Helps ag,tinft Unbelief fa&. And what tefiimony can be greater of Gods interefi and approbation, than Chijls Rt[«rreiJiOit and aU tbejC mir~Jclei l . . . . §. ''t 1 , DireCt 8. Confider how no o1re of aU the Her~JJcl{f or Apofbtu , dtd ever ctJntradill ~he tn3t!tr.r Dtrea. S. of faD, or hath left the world any kjndof confitta:im ot them, whtch they wmted nor mahce or encouragement, or opportunity to have done. . . 9· 12 • DireCt. 9• Confider how that no ~;te ~~all _thofi ~houfondJ that ajferttd thefc mzr<Jclu are D~reli•9• wrr memiomd ;,~ any IJijlory _ar repenting of u , e1ther m rhe1r.b(.-alrh, or at the hour ofdeath : wh~reas it bad been fo heinous a v1Uany to have cheated the world m fo great a caufc, that fomt confe~enccs of dying men, efpecially of men, that phtced all their hopes in the life to come, mull needs have repented of. . . , . 9· J3· Direct. 10. Confider that the wwuffir vf allthcfe Mu·acler, and a!J t!Jt Churches, that belJeved Dire[i. I O· them, were t:m~ht by their own dol/fine and experience, to forfaJte all that they bad i;t the world, and to be reproached, hated and perfecuted of all men, and ~o be as lamUs amo_ng wol~es, in ~xptllation of de.tb ; and aUthir for the hope of that bltjfednejf prom•/id them by a Crucified, Rifm Chrifl· So that no worldly end could move them to deceive or lPilliJTgly to be dt:ccived. · ~: I 4 . DireCt. 11. Co,fider bo~ impoffible it is in it jclf, th_at fo m.:~ny m_en flJoztld agree together to de· Diret1., I r. ceive the world and ,JJ:Jt for nothmg, and at the rate of tlmr own ttndomg and death: and that they jhould aY agree in the fame narratives and doUrine_! fo uwanimo~Jly. And_ tiJat_ none of tbefe jhould tvcr confefi the deceit and difg:ace the reft_. All thmgs. well c~nhderc?, thts w~ll appear not only a Moral but a Natural impoffibiluy; EfpecJally confidcrmg thctr qual1ty and dJ{l:ance, there being thoufands in feveral countries, that never faw the faces of the refi) much lefs could enter a confederacie with them, to de"'c(ive the world. 9· 1 5· Direct. 12. Confider the ce~tain way by which the Dcl1rine and l.Yritin[!.l of the ApJ(ilu and Vircl1. 12. othEr Evangelical mcffengers, bath been delivered down to U5, without any poffibilit) of material altcratic1J : Bccaufe the Holy Scriptures were nor left only tiJ the care of private men, or of the Chrifiians of one country, who might have agreed upon corruptions. iuid alterations : But it was made the office of the ordinary Minifiers to read, and eXpound, and apply them: And every Congregation had one or more of thefe Minifiers: And the people .rec_e\ved the Scriptures as the Law of God, and that by which they mufi live and be judged, arid· as their charter for Heaven: So that it was not poffible for one Minifier to corrupt the Scripture T~::xt, but the reft with the people would have quickly reproved him: Nor fqr thofe of one Kingtkm to bring all ether Chr~llians to it, throughout the world, without a great deal of confultation and oppofition ( ,£'at all ) : which never was recorded to us. y. 16. Direct. 13· Be acquainted M fully ar yo11 ct~lt with the Riftory of the Chu.rch, that yote m.:y DiretJ. 13· k,_now how the Gofpcl bath been planted, and propagated, and •Jf•ulted, andprefirved until now: which will much better fatistie you, than general uncertain talk of others. . 9· 17. Dire6t. 14· Judge whtther God hting the Wife and Merciful Govtrnur ef the world would Dtreli.J +· fuffer the honejleft and obcdienttft[HbjdJs that he bath ttpon tartb, to be deceived i1t a matter of [uch im- Ne1i c~m pgrtance, bypretence of DoOrines and Miracles proceeding from him{elf, and which ftoHe but God ( or by ~~~~fum1~~s his fpecial grant ) is able to do, without di[owning tbem, or giving any fofficient meanr to the world V:erius & Be– to difcover the deceit. For certainly he needeth nor deceit to govern us. If you C1.y that he permits nHJs ell, hu– Mahometanifm, I anfwer, r. The main pofitive doctrine of the Mahometanes, for the wor£hiping 11101 jumfucnus, of one only God again{\ Idolatry, is true·: And the _by-fan_cies of their pretended Prophet are not ~:oc~;r:.am c;ommended to the world upon the ~,>retenfe of attefimg Mtrac/er at all; but upon the affirmation of Ma.fit. Ficir~. ·revelations without any credible feal or Divine attefiation ; and obtru~ed on the world by the de Rtl. Chrif. power of the fwotd. 2· And God bath given the world fufficient p.refcrvatives againfi them, in c. 1 ' the nullity of the proof of them, and the evident foppery of the writings and the things themfelves. So that honejly and diligence will ea!ily cfcape them. · 9· 18. Dire&; 15• Obfirve the [upernatural effe[/s of tht Gofpel :tpon the {ouls of believers: How it Dircli. 15. plantetf, o>t man the [magi of the Holy God: PowerfuUy fubduing both fenfe and the greatefr interefr l'icm fund•– of the flefh, to the will of God; and making men Wife and Good: and putting an admirable diffc- '""""m •fr rence bet~een them, and all other men·: And then judge wbether it be not Gotls ferzl bavi~tg hu Image ~::~~n~~~- firjl upon 11 J!lf, which he d.th ufe;mdhon~ur to .he tbt inj!rument of ir;zprinting his ~mage upon 1Y. pro Pi'"'· §. 19• D1rtd". I6. Mar~(, JJ.'ell the ctrtam Vamty of all other ReltgtonJ that prevad on the earth : Ido- Dircll.. 16. latry and !tlahometanifmwhich openly bear the mark of their own fkame, have Oured between them allmofr all the refr of the earth: For meer Dei{me is fcarce any where in Poffeffion; and Judaifm hath no confiderable mhentance ; and both of them as fcnfibly confuted by mans C!irruptiolt, neceffit,Y a.nd dt[ert. , . .9· 20• . Dir~6t. I~· Mark,_ ~he grtat differenct ~ttween theChriftian part of the world, ( t~ofe that re· Direli. r 7 . cnve Chrijltamtyfor~oufly andm fincertty) and all the reft : Thofe thar are fartheft from Chrijlianity, are zm~pbo1 rc– furtheft from piety, honefty, civility or any laUdable parts or converfations : Mofi of them are bcatHy portcth CJrHs a•d ungodly: And the refi are but a little better: And ignorance and bruitiChOefs cannot be the per- :u f:lylllg_ I{a!l (etfiqn of a man. ~ay a~ong pro[effed ~h!.iJ!_!anr, the rnu1t~tudes that have·but the N;~e, ahd bate :~~a.~~;1,,~~ the Nature and PraCJ,ce of ·It, are ' hke Swzne or 1.Yolvu and fome of the worft, near kin to Devils: witiJ piety When all that rtceive Chrijlianity pra{iicaUy into their hearts and livu, are heavenly and holy and (in t11 God, rbey the fame rn:afure t~at t~ey ~eceive it) _their fins are all merritied,_ ~nd they are devoted to God, and ~r;~~:;!/!~o polfelfed W!th)ufbce, Chanty and Pa~1~nc7 ~omen, and are earned up aiJovc this world, anq con- the, and to nu. temn that wh1ch the refi do make thm fel1c1ty and delight. So that if that bt Good which cloth Good, 1. s. Dd thm ------
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