Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	sense_n	true_a	3,509	5	4.7253	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85415	Sion-Colledg visited. Or, Some briefe animadversions upon a pamphlet lately published, under the title of, A testimonie to the truth of Jesus Christ, and to our Solemne League and Covenant, &c. Subscribed (as is pretended) by the ministers of Christ within the province of London. Calculated more especially for the vindication of certaine passages cited out of the writings of J.G. in the said pamphlet, with the black brand of infamous and pernicious errors, and which the said ministers pretend (amongst other errors so called) more particularly to abhominate. Wherein the indirect and most un-Christian dealings of the said ministers, in charging & calling manifest and cleere truths, yea such as are consonant to their own principles, by the name of infamous and pernicious errours, are detected and laid open to the kingdome, and the whole world. / By the said John Goodwin, a servant of God and men, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1648 (1648)	Wing G1202; Thomason E425_2; ESTC R202233	27,686	36

Priests or Clergy-men gravely met together in the Name and Authority of their sacred Unction to stigmatize what opinions they pleased for Errors and Heresies and so to render them uncleane and not lawfull to be received or beleeved by their blinde Proselites But the Day-spring from on high hath now blessed be God visited this nation and men have put away those childish things from them to beleeve as the Church i. as the Clergy beleeveth to call Error whatsoever 52. Church-men though in conjunction with threescore Church-livings or more shall baptize by the name of Error to build their Faith and soul-provisions for eternity upon the sandy and slippery foundations of the judgements or affections rather of such men who have put the stumbling-block of their iniquity I mean this present world and self-interests before their faces These things considered evident it is that the Architects of the building called A Testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ c. have not laid so much as one stone aright in all this pile for their purpose of extirpating Errors or Heresies Therefore as to this point they have done nothing at all in pursuance of their Covenant but several things as hath been shewed to the violation of it The Covenant bindes them to endeavour the extirpation of Errors and Heresies and they have endeavoured or at least directly acted towards the establishment and further rooting of them Secondly neither have they pursued their Covenant according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense of it in pleading as they doe for Presbyteriall government For first it is the Assertion and Confession of that great Hyperaspistes of this government Mr. Edwards that the Covenant of the Kingdomes doth not tye us to the government of the Church of Scotland a If not so hardly then to Presbyteriall Government And secondly whether he had confessed it or no the truth it selfe hereof had been never the further out of the way For certain it is that there is not so much as any one syllable word clause or sentence in it by which according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense it engageth any man to the contending for or endeavouring of Presbytery Presbyterian Government is but Apochrypha in respect of the Covenant And though with Magisteriall confidence enough they conclude but without premisses pag. 24. that Presbyteriall government truly so called by Presbyteries and Synods is that Government which is most agreeable to the minde of Jesus Christ revealed in the Scripture yet as if their consciences had not taken the expression well at their hands by that time they come to page 34. they abate of their former reckoning halfe in halfe For here speaking of the Government they had declared for which say they we CONCEIVE to be most agreeable to Scripture But upon these termes they that should declare for the Independent government conceiving it to be most agreeable to the Scripture should pursue their engagement by the Covenant every whit as much as they Therefore in whatsoever they say or plead in their Testimony for Presbyterial government they do nothing at all in any pursuance of their Covenant according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense of it but only in pursuance of such an interpretation or sense of it which lying most commodious for their honour profit and ease hath by the mediation of their affections prepared it selfe a way into their judgements and hath there obtained the preheminence above all others it being very incident to men to suppose as the Apostle expresseth it gain godlinesse a i. in all matters of question and dispute to judge that most agreeable to the minde of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures which is best consisting with worldly ends So that howsoever they flourish in the front of their book as if they meant to give such an high and honorable Testimony to their Solemne league and Covenant and again in the reere as if they had accordingly avouched that Covenant which they have sworn to God b in this piece yet the cleare truth is that their flourish is all their fight they have not struck so much as one stroke with their pen in any legitimate or direct prosecution of their engagement by it And though it had been no great work of super-erogation in case they had done ten times more than now they have of such a tendency and import especially upon such a goodly frontispiece of pretence being also numerous enough if not many to spare and of super-abounding abilities for such a worke yet had they not violated this their Covenant and that ten times over yea and this in the most notorious and shamelesse manner in stead of keeping it they had consulted much better both for their credits and consciences than now they have done The truth is they have made more breaches upon their Covenant in this little piece than can readily be brought to account or ranged into form For how often doe they dissemble and prevaricate with their professions And again after all their shamelesse and most notorious prevarications and unconscionable dealings how doe they in the close wipe their mouthes with you know who professing that all that they had done was in the integrity of their hearts to discharge their dutie conscientiously in appearing for God his Truth and cause of Religion p. 34. But 1o Was it in the integrity of your hearis to discharge your duty conscientiously that you charge him with errors against the divine authority of the Scriptures as you doe page 5. who you cannot but know hath bent himselfe with the uttermost of his endeavoure for the vindication of their Divine Authority yea and who you have reason to judge hath laboured in this argument as much if not more and this with as much faithfulnesse as any of you all How did not your hearts smite yo in drawing up this bloody charge against him lest that very book of his which you had in your hands when you did it and which you cite in your margine should rise up in judgment against you in the great day considering that your consciences could not but tell you that he had dealt faithfully throughly and sincerely in pleading the cause of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures therein Is this your reall Reformation to cry out Midnight when the Sunne shines in his might upon your faces 2. Was it to discharge your duty conscientiously that you cite some of my words barely suppressing craftily my sence and explication of them being neer at hand as you do twice for failing in your wickednesse pag. 5. of your booke Or doe I not plainly cleerly and distinctly enough declare unto the world in my Treatise concerning the Divine Authority of the Scriptures in what sence I hold the Scriptures whether Translations or Originalls to be the word of God and consequently the foundation of Christian Religion and in what not Let the 13th and 15th pages of my said Treatise be look'd upon

it matter of conscience indeed with you to punish the innocent with the guilty If so I am not for your Lawes nor Common-wealth But 7. What say you to the mangling maiming and deforming the sayings of your Brethren when you cite them by leaving out very emphaticall and materiall words and clauses yea such Scripture expressions as you found in them Or doe you not in citing the passage lately pointed at with which you are pleased to adorn your Catalogue of errours about naturall mans free will p. 11. after these words line 11. in a way of justice leave out all this and according to the Law an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth this man having cut off the legs of another Were you afraid that the passage would not looke so like an errour as you would have it if any lineament of Scripture should be seen in the face of it What you expresse in your Testimony you say p. 3. that you expresse not with a bitter but with a bleeding heart but what you leave out relating to this and to other passages cited by you of which notice hath been already taken I feare you leave out rather with a bitter yea and bloody than bleeding heart 8. Doe you in the integrity of your heart and cut of conscience to appeare for God and his Truth judg it an Errour or Heresie to say that if a Doctrine be asserted by Paul and Peter it ought to suffer no disparagement for being found among the Tenets of Arminius For of this assertion of mine you make an Errour page 13. unlesse the words imprison'd in a parenthesis which are these as most assuredly it is must beare the blame Doe you not want Errours and Heresies to complete your catologue roll when you are necessitated to muster and take in such as these Are not most of your own Doctrines found amongst the Tenets of Arminius Some of you I suppose cannot be ignorant but that they are but doe you therefore judge them Errours or Heresies yet 9. The testimony now under contest is in nothing more unlike at least more unworthy the Ministers of the Province of London than that importune and most unnaturall straine in it which presenteth sayings and opinions for Errours and Heresies which are fairely and fully consistent with their owne principles and grounds Hereof many instances might readily be produced were not prolixity inconsistent with our present designe Is not that of the Apostle Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ a one of their principles and maine grounds and yet p. 5. they make mee erroneous for not granting another foundation besides Jesus Christ viz. Translations and Originalls which notwithstanding sensu sano I doe assert also for foundations Againe is it not one of their owne Principles that no act performed by man can be the foundation of Christian Religion Yet pag. 5. they stigmatize me as an erroneous person for affirming the act of Believing the English Scriptures to be the word of God to be no foundation of Christian Religion Yet again is not that of Paul That was not first which is spirituall but that which is naturall and then that which is spirituall b another of their principles yet pag. 14. they represent it for an errour in me to say doubtlesse men are naturall men before they are sprirituall and supernaturall Once more is it not a ground and principle of their own that men are but naturall men till Faith comes and makes them spirituall or supernaturall yet they condemn it pag. 14. for an errour in me to affirme that wee cannot be made spirituall or supernaturall but by believing Yet once more Is it not one of their own principles that God hath promised favour acceptation yea and salvation it self to those who shall believe yet they make mee a transgressor in point of errour for saying that if it be possible for naturall men to believe then may they doe such things whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation Yet once again I suppose it is a principle or supposition of theirs that the Apostle all along the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes speakes of such a Faith which is true and saving and yet p. 15. they make me an Erroneous offender for saying that to believe 1. that God is 2. that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seeke him is all the Faith or beliefe that the Apostle makes simply and absolutely necessary to bring a man unto God 1. into grace and favour with him Caeterá de genere hoc adeò sunt multa c. 10. Certainly it cannot be out of the integrity of your hearts to discharge your duty conscienciously c. to dissemble connive at and take no notice of the very selfe same opinions published printed countenanced recommended by men of your owne Interest and party yea by some amongst your selves honouring such with the titles of Orthodox and sound men notwithstanding for which you most unworthily and contra-conscienciously defame others who doe not syncretize with you labouring in the very fire day after day in your preachings in your printings in your conversings to render them the off-scourings and abhominations of men Let all the passages and sayings which with all your double diligence and the help of an evill eye you have discovered and found in all my writings and presented upon the Theatre of your testimonie as conteyning matter of error about naturall mans free will and power to good supernaturall be drawn together and the rigidest extraction made of whatsoever imagination it selfe is able to imagine erroneous in them there will be found the very same spirit and quintiscence of errour if yet it were errour cloathed too with visibility enough in that discourse of Mr. John Ball intituled A treatise of the Covenant of Grace lately published by Mr Simeon Ash one of the Subscribers recommended to the Christian Reader by three of them more viz. Daniel Gawdry Edmond Calamie Anthony Burgesse besides two more of the Assembly The said Author p. 44. of this Discourse writeth thus No man is hindered from believing through the difficultie or unreasonablenesse of the command or through his owne simple infirmity as being willing and desirous to believe but not able which inability deserves pitty but his inability is of corruption and wilfulnesse he doth not believe because he will not he is unable because hee doth not covet or desire which is inexcusable Is there not every whit as much power and freedome of will here attributed unto naturall men as can be wrested or wrung out of any or all those erroneous passages of mine erroneously so called which are cited in the Provinciall Testimonie Do I there say any whit more or doth Mr Ball here say any whit lesse than that in case naturall men were not wilfull they have a sufficiency of power to believe And that it may not be pretended