Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A65700
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A discourse, confirming the truth and certainty of the Christian faith from the extraordinary gifts and operations of the Holy Ghost vouchsafed to the apostles and primitive professors of that faith / by Daniel Whitby ...
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Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing W1723; ESTC R39042
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30,421
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35
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A DISCOURSE Confirming the TRUTH and CERTAINTY OF THE Christian Faith From the Extraordinary GIFTS and OPERATIONS OF THE Holy Ghost Vouchsafed to the APOSTLES and PRIMITIVE PROFESSORS of that FAITH By Daniel Whitby D. D. and Chantor of the Church of Sarum LONDON Printed for A. Churchill at the Black Swan in Pater-Noster-Row MDCXCI Imprimatur Geo. Royse R. Rmo. in Christo Patri at Dom. Dom. Johanni Archiep. Cantuar. a Sacris June the 30th 1691. THE PREFACE TO THE READER THAT this Discourse may not seem to take that for granted which cannot be proved and that some Notions in it seemingly new may give the Reader no Offence I crave leave to premise First That the Holy Ghost was certainly designed for a Witness to the Truth of our Lord's Resurrection and Exaltation to the Right-Hand of Majesty and given to confirm the Christian Faith For First Our Saviour doth assure his Disciples that this his Advocate should at his coming convince the World of Sin viz. of the great Sin of Infidelity because they believed not in him 16. Jo. 9 10. and of Righteousness or that He though condemned by the Sanhedrim as a False Prophet and a Deceiver of the People was a just and righteous Person one highly favoured by the God of Heaven because the sending of the Holy Spirit was a full Evidence that he was Gone to the Father that he was exalted to the Right-hand of God and had received from the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost Secondly St. John the beloved Disciple doth inform us that the Spirit was the great Witness that Jesus was the Son of God Joh. 5.6 8. and that of the three Witnesses on Earth to this great Truth the Holy Spirit was the first Thirdly St. Paul doth frequently declare that by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the Gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 1.21 22. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost the Testimony of Christ was confirmed to all Christians and that God by giving this Holy Spirit to them did confirm them in Christ And upon this as well as other Accounts he seemeth to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Advocate of Christ because he was to undertake the Defence of the Ministry and the Prophetick Office of our Lord against the Presidents of the Sinagogue and the great Sanhedrim of the Jews who had condemned him and procur'd his Death as a False Prophet Secondly I premise that the Sin against the Holy Ghost seems best explained by that Notion of the Holy Ghost which I have here espoused to make this as clear as I am able let it be noted First That there is a manifest Distinction in the New Testament betwixt the Power of working Signs and Miracles and the Gifts and Distributions of the Holy Ghost As when St. Paul speaketh of things wrought by him to make the Gentiles obedient in Word and Deed by mighty Signs and Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 15. Rom. 19. and Powers of the Holy Ghost when he speaks of the Gospel preached by him in demonstration of the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor 2.4.1 and in Power and of the Duty of the Clergy to commend themselves to others by the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 6.6 7. and by the Power of God VVhen he speaks to his Galathians of him that ministreth the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 Gal. 5. and worketh Miracles among them And to his Thessalonians of the Gospel coming to them in Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.5 and in the Holy Ghost And lastly to the Jewish Converts that God bore witness to the Word of his Grace by Signs and Wonders and divers Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Heb 4. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost And that being baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6 Heb. 4 5. they were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and had tasted the Powers of the World to come Secondly That the Holy Ghost was sent after our Saviour's Resurrection to bear witness both to the Truth of his Resurrection and of the Doctrine which he taught He giving in his Testimony with the Apostles of these things For when the Advocate cometh 15 Joh. 16 17. which I saith Christ will send you from the Father he shall testifie of me and you also shall bear Witness of me for you have been with me from the beginning Accordingly we saith St. Peter are his Witnesses of these things 5 Act 32 and so is the Holy Ghost which he hath given to those that obey him Thirdly That our Lord Jesus and his Apostles seem plainly to assert the Holy Spirit was to give in his Testimony after his Resurrection and Ascension to the Father This is so evident from the forecited Places and from that Expression of St. John 7 Joh. 39. the Holy Ghost was not yet because that Jesus was not yet glorified that it seems needless to add any thing in farther Confirmation of it Now hence it follows that the Holy Ghost was to be a succeeding Testimony to that of the Miracles wrought by our Saviour upon Earth and consequently that the Sin against the Holy Ghost was a Sin chiefly and compleatly to be committed afterwards which also seemeth probable even from the Tenor of oâ—r Saviours Words 12 Luk. 10. 12 Matt. 24. 3 Mark 29. Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man as you now do who say He hath a Devil and casts out Devils by Beelzebub it shall be forgiven him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but whosever hereafter shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him Fourthly Observe that this was the last Testimony God would exhibit to the Jews to evidence to them that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah and that on their Rejection of it depended their being given up to judicial Blindness and to utter Desolation and Excision from being any more hiâ— Church and his peculiar People Accordingly after this Blasphemy against our Lord both He and his Disciples sâ—ill call them to that Faith and Repentance which would assuredly procure their Pardon but then He warns them of the Greatness of their Sin as being next to that which was unpardonable informing them that as they had blasphemed the Miracles wrought by he Finger of God or by the Power of the Spirit before their Eyes so if they should add to this the Contempt of those internal Gifts and Operations of the Holy Ghost which were to be vouchsafed after his Resurrection for farther Confirmation that he was the Son of God their Sin should then become unpardonable And the Author to the Hebrews declares it a thing impossible to renew them to Repentance 6 Heb. 5 6. who being made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and having tasted the Powers of the World to come did notwithstanding wilfully apostatize from the Profession of
Apostles in these Writings speak the Words of Truth and Soberness in that which they deliver'd touching these Gifts and Operations of the Holy Ghost and did not boast of that which they had not performed in those Churches or of that of which those Churches had no experience will be evident from these Considerations 1. That they suffer'd loss of Goods Life Credit and of all that could be counted dear unto them to confirm the Truth of what they taught and they perswaded Myriads in all those places to which these Writings were directed by them to follow the Example of their Sufferings propounding to them only the first Fruits the Earnest the Comfort of the Holy Spirit here the Joys of Heaven hereafter as the true Motive and Engagement to endure all these dreadful things Now if Persons void of Subtilty and human Artifices as the Apostles were deliver to the World a Doctrine which is according to Godliness and worthy of the God of Heaven as is the Christian Faith if they declare they had Commission from Heaven to divulge that Doctrine and that they expected at present no advantage by it but only the most dreadful Sufferings this being what their Master had foretold and that to which they were appointed 16. Joh. 2 33. 1 Thes 3.3 4. as we read in their Epistles if accordingly they did suffer all that Wit and Malice could inflict upon them and sealed their Doctrine with their Blood I say when all these Circumstances concur what reason can we have to dispute their testimony or think they could be acted by any Motive in the Publication of the Christian Faith but the Conviction of the Truth of what they published Again since Men who are convinced of a future Happiness are naturally so unwilling to quit the Pleasures and the Enjoyments of the World in Prosecution of that Happiness can it be thought that many Myriads who could have no conviction of it if these things were false should with the greatest Joy and Freedom part with Life and all the sweet Enjoyments of it to promote a known Delusion and in defence of those Epistles which made a frequent mention of Gifts and Miracles imparted to them when they had no experience of them especially if thirdly we consider that the Assistance and Comforts of the Holy Ghost were promised to all Christian sufferers and they were told that as their troubles did abound 2 Cor 15. 1. Pet. 4 14. their comforts should abound much more that when they were reproached and exercis'd with fiery Tryals they were happy People because the Spirit of Glory and of God would rest upon them this the Apostles taught them to expect and this say the Apostles ye have found for ye became Followers of the Lord and of us 1 Thes 1â— 6 having receiv'd the Word with much affliction and joy of the Holy Ghost Now if this promise was sensibly made good unto them they receiv'd the Earnest of the Truth of Christian Faith and an assurance of God's concernment to encourage and reward the faithful Christian but if they found no sensible experience of this Pledge and Earnest of these Consolations what reason had they to expect the Blessings of another World or to continue to take joyfully the spoiling of their Goods the Loss of Credit Life and all their worldly Comforts in propagation of that Faith which had so palpably deceiv'd them and to establish the Belief of those Epistles which contained these apparent Falsehoods Secondly If Men in their Epistles to their Proselytes speak largely of the Gifts which they have exercised and of the mighty Works they have performed among them and also of the Power conferr'd upon those very Proselytes to exercise those Gifts and do those Wondrous Works if in those very Writings they appeal to the Senses and the Consciences of those to whom they write and boldly tell them that their Eyes have seen and their own Consciences bear Witness to the Truth of what they say and if those very Writings which contain these bold Appeals are by those very Men to whom they do appeal received and embraced as Divine Epistles there can remain when all these Circumstances do concur no place for doubting of the Truth of this Appeal Now that this was most certainly the Case of our Apostles cannot be reasonably denyed if you admit that they then writ when what they said might easily have been confuted if it had been false for they with the greatest Confidence assert That God confirm'd the Word of his Grace by doing Signs and Wonders by their Hands that he bare witness to it by mighty Signs and Wonders 2 Heb 4. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost as hath been prov'd already Thirdly You have heard them also frequently asserting and testifying that the like Gifts and Operations were vouchsafed to those Churches to which these Letters were directed and that they were all Partakers of this Grace Fourthly For Confirmation of these Sayings they appeal unto the Searcher of all Hearts and to the Consciences of those to whom these Writings were directed even you your selves say they 1 Thes 2.10 11. are Witnsses and God also how holily justly and urâ—â—lâ—mably we behaved our selves among you for neither at any time used we flattering Words as you know nor a Cloak of Covetousnes God is witness Vers 3 4. our Exhortation was not of Deceit or Guile we have not followed curiniâ—â—gly devised Fibles we have not walk'd in Craftinefs nor hundled the word of God deceitfully 2 Cor. 4.2 but do by manifestation of the Truth commend our selves to every Man's Conscience in the sight of God Now these Considerations do mightily confirm the truth of what they have deliver'd in these Books for can it rationally be be conceiv'd that Men of such Abilities to write the deepest Mysteries and the exactest Precepts of Morality should be so strangely foolish as to confirm them chiefly by an Appeal to the Sences and Experiences of those Men who as themselves were well assured had never seen or done or found the least Experience of any of those things they mentioned but if we could suppose that the Apostles had been so strangely inconsiderate can we believe those Writings which contain'd an Appeal of so great Falshood and Hypocrisie and only were confirm'd by Perjury and impudent Appeals unto the Conscience of those Men who never found those Comforts of the Holy Ghost who never had these Gifts of Tongues Interpretation Healing Prophesie c. which these Epistles tell us were their daily Exercise I say can we believe that such Epistles should obtain to be embraced by those Churches to which they were indited and by all other Christians as the Word of God May we not with like Reason think a Mountebank who should in Commendation of his Balsoms pretend that he had wrought great Cures by them upon many Persons present and before their Eyes when both his Conscience and their Mouths were