Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53999	Jerub-baal, or, The pleader impleaded being an answer to Mr. Croftons (lately published) plea for communion with the Church under her present corruptions, &c., entituled Reformation not separation by way of humble remonstrance thereunto : shewing, that non-communion with the Church of England in her liturgy and common-prayer, in those that (yet) joyn with her in the substantial ordinances and instituted worship of Christ, is no schism, and that such are unjustly called separatists : in a letter / written by T.P. for the private satisfaction of a friend, and by him published for common benefit.	T. P.	1662 (1662)	Wing P112; ESTC R7299	36,119	58

breach in tantum though not in totum a breach in yet 't is no interruption or breach of Vnion but rather a temporary intermission of Comfortable Communion What though the Trees of Righteousnesse have their Autumn-season their fall of the leaf the trees of the Vineyard as well as those of the Forrest There is still an Indeficient principle of life in them by vertue of their incision and ingrasture into their Common Root Christ the Tree of Life This is both defensive and offensive Armour against our Arminian Adversaries who daringly assert a Schism and Seperation here de possibilis that is that 't is possible for the truly Faithfull totally and finally to apostatize from Christ and thus of true Converts to become very Cast-awayes sad doctrine Might we receive what they obtrude for Orthodoxy verily we might betake our selves to our pen and write our faith vain all our prayers lost and our selves of all men most miserable If the foundation be destroyed what can the Righteous do But now here is the Beleevers Fort-Royal namely his Inviolable Conjunction with his Living Head Christ this is an impregnable bottom of Saint-stability groud of Christian-perseverance and guard against their total-final Apostacy Quatenus unimur munimur this Vnity is our Safety By vertue of this to speak a big word the State of grace is equally safe though not equally comfortable with the State of glory and the Spiritual State of the weakest equally safe though not equally comfortable with that of the strongest Beleever salvation being annexed to a Real Vnion with Christ which is grounded on the truth of Faith not to comfortable Communion with him which ordinarily attends the raised degrees and strength of Faith Conclude we then all the Members yea the very meanest of the Church Invisible to be in this sense Invincible Obeunt non pereunt dye they must perish they shall not cannot None of them is lost The second is that Vnion and Communion wherein all the Members of the Church Catholick-Visible the Professors of the true Religion throughout the world are by vertue of their Common Profession of One Lord One Faith Eph 4.5 One Baptisme Gospel-doctrine and worship united amongst themselves and joyntly concorporated with Christ as One Entire Body Catholick Now to apply this to our purpose 1. The Vnion that is between Christ and the Catholick Visible-Church considered as a Collective Body of Professors is also un-interruptible admits of no breach She in this sense can neither by Universal Apostacy fall off nor by any Violence be broken off from her Common Head Christ True The Church hath her Moon-like waxings and weanings gradual though not substantial Changes SIONS Sun hath his Apogaeums and Perigaeums The Waters of the Sanctuary their Reciprocations they often ebb as well as flow The Churches Glory is frequently what by Intestine Corruptions and Divisions what by forreign Combinations against her and Torrents of persecution clouded and eclipsed insomuch that an ICHABOD might often seem best to become her whom yet her Lord hath dignified with this title of honour Christ-Mystical But the Light of the Church though often eclipsed was never as yet extinguished being continually renewed by the Auxiliary influences of the great Sun of Righteousnesse The Truth hath in no age wanted either Patron or Proselyte The Visible Church surely was very Consumptive when the whole Body seemed to be contracted to one Member abridged in a single Elijah that second Jerub-baal a Champion-Zealot for the Truth and yet even then were there no less than 7000 Non-Conformists in Israel 1 King 19.10.14.18 God had got their Hearts and now Baal shall not so much as have a knee Reflect we upon the Primitive Churches Sanguine Complexion under the Tyranny and ten Persecutions of the Heathenish Heroes when the whole earth was * Aug. in Psa 118. Vid. Corn. Tacit. Lib. 5. Annal. Tertul. Apolog advers Gent. purpled and scarleted with Martyr-blood when the very name of Christian was a Crime when he that professed himself a Christian dyed by a Sanguinary Law enacted to that purpose without either self-defence or conviction when thousands were dispatched being nominis tantum et sectae rei guilty of a meer name Christian When Dioclesian that Infernal Wolf having upon a Hell-devised Oracle or Prophecy viz That if the Christians were but once cut off the Roman Empire would wonderfully flourish caused no lesse than 17000 to be massacred in one moneth did most wickedly boast De delet● nomine Christiano That he had everlastingly rased out of memory and utterly abolished the very name of a Christian yet could not the sword of violence ever intersect the line of Church-Succession yea the more they were mowed down the more they multiplyed Plures efficimur quoties metimur saith that Christian-Mecaenas * Apolog. adver Geut Tertullian Againe who could have expected any to have appeared for the patronage of the Truth under the Torrid Zone of Antichristian persecution and yet behold even then hath Christ his two Witnesses Rev. 11. Two though but two though the least number yet a number though a small yet a competent number a Quorum of Witnesses by whose testimony the opposed Truth should be protected and established so impossible a thing it is that Christ should ever be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without a Witnesse Call we to mind Modern Persecutors That English Lionnesse Q. M. with her Wolf and Leopard Brethren in iniquity Bloody Charis the fifth and the Duke of Alva both which died their souls red with blood they having destroyed of Protestants the one 50000 in the Low Countries the other 18000 in Belgia in six years time the French Massacre Anno 1572. Even all the conflicts between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent since the quarrel was first begun in Paradise which hath been fiercely pursued well nigh six thousand years All that time hath God uninterruptedly maintained a continued Series and Succession of Persons notwithstanding Captivities and hostile Cruelties Patriarks Prophets and all the Old-Testament-Professors Apostles Fathers Councels Confessors Martyrs and all New-Testament-Saints in and by whom the true Religion hath been professed preserved and successively though not alwayes very successefully propagated kept by some guarded by others and through good providence transmitted by all to us Isa 53.10 'T is impossible that Christ should want a Seed a Church or that Church a Guardian and Defendor of the Faith For the Church to be Christ-lesse and for Christ to be Church-lesse are equall impossibilities The Church Militant is Christs Sublunary Kingdom which admits of no Interregna or Vacancy There is in her though not an Infallibility yet an Indeficiency Subject she is to Corruption within but not to Interruption to Obstruction from without but not to destruction She is a house built upon a Rock Mat. 16.18 and this Rock is Christ the Foundation as well as Founder of his Church therefore she must needs

the second Proposition seems to be firmly grounded on the Authentick Decretal and Resolve of the famous Synod of Jerusalem consisting of Apostles and Elders Men extraordinarily gifted and infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost Act. 15.28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than those necessary things An Imitable and Regulative Example to all Councels and Convocations in succeeding ages for there the Holy Ghost Himself was President as I may say it seemed good first to the Holy Ghost and then to Vs. 'T was His Own Visum est and Canon All Peace be on them that walk according to this Rule That the Liturgy or Common-Prayer is an Vnnecessary Constitution which is the Assumption none 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none of the Necessary things licenced by the Holy Ghost appears to me from a threefold consideration namely Of 1. Christ 2. The Spirit and 3. The Gospel 1. All Necessary Parts of Divine Worship are by Christ who is the Churches Law-maker as well as Peace-maker the great Master of Assemblies undoubtedly instituted and appointed else that might be justly imputed to the Son from which the Holy Ghost acquits the Servant Heb. 3.5 which were blasphemy once to imagine and 'twere not a little strange if when the Man Moses did punctually prescribe all the Tabernacle-Appurtenances even to a Pin and Snuffers the Lord Christ should not also be faithfull over his house in describing and prescribing all the necessary Parts of his Worship and Service as if Scripture-Oeconomicks were defective and incompetent Church-Rules without the Contribution of Men-devised additional-traditional Forms c. But now the Liturgy or Common-Prayer that Constitution is none of Christs either in respect of Composition or much lesse Imposition Ergo c. Most of the Matter though I grant to be Divine yet that will not prove the Constitution the thing in question Divine What need many words For the Lords sake let either Precept or President in either Christ or his Apostles be produced for such a Frame Contexture and Constitution of worship and the question is decided The Lords Prayer is an Instance and President say some 'T is Authentique Common-Prayer indeed and that which I reverence for the Authors sake but not idolize but that it is a Form needs proof however be it a Form be it a Pattern it makes nothing against me for if a Form then Humane Forms are Vnnecessary that is my Quaesitum unless men will tax Christs Own with some defect or Insufficiency Frustra fit per plura c. Religion abhors Superfluities as well as Nature If Christ hath accommodated me with a Divine Form of Prayer one of his Own I may by Authority slight all Humane Forms in the world Again If a Pattern then no President nor Protection to Set-Forms c. 2. Where the Spirit of Prayer is plentifully effused and diffused there Set-Forms of Prayer are unnecessary because whatever Benefit can be imagined to accrew from Forms all that and much more doth accrew from the Spirit Are Forms Helps to the weak cannot they go without them The Spirit helpeth our infirmities Rom. 8.26 He being the Christians Auxiliary in as well as the Author of prayer Are Forms Guides to the Blind cannot they see without them The Spirits Office is to guide into all Truth John 13.16 Now this same Spirit is plentifully powred out in gospel-Gospel-times being Christs Exaltation-Donative Act. 2.1 2 3 4. Eph. 4.8 By vertue whereof the Christian hath commenced a degree above the Jewish Church This being subjected to a Servile and Infant-state the Legall Constitution That being promoted to a Filial Adult-State the Evangelical Constitution of the Church Ergo c. 3. The Gospel Christs Canon-Law is as a Perfect System of Sound Words and Doctrine so a Sufficient Directory for Worship able to make the man of God perfect 2 Tim. 3.15 16. without Humane Contributions Ergo c. I am not ignorant that Errour hath its Advocates 't is pleaded That Set-Forms of Prayer are needfull for maintaining of Vniformity c. Good Lord have those Patrons no better Pleas than what Adulterate-Rome may espouse for defence and insinuation of her Masse-Service and Metropolitical Antichristian Head Are there no Church-Ligaments no Bonds or Badges of Church-Vnity but what would inevitably destroy Church-Purity if not eftsoon Church-Entity Why will men create more Necessities than the Word will warrant and thus occasion more Sins than ever God forbad But enough of that Sir With Your leave I will now conclude that our Liturgy or Common-Prayer is unnecessary therefore unwarrantable not usefull not needfull therefore not lawfull 3. That that which is not commanded in the Worship of God viz. in poynt of Matter or Manner is consequentially forbidden the third Proposition may be in my Judgment undeniably concluded from these three gradual Axiomes which are indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Innate Rational Principles viz. 1. There is a GOD This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very First and Fundamental Article of our Faith a Truth which the Creatures may serve for Catholick Teachers the Vniverse for an Vniversity to school us in Rom. 1.20 Creation-works are a Revelation-Book which reveals a God though not a Christ a Deity though not a Trinity Natural Conscience is a Bosom-Volume wherein we may read the same which should a man become a tractable Disciple to he should never die in this sense Atheist or Infidel Davids Fool may say in his heart Psal 14.1 There is no God but 't is not said he really thought so for this is a Truth which may be read by Natures Common Light yea by that of the Sun Moon and Stars 2. There is Worship due from the Creature to this God This is a main 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1.19 one of the prime things which may by Natures Light and Creature-evidence be known of God a Principle depending upon the former That very Light which convinceth men of a God-head convinceth them also of this Worship as a Natural Debt and Tribute due thereunto Both are Common-Creed Thus the Gentiles are not charged with Ignorance of a Godhead nor with neglect of Natural Worship the Thing but with a defect in the Manner of Worship When they knew God they glorified him not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 AS God Rom. 1.21 3. This God is to be worshipped in a way suitable to his own Will and Nature What more Rational then this What Heathen Socrates ascribed to his Idol-God surely we may and must much more ascribe to Our Only True God namely that he must be worshipped 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a way manner and method most pleasing to himself and what Manner or Method of Worship more pleasing to God then that which is agreeable to his Own Will or most suitable to his own Nature Now then to apply Since there can be no true Divine Worship which is not either suitable to Gods Nature