Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	accuse_v	forbear_v	great_a	12	3	2.0729	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30904	Truth cleared of calumnies wherein a book intituled, A dialogue betwixt a Quaker and a stable Christian (printed at Aberdeen, and upon good ground judged to be writ by William Mitchell ...) is examined, and the disingenuity of the author, in his representing the Quakers is discovered : here is also their case truly stated, cleared, demonstrated, and the objections of their opposers answered according to truth, Scripture, and right reason / by Robert Barclay.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1670 (1670)	Wing B738; ESTC R22049	63,242	72

Truth cleared of Calumnies Wherein A Book intituled A Dialogue betwixt a Quaker and a Stable Christian. Printed at Aberdeen and upon good ground judged to be writ by William Mitchell a Preacher neer by it or at least that he had the Cheife hand in it is examined and the disingenuity of the Author in his representing the Quakers is discovered Here is also their case truly stated cleared demonstrated and the Objections of their Opposers answered according to truth Scripture and right Reason By ROBERT BARCLAY Isai. 53 1. Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Joh 5 39. 40. Yee search the Scriptures because in them ye think to have eternal life and they are they which testify of me and ye will not come unto me that ye may have life Matth 5 11. Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and say all manner of evill against you falsely for my sake Act. 24 13. After the way which they call Heresy so Worship I the God of my Fathers 1 Thess. 5 21. Prove all things hold fast that which is good Printed in the Year 1670. The Preface To the READER READER FOR thy better understanding the matters handled in this treatise I thought fit to premise somewhat by way of Preface and indeed the nature of the thing calleth for it that thou mayest receive a true information concerning the People here pleaded for and so generally opposed but more particularly in the City of Aberdeen that thou mayest understand how the case stands betwixt them and their adversaries in it Know then that after the Lord had raised up the witnesses of this day and had opened in them and unto them the Light and Glory thereof diverse of them at sundry times were moved of the Lord to come into these parts unto the towne of Aberdeen in love to the seed which there was to be gathered but their acceptance for divers ye ●res together was very unsutable For the enemy that had wrought and was exalted in the mystery of inquity to daeken the appearance of this day had prepared and stirred up his Ministers to resist them and their testimony by aspersing them with many grosse Calumnies lyes and reproaches as dem●n●ed distracted bodily possessed of the devill practising abominations under Colour of being led to them by the Spirit and as to their Principles blasphemous denyers of the true Christ of Heaven Hell Angells the Resurrection of the body and day of judgment inconsistant with Magistracy nothing better then John of Leyden and his complices This was the vulgar and familiar language of the pulpits which was for a time received for unquestionable truth till about the yeare 1663. some sober and serious Professors in and about the said Towne did begin to weigh these things more narrowly and find the savour of that life in the testimony of that so much reproached people which some yeares before had stirred in others who were now come to a great losse and decay and this gave them occasion to examine the Principles and wayes of that People more exactly which proving upon inquiry to be far otherwayes then they had been represented gave them a further occasion to see the integrity and soundnesse of that despised People and of their Principles on the one hand and on the other to see the prejudic'd disingenuity and enmity of their accusers In these the Lord caused his word to prosper who were few in number yet noted as to their sobriety in their former way of profession and raised them up to own that People and their testimony and to become one with them now their adversarys finding nothing in these whom the Lord had raised up in these parts whereof to accuse them as to their conversation these Calumnies must bee cast upon strangers living some hundred miles distant where these untruths cannot be so easily disproved but as to these at home the tune must be turned therefor George Meldrum who hath more particulary espoused the quarrel against truth and its followers then any of his Brethren begins to say that it is no wonder to see Quakers forbeare grosse outbreakings for that Hereticks have formerly come as great a length but surely abstinence from grosse outbreakings and a cleane outward conversation is no good Argument against the Quakers so now the clamour is though they have been Professors and that noted ones too and though they be honest in their conversation yet they are deluded and deceived and are deceivers And thus as of old the truth and the witnesses of it have alwayes been reproached by those of the Pharisaical Spirit So now for sometimes they said Christ had a Devill sometimes the Apostles are drunck and other times mad Since these things have thus occurred there hath been no little industry used to suppresse this People by threatnings and persecution on which account divers of our Friends have been cast into Prison and some detained long in of the said towne and also by preaching and writing of which for thy information receive this account There were 30. Queries sent by the Bishop of Aberdeen so called to Alexander Jaffray Also about the same time a paper of 3. or 4. sheets subscribed by G. M. intituled The state of the controversy betwixt the Protestants and the Quakers The 30 Querys were not long after answered by G. K. in respect of A. J. his sicknesse at that time and returned to him from A. J. and sometime afterwards George Meldrum his paper called The state of the controversy c. was answered by G. K. to which papers of G. K. somewhat was premised by A. J. which papers being severall times called for but particularly in a letter from G. M. his own hand to A. J. wherein he intreats for an answer that hee might know as hee said in what things wee did differ or in what things wee onely seemed to differ were sent to him within 9. monthes after the receit of G. M. his papers Before all which a sermon on Purpose was preached by G. M. against the quakers in the ninth month 1666. wherein the summe of both his papers was asserted onely that it was digested in a Pulpit-way and introduced with an insinuating discourse of his pretended kindnesse for the persons of some Quakers and his unwillingnesse to medle with them were it not his office and zeale for the truth did ingage him to it but if it had been so indeed hee would have said no more of them then the truth whereas it is stuffed with lyes which are positively asserted to be the Quakers principles by this pretended Preacher of the Gospel from his chaire of verity so called or rather of falsehood whereas yet G. M. his Papers afore-mentioned were not so much as sent far lesse answered by which according to the words of his owne letter above mentioned he was to receive an understanding of the diffe●ences and yet before he received this understanding whilst he was

their t●stimony but by the inward testimony of the spirit Calvin after hee has said all that can be said of outward wayes at last concludes the only certaine way to know it in deed is by the testimony of the spirit l. 1. c. 7. Sect. 4. of his Inst. as to the course that Paul tooke with the obstinate Jewes it was very commendable becaus they said they beleived the Scriptures and seemed to esteeme them much though they opposed the truth witnessed to in the Scriptures so that it is evident that some great pretenders to the Scriptures can make a cloak of them to deny Christ himselfe as yee doe at this day And though Paul tooke that course with the Iewes yet wee see hee tooke no such course with the Athenians to wh●m he cited no Scripture nor endeavoured to perswade them by it but told them they were the off spring of God and wished them to feel after him who was not afar of from every one of them thirdly sayest thou the saints had recourse to the Scriptures in the examination of Doctrines So have wee too as befor has beene declared but that will not prove the Scripture is the rule Pag. 16. Fourthly thou sayest wee ar commanded to search the Scripturs Iohn 5. 39. Answer The words may be translated you search the Scriptures as Pasor translateth them But wee doe acknowledge the Scriptures are to be searched but are not to be rested in which was the Iewes fault who vvould not come to Christ to get life thinking to have eternal life in the Scriptures vvhich Christ cheks them for and that the Scriptures are profitable for doctrine correction instruction vvee owne and are commended for their dignity and authority but they are thus profitable onely to such as come to the Spirit to guide and direct them hovv to make use of them else they may prove an occasion of stumbling as they did to the Pharisees hence it is said that the man of God may be perfect mark the man of God not every Man novv no man can be truely called the man of God but hee that is led by the Spirit of God Next thou vvouldst undertake to prove that it is not the mind of God that the Spirit within men should be the Rule in which thou fallest very short as appears by saying that Christ made use of the Scripture to prove himselfe c and not the light within And did these Jewes receive him who had the Scriptures did they not reject him and why because they hearkned not unto the inward voice and testimony of the Father concerning him and this was the testimony which hee said was greater then that of Iohn though Iohn was the greatest of the Prophets and those vvho beleeve had the witnesse in themselves 1 Ioh. 5. 10. but to th● unbeleiving Iewes hee said yee have neither heard his voice nor seene his shape Secondly Thou sayest there is an expresse command to try the Spirits 1. Ioh. 4. 1. Answ. but is there any word there of trying them by the Scripture Cannot the Spirits be tryed by the Spirit of God or is there any better way to try them How tryed Peter the spirit of Ananias and Saphirah And is not the tryall and discerning of Spirits the priviledge of the Saints now And how is it a peculiar priviledge to saints unles it be done by the Spirit of God For the Scriptures any can make use of the Apostle Iohn writing to the Saints concerning seducers points them to the Anoin●ing which remained in them and did teach them all things and by this they did know all things and consequently Spirits 1. Iohn 2. 20. 26. Thirdly thou sayest undoubtedly there are strong delusions c. Ans. there are so indeed But was there any more strongly deluded then the Pharisees Yet how much did they lay claime to the Scriptures how came they then to be deluded who wer so skilled in the Scriptures according to the letter of them and the poor People who were not so skilled so rightly to hit the matter And as to thy question what way shall the delusion be tryd if you neglect the VVord of God and look only within Answ As for the VVord of God nor yet the Scriptures testimony wee neglect not but what way thinkest thou shall the delusion be tryed If you neglect the Spirit within and look only upon the letter and words vvithout you if the Delusion be strong in the heart will it not twine and vvrest the Scriptures without to cause the Scriptures to seeme for it and suppose a man be deluded with a Spirit of delusion what can help him but God whose Spirit searcheth all the deepest things of Sathan and can and doth dscover them to those vvho love to be undeceived and are faithfull to God in what they certainly know And though the same deluding spirit who deceived first may deceive over againe that makes nothing against the insufficiency of the Spirit to discover the delusion but if a man be deceived either first or againe he is to blame himself for his defect in not being duely watchfull and faithfull in what is discovered to him of God truly and certainly Consider the tendency of thy argument which strikes not only at the certainty of the Saints faith now from the Spirit within and the assurance of knowledge there from but also strikes at the very certainty and assurance of all the Faith and knowledge the holy Prophets and men of God had from the Spirit vvithin when Seripture was not Wee are in no greater hazzard to be deceived now then they were then You that set up the Scripture as your only rule the many sects of you what jangling and contesting is among you while one pleads for his sence and another for his which all proceeds from their wandring from the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures And as to satisfying of others wee refer recommend them to the same Spirit in them to receive their satisfaction from that which only can and will satisfy them who wait for it in singlenes Pag. 18. And whereas thou sayest the Saints are led and guided by the Spirit but it is according to the Scriptures So say wee too But it doth not therefore follow that the Spirit hath so tyed and limited himselfe to the use of the scriptures as alwayes to use them in every particular step of his guiding the Saints the Spirit is free to use or not use the scriptures at his pleasure and guideth the Saints in many particular steps of their life for which there is no particular scripture either to approve or disprove them in As for the more sure VVord of Prophesy wee grant it is the rule but deny that that more sure VVord is the Scriptures but it is that VVord in the heart from which the Scriptures came and in and by which the Scriptures are to be interpreted and is it not grosse blindnes darknes to say the Scripture is more