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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	scripture_n	truth_n	word_n	3,352	5	4.2753	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13299	A Christian reprofe against contention Wherin is declared and manifested a just defence of the Church against such slanderes and reproches which Sabine Staresmore hath layd vpon vs in his two bookes, the first being 16 questions, called a louing tender. The second is his preface and postscript befor and behind Mr. Answorths last sermon, and making a pretence by that to sett it out as a loue token, hee breetheth out his malice against vs: and lastly her is an answer to a letter written by Mr. Robinson, and sent to vs with the consent of his Church, which now Mr. Staresmore hath published to the world. To these things an answer is giuen by A.T.	A. T., fl. 1631.; Thatcher, Anthony, attributed name.	1631 (1631)	STC 23605; ESTC S103240	40,101	48

say to the Law and to the testimonies of the Lord if they can bee brought to ouersway our reasons I trust the Lord will giue vs hearts to submit therevnto and vvhere hee vvisheth that vvee did see our weaknes and saith then would you not procede vvith that confidence in a matter and manner before ynheard of in the Churches Answer How true this is it doth appeare by the answer to Mr. S. Preface before for their I haue layd downe the matter and approued our course by the word of God and haue the examples of the Churches of God in the like causes which by the vvord of the Lord is approued and for our weaknes wee knovv it and confesse it yet ought wee not willfully to cast away our obedience from the least of Gods preceptes or commandes which hee hath giuen vs to walke in vpon Mr. Rob suttle inticements yet wee are redy to hear what any man can informe vs by the word of the Lord and therefore that sentence hee might haue spared wher hee saith As if the word of God either came from you or vnto you alone and who can not abuse Scripture phrases to effect their willes Lastly hee endeth his Letter vvith vpbrading of vs which is as I suppose a principall cause that Mr. S. hath set it out to the vvorld because it agreeth vvith his manner of reproching of vs as followeth And for the Church here vvhich is nearliest vnited vnto you vvhat other vse haue you had of vs since the death of your vvise and modest gouernors in all your differances and troubles saue to helpe to bear part of the scandall opprobry wherwith specially in the publique cariage of matters you haue layden the ordinances of God and professors of the same in the eyes of all within and vvithout but in vaine vvee speake vnto you vvhose eares prejudice hath stopped Ansvver In deed nearlist in dwelling but fardist of in affection as it may appeare not only by this bitter Letter but also to strangers as occasionally they passe by their dwellings by vvhome it cometh to our eares hovv bitterly they inuay against vs and what is the cause because wee wil not receiue their new found vvayes of declining and because wee deslike that they looke not better to the Lords vvatch in suffering their members to apostat some declining to the Church of England their liuing other going a great compase to new England to communicat with the Church of England and some of them that are in this Land professe to hear in the assemblies as they haue occasion and I make no doubte but they haue don it many times and this their negligent watch hath effected so that from a great company they are allmost come to nothing or fewer then those vvhom they despies and haue sayd concerning vs that our contentions would break vs to peeces And further I say that our troubles haue by them bin increased in vnjust taking part vvith our opposites so that the prouerbe is in them fullfilled which saith Prou. 27. 17. Yron sharpeneth yron so doth man sharpen the face of his friend for Mr. S. informeth Mr. Rob. and his people a mise and they againe sharpen his face and harden him in his euill and others that take his part and so increase our trouble and also the scandall and herin they fullfill this prouerbe Prou. 28. 4. They that forsake the law praise the vvicked and therfore lett it not bee though contention allthough wee faile in the manner of the doing of it if wee keepe and obserue the other part of the Prouerbe vvhich saith But they that keepe the lavv sett themselues against them And novv my brethren that are absent I speake to all that are faithfull if all the Churches of God Gala. 1. 7. Phili. 3. 18. 2. Peter 2. 1. or the most of them haue bin thus troubled as the Scriptur doeth plentyfully shovv vvhy should it seeme strang vnto you as if some strang thing had befallen vs or as if it vvere other vvayes vvith vs then it hath bin vvith the Churches of God euen in the dayes of the Apostells and in all ages yea and hath not the Apostells Act. 20. 30. foretold that such things must bee saying For their must bee heresies amongst you that they vvhich are approued may bee made manifest amongst you 1. Cor. 11. 19. If therfore vvee striue for the trueth and to abolish sinne vvee do herin the will of God Therefore our Lord teacheth vs to judge with consideration Iohn 7. 24. saying Iudge not according to the apparence but judge righteous judgment Neither let any stomble or bee offended at any weaknesses they see or espie in vs for wee are but vveake men compased about vvith the same infirmities euen as other yet desiring to bee helped by any let therfore such as haue a loue vnto the trueth rather sett their shoulder to the Lords vvorke and helpe to bear the burden Gala. 6. 2. which the Lord hath appointed and let all know that as it is euill to giue justly an offence for any to stomble so is it dangerous to bee offended in Christ as our Lord saith Matth. 11. 6. And blessed is hee that shall not bee offended in mee And vvher Mr. Rob. saith that our cares are stoped vvith prejudice Answer It hath bin time for him to say this if hee had conuinced vs of errour or sinne but to run on thus vpon an vnjust ground may rather bee judged prejudice in him And wheras hee saith that they will bewaile our state which is in deed to bee bevvailed to this I answer Allthough hee doth mise the right mark in this his bewayling of vs for hee bevvayleth vs because wee withstand his errour and declining yet for our selues I say vvee haue cause to bee sory or to bewayle our sinnes and vveakness●…s and also our troubles which our opposites hath made and the more sory vvee are that hee and his people hath vnjustly helped them as this Letter doeth manifest and vvhich I haue noted before yet more I say bevvayle or weepe not for vs only but for themselues in respect of those euills and declinings before showed and thus I end vvith the Letter of the Church of Leyden desiering all to consider of that vvhich is vvritten in the which their is no eloquence for I want learning and am but a bab in Christ yet I pray consider that when a child pleadeth reason it ought the more to bee regarded because it proceed from so simple an vnderstanding so looke vpon the cause to bee the more just and equale because I am but weake and haue not been hertofore so imployed And novv as Elihu saith Iobe 34. 3. The ear crieth words as the mouth casteth meats therefore try the reasons and Scriptures alledged and as Paule saith 2. Timo. 2. 7. Consider what I say and the Lord giue thee vnderstanding in all things FIN COncerning the publique passages of things in the Church which ●…re in this booke I haue been carefull to keepe to the trueth of things yet it may bee in some vvord or vvordes vvhich is not materiall to change any sence may haue escaped therefore for the more certainty of the trueth thereof I did first reuise them with diuers brethren and then I read it in the publique first because all should take knowledge of the rightstanding of the cause indifferant secondly because I would not allvvayes striue about words and things which concerneth not the things indifferant and so to fill the vvorld full of needlesse contention vvhich is neither to Gods glory nor yet to the comfort of him that doeth it Fault escaped In page 2. line 8. seeing is wanting p. 4. l. 4. read vs for his p. 4. l. 21. a mise for inse pag. 5. l. 2. read sinne for sence p. 5. l. 9. read were for was p. 5. lin 23. read appealing for appearing p. 5. l. 30. read said for sayth p. 8. l. 37. read proued for proue p. 11. l. 2. read circumcision for circoncision p. 11. l. 23. read second for two p. 12. l. 11. read the for to p. 13. l. 6. read prouoke for prouoque p. 13. l. 12. read scerching for cerching p. 15. l. 17. our is vvanting p. 25. l. 33. read try for cry R. B. D. P. S. I. E. H. A. B. * Iustification of separ●…tion * Obserue this is the 〈◊〉 which Mr St. 〈◊〉 to haue * An a●…row against the sep●…ration of the B●…un pag ●…9 line 25.

haue had communion with vs but hee seeing himselfe to haue resistance heare after this hee vvent to Leyden and creept into that Church and so made of them a bridge to git in vnto vs. 4. The Samaritanes in their corrupt estat fathered themselues vpon the ancient Patriarches of the Church Iohn 4. 12. 20. and contended with the true Church as hauing the trueth with them So likewise these account their mixed estat to be the true vvay of God and condemne vs for vvholly separating from the false Church and contend vvith vs for it 5. Although these Samaritanes vvere thus corrupt in their estat yet had they attained vnto the chiefe pointes of faith concerning the Messias as may appeare by the speech of the Woman Iohn 4. 25. vvhich vvas one not stricke in life vers 18. conuersation I say if shee vvhich vvas but a Woman could say so much what may wee thinke was amongst the other Samaritanes and also wee may see how redily they receiued Christ as vers 39. 42. showeth and yet for all those points of Doctrine which they had receiued notwithstanding they were condemned by our Sauiour Christ Iohn 4. 22. as worshipping they knew not what which teacheth vs how to judge and esteeme of such mixed religions And now these Couenantmakers allthough they agree with vs in the chiefe pointes of faith yet seeing they continue in their corrupt estat being vnseparated from the false Church wee are taught of Christ how to esteeme of them and so leaue them to be the successors of the Samaritanes and their right heires Now this is the Couenant which Mr. S. maintaineth and for the which hee so bestored himselfe when it was condemned and doth not hee lay afar ground to keepe men in the way of desemblation and so to remaine in the false Church by the maintaining of this Couenant yee to be a snare to such as haue left them if once they be possessed with this errour and let vs take himselfe for an example for although hee had left the Church of England both as it was a nationall Church and also the Parishes holding both to be false and being come so far reason should haue taught him neuer to haue to doe with such a Samaritanesh people againe in Church communion seeing they remain●… as they did vnseparated yet since hee was cast out from vs hee went and had communion with them and baptized his child with them also and vvhy went hee not rather to the assemblies seeing that that is their most proper Church estat they being yet vnseparated and for that their priuat meetings it is but a schisme in Babell in that their doing they make a breach in both estats both in their antichristian estat and in their pretended seruing of the Lord 2. Kings 17. 33. 34. as the Holy Ghost testifieth of their predecessor And further I say to him concerning ●…is clamours who of our Church hath tourned their backe vpon vs excepte those which hee is the cause of about these troubles in question vvhich hee through much labouring and others with him hath inticed but if hee meaneth those of the Church of Leyden which hath declined or apostated is it not more probabell or rather to plane that they haue taken their ground from Mr. Ro. their Pastour which hath opened so many pathe wayes for them first in setting out a book for priuat communion vvith the members of the false Church 2. in the maintining of hearing in the assemblies to be no communion 3. in the maintaining of this Samaritanesh Couenant 4. in that booke called Apologie hee doth not only vvith smoth vvords darken the trueth vvhich formarly hee maintained But also hee saith plainly speaking of the Church of England in the 58. page and hee speaketh it in the name of the Church of whom hee is Pastor that their faith doth not consist in the cōdemning of others wiping their names out of the bead roull of Churches And a little after hee saith neither requier vvee of any ours in the confession of their faith that they either renounce or in one vvord contest vvith the Church of England in this it appeareth that hee is ashamed and runeth from separation and of this his alteration hath the aduersaries of the trueth taken nottise of long before this last book came out so as I. P. saith speaking of his book called the justification of separation Which hee sett out in the defence of the trueth it being a good vvorke yet thus hee speaketh of Mr. Rob. concerning it that hee openly pluckes out some of the bowells therof vvith his owne hands and now seeing this is so why doth this man indeuour to lay the fault vpon vs which withstand these errours and therfore wee are of him and them euill spoken of but as it is vsually seen that such as run from their masters do speake euill of them so such as decline do speake euill of them that oppose them therfore lett none merueill that wee are euill spoken of by Mr. S. and by those that assist him for it hath bin thus allwayes with the Lords people in former times yea euen the Apostells of our Lord Jesus hath thus bin dealth withall and now to these opposites I speak wheras one of them twoo hertofor hath spoken to this effect that if the Couenant could be desproued that then they ought to acknowledge their euill in the things for the vvhich they were cast out and although but one of them speake it yet seing hee speak the trueth and as it ought to be therfor I wish them both to consider it and for vs if the Lord giue repentances vnto them wee shall be glad and hould our armes open to receiue them but alas vvhat hope is their of it seeing this man hath so many times imitated the practise of Absolom vvhich vvent in to his fathers concubins that so all should haue no hope of reconciliation between them so the third time hath hee printed his contention to the world as if hee did meane to continue an adversary and therfore by these hee bideth battell but if his cause were better then it is yet great is the euill hee doth therin in causing the name of the Lord to be scandelled Another pathe way which hee maketh for libertines is in the maintaining of his refusing to answer which is before spoken of by vvhich president of his wee see the euill effect that hath followed for suerly by his example the lo●…se ones of the Church and such as are corrupted begin to oppose that diligent watch as ought to be keept in the Lords house and with his example and his bussie writing and printing and priuate corrupting of mens minds labouring to corrupt all that hee thinketh hee can worke vpon as by experiance wee haue seene and in deed not keeping to the things as they are as I haue showed before Therefore that his sin in this point may the better appeare I