Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	scripture_n	true_a	word_n	14,064	5	4.9051	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79569	Church-Levellers, or, Vanity of vanities and certainty of delusion: discovered in the pamphlet, called The vanity of the present churches, and uncertainty of their preaching. / By a friend to both true churches and preachers.	Friend to both true churches and preachers.	1649 (1649)	Wing C3995; Thomason E561_5; ESTC R206008	13,994	16

to be most palpably evident that they of the Independent Congregationall or of any Church-way whatsoever have not that true essentiall mark of a true Church to be found amongst them c. viz. A true Church in the Scripture sense being such only as wherein the Scripture the very word of God is purely and infallibly preached that 's the mark But let it be observed first This man destroies his own discourse by a contradiction For he is labouring to shew the vanity of all and any Church way whatsoever which is to deny that there is any Church at all but mock churches as pag. 27. and yet here he gives us the definition of a true Church which yet is not to be found in this world He would prove also the vanity of Preachers and yet here he speaks of the word of God purely preached as a mark of a true Church If there be no Preachers then no preaching if preaching then Preachers How shall they hear without a Preacher How preach except they be sent How sent if no body no Church to send them to to preach unto Secondly If any shall say he means it of the present Churches as his Title imports that none of them are true but that there may be a true Church according to his definition I answer His scope is to perswade every man and woman privately to reade the Scriptures and to be the sole judge of the sense thereof for themselves deeding neither Preacher to instruct nor officer to order them and where is then his true Church unlesse every particular man and woman make his new Church which is a Bull and another contradiction for a Church is caetus a company called out and met together for the publick and common service of God Thirdly If he mean that in a true Church there is not one word preached praying or Sacraments it seems are no mark of his Church no part of his new Church-service but purely and infallibly the very Word of God that is no interpretation used besides the very words of Scripture to what purpose is that meeting of his Church for debate and conserence of the Saints spoken of afterwards for they may reade the word at home the pure and infallible word of God and so be their own preachers the sense whereof if they impart in any other words to others at their meeting and conference they make his Church to be false and none because the very word of God is not purely and infallibly preached there Fourthly But Readers what will you say if the design be besides other desperate consequences of which anon to set up reading instead of preaching as the Prelaticall party of late cryed it up for preaching They do justifie their dumb idoll ministers that could not for ignorance or would not for negligence● preach the word He perhaps wholly to level it seems there are Church-levellers as well as State the Ministry in the Church and to make all the people Preachers Or what if the design be in crying down all Churches and Preachers amongst us to cry up the boly marker Church of Rome where they will tell you there is the only preaching of the very word of God purely and infallibly read where little or no preaching to be found I leave you to consider it 4. He hath quickly done with the Churches his next and greatest work is to declaim against preaching and the Preachert Pag. 6 c. Who saith he usually pray to God that their word may be heard as the word of the everliving God This he cals a grosse imposture impiety belying and despiting the Spirit of God to pray that their erroneous doubtfull uncertain conceptions the word of man may be heard as the word of God c. 1. Here let it be observed that he doth not directly deny that there are such officers as Preachers in the Scriptures he acknowledges such creatures found in the word pag. 34. but only questions the infallibility of our preaching which none of us ever arrogated to our selves further then we preach that pure infallible word in Scripture sense ever though not alwaies in the very words 2. Who ever of ours said his Sermons were the very word of God for words and syllables But having praied that God would clear up their understandings and judgements in the scope and sense of the holy Ghost then they pray that people may hear it as the word of the living God And his reproach of such Sermonk that they are erroneous doubtfull uncertain conceptions for what other are your Sermons saith he is little lesse then blasphemy imposture and impiety Whereas while they expound and apply the Scripture in its own native sense according to the analogy of faith it is interpremtively the word of God Every true proper consequence from the word is by all godly learned and judicious men counted as the word of God and of divine authority though not so immediatly as the Scripture it self 5. But his meaning is that as there are no true Churches so no true Preachers in these times so he saith expressely pag. 18. That now in our times we have no Preachers of the Gospel but the Scriptures which how absurd an assertion it is we shall shew hereafter At present we hold to the point in hand to vindicate our preaching which he examines by the word we preach ●ag 7. You shall finde saith he that neither they nor your selves have any understanding at all of such divine or heavenly things as bring peace of conscience c. but only and solely by the Scriptures and that neither they nor your selves are taught by the spirit c. What 's this I hear Taught only and solely by the Scriptures without the spirit What understanding is that that is gotten by the Scripture only and solely more then historicall more or better then that which reprobates and devils have thereof This he speaks again pag. 49. They must acknowledge that they have no other infallible teacher of divine things but the Scriptures and that they partake no more of the spirit then what that blessed word of the spirit planteth in them How comes this opposition between things sweetly subordinated the spirit and the Scriptures the Scriptures outwardly the spirit inwardly saith not the Scripture They shall be all taught of God and that the spirit reveals the mysteries of the Gospel to his people writing the law in their mindes and hearts c. I had thought be had meant there needed no other preachers to teach us but the spirit it self speaking in the Scriptures so some fanatick spirits say and some are gotten above the Scripture to the immediate teaching of the spirit But it seems this Wildman is run as wilde to the other extream the Socinions recta rati● that the spirit is needlesse and that the Scriptures only and solely are sufficient to teach us Oh the wiles of Satan How subtle is this old serpent One while the spirit without