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The Theological Works of the Most Reverend John Sharp, D.d., Late Archbishop of York
The Theological Works of the Most Reverend John Sharp Dd Late Archbishop of York Author:John Sharp General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1829 Original Publisher: At the University Press Subjects: Sermons, English Theology, Doctrinal Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book y... more »ou get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: A SEHMON 1 PETER III. 15. -- be ready always to give an answer to every man that askethyou a reason of (he hope that is in you. A WO general points I laid down to insist upon from this text. First, That faith and reason are not inconsistent one with another, but may well stand together. If we be obliged to be able to give an account of the reasonableness of our faith, (which is the same thing which is 'here called hope,) then certainly we are not obliged to believe any thing which is unreasonable, or that we cannot give a reason for believing it. Secondly, That it is not enougli that our faith or religion be reasonable in itself, but it is the duty of every professor of that faith so to satisfy himself of the reasonableness of his belief, as to be able to answer them that ask a reason of it. And therefore every man not only may, but ought to inquire into the grounds of his faith, or religion, and not so to rely upon any human authority, as to believe, without examination, every thing that is proposed to him. These are the two points, or doctrines, or observations, which I raised upon this text; and which I designed both to explain and to vindicate. The former of them I have already despatched. I now proceed to the other. II. It is not indeed in direct words asserted in the text, but it is by necessary consequence inferredfrom it. For if every Christian ought so well to inform himself about what he believes, as to be able to give others a reason of his faith, then he certainly not only may, but ought to e...« less