Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A84819
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This is a vvarning to all that profess Christianity and others. To beware of covetousness, which is idolatry. By G. Fox.
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Fox, George, 1624-1691.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing F1933B; ESTC R213751
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8,823
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16
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out of the Kingdom of God And now Mark if a covetous man be an Idolater as the Apostle saith then all covetous men are Idolaters and shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And now let all those that are called Priests Teachers Ministers and Prophets in Christendom see if their Fruits do not declare them to be Covetous and so Idolaters who preach Christ and the Apostles and seem to have a Zeal for their words but how many of them will preach without Tythes and Hire and if people will not give it unto them then to spoil their Goods and cast them into Prison yea till Death as many have been because they would not hold up and feed that Idolatrous Spirit of Covetousness in them Whenas the Apostle commands the Church not so much as to have Fellowship nor Company nor to eat with a Covetous Person which is an Idolater And now if the Saints the true Church of Christ must not eat nor keep company with such then how must they hear them or be compell'd or forc'd to hear such And knowing that Christ said to his Ministers whom he sent forth Freely they had received freely they were to give and they were neither to provide Silver nor Gold nor Bag nor Scrip but to enquire who was worthy of their Message and what was set before them that they were to eat and such as were unworthy that would not receive them and their Message they were to shake the Dust off their Feet which should be a Witness against them at the Day of Judgment And the Apostles did not cast those unworthy ones that would not receive them and set Meat before them into Prison as some of your Ministers do the People of God because they cannot uphold your Covetous Idolatrous spirit in giving you Tythes and Hire And now all you that will not preach Christ's the Apostles words nor pray amongst people nor give them Psalms to sing and sing among them and baptize Children as you call it or sprinkle them without the Tenths of peoples increase of their Labours and without the Tenths of the increase of their Cattel and Goods and have Set Wages by the Year for these things are not you the covetous Idolaters yea cast people into Prison and spoil their Goods and excommunicate them whom you do none of these works for neither have they set you a work nor hired you to do any of these things for them For do not most people every where generally hire you agree with you for so much in the year or do not you make Friends with great Persons to put you into fat Benefices instead of inquiring where the worthy people are are not your Priests enquiring where is the greatest Benefice and most Tythes and In-comes And then when you are settled do not you spoil the Goods and cast into Prison such as never hired you nor hear you And is not this contrary to the general Command of Christ to his Disciples both to the 12. and the 70 Freely you have received freely give c. So is it not manifest here that you are covetous Idolaters that the Apostle speaks against that shall not enter into the Kingdom of God For Peter in his 2d general Epistle chap. 2. speaks of the false Prophets and false Teachers and how many should follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the Truth should be evil spoken of which Truth the Apostles preached freely as they had received freely according to the Command of Christ And these false Prophets and Teachors through Covetousness should with feigned words make Merchandize of people For how often have the Teachers chang'd their Places and Ways The Apostle compares such with the old world and Sodom and fallen Angels that kept not their Habitation And therefore let the Teachers in Christendom who cast into Prison and spoil peoples Goods for their Bellies examine and see if they be not the men And also the Apostle writes to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3. of such Covetous prond Boasters and false Accusers and fierce Despisers of them that were good which were heady high-minded Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God that had the Form of Godliness which was the Form of Christianity but denyed the Power thereof from such the Saints the true Church were to turn away For he likened them to Jannes and Jambres that withstood Moses who were men of corrupt minds and did resist the Truth and were reprobate concerning the true Faith these led such captive who were laten with sins and led about with divers lusts alwayes learning and were never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth And how should they being destitute thereof themselves men of corrupt minds bring any into the Truth and the Faith when they are out of the true Faith themselves and tell people They must carry a Body of Sin and Death to the Grave with them and others say They must have a Purgatory when they are dead And such are Reprobate from the Apostles Doctrine and Faith which is the Victory and in the damnable Heresie But the Apostles exhorted the Saints to walk in the Light and the Blood of Jesus Christ should cleanse them from all Sin And the Apostle told the Church That they were washed cleansed sanctified and justified c. and this was whilst they were upon the Earth And he tells the Ephesians the Saints You that were sometime Darkness now are you Light in the Lord. And the Apostle writes to Timothy 1 Tim. 6. Having Food and Raiment let us therewith be content and Godliness with Contentment is great Gain but they that will be rich fall into Temptations and Snares and into many foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown men in Destruction and Perdition For the Love of Money is the Root of all Evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the Faith pierced themselves through with many Sorrows But thou O Man of God flee these things and follow after Righteousness Godliness Faith Love Patience Meekness This is the Man of God's Path and to flee Covetousness and the Love of Money and such as make Gain their Godliness for such are destitute of the Truth and this should be the Practice of all true Christians now And do not the men of the World with the Covetous Priests and Teachers and others fly after Riches and Money instead of flying from it and after Gain supposing it to be Godliness and is not this a Mark that such have erred from the true Faith and are fallen into hurtful Lusts which drown them in Destruction and Perdition by falling into a Temptation a Snare in coveting after Riches the Love of Money which is the Root of all Evil. Hath not the Root of this Evil been manifest by the Teachers of the World and other People the Priests and Teachers by destroying People for their Bellies and the People by coveting and encroaching other Peoples Goods and so