Seim. L YIV. Rich Man, and Lazarus, 551 related are plain fenfible matters of Fad, about which no Man need miflake, unlefs he will; and they did not write things upon the report of others, who might poflibly have deigns to deceive, but upon the furelt Evidence in the world, their own Knowledge, and the Teflimony of their Senfes; the things that we have feen and heard, teßify we unto you. , So that if they were miftaken in thefe things, no Man can be fure of any thing ; and by the fame reafon that we disbelieve the Authority of the Scriptures upon this account,- we mutt believe nothing at all. This is in Ihort the whole force of the Argument-for the divinity of the Seri- ptures,which I'might have enlarged infinitely upon ; but I defign now only briefly to reprefent to you, that we, who live at the diftance of fo many Ages front the time-of this Revelation, are not dellitùte of fufftcient Evidence for the Au- thority of the Scriptures, and fuch Evidence, as they who reject in other Cafes, are efteemed unreafonable. I fhould come now to the 5th, and lait Thing, namely, that it is unreafonable toexpel, that God should do more for our Conviction, than to afford us a {landing Revelation of his Mind and Will, fuch as the Books of the Holy Scriptures ' are. But this I (hall refer to another Opportunity, in a particular Difcourfeupon the ;tit verfe, which con- tains the main Defign, the Sum, and Subftanee of this whole Parable. S K R ...PL O N LXXIV. a The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, L -u K E XVI. ?y I. Sermon If they hear not Mofes and the. Prophets, neither will they beperfwaded Texhis though one ra fe from the dead. Preacb'd atWhite T HES E Words are the Conclufion of that excellent Parable of our Savi- hall,An. our concerning the Rich Man and Lazarus, and they are the final Anfwer 1678. which Abraham gives to the Rich Man's Taft Requeft ;:who being in-great ,Torment, and not able to obtain any Eafe for himfelf, is reprefented as concerned for his Relations, whom he had left behind him upon Earth, left they alfo by their -own Carelefsnefs and Folly fhould plunge themfelves into the fame Mifery that he was in, and therefore he begs of Abraham, that he would fend Lazarus to his Father's Houfe, where he had fve Brethren, that he might tellify unto them, left they alto /hould come into that place of Torment. To which Requeft Abraham anfwers, that there was nonecetlity of fuch an extraordinary Courfe to be ufed toward thofe who had_.fuffcient means of Conviction fo near at hand, if they would but hearken to them, and make ufe of them. Abrahamfaith unto him, They have, Mofes and the Prophets ; let them hear them. Bet the Rich Man prefieth his Requeft further; upon this Reafon, that they might not perhaps be moved by Mates and the Prophets, nay it was likely they would not be moved by them ; for they had always had them, and yet they re- mained impenitent: But if, a fpeeial Meffenger fhould be fent to them'from the dead, this certainly could not fail to awaken them, and bring them to Repentance, v. 3o. And he fail, Nay, Father Abraham, but ifone went unto them from thedead, they will repent. To which Abraham makes this peremptory Reply, If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfwaded, tho' one role. from the dead. In whichWords Abraham abfolutely denies that there is any fuch Probability, much lets Certainty that thole who reject a publick credible Revelation of God, fuch as that ofthe Holy Scriptures is, should be er%êtually convinced by a Mel- fenger
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