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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	everlasting_a	life_n	son_n	8,979	5	5.4946	4	true

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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

and Brethren and Kinsfolks and Friends and some of you shall they cause to be put to Death and ye shall be hated of all Men for my Name sake Joh. 16. 2. Yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God Service St. Paul informs us That God had set 1 Cor. 4. 9. forth the Apostles as appointed unto Death and exposed them as Spectacles of scorn and obloquy to the World According to which it did in effect happen to them Even V. 11. to this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling Place being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat we are made as the filth of the World and as the Off-scouring of all things unto this day In short If Contumelies and Reproaches if Racks and Prisons if Flames Gibbets with other the most exquisite tormenting Deaths if these be Pleasures then indeed the Apostles and followers of our Lord who witnessed his Resurrection had their share of Pleasures And now Sir having seriously Debated these Things pray resolve me What just cause can be assigned why Persons of sober rational Deportment having the same Principle of Self-preservation with other Men should by Publishing Christ's Resurrection not only deprive themselves of all comfortable enjoyments but also submit to the greatest Severities and at last Death it self I say what cause can be assigned of such Self-denial if they had not the highest Convictions of the Truth of what they Published But yet further If the Apostles of our Lord were such Cheats and Impostors why were they not discovered and exposed as such If the Resurrection of Jesus was no better than a Legendary Story and a cunningly devised Fable why was it not then confuted The World at that time abounded with Learned Men both Jews and Heathens who wanted neither Wit nor Malice for such an Undertaking Why were not their Pens sharpned as well as their Swords The Reason is evident There were then such Authentic Records of these matters as could not be Disputed The a Euseb Hist L. 1. c. 9. True Acta Pilati to which b Apol. 2. pag. 76. Justin Martyr and c Apol. c. 5. p. 6 c. ana c. 21. p. 23. V. Euseb Hist Eccles L. 2. c. 2. p. 40. V. Not. Val. Tertullian so successfully appealed were then extant And these were such irrefragable Proofs that Malice it self was not able to ●iss against them There was indeed a very early tho ridiculous Attempt to stifle this Truth The Chief Priests and Pharisees having heard him say while he was yet alive After three Days I will rise again They not only Sealed up the Sepulchre but also procured a Guard of Souldiers to watch it That if any report were made of his Resurrection they might then effectually disprove it by producing his Body which for that end they had now got into their own Possession But observe the Malice of these Men not to be convinced no not by a Miracle For being told by the Watch with the greatest Consternation that an Angel had appeared that the Stone was rolled away and the Body was gone They then hired these Soldiers to report That his Disciples came by Mat. 28. 13. Night and stole him away whilst they slept What! All of them slept No Sentinel to watch for the rest This was such an extravagant Vn-soldier-like Allegation that nothing but the Impudence of a Jew could have imposed upon the World From these Premisses I hope it hath been competently proved 1. That it is very possible That God should Reveal his Will to Mankind And 2. It is no less possible that those Books we call the Scriptures should contain this Revelation of the Divine Will And therefore 3. If these Two Propositions being granted you can still be so extravagant as to affirm The Impossibility of Eternal Torments You must then prove it Impossible That any such Doctrin concerning the Existence or Eternity of Hell Torments should be revealed in Scripture Or else 4. You must prove That what God hath Revealed in Scripture cannot possibly be true As to this Fourth Proposition I should but trifle to expostulate it with you Truth being such an Essential Attribute of God that it never was Disputed If therefore God hath made this Revelation There is a Hell and the Torments of it are Eternal Who art thou O vain Man that disputest against God Let God be true but every Man a Lyar. And then the only Proposition for me to confirm and you to disprove is this It is very possible that the Holy Scriptures do reveal this Doctrin viz. That there is a Hell and that the Torments of it are Eternal For if this be Impossible pray then inform us what is the true sense and meaning of these following Words a Jude 6. The Angels which kept not their first Estate but left their own Habitation he hath reserved in Everlasting Chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day b 2 Thes 1. 7 8 9. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming Fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Who shall be punished with Everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power c John 5. 28 29. Marvel not at this For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done Evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation d Dan. 12. 2. And many of them that sleep in the Dust of the Earth shall awake some to Everlasting Life and some to shame and Everlasting Contempt e Mat. 25. 41. Then shall he say unto them on the left Hand Depart from me ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels f Mat. 25. 46. And these shall go away into Everlasting punishment But the Righteous into Life Eternal g Mat. 13. 49 50. At the end of the World the Angels shall come forth and severe the Wicked from among the Just and shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth h Mark 9. 43 44. If thy hand offend thee cut it off It is better for thee to enter into life maimed then having two hands to go into Hell into the Fire that never shall be quenched Where their Worm dieth not and the Fire is not quenched i Rev. 20. 10. The Least and the False Prophet shall be Tormented Day and Night for ever and ever k Luk. 12. 4 5. Be not afraid of them that kill the Body and after that have no more that they can do But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear Fear him which after he hath killed hath Power to cast into Hell yea I say unto you fear him And now Sir having seriously perused these Places of Scripture pray resolve me Are not these following Truths as plainly therein delivered as any words can express them 1. That wicked Men are liable to a further Punishment after Death Those that kill the Body are not able to kill the Soul But God is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell i. e. as St. Luke interprets St. Matthew to cast them into Hell 2. This Punishment is very great and dreadful 'T is represented by Fire the most smart and pungent Torment and by wailing and gnashing of Teeth out of Anguish and Despair 3. These Torments are Eternal Everlasting Punishment Everlasting Fire Never shall be quenched Their Worm dieth not There are indeed some impertinent Criticisms urged by the Socinians and others to ener-vate these Texts But what then Was there ever any Truth so certain which hath not bin Disputed But what if these Critics are mistasten what if wiser Men then they have thought otherwise Pray then do not hazard an Eternal Concern upon such Niceties I did once think to have expostulated these Things largely with you And to have done it with all the warmth and vigour that the Concern for a precious immortal Soul could dictate But I must remember to whom I write For unless your Judgment is rectified the best things I can say will be but matter for your Sport If the Word of God shall still be Burlesqued and Ridiculed by you I have no reason to expect any great Reverence should be shewed to mine But I hope better Things and Things that accompany Salvation tho I thus speak God Grant that you may in this your Day consider the Things that belong to your Peace before they be hid from your Eyes FINIS