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	faith_n	good_a	2,481	5	4.3352	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86667	The rebukes of a reviler fallen upon his own head, in an answer to a book put forth by one Iohn Stelham, called a minister at Terlin in Essex. Wherein is shewed unto all spiritual men, that he himself is justly proved to be a contradictor of the scriptures, while he falsly accuses others thereof, that are clear, and the saying is fulfilled upon him, he is fallen into the pit, which he digged for others, for even that way which he calls heresie, do we worship the God of our fathers. By R.H.	Hubberthorn, Richard, 1628-1662.; Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1657 (1657)	Wing H3229; Thomason E919_7; ESTC R207520	62,017	83

unrighteousness and taking them and such have the letter in their mouths but knows not the Word of God which who comes to know it restrains them from all such practises Again I. S. from his blindness and root of Errour and lying heart wherein dwells no truth but much confusion saith that the letter i. e. the Scriptures is the true ground of the believers Faith and again in the same page saith That Christ in the Scriptures is the true Ground of Faith And to prove the former he brings Prov. 22. 19. 20 21. That thy trust may be in the Lord I have made known to thee this day even to thee have not I written to thee excellent things in Counsels and Knowledge that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee Answ. By this Scripture the Lord is made the ground of Faith and not the Letter And therefore did the Prophet make known excellent things in writing in counsel and knowledge and for this end did the Apostles both preach and write that the Faith of those which heard them and read their writtings might not stand in the wisdom of words nor in the letter as its ground but in Christ the Power of God and Christ who preached the true doctrine that in it every one might believe said to the World and to the pharisees While ye have the light believe in the light that ye may be the Children of light and these had the letter but did not believe in the light which light is Christ and which light is the foundation of Faith and is the foundation of many generations in which many did believe before this letter which declares of it was written And that Faith which stands in the light and in the power of God is the ground of the Scripture letter from whence it did proceed after they believed they spoke and wrote that which is now declared in Chapters And every one which come to the true ground of Faith must come to the light to believe in it that they may be the Children of it and then the Scriptures will be profitable unto them they with the light having the understanding opened to see for what end they were given forth and how they come to be fulfilled and witnessed in that which gave them forth for the ground of Faith to believers is but one both before and since the Scriptures was written which is Christ in whom whosoever believeth shall be saved let Christ be in what he will for he was the ground of Faith when the letter was not and he is the ground of Faith when it is and no other foundation for Faith can any man lay than that which is laid Jesus Christ who is the true light and enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world that all men in him might believe and they that believe not that he is so shall die in their sins as Christ saith Joh. 8. 24. But John Stelham going on in his own devised Fables would pervert the words of truth both in our writings and in the Apostles as it is manifest in his writing of this reviling Rebuke concerning R. F. and I. N. E. B. and F. H. and others which whosoever read their words and his they may discern truth from devised fables without much Reply unto it as in some places he is mingling his own words with theirs joyning a lye to the truth that he may contradict it as false as every one that reads with understanding will see which when they have spoken plain truths which he himself hath often in his Book confessed unto to be truth will afterwards give his meanings to their words as he hath done unto the Apostles words saying If they mean thus c. then he goes about to contradict his own meaning and when he hath contradicted his own meaning then he saith he hath contradicted their words though he have before confessed the truth of their words so he hath not contradicted the words as they were spoken but because they spoke not his meaning with the words therefore the true words must be false in his judgement and bear his rebuke as his Book doth make manifest and adding his lye to the words of truth these two things are his greatest proofs to resist the truth in page 77. he hath mingled his own words with the words of R. F. in which page he acknowledgeth a former addition and yet reneweth another R. F. having been speaking of the light which enlighteneth every man which cometh into the world he adds which where it is and it is in every man it reneweth the judgment c he here adding his own and then rebuking it would make people believe lyes that all might be damned who believe not the truth But on the contrary for we never have said that every mans judgement is renewed with the light though they be enlightened for they are enlightened who hate it and who are void of true judgement because they hate the light which they be enlightened withal And also the Apostles words he perverts and gives meanings unto which if he did not they would be a plain testimony with that which he hath set himself to oppose so giving meanings both to their words and our words his meanings must be the ground of his Believers Faith and not the Scriptures as he said before The Apostle Peter speaking of a more sure Word of Prophesie wherein they did well to take heed as unto a light that shined in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in their hearts 2 Pet. 1. 19. Knowing this first that no Prophesie of the Scripture is of any private interpretation for the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost to this I. S. adds not heart-prophesie no breast-prophesie but written down in Books c. which is contrary to the Apostles words for he doth not exclude heart-prophesie for there was never any prophesie but did proceed out of the heart before it was written in any Book And the Apostle saith Until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts and that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost and that which moved them to speak Prophesies was in their hearts and the Apostle did not bid them wait till the day-star did arise in the Scriptures but till it did arise in their hearts and then he told them how the Prophesies of the Scriptures came Peter saying Until the day dawn and the day-star arise in our hearts I. S. saith That is until by the study of the Scriptures more light be cleared up c. Now let all them of understanding read and compare his words and the Apostles and they may well conclude with his confession that he hath an old lying heart and flesh in

generation of ungodly and when we read the plain words of Christ Luke 17. The Kingdom of Heaven is within you he saith we madly wrest the reading of the words when we neither ●dd nor diminish now he seems to say It is the Kingdom of heaven among you and not the kingdom of heaven within you and so blames the Scripture and confounds the doctrine of many of the Independents who say the Scriptures is believers Rule but he seems to charge the Scripture with false translation and therefore is subject to alteration and so cannot be the rule of Believers according to his own account and thus by wicked men are we blamed when we do not speak according to Scripture language and now as wickedly charged by I. S. for speaking just in the Scripture expressions with madly wresting the words but thus it was before and whatsoever we do now by our enemies must be reviled and our words abused contrary to our innocent intents Then in the end of his Epistle he desires the Prayers of his Church that his Reply may be accompanied with power according to the truth of it Indeed so it shall and no more according to the truth of it which is very f●lshoods and deceits so shall the power of the Lord confound it and turn it into folly and confusion as may be seen by a sober man who this following doth with patience read and weigh Then many things is uttered by him in his Epistle to the Reader he seems to shew he saith how R. F. and his Associates have made up A Litter and Fardel of Erronious Divinity and secretly charging us with making up of what we profess from some Writers before us But to this I Answer His reproachful words Litter and Fardel and Erronious we bear with patience rather rejoycing that we are accounted worthy of the reproach for the truths sake from an envious man than to be angry with our reproaches But however let him and all our enemies know what we profess and bear witness of we receive not from man but from God even the Gospel which we testifie of by the revelation of Jesus Christ in us we received it and informs others to the same door which is by our Ministry that they may receive the same and this is but his poor shift to undervalue the power and truth of Jesus in the sight of men who would falsly make men believe That our Doctrines are but the spawn of many ancient Errors as he saith brooded by some Moderne Writers when as the Doctrine of Christ and the Apostles we bear witness to by the same Spirit and not to any other Authors who were without the Spirit of Jesus and all these shifts ●aves not the Priests of England from being discovered and their deceits and abominations to be made manifest by our Light and Doctrine which is the Light of Christ and the Doctrine of the holy men of God before us And further his wickedness appears by reproaching and reviling dead men such as H. N. Jacob B. W. E. with others whom I confidently believe were men in their Generation more honest than himself and more upright with God and sincere in what was made known to them than this same reviler who is set to revile both living and dead if they do but cross his fancy Let all men take notice of these things and of his rebukes with an evil heart whom the Lord doth and will rebuke by the Spirit of his mouth in the day of his just judgements who art a reviler of the just both living and dead and all along in that Epistle as in the rest of his Book which is the Rebukes of a Reviler he bends his very tongue as the poyson of Asps being under it against the Quakers reckoning them with the Papists and such others but this is but as the Pharisees his fore-fathers did who numbered the Son of God and condemned him with transgressors and betwixt two theeves And in the end he desires his Reader to receive in Love what in his Book is found agreeable to the Spirit of God in Scripture truth agreed so let it be and therefore many things in his Book which is not given forth by the Spirit of God nor according to the Scripture truth which the honest Reader may find upon a serious reading and search with the Spirit of God and according to the Scripture is to be judged and condemned and not received what shall the honest Reader receive this for truth That the Light of Christ Jesus is A Preverse Principle and that Christ blessed Infants Baptism with very many such like things of the like nature proceeding from the same spirit which is proved not to be of God but of the Devil for every tree is known by its fruit and every spirit by its works and words many other things more devilish if more devilish can be he charges us withal in a most unreasonable manner that our Religion is the Fort of Babel and that Jesuitical Plots and Designes are carried on by some of us and Quakerism is built upon the fourfold pillar of Papistry with such like the very transcribing of his words shewes his wicked spirit by his unsavory words which things we do deny in the presence of the Lord and are clear in his sight from these divilish accusations though I. S. play the Devils part in this Epistle as well as in his whole Book and is an accuser of the brethren and is to be cast out and judged with the life of God and to give testimony against his lyes and slanders is sufficient Answer and the next time he enterprises the like Work we demand of him witness of his words what these Jesuitical Flots and Designes are we do carry on Which slander is so divelish could he prove what he saith his words would take away our lives but to raise the unclean spirits against us though the Nations is truly supposed the purpose of his words and not being content with what he himself can believe us in his work reaches to raise the rage of whole Nations to execute their fury as well as his own upon us and so his words gives ground to all the wicked that doth believe h●m for none else can to persecute the people and way of the Lord under the false account of being Plotters and of having ill Designes which things we stand witness against and seeks the peace of all men though he have bent his tongue for Lyes and brazen'd his face to utter them without fear or shame to suggest evil into mens minds that they may harm the upright but it is known by his words what lodgeth in the heart of such a person who thus openly and impudently doth slander just men to the taking away of life if any were so divilish to witness lyes and slanders as he is in forging of them and declaring of them and that to the Protector and his Council too but from these things we being

clear are the more ready to bear his Lyes with Patience and doth not pray for fire to devour him though he be our enemy and the Lords but rather wishes his returning from his ungodliness than a destruction upon him in his ungodliness and whereas the substance of his matter invented in his mind and brought forth into view is a going about to prove that in twenty two particulars mentioned by him we do contradict the Scriptures but his ground is false from whence his whole work proceeds for not in any particular of what is mentioned do we contradict the Scriptures though his whole work be founded upon this thing of our contradiction to Scripture and while we be approved in the sight of the Lord we reckon his s●●nders to be rather a testimony to us that we are of God than a discouraging of us in the wayes of God and we do not allow that I. S. be our Interpreter and the Expositor upon our words for then no question but he will judge out of his prejudicial mind false Judgement and pervert the innocent words into contradiction of Scripture and of our selves but to the single mind and witness of God in every man we appeal for judgment and doth in the sight of God commend our selves to every mans Conscience and begs not belief of any but knows all that be in the light of the Son of God witnesseth to us and feels our Doctrine to be the Doctrine of Godliness reaching to the witness of God in every one whereby we are a good savour to God in all and though I. S. judge our doctrine to be Scripture contradictions yet his judgement is but out of his old lying heart which can bring forth no better than it self even false judgement and lying words which out of it hath plentifully abounded in his false Rebukes therefore let the Reader first search into the ground from whence his work and judgement doth spring and try if an old Lying heart and sinful wretch as he confesses he is can bring forth good fruit no we matter not what his judgement of us be when as we know the heart is corrupt from whence it doth spring not in the light of the spirit of God do we in any one particular insisted upon by him Contradict the Scriptures though by his dark minde so he wickedly judgeth of us even as the Pharisees his forefathers did judge of Christ to be a Blasphemer and a Contradictor of Moses and the Prophets who did fulfil them and put them to an end and not destroy them nor contradict them not in the sight of his Father though to their corrupt judgement and Christ tells them that they erred not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God who had old lying hearts were sinful wretches even such as John Stelham hath confessed himself to be and therefore his words and judgment and theirs is like to be all of one nature judging truth to be error and the way of God to be Heresie and Blasphemy this the Pharisees did of old and even thus doth John Stelham and his Companions do at this day but why should any be troubled hereat seeing herein Christs words are fulfilled upon us who said they shall speak all manner of evil falsly against you for my names sake and so hath this man done with his light scornful spirit and fulfilled Christs words who because he hath not known the Father nor the Son hath spoken evil falsly against them that follow Christ and this were sufficient answer to his whole Book yet let us see what follows and let the Reader try with all moderation that he may be edified and may know the true spirit from the false and the doctrine of the Gospel from lying visions and may cleave to the truth and escape the error and let none believe hastily things uttered without knowledge out of I. S. deceitful heart FOrasmuch as many of the Servants of the Lord have been moved of the Lord to set forth in order several Declarations of those things which the light of the glorious Gospel shining in their hearts hath given them the knowledge of and for this end are they published that others also may know the certainty and truth of those things which are believed known and enjoyed amongst us not that they can be known by reading the letter in which they are delared but through their diligence and obedience to the light wherewith Christ hath enlightened them though not for it which is the same light which shined in our hearts and gave us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ by which light of the glorious Gospel who are faithful in it to the Lord their understandings come to be opened that they stumble not at those things which are testified in the truth neither at that which is declared in other Scriptures but it being that in this our day it hath pleased the f●ther to bring forth in life and power that mercy and truth which the Scripture speaks of by which iniquity is purged out and as it is become a savour of life unto life in those that receive and believe in it so it is also become a savour of death unto that death which rema●ns in both Priests and People in this age who hates the light who can scarce hear it named or that people should be turned unto it as the Apostle did turn them from darkness to the light and from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive the remission of their sins and be partakers of the inheritance amongst them that are sanctified but when they hear that Preached or Printed which they may do and out of which they cannot receive the remission of their sins then envie riseth up in them and a perverse mind and ungodly Speeches and false Accusations saying that we speak of a natural light and of a natural conscience when as we speak of the true light which hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world and in which Christs doctrine stood which said to the people and to the Pharisees again and again I am the light of the world as Joh. 8. 12 Joh. 12. 46. but now because the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us and we declare it freely as we have received it therefore is flouds of ungodliness risen up against us but it is impossible that the seed which the Lord is manifesting his light and power to bring forth should be kept alwayes under the power of death which seed is now terrible in the Lords power and will yet be more terrible as his power encreaseth which is now going forth as an Army with banners for the torment of the wicked is already begun because the righteousness of God is now spreading over the Nations and neither the rulers of the darkness of this world nor all the Printings and Preachings of those who be out of the life of

God can hinder that which the Lord hath begun and is carrying on by his own power though the nations are angry because that by the light of his glorious Gospel shining forth his wrath is revealed upon them for their ungodly deeds that the Scripture which cannot be broken may be fulfilled and therefore it were better for them to be silent and put their mouths in the dust if so be for them there may be hope then to rise up against that wihch is more unchangeable than the heavens and the earth and therefore in vain have the enemies of God and People in all Professions joyned themselves together against the light of truth and the way of the Lord which many in our dayes have fallen upon but is broken to pieces and it hath fallen upon many and grinded them to pouder and nothing shall escape for the day of the Lord is come and it is very nigh to you that hate it a day of darkness and of gloominess of clouds and of thick darkness and now the seed of God is as the morning spread upon the mountains a great people and a strong there hath not been ever the like neither shall there be any more after it● even to the years of many generations a fire goeth before them and behind them a flame burneth the land is as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wilderness and nothing shall escape them the appearance of them is a● the appearance of horses and as horse-men so shall they run c. the earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the Sun and Moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shining and the Lord shall utter his voyce before his Army as he now doth for h●s Camp is very great for he is strong that executeth his word for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it And now according as the Prophet Joel Prophesied is it come and coming to pass Joel 2. 2 3 4 10 11. against which seed men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the things of God are risen up who in their first appearance in their writings profess themselves to be that which they are not seeming right unto many through their feigned words and fair sp●eches deceiving the hearts of the simple for whom Christ died but afterwards in the same writings to those that see they manifest themselves what they are and being so considered as they are seen and known cannot deceive and therefore to all people who desire to be edified and satisfied in the ground and truth of things as they are made manifest by the Lord to the light in you I speak that in it you may be able to understand truth in what I say and by the truth to judge of things that differ for such as the tree is such is the fruit an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit neither can one fountain send forth sweet water and bitter Now as concerning a Book given forth by John Stelham Priest at Terling in Essex who having an evil eye because Gods is good and being fil●ed with indignation because God hath mercy on his own seed whom he hath blessed hath out of the abundance of his heart spoken it forth now the way to know that which is spoken in darkness is to read it in the light and i● his t●stimony in any thing as coming from him is to be believed it is that which is concerning his own condition and if his estate and condition be such that in it he can receive the things of God and minister them to others then they may be received but if his condition be such that in it he cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God then that which cannot receive cannot minister and so he is to be silent and none to expect the things of God from him being neither fit to reprove nor to rebuke but to be reproved and rebuked as will appear as followeth The Ground in him and the Heart out of which this abundence of words in his Book proceeds in it as he declares is yet the root of all Error and of all sin is in him and seen by him not mortified and that he hath an old lying heart and flesh wherein there dwells no truth no good thing a sinful wretch and worm subscribing himself the sinful John Stelham as in his Introduction in page 80. and page 117 Now therefore we having found out the Root and the Ground to be a root of Error and the ground of Deceit and a heart wherein dwells no truth nor no good thing therefore from that which is unclean shall we not expect that which is clean to proceed nor truth from that wherein dwells no truth but from the lying heart and deceitful tongue hath the Lord delivered us so that if we be called revilers and be rebuked and a charge laid against us as to contradict the Scriptures of God and be called Antiscriptural Antichristian and Antispiritual We have now learned to know whence it doth proceed even from the old lying heart and flesh wherein there dwells no truth and we can bear it because we know that till that heart be taken away and a new heart known wherein is Truth We must be reproached and spoken evil of falsly for his sake who hath taken away the old lying heart and hath given us a new heart wherein truth dwelleth and where truth proceeds out from and herein are we manifest from the children of this Generation and herein are the two states known and the two conditions of men according to the testimony of Scripture and the parable which Jesus spoke Luke 6. 39. Can the blind lead the blind shall they not both fall into the ditch And vers. 45. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good And an evil man out of the evil Treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh And hereby is the tree known by his fruits and the heart of the wicked was ever filled with lying and vanity and understanding was hid from them the Lord was grieved with such that did err in their hearts and had not known his wayes Psal. 95. 10. and such their hearts was fat as grease and in their hearts they imagined mischief and studied destruction Psal. 119 70 Psal. 140. 2. and this was an evil which was under the Sun that the hearts of the sons of men was full of evil and madness while they live Eccles. 9. 3. And such a heart was in the Scribes and Pharisees a lying heart wherein dwelt no truth filled with evil thoughts as Christ said Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts Matth. 9. 4. and out of the heart did arise all false accusations calling the truth blasphemy and the way of it heresie and such who be in the state as John

given to all that are to teach others and this doth make it manifest that himself is without the promise of God and is not yet taught of God and so without Gods Covenant being not learned in the teaching of God by his Spirit which is immediate And thus to confound truth he hath by his confession shamed himself and shewed himself to all men to be unlearned in the doctrine of Salvation Further he saith If God had intended to have given teachings immediately without any medium then would he not have sent Preachers abroad for them to hear mark this man● blind productions and what impudence is in his heart who holds forth That God intended not the thing to be what he promised should be he promised to teach his people himself and this man holds forth that he intended it not and so hath no less than charged God with Hypocrisie let the Reader mark this but this is the ground wherefore the Ministers and Preachers were and are sent abroad to bring all people to be taught of God by his Spirit and to inform their minds to the gift of God in them that by the Spirit received the knowledge of they might know the things of God which is not known but by the Spirit of God which all that are Children of God are led and guided by and they that are not led with the Spirit of God which Spirit is immediat are not the heirs with Christ nor none of his let I. S. say what he will or may this we believe and this the Scripture gives testimony of for us and with us Yet further to manifest his folly he saith It is erroneous enough and contradictious to the whole Scripture when R. F. truly tells him and saith Thou that art not taught of God shewes that thou speaks a vision of thy own heart and not from the mouth of the Lord let the Reader search where the errour and contradiction to the whole Scripture lyes in these words or whether he hath not proved himself blind and ignorant and in errour and contradiction to the Spirit of God Further he saith Never did any but God slayers and Spirit-wounders go about to separate the Word of God and his breath Now let this be considered Christ did tell them the Pharisees who had the words which God had spoken by the Prophets that they had never heard the voyce of God here he divides or separates betwixt the words and the voyce or breath and was no God-slayer nor Spirit-wounder as thou hast wickedly and blasphemously laid down thy Position where thou hast concluded Christ to be one against whom thy words are laid down let the Reader prove thy doctrine His 20th Head concerning Questions In this we do not contradict the Scripture I. S. is taken with a lye in his mouth who hath made it a subject to treat upon for Questions in their places we own but such as are of the Devil we deny as Christ did who shewed himself as a sool unto all mens wisdom when the subtil Pharisees and others tempted him who would not answer their crafty Questions though them that questioned insimplicity he did to resolve and satisfie them and inform them into the knowledge of the Father Then some leaves he hath filled with producing some of our Queries out of some of our Books Commenting thereupon and would prove them ignorant and unprofitable and the like but it had been more just and of a better report for him to have answered them and shewed them to be as he saith of them to all people rather then in a manner backbited them and reproached them and not shewing wherein it lyes and if they be so needless and vain a● he saith then the sooner had such a wise man as he thinks himself I. S. confuted them by sober and plain answers but what if our folly in the sight of men be wisdom in the sight of God and his wisdom foolishness with God no matter what he say of us who hath shewed himself already and confessed truly that his heart is old and lying and sinfull so we can expect no better judgement from his Pen then what is in his heart but while we are approved in the ●ight of God we matter nor what men say of us especially one that hath set himself to be our enemy and the Lords enemy and I leave the honest sober Queries to be read which he hath falsely branded with Pride and Ignorance and such like as this what rule have you in scripture for putting off the Hat this is an honest question which he wickedly slanders with pride and whether is your Gospel free without charge as the Apostles was yea or no these and such other questions he rails against to be Ignorant and quarrelous and vain and of the devil now it had been more honest to have confuted them in answering discreetly then to have thus branded them And he saith It is one thing to take hire for preaching and another thing to preach for hire whereby his scope is to excuse himself may be and his Brethren who are hirelings and would not be counted to preach for hire though he dare not deny lest all men should see his folly but that they have hire for preaching but then let him tell us when or where ever any of them preached and had no hire and then we will believe they preach not for it but such as receives sums of money of one man or a country which would not be given him except he preached to them this same man is a hireling and preaches because he hath hire and hath hire because that the ground he preaches Further he saith Christs righteousness which justifies a believing sinner is not the essentiall righteousness of his Godhead and here he hath spoken ignorantly and held forth as if there is two righteousnesses of Christ which I call for a proof from him for else let him confess to his shame that he hath added to the Scripture for the righteousness of Christ is but one by which all the Saints are justified Further he saith ignorantly enough that which is done according to the bare letter of the written command or from a gift of the Spirit or in a Gospel way from a living principle of grace acts of holiness by the holy Spirit and Faith given stirred up this is a righteousness of ours saith he and seems to separate it from the righteousness of Christ as he holds forth let men behold his ignorance Further he saith though it be wrought by the strength of Christ in us yet as to Justification Paul would not be found in it this for a word mark again Reader canst thou see any thing here but ignorance as if Paul were justified by another Christ then what wrought in him to will and to do Further he saith Paul counted all things but losse and dung even what he had done or suffered since conversion that he might win Christ Mark again what was