Jesus and the Resurrection Justified by Witnesses in Heaven and Earth, Dedication 1
The Reſurrection of Ieſus.
Mat 28 2 And behold there was a great earthquake: for the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven & came & rolled back ye ſtone from the doore, and ſate upon it. And for feare of him the keepers did ſhake, & became as dead men. And the Angel ſayd unto the woman. Fear not ye, for I know, that ye ſeek Ieſus, that was crucified. He is not here for he is Riſen, as he ſayd.
JESUS AND THE RESURRECTION Juſtified by Witneſſes IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH.
In Two Parts.
The Firſt ſhewing That Jeſus is the SON OF GOD; the Second, That in him we have ETERNALL LIFE.
By SYMON PATRICK, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majeſty.
foreign. S. Chryſoſt. in Johan. Hom. lxvii.
Printed for R. Royſton. MDCLXXVII.
THE Witneſſes TO CHRISTIANITY.
THE WITNESSES TO CHRISTIANITY; OR, The Certainty of our FAITH and HOPE: In a Diſcourſe upon 1 S. JOHN v. 7, 8.
BY SYMON PATRICK, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majeſty.
LONDON, Printed for R. Royſton, Bookſeller to His moſt Sacred Majeſty, at the Angel in Amen-Corner, 1675.
TO The moſt Reverend Father in God, GILBERT, By Divine Providence, Lord Archbiſhop of CANTERBURY, Primate of all England, and Metropolitan; and one of his Majeſties moſt Honourable Privy Council, &c.
May it pleaſe Your Grace
TO permit theſe Papers to go abroad under your Name, which are writ in defence of that moſt holy Religion, of which your Grace is the prime Miniſter in this Kingdom. They contain an explication but of a very few words; yet in them lies the whole Evidence for the Chriſtian Cauſe. I hope I have done ſomething to clear their ſence, and to illuſtrate divers other paſſages in the holy Books. I have, at leaſt, done my endeavour, and opened the way to the plaineſt and moſt Apoſtolical method of aſſerting the truth of our Religion. They that come after may ſupply the defects, and rectifie the miſtakes, which they find in this account that I have given of the Witneſſes to Chriſtianity. Who ſpeak ſo fully and with ſuch Authority, that it is a matter of juſt wonder there ſhould be any Infidels in Chriſtian Countries.
We can find no other cauſe of it, but that in ſtead of conſidering upon what grounds our Faith relies, they ſcornfully preſume that it hath none. If they would but lay aſide their lightneſs, and become ſerious, and if they would be ſo humble as to think it is poſſible they may learn of one of the deſpiſed Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt; I doubt not they would, with a little ſtudy, ſoon ſee him to be ſo great a Lord, that they ought to have a due reſpect to the meaneſt of his Servants, for his ſake. Nay, they would not envy to them ſuch high Dignities, as your Grace worthily holds in the Church of Chriſt. For the Lord himſelf is honoured, in the honour that is done to his Miniſters. And thereby they are made capable to do him ſtill better ſervice; and with the more authority to promote the honour of his Religion.
Of which how much your Grace hath deſerved, by your prudent care and vigilance for its preſervation, and by the countenance and encouragement you give to thoſe that labour in its ſervice; poſterity perhaps may be better judges than this preſent Age. Though that cannot be ſo ungrateful as not to acknowledge your great Munificence and Bounty; of which there are ſuch publick and laſting Monuments, as declare you to be Primate of all England, not only in the dignity of your Office, but, which is more, in the generoſity of your Spirit.
Long may our Soveraign enjoy ſuch a wiſe Counſellor, the Church ſuch a Prudent Governour, Learning ſuch a liberal Patron and Benefactor, and, when through mere Age you muſt reſign and exchange it for a higher and better place, your See ſuch a Succeſſor.
As for my ſelf, if your Grace will be pleaſed to pardon this Addreſs, and reckon me in the number of thoſe, that reverence your Vertues as well as your Greatneſs, I ſhall not doubt but my Deſign in this Work will obtain your Graces approbation; and that your known Candor will paſs a favourable Judgment upon the weak endeavours of
the Churches and Your Graces affectionate Servant, SY. PATRICK.