Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	believe_v	scripture_n	1,612	5	5.8214	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66765	Paralellogrammation an epistle to the three nations of England, Scotland, and Ireland, whereby their sins being parallel'd with those of Judah and Israel, they are forewarned, and exhorted to a timely repentance, lest they incur the like condempation : to render it the more effectual, some considerable notions are therein expressed touching ceremonies, and things indifferent, the Lords supper, the civil government, the taking of oaths, the mark of the beast, the library of conscience, the great Sabbath, and the two witnesses, with other particulars of concernment interwoven / written by Geo. Wither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1662 (1662)	Wing W3176; ESTC R11575	78,735	140

pleased for prevention thereof to take notice of a Triple Memorandum which coming suddenly into my thoughts I shall here inssert as necessary for us all to take heed of at this time though I know it will disadvantage me in the opinion of many The First branch of it is pertinent to GOD's Glory The Second to the Civil Government and Governors whereto he hath subjected us And the Third pertains to all those whom he hath put under their subjection Observe it well O ye Brittish Nations and repent of your sins in General and Particular both against GOD and Men especially of your intrenchments against GOD's Prerogative and your temporal and spiritual oppressing the members of his Son Jesus Christ by the dishonoring of him in his chief Attributes and by the breach of your Publick Faith plighted to Him and his People against whom very many of us have in my Judgment much exceeded the Parallel afore-mentioned and all that I find recorded against any other Nation If we expect a Reconciliation to GOD by a pardon for that and our other manifold Transgressions let us acknowlédge our sinfulness against the infinit extent of GOD's Mercy intended to all Mankind in general which is the first branch of my Memorandums and not limiting it as many do suppose they glorifie him in so doing whereas it is apparantly to his dishonour and will be to the inflaming of his Wrath when there will be most need of his Fatherly Compassion For I will be bold to aver though some probably will be offended at it by whose Charity I have been here in part relieved that the brotherly Love and true Repentance whereto I would perswade will never be effectually attained unto by them who knowingly premeditately and wilfully persevere in denying the Universal Redemption of Mankind by Jesus Christ seeing thereon depends GOD's most glorious Attribute and in regard it is that for which we are much more obliged unto him than all the rest of his Creatures he cannot but be highly displeased with all those who confine the extent of that Mercy I know many in these times some of them in other respects very good and learned men who think Universal Redemption to be a new Doctrine terming it Arminianism and Popery but it is neither new nor repugnant as is pretended to the Orthodox Doctrine of Election Predestination and the Free-Grace of GOD nor ascribes ought more to Nature by the Consequences thereof than tends to our justifying of GOD and to our self-condemnation if that which he hath given us be not husbanded according as he hath and doth enable The holy Scriptures evidence it to all who rightly understand them So far is it also from being a Novelty as ignorant hearers are made believe that it was received and professed for a necessary Truth by the Churches of GOD in all Ages since Christ's birth and contradicted by very few in the first times of Christianity Yea it was believed many hundreds of years before Arminius was born or Popery had a being in the world and will be professed when the Opposers and Traducers of that Verity shall be quite rooted out of the Evangelical Kingdom It is I confess a Doctrine imbraced by many in the Church of Rome but that makes it not erroneous If we renounce all things approved of by Hereticks and which Antichrist and his Confederates imbrace and profess we shall more disadvantage the Kingdom of Christ thereby than they have done by all their Heresies Idolatries and Superstitions For they acknowledge the holy Scriptures and all the Articles of our Creed and hold though in unrighteousness a great part both of Moral and Evangelical Truths by a verbal profession and with a mixture of humane Traditions because if they did not so juggle they could never have been hopefull to effect what is intended by their Mystery of Iniquity It is the well counterfeiting of Truth and Holiness which must compleat the Designs of Antichrist and there is not any one single Heresie or Wickedness which doth so secretly and so mischievously supplant Christ it undermines the Foundation of that Structure which open Blasphemies above ground cannot endanger and hath already sprung such a Mine to the dividing of Lutherans and Calvinists as they are now termed that they will hardly be reconciled until all Controversies are at an end Let us therefore consider well what depends upon it how much it concerns the Glory of GOD how much he is dishonoured by a contrary belief and how much it detracts from our own Priviledges and Consolations GOD's Mercy is above all his Works It is the Crown and Dignity of the KING of Kings and the Highest of all High-Treasons to clip it A professed denial of the Universality of humane Redemption seems to me a cursed Counter-callol made and sung by Devils in opposition to that blessed Nativity-Song which was sung by Angels at the Birth of CHRIST Glory be to GOD on high on Earth Peace and Good will to Men. For how was GOD likely to be glorified Peace to be upon the Earth or his Good-will manifested to Men by the incarnation of his Son if Man's Redemption had not been Universal but so narrowed that it extended to a very few and those few also left without assurance they were of that small number whatsoever they should endeavour if there should be an Exception from that Act of Grace as many fancy Doubtless if it had been so it would have given occasion rather of howling than of singing and been rather sad than glad tydings in regard of that great terrour which might have seized upon all Mankind and caused an Universal Lamentation when they considered how many millions of millions were certainly exposed to Everlasting Damnation how small a number in possibility to be saved and how few of their dearly beloved Parents Children and Friends might be of those few for whom Christ took upon him the humane Nature Oh! horrible and unparallel'd Blasphemy But blessed be GOD's Name it is not so When the Children of Israel were redeemed from their Egyptian Bondage which was a type of our Universal Redemption there was not one soul no not a hoof left behind them Nor was one soul absolutely excluded from the benefit of Christs Incarnation and Passion but they only who by their own default and unrepented sin should fall away as they did who perished in the Wilderness For GOD hath many times upon several occasions passed his Word to ascertain the Universality of his Love to Man without personal respects where personal sins without repentance have not first made the person unacceptable nay our incredulity hath put him to his Oath to assure every sinner and if nevertheless we still distrust him continue in our misbelief of his Word and Oath and labour to draw others into the same crime It cannot be an ordinary Judgement which GOD will at last inflict for so extraordinary and so high an affront it being a sin more heinous than Murder

defects and sins as I believe the Word of GOD judges of them I will proceed one step further to signifie what I apprehend thereof and of what Classts I think them to be which is plainly this Whatsoever Person Persons Congregation or Society of men or National Church or Civil Government shall be so espoused to his or their own Judgment Will Formalities in Discipline or Profession of Doctrines relating to the Worship of GOD as to arrogate Infallibility to themselves and shall thereupon endeavour by humane Policy by the temporal Sword or by any other way than by the Word Preached and by such Disciplines as are thereby warranted to inforce other men to conform to those Doctrines or Disciplines which they please to establish and profess though it be the Truth until they are convinced in Conscience that it is so Or whosoever shall Constitute a Ministry of the Gospel otherwise than is ordained in holy Scripture either by setting up such Officers as are not thereby Divinely Authorized or by casting out or silencing such as Officiate according to the Primitive practice of Christians Or whosoever shall act or combine with others to set up or destroy or uphold any Civil Authority to the Disturbance of the Common Peace under Pious and Religious Pretences otherwise than the Laws of Nature and of the Nation do allow Or having gotten Power of Compulsion shall inforce any contrary to their Consciences to comply with them therein or to submit to their Commands farther than by a Passive Obedience Or whosoever shall make their Congregational or National Sanctions which relate to GOD's Worship only to be unduly Instrumental for advance of their personal Power Estates or Preferments Temporal or Spiritual by over-awing their Brethren or otherwise than is agreeable to divine and humane Justice or to a purposed excluding of those from the like advantages meerly because they are of differing opinions from them in Religious Controversies though in Fundamentals of Divinity and Humanity in their Prudence Manners and in all other respects they are as capable of that Trust as other men All such whatsoever shew they make of Christian Piety or true Morality are in my Judgment though they carry not the Mark of the Beast in their Foreheads in a degree more or less for the time being Confederates with Antichrist and Members of that Divided Kingdom and Malignant City which must be destroyed and help destroy it self so far forth as the Temporal Sword meer humane Powers and Policies will be useful to that purpose The Work of the Saints consisting only in their Constancy Patience Love and in the exercise of such-like Spiritual Weapons especially in the sincere Love of GOD and of each other grounded on his Eternal Love to Mankind in his Son King Jesus which Love When thus much was Printed a part of the Copy was lost at the Printing-house which could not be supplied without sending privately that which was left to the Author in whose hands both this Supplement and the rest of the Copy was seized in his Chamber The Providence of GOD must be submitted unto and we doubt not but the Remainder will shortly come to our hands either from a Copy which is said to be sent into Holland or by another which is in a Friends hand that will keep it safe And perhaps when they in Authority have perused what is seized and see how innocent a Piece it is and how much it tendeth to the Glory of GOD the Honour of the King and the Settlement of the Common Peace it will be returned back to the Author that it may be made publick this is the hope of good men who have seen it unless for our many sins GOD shall justly deprive us of that means which he graciously intended to bring to the knowledge of the King and People those things which are pertinent to their joynt Consideration at this time for prevention of his further Wrath and the Judgments deserved That which is wanting amounts to about seven or eight Pages and containeth Particulars of much concernment not mentioned in the Title Among which that considerable Mystery of the Raign and Kingdom of Christ upon Earth and what is to be believed thereof is stated so far forth as Man is capable of it in this fleshly being so that none who are principled aright therein will or can with a good Conscience think that the Weapons or Militia of that Kingdom are carnal or that the Kingdoms of the Earth and Antichrist are to be destroyed by any such Instruments in the hands of the Saints which being well Considered would have been advantagious to preserve the Common Peace So Farewel FINIS