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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	live_v	teach_v	ungodliness_n	2,054	5	11.4833	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71301	A sermon against the anti-Scripturists also another concerning the sinfulness, danger, and remedies of infidelity, preached at White-Hall / by Seth Lord Bishop of Sarum.	Ward, Seth, 1617-1689.	1670 (1670)	Wing W827; Wing W819; ESTC R10269	41,480	128

rather to dye than to deliver them In comparison of these they counted not their lives dear to them the love of them was stronger than Death many waters could not quench it neither could the flouds drown it This was Testimonium Rei and an advantage above all other Histories or Writings in the World 2. Moreover they had Testimonium Dei Indeed all that is already spoken is an evidence of a Divine assistance But more particularly God gave Testimony to these Books by 1. Their operation upon Believers of them 2. His co-operation with Believers of them 1. The Gospel which they contein was the power of God to every true Believer That which no Institution in Philosophy nor Initiation in the Mysteries of any of the Gods was ever able to accomplish that was every where atchieved by the belief of the Gospel in a moment Like a charm from Heaven it stilled the passions and mortified the lusts of men What a Beadroll doth Paul reckon up in the Corinthians But ye are washed saith he but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Notwithstanding all the calumnies thrown upon Believers and the prejudice wherewith they were loaded the unpropitious and relucting world were forcibly convinced that the Believers of these Books were effectually taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world through the cloud of ignominy wherewith they were encompassed their innocency broke forth as the light and their just dealing as the noon day the piety loyalty justice charity magnanimity patience meekness and purity of Believers of these Books convinced the unbelieving world that God was in them of a truth for they teach as having Authority and Power and not as the writings of other Scribes 2. But beside the operation of these Books upon the Believers God was pleased to give testimony to them by his co-operation with them in signs and wonders and mighty deeds The History of the Gospel tells us that when Christ was even now leaving the world he left this Legacy to Believers for confirmation of the truth of the Gospel These signs said he shall follow them that believe In my name they shall cast out Devils Speak with new tongues Take up Serpents If they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them They shall lay hands on the Sick and they shall recover Now that this was made good and that these signs so long as there was need were continued among Believers we have as good assurance as we can have of any thing beyond our own memory or experience They have been delivered to us by a Cloud of Witnesses by men of the greatest Wisdom and Learning in their Generations by persons of such integrity that they laid down their lives in testimony of their veracity delivered not by hear-say but upon their certain knowledge delivered in their Disputations with and Apologies to the Adversaries of Christianity with a challenge to the examination of the truth or a conviction of the falshood of them Instances are very numerous I shall produce only a very few Justin the Martyr who suffered Anno 165 affirms to Trypho the Jew that these supernatural gifts were found in his time among Christians Irenaeus an Auditor of Polycarp who was a Disciple of S. John suffered circa 206 affirms upon his own knowledge that the gift of Prophesie was then frequent in the Church that many had the gift of tongues ipsi audivimus Others cast out Devils Others healed Diseases Others raised the dead and those raised persons continued many years amongst them pro certo Tertullian in his Apologetica adversus Gentes affirms that Jam de vobis Daemonas ejiciunt Origen against Celsus saith that he himself had seen by invocation of God and the Name of Jesus very many that were delivered from grievous maladies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alienatione mentis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to mention others S. Augustine in his Book de Civitate Dei begun about 410 but many years in writing l. 22. c. 8. gives an account of very many Miracles done at Hippo Carthage and other places of no great distance noting times places persons occasions appealing to the Country delivering them under terms of the greatest assurance Scio ego cognosco ego nos interfuimus oculis nostris aspeximus And in his Retractations Ea quae cognoscimus neque referre neque enumerare possumus Other Histories and Writings and the Authors and Believers of them can pretend no higher than to the testimony of men these have the testimony of God also If we believe the testimony of men the testimony of God is greater I conclude therefore that there is greater Reason to believe the History of the New Testament than any other History in the world The sum of all is this The Divine Authority of the Scriptures is the great fundamental and comprehensive Principle of Christianity which being admitted it stands and being removed it presently falls to the ground Against this therefore the great Enemy of Religion in these later days under pretence of Reason and Philosophy directs his Forces and is said to have found a success very pernicious and deplorable I humbly conceive that the Resolution of the belief of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures into the Decrees of Popes or Determinations of Councils with those who call themselves Roman-Catholicks into private impulses and dictates of the Spirit with the Enthusiasts and into the Laws and Edicts of Princes and Magistrates with our new pretenders to Reason and Philosophy is that engine whereby the Devil hath prevailed to scandalize the world and cast it into Antiscriptural infidelity It is for this cause that I have conceived it requisite after many others who have done worthily to have recourse once more to the Original Reason of things and the common grounds whereupon mankind doth proceed in matters of this nature Where hoping that I have escaped the absurdity of begging the matter in Question discoursing in a circle and the inconveniences of some other methods I have endeavoured to demonstrate That supposing the truth of the New Testament both 1. The Old Testament and 2. The New Testament are to be received as of Divine Authority 3. And supposing matters of fact to be truly related the Doctrinal parts are to be believed 4. For the Historical Relation of matters of fact that there is no ground to dis-believe it That for the Reception of it it hath 1. All the advantages whereof an History is capable 2. Far greater advantages than any other History Wherefore I conclude that All the Scriptures i. e. the Canonical Books of the Old Testament and the Books of the New Testament were given by inspiration of God Quod erat demonstrandum FINIS CONCERNING THE Sinfulness Danger Remedies of Infidelity A SERMON Preached at Whitehall Feb. 16.

is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby the Heinousness of any sin is to be estimated Is it the denunciation of Future Vengeance The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking Vengeance upon Unbelievers and they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the presence of his power Is it Old or New Past or present Instances of Vengeance Were not the body of this people newly cut off for unbelief And of ancient dayes whose were the Carcasses that fell in the Wilderness and to whom did God swear in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not Consider but the story from whence the Exhortation of the Text arises How God was provoked through unbelief The text tells us that he was Moved he was Tempted he was Grived he was Provoeked till he sware in his wrath The words are taken out of the 95 Psalm to which the 78. is parallel They were saith the Psalmist a stubborn and rebellious Generation They tempted God and spoke against him Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth So a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger against Israel Because they believed not in God and trusted not in his Salvation When God heard this he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel he gave way to his Indignation wrath anger displeasure and Jealousy I conceive now the first Question to be stated viz. Whether according to the tenor of the Scripture Infidelity were sinful and dangerous in the time of the delivery of the Scriptures I proceed to the second Question viz. However it was in antient times 2. Whether Infidelity be not in such times as ours Excusable My meaning is this Whether speaking according to Scriptural grounds and reason Now that Miracles extraordinary gifts and Prophesies are ceased Infidelity be not become Excusable however it might be Sinful and inexcusable during the time when Prophesies and Miracles were in use The first verse of this Epistle to the Hebrews tells us what powerful and noble motives to believe God had afforded to the Fathers God himself was pleased to speak to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at sundry times and in divers manners In the Times of the Patriarchs Judges Kings and Prophets by the Wayes of Visions Dreams Voices ●imilitudes Vrim and by divers miracles and wonders So likewise for those that are here exhorted About the time of the Writing of this Epistle God had spoken to them by his Son the brightness of his Glory the image of his person And by the Apostles to whom also he bare Witness by mighty signes and wonders by divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost Now that Such men as these who had so great advantages to bring them to believe should be severely punished for Infidelity I am perswaded there is hardly any man but thinks it very just and reasonable That such as had seen the wonders of God in Egypt and the Wilderness so manifestly miraculous so often repeated and yet for all this would not believe that their Carcasses should fall in the Wilderness That Ananias and Sapphira who had known the miracles which had been done by the Apostles should think to Cousen the Apostles it deserved the Judgment that befell them As for our selves had we lived in the times of Miracles or Prophesies we doubt not but we should have believed Or as Philip said shew us the father and it sufficeth Could we but once see a miracle or talk with one returning from the dead it should suffice we would believe But seing it is now many hundreds of yeares Since these things are ceased and we have nothing left us Praeter miraculorum famam If we shall not believe the Gospel by some it is openly pretended and by many it is secretly iamgined that in this case we may be Excused I could wish that the time would serve Clearly to rid away this phantasm In order to it I shall briefly doe three things 1. Shew that this Phantastical imagination is no new invention but that it hath of old been the conceit of Abominable Hypocrites 2 ly I shall inquire a little into the grounds of this Conceit and shew the mistake of those suppositions into which it is resolved 3 ly I shall shew that our Saviour Knowing the thoughts of men hath taken particular care to prevent this Imagination and hath clearly decided the matter in Question I. Though the present age be fruitful in inventions tending this way yet this hath been Anticipated by the Wits of former times In the 11 of Luke 47. We finde the Scribes and Pharisees building the Sepulchers of the Prophets whom their fathers had killed If we would know what they pretend●d in so doing we shall find it in the parallel place of Matthew They said if we ha● been in the dayes of our f●thers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets That these men did not believe the Prophets it is manifest Christ tells them if they had believed the Prophets they would have believed him for they wrote of him But that they would have beleived the Prophets and not have murthered them had they lived in their times this they pretend and it is very probable they had that opinion Yes Verily had they lived in the dayes of Miracles and Prophesies they would have believed the very conceit wnich is now Pretended But the Truth is these men were abominable Hypocrites and the cause of their Unbelief was not the want of miracles and Prophesies but Carnal prejudice and interest and the Vile affections of their hearts Did not Christ work miracles Was not he that Prophet which was to come Yet they took him and with wicked hands they slew him and brought upon themselves the bloud of all the Prophets But 2 ly If we shall examine the bottom of this fancy and resolve it into its Principles we shall finde that it supposes these things 1. That the want of the sight of miracles is sufficient to Justifie unbelief 2. That to live in the very age of miracles is apter to create beleif then to be born and educated in a believing nation after the world hath been convinced by the miracles of former times which is our Case 3. That the bare sight of miracles is of it self alone sufficient to create belief in every person that should see them Of which suppositions the first is contrary to common Reason and the two later are contrary to Scriptural Reason and to the experience of the world 1. If the want of the sight of miracles were enough to justifie Infidelity then for every Dogma to be believed Every Individual person were to expect the sight of miracles which if it should happen the wonder would cease and miracles become No miracles by the frequency of the performances of them and so they would be inept