Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	scripture_n	speak_v	4,818	5	4.7778	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26063	A discourse against blasphemy being a conference with M.S. concerning 1. the rudeness of atheistical discourse, 2. the certainty and eternity of hell-torments, 3. the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures : published pursuant to Their Majesties injunctions to suppress atheism and irreligion / by William Assheton.	Assheton, William, 1641-1711.	1694 (1694)	Wing A4030; ESTC R27660	15,382	49

it He expostulates with us why we will Dye and Perish And we may be confident since God is Truth it self he is very sincere in those Expostulations And as the highest Evidence of all this He sent his Son into the World not only to instruct us and to be an Example of holy Life but also to Dye for us and to reconcile us to himself Now He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all Things In Sum God is the most Indulgent Father the most bountiful Benefactor and the surest Friend He hath promised and he is able to do it to defend us in all Dangers to relieve us in all our Wants to direct us in all our Doubts Finally He will guide us by his Counsel here And if we follow his Conduct will at last bring us to his Glory Such Apprehensions as these all good Christians have of God From whence pray do you judge how unpleasant it must be to Persons thus perswaded to hear such an excellent Being Despised So great a Majesty Prophaned and such infinite Goodness Abused And therefore since Men are impatient to hear that contemned which they value and admire Or to be told that is false which they firmly believe to be true Do not turn Conversation into Brawls and Quarrels At least be so modest as not to affront the common Sense of Mankind But if you will not Worship God your self yet at least be so civil as not to Laugh at those that shall And that I may convince you what little Cause there is to be so pleasant on such Occasions I must desire you further to consider Not only the Rudeness but also II. The Danger of such Discourses And here I may rationally suppose you have so much Love for your self that you dread the Thoughts of being Eternally miserable And I appeal to your own Experience if the serious Apprehension even of the Possibility of such Torments like Belshazzar's Hand upon the Wall hath not loosned your Joynts perplext your Thoughts and dampt your Pleasures And therefore since a mistake in this matter is like to prove so fatal you ought to be well assured what you do and upon what Grounds you do proceed For it is not sufficient Security in this Case to affirm Perhaps there is no Life after this And 'T is probable there is no Account to be given in another World And you are not able to understand how there should be such a Hell such a Place of Torments c. I say this is not sufficient But if you will proceed with Reason you must then further Demonstrate That it is plainly impossible and a flat Contradiction that such Things should be Unless therefore you can prove this Proposition It is impossible there should be any future Account Any Torments in another World you do not act upon Prudential Grounds nor shew your self Master of such exalted Reason as you commonly pretend to 'T is a known Rule which all Wise Men will observe Provide for the Worst And therefore tho it should be granted to be highly improbable Or as you are pleased to Phrase it A very unlikely matter that there should be a Hell or a State of such dismal Torments yet unless you can further prove That it is utterly Impossible you are obliged in Prudence to provide for the worst Even to amend your Life and to reform those Practices which if there be a Hell will most certainly bring you thither I must confess you have a very difficult Task whilst you attempt to prove a Negative But if you will be trying of your skill I 'le shew you the Method in which you must proceed Whoever shall undertake so extravagant a Design as to prove there is no Hell He must First consider those Grounds and Reasons upon which all good Christians do believe it and he must then shew those Grounds to be Impossible and to imply a Contradiction or else he trifles and deceives his own Soul Now if any one should ask me Why I Believe a Hell Did I ever see any of that Infernal Region Did I ever converse with those Damned Spirits Did they ever tell me there is such a dismal Place I Answer No. But I therefore believe it Because God who is infallibly True hath plainly Declared it If it further shall be Demanded How am I assured that God hath thus Declared I Answer Because the Holy Scriptures which contain the mind of God and in which the surest Notices of another World are to be found I say These Scriptures do in plain Terms inform me That there is such a Hell Therefore I Believe it So that this Truth There is a Hell and the Torments of it are Eternal is proved and supported by these following Propositions 1. God hath Revealed his Will to Mankind 2. These Books we call the Holy Scriptures contain this Revelation of the Divine Will 3. This Truth That there is a Hell and that the Torments of it are Eternal is fully Revealed in these Holy Scriptures 4. What God hath Revealed in these Holy Scriptures is Infallibly True And consequently Whoever will pretend to prove it Impossible That there is such a State of Eternal Torments He must make good these Propositions 1. That it is Impossible that Almighty God should reveal his Will to Mankind Or else 2. If the Possibility of such Revelation shall be granted he must then prove That it is Impossible that these Books we call the Scriptures should contain this Revelation of the Divine Will Or 3. If both the former shall be acknowledg'd He must then prove it Impossible That such a Doctrine concerning the Eternity of Hell-Torments should be revealed in Scripture Or else 4. He must make it appear That what God hath thus Revealed cannot possibly be true As to the First DIvine Revelation is so far from being Impossible that it hath the highest Probabilities to support it You have already granted There is a God And I am sure upon due Consideration you will further grant That God is a Rational Intellectual Being A free Agent having Liberty of Choice to determine his own Actions And consequently what should hinder but that such a God may communicate his Designs and Intentions to Mankind Men you know do frequently discover not only what they resolve at present but also their Apprehensions de futuro what they purpose to perform hereafter And this faculty is acknowledged a great perfection in human Nature such as other Creatures are not capable of Why then will you deny that Capacity to so excellent a Being as ' an infinite God which yet you will grant to a limited and finite Creature And this expostulation will appear the more rational when I have further told you That if you deny the Possibility of Divine Revelation you have then the Suffrage of all the World against you All Nations and all Religions Jewish Heathen Mahumetan as well as

he had the opportunity fully to inform himself of the truth of that which he pretends to attest Should any Man affirm That he saw a Thing done or heard a Word spoken and yet it shall be Deposed by as credible Witnesses as himself that he was at the same time Twenty Miles distant Such Evidence however confidently delivered must needs be false and ridiculous But now the Disciples of our Lord had all imaginable advantages to know the Truth of what they Witness whilst they affirm That Jesus is risen They were his constant Followers and Attendants And for the space of Three Years were the daily Observers of his Conversation And 't is worthy your notice That when by the Apostacy of Judas they wanted one of their Number they were very careful to choose such a one to succeed him as had been a constant Follower of Jesus and had taken exact notice of every thing they were to Witness Wherefore saith St. Acts 1. 21 22 23. Peter of these Men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from the Baptism of John unto that same Day that he was taken up from us must one be ordained to be a Witness with us of his Resurrection Observe here how exact they were in their Choice They would admit of none but one who had been with them from first to last That could speak Things as we phrase it not by Hearsay only but of his own knowledge That if any Man should ask him Did you your self See Or Did you your self Hear this which you do report That he might then truly answer that he did and that what he Preached was upon his own certain Knowledge Now the Disciples of our Lord were the constant Hearers of his Doctrin and amongst other Passages they heard him expresly Declare That he would rise again the Third Day Destroy this Temple Joh. 2. 19 21. and in three Days I will raise it up But he spake of the Temple of his Body And this Expression of rising the Third Day was so familiar and so often repeated that the Chief Priests and Pharisees took notice of it to Pilate Mat. 27. 63. saying Sir we remember that that Deceiver said while he was yet alive after three Days I will rise again Moreover The Disciples and Followers of our Lord were not only instructed in his Life time that he would rise again but they likewise saw him after he was risen And in such a manner with such Circumstances as might most effectually command their Belief They saw him not only once or twice but several times They saw him not only singly and a part and in lesser Numbers but all of them yea Five Hundred of them at once And therefore tho One or Two might perhaps be mistaken yet so great a Number could not possibly be imposed on Especially when we have consider'd further That they not only saw him but had likewise all other imaginable Evidences to convince them For when he had appeared to them and Discoursed with them which might also be done by a Spirit to give them a certain proof that he was no Spirit Handle me and see i. e. observe and satisfie your selves for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as you see me have And least they might yet scruple that it was not the same Jesus that was crucified but some other Dead Body which being moved and actuated by an Angel did take his shape and appear in his likeness To remove this doubt Behold saith he my Hands and my Feet that it is I my self Those Hands and Feet which were pierced with Nails and fastned to the accursed Tree And if you will not believe your Eyes which according to the Vulgar Notion may have a Mist cast before them then to satisfie your selves further take the proof of another of your Senses Handle me and see And when St. Thomas was a little more distrustful then the rest Reach hither thy Finger and Joh. 20. 27. behold my Hands and reach hither thy Hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but believing Now recollect the forementioned Passages and then resolve me What could have been further either said or done to convince them That Jesus was risen They saw him he discoursed with them did eat before them they touched him and handled him And all this variety of Conversation they had with him not only once or twice but for the space of Forty Days together The Premisses considered you must needs grant That the Apostles were very sufficient Witnesses of our Blessed Saviours Resurrection in respect of their Knowledge i. e. They had all imaginable advantages to know the Truth of that which they witnessed and attested But 2. Supposing their Knowledge And that they had sufficient means of Information yet whether were they Persons of that Honesty and Integrity as to be Believed Or was there not just reason to suspect that they might deliver a Falshood instead of Truth And for this let me desire you to consider that known Saying Nemo gratis malus est There is scarce any Man so absurd as to be a Villain for nothing Or so impertinently Wicked as to do mischief for mischiefs sake Whoever therefore shall presume publickly and solemnly to deliver a False Testimony he must be supposed to do it upon some urging Cause As To raise himself a Name To please a Party To advance his Fortunes Or to gratifie a Revenge Now All that is in the World saith 1 Joh. 2. 16. St. John is the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life And whatever the Apostles could propose to themselves it will be comprehended under one of these Three Honors Riches or Pleasures 1. As to Honour They could not expect it since all Dignities and Promotions were then in the Hands of Jews or Pagans From whom they received nothing but ignominy and reproach And by whom they were accounted the Dung of the Earth and the Off-scouring of the World 2. As to Riches Instead of gaining an Estate they were forced to part with all that they had Either by a voluntary Resignation to supply the wants of others for at first they had all Things common or else by the fraud and rapine of their Oppressors They no sooner came to one City but they were Persecuted and forced to fly unto another And by this ambulatory Kind of Life without any fixt certain Being they were so far from being able had they otherwise designed it to have raised Estates and Fortunes that they lived upon the Alms and Charity of others And then 3. What kind of Pleasures they were to expect as their Master did foretel so they themselves did sufficiently experience In the World Joh. 16. 33. ye shall have Tribulation They shall Luk. 21. 12 16 17. lay their Hands on you and persecute you and ye shall be betrayed both by Parents