Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	bear_v	spirit_n	witness_v	1,996	5	9.3129	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41581	Of laying on of hands Heb. 6. 2. Or, a discourse containing these 4. chapters. 1. Of the several ends of laying on of hands, in the New Testament. 2. What laying on of hands, is not, and cannot be meant. Heb. 6. 2. 3. What laying on of hands, is and must be meant there. 4. That the laying on of hands, practised by some in these days, on all baptized believers, was never instituted, commanded, nor practised at all, by Jesus Christ, or his apostles in all the New Testament.	Gosnold, John, 1625?-1678.	1656 (1656)	Wing G1311B; ESTC R223702	12,054	16

Believers upon such an Accompt we would in great measure suddenly become their Proselytes But in this matter by their leave we are as confident as the silence of Scriptures can make us that there is not any one Text in all the New Testament that doth in the least justifie and warrant such a practice This is to appoint a means that was never of Gods Institution and therefore in the Use of it cannot expect his blessing but rather Who hath required this at your Hands Let experience testifie how much more of the Holy Spirit they have received then others of their Brethren who were never under this practice It hath not been our observation alone and with greife of heart we speake it could wish it were otherwise that instead of the Holy Spirit a strange Spirit another Spirit hath generally followed this practice so just it is with God to give over persons to their own Spirit when they introduce a tradition of their own for a commandement of God and pretend the Spirit for it And who is so ignorant that knows not what a strange rigid censoriousnesse hath possest the hearts and tongues of most of this way as if indeed they had received by Laying on of Hands another Spirit instead of the Holy Spirit of God Witnesse the saying of some of them that we are not yet babs in Christ have forbid some their houses who were instrumental in their conversion because they are not under this ceremony denying communion with their Brethren who in their own consciences are every way equall to them in Gifts and Holinesse and hold the same Faith and Doctrine of the Gospell and are of the same order and practise with them excepting this matter yea and have proceeded so farre as to excommunicate some for no other cause but this And as I was writing this one told me before good witnesse he was dealing with and in danger of Excommunication for this very thing Read these very men in Isa. 66. 5. Your Brethren that hated you that cast you out for my namessake said Let the Lord be glorified but he shall appeare to your joy and they shall be ashamed There is yet a fourth End proposed by some viz. That they are now waiting for the same Gifts of the Holy Spirit that were then given and therefore continue the Ceremony as a means to obtain them This is but little different from the first End But to this we answer 1. That there was never any Laying on of Hands practised in all the New Testament under the waiting or in the expectation of the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Spirit as a means to obtain them but as was said before was never practised by any till they had first received power from on high and these Gifts immediatly followed thereupon 2. When the Gift or power is restored then let the practice of the Ceremony be restored also For as when the power ceased the Rite by right ceased also so the Ceremony ought not to be practised till the power be again received for what is this else but to set a seal to a blanck And whether this Power shall be restored again or no is not our Enquiry at this time But when the Gift then the Rite otherwise we should restore an empty Form without its Power Again as they cannot agree among themselves about the End so neither about other Circumstances herein Some of them would have the Administrator to be only Messengers Others would have Elders also Though the Truth is that Laying on of Hands which they would have the Standard of this their practise was only administred by Messengers Peter and John Acts 8. Paul Acts 19. the only persons Ministering in this kind in all the New Testament However they can agree well enough in this as Pilate and Herod to crucifie Christ so they to deal hardly with if not to excommunicate their Brethren We willingly pass by other incongruities which they commit not worth taking notice of As the necessity they put of two being the Administrators of this work when as Paul alone Acts 19. did it And yet but once more practised in all the New Testament viz. Acts 8. We hope by this time we have said enough to all impartial men who are not carried otherwaies more by Will and prejudice then by Scripture and Reason For those that are already under this practice we hope they will consider what hath been here delivered in all humility of mind as those that have spoken the words of truth and soberness our Consciences bearing us witness in the Holy Spirit aiming at nothing more than the truth of the Gospel and the peace of the Churches We pray that your own names and credit may not lye at stake in this matter a temptation too incident to flesh and blood and we trust the same God that hath carried out many of you very far in the waies of self-denial will teach and help you at this turn also to judge it no dishonour to recede from error how long soever embraced and to take up truth when e're you find it Our bowels yearn towards you and we are sad at heart when we think of the sad account some of you have to give in this particular either for dividing from Churches where you have had sweet communion together with your Brethren or for dividing of Churches or at least keeping them from uniting together and all this upon no better an account then I may say a meer empty Form and Ceremony We will only say this This will be your loss in the day of our Lord Jesus which is shortly coming Our heart is enlarged towards you but we shall leave you to judge of this as God shall direct you in your most retired and serious thoughts Only we have this to adde that we had not set Pen to Paper had there not beene such a violent imposition upon the Churches of your Imposition of Hands as to make it essentiall to Communion The blessing of the Almighty goe along with it that as we have sowen He will by his good Spirit be pleased to water and we shall expect a plentifull Harvest for we can assure our hearts That we are not as many which corrupt or deale deceitfully with the word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ FINIS We hope you will fear the Wo written against them that add to the word of God ●●●●cially in the worship of Christ See Deut. 4. 2. 12. 32. Rev. 22. 18. Prov. 3● 6. Add not thou unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a 〈◊〉