Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	paul_n	pillar_n	1,964	5	10.5066	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41061	A testimonie of the touch-stone, for all professions, and all forms, and gathered churches (as they call them), of what sort soever to try their ground and foundation by and a tryal by the Scriptures, who the false prophets are, which are in the world, which John said should be in the last times / by Margret Fell ; also, some of the ranters principles answered.	Fox, Margaret Askew Fell, 1614-1702.	1656 (1656)	Wing F636; ESTC R13179	30,378	40

A TESTIMONIE OF THE TOUCH-STONE FOR ALL Professions and all Forms and Gathered Churches as they call them of what sort soever to try their ground and foundation by AND A TRYAL by the Scriptures who the False Prophets are which are in the world which John said should be in the last times by Margret Fell ALSO SOME OF THE RANTERS PRINCIPLES Answered Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone a tryed stone a precious corner-stone a sure foundation Isai. 28.16 The stone which the Builders refuseth is become the head of the corner Psa. 119.22 Now therefore are we no more strangers and forreigners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and Houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2.20 Vnto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which bee disobedient t●● stone which the Builders disallowed the same is the head of the Corner 1 Pet. 2.9 LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the sign of the Bull Mouth neer Aldersgate 1656. TO all the Professions of the World And to all the forms which all the professors lives in To the light in all your consciences which comes from Jesus who is the fathers Covenant of light and life The Lamb who is the light of all the Nations that are saved which now shines in all your consciences to this in you all do I speak that with it you may search and try your standing and ground and foundation The Church is in God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ Christ Jesus the corner stone who hath said upon this Rock I build my Church Paul writ to Timothy how to behave himself in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the Pillar and ground of Truth For saith he without controversie great is the mysterie of godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up to glory Now Professors look about you and see where your footing and where your foundation is who do profess a God and a Christ afar off and denies the light of Jesus Christ which manifests him in the flesh How can you know him or confess him in the flesh who denies him to be manifested in you What ground have ye to build upon when you know nothing of him but what ye have from a profession without you Oh consider seriously and turn your minds to the light which will let you see your foundation to be rotten and sandy which ye floolish builders are building in your imaginations Babel in the Air professing the Scriptures without which were declared and spoken from a living and eternall principle within And this ye take and build upon But where is your foundation where is your ground where is your root who denies the corner stone the light Jesus Christ the light and Rock of ages which all the Prophets and Apostles and holy men of God is founded and built upon A profession of this will stand you in no stead for the holy seed is risen the substance of all and the life of the Scriptures which spoke them forth is manifested The word which was in the begining which was with God which word was God he who was dead is alive whose name is called the Word of God who lives for evermore This word which we have seen which we have heard which our hands have handled this we declare unto you by which Word the World was made and without which nothing was made which was made This is manifested and witnessed praises living praises be to the living God And this is he that will break to pieces all your rotten profession you cannot stand before him his rod of Iron where he rules will dash you all to pieces ye potsheards of the earth who have set up the Image whose head is of gold whose breast is of silver whose feet is part Iron and part Clay The little stone cut out of the Mountain without hands sticks at his feet and overturns his foundation you and your Diana shall fall and stone shall become a great Mountain the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it and you who take the words spoken from the life of God and professeth them and God and Christ without you and ye prosecute the same life which gave them forth which now is made manifest in his people Ye make up the measure of your fore-fathers which shew the Prophets and ye garnish their Sepulchres ye are in their steps that killed the prophets that beat the servants and would also kill the heir your fruits makes ye manifest Ye are the graves which men go over painted Sepulchres with words and professions of their outside but within are full of rotteness and dead mens bones The Candle of the Lord God is lighted by which he searcheth Jerusalem and hath found you out the day of the Lord which is coming upon you which makes all things manifest This will lay you open To the light in all your consciences do I speak that to it you may learn to see what ye know of the living God there there he is unknown to you yet as he was to the Athenians whom ye ignorantly worship though he be not far from every one of you Therefore put him not far off you but call upon him while he is near and seek him while he may be found If ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts while it is called to day Now you have time prize it this is the day of your visitation your profession without you will not serve you it strikes in the Lords nostrils and all your righteousness shall be spread as dung upon your faces it is as filthy rags and as the early dew it shall pass away and never be mentioned He is come who convinceth the world of sin of righteousness and of Judgement therefore your righteousness which is not the righteousness of Jesus Christ is condemned by him who is the righteousness of the father and the expresse Image of his glory The glorious brightness of his coming makes manifest the man of sin which hath so long sitten in the Temple of God exalted above all that is called God in you it is time to come wherein he is revealed Therefore cease from your abominations and outward professions of forms and colours without the life and power and purity of truth it self For the glorious light makes you manifest and all your covers is too narrow the roe from the living God is to them and all coverings which is not his pure spirit it is to be rent And though ye may seem fair on the outside this will not hide you he who searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins is come before whom all secrets is bare and naked Therefore turn into the measure of the light which ye have received from the

the light And yet ye take these words and profess them and persecute the light and life that spoke these words Now to that of God in your Consciences which cannot bear false witnesse nor lye do I speak let all that try you and examine you whether you do not exceed the Scribes and Pharisees who crucified Christ Jesus who had writings of him that he should come yet when he came they did not know that it was he and so they crucified him under the name of a Blasphemer and Prince of Devils But ye say and professe that he is come and professe that that was he which they crucified and ye professe that he is risen again and yet ye persecute and deny his light and testimony where it is risen and made manifest Now see whether ye be not blinde indeed when as ye go about to oppose deny and persecute that which ye your selves professe Now see what a God this is ye serve who keeps ye so blinde in your profession that ye persecute those who possesseth that which ye your selves professe Ye exceed all that ever went before you that ever was read of and yet ye are so blind as ye do not see your selves For those whom ye persecute and oppose ye have nothing against them but that they witnesse and professe that which ye blinde hypocrites possesse but knows nothing of So ye make clean the outside with an outward profession and a form and an Image and a likenesse but your inside is sin uncleannesse filthinesse envy wrath malice strife and persecution this is of the Devils Kingdome of sin and this is the inheritance and possession which ye possesse Though ye professe a God and a Christ from Records without you yet your possession and inheritance is the Devils Kingdome of sin Let that of God in your consciences which is pure now examine and try you and search you and see if ye be not found in sin and uncleannesse and denies being free from sin and perfection and purity and plead for sin and the Devils Kingdome and yet professe God and Christ Oh that ever ye should be so abominably blinde and fottish Do ye look upon the pure and holy God who cannot behold iniquity with whom dwells no unclean thing to be like your selves And so likewise ye take the Epistles and writings of the Apostles to the Church of Christ which is in God and which is the house of God the ground and pillar of all truth which is built upon the rock Christ Jesus And ye take the words which were written to these who were born of the immortal seed to which the promise of God is and ye who live in your sin and filthinesse and uncleannesse takes these words and professeth them and makes them your own as though they were spoken to you when as ye never knew their condition nor the Apostles which was their Minister and begot them into the everlasting truth by the immortal ingratted word of God And this ye who denies the light which the Apostles preached who was a Minister of the Spirit and not of the Letter And this ye profess to be yours and here you build your nest in your forms and here ye sit decked with the words of the Saints with your unclean 〈…〉 and persecuting the righteous seed which these were spoken to opposing and denying the light which they were gathered into But your day of lamentation and howling is coming upon you ye cannot escape the righteous God hath found you out the acceptable year of the Lord is proclaimed and the day of vengence of our God is come and the Prince of the world is come to be judged and the day of the Son of man is come in which he is lifted up and where he is lifted up he draws all men after him Praises be to the living God for ever And your Covenant with hell and death is disanulled and your refuge of lyes and dissimulation will be swept away the overflowing scourge is coming upon you Therefore as ye love your souls give over your dissembling and vain imaginations and hypocrisie and vain deceit and see what ye have and what ye know ye do enjoy in the light and in the life and in the power of the living God for our Gospel stands not in word but in life and power And he is manifest who is the power of God unto salvation unto all that believe And this Gospel is not hid but to those that are lost Now if ye turn your minds to the light of Jesus Christ which is the light of the glorious Gospel ye will see that this Gospel hath been hid from you and from your profession But if ye wait in the light then will ye come to know the power and the power will raise the life And he that walketh in the light shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life And so give over professing words which was spoken from the light and life and power and ye your selves without light without life without power in a 〈◊〉 Nay this will not serve this is an abomination unto the living pure God and all this wil he burn and consume with the spirit of his 〈◊〉 and with the brightnesse of his coming Now see what ye have that will answer to the fire for nothing will stand in his presence who is a consuming fire but that which will abide the fire And this ye shall eternally witnesse to be truth And so in this I have cleared my conscience and laid before you your house and building which is without foundation And if ye turn your minds to the light it will let you see you have no bottom nor foundation that can stand Oh that ever ye should be so ignorant sottish and blinde in this the day 〈…〉 grace of the everlasting God which hath appeared unto all men which is so sounded forth in your ears and yet ye will not come to search and examine where your foundation and root and bottom is If ye will but turn your minds to the light ye will see that you have nothing at all but that which is none of your own which will stand ye in no stead which was written and spoke to others Oh that ever ye should be so blinde as to look upon this to be yours in this glorious day of light when it is so clearly manifested and the Gospel freely preached to every Creature and that ye should be so carelesse of your own souls as not to come to a search Oh what will ye do in the end when the just and righteous God calls ye to an account who hath sent forth his Ministers and messengers to preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to the poor liberty to the captives and yet ye as deaf adders will not hear yea the Lord God seeth you and knoweth your Rebellious stiff-necked and uncircumcised heart and ears and he will reward you according to your works And then your