Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A60369
|
A preservative against atheism and error wherein some fundamental points in religion ... are by way of question and answer handled, and with much brevity and clearness proved ... : to which is added a brief answer to William Russel in a book of his entituled No seventh-day-Sabbath in Christs New Testament / by W. Saller.
|
Saller, William, d. ca. 1680.
|
1664
(1664)
|
Wing S399; ESTC R37201
|
26,787
|
31
|
nessecarily depending one upon another like the parts and members of a natural body most comely and beautiful so that the highest commendations Christ gives his Church in that book of the Canticles doth much more belong to that Body of Divinity held forth in the Scriptures by which she is begotten and conformed to his Image Add to this the consideration of the Pen-men thereof who being the Prophets and Apostles and living in several Ages yet without jarr have brought forth this noble work so that you may plainly see they were all guided by one and the same holy Spirit in the writing of them Fourthly The Effects and lively Power of them in the hearts of men declare from whence they are descended that which is spoken of their soul-searching and powerful piercing nature Heb. 4.12 every soul that seriously converseth with them findeth true He that in his old blind estate took his heart to be good when he comes to try it by the Scriptures finds it so notoriously filthy that he abhors himself and as it discovereth sin so it purgeth it out and makes the carnal heart spiritual and brings it unto the Love of God and Holiness which before he hated and works it up to the hatred of sin which before he loved so that its transforming nature plainly sheweth it to be the Words of God Quest But may not other Books perswade men as well as that how many are led by other books into error Answ Yea other books may over-come mens judgements but not transform their natures from carnal to be spiritual from earthlymindedness to be heavenly minded and to bring from the love of sin to the love of holiness as this blessed Book of the holy Scriptures doth Fifthly The constant fulfilling of the Prophecies of them preach to all men their â—nfallibility God made good his Promise to Abraham Gen. 15. as also that to David 2 Sam. 7.12 to the 17. Also his Threatnings to Jeroboam 1 Kings 13.2 As also the Promises made in the 2d of Haggai and 3d of Malachi concerning Christ's coming to the second Temple which is now fallen Also Christ's Prophecy of the fall of this Temple and of Jerusalem Mat. 23.37 38. 24.2 19 20 21 22. Luke 21.20 21 22 23 24. is also come to pass As also the Prophecy of Paul 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. is you see fulfilled to a tittle with many more instances if need were all proving their heavenly birth Sixthly The unsupportable burthen of a Conscience which God woundeth for sin The sealing Testimony of his Love by the Spirit to the soul of the true believer The gracious Answers to prayers made to God in the name of Christ with other like experiences give to all gracious hearts most full assurance that the Scriptures were endited by the Spirit of God Seventhly Jehovah himself hath born witness of them that they are his words beyond all contradiction 1. By declaring the ten Commandments with his own Voice with that terrour as is exprest Exod. 19. and writing them twice with his own hand these being the grand Law on which the whole Scriptures depend and being the foundation of all Religion as by and by will appear 2. The wonderful Signs and Miracles wrought to confirm them as the bringing Israel out of Egypt through the Red-Sea and the Wilderness and Jordan by a piller of a Cloud by day and a piller of Fire by night into Canaan to the terrour of all the Nations round about Also the Sun standing still and coming back The Resurrection of Christ which will be proved anon and the Resurrection of others by Christ with other numberless Miracles all preaching to the world that the Scriptures are the Counsel and Will of God Quest But how shall we know that these wonders have been wrought but by the Scriptures own Testimony or by the Church Answ It may be known if this be considered that the Scriptures have alwayes had and to this day have so many feigned friends open enemies either flatly opposing them or to their uttermost secretly undermining and disgracing them or exalting humane inventions above them in so much that no sober Christian can doubt but that if there had beene possibility to have denied the report of those Miracles in that day in which they are said to be done the World could not have wanted Volumes enough to have shaken the Faith of the Christian World so called long before this day but although they be carpt at and undermined yet may all that love them challenge all their enemies to produce one known and approved Author that hath undertaken to reprove the report of those glorious Miracles and if none can be found then have we the greatest assurance that can be desired that they are certainly true Eightly And lastly They have a Testimony in the consciences and mouths of those that like not to be ruled by them and therefore make as little use of them as possible they can in setting up Religion You have a clear instance of the Papists to go no further Evident it is that as many Decrees Canons Articles Traditions and Ceremonies as the Church of Rome hath yet with all these and her Mass-book Pope and Councils to boot with all their pretended infalliability yet they cannot have a Religion without the holy Scriptures although it be a well-known truth that they love them not For all those that honour and obey them and dare not transgress those blessed Precepts are the only grand Hereticks with them And as for such as conform to their abominable Idolatries and superstitious Inventions pass for Catholick people with them although they be notorious transgressors of the Law of God and yet if these men did wholly cast off the Scriptures as ill as they love them their Religion could not have a Being I am neither insensible nor forgetful that there are both foolish subtile indeavours by several sorts of men besides these some of them I may meet with at another turn others a reasonable understanding will answer and therefore I will go no further in this Quest Have you not some other consideration about the Scriptures meet to be opened you spake a little before of the Dignity of the ten Commandments will you prove those sayings Answ I did so and before I go further I think it meet to do that work for now having proved the Scriptures to be of divine Authority we may with all boldness apply our selves unto them as a safe guide in Religion And first for the Dignity of the ten Commandments it is most evident that they are a superior Law on which all other Laws in the Scriptures depend For this see Christ's own Testimony Mat. 22.35 where giving us the sum of that divine Law consisting in Love to God and to our Neighbour he tells us in express words that the whole Law and the Prophets hang upon it and that this is not my own exposition of the Text but the Apostle Pauls see
A PRESERVATIVE AGAINST Atheism and Error Wherein some Fundamental Points in Religion VIZ. 1. The Essence or Being of GOD. 2. The Divine Authority of the holy Scriptures 3. The Majesty Worth Use and Perpetuity of the Moral Law or Law of ten Commandments 4. Our Lord Jesus Christ being the true Messiah Are by way of Question and Answer handled and with much brevity and clearness proved To put a stop to that Currant of Atheism Ignorance and Error that runneth in this evil day To which is added A brief ANSVVER to William Russel in a Book of his entituled No Seventh-day-Sabhath in Christs New Testament As also A brief Word to the Dispute in Stone Chappel at Pauls London By W. SALLER LONDON Printed in the Year 1664. To the Reader Courteous Reader AS Ignorance Atheism and Prophaness hath alwayes abounded in the World so never more than at this day and not only so but even amongst the zealous and well meaning People of this Nation there have been all subtile endeavours used as far as the temper of the People could bear it to wheel them round about to the Gates of Rome again And these endeavours have not been without great success even in the Churches of Christ corrupting their Principles and wounding the very heart of Religion amongst some of them And besides this mortal growing disease there is a notorious carelesness in the most of preserving the Grounds of Religion in purity either by preaching or catechising insomuch as there is ground to fear our distempers will grow past remedy unless God by some gracious means or other put a stop to that Currant of Errour which through the Atheism of some and Ignorance of others is let out and runneth with a mighty stream the sence whereof hath engaged me to write these following lines which I entreat thee to read and consider And if thou beest not fully satisfied in every point if I may know the reason thereof in word or writing or in any such way as becomes a person fearing God and conscientiously willing to finde out the Truth in Love I shall do the best I can to satisfie thee But if I should be fallen upon by some railing Scorner or one whose Confidence out-runs his Understanding and all sober mens also it is like I may take little notice of him So commending my Lines to thy consideration and my prayers to the Lord for thy profiting as also desiring a share in thine if thou beest one that usest to call upon his Name I rest Thy Friend and Servant in the Work of CHRIST W. S. A Preservative against ATHEISM and ERROUR Question VVHat do you judge is the needful work of the day Answer The day calls for many needful works and amongst the rest this for one The laying down such foundations and principles of Religion and Godliness as may through God's blessing recover Religion into its antient Purity and preserve it therein Quest What do you think of the many Catechisms that have been imployed in this service Answ Many have done worthily in opening he Commandments of God and in shewing the use of Christ's Ordinances and several parts of Truth have been usefully opened but yet through their not knowing or not considering how the world is over-spread partly with Atheism and partly with Ignorance have missed of that which is the main and said little or nothing to that which is of most concernment Quest What are those weighty Truths or some of them that should be further spoken to Answ This for one namely The undoubted and unquestionable Being of a God Quest Do you judge that needful Answ Yea for it is not so long since Atheism appeared with an open face in the Ranters and how it appears in the lives of multitudes is too manifest For how do men at this day swear for or against any thing that stands with their present advantage and laugh at that in private as superstitious and ridiculous which they in publick subscribe to as if it were good and sutable to the mind of God with many like Abominations which men could never constantly run on in the course of doing if they did from the heart believe that there is a God For what is more inconsistent with the Being of a God than to own and countenance such works of Iniquity Quest How will you prove convincingly there is a God Answ First It is proved by the Creation of the World for it is altogether impossible for the visible Creation to give it self a being I mean there is no thing which the eye of man can behold which could possibly give it self a being muchless could it give a being to any thing lese As for example Where can any Man find a creature in heaven or in earth indued with Reason and Understanding and so accomplished with Skill to bring to pass such excellent works as he himself can do and yet could he not make himself But it is evident to reason that the first of mankind must have their Being from God muchless could Man have stretched out his hand to the Heavens and have set them at such a wonderful distance from the Earth and have stretched them round about it and so bespangled it with Stars and have given a Being to the Sun Moon and have commanded them to keep their course to all Generations neither could he have made the Earth and the Seas and have stocked them with such variety of Creatures and bound them in a round lump together and commanded this bulkie massie piece to stand firm in the midst of the Heavens these and such-like Works are too wonderful for any but only for Himself who is in Mercy Power Wisdom Fore-knowledge and all eternal Excellency Matchless and Infinite Quest But may it not be objected by an Atheist that all things are by Nature Answ It may and is so objected commonly but the answer is ready at hand thus If it should be supposed that all things are by Nature yet then of necessity this cannot be denied that Nature must be accomplished with such an Almighty Power unsearchable Wisdom and wonderful Love to the whole Earth and especially to Mankind together with all those most glorious Perfections which we commonly ascribe to God for most evident it is that He that wrought out the Being and Well-being of all things is most richly furnished with the very highest Perfections of all Excellency and Goodness and this is no less than to confess the Being of a God Quest Have you any other proof that there is a God Answ The works of Providence do further evidence the Being of a God as first The constant Preservation of the whole Creation that all the hosts of Men and Beasts Fowls and all living Creatures should be in a constant course of Providence fed every day for thousands of years together it evidently shews the Fatherly-care Faithfulness Wisdom and Bounty of a God Again if God doth alter his wonted course at any time and make