Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	believe_v	faith_n	jesus_n	17,223	5	6.3565	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85384	Basanistai. Or The triers, (or tormenters) tried and cast, by the laws both of God and of men. Or, arguments and grounds as well in reason as religion, clearly evincing the unlawfulnesse of those ordinances or commissions (at least as they have been from time to time declared and interpreted, aloud by the persons acting them, and tacitly by the authority enacting them) with all others of like import, by which the respective courts, or consistories of triers and ejectors (so called) amongst us, are established: together with the unwarrantablenesse of the acceptation and exercise of the powers delegated and granted in the said commissions, by any man, or company of men whatsoever, now in being. By John Goodwin, an aged minister of Jesus Christ, and pastor to that remnant of his sheep, usually assembling in Coleman-street, London.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1657 (1657)	Wing G1151; Thomason E910_12; ESTC R21913	29,193	48

amongst us are established together with the unwarrantableness of the acceptation and exercise of the powers delegated and granted in the said Commissions by any man or company of men whatsoever now in being IT is a great indignity and affront put upon the Lord Jesus Christ Blessed for ever to charge or challenge him whether formally or constructively with want either of wisdom and understanding or of care and faithfulnesse in making sufficient provision for the due managing of his affairs or for the propagation and advancement of the Gospel upon the best and best becoming terms in the world Now there being no Order or Direction nor any jot or tittle of either given by him to the Civil powers for the erecting of any such authority in the Church and over his servants as that wherewith either Triers or Ejectors amongst us are invested by the said Commissions respectively they who notwithstanding presumed to do it I meane to make and establish such an erection in the Church what do they lesse then obliquely yea and by a pregnant and near-hand consequence impute either oscitancy and forgetfulnesse or else weaknesse and defect of understanding unto the Lord Jesus Christ in his own greatest and most important affairs If either the Civil Magistrate or any other on his behalf will rise up to plead or shew an Order or Cōmission from Christ for him to grant such Commissions and authorities as those now impleaded unto men besides that it had been more Christian and proper that this should have been done before the said Commissions had been issued and exercised to the great scandal and offence of the far greater part of the godly and understanding people in the Nation I fear that neither the credit nor the conscience of the undertaker will rejoyce over the enterprise in as much as all attempts in this kind that have been made as many within the compasse of a few years last past have been have miscarried and turned to no account but of losse and disparagement to their undertakers Do we provoke the Lord unto jealousie are we stronger then He that we dare say we are wiser then He The Lord Christ himself never assumed to himself nor ever exercised any interest of Authority or power so exorbitant or over-bearing as to give authority and power to any lesser or smaller number of men at least not of such men to whom he was not able his Fathers will standing to the contrary to give both infallibility of judgement and intemerable faithfulnesse in matters of Faith and supernatural concernment to exercise any such dominion over the faith judgements or consciences of far greater numbers of men and these every way equal at least many of them if not superiour to them both in gifts and graces and all spiritual endowments as the persons commissioned amongst us by the two Ordinances specified do by vertue hereof exercise over the judgements and faith of all the Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation yea and over the Faith of all those whom God as both these Commissioners and others have cause to judge calleth unto this ministery For is not this the jurisdiction Lordship or dominion which they by vertue of their Commissions respectively exercise over the Faith of that great number of worthy persons now mentioned even to Eject them out of the possession and enjoyment of such livelyhoods which the merciful providence of God in conjunction with the Laws of their Nation have intituled them unto to cast them out I say of the enjoyment of their lawful subsistence to the extreme misery if not utter affamishing of themselves wives and children onely because they will not or rather because in conscience they cannot believe or professe as they being in this case made their Lords and masters require them upon the said penalty to believe the other upon a like account shutting against others by the iron bars of their authority the door of accesse unto such livelyhoods whereunto both the providence of God and the faithfulnesse of men legally entrusted with such opportunities yea and their own signal worths and ministerial abilities do aloud call them Doubtlesse the Lord Jesus Christ never took upon him the exercise of any such Authority as to appoint a few men for the devesting of any sort of men whatsoever much lesse the ministers of his Gospel of their temporal rights or enjoyments onely because their faith in matters appertaining unto God is not the same in all points with the faith of other men If it be replied that neither sort of Commissioners Trier or Ejectors are impowred by the tenor or words of their Commissions to punish any minister either poenâ sensus or poenâ damni simply for not believing or which is the same in effect for not professing or not teaching others to believe as themselves believe so that when they do any such thing as this they act besides their Commissions I answer first The Commissioners themselves at least such of them as are generally knwon to understand their Commissions as well as or rather better then their fellowes do so construe and understand them as giving them power both to reject and eject for not finding their own sense and belief in those that come before them Secondly Their frequent if not constant practise in this kind being sufficiently known unto and connived at if not approved of by those under whose authority and protection they thus practise clearly sheweth that the sense intended or at present owned in both the Commissions by those who are in authority and who have power to declare the sense of either Commission is that which hath been supposed in the argument though deposed or denied in the reply They who devise new stratagems methods or inventions to aid the Gospel and to prevent dangers or inconveniencies incident to it beyond or besides all that Christ either prescribed or directed to be done upon any such account or for any such end do in effect deny what the holy Ghost expresly testifieth of him viz that he was faithful to him that appointed him meaning God the Father as also Moses was faithful in all his house Heb. 3. 2. For if it be supposed that the two Commissions specified be advantagious and benedict to the interest of the Gospel and that this is more like to run and be glorified in the world because seconded and assisted by the said Commissions then was not Jesus Christ faithful unto God in all his house neglecting or forgetting to give any order to his Apostles or others concerning the levying or setting on foot any such meanes as these for the relief of the Gospel nor is it easie to imagine But much more difficult is it to prove when unto whom or by whom Christ directed the making of any such Evangelical engines as either of the said Commissions are The Lord Christ being as was said faithful as Moses also was in all the house of God and his wisdome and providence every waies

ΒΑΣΑΝΙΣΤΑ'Ι OR THE TRIERS Or Tormenters TRIED and CAST By the Laws both of God and of Men OR Arguments and grounds as well in Reason as Religion clearly evincing the unlawfulnesse of those Ordinances or Commissions at least as they have been from time to time declared and interpreted aloud by the persons acting them and tacitly by the Authority enacting them with all others of like import by which the respective Courts or Consistories of TRIERS and EJECTORS so called amongst us are established together with the unwarrantablenesse of the acceptation and exercise of the powers delegated and granted in the said Commissions by any man or company of men whatsoever now in being By John Goodwin an aged Minister of Jesus Christ and Pastor to that remnant of his Sheep usually assembling in Coleman-street London That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abhomination in the sight of God Luke 16. 15. And they please not God and are contrary to all men 1 Thess. 2. 15. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Theog Nulla potentia fida est si sit nimia Sunt multi fidelium qui imperito zelo succenduntur saepè dum quosdam quasi haereticos hos persequuntur haereses faciunt Greg. l. 9 Epist. 39. London Printed for Henry Eversden at the Grey-hound in Pauls Church-yard 1657. To the Reader Good Reader BEing much stricken in years and not far from that turning in the course of mortality where Moses the man of God found in his dayes the ordinary period of the life of man a I am by the high and dreadfull concernment of my dissolution approaching importuned to the uttermost to bethink my self and consider what service I may do whilest my earthly tabernacle yet standeth to my dear Lord and Master Jesus Christ and for his sake to the world about me which is like to be of choicest acceptance with him and which will turn to the best account unto my self at my appearance before him In my thoughts about this important affair I traversed much ground and had a great variety of particulars from time to time presented unto me which all commended themselves unto my conscience in both those respects which I made after with the greatest strength of my desire Amongst others and with more rational importunity than the rest some brief Remonstrance or Testimony against the two Apocryphall Orders of Commissioned officers amongst us whether Ecclesiastick or Civill can hardly be determined but by a Nemo scit however known by the names of Triers and Ejectors much solicited and pressed me in that behalf From the first day that I heard of these Commissions and understood though but in generall the purport of them my heart was troubled within me and began secretly to presage the many and great evils which through the Administration and execution of them they were like to bring upon the Gospel in the Ministry of it and upon many godly worthy and well deserving men Of the truth of which presagements my self in part with severall others who have had better and more opportunity than I to understand the occasioned productions of the said Commissions are sad witnesses I call God for a record upon my soule that as concerning the persons entrusted with the Administration of the said Commissions some few of them being known unto me but far the greater part unknown I bear not the least grudge of ill will against any of them but from the heart wish them all prosperity and peace as well in their temporall as spirituall affairs yea and with all Christian candor and clearnesse of spirit shall upon all occasions seek to promote them Onely my soule hath no pleasure in their accepting the Office such as it is into which the mentioned Commissions respectively have tempted them much lesse in many strains and carriages in their managing of it yea for those of them who are known unto me I believe them to be men of conscience and worth fearing God and lovers of Truth as far as God hath caused the light thereof to shine in their hearts and understandings and for the rest I charitably hope the same also But as one observed that etiam ex timidissimis animalibus acris multitudo cogi potest some creatures that being very timerous and fearfull whilest single and alone are yet daring and fierce in herds and greater companies so frequent experience sheweth and hath shewed in all ages that many men who divisim and apart are of a sober and Christian temper inclineable unto things that are honest just and good yet conjunctim and in consort prove boysterous and peremptory apt to be acted and led by oppressive counsels and principles of much unworthinesse The reason whereof may be because the guilt and shame of unworthy doings being divided amongst many weigh but light upon the apprehensions and consciences of particulars whereas in the mean time the old man or the flesh in these particulars may be as much or more gratified by what is done in consort and company as by the same things in case they were transacted and done personally onely and in particular by the same men I shall not here insist upon any explication of this reason a considering man will see enough to satisfie him in this brief proposall of it Concerning the Persons by whose authority the said Commissions have issued and been established I have I presume much lesse need to professe the Christian loyalty and intirenesse of my respects towards them than the fairnesse and friendlinesse of my spirit towards the other The prosperity and peace both of the Parliamentary and present Government together with theirs who are intrusted with it have been the great contest and strife of my soul both with God and man ever since the day wherein God laid the foundations of it and this against disobliegments not a few nor inconsiderable That I speak the truth in this and ly not I have many witnesses But it hath been a kind of fatall unhappinesse incident to the Rulers of the Earth professing Christianity whether out of their zeal of God without knowledge or out of a desire to make their power I mean their authority or lawfull power to be thought greater than indeed it is or else by the plausible suggestions and insinuations or by the importune or minatory puttings on or thrustings forward of others who under a pretence seek to serve themselves of their power to be drawn into this snare Namely to think it their duty and a service well pleasing unto God to employ that Authority and power which is vested in them for other purposes about making and enforcing by the civil sword additional Ordinances Provisions Decrees as it were to supply that which is or seems to them to be wanting in that system or body of Councells Orders and Directions which the Lord Christ himself hath drawn up and commended unto the Christian world to be practiced by those who professe the Gospell and the true