Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	place_n	scripture_n	word_n	9,705	5	4.5641	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49459	The chief interest of man, or, A discourse of religion, clearly demonstrating the equity of the precepts of the Gospel, and how much the due observance thereof doth conduce to the happiness and well-being as well of humane societies as of particular persons by H. Lukin.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1665 (1665)	Wing L3473; ESTC R125	65,780	204

their causes that were holy men and such as could not be imagined to have a design to deceive especially the things which they delivered being such as exposed them to danger and trouble and were not likely to bring them any advantage in the World Or should Moses or one of the Prophets or Apostles arise from the dead tell us they did indeed live here upon the earth in such times and preach such Doctrine and work such miracles yea and they have found since their Death that those things which they Prophecyed or Preached are true they see those who obeyed their word triumphing in Heaven and those who contemned it tormented in Hell might we not as easily suspect that this might be some Spirit which appeared in their shape to delude us as that the Jews who are Enemies to the Christian Religion should devise a writing and disperse it abroad in the World which should so plainly confirm the Christian Religion as the Old Testament doth which is at this day owned among the Jews or that those Antient Writers should conspire together to deceive the World in recording the same things which we find in Scripture or that the Scriptures should be translated into so many languages and dispersed all the World over so soon after the Apostles times and none be so false to the divulgers of it or so true to the World as to give notice of it if it were a forgery or that these things should be recorded in the Roman Registers and the acts of their Senate to which Tertullian durst appeal if there had been no such thing This one thing would I learn should one come to us as from the dead in the likenesse of Alexander Caesar William the Conqueror Wickliff Luther Calvin and tell us in sober sadnesse that they were such a one that lived in such a time did such things Preached such Doctrine whether should we believe such a Testimony sooner than the unanimous consent of History concerning them and those Books and Writings which are generally received as the works of such Men If any shall say that Turks and Heathens are as confident of the truth of that Religion which they were brought up in as we are of the truth of ours I answer they have not like ground for their confidence as for the Heathens what became of their Gods their Oracles when the Hebrew Child was born and when the Gospel began to spread in the World Compare the miracles wherewith other Religions have been confirmed with those wherewith the Gospel hath been confirmed and see whether they be so many so confessedly above the power of Nature or Art so evidently wrought in the sight of all as those whereby the Christian Religion hath been confirmed What is the reason that the Turks admit no enquiry or dispute about matters of Religion but require an implicite Faith Truth seeks no corners error shuns the light Examine the Laws of Turks and Pagans whether there be that Purity Equity Wisdom consonancy to right reason and the light of Nature in them which is to be found in the Scriptures Examine the ways and means by which they have been propagated whether they have reached any further than their Swords have made way for them whether the Weapons of their warfare were spiritual or carnal whereas the Gospel prevailed through the evidence and power of the Spirit against the pretended authority of the Jews the Wisdom and learning of the Grecians the power and force of the Romans and Fishermen were too hard for Rabbies Philosophers Judges Generals Armies If any object the improbability of some things delivered in Scripture I shall only propound whether there be not some things which we are fully assured of either by experiments or Mathematical demonstration which to others seem as improbable as any thing in the Scripture seems to us and shall we not grant God to be as much wiser than our selves as we are wiser than other Men and suppose he could as easily convince us of those things which now seem impossible to us as we can convince others of those things which they cannot at present believe And if the seeming contradictions that are in Scripture be urged to weaken the authority of them they are rather an argument of the integrity and sincerity of the Penmen and their leaving things so securely which do not at first sight seem to accord with other Scriptures shews clearly they had no Plot to deceive the World otherwise they would have conspired to make their testimonies agree in words more exactly yet upon examination of the matter and considering the several circumstances of time place Persons scope occasion the several uses of the same word and phrase the latitude which all Authors use in their writings the several places and Persons of the same name the several names given to the same place or Person the shortnesse of Scripture History and supplying in one place what is wanting in another the attending rather to sence and substance than to words and phrases in citing Scripture we shall find that there is a very fair accord between those places which seem to be at the greatest variance and if we cannot reconcile all places yet if we consider that we have by attending to such things as I have mentioned already composed so many seeming differences we may conclude it is from our own ignorance that we cannot compose the rest and that there is yet somewhat else that we are ignorant of which if we could find out we might as easily reconcile the rest which at present seem most irreconcilable and it is obvious to every one how many difficulties and contradictions seem to be in every Science while Men are but smatterers in it which presently vanish as soon as they come more perfectly to understand it But now if this objection be framed against the differences which are among Christians which professe the Gospel I will by the way observe this that differences do most abound where men upon serious apprehensions of the weight and importance of the matters of faith do diligently apply themselves to understand themselves the mysteries of the Gospel and to see with their own eyes being affraid to be deceived in matters of such moment by depending upon the testimony of others and unwilling to lose their Souls and Heaven and God to save the labour of searching after truth and in those Nations where I have had opportunity to be conversant I have found most differences amongst them which have been most addicted to Religion and most sollicitous about the condition of their souls and most agreement amongst them which have contented themselves to follow others by an implicit faith without troubling themselves much to search after truth and where there hath been such a coldnesse and indifferency in matters of Religion that all have quietly accorded together as the Philosophers observe that cold doth congregate Heterogeneal things or such things as are of different kinds making them all

far doth this fall short of expressing the unreasonableness of such as will rather enjoy present pleasures than prepare for future happinesse A Child is bound to an Apprenticeship and he perhaps dies before his time be out and so all his labour and charge is lost or he doth not live seven years a Freeman after he hath lived seven years in a hard service But he that gives up himself to the service of Christ let it be imagined to be as hard as some mens prejudice perswades them the sooner he dyes the sooner his service is ended and though he dye never so soon he loseth not his Freedom but is made a Citizen of Heaven and once entred there he never dyes but doth for ever reap the fruit of his labours Do we not give twenty times as much for the Fee-simple as they speak of an Estate as it will bring us in one year and according to the same rule were we sure to enjoy the pleasures of sin twenty years and could imagine them to be equal to the joyes of Heaven yet we should quit them for those everlasting pleasures which we should enjoy for ever our selves and not only for some Ages as we hope to do Estates on Earth not in our selves but only in our posterity Further yet we see it is in vain to lay a snare in the sight of any Bird. Prov. 1.17 they will not come into the Net to feed if they perceive it or swallow the bait when they see the hook yet foolish men do venture on Hell which they are told will certainly be the wages of sin and will enjoy the present pleasures of it though they have all the assurance that a man can have of any thing which he sees not with his eyes that it will cost him his life and that his Soul must rue for ever in Hell God indeed doth not manifest himself to us ordinarily here nor take us up as he did Paul into the third Heavens to shew us the Glory thereof but he will have us to exercise faith here and to take his word which he hath so fully confirmed to us that we may as certainly trust to it as if we had the clearest evidence in the world The Husband-man casts his seed into the ground without any fear or suspition of losing having been confirmed by many experiments in the hope of receiving it again with increase but a thousand experiments will not so fully perswade as a divine testimony confirmed by Covenants Oaths and Seals the ordinary wayes of confirmation amongst men so that a Divine faith founded upon the word of God is as the substance of things hoped for which are but future and makes them as it were really subsist and is the evidence of things not seen confirming them to us and as fully perswading us of them though they are not obvious to the sense as any Philosophical demonstration can confirm any truth so that notwithstanding the Apostle owns sence to be a great means to move affections in this frail state wherein we are yet faith serves believers for a sufficient foundation of love and delight Though they see not Jesus Christ they love him and rejoyce in him with joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1.7 We are short sighted and cannot see a far off 2 Pet. 1.9 but faith as a perspective brings things nearer to us that we may judge of them as really present Let not our senses therefore usurp authority over Faith and Reason but lot Faith and Reason have their perfect work let not the Men of the World be wiser in their Generation than Children of light let us not be wiser in the things of the World than in the things of Heaven We chuse not the fairest of things for the most part but such as are more serviceable and durable nor the sweetest but that which is wholsom and nourishing we chuse not the cleanest or pleasantest way but that which leads to the place which we are going to So let us judge of things not according as they present themselves to our senses but as they have a real intrinsick worth to commend themselves to our judgments and let us not judge of things according to their suitablenesse to our present fancies but as they conduce to our abiding good measuring every thing not by Time but by Eternity SECT XV. Inconsideratenesse another great cause of Atheism against which the best remedies are a serious apprehension of the great moment and importance of spiritual things frequent reading and hearing the word of God Christian communion and conference about matters of Religion mutual admonition The prevalency of evil customs and habits the folly of deferring repentance ANother chief reason of that Atheism which abounds so much in the World is inconsideratenesse the most important truths do not affect us any longer than we consider them The Platonists observed this who made knowledge nothing but remembrance or an actual consideration of that which Man knows not reckoning that to be knowledge which lyes dead in the habit and doth not at all affect the Soul And we find that the Scripture layes much weight upon this consideration or remembrance yea as much as Mans salvation comes to We may observe Isa 1.3 There is an Epimone wherein the Prophet layes the sin of Israel upon this that they did not consider So 1 Kings 8.47 We may observe affliction brings men to bethink themselves that brings them to repentance and repentance is a means to obtain pardon and we find by experience that when Men are by sicknesse brought to a serious weighing of matters they are easily perswaded to make good promises and resolutions which when their minds are afterwards by the pleasures of the World diverted from the thoughts of they turn to their former course yea we see many times that Men are so ingenuous as to yield to reproofs and to condemn themselves and their own wayes when they are admonished of them as if they stood in need of no more but to be put in mind of such things as they have in their own hearts and only to have conscience awakened and we find Ezek 18.14.28 that the turning away of a wicked man from the evil of his wayes depends chiefly upon consideration I have already shewed that the Devil is the remote cause of that wickednesse and prophaneness which abounds in the World yet he useth this as the great means to draw Men from God to divert their minds from the thoughts of such things as may have an influence upon their affections and actions to make a change in them as we see plainly in the Parable of the Sower Luk. 8.12 Men hear the word then comes the Devil and takes it away out of their hearts lest they should believe and be saved First we find by experience that M●n are oft seriously affected with those things that they hear while they are lively represented to their minds and pressed seriously upon their consciences