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	scripture_n	spirit_n	3,143	5	5.2045	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41780	Hear the church, or, An appeal to the mother of us all to all the baptized believers in England, exhorting them to stedfastness in the truth, according to the scriptures : together with some farther considerations of seven queries, sent to the baptized believers in Lincolnshire, concerning the judge of contriversies in matters of religion : in three parts / by Thomas Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1687 (1687)	Wing G1536; ESTC R5931	41,980	66

the Priest cannot deceive us when the Prophet tells us that though the Priests Lips should preserve Knowledge and that we should seek the Law at his Mouth yet they had caused many to stumble at the Law because they had been partial in the Law Mat. 2. 8. It supposes whoever falls under the Sentence of the Priest is as surely damned as he is cast or hanged that falls under the Sentence of a Judge in Law. Which may be false for the Priests did joyntly sentence our Blessed Saviour Saying We have a Law and by our Law he ought to die It 's true whatsoever the Church doth bind on Earth is bound in Heaven but then nothing is bound on Earth unless she judge righteously for it is written that the Curse causeless shall not come Prov. 26. 2. and seeing she may be deceived at least by false Witnesses She may condemn the Innocent though She had no mind to do so which shews She is not infallible whatever men talk to the contrary I do not like this Opinion therefore because it leaves not Liberty for those whom the Church condemns to appeal so much as to Almighty God who knows the Hearts of all men whilst the Church knows them not But I answer to the Objection by saying 1. There is a Judgment Authoritative this indeed must be referr'd to the Church and no wise Man ever thought otherwise and the Members of the Church must be content to abide the Sentence of the Church though they be innocent till God clears their Innocency but all this while we suppose the Church we speak of to be a true Church and that She judges according to Evidence and yet because She knows not all Secrets nor all things contained in the Scriptures we also suppose She may possibly mistake though never so Honest But 2. There is a Judgment of Knowledge or Discretion by which Men receive the Truth of the Gospel as understanding and so believing it to be so and by the same Judgment he refuses what is false as understanding it to be so and till his Understanding be well informed or rationally satisfied by convincing Evidence he cannot if he have the Understanding and Spirit of a Man do either the one or the other And hence it is that Salvation and consequently the means to obtain it are offered to men in the manner of choice Josh 24. 15. Chuse then this day whom you will serve Heb. 11. 25. Moses chose rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a season And forasmuch as all Men are not called at the same moment but some receive the Truth in their Youth others in their middle Age some not till Old Age all the Liberty which we contend for is that Men may have the free use of the Means by which they may know the Truth and be allowed to understand it before they be admitted to Sacred things that they may not only be able to give a Reason of the Hope that is in them but also be able to do as they are also exhorted Prove every man his own Work that he may have rejoycing in himself alone and not in another Gal. 6. 4 5. Thus much in answer to this Objection There is no Man living that would more gladly than my self give to the Church of God all that Honour and Obedience which God hath allowed Her but to say She cannot err is to make Her more like God than She is I think all that can be safely affirmed is That She shall not sail so as utterly to cease from being but that God will have a Church in the World to be his Witness to the end of the World though the Apostacy be never so great or seemingly universal And as it pleased God to foreshew the great Apostacies which should be found among the Christian Nations So he was graciously pleased to intermix some words of comfort that when it should so fall out that the Spouse of Christ should be like the Dove in the secret places of the Stairs Cant. 2. 14. or thrust into Prisons and out of sight which might cause the Faithful even to think there was no Church remaining like that of the Prophet who desired rather to die than to live because he thought the Faithful had utterly failed and himself left alone I say that then they should remember that the Gates of Hell should not prevail against the Church and therefore God hath always had a Church however she might be obscured Finally Brethren my Hearts desire and Prayer to God for you is that you may be of one Mind and Judgment in all the Will of God and especially in these Sacred Principles before mentioned and in the Constitution of your Ministry in respect of the Threefold Order of Ministers under which the first Churches were undoubtedly governed viz. Messengers Elders and Deacons And I do the rather advise to this because some have been pleased to publish in Print that there are only two Offices remaining in the Church of Christ viz. Elders and Deacons This Presbyterian Principle will I fear undo such as receive it They boldly tell us that the Office of Timothy and Titus was Temporary as if they had none to succeed them What I have formerly written in the defence of the first of these Offices is extant among you and as yet unanswered and to that I refer you Our Divisions have been and will be if continued very prejudicial to the Truth it self and our Adversaries know how to make use of them against us and our Holy Profession though they cannot be Ignorant of the great Divisions which were in the Churches in the Apostles Days nor should they be ignorant of their own and to the end they may see they are no more happy in that matter than their Neighbours let them consider what Bernard hath written of them as he is quoted by the Learned in Cant. Serm. 33. His Words are to this effect From whom shall the Church hide her self All are Friends and all are Enemies all are Kinsfolks and all are Adversaries all are Houshold Servants and there is none at peace all are Neighbours and all seek but their own Profit They are Ministers of Christ and serve Anti-Christ they do walk in the Honour of the Goodness of the Lord unto whom they do no Honour Thereby cometh that Beauty of the Harlot which thou seest daily in their Apparel as the Players of Comedies As in the Apparel of a King thereby thou seest the Gold in the Bridles Saddles and Spurs Thereby are the Tables beautified with Meats and Vessels Thereby cometh Drunkenness and Gluttony Thereby proceedeth the Harp and the Viol Thereby are the Presses running over and the Garners full answering the one to the other Thereby are the Boxes full of Oyntment and sweet Savour Thereby are the Purses filled Therefore would they be and are the Princes of the Churches The Provosts Deans Arch-Deacons Bishops Arch-Bishops

Hear the Church OR AN APPEAL TO THE Mother of us All. BEING AN EPISTLE TO All the Baptized Believers in England exhorting them to Stedfastness in the Truth according to the SCRIPTURES TOGETHER With some farther Considerations of seven Queries sent to the Baptized Believers in Lincolnshire concerning the Judge of Controversies in Matters of Religion In Three PARTS By THOMAS GRANTHAM And they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth and shall be turned into Fables 2 Tim. 4. 4. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of Truth and there is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your Prince Dan. 10. 21. LONDON Printed in the Year 1687. TO THE READER THere is nothing which Men sincerely Religious do more heartily desire than that all Men were so too and because they are fully satisfied that they are in that very Way which most truly leads to Life they therefore strive that all may know it and walk in it And truly this is my Case my Hearts Desire and Prayer to God for all Men is that they may be saved And as I believe it hath pleased God to shew me the Path of Life I cannot but do my best to shew it to others for as some by their Labours have been helpful to me so I hope mine may be helpful to others When I call the Primitive Christian Church at Jerusalem the Mother of us All I allude to that Place Gal. 4. 26. Interpreters so far as I have observed take Jerusalem there for the Gospel Catholick Church now this Church had its Beginning and this Beginning was at Jerusalem and because in the Progress of Christianity in the World for near one thousand seven hundred years there has abundance of Errors crept in and much truth in the antient Simplicity of it rejected I think it highly rational that all prejudice being laid apart Men should seek with the greatest diligence for their greatest Security into the State of Christs Gospel-Church as by himself established for whatsoever has not been planted by our Heavenly Father is nigh to its being rooted up God Almighty direct us all is the hearty Prayer of thy Friend Thomas Grantham Let the Reader further take notice that these Papers were originally written upon several occasions otherwise some things repeated would have been otherwise Let thy discretion bear with this Hear the Church The First PART Containing by way of Preface a particular consideration of the State of the first Christian Church at Jerusalem and the Reasonableness of appealing to Her as The Mother of us All. IT is evident to all such as have conversed with the Histories of the Ages which have been since the coming of our Lord to make known and establish all things in the Kingdom of Grace in the first Church at Jerusalem that there hath been great striving among the Christian Churches for some Honour and Prerogative above the rest Sometimes the Church at Alexandria sometimes the Church at Constantinople and especially the Church at Rome pressing very hard for Precedence of Honour and Preheminence of Power few minding the poor afflicted Church at Jerusalem the true Mother of all true Christian Churches when yet the Holy Ghost hath left a high Commendation upon those who do follow Her both in the effectual Reception of the Gospel not as the Word of such or such a man though preached by Apostles but as it is in truth the Word of God 1 Thess 2. 13 14. and also not in persecuting but in suffering like things of their Countrey-men as they did of the Jews And we desire and hope that there may be yet all due consideration had by all Christians in these days of the Heavenly Frame and Holy Walking of that MOTHER-CHURCH Unto whom was committed in the first place the Principles of the Oracles of God unto whom our dearest Lord was a personal Minister and did actually Dispense to and Communicate with them in the Divine Mysteries or Ordinances of the Christian Religion upon whom was poured the most excellent Gifts and Graces of the Holy Spirit of Promise It was this Church from whom according to the Prophets the Law of Christ should first go forth Isa 2. 3. Mich. 4. 1 2. Here was the House of the Lord established in the top of the Mountains and exalted above the Hills that all Nations might flow unto it an Honour not given to other Churches 1 Cor. 14. 36. What came the Word of God out from you No this was the Glory of another For out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Which by special Order from Christ was fulfilled when he gave Commandment to his Apostles that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preached in his Name in all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Luk. 24. 47. And here it was that the Spirit gave utterance unto the Apostles to preach in all Languages that then some of all Nations who were at that very time at Jerusalem might hear from thence the joyful Sound of the Gospel and consequently keep the same Holy Doctrine in all Ages and Nations as it was there delivered and confirmed by divers Signs and Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost Math. 28. 19 20. Heb. 2. 4. Act. 2. Forasmuch then as all Churches in all Ages and Nations are indispensibly bound to follow this Church in the Observation of all things whatsoever Christ commanded them we hold our selves concern'd at this time to declare our unfeigned Assent unto the Truth of the Gospel as it was here delivered and our humble Resolution to keep the Ordinances of Christ as they were here practised not doubting but the same was received in all Churches at the first being confident of this very thing that a safer way cannot be found for the security of our Souls from the manifold Errors which since the Plantation of this Church have been obtruded upon the Consciences of Men in most parts of the Christian Nations To the intent then that we may avoid Error and cleave to Truth we shall consider particularly though very briefly the Frame of this Heavenly Building in respect of her Foundation her Form of Government and the Way of her Worship in order to her Perfection And First We find her Foundation-Principles to consist in six particulars called the beginning of the Word of Christ which Articles are therefore called the Foundation because of the Relation they have to Christ who is a Foundation to his Church as held forth in his own Doctrine and other Foundations than Christ so held forth can no man lay Of such importance are these Sacred Principles that we find the Ancient Christians used to call them the Christian Catechism Chrysostoms Testimony is this That all these are fundamental Articles that is that we ought to repent from dead Works to be baptized into the Faith of Christ and be made worthy of the Gift of the Spirit who is given by imposition of