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	spirit_n	3,973	5	5.1707	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54055	Some considerations proposed to this distracted nation of England concerning the present design and work of God therein, upon their submitting whereto doth their settlement alone depend, and not upon any form of government, or change of governors, as that spirit which seeketh their ruin, tempteth them to believe.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1659 (1659)	Wing P1191; ESTC R8190	3,831	1

Some Considerations proposed to this distracted nation of England concerning the present design and work of God therein upon their submitting whereto doth their Settlement alone depend and not upon any form of Government or change of Governors as that Spirit which seeketh their ruin tempteth them to believe 1. THAT God in great mercy brake the bands of the Romish yoak which lay hard upon the neck of this Nation and was very weighty upon those consciences wherein the true reforming light did arise in any measure and who were in any measure true to that light which the Lord caused to break in upon them 2. That the reformation out of Popery was not presently perfected nay was never yet perfected but was very weak and low many things therein savouring very much of Popery the Nation being hardly able to bear at that time what was done so that there were many things still continuing which could not but be burthensome to the upright-hearted and to the tender consciences as the light which began their reformation did grow and increase in them 3. That the Lord God who in such great mercy had delivered this Nation from the yoak of Popery could not but expect that the reformation should grow and increase until it were perfected even until nothing were left which arose from that spirit from whence Popery sprang and which might in its proper tendency be serviceable to that spirit but that all his people in this Nation might have free liberty at least if not encouragement to return to the pure worship of him in spirit and truth even as in the dayes of the Apostles before the apostacy from the Spirit and from the truth 4. That the reformation out of Popery was not pursued as the Lord expected it should but a dark way of worship established in the land and a dark Church government both very like that of Rome whereby those that were truly conscientious and in whom the reformed light did further and further arise were reproached nick-named hated persecuted c. insomuch as that there was a bar set up against the proceeding of the reformation any further and a formal way of Church-government and worship erected which was pleasing to the loose and carnal Spirit but sharp cruel and burthensome to the stricter sort and to such as were tender-hearted towards God 5. That under this Church-government and way of worship there was a go●ng backwards towards Popery again instead of going further from it Things grew e●ery day worse and worse ceremonies dayly abounding and were more and more strictly injoyned wearing of Surplices bowing at the name of Jesus railing of the Communion tables and making steps up to it calling them high Altars bowing thrice at their approach to them having corporasses over the bread saying second service c. And the chief end of their visitations was to establish such things as these and to suppress Lecturers and conscientious Preachers among whom some fresh life did spring up for the relief of the needy and desolate and to curtal preaching and praying before and after Sermons yea and catechising too which by authority was appointed in the place of the after-noon Sermons when they found it exceed the limits they intended And this proceeded so far that there was very little difference betwen us and the Papists save only the name the worship in both becoming dead and formal and pleasing to the fleshly part but empty of that which should feed and refresh the Spirit Only the Lord had reserved to himself a remnant who could not bow to these things but groaned under them witnessed against them mourning bitterly to the Lord under the load and weight of them 6. That when the wrath of the Lord arose against this form of Church-government worship as indeed it was high time for the Lord to appear for the power and life of Religion was even expiring and he brake down all that stood up in the defence of it and gave much liberty to the oppressed spirits and consciences of his people yet this was not pleasing to the Nation but fain would they have had either the same form up again or at least some other such like in the stead of it whereby the loose spirit of the Nation might be setled in some way of formal worship and the growing reforming light snibbed in the spirits of the tender-hearted towards God Look back with a single and honest eye Hath it not been thus Hath there not been a sharp contention between God and this Nation concerning this thing The Lord hath risen to remove the yoak from off the oppressed that he might cause the Powers of this Nation to let the oppressed conscience go free but the Nation would have them bound It is still crying to the powers and authorities in being to lay the yoak on again When one power is broken down because it is not faithful in the Lords hand but starts aside from the Lords work for which it was chosen to another of its own chusing it seeks to have another harder power set up I mean harder to the tender conscience yet God overturns that also and what can stand before him who is risen to shake terribly the earth and to make the Oakes and Cedars thereof to fail totter and fall O England Will nothing serve thy turn but the enslaving of Gods heritage That tenderness of conscience 〈◊〉 God hath begotten in his people is his own is that which he will inherit It is that which he brought out of the Egyptian darkness of Popery and which he is now redeeming and delivering from the relicks thereof and if these three Nations should for the generality joyn together as one man yea and though other Nations should joyn with them yet wil they fall short of power and wisdome to prevent the Lord of bringing to pass his intended work Was it the generality of the Nations God redeemed out of Popery or was it a poor persecuted remnant for whose sakes he did it and whom he chiefly had respect unto And is not the Lord able to carry on this work further and further Did he suffer them alwaies to be stopped in their progresse and held in bondage by Episcopacy Nay did he not at length break it down at their cries and for their sakes And do ye think he will now suffer the line of Presbytery to be stretched over them to keep them down from rising up any further in obedience to the pure Law of life in their Spirits O England in the zeal of the Lord of Hosts I could bid defiance to all thy councils and strength though I should see thee encompasse round his poor suffering seed who are very weake and foolish as to that kind of strength and wisedome because mine eye seeth the Almighty one before whom in thy greatest strength and height of confidence thou art as nothing engaged against thee but I rather chuse to mourn over thee and to wait for the