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	testimony_n	1,573	5	8.5071	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50497	A brief narrative of the second meeting between the people called Quakers and Baptists at the Meeting-place, near Wheeler-street, London, the 16th of the 8th moneth, 167[4] / published for information by W.M. ... [et al.]	Mead, William, 1628-1713.; Hicks, Thomas, 17th cent.	1674 (1674)	Wing M1565A; ESTC R29521	29,398	72

thou speak'st both of Persons Things Are not W. P. and G. K. Persons Now thou requirest us to wit W.P. and G.K. to give an Evidence of our Faith and Practice to prove our selves to be Christians which is not our present work to do as is already shewed and it is sufficient that we have the Witness in our Selves as the Scripture saith He that believeth hath the Witness in himself And Friends and all People here present I have one thing more of great weight to signifie unto you and that is to tell you that although the Baptists do falsely accuse us as deriving our Pedegree from the Jesuits yet it may appear how near a Kin they are to the Jesuits seeing I can produce a Jesuit who hath used the very same Argument upon the Matter against all the Protestants which the Baptists have this day made use of against us The Jesuit is one Dempster his Argument and the whole prosecution of it together with the Answers thereunto by one called a Protestant Munster J. M. is in Print the Title of the Book is Papismus Lucifugus See people how the whole Protestant Cause lieth at the Stake in the Defence whereof we with all true Protestants are concerned against the Jesuits and Baptists to their own Overthrow who take up the Papists Arguments against themselves J. Ives Give me an Evidence how I may know that you have immediate Revelation for your Faith and Practice from Heaven or from Hell G. Keith That is not my Task at present I do not impose it upon thee so to believe J. Ives Then we have done not a Word more G. Keith offered farther to proceed J. Ives refused W. Penn Then let me take up the Argument with T. Plant or Rob. Taylor They refused G. Keith offered to proceed with J. Ives thus G. Keith He is not a Jew that is one outwardly but he is a Jew that is one inwardly I offer to prove my self by as good Argument that I am a Christian as the best Battists in the World can produce J. I. would not hear but refused to reassume the Argument W. Penn J. Ives T. Plant R. Taylor What mean you by this Evasive Carriage Is this the Entertainment we receive from you after our Condescension to your Importunities first you declined our Charge Next Though you pretend to prove us No Christians you now clamour at us to prove our selves Christians And because we tell you it is not our part at this time since you undertook to prove us None you set your Company a Bawling for a Retreat But that you may see we will follow you into all your SHIFTS I will undertake the Proof of our being CHRISTIANS with any of you upon such Evidences as Christians and Martyrs have been wont to give and if they happen to prove No Evidences in your esteem I will make it appear that you not onely do conclude us but YOUR SELVES with the best of those you esteem Christians gross IMPOSTORS G. Whitehead Observe how far this Debate is gone 1st The Result of J. Ives his proving the Quakers No Christians is turned to a putting it on us to prove our selves Christians and W. Penn a Minister which was not the Question 2. That we must evidence that immediate Revelation is our Rule or else we are no Christians but Impostors but what Evidence that must be whereby we may convince these prejudiced Opposers he has not told us However be it observed that if true Christians must shew some Outward Evidence of their having immediate Revelation or Inspiration it follows that all even Baptists and others who now deny both or say they are ceas'd are No Christians 3. Suppose we do not or are not called to give an outward Evidence or Demonstration of our Christianity to the Conviction of all who require it or impose upon us therein it follows not that we are No Christians much less Impostors for there were some among whom Christ himself could not do many Miracles because of their Unbelief and others that said He cast out Divels by Beelzebub All true Christians were not Workers of Miracles Nor did the Apostles give such Evidence as made all believe and confess they were true Ministers for they were counted Deceivers yet true and so manifest in many Mens Consciences in the Sight of God And though we profess and experience immediate and divine Revelation as the Ground of our Faith and Testimony yet we do not profess or look on our selves as oblieged to make all that require Signs of us especially such as believe confess to us as such are in Enmity Prejudice against us However we have a Proof or Evidence in Mens Consciences c. Here the Baptists were earnestly urged by very many Persons to continue the Discourse W. P. calling upon them Do not run away Do not run away and adding W.P. If so to believe as to have the Witness in a man's self be sufficient to render a Man a Christian as holy Scripture imports then a Man's being a Christian depends not upon a distinguishing External Evidence from what an Impostor may give but the Evidence in Himself otherwise because an Impostor may make as fair a Show as a real Christian that hath the Evidence in Himself it would follow that He is as good Christian though he hath no such Witness in Himself If He be not a Jew that is one Outward but H E a true Gospel Jew that is one Inward then since an Impostor can imitate the Former and not the Latter it follows that A man may be a true Jew that is a true Christian who may not exeede an Impostor as to External Evidence Words or Forms If the Spirit 's of God witnessing with the Spirits of the Ancient Christians that they were Children of God was a sufficient Evidence thereof then since no Impostor has that Evidence and that Evidence is not visible it follows that a man may be a Christian by such a Testimony that doth not alwayes distinguish him by outward Observation to the Eyes of the World from an Impostor If Flesh and Blood could not reveal Christ neither could Flesh and Blood see or reveal that Revelation But will it therefore follow that Revelation was no Evidence in it self and that Peter was No Christian Note Reader Whilst W. Penn was speaking J. Ives T. Plant R. Taylor c. went their Way but the Auditory remained bating it may be of Two Thousand People not One Hundred that went away with them In short If Jer. Ives intended an Evidence that is such as should be convincing to Some-body though this is not absolutely necessary in it self as in the Case of a Man that is born Dumb or one struck Speechless upon a Sick Bed c. yet will it not reach the Terms of J. Ives his Question And if he intend by an Evidence such as should be convincing to every Body then I utterly deny it for by the same Reason the