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	church_n	true_a	2,752	5	4.8734	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93581	The divine right of Presbyterie, asserted by the present Assembly, and petitioned for accordingly to the Honourable House of Commons in Parliament. With reasons discussing this pretended divine right; and yet with tendernesse to the brethren of the Presbyterial way. Pleading for a liberty of conscience for them in this their opinion, as for others of their dissenting brethren, and equally for both. With inferences upon their late petition. / By John Saltmarsh, preacher of the gospel.	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.	1646 (1646)	Wing S478; Thomason E330_29; ESTC R200732	10,981	27

all alike in that Word which is the very Vniformity of the Kingdom of Christ 4. The Magistrate as they now make him is Ecclesiasticall as well as they They that ascribe a Power to any to compleat and actuate them in their Ministration do acknowledge that very Power by which they are informed to be in those that so informe and compleat them so as the very Petitioning a State for Power and qualification for Eldership and Presbytery doth imply a Presbyterall and Ecclesiasticall Power in that State and if so the Magistrate may as well govern in that Church as any Ruling Officer they have 5. The present Presbytery in mystery both over and under the Magistrate They that are a Magistracy neither over nor under the Presbytery tell me in what spheare or where rule they for over it they are not Commissioners they say are contrary to the word and under it they are not for their Presbytery is accountable as they say unto it so as they who are so much in the dark with their Government doe with Magistracy they know not what and would place it they know not where The Position being a safer way for the Magistrate then the Erastian and how the Presbyteriall Brethren cannot justly exclude him from ruling with them according to the present constitution both of the pretended Church and Presbytery That the Magistrate or Parliament cannot be excluded from Government in this present Presbytery as the present Assembly would exclude them because this Kingdom of England is not a Church in Gospel order but a Kingdome of Beleevers in generall and because their present Presbyters and Elders are no true Presbyters of Jesus Christ according to Gospel-order and till both this Nationall Church and Officers bee that very Kingdome of Christ and those very Officers of Christ the Magistrate may as lawfully yea more lawfully rule then any other pretended Officer Minister or Elder amongst them for Magistrates have the whole Kingdome of the world allowed from God for their place of Government And this Kingdom of England being but a Kingdom or world of Beleevers not a Church they may as they are powers of God rule amongst them Iesus Christ being only King and head in that Church or Kingdom which is more his own and the Magistrates Kings for him in that Kingdom which is the world or lesse his owne so as the Presbyteriall Brethren cannot exclude the Civill power from governing with them according to the unsound constitution of their Church Ministers and Elders nor till they have proved the truth both of their very Church Ministery and Eldership for all Scripture proofes of Eldership and Presbytery is respective to the true Presbytery and Eldership according to truth not to every pretended Presbytery and Eldership of the Nations so as till the very Constituting Principles of Presbytery be proved true no Scripture either alledged for Presbytery belongs to them nor any other by which they would exclude the Magistrate as from the Church of Christ Conclusion These few things I have writ to draw forth the strength of others in a thing of this Nature which is of as high concernment in the things of Gospel-order as any point now abroad for surely it is not a Vniversity a●Cambridge or Oxford a Pulpit and Black gowne or Cloak makes one a true Minister of Iesus Christ though these are the best things in the composition of some the Mystery of Iniquity hath deceived the world with a False and Artificiall unction for that true one of the Spirit and the Ministery hath been so cloathed with Art and Habit that if the Apostles should live again and preach in that plainnesse they came they would be as despised for we wonder after the Wise the Scribe and the Disputer of this World FINIS See Ordin. Jun. 12. 1043. p. 4. 2 Pet. 1. 17. See their Humble Advice See in their Humble Advice c. to the Parl. Manuscr Pag. 4. See the Humble Advice c. of the Assembly in Manu See in their last Petition See Petition

THese Reasons tending not onely to the sweetning of the Two Kingdoms England and Scotland the Parliament and Dissenting Brethren on both sides in the Assembly each to other but also to the preserving a Just Liberty for them all respectively I commend to the Presse March 30. 1646. John Bachiler THE DIVINE RIGHT OF Presbyterie Asserted by the present Assembly and petitioned for accordingly to the Honourable House of Commons in PARLIAMENT With REASONS Discussing this Pretended Divine Right and yet with tendernesse to the Brethren of the Presbyterial way Pleading for a Liberty of Conscience for them in this their Opinion as for others of their Dissenting Brethren and equally for both With INFERENCES upon their late PETITION By JOHN SALTMARSH Preacher of the Gospel Revel. 2. 2. Thou hast tried those that say they are Apostles but are not LONDON Printed for G. CALVERT at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1646. To those Brethren of the Assembly of Divines Petitioners who are for the pretended Divine Right of the present PRESBYTERY BRETHREN Meeting ye out of the Assembly or that bounder appointed ye by Parl. I cannot justly be denied this reasoning with ye for the Ordinance by which ye sit doth enable ye onely to advice of things propounded but not to propound or demand any as ye have done of late so as in this ye have brought your selves down to the same magnitude with us that are private men Here is the difference now Ye are many of better parts and abilities I am as one born out of due time yet the same Covenant is upon me with your selves nor ought I because I am but one presume to see Truth more then ye because ye are many nor I hope ye who are many will presume to see Truth more then one because ye are many Nay it is that voice from the excellent glory which both you and I must hear and which can onely teach us Truth It is not the voice of any other And surely since Truth hath had its lot in the world to live upon voices in Assemblies and Synods where that is onely Truth which is voted so and not in its own glory and evidence where that is onely Truth which is so The Mystery of iniquity hath been more advanced then the Mystery of godlinesse THE DIVINE RIGHT OF Presbytery c. With Reasons discussing this pretended Divine Right FIrst They who are the Presbyters in this present Presbytery pretend to be Presbyters by a power of Ordination from Bishops as the Bishops were Presbyters and if so they are to make it appear that there is a true personal succession of Ministery from the Apostles and that they do lineally succeed without interruption for in succession unlesse there be a certain perpetual and personal derivation of power there can be no certainty nor infallibility of the truth of such a power and whether the proof of this draws not with it a necessary and perpetual visibility of a Church contrary to the opinion of all the Reformed Divines and further a truth of Church-Ministery and Ordinances of Jesus Christ in the Antichristian State from whence this Ministery of theirs comes by which they stand present-Presbyters and how any true Ministery can be found in that very Antichristian State which is called the man of sin the mystery of iniquity the Whore of Babylon the falling away and how the same State can be both meerly Antichristian and Christian a Whore of Babylon and a Spouse of Jesus Christ a Ministery of God and a mystery of iniquity a Temple of God and of Idols I leave it to be judged 2. That these present pretended-Presbyters cannot be found true Presbyters but by such a personal and successively derived power will appear from their present Model of Ordination they allowing and accounting none for Presbyters or Ministers but such as are sent out by their personal Ordination or were formerly ordained by Bishops so as they make these and these must make others and thus their power is derived from a personal and lineal succession and demonstratively proved from their own practice nor will it help them that Jesus Christ alwayes had a Church or some invisible Saints under Antichrist because they must both prove themselvs the Episcopal Ministery to succeed that very Church or those very invisible Saints and that that Church or those very Saints were Presbyters or Ministers for we know men may be Saints but not sent or ministerially sent good men but not good Presbyters as in their own way of practice will more appear for if any shall now call himself a true Presbyter or Minister he must prove his sending to them by a personal Ordination which proof of their Ordination we demand from them as they would do now from any others 3. How these things can stand together That the Divine Right is in the Congregational Presbytery as they acknowledge and yet that there is a Classical Provincial and National Presbytery which are but Prudential and Humane or Mixed Judicatures according to such a distinction and yet are allowed by them a Power Supreme and coercive to the Divine Right of the Congregational Presbytery which is the first and immediate subject of the Divine Right of Presbytery as they themselves acknowledge And now whether do not their own Principles control that pretended Divine Right they plead for and set up a Presbytery of Charity and Prudence over the Presbytery in the particular Congregation which they say is onely of Divine Right 4. How can that Presbytery whose constitution is so questionable chalenge such a Divine Right As first their Presbyters or first constituting Principle are ordained by a questionable power viz. that of Bishops Their Ruling Elders by a power as questionable viz. by a Rule or Ordinance of Parliament prudential for trial for election because of the general corruption in this Kingdom both in Ministers and people not by that very Apostolical Scripture-Rule or Institution of Jesus Christ Their Congregations Parishional and of politick constitution not Congregational according to Scripture Their way of constituting this present Presbytery extraordinary by such an Assembly without precept or example for such a Way in the whole New Testament from whence the whole Order of that dispensation ought to be framed and not from the Law or Old Testament or some cases of necessity in the State or Church of Israel by way of Analogie as they say in their Model to the Parliament The Primitive Elders and Apostles were qualified immediately from the Spirit with gifts proper to such a Ministration which these Presbyters and Elders being not but most by gifts and habits of Art and Science acquired by industry therefore these present Presbyters cannot chalenge the same power for Church-Censures without the same Spirit gifting them and anointing them to such a power and administration in the Church but ought to be content meerly with a mixed and partly prudential power