9.2 Because Christ notwithstanding the many Occasions his Disciples gave him to have informed them better Qu. 195. had it been an Error or Chimera of the Rabbins he never reproved them for if but rather upon all occlâ—sions presupposing the Doctrine of the Corporal Regeneration to be true he endeavours further to inform them of some things which they then of understood not and particularly from thence takes occasion to preach his Fundamental Doctrine of the Spiritual Regeneration John 3.4 5. and the Necessity of it which certainly he would never have done had it been a meer Fiction that was not â—terum Natura Because of the Offence the Jews Turks and others Pagan Nations who do believe it to be so necessary a Truth as that without presupposing it they judge that there is no clear evincing of the chiefest Attributes of God as his Justice Mercy and Wisdom do take at the Christian Religion for rejecting that Doctrine frankly averring That the Christians seem to them rather to worship the Idol of their owr Brains than the True God And lastly Because without presupposing it to be a Truth there are many Passages and express Doctrines of the Scriptures which are not so well to say no more by any other Principles reconcileable to themselves to the Truth to the Experience of all Men and to the Justice Mercy and Wisdom of God As That with God there it no respect of Person Ezech. 18.25 Act. 10.34 2 Sam. 4.14 Col. 3.25 When we certainly believe from Scripture-testimony that he hath given to some five six seven eight nine hundred Years to live upon the Earth that they might be converted and perfected in Holiness While we daily see many others out off in their Sins without having the one tenth part of a hundred Years to be converted in Again Some are born with large Capacities both as to Body and Mind Whilst others are born under great Distempers of both yea stark Fools and Madmen without any exercise of Reason or Understanding of whom it cannot properly be said that they are enlightned because they want the Capacity of being so Again Some are born in Ages and Places of the World when and where much Gospel-Light and great Holiness hath shined forth in very eminent Examples While others are born and die in Ages and Places of the World where little or no Gospel-Light hath shined and scarce any Examples of Vertue and true Holiness have appeared but much Darkness Superstition Idolatry and Profaneness Now how doth the Equality of God to all the Sons of Men and his non-respect of Persons not to say his Justice Mercy and Wisdom so well appear to a reasonable impartial Man as by this Hypothesis which asserts all Men to have an equal Day of a thousand Years and that in divers Ages of the World and by which every one lives at least once to hear the Gospel of the Kingdom preach'd to him outwardly and inwardly The Scripture teaches in most express Terms Rom. 2.16 John 3.5 Heb. 11.6 12.14 Gal. 6.7 That Christ will render unto every Man according to the Deeds done in the Body good or evil That except a Man be born again he cannot enter into nay nor so much as see the Kingdom of God that without Holiness no Man shall see him and that without Faith it is impassible to please God Now saith he How can this be true with respect to the many Millions of Mankind some of which do die in