Christ's certain and sudden appearance to judgment. By Thomas Vincent, sometime Minister of Maudlins…

Moreover, in the Scriptures we find the holy precepts of the Gospel, which the Heathens were strangers, unto; and a way discovered not only for the obtaining the pardon of for, but also for the subduing and mortifying of sin: where means are made a known, not only for the restraining of a vicious nature, but also for the changing of it, for the regenerating of the soul of man, and forming it after the Image of the holy God, in knowledge, righteousness, and ture holiness, the making men partakers of the divine nature, which Heathens never understood the meaning of; the Scriptures show the way of obtaining the sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit; which do further exceed the moral virtues of the Heathen in lustre, than the Sun doth exceed the lesser Stars in brightness and glory.

Moreover, in the Scriptures we find the holy precepts of the Gospel, which the Heathens were strangers, unto; and a way discovered not only for the obtaining the pardon of for, but also for the subduing and mortifying of sin: where means are made a known, not only for the restraining of a vicious nature, but also for the changing of it, for the regenerating of the soul of man, and forming it after the Image of the holy God, in knowledge, righteousness, and ture holiness, the making men partakers of the divine nature, which Heathens never understood the meaning of; the Scriptures show the way of obtaining the sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit; which do further exceed the morall virtues of the Heathen in lustre, than the Sun doth exceed the lesser Stars in brightness and glory.

Marvellous is the purity and holiness of the word, such […] doth not savour of any thing terrene and […]; yea, it i• such as is directly opposite to the natural b••ss of the hearts of all men and woman in the world, whilst they are in a state of nature; such as doth contradict carnal affections, and against which the carnal mind hath a natural enmity; and unto which all such and none but such have a liking and love, as are regenerated by the Spirit of God; whence it strongly follows, that the Scriptures could not proceed from men, but that this holy Book did proceed from the immediate inspiration of the holy Ghost, in those holy men which were the Pen men thereof.