Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	holy_a	son_n	spirit_n	92,207	5	6.2343	4	true

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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

may not yet be so very considerable Behold then even Abraham the Darling of the almighty who conversed with God as a man converseth with his Friend to whom God communicated his presence in Dreams in Visions in Apparitions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was imbued with the Habit of Faith he exerted it in the noblest exercise he manifested it in the heroical degree so that he became the Father of the Faithful Yet once we find him offending tripping at this stone of stumbling Aequivocating through unbelief 6. But all these instances were during the Ancient Dispensation when the Communication of the presence of God was more Obscure before the fulness of time was come when the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst men and they saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of God Besides we do not find that they were particularly and distinctly warned of their danger which may lessen the Wonder of the fall Consider then the Case of Peter the first of the Apostles He had been closely conversant with Christ during all the time of his Ministry Was a witness of his miracles saw his Transfiguration Heard the Voice which came to him from the Excellent glory saying this is my beloved Son As for his faith he it was that made that Confession upon which the the Christian Church is founded And Christ had prayed for him that his faith should not fail He was a Valiant man and he Undertook that though he died he would neither forsake nor deny his Master When Christ forewarns him plainly and punctually that his faith would fail him That very night before a certain hour So that it was impossible he should be surprised You know his Undertakings and of his Failings it is unnecessary to speak 7. I know nothing now that can be alledged against the general propensity of all men to Unbeleif but this that Peter was now single and alone that he failed onely this time when he was environd with Bills and Staves and in Danger of his Life Wherefore let us call to mind the Case of all the Apostles in the great Foundation of our Faith the Article of Christs Resurrection When these temptations were away The resurrection of the dead was in those times so commonly believed that it was conceived of Christ that he was one of the Old Prophets risen from the Dead and Herod said he was John the Baptist risen from the dead Of the resurrection the Apostles had seen Experiments in Lazarus and in the bodies of the Saints which arose Concerning Christs resurrectio● how plainly and often were they forewarned After he was risen how often were they told of it Yet how grosely and often did they fail In the 8 of Mark 31 Christ tells his Disciples that he should be killed and the 3 day he would rise again He spake this saying Openly So Openly that the Jews took notice of it this deceiver said that the third day he would rise again moreover he promised them plainly that after he was risen he would go before them into Galelie and appointed them a certain Mountain where they should see him Yet after he was risen Mary Magdalen told them that he had appeared to her But they believed not Mary Magd. Joanna and Mary the Mother of James told them the same But their Speech seemed to them as Idle tales The 2 Disciples told the rest that he had appeared to them going to Emmaus but they believed them not He appeared in the midst of ten of them at once shewed them his hands and his side But they believed not for joy Christ when appeared to the Women bade them tell the Disciples and Peter that according to his promise they should see him in Galilie And the 11. Disciples went into Galilie to a mountain which Jesus had appointed them And when they saw him they Worshiped But some doubted So that Christ almost in his last words Upbraided them with their Unbelief because they believed not them who had seen him after he was risen So prone are even the best of men after their highest atteinments under the best advantages to fall sometime into Infidelity So great is the danger of Unbelief It is true indeed that all these might say with the Prophet Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy for though I fall I shall arise again Yet all these things are written for our learning that he that thinketh he standeth may take heed least he fall If these things have been done to the green tree what may be done to the dry If the worthies and the mighty have fallen how have the mighty fallen ought not the feeble to take care Yes certainly they ought And to use all means to prevent their falling which is the third thing supposed in the Caveat and expressed in the words following Take heed brethren least c. Exhort one another daily Now the Meanes to prevent the falling into Infidelity are the Arguments evincing the truth of the Gospel which are very numerous Whereof I cannot now speak particularly The Apostle in this Epistle makes use of 2. sorts viz. 1. From Scriptures of the Old Testament 2. From Common Reason whereof I shall speak a little The Argument from Reason is delivered in the 2. Chap. v. 3.4 The Gospel was delivered by the Lord and confirmed to us by them that heard him God also bearing them Witness with Signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost God bare witness to Christ the Author of the Gospel And to the Apostles the Promulgers of the Gospel Wherefore it is to be believed The Antecedent of this Enthymem is the sum of what I shall deliver When the Pharisees said unto Christ thy Record is not true because thou bearest record of thy self I am one saith Christ that bear record of my self and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me Moreover he tells the Disciples that the Comforter should testify of him And ye also shall bear witness because ye have been with me from the beginning So that beside the Witness of the Apostles the Gospel had the Attestation of all the persons of the Trinity viz. 1. Of the Father 2. Of the Son 3. Of the Holy Ghost 1. God the Father bore witness to his Son and that he did by 1. Visible Signes and 2. Audible Voices 3. by Mission of Angels 4. by Cooperating in his Miracles c. 1. At his Nativity a new Star appeared At his Baptism they saw the heaven opened and the Spirit sent from the Father in the visible shape of a Dove and lighting upon him Before his Passion he was transfigured in their sight And At it the Sunne was eclipsed when the Moon was full the Vail the Rocks rent So that the Centurion said Surely this man was the Son of God Bodies of Saints were seen of many all these were visible signes 2. As for the 〈◊〉

Father hath taught me so I speak I have not spoken of my self but the Father that sent me he gave me a Commandment what I should say and what I should speak Whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me so I speak Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away Thus did our Saviour assert the Divine Authority of his Words 2. And so likewise the Apostles are very frequent in asserting the Divine Authority of the things which they delivered In the 15. of the Acts we find them assembled about the question of Circumcision and they accounted it no robbery to entitle their Decrees to the Holy Ghost It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us v. 18. Nor do they pretend to revelation when gathered in Council only but each one severally for himself S. Peter professes of himself that he was a partaker of the glory which was revealed And of his Gospel that it was revealed from Heaven S. John declares that he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Father and the Son as for his other writings that they contained the things which he had heard and seen with his eyes which he had looked on and his hands had handled of the Word of life As for the Apocalypse he professes that being in the Spirit in the Isle of Patmos he received it and was commanded to write it in a Book The greatest writer among the Apostles was S. Paul and the greatest Question hath always been amongst Unbelievers concerning his Calling and the Authority of his Gospel He knew this very well and therefore we find him asserting both his Calling and his Gospel with abundant care and diligence He affirms himself to have been an Apostle not of man neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father That by God himself he was separated to preach constituted a Preacher an Apostle and a Defender of the Gospel As concerning his Gospel he professes to have received it by Revelation of God As for the Spirit wherewith he wrote and preached he professed himself ready to give a proof of Christ speaking in him He appealed to the Prophetick Spirit then in the Church If any man think himself a Prophet or Spiritual let him acknowledge the things which I write to be the Commandments of God Out of this assurance it was that he enjoined his Epistles to be read in the Churches of Coloss Laodicea Thessalonica and i excommunicates such as should be disobedient in that particular And lest any one should here repeat the Objection made against our Saviour Thou bearest witness of thy self thy witness is not true S. Paul speaking of all the Apostles affirms that God had set them in the Church and that the Mystery of the Gospel was revealed to the holy Apostles by the Spirit Particularly notwithstanding that dispute betwixt S. Peter and S. Paul from the first Ages of the Church to our own Times objected by Unbelievers to the prejudice of Religion it is remarkable that in the same place where S. Paul gives an account how Peter was to be blamed and how and wherefore he withstood him to his face at Antioch he doth expresly affirm that the Gospel of the Circumcision was committed to Peter and that God wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcision On the other side S. Peter in that very place where he may seem to complain of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of S. Paul yet even there he owns him as his beloved Brother acknowledges his Wisdom to have been given him of God and numbers all his Epistles inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst the other Scriptures 3. Lastly for such as would put a difference of degrees betwixt the Authority of the words of Christ and the writings and Sermons of the Apostles they may take notice that the Authority of these resolves it self into the veracity of Christ himself He it was who being to leave the World promised his Disciples again and again that he would send down upon them the Holy Spirit that should instruct them and teach them all things that should Lead them into all truth Bring to their remembrance all things which he himself had spoken that should shew them things to come that with this Spirit they should not be lightly dash'd or sprinkled but that they should be Baptized and as it were plunged into it How all these Promises were performed and how the Assertions of the Divine Authority of the Words of Christ and the Apostles were proved to be true I am next to shew In the interim I conclude that supposing the truth of the words of Christ and his Apostles they are to be esteemed of Divine Authority III. The third Opinion is of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but they do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith or Manners Of these there have always been too great a number not only pretenders who under a form of Christianity deny the power thereof but generally all sorts of Hereticks When Porphyrius had revolted from Christianity to Platonism and had bent all his Forces against the Scripture-History he was refuted not only by Lactantius and Methodius men Orthodox in Doctrine but by Eusebius and Apollinaris and of late days Socinus and others have well asserted the truth of the Scripture-History who yet have been offended at the dogmatical parts of the Gospel and concerning the Faith have made shipwrack In Opposition to these I shall endeavour to demonstrate that Supposing Matters of Fact to be truly related in the New Testament it is unreasonable to suspect the truth of any of the Doctrines delivered by Christ or his Apostles Amongst the various fancies concerning Religion wherewith the whole world hath been always embroiled Two things there are wherein all the Sons of Adam have agreed namely 1. That that is to be believed which hath received the testimony of God And 2. That this testimony is to be gathered from instances of supernatural Wisdom and Power In the study of natural and Philosophical Theologie the Speculativi amongst the Greeks and Romans and other Nations sought after Wisdom Reason and Demonstration But to reduce the People to the forms of religious Rites and Sacrifices prescribed them they were made to believe the Epiphanies of the Gods and the manifestations of their Wisdom and Power by Oracles and Works supernatural To these even Mahomet pre●●●●ded though his great Argume●● 〈…〉 the Sword and of the Jews I need not speak For a Foundation of Religion and in our inquisition after that short of this Testimony we ought not to stay further we cannot go And herein is the utmost of humane wisdom to consider well those Evidences upon which we adventure the interest