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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	true_a	1,952	5	4.9061	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30720	A name, an after-one, or, Onoma Kainon, a name, a new one in the later-day-glory, or, An historical declaration of the life of Shem Acher especially as to some more eminent passages of his day relating to his more thorow lawful call to the office and work of the ministry for about twenty years last past. ...	Bampfield, Francis, 1615 or 16-1683.	1681 (1681)	Wing B627; ESTC R16732	65,787	41

and others † 1 Cor. 12. 28 29. Eph. 4. 11 12 13. Act. 13. 1. 1 Cor. 14. chap. Apostles and Prophets are expresly mentioned as established Officers set and appointed by Christ in his Church This was not confined only to Judea for in other parts of the inhabited Earth there was Job Eliphaz and others in the East who were eminent Leaders of Congregated Societies and there was a Balaam of Syria Mesopotamia who had a Prophetick Gift To distinguish of Prophets and of the several kinds of them and of the distinct parts of their Office is not my present work let it suffice at this time to shew that the LORD has not been wanting to his Church and People when he has been sought unto aright as to his gifting gracing calling and sending extraordinary Officers with a larger Commission than only to a small gathered handful of Disciples of Christ when the ordinary ones have been corrupted or negligent ignorant or unfaithful or upon some other special Occasions Shem in his own case tho altogether unworthy of the least and lowest place of Service ministerial in Christ's House yet for about these twenty years last past having been Christ's Servant to gather feed and rule a particular Church or particular Churches and to this day is so he has declared against his being staked or teddered down to any one Place or People he being Christ's Servant at his Masters dispose to do what publick work his LORD shall call him unto wheresoever to whomsoever it be having never as yet either singly by himself or jointly with others laid on his Hands upon any one as to an ordaining of him to the Ministerial Office This part of Shem's Narrative should put some dissenting Brethren upon more serious considering whether they have not been very short of their Duty who have cryed down and run down all gathered Churches and Church-Ministers because of some Antichristian and Unscriptural Principles and Practices corruptly crept in some for five others for ten some others for twenty othersome for thirty years together not seeing or not believing or not acknowledging or not promoting any extraordinary Ministry over gathered Curch or Churches set up by Christ in the room thereof And O! who will give that this seasonable Word might fall and abide with kindly in working Efficacy in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power upon prepared Hearts and unprejudiced Minds both as to non-Church ones and also as to the present Claimers of Ministry by Office whether National Classical Congregational pleading for a right in their Tenure whether by Succession Authority from the People or what else That one and another may yet be think themselves of a more Scriptural way for the informing setling satisfying healing and uniting of Christians As Scripture-History doth clear it up that so it hath been so Scripture-Prophecy and Scripture-Promise will fulfil and accomplish it that so it shall be in this latter-day-Glory even a Prophetick Apostolick Evangelick and otherways extraordinary Ministry as well as a Pastoral Teaching ordinary Ministry revived and advanced continued and blessed such special Administrators in Christ's House by whom resort shall be to the Mouth of Jehovah to ask Counsel at an Oracle of Aelohim who has in all Ages of his Church both before and since the Apostle's days sent some special Messenger or Messengers to witness for Himself and for the Truths of Christian Religion against the Corruptions of the Times and Age wherein they lived tho the number of such under many Providences has been but small and the true Ministry and Churches have not so shined forth with visible Pomp and outward Glory There may if Jehovah our Aelohim and Adonai do bring it forth by and in the Hand of his Providence shortly come abroad a Scripture-Directory concerning an House for the Sons of the Prophets for the training up of such whose Hearts the LORD shall make willing to study useful Arts and Sciences in the Book of Books the Holy Scriptures of Truth Inspired Gifts and Acquired Gifts where * 2 Tim. 3. 14 15 16 17. 1 Sam. 10. 5 13. 2 Kings 2. 3 5 7 16. 4. 38. both are sanctified how useful are they when employed for the Edification of the Church and People of Christ And who of us can tell but that the open declaring for both these by some Gentile-Christians and Believers and Ministers who express their Faith in Prophetick Scriptures that † Isa 32. 15. 44. 3 4. Ezek. 39 29. Joel 2. 28 32. Ezek. 47. 1 12. 1 Cor. 12 13 14. ch 2 Cor. 3. 17. 18. there are near at hand some further more immediate Inspirings from the Holy Spirit with extraordinary Charisms or edifying Gifts and those of working of Miracles and Gifts of Healings and of Tongues particularly For * 1 Cor. 1. 22 24. the Jews do to this day require a Sign and who withal do in the use of ordinary means wait upon the Holy Spirit for his inner Teachings and for his Blessings of their unwearied Endeavours and diligent Industry of their serious cryings after Scripture-Knowledg in the Original Language and giving their Voice for Understanding seeking her as Silver and searching for her as hid Treasures For the Greeks do still seek after Wisdom I say who knows but that both Jew and Gentile may fall in love with this Art of Arts and Science of Sciences if Jehovah will in either or in both these ways give Wisdom out of whose Mouth Knowledg and Understanding when Wisdom shall thus enter into Hearts Oh! how pleasant will Knowledg be to the Soul † Mar. 16. 15. Mat. 28. 18 19 20. Gal. 2. 7 8. Isa 40. 9. 52. 7 8. As the LORD here tofore honoured some of the Christianized Jews to be under him his Apostles for the converting of the Gentiles so in these later Days he may honour some of the Christianized Gentiles to be under him his Apostles for the converting of the Jews and Israelites * Zech. 2. 5. Isa 46. 13. then shall the LORD and his new created Ones be the mutual Glory of each other Oh! how glorious a Day will that Day of such Glory be PAVL † Acts 9. 15 20. 26. 16 20. 1 Cor. 15. 10. Paul being thus put by Christ into the Ministerial Office sets about the work wherein he laboured more abundantly than all the Apostles his Travels up and down with the Gospel as one Historian has computed them were ten thousand two hundred and seventy Miles from his first beginning until his being Prisoner in Rome and altho he might have required maintenance * 2 Cor. 11. 9 10 11 12. 12. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. 1 Cor. 9. thorow yet for the Gospel's sake he did forbear the demanding of it † 2 Cor. 11. 21. and so to the end 4. 6 7 8 9 10. Gal. 6. 17. Rom. 3 8. His Sufferings were many and great his being reproached was

his sore Tryal particularly that * 1 Cor. 9. 5. for his leading about of a Sister a Wife † 2 Cor. 11. 28. He had care of all the Churches * Act. 9. 26 27 28 29 30 31 38. 11. 26. 14. 22 28. 18. 23 27. 19. 1 9. 20. 1. 7. 21. 4 16. 1 Cor. 16. 10 11 12. 2 Cor. 8. 16 17 18. Deut. 18. 6 7 8. 1 Cor. 3. 21 22. Where he made or found thorow Disciples of Christ in any City Town or elsewhere he had and held actual Communion with them SHEM ACHER Since Christ's more thorow Calling of Shem Acher to this Office and Work of the Ministry the LORD has given him a willing and ready mind and heart gladly to spend and be spent in his Service and for Souls and although his Travels have not been comparable for Miles and for Countries with Paul's yet he has had a Desire that way if Christ had called and enabled him thereunto and he had this Honour put upon him to be one of the first who set up open Separate Meetings in two or three Counties And for his Diligence in Preaching it is well known to many of which he gave good Testimony through Grace to the God of which Grace he ascribes all the Honour especially for five years in a great Town in Dorcetshire and afterwards whilst above nine years the LORD's Prisoner towards the latter end of which part of his Confinement in Dorchester he did preach sixteen times a week for some weeks besides other occasional work and since his coming near or into the City of London he has not been idle As for filthy Lucre he has not greedily sought it Whilst he received Tithe-Maintenance in a private Parish which was near one Hundred pounds by the year it was spent amongst them in Hospitality in providing for the Poor in buying of Bibles and such like in setting the Poor on work for he suffered no Beggar knowingly of all the Parishioners and towards parting with them he laid out about three hundred pounds in building a new House which he left to such as should after succeed him to labour in the Word and Doctrine This Estate he freely left to answer a Call unto a Neighbour Town where was much Work and little Wages For the small Tithes belonging to the Vicarage were so inconsiderable that when one whole years Profits were given to the King upon the Benevolence-Act the Man who was to gather the Profits for the King had at the years end laid out about five shillings more for decimation and in collecting than he had received which he doth not mention to reflect it upon the Inhabitants of that Town some whereof were not backward in contributing but all that and fourscore pounds Annuity of his own setled upon him by his Father was spent upon the place except what was laid out in Books and such like He also freely restored Thirty pounds out of which himself took not one shilling which was procured by some of the Town and paid to an Assistant as an Augmentation which ran in Shem Acher's other-Name If any take himself to have been wronged or defrauded by him let such prove the Charge and he will make Restitution Numb 16. 15. 1 Sam. 12. 3 4 5. Luke 19. 8. 2 Cor. 7. 2. For seventeen years or thereabouts altho he hath refused many pounds yet he doth remember but one piece of Tithe that he received of any which was brought to him by a Fellow-Prisoner conscientiously as she declared which was a very little Pot of Honey the Tenth-part of some Hive-Honey which she had in a little Garden of hers in the Country which to satisfie her he did receive from her hands but he presently gave it back to her again and a shilling besides This he doth mention to wipe off that Slander of Self-seeking who during his Ten-days Tribulation lived upon his Annuity whilst a Prisoner and since his coming to London he has done the same Tho his Judgment be that Decimation is the Peoples Duty about which he hath drawn up several Arguments in another Paper reserved for such a season when such Doctrine is like to have a readier reception What his Sufferings have been are well known to some * Rev. 2. 10. in nine full years close and hard Imprisonment and the beginning of a tenth besides those continued Reproaches Slanders and other Opposings which have assaulted him for about these last seventeen years more especially both from declared Enemies and pretended Friends But blessed be Jehovah who has enabled him in any good measure † 2 Cor. 6. 3. 10. to endeavour to give no just offence or occasion of falling in any thing that the Ministry might not be blamed but in all things has endeavoured to approve himself as a Minister of God in much Patience in Afflictions in Distresses in Imprisonments in Labours in some Watchings and Fastings by Pureness by Knowledge by Long-suffering by Kindness by the Holy Spirit by Love unfeigned by the Word of Truth by the Power of God by the Armour of Righteousness on the right hand and on the left by Honour and Dishonour by evil report and good report As a Deceiver and yet true as unknown to many and yet well acknowledged by some as dying and yet behold he lives as chastened and not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoicing He forbears to enlarge much more upon this as not knowing how that will be received which is already mentioned However he doth † Col. 1. 24. rejoice in his Sufferings for the LORD's People and by way of Correspondence and Conformity to Christ is filling up that which is behind of the Afflictions of Christ in his Flesh for his Bodies sake which is the Church * Act. 9. and in many other p●aces of the Acts of the Apostles Mat 3. 13 14 15 16 17. 4. 1 17. As it was with Paul and as it was with Christ so also with Shem Acher a flood of Temptations and Persecutions brake in upon him when he thus passed under perfecting the Ordinance of Baptism and into a more thorow discharge of his Ministerial Function As Paul was so also has Shem Acher been much slanderously misreported concerning his Authority and Power of leading about of a Sister a Wife in his travels Historians do differ in their Judgment about Paul whether he were actually married or not Eusebius Pamphilus nameth Clemens and Ignatius and some others there are w●o hold that he was married That which doth perswade Shem Acher that Paul was married besides somewhat else which he could produce that way is † 1 Cor. 7. 7. that expression of Paul I would that all Men were even as I my self which being interpreted of abstaining from Marriage altogether were a very sinful wish in him For if simply and absolutely taken if such a Will and Desire had obtained all the Race of Mankind and the whole Church of

Sins was drawn up signed sealed and delivered received applyed and witnessed to his Soul the Crown of all be on the Head of the free Forgiver since which signal Pardon Shem has not that he remembers had almost any considerable fears of Hell at all to speak of at any time upon him Thus there is * Mat 18. 1 2 3 4. Luke 22. 31 32. Conversion after Conversion In all which Relation concerning his Conversion Covenanting Espousing to and with Jehovah Aelohim he doth not impose his Experiences as a Rule for others to measure the Truth and Soundness of their turning to the LORD by in all and every of the parts degrees and Circumstances of them provided that their Conversion be indeed true and serious sound and sincere according to Word-warrant and approbation it highly concerns them to see well to this and duly to examine themselves by Scripture-Rules about it that they do not deceive themselves If further Evidence be called for he can add these comprehensive Particulars That † Eccles 9 3. Gen 6. 5. Rom. 1 30. Mat. 15. 18 19 20. Mark 7. 21 22 23. there is no one Sin in the Seed of it in corrupt Nature or in the Thought of it at least in the Imagination which ever any of the Sons or Daughters of Adam on Earth or in Hell for the kind of it either thought spake or did recorded in the Word or communicated to him by the voluntary Confession of others which he has not had both some sight of some sense of and some hatred of yea some ways worse than ever he yet read or heard of by inventing of such evil things in the Phancy as he doth not know any other Man or Woman in the World did ever contrive This Universal both Original and Natural Corruption which has so defiled his whole Man in all and every of the parts of it being so direct a Contrariety and Enmity to and against that Holiness and Righteousness which is in God and in his Law having been Shem's Burden both Night and Day for many a long Year * Rom. 7. 17 25. 8. 2 3. 13. 14. 4. throughout 2 Cor. 5. 19 21. Dan. 9. 24. Rom. 3. 19 20 26 Isa 45. 24. Rev. 19. 8. Luke 7. 47. 1 Joh. 1. 9. Col. 2. 13. Isa 38. 17. Mic. 7. 18 19. Psal 103. 12. Isa 43. 25. Psal 32. 1 -5. Rom. 1. 17. Isa 45. 25. Jer. 23. 6. Tho he doth thank God through Christ Jesus his LORD that the Perfect and All sufficient Sanctification of Christ's Humane Nature and the through and perfect Obedience performed by Christ in the whole Course of his Life whilst conversant amongst-Men here on Earth is imputed unto him for Justification in the presence of God and has been so imputed he by Faith putting on the LORD Jesus Christ and being cloathed with his Righteousness whereby his Sins have been forgiven cast behind Jehovah's Back into the bottom of the Sea passed by forgotten and blotted out and not imputed Jehovah Christ being his Righteousness in which he doth stand righteous before the Judgment Seat of God That he knows not any one Saint either on Earth or in Heaven so far as we have Scripture-Records of these in the Word who experienced either edifying Gift or sanctifying Grace or priviledged Enjoyment or useful Serviceableness and such like which he doth not heartily approve of and which more or less he hath not both holily with submission † 2 Cor. 5. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum Ambitione contendimus we ambitiously endeavour aspired after and some ways so far as he is concerned in his Place and Calling had some workings about it and by improving of Mystical Membership applied as his own That he knows nothing either in a whole Christ or in the whole Word of Christ of Holiness or of Righteousness which he would not have an universal growing Knowledg of and Conformity and Obedience to in all things in his whole Man That all these have been carried on for several years by a very sharp Contest and continued Conflict within more especially against the universal Corruption of his Nature which has very slily and sometimes fiercely assaulted him yet so as that tho there have been many a Foil and Fall in some particular Combates yet that the Issue of the Fights have been Victories Spoils and Triumphings This humble ingenuous Confession Shem Acher doth freely make of those secret Sins which no Man alive can so charge upon him which is one part of his Evidence whereby he doth conform to Christ's Mind * Ezek. 43. 10 11. Lev 5. 5 6. 22. 1 2 3 7. Prov. 28. 13. 1 Joh. 1. 9 10. Psal 32. 1● 5. 1 ●im 1. 13. 1 Joh. 3. 21. 4. 17. Heb. 4. 16. in his Word where it is required where Promises are made to it where Examples are recorded of it and which will give him the more boldness in the Day of Judgment before the LORD the righteous Judg and before Angels and Men. For these Considerations have brought his Spirit to this self-shaming acknowledgment so that he can die with the more Peace of God in his Conscience when the Hour shall come That the LORD hath graciously in some ascending degree manifested to him and revealed in him that inward Mystery of a † 1 Thess 5. 23. Joh. 3. 3. 4 5 6 7 8. Ezek. ●6 26 27. 1 Cor. 2. 10 16. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Gal. 5. 16 17 -25. Rom. 8. 1 -27. Eph. 2. 10 4. 4 5 6 15 16 22 23 24. 2 Pet. 1 3 4. New-Creature-Spirit in his regenerate State in Christ as distinct by a New Creation from his own natural constitutive Essential parts as a Man and from the Holy Spirit who was is the begetter of it by the immortal Seed of the Word and as contrary to that Evil Spirit Satan and to the Spirit of the World it being of that same Spirit which Christ as Mediatoral Head received without measure and is one of the highest Advances of a Believer in a growing and withal an humble frame to partake of the Divine Nature That * 1 Cor. 15. 10. Gal. 2. 20. 2 Tim. 2. 1. 1 Joh. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 13. 14. the Steps and Degrees of this Spiritual Growth have been more and more out of corrupt self off from idolized Creatures away from Duty-dependances into more and more of a State of Grace through and by that into a Life of and in Christ and through and by him into a Distinctness and Orderliness of Communion with the Father as the Father with the Son as the Son and with the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit and thence into a more raised Communion with Jehovah himself That all through † Gal. 1. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul went to Jerusalem to visit Peter so to visit him as that he might know from him or declare to him the History o● Persons and of things especially of