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soul_n body_n ghost_n holy_a 10,800 5 5.0214 4 true
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B08370 A soveraign remedy against atheism and heresy. Fitted for the vvit and vvant of the British nations / by M. Thomas Anderton. Anderton, Thomas.; Hamilton, Frances, Lady. 1672 (1672) Wing A3110A; ESTC R172305 67,374 174

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first and cleerest notions and principles of mankind it must be sayd that nothing hath not only proportion with somthing but also that nothing and somthing haue the same properties and work the same effects and by consequence that there is no difference or distance between such contradictions as nothing and somthing being and not being existent and not existent Q. I see that the existence and vnity of God is much more cleere than Atheists pretend but me thinks the same argument wherby you proue Gods vnity concludes the impossibility of the Trinity for if there can not be two or more things infinitly perfect it must be granted that either the Father son and holy Ghost are not things or beings distinct one from the other or if they be that they are not infinitly perfect A. To this question or obiection there are two answers The first and best is that God were not infinitly perfect if such imperfect creatures as we know our selues to be could comprehend his excellencies and mysteries And though as rational creatures we ought euen in what we belieue be directed by reason yet that reason which is our guide can lead us no further in many things than to persuade vs submit to credible authority which is the testimony of a Church or Congregation authentikly authorised by God to beare witness that he reuealed such and such mysteries Though the truth of these mysteries be not intelligible or visible to our human vnderstandings it were want of vnderstanding to doubt of them or to deny them because there is not any one truth more cleer to vs nor more obuious by vndeniable experiments to all mankind than this that there are many truthes wherof our human vnderstandings can giue no reason Now if this be so in human and ordinary things why should we presume or pretend that the mystery of the Trinity is not true because we forsooth can not comprehend its truth The second answer is this the Father the son and holy Ghost haue but one being or nature common to all three and therfore they are equaly powerfull equaly wise equaly good and eternall and by consequence but one God But because this diuine nature or essence hath three different manners of being and that euery one of these three manners is identified with and inseparable from the Deity though distinct one from the other there must be three distinct persons the first is called the Father the second is called the son the third is called the holy Ghost This may be explained by two similitudes 1. is that of a body which hath three dimensions longitude latitude and profundity distinct one from the other but not from the body 2. is that ordinary example of our soul which is but one being though it hath three different manners of being the first manner is to know the second is to wish or wil the third is to remember Though these three manners or modes of being are very different in themselues yet they are not things distinct from the soul Q. But how can this be applyed to the Trinity A. Thus. It must be granted that in the Deity we may consider and truly t is so the Diuine nature first as hauing from itself alone all knowledge and all perfections 2. this same Deity may be considered as knowing or reflecting vpon its own knowledge and perfections 3. it may be considered as infinitly louing itself and its infinit perfections The Deity therfore or the Divine nature as it is the fountain of infinit fecundity and the original principle or giuer is called the Father The same Deity as it is considered not the fountain but as if it were the riuer that flowes from that fountain or the chanel that receiues its own knowledge and perfections is called the son The same Deity as it is infinitly beloued by the Father and the son is called the holy Ghost which holy Ghost proceedeth as wel from the son as from the Father because each of those two persons equaly loue one an other and the Deity whence it followeth that the Greekes error of the procession of the holy Ghost from the Father alone and not from the son is not only blasphemy but nonsense because it is impossible that such a Father should not loue such a son and that such a son should not loue his Father they both hauing the same nature and the same perfections This is sufficient of so sublime a mystery the truth wherof though it can not be cleerly comprehended by so imperfect creatures as we are yet our human reason may with some probability and proportion shew that the vnity of the Diuine nature doth no more exclude the Trinity of persons than the vnity of a body doth exclude its three dimensions or the vnity of the soul it s three faculties CHAP. II. OF THE IMMORTALITY of the soul Q. Is the immortality of the soul an article of Christian Religion A. Yes because in the Creed we belieue the life euerlasting Q. May this article be proued by natural reason A. yes if you will admit there is any such thing as reason in man For reason is that faculty wherby a man finds himself naturaly directed and inclined to raise his thoughts aboue and beyond the reach of his senses and to correct and contradict his own sensations when he discouers that they are as false and fallacious as dayly experience doth manifest in familiar examples v. g. of oares that seem to bend or break in the water of sophisticated wine that seemes to be natural of false colours of mad dreames and imaginations that in our sleep or in a melancoly humor seem to be rational discourses and real obiects and other innumerable mistakes which are rectified either by reflexions of our own or by the rules of perspectiue philosophy and other sciences inuented by men to discern the difference that is between the true existence and the false appearance of things Q. How do you inferr that the soul is immortal because reason which is the soul or a faculty therof doth direct and incline men to correct the fallacy of their sensations and to raise their thoughts aboue and carry them beyond the reach of our senses A. Sensation being a cooperation or a ioynt operation of the body and soul through the organization or ministery of our senses if the soul or its faculty of reason doth correct and contradict som of these sensations and finds them to be false or fallacious it is manifest that the soul may and sometimes doth operat not only independently of the body but contrary to those appearances which seemd to be real whilst we were in it and were directed by them or belieued our senses and by consequence the soul is immortal because the immortality of the soul is nothing else but its independency of the boby in acting and existing and if it acts against our sensations when it is in the body questionless it may act without them or independently of
the help of the body and if it can act independently of the help of the body it may exist also without help of the same and so the soul is proued to be immortal or not to dye with the body by its acting in the body contrary to the dictamen or appearence of our senses Q. Methinks this argument only proues that the soul may act and by consequence exist independently of the body for som ryme but proueth not that it may exist for euer independently of the body and the immortality of the soul is not euery existen ●ce but an euerlasting existence independent of the boby A. True it is that the immortality of the soul is an euerlasting existence without necessity of the bodyes help or support and as true it is that reason as soon as the soul knowes it self doth direct it to desire and endeauour its own happiness which ●nuolues not only a perpetuity of existence but an euerlasting felicity in the same existence That reasons cleerest act after the soul knowes its own existence is to direct and inspire into the soul a desire and endeauours of its own happiness is manifest not only by that regret and remorse of conscience which men feel when they deuiat from the direction or dictamen of reason but also by the loue which men bear to themselues which loue being confessed to be most euidently rational can not but be directed by the cleerest principle of reason Vvherfore this desire of the souls happiness being directed by the cleerest principle of reason can not be pretended to be a dreame or delusion vnless you will maintain that the cleerest reason is the greatest folly and by consequence destroy the fundamental ground of all human discourse and rational endeauours If therfore the souls desire of euerlasting happiness be grounded vpon so cleer a principle of reason this if it be not folly must haue a real obiect wherunto we are directed and wherwith we may be satisfied without any possibility of mistake and if so 't is as demonstrable that the soul is immortal as it is that the most rational desires and endeauours are not manifest follies and that the fundamental and experimental principles of reason can not be false or fallacious But if any one will be so mad as to grant that the first and fundamental principles of human reason are false and fallacious besides that herin he reflects vpon Gods wisdom goodness and gouernment wherwith such a supposition is not compatible he must grant that there are som other contrary fundamental principles true in opposition wherunto ours are false and fallacious Let him therfore produce them and maintain that it is reasonable in lieu of honoring our parents to hate them in lieu of desiring our happiness to wish our misery c. and if he can not produce any others besides these he can not think it reasonnable we should credit these or feare our selues can be misled so long as we stick close to our own principles of reason and follow that light which shines and euery man sees in certain actions necessarily and naturally assented vnto and therfore common to all mankind CHAP. III. OF THE VVORSHIP OF GOD and the sacrifice due to him Q. Seing you haue proued that there is a God and that the soul is immortal I would willingly know how God ought to be worshipt A. God being the Author of all good Mr Beacoz a learned Protestāt in his Tratise intituled the reli●ues of Rome edit 1560. f. 344 saith the Mass vvas begotten conceiued and born anone after the Apostles tyme if all be true that Historiographers vvrite Sebastianus Francus an other learned Protestant in his Epistle for abr●gating all ●he Canon lavv sayth im●●diatly after the Apostles all things vvere turnd vpside dovvn c. The Lords supper vvas trans formed into a sacrifice Mr Ascham in his Apology for the Lords supper p. 31. doth acknovvledge that no beginning of this change can be chevved The anciēt rathers call the Mass the visible sacrifice the true sacrifice the dayly sacrifice the sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech the sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ the sacrifice of the Altar the sacrifice of the Church and the sacrifice of the nevv Testament See St Ignatius the Apostles Scholar in his Epistle to the Church of Smirna St Irenaeus l. 4. c. 32. of vvhom the Centurists say that he speakes very in comodiously vvhen he sayes that Christ tanght a nevv oblation vvhich the Church receiuing from the Apostles doth offer to God in all the vvorld See Cent. c. 4. col 63. and Cent. 2. cap. 10. col 167. they affirm St Ignatius his vvords to bee dangerous and quasi errorum semina See also Terrul ad scapul cap. 2. Origen in numer hom 23. St Cyprian lib. 2. 3. vers fin St Ambrlib 5. Ep. 33. Missam facere coepit c. St Leo Ep. 81. ad Dioscor St August term 91. de Temp. lib. 9. Confess cap. 12. in Enchird cap. 110. c. Sayes that the Sacrifice of our price vvas offerd for his mother Monica being dead and that it is not to be doubted but that the souls of the dead are relieued vvhen for them is offered the sacrifice of our Mediator c. the only beginning and cause of our existence the end and hopes of our happiness it is fit we exhibit vnto him the greatest honor we can not only euery one in particular by an inward submission of our souls acknowledging his infinit excellencies and our own nothing and imperfections but also by an outward offering or oblation of som visible thing that ought to be consumed or changed therby to own Gods infinit power and Dominion ouer his creatures and consecrated to his Diuine maiesty by a solemn ceremony and publik Minister This way of worship is called a Sacrifice and the publik Minister who offers it is called a Priest It hath bin practised since the beginning of the world as appeareth in the sacrifices of Abel Noe Melchisedech Abraham Isaac Iacob Iob. and others in the law of nature and in the written law of Moyses great part therof is nothing but rules and ceremonies concerning the manner of sacrificing and the habit and method which the Priest ought to obserue in performing that publik ministery Q. Vvhat is the sacrifice of the Christians or of the law of grace A. It is the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud offerd for the liuing and for the dead vnder the species or appearence of bread and wine and is commonly called the Mass Q. Is not the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud as it was offerd vpon the Cross the proper sacrifice of Christians or of the Catholik Church A. It is the most excellent sacrifice that euer was offered nay all other sacrifices in the law of nature of Moyses and of grace did and do deriue their virtue and efficaciousness from the sacrifice of the Cross but because