Helpes againjl Unbelief. then is the Coodmfs of the Chrifiian faith, apparent to all, that have: any acquaintance, reafon and impuriality to judge. rS. 9. 2 I· Din·ct. '8. Bcrhink yoUwhat JfiU fhould have heen )9Hr [elves ifyou had ~101 brm Chriftiam? Ye.t what rPet~ld ytt be the couf(quent it you fhould fall from the Chriflian faith ? Would }'OU not .•er- look at the life to come as doubtful? And n:;folve to rake your pleafure in the worldl and to graritie •tb- the fkfh, and to ncglt..ct your fouls, and to venture upon allmoli any vice, that f~:emeth nccdfJry to · . your camal ends. Chrifiianity harh clcanfed and fanCtiticd you if you are fanctiticd : And if ( whi(h •. :~.H ;:;~~~-- God fc;bi~) you 010uld forfake_Chrillianity, it is mofi likely you would qu:ckly fh;w thedifft:rence, ~~~, & u1u ex· by your d1rty, flefhly, worldly ltves. cclicntifiint.t vir.us jnl!iti:~, tolla·m a:ecdlC efl. Ciuro dt N.u. Dco. 1. Dire{]. I!J· §. 2z. DircCl. 19· W"brn J?U fit thee'l!idence of Divim l~roclation and JHtiJority, it iJ e;rough to filencc )'OJtr do:tbu and ca'l!il! about particular words or circumjltmces. For }'Oll !{now that God is True and Jn– f.llliblt ; and you know thar you are filly ignorant worms, that are utterly at a !oCs, when you Juve t~ot one at hand to open every difficulty ro you: And that all arts and fciences fetm full of difft:ul.. ties and contradictions 10 ignoram unexperienccd novices. Dire{i. 20 , 9· 23· Dirtfr. 20. A!J,,v all along in y.1ur learning, [ut the difficulties 'r.'hic!, m11jl 1tctds .~,.ifl, fr 1 m t!Je tr.mjl1tio1t, ambiguity .of aU humane l:nzgtugc, cbange and V.lriety iJf words and cu{foms , :irnC', place ami otiHr circumjlanctJ, :J;;d t.JPecially from your onnt un:zcquaintrdnefr with aU tiH{t : That fo rour own infirmities and ignorance, ar.d millakt:s in reafoning, may not be afcrib.:d to the truth. Dire[/. ! I· 9· 2{· Direct. 2 J, V»derJiaml tbe proper ufe of holy Scripturt, and fo how f.~r it ir Dlvint; t!J.Jt [oyrnt be 1rot tempted to unbelicf, by expelling iu it tb.;t which 11~rr w.u- inttndrd, dltd tbtn finding yaur caufileji rxpellatiunJ [rltjlraiC. lt is not fo Divine as ro the terms, and Uylc, and order, and tUct) modal and circumflantial matters, as if all the exaClnefs might be expected in it, rhat God could put into a Book: Nor is ir intended as a fyHem of Phyficks, or LIJgick,_, or any fubfervient fciences or arcs: Bur it is an InJ11Uible Revelation of the will of God, for the Government of the Church, and the concluding men to life eternal : And it is ordered and worded {Q as ro p:uta~c of {itch hum1ne ' intirmiry, as yet {hall no way impea'h the 1ruth or fjficacy of it ; but rad1n make it more fuirable to the generality of men, whofe infirmity required {Uch a Hyle and manner of handling. So rhar as a child of God hath a Body from P;mntt, which yet i< of God, b•t f• of God, as to partake of the infirmities of the parents; or rather as Ad,,m had a body Fom God, but yet from EartiJ :, and accordingly frail; but a foul more immediately from God, which was more pure and divine :, £0 .~ s,ripture hath its jfylc, and language, and method fo from God as to have nothing in ic unfuitahle to its <r.ds; but not fo from God as if he himfelf had fhewtd in it his own moll perftct wlfdom to the utmoft, and as if there were nothing in it of humane imperfection : But the Trml' and Goodnrfs which is the foul of Scripture, is more immediatdy from· God. The ftyle .and metlnd of the penmen may be various; but the famt foul animatcth all the pans. ·1r is no difhonour to the Holy Scriptures, if Cicero be preferred for purity of ftyle, and phrafc, and outory, as for mher common ufes: Bur certainly it is to be preferr~d as ro its proptr tt[e: that being the brjl jlyle for an All: of Parliament, which is next to the worn m an OratiM· The mea1u are f 1Jr the tJid.· Diretl. 22 • 9· Z)· Direct. 22. CoHjider_hcwgre~t affijhmc: Apparit~11n1, and JYi~cb·crafir, and. otbrr flnfible Evi~ denceJ of SpiritJ conver(rng wah man~tnd, da g1ve to fatth. Of wh1ch 1 have wntten in the fore– mentioned Treatifes, and therefore now pJfs ic over• . n ~· 26. Direct. 23· Oonfi~tr wbat adv.mtage f.:~ith may bavt, by ubforving tht nalttre and tendemie of f"t ·tt3k the foul, and its hopn and fearJ of a Life to cumt, togethfr with tht [uperior glorium worldi, whkh ,~j1 ;~~ A ;~int ctrtainly are pofftffed by Hobltr inh.~bitanl!. He thac kcth every corner of eourh, and fca, and air or IZ Bmit. inhabited, and thinks what ·earth is in comparifOn of all the great and glorious Orbes above it, will hardly once dream that they are all void of iJtbahitanu, or that there is nor room enough ,for fouls. DirefJ, 24. 9· 27• Direct. 24· 1he minijlry of A11gels, of which particular providences give us a great probability, doth give fUme btlp to that dol1ri1te which uUetb JU, ·that n:e nmjl Ji'l!e witb A't.gc.JJ:, and chat we {] 1 a11 afcend to more familiarity with them, 'who condekend ro fi, great il:rvicc now tor u~. Direll. 25 , §. 28. D1red. 2)· 1he ~tnivcrfol JVmtderful implacfJble enmity Of curmpud mlln to the b'ly J,Ji,i. 1 e and waies a 11 d firvantJ of Cbrijl, and the open n•ar which in tvery KiJtgti.Jm, a11:i the fec.-rr l'Pflt n·hiciJ in every be.rrt, Uk,.ept up betll'etn CIJrijl and S.1tan through the world; with the tendency ot' cvc:q rlm– ptation, their violence, conllancie,. in all ages, to all perfons, all making agau11i Chrill and H...·aven and Holinefs,do notoriouJ1y declare: that the Chrillian doCtrine and lite do rc:nd ro our fa lvJrion, whldl the Devil fo rnalicioully and unceffantly oppoCerh. And rhus his Teminarions j:_:!Vc::, grcJ.+. :aqvJn~ tage ro the tempted foul againH the Tcmprq. For it is n0t for nothing that rhe enemy of our fouls makes fo much oppofirion. And that there is fit'h a D.:vil that thus ~ppni~rh Chrilt and tempteth us, not only fenfible Apparitio1u and Tf/itch-craftJ prove) b\lt the wo lentlble temptation~, which by their Matter and M.tnner, plainly tell us whence rhcy come. Efpccially when all rhe world, is formed as into two hoftile Armies, the one fighting undd Chritt, and the other J.tnder rhe [?evil; and fo have cominued lince C<lin and Abet to rhis dJy. . 9· 19. Direct. 16. 7'be prophrcirs of Cbrijt bimfilf of the deftrut7io» of Jeruf.l.lt·rn, and the g<.ltbrr• ing of hi1 Churcb, .1nd tbe cmrl u{age of i~ lbrough tht -gorJd, do giue grcJl affijiJnce to our faith 11 whcK we foe them aY [o pun{/ually fuljiL'rd.
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