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	holy_a	prophet_n	1,854	5	6.2449	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52677	An account from the children of light (to them that askes) in several particulars why we have been kept from joyning to, or worshipping in those formes at law, and formes of worships, that have been imposed upon us against our consciences, in these late years, for denying whereof, we have so deeply suffered, with our lives, liberties, and estates. : Also what we owne as to those things, and can be obedient to for conscience sake, according to truth, and the practise of the church of Christ, and the Scriptures.	Naylor, James, 1617?-1660.; Hubberthorn, Richard, 1628-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing N256; ESTC R27517	31,099	57

Land might have become as Sodom and not one have known the Lord nor his word And as it was in the dayes of the false Prophets so hath it been since the dayes of the false ministry for which many have suffered since the dayes of the Apostles for testifying against such as have erred in Spirit forme and doctrine from Christ Jesus and his Apostles And this hath been from the indwelling power of Christ in them and his precious light shining in their hearts and consciences that they have thus been preserved and enabled to beare the testimony of Christ against false worships and worshippers and so it is at this day in all who keepe a pure Conscience towards God in all his word and worship that his true and spirituall worship might not be wholly lost out of the world Also if at any time their Kings or Rulers forgot God or Kings arose who knew not God and then would lay upon them Laws and Commands which was not just an● lawfull for them to doe then by the light of Christ in a pure Conscience they was enabled to withstand it even unto death As that of Mordecai and the Jews who would rather all be destroyed then bow to Hammons pride at the Kings command though Englands people would have said this is but a civill thing and duty and good manners and the like yet Gods Law in their Conscience they preferred above all that the King commanded contrary thereto yea life and all would they lose rather then defile their Conscience towards God or deny his Law there though no Law without had forbidden such a thing Yet in other cases did they appeare true and subject to the King for Mordecai's truth saved the Kings life not long before though from man he had little reward for it Likewise might be Instanced that of Daniels praying contrary to the decrees of the King his Counsell of Presidents and Princes and that of the three children against the fierce Command of Nebuchadnezzar in denying to worship at his will and pleasure likewise that of the Apostles when their Rulers and Priests also charged them straitly not to preach any more their answer before authoritie was we ought to obey God rather then men yea it would be too long to tell how many godly men and women upon the account of a pure Conscience not onely hazarded their lives but lost life and all for the testimony of a tender Conscience as might be instanced But this may be said for all That if they would but have denyed the law of God in their conscience and conformed to the wills of men and their laws not o●e of all the Prophets Apostles or all the holy men of God need to have suffered death or spoyle So now in that any of us by the same spirit of Christ and from his light and law in our Consciences are moved to goe testifie against false Prophets false worships and declare the way of truth to all people against them to their face And if Rulers have been so opposite to this as to make laws against it and to command us to bow and worship at their wills which for Conscience sake towards God we could not for which we have suffered the spoyling of goods long and heavie imprisonments shamefull usings and losse of lives also I say in this we have a cloud of witnesses even the Lord Jesus our Captaine and the whole body of Martyrs who have all gone before us in the selfe same obedience of faith and Spirit and have suffered the same or such like things from Rulers that knew not God and teachers that knew not God in their dayes and all of them in their dayes was counted offenders hereticks or dispisers of Authority or some such reproach was cast upon them by their accusers and persecuters for obeying the law of their God in their Consciences whom the Rulers of the darknesse of this world have not known nor can know till they beleeve his light in their own Consciences So it is not for new things nor strange opinions which was never in the world before for which we suffer though to the world they seeme new and strange but for the very same workes of the same Spirit of light and truth which hath often appeared in a poore contemptible people and hath as often received the same measure from them who professe him in words but in workes deny him by such have we suffered who read and preach the same in words which this eternall Spirit in us now worketh And with such who with words garnish the sepulchres of those whom their fathers slew are we counted great offenders for being found in the same way and practise and in obedience to the same Spirit in that measure as we have received it So we have this added to the testimony of a good Conscience towards God and towards men that we suffer not for evill doing though as evill doers to wit the practise of holy men and the Scriptures of truth which will owne us herein and stand on our parts against all our adversaries and accusers And t●is will be proved so when we come to particulars wherein we differ from the wayes and worships of these present times and for which we are so much hated and persecuted And we know that it will not be found harmfull to the bodyes estates or well-being of any Christian neighbourhood nor of any other people in the nations to practise those things wherein we differ in civill and temporall things nor hurtful to the soules of any In the things wherein we differ in religious or spirituall matters from the severall opinions and formes of worships that are or have been set up in these nations As we shall make it plainly appeare if either Spirit of truth or Scripture of truth or things equall may but be received on our part Now we shall mention some particulars in which we differ for Conscience sake from some of the formes traditions and commands of the men of this present age and the powers that have ruled therein under whom we have therefore suffered as evill doers And first as to those things which some calls civill ANd indeed it may be wondered at by any moderate people that in a nation called Christians any man should suffer so much as to be called an offender for some of the things which I must mention upon this account especially they being layd upon us by the spirit of Christ as matter of conscience and by a people so highly pretending for liberty of Conscience As it hath been layd upon us by the Spirit of Christ to use the same single language to all sorts of people which the Scriptures uses and all the holy men of God therein have ever used that is to say thou to any one person and you to more then one A language sound and true to God and man which the Spirit of God first spoke and gave to man and of man

though persecuted But in all these we read not in all the Gospel worship of any Temple made with hands to bind men to nor Parish Churches nor preaching by the houre nor for so much a yeare nor that ever Minister of Christ tooke tyths nor their hearers gave them but confessed Christ come and a free Gospel and said ●oth the Priesthood that tooke tyths and the Law by which they received them was disanulled by the sufferings of Christ nor doe we read of sprinkling Infants and calling that baptizing them into the Church nor doe we read of their singing Davids words in a meeter nor praying in a forme nor a Clarke to lead the Psalme and say Amen And much more we might mention which was never used so in the true Church but is come to a forme since Popery came up the Scripture beares no testimony thereto as now these things are used and all that can be truely said for them is long custom but from plain Scriptures they cannot prove them Indeed we read in the Scriptures of truth of the Gospel preaching but it was not limitted to one house nor by a glasse but from house to house and Citie to Citie and that by the Spirit and their worship was in Spirit they prayed with the Spirit and they sung with the Spirit and h● that had a Psalme sung it with the Spirit and with understanding also And they worshipped and preached in fields and mountains and streets schooles and markets and they prayed by Sea-shores or in any place where God moved and led them by the Spirit of Iesus And all this we owne which the Scriptures testifies to in our measure And this is that we would have all brought to tryall and that worship owned which Christ and the Scriptures ownes and none forced against it by any meanes whatsoever which is come up since the Scriptures was written and the Apostles times And this motion is not unreasonable hurtfull or dangerous to any especially we may say in this Nation how can it be denyed wherein all other formes in words professe the Scriptures to be a rule for all to walk by And to you all ●his is our motion that the Scriptures may be heard what it saith without wresting and what sort of worship it testifies of let that have the name to be of God and then let none be forced from it and if you deny to be tryed in your faith and profession by that you have so long called your rule and touchstone and then reproach and persecute them that walke in it will not your own words judge you before men and shall not you walke under condemnation from God in your owne Consciences And thus in short have we shewed our desires and what we would have in this thing which might free every tender Conscience from oppression and the Magistrates of the Nations from the guilt thereof before God Will you call your selves Christian Magistrates and Christian Ministers and set your selves against what Christ hath wrought by the power of his Spirit and is now working and thinke you ●re doing him service when you are grieving his Spirit and persecuting him in his members for doing that to which he immediately leads them now as in the dayes of old Is not this in effect to say depart from our Nations we will have none of thy wayes nor shall any under our government or that will follow our teachings obey thy Spirit if we can stop them by our power is not this to withstand his appearance and resist the power that you professe to rule for Doe you not read in the Acts of the Apostles what labour and suffering they underwent to bring people out of carnall rudiments and ordinances of men and to bring them to the worship in spirit and truth alone both as to time place and order how did they run in hazard of their lives into Temples Synagogues and set places of worship to bring them out of Temples made with hands to worship where the Spirit should lead them without respect of places that so the words of the Lord Iesus might be fulfilled who had said Not in the Temple nor in the mountaine but in spirit and in truth should the Father be worshipped and did not Stephen lose his life for telling them that God that made the world dwelt not in Temples made with hands and Paul suffered fo● the same testimony and they told them the most high God could not be worshipped with mens hands nor carnall things but in s●irit ●nd in ●ruth And how often was they tumul●ed and beaten and their bloud shed for this test●mony against the beggerly rudiments 〈◊〉 ordinances of men both of Iewes who had their ordinances from the letter and ●●so the Gentiles who followed their customers That out of all carnall things they might bring them to follow God in spirit and therein alone to serve him And while you professe all this in words will you be the men that will deny the very same in workes and shall you be guiltlesse shall not both Iewes and Gentiles rise in Iudgement against you and condemne you who acts against knowledge Scriptures and your owne profession And is it not so with you Rulers and Teachers of this generation what force and cruelty hath been used to bring people back to your Idol temples made with hands there to worship and no where else and to repaire them and to bow to the customes of men there set up for which there is neither Scriptures nor example even too many to mention what imprisoning and ●ormenting of the spirituall worshippers of the living God hath there been in these last dayes for these things what sufferings have some gone through but for testifying against these traditious carnal saying the Church must be in God and that every one must come to be led by the spirit alone in all their whole worships and so give the kingdome leading of his people to the leading of Christ that spirit againe in all things pertaining to worship life and godlinesse hath not this been a dangerous thing in thi● age to beare this record of God in Christ 〈◊〉 to become his witnesse how ma●y 〈◊〉 lost their liberties their estates and 〈…〉 lives for this testimony in word 〈◊〉 ●●●c●ise which reconciles to God in all 〈◊〉 whole worship and yet the same is read and preached every first day among them that doe this to such as live the life thereof for Iesus sake these are not the workes of Christians indeed in the Apostles sence but of such as know not God nor the word of reconciliation have not How many have suffered in this age but for reproving sin in the gate cursing pride lying and swearing how have some been beaten puld and hailed and dragg'd through streets and channells and before Iudgement seats and to prisons for no other things how many have wofully suffered but for preaching repētance through streets towns and