Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	according_a	speak_v	word_n	3,123	5	3.7835	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

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

reproof is condemned by it Joh. 3.20 21. and not only shut out of life but out of the very Way to it for the reproofs of the instruction of this Wisdom are the sole Way or path of life to the sinner Prov. 6 23. Now behold the true certainty of the everlasting Foundation and behold your own uncertainty See the Rock of Ages whereupon the Prophets Apostles all the Saints have been built See that which indeed is infallible and cease from man who is vain and subject to vanity error The Church of the Jews did err the Churches of the Gentiles also did err even in the Apostles dayes insomuch as their Candlestick wa threatned to be removed and was soon removed yea the Apostle particularly foretold the Saints at Rome concerning the Gentiles that their standing was by Faith and that if they continued not in Gods goodness they also should be cut off as the Jews were Rom. 11.20 22. Now there was not a standing in the faith but a general backsliding and falling away from the Faith and then the Man of sin was revealed and Christ and his Truth withdrawn strong delusion deceit and false appearances of truth starting up instead thereof 2 Thes. 2.3.11 For the Lord God upon the great defection and apostacy of the Gentiles seperates the outward Court from his Temple Altar and spiritual Worshippers which Temple was his true Church which he reserved for himself giving the outward Court to the Gentiles Rev. 11.1.2 And then the true Church fled into the Wilderness where she had a place prepared of God for her and so the Gentile-Christians could build up their false Churches in the Cities or Places where the true Church had been built by God and had appeared before And these false Churches may easily become much larger then the true Church ever was for while the Lord built the Church by his spirit he built it onely of spiritual Stones 1 Pet. 2.5 adding to it such as he first converted Act. 2 47. For such alone are fit to worship him in spirit and truth and such alone he seeks out to make up his Church of instead of the Jews whom he had cast off from being a Church and People to him John 4.23 But when man comes to build he takes in more largely then God allows he may gather in or force a whole City or Nation to become a Church by perswading or compelling them to receive the Doctrine and Traditions which he prescribes and by setting up an outward Knowledge Policy and Government according to man in the wisdom of man which the humane part will answer to be satisfied with To make this a little more manifest to such as in simplicity of heart desire to know the mind of God in this respect and the true state of the Church since the dayes of the Apostles consider these things following First God in those dayes sent his true Apostles and Ministers with the everlasting Gospel which was the Word of Faith which they preached to gather men out of Jerusalem Judea and all Nations into the obedience of the Faith Rom. 1.5 that he might have a spiritual House a spiritual People to worship him instead of those outward Worshippers whom he then cast off John 4.23 2. That this gathered people in Judea at Jerusalem at Corinth at Ephesus at Coloss at Philippi at Rome c. were his several Churches or Congregations and not the City of Jerusalem not the City of Corinth Ephesus Rome c. None of these were Churches but only a select Remnant gathered out o● these 3. That the Devil after he had stirred up the Jews every where and the Heathen as much as he could to cry out against the Truth and such as God had converted to the Faith for Heresie and a Sect and to persecute them and it yet could not prevail that way then he tryed another way sending his Messengers abroad cloathing them as Angels of Light teaching them also to preach Christ and the Doctrine of the Gospel and so transforming themselves under this colour secretly to sow the Seeds of Division Error and Heresie in the Church 2 Cor. 11.13 4. When this would not do but these were discovered and judged by the power and presence of the Light of the Spirit in the Church for false Jews false Apostles deceitful Workers Ministers of Satan c. Rev. 3.9 chap. 2.3 then they seperate themselves from the Church Jude 19. make up a body of the●r own go out into the world preach there gather a company there get the greater number and then set upon the Church fight with her overcome her and her Ministry and then get up their own false Church and Ministry Thus the Synagogue of Satan and his Ministry get footing in the world even in the very same Cities and Places where the Church had newly had Dominion before And now whereas before there was a Church at Jerusalem a Church at Rome a Church at Ephesus c. when the Synagogue of Satan is set up and hath got the Dominion there the whole City Jerusalem or the whole City Rome c. can then become a Church To make this yet more manifest observe and weigh these things following in the Ballance of the true Sanctuary First The false Prophets the false Apostles which had crept into the Church Jude 4. which strived to seduce the Church 1 Iohn 2 26. these went out from the Church ver. 19. and went into the World 1 Ioh. 4.1 2dly When they went out into the World their intent was to leaven the World with their Doctrine and to gather a people after them They preached to gather people to them and their Doctrine and form of godliness as the Apostles preached to gather people to God and his living Truth 3dly The World heard them they hearkened to their Doctrine were willing to be gathered by them owning their false Ministry and their false Church or Synagogue even as those that were of God hearkened to the Apostles and owned the truth 1 Ioh. 4.6 So that here was now two distinct Bodies in Cities and places where the Gospel had come A Body of the true Saints and true Apostles a Body of the false Apostles and Ministers of the deceitful workers who shewed Miracles and Wonders and had all manner of deceivableness of unrighteousness on their side 2 Thes. 2.9 10. Thus there was a great division and breach in the places where the Gospel had been preached and had reigned in power for he that was of God heard the true Apostles and kept to the true Church but those that were not of God but of the Worldly Spirit heard the false Apostles and false Ministers and so joined to the Synagogue of Satan 1 Iohn 4.6 where Satan had his seat and dwelling Rev. 2.13 even as Christ dwelleth sitteth in his Temple the true Church 4thly These false Apostles and Ministers with the help of the World which they had gathered in