Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	disciple_n	know_v	mystery_n	1,896	5	9.7001	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37498	The tryal of spirits both in teachers & hearers wherein is held forth the clear discovery and certain downfal of the carnal and antichristian clergie of these nations / testified from the Word of God to the university-congregation in Cambridge by William Dell ; whereunto is added A plain and necessary confutation of divers gross errors delivered by Mr. Sydrach Simpson in a sermon preached to the same congregation at the commencement, Anno 1653 ; wherein (among other things) is declared, that the vniversities (according to their present statutes and practices) are not (as he affirmed) answerable to the schools of the prophets in the time of the law, but rather to the idolatrous high places ...	Dell, William, d. 1664.; Simpson, Sidrach, 1600?-1655. A plain and necessary confutation of divers gross and antichristian errors.	1660 (1660)	Wing D933; ESTC R219079	121,760	168

the Cross which the Word of God in the Spiritual Sense of it would certainly expose them to But now these Worldly Teachers as they love the World so they cannot endure the Cross that is reproach poverty shame sufferings and death for the true Word Wherefore they Preach the Gospel in such a sense as shall please the World but never offend them as shall make the World their Friends but never their Enemies for they cannot endure to think of much less to suffer the utmost Hatred and Persecution of the World for Christs Names sake Wherefore I say again though in Christ they will praise his reproach his shame his poverty his tribulation his death and crucifying yet they cannot endure these things in Themselves for his Truths sake but are most careful and studious to preach the Word of God in such a Worldly Sence as shall never provoke the World against them to do them the least harm but shall rather incline them to confer upon them according to thir own phrase all Countenance and Maintenance And thus the worldly Teachers speak of the World in this sense also But Christ and his Seed who are of God they speak not of the World but of God that is they speak the Word of God according to God never regarding whether the World be pleased or displeased therewith Yea they speak Gods Word according to Gods Mind though they certainly know that it will procure them all sorts of reproaches and tribulations and all manner of evil to be spoken and done against them in as much as they love God and his Word more than Themselves and this World and so they are so far from declining the Cross of Christ which the right Confession of the Word will bring upon them that they account it their greatest Glorifying to have fellowship with Christ in his Sufferings and to be made conformable to him in his Death all which things He endured because he spake Gods Word according to Gods mind and contrary to the mind of the World and Worldly Church And thus we see by Johns Doctrine who spake by the Spirit Who they are with whom Antichrist and his false Prophets prevail to wit the World and worldly People as also the Grounds why they prevail with them namely because They are of the World and speak of the World And now for the Use. The World hears these Teachers who are and speak of the World And hence first we learn That Antichrist and his Prophets the Worldly Teachers come with such Deceivableness of Unrighteousness that no Natural or Worldly men whatever of whatever Parts Learning Knowledge Righteousness can possibly discern Them If men are but Natural men though never so accomplished Antichrist deceives them all and makes them his Disciples For Antichrist comes so subtilly and in such glorious appearances of Holiness and Religion that none can know Him and his Wayes except they be singularly taught of God according to that of Christ to his Disciples To You it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God to them it is not given And to whom it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Christ to Them also it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Antichrist and none can truly know either the One or the Other without a special Gift from God Whence it is most evident That Men are not able to understand Antichrist and his Kingdom and Things as they are men learned in Philosophy and in the Knowledge of the Tongues or as they are men of such and such Degrees and Titles in the University or of such and such Ecclesiastical Orders in the Church I say Men by all such abilities and accomplishments as they speak are not able to discern Antichrist but rather are the more ready to be overcome by Him seeing by all these Humane and Ecclesiastical Things Antichrist can lay the faster hold on them and make them the more his own And Antichrist must needs be unknown to such men in as much as Christ Himself as he is held forth in the Word and whatever he is and doth both in Himself and Members is wholly unknown to them yea is so strangely unknown that by a prodigious mistake they do judge Christ and his Members and their Doctrine to be Antichrist and his Members and their Doctrine And on the contrary they do judge Antichrist and his Members and their Doctrine they do account and esteem of as of Christ Himself and his Members and their Doctrine And thus is the Multitude of carnal Christians which are even the whole World almost through the effectual Operation of Satan brought to think and believe assuredly that the Prophets of Antichrist who handle the Scriptures carnally and after the mind of Man do verily teach the very Doctrine and Truth of God and of this they are so confident that they would have the Worldly Powers and Magistrates to force all Men to believe as They say and to practise as They command Yea these Worldly Men with all their Worldly Accomplishments are so deluded by Antichrist that whilst they oppose and persecute the faithfull People of God or rather Christ Himself and his Word Works Truth and Righteousness in them they verily think they oppose and persecute Antichrist Himself and the falseness of his Members And as the Scribes and Pharisees the chief Teachers of the Jewish Church being Deceivers Themselves did yet call Christ a Deceiver and in killing and crucifying Him thought they did God good service so the carnal Clergy and the Head of them being Antichrists Themselves do yet tell of and terrifie People with another Antichrist And being Seducers Themselves do yet rise up against the very Members of Christ as Seducers that thereby they may boast themselves to be Righteous So throughly and perfectly hath Antichrist deluded and inchanted them through the cup of the Wine of his Fornications Thus the whole World is overcome by Antichrist and cannot by all their Highest Attainments discern Him from Christ only they who are born of God and are his true Children and being plain simple meek and lowly in Spirit are taught of God These only know Antichrist and overcome Him but these are the little flock Secondly In that the World Hears the Ministers of Antichrist We are given to understand That men that are of a Worldly Spirit and through that are addicted to the World and so seek and follow after the Profits Pleasures and Honours of this life they cannot possibly understand the Impostures and Deceits of Antichrist and his Teachers but They all are seduced and overcome by them Whoever therefore do profess or pretend to Religion and Godliness and nevertheless live in the Spirit of this World and are swallowed up with the Cares and Comforts of this World all such Christians are a fit Prey for Antichrist Seeing 1. Such carnal Christians are so addicted to Worldly Occasions that they cannot attend

and the Gospel and this under pretence of the Glory of God and Good of Christian people which is the BEASTS MARK in every Age and under every Change of Outward Form Whoever shall receive this mark IN THEIR FOREHEAD that is to profess this Doctrine only Or IN THEIR HAND that is to execute it according to Laws which the Nations have been seduced to make to this purpose The same shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his Indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoak of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever Wherefore You Faithful Ones have great cause to be very well advised in these things seeing the chief Designe of Antichrist is to seduce the Elect seeing he hath no Body else in all the World that dare oppose Him or know how to do it but You and He knows if He can prevail with You all the World besides will follow Him headlong as the Gadarens swine ran into the sea and were choaked Now I have adventured through the Inspiration of the Almighty to undertake Openly and Plainly against the Clergy and Universities which in their Present State are the Residue of the Hour and Power of Darkness upon the Nations And the Lord of his Grace hath helped me through this Work by his Spirit of Counsel and Might And so I have freely and willingly exposed my Self for Christ and his Truths sake to all the reproaches slanders revilings contradictions and if their power shall serve Persecutions of the Universities and Clergy and of all those People high and low bond and free who have received their Mark and Worship them choosing rather to suffer with Christ and with You his Seed all manner of Tribulations then to reign with Them and much rather imbracing Christian Communion with poor plain Husbandmen and Tradsmen who believe in Christ and have received his Spirit then with the Heads of Universities and Highest and Stateliest of the Clergy who under a specious form of Godliness do yet live in true Enmity and Opposition to the Gospel I do indeed freely acknowledge that I have often been ready to complain to God in the anguish of my Spirit that he had called Me a very Bruised Reed to a more difficult Task in one Regard then either Wickliffe Hus or Luther those strong Pillars in the House of God to wit Because much of the gross Body of Antichristianism against which They chiefly ingageed being done away by their Ministry there still remains the cunning and subtil Soul and Spirit thereof which yet is All in All in Antichrists Kingdom though it be farther removed from the Knowledge and Notice of the Common Sort of Christians And so the Mysterie of Iniquity is now become more Mysterious and Deceiving then in their Times and as Perfect and Bitter Enmity against Christ and his Spirit and the true Temple of God the Spiritual Church as ever was in all Their Times doth now prevail under the Name of Orthodox Doctrine and the Reformation of Religion by the late Assembly of Divines which the Clergy are all now ready to set up if they could gain the Secular Arm to strengthen them thereunto of which now they have greatest Hopes and without which their Religion can find no high place in this World Now herein the old Mysterie of Iniquity is renewed amongst these Men that they would have an outward Letter and Ministery without the Spirit of Christ to be the Doctrine and Ministry of the New Testament which is the Ministration of the Spirit and not of the Letter and would have the Secular Magistrate to have Right and Power to enforce men to such a Religion as Himself judges True by the Help and Counsel of those Ministers which Himself judges Orthodox as if some Men were able to teach spiritual things and all to understand them by Natural Reason made use of and improved which yet these Men deny in Terminis whilst they assert it in the Principle For they will not leave it to the Father to draw whom He pleaseth to the Son neither will they leave it to the Spirit to choose what Living stones he pleaseth to build them together to be the Habitation of God but the Ecclesiastical state having seduced the Temporal do make them believe that the Magistrates Worldly Power in union with their worldly Religion may make a National Church of all that they between Themselves please and may allow and set up such a Doctrine for Orthodox which these Men who are in Academical Degrees and Ecclesiastical Orders do approve for Such though the Spirit of God in all Believers testifies that these Men have not the mind of Christ but of Antichrist in all they teach and act and counsel in their Assemblies Churches Doctrine Ordinances Works Duties Dayes Times Fastings Thanksgivings and Every Thing else Yet these having the outward Carcass or Appearance of Religion though destitute of the inward Soul of it which is true Faith and the Spirit of God do cozen not only the meaner People but the very Magistrates of the World who are glad to hear that the Clergy have given them such high Power in the Kingdom of Christ and made them Magistrates in both Worlds though indeed in the end it be not for the Magistrates Advantage but wholly for the Clergies And thus is the Mysterie of Iniquity grown more Mysterious now then heretofore But this is our Comfort and Help that God still causes his Light to shine forth proportionably to his People to discover every new Change and Form of the Mysterie of Iniquity And though the Mysterie of Iniquity in every age is mysterious enough to cozen all the Unbelieving World though never so wise and learned yet is it never able to deceive the Faithful who have always sufficient Light from God to discover it and sufficient Grace to overcome it And now You faithful and beloved Ones to whom I have spoken all this stand You fast and depart not from Christ his Word and Work all which You know in faith for any Good or Evil things that may befall you in this short life but finish in Faith and Patience the Work which God hath given you to do in your several Places waiting for the Glory which shall be given you at the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ in Whom I remain though most unworthy Your humble and faithful Servant in the Gospell W. D. THE TRYALL OF SPIRITS 1 John 4. 1. Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone forth into the world 2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God 3. And every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and

Day is coming when Iniquity shall have an End And thus have I done with these Things There were many Other things in that Sermon as contrary to the Gospel which for brevities sake I have omitted Now what a sad Thing is it that such poysonful Doctrine should be poured forth into an University Congregation and that by the Ministry of such a Man And if the Ceremonies of the Law were in use under the Gospel how ought we to rendour Garments at the Hearing of these Things And now O blessed Lord Jesus who wast Crucified Dead and Buried but yet art risen from the Dead by the Eternal Spirit and art ascended on High to fill all things have Mercy on thy poor Church which is so grievously rent and torn this day by Wolves in Sheeps Cloathing and is thus hurt and consumed by poysonful Doctrines of Men who seek Themselves and their own Things to the Harm and Ruine of thy poor People O thou Son of the Living God who art the Way the Truth and the Life how shall the Kingdom of Antichrist be brought down when the Hands of such Men who seem Pillars in the Church are stretched forth so strongly to hold it up And how shall the Days of Antichrist be shortned when his Kingdom is coming forth again in the Greatest Deceiveableness of Unrighteousness that hath ever yet appeared in the World to delude the Nations O Lord remember all thy Promises and make haste to destroy Babylon the Great with all its mysteries of Righteousness and Unrighteousness and let it sink as a Milstone in the Sea without any hope or possibility of a Resurrection And seeing there is no hand of Man stretched out for this Work but all Hands are against it do thou destroy it O Lord without hand even with the Spirit of thy mouth and brightness of thy Coming according to the Truth of thy Promises and the unutterable Sighs and Groans of thy Spirit occasioned thereby in the Hearts of all thy faithful and Elect. Even so Lord And let thy Kingdom come and make no long tarrying AMEN A TESTIMONY From the WORD Against DIVINITY-DEGREES IN THE Vniversity OR Any Academical Degrees made use of for the Ministry of the Gospel THE Universities whose very Soul and Life do lie in Humane Learning and School-Divinity that they might gain the greater Profit to themselves and Glory to their Children have after the example of the Heathen given their children Degrees in Divinity as They in Arts and the Glorious Titles of Batchelors Masters and Doctors in Divinity as so many Crowns of Gold upon their Heads to win them Honour and Reputation with all People who have been under the Delusion of Antichrist And in the confirming of these Graduations or Degrees which also is done for a sum of Money they give the Graduates License and Power to Preach and to Expound the Scriptures and that by the sole Authority of the University For the Vice-Chancelor admitting a Bachelour in Divinity to his Degree useth these Words in the Name of the University We admit you to declare all the Apostolical Epistles in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And so the Batchelour in Divinity hath Power according to his Degree only to deal with the Apostolical Epistles but must go no farther And admitting a Doctor to his Degree the Vice-Chancelour saith thus We admit you to Interpret and Profess all the Holy Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And thus doth the University through power received from Antichrist give men chiefly for Money Divinity-Degrees and through those Degrees it gives Authority and priviledge to Batchelors in Divinity to expound part of the Scriptures and to Doctors to expound and profess all the Scriptures and they that gain these Degrees to Themselves are as there is good reason the Great Men in account with the University and also with the Carnal People of Antichrist how destitute soever they be of the Faith and Spirit of the Gospel Wherefore I cannot choose but give in my Testimony against this Glorious and Gainful Priviledge of the Universities to wit their conferring upon their Children Degrees in Divinity and creating them Masters in that Mysterie which none can teach but God Himself and which none can learn but true Believers who are born of God and are his true Disciples And so I do openly affirm that Degrees in Divinity for I meddle with none else given by the Universities to their Children are plainly and grosly Antichristian being most manifestly contrary to the Word of the Gospel and the Light that shines in the New Testament For first In the Gospel of God our Saviour we learn That only a New and Heavenly Birth makes Men to be of the true Church and that the pouring forth of the Spirit on these Children of God according to the measure of the Gift of God makes Christians of several Degrees in this Church and not Academical Graduations Secondly In this Gospel also we are taught that all the true Ministers of Christ are Equal and not One Superior to Another as these Degrees make them Thirdly In this Gospel also we are taught that the true Greatness amongst Christs true Disciples doth not stand in Academical Degrees or Worldly Honour and Dignities but in the Faithfuls near and exact following of Christ in Word and Conversation and that the sons of Zebedee in desiring Superiority and Pre-eminence above the other Disciples contrary to the Life and Doctrine of Christ did grievously offend and were therefore sharply rebuked of Christ. Fourthly Yea here we hear Christ himself forbidding this very Thing to his Disciples that Antichrist and his Prophets might have no cloak for doing the contrary where his Gospel is truely taught and published For Matth. 23. Christ doth forbid his Disciples before all the Multitude to be as the Jewish Rabbies or Doctors who saith Christ do their works to be seen of Men and disguise themselves with different Garments or Habits from others that they might be the more taken notice of and have the more respect and do love the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and the chief Seats in the Synagogues and greetings in the Markets and to be called of men Doctor Doctor but saith Christ to his Disciples Be not ye called Doctors for one is your Master even Christ and Ye all are Brethren and so equal Whence it is evident that this Practice of Universities and Colledges in giving men Degrees in Divinity as they call it and Titles Habits and Dignities accordingly is contrary to the express Command of Jesus Christ and so is a meer Invention of Antichrist to put Honour and Reputation on his Ministers It is also manifest that this practice of the Universities hath all along made many Doctors in the Church which yet never were Christs true Disciples It is also manifest that these Degrees and Titles do cause men