Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	church_n	true_a	2,638	5	5.6069	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38702	The defence of Iohn Etherington against Steven Denison and his witnesses their accusatons and depositions vvherein their whole proceedings and ground whereupon he was censured and committed to prison by the high commission court is in brief declared : which he having now opportunitie and speciall occasion also urging, thought needfull to publish.	Etherington, John, fl. 1641-1645.	1641 (1641)	Wing E3384; ESTC R7935	45,195	66

persons that were present beside themselves for by that meanes their testimonies would have carried a more faire and honest countenance then now they doe but since the 20 of December that must not be omitted they will not have me pardoned by any meanes I doe well remember that about the time that Mr. Denison first began his suite in Court against me after he had a long time before reviled me in his Pulpits these two men Thomson and Rogers sought to get me into their company Rogers being the sollicitor or earnest suit or for the same to one Salomon Seabright being of his acquaintance and one that knew me to bring it to passe pretending and promising that if they might speake with me and should finde things to be otherwise then they had conceived they would enforme Mr. Denison thereof and cause him to cease his course and proceedings against me Whereupon I did consent to speake with them so that they would appoint the time and place for I suspected it to be a plot layd between Mr. Denison and them to get matter against mee either to prove a conventicle or otherwise to entrap me in my words being forewarned by one that knew some of their secrets that such a thing was plotted and intended by them which accordingly so proved So the place being at the said Salomon Seabrights neere Algate I met them there at the time they appointed where in the hearing of sundry persons they moved many questions unto me concerning repentance and faith the Church and other things to which I did answer them according as I did understand and beleeve As touching the Church they asked mee what I held the true Church of Christ to be To this I answered and told them plainly that I held the true Church of Christ to be and consist of the true regenerate servants and people of God sanctified in heart by faith in Christ Jesus lively stones built upon the rock Jesus Christ the chiefe corner stone according to the words of Christ and as S. Peter describeth it which St. Paul calleth the body and spouse of Christ the pillar and ground of truth according also as it is conteined in the Creed I beleeve in the holy Ghost the holy Catholique Church the communion of Saints c. Then they asked me of the outward state of the Church of England if all in generall were the same true Church of Christ or of it to which I answered nay I could not say so Then if any whole Parish that I knew were to which I also answered nay I knew no such Parish that I could so conclude of all God knoweth who are his Then lastly if I did not hold some private company with my selfe to be the same true Church of Christ to which I answered also and told them nay but that all of all degrees and callings in the whole Kingdome whose hearts were sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus were the true Church of Christ here of England and that if I or they that asked those questions or the rest there present were so sanctified in heart then were wee of the same true Church of Christ else not and that there was never any Church generally considered as it was outward and visible to the eye of man but some yea many times the most part and of the greatest of them in most eminent place in the Church as well as of the lowest and meanest have been unfaithfull ungodly unholy and so not of the Church though they were in it And I told them plainly that I held the Church of England as it was by the authoritie of Princes and by Law established to be the best reformed so generally considered this day in the world and that I did beleeve God had a speciall respect unto it above any one Nation or Kingdome whatsoever and that he had many faithfull servants sonnes and daughters therein and much people to save for whose sakes the rest doe fare well and are the more happy These were my answers to their questions touching the Church or to this very effect as some that were there present and heard me as well as they can testifie It seemeth that upon my answer to their question of the outward state of the Church of England if all in generall were the true Church of Christ or of it because I said nay I could not say so therefore they presume to sweare that I held and published that the Church of England as it is now by Law established is no true Church of Christ as if I would have some other outward forme established to make a true Church or that none could be in the outward state of the Church and partake with it in the outward calling of the ministry preaching administring hearing receiving but regenerate persons onely all which was far from my thought So that in this also as well as the former they are very false witnesses And concerning Robrowghs testimony who deposeth that because I say the true Church doth consist of the regenerate therefore I teach and maintaine that the church of England as it is now by Law established is not a true Church of Christ My answer is that if Mr. Robrowgh can and when he shall prove that the Church of England as it is now by Law established is not part of the holy Catholike Church of Christ whereof all are Saints then will I grant his testimony to be true in the meane time he is a false accuser and one that doth deny the Church of England now by Law established to be part of the true holy Catholique Church of Christ of the Communion of Saints proving himselfe guiltie of that whereof he chargeth me It would small avayle the Church of England to have the name of a true Church and not to be of the holy Catholike Church which the Creed and the Scriptures doe describe unto us and require us to beleeve and acknowledge for Christs true Church his body his spouse c. for although all be not Saints that are in the Church as touching the outward estate and societie thereof yet as touching the true spirituall communion all are Saints that are of it and are one body and one bread being all made partakers of that one bread Christ Jesus and baptized by one Spirit into one body and made to drinke into one Spirit as St. Paul declareth according as St. Iohn testifying against some Antichrists of his time They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might manifest that they were not all of us and St. Paul againe But Christ the sonne over his owne house whose house are wee if wee hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end So that they onely which are truly faithfull and hold fast the confidence c. are the true Church of Christ If

yee see the day approaching All which I suppose the meanest Christian of the lowest degree or place that is may doe and that it concerneth him as much as it doth any other though never so great If in this I have offended against the law of the Church of England I have offended it I confesse but I doe suppose nay I verily beleeve there is no law in this Christian Kingdome now at this time forbidding these things In the times of Papistry it was not held lawfull for the Scriptures to be in the English Language nor for the lay people to reade the same But thankes be to God it is not so now those dayes of desolation are shortned in this Realme according to the word of Christ as he foretold saying But for the elect sake those dayes shall be shortned The Scriptures wherein the light of the truth and way of salvation is conteined and held forth which by Antichrist and his Church hath beene so long obscured are by the Lawes and Authoritie of this Land translated into our owne native tongue and by the same Authoritie all men young and old have free libertie to reade and consider the same to talke and conferre thereof one neighbour with another and as the men of Berea after they had heard Paul preach did search the Scriptures daily so may we doe after we have heard and as Timothy did know the Scriptures of a childe which were able to make him wise unto salvation so may wee even of children know the Scriptures Therefore we are greatly bound to be thankfull unto God for this inestimable treasure and for those his servants who have beene the meanes of this so great good unto us And God forbid that ever the Authoritie or Law of this Christian Kingdome should prohibit the same againe So that whereas Steven Denison and his witnesses doe charge me that I have oftentimes taken upon me to expound sundry places of Scripture as a teacher or instructer to many persons c. They charge me very falsly for I never did otherwise then as one Christian neighbour or friend may and ought to doe to and with another so far forth as God hath given him grace and understanding as I have sayd But because it will be conceived that all this that hath been said and done against me was not for nothing I must therefore request the favour and patience of the Reader to give me leave to relate the beginning and ground of all which was this First it is true I confesse I did and doe still hold as a maine truth of the Gospel of Christ contrary as it appeareth to Mr. Denison that repentance doth necessarily goe before remission of sinnes and so before justifying faith also as well as before justification or remission and this I confesse I have endeavoured to maintaine against some that have held the contrary Which thing Mr. Denison having heard of he tooke upon him with great violence in his Pulpits to oppose the same calling it a damnable errour a familisticall poynt of doctrine and that none but familists held it and naming me often by name and by trade as if I were the Author thereof and charged me also with many other things very false vilde and wicked And this was before he began his suite in Court against me and not at all knowing me or having once ever spoken with me but being onely informed and set on by his two first witnesses Thomson and Rogers as Thomson afterward acknowledged These two Thomson and Rogers are men that I was never acquainted or conversant with either in one kinde or other neither have I ever been in their company but by their owne occasion or procurement or some of their owne or Mr. Denisons sociates and alwayes with some others with them and under pretence of refuting the forementioned poynt of repentance before justifying faith which I held or after Mr Denison had begun so in his Pulpits under colour of friendship as seeming to be desirous to know my minde in matters of Religion more fully to the end they might informe Mr. D. thereof rightly and so stay his proceedings in his Pulpits for this Thomson and Rogers were his speciall devotaries and inward with him I say under these forementioned pretences they procured me into their company three or foure times which I for my part never sought And when I was in their company they or some of their fellowes spake as much or more then I and especially Mr. Robrowgh who for most part of the times was one with them and the speech was not in any manner of teaching or expounding as a teacher or instructer for my part especially but in the way of reasoning and answering to their questions and demands and the chiefe matter was concerning repentance which I hold for a principle of truth is and must be before justifying faith I say not all kinde of faith but justifying onely We must repent that is to say returne from the pleasures of our vaine and evill wayes and sinnes to a true and deepe sorrow and mourning for the same and in humblenesse and contrition of heart confesse them unto God and like the Publican standing a far off as not daring because of our sinnes and vildnesse to looke up to heaven but smiting our brest as truly confounded earnestly desire God to be mercifull to us sinners This repentance being a principle of Christ and part of the Gospel doe I hold is and must be before justifying faith as these Scriptures doe declare Matth. 4. 17. Mar. 1. 15. Luk. 24. 47. Act. 2. 38. Act. 3. 19. Act. 5. 31. Act. 13. 23 24 Act. 19. 4. Luk 18. 13 14. Which Mr. Robrowgh being their chiefe disputer denied and opposed as a damnable errour denied I say repentance to be before justifying faith but acknowledging it to be before justification and remission of sinnes for he maketh repentance and sanctification meaning a holy and new life to be both one and will have them to fall in and come betweene justifying faith and justification as in the writing which he before in his deposition mentioneth passed betweene him and me is to be seene as if justifying faith could be one moment of time without or before justification or remission of sinnes which are in effect both one for to have ones sinnes forgiven is to be justified from them and so of necessitie it will follow that if repentance be before remission of sinnes and justification it must be before justifying faith because where remission of sinnes is not there can be no justifying faith Hereupon it is that the said Thomson and Rogers doe depose that I have often times taken upon me to expound sundry places of Scripture and to instruct many persons in their presence and hearing and therefore they name no time place part of Scripture poynt of doctrine nor person to be present besides themselves least their cunning equivocations should be discovered but since the 20