Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	apostle_n	church_n	teacher_n	2,224	5	8.9443	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61651	A rebuke to the informers with a plea for the ministers of the Gospel, called nonconformists, and their meetings and advice to those to whom these informers address themselves for assistance in their undertakings.	Stockton, Owen, 1630-1680.	1675 (1675)	Wing S5699; ESTC R34618	98,356	92

conversion of a sinner than to bring back the straying Oxe or Asse of an enemy on several accounts For 1. The Soul of a man is of more worth than all the Oxen and Asses upon the face of the earth yea the Soul of the meanest man is of greater value than the whole world Mark 8.36 What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul 2. It is far more dangerous for a sinner to go astray from God than an Oxe or an Asse to go astray from his owner For the Oxe that goeth from one Master may find another that may take care of it or the Oxe may get a subsistence by ranging abroad as well as abiding at home or if the straying Oxe should be slain its misery endeth with its life But the sinner that goeth astray from God unless he be brought to repentance will fall into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone and will perish eternally 3. God hath a greater right to the Souls of men than any man hath to his Oxen or Asses Ezek. 18.4 All souls are mine They are the work of his hands and therefore he may claim a greater propriety in them than any man can in those things which he hath bought with his money or calls his own on the account of any other title 4. We are more obliged to bring unto God who is our Soveraign Lord our heavenly Father our dearest Friend that which is his own when gone astray from him than we are to bring back to our enemy his Oxe or his Asse when we meet it going astray If then he that meeteth his enemies Oxe or Asse going astray be under a strict charge to bring it back Thou shait surely bring it back to him again how much more are we obliged to endeavour the conversion of a sinner when we meet him going astray from God though he be one of the greatest enemies we have in the-world When I had considered not only the swift destruction these Informers bring upon their own Souls but also what mischief they have already done and may further do unto men fearing God if not reclaimed how many they draw to be partakers with them in their sin what temptations needy and malicious men may be under to follow their pernicious ways what great guilt is brought upon the Nation by their means I thought with my self that the leading these men to repentance would conduce to a publick good as well as be an act of kindness to their own Souls and so was the more confirmed in my resolution to endeavour the converting them from the error of their ways The most effectual way to reclaim these men from their evil ways seems to me to be this To demonstrate out of the word of God the greatness and the dangerous nature of this sin which I conceive they either know not or at least do not consider it For that is the most powerful means that can be used for converting a sinner Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul If the word of God will not prevail with them to turn from their evil ways though one should arise from the dead either one of the Saints that hath been in heaven and should tell them what a glorious Kingdom they shall lose if they persist in their sins or one of their fellow sinners should come out of hell and tell them what torments they have felt in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone and they will certainly come into that place of torment if they go on in their evil ways yet this would not perswade them to repent Luk. 16.29 30 31. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And he said nay father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead For my more orderly proceeding with these men I shall use this method 1. I shall shew what Informers I mean and aim at in this Discourse 2. I shall premise something concerning the persons whom they molest and the work for which they molest them 3. I shall by several arguments endeavour to convince them of the greatness of their sin 4. I shall answer their Plea's whereby they excuse their sin 5. I shall draw some Inferences for their and others instruction The Informers I design in this Discourse to convince of the evil of their ways are such as either for the love of money or out of malice or a blind zeal or any other evil principle under a pretence of suppressing seditious Conventicles go to the Assemblies where those Ministers commonly called Nonconformists do pray to God in the Name of Jesus Christ and do read the holy Scriptures and preach the Gospel and if they find them either Praying or Preaching they procure Officers to break up their Assemblies or else they go to the Magistrates and by the Information they give against those present at the foresaid Assemblies they stir them up either to imprison the Minister or to fine him or such of the people as they think good in great sums of money The reason why I deal with these Informers only that come to and raise up trouble against these Assemblies where those Ministers called Nonconformists pray to God and instruct the people are these 1. I have observed that their chief design and endeavour hath been to molest those Meetings 2. I have no knowledg what is said or done at other Meetings as never to my remembrance having been present at any of them and therefore will not justifie nor condemn them but shall leave that to those that are concerned therein In order to the conviction of these Informers of the evil of their ways I shall premise three Propositions 1. Those Ministers whom they persecute are righteous men and there are many righteous persons that frequent their Assemblies 2. Praying and preaching which are the works for which they are persecuted are good works 3. These Ministers that are persecuted by these Informers for praying and preaching are true Ministers of Jesus Christ and are called of God to preach the Gospel I shall briefly prove these three Propositions 1. These Ministers whom these Informers persecute are righteous men to evidence this consider 1. They are sound in the Faith they believe all things that are written by the Prophets and Apostles They imbrace that Faith which is professed in the Protestant Churches and particularly they own the established Doctrine of the Church of England although they have different apprehensions about the Discipline Soundness in the Faith is requisite to make a man a righteous man although that alone be not sufficient for Heresie is a work of the flesh which will shut a man out of the Kingdom of heaven as well as Idolatry Adultery Drunkenness or such like sins Gal. 5.19 20 21. 2. They are righteous

them for their sins and they are very dreadful which without repentance will be their portion as hath been shewn in the second Chapter Rev. 8.4 Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues As they that partake of Babylon's sins shall be partakers of Babylon's Plagues so shall they that partake of the Informers sins partake of the Informers Plagues Prov. 29.24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul The same I may say of him that is partner with these Informers he hateth his own Soul And why doth he that is a partner with a thief hate his soul Because he takes a sure and speedy course to destroy his own Soul Let me here shew you how many ways a man may be partaker with these Informers in their sin for these men do involve many others in the guilt of their hainous transgression 1. They that harbour these men in their houses and wish them good success in their undertakings are partners with them in their evil deeds 1 Joh. 2. Ep. v. 10 11. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds As he that harboureth and encourageth false teachers is partaker with them in their evil-deeds so also they that receive into their houses encourage and wish success to these men that oppose the Ministers of Christ that teach the Word of God in truth are partakers with them in their evil deeds 2. They become partakers with them in their sin who rejoyce and take pleasure and delight to see these Informers disturb the Meetings of these men Obad. v. 12 But thou shouldst not have looked upon the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger neither should thou have rejoyced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction neither shouldst thou have spoken proudly in the day of their distress They that take pleasure in others wickedness are under the same or rather a greater guilt than those persons that commit the wickedness Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the Judgment of God that they that do such things are worthy of death not only do the same but take pleasure in them that do them Hoc pejus illo saith Grotius upon the place This latter To take pleasure in them that do them is worse than the former for a man may do evil under a temptation but to take pleasure in another man's sin argues an exceeding great corruption in that man's heart God was greatly offended with Moab for rejoycing at the Assyrian spoiling the Israelites Jer. 48.26 27. Moab also shall swallow in his vomit and he also shall be in derision For was not Israel a derision unto thee was he found among thieves For since thou speakest of him thou skippedst for joy 3. Such as at the instigation of these Informers take away or buy those Goods which are taken away from men fearing God for their worshipping God and that either because they are sold at a low rate or because they would not have the Informers go without a reward Obad. 13. Thou shouldst not have entred into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity yea thou shouldst not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity nor have laid hands on their substance 4. Such as plead their cause defend and justifie them in their evil ways they are deeply guilty and partakers with them in all the evil and mischief that they do It is worse to plead for sin than to commit it As Grotius observeth Nam affectu abreptus peccat aliquis sine eo non peccaturus At qui defendunt talia docent vitio carere sane gravius delinquunt Joash thought that man worthy to dye that should plead for sin Judg. 6.31 Will ye plead for Baal will you save him He that will plead for him let him be put to death while it is yet morning To justifie a wicked man is an abominable sin in the sight of God Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. 5. They that afford their aid help and assistance to these men in their evil designs are partakers of their sin To help an ungodly man in an evil undertaking will bring down wrath from the Lord 2 Chron. 19.2 Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. When the Apostle Paul made confession of his sin of persecution he mentions the keeping the clothes of them that stoned Stephen as an evidence of his consent to that wicked fact and his being involved in the guilt of his blood Act. 22.20 And when the blood of thy Martyr Stephen was shed I was standing by and consenting to his death and kept the rayment of them that slew him Paul did not help to throw the stones he did but keep the rayment of those persons that stoned him and this little assistance that he gave them was a great trouble to his Conscience Take heed therefore of giving any assistance to these men either by guiding them to the places where these persons are assembled that they seek after It is recorded to Judas eternal infamy That he was guide to them that took Jesus Act. 1.16 or by telling them the names of the persons whom they find assembled together or drawing up their Informations they give unto the Magistrate or aiding them in the dispersing these Assemblies or any other way helping them in their evil way 6. Such as excite counsel and put forward these Informers to undertake their evil work are partakers with them in their sin The people of Israel were said to make the calf which Aaron made because he made it by their instigation Exod. 32.2.35 The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him up make us Gods which shall go before us And the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made The guilt was equally and the plague greater upon the people for stirring up Aaron to make the calf than upon Aaron himself that made the golden calf David is charged with killing Uriah 2 Sam. 12.9 Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword yet David himself did not touch him they were the Ammonites that killed him but because David plotted and contrived his death and wrote Letters to Joab to set him in the forefront of the battel where he was slain Ch. 11.14 15. Uriah's blood was laid to David's charge Jezabel stirring up Ahab to work wickedness made her a partaker of Ahab's guilt 1 Kings 21.25 There was none like unto Ahab that did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord whom Jezabel his wife stirred up 7. Such as hire those Informers to undertake this