A51839:617
XVIII sermons on the second chapter of the 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians containing…
XVIII sermons on the second chapter of the 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians containing the description, rise, growth, and fall of Antichrist : with divers cautions and arguments to establish Christians against the apostasy of the Church of Rome : very necessary for these times / by that late reverend and learned divine, Thomas Manton ...XVIII sermons on the second chapter of the 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians containing the description, rise, growth, and fall of Antichrist : with divers cautions and arguments to establish Christians against the apostacy of the Church of Rome : very necessary for these times / by that late reverend and learned divine, Thomas Manton ...
London: printed by J.D. for J. Robinson, 1679
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. Being left to the ordinary Rule, it was necessary it should be taught, not only by word of Mouth, but committed to Writing: For Christ is ascended into Heaven, and the Apostles do not live for ever; and we have no Men now that are immediately and divinely inspired: And ordinary Pastors and Teachers, cannot make more Articles of Faith, but do only build on the Apostles Foundation, 1 Cor. 3.10.. or that divinely inspired Doctrine which they delivered to the Church: Yea, that Doctrine cannot well be preserved from oblivion and corruption, without writing. Therefore God accounted this the safest way, those things that are only ⟨p. 338⟩delivered by word of mouth, or from hand to hand, may easily be changed, corrupted, or utterly lost. Certainly if you consider Man's Sloth, Treachery, Levity, and the many vile Affections which may easily induce him to extinguish, or corrupt the Truth, which is contrary to them; you will see that it is necessary there should be an Authentic Record, by which Truth and Error might be tried and distinguished. Yea, that the Church which is dispersed throughout the World, might have Truth at hand, and particular Believers have this Doctrine ever by them for their comfort and use; it being the property of a Blessed Man, to delight in the Law of God, and to exercise himself therein day and night, Psal. 1.2. In short, while the Apostles were living, 'twas good to take the Tradition from their Mouth; but now they are dead, we take it from their Writings. Surely if God saw some Writing necessary, when those extraordinary ways (we spake of before) were in use, and the Church of the Old Testament was in a much quieter estate than the Church of the New: I say, if some writing were necessary then, it is more necessary now, for the Christian Church is more exposed to dreadful storms of Persecution, the deceits of Heretics of all sorts, especially to the frauds of Antichrist, which we are forewarned of in this Chapter, and are ⟨p. 339⟩detected and discovered by their contrariety to the written Word.
3. Being left to the ordinary Rule, it was necessary it should be taught, not only by word of Mouth, but committed to Writing: For Christ is ascended into Heaven, and the Apostles do not live for ever; and we have no Men now that are immediately and divinely inspired: And ordinary Pastors and Teachers, cannot make more Articles of Faith, but do only build on the Apostles Foundation,