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	error_n	word_n	1,928	5	4.2854	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88987	Christian liberty vindicated from grosse mistakes, occasioning so great divisions in England. Or, A tract, shewing what it is, and what it is not, the diversity of errours, a generall councell to be the meanes of beating them down, and how far forth conscience is to be born with, and the insolencie of the late remonstrants. Most earnestly recommended to the reading of the Right Honourable Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, and all those that through a mistake stand so stifly for the priviviledge [sic] of conscience at large, ... Whereunto is added an appendix of 17. questions, necessary to be discussed and be determined by the Assembly of Divines without delay, that every one may know what to hold and rest in, and the unnaturall divisions in the same body may cease. / By John Mayer, D.D. of Divinity.	Mayer, John, 1583-1664.	1646 (1646)	Wing M1421; Thomason E361_4; ESTC R201203	21,204	33

this partition wall and to sanctifie the Gentiles also through faith we are now at libertie herefrom Act. 10. onely some as not having this knowledge think themselves tyed are still tyed and therefore should sin Rom. 14. if they eate of things uncleane and the like is taught of keeping or not keeping dayes formerly sanctified Secondly of Circumcision and washings in case of legall uncleannesse sacrifices the High-Priest and other Priests in their vestments c. we are not only at liberty from them all Gal. 5.1 but if we should still use them we should have no benefit by Christ Thirdly I say that this liberty is from servitude to our vile lusts and sinnes From servitude of sin Joh. 8.34 which whosoever committeth is the servant thereof then whoso are thus freed are free from the danger of death and the power of the Devill for he worketh by our lusts Jam. 1.14 Eph. 2. unto which therefore our servitude being at an end there is an end of our servitude to Satan also and of our subjection to him to bee by him carried away into his hellish Kingdome And all this liberty we ought to stand for but especially this last as wherein our happinesse doth consist freedome from sin by justification through faith and by a vertue derived from Christs death to whom we are joyned by faith to dye to sinne and live to righteousnesse and freedome from the Devill and his snare 1 Pet. 5.8 and dominion and finally from his Lion-like devouring of us And hitherto affirmatively what Christian liberty is now to shew negatively what it is not What Christian liberty is not 2 Pet. 2.19 And here I say briefly first that it is not a liberty to any evill or sinne because this is no liberty but servitude to corruption and is so opposite to Christian liberty as that the Apostle faith How should we that are dead unto sinne yet live any longer therein Rom. 6.2 against those that said If it be of grace that we are saved let us continue in sinne that grace may abound As the dead are bound up from doing the actions of the living so the true Christian is said to be dead unto sinne to intimate that be is not at liberty to act sinne any more as they that live in sinne and were never mortified unto it but contrariwise bound that hee cannot now sinne any more i Joh. 3.9 as St. John expresly teacheth For what is sinne but a breach of the Law and he that breakes the least of those Commandements or Lawes saith our Lord shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5.19 that is shall be rejected and put from it as most unworthy for such are by the Holy Ghost set forth sometimes by this word least and sometime by the word last as Matth. 19.30 ch 20. And this makes against all them that will be justified by faith in Christ so as to be at liberty to doe evill and yet not to be said to sin in so doing These begin in the spirit but end in the flesh as those of Isaacks posterity and of Israels who degenerated and became no better then Ishmaels 2 Tim. 2.21 For whosoever is a vessell Elect and pretious and so appointed to hovour purgeth himselfe and is fit for the masters use being prepared to every good worke He that saith to doe evill is no sinne what saith he else but as the cursed Serpent to Evah touching the Tree of the knowledge of good and evill Although yee eate of it yee shall not dye so he although ye do the evill which God forbiddeth it is no sinne in you neither shall death betide you therefore The Antinomians then from Zealots are turned Libertines yea Serpents which I wish that all the people of God would take serious notice of and take heed of being beguiled by their subtilty to their destruction For let this be received and what Whoremonger Drunkard Sweater what man full of envie wrath strife c. shall bee shut out of Heaven seeing he beleeveth also and thus too in the number of justified persons But how may we confute them sith he that beleeveth is justified and he that is justified can have nothing laid to his charge past present or to come whereas if he doth but sin it cannot but be laid to his charge Answ It is not laid to his charge because God imputes it not to him and not because it is no sinne if it were otherwise it would not have been said Psal 32. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne but rather in whom there is no sinne which whoso saith of himselfe is a lyar and hath no truth in him 1 Ioh. 1 8. yea although he be a beleever for it is written If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull to forgive them If it were according to the opinion of these proud justiciaries that note of St. John would fall to the ground whereby he saith we may know the children of God and of the Devill He that doth not righteousnesse is of the Devill and P. being a justified person 1 Ioh. 3.10 Gal. 3.20 said He knew not what when he confessed saying Of all sinners I am the chiefe and complained of sin in himself 1 Tim. 1.1 Rome 7. Hitherto of the first Secondly Christian libertie is not to error although he who holdeth it thinkes it to be truth and in walking accordingly walkes according to his conscience neither may he therefore be suffered but animadverted against as an evill doer by the higher powers provided that it be first determined by a Generall Nationall Assembly that it is an error Hence I say first That Christian libertie is not a libertie to error 2 Thess 2.11 for then it should be against Christ who is the truth and Gods Word which is truth and a libertie to lying because errors are lyes and damnable lyes for they that beleeve them are damned and it is an epithite of such errors as men hold and will not revoke them which are therfore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.1 Heresies of damnation and the Hereticks are said to be subverted and condemned of themselves Tit. 3.10 11. But Quest Whether is any error to damnation or no because some erring about meats and dayes are pleaded for and defended Rom. 14. Act. 16.3 And Paul is said to have taken Timothy and circumcised him which yet he plainly teacheth to be so great an error that it frustrateth the benefit by Christ Gal. 5.1 And after long travell Act. 21. comming to Jerusalem he by the advice of the Church purified himselfe according to the Ceremoniall Law which was then abolished and therefore the practice was erroneous Yet Gal. 4.10 11. the observing of dayes is censured as prejudiciall to the good comming by the Gospel for he saith Yet observe dayes c. I am afraid that I have

a light and puts it under a bushell c. which words what doe they show but that the Ministers of the Gospel ought to be used as lights not onely to give light by clearing obscurities in the word but also by determining the truth in any darke or difficult question which shall arise But it is feared if this be granted the power of the Minister will be too great over-topping even the highest in some things and why did not Joshuah then fearing this desire the Lord that he might not have recourse to Eleazar the High Priest for councell and direction Numb 27.11 and likewise other Judges and Kings after him What King did better then Joash in the dayes of Jehoindah whilst he hearkned unto and suffered himselfe to be informed by him and that it was a custome in Israel even till the birth of our Lord Mat. 2 4. to seeke information about divine things in difficult cases of the Priests appeares in that Herod gathered all the chiefe Priests together to know in what place Christ should be borne and the first most famous Christian Emperour Constantine that things might be rightly determined in the Church did the like when he called the Councell of Nice that I say nothing of other Emperours his Successours calling other Councells at sundry times to the same ends If a transcendent power in the ministery be feared if it be committed to them to judge in difficult cases why is it not likewise feared in their having power to preach permitted unto them to all estates and degrees For the Preacher in the Pulpit is above all his hearers how great and excellent soever they be as being one that personates Christ as his Embassadour Heb. 13.17 to whom even Kings and Princes must submit as to an accountant for them unlesse they will have him doe it with heavinesse which will be unprofitable for them There is no man that knoweth not that such as are superiour in some respects to all others are yet inferiour in some to the Higher Powers subject unto them even as others of their Kingdom and even in that wherein they are superiour they are subject at their command to assemble together and to doe their office and to such mulcts and punishments as they shall inflict upon them whether justly or unjustly as Zechariah stoned by Joash Michaiah imprisoned by Ahab Abiathar deposed by Salomon and the Prophet reproving Asa put in the Stocks by him onely let the Higher Powers take heed that they punish not unjustly as some of these did and smarted for it If then their Soveraignty in worldly things bee kept untoucht notwithstanding the determinative power in things pertaining to godlinesse permitted to chosen men of the Clergy why should they sinne against their owne soules so much as debarring them herefrom to whom it is given of God and properly belongs to ingrosse it to themselves Is a Kings power any whit the lesse if he commits his Law-businesses to the judgement of his Lawyers and then followes that which they prescribe No more is it when Ecclesiasticall matters being committed to Ecclesiasticall men to judge and shew the truth therein their judgements are followed by all men And hitherto of whom a lawfull Councell doth not consist Now let us see how it should be composed and by what authority called and to know this wee need not look further then to the Councell assembled at Jerusalem for of such as that consisted ought every Councell that resolves doubtfull questions to consist and so they ought to be brought together that is of Preachers sent from those places where the questions doe arise to the chiefe City to joyne with the Elders or Preachers there all the Brethren that will being present to beare and consent They are not then to be appointed by particular men of what power or authority soever but a certaine number to be chosen and sent from each great Towne or City even so many as they shall think fit who have the power to command this to be done for it is a businesse concerning all and therefore in choosing the men through whose hands it must goe there is great reason that both Ministers and people should all have a stroake the Decrees concluded upon being thus in a manner their owne and therefore such as every good Christian will be regulated by and ashamed to oppose If the Councels called by the Popes of Rome be considered by this rule they will be found not to have beene any lawfull Councells because they appointed each one in his time the men that should assemble Neither were those Councels called by the Higher Powers as all the most ancient Councels were ever since there were any Higher Powers to call them Lastly the Decrees of those Councels especially of Trent were none other but the Popes by whom a party was made to carry all things as ●ee would have them And even for our owne Assembly I would it might be considered whether there were not an error in the calling of it which haply is the cause why it succeeds no better nothing being yet done to the beating downe of dissentions in our Church but they rather encreasing more and more But although the Assembly be most lawfully met they are not infallible as the Apostles were who met in the first Councell at Jerusalem I answer a lawfull Councell or Assembly is the most infallible meanes that we have given us of God to determine the truth in every particular and therefore the Decrees thereof ought to be followed and reverenced by every childe of the Church none of them being against but according to the evidence of the Word which is the rule whereby we ought to goe in all things That it is the most infallible meanes it appeares because here are assembled the greatest Lights and most Orthodox from all parts of the Kingdome and that according to our president and what are a few in corners here or there in comparison of them that their opinions should not all give way to the Councels Decrees Certainly if these Decrees be fallible theirs be much more for the promise runnes Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them it being said before What soever two of you shall consent about on earth shall be ratified in Heaven Where hee speakes without all doubt of Preachers rightly assembled to determine of difficulties for he saith Whatsoever yee bind on earth shall be bound in heaven And not of men privately meeting some few of them together because so the Decrees and points agreed upon by one Assembly might be contradicted by another which would be so farre from conducing to unity where there be differences that they would be in danger of encreasing more and more And if Councels consisting of Elders or Preachers be not the most infallible meanes why did the Apostles adjoyn the Elders to them in that first Councell when as they alone were sufficient