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	church_n	gospel_n	2,434	5	6.1451	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53677	The church of Rome, no safe guide, or, Reasons to prove that no rational man, who takes due care of his own eternal salvation, can give himself up unto the conduct of that church in matters of religion by John Owen ...	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1679 (1679)	Wing O727; ESTC R16357	32,804	52

from many instances that by Vertue of their Conduct they can change appearing Sheep at least as unto their natural Tempers into that which is Violent Bloody and Poysonous 6. Under pretence of being this Guide and to impose their Pretensions thereunto on the Minds and Consciences of men this Church hath filled most Nations of Europe with Blood and Slaughter making horrible Devastations of innumerable Persons both fearing God and living Peaceably in the World Ten times more Blood of Christians hath been shed by them unto this End than was shed in all the Primitive Pagan Persecutions All that Dissent from them may say Quae Regio in terris nostri non plena cruoris Is there any Nation in Europe that is not filled with our Bloud The Last Day alone can discover the Blood that hath been shed secretly or with little noise by the Inquisition in the Spanish and some of the Italian Territories England France Germany Flanders Holland Ireland can speak for themselves in the Cruelties which unto this End have been executed in them The sole Reason of all this Inhumane Violence hath been that men would not submit their Souls and Consciences unto that Absolute Power over them and Conduct of them which their Church claimeth unto it self And it is most Probable that their Absolute Conduct is of the same Nature with the Ways and Means whereby they do Attempt it or have Obtained it When men by Force and Fraud Blood and Slaughters do endeavour to impose their Rule upon us we are not to expect but that the Rule will be answerable unto the Means that are used for the Attaining it As in the first Planting and Propagation of Christian Religion the Way and Means of them were Spiritual Light and the evident Exercise of all Graces especially Meekness Humility Patience in Sufferings and Contempt of the World Hereon men had just Grounds to Believe and Expect that the Conduct which they were Invited and Called unto under the rule of Christ would be of the same Nature Meek Holy Just and Good whereof by Experience they found full Assurance So where the Rule of our Souls and Consciences is attempted and carried on by Violence Blood Cruelty and Desolation of Nations we have just Ground to believe that if those who use them do prevail therein their Leading and Rule will be of the same Nature It is but Reasonable therefore for any man before he make choice of this Guide to ask of himself or others these few Questions Is there any thing in the Gospel which gives countenance unto this way of imposing a Guide in Religion on the Minds and Consciences of men Was there any thing like it in the Practices of our Lord Jesus Christ his Apostles or the Primitive Churches Doth this way make a just Representation of the Spirit the Meekness the Holiness the Love the Patience of our Lord Jesus Christ Is it consistent with the Genius of the Doctrine of the Gospel the Religion taught therein as unto its Nature and Ends concerning our Deportment in this World and our Tendency unto another Can any man think without Horror that our Lord Jesus Christ should be the Authour of this way that he hath appointed that all men should be Starved or Hanged or Burned or otherwise Slaughtered who would not Submit unto this Doctrine or Rule of this or any Church as some of the worst of men shall please to state them Is not this that which among other things gives us Assurance that the Doctrine and Superstition of Mahomet were from Hell from the Old Murderer in that it is a prime Dictate of them that those who will not Submit unto them are to be destroyed with Fire and Sword By that time a man hath a little weighed these Enquiries with such other of the same Nature that may be added unto them if he be not forsaken of all sense of the Glory of Christ of the Honour of the Gospel of the Reputation of Christian Religion and all care of the Salvation of his own Soul he will make a long stand before he give up himself Absolutely unto the Conduct of this Church 7. I cannot but mention in the next place that which because it is commonly pleaded I shall but mention And this is that many important Principles and Practices of the Religion which this pretended Guide would impose upon us are evidently suited unto the Carnal Interests and Lusts of them who have the Conduct of it Such are Purgatory Papal Pardons Sacrifices for the Dead Auricular Confession with Priestly Absolution thereon Many have already declared how the Notion and Superstition of these things did both raise and do maintain their Revenues and are otherwise made use of to make Provision for the Flesh to fulfill it in the Lusts thereof And there lyeth no Encouragement herein to ingage Wise men to give up themselves unto its Conduct But 8. Considerate men will be afraid of that conduct under which Christian Religion hath lost all its native Beauty Simplicity spiritual Glory and Power How are these things represented unto us in the Gospel How were they exemplified unto us in the lives of the Apostles and of all the sincere primitive converts The Church was through them a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelt Righteousness The whole of Religion as it was at first professed was nothing but a Representation of the Wisdom Truth Holiness Love and Compassion of Christ an evident and glorious means to recover mankind from its Apostacy from God and to re-introduce his Image on the Soules of men a blessed way continually to exercise the Power of Love Goodness Charity Bounty Zeal and Delight in God a Testimony given unto the Truth Reality and substance of things spiritual invisible and eternal with their preference above all earthly things Under their conduct is this Beauty this Glory of Christian Religion lost and defaced Wee may say with the Prophet of old how is the faithfull City become an Harlot Righteousness lodged in it but now Murderers Isa. 1. 21. The Church is the Temple of God could we have looked into it of old wee might by faith have seen Christ sitting on his Throne the train of his Light Holiness Love and grace filling the whole Temple Look into it under their conduct and there is the dreadful Appearance of the Lawless Person the man of sin sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself to be God to our Horror and Amazement Look into the Primitive Assemblyes of Christians 2. Cor. 3. 8 9 10. you shall see Meekness Humility and the glorious Ministration of the Spirit in outward Simplicity Look into those of this Guide and you shall see them like the House of Micah Judg. 17. 5. an House of Gods with Molten Images graven Images Ephods and Teraphims multiplyed Instruments of Superstition and Idolatry Look on their Conversation of old in the World and it was humble peaceable useful profitable unto Mankind with a contempt of

of Christians that when once Persons begin to damn others in their minds for their dissent from them they judge themselves at liberty and count that it is their Duty to do them all the mischief they can in this World They first make themselves their Judges that they must go to Hell and then would be their Executioners to send them thither as fast as they can Whether this be a Representation of Christ or of the Devil is not hard to determine Sure I am it is not compliant with the advice given unto all Guides of the Church of an attendance whereunto they must give an account 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. And the Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil who are taken captive by him at his Will Hence it is that those who have a strong inclination to oppress and destroy other men which their Interest prompts them unto do endeavour to make every the least dissent from themselves on one pretence or other by Sophistical arguments and strained consequences to be a fundamental error and such as makes them incapable of Life eternal But no men can give a greater evidence of their disintrest in Christian Religion of their unacquaintedness with the vertues and Powers of it wherein the glories of it do consist and what is of real price with God than those who are so minded Blessed be God that Christ will not leave his seat of Judgment unto such Persons neither here nor hereafter But such differences as those mentioned will probably continue among Christians so long as they continue in this World For although all those among whom these differences are do chuse the same Guide yet they do not in all things equally hear and understand his voice Perfection in Light and Knowledge are required unto a perfect agreement in all the conceptions of our minds about spiritual things Wherefore it is reserved for Heaven where every thing that is imperfect shall be done away Here we have different measures We know but in part and therefore prophesy in part Rom. 13. 9. It is Love or Charity alone that supplies this defect and gives such an Harmony unto the different parts of the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church as renders them all useful and the whole beautiful 1 Cor. 13. Col. 3. 14. But these are not the differences which at present I intend There are those which in their Nature are of greater Importance such as are about the Fundamentals of Christian Faith Worship and Obedience such as upon whose determination the eternal welfare and misery of the souls of men do depend And not only so but they are such also which on that wretched mannagement of Religious concerns that late ages have embraced have an influence into the Peace or Disturbance of Humane Society the Tranquility the Liberty and Lives of men Yea they are by some promoted and pursued by all waies of fraud and violence with that height of Impiety as is utterly destructive of all Religion Many we have who plead themselves to be Christians which might be allowed them if they pleased themselves would they not do such things as Christian Religion abhorreth But this is the least part of their claim they will also be the only Christians all others who differ from them however falsely so called being only a drove of unbelievers hasting unto Hell Now although this be intollerable presumption yet because they hurt none by it but themselves if they will not be awakened from this pleasing dream they may be suffered to sleep on But they rest not here these Christians who only are so and so alone know truly what is in Christian Religion will do such things under a pretence of it will perpetrate such execrable crimes avowing them to be the dictates and commands of that Religion that if men were not sure that their former pretences are presumptuously false it would be a sufficient warranty for them whereon to question the whole Truth of the Gospel And these things are done in the pursuit of these differences in Religion which abound among us Wherefore if we would not contribute unto that intollerable scandal against the Gospel that the Religion it teacheth is pernicious to the peace of Mankind and all that is praise worthy in the World which must be accounted for if we have any care about our own eternal Salvation we ought to use our utmost diligence to arrive unto a safe conduct through all these difficulties This being our present case there being such differences in and divisions about Religion among us the mannagement of them being grown incurably scandalous and perilous our enquiry is what Guide or Conduct a man that takes care of his own Salvation that would know the Truth and have the benefit of it that would please God here and come unto the eternal Enjoyment of him hereafter ought to betake himself and firmly adhere unto as that which will safely lead and direct him unto all these ends For if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the ditch Two things are pleaded to be this safe and infallible Guide to have that conduct committed unto them which every one who takes care of his Salvation is obliged to betake himself unto The first is the Church of Rome She it is who at this time laies a most vehement claim to be the only Authoritative infallible Guide of all Christians as unto their Faith Worship and Obedience We enquire not after a ministerial Guide and the benefit which we may receive thereby This they regard not as that which leaves men the exercise of their own understandings and use of all Divine Aids and Assistances as unto the Information Direction and Determination of their Minds in all that they are to believe and practise in Religion But such a Guidance as whereunto by vertue of its Authority and Infallibility we are entirely and absolutely to resign our understandings and consciences what ever it leads us unto is that which this Church claimeth and without which she is nothing nor can stand one moment This is that which those who plead the cause of that Church at present do wholly betake themselves unto the promotion of declining what lies in them all other Differences and Controversies between them and us Such a Guide they say there must be of all Christians and this Guide is their Church And they do wisely consult their own Interest therein For if they can once gain this point all other things which they aim at will follow of their own accord and they may satisfy the desires of their hearts on the consciences of men Wherefore this claim of theirs consists of these three parts or may be reduced unto these three Heads 1. That