Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	damn_v	delusion_n	1,893	5	11.0930	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26986	Pneumatou diakonia, or, Gospel-churches a standing ordinance of Jesus Christ to continue to his next personal glorious coming, plainly proved : objections particularly answer'd / by an unworthy servant ... R.B.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1682 (1682)	Wing B1348; ESTC R30216	105,872	154

forcible compelling persons into and violent keeping them in its communion and fellowship If you 'l not be one with them then Fines Imprisonment Bonds attend you Penal Laws and Statutes are Enacted for this end and by these are men brought into and kept in the Antichristian-church And were these weapons of its warfare taken away 't would soon become as a garden of Cucumbers or perish with its own weight The attempts of the Papacy to reduce persons into their Communion by Fire and Sword their labours to preserve the Uninity of their Church this way is known Is there any thing like it owned by or to be found amongst the present Churches Do they not with one mouth affirm that 't is a voluntary departure from the worlds way and a spontaneous giving up themselves to the Lord and one another to walk with him in a subjection to his institutions wherein the form of the Churches lies Herein is a most Evident difference betwixt Them and the Antichristian-Church They talk of no compulsions but those of the Spirit and Love that make a people Volunteers in the day of the Lord's Power Lex nova non se vindicat ultore gladio is their Motto as is known 3. The Foundation of the Antichristian-Church is not Jesus Christ but the Sons of men one or other of them their Laws Canons Decretals upon which it is built Is this the case of the present Churches Do they not all of them with full consent proclaim their abhorrency of such a Foundation Is not CHRIST in their account the alone Foundation of all the True Churches in the world and they practise accordingly Their debates touching this matter with the Papelins about Mat. 16.18 from whence these endeavour to prove Peter and consequentially as they 'd have it the Pope to be the Rock upon which the Church is built is known to all that look upon themselves concern'd in these matters 4. The Doctrine of the Anti-christian-Church is a Doctrine of Devils 1 Tim. 4.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the doctrines of Daemons so the learned Mede renders it Some carry it thus doctrines which devils are the Authors of There 's a great deal of truth in that all the doctrines of the Anti-christian-church that are peculiarly hers are the doctrines of Devils But I rather think with that learned person that by doctrines of Daemons is meant those doctrines that have the Daemons for their Object Now these Daemons that were worshipped by the Pagans were 1. For their nature and degree supposed by the Gentiles an inferior and middle sort of divine powers between the soveraign and heavenly Gods and mortal Men. 2. For their Office to be as mediators and agents between these soveraign Gods and Men. 3. For their original either Angels or the Deified-souls of Worthy-men after death 4. For the way of Worshipping them to find and receive benefits from them 't was by Consecrated-Images and Pillars 5. Their very Reliques were adored and brought into Temples They that desire to see more touching this matter may at their leasure consult the famous Medes Apostasie of the latter times The Doctrines of Daemons then are the Doctrines of the Apostatick Roman-Antichristian-Synagogue touching the worshipping of Saints and Angels in imitation of the Pagan Daemon Worship But take the words in the largest Sense as comprehensive of all those Doctrines that are not of Christ have the devil for their Author Some whereof are mention'd by the Apostle afterwards v. 3. Forbidding to Marry and commanding to abstain from Meats the Doctrines of Justification by Works or inherent Sanctification of Purgatory or a state of Purifying after this life any Principles Opinions contrary to sound Doctrine the form of wholesom words or the Doctrine which is according to Godliness which of the Churches can be justly charged with holding maintaining any such Principles 'T is true perhaps amongst some of them there may be found one or other that speak perverse things as there was of old in the Church of Corinth and some other Churches in the Apostolick times but are they countenanc't therein Can their corrupt Doctrines be charged as the Doctrines of the Churches What more evidently notoriously false can be suggested or fixed on 5. The Worship of the Antichristian-Church is a Worship of devils idols of gold silver wood stone the work of men's hands Rev. 9.20 'T is an idolatrous whorish adulterous superstitious Worship Rev. 17.1 2 4 5. whose whole substratum foundation is the Commandments of men Mat. 15.9 Traditions c. 'T is formal sapless lifeless It 's managery in the Spirit is not at all attended to His Assistance is contemned reviled blasphemed as that which is phantastick whimsical heretical schismatical for any to talk of or pretend to Is the Worship of the Churches such a Worship Who hath the forehead to aver it They witness against all such Worship and Worshipper's both in Word and Writing as is known Are studious to walk by Scripture-rule in their Worship both with respect to the matter and manner thereof 6. The nature characters properties of the Antichristian-Church are amply described by the Apostles of our Lord. They are such as receive not the love of the Truth that they might be saved upon whom God hath sent strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in Vnrighteousness 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. That give heed to seducing Spirits and doctrines of Daemons speaking lies in hypocrisie having their conscience sear'd with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. covetous boasters of themselves blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce-breakers false Accusers or make-bates incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. Such as Worship the Dragon gave power unto the Beast and Worship the Beast Rev. 13.4 5 8. Receiving his mark in their right hand or in their foreheads his Name or the number of his Name which whosoever did not might neither buy nor sell v. 16 17. The great Whore that sits upon many waters with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication and the Inhabiters of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her Fornication A Woman sitting upon a scarlet-colour'd Beast full of Names of Blasphemy having seven Heads and ten Horns The Woman arrayed in Purple and scarlet colour and decked with Gold and precious Stone and Pearls having a golden cup in her hand full of Abominations and filthiness of her Fornication upon whose forhead is a Name written Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth The Woman drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the Bloud of the Martyrs of Jesus Rev. 17.1 2 3 4 5 6.

14. 3. That they have not the Power is also notoriously false 'T is true they have not so much of it as in a former day but that all 's lost there are a thousand Witnesses to confute Object 6. The Churches are polluted therefore no true Churches Ans 1. This is a most evident non-sequitur They may be polluted and yet true Churches The question is whether there be such pollutions found upon them either with respect to Worship or Conversation that by any Rule of Christ declare them Vn-church'd which we are only to attend to in this matter We may stab and kill each other in a distempered fit and think we do well but 't will be found Murder by the righteous judge if what we do be without his Rule and Authority 2. What Pollution is there to be found amongst the Churches that was not to be found even in the Apostolick Churches and greater too at least in some of them 3. Do they justify plead for any Pollutions amongst them Is not the sight of them matter of grief burden to them at least to many amongst them Though there were but a few names in Sardis that had not defiled their Garments Rev. 3.4 yet Christ ownes them for his Church Object 7. The present Churches were at first gathered in the will of man Therefore they are no true Churches Answ 1. Prove This and take the Cause I 'd be he after all I have writ that would cast the first stone at them But saying so is but a sinful Calumniation no Argument Let 's a little further consider this matter 2. Why are they gathered in the Will of Man Is it because they are gathered by the authority of man driven together by penal Sanctions This cannot be asserted What then Are they gathered constituted of visibly prophane persons Nor can this be affirm'd If the gathering together of Saints call'd out of the world as Volunteers giving up themselves to JESUS CHRIST and one another to walk together in Gospel-fellowship be a gathering in the will of man 't is true they are so gather'd But the best on 't is we have good company under the same Condemnation even all the primitive-churches Obj. Oh! but you were not gathered by Apostles Answ Oh! but this hath been already spoken to and removed out of the way several of the first Churches we have proved were not gathered by the Apostles Ergo they also were gathered in the will of man were not true Churches Obj. 8. But there 's no Presence among the Churches Therefore no true Churches Answ 1. Should it be granted that there 's no presence yet from thence it doth not follow that they are not true Churches For the glory was departed from the Temple Ezek. 3.12 the blessed glory of the Lord is gone from his place and yet the Temple was standing In the second Temple there was not the Schecinah or divine presence yet the Judaick Church-state not dissolved till many years after The house may stand and be a true house as much as 't was before tho the master be gone out of it perhaps he hath a special end for the good of the House Servants Children for a season to leave it God may have blessed designs towards his Churches in his temporary leaving them yet true Churches I 'd ask doth not the Lord sometimes withdraw his presence from particular Saints What Child of God but at one time or other finds cause to complain of his departure from him He seeks him yet cannot find him Doth this destroy his Saint-ship who 'l affirm it Well then the with-drawment of God from Churches is no Argument they are none of his 2. It may be there may be some mistake in this matter and God is onely suppos'd to be a great way off when he is near Mary laments for the absence of her Lord when yet he stood by her Joh. 20.15 16. It 's necessary we enquire a little touching the presence of God with a People He is said to be present 1. In respect of his Essence and being so he is present with All indistant to none He fills Heaven and Earth all things with his Presence Psa 139. 2. In respect of providential dispensations preserving defending a People giving them the Victory over their Enemies In this sence through wondrous riches of Grace the Lord is yet present with his Churches the Plots Confederacies Advancements of the Children of Men against them have hitherto been in-successful 3. In respect of sensible manifestations of his grace and love in the way of the new-Covenant to them quickning causeing their graces to flourish renewing strengthning comforting them Now though 't is true and touching it deep searchings of heart should be upon us and mournings after the Lord that there is not in this sense such a presence of the Lord as hath been formerly yet we must say to the praise of matchless grace we are not wholly destitute of it and are crying as we can Let our Beloved come into his Garden that the Spices thereof may send forth their odoriferous smell Yet who 'l despise a day of small things 'T is a mercy for a rebellious beggar to have a crum a drop of the bread waters of Life And were we more thankful for did we prize improve as becomes us that little God gives us we might have more 4. In respect of his real actual presence in the new-Covenant though not sensible manifestations of it Thus God is present with us though we complain of his absence when he strengthens us to wait on for him in the ways of his appointment enables us to seek to him For without his presence we were not able to do that Thus through grace he is present with his Churches and every member of them 3. Is not Prayer Prayer because we have not his sensible presence with us who 'l affirm it Is it lawful to omit that Duty in our Closets retirements because we enjoy not God in it Who dare aver it This were an Effectual and expeditious way to drive Christianity all Religion Devotion out of the World What though there be not a sensible Enjoyment of God in Churches Institutions There he hath promised to meet his people and bless them and there it 's our duty to wait for the returnal of his Presence and Glory Thus far in Answer to Objections Which are all I have met with And in the whole have been with PRAYER and SUPPLICATION following the Lord for leadings have not willingly reflected upon or used exasperating Expressions concerning any nor designedly pleaded the cause of any PARTICULAR PARTY but the general concern of all the Saints who look upon their subjection to Christ in Gospel-Institutions any part of their concern In simplicity and godly sincerity though with much weakness have I been managing this affair and because I believe that the truth of the Lord is herein with me therefore have I spoken If any may be profited let God have the Glory If any be otherwise minded I pray God will manifest this also unto him in due time FINIS