Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	deny_v	form_n	godliness_n	5,889	5	9.5542	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30556	The true state of Christianity, truly discribed, and also discovered unto all people what it was in its beginning and purity, and what it now is in its apostacy and degeneration ... / written by ... Edward Burrough.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1658 (1658)	Wing B6047; ESTC R12629	29,962	40

which set up a Kingdom over the whole world and caused all people upon earth to worship the beast the beast hath been great in his power and he hath ruled over the world in great dominion and all that would not worship him he hath had power to kill and hath killed them so that the true Christian life and Religion as the Apostles received it and practised it hath been extinguished for many generations and people hath had the form of godlinesse but denied the power and lived under the name and profession of Christianity but hath been without the life and this is to be considered of and diligently searched into by all you that go under the name of Christians through all the world for unto you onely I direct my words And now it remains to be shewed what the state of Christians are at this day and wherein particularly they are Apostatized and degenerated from the true life and practize of the postles who were the f●…rst Christians for wherin the Christians now are contrary and not agreeable to the Apostles in Faith in practice in Worship in Ministry and in the enterance into Christianity and in any other thing whatsoever I say wherein they are contrary and not agreeable to the true Christians of old to wit the Apostles therein are they degenerated and fallen from the true life of Christianity and this shall be the Rule of judgement to try all you that are called Christians upon the face of the earth wherefore awake and come forth to judgement for the measuring rod is laid upon you all whereby you shall be truly measured and compared with them that were the first Christians upon earth and the Heathens shall see your nakedness and your shame and hiss at you when they behold how wofully you are fallen from that 〈◊〉 in the purity thereof of which you do professe the words 〈◊〉 shall not they rise up in judgement against you who never had the name of Christians who are not fallen nor degressed from what they have profest in any measure comparable to you who now retaineth onely the name of Christian 〈◊〉 are departed from the life of Christ First concerning the entrance into Christianity and the way and means whereby people are now made Christians 〈◊〉 receives that name In this will your fall and degeneration appear For the Apostles and first Christians upon Earth before they were Christians or were called so they were first converted and changed and translated from death to life as you 〈◊〉 read 1 Iohn 3. 14. and Col. 1. 13. and they first received Christ and became followers of him and received his spirit to teach them and to guide them For the Apostle said If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. to wit no Christians and the Apostle said as many as were the sons of God were led by the spirit of God and also it was promised by Christ to all that were his the Comforter should come the spirit of truth and he should lead them into all truth which promise all that were Christians did receive and they were led into all truth by the teachings of the spirit of Christ which dwelt in them for all that were sons God sent the spirit of his Son into their hearts which spirit sanctified them through the obedience thereof Now these were Christians and were truly so called For they had the mark of Christ and his Image upon them and he dwelt in their hearts by Faith Ephes. 3. 17. These I say were truly called Christians and none but such at that day of their Original were called Christians or had Fellowship in the Christian life nor were any looked upon by the Apostles to be Christians but by them that were such But look back all ye Christians upon earth and see your ●…all and wherein you are contrary and not agreeable to the true Christians in their first and pure estate I say look back to your Original and see how you are Apostatized from them in your entrance into your profession of Christianity fo●… though you have the name of Christians yet you were no●… made so nor received that name by being first converted and changed and translated from death to life and 〈◊〉 being the children of disobedience to be the children of God through the work and operation of the spirit of God in you for hereof are thousands and ten thousands of Christians now wholly ignorant and altogether without the feeling of the spirit of God to change them to convert them and to translate them but are accounted Christians b●… tradition or natural education and because of being sprinkled with a little water upon the face being Infant●… or by a bare confession and profession of the name of Christ in words and professing of a bare belief in the Scriptures by this way and means were you made and received you the name of Christians without any real change from darkness to light and from Satan to God as I have said Now here appeares to be a woful degeneration in the very entrance of the thing and this is not agreeable but rather contrary unto that way of Christianity wherein the Christians in their beginning were so made and called for then none were Christians or so called but who through the preaching of the Gospel were first converted changed and renewed as I have ●…aid but now in these nations all are called Christians that are sprinkled upon their faces with water by a teacher when they are infants or that doth but professe Christ in words though they are not guided particulerly by his spirit neither hath received Christ to dwell in them and to be King over them and here again appeares a wo●…ul Apostacy for none in the beginning of Christianity in the world were made Christians or so called but who received Christ and in whom he dwelt and was in them as you may read 2 Cor. 13. 5. and who were followers of him and had his spirit in them the comforter to teach them and to lead them into all truth but now thousands upon thousands who hath the name of Christians have not received Christ to dwell in 〈◊〉 nor to rule them neither is he manifest in them by his spirit to teach them and they are not led into all truth but lives in 〈◊〉 and unrighteousness and are not followers of Christ 〈◊〉 followes their own hearts desires and their own hearts lusts and are condemned in their own consciences and hath not received the comforter the holy Spirit to be their guide and leader out of all unrighteousness and here appears a woful degeneration and that you Christians through all the world are revolted and gone backward from Christianity as it was in its Original a lamentation may be taken up because of this woful fall into which you Christians are fallen consider of your own state and return and repent Again the Christians were begotten of God and born

have said were the people of God never called Christians in any generation and ever since that time through all ages all that professed Christ and believed in him throughout the whole world were called by the name of Christians and the Name and Religion of Christians were honourable and greatly beloved of God for that people were the peculiar people a chosen generation as you may read 1 Pet. 2. 19. and whilst the life of Christ was manifest and the Spirit of Christ did lead them and teach them in all their wayes and practices of Religion and whilst I say they retained the power and life of that of which they had the name the power and presence of the Lord was amongst them and above all the people of the earth were they blessed and more then all people upon the earth besides had they the countenance of God shining amongst them and upon them and pure unity with God and one with another had they in his life whereby they were made a terror and a fear to all nations while they stood in the councel of God and were Christians in life and power and practice as well as in name and the Lord greatly increased them in number for as you may read through the Acts of the Apostles through all the world many believed in Christ and became followers of him and received the knowledge of him and became anointed people and received the name of Christians sometimes thousands at one Sermon were converted to the faith of Christ and became subject to his spirit and had his mark upon them and all such were called Christians and the Apostles went through many Nations and of the Iews and Greeks and of the Heathen and all other people some of each were converted from that way in which they had walked to follow Christ and they became Christians and here was the increase of Christianity and through many 〈◊〉 of the world they planted Churches and assemblies of Christians and as I said while they stood in the councel 〈◊〉 the Name and Religion was of him greatly beloved But now the Christians are Apostatized and degenerated from the spirit of Christ and from that which gave the●… the true Name of Christian and the name is retained onely and the life and power lost and now many have a name to live but are dead and that is departed from which gave the true interest and title in the name Hear this all ye Christians that life light and power of God which was amon●… the Apostles and Christians once you are departed from and have lost the sence and knowledge of and hath the na●…e and not the thing which was the reason and ground of the name wherefore all ye through the world that are called Christians look back to your original look unto the Apostle●… who were the first that were called Christians from who●… you had the name and see how you are degenerated and 〈◊〉 len from the life that they were in and though you retain the name of Christians yet you are not followers of Christ no●… taught by his Spirit and none in the dayes of the Apostle●… were truly counted or called Christians but who followed the Spirit of Christ and were first converted to him and changed by his power from sin to righteousness and from●… death to life and such as were so were truly called Christians But now all such as are called by that name and 〈◊〉 not followers of the Spirit of Christ nor converted to hi●… neither changed by his power from death to life and 〈◊〉 sin to righteousness such are in the degeneration from 〈◊〉 life of Christianity and hath a name without the life 〈◊〉 power thereof And now it remains to be shewed how and when the degeneration came upon the Christians and wher●…in they are apostatized and degenerated from that life and spirit and practice which was amongst the Apostles th●…t were first called Christians The Spirit of the Lord spoke through the Apostles and foretold of a falling away from the truth and from the true Christian life and Paul said Acts 20 29 30. said he Grievous ●…olves shall arise and enter in who would not spare the flock 〈◊〉 from among themselves should men arise speaking perverse things to draw disciples after them and he also said 1 Tim. 4. 1. That some should depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and he also said that it should come to pass that people should become wicked departing from the truth having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof and such were led away with divers lusts and men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith and the Apostle ●…eter also foretold that there should false teachers arise among the Christians who should bring in damnable heresies and many Christians should follow their pernicious wayes by reason of which the way of truth should be evil spoken of And the Apostle Iohn 〈◊〉 that many false Prophets were gone out then and many Antichrists were then come in among the Christians now all these doth shew and declare of a degeneration and falling away of Christians from the life of Christianity and we see these Prophe●…ies fulfilled and flocks of Christians are devoured from the life of Christ by devouring wolves which hath entred among them who hath led them into pernicious wayes and into damnable heresies whereby the name of Christianity is become reproachful among the Heathens that never were called Christians and many thousands are departed from the true faith from that faith which did purifie the hearts of the Saints and many of the Christians have given heed to seducing spirits and hath the form of godliness but denyes the power thereof and they are led of divers lusts and are become men of corrupt minds and are reprobate and without the true faith and the Apostles prophesied of the degeneration which we see fulfilled in these our dayes and even while some of the Apostles were yet living they saw the Christians Apostatizing and falling away and the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Iohn Rev. 2. 3. to the Christian Churches in Asia who were already departing from the Christian life some of them was departed already from their first work and some of them were given to the doctrine of B●…laam and to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing the Lord did hate and others of them were seduced by Jezabel and taught to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and others o●… them had a name to live but were dead and others of them were neither hot nor cold and the Lord said he would 〈◊〉 them out of his mouth Now here the Christians were falling away you may see and as before it had increased so now the true Christian life began to decrease and the glory thereof became darkned through all Asia And also Rev. 13. 11. 1. 16. Iohn saw one beast arise out of the Sea and another out of the earth