Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	john_n	son_n	spirit_n	18,006	5	5.9361	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

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

Object and Cognoscibility of it 1. To say that instances of supernatural Power and Wisdom are impossible is to deny the power of God and his providence in governing the world And to say that such things are incredible as are and have been actually believed in all times and by all sorts of persons Jews and Gentiles Christians and Mahometans a few Atheistical persons only excepted is an absurdity The History that we speak of pretends to no Intrigues or Cabalistick Counsels or Mysteries of State but conteins it self within the limits of things Visible and Audible things that were done or spoken so that no History can have advantage over it respectu Objecti 2. As for Knowledge in the deliverers I shall shew it by a brief Induction The whole New Testament consists of the Books of the Revelation Epistles Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels The Authors of the Epistles and the Revelation in the Narrative parts of them deliver the things done or spoken to or by themselves and could not be ignorant of their own experiences The Book of the Acts contains some things done by or to the rest of the Apostles but chiefly the concernments of Paul and it was written by Luke who was an individual Companion of Paul and intimately conversant with the rest of the Apostles For the things Related in the Gospel of S. Luke he saith they were delivered to him by those who from the beginning were Eye-witnesses of the works and Ministers of the Word and his History agrees with the other Evangelists The Gospel of S. Mark hath nothing which is not in S. Matthew or S. John and was dictated by S. Peter the Head of the Apostles S. Matthew was an Apostle and S. John the Bosom Apostle of Christ. The Apostles were chosen by him for Witnesses of his Words and Actions they were with him from the beginning of his Ministry continued with him till his death conversed with him till his Ascension That which they had heard which they had seen with their Eyes which they had looked on which their hands had handled of the word of life that they delivered in writing to the World And more than this no Writer or Relater of History can pretend to 2. For Arguments of their sincerity they have left Precepts of Veracity and prohibitions of lying under pain of Hell torments the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone They have protested that they did not follow cunningly devised Fables that they did things sincerely as in the sight of God They have appealed to the searcher of hearts The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knoweth that I lie not The things which I write unto you behold before God I lye not Gal. 1.20 saith S. Paul They have left behind them various instances of their simplicity and godly sincerity in representing their failings to the world and of candour and ingenuity in distinguishing the dictates of their own Reason from the inspirations of the Holy Spirit I speak by permission not by commandment of the Lord This say I not the Lord Thus it is according to my judgment c. 1 Cor. 7. But besides all this let the matter be estimated acccording to common reason If these men did devise a Fable and impose it upon the world what end could they propound to themselves in so doing was there any profit in being destitute of all things or pleasure in being persecuted afflicted and tormented or honour in being counted Fools and Mad-men Before they began to publish the Stories whereof we speak their Master was gone and all worldly hopes were gone away with him If they were not bound in Conscience and in Spirit what obligation had he laid upon them to labour and suffer for his honour as they did To omit the severity of his behaviour to them He called them off from their Vocations Peter and Andrew James and John from their Fishing Matthew from his Customers place the rest accordingly They forsook their Nets their * Ships their Relations and all their interests and followed him And this they did clearly and plainly believing that he was to be a Great Temporal Prince and in hopes of Preferment under him In this Expectation they continued to the last minute of his conversation with them upon Earth and he permitted them so to do Their last words to him were delivered in this question Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel Of the thing it self they never doubted they only desire to be informed of the time Now after so long expectation Consider his Answer His Answer was this It is not for you to know the times c. but ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses of me unto the utmost parts of the earth and immediately he vanished away Was this an answer to their Question or a satisfaction to their expectation Was this an Obligation laid upon them If he had not sent down the Holy Ghost this would have moved them indeed but it would have been to rage and indignation this would have obliged them indeed but it would have been to detest and abhor the name and memory of him that had abused them But for the honour of his name not their own they did and suffered all things and gloried in it An irrefragable argument of their sincerity in the things which they delivered 3. Of the internal Arguments for the belief of History there remains only the Consideration of the way and manner of writing Histories then carry their own credentials in them when the principal parts of them are delivered with such circumstances of times places and persons as may render them liable to Examination and Refutation if they contain any falshood in them And in this particular no History hath any advantage over that History whereof we are speaking as will be evident to him that considers it thorowout Concerning John the Baptist it is recorded that he was born some few Months before Christ that his Mother was Elizabeth that his Father was Zachariah a Priest of the Course of Abia that they lived in the Hill-Country He began to preach in the 15. of Tyberius Pilat being Governour of Judaea Herod Tetrarch of Galilee his Brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and of the Region of Trachonitis and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene Punctual and particular Soon after this he was Imprisoned and Beheaded by Herod for reprehending him about Herodias all which were matters of Fact very easie if false to have been refuted Concerning Christ his birth is stated to have been at a time the most remarkable that ever was when the whole world was taxed by Augustus in the days of Herod when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria the place easie to be enquired of it was in a Manger in an Inne in a Town that was a little one among the thousands of