Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_v	world_n	worthy_a	22	3	5.7646	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42818	Lux orientalis, or, An enquiry into the opinion of the Eastern sages concerning the praeexistence of souls being a key to unlock the grand mysteries of providence, in relation to mans sin and misery.	Glanvill, Joseph, 1636-1680.	1662 (1662)	Wing G814; ESTC R23333	73,655	232

infinite communication of goodnesse is better then a Finite To this because I doubt I have distrest the Readers patience already I answer briefly 1 Every one that believes the infiniteness of Gods goodness is as much obliged to answer this objection as I am For it will be said infinite goodness doth good infinitely and consequently the effects to which it doth communicate are infinite For if they are not so it might have communicated to more and thereby have done more good then now 't is supposed to do and by consequence now is not infinite And to affirm that goodnesse is infinite where what it doth and intends to do is but finite will be said to be a contradiction since goodness is a relative term and in God always respects somewhat ad extra For he cannot be said to be good to himself he being a nature that can receive no additional perfection Wherefore this Objection makes no more against mine Argument then it doth against the infinity of the divine goodness and therefore I am no more concern'd in it then others Yea 2ly the Scripture affirms that which is the very strength of mine Argument viz. That God made all things best Very Good saith our Translation but the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a particle of the Superlative And therefore every one that owns it's sacred Authority is interested against this objection For it urgeth it had been far more splendid glorious and magnificent for God to have made the universe commensurate to his own immensity and to have produced effects of his power and greatness where ever he himself is viz. in infinite space and duration then to have confined his omnipotence to work only in one little spot of an infinite 〈◊〉 capacity and to begin to act but 'tother day Thus then the late creation and finiteness of the world seem to conflict with the undoubted oracle of truth as well as with mine Argument ment and therefore the objection drawn thence is of no validity 3 Those that have most strenuously defended the orthodox doctrine against the old opinion of the eternity and infinity of the world have asserted it to be impossible in the nature of the thing And sure the Divine benignity obligeth him not to do contradictions or such things as in the very notion of them are impossible But in the case of Praeexistence no such thing can be reasonably pretended as above hath been declared and therefore there is no escaping by this Evasion neither Nor can there any thing else be urged to this purpose but what whoever believes the infinity of the divine bounty will be concern'd to answer And therefore 't will make no more against me then against a truth on all hands confessed Let me only adde this That 't is more becomming us to inlarge our apprehensions of things so as that they may suit the Divine Beneficence then to draw it down to a complyance with our narrow schemes and narrow modells Thus then I have done with the Argument for Praeexistence drawn from the Divine goodnesse And I have been the longer on it because I thought 't was in vain to propose it without taking to task the principal of those objections that must needs arise in the minds of those that are not used to this way of arguing And while there was no provision made to stop up those Evasions that I saw this Argument obnoxious to the using of it I was afraid would have been a prejudice rather then a furtherance of the cause I ingaged it in And therefore I hope the ingenious will pardon this so necessary piece of tediousnesse CHAP. X. A third Argument for Praeexistence from the great variety of mens speculative inclinations and also the diversity of our Genius's copiously urged If these Arguments make Praeexistence but probable 't is enough to gain it the victory BUt now I proceed to another Argument Therefore Thirdly If we do but reflect upon what was said above against the souls daily Creation from that enormous pravity which is so deeply rooted in some mens natures we may thence have a considerable evidence of Praeexistence For as this strong natural propensity to vice and impiety cannot possibly consist with the Hypothesis of the souls comming just out of Gods hands pure and immaculate so doth it most aptly suit with the doctrine of its praeexistence which gives a most clear and apposite account of the phaenomenon For let us but conceive the souls of men to have grown degenerate in a former condition of life to have contracted strong and inveterate habits to vice and Iewdnesse and that in various manners and degrees we may then easily apprehend when some mens natures had so incredibly a depraved tincture and such impetuous ungovernable irreclaimiable inclinations to what is vitious while others have nothing near such wretched propensions but by good education and good discipline are mouldable to vertue This shews a clear way to unriddle this amazing mystery without ●lemishing any of the divine Attributes or doing the least violence to our faculties Nor is it more difficult to conceive how a soul should awaken out of the state of inactivity we speak of with those radical inclinations that by long practice it had contracted then how a Swallow should return to her old trade of living after her winter sleep and silence for those customs it hath been addicted to in the other state are now so deeply fastned and rooted in the soul that they are become even another nature Now then if Praeexistence be not the truth 't is very strange that it should so exactly answer the Phaenomena of our natures when as no other Hypothesis doth any whit tolerably suit them And if we may conclude that false which is so correspondent to all appearances when we know nothing else that can yield any probable account of them and which is not in the least repugnant to any inducement of belief we then strangely forget our selves when we determine any thing We can never for instance conclude the Moon to be the cause of the flux and reflux of the Sea from the answering of her approaches and recesses to its ebbs and swellings Nor at this rate can the cause of any thing else be determin'd in nature But yet besides 2 we might another way inforce this Argument from the strange difference and diversity that there is in mens wits and intellectual craseis as well as in the dispositions of their wills and appetites Even the natural tempers of mens minds are as vastly different as the qualities of their bodys And 't is easy to observe in things purely speculative and intellectual even where neither education or custom have interposed to sophisticate the natural 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that some men are strangely propense to some opinions which they greedily drink in as soon as they are duly represented yea and find themselves burthened and opprest while their education hath kept them

Elias or one of the Prophets both which I have mention'd before doe clearly enough argue that both the Disciples and the Jews believed Praeexistence And our Saviour saith not a word to disprove their opinion But I spake of this above Now how ever uncouth these allegations may seem to those that never heard these Scriptures thus interpreted yet I am confident had the opinion of Praeexistence been a received Doctrine and had these Texts been wont to be applyed to the proof on 't they would then have been thought to assert it with clear and convictive evidence But many having never heard of this Hypothesis and those that have seldome meeting it mentioned but as a silly dream o● antiquated absurdity 't is no wonder that they never suspect it to be lodg'd in the Sacred volumne so that any attempt to confirm it thence must needs seem rather an offer of wit then serious judgement And the places that are cited to that purpose having been freequently read and heard of by those that never discerned them to breath the least air of any such matter as Praexistence their new and unexpected application to a thing so litle thought of must needs seem a wild fetch of an extravagant imagination But however unconclusive the Texts alledged may seem to those a strong prejudice hath shut up against the Hypothesis The learned Jews who where persuaded of this Doctrine thought it clearly enough contain'd in the Old Volume of holy writ and tooke the citations named above for current Evidence And though I cannot Warrant for their Judgement in things yet doubtlesse they were the best judges of their own Language Nor would our School-Doctors have thought it so much a stranger to the New had it had the luck to have been one of their opinions or did they not too frequently apply the sacred Oracles to their own fore-conceived notions But whether what I have brought from Scripture prove any thing or nothing 't is not very materiall since the Hypothesis of Praeexistence stands secure enough upon those Pillars of Reason which have their Foundation in the Attributes of God and the Phaenomena of the world And the Right Reason of a Man is one of the Divine volums in which are written the indeleble Ideas of eternal Truth so that what it dictates is as much the voice of God as if in so many words it were clearly exprest in the written Revelations It is enough therefore for my purpose if there be nothing in the sacred writings contrary to this Hypothesis which I think is made clear enough already And though it be granted that Scripture is absolutely silent as to any assertion of Praeexistence yet we have made it appear that its having said nothing of it is no prejudice but an advantage to the cause CHAP. XII Why the Author thinks himself obliged to descend to some more particular Account of Praeexistence 'T is presumption positively to determine how it was with us of old The Authors designe in the Hypothesis that follows NOw because inability to apprehend the manner of a Thing is a great prejudice against the belief on 't I find my selfe obliged to go a little further then the bare proof and defence of Praeexistence For though what I have said may possibly induce some to think favourably of our conclusion That The souls of men were made before they came into these bodys yet whil they shal think that nothing can be conceived of that former state And that our Praeexistent condition cannot be represented to Humane understanding but as a dark black solitude it must needs weaken the perswasion of those that are lesse confirmed and fill the minds of the inquisitive with a dubious trouble and Anxiety For searching and contemplative Heads cannot be satisfyed to be told That our souls have lived and acted in a former condition except they can be helpt to some more particular apprehension of that stare How we lived and acted of old and how probably we fell from that better life into this Region of misery and imperfection Now though indeed my charity would prompt me to do what I can for the relief and ease of auy modest inquirer yet shall I not attempt to satisfie punctual and eager curiosity in things hidden and unsearchable Much lesse shall I positively determine any thing in matters so Lubricous and uncertain And indeed considering how imperfect our now state is how miserable shallow our understandings are and how little we know of our present selves and the things about us it may seem a desperate undertaking to attempt any thing in this matter Yea when we contemplate the vast circuits of the Divine wisdome and think how much the thoughts and actions of Aeternity and omniscience are beyond ours who are but of Yesterday and know nothing it must needs discourage Confidence it selfe from determining how the Oeconomy of the world of life was order'd in the day the Heavens and Earth were framed There are doubtless infinite ways and methods according to which the unsearchable wisdome of our Maker could have disposed of us which we can have no conceit of And we are little more capable of unerringly resolving our selves now how it was with us of old then a child in the womb is to determine what kind of life it shall live when it is set at liberty from that dark inclosure Therefore let shame and blushing cover his face that shall confidently affirm that 't was thus or thus with us in the state of our Fore-Beings However to shew that it may have been that our Souls did Praeexist though we cannot punctually and certainly conclude upon the Particular State I shall presume to draw up a conceivable Scheame of the Hypothesis And if our narrow minds can think of a way how it might have been I hope no body will deny that the divine wisdom could have contriv'd it so or infinitely better than we can imagine in our little modells And now I would not have it thought that I goe about to insinuate or represent any opinions of mine own or that I am a votary to all the notions I make use of whether of the Antient or more modern Philosophers For I seriously professe against all determinations in this kind But my business onely is by some imperfect hints and guesses to help to apprehend a little how the state of Praeexistence might have been and so to let in some beams of antient and modern light upon this immense darknesse Therefore let the Reader if he please call it a Romantick scheam or imaginary Hypothesis or what name else best fits his phancy and he 'l not offend me Nor do I hold my selfe concern'd at all to vindicate the truth of any thing here that is the fruit of mine own invention or composure Though I confesse I could beg civilityes at least for the notions I have borrowed from great and worthy Sages And indeed the Hypothesis as to the main is derived to us from the