Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	believe_v	church_n	faith_n	3,375	5	5.6334	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60911	A testimony of love and good vvill unto all them who desire to come to enjoy an everlasting being with the Lord of life when dayes in this world will have an end. Given forth by one that desireth the good of all, and that none may perish in sin, John SOnghurst.	Songhurst, John, d. 1688.	1680 (1680)	Wing S4687; ESTC R220752	51,316	88

People own the Scriptures more than we do for 't is not every one that readeth it that doth own it although 't is good to read it 't is they that answer and fulfil the Sayings of Scripture in Life and Conversation that truly own them and these come to know the Mysteries of them and not every one that can talk of them as the Scribes and Pharisees could and premeditate things in their Brains and talk of them in their Wills but 't is he only that doth the Sayings of them that cometh to know the Comfort and Benefit of them For People are mistaken in this thinking that by often reading the Scriptures little minding what they read that this will do God Service No no 't is they that read with Understanding and come to Practise the same who come to know all false Worships from the true and the true from the false For the Scripture doth not direct people to it self but to Christ Jesus for we say he is the Way the Truth and the Life and we see where Christ taketh them off from having so much dependency on the Scriptures and said thus Search the Scriptures for in them you think to have Eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me but you will not come to me that you may have Life John 5.39 So we say that Christ is he that giveth Life and without him no man can come to God And this is our Principle and that which we do faithfully believe and the Scriptures are on our side as a Cloud of Witnesses And we do not believe that any of these outward things will do as Praying to them that are dead or Worshipping of Images or Signing with a Cross or any of these things but man must become a new Creature all old things must be done away Neither do we believe that Water Bread or Wine can do any thing towards cleansing of the Conscience Neither do we believe that the Church Faith as they call it nor their Directory but he that said Before Abraham was I am 't is he that is mans true director alone without all their made Faiths and framed Directories or any such thing And we do further believe That 't is not the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book nor the Sprinkling of Children or any thing else that they can invent that will make a Man or a Woman a new Creature but Christ which is the true Bread which cometh down from Heaven they that eat thereof shall never Hunger more and Christ hath promised this to them which hunger after Righteousness they that hunger after Righteousness Christ is feeding with this Bread and he is chusing of them out of the Vanities of this World But they that deny the leading and guiding of the Spirit of God and say That Inspiration and Revelation is ceased as the Priests and Professors do and say There is no such thing now adayes Such never come to eat of that Bread which Christ said he would give to them that hungred after him but them that are Full and Rich he sendeth empty away but the Needy and poor of Spirit he Feedeth and filleth with good things But as to them that deny Revelation and the Light of Christ which enlightneth all and the Righteous are guided by them that oppose and deny this I do believe that they see no Revelation neither do they see any Beauty or Comliness in the appearance of Christ for he is grieved in them as a man of Sorrows and his Visage is more marred by them then any mans because they are alwayes Warring Writing and enviously Opposing the Light and Spirit of God in themselves and in others Therefore they must needs not know how it is with them and must needs be blind while they are in striving against that which would let them see for the Scripture saith There is none knoweth the things of God but by the Spirit of God And in this state and condition rebelling against that which is the only means of Salvation and are mudling in the dark and know not how it is with them because they are hearkening to the false Prophets and blind Guides and this is the reason that Condemnation is come upon them that are condemned because Christ is come they that will not believe on him must be condemned This being the Condemnation of the World that Light is come into the world men love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil. For we may read that whilst Paul was opposing of the Light and Spirit in himself which often times pricked him in his Conscience for what he did which was not right although it were in a blind Zeal and under a cover of Religion yet being done in his own Will and according to the Wisdom of the Flesh this was that which blinded his Eye that he could not see how it was with him but was as these be now adayes hating and persecuting of the Just and yet talking much of Religion and very busie about the Letter talking much of the Prophets Words but Persecuting the Just and quenching the Spirit of Christ as these outside Professors do now adayes So we may see that Paul till he came to know Revelation in himself and to walk by the Light of Christ which shone in him for all his Learning and his great Profession yet he was ignorant of the Way of the Lord and as to his own Condition he could not examine himself nor know how it was with him till he turned to that which reproved him and so to have his mind guided by it and his Conversation to be managed by that which pricked his Conscience and so he came to fear the Lord more then men and though men rose up against him for coming to that strange Doctrine as they so called it which Doctrine the Wisdom of this World could never understand in that Age neither can they now but alwayes counted it strange Madness and Folly and so they do now adayes and when Paul came to be led by another Spirit then that he was led by or then that they were led by by this he came to be led beyond their wisdom then they cryed out he was a Mad Man and so they are crying now adayes concerning us because as Christ saith They know not what they do nor what Spirit they are of and thus the Blind leadeth the Blind And here lieth the reason there is so much Confusion among men about Religion and why so few are chosen because they go from the true Guide and from him that giveth a right understanding concerning the true Worship and things relating to Salvation For there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby any man comes to the Kingdom of Heaven and is saved but by Christ Jesus alone for as Christ saith I am the Way the Truth and the Life John 14.6 Now to this most People of all sorts will confess because it is Scripture that Christ is the Way the Truth

for here he makes them believe All is well and so being under a Profession they are willing to believe it but he cannot so easily perswade them that are in open Prophaneness that it is well with them for they have no such Cover for their Sins and therefore Christ said Publicans and Harlots should enter the Kingdom before such Matth. 21.31 And for them that profess the Truth and do not walk in it they shall never enter the Kingdom of God All these fore mentioned things and many more that might be mentioned do hinder many from entering in at the Strait Gate these be the Weights and Burdens which were and are to be laid aside which do easily beset People and it is not applying of Promises as they call it will do it in that Way which Carnal-minded Men do apply them for there is no Promise of coming to the Kingdom of God which Kingdom is not of this World but upon such terms of being born again and so becoming new Creatures and then such come to know the In-side cleansed of Sin by him that hath regenerated them which is the Lord from Heaven the Second Adam the Quickening Spirit for 't is not making clean the Out-side will do and still the In-side to be full of Sin and here many People have been cheated of their Souls in believing of them that have smoothed them up in Sin for when it hath pleased the Lord many times to awaken people out of Sin that have been asleep in Sin and when they are a little awakened and by that Light which then shineth in them come to see Sin appear as it is exceeding sinful and he that shews unto man his Thoughts he it is that sets all in order before them and so people come to see that it is not as it should be with them as concerning their Peace with God and then not knowing what it is that sheweth them how it is with them and that God is so near them neither do they know that that which sheweth them their Sin is able to deliver out of it and to give them Power over it because it is so slighted by their Teachers therefore they sleight it also and under this Trouble of Mind many a poor Creature is under great Distress seeing his Sin is remaining and that the Wages thereof is Death finding no Helper on Earth but wandering in dry places seeking Rest but finding none because they are still reasoning with Flesh and Blood not joyning to that which sheweth them their Sin here they are at a Loss concerning Salvation and in this State and Condition many are going from one Profession to another there inquiring of one Teacher or another What they must do to be eased of their Troubled Mind and come to some Satisfaction concerning their poor Souls then these blind Teachers begin to turn them to Wrong Wayes herein cometh Destruction upon many a poor Soul being led by the blind Leaders of the Blind into many Crooked and By Wayes which lead to Destruction and here one he bids them apply the Promises another he cryes out Go into the Water another turning them to the Bread and Wine and another to worship Images which can neither hear speak or see So here they are turning People to Outward Things when the chief cause lies within and cannot be purged out by these outward things but only by the Power of God Man may make clean the Out-side but the In side must be cleansed by God and if the In-side be clean then the Out-side also will be clean the Out-side may be clean and painted and the In-side full of Rottenness and in this State and Condition the Dawbers with Untempered Morter dawb over peoples Wounds but could never cure them I am not speaking against those Outward Means which the Lord calleth any into but for People to run into any thing which they are not called to though it may be in Pretence of Service and Worship to God this never did not will ease any of their Burden of Sin which they groan under but it is Christ alone that must do it it must be upon his own Terms and not as Man would have it but there are many Lo Heres turning people to Outward Things and not to Christ's Appearance within one crying Lo here is Christ and another Lo there he is in this or the other Outward Observation But what said Christ of such that spoke after this manner Go not after them said he that shall say Lo here is Christ or Lo there he is go not forth believe them not for that which may be known of God is near which is called the Word which is in the Heart and in the Mouth and this is that which shews unto Man his Sin and also able to take it away for he is come to put an End to Sin and to finish Transgression so to bring in Everlasting Righteousness this is the Work which he came to do which all the blind Guides can never do and this is he which bringeth that Peace and Wisdom which passeth all Understandings of Men. And further Christ said to the Jews The Kingdom of Heaven is within you But observe instead of turning People to this inward Principle which Christ told People of the Blind Guides are altogether turning People unto outward things and so here setting them to make clean the Out-side of the Cup and Platter and People are cheated of their Souls for one is crying The mass-Mass-Book is the Way to come to Heaven and Praying to dead Saints and Worshipping of Images others crying Dipping and Bread and Wine is the Way and another crying The church-Church-Faith is the Way another steps up and saith His Directory is the Way and there is another saying The Common Prayer-Book is the Way so here are many Wayes set up by the Invention of Man in the fallen state so leading many Thousands of poor People into these outward things and not keeping to that or being turned to that which searcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins and for want of this come to lose their Souls Rest and Happiness with God for 't is not the making clean the Out-side will do but them that are cleansed within these are them which God delights in it is the Pure in Heart that see God here every one cometh to know how it is with them for God is with the Pure in Heart and by him people come to know the Way which leadeth to Everlasting Life and this is he that we say is the Way to come to that Kingdom which is not of this World where no Mortal Man ever came to and the Scripture directeth people to him and bears Testimony of him which we whom the World in Scorn calls Quakers do faithfully believe is true and though we have been belyed and falsly accused in that matter we desire the Lord may forgive them that have been guilty of that thing in saying we Deny the Scriptures for there are no