Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60632
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A general summons from the authority of truth, unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience / by William Smith.
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Smith, William, d. 1673.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing S4304; ESTC R38258
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21,636
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28
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is much greater in the latter forasmuch as you exclude from that which you cause to be presented as an offence for not going to and then if People were willing to go they are excluded and being excluded they may not be received until they have purchased your Absolution and this maketh an offence on your parts and that according to your own conclusion For if not going be an offence then exclusion must needs be greater and that falleth upon you as the Actors and here you draw a guilt upon your selves in your own work And what neccessity is there for you to cast out and exclude People for that which they are not in is not this a high degree of confusion in your proceedings For if you would have People go to your Steeple-house and Service then overcome with Love and convince them by sound Doctrine and if you judge them unworthy then let them alone where they are and do not run your selves into such confusion as to cast such out as are without before and then judge them unworthy of coming in without your Absolution But if you should do so then you would lose your gain after which you seek and your Diana would fall and your Craft be spoiled and indeed to speak plainly that is the main thing you strive to uphold for your Courts draw sees from such as cannot withstand you and your Absolutions bring money from such as fall under you and so your proceedings end in money by which it is manifest that you are not so much for the honour of Almighty God as the love of Lucre and if that was not to be obtained there is good cause to believe that your Courts would soon dissolve of themselves but whilest there is any hope of gain or profit you will keep them up if the Magistrate will but help you and you have found out so many devices to compass your gain besides that device for not coming to your Steeple-houses and Service as it is a hard matter to escape your Snares especially such as be of a tender Conscience and for the sake of such here are some of your devices opened and with the Scriptures of Truth compared by which trial you are found much wanting 1. You have devised to bring people into your Courts for not Baptizing their Children as you call it and where doth the Scripture command Baptizing of Children after your manner as to sprinkle water in their Faces and to sign them with the sign of the Cross and to have Godfathers and Godmothers to undertake for them For though Christ in his love and tenderness towards little Children would have them suffered to come unto him and not forbidden and that he took them in his arms yet we do not â—â—ad that he sprinkled water in their faces and signed them with the sign of the Cross or that they had Godfathers or Godmothers to undertake for them but he said Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19.14 by which he shewed their Innocency and his love to them in that state And now you have gotten a Law to compel people to Baptize their Children as you commonly use it though Christ used it not and if People refuse to use it then you have a snare for them And was it not above four hundred years after Christ before sprinkling Infants came in Read Eusebius And Christ did not mention water when he sent forth his Disciples to Teach and Baptize all Nations but commanded them To Baptize in the Name or into the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 And the Apostle said That by one Spirit they were all Baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12.13 and this is beyond your outward sign which you are commonly using and it standeth by the Authority of the Spirit and of the Scriptures without the help of any Temporal Law And do you not say the Scriptures are your Rule and yet you are using such things as are not to be found in them and have a Law to compel or punish those that cannot use the same things with you 2. You have devised to bring People into your Courts concerning your Communion as you commonly use it and call it holy and it is believed that the Communion of the Saints and Apostles was as hoâ—y as yours and yet we do not read that they Excommunicated and cast such into Prison as would not be partakers with them And was not the Communion which they used the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ See 1 Cor. 10.6 And did not the Apostle put people upon the Examination of themselves before they ate of that Bread and drunk of that Cup which was their Communion 1 Cor. 11.28 So mark He did not say If there be any that will not receive this Bread and this Cup as we commonly use it that then we will Excommunicate them and cast them into Prison They did not proceed in such a manner who had the true Communion amongst them but said Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. So see what your Communion is who proceed to punish people that cannot receive it as you commonly use it for the Apostle bids People Examine themselves and so let them eat and you bid People either come and eat or you will proceed to punish them and here is a great difference between your minds and the mind of the Apostle 3. You have devised to bring people into your Courts for Error in matters of Religion and Doctrine by you allowed and do you not believe your selves That the Religion and Doctrine which Christ and the Apostles allowed was as sound and true as yours And we do not read that they Excommunicated and cast such into Prison who differed from that Religion and Doctrine by them allowed for the Apostle bid people examine themselves whether they were in the Faith He did not say You are in Error as to the Religion and Doctrine which we allow and we must Excommunicate you and cast you into Prison and we have a Temporal Law to do it but he saith Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your own selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 And by that Examination and proof he would bring people to know Christ Jesus in them and so bring them out of the Reprobate State in which is the Error And this was sound Doctrine by which he laboured to bring people to the knowledge of the Truth that they might be saved and that was to Christ Jesus in them who is the Salvation of God And so the Apostle would not that people should be Reprobate concerning the Faith and live in Error and therefore he preached sound Doctrine to them that he might open their Understandingâ— to know the Truth And the Doctrine that he preached was Christ Jesus in them And this was the Religion and
A General Summons FROM THE AUTHORITY of TRUTH UNTO ALL Ecclesiastical Courts AND OFFICERS Wherein they may see what Truth objecteth against their Practice and Proceedings in Cases of Conscience By WILLIAM SMITH And I will punish the World for their Evil and the Wicked for their Iniquity and I will cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible Isa. 13.11 London Printed in the Year 1668. The Epistle to the READER Reader WHere Knowledge is heaped up concerning Truth and the Truth not obeyed and practised it makes the World like a Wilderness or the height of Babel for all People are out of order that do not obey and practise Truth And by how much their Knowledge is large even so much the more Confusion aboundeth because that Knowledge pusseth up the fleshly mind with false notions and conclusions and whatsoever Worship is set up from such a knowledge it only receiveth Life from the Power of Temporal Laws and all such Worships either live or dye as the Law favours them or is against them and such things are gotten up among the apostatized Christians who are gone from the Spirit and Power of God And so Bishops Pastors Vicars Curates and People do erre and go astray from his wayes like lost Sheep as they confess And what is to be expected in such a Worship where the Spirit and Power of God is wanting And what is to be expected from such Bishops Pastors Vicars and Curats as erre and go astray from his wayes like lost sheep Do not such erre and go astray as walk in their wayes who walk not in the way of God And notwithstanding there is a confession of erring and going astray yet People are driven forward in such wayes by the force of Temporal Laws and so People must either erre and go astray or come under the punishment of such Laws Now let the wise and moderate Reader consider whither such are going as erre and go astray from the way of God are they not going to the Chambers of Death and Destruction And is there any cause why People should be forced by Temporal Laws to walk in that way Oh that it might be seriously layd to heart for such as erre and go astray like lost sheep have more need to forsake their wayes that to compel others to walk with them for Christ hath sheep that hear his voice and follow him and those sheep do not erre and go astray from his wayes but feed in his Pasture and rest under his Shadow and he saves them from the Wolf and Beasts of Prey And all such as confess they erre and go astray from his wayes they must turn unto him and follow him who is the Light of the World and Way to the Father and then they will not erre and go astray like loss Sheep but be gathered into the Fold and into the Pasture and there is neither Bishop Pastor Vicar or Curate that can come into this state but as they come to the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens them for who be from the Light are in Darkness and that is the cause why they erre and go astray like lost Sheep And can any be true Worshippers of God whilest they erre and go astray from his wayes And is not God worshiped in his own way And yet such as confess they erre from his wayes would force others so worship with them but such are seen in the Light and their end is manifest and many are delivered out of such wayes and gathered into the way of God and so he is known to be a Spirit and worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth which is his own way for his Spirit doth not lead astray from his wayes and they that have received his Spirit and live in it they live in the Truth and they that be in the Spirit Life and Power the outward Law can neither give Life nor bring Death upon their Worship because it standeth in the Substance which endures for ever So Reader be thou mindful to obey the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens thee and that will keep thee from going astray like a lost sheep for that which goeth astray is a wanderer from the Light which is the Guide in the way of God and they that erre and go astray are following and worshipping the Beast and false Prophet whose habitation is full of Persecution by which the Saints and houshold of Faith are afflicted But now the Lamb sits in Judgment and the Beast and the â—hore and the False Prophet are judged and their House will fall over their heads and those that sit with them and they will feel the â—urden of their house upon them and there will be none to take the burden of Therefore whoever thou art that readest mind that which giveth Understanding that thou mayest be a follower and worshipper of the Lamb and not of the Beast and the Whore and False Prophet for of 〈◊〉 Truth the Lamb and the Saints must have the Victory W.S. A General Summons from the Authority of TRUTH unto all Ecclesiastical Courts and Officers c. Friends YOU have taken upon you a Work of great concernment but how you are qualified and fitted for it is the thing to be considered for there are several Objections may arise against you and this is not the least Whether you be in such a Spiritual capacity as to judge of Spiritual matters or fully to determine cases of Conscience from a spiritual discerning and understanding for many are unsatisfied concerning the proceedings in such cases and it is not without some ground when your practice and proceedings in such cases are truly examin'd and rightly compared with the practice and proceedings of Christ and his Apostles who had power and authority in the true Spirit to try and judge of all things pertaining to the Conscience and though you pretend the same thing and have given your selves the title of Spiritual Men and your Courts Spiritual Courts and so sit to try and judge of things pertaining to the Conscience yet you are not found upon the true Judgment Seat neither do your proceedings in such cases run in a true Line of Spiritual Men before you So that the precept of the Spirit nor the president of Christ and his Apostles are not your Rule for where did they set up Courts to try and judge in such cases And who did they summon to appear before them and who did they Excommunicate for not Hearing their Service or for not appearing to their Summons or for not Baptizing their Children or for not Receiving the holy Communion or for not Repairing Steeple-houses which you call Churches or for not paying Tythes and who did they Imprison or cause to be cast into Prison when they had Excommunicated them Compare your practice and proceedings with theirs and then see if there be not good cause to Object against your practice and proceedings in such cases For