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	save_v	1,472	5	6.9646	4	false

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

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