Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	power_n	scripture_n	7,777	5	6.2723	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54049	The root of popery struck at, and the true ancient apostolick foundation discovered, in some propositions to the papists concerning fallibility and infallibility, which cut down the uncertain, and manifest the certain way of receiving and growing up into the truth : also, some considerations concerning the true and false church and ministry, with the state of each since the dayes of the apostles : held forth in true love and pity to the souls of the papists, that they may hear and consider, and not mistake and stumble at the rock of ages, whereupon the prophets, apostles, and whole flock of God throughout all generations have been built : there is likewise somewhat added concerning the ground of error, and the way to truth and unity, for the sake of such as are more spiritual, and have been more inwardly exercised in searching after truth / by Isaac Penington, the younger.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1660 (1660)	Wing P1185; ESTC R18235	18,931	26

them what they should believe which the Apostles never did but said expresly they had not dominion over the Faith of others but were helpers of their joy 2 Cor. 1.24 They could not command any to believe their Doctrine but spake in the demonstration of the Spirit waiting till God opened the heart 2 Cor 4.2 and would not have men profess believe or practice from their Words but by a feeling of the Power 1 Cor. 2.5 And when men did believe some things and came into the unity fellowship of the Faith they did not require them to believe all the that Church taught or held forth as true but waited till God pleased to reveal further Phil. 3.15 Indeed they could command obedience to the Faith What Truths the Spirit of the Lord revealed and taught any man they could charge him in the Name of the Lord to be faithful to Rom. 1.5 but they knew it was God alone who could ingraft the Truth into the heart and conscience and also give the encrease of it And so from him alone they expected it waiting in patience on the stubborn and perverse till God should please to work upon them 2 Tim. 2.24 25. and likewise on those that were convinced and had subjected themselves to the Faith for his encrease of it 1 Cor. 3.6 7. 2dly Their abridging mens liberty in things wherein God hath left them free and pressing an uniformity in things which they themselves confess to be indifferent Now the Apostle who had the care of all the Churches 2 Cor. 11 28 though he knew certainly how to determine about meats and dayes as himself confesseth Rom. 14.14 yet he telleth the Church at Rome expresly that Christ was the Lord and Master of every Disciple to whom he must stand or fall herein ver. 4. and that every man ought to do is he is fully perswaded in his own mind ver. 5. Nay he is so far from pressing a necessity of uniformity in such Cases that he presseth a necessity of bearing on each hand ver. 3. So that in the Apostles judgement the Church hath not Power to lay commands on the Conscience but must receive the weakest in the Faith ver. 1. leaving him to the liberty of his Conscience and to his subjection to his own Lord and Master to whom every Believer must give an account of what he receives and of what he obeys and performs ver. 10. and 12. 3dly Their setting up a Church-building Government and Discipline by the Magistrates Power This the Apostles no where taught nor practiced They converted men by the Power of the Spirit they cut down Errors Heresies Seducers and Hereticks by the same Word and they found the Weapons of their Warfare sufficient 2 Cor. 10.4 they had no need of running to the Magistrate But that Church those Doctrines that Government and Discipline which is set up by the Magistrates Sword without and against the Spirit that hath need of a carnal Sword to defend it against the Spirit and to cut down God's Witnesses whom he raiseth up to testifie against it for Schismaticks and Hereticks or its nakedness wil soon be made manifest it's ruin approach Now when the Lord hath judged all the Daughters of Babylon for these things then will he at length begin to plead with their Mother Babylon the great who hath gone a whoring from the Spirit and built up a gawdy Church without the Spirit which she hath defended by violence and blood drinking the Blood of the Saints who have been inspired by the Spirit to testifie against her Rev. 11.7 8. and hath taught all her Daughters to do the same to wit to drink the blood of the Witnesses against them even as she hath drunk the blood of the Witnesses that have testified against her And though because she hath had an half day more given her after her time seemed to be even expiring and after Judgement and Desolation was beginning to enter upon her though because of this she thinks the bitterness of death is past and she shall now sit as a Queen a Lady a glorious Church for ever Rev. 18.7 yet for all this is she come again into God's remembrance Rev. 16.19 and she shall see Widowhood and be cast into a Bed of Torment and all her Children into great Tribulation with her and she shall be desolate and naked and drink of the Cup and not repent that she might escape it Rev. 16.11 and 9.20 21. This is her portion from the hand of the Lord Oh happy is he whose eyes the Lord shall open to flee out of her for his life For the Lamb is arisen to make War and his Spouse is making her self ready for his pure Bed of Life his anger is kindled against all the Kings Powers of the Earth that stand in his way and though they fight never so resolutely against him and his meek ones they shall not prevail but the Lamb will overcome all for he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they that are with him in this Battle of his Spirit are called and chosen and faithful Rev. 17.14 And though this Woman the false Church in her various dresses is so strong every where getting the Earthly Powers and Authorities on her side that now it may be said concerning this Beast in the several appearances of it as was concerning the former Who is able to make war with her Yet there is an invisible Power stronger than she who will call her to judgement Rev. 18.8 and make her give an account of all the Saints blood which she hath drunk her self and which she hath taught her Daughters to drink And Salvation Glory Honor and Power shall be ascribed to the Lord for his righteous and powerful judging of her Rev. 19.1 2. And he that hath any glimmering of this in the eternal Light of the Lords pure ever-living Spirit let him even now say Alleluja to him who is arisen out of his holy habitation and hath already begun this Work who will not fail to perfect it Amen Somewhat concerning the GROUND of ERROR and the way to Truth and Unity for the sake of such as are more spiritual c. THere is no way to become an Heir of the Kingdom of God but by being begotten and born of his Spirit which blows upon the spirit of a man breaths life into him and forms him in the Eternal Image John 3.8 Gal. 4.19 There is no way of having this Work of God preserved but by turning to the Spirit which begets standing and keeping upright in that which is begotten and taking heed of the fleshly wisdom which stands near to corrupt and destroy the work of God tempting and leading aside from the Truth it self into some Image and Resemblance of it And if this prevail there is suddenly a departing from the living God and a running a whoring after the inventions of the fleshly Wisdom which appears in the likeness of the true Wisdom that it might the

Testimony Opinion or Judgment is of little value Truth remains the same in it self though all the wise men in the world should testifie against it calling it Error or Heresie and Falshood can never become Truth though never so many wise men should testifie for it putting the fairest habit and appearance of Truth upon it that they can Prop. 2. That the Pope himself may erre The Pope hath not greater freedom from fallibility in judgement or doctrine then Peter himself had Now Peter had not only a capacity of error in him but he did erre in that doctrine which he taught the Gentiles of living after the manner of the Jews for he did not only do the thing himself Gal. 2.12 but he compelled the Gentiles to do the same thing holding it forth as a practice which ought to be observed by the Gentiles ver. 14. for which carriage of his Paul withstood him to the face and said he was to be blamed v. 11. And the Council of Constance deposing Pope John advancing the Authority of Councils above the Pope did plainly imply that the Pope might erre which might further be confirmed by what the Council of Basil determined concerning Pope Eugenius Prop. 3. That every man may erre in his interpretation of Scriptures further then he hath a certain and infallible opening of them to his spirit by that Spirit which gave them forth The Spirit knoweth his own minde in every word which he hath spoken but no man knoweth his mind nor the meaning of his words but as he reveals them 1 Cor. 2.11 So that God is true in all his sayings in the Scriptures but man is a lyar in all the meanings he gives of his sayings according to his own guessings reasonings and imaginings without the Spirits infallible opening of his own words to him So that the Spirit it self is the ground and foundation of all true Light and knowledge of the things of God Prop. 4. That if there be any Light to be found anywhere shining immediately from God that Light cannot erre For God is pure and that which comes immediately from him cannot but be pure All the knowledge which man gathers or can gather into his Vessel he may pollute but what issueth from the Spring is pure and of a perfect nature James 1.17 Prop. 5. That there must necessarily be such a Light communicated to all men since the fall that they may believe thereby come to the knowledg of the truth and be saved Which I prove thus 1. From the Will of God The Apostle saith expresly that God would have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth 1 Tim. 2.4 Why then there must necessarily be somewhat dispenced from God to all men sufficient to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth that they may be saved 2. From what is found in man There is found in man a Light shining in his darkness Joh. 1.5 a Light discovering the darkness and drawing from it somewhat which checks and reproves the sinner but never consented to the evil of his heart and ways This is of God this is from God this is pure this is spiritual not of the fleshly not of the natural for then it might be drawn some time or other to consent to some of the corrupt desires of the natural but though the conscience be never so much defiled yet the Light in it can never be defiled Indeed a man may set up that for Light in his conscience which may be darkness but Gods Light Gods witness there can never be bribed but wil speak truly when God at any time awakeneth or raiseth it up witnessing for him both against the evil of the man against the ●earedness hardness unfaithfulness of his conscience towards God Prop. 6. That this Light being let in believed in and obeyed shineth more and more unto the perfect day even until it hath wholly brought out of the Error into the Truth Every way of it is infallible and every step of the creature after it is infallible Indeed the Creatures reasonings and consultations about it may be fallible but the Light is infallible in it self And so far as there is a pure simple naked thing begotten by it for it is of a begetting nature Jam. 1.17 18. so far there is an acknowledgement of its certainty in the creature There are some things that all the men of the earth certainly know to be evil by means of its shining some things also that they certainly know to be good and at some times there is a Will begotten in them towards the good against the evil Now if they did honestly wait in the singleness of this Will breathing to the God of Power to have it brought to victory in them the Light would shine more and more from his presence and in the Light the Power and saving Arm would arise which would effectually lead out of the Death and Captivity into the fellowship and freedom of the Life Prop. 7. That nothing less can lead to eternal life than an eternal Light in man's spirit where the darkness is which is to be discovered there subdued there and to be led from This was the Apostle's Message who received and came with the Message of the Gospel That God is Light and in him is no darkness at all 1 Joh. 1.5 And this they preached to bring men into fellowship with this Light ver. 3. that they might walk with God in it there be cleansed by the blood of Jesus through it ver. 7 which that they might obtain they must first be turned from darkness to it Act. 26.18 and from the Power and Kingdom of Satan to the Seed of the Kingdom of God Mat. 13.31 which Christ told the Pharisees was within them Luk. 17.21 And the Apostle Paul told the Hebrews that the Laws of the Covenant whereof Christ was the Minister and Mediator were by the tenor of the New-Covenant to be written in the Heart and Mind by the Spirit not to be written outwardly as that Covenant was which God made with the Jews by Moses Heb. 8.6 c. which was not the eternal Covenant it self but a shadow of it which made nothing perfect but only made way for the hope of a better Covenant by which believers draw nigh to God Heb. 7.19 Yea Moses himself tells the Jews that the Commandment of life the Word Eternal according to faith wherein and obedience whereto they were to Live or Dye eternally was within them Deut. 30.14 15. And Paul tells the Church at Rome that this was the Word of Faith which they preached that it was also the covenant of Life and Death under the Gospel Rom 10.8 Christ is the Light of the World Joh. 8.12 or the eternal Word Joh. 1.1 which Light or Word speaks within in every man's conscience he that believes in it brings his deeds to it and obeys it is justified by it but he that hates its

out the Power and now seeing the Power is removed it is for his advantage also to corrupt and destroy the memorial of the true Form Quest Doth he effect this and prevail likewise against the Witnesses Answ. Yea as he effected the other He overcomes the Witnesses after the manner that he had overcome the Church to wit by captiving the outward man and killing with the Sword but they overcome him by patience and Faith in their Testimony and Sufferings Rev. 13.10 and this in all Kinreds Tongues and Nations and so all the publike Worship of the Earth is given to him ver. 7 8. Quest Why would God suffer him to do thus seeing he hath all Power in his hands and could have restrained him if he had pleased Answ. This was greatly needful to the present estate of his people For by this God raised up that which was good and pure in any and kept life in it which otherwise might have perished in the estate of that corrupt Form which then had prevailed and had gotten Dominion outwardly over the true Power Quest But did not this tend to destroy Satan's Kingdom also For this stroke going against the very Name of Christianity and Profession of Godliness might light upon his carnal Gospellers likewise Answ. They could easily save themselves turning about to avoid sufferings and crying Who is like unto the Beast Who is able to make war with him Rev. 13.4 Being already one with him in Spirit and Principle they would not easily differ from him and suffer about a Form especially seeing their Masters interest and service ran now another way Quest What became of this Beast Answ. The Lord did rend and teare him outwardly by his Plagues Famines Pestilences Wars c. insomuch as one of his Heads was wounded as it were to death and inwardly by the innocency and power of his Truth appearing in his Witnesses which scorched and tormented the Adversary so that this Engine of the Dragon grew faint and weary and unfit for this service as he stood in this capacity Quest What doth the Dragon do then to carry on his war against the witnesses Answ. After this tempestuous Sea was over he raiseth up another Beast out of the Earth with another kind of Power even with Horns like a Lamb Rev. 13.11 but he spake as a Dragon exercising all the Power of the first Beast ver. 12. so that he is the Man in Power hence-forward yet he setteth up the first Beast also causing the Earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first Beast whose deadly wound was healed And thus these two join together to set up an Image to be worshipped And all that will not worship this Image but the living God alone in his pure Life and Spirit this latter Beast hath power to cause to be killed ver. 15. and such must not so much as buy or sell who will not receive the Mark of the Beast or his Name or at least the Number of his Name to which number the highest growth and perfection in Religion and Worship after the Wisdom of the Flesh or man's Wisdom is to be reckoned ver. 17.18 Observe now diligently the place of the true Church and her estate and the estate of her Children all the 42. Months Her place of Habitation is a Wilderness her estate an estate of Widowhood a City un-built trodden under the feet of the Gentiles her Seed Witnesses reproached persecuted and slain by the false Woman and her Seed Observe likewise the place and estate of the false Church and her Children She rears up a glorious Building as to the outward she is a City built and richly adorned she hath a Golden Cup of Doctrine and Discipline of Ordinances and Worship to hold forth to the Kings and Inhabiters of the Earth in all Nations Peoples Kinreds and Tongues she is arrayed in Purple and Scarlet-colour and decked with Gold and precious Stone and Pearls Rev. 17 4. and all her Daughters who though they may deny her yet partake of her Spirit and learn to rear up Buildings of Churches like her they also flourish in their degree and measure None is poor but Sion none is desolate but God's Jerusalem but his Church which fled into the Wilderness to abide there all the time of his appointment And her Witnesses are clothed with Sackcloth testifying to God's despised and reproached Truth with mourning and grief of Spirit and not with that fleshly joy wisdom and confidence wherewith Babylon and her Merchants vent their Wares but onely in the evidence demonstration and assurance of the Spirit in their hearts which all the wise and confident Builders and Inhabitants of Babylon trample upon and despise Now it behoveth all to consider what this Babylon what this Woman is spoken of Rev. 17. which came in the place of the other Woman spoken of Rev. 12. what this built City is which the Wrath of the Lord will make desolate what this Beast or false Prophet is which appears like a Lamb and sheweth such Miracles to deceive the Earth and yet is fierce and cruel to such as witness for God Rev. 13 13 14 15 for dreadful are the Plagues Woes Vials of Wrath Thunders c. which God hath prepared for her even the Cup of the Lords Indignation without mixture torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14.10 11. and chap. 18.8 And who would not fear thee O thou King of Saints when thou comest with thy Cup of Fury and Indignation to empty into the Bowels of this Woman which hath been so long drunk with the Blood of thy Saints and Martyrs Rev. 17 6. Consider these things O ye Papists wait on the Lord in his fear and dread that he may vouchsafe to make known to you what and where this City Babylon is and that such of you as belong to him may hear his voice calling you out of her that ye may escape this bitter Cup Rev 18.4 The great Judgement is already begun this we know who have tasted of it It hath begun at God's House and is spreading further yea even over the Nations which have disowned you yet have learned of you to build up a Church and VVorship after the manner of your Whoredoms These the Lord will judge first He will plead with the Daughters who have disowned their Mother and yet have gone on in the Spirit of VVhoredoms worshipping the works of their ovvn hands and admiring and magnifying the beauty of the Churches which themselves have formed Now is your time to consider now is the time for the simple-hearted among you to flee from Babylon before the wrath of the Lord besiege her There are three things in general besides many particulars which the Protestant Nations and Churches have learned of you which will cost them dear ere they be made willing to part with them First Their taking upon them Authority over mens Consciences commanding