The Christian Life Volume 5, Title page – Table of contents
THE Christian Life. Wherein is shew'd,
I. The Worth and Excellency of the Soul.
II. The Divinity and Incarnation of our Saviour.
III. The Authority of the Holy Scripture.
IV. A Dissuasive from Apostacy.
VOL. V. and Last. By IOHN SCOTT, D. D. Late Rector of St. Gile's in the Fields.
LONDON, Printed for Richard Wilkin, at the King's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard. MDCXCIX.
To the Honourable SUSANNA NOEL, (Mother to the Right Honourable Baptist Earl of Gainsborough,)
THis last Volume of the Works of my Dear Deceased Friend, the Reverend Dr. Scott, is humbly and gratefully Dedicated, by,
Her Honours, Most obliged, and most Devoted Servant, Humphrey Zouch.
The CONTENTS.
Discourse I. Of the Worth and Excellency of the Soul.
THe Connexion and Explication of the Text, p. 1, 2.
The inestimable price and value of the Soul of Man, in respect of its own natural Capacities, represented under 4 Heads, viz.
Its Capacity of Vnderstanding, p. 5, 6.
Of Moral Perfection, p. 7, 8, 9.
Of Pleasure and Delight, p. 10, 11, 12, 13.
Of Immortality, p. 14. to p. 19.
Of what Esteem the Soul is in the Iudgment of those who best know the worth of it, viz. the whole world of Spirits. p. 20. to p. 32.
Four Inferences from hence, p. 33. to p. 43.
What is meant by losing ones Soul explain'd, p. 44.
The Soul liable to a sevenfold Damage in the other World, p. 45. to p. 65.
Seven Causes of the Danger we are in of incurring this Damage, p. 66. to p. 89.
Men may forsake Christ, and thereby lose their Souls, 4 ways;
By a total Apostacy, p. 90, 91.
By renouncing the Profession of his Doctrine, p. 92, 93.
By obstinate Heresie, p. 93, 94, 95.
By a wilful Course of Disobedience; of which there are three degrees; the first proceeds from a wilful Ignorance of Christs Laws, the 2d from a wilful Inconsideration of our Obligation to them, the 3d from an Obstinacy in Sin against Knowledge and Consideration, p. 95. to 103.
Four Reasons why our forsaking of Christ infers this fearful loss of our Souls, p. 104. to 115.
That God, if he be so determin'd, may without any Injury either to his Iustice or Goodness, detain lost Souls in the bondage of Hell for ever, prov'd, in 6 Propositions, p. 117. to 130.
That God is actually determin'd so to do, demonstrated by 3 Arguments, p. 131. to 139.
A Comparison between the gain of the World, and the loss of a Mans Soul, in 6 Particulars; whereby is shewn of which side the Advantage lies, p. 140. to 164.
Discourse II. Of the Divinity and Incarnation of our Saviour.
A General Explication of this Term. The Word, p. 166.
A full account of it in 4 Propositions, shewing, That it was derived from the Theology of the Iews and Gentiles, 167. to 174.
That we ought to fetch the Sense of it from that antient Theology, p. 174, 176.
That in that Theology it signifies a vital and divine Subsistence, p. 176. to 180.
And that our Saviour to whom it is applied in the NewTestament, is that vital and divine Subsistence, p. 180, 181, 182.
To be the Word of God denotes 4 Things, To be generated of the Mind of the Father; To be the perfect Image of that Mind; To be the Interpreter of the Fathers Mind; and to be the Executer of it; and in these is founded the Reason of our Saviours being called The Word, p. 183. to 196.
What we are to understand by the Word's being made Flesh, p. 197, 198.
Five Inferences from this Doctrine, p. 199. to 213.
What is meant by the Words dwelling among us, explain'd. p. 215. to 225.
His is dwelling among us full of Grace, explain'd in five particulars, p. 226. to 245.
His dwelling among us full of Truth, explain'd in general, p. 246 to 256.
Four Instances of his dwelling among us full of Truth, in Contradistinction to that obscure typical way of his Tabernacling among the Iews, p. 247. to 270.
Four Inferences,
the first, From his dwelling among us, p. 270. to 277.
The 2d, From his dwelling among us full of Grace, and that,
1. In respect of his own personal Disposition, p. 277. to 280.
2. Of his Laws, p. 281, 282, 283.
3 Of the gracious Pardon which he hath procured for us and promis'd to us, p. 284, 285, 286.
4. Of the abundant Assistance he is ready to vouchsafe us, p. 287, 288.
And 5. Of the glorious Recompence he hath promised to and prepared for us, p. 289, 290.
The 3d, From his dwelling among us full of Truth, p. 291. to 296.
The 4th, From all these laid together, He dwelt among us full of Grace and Truth, p. 297. to 305.
The Glory of the Word which the Apostles beheld consisted in 4 things.
1. A visible splendor and brightness which encompass'd him at his Baptism and Transfiguration, p. 307. to 311.
2. Those great and stupendous miracles which he wrought, p. 311, 312, 313.
3. The surpassing Excellency and Divinity of his Doctrine, p. 314. to 317.
4. The incomparable Sanctity and Purity of his Life, p. 317. to 321.
This Expression, The Glory as of the Only-begotten Son explain'd, p. 321, 322.
That the glory of Christ in the Tabernacle of our Natures, was such as became the Only-Begotten Son of the Father, prov'd in the several particulars …herein it consists, p. 323. to 336.
Four Inferences from this fourfold glory of the Word, which the Apostles saw, p. 337. to the end.
Dis. 3. Of the Authority of the Holy Scriptures.
THe fulness of the Scriptures as a Rules of Faith and Manners, prov'd in 3 Propositions;
1. That the Holy Spirit inspir'd the Writers of them with all that is necessary … eternal Life, p. 364.
2. That they preached to the World all those necessaries which they were taught, p. 365.
3. That all those necessary Truths which they preached are comprehended in the Scriptures, p. 366. to 380.
The clearness of the Scriptures prov'd,
1. From the express Testimony of Scripture, p. 381. to 386.
2. From the avowed design of writing it, p. 387, 388.
3. From the frequent Commands God lays upon us to read it, p. 389, 390.
4. From the obligation that lies upon us under pain of Damnation to believe and receive all those necessaries to Salvation contained in it, p. 391.
Four Considerations in answer to those of the Church of Rome, who tell us, that though all things are not revealed clearly in the Scriptures, yet we have sufficient reason to believe them, since God has left us to the condact of an infallible Church, p. 392. to the end.
Dis. IV. Of the Obligation of the People to read the Scriptures.
THat the People are obliged to search and read the Scriptures, prov'd,
1. From the Obligation the Iews were under to read and search the Scriptures of the Old Test: p. 408, 409.
2. From our Saviour and his Apostles apprebation of this practice of the Iews, p. 410, 411.
3. From the great design and intention of writing the Scriptures, p. 412, 413.
4. From the Directions of these Holy Writings to the People, p. 414. to 417.
5. From the great concernment the People have in the Matters contained in the Scripture. p. 418, to 422.
6. From the universal Sense of the Primitive Church in this matter, p. 422. to 426.
An Answer to that Objection of the Church of Rome, That a general permission of the Scriptures to the People must necessarily open a wide door to Errors and Heresies, p. 427. to 434.
Another Objection, That it will prove an unavoidable occasion of great Corruptions in Manners, answered, p. 434. to 438▪
Two Inferences from the whole, p. 439. to the end.
Discourse V. A Dissuasive from Apostacy.
AN Explication of the VVords of the Text, p. 452. to 455.
The general Proposition, p. 456.
Six Instances of the mighty Tendencies there are in a vicious course of Life to Error and Apostacy from true Religion.
As 1. It corrupts Mens Reason and Understanding, p. 457, 458.
2. It renders the Principles of true Religion uneasie to their Minds, p. 459, 460, 461.
3. It deprives men of the greatest encouragements to constancy and steadiness in Religion, p▪ 462. 463.
4. It weakens the natural force of Men's Consciences, p. 464. 465, 466.
5. It strengthens and enforces the Temptations to Apostacy, p. 467. to 470.
6. It provokes God to give us up to the Power of Delusi…n, p. 471. to 474.
Two Inferences from the whole, p. 474. to the end.