Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	church_n	2,501	5	4.6398	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B22780	Englands deplorable condition shewing the common-wealths malady, by [brace] sacriledge, and want of duty in the people, contention, want of charity in the ministery, perjury, and want of truth in both : and its remedy by [brace] the peoples obedience and liberality, the ministers love and unity, both their repentance and fidelity : briefly declar'd in three treatises of [brace] the ministers patrimony and peoples duty, proposals to reconcile such as are for lordly episcopacy and un-ordain'd presbytery, for popular independancy and upstart antipædobaptistry, and against perjury : also, a petition for the Jews.	E. F.	1659 (1659)	Wing F18	72,509	69

Word of God the touchstone of all truth the best judge of all Controversies it appears there were no ecclesiastical Bishops or Elders in the Church of Christ in the Apostles dayes but such as were either extraordinarily Called and sent by Christ as were the Apostles Prophets Evangelists Workers of Miracles and such as had the gifts of healing or speaking with or interpreting of divers Tongues a 1 Cor. 12. 28 29 c. Ephes 4. 11. or else such as were ordinarily called and sent by these or by the Presbytery of ordained Elders who impos'd their hands on them with Fasting and Prayer b Titus 1. 5 7. Acts 14. 23. 13. 2. c. 1 Tim. 3. 10. 4. 14. 5. 22. 2 Sith in each Congregation or Church we read of in Scripture there were more than one ordained Bishop or Elder in the Primitive Church placed there according to the bigness of the City or Church by the first Planters c Acts 14. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 20. 12. Phil 1. 1. Titus 1. 5 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 Sith many were given by Christ to the Church Ephes 4 11. and placed there by the Holy Ghost Acts 20. 28. and 1 Cor. 12. 28. and by the Apostles Acts 14. 23. Titus 1. 5 7. yea Christ when he sent forth his Apostles paired them which also the Holy Ghost confirms in sending Paul and Barnabas after they had been separated or ordained by the E●ders of Antioch for the work whereunto God had ca●led them d Acts 13. 1 2. yea when these two holy men differed in judgement yet singly they went not alone to plant or water the Churches for Paul chose Silas and Barnabas Mark both which were teaching Elders e Acts 15. 39 40. 16. 13. 4 Sith we read of one Elder of a Church absent and so detained by St. Paul f Phil 2. 30. who had other Elders to feed them g Phil 1. 1. C●l 1. 7. and of Epaphras at Coloss Minister who was with the Apostle at Rome whilst the Church had Archyppus to teach them Colos 4. 12. 17. 5 Sith its inconvenient if not hurtful to have but one Bishop or Elder in a Congregation to feed and rule the people therein who being sick as was Epaphroditus of Philippi or otherwise lawfully imployed as was Epaphras of the Church of Coloss h Phil 2. 25. Col 4. 13. the Congregation in the mean time may starve or want food at least be neglected and exposed to danger as sheep without a Shepheard i Ezek 34. 8. and the publick Ordinances of Christ be omitted on the Sabbath day or at least not be so seasonably and perfectly performed as they ought to be as is evident by daily experience in many places and therefore its necessary at least convenient that there should be more than one ordained Elder in every Church otherwise how can he aright receive the Lords Supper when there is no Elder in Christs name authoritatively to bid him take and eat and to represent Christs person to command him to do it as Christ gave it to his Apostles and they distributed each to other and so to the Church as they had received of the Lord k Luke 22. 17 1 Cor 11. 23 24. Vt in prima coenae institutione discipuli oculos habuere intentos ad Dominum qui ad mensam sedens porrexit discipulis corporis sanguinis Sacramentum ita nos quoque levemus corda nostra ad Dominum qui illi● agens nobis ministrorum manibus porrigit verum suum copus c Haeming Comment in Loc August de Consensu Evang lib 3. Mat 5. ●7 for the Minister his action and words are herein Sacramental it belonging only to the Ministers of the Gospel to break the Bread and bless the Cup 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. though some unwarily of late have practised the contrary nor Secondly without there be two or more of those ordained Elders in a Church can christians perform the duty the Apostle requires of them in sickness viz. to send for the Elders of the Church to pray for them James 5. 14. nor can one Elder annoint the sick person with Oyl in the name of the Lord the Commission being given not singly to one Elder but jointly to two at the least Nor Thirdly can the people observe aright as I conceive those rules of giving them double honor 1 Tim. 5. 17. 1 Thes 5. 12. and to know them that labor among them and are over them in the Lord admonish them to submit to and obey them that watch for their Souls and are their guides Heb. 13. 7 17. if there be only one Elder in their Congregation Nor Fourthly can the Doctrine the Minister preacheth be so fully co●firmed unless there be two or three of the Elders to ratifie it Christ himself had his Father with him to bear witness of the truth he spake John 8. 18. though his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had been sufficient for in the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word shall be established l Mat 18. 16 Nor Fifthly can the discipline of Christ in each Church be rightly administred unless there be two or three of th●se ordained Elders gathered together in Christs name to bind or loose as Christ requires m Mat 18. 17 20. which makes up a Representative Church as the company of Prophets are called n 1 Sam 19 20 for so Christ speaks to his Apostles and in them to the Elders that succeed them What ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and what two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing ye shall ask it shall be done for you of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 18. 18 20. Nor lastly can the wicked be so fully convinced neither here in the Church nor yet hereafter in the day of Judgement unless there be two or three of these o Luke 10. 16 Acts 13. 46 2 Thes 1. 10 therefore St. Paul excommunicates not the incestious Person but as joyned with other Elders p which authority the Lord gave unto them for edification q 2 Cor. 10. 8 yea Christ himself distinguisheth the Elders l 1 Cor. 5. 4 and Angel of the Presbytery in Thyatira Rev. 2. 18 24. from the people and divers of the holy Martyrs in the Primitive Church confirm the same r Clem. Epist ad Cor pag 54 Polycarp Epist ad Phillip Ambros Com. in Eph cap 4 Iraeneus calls all the first overseers of the Church of Rome Presbyters s Iraen Epist ad Victor adv Haeres lib 4 chap 43 as Saint Luke long before had called all the Bishops of Ephesus Acts 20. 17 28. yea Evaristus Martyr who was the Angel or chief Presbyter of the Church of Rome ordained seven Presbyters to be in every City for Doctrine and Discipline t Gratian dist 93. cap legimu● Cyprian would do nought

Angels without whose counsel nothing was done in the Church r Ambr. Com in Epist Tim cap 5 and let all these labour in the Word and Doctrine and in ruling the Congregation committed to them either by course in their several places of meeting as the Priests served in the Temple s Luke 1. 5 1 Cron. 24 19. whilst the rest are imployed in ruling or else let them constantly preach as now they do in their several Parishes both publickly from house to house privately as Saint Paul did t unless sickness or some Acts 20. 20 Moses chose Rulers in Israel over thousands hundreds fifties tens to judge the people Exod. 18. 25 other necessary occasion hinder any of them at which time let the other Presbyters assist him that is wanting and so let them all rule joyntly with common consent the Church of God committed to them 4. It seemeth fit that the eldest Presbyter if he please to accept of it or the next Senior that will accept of it be with common consent of the Presbytery and congregation chosen Angel of the Church for such we read werein the seven Asian Churches approved of by Christ to whom he directs his Epistles and so it was in the first Century though soon after altered as Ambrose confesseth u Rev. 2 3 capita Ambr. Com. in Epist ad Eph. capit 4 See the Appendix in Iu● Divinum Ministerii cap. 6. 7 that the Ordination that was then in the Church agreed not in all things with the Ordination that was in the Apostles dayes for St. Paul calleth Timothy a Presbyter a Bishop created by him for at first Presbyters were called Bishops and so the elder Bishop or Presbyter departing the next following succeeded him and because the following Presbyters began to be found unworthy to hold that Primacy by the advice of a Counsel this form of succession was altered that not order but desert should create a Bishop thus in time the Church forsook the Apostolical pattern under a shew of wisdom as the Apostle saith and establisht a humane tradition in its place and the best way to reform its corruption is to teturn to its Primitive institution as Christ removed Bigamy out of the Church of the Jews w Mat. 19. 8 Such at this day are the superintendents amongst the Germanes as Zeppyrus writes lib. 2. cap. 10. ●un contro lib 8 2. cap. 5. no● 1 and let the Angel in each Church be the first Presbyter in order of all the rest but not in dignity or office above them for though St. Peter wills the younger Presbyters to submit to the elder x Pet. 5. 5. yet are the elder also to be subject to them and so the Holy Ghost requires a subjection each to other The Angel of the Church is to be Moderator in the Assembly and collect the Votes and propound questions to the Presbytery for Reformation and therefore Christ blames them when they were negligent herein y Rev. 2. 2. 14. 20 ch 3. 1. 15 they are to see that all things in the Church be done decently and in order with the advice and consent of his Co-presbyters But he is not to have any power or jurisdiction over the other Presbyters or more than the rest sith the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven are equally committed to them all nor hath the Pope of Rome or any other Bishop mo●e power than other Bishops herein z Harmony of Confes page 364. see Sect. 11 as the Belgick Church concludes therefore in al● Acts of Government let them be done by the common consent of the Presbyters or major part of them as it was in the first Counsel * Acts 15. 6 22 23 of the Apostles Presbyters and Bishops in their assembly in Ierusalem with the consent of the Brethren for though the Presbyters are to separate the precious from the visd a Jer 15. 19 and to judge what is good or ill truth or error who are holy who prophane who clean or unclean and authoritatively to declare them so to be b Lev. 13. 3 Deut. 21. 5 8 and though the Ministers of Christ as was before prophesied of them should stand in judgement and teach the people between holy and prophane d Ezek. 44. 23 and Christ gave to them the power of loosing and retaining sin e Mat. 18. 18 John 20. 23 yet the Congregation of Israel were obliged in general by Gods command to put their sentence in execution as to shut out the Lepers out of the Congregation whom the Priests had declared to be such f Numb 5. 2 3 so also under the Gospel St. Paul requires the Church of Corinth to put away the incestious person whom he and the Presbyters had pronounced unclean for he had determined of him already 1 Cor. Hac increp●tio quae a pluribus sie Arius Mont. Int. 5. 4 5. 7. 13. and he desires the Presbyters when they were gathered together in Christs Name and his Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus to deliver him over to Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit might be saved and after enjoyns the whole Congregation to purge out the old Leaven and to put away from them that wicked person nor were they to receive him in again till the Presbyters should pronounce him clean no more than the Lepers were to be received into the Camp till the Priests pronounced them clean nor did the Church of Corinth receive him in again till St. Paul had judged of him and pronounced him clean so absolving him and desiring the Church to receive him and the Presbyters to forgive and comfort him for he judged sufficient unto him was the increpation which was inflicted by many g 2 Cor. 2. 6 many blamed him for his sin and scandal and executed the sentence St. Paul and the Presbytery had pronounced upon him but they did not judge and censure him as our Democratical Brethren would have it assuming to themselves the K●ye● Christ never gave them for they belonged to the Ministry they received that power from the Lord h Lev. 14. 3 4 2 Cor. 10. 8 Ta●tae se uti dici● potestate quanta concessa est ab author Ambr Com. in loc all ●he Church cannot be head eyes or Rulers where then were they ru●ed and the rest of the body 1 Cor. 12. 14. or who then were to obey and submit unto their Rulers Heb. 13. 7. 17. 5. If either of these Elders dye let the people chuse Acts 6. 3. and 14. 23. and the Presbytery of that Congregation approve of and ordain another to take his office i 1 Tim. 3. 10 Acts ● 20. 6. 3 Ambr. Com. in ●●c vide Appendix Iuris divini Minist A●gl page 120 but if the Angel die let the next Presbyter succeed him for he is a Bishop or Angel who is first amongst the Presbyters as Timothy a Presbyter was a Bishop

in force still Therefore I humbly conceive that the Ministers of the Gospel ought to live of those things that are given and by devout men consecrated to Gods service according to the Laws of God and man and that their maintenance ought to be according to the greatness of their employment and to the number of Wife and Children in their Families which they are obliged to provide for e Acts 4. 37. 6. 2. 1 Tim. ● 8. Lev. 22. 11 12 as the Priests and Levites did of old with their Families And the Civil Magistrates if there be disorder in the dividing of the Churches Goods or ignorance and slouth in the Ministers or obstinacy and neglect in those that should pay their Tythes and Offerings may command the same to be rightly divided and see it be done as did Hezekias f 2 Chron. 31. 45 c who is said to do that which is good and right and truth before God verse 20. and they may punish or remove those Ministers that are ignorant or prophane even the chiefest of them as David and Solomon did of old g 1 King 2. 26. and 35. and C●nstantine the Great and Theodosius other Christian Princes under the New Testament h Theod Eccles Hist lib. 1. c. 20. lib. 5. c. 19 and cause the Tythes to be paid to the Ministers as Nehemiah did i Nehem 13. 10 11 c. who caused the portions of the Levites to be given and so did the pious Magistrates in our Land who made those Laws above specified requiring all sorts of persons to pay their Tythes on penalty as being due to Christs Ministers both by the Law of God and man Well they knew it was not in mans power to detain or take from God that which God required or by the motion of his Spirit was devoted to him and his Service such Houses Lands Goods under the Law was not to be sold or redeemed it was holy to the Lord k Levit. 27. 28. or as it is in the Original t was holiness of holiness that is most holy in respect of them that devoted them and therefore not to be sold detained or denied l God would not suffer them to redeem it to teach them constancy in all good purposes and words that so in them we may be unchangeable as God is Ainsw Annot. in loc no part of it may be held or kept back without theft that I say not Sacriledge the property being altered after it 's devoted as St. Peter told Ananias m Acts 5. 1 4. both before he sold 't was his own and after he had sold and received the mony 't was in his own power to dispose of it but when he had devoted the whole money to the free use and benefit of the Church to be distributed by the Apostles for him then to keep back part of it and to lay down the residue as the whole and to confirm it to be the whole with a wilful lye for this the Apostle sharply reproved him for thereby he tempted God and lyed to the Holy Ghost and therefore God made him a spectacle of divine vengeance for his detaining the truth in unrighteousness and for his Sacriledge for such a sin there is under the Gospel n Rom 2 22. as well as there was under the Law which is theft in the highest degree which St. Austin compares to Judas treachery o Ideoque Ananias Saphira in cons●etu Ecclesi●e mortui sunt ut Apostolica Atthoritas quanta esset ostenderetur quam magnum peccatum esset quod oblatum iterum ab Ecclaesia retraheretur monstraretur caeteri exemplo hujus castigarentur Aug. lib. 3. de Mirab. Sacr. Script for if he be accounted a Thief that steals goods from a private man how much more is a sacrilegious person a th●ef who dares to steal from God and his Church Qui aliquid de Ecclesia furatur Jurae perdito comparatur He which steals from the Church is to be compared with cursed Judas p Aug. in Evang John tract p. 50. the Heathens abhord this sin therefore we read that Joseph when in the Famine in Egypt he bought with Corn all the Land of the Egyptians yet the Land of the Priests he bought not for they had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh nor sold they their Land q Gen. 47. 22. whence Theodoret saith if wicked men so much reverenced ●hose gods which were not gods so that their Priests Lands given to them for the worship of those gods were not sold nor taken from them what impiety do those commit under the Gospel who will not suffer the Ministers of the living God to enjoy this liberty r Theodor. quest in Gen cap. 27. that so his service may be preserved and continue with them The Heathen to preserve their gifts devoted from the hands of prophane sacrilegious persons engraved on them these words Sunt bona Decrum ad h●c ne quis manum admoliretur s Valcrius max. lib. 1. cap. 2. and the Jews calld their devoted things chosen in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t Levit. 27. 28. Luke 21. 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wishing and judging them accursed that turnd them to any other use than to that they were devoted unto and so amongst us Christians the most of the Lands in this Island they were given to God and the Church with an execration on those to be separated from Christ and given to the Devil that should alter them or employ them to any other use than by the Donors they were at fi●st devoted unto which in general was the service of God although many in the times of Popery faild in the superstitious observing and requiring of many things which might have been Reformed and the deceased devout persons wills been observed inviolably in the general though not in that specifical service required 'T was so high a crime in the eyes of those that saw only by the light of nature that the Areopagit condemned Aelians boy for this sin u Aelian Hist lib. 5 cap 16. Var Hist God almost miraculously killd King Rufus w See Hoywoods History of the death of King Rufus by an Arrow shot by Sir Walter Tirrel at a Deer He was wont to call that got from the Church sweet-bread but it proved bitter to him at the last when he was slain in his sports in the new Forrest which for his pleasure he had made thereby depriving seventeen Churches of their Revenues and the Ministers of the Churches and also the people of dwellings depopulating those Parishes God had warned him x Prov 20 5. that it was a snare to devour that which was holy and after vows to make enquiry He had at that time also in his hand three gre●t Bishopricks viz. Canterbury Winchester Sarum and twelve Abbies in Farm his Brothers Son also was slain there y Fox Acts and Mon 1 Part

rise up in Judgement against those that fear not to offend the true God by Perjury who will not acquit an offender z Exod 34 7 The like dread of Perjury is reported to be in the Saguntines who chose rather to have their City ruinated than their Faith violated which they had made to the Romans a Aug. de Civitate Dei lib 3 cap. 20 Did not Amurath ubbraid the Christians with Vladislaus Perjury and will not both Turks and Heathens condemn our Religion as false when they shall hear that there is such Perjury and Falshood continued in amongst us that is not to be named amongst the Heathen as St. Paul speaks in another case b 1 Cor. 5. 1 What can this work amongst them at this day but obstinacy in their infidelity and blasphemy of that Faith which is the life of our Souls Dr Mortons Confutat of Equivoca● part 3 cap 20 Therefore Thirdly Let there be a day of Humiliation appointed by the Three Nations that every man guilty of this sin may smite upon the thigh and be ashamed and so may confess and forsake it but especially let such deeply humble themselves whose mouths have been full of Cursing and bitterness swearing on every light occasion powdring in their common talk as they they think their discourse but indeed putrifying it with prophane and cursed language and Oaths as the Devil that rules in them gives them utterance their tongue in St. James his phrase being set on fire of Hell c James 3 6 sc i●citata A diabolo Gebennoe inferni civi Gagneu● scol in loc Also let us bewail our wicked absolute and impossible Vows and Oaths which are not to be kept but broken d A turpi Voto muta de cretum quod iniquiter jurastine persolve James 4 17 if the Lord will saith St. James d. and so far as conveniently we may as well as lawfully saith St. Paul e 1 Cor. 10 23 are requ●red in those that promise ought Saul sinned in his rash Vow of killing him that tasted meat that day f 1 Sam. 14. 24 So did David in his passionate Oath to destroy Nabal and his Family for their Masters incivility and want of charity g 1 Sam. 25. 21 worse did those Forty that bound themselves in an Oath not to ●●t till they had killed the holy Apostle h Acts 23 12 this the very Papists condemn i Dr Saunderson de jurament sect 13 lect 2. for in an Oath we are to have regard as well to the matter what we swear as to the manner how we swear So said the Dr. of the Chair An unlawful Oath in respect of the act of swearing obligeth although it be certain what ought not to be performed ought not to be sworn nevertheless it may come and doth often come to pass that what ought not to have been sworn ought notwithstanding to be performed the thing being lawful not of it self but by accident viz the Persons swearing so it obligeth the Person swearing to his promise unlesse there appears some other sinful impediment as he instanceth in the Oath of the Israelish Princes given to the Gibeonites before mentioned they ought not to have sworn to them but having sworn they ought not to break their Oath which Sauls Posterity found true to their sorrow as well as all Israel k 2 Sam 21 1 2 c in this the Schoolmen are right l Aquin 2d● quest 88 Ar 2 3 Fieri non debet sed factum valet To prevent Perjury in the Universiries and Cities and Courts let the Statutes Laws and Customs which they are sworn to observe be set down in a Book or Table for Publick use to be made and truly used by all men in some Common Place where all may have liberty to read and know them that so men may swear in Judgement Justice and Truth m Jer 4 4 And to prevent this sin in Judicature at our Assizes and Quarter-Sessions let there be no Tales-men returned by the Sheriff or his Bayliffs nor no Jury-men allowed of but such as are approved of by the Testimony of the Minister and Church where they live to be wise and able men sound in the Faith fearing God and hating covetousness of knowledge in the Laws of the Land of holy life and conversation unto the Justices of the Peace in each County to serve as Jury-men who confirming them and allowing of them let these freely for their Countries good serve in all Juries without taking Reward for their pains on the penalty of Bribery unlesse what may be allowed by the Common Purse of the said County this will I believe destroy all our Hackney Jurors and prevent abundance of Injustice and Perjury now perpetrated in Courts of Judicature Fifthly Le ts all Repent of our rash swearing without Judgement and submission to Gods will whereby we have made our Wills superior to Gods whose counsel alone shall stand and he will perform all his pleasure who hath lately shewed our vanity and prophannesse herein in dis-enabling most of us to do what we absolutely Covenanted and swore to perform yea let there be no swearing but on weighty Causes n James 5 12 Mat 5 34 Aug lib 19 contra Faustum they ought to be used only in cases of necessity as men use dangerous Medicines Sixthly Let the Laws already made against rash Swearers and Perjured persons be put better in execution and let more encouragement be given to those shall discover them And let such as hear them swear rashly and falsly and know it so but shall not reprove them or see them punished let them undergo the same punishment as being partakers with or approvers of the same sin o Agentes Consentientes pari paena pu●ie●di sunt Linwood Lastly Let all sorts of Persons in the Three Nations faithfully perform their Vows Oaths and Covenants made with submission to Gods Will to their utmost power in their vocations and so far as lawfully they may though it be to the losse of their honors places offices or riches for what will it profit a man to gain the world and to lose his own soul as every perjured person that remains unrepentant in this sin doth p Mark 8 36 1 Tim. 1 10 Psal 24. 4. Therefore let every man do this seriously as in Gods presence who seeth him and beholds all his wayes before whom shortly he must appear and give an account for these Oaths and Covenants read over and piously meditate on the Oaths Protestation and Covenant he hath sworn unto and then let him pay what he hath promised and vowed without delay especially such things as concerns the glory of God the honor of Christ the good of the Church the maintenance of Truth Unity and Love the punishing of Hereticks Scismaticks and such as cause War and Division in the Nations and the flying of the sins we have sworn to forsake