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	tradition_n	2,130	5	9.1915	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26832	Vulgar errors in divinity removed	Battell, Ralph, 1649-1713.	1683 (1683)	Wing B1150; ESTC R10796	49,392	154

opinion Have they never read that when it was in force according to the Letter a man was stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day But if the Equity only of that Law be in force at this day why are we accounted as Transgressors by them whilst we keep it according to the Moral Equity and the Precepts of the Church The truth is they are superstitious in the one and prophane in the other Can these men see that a Day may be holy because set apart for the service of God and can they not see that a Place likewise may be holy which is consecrated to his Worship Even the light of nature taught the Heathen if once a Thing was dedicated to God if it were a gift to devour that gift was Sacriledge and brought a Curse with it witness their Proverb concerning the Gold of Tholoss if it were a Place to prophane that place was sinful Procul hinc procul este prophani Conclamat vates and that they think so still I call the Morocco Embassadour to witness If it be said those times for Publick Worship are appointed by Gods immediate command as Moral and so are not publick places and in that respect we honour one more than the other I answer it is one thing to say it and another thing solidly to prove it for the set times appointed by God in the fourth Commandment were the seventh days from the Creation which on all hands is confest we keep not Again in what time soever the Church began to omit the last day of the Week and keep only the first that Week there was no seventh day Sabbath which could not lawfully have been done if one day of seven be moral and of perpetual Equity for what is Moral is unchangeable The truth is the fourth Commandment enjoyns us to set convenient times apart for Gods Service and that is a moral duty but our Lords Day is not appointed by that but by the Traditions of the Apostles and the Precepts of the Church Now we have not only the Precepts of the Church to esteem reverently of Gods House but the Precepts of the Apostles to do all things in Gods service decently and in order and when they did not St. Paul chides them thus What have you not houses to eat and drink in If any man hunger let him eat at home The dishonour that is done to God's House reflects upon God himself When Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel they brake down the house of Baal and made it a draught-house And so it must needs tend to the dishonour of Almighty God when we dishonour the place dedicated to his publick Worship Learned Mr. Mead did believe the instinct of nature taught the very Heathen that the Worship was dignified by the peculiarness of the place and the Magnificence of the Temple appointed for it It is likewise a Vulgar Error that possesseth the minds of many that to hear Preaching is the chief end of coming to God's House whereas joyning together in Prayer is to be preferred before it that which carries the denomination of a house is certainly the chief thing that is to be done in that house Now Gods House is not called the house of Preaching in Scripture but the house of Prayer I confess Preaching is a great Ordinance yet Prayer is a greater how meanly soever it is esteemed by many If there were nothing but Preaching they would come but if nothing but Praying they will not come But blessed Hannah was not of their mind she never refused to come to the Temple when there were Prayers there Surely the Error in this point is very great and one main cause I conceive is this people are lazy in the duties of Christianity and will not strive to enter in at the streight Gate now to hear a Sermon puts them to no great labour Nay happily the novelty of the Matter the variety of the Phrase may deceive that little toil of sitting and listening to it But Prayer is a lifting up of the Soul to God and our Souls are naturally tending downwards so that we may find it a weighty matter to lift them up long together and we are quickly weary of that work A righteous mans Prayer doth not avail much unless it be fervent now fervency cannot be unless our Hearts pant after God as the Hart after the Rivers of waters And to bring our hearts to this will cost us some pain unless we sigh and groan and so Gods Spirit helps us to do unless we mourn and weep so David often unless we wrestle with God as Jacob who wept and made his supplications unto him which things since they are so no marvel though a carnal heart had rather come to Preaching than to Praying 't is a great deal the easier duty take heed the Devil don't perswade you 't is in a manner the only duty lest he keep you with a form of Godliness without the power of it all your days When Joseph brought his two Sons to Jacob to be bless'd he thought his Father had been mistaken in preferring Ephraim before Manasses and he went to remove his Fathers hands saying Not so my Father this is the Elder lay thy right hand upon his head but he answered and said I know it my Son I know it he shall be great but truly his Brother shall be greater While some people think we are mistaken in preferring Praying before Preaching they are mistaken themselves and we may answer them We know not what we affirm we know it Preaching shall be accounted a great Ecclesiastical Ordinance but truly Prayer shall be a greater And as Publick Prayer hath a more especial promise to be heard than Private so likewise Prayers put up in Gods House have a more peculiar promise than if put up elsewhere Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and will bless thee All Objections to the contrary are but like those made against the waters of Jordan by Naaman Are not Abana and Pharphar Rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel may I not wash in them and be clean No the Promise is made to the waters of Jordan and not to those Now as the waters cleansed not the Leprosie by any Physical operation but by way of blessing so neither do our Prayers prevail for their worthiness but are heard for his Promise sake and his gracious goodness The Jews when they prayed at home were wont still to spread forth their hands towards the Temple 1 Kings 8.38 So Daniel his Windows being open towards Jerusalem he kneeled on his knees three times a day and prayed Dan. 6.10 Neither are people less mistaken concerning their Praises than concerning their Prayers in Gods House whilst they cry out of the Organ the Lute or the Harp as if it were sinfully ceremonious to sing Praises after that manner The Ceremonial Law was given by Moses but this was not given by Moses therefore

Christ on condition it might do his brethren good to salvation why should we be such envious and churlish Creatures as to shut up the bowels of Christ against the greatest part of mankind which he was pleased to open to every man in the world that would receive him If this Doctrine did shut them out of Christ or from being partakers of the benefits of his Death and Passion well might their zeal be kindled against it but seeing that it debars no man from their right declares Gods abundant love sets forth Christs diffusive charity to the whole race of Mankind what just cause of so much heat and passion against it Wherefore if any come unto you bringing this Doctrine that Christ died only for one of a City or two of a Tribe of which two he is always one in his own opinion you may be sure pity his ignorance and bid him not Godspeed Pray unto God to open his eyes to see the wonderful things of his Law to take away the spirit of pride from him which makes him put himself amongst the number of them Christ died for and shut out his Brethren I come now to answer those Arguments which they bring to establish this uncomfortable Doctrine that Christ died for all men is a comfortable Doctrine to every man and every man upon hearing and believing of it can infer then certainly he died for me But if he died but for a few there is just cause of doubting for every man whether he be amongst the number of the few and unless God give a particular assurance it cannot certainly be known The Arguments which are brought against this truth are these The first is taken out of John 17.9 I pray for them I pray not for the world whence they argue thus Those that Christ would not pray for surely he would not die for but he prayed only for the Elect therefore he died only for the Elect. I answer This was a peculiar Prayer which Christ made in behalf only of the Apostles as will appear by the Contents of the Chapter read the Contents and you will see it is so Christ prayeth to the Father that he will glorifie him that 's the Contents to the sixth verse to preserve his Apostles in unity and truth that 's the Contents to the twentieth verse and therefore to apply it as it is applied in the Argument is to wrest the Scripture to a sense it never intended These words I pray for them I pray not for the world c. are meant only of the Disciples and not of all the Elect in opposition to the wicked of the world as may appear by the Context verse the sixth I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world ver 12. Those which thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition It is impossible that the former words should signifie all the Elect in opposition to the wicked for all the Elect had not yet heard of Christ or that the latter onght to be so taken seeing he says one of them is lost which it is impossible that any of the Elect should be Verse 18. As thou hast sent me into the world viz. to preach the Gospel so have I sent them into the world This cannot be meant of all the Elect for are all Apostles all Preachers of the Gospel And lastly if at the ninth verse he prayed for all the Elect of the world in opposition to the wicked of the world as is contended for how comes he to say at the twentieth verse Neither pray I for these alone Nay the following words shew apparently that at the ninth verse he meant the Apostles only for he adds But for them also that shall believe through their word A second Scripture is this I am the good shepherd a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep Mark say they he doth not say he lays down his life for the Goats but for the Sheep I answer That Christ laid down his life for the Elect this place doth prove indeed but it doth not prove that he laid down his life for none but the Elect surely it doth may some say because none else are mentioned I grant none else mentioned in that place but they are in other places of Scripture but if that were a good way of arguing I will prove he died for none but for the wicked Rom. 5.6 In due time Christ died for the ungodly I pray who resemble the ungodly most Sheep or Goats Certainly the Goats why he died for the ungodly therefore for Goats and not for the Sheep according to their way of arguing Thirdly they object the Apostle in Rom. 5.15 says The gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many he doth not say to all I answer Many in that place signifies all as will appear by the Antithesis or opposition By the offence of one many he says are dead many there is the same with all for it were absurd to say some as coming out of Adams Loyns are not dead and if it signifie all in one place it must do so too in the other or the Antithesis would be defective and you would spoil the Grammar of the place If in any other place many signifie not all but part only as it may where it is said My righteous servant shall justifie many it is not because he did not die for them but because they would not believe in him He came to his own but his own received him not but as many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God Fourthly it is objected Christ fore-knew they would not be saved by him now what wise man will pay a price for a Captive when he knows before-hand the Captive will not accept of it or will come out of slavery but will be bored because he loves his Master To that I answer My thoughts are not your thoughts nor my ways your ways saith the Lord. They may as well question Gods wisdom why he would be at such pains to send his Prophets of old rising up early and sending them to those he knew before-hand would not hear them Ezek. 3.4 God told Ezekiel before-hand they would not hear yet saith God they shall know that a Prophet hath been amongst them So God will one day make the wicked know that he sent his Son to redeem them both from wrath and their vain Conversation and they judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life God in his wisdom saw it good to send light into the world even to the wicked of the world although he foresaw they would love darkness more than light because their deeds were evil And so have I done with their Arguments grounded meerly upon mistakes To conclude By the Parable of the King making a great Supper and inviting Guests that would not come it appears God provides all things requisite to