work_id,theme,provenance,created_at,text,reviewed_on,id,comments,metaphor,dictionary,updated_at,context
3953,"",Ad Fontes: Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts,2003-08-25 00:00:00 UTC,"We come now to Examine, what they set up against any Signs or Figures under the Gospel, from another Topic; and that is, That the Gospel is all Substance, and therefore that there must be no Sign or Figure at all in it.
Answ. By Substance here they mean that which is Inward, or Spiritual, that every thing in the Gospel is Spiritual.
But this will overthrow all Outward, or Bodily Worship. For that is distinguished from Spiritual, or Inward Worship.
And, in one sense, all Bodily Worship is a Sign or Figure of the Inward, or Spiritual; which is the Principal and Substantial Worship. Thus Bowing the Knee, or Uncovering the Head at Prayer, are Signs or Figures of the Inward Reverence and Devotion of the Heart.
And this the Quakers practise; therefore, by their own Argument, they have Signs and Figures as well as others; only they throw off those of Christ's Institution, and make new ones of their own.
It is impossible to be without Signs and Figures. For this whole World is a Figure of that which is to come. We our selves are Figures of God, being Images of him: And what is an Image but the Figure or Sign of a Thing? Christ is a Figure of God, being the Express Image of his Person, Heb. i. 3. And we now have the Knowledge of God in the Face of Jesus Christ. God is a Light inaccessible to Angels, as well as unto Men, without some Medium: His Essence cannot be seen or known Immediately, by any but Himself. All Creatures partake of him in Signs and Figures of him; each in their several Degrees; there are Higher and more Noble Figures; but all are Figures. And God has, in all Ages, through the World, Dispensed himself to Mankind in Signs and Figures; we could not otherwise apprehend Him. Christ is the most Noble and Lively Figure of God: Therefore his Dispensation is far beyond all others that went before him. Yet even now, We see through a Glass darkly, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. or, in a Riddle; as our Margent reads it, ?? ?????????, in a Figure.
What is the Bible that we read, what are Words but the Signatures, the Signs or Figures of Things? We can see the Essence of no one thing in the World, more than of God. And what are all those Accidents of Colour, Quantity and Quality, by which we distinguish Things, but so many Figures or Signs of them?
So very wild is that Notion, that there must be no Signs or Figures under the Gospel!
It would be much Truer, if they had said, That there are nothing else but Signs and Figures: There is nothing else without a Figure but God! For all Creatures are Figures of Him, Christ, the Highest.
(p. 95-6)",2009-03-23,10279,•Great bits on literal and figurative. INTEREST. REVISIT.,"""We our selves are Figures of God, being Images of him: And what is an Image but the Figure or Sign of a Thing?""","",2009-09-14 19:34:51 UTC,"On Quakers and figuration. Leslie continues and shows that the Quakers do indeed have ""figures"""
3953,Personal Identity,Ad Fontes: Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts,2003-08-25 00:00:00 UTC,"We acknowledge a Great and Sublime Mystery in the Holy Trinity of GOD: That is a Mystery to us, which exceeds our Understanding. And many such Mysteries there are, to us, in the Nature of God which we all acknowledge; A First Cause without a Beginning! A Being which neither made it self, nor was made by any other! Infinite without Extension! In every place, yet circumscribed in no place! Eternal and Perpetually Existing, without any Succession! a Present, without Past, or Future! and many other such un-explainable, un-intelligible, Incomprehensible Mysteries; which yet hinder not our Belief of a God. And therefore not being able fully and clearly to explain the Trinity, which is the most hidden and secret Attribute of the Nature of God, can be no Reason for us to reject such Revelation which God has given us of Himself. Yet do we not want several Shadows and Resemblances of one Nature communicating it self to many Individuals, without either a Multiplication or Division of the Nature. We say that the Soul is all in all, and all in every part of the Body: yet that the Soul is neither Multiplied nor Divided among the several Members of the Body. It is impossible for us either to Explain this, or to Deny it; for we feel it to be so, though it is wholly unconceivable to us how it can be. Now if the Soul, which is but an Image of God, at an Infinite distance, can communicate it self to several Members, without breach of its Unity; why should it be Impossible for the Eternal and Infinite Mind to communicate it self to several Persons, without breach of its Unity; I will be bold to say, you will not find so near a Parallel in Nature whereby to conceive of God's Eternity, or his Infinity, as this, and a great many more, whereby we may conceive of His Trinity and Unity, by what we feel in our selves, and see in a thousand things that are before us. We see Extension not Divided but Distinguished into its three Dimensions; and Communicating its whole Nature to each of the Three, for Each is Extension; and yet there is but one Extension in all the Three.
The Soul is not Divided betwixt its several Faculties; they remain perfectly distinguished though not divided from one another: To understand what is present, is a quite different thing from Remembring what is Past; and to Love or Hate, is different from both of these; yet these Three Faculties, the Understanding, the Memory, and the Will, partake all equally of the same Soul.
Light and Heat are so different, that some are capable of the One, who are not of the Other; and yet they are not Divided in the Sun; but flow equally and naturally from it without any Division of its Nature.
(p. 322-4)",2009-03-23,10280,"•Leslie calls these ""parallels"": ""I say not that any of these Parallels do come up to the full explanation of the Communication of the Divine Nature to several Persons, without any Division or Multiplication of the Nature: But I am sure they take away the Contradiction alledged to be in it, while we see the same Difficulty in our own and other Natures, which we can as little Explain."" (p. 324).","""Now if the Soul, which is but an Image of God, at an Infinite distance, can communicate it self to several Members, without breach of its Unity; why should it be Impossible for the Eternal and Infinite Mind to communicate it self to several Persons, without breach of its Unity; I will be bold to say, you will not find so near a Parallel in Nature whereby to conceive of God's Eternity, or his Infinity, as this, and a great many more, whereby we may conceive of His Trinity and Unity, by what we feel in our selves, and see in a thousand things that are before us.""","",2009-09-14 19:34:51 UTC,On the trinity: the Socinians are guilty of contradiction
3995,"",Reading Trotter in ECCO,2005-03-23 00:00:00 UTC,"I do not understand (says he) how the Soul if she be at any time utterly without Thoughts, what it is that produces the first Thought again, at the end of that unthinking Interval. And what then? Must we therefore conclude it cannot be done? If that be a good Argument, we must deny the most common and visible Operations in Nature. Do you understand how your Soul thinks at all? How it passes from one Thought to another? How it preserves its Treasure of Ideas, to produce them at pleasure [on Co... ]ons? And recollects those it had [...] time Reflected on? How it moves [y... body] or is affected by it? These are Operations which I suppose you are not to [Sc..p..c.l] to doubt of, nor yet pretend to understand how they are done: And since we are certain that the Soul is affected with all the [...] Changes of the Body, that it is Sick and in pain, and unable to perform [....] according as the Body is disorder'd, since we so sensibly perceive ti to become Drowsy when the Body is so; so many degrees abated of its Action, even to very near not thinking at all, from that intenseness and vigour of Thought it had, and recovers when the Body is refreshed with Sleep; whatever is the Cause of these Effects, whether some immediate Connexion between them, or an Arbitrary Law of their Union, where is the difficulty to conceive that the same Cause which lulls it almost, shou'd lay it quite to rest and awaken it again with the Body?
(pp. 31-2)",,10372,"•Trotter respond to Burnet.
•Crappy scan of the microfilm makes some of this unlegible. REVISIT, find better copy to work with.","""Do you understand how your Soul ... preserves its Treasure of Ideas, to produce them at pleasure""?","",2010-05-18 17:22:47 UTC,""
3995,"",Reading Trotter in ECCO,2005-03-23 00:00:00 UTC,"But upon this Supposition (says the Remarker) that all our Thoughts perish in sound Sleep, we seem to have a new Soul every Morning. That's a pretty Conceit indeed, but how does this seem? Thus as he explains himself; If a Body cease to move, and come to a perfect Rest, the motion it had cannot be restored, but a new Motion may be produc'd. If all Cogitation be extinct, all our Ideas are extinct, so far as they are Cogitations, and seated in the Soul. So we must have them new imprest, we are, as it were, new Born, and begin the World again. The force of which Argument lies thus, Cogitation in the Soul answering to Motion in Body, as the same Motion cannot be restor'd, but a new Motion may be produc'd; so the same Cogitations cannot be restor'd, but new Cogitations must be produc'd. Ergo, we seem to have a new Soul every Morning. This may be a good Consequence, when the Remarker has proved that every new Motion makes, or seems to make a new Body: In the mean time, all I can infer from this Parallel, is, That my Thoughts to Day, are not the same numerical Thoughts I had Yesterday, which, I believe, no body supposes they are, tho' they did not suspect they had a new Soul with every new Thought.
(p. 32)",,10373,•Trotter respond to Burnet. The Burnet passage cited is also in the database. I have not doubled the metaphor entries. INTEREST.
•Crappy scan of the microfilm makes some of this unlegible.,"""The force of which Argument lies thus, Cogitation in the Soul answering to Motion in Body, as the same Motion cannot be restor'd, but a new Motion may be produc'd; so the same Cogitations cannot be restor'd, but new Cogitations must be produc'd.""","",2010-05-18 17:24:52 UTC,""
4035,"",Searching in ECCO,2006-10-09 00:00:00 UTC,"Wherefore consecrate the first Fruits of Reason to God; you can't begin the Practice of Piety too soon, but may be too late; Nature untainted with Vice may be wrought with ease into any Form, and cast in any Mould. It's a kind of tabula rasa, a Blank, that almost with the same Facility receives the Characters of Angel, and of Devil; but when once it's stained with Sin, when it's by-assed by ill Habits, and worse Principles, you will find it stubborn and rebellious. Be not then so foolish as to prefer Danger before Security, and to turn Pleasure into Toil. [end page 70] Take Occasion by Fore-top, it quickly passes, and selfdom returns.
(pp. 69-70)",,10448,•I've included twice: Fruit and Mold,"""Wherefore consecrate the first Fruits of Reason to God; you can't begin the Practice of Piety too soon, but may be too late; Nature untainted with Vice may be wrought with ease into any Form, and cast in any Mould""","",2009-09-14 19:34:59 UTC,VIII
4035,Blank Slate,Searching in ECCO,2006-10-09 00:00:00 UTC,"Wherefore consecrate the first Fruits of Reason to God; you can't begin the Practice of Piety too soon, but may be too late; Nature untainted with Vice may be wrought with ease into any Form, and cast in any Mould. It's a kind of tabula rasa, a Blank, that almost with the same Facility receives the Characters of Angel, and of Devil; but when once it's stained with Sin, when it's by-assed by ill Habits, and worse Principles, you will find it stubborn and rebellious. Be not then so foolish as to prefer Danger before Security, and to turn Pleasure into Toil. [end page 70] Take Occasion by Fore-top, it quickly passes, and selfdom returns.
(pp. 69-70)",,10450,"•I've included twice: Tabula Rasa, Blank, Characters","""It's a kind of tabula rasa, a Blank, that almost with the same Facility receives the Characters of Angel, and of Devil; but when once it's stained with Sin, when it's by-assed by ill Habits, and worse Principles, you will find it stubborn and rebellious.""",Writing,2009-09-14 19:34:59 UTC,VIII
6957,"",Reading,2011-06-21 21:43:27 UTC,"Secondly, I shall now in the next place shew more particularly, in what respects the Son of God by his Doctrine, may be said to make us free. And that in these two respects.
I. As it frees us from the bondage of Ignorance, and Error, and Prejudice.
II. From the slavery of our Lusts and Passions.
I. It frees us from the bondage of Ignorance, and Error, and Prejudice, which is a more inveterate and obstinate error. And this is a great bondage to the mind of man, to live in ignorance of those things which are useful for us to know; to be mistaken about those matters which are of great moment and concernment to us to be rightly informed in: Ignorance is the confinement of our understandings, as Knowledge and right Apprehensions of things are a kind of liberty and enlargement to the mind of man. Under this slavery the world groaned, and were bound in these chains of darkness for many years, till the light of the glorious Gospel broke in upon the World, and our blessed Saviour, who is Truth, came to set us free.
(p. 616)",,18755,"","""And this is a great bondage to the mind of man, to live in ignorance of those things which are useful for us to know; to be mistaken about those matters which are of great moment and concernment to us to be rightly informed in: Ignorance is the confinement of our understandings, as Knowledge and right Apprehensions of things are a kind of liberty and enlargement to the mind of man.""",Fetters,2011-09-27 03:09:43 UTC,""
6957,"",Reading,2011-06-21 21:50:42 UTC,"II. Freedom from the slavery of our passions and lusts, from the tyranny of vicious habits and practices. And this, which is the saddest and worst kind of bondage, the Doctrine of the Gospel is a most proper and powerful means to free us from; and this is that which I suppose is principally intended by our Saviour. For when the Jews told him that they did not stand in need of any liberty, that they were Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any, our Saviour declares what kind of bondage and slavery he meant; He that committeth sin, is the servant of sin. Wickedness and vice is the bondage of the will, which is the proper seat of liberty: and therefore there is no such slave in the world, as a man that is subject to his lusts; that is under the tyranny of strong and unruly passions, of vicious inclinations and habits. This man is a slave to many Masters, who are very imperious and exacting; and the more he yieldeth to them, with the greater tyranny and rigour they will use him. One passion hurries a man one way, and another drives him fiercely another; one lust commands him upon such a service, and another calls him off to another work so that a man under the command and authority of his lusts and passions, is like the Centurion's Servants, when they say to him come, he must come, and when they say go, he must go; when they say do this, he must do it; because he is in subjection to them.
(pp. 617-8)",,18759,"","""Wickedness and vice is the bondage of the will, which is the proper seat of liberty: and therefore there is no such slave in the world, as a man that is subject to his lusts; that is under the tyranny of strong and unruly passions, of vicious inclinations and habits.""",Fetters,2011-06-21 21:50:42 UTC,""
7124,"",Searching in Google Books,2011-10-28 19:07:24 UTC,"But before I come to speak to these Two particulars, I shall take notice of the description which the Apostle here makes, of the change from a state of Sin and Vice to a state of Holiness and Virtue. But now being made free from sin, and become the servants of God; intimating that the state of Sin is a state of Servitude and Slavery, from which Repentence and the change which is thereby made does set us free; But now being made free from sin. And so our Saviour tells us, that whosoever committeth sin is the Servant of sin; and this is the vilest and hardest Slavery in the World, because it is the Servitude of the Soul, the best and noblest part of our selves; 'tis the subjection of our Reason, which ought to rule and bear Sway over the inferiour Faculties, to our sensual Appetites and brutish Passions; which is as uncomely a sight, as to see Beggars ride on Horse-back, and Princes walk on foot. And as Inferiour Persons, when they are advanced to Power, are strangely Insolent and Tyrannical towards those that are subject to them; so the Lusts and Passions of men, when they once get the Command of them, are the most domineering Tyrants in the World; and there is no such Slave as a Man that is subject to his Appetite and Lust, that is under the Power of irregular Passions and vicious Inclinations, which transport and hurry him to the vilest and most unreasonable things. For a wicked Man is a Slave to as many Masters as he hath Passions and Vices; and they are very imperious and exacting, and the more he yields to them, the more they grow upon him, and exercise the greater Tyranny over him: and being subject to so many Masters, the poor Slave is continually divided and distracted between their contrary Commands and Impositions; one Passion hurries him one way, and another as violently drives him another; one Lust commands him upon such a Service, and another it may be at the same time calls him to another Work. His Pride and Ambition bids him spend and lay it out, whilst his Covetousness holds his Hand fast closed; so that he knows not many times how to dispose of himself or what to do, he must displease some of his Masters, and what Inclination soever he contradicts, he certainly displeaseth himself.
(II, pp. 52-3; cf. 227-9 in 1700 ed.)",,19306,"","""And so our Saviour tells us, that 'whosoever committeth sin is the Servant of sin'; and this is the vilest and hardest Slavery in the World, because it is the Servitude of the Soul, the best and noblest part of our selves; 'tis the subjection of our Reason, which ought to rule and bear Sway over the inferiour Faculties, to our sensual Appetites and brutish Passions; which is as uncomely a sight, as to see Beggars ride on Horse-back, and Princes walk on foot.""",Fetters,2014-01-22 16:24:04 UTC,""
7872,"",Reading,2014-04-25 03:38:09 UTC,"Now what is it that strikes a judicious Tast? Not that to be sure which injures the absent, or provokes the Company, which poisons the Mind under pretence of entertaining it, proceeding from or giving Countenance to false Ideas, to dangerous and immoral Principles. Wit indeed is distinct from Judgment but it is not contrary to it; 'tis rather its Handmaid, serving to awaken and fix the Attention, that so we may Judge rightly. Whatever Charms, does so because of its Regularity and Proportion; otherwise, tho' it is extraordinary and out of the way, it will only be star'd on like a Monster, but can never be lik'd. And tho' a thought is ever so fine and new, ever so well exprest, if it suits not with decorum and good Manners, it is not just and fit, and therefore offends our Reason, and consequently has no Charms, nor should afford us any entertainment.
(p. 20)",,23798,"","""Now what is it that strikes a judicious Tast? Not that to be sure which injures the absent, or provokes the Company, which poisons the Mind under pretence of entertaining it, proceeding from or giving Countenance to false Ideas, to dangerous and immoral Principles.""","",2014-04-25 03:38:09 UTC,""