Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	key_n	kingdom_n	loose_v	2,949	5	9.6101	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57214	The epistles of Mr. Robert Rich to the seven churches (so called by him) viz. 1. To the Roman Catholick, 2. the Episcopal Protestant, 3. the Presbyterian, 4. the Independent, 5. the Anabaptist, 6. the Quaker, 7. the Church of the First-Born : containing his testimony to God's approbation of the good and aversion to the evil in all persuasions : together with an abstract of a letter of the authors, declaring his gift, or benevolence, sent to each of the said churches.	Rich, Robert, d. 1679.	1680 (1680)	Wing R1356; ESTC R28477	92,478	137

present Church of Rome is the only True Church of Christ and all others that differ from her are Schismaticks and Hereticks good for nought but to be destroyed in Body and Soul concerning which I do most humbly crave leave to examine by the Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles intending what I find to proceed from God's Holy Spirit of Truth which are the Things of God to treasure up in Joseph's Storehouse the rest proceeding from Man unregenerate in the fall meerly humane and what was learnt of Man in the Schools or from the Letter I intend to return back again as your own Mony in your own Sacks In the first place I must needs commend the Christian Spirit of him that wrot Fiat Lux who saith He was bettered by reading Quakers Anabaptists Books c. which shews him a Man that could receive Truth from any Man or Sect try all things and I hope receive and hold fast that which is good in every Man of all Religions Further he saith All Sects maintaining their own Opinion none condescending to others destroy all Love and Charity which wanting no Religion is any thing worth but in Charity Love and Patience he saith all Sects are pleased Also he saith Difference for Opinions is neither pious nor rational He also saith That none is fit to judg of all Sects that is of Any nor is the Atheist meet Further he saith The Spirit of Christ or Charity the Love of God being departed all Forms of Religion are but a meer Romance He also saith Truth is found in Vnity not in Division And I say Till all come to the Unity of the Spirit given to every Man to profit with there can never be Unity Also he saith That the Soul of Man is Immortal Intelligible and Rational and that Moderation Love and Charity is the Image of God in Man and that right Reason doth not cast away Christ but is one with him Also Whosoever brings to Vnity is blest though but an Owl or Fool as the Spirits Preaching is accounted foolishness by unregenerate Men Also he saith All Sects fight against each other till Christ be set up the Teacher in all These and the like I take to be Maxims of Truth meet to be considered and received In the next place the Roman Writers assert The Pope of Rome to be Head of the Church of Christ here on Earth and Christ 's Vicar as being Peter 's Successor on whose Person you say Christ 's Church is built proved out of Matth. 16.16 17. To which I make return and say That Peter's Person was not the Rock whereon Christ's Church is built but the Spirit of God which revealed to Peter the things of God as will most evidently appear by the Reasons following viz. First For that no Man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any Man the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son revealeth him Mat. 11.27 Gal. 1.12 16. 1 Cor. 2.10 1 Pet. 1.13 So it is the Revelation of God the Father gives the Knowledg of God the Son and it is the Spirit of Christ in the Saints revealing the Father and the Son which is the Rock whereon Christ's Church is built against which the Gates of Hell can never prevail Matth. 16.17 Besides had the Church bin built on Peter's Person had it not fallen into Hell when Peter's Person became Satan an Adversary to Christ and against him when he savoured more the Things of Man than the things of God read Mat. 16.23 and this was after Peter's Faith the Revelation of God was called the Rock And what became of the Church and Peter the Rock when Peter denied and forswore his Master Mat. 26.69 c. Had not then the Church of Christ fallen into Hell if Peter's Person had bin the Rock whereon it had bin built And I pray tell me What think you had become of the Church of Christ had it bin built on Peter's Person when Peter dissembled and would have brought in the Old Law which stood in divers outward Observations wherein the Kingdom of God doth not consist And was not this to bring in the first Covenant and to deny Christ come in the Flesh the Second Covenant Christ the Word in the Heart and Revelation of God in Peter before his Fall which is the Rock God builds his Church on against whom the Gates of Hell shall never prevail but when a Church savours the Things of Man more than the things of God the Gates of Hell will surely prevail against that Church And this Revelation of God was the Rock before Peter's Person was and before his Fall was and after his Fall was and is that Rock whereon all the People of God stand and are built an Habitation through the Spirit for God to dwell in Allelujah And do not you think St. Paul that great Apostle of the Gentiles did well in withstanding and reproving Peter to his Face even in the face of all the Congregation for endeavouring to bring in such a Heresy and Schism into the Church of Christ as to withdraw from the believing Gentiles and so by his Example to set up the Observations of the Old Law which stood in outward things which was to deny Christ the New Law the Word of Grace in the Heart God's everlasting Covenant of Light and Life to Jew and Gentile which certainly was and is a most pernicious Doctrine wherewith all the Jews were drawn from the Faith of Christ insomuch that Barnabas was also led aside by their dissimulation And for those who had run well and begun in the Spirit for them to imagine they ought to be made perfect by the Observation of things outward and carnal was a most damnable Heresy which Peter and the rest of the Jews and Barnabas first begun to divide the Church of God the Head from the Members was doubtless a great Schism and falling from the true Faith first delivered to the Saints which stood in the Revelation of Christ the Spirit 's teaching Allelujah When Christ bid Peter feed my Sheep you say Peter received Supremacy over the rest of the Apostles and was made General Pastor of the Church And where Christ said to Peter I will give thee the Keys of Heaven and what thou bindest in Earth shall be bound in Heaven and what thou loosest on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven Was Peter's Key think you Carnal or any thing else but the Revelation of God's Spirit to Peter before his Fall which surely is the Key of David which openeth the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God which no Man can shut And have not all true Believers born of the Spirit the same Key and Authority to bind and loose as Peter had read John 20.22 23. So that you see the Power of the Keys and the feeding Christ's Sheep stands in receiving the Holy Ghost and not in Peter's Person as Peter himself afterwards confessed read 1 Pet. 5.2 Acts 20.28 saying to the Disciples Feed

outward Observations consist the many Antichrists St. John saw who said You have heard that Antichrist should come and now are there many Antichrists Even all Man's Prescriptions and Impositions not being the Spirit 's teachings are Antichrists the many false Spirits which do not feed but devour the Flock of Christ by bringing in the Old Law and other beggarly Rudiments and Inventions of Man's Wisdom which is the Whore and false Prophet which serves to no other end than to raze out the Revelation of God in the Consciences of Men to crucifie the Lord of Life the Spirit of Christ in resisting his Spirit of Grace and speaking evil of the Spirit which is the highest Blasphemy not to be forgiven in this World nor in the World to come Allelujah Thus the Universal Church of Rome may know by examining themselves whether they are in the Apostacy in the fall with Peter or whether they are in the Restoration with Peter when the Church of Rome was so renowned and guided by the Spirit and Revelation of God Or whether led by Traditions Prescriptions and Impositions of Man and as the Universal Church of Rome may know whether they are built on Christ the Rock Peter's Faith that never failed or on Peter's Person that so easily fell against which the Gates of Hell prevailed even so may every individual Person in the Church of Rome know whether they be in the true Faith of Christ or in the false Faith for the true Faith worketh by Love purifieth the Heart and destroys the Works of the Devil in Men it worketh Miracles it removeth Mountains of Sin crucifieth the Flesh with its Deeds and raiseth the Soul dead in Trespasses and Sins out of the Grave enabling the Soul to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit Thus wonderfully doth Faith in Christ the Gift of God work in every one that truly believes Read Acts 15.9 Mat. 17.20 Rom. 12.3 1 Cor. 12.9 Heb. 12.2 Mark 16.17 1 John 3.8 Allelujah By this time your selves may answer Dr. Bayley's Challenge who saith The Church of Rome was once an excellent flourishing Mother-Church This Church saith he could not cease to be such but she must fall either by Apostacy Heresy or Schism To which I answer Christ's Church in Jerusalem and in Antioch were Mother-Churches before Rome and in Corinth Galatia Ephesus Philippe Colosse Thessalonica and the Church among the Hebrews were all flourishing Christian Churches but now not visible as to Man's Eye And how was Rome the Mother-Church whilst the Popes kept their Residence in Avignon for seventy Years together Nevertheless God knoweth who are his amongst them all for as St. Peter saith Acts 10.34 All of every Nation Sect and People those that fear God and work Righteousness are accepted with him whether Jews or Gentiles Barbarians or Scythians they are all one in Christ the Truth they that walk in the Truth walk in Christ Jesus and such the Truth makes freely accepted with God Allelujah Though I take not upon me to know Whether the present Church of Rome are Members of Christ's Body whereof himself the Spirit of the Father is only Head or the Synagogue of Satan the Children of the Devil their Father in whom he rules and guides who do his Work Yet this I declare That every one in themselves may perfectly know whether they belong to the True or False Church to God or the Devil If you do but examine your selves Whether Christ the Word in the Heart the Revelation of God by the Spirit of Truth the Light of Christ his Spirit of Grace be Head in you leading you into Truth and Righteousness bringing forth the Fruits of the Spirit which Fruits are evident read Gal. 5.22 Ephes 5.9 Or whether the Spirit of Satan be Head leading into Lying Swearing Whoredom Fornication Adultery Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Hatred Variance Wrath Strife Pride Seditions Heresies Envyings Murthers Drunkenness Revilings and such like Now your own selves every one in particular know these things to be Fruits of the Flesh proceeding from Man in the Fall unregenerate and are Earthly Sensual and Devilish And know ye not to whom you yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience to Righteousness also that the Wages of Sin is the death of the Soul and he that soweth to the Flesh shall reap Corruption for if ye live after the Flesh your Souls shall die but if through the Spirit you mortify the Deeds of the Flesh you shall live Finally my Brethren whether the Spirit of God that revealed to Peter the Things of God be Head in you or the Spirit of Satan which Ied Peter into the Fall into the Schism into Heresy into the Apostacy be Head which Spirit is the Spirit of Antichrist the which exalts many Inventions his Prescriptions and Traditions above the Inspiration and Revelation of God So try your selves examine your selves Know you not your own selves that unless Christ the Spirit of the Father be in you you are Reprobates as concerning the true Faith and cannot think a good Thought much less work a good Work and that it is he by his Spirit of Grace which is given to every one to profit withal that works all good in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure as it is written Phil. 2.13 Isa 26.12 Rom. 8 9 10 11. 1 Cor. 12.7 2 Cor. 10 11. 2 Cor. 1.21 22. Gal. 5.16.22 13.5 And whether the Court of Rome hath not used as much worldly Policy to obtain Soveraignty and Dominion in the Earth as any Earthly Prince whatsoever he that will resolve this Question let him read the History of the Council of Trent and other French Histories written by Members of the Gallical Church And whether with their good Words and fair Speeches they have not got into the Hearts and Consciences of simple People perswading them to believe the Pope to be Head of the Church and Vicar of Christ And when the Net hath thus catched and brought into this Faith is it not easy to make Merchandice of such Souls and also to command their Bodies and Purses who believe Peter's Key can open and shut Heaven when and to whomsoever Peter's Vicar and Successor pleaseth And what hath thus bin got by Peter's Net hath it not bin kept and added to by Man's Carnal Weapons which are not the Weapons of Christ nor of his Apostles nor Followers read 2 Cor. 10.4 John 18.36 as by woful experience many Emperors Kings and Princes in Europe have found to their great loss both of Blood and Treasure in pursuing and subduing the Waldenses and Albigenses Excommunicated An. 1250 and in acting against John Husse Jerome of Prague John Wickliff and Sir John Oldcastle as also against the Protestants in Germany Holland and Flanders with those Massacred at Paris by the then called Holy League and since by the inhumane Massacre in Ireland 1640 even against all those that have adventured