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	word_n	2,678	5	4.0797	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85427	An apologeticall narration, humbly submitted to the Honourable Houses of Parliament. By Tho: Goodwin, Philip Nye, Sidrach Simpson, Jer: Burroughes, William Bridge.	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1225; Thomason E80_7	16,409	36

father Abraham out of his own countrey and his seed after him a transplanting themselves many thousand miles distance and that by sea into a Wildernes meerly to worship God more purely whither to allure them there could be no other invitement And yet we still stood as unengaged spectators free to examine and consider what truth is to be found in and amongst all these all which we look upon as Reformed Churches and this nakedly according to the word We resolved not to take up our Religion by or from any partie and yet to approve and hold fast whatsoever is good in any though never so much differing from us yea opposite unto us And for our own congregations we meane of England in which thorough the grace of Christ we were converted and exercised our Ministeries long to the conversion of many others We have this sincere profession to make before God and all the world that all that conscience of the defilements we conceived to cleave to the true worship of God in them or of the unwarranted power in Church Governours exercised therein did never work in any of us any other thought much lesse opinion but that multitudes of the assemblies and parochiall congregations thereof were the true Churches and Body of Christ and the Ministery thereof a true Ministery Much lesse did it ever enter into our hearts to judge them Antichristian we saw and cannot but see that by the same reason the Churches abroad in Scotland Holland c. though more reformed yet for their mixture must be in like manner judged no Churches also which to imagine or conceive is and hath ever been an horrour to our thoughts Yea we alwayes have professed that in these times when the Churches of England were the most either actually overspread with defilements or in the greatest danger thereof and when our selves had least yea no hopes of ever so much as visiting our own land again in peace and safety to our persons that we both did and would hold a communion with them as the Churches of Christ And besides this profession as a reall testimony thereof some of us after we actually were in this way of communion baptized our children in Parishionall congregations and as we had occasion did offer to receive into the communion of the Lords Supper with us some whom we knew godly that come to visit us when we were in our exile upon that relation fellowship and commembership they held in their parish Churches in England they professing themselves to be members thereof and belonging thereunto What we have since our returne publiquely and avowedly made declaration of to this purpose many hundreds can witnesse and some of our brethren in their printed bookes candidly do testify for us And as we alwayes held this respect unto our own Churches in this Kingdome so we received and were entertained with the like from those reformed Churches abroad among whom we were cast to live we both mutually gave and received the right hand of fellowship which they on their parts abundantly manifested by the very same characters and testimonies of difference which are proper to their own Orthodoxe Churches and whereby they use to distinguish them from all those sects which they tollerate but not own and all the assemblies of them which yet now we are here some would needs ranke us with granting to some of us their own Churches or publique places for worship to assemble in where themselves met for the worship of God at differing houres the same day As likewise the priviledge of ringing a publique Bell to call unto our meetings which we mention because it is amongst them made the great signall of difference between their own allowed Churches and all other assemblies unto whom it is strictly prohibited and forbidden as Guiciardine hath long since observed And others of us found such acceptance with them that in testimony thereof they allowed a full and liberall maintenance annually for our Ministers yea and constantly also Wine for our Communions And then we again on our parts not onely held all brotherly correspondency with their Divines but received also some of the members of their Churches who desired to communicate with us unto communion in the Sacraments and other ordinances by virtue of their relation of membership retained in those Churches Now for the way practices of our Churches we give this briefe and generall account Our publique worship was made up of no other parts then the worship of all other reformed Churches doth consist of As publique and solemne prayers for Kings and all in authority c. the reading the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Exposition of them as occasion was and constant preaching of the word the administration of the two Sacraments Baptisme to infants and the Lords Supper singing of Psalmes collections for the poor c. every Lords day For Officers and publique Rulers in the Church we set up no other but the very same which the reformed Churches judge necessary and sufficient and as instituted by Christ and his Apostles for the perpetuall government of his Church that is Pastors Teachers Ruling Elders with us not lay but Ecclesiastique persons separated to that service and Deacons And for the matter of government and censures of the Church we had nor executed any other but what all acknowledge namely Admonition and Excommunication upon obstinacie and impenitencie which we blesse God we never exercised This latter we judged should be put in execution for no other kind of sins then may evidently be presumed to be perpetrated against the parties known light as whether it be a sin in manners and conversation such as is committed against the light of nature or the common received practices of Christianity professed in all the Churches of Christ or if in opinions then such as are likewise contrary to the received principles of Christianity and the power of godlinesse professed by the party himselfe and universally acknowledged in all the rest of the churches and no other sins to be the subject of that dreadful sentence And for our directions in these or what ever else requisite to the manage of them we had these three Principles more especially in our eye to guide and steere our practice by First the supreame rule without us was the Primitive patterne and example of the churches erected by the Apostles Our consciences were possessed with that reverence and adoration of the fulnesse of the Scriptures that there is therein a compleat sufficiencie as to make the man of God perfect so also to make the Churches of God perfect meere circumstances we except or what rules the law of nature doth in common dictate if the directions and examples therein delivered were fully known and followed And although we cannot professe that sufficiency of knowledge as to be able to lay forth all those rules therein which may meet with all cases and emergencies that may or sometimes did fal out amongst