Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	gentile_n	heart_n	write_v	7,180	5	5.8793	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27589	Christianity, the great mystery in answer to a late treatise, Christianity not mysterious, that is, not above, not contrary to reason : in opposition to which is asserted Christianity is above created reason in its pure estate and contrary to humane reason as fallen and corrupted, and therefore, in proper sense mystery : together with a post[s]cript letter to the author on his second edition enlarg'd / by T.B.	Beverley, Thomas.; Toland, John, 1670-1722. Christianity not mysterious.	1696 (1696)	Wing B2131; ESTC R12817	48,779	66

endeavours to Rally and Re-unite it self because of that Corruption wherewith it is so Tainted and Defiled that even the Mind and Conscience of the Vnbelieving are Defiled Not only the greater Ignorance and want of Skill but the greater Enmity and Hatred to such a Superior Light stirr'd up as well as blinded by Sathan It Discovers and Detects it self of And all Directions Advices or Commands to Separate it self from that Corruption are but Prescribings to the Blackamore to change his Skin and the Leopard his Spots For this Corrupted Reason it self Teaches so and can do no otherwise to Refuse Divine Truth Jerem. 13.23 Hence have sprung all those Bold and Daring Efforts of pretended shrewdness of Reason and Argument Insolencies of it in Scorn and Raylery against the Purity of the Doctrine of Christ That Arch-Fallen Reason the Devil Turnes himself into all shapes sometimes as a severe Rationalist sometimes as a Sarcastic Scoffer and sometimes is Transform'd into an Angel of Light and as a Zelot for the Honour of Christianity and therefore it is no wonder 2 Cor. 11.13 c. if his Ministers are Transform'd so also and even as the Ministers of Righteousness And all these very Shapes hath The Treatise we have to do with put on § 5. It will be said If Reason be not in a Capacity to Receive Revelation what shall Receive it Is it to be swallowed in Ignorance and Blind Obedience or by an Implicit Faith the Answer is The Infinitely Only Wise God Rom. 16.27 as the Apostle Adores him upon the very Account of the Gospel the Mystery kept hid and Revealed after for the Obediente of Faith hath prepared a New Creation a Regeneration a Renovation of the Spirit of the Mind viz. Faith a New Understanding and Light a Grace of great Wisdom and Intelligence and were it not for Confounding it with the Exploded Fallen Reason as men are so inclin'd to do who are so Desirous to be Teachers of Reason but not Rationally as the Jews were of the Law but not Lawfully not Knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm It might be call'd 1 Tim. 17.8 a New Reason that sees in and by and is wholly guided by Revelation in and from the word of God Dwelling richly in it in All Wisdom and Spiritual Vnderstanding And in this Light it Proves and Examines all Things and holds fast that which is good And that which is Above All In this New Creation and Faith the Light of it The great Redeemer by his Spirit Unites himself to the Renewed Spirit and Dwells in it which is a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Ephes 1.17 1 Cor. 2.12 and so Reveals the Deeps of God that we might know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and the Things that are freely given us of God § 6. If it be further Demanded Is the First Creation and the Reason of it wholly Antiquated and Removed in the New Creation The Answer is All the unchangeable and unmovable Parts of it are comprehended and taken into the New Creation and much Exalted And even as to men Unrenewed and before Renovation The Great Redeemer hath laid hold upon and made a Reserve of some great Principles of Truth and Reason or Re-imprinted them in the Minds of Men in General and the Law is Written in the Heart Rom. 2.14.15 even of the Gentiles for many Great and Wise Ends of the Government of the World And that These may give Testimony to the Holiness Purity Diviness and Wisdom of the Truths of Revelation They are a kind of Rude Draught or Indentings which the New Creation takes hold of in the Minds of Men that they may know by them The Light of the Gospel is from Heaven and of God And on the Account of this They are Righteously Condemn'd who do not Receive the Truths of it so far as these Impressions of Natural Light Lead and it is certain here is the Condemnation of men that They have not Believed in the Name of the Son of God Joho 3.18 because they loved Darkness rather than Light and that because Their Deeds are Evil And on this Account also even in Devils and Lost Spitits those Principles of so Great Light given in the first Creation are Preserv'd by God in Highest Actuation that do what they can They may Glorify His Justice in their Condemnation Thus is his way in the Sea and his Path in the great Waters and his Foot-steps cannot be Traced as yet or in the way of his present Government of the World He who is Light and in whom is no Darkness at All Causes Light to prevail to Condemnation where it hath not and does not prevail to Conformity and Obedience to it But in the New Creation Behold all things become New 2 Cor. 5.17 There is Inward Supernatural Illumination and the Power of Grace and Holiness Conforming the whole Intellectual Spirit to it and Comprizing also within it self the First Illumination so that it is known to be that First Illumination that Revelation hath yet taken wholly into it self that there may be no mis-judging by a Partial Light and yet the Testimony of that Light preserved Steered but Exalted Far above it self § 7. It may be largely Remonstrated upon how great Affiance there is due to the Light and conduct of Reason in the Government of States of Families of Human Affairs in all Sciences and Arts Astronomy Physick Mathematicks Musick Agriculture Architecture Navigation Manufacture and how certain and evident the conclusions that are made according to it are and what Trust therefore may be given to it in Religion But on the other side we ought to consider How much Darkness and Ignorance there is How difficult and slow the Attainments of Knowledg are How many things yet unknown How many Errors and Mistakes hardly found out and more hardly Corrected what great Differences and Disagreements of Judgments in most things pretended to be known And we shall have great cause to Resolve all the Honour and Glory we think so due to Human Reason into the Glory and Praise of the Infinite Reason Wisdom Vnderstanding Truth and Goodness who holds All Beings and Truths together in his own Understanding even as in his own Uochangeable and Immense Being else all had been soon Dissolved and who for his own Glory and Government of the whole Creation gives such and such Degrees of Assurance to the Understanding of Man in so many Things and yet Humbles it under so many and so great Failures That it may not presume upon it self especially in things relating to himself being convinced of its own shortness in what it is more easily sensible of Of all which Those last Chapters of God's Expostulation with Job are so great an Admonition I need enlarge no further upon it S. 8. It may in the last place be urg'd what security have we against all the Impostures of Paganism Antichristianism Mahometism and other Portentous

principally in Difference is attained viz. On the Side of the Treatise it is affirm'd by the Author There is no Doctrine of Christianity that can be properly styled a mystery that is above Reason or contrary to it In Answer to the Treatise I Affirm There are Greatest Truths of the Gospel Above Reason though not consider'd as Corrupt and many more Yea the whole Tenor and Frame of the Gospel as it comprizes the Redemption of Man Fallen by our Lord Jesus Christ is Both above and contrary to it as Corrupted and so mystery And according to the Measures of Reason so are the Powers of Free-will to be Arbitrated and Estimated as shall be seen through the Assistance of God in the Following Debate The Topicks or Seats of Argument on which the Author and his Treatise Rely are 1. That when the Truths of the Gospel are once Revealed the Mind and Reason of Man is able by its self to Form Ideas of Them according to Revelation so far as is necessary to our Advantage however not Adequate and by Former Ideas Implanted to Judge of them as from God and according to Truth Else they could be nothing to us any more than if never Revealed nor could we else distinguish them from Falshood and Delusion so proper to the Mystery of Iniquity And that Man hath a Power of Free-will Obedientially to Answer the Ends of such Revelations if not wanting to himself Else he could not be justly Condemned 2. That the Gospel is prepared and Addressed to the Minds and Wills of Men according to the former Hypothesis or Argument and not as if it were Mystery On the Contrary Part to shew the Gospel is Mysterious I will endeavour after the Closest Pursuits of the Nature of Reason and of Revelation according to both Scripture and Reason and the Intimate Sense of Awaken'd Mind From Both these therefore Compared we shall Attain the Knowledge How the very word Mystery came into the use of the Gospel and Adjust thereunto the use of it in the Impure Mysteries of Paganism and Antichristianism and the Common use of it in ordinary Concernments and for what Excellent purposes it is to be Zealously Contended for in Divine Things till All Mystery be Finish'd And to Exemplify Gospel Reason and Mystery I will do it in Him who is indeed the Highest Exemplar of Both The Eternal Logus or Reason and the Mystery as he is Christ in us the Hope of Glory And hereby we shall be led into the Supreme Mystery of the Father The Word The Spirit And all along in Answer to this Treatise I would remove the Scandals and Reproaches cast upon the Truths of the Gospel Asserted to be Mysterious and the Faithful Stewards of those Mysteries as if they had any Symbolism with the Mystery of Iniquity and shew how they differ as Light and Darkness In the Last Place Any Objections I can Derive from the Treatise that can be supposed to be made against the Mysteriousness of Christianity as it shall be made out in the Answer shall be throughout it as particularly as may be taken into Just and Equal Consideration According to this Scheme I shall by the Assistance of God not only endeavour a Scripture but a Rational Conviction that the Doctrines of Christianity are and must needs be in Truest Sense Mysteries I Conclude therefore this short Scheme with Applying that Grave Observation to the whole It is said A little Knowledge in Nature makes Men Atheists But a Deep and Well-Ballasted Knowledge more strongly Rootes Them in the Acknowledgment and Adoration of the Divine Being So Superficial Tinctures of Reason give Men occasion to Deny the Mysteriousness of Christianity but the Juster Presences of it in the Mind give Fullest Assurances It is in All True Senses Mysterious even the Adorable Mystery of the Divine Wisdom and Grace A Discourse of the Mysteriousness of Christianity in answer to a treatise Christianity not Mysterious CHAP. I. Of the close and strict consideration of Reason IN speaking of Reason The Introduction to that Head The close pursuit after Reason I cannot acquiesce to the singling out of that compare and ballancing of the Idea's of the Mind and Arguing from them in finding out Truth assigned in this Treatise to be a sufficient Representation of Reason but that there ought to be as just an Animadversion on what the Author does indeed Represent which ought to be taken in viz. the Mind the Idea's of the Mind the Evidences the Mind hath of Notions or Propositions immediately and as issuing in Full Demonstration And also what the Author takes no notice of viz. That Holiness Purity Righteousness Universal Goodness and Probity inseparate from True Reason That Inward and Prophoric or outward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Speech so Essential to Reason and that Energy Vigor and Power of Imprinting it self upon Rational Beings so immediately resulting from Reason according to the Excellency of the Reason from which it flows For thus I find Scripture does extend it self with Relation to what is to be Discoursed upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Reason viz. Spirit Mind the Vnderstanding the Discursive Mind Wisdom Knowledg Truth The Wisdom that is the Fear of the Lord the Knowledg of the Holy The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law Written in the Heart The speaking in the Heart or Communing with it The Tongue of the Wise of the Learned a might and power an Authority of Teaching But were it not that in one peculiar case of greatest moment as shall be set out but deferr'd till what is more universally agreeable have made the way to it I should have no favor for the word Reason on a Religious Account as being a word taken from the Pride and Supercile of Philosophy and not from Scripture but set in opposition to the Spirituality of the Gospel But seeing it hath pleased the Spirit of God to single out that word that all the Great Men of Reason have expressed it by viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to apply it to the Son of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Reason as Scripture is The Writing therein Sanctifying the Learning of Egypt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Transcendent a Revelation and so plainly pointing upon the sense of that word we are to be upon in styling that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Light of Men as Reason in the General Acceptation is and the Light that Lightneth every man that cometh into the World I shall generally adhere to it in the following Discourse and have an especial Regard to it as it must needs be understood in this Debate viz. That Reason or Reasoning Vnderstanding planted in the Mind or intellectual Spirit of Man constituting such an Intellectual Rational Creation altho in this Fallen Condition of Man there are only some Reserves or some Mentions and Ruins of it § 1. IT is agreed on both parts as is acknowledged in the Scheme Foregoing That to be Above or not above