Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	true_a	1,505	5	5.2874	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08068	The confession of faith of certayn English people living in exile, in the Low countreyes. Together with a brief note of the speciall heads of those things wherin we differ fro[m] the Church of Engla[n]d.; True confession of the faith, which wee falsely called Brownists, doo hould	Ainsworth, Henry, 1571-1622?; Johnson, Francis, 1562-1618.	1607 (1607)	STC 18435; ESTC S119852	30,939	73

THE CONFESSION of faith of certayn English people living in exile in the Low countreyes Together with a brief note of the special heads of those things wherin we differ frō the Church of Englād 2 Cor. 4 13. We beleev therefore have we spoken Harmony of Confess in the preface set before it in the Name of the French Belgick Churches The Prelates Priests alway cry out that we are Hereticks Schismaticks and Sectaryes Howbeit let them know that the crime of Heresy is not to be imputed to them whose faith doth wholly rely vpon most sure grounds of the Scripture That they are not Schismaticks who entierly cleave to the true Church of God such as the Prophets Apostles do describe vnto vs Nor they to be coūted Sectaryes who embrace the truth of God which is one and alwayes like it self Reprinted in the yeare 1607. To the reverend and learned men Students of holy Scripture in the Christian Vniversities of Leyden in Holland of Sanctandrewes in Scotland of Heidelberg Geneva and other the like famous schooles of learning in the Low countreys Scotland Germany France The English people exiled in the Low coūtreys wish grace and peace in Iesus Christ. THis true Confession of our fayth in our iudgment wholly agreable to the sacred Scripture we here exhibit vnto al to be discussed and vnto you reverend Sirs we dedicate it for two causes First for that we know you are able in respect of your singular knowledg in the Scriptures and hope you are willing in respect of your syncere piety to convince our errours by the light of Gods word if any where we erre out of the way Secondly that this testimony of Christian faith if you also fynd it to agree with the word of truth may by you be approved eyther in silence or by writing as you shal think best It may be we shal be thought very bold that being despised of all yet doubted not to sollicite you so many and so great learned men But this we did partly at the request of others to whom we would not deny it partly with desire to have the truth through your help more defended furder spread abroad partly constreyned by our exile other calamities almost infinite partly also moved with love of our native countrey and of these wherein now we live and others else where wishing that al may walk with a right foot to the truth of ehe G●sspel praying daily vnto God that the great work of restoring religion the Church decayed which he hath happily begun in these latter tymes by our Gracious Soveraigne and the other Princes of these countreyes ages his servants he would fully accomplish to the glorie of his name ●ternal salvation in Christ of his elect in al places of the earth Touching the causes which moved vs to publish this Confession of faith to forsake the Church of Eugland as now it standeth we have truly as briefly as we could related them in the Preface to the Reader hereafter following therefore thought here to omit the repetition of them The Lord Iesus alway preserve you your Vniversityes to the prayse of his name the ornament of good learning th● propagation maintenance of his pure Religion From Amsterdam in the low countreyes The yeare of the last patience of the saints 1598. ❧ The preface to the Christian Reader IT may seem strange vnto thee Christian Reader that any of the Englysh nation should for the truth of the Gospell be forced to forsake their native country live in exile especially in these dayes when the Gospel seemeth to have free passage florish in that land And for this cause have our exile ben hardly thought of by many and evil spoken of by some who know not as it seemeth eyther the trew estate of the Church of England or causes of our forsaking and separation from the same but hearing this sect as they call it to be every where spoken against have without all further search accounted and divulged vs as heretickes or Schismatickes at the least Yea some and such as worst might have sought the increase of our afflictions even here also if they could which thing they have both secretly and openly attempted This hath Sathan added vnto all our former sorrowes envying that we should have rest in any part of the inhabited world and therfore ceaseth not to make warre with the remnant of the womans seed which keep the comcōmaundements of God and the testimony of Iesus Christ. But the Lord that brought his former Israel out of Egypt when they walked about from nation to nation from one Kingdome to an other people suffered no man to do them wrong but reproved Kinges for their sakes the same Lord yet liveth to mainteyn the right of his afflicted servantes whō he hath severed and dayly gathereth out of the world to be vnto himself a chosen generation a royal priesthood a peculiar people Israell of God He is our hope and strength and help in troubles ready to be found he will hyde vs vnder his winges and vnder his feathers we shall be sure vntill these miseries be overpast And though we could for our partes wel have borne this rebuke of Christ in silence aud left our cause to him who iudgeth iustly al the children of men yet for the manifestation clearing of the truth of God from reproches of men and for the bringing others together with our selves to the same knowledg and fellowship off the Gospel we have thought it needfull our duty to make knowen vnto the world our vnfeyned fayth in God and loyall obedience towards our Prince and all Governers set over vs in the Lord together with the reasons of our leaving the Ministery worship and Church of England Which are not as they pretend for some few faultes corcorruptions remayning such as we acknowledg may be found in the perfectest Church on earth Neyther count wee it lawfull for any member to forsake the fellowship off the Church for blemishes and imperfections which every one according to his calling should studiously seek to cure and to exspect and further it vntill eyther there follow redresse or the disease be growe incureable the candlestick be moved out of the place But we having through Gods mercy learned to discerne betwixr the true worship of God the Antichristiā leitourgy the true ministery of Christ Antichristiā prelacy the ordināces of Christs testament Popish canons have also learned to leave the evill choose the good to forsake Babell the land of our captivitie get vs vnto Sion the mount of the Lordes holynes and place where his honour dwelleth But first we desire thee good Reader to vnderstand and mynd that we have not in any dislyke of the Civill estate and politick government in that Common wealth which we much like and love separated our selves from