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	matter_n	1,487	5	6.1160	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B09776	The Anabaptists meribah: or, VVaters of strife. Being a reply to a late insulting pamphlet, written by Thomas Lamb, merchant, intitulled, Truth prevailing against the fiercest opposition; or, An answer to Mr. John Goodwins Water-dipping, no firm footing for church-communion. Wherein the impertinency of M. Lamb's answer, and the validity of M. Goodwin's Water-dipping, &c. are manifested by I. Price a member of the Church of Christ, whereof the said Mr. Goodwin is pastor.	Price, J., fl. 1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing P3332A; ESTC R182056	87,699	107

Christ Saints in Christ Jesus holy and beloved Mr Lambs seperation meerly because the whole Church wil not bow to his dictates faithfull Brethren and where in what Book chapter or Verse in the holy scriptures do you find the least thing that justifies your withdrawing from such persons and that because they will not cal you Father and master because they will not bow down their Judgments and consciences against their Judgments and consciences unto your Judgments and consciences being a lesser part of our Curch and society we also beleeving in our Judgments and consciences that you are in an error Have we not severall directions from the Oracles of God very expresse of a contrary nature 14 Rom 13. Him that is weak in the faith receive let not him that eateth judge him that eateth not because God hath accepted him Him that is weak viz not throughly perswaded in all things pertaining to christian liberty but judging himself bound stil to the observations of earing or not eating meats according to Moses Law receive viz. into your bosomes affectu charitatis with the affection of love receive him into your Assemblies bear with his weaknesses Bucer rejected none though differing in some opinions in whom he found aliquid Christi any thing of Christ whose weaklings are to be tendred with all sweetness Do not judg censure and despise one another in case you have grounds to believe that God hath accepted him Do not you think that God accepteth Saints holy Brethren faithful Brethren visible Saints why then do you reiect them If you say they are not visible unto you except they be baptized after your manner why then do you cal them so if you say the Apostle there viz Rem 14 speaks of things indifferent but baptisme is a known gospel command I answer if you consider the reason and ground why the Apostle would have them receive him that is weak in the Faith it is not because the matters in controversie are smal and things indifferent but because God hath accepted him if you believe in your consciences that God hath accepted him why should not you accept and receive him 2ly Though baptisme be a gospel command yet many things may be doubtful in and about baptisme which may be reckoned of as meane a nature and consideration as the eating o● meats there spoken of was as viz when how by who● upon whom or unto vvhom baptisme is to be administred if in these things there be different apprehension some saying this some that why let not him that saith this despise him that saith that let not him that saith that ●udg him that saies this for God hath accepted him Do you not think that God hath accepted us that he doth accept us that he wil accept us so long as we are found faithfull unto him in following him fully as we can see him going before us Would he accept us if vve did do what you would have us do though it should be granted it vvas his mind while we see it not nay while we think ●n our consciences we should sin and provoak him in so doing would he blesse us think you if we should condemn our selves in doing the things that we allow not Wil not he accept us doing all whatsoever we understand he hath commanded us if you being a small part of the Church wil take liberty to break away from us Mr Lambs pretended grounds for seperationare a foundation of all divisions in all the Churches of Christ being seven times mere then your selves in number in conjunction with our Pastor and several of the Officers the major part of them also because they do not come over to your opinion doth not this lay a foundation of breaking up all Churches and societies of Saints in the world For if suppose ten should be of one opinion in a Church and one hundred should be of a contrary judgment therein if those ten should judge that opinion a great truth of Christ c and the hundred judge it a meer mistake a smal matter an outward ceremonie in comparison of the great things of God shal the ten seperate and be justified therein what Church can then hold together long if you say if the thing wherein those tenn differ from the one hundred be essenti●● I to a Church without which the consciences of those ten be fully perswaded the one hundred are no church then they ought to seperate I Answer First This is not the case here for you cal us a Church in your writing nay a Church of ho●ly and beloved brethren 2ly Who shal judg touching this matter the one hundred or the ten If you say the ten must judg for themselves and be able to satisfie themselves in their own peronal walking I answer that in such a case there should be many thoughts upon thoughts and considerations upon considerations much patience wisdom sobriety These should be exercised long time before the separation be made that should be the last remedy See what the Apostle saith in such a case Phil. 3.15 16. If in any thing ye be otherwise minded God sh●● reveal ●ven this unto you Nevertheless whereto ye have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing if in any thing ye be otherwise minded if any among you differ from other in any particular thing there is no reason that this should cause divisions and separations For though at present ye are not yet hereafter yee may be instructed in all things needfull for you and become of one mind and in the mean while whereunto we have already attained that is 1. Wherein we have mutuall apprehension of mutuall duty let us mutually walk together comfort and edifie one another Let us walk by the same rule line or path never stepping over or out of it lest we lose all For this was one of the laws of those Grecian Races that they must not only strive and run but strive and run lawfully this I say being one of the laws of their running viz. that they were to keep themselves in a certain path line or chalked way out of which they were not to step if they did they lost the game Some say that they were bounded with swords on the one side of the path and a great deep river on the other side so that they did not onely lose the prize but exposed themselves either to ruin by the sword or by the river If they did not keep their path Se here let us walk by the same rule not running over or stepping aside seperating our selves from the common path lest we be dipt yea drown'd by the river on the one hand or destroied by the sword on the other hand It is not to be expected that our light and apprehensions in all things should be the same especiallie should be the same at all times and together God at sundry times 1 Hebr 1 that is by peece meales Somwhat

true sense and meaning thereof in relation to the business in controversie between you viz. separation from Churches made up of holy brethren vvalking in the right faith of the Gospel because of their disterence in judgement concerning baptism 1 Bohn 2.10 for he that loveth his brother abideth in the light and there is none occasion of stumbling in him FINIS Mr. LAMB'S POSTSCRIPT Prescribed There is one thing further observable in Mr. Goodwins Answer to my brother Allen which I take my self bound to give the Reader notice of lest he erre through the ignorance of it that is that he doth with my brother Allen just as the six Book-sellers did with him p. 64. by leaving out the very word such though I suppose through over-sight whereupon the stress of the argument lyeth THere is one thing further observable in Mr. Goodwins Answer to my Brother Allen Reply it seems the very fragments of any thing that will serve in your warfare against M. Goodwins reputation are so precious that nothing thereof must be lost VVhich I take my self bound to give the Reader notice of bound by what bonds what of nature to rise up against your friend your brother your great benefactor your spiritual Father or are they bonds of grace viz. to bear false witness against your neighbour Maximinian the Emperor thought that the blood of Christians was a very acceptable sacrifice unto his Gods and in the sixth Consul of Tolledo it was enacted that the King of Spain should suffer none but Roman Catholicks to live in his Dominions King Philip accordingly having narrowly escaped shipwrack in his passage from the Low-Countries said hee was delivered by the singular providence of God to root out Lutheranism and this he thought himself bound to do and so Paul thought he verily ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth Well consider of it if the light that is in you be darkness how great is that darkness beware of an injudicious minde what man bound to thrust your pen up to the feathers as a sword to the hilt in the blood of Mr. G. good name by fixing upon him a very falshood I still demand by what Law are you bound and you answer vertually yes bound and that by the Law of charity to your honest Reader For thus say you I take my self bound to give the Reader notice thereof least he erre through the ignorance of it I confess it is a very charitable thing to be eys to the blind but a cursed thing to make the blind man go out of his way for if your Reader be blind in the thing you speak of sure I am he hath but a blind guide of you in this point as we shall see presently and if he be not blind then you endeavour very charitable to pluck out his eyes that he may see the better through the holes of his head But I further demand What great error was your Reader like to incur by the ignorance of this great piece of truth whereof you do inform him Suppose he had never known this way of truth untruly so call'd had it been much out of the way of his peace and edification I confess he had not seen so much your own nakedness had you not anointed his eyes with this eye-salve and therein might have been a loser But what is the vision You give it out thus That is that he M. Goodwin doth with my Brother Allen just at the six Book-Sellers did with him viz. M. Goodwin In your Praescript you raked the grave to find out if it were possible the worst amongst the dead Reply and painted out M. Goodwin according to his ghostly and gastly image in your Praescript you Diogenes like walk up and down the City of London with your candle in your hand to find out a pack of very honest men having neither honour nor conscience among the living that you might chain M. Goodwin with them also to crucifie Christ with thieves and to number him with transgressors was the trick of the Rulers of the Jews to make Jesus odious to the people for my part make good your charge and I will turn separate from M. Goodwin also professing that he that shall deal with any man good or bad as the six Book-sellers did deal with M. Goodwin is not worthy to set amongst the Dogs of Iobs Flocks much less amongst men of any credit or conscience but Solomon saith he that uttereth a slander is a fool But wherein did M. G. deal with M. A. as the six Book-sellers did deal with him You proceed Page 64. of his Book by leaving out the very word such though I suppose through over sight whereupon the stress of the argument lyeth the very word such This is I confess a very obseveable thing that he should not only leave out the very word such but that he should leave it out just as the six Book-sellers did is such a thing as must not be omitted though he did it through a mistake 1. If M. G. did leave out the very word such as the six Book-sellers did if it were through a mistake do you think he left it out just as the six Book-sellers did did they do it through a mistake also 2. But did he leave out the very word such just as the six Book-sellers did Yea say you Consider else Here let us consider how the six Book sellers deal with Mr. G. in leaving out that word such in transcribing M. G. words and how M. G. did with M. A. just as they did with M. Goodwin M. Goodwins words out of the 335. page of his Redemption-Redeemed speaking against the assurance of the love of God to a person outragiously and desperately wicked and prophane these are his very words I verily believe that in case any such assurance of the unchangeableness of Gods love were to be found in or could regularly be deduced from the Scriptures it were a iust ground to any intelligent and considering man to question their authority and whether they were from God or no. The six Book sellers to render M. Goodwin an Heretick transcribed his words out of the same place affirming that M. Goodwin said thus That in case any assurance of the unchangeableness of Gods love were to be found in or regularly be deduced from the Scriptures it were a iust ground to any intelligent man to question their authority and whether they were from God or no. Would not a man think that these six Book sellers were all brethren of the linage of one of those two false witnesses against Christ Mar. 14.58 who affirmed that they heard him say I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands and within three dayes I will build up another made without hands which was neither his saying nor meaning his saying was Iohn 2.19 destroy ye they affirm that he said I will destroy his saying was this Temple they affirm he said this Temple made with hands