Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A56691
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Search the Scriptures a treatise shewing that all Christians ought to read the Holy Books : with directions to them therein : in three parts.
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Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing P835; ESTC R23033
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72,298
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205
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Lord and is highly offensive upon many accounts to Almighty God Who hath appointed Him to take care of our affairs who loves us better than any Saint or Angel can do because he dyed for us and therefore is more inclined to have compassion upon us because he hath that feeling of our infirmities which no Angel was ever touched withal nor any Saint in such a degree as he was Who can also do more for us than all the Angels in Heaven put together being the Lord of Glory Ninthly Which is another thing here clearly revealed the Power and Glory of the Lord Jesus at the right Hand of God We all with open face without any Veil drawn before our Eyes behold as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord as St. Paul speaks 2 Cor. III. ult The Gospel that is which he preached and which we read represents his transcendent Majesty so evidently that our own Face doth not appear more clearly to us in a Glass than Christ is set before us there as advanced far above all Principality and Power to use his words in another place I. Ephes 21. and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this World but also in that which is to come God having put all things under his Feet and given him to be Head over all things to the Church What may we not expect from so great a Prince who hath all things at his command and that for the good of his Church if we faithfully address our selves to God by Him alone Tenthly I might say the like of the rest of the Articles of the Christian Faith which are here plainly taught But I shall only add that as the way and means whereby Christ procured and doth dispense the Divine Grace to us is evidently declared in the Holy Scriptures so is the means whereby we may hope to obtain the Benefit of his Sacrifice Satisfaction and Intercession with God for us Repent and be converted and your sins shall be blotted out III. Acts 19. are words plain enough to be understood And so are these Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you Take my Yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls XI Matth. 28 29. And these In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith working by Love a new Creature or keeping the Commandments of God For in all these terms for the greater clearness sake and that no man may be mistaken is this matter declared by St Paul 1 Cor. VII 19. V. Gal. 6. VI. Gal. 15. And therefore that the Grace of the Gospel teaches us that denying Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World 2 Tit. II. 12. is as clear as the Sun Nor are the particular duties which belong to every ones place and state less clear and conspicuous than these general lines of our Duty which the Apostle hath drawn in those comprehensive words For when the same Apostle St. Paul directs his Speech as he doth commonly in the latter part of his Epistles unto Masters of Families and Servants unto Husbands and Wives Fathers and Children his Rules are as plain and easie to be understood by us now as they were to those persons who first received them So plain and easie they are unto all Ages so familiar especially to men of meaner rank that I much doubt saith a great Champion of our Church in his Comments on the Creed * Dr. Jackson Lib. 2. Cap. 12. whether the Pope himself and the whole Conclave of Cardinals would be able in this present Age to speak so plainly unto the capacity or so familiarly to the experience of men of their Quality unto whom the Apostle wrote For setting aside the absolute Truth and Infallibility of his Doctrines the manner of delivering them is so familiar so lowly so heartily humble so natural and so well-befitting such mens disposition in their sober thoughts as were impossible for the Pope to attain unto or imitate unless he would lay aside his Court-State and for seven years addict himself unto familiarity with such men in a Pastoral Charge The same may be said concerning his way of speaking when he sets down any other Christian Duties whether private or publick No man could ever pretend any difficulty in this part of the Holy Writings which treat of a Holy Life All the difficulty is in mens wills to be perswaded to consent to be governed by these Laws which they cannot chuse but well enough understand And that they may be perswaded Christ hath left us exceeding great and precious Promises which contain the greatest part of the Gospel-Grace the very end of which is to move us to live soberly righteously and godly Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. VII 1. What words can be more perspicuous than these And with the same clearness these Books pronounce the indispensable necessity of a holy life without which the riches of God's Grace cannot save us Follow peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord XII Heb. 14. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers c nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. VI. 9 10. Now the works of the flesh are manifest mark that word adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness Idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like of which I have told you before in times past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no law And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit V. Gal. 19 20 c. What shall I say more All the Promises of God which put us in hope and all his Threatnings which are designed to put us in fear upon which two Hinges all Religion turns are you see already declared so expresly and clearly that there can be no dispute about them For this is the promise which he hath promised even Eternal life 1 Joh. II. 25. and the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness I. Rom. 18. For He will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for honour glory and immortality eternal life But to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but
may be wrested and misconstrued Further yet the wisest and most learned may pervert and wrest the Scriptures and therefore if this be a reason why they should not be read they must be wholly laid aside and none permitted to read them The Scribes and Pharisees I am sure did so far more than the most simple people And yet none will say they ought not to have read the Scriptures it being the profession of the Scribes None more obstinately resisted Christ than they who had these Holy Books perpetually in their hands in which He was promised and foreshadowed They were his most bitter Enemies who were the allowed Expounders of the Law and the Prophets making use of all they read to oppose Him And therefore either none no not the most learned no more than the simple must read the Scriptures for fear of doing themselves and others harm by them or this is not a good Reason against the common peoples reading them nor is it the reading them that doth hurt but the reading them with a bad mind and with naughty affections The Learned may abuse them as well as the Unlearned if they be ill disposed and the Unlearned may get good by them as well as the Learned if they be well affected There are some things clearer than that any can doubt of them or stand in need of an Interpreter the simplest may easily apprehend them and be instructed by them if they come with honest and good hearts to learn their Duty and yet the wisest will not apprehend them or not receive them though never so plain if their hearts be otherwise bent and ill disposed in their affections They that have devoted themselves to this World will be offended with them even because they are so plain and directly cross their intentions and designs For what were the things that made our Saviour so troublesom to the Scribes and Pharisees His Life was perfectly innocent his Conversation free and friendly with all sorts of people his Heart was open to give them an easie access into his presence and into his affections his Power was beneficial his Doctrine was most heavenly his Precepts just and good his Promises exceeding great and precious above all earthly Treasure The business therefore was they were possessed of a Kingdom in which they were honoured as the most Learned adored as Saints inriched with great Treasures esteemed worthy of greater this they thought the happies condition this state of things they wisht might always be continued but feared our Saviour would draw the hearts of the people from them and that their Authority would be diminished by admitting his and therefore they set themselves against him and could not endure the light of his Gospel which showed them how little they must be content to be in this World and only promised to make them great men in the Kingdom of Heaven whereof they made no account And it is to be feared that for the very same reason some men in the Christian World are against the reading of the Holy Scriptures for which they were against the receiving of Jesus Christ Himself Their Authority they fear will thereby be impaired They shall not be able to lead the people whither they please with an implicite Belief their eyes will be opened and seeing how they have been abused they will grow less credulous and not so easily entertain those Doctrines which are very gainful to the Teachers when they see they are altogether unprofitable to them that receive them I am sure such evil affections will never let men understand the Scriptures aright but incline the wisest and most discerning men if so ill disposed to bend them sooner than any meaner persons to their own crooked interests Thus I have finished the first part of this Work when I have made a few Reflections upon what hath been discoursed I. And First of all this demonstrates how unreasonable unjust and uncharitable to say no worse the Decrees of the present Roman Church are which deny to Christian people that liberty which God and his Church have always allowed them This prohibition to read the Scriptures in the vulgar Tongue is a manifest Innovation There is an evident Change in the Church of Rome it self since St. Hierom's days who bestowed several Epistles upon divers Women to press them to read them and to teach them to their little Children Which made Espencaeus a Romish Bishop honestly say that he could not but wonder how that should now be counted so pestilent and capital which the Ancients frequently commend as most wholesom II. Secondly This Discourse should serve for a Caution to us not to intrust our Souls with such Guides as err thus palpably and I doubt wilfully in so plain a business as this For how easily will they mistake or mislead their Followers in other cases especially where there may be some difficulty or some seeming Authority for it III. Thirdly And this should incline every one of us to adhere most firmly and faithfully to this Church Which is so sincerely honest that it fears not to be tryed by this Touchstone the Holy Scripture so well constituted that Christians cannot in reason desire more free and plentiful means of their instruction than they have in all things necessary to their Salvation Lastly Which therefore let us take care we do not abuse and thereby help to confirm and harden the Church of Rome in their Errours We ought not I have demonstrated to lay aside the Holy Scriptures out of our hands God forbid we should consent to that but they themselves require us to lay aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness that coming thus with prepared minds with meekness we may receive the ingrafted word which is able to save our Souls Jam. I. 21. That 's the End for which we must read these Holy Books as laying aside all naughty affections is the Method to know what we must do to be saved Not to learn how to discourse to dispute and argue much less to cavil but how to live according to the Will of God in our several places which is the way to everlasting Salvation And whatsoever belongs either to a godly life or the necessary Articles of Christian Faith is so plainly delivered there that when we meet with any thing that is doubtful or hard to be understood we are told plainly enough what to do in that case They themselves direct us not to be wise in our own conceits not to lean to our own understanding but to go and advise with those whom God hath appointed to expound them to us Who will either satisfie us what is the meaning of such places or that it is not of such moment that we need to trouble our selves about it For these Books are so far from giving us the least incouragement to be bold and presumptuous to slight our Instructers and much less to despise our Governours whether Civil or Spiritual that there is Nothing they teach us