Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	authority_n	believe_v	faith_n	2,627	5	6.0967	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90975	VValwins vviles: or The manifestators manifested viz. Liev. Col. John Lilburn, Mr Will. Walwin, Mr Richard Overton, and Mr Tho. Prince. Discovering themselves to be Englands new chains and Irelands back friends. Or the hunting of the old fox with his cubs and the picture of the picturers of the Councel of State. Declaring the subtle and crafty wiles the athiesticall blasphemous, soul-murthering principles, and practises of Mr William Walwin, in plentifull instances, confirming the same with some advertisements to Liev. Col. John Liburn, and Mr Tho. Prince. / By a lover of the present and eternall interest of man-kinde. April. 23. 1649. Imprimatur, Henry Whalley.	Price, John, Citizen of London.; Kiffin, William, 1616-1701.	1649 (1649)	Wing P3351; Thomason E554_24; ESTC R205778	28,417	40

cunning art and skill being very dexterous that way to be suspected for Self-seekers Juglers and Deceivers of the People Secondly Having by this means crept into the good opinion love and affections of his deceived friends and new acquaintance the result and issue of several meetings and conferences in order thereunto and hereby wounded their respects and abated their zeal towards those that have the management and steerage of publike affairs in their hands that he may make sure work with them with cunning curious art he attempts the undermining of their principles of Religion but with a soft foot and with much slight of hand and Juglar-like as if he had past his Apprenticeship and served Journey-man to the grand deceiver of the world he employs his skill in casting a mist before them and in blinding the eyes of their minds that the great mysteries of Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ and the Doctrines of Justification by his Death and Resurrection Sanctification and Mortification by his Spirit c. may appear but meer fantasms rediculous irrational ayry vain empty notions but thus he attempts very artificially in these gradations First That he may raze the very Foundation and lay his Ax at the very root of Religion he prepares his battery against the credit honor and authority of the holy Scriptures as presuming that to be as indeed it is the very first regal of Religion the credit whereof being once lost in the judgment the conscience will and affections will quickly surrender even upon Satans terms but before he spends his Ammunition viz. his Arguments and Reasons against the same with no small subtilety patlies with them a● in the very same case and to the very same end that envious one to the presence and eternal Interest of mankind did insinuate into a conference with our first parent by way of subtle and crafty questions and hath God indeed sald ye shal not eat of every tree of the garden c. even so this most perficient Schollar doth not use in a down-right manner to deny the authority of the Scriptures but like master-like man he sets upon men quere-wise How can you prove the Scriptures to be the Word of God What security have you concerning the divine authority of the Scriptures and consequently the articles of your belief and the grounds of your faith but from the testimony of men What better grounds have you to beleeve the Scriptures came from God then the Turks have for their Alcharon or the Jews for their Talmud not that he himself would seem to question it but if you will beleeve him it is to understand how men are setled in their faith and to help them therein he writ for the defence of the divine authority of the Scriptures as Satan himself when he did tempt the Lord Christ to destroy the Scriptures in effect by doing contrary to the Tenor thereof did quote the very Scripture saying It is written he shall give his Angels charge c. Secondly If he cannot presently surprize their Judgments by his subtile quries about the Scriptures he waves the business for a season and takes another course then he insinuates the contradictions opinions of men about matters of Religion their various judgments how opposite and cross they are to themselves declining distinctions whereby they may be reconciled leading his disciples upon the Lords Days from one Church to another and staying no longer then while somewhat drops from the mouth of the Minister which he may through his art not minding what went before and what followed render rediculous and weak and so by degrees comes at last to improve all against the validity of Religion preaching and other ordinances this done Thirdly He entertains them with as much excellency and strength of discourse as his capacities have attained in setting forth the famous Governments of such and such Common-wealths the excellent readings of Phylosophers their moral ingenuity pa●s and learning how far short the Government of this Kingdom comes of them What kind of breeding such States and Common-wealths gives their children in the study of martial discipline feats of activity geomitry c. by all which means he endeavors still to take off the minds of his Disciples from Religion and the thoughts thereof if he sees the desired fruits of his labours and that he hath gotten the Venison which his soule doth so sorely long for viz. the betraying of poor men into the same condemnation with himself into low and contemptible thoughts of God of Jesus Christ of the Spirit of the Scriptures of hearing the Word Prayer of Heaven of Hell c. then they become his bosom friends and are friendly received into his house and partake of his more intimate thoughts and familiarity as presuming that having perverted them and strengthened them in his most wretched ways they might be able to go and do likewise viz. pervert and strengthen their brethren and this is his method for the taking the more solid able judicious and intelligent men which are the first sort of men whom he seeks to seduce from their faithfulness and integrity to God and man Before we come to shew his art in drawing aside the other sort of men take some instances of his proceedings in the former kind all which with much more of this nature shall be manifestly proved as occasion is required Having once upon a Fast day as his usual manner was both upon those and the Lords days gone from place to place hearing here a little and there a little what the Ministers said making it the subject matter of his prophane scorning and jeering came at last to his own house with one of his supposed Fast disciples though even at that time his heart did rise against Walwins wickedness but having got within him he did resolve though with much reluctance of spirit to fathom the deep devout hypocrisie of this man for a through detection of him being at home he fetcht out that prophane scurtilous Lucians Dialogue come said he let us go read that which hath something in it Here is more wit in this saith he then in all the Bible And speaking of the book of Psalms and the Proverbs said That there was no heed to be given to them for said he they were pen'd by Kings in order only to their own advantage and the promotion of their own interest as they were Kings And another a presumed sure friend having some familiarity with this worthy Champion for and asserter of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures Mr Walwyn profest that this wretched man Walwyn speaking of the book of the Canticles said That it was nothing else but one of Solomons Epiphonema's or Rhetorical Songs upon one of his Whores At another time speaking and discoursing of Hell said that it was a silly thing to think that there was any hell or condemnation which the Ministers keep such a noyce and prating about and that all the hell that was

books may be upon free cost scattered abroad in the Countries and all those places and Counties especially that are adjacent to the City of London and do most abound with honest and well-affected men as Hertford-shire Buckingham-shire Cambridg-shire c. that so there may be a general distaste and dis-affection among that sort of men against them Fourthly When he hath by this means wounded the repute and credit of the most faithful and succesful Patriots of the Common-wealth representing them as the chief and only cause of the pressures troubles and perplexities of the times c. and by this means raised the heat fury and passion of this sort of men under present consideration then as if all the bonds of piety civility modesty education and discretion were broken scornful scandalous opprobrious false and clamorous reports are suggested and raised against these men and happy would it be for this Nation that these men were ●●d out of the way For a further confirmation of the truth of these things take some few instances which follow This Mr Walwyn to work upon the indigent and poorer sort of people and to raise up their spirits in discontents and clamours c. did one time profess ●e could wish with all his heart that there was neither Pale He●● nor Ditch in the whole Nation and that it was an unconscionable thing that one man should have ten thousand pounds and another more deserving and useful to the Common-wealth should not be worth two pence or to that purpose At another time discoursing of the inequality and disproportion of the estates and conditions of men in the world had words to this purpose That it was a sad and miserable thing that it should so continue and that it would never be well until all things were common and it being replyed Will that ●ver be Answered We must endeavor it It being said That this would destroy all Government Answered That then there would be less need of Government for then there would be no theeves no covetous persons no deceiving and abusing of one another and so no need of government c. but if in such a case they have a form and rule of government to determine cases as may fall out yet there will be no need of standing Officers in a Common-wealth no need of Judges c but if any difference doe fall out or any criminall fact be committed take a Cobler from his Seat or a Butcher from his Shop or any other Tradesman that is an honest and just man and let him heare the case and determine the same and then betake himself to his work again At another time discoursing of Printing and educating Children c Wisht that Printing had never been known adding that since this practice and custome of teaching of Children and bringing up of youth in learning Tongues and Arts the world hath been more troubled with suits and quarrels discontents and divisions and that one man having more abilities of this kind then another men have got into great places and this hath made such distinctions and divisions in the world which otherwaies had never been known or to this purpose Again to ratifie the truth of his proceedings in raising up the spirits of the violent furious and passionate sort of people against well deserving men take these instances In the beginning of our troubles he hath frequently vented base and unworthy jealousies against that honored Coll. H●●bden Mr. Pim and others whom God made happy Instruments of the good of this Nation envie it self not being able to blemish them yet did he insinuate that there was no trusting them for they might be dispenced withall to serve the Kings interest c. What his invenctives have been against L. Gen. Cromwell Comissarie Gen. Ireton Coll. Harrison c. is notorious to all that have had intimate acquaintance with him That he might stirr up the passionate and froward spirited people to work mischief having raised up their heat and distemper speaking of the obstructions of the good of the Nation by the House of Lords Pish said he here is a great deal of stirr indeed about Lords the Switzers did cut the throats of about forty of them in a night and had peace ever afterwards One of his presumed intimate friends assures of the truth of this story following which was indeed the cause of his deserting this Walwin and some others with whom he had formerly some familiarity the story is this viz. That there was an absolute designe by some Agitators at Ware to murther the Lieut Gen Gromwell concluded upon and the manner thereof agreed upon to be thus the Agreement then concluded upon should be worn in the hats of their Party and a short Petition of about six lines should be presented to the Lo Generall Petitioning him to joyn with them in declaring that they were the Supream Authority of this Nation and that upon this ground the People made the Parliament the Parliament made the Lord Generall and the Army the severall Regiments of the Army made the Agitators and so they were the supream Authority and if the Lord Generall did refuse to joyn with them they were presently to unhorse him resolving to destroy and cut the throats of all that did oppose them and that night with a Party of Horse at 12 of the clock they were to seize upon L Generall Cromwell and to shoot him to death adding that he should never know who hurt him and that then they had a Charge ready fram'd against the King which they would effectually prosecute and require the Parliament to joyn with them resolving to cut the throats of those that should refuse the same The same Party assures also that that very night when this should have been done at Ware the private Committee did meet with an expectation of the newes of the succusse of this bloody project but newes came unto them before it was expected that the whole design was broken and the manner thereof viz. L. Gen Cromwels carriages with his naked waved Sword daunted the Souldiers that had the paper in their hats made them pluck it out and subjected to commands c. to their great dejection and trouble The Party informing of this cursed design was not a member of the private Committe being a man known of more tender conscience then fit to be admitted into such secresies but being of a more common meeting he had the businesse discovered unto him by another as he is ready to assert Having spoken of the particular wiles and waies of this deceiver touching the subject matter of his attempts viz. the seducing of the honest and well affected Party the manner thereof viz. his cunning crafty and politique observation of their severall tempers constitutions complexions quallifications and conditions and his various and suitable application of himself to gain upon them accordingly having wrought them all to a free and voluntary disposition and inclination to hearken to his counsels and