Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	false_a	teach_v	teacher_n	2,399	5	9.2607	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30498	The holy truth and its professors defended in an answer to a letter writ by Lawrence Potts, priest of Staplestown near Catherlough, unto Robert Lacky, a parishioner and formerly hearer of the said priest, occassioned by his forsaking his ministry and embracing the blessed truth herein vindicated / by John Burnyeat [and] John Watson.	Burnyeat, John, 1631-1690.; Watson, John, 1650?-1710.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5966; ESTC R36040	22,397	32

more zealous for your Gain and Interest than for excluding Evil and promoting Righteousness in your Church and so like them the Apostle speaks of who minded earthly things whose end he said was destruction Phil. 3. 19. Now such practices are no marks of the Church of Christ but of a false Church where there is want of zeal for Righteousness whereby it is manifest that you are not in the undefiled Christian Religion which keeps from the Spots of the World and leads into Fellowship with the Father and his Son. And therefore there was no such danger as thou insinuates in thy Letter in his leaving of your Church of incurring the Damnation of his Soul or choosing an unsafer way to Heaven in coming to that Religion he hath chosen Next we observe thou seemest to take an advantage at his saying It is the Light of Gods Grace that let him see the evil of his own heart that he lived in and the evil of others also and so wouldst strain these words the evil of others particularly to the seeing of the hidden evils of their hearts in secret as he saw his own whereas it is not to be questioned but that he intended the evil that others brought forth into Words or Actions Though when he speaks of himself he names his heart saying my own heart yet thou unfairly makest a great deal ado about it to bring him under blame as if he assumed Gods Prerogative and plainly contradicted the Apostle Paul in the 14 th chap. of the Romans but that thou hast no just reason for these thy endevours wise men may easily comprehend However it is certain that through the Light of Gods Grace in the heart men may come to see the defects in themselves and also in others without assuming Gods Prerogative And as to thy saying It 's a Term often used by the Quakers but not rightly understood by them thy Charge is false The Quakers understand it and thou canst not make out the contrary though it 's easie for thee and others to accuse but that we leave upon thee to prove and make out But as for his seeing the wickedness of his own heart it is not to be questioned and also to see the vanity and wickedness of others is not difficult For it is apparent enough that men that are in the Society of the people of your Religion may see what is brought forth daily that is not agreeable to Christianity both in words and actions And seeing this and that which Christ lays down being granted that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things Matth. 12. 35. Then according to this Rule of Christs by what men bring forth in their Conversations the Heart may be judged and though the Lord search the Heart and try the Reins and to know secrets is his Prerogative yet what is thus manifested according to the rule of Christ is no presumption to believe or give judgment in And as to the Apostles words Rom. 14. thou makest an impertinent application of them in bringing them as a testimony in this concern against him for the case in which they were not to judge one another was in point of Faith or their growth or liberty therein the weakness of the Faith of a weak Brother was to be born with in that straitness that was upon some as in respect to Meats and the observing of Days which others were grown over that were not to be judged but in point of Faith were to be left to their own liberty and in that case saith he Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him and he that did eat was not to despise him that did not eat So thou maist see that the Apostle had a regard to their growth in the Faith and so would have all walk accordingly in wisdom with care not to hurt one another But what is this to people of a loose life whose words and actions are contrary to the Law of God and so sinful May we bear no Testimony against such was it not the practice of the Prophets Christ and the Apostles to reprove such and give Testimony against them and yet not contradict Paul in this case How ignorant thou shewest thy self to be of the Scriptures But mark thy Judgment and where it will fall Have not these many years your Church and Ministry been cencerned in persecuting such as could not for Conscience sake and in the liberty of their Faith observe days and other things which you required and when they could not conform to you they have not only been judged by you but sorely abused and cast into Prison put in the Stocks and their Goods spoiled Thus have many suffered only for matters of Faith and Conscience towards God And so herein it is evident that your established Church thou speakest of is highly guilty of the Fact thou chargest to be plainly contrary to the Apostle in that forecited Scripture in Rom. and so is judging another mans Servant in that wherein he ought to be left to his own Master and presumest to meddle with Christs Prerogative so you are under thy own Condemnation being guilty of that which thou wouldst condemn in others And this to be your practice can be proved by many Witnesses that have suffered upon this account by your Church both in England and Ireland From what is beforesaid it's evident that for a man to say that he sees the evil of his own heart by the Light and Grace of God and the evil of other men which were conversant with him in his loose Conversation doth not bring him under the Censure of the Apostle as thou ignorantly dost imply therefore thou maist take it home to thy self and thy Brethren as a just Judgment upon you for the reasons aforementioned Thou further sayest that perhaps we will object that Christ in Matth. 7. 16. says ye shall know them by their Fruits c. To which thou answerest he does so but tellest us it hath relation to false Prophets and withal wouldst insinuate as if the Teaching Quakers as thou callest them were such but that they are such is a false insinuation which thou canst never be able to prove And by Fruits thou tellest us that both there and in other places is meant the Doctrine of those false Prophets or Teachers that being the proper Fruits of such men and not their particular Actions Answer That Christs words here have a relation to false Prophets we grant it and that they are to be known by their Fruits we also acknowledge but that the Fruits there meant are only their Doctrines and not their particular actions as thou affirmest we do deny And that it is not so as thou saist doth plainly appear from the words of Christ in many parts of the same

Chapter For first he saith they shall come in Sheeps Clothing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves so not in the Sheeps Life And what is the Sheeps Clothing Is it not the words of the true Prophets Apostles and Servants of God as appears by the Testimony of the Lords Servants as may be seen in Jerem. 23. 30. Behold I am against the Prophets saith the Lord that steal my Words every one from his Neighbour And the Apostle speaking of Deceivers Rom. 16. 18. saith that by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple So that it is evident these false Prophets and Deceivers had good words for God said they had stolen his words from their Neighbours c. and they had fair speeches but were inwardly ravening from whence evil Fruits were brought forth but that by Fruits there is not meant their Doctrine as thou saist Observe further what Christ saith in that Chapter Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles even so every good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit c. Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them ver 20. And in the following verses it is most clear that by Fruits he means their deeds and particular actions for his words are Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is Heaven so the Fruits here meant are doings not sayings Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name c. and then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Here the working of iniquity was the cause of their exclusion from him And further speaking of the wise and foolish Builders he saith He that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man c. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man c. so that all along it doth appear that the particular actions are the Fruits whereby Christ declares they may be known and accordingly may be judged though thou saist many Hereticks men who have embraced vile Doctrines as thou affirmest the Quakers do have been of good Lives First As to thy affirming that the Quakers do embrace vile Doctrines that is false and we turn it back upon thee as a wicked slander and challenge thee to bring them forth that we may know what they are that thou accounts so and whether they be ours or not In the next place where dost thou read in all the Scriptures of men that held vile Doctrines that were of good Lives The next matter thou takest in hand to defend in thy Paper is your Tithes your great Dalilah for it's evident that it is your Tithes and other Revenues that is the very cause for which the most of you did become Ministers otherwise we are perswaded we had not had one of a hundred in those Offices at this day of you for it 's the Trade as it 's made by you whereby you get your rich Gain that is chiefly in the eye of those concerned in the preferring of Youth into the Schools and we think it is as much in the eye of the Ministers in their coming out of the Schools and going into the Nations to be Teachers as your practice doth manifest So that Christ and his Gospel is the least of your concern in the ground of your design what ever may be pretended For in all things mens ways and actions are a more sure evidence to demonstrate what they are than their words therefore Christ saith by their Fruits ye shall know them So that we do not wonder to find thee so concerned to plead wordly Gain But to come to the matter thy business is to prove Tithes of Divine Institution now under the Gospel Dispensation which if thou do then we will confess it is no defect in your Religion Thou sayest it will be no hard matter to do but thou hast not done it and if it be so easie to do thou shouldst have done it to have convinced him that scruples its Lawfulness However it may be supposed thou hast brought thy chief proof in quoting Christs words in Matth. 23. 23. and Luk. 11. 42. where he speaks of the Pharisees paying Tithes of Mint Anise Cummin c. and tells them these things ye ought to have done And then thou sayest nothing can be plainer to them that are not desirous to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction So by thy own words this is thy chief proof being as thou saist nothing can be plainer But as plain as thou wouldst make the simple believe it is all that are wise do clearly see that this has no relation to the Gospel Dispensation but to the first Covenant and Priesthood And saith the Apostle Hebrews 7. 12. For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law. And in the 8th chap. thou maist see how he proves the Law changed and gives the Reason for the Lords giving a new Covenant or Testament and making the first old So its plain the Priesthood that received Tithes and the Law that made them of Divine Right to the Priesthood are both changed and both a new Law or Covenant and Priesthood set up and established by the Oath and Promise of God which are the two immutable things by which God shews the immutability of his Counsel abundantly unto the Heirs of Promise for the strengthening of their Consolation through Christ that is made an High Priest for ever as thou mayst read Heb. 6. Now thy work is to prove Tithes of Divine Institution in the New Covenant and then to prove and shew the Priesthood that is to receive them for thou maist see both the Law that gave them and the Priesthood that received them are changed and though Christ told the Scribes and Pharisees they ought to have done it that was according to the Law of the first Covenant which was not then disannulled Christ not being offered up but he himself under it for it is said He was made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. and so he taught people to observe it as when he had cleansed the Leper in Matth. 8. he bid him shew himself to the Priest and offer the Gift that Moses commanded for a Testimony unto them and so while under the Law he was for observing the Law but now that being ended in him his Law is to be observed and what he has ordained we are to be subject to But before we speak to that we are willing to take a little observation of the difference between your Priesthood that now takes Tithes and Gods Priesthood that received Tithes by his Law in his first Covenant First Levi's Line that was to receive Tithes of Israel

for Pleasure but to get Fish from whence we may groundedly conclude that they used that Imploy for a Livelihood at times when they were not immediately imployed in preaching the Gospel and we challenge thee to prove the contrary if thou canst Concerning thy querying for a Command for keeping the First day of the week or calling it the Lords day We say we meet together on the First day of the week for to meet is our Duty and also upon other days and for this Practice we have both Command and Example the Saints were commanded not to forsake the assembling of themselves together Heb. 10. 25. and we account every day is the Lords and he that regardeth a day ought to regard it to the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it Rom. 14. 6. But what Scripture have ye for all such days as you observe which are called such and such Saints days Thou saist thou hast been the longer on this particular because thou findest it galls us most Answ. When thou hast read our Answer which by reason of thine being so long hath caused ours to be so too thou maist consider of it and of thy impertinency in quoting the Scriptures to prove your Practice which being well observed doth witness against you and then we doubt not but it will prove that which will gall thee and thy Brethren who are so found in such covetous practices as the Scriptures plentifully testifie against and for a further Testimony against your Practices read these following Scriptures of which for brevity sake having been so long already we shall forbear to write the words they that can may read them in the Bible Isa. 59. 9 10 11 12. Jer. 5. 30 31. Ezek 13. 19. Ezek. 34. ch Mich. 3. 5 11. Joh. 10. 12. Tit. 1. 10 11. 1 Tim. 3. 1 2 3. 2 Pet. 2. 14 15 16. Jud. 11. 12 13. In the next place thou undertakest to inform him of some Defects in that Religion he had chosen and first thou saist our Teachers have no lawful Call to preach the Gospel and quotest the Apostles saying Rom. 10. 15. How shall they preach except they be sent that is saist thou how can they preach the true Doctrine of Christ unless they be sent by him or by those Apostles of Christ who received immediate Commissions from him c. Answ. We grant what the Apostle saith How can they preach except they be sent c. But that our Teachers are not so sent thou neither undertakest to prove by Argument nor Scripture although thou hast the confidence to affirm that they have no lawful Call or Commission to preach the Gospel which we turn back upon thee as a false Accusation and demand of thee to prove and make it appear to be true if thou canst for we do believe that none can be true Ministers but such as are sent by Christ and have their Call and Commission from him and also receive the Gospel which they preach and their ability from him for the Scripture is plain that the Gospel-Ministers were sent by him and received the Gospel they preached and ability to preach it from him and not from men as in Gal. 1. 11 12. and in 2 Cor. 3. 6. the Apostle saith they were made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit and in the fo●egoing verse he saith our sufficiency is of God. And Ephes. 3. 7. he declares that he was made a Minister according to the Gift of the Grace of God given unto him by the effectual working of his Power And Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 11. If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified c. And so from him we say we have received our Call by his eternal Spirit and do wait upon him to receive our ability daily that what we do may be by the Gift of the Grace of God given unto us that God in all things may be glorified And if this be not according to the Scripture and the way of God do thou in thy next shew what is and prove your way of being bred up at Schools and learning your Tongues and taking your Degrees there and observing your Ceremonies in your Ordination and coming forth according to your Traditions and then looking for a Benefice the greatest you can get and then settling in a Parish for so much a Year until you can hear of a Place with a greater Benefice and then remove for greater Gain and Preferment and while you stay in a Parish take such Lordship upon you that none of your Church or Hearers may have liberty to speak or preach but such as are so ordained as you are Clear these things in thy next to be according to Scripture if thou canst In the mean while we charge this method and these doings not to be according to the Rule of the Gospel or Example of the primitive Ministers that this is your practice we believe thou canst not deny But in the true Church this Order and Liberty was ordained by the Apostle as in 1 Cor. 14. 30 31 32. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace for you may all prophesie one by one that all may learn that all may be comforted and the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets But this Liberty which the Apostle ordained you do not admit of no more than you do of other things which were the practice of the true Church and Christs Ministers but instead thereof are gone into things which are of Mans ordaining and setting up And therefore Robert Lacky and all in whom God hath opened an understanding to see you aright have reason enough to forsake you and your Church and as for those Scriptures thou quotest to prove a successive Power to send others they make nothing for your method of Ordination at all for Matth. 28. he said he would be with them c doth not say they should send others In Acts 1. the Apostles desired one in the place of Judas to be numbered with them and he was chosen by lot so here was the Lords lot And in Acts 14. 23. it is said they ordained Elders in every Church Now how these Scriptures do prove a true Succession to your Call and Ordination let all that are wise in heart judge Secondly Thou saist we have no Sacraments administred in our Religion neither that of Baptism whereby people are admitted into the Christian Church nor that of the Lords Supper by which they are strengthened and preserved in it Ans. First we demand whence thou hast this Term Sacraments and what is the proper signification of it we are sure thou hast it not from Scripture And secondly We put it upon thee to prove whence you have your Authority for