Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	aaron_n	apostle_n	true_a	19	3	4.2706	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60972	Davvnings of light wherein the true interest of reformation is opened in generall, and in particular, in this kingdome for the establishment of weaker judgements, and many other things impartially hinted, to a further discovery of truth and light in many of our present controversies : with some maximes of reformation / by John Saltmarsh ...	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.	1646 (1646)	Wing S477; ESTC R40634	39,746	130

the severall orbs and spheres the Interest works in and hence follow the severall degrees of radiation that the truth of God casts out in the ages past present and to come The operations fluxes of the Spirit of which there are as the Apostle sayes Diversities of gifts diversities of administrations inspirations illuminations instincts motions created powers and mights for effecting successes preservations deliverances advancements c. The purer Ordinances of Praying Preaching Prophesying Worship and Government holy Treatises Writings Discourses or any other Divine faculty like a golden candlestick conveying the heavenly light abroad V. The Engines the Interest works by THere are certain created powers qualifications spiritual natural and civil which the infinite supreme Agent makes use on here below as I hinted before the vertues gifts and graces likewise the policie power and authority and consociations all these God takes up carries on his interest by them in States and Kingdoms nor was there ever R●form●tion but God set it on by such wayes of application either by eminencie of gifts and inspirations or by eminencie of power and some of these he used more eminently at one time then at another as in Iosiahs and Asaes when the coercive authority was the greatest wheel in the Reformation To conclude this God improves Reformation by created meanes and entities which are like wheeles and springs and God moves by these sometimes in the way of his omnipotencie sometimes more connaturally and according to his way of moving the improvements are if he move in a connaturall way he works with the creature little further then its own capacity and then things may go slowly on because he puts not out his hand to bring on the creature faster then its own strength will carry it See this in Iosiahs Asa's Ezra's Reformation in Edward the sixth's Elizabeth's where the Reformation went on gradually from one obstruction to another God having thus laid in qualifications of severall orders for advancing his great work they all work in their proper subserviency subordination for the whole creation serves but this glorious end that God may have his Church compleated through so many severall ages providences according as he hath drawn it out in kis e●●rnall Model or Idea which is his own wisdome or counsel and when God is upon his work of Reformation you may observe all the lower interests are set a going The stars shal fight against Sisera in their course thus shall the natural interest help on Cyrus and Artaxerx●● shall send out commissions letters to their Princes and ministers of State thus shall the politick interest help on H●gga● Zechariah the people of God shall pray and prophesie so shall the more spiritually-organicall means help on VI The Obstructions and how removed THe Spirituall obstructions are intrinsecall and forain and extrinsecall the intrinsecall are malignity of nature carnall reasonings idolatrous superstitious principles principles of Atheisme Libertinisme there are but two wayes of removing these by a Power spirituall and a Power civil or of Magistracie and the disciplines and orbs where both these powers work and influence and here it would be well inquired how far this latter of Magistracie may be improved to remove the more spirituall obstructions and to compell up to a Reformation and how neer the interests of Moses and Aaron are seeing they were at first in one subject or person and after in two but never to be found any more in one as the Papists ●relates would have incorporated them again and it s said we clearly see not the right interest of Christian Magistracie by any practical truth in the Gospel and that which makes it so dark is this that no nations were wholly converted in Christ's and the Apostles times by which we might have experiments of their power in cooperating with the Apostles and what the true subserviencie of such a power is to a spiritual interest and in what latitude is not yet clear to some And surely here we are too low of late in our Treatises for we should first state the interest of Magistracie as we find it in the Gospel and under the Law respectively and then enquire into the secret of Gospel-propagation and why the the Gospel begun below and went up and not as C●sar first and so down and whether it equally respect both administrations and how far that Scripture that is not thought on in such case may be consulted You are not c●me un●● the mountain that burned with fire but ye are come unto mount Si●n And it would be clearly stated whether spirituall perswasion and conviction and the Evangelicall Ordinances be the onely mediums or means which were then imployed for carrying on the Gospel and the auxiliary of miracles then annexed for compelling reputation and now that of miracles cea●ing whether Magistracie ought not to ●●ply These are yet not beaten out so in our discourses as they might be The forain or extrinsecal obstructions are some Lawes Customes Traditions Adversaries or enemies to truth Confederations with Princes and States abroad a people of forain interests in their own nation These are removed by suspending ●tatutes opening Pulpits Presses and letting out the holy dispensation of the Gospel freely by State agencie and vigilancie and a kind of sending out Hushaies to sit at Councel table with Achitophels and if this hath too much of David in it yet the Iewes which dwell neer them may be treated with for intelligence as Nehemiah did Instances of mixtures in Scriptures as that of Corinth those seven of Asia the Parables improved Mat 13.29 30 of the Tares and Wheat WHen these and such like are urged in case of separation and mixt communicating in Ordinances It would be further enquired whether such a sense come up more directly or obliquely to the holy Spirit and whether Church-corruptions as Corinth's and Ephesus c. were intended any more for Proofs or Arguments or Rules then Personal corruptions as Davids lusts and Moses p●ssions and Peters fears and whether all such examples be not rather set down as cautions and written for our admonition that we should n●t lust as they also lusted further whether the name Church be not sometimes to be taken in the same sense under the Gospel as the Ark and ●emple was tak●● under the Law still for the places of 〈◊〉 ●●●idence though sometimes he was not so ●●●●bly ther● ●nd whether the ●oly ●pirit for●ore not to 〈…〉 them because the fault was in some particular practices about Ordinances rather then in the essential or first form of Church constitution which they had perfecter then we And whether this be a rule for the judgements of Gods people who are to go by the clear and visible Rules in Scripture according to which Churches are made up or have constitution And whether the Holy Spirit would have reputed them still Churches had they gone on in the toleration of

States or Christians and how far Christ who is protector of his Church is to be trusted with the defence of his own government in such cases and yet the true evangelicall latitude is not found out Some plead upon such principles as would bring in an universall toleration and while they would open a door only for themselves they set in all promiscuously Therefore it would be enquired here if all must be tolerated for fear of persecuting the truth through ignorance then whether doth not this ground argue for a plenary Liberty for all to propagate their interests equally with that which is the commonly received truth of that place for a truth I conceive may be no more suppressed ignoran●ly then it may be persecuted ignorantly and it was as great a sin if not greater in that Councel to charge the Apostles they should not teach the people in his name as to whip them for the doctrine they taught Again it would be further enquired if such a Liberty be the Gospel way what use of the reserves of martyrdome and persecution which Christ hath made into such a glorious condition as if he intended it as a blessed supplement to that of Liberty and it would be enquired whether such a m●lky way as that of Liberty be always consonant to the estate of the Church being a Lilly among Thorns And it would be enquired too whether such a Liberty be fully Christs minde because the enemies of the truth heathen Empires and popish States as well as others are and have been abe●tors of it and so it be rather a State principle tolerating only those which either the necessity of some evill consequence or some State expedients or the experienced innocency of the tolerated Religion hath produced and yet on the other side it would be enquired further whether they that desire this Liberty be not such as are on the same fundamentals with us and brethren in the Lord and may be brought to meet with us in certain common principles walking by the same rule minding the same thing in that whereunto we have attained and may not let out themselves unto mutuall peace and edification their dissentings having a certain orbe or spheare allowed them wherein they may move that still upon occasion we may all fall into one common society against the publick enemy of the Gospel as Abraham and Lot who though they lived other times at distance yet were ever ready to relieve one another and here I desire to know whether such severall motions as this which agree in the same unity of faith of mutuall edification and contribute together to the same publick preservation may not be with as little prejudice to the grand spirituall sphear as in the naturall wherein we see nature abounding in severall motions orbs and yet all these as occasion opens mutually assisting the interest of the universe or whole And here me thinks we should study the latitudes of Christianity more then we doe especially when the Scriptures holds it out to us both in principles and practice yet this caution I must lay down that all our dissenting Brethren be as carefull o● their parts to study things that make for common peace as they would have Authority carefull in acting against their particular peace There is much arguing now against compulsive authority in case of Religion and the arguments run thus 1. That it is a note of Persecution 2. That it drives on the Popish and Prelaticall designe of Vniformity 3. That it distracts and wounds tender doubting consciences 4. That it armes the enemies of the truth in their tyranny from the Magazine of true Professors 5. That it assumes dominion over the consciences 6. That it intrudes into the place of God and his Ordinances which immediately influence on the soule 7. That it was but judiciall and politicall to the Jewes 8. That it runs an hazard of fighting against God 9. That there is no expresse command nor example in the Gospel for such compulsion 10. That it is a means of keeping out truths that are yet to be revealed 11. That the authority of the Magistrate in Scripture reaches onely to Moral and Civil transgressions and to spirituall as they come forth into the outward man and so trouble the civill peace or government of the State 12. That it makes Formalists and Hypocrites Yet here it would be enquired further whether there be not the same morall and and judiciall equity for the Magistrate to assist God in the designe of his Church now as there was before 2. Whether Heresies and Schismes do not naturally bring forth such divisions and distractions as dash so on the power of the civill Magistrate that they justly raise up that power against them 3. Whether the pleaders for this compulsive power do not over argue it through indulgency and the opposers argue it but half way through jealousie the one having it on their side at present and the other against them and whether a more moderate way be not the more Scripture-path viz. That the compulsive power may be found in the Gospel-principles stated with such Cautions and Rules from the word as the Enemies and opposers of truth may neither triumph in an unwarrantable liberty nor the weaker Christians have cause to complain of an unwarrantable authority whose doubtings are experienced to wound their own soules more then the soule of States the Government Establishment of Reformation IT hath not yet been far enough argued according to the principles in Scripture of what nature the establishments ought to be under the Gospel sure we ought more properly to advise with him that hath the keys of David and knowes best how to shut and open for else we may shut so fast that we may be forced to have our doores broken open from Heaven as of late under Prelacy we sadly experience who had shut up all with so sure an establishment that a truth could not get in but by violence and thus Rome and those Princes of Bondage under her as the Spaniard c. make use of their keyes in all their dominions for shutting out so as the Gospel-truths have no visible entrance but by force unlesse God bring them in at some other door yet unknown to us as he seems to intend now whether the establishment ought to be such under the Gospel as may universally except all but what is received or such as may contrive some holy prudentiall way for trying any new revealed truths if such be offered clearly from heaven by the hands of men we finde that in Arts Sciences the Sistemes are not such as will admit of no advancement the profoundest agents in nature are led daily on to new experiments and the Aristotelian magistrality hath been found no little hinderance to young travellers in the regions of nature And that which may carry us on further in this enquiry is the possibility of not seeing all at once strenghened by