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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65709	Aonoz tez kisteōz, or, An endeavour to evince the certainty of Christian faith in generall and of the resurrection of Christ in particular / by Daniel Whitbie, chaplain to the Right Reverend Father in God, Seth, Lord Bishop of Sarum ...	Whitby, Daniel, 1638-1726.	1671 (1671)	Wing W1731; ESTC R37213	166,618	458

confirmed by the Histories of both the Indies supposed by the Laws of Moses and by the Gospel Story the 1 Jewish 2 Christian and the 3 Heathen Exorcists these Spirits being subject not only to the name of Jesus but to the invocation of the God of Abraham and of Jsaac and of Jacob though used by those who did not 4 own their faith but notwithstanding did attest upon their own experience the virtue of those names as well as 5 Jews and Christians § 4. 2ly IF there have ever been any displays or actings of Gods power if any Miracles vouchsafed in confirmation of the faith of Jew or Christian Turk or Heathen all which have more or less pretended to them Acts 2.5 the Jew with so much evidence as to gain Proselytes from every nation under heaven the Christian with so great conviction as to prevail upon the world against the powers of Interest Custome and Education and all the opposition which the Wit and Power of the world could make to entertain the Faith delivered by them If the red sea was divided which both the sacred and 6 profane writers do attest If our Saviour and his Apostles the first Christian converts Vid. Raymund Pug. fid part 2. c. 8. s 6. did any of those miracles which in their writings are recorded of them of which we give a large account in our Discourse upon that Subject I say if any of these things were done we must acknowledge some superior Power did engage in the assistance of those persons and was concerned to have the world believe what they delivered By which assistance if the superior Power did intend the Happiness and Welfare of Mankind he makes provisions for it and by so doing shews a Providence but if he designe mans Ruine and Destruction he must then be an evil and seducing power which sure could not be were there no higher Power to challenge and reward our Service and to revenge our Disobedience § 5. 3ly IF any signal Judgments were inflicted by the immediate hand of God upon Rebellious sinners of which the Annals of all ages and books made up of such collections yeeld us large accounts If any visible declarations of Gods wrath and of approaching Judgments have been made unto the world by Signes Prodigies by Dreams and Apparitions by Prophesies or by a voice from Heaven of which not only Histories Ecclesiastical and heathen do inform us but suspected 7 Atheists do confess and prove the same If there hath ever been a deluge over the world which since the Caverns of the earth containe the waters of it can never be effected by the course of nature or Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from heaven both which the 8 Heathen records have at large delivered to us preserving the traditions of the 9 Ark the 10 Dove sent out of it and of the 11 Mountains where it rested and frequently attesting that the fruits and apples of the land of 12 Sodom being toucht do vanish into smoak and ashes If Lots wife looking back became a pillar of salt and that so lasting that 13 Josephus and a In Gen. 19.26 Brochardus testify it was extant in their days and the Jerusalem Targum doth conclude it shall be so unto the Resurrection so notable that 14 Heathens used to conjure by invocation of that God who turned Lots wife into the Pillar If the 15 destruction of Jerusalem was prefaced with prodigious tokens of approaching Vengeance and God hath still appear'd in plagues and Judgments against 16 those who have attempted to rebuild the temple there If any waters of probation have had the virtue to discover and chastise the sinner whilst they cleared the innocent as Heathen writers affirme of 17 Olachas and other rivers which were wont to put off their natures and become fire to the Guilty person of the 18 Crateres Palicorum the 19 Sardinian fountains which did strike the thief or perjured person blind or dead of the 20 Indian Brachmans probatory waters and many others of that kind and as the Jews say with much better ground of those of Jealousy which being used according to the prescription of their law to try the chastity of any woman of whom her husband should be Jealous Numb 5 27.28 did cause the Guilty thigh to rot and had no like effect upon the innocent I say with better Ground for had they failed upon tryal the Jews could not have owned that law for sacred which left them such a standing lye Lastly If king 21 Agrippa suffered by the immediate hand of God Act. 12 23. because he gave not God the Glory of what the people did ascribe unto him as is attested by Josephus agreably to what St. Luke delivers we have from all these instances the clearest evidence of Gods vindictive Justice on the transgressors of his law and of our own concernments to obey it § 6. 4ly IF any acts of mercy or preservation by the power of God have been vouchsafed to any of Gods servants If Daniel was preserved in the Lyons den and Shadrach Meshach and Abednego from the devouring flames which must be a relation of the greatest credit if we consider that it speaks of matters done in so vast a company as were then met together to adore the Image which was erected by the king of Babylon and in the Greatest Court the world then knew and in defiance of the decrees and statutes of so Great a monarch and yet so done as to prevail upon him to own and reverence the God of those poor Captives and to establish a * Dan. 2 47.3.29 decree in honour of him which must be left on record in the Annals of that Empire in which all * Ezra 4.15.19 matters of any moment were digested to witness to the truth of what was seen and done and that it also speaks of matters done by men whose actions and Religion did blast the reputation of their Heathen Deities did baffle and confound their Sorcerers Magicians Astrologers and Men whose Religion did still 22 thrive under oppression and bring in dayly Proselyts Agen if any answer hath been made unto the prayers of Christian Jew or Heathen of which they all do boast so much and give such frequent instances If God according to his promise did still command his blessing on the sixth years crop Levit 25.21 and make it double unto that of other yeares and had it not been so this promise must have been a vain presumptious boast sufficient to discredit the whole law of Moses If fire of course came down from heaven in the days of Moses and extraordinarily at the petition of Elijah to consume the Jewish sacrifices as the 23 Apostate Julian doth acknowledge If 24 Heathen Records do pretend the same whose stories examples of this kind seem too exact and frequent to be deemed cheats If Gods miraculous assistance and answer to the 25 prayers of Theodosius did

to conceive It blows off all our prejudices buoys up the sinking Spirit with fresh supplies of grace and spiritual assistance and all the comforts of a never failing promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us Heb. 13.5 but will make the heaviest of afflictions be instrumental to work together for our good Rom. 8.32 It quells all feares Jealousies of the desponding Spirit by giving full assurance of our pardon on the most reasonable and easy termes and representing our heavenly Father not only willing to receive but so gracious as to invite the Prodigal It rendreth our discouragements the best of motives assuring us that our afflictions will augment our joys and that our thorns will blossom into crownes of glory And what can weigh against such powerful motives when life the first of mercies and the foundation of all others and death the last and most dreadful evil are such low trifles as are not worthy to be compared to them § 5. AGEN it layes the highest obligations on us to endeavour the welfare of our Brothers Soul Heb. 5.2 2 Tim. 2.25 Luk. 17.3 Heb. 10.24 It calls upon us to a instruct the ignorant and them that oppose themselves to the truth to warne the unruly Person to rebuke him and not suffer Sin upon him It requires us to support the weak and to administer comfort to the feeble minds to stirr up and provoke each other to the greatest heights of love and piety and goodness In prosecution of these ends it shews how much our Lord hath done and suffered by emptying himselfe of all his glory and taking on him the infirmities of humane nature by entring on that life of miseries which did at last conclude in an accursed ignominious death by interceding dayly for mercy to us and by conveying of his Gifts and favors to all the members of his body lastly by guiding all the Acts and ways of Providence to the best compliance with the good welfare of his servants It shewes how much the God of Heaven hath been concern'd for them in employing his Wisdome from eternal ages in thoughts of mercy to them in sending his Beloved from his own bosome to redeem them by his bloudy sufferings his Spirit first to convince them of Sin and misery the more assuredly to fright them into the armes of mercy and then to sanctifie and by so doing to fit them for those mansions of eternal bliss he hath prepared for them and lastly sending his Embassadours by their most passionate entreaties to bessech them to be reconcil'd to him § 6. SUCH is the nature of the Christian Faith so good and pious are it's Precepts so well suted to the interests and apprehensions of man-kind whereas the wisdom of the hearthen world the faith they own'd the religious customes they espoused were such as overthrew religion in the foundations of it such as made it to be consistent with the most vile impurities only serviceable in the promotion of the devils Kingdom or such as did exceedingly deface the beauties of it and obstruct it's influence Morality was either wholy slighted and Vice or Vertue deemed to be only what humane laws commanded and forbid or their conceptions of it were so gross and so exceeding various that not one duty of the moral Law was left unquestioned by them The 1 common issue of their search after the knowledge of those things was only Scepticisme and the most knowing men were they who did renounce all knowledge of them § 7. TO touch upon those things which do exceedingly obscure the influence or ruine the foundations of true Piety some of those heathens plainly deny'd the 2 being of a God and many of them 3 doubted and demur'd upon it especially when a 4 cross act of providence did tempt them to it As for his over-ruling providence we find it exploded by the school of 5 Epicurus By 6 Aristotle and his party it was confined to heaven whence it is well infer'd by † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Euseb praep l. 15. c. 5. Atticus that his opinion is in effect the same as to the interest of Vice and Virtue with that of Epicurus This great concerne was by the 7 Platonist and 8 Pythagorean that I add not the 9 whole heathen world committed to inferior demons this being their professed Tenet August de C. D. l. 9. c. 16. quod nullus Deus miscetur homini by which denyal of Gods immediate power engaged to create preserve and govern us they 10 rob'd us of our chiefest motives to adore and imitate him who thought us thus unworthy of his care Some 11 doubted of the thing others allowed a general but 12 denied a special providence and hence took liberty to sin at pleasure The 13 Stoicks mostly did restrain the actings of this providence unto the great concerns of earth and held it unconcern'd for lesser matters Scarce any of the heathens could afford a satisfying answer to that grand objection which was made against it from those adversities which hapned to the best and those prosperities which did attend the vilest persons § 8. 2ly THEY were as much mistaken in their conceptions of his attributes and the nature of a Diety renouncing the only true God they knew not where to stint the number of their Deities some held them 14 thirty thousand others conceiv'd them to be numberless and yet they stood obliged to worship all the rabble of them that none might be offended because slighted by them for as Tertullian tells them Cum alii alios colitis Apol. c. 13. utique quos non colitis offenditis praelatio alterius sine contumelia alterius esse non potest quia nec electio sine reprobatione and therefore when calamities befel them they paid their homage to an 15 unknown Deity and made addresses in these doubtful formes Quisquis es sive Deus sive dea Plaut Rud. Act. 1. Sc. 4. Plutar qu. Rom. 61. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to that unknown God or Goddess who as they presum'd might be incensed by the neglect of service And albeit the wiser sort of heathens acknowledged one Supreme and all-ruling Deity yet did they worship Demons not only such as they accounted good but 16 evil and pernicious least they should destroy them They pay'd their homage to the 17 Sun and Moon and to the whole host of heaven to 18 men with whom their Forefathers had conversed and to whose 19 departed souls their superstition did give an Apotheosis upon designs of policy To 20 Emperors and all that had been knowing men especially if they had suffered for their Country They advanced the 21 meanest creatures into Deities earth fire water aer the herbs and cattle of the field the fishes of the sea their leeks and onions and pay'd their homage to those Idols which were nothing in the world and which is yet more vile they worshipped those parts which nature bindes

Alcinoum de doctrina Platonica c. 15. c. 16. August de C. D. l. 9. c. 1. c. 16. Max. Tyr. diss 27. p. 259. 8 And by the Pythagorean qui statuit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diog. Laert. l. 8. p. 587. 9 The whole Heathen World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Julian apud Cyrill Alex. l. 4. p. 115. vide etiam p. 143. 148. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch de Orac. def p. 418. p. 414. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vide p. 416. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numen apud Euseb Praep. l. 11. c. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Celsus apud Orig. p. 247. 10 They rob'd us of our chiefest motives to adore and imitate him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyrill Alex. contra Jul. l. 2. p. 61. vid. p. 68. 117. rursus p. 60. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 11 Some doubted of the thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. p. 208. Audimus quosdam philosophandi studio deditos partim ullam negare vim esse divinam partim an sit quotidie quaerere Arnob. l. 1. p. 18. 12 Denied a special Providence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian in Epict. l. 1. c. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. p. 36. de Xenophane Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apud Euseb Praep. Evang. l. 1. c. 8. Atque hinc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin p. 218. 13 The Stoicks did restrain the actings of this Providence unto the great concerns of earth Balbus ex Stoicorum sententia Cic. de N. D. l. 2. sub finem Magna Dii curant parva negligunt l. 3. p. 77. At enim minora Dii negligunt neque agellos singulorum nec viticulas persequuntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eurip apud Grot. vide Plutarch de leg Poet. c. 7. de irac coercenda 14 Some held them 30000 others conceiv'd them to be numberless 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Max. Tyr. dissert 1. p. 15. Nominum non magnus numerus ne in Pontificiis quidem nostris Deorum autem innumerabilis Cic. de N. D. p. 18. 79. p. 12. ex hoc illud efficitur si mortalium tanta multitudo sit esse immortalium non minorem Et si quae interimant innumerabilia sunt etiam ea quae conservent infinita esse debere Sit ista quam praedicatis plebs numinum sint Deorum innumerae Gentilitates unde vobis compertum est hine dii sint in caelo quos colitis fingamus enim vos colere deos mille potest forsitan fieri ut deorum millia centum sint potest ut hoc amplius Arnob. l. 3. p. 102. 15 To an unknown Deity Hence their Sacrifices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laert. in Epimenide p. 78. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vide Vossium de Idol l. 1. c. 1. p. 7. 16 But evil and pernitious Pernitiosis etiam rebus non modo nomen Deorum tribuitur sed etiam sacra constituuntur Cic. de N. D. p. 72. Labeo malos deos propitiari caedibus tristibus supplicationibus asserit bonos autem obsequiis laetis Jocundis August de C. D. l. 2. c. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Praep. Evang. l. 5. c. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Porphyr de Orac. Philos apud Euseb Praep. Evang. l. 5. c. 8. 17 The Sun and Moon and the whole host of Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vult Pythagoras Laert. l. 8. p. 582. Stoici Singulas stellas numer as Deos. Cotta ad Balbum Cic. de N. D. l. 3. p. 67. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch de plac Philos l. 1. c. 7. vide Anton l. 8. s 19. Plato in Timaeo dicit in legibus mundum Deum esse coelum astra terram animos eos quos majorum institutis accepimus Cic. de N. D. l. 1. p. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in Epin p. 702. p. 699. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanchoniathon apud Cyr. Alex. in Jul. l. 6. p. 205. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in Cratylo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch adv Colot p. 1123. vide Porph. Ep. ad Anebonem apud Euseb Praep. Evang. l. 3. c. 4. Cic. de N. D. l. 2. p. 36. 42. Celsum apud Orig. l. 5. p. 234. 18 Men with whom their fore-Fathers had convers'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanchon apud Cyrill Alex. in Jul. l. 6. p. 205. In Craecia multos habent ex hominibus deos cuncta Craecia Aesculapium Herculem Tyndaridas Cic. de N. D. p. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot Eth. l. 7. c. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diod. Sic. l. 6. Hos deos medioxumos vocabant eorumque festa necia Vives in Aug. de C. D. l. 2. c. 14. Vide Herod Clio p. 56. Diod. Sic. l. 2. p. 9. Lact. l. 1. c. 15. c. 10. p. 43. Comment Aug. de C. D. l. 18. c. 3.4.8 Minut. p. 21.22 19 To whose departed Souls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato apud Euseb Praep. Ev. l. 12. c. 3. Horum cum remanerent animi atque aeternitate fruerentur Dii ritè sunt habiti cum optimi essent aeterni Cic de N. D. l. 2. p. 38. vide Max Tyr. diss 27. p. 266. 267. 20 Upon designes of Policy In plerisque civitatibus intelligi potest augendae virtutis gratia quo libentius Reip. causa periculum adiret optimus quisque virorum fortium memoriam honore Deorum immortalium consecratam Cic. de N. D. l. 3. p. 69. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato de Reip. 21 To Emperors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodor. de cur Gr. affect p. 43. Justin Ap. p. 67. 22 They advanced the meanest creatures into Deitys Earth Fire Water Ayre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herod in Clio de Persis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laert. de Magis in Proem 23 The fishes of the Sea their Leeks and Onyons Quidam illorum coluerunt ovent quidam Hircum alii Vitulum Porcum nonnulli Corvum Accipitrem Vulturem Aquilam alii vero Crocodilum quidam Cattum Canem Lupum Simiam Draconem Aspidem alii Cepas Allia Spinas Auct Historiae Barlaami ubi de Aegyptiorum superstitionibus Vide copiosè de his omnibus Ouzel Comm. in Minut. p. 32. 24 Chose in practise to comply with all those rites which custome offer'd to such execrable ignoble Deities Omnem istam ignobilem Deorum turbam quam longo aevo longa superstitio congessit sic adorabimus ut meminerimus cultum eum magis ad morem quam ad rem pertinere haec omnia sapiens observabit tanquam legibus jussa non tanquam Diis grata Seneca apud August de C. D. l. 6. c. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in Tim. vide August de C. D. l. 10. c. 3. quae cum recitaverat Theodor. haec addit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉