Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	jesus_n	light_n	shine_v	5,880	5	9.7269	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33507	The whore unvailed, or, The mistery of the deceit of the Church of Rome revealed being a brief answer to a book entituled, the reconciler of religions, or, A decider of all controversies in matters of faith, written by a professed Roman Catholick who subscribes his name A.S. in which he endeavoured to prove the Church of Rome to be the true church ... / by a servant of the Lord, Josiah Coale ; whereunto is added the 14th Chap. of A.S. his book in which he declares the Protestant ... not to be true preachers ...	Coale, Josiah, 1632?-1668.	1665 (1665)	Wing C4760; ESTC R37745	41,902	55

concern me to answer his charges against them but shall leave them to answer for themselves Although there are indeed many things contained in the remaining part of his book from which I might lay open much of the deceit and ignorance of A. S. and the abominations of the church of Rome But the generality of people being already so fully satisfied concerning her and the confusion and ignorance of A. S. also being herein so fully manifested already I look upon it as superfluous at present to inlarge on this account and indeed if never a word had been said the very fruits brought forth by the church of Rome in the view of all Nations are enough to forewarn them of adhering to her for can a man touch pitch and not be defiled But for all that hath been said It may be some will say that grand question propounded by A.S. in the second Chapter of his booke Remaines yet unanswered viz which is the true Church c. First To which I answer that is the true Church and no other whose fruits makes manifest that they are governed by the invisible head Christ and that continues in the doctrine of Christ and his apostles and that are found in the same order or discipline in their Assemblies that the true Church was in the primitive times and that have the same way of ordaining ministers that the true Church had And that lives soberly righteously and godly in this present world as the true Church did But the people called Quakers are such as hereafter I shall prove Therefore the people called Quakers are the true Church Secondly It is manifest by the fruits of the people called Quakers that they are governed by the invisible head Christ for Christ commandes his followers not to sweare at all which command the aforesaid people observes and keeps as this nation of England full well knowes Againe Christ came not to destroy mens lives but to save them and commanded his followers to love their enemeis And it is manifest that the people called Quakers have the mind of Christ because they seek not the destruction of any but the preservation and good of all and that they love even their enemies who hates and persecutes them because they are ready to assist or be helpfull to them upon all occasions or opportunities in any thing that may tend to their present and future well-being therefore they are governed by the invisible head Christ againe Christ commanded saying whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them Mat. 7.12 which command the aforesaid people observes and keeps as thousands can beare witness for them Therefore they are governed by the invisible head Christ and are the true Church Thirdly Againe the people called Quakers continues in the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles for Christ preacht the doctrine of perfection saying be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect Math 5 48. And the Apostle preacht the same doctrine Heb. 6 1 and laboured to present every man perfect in Christ Col 1 28 having received guifts for that very worke Ephes 4 11 12 And the people called Quakers do preach the same doctrine of perfection and laboures in the power and spirit of the ●ord to present people perfect in Christ as the Ap●stles did as thousands can beare testimony by which it sufficiently appeares that they continue in the doctrine of Christ and his apostles and therefore they are the true Church But this Christian doctrine is now opposed by all the Antichristian Ministers throughout the whole Christendom or by all Babylons merchants in every parte of her teritories who Ignorantly produce many good words to oppose this doctrine 1. As first they urge Solomons words viz There is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sineth not Therefore say they people cannot be perfect But alas they do not discerne the signes of the times neither do they consider the time and season when these words were spoken for at that time all were gon out of the way and there was none that did good Psa 14 3. and they had forsaken the Lord and knew not so much of him as the oxe did of his owner Isa 1 3 and were in the transgression of gods covenant which he made with their fathers Ier 31 32 so that although there was none without sin at that time yet it doth not follow the people can never be free from sin no more then their being then Ignorant of God doth argue that people should never come to the knowledge of him the contrary of both which may be easily proved by plaine scripture for at that time when Israell were strangers unto God and were all gon out of the way and none amongst them did good c. even then did God promise that the day should come in which he would make anew covenant with the house of Judah and with the house of Israell who were in the transgression of the first covenant Jer 31 31 and that he would finish transgression and make an end of sin Dan 24 which had hid his face from them and by which they were made strangers to him Is● 59.2 and that he would Remember their Iniquities no more and that they should all know him from the least to the greatest Jer. 31 34 by which it is evident that al●hough in the prophets days they were all in transgression and had not the knowledge of God the purpose of God was to bring them into a better state which the true Chu●ch in the apostles dayes were witnesses of for the apostles said Heb. 11 4● God having provided some better thing for us that they without us could not be made perfect and although some of them had been Idolators and had lived in the pollutions of he world yet they were washed and clensed yea and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6.10 11 and so though they were some times Ignorant of God yet God caused the Light to shine out of darknesse in their hearts to give them the Light of the knowledg of Gods glory in the face of Christ who dwelt in them 2 Cor. 4.6 Gall. 2.20 so that both sin and Ignorance was don away in them through the power and coming of the Lord Jesus and so they did not alwayes remaine in their sins but was freed from them as the apostle testified Rom. 18. 8.2 Secondly But then Antichrists ministers saith that if they were free from sin why did the apostle say that if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John 1.8 I Answer he did not say so because people could not be made free from sin but he said so that they might not sin 1 John 2.1 and consider who they were that he then wrote to for he sometimes wrote to children and sometimes to young men and sometimes to fathers in the

with the sun that and there she was and the Moone was under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve stars Rev. 12.1 And having brought forth a man child that was to rule all Nations with his rod of Iron the enmity of the Dragon then arose who sought to devour the man child but being by the hand of God prevented of his purpose on the man-child ver 5. he then cast out his flood of persecution after the woman ver 15. of whom this ruler was born and drave her into the Wildernesse whither she fled from him to her place prepared of God that they might feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Rev. 12.6.14 and there she hath been and there she hath fitt●n a● in a sollitary place and in a mourning state and condition out of which she is now returning and is now coming up out of the Wilderness and is descending from God as a Bride adorned for her husband Rev. 21.2 and her name is the Bride the Lambs wife the holy City ver 9. new Jerusalem And now is Jerusalem shaking her self from the dust of the earth in which she hath been trodden of the Gentiles and now is she putting on her beautiful garments and now doth the solitary begin to rejoyce and the barren that did not bear begins to break forth into singing Isa 54.1 And the things that many Prophets desired to see and could not see is now seen and revealing glory to God in the highest The day is come which we have waited for we will be glad and rejoyce in it and now the time times and half a time is expired in which the true Church hath been fed in the Wildernesse and now is the forty and two months expired also for which time the holy City hath been trodden under foot of the Gentiles Rev. 11.2 in which time the beast had power given him to continue Rev. 13.5 and the Whole world wondered after him and worshipped him and in that time it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them and he received power over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations that all that dwelt upon the earth should worship him whose names were not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world if any man have an ear let him hear Rev. 13.7 8 9. And this was the time that the true Church was in her mourning state which now begins to be over Glory to God for ever the day of rejoycing is come And for her Bishops Pastors and Believers that she had I answer Christ was and is her Bishop and chief Pastor 1 Pet. 2.25 And the rest after the Apostles dayes were they that fed her in the Wildernesse and her Believers were those that had the Testimony of Jesus Rev. 12.17 whose blood the Whore drunk And they are now her Believers whose blood the Whore thirsts after And as to that question viz. What Emperors or Kings did adhere to her or now do Answ I answer On this wise did the Pharisees Query with those Officers whom they sent to take Jesus and bring him unto them saying Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him Joh. 7.48 Well what Emperors or Kings did adhere to him at that time Was he not therefore the true Christ because the Rulers of the world and the Pharisees rejected him And what said the Apostle to the true Church in his day You see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighthy nor noble c. but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise c. that flesh might not glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1.26 27. And farther the Apostle who preach● Christ said That he preached the wisdom of God in a mistery which none of the Princes of the world knew c. 1 Cor. 2.7 8. By which it appeares that none of the Princes of the world knew Christ the Wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.24 And the true Church was in the world as Christ was for the Apostle said as he is so are we in this present world 1 Joh. 4.17 And the world knows us not ver 1. because it knew not him So that notwithstanding the Princes of this world knew not Christ when he was amongst them and although the Rulers believed not in him nor did adhere to him when he was come yet that did not argue that he was not the true Christ And notwithstanding i● was so that the true Church was unknown to the world and was composed not of many wise men after the flesh nor of the Nobles of the earth but was persecuted by them as she is at this day yet she was the true Church for all that And seeing it was so that the Princes and Rulers did not adhere to her in the time of her flourishing state when she was cloathed with the Sun how can it be expected that they should adhere to her in her persecuted state and in her mourning wildernesse-state for a rich man shall very hardly enter the kingdom Mat. 19.23 but there is more in them words And moreover seeing the Kings of the earth committed fornication with the great Whore and went into her how then can it possibly be expected that they should adhere to the true Church Surely all who have a spiritual eye open may be hereby satisfied as to this particular And farther as to that Query viz. What general Councils did she hold and what Hereticks did she Condemn Answ I answer she hath not been in a capacity in her wildernesse state to hold general counsels as in the time of her flourishing state yet the mighty God hath alwaies been her wonderful counsellor Isa 9.6 and the members of her hath stood in and held to his counsel according to the manifestation thereof received by them Not loving their lives unto death as the Church of Rome well knows who have drank the blood of many of them or shall know to her sorrow and pangs And as for the true Churches condemning hereticks the Church of Rome knows that those members of her whose blood she hath drunk did alwaies condemn those heresies that are healed and the idolatries acted in the Church of Rome and did alwaies give testimony against her superstitious inventions and denied to have fellowship with her therein and looked upon her as reprobated from the true faith as Fox his Acts copiously relates and this was a great condemnation as the Spirit of Christ gave commission to the true Church to passe upon hereticks And again as to that question viz. What Academies did she erect Answ I answer A peoples Erecting of Accademies is not an argument sufficient to prove them to be the true Church for what Academies or Universities did the Apostles Erect or confirm or attain the knowledg of God in Was it not the light that shined in their hearts

that gave them this knowledg 2 Cor. 4.6 And was not this light the Law that was the Apostles Schoolmaster till Christ Gal. 3.24 And is not the Law which is light Pro. 6.23 written in the hearts of all people And is it not a sufficient Schoolmaster now to bring people who are taught by it unto the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Christ as it did the Apostles then What need then is there of erecting Academies for people cannot attain to the knowledg of God by Natural learning 1 Cor. 1.21 Nor thereby be made true Ministers of Jesus Christ Yet I am not against having an outward School house or some convenient place for the educating or bringing up of children in Natural Learning which is good in its place but that any can thereby be brought to the knowledge of God or made true Ministers of Jesus Christ that I cannot own Neither was this way of making Ministers by natural learning or setting of them up by man in being untill people had forsaken the right way and went into Cains way and Balaams and then the envy and murther began amongst the profest Christians and then they could not endure sound Doctrine but heapt up to themselves teachers according to their own hearts lusts who knew nothing but what they knew naturally as bruit beasts c. and this the Apostle Paul foresaw and wrote of to Timothy 2 Tim. 4.3 and Peter prophesied of them also 2 Pet. 2. and John and Jude saw them come 1 John 2.18 Jude 10.11 so that by natural learning and ordination of man no true Minister of Christ was ever made or sent forth but contrariwise the Apostle Paul was made a Minister viz. not of man nor by man nor yet by natural learning but by the revelation of Jesus Christ Gal. 1.1 so we do not understand that in the Apostles dayes they did erect Academies or that they had any need of them and indeed I cannot but look upon it as an ignorant question to be proposed by A. S. upon this account But to his next Query viz. What Churches and Monasteries did she build Answ I answer this is as ignorant a question as the former and great foolishnesse to ask what Churches the Church built however this I say they who were Members of the true Church did build up one another in their most holy faith Jude 20. And as for Monasteries or Monk houses we hear of no such thing that was in being in the Apostles dayes neither do we believe that there is any need of them for we do not read in the holy Scriptures that ever the true Church in any generation built such places but we know that many such places have been erected and built within the borders of the great City Babylon since the Apostacy began and since the right way was forsaken and many other Superstitious inventions and Idolatries as before hinted hath been set up relating to the beasts and Dragons worship all which God hath determined to throw down and when the desolation of all these things cometh and the seven Mountains upon which the Whore sits comes to be laid waste according as hath been prophesied in ages past Isa 42.15 And when the great Whore comes to drink the cup of Gods fury which is already filled into the hands of the Saints of the most High to pour out unto her Rev. 12. I say then shall she know that God hath spoken by me and that I have herein declared the truth according as I received it from and by the spirit oft he Lord. And thus much as to his Queries But then he speaks of another clear and easie way to find out the true Church to try all Churches by the true Catechisme and see which of them all sayes it truly believes it rightly c and that which doth is the true Answ I answer to try all Churches by their Doctrine and practice and see which is most agreeable to the Principles Doctrines and Practice of the true Church in the Apostles dayes is indeed a way that I do very well approve of and if all controversies betwixt you and us might be decided after this manner laying aside all carnal weapons carnal laws prisons fires and the like which hath been the weapons that the Church of Rome hath defended her self with for many age● past and doth at this day I say then it would be indeed well and we shall be very willing to engage with you wi●h spiritual weapons bring the best you can form or find out but for carnal weapons we are redeemed from them and the weapons of our warfare are spiritual so I say upon equal termes we shall be very willing to dispute the matters with you that are in controversie betwixt us and they who are found either you or us in Doctrine life and practice to be most agreeable to the true Church in the primitive times shall be owned and acknowledged to be the true Church now at this day And they who are detected to be in the steps practises and Doctrines of them whom the holy Prophets Christ and his Apostles testified against shall be concluded to be the false Church now at this day and upon these termes as I said before we shall be very ready and willing to joyn issue with you at any time or place that you wi●h us shall agree upon And whereas A.S. saith that all the Schismaticks Sectaries and Hereticks in the world cannot truly say that prayer that Christ taught his Disciples viz. Our Father which art in Heaven c. for said he they are continually doing the works of the Devil and are his children and consequently cannot truly call God Father I answer therefore the Church of Rome cannot call God Father for she is and long hath been doing the works of the Devil the murtherer as before proved therefore she is of her father the Devil and cannot call God father in truth and in righteousnesse Then A. S. rambles through several other particulars in which he controverts with Sectaries c. whose cause I am not concerned to plead only this small hint before I have given to prove the Church of Rome one of those Sects who cannot speak the fore-mentioned words truly and so I shall leave the Sectaries with whom A. S. controverts to plead their own cause for the thing that was chiefly in my heart when I took in hand to write this brief reply was to prove the Church of Rome not to be the true Church and the chief Arguments by him produced to prove her the true Church I have already in brief answered Again A. S. in his 6th Chapter makes it his business to prove the Church to be the Judge of all controversies in matters of faith and saith that not every man nor human reason nor the private spirit nor the Bible is this Judge and to prove it he quotes Matth. 18.17 where Christ said tell the Church c. Ans To

one that puts light for darkness and darknesse for light against whom the woe is pronounced Isa 5.20 And although A.S. so much pleads for the church whom I know all will hear that hears Christ yet upon serious consideration I find its of purpose to deceive Christians and so he hath shewed himself as bad as the Devil he speaks of being found doing the same work of which he seems to accuse the Devil for in his sixth chapter I find him as afore declared in effect perswading people Not to adhere to the motions of the Spirit of Christ under pretence that they cannot tell whence from God or the Devil it comes or whither to Heaven or Hell it goeth c. And a● above he is again perswading people That its a dangerous thing to hear that spirit that invites them to hear Christ calling it the Devil because it doth not invite them to hear the church of Rome also But I never read or heard before that any spirit did invite people to hear Christ but the spirit of the Father and his spirit said This is my beloved Son him hear ye Mat. 17.5 Therefore that spirit that invites people to hear the Son of God is not the Devil but the spirit of the Father and ought to be heard and obeyed by all 6. Again A.S. affirmeth that the spirit of God saith That Carpenters Smiths Masons and other tradesmen must not meddle with Ecclesiastical things as to Preach or Teach c. But saith he the evil spirit affirmeth the quite contrary by perswading them they may all prophecy one by one But alass then saith A.S. he deceiveth for that place is understood of the real and true Prophets of whose number all the Devils in Hell cannot prove all tradesmen to be Answ Here A.S. seems to oppose that which for my part I know none affirms for who is there that saith all Tradesmen have the spirit of Prophesie I know none Yet although all Tradesmen have it not it doth not therefore follow that no Tradesmen have it neither did I ever read that the spirit of God did forbid Tradesmen to meddle with those things nor doth that Scripture which A.S. quotes confirm any such thi●g which he affirmes but rather the contrary and we do read in the Scriptures of truth that Christ did call some of several Tradesmen to teach the way of God and to Preach the everlasting Gospel witnesse St. Peter a Fisher-man and St. Paul a Tent-maker with divers others that might be mentioned so that though all Tradesmen have not the spirit of Prophesie yet we see that some had and they were not forbidden but commanded to Preach and Teach and therefore they who have the Testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of Prophesie although they be Tradesmen they may Preach and Teach according to the gift thereof received for the Appostle said Every one as he hath received the gift of the spirit so let him administer 1 Pet. 4.10 7. And saith A.S. the Apostle saith Women must not speak in the church but the Devil saith they may For the Scripture averreth saith he That your sons and daughters shall Prophesie this Devil deceiveth the women Quakers But alass that Scripture was fulfilled in the Apostles and in the true Prophe●esses in their times as Anna Luk. 2.28 and now is in such as have the true spirit of prophesie which Quakers Wives and Daughters can never prove themselves to have Answ Here A.S. hath confessed that there was Prophetesses in the Apostles dayes and that there now is at this day also and the Apostle spake of Women that were helpers with him in the Gospel Phil. 4.3 So then its undenyable that Women did speak and Prophesie and now may though the Apostles did not permit busie-bodies and ta●lers to be asking questions in the Church but said they should ask their Husbands at home So the thing disputable is Whether or no the Quakers Wives and Daughters h●ve the true spirit of Prophesie concerning which I say this The Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophesie and many Wives and Daughters of the people called Quakers have received the testimony of Jesus and knows the life of Jesus manifested in them as by their fruits of love meeknesse gentlenesse patience long-s●ffering c. which are fruits of the spirit doth appear unto those who have a knowledg of them Therefore they have the spirit of Prophesie And farther several of the Wives and Daughters amongst the people called Quakers have prophesied of the desolation of the great Whore the Church of Rome and when that comes to passe it will be thereby proved that they have the true spirit of prophesie and then shall every tongue confesse to it and in the mean time let none speak evil of the the things they know not least they be found fighters against God 8. Again A.S. saith That the good spirit saith It is a Religious act to swear by God in a Just Cause but the evil spirit contradicts for its written saith he Swear not at all Behold the ●uritanisme of this impure spirit but alass he deludeth for God expresly commands Jer. 4.2 Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth in Truth in Judgment and in Justice c. Ans I answer although in the Law and Prophets people were commanded to swear in truth and righteousnesse and to performe their oaths to the Lord yet Christ the new covenant whom God promised should not be according to the old saith sweare not at all Jer. 31 31 32. and though Moses and the prophets was to be heard under the ministration of the first covenant yet they said when Christ the second covenant was come people must hear him for said Moses a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me him shall ye hear Deut. 18.15 And the Prophet said that Nation and people that will not serve thee that Nation shall perish Isa 60.12 So that although Moses said thou shalt perform thy oath to the Lord yet Christ that Prophet who is the end of that Law and whom Moses said the people must hear or else be cut off he saith swear not at all and although the Prophet said thou shalt swear the Lord liveth c. yet Christ who is the end of the Prophets and whom the Prophets said people must serve or else perish saith swear not at all and although it may be alledged that the Angels swore yet Christ the first born amongst many brethren to whom all the Angels must bow saith swear not at all and although it may be farther alledged that God himself swoare and therefore its lawful for Christians to swear yet God himself said concerning Christ This is my beloved son hear ye him Mat. 17 5. And this beloved son of God whom all Christians ought to hear saith swear not at all All which being rightly weighed and considered it plainly appears that swearing by any oath whatsoever was forbidden by Christ Jesus who is the Law-giver