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	great_a	1,674	5	3.5313	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85173	A faithful discovery of a treacherous design of mystical Antichrist displaying Christs banners, but attempting to lay waste Scriptures, churches, Christ, faith, hope, &c. and establish paganism in England. Seasonably given in a letter to the faithful in and near to Beverley. Containing an examination of many doctrines of the people called Quakers in Yorkshire, together with a censure of their way, and several items concerning the designs of God, Satan, and men, in these things, recommended to the consideration of them who are in good earnest for Christ.	Pomroy, John.; Feake, Christopher, fl. 1645-1660.; Glisson, Paul.; Kellet, Joseph.	1653 (1653)	Wing F568; Thomason E699_13; ESTC R202092	45,783	67

Antichrist rather than of Christ 4. And signes being not for them that do believe but for them that believe not 1 Cor. 14. 22. 4. If the Saints have now as much need of those appointments as then nay more if we may say so then why should any seek to be loosed from their own Mercies We confess we have read and heard of seen and through Grace humbly despised the vain boastings of them who said they were perfect and were above hearing praying believing hoping speaking Great swelling words of vanity who have turned aside first from the holy Commandement and after that from the pretence of it which should awaken us to edifie one another on our most holy Faith praying in the Holy Ghost that we might not be led away with the Error of the wicked and so fall from our stedfastness It is most freely confessed that when things come to practise in this time which is neither dark nor day many doubts and questions do arise among many yet as some of us have tasted of the goodness of God in this way so we may not but acknowledge it and farther Pray until the day break and shadows flee away Turn O beloved and be as a roe or young hart on the Mountains of Divisions Surely the Doctrines of these Men which we oppose are levelled to subvert all Order Churches in whatsoever is done outwardly For they say its Babylon and all the worship and Teachers without are of the Beast and Anti-christ Judge us O Lord for why should Men in thy name rise up against thy Sonne and us for his sake 1. Rejecting thy care 2. Condemning thy Wisedom 3. And the Generation of the Just in all ages 4. To establish themselves and prepare a high-way to Paganism It is not a Pleasure to us Beloved in the Lord to open these painted Sepulcres but since we have begun we will proceed to shew yet more that you may see and wonder and beware They bid you Speak no more than you have experience of and than you live in VVE confesse it is and shall be to us for a Lamentation that the religion of very many consisteth in talking of God and Christ and Scriptures and Churches and is but a sound of words without knowledge and faith and so do rather darken than make manifest the Truth and because it is without obedience their conversations destroy their confessions And did these sayings aim at the reformation of this we should not dare to cross them but we have grounds from certain discourses personally had with some of this way to declare 1. That this is to silence you from ever mentioning the histories and prophecies of the Scripture Creation of the world Garden of Eden Adam Eve Flood Historie of the Church coming of Christ into the world the Day of Judgement Resurrection of the Body and such like which being Past or to come we can have no present experience of And some of us speaking of these Scripture Records have been blamed for speaking without experience 2. Or Secondly by this means all the Scriptures must be construed as Metaphorical in an Allegorie making the Creation an Allegorie and so the world without beginning Adam Eve the Serpent Paradise Cain Abel Seth Noah Ark Abraham Isaac Jacob Aegypt Wilderness Canaan Kings Prophets Records to be meer allegories Nay Christ his flesh and blood his life and death his Cross and Crown Scribes and Pharisees Jerusalem Herod Pilate Churches Elders Anti-christ called Babylon and Egypt c. and what not to be fulfilled in the Allegoricall construction of particular experiences But concerning Experience we are satisfied 1. That to speak without Experience in experimental affairs is to darken counsel as they do that speak onely from the hearing of the Ear Iob 38. 2. 2. But Faith is the Evidence of things not seen and a subsistence of things hoped for though its evidence be not of the nature of Sense Science Opinion or Experience being of things unseen by the sense not known from the search and rationall comprehension of Causes nor intertained from the Probable testimony of wise and holy Men nor tasted in the Presence thereof yet after a spiritual manner seen known and experienced by Faith in the Divine Testimony Wherefore having believed we also will speak of the sacred Records and gracious Prophecies which are delivered to us in the holy Scriptures of which and in which God hath caused us to trust giving us also the Earnest of the Spirit which as Josephs wagons to Iacob doth ascertain us of the Truth of the tidings And the gracious operations of the holy Spirit in our hearts from and by Scripture Truths gives us to believe the Histories and Prophecies interwoven to be also of Divine Authority 3. We do also judge the Word of Faith which is Divine Testimony to be more safe Certain and Constant ground to speak of and from than experience In this we are not for a dead Faith which is the fruit of freewill closing with the Word from the testimony of Man which leaves the mind wavering through carnal reasonings which cannot be satisfied But for a lovely Faith even the work of the Spirit with Power setling the mind on the Divine Testimony as such As for speaking no more than we live in if it intend not to stop the mouths of all those who dare not pretend to perfection and blamelessnesse but those who speak from Notion and yield not up their souls to the things which they deliver to others we testifie the same thing As for Allegories 1. We allow very many in the old Testament beside the Ceremonial Law which was a shadow of good things to come Persons Offices Places Actions Things which the Ecchoings of phrases wisely and warily observed give hints of and puts the beginning of every Allegorie into our hands as the Apostle took it in Gal. 4. from the 54. of Is 1. verse which yet must be wisely followed as Scripture Ecchos proceed to encourage yet not to impair the truth or use of the Letter and History Allegories being but accidentall thereto and a fruit of the incomprehensible wisdom of God that sets one thing to answer to another But in the New Testament although Jesus Christ spake many parables and used similitudes which he opened to his Disciples yet the Gospel Ministration properly so called not onely in the language thereof but in the Actions persons things thereof is in much plainnesse and not as Moses who had a veil upon his face but the Messias discovered himself by speaking plainly and without a Parable John 16. 29. his parables in his publique preaching being chiefly for judgement to the willfull Jews that seeing they might not see Matth. 13. 13. We gladly own Christ in us by his Spirit to crucify our flesh and raise us up in our hearts in this world and at his second comming our bodies in the resurrection to a new and spiritual life and

and partly by sympathy affections and tremblings provoking others to the like we say the mind is put forward to meet the Temptation half-way and so fall into the like feelings which we doubt not to say proceed from the mighty power of Satan 4. Grappling with some corruptions and being foiled by neglect and slumberings and being in this way made to look more to their watch the Truth heretofore manifested to them comes forth And why may not Satan help on mortification and a righteousnesse of works for such an end as to take away the death of Christ as for us without us and the hearing of Faith 5. Some that are witty having gotten some speculations by the end are fed in their fond desires after high things finding the clew run well for a while trace these notions untill they find them stick and because for shame it may be they cannot retire they get another end and after that another untill they have lost themselves and be indeed constrained to return to the plain sense of the Scriptures But that is mercy from God to redeem any from these snares The wonder is great in this Temptation because when once the mind is biazed and hath drunk in the bottom of these principles he shal read the Scriptures with such spectacles that he 'l think all the Scriptures confirm his way and by one allegory or other will wrest the Plainest Scriptures against them to stand on their part and this wicked wit some have by this meanes ready at hand and as it were naturall to them As for those who yet are not of their way whose affections are good but whose judgements serve them not to discern the mystery of this way they warn them to take heed of speaking evil of what they know not and opposing the work of God which may be for ought all men know that are not of their way carryed on among them Those who are in their snares are held 1. By denying them liberty of discoursing or reasoning with them that are not of their way urging them to believe the pure testimony of Jesus in them although had we time or desire to render them dispicable to the enemies of the Truth we could shew what inferences they make and how things hang together like ropes of sand 2. By setting them at utmost enmity to and distance from them who are most able by the Grace of God to convince them and oppose their deceipts by representing them under the most hateful names of Scribes Pharisees Priests Dogs Swine Idolators Samaritans Sorcerers Babylonish and what not that 's naught 3. By denying them liberty to try what is commanded them in their hearts under pretence of giving up themselves to God to do what he will with them the sad consequences of which are known by some instances lately by this means drawn to what modesty hates and some to baspheme and attempt lying wonders 4. By frequent meetings and multiplyed papers and it is manifest how the mind is strengthned by daily conversing with them onely of one way 5. By fitting them with things suitable whether they have been Church-members or not or whether discreet or less knowing 6. By applying all the Scriptures which speak of the sufferings of Christ and the Apostles and Prophets to prove themselves partakers with them as if they were the onely hated persecuted people for Christs sake when as indeed some do expose themselves to sufferings more than wisdomes waies lead to or God requires out of an ambition to be persecuted Neverthelesse although many otherwise honest hearted may be thus insnared and thus detained yet we have cause to judge that some think to raise themselves by levelling others or make themselves considerable by some new thing which yet is not new or to bring us under the yoke of Rome again which hath these probable grounds Considering the concordance between these principles and the Popish in the righteousness of works c. Also that some of them say Papists are as near the Kingdome of God as Protestants Again remembring that Familists have ever been greater enemies to Puritans than to Papists or Prelates Again that many writings of Papists are applauded and used by diverse of this way above and before Preston Sibbs Perkins c. Likewise that some printed Books shew something of the designs of Jesuits and others turning and changing their cloaks to deceive divide and break us But he that sitteth in the Heavens laugheth the Lord hath them in derision Wherefore by what we have written and a short time will bring forth you may see something of those specious impostures which we warn you of in the name of the Lord O watch and pray that you fall not into this Temptation Now to him who is of power to establish you a ording to the Gospell and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but was made manifest since the comming of Christ and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the Commandment of the everlasting God made known to all Nations for the obedience of Faith To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Amen At Beverly this 11th of Febr. 1652 3 From your Brethren in the Faith of Christ and hope of Eternall life by Him Joseph Kellett John Pomroy Paul Glisson FINIS 2 Cor. 11. 1. 3 14. Rev 20. 3. See Cal. de sur Sect. Liber Ecl. 7. 25. multum in parvo Prov. 1. 17. Iohn 1. 9. Ephe. 3. 3 4 5. Act. 17. 27. 2 Cor. 11. 3. 4. 16. Ephes. 2. 20. 1 Cor. 2. 9. 14. Rom. 8. 7. Isa. 53. ● 1 Cor 1 23 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Col. 1. 21. 22. Rom. 2. 14. Rom. 5. 20. Rom. 7. 9. Rom. 3. 19 20 21. Isa. 2. 2. 42. 16. Heb. 10. 20. Phil. 3. 9. Isa. 53. 11. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Col. 1. 23. The Preposition {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} often signifies inter ad c. It is also preached to every creature that is it was sent to All and not any one is excluded by the straightness of the commission of Gospel publishers as Mark 16. 15. Joh 14. 28. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 1 Cor. 1. 21 23. Ioh. 6. 51. 63. 64. Gal. 2● 20 1 Cor. 11. 25. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} ut {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} non ut {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Rom. 3. 11. Luk. 11. 35. 1 Thes. 5. Ephes. 5. 8. 1 Cor. 3. 19. 20. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ephes. 5. 5 6. I ohn 8. 24. Phil. 3. 9. Rom. 5. 1 9. Iohn 16. 9. Psa. 19. 12. Prov. 20. 9. Mat. 28. 20 Ioh. 16. 8. Ioh. 5. 21. Isa. 30. 18. Luk. 15. 4. 2 Cor. 5. 20. Eccles. 11.