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	faith_n	fundamental_a	1,746	5	10.1277	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08981	Christian advertisements and counsels of peace Also disswasions from the separatists schisme, commonly called Brownisme, which is set apart from such truths as they take from vs and other reformed churches, and is nakedly discouered, that so the falsitie thereof may better be discerned, and so iustly condemned and wisely auoided. Published, for the benefit of the humble and godlie louer of the trueth. By Richard Bernard, preacher of Gods word.	Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641.	1608 (1608)	STC 1927; ESTC S113766	84,709	210

although we affirme not as he there slandereth vs that some part of the Scripture is more holy more authenticall or more true then other yet doubt we not to say that some parts are of more vse and more necessarie for men to know then other some Else why doth the holie Ghost giue speciall commendation to some parts more then he doth to other as a Song of Songs Why Cant. 1. 1. 2. Tim. 2. 11. Titus 3. 8. doth hee vse speciall Art in setting downe some parts rather then in other as Psalm 111. and 112. and 119 Why doth he as it were make proclamations and solemne Oyesses before some and not before other as Mark 4. 3. 1. Tim. 1. 15. and 4. 9. And although we doe not hold as they falseslie charge vs Still false accusations in the forenamed pages of their Discouerie that some parts of the holy Scripture are of small moment superficiall needlesse and of no necessitie and such as may be altered and violated without any preiudice and danger to the soule and much lesse that a man who hath obstinately continued in the transgression of some parts and openly taught the same vnto others may be vndoubtedly saued though hee die without repentance But on the contrarie we beleeue and teach that there is no part of holie Scripture which euery Christian is not necessarily bound to seeke and desire the knowledge of so farre foorth as in him lieth yet dare wee not call euery truth fundamentall that is such as if it be not knowne and obeyed the whole religion and faith of the Church must needes fall to the ground For we make no question but that both the penitent Theefe that was crucified with Christ and the Eunuch euen then when hee was baptised by Philip were in the state of saluation though they could not chuse but be ignorant of many truths in religion The only fundamentall truth in religion is this That Iesus Christ the sonne of God who took our nature of the Virgine Mary is our onely and all sufficient Sauiour For first they that receiue this truth are the people of God and in the state of saluation they that receiue it not cannot possibly be saued Matth. 16. 18. Mark 16. 16. 1. Ioh. 4. 2. Coll. 2. 7. Secondly there is no other point of religion necessarie otherwise then as it tendeth necessarily to the bringing vs vnto or confirming vs in the assurance of this one trueth Ioh. 20. 31. Ephes 2. 20. Hebr. 13. 8. 1. Cor. 2. 2. And therefore when the Apostle saith Ephe. 2. 19. 21. that the Church is built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles his meaning is not to call euery thing contained in their writings the foundation of the Church but that this foundation which we haue spokē of is there to bee found and hath witnesse from thence and that all the writings and doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets doe bend vnto stay and rest vpon this one truth as the walles in the building doe vpon the chiefe corner stone Lastly al the knowne Churches in the All reformed Churches giue testimonie vnto vs. world acknowledge our Church for their sister and giue vnto vs the right hand of fellowship This H. Barrow and Iohn Greenwood denie in the 14. page of their Refutation but they name not any one Church that maketh question of vs. Indeed some of them affirme that we want some parts of the discipline which we haue not yet as they thinke so thoroughly receiued as wee should haue done but whether wee were the true Church or no neuer was there yet any reformed Church that made question Yet are they well acquainted by our bookes by the report of such as haue trauelled from hence and sundrie other waies with our doctrine and Liturgi●● Neither doe they only forbeare to shew their dislike to vs or are content to preserue societie with vs which happily through humane infirmitie they might doe vpon sinister respects though they approued not of vs in their iudgement but they doe also hold and teach that what people soeuer hath so much as we haue is the true Church though their wants be as great as ours are iudged to be Now when we alleadge for our selues Which strongly argueth that we be the true Church the testimonie of the Churches we doe not thereby as these men fondly conclude in that 14. page of their Refutation make the words of men the foundation of our Church nor doe we vse this as our only or chief defence whereby we seek to approue our selues either vnto the Lord or to the consciences of his people but such an argument wee hold this to be as in the due place hath much force in it and as God himselfe hath sanctified for a principall helpe in the deciding of controuersies in this kinde The Apostles vse to alleage it as a matter of comfort to thē whom they write vnto that the Churches of Christ do salute thē Rom. 16. 16. 1. Pet. 5. 13. that they were famous and had the testimonie and good report of the Churches Rom. 16. 19. 1. Thes 1. 7. 8. 3. Ioh. 6. 2. Cor. 8. 18. 19. 23. 24. S. Paul though hee receiued not his calling either from men or by men Gal. 1. 1. nor was any whit inferiour to the chiefe Apostles 2. Cor. 11. 5. yet doth hee alleage for the credit of his ministerie that three chiefe Apostles approued him and gaue to him the right hand of fellowshippe Gal. 2. 9. yea hee sought also their approbation and feared that without it hee should haue runne in vaine Gal. 2. 2. And which is yet more hee seeketh to winne commendation and credit euen to those orders which hee by his Apostolicall authoritie might haue established by the example and iudgement of other Churches 1. Cor. 7. 17. and 11. 15. and 14. 33. 16. 1. If these Churches that were planted by the Apostles themselues might take comfort in the good opinion that other Churches had of them may not wee much more If the ministerie of Paul and the orders hee prescribed to the Church receiued further credit with the people of God by the approbation of other Churches shall not the testimonie of all other reformed Churches giue some credit to the ministerie and orders of the Church now The doctrine word of God though to speake properly it receiueth authoritie only from it selfe and the Spirit of God yet hath it euer been the rather receiued by men for the testimonie that the Church hath giuen vnto it So our Sauiour saith that Wisedome is iustified of her children Mat. 11. 19. And although he affirmeth that he receiueth not the record of man Ioh. 5. 34. yet in respect of the saluation and good of men hee iudged it necessarie that Iohn Baptist should giue testimonie vnto him Ioh. 1. 7. 8. and 5. 33. 34. Now if this one thing furthered the damnation of the vnbeleeuing Iewes that they would not heare nor receiue

visible Church and baptised Act. 8. 13. So the Church of Pergamus though it had grosser defects and corruptions in it then we haue any yet because it kept the name of Christ and denied not his faith was still called the Church of God Reuel 2. 12. 15. The description of a Church which they giue in the 67. page of their collection of letters and conferences viz. that it is a companie of faithfull people that truly worship Christ and readilie obey him is vtterly vntrue if it bee vnderstood as needs it must of the visible Church For if euery one that the Church may account a visible member be trulie faithfull how is our Sauiour to bee vnderstood when he cōpareth the Church or the ministerie thereof to a draw net which being cast into the sea gathereth as well that which must be cast away as good fish Matth. 13. 47. 48. and to a field wherein the diuell doth as busilie sow tares as the Son of man doth good wheate Matth. 13. 37. 39. How shall that difference stand which the Scripture maketh 1. Sam. 16. 7. Act. 15. 7. 8. betwixt the Lords iudgement and the iudgement of man if men may not account any to be members of the Church by their outward appearance and profession vnlesse they know them to haue true faith which thing the Lords eye only is able to discerne Thirdly we hold and teach maintaine 3 We hold and teach all truthes fundamentall against all Heretickes and aduersaries euery part article of Gods holy truth which is fundamentall and such as without the knowledge and beleeuing whereof there is no saluation Our Confessions Catechismes Articles of religion published and approued of in our Church may perswade all indifferent men of this Yet was not H. Barrow ashamed to write in the tenth page of his Discouerie That all the lawes of God both of the first and second Table are here broken and reiected both of the Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill estate and of euery particular person in both all things being innouated in both according to the lustes and pleasures of men the law and word of God being quite reiected and cast aside And in the 212. page of their refutation of Master Gyfford they haue these words We hold that you haue poysoned all the fountaines of sincere doctrine and peruerted the whole Testamēt and turned away the practise thereof by your damnable false Expositions yea that you teach not one point sincerely And in the 162. page of his Discouerie They are made so contrarie one A lying Spirit vnto another as it is an impossible thing to finde two of them of one minde yea or any one of them constant in that hee affirmeth they know not the doctrines euen of the beginnings of Christ. Adde hereunto Henrie Barrows words in the 12. and 13. pages of their collections of letters and conferences We wil not giue any answere to these speeches but onely desire the Christian Reader to consider whether euer Gods Reader consider well and the Lord giue thee vnderstanding to discerne of spirits Spirit taught any to write so slanderously not only against a whole nation the conuersion whereof they pretend to seeke but against the blessed truth of God and how vnlikely it is that they should be in the right way whose chiefe Leaders were guided by such a spirit that they should be the Lords building whose first founders and master builders had either so small skill or so bad a conscience Do wee not hold all the same bookes of Canonicall Scripture which they themselues hold Do wee not reiect out of the Canon of the Scripture all which themselues account Apocryphall Haue they any translation of holy Scriptures besides ours Do they themselues beleeue or reach otherwise in the article of the holy Trinitie of iustification or predestination then we do Hath euery member of their assemblies receiued that spirit whereby they are led into all truth as H. Barrow pag. 167. of his Discouerie affirmeth and is there not any one amongst vs that hath not quite reiected the whole word of God not any one that knoweth the doctrines euen of the beginnings of Christ Wee know no better way to conuince them in this then by appealing thus vnto their owne conscience which wee are sure will take our part against them Now this reason also is strong to Which none can do but the true Church proue vs a true Church for although the bare letter of the Scripture may bee found amongst the Iewes and Papists and other Heretikes yet was there neuer any other people that held maintained the true sense of the Scripture in all points fundamentall but onely the Church of God wherunto only this title belongeth to be the pillar ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Wherein wee desire Note this the Reader to consider that a people may bee the true Church though they know not nor hold not euerie truth contained in holy Scripture but contrarily hold many errors repugnant to the Scriptures yet hath H. Barrow affirmed in the 167. page of his Discouerie Then is not he nor his followers the true Church and people of God for they maintaine errors amongst themselues obstinately and do grossely speake vntruths against vs now Gods Spirit is not lying 1. Ioh. that to the people of God and euery one of them God hath giuen his holy sanctifying Spirit to open vnto them and to leade them into all truth Whereby it is euident that he would haue none to be accounted the people and Church of God who either know not or practise not euery truth contained in the Scriptures In which opinion see I pray you how many grosse and dangerous errors are contained First that to euerie inferiour member in the Church there is as much reuealed as to the Pastours and chiefe members whereas the Apostle affirmeth Rom. 12. 3. Ephes 4. 7. 16. Colos 2. 19. that the holy Ghost is giuen to euery member of the bodie of Christ not equally but proportionally as the place which it occupieth in the bodie doth require Secondly that the promise mentioned Ioh. 16. 13. was made to euery member of the Church which in the last words of the verse appeareth plainly to be peculiar to the Apostles Thirdly that the Church cannot erre so neither were the Corinthians rightly called the Church of God when they iudged corruptlie of fornication and of the resurrection neither they of Pergamus when the doctrine of Baalam was maintained amongst them neither was Paul nor the rest of the Apostles true members of the Church who though in the exercise of their Apostolicall function they could not erre yet knew but in part and in many things were subiect to error 1. Cor. 13. 9. Another strange opinion is maintained in the 156. and 157. pages of their Discouerie viz. That euerie trueth contained An error full grosse with slanders and lies in the Scripture is fundamentall For

grace as any in that way and not onely Reader weigh these things with Christs compassion with the Apostles commiseration with the ancient Fathers toleration with thy own hart bearing with thy own selfe and Gods mercie towards all and thou wilt neuer do so wickedly 〈…〉 but thou must euer after iudge thē false Christians and Idolaters hauing a false faith false repentance and false baptisme and so separate from all spirituall communion with them as wicked men Thus must parents and children husband and wife brother and sister iudge one of another though all professe one Lord Iesus Christ all bee baptised after one manner all renouncing Antichrist all such haue tokens of Gods grace O accursed beginning so vncharitable so vnnaturall and so vngodly hee that begins so ill can neuer speed well That we should forsake father and mother and all for Christ and the Gospell is not denied but hauing Iesus Christ and the Gospell to forsake father and mother and all our Christian brethren and sisters with a false condemnation for mens deuices intituled with Christ and his Gospell that we do denie for here amongst vs is cause of reioycing in Christ Rom. 15. 17. 18. I haue therefore whereof I may reioyce in Christ Iesus in those things which pertaine to God For I dare not speake of any thing which Christ hath not wrought by mee 〈…〉 make the Gentiles obedient in word a● deede And Act. 10. 34. 35. Of a truth perceiue that God is no accepter of person● but in euery nation he that feareth him an● worketh righteousnesse is accepted wit● him And Rom. 14. 17. 18. For the kingdome of God is not meate nor drinke b● righteousnes and peace and ioy in the hol● Ghost For whosoeuer in these things serueth Christ is acceptable c. II. With such a renunciation of truth They which enter that way must approoue of many vntruths must bee intertained much vntruth th● deceiueablenesse of that way as shal appeare afterwards as first thou must beleeue their way to be the truth of God though it be but the error of their own minde then condemne our Church as false Church when in the end of th● confession of their faith they haue published vnder their owne hand that th● differences betweene vs and them a● onely such corruptions as are by the●● set downe * In their little booke of the confession of their faith Now corruptions doe no● make a false Church but a corrup● Church make the worst of it that ca● be as corruptions in a man maketh b●● a corrupt man and not a false man By thus entring a man must cease to walke this way ending towards vs in vncharitablenes and begin a new way with them and enter with lies Such a ●ate is the entrie to death and not that ●●raite way which they insult of leading to life I know no corruptions here so ill which men are tied to entertaine as the entrance into that way with these conditions Discerne Reader wisely and iudge the course rightly and God giue mee vnderstanding in all things II. Reason is grounded vpon one of The second reason not to ioyne with them their own chiefe principles and a great point of their practise that is that wee are not to conioyne our selues with open wicked obstinatly maintaining their corruptions whether the same be in ill life or doctrine for vpon this ground doe they forsake vs and keepe off from all reformed Churches Now then from their owne ground ●trong enough to keepe men back ex●●pt any will goe by receiued principles ●his owne way to professe condemna●●on against himselfe they may not bee ioyned with because who doth so must partake of their very great and grieuou● sinnes wherewith they be polluted and doe not reforme themselues The sinne● are these I. Is that wofull entrance before named 1 The grieuous sinnes of the Separators wherewithall they that go that way are polluted We enter by baptisme renouncing the diuell and sinne but they witha● in part doe here renounce Gods mercies and all good men with euery good thing in them as stained and polluted so as no holy communion can bee ha●● with it but what God hath clensed le● not them make vncleane Act. 10. 15. II. Is a hie degree of vnthankfulne● 2 They are very vnthankfull to God first to God that begat thē by his word either by denying their conuersion o● else accounting it a false conuersion ● if the Lord did but counterfeit with them when they haue felt good token of grace and outward fruit proceedin●● from thence Is not this to haue a bla●phemous conceit of the blessed wor● of God to dare to call it a false conue●sion where it appeareth to be true eue● experimentally in a mans selfe Secondly To the Church of God this vnthankfulnesse is also to the mother this Church of England th●● bare them which they desire to make whore before Christ her husband so cōdemne her they forsake her before he refuse her and giue her a bill of diuorcement for till then they ought to stay But are not these children worthie to be accounted bastards that wil needs denie their father that begat them and also gladly would haue all to take their mother for a whore that bare them and would vnbowell her of all her deare children viperously Oh vnkinde and vnnatural childrē vnworthie to breathe in their fathers aire or to inhabite neere the skirts of their mother Some there be who are offended when any doth openly and sharply reprooue them but such I wish to cōsider with what meeknes they can in naturall loue heare their mother an honest woman called a whore and their brethren made bastards if they cannot why loue we lesse our spirituall mother and brethren so much abused by these men III. Reason is the sinne of spirituall They are full of spirituall vncharitablenesse vncharitablenes the contrary whereunto is spiritull loue which the holy Apostle preferreth before any externall constitution before almes deedes before preaching yea before suffering persecution and mens giuing their bodies to bee burned saying all profit nothing without it 1. Cor. 13. 1. 2. 3. And in this spirituall vncharitablenes doe they exceedingly transgresse I. Towards vs who approue not or In audacious censuring will not go their way nor be inclinable to them whom they doe deeply censure and deadly condemne of which there be three sorts 1. Such as know it 1. The ignorant not and those they thus condemne as This can I shew vnder hand writing nothing heere spoken without booke or by vncertaine he are say 2. Such as know their way men blinded by the god of this world that is the diuell and so such to be lost for that their way which they call the Gospell is hidden say they to none but such as are lost 2. Such as see the way and doe not yeeld these they condemne as worldlings fearefull conuinced in

shewed before V. In the word we haue libertie giuen The Word doth warrant godly mens comming to the holy things vs to come vnto the holy things of God if we looke vnto our selues to reforme our waies So our Sauiour alloweth Matth. 5. 23. 24. So the Apostle 1. Cor. 11. which place is most pregnant for the deciding of the controuersie See M. Powels Reioynder pag. 118. for he purposely speaks of the pollution of holy things to wit of the blessed Sacrament verses 18. 22. Where he first tels them of their fault then informeth their iudgement in the institutiō verses 23. 24. 25. 26. after shewes the perill if men doe not come reuerently that such a one eateth and drinketh damnation not to other but to himselfe vers 29. Lastly doth will euery man for remedy of such an euill to examine not other but himself so alloweth him to come to the Lords Supper v. 28. In all which hee doth not mention pollution by other neither prescribes separation for a remedie of this hee speaketh not one word and yet Corinth was a corrupt Church in doctrine and other vncleannesse yea wherein men did continue after the Apostles once and twise admonishing 2. Cor. 12. 21. Therefore the Apostle instructed by the Spirit of God had not receiued any such doctrine frō the Lord to teach vnto the people as these men would picke out now from the holy word of God And to cōclude this their position insinuates that the sin of one doth dissolue the bond of alleageance betweene God and another for the Lord commands vs to worship him to receiue the Sacraments c. Now it cannot bee prooued that another mans sinne freeth me from doing what I am commanded let this be proued May not I serue God because another man doth offend him must I cease to obey because another liueth in transgression It is without reason to thinke it Thus wee see the strongest reason for separation and the ground thereof ouerthrowne The Scriptures which are alleadged for separation are nothing against To what heads all the places alledg'd for separation may be referred vnto and so answered vs nor against our publike communion in holy things The places may be reduced to these heads The places that forewarne Gods people vnder the law to separate themselues are thus to bee taken 1. From Idols of false gods as Israel from Egyptian Babylonish or heathenish gods and Idolaters dwelling about them 2. Frō Idols of the true God as Iudah from Israel in Ieroboams time and after 3. Frō persons ceremonially polluted In the time of the Gospell 1. From Iewes not receiuing Christ but rayling against Christ 2. Frō Gentiles without Christ 3. From Antichrist vnder the shew of Christ persecuting Christians 4. From familiar accompanying in priuate conuersation with men excommunicate or of lewde life worthie to bee excommunicate when neither religion commandeth charitie bindeth nor our calling warranteth vs thereunto But what are all these places to vs which are against Idols and Idolaters against Antichrist against Iewes rayling on Christ or Gentiles not entertaining Christ we professing Gods truth and worshipping Iesus Christ with detestation of idolatrie or what are the places which concerne priuate and voluntarie familiaritie against the publike comming to the holy things commanded of God nothing at all It cannot be proued that a man is polluted that commeth to heare the Word preached to receiue the Sacraments by such as by whom the Lord hath bin effectuall to conuert men vnto him and hath a calling of the Church VIII That euery of our Assemblies VIII Error are false Churches This erroneous and false position is Answere more fully confuted in the end of this Treatise to which I may refer the Reader neuerthelesse I wil adde thus much more hereof in this place thereto First touching the distinction of true The distinction of true and false cannot stand nor be vrged as the difference betweene vs and them and false applied vnto vs it cannot bee maintained by the Word against vs there is neuer a place of Scripture speaking of false Prophets false brethren or of false gods which can truely be alledged against vs but such places must needs be miserablie wrested Secondly it is strange they should taxe so generally without exception euery Congregation and all the godlie people and seruants of Christ amongst vs. He that runneth that way had need It containeth a deadly condemnation of vs all and in our standing to be as void of comfort as the Antichristian Assemblies of the Papists of serious cōsideration before he hastilie entertaine so deadly a censure for this carrieth so much with it as the same secludeth vs all visiblie as farre from any assurance of sauing grace from pertaking of the life of God and the way which leadeth vnto euerlasting saluation as the Papist do not they so iudge of vs It appeareth by their continuall quoting of the same Scriptures against vs which the holy Spirit intendeth against Antichrist and cursed idolaters thereby abusing simple honest hearts leading them into this wofull censure of condemnation and most accursed vncharitablenesse against vs whereas wee find in the word God called Israel his people after defection and their children in respect of circumcision his children Ezeck 16. 21. 22. 2. Some in the Act. 19. 2. which were ignorant of the holie Ghost beleeuers 3. The Corinthians Saints when there was incest openlie committed men were also drunken at the Sacrament and some which denied the resurrection 4. Pergamus a Church and yet false teachers in it 5. The Church of Christ is set out euen by the naming that is by the profession of the name le-Christ Rom. 15. 20. See how little hath God taken to condemne those who will not hold vs a true Church for that much which we haue But to the same more in particular I answere thus That our assemblies are not false Churches that congregation What is a false Church which is false hath a false head false matter false forme and false properties but this cannot be auouched against our congregations for wee haue no false We haue no false head head we hold Iesus Christ and worship no other God but the Trinitie in vnitie If such as haue been of vs and by themselues may iudge of this trueth doe yet denie the same they neede rather correction then instruction The matter is not false and to vnderstand No false matter this we must note a difference betweene no matter true matter and false matter No matter are they with maketh no profession of Christ at all as infidels that beleeue What is no matter at all not him such are Iewes Turkes and Pagans whose Assemblies are no Churches of God at all True matter to wit visible for of this What is true matter we here speake are all such as openlie professe this maine truth that Iesus the sonne of Marie is the sonne of