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	justify_v	5,380	5	8.8463	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93885	Some observations and annotations upon the Apologeticall narration, humbly submitted to the Honourable Houses of Parliament; the most reverend and learned Divines of the Assembly, and all the Protestant Churches here in this island, and abroad.	Steuart, Adam.	1644 (1644)	Wing S5492; Thomason E34_23; ESTC R21620	55,133	77

to the Lords Table I answer That the true Reformed Churches in Scotland France the Netherlands c. receive no man to the Lords Table whom they judge to be prophane or scandalous none but such as give an accompt of their Faith and testifie it by externall Confession and Profession in Doctrine and Sanctification If any Preacher or the Consistory of Ruling Elders do other wayes it is not by rule or their ordinary practise but through their negligence which when it is known is condemned by all We wish that none come to the Communion of Christs Body amongst us but such as have and feel some measure of Christ in themselves But who hath this measure of Christ It is hard for any mortall man to know it but he onely that hath it It is likewise hard to know what measure of Grace is requisite to make up a member of Christ or of his Church Some of the Casuists esteem that it sufficeth a Roman Catholike explicite as they call it expresly cleerly and plainlie to beleeve this onely Article I beleeve what the Church beleeveth Others esteem it not enough and therefore adde this Article I beleeve also That the Church cannot erre Others think this yet not enough for they wish Christians to beleeve this one more viz. I beleeve there is a God Some adde one more viz. That they must beleeve Gods Providence c. We beleeve that men are bound to beleeve all Divine Truths revealed in Scripture as necessary to Salvation and to beleeve them by a justifying Faith But what be these that be absolutely necessary to Salvation What are these Fundamentalia Essentialia and Superstructories How may they be distinguished one from another What is maximum quod sic and minimum quod non Or minimum quod sic maximum quod non Or your least of Christ whereupon a man may be admitted to be a Member of Christ we cannot define it We leave the Decision to more subtle Spirits and to our Brethren who use those termes and who upon this minimum quod sic or least bit of Christ do found the Reception of Christs Members into the Church We esteem their Disputes too subtle in the practise of Christianitie in judging others And wish with the Apostle rather every man to examine and try himself For this directive Principle we esteem surer then that of our Brethren We esteem that such a Confession of Faith and desire of Communion as ordinarily is professed by them who are admitted in Protestant Churches may suffice Here in the second Instance of set Forme of Prayers our Brethren note with a Parenthesis that they condemn not others who approve set Formes of Prayers prescribed and the Liturgis But whether these of New-England and others of their Profession will not condemn them in this we know not I wish that this were not added rather in a compliance with the present time then otherwise Item They tell us That the framing of Prayers and Sermons out of their own Gifts are the Fruits of Christs Ascension But why not also of his death and Resurrection Since he did merit this by his death In their third Instance about Government and Ecclesiasticall Discipline we care not what they say The practise of the Orthodox Churches is this They have divers Ecclesiasticall Senats or Courts wherein some are coordinate and others subordinated one to another The loweest is their Consistory or Session of the Pastours and the Ruling Elders in one Parish Church Then they have their Classes which some call Colloques others Presbyteries made of all the Preachers of all the Parish Churches belonging to such Colloques every one of them accompanied with one Elder of his Church 3. Their Provinciall Synods made up of all the Ministers of the Province accompanied every one of them with one or two ruling Elders 4. The Nationall Synod compounded of a certain number of Ministers and Ruling Elders according to the exigence of time place and other occasions and circumstances Delegate from all the Provinces or Provinciall Synods In the Consistory or Senate of the Parish Church they judge onely of things that be proper unto it and of lesse importance that have no great difficultie In the Colloque of that which is common to all the Churches of that Colloque and of businesse of greater importance that cannot be judged or well determined in a Parish Church In a Provinciall Synod of that which is common to all the Churches of the Province other things of great importance and all cases that cannot so soundly or so surely be determined in the former Assemblies In a Nationall of that which is common to all the Churches of the whole Kingdom and others that cannot be determined in the precedent Assemblies as of matters of Appeal c. Item From the first if any of the Parties finde themselves grieved by its judgement they may appeal to the second as from the second to the third and from the third to the fourth And all these Judgements and Proceedings are without money charges pecuniarie mulcts or fines And as their ayms are spirituall so be their punishments that they inflict upon their Delinquents Their punishments are censures Suspension from the Lords Table and their greater Excommunication which ordinarily are never inflicted upon whole Churches as our Brethren unjustly would challenge us but on particular Persons If they had read the Discipline of the Scots French Netherlands and other Reformed Churches they needed not here have troubled themselves and us with so many mistakes Or if they have read them they deal not fairly with us In some Churches particular or Parochiall Senates or Consistories have power to suspend from their Communion those that be Members thereof yea also to Excommunicate them from the which sentence neverthelesse they may appeal unto the Superiour Senate or Judicatorie and that for some particular reasons But this question God willing we shall hereafter more fully discusse Onely I note in passing that our Brethren First are here too sparing of Titles to some and too liberall to others They name Cartwright onely Cartwright but Baynes holy Baynes in the same line as if they would Canonize the one making him Saint Baynes which we condemn in the Pope and esteem the other prophane or of the vulgar and dregs of Divines which as it is said with reverence and respect of the one so it cannot be said without disparagement of the other As for the distinction of Ecclesiae in Primas Ortas it requireth a particular Question apart They say 1. Every Church hath a full and entire power compleat within it self till it should be challenged to erre grosly Pag. 14. § 15. Either by a compleat Power ye understand a Power absosolutely compleat or in its own kinde or sort If ye understand the first it must be Independent for if it depend upon a Superiour to rectifie it whereunto it must give an account of its judgement and submit it self in

1. Because ye found the spirits of the people of this Kingdom that professe or pretend to the power of godlinesse ready to take any impressions and to be cast in any mould that hath but the appearance of a stricter way 2. Because that the mists gathered about you begun to scatter 3. Because ye published not your opinions by Preaching although ye had the Pulpits free nor in Print although the Presses were more free then the Pulpits Answ Your Partie will deny the Assumption for if ye and the rest of your Partie made it not up how is it made up in this Kingdom As for the proof of your Provocations We have answered already to the first The third and fourth we allow it not if any man hath done so To the second we shall answer hereafter And as for the fifth good Sheepherds could not without an abominable prevarication but write against yours and all other mens Innovations when they saw so many Sects multiplied and Woolfs creeping in so fast into Christs Sheep-fold to devour the flock 2. If ye blame our faithfull Ministers for maintaining the Truth already received what shall we say of your folks who have first published Books against the Truth 3. What shall we say of those of your Colleagues who heretofore preached your Tenets with great offence here in publike And who still run busily up and down to make Proselytes To the second proof your Assumption 1. We have already answered that it is made but how we know not 2. What were those people that professe and pretend to any power of godlinesse so ready to take any impression and to make a Partie ye tell not We wish to know whether they be Brownists Anabaptists or of what other Sect 3. Your Covenant obligeth you to declare it unto the Parliament however ye reveal it not unto us 4. Certainly true Professors of godlinesse are not so susceptible of any impressions much lesse to become factious 5. And therefore ye adde well or pretend for such men pretend onely to godlinesse but have renounced in effect the power thereof Here we see howsoever ye pretend not to be States-men yet ye know as much of it as the Presbyterians Your second occasion was the dissipations of mists c. If so and onely so then what needed this Apologeticall Narration § 25. Pag. 25. To the third occasion whether ye had the Pulpits so free or feared to have them lesse free afterwards I dispute not ye know that well enough Onely this I know That some of your Brethren having given themselves libertie to speak somewhat freely in favour of your opinions were afterwards discountenanced and became more prudent and circumspect in venting of themselves If ye printed not your opinions it may be ye deal more prudently in teaching them in private then in publishing them in Print And here ye shew how your Charitie is grown cold for in the beginning when so many mists were gathered about you for fear of Schisme out of meet Charitie ye abstained from writing and now when they are scattered ye write Your third Grievance is the reproach of that proud and insolent title of Independency Answ Ye decline that proud Title but will no wayes quit the thing signified by the Title in that ye maintain the Independency of every one of your Churches from all Ecclesiasticall Authoritie or Authoritative Power of any Ecclesiasticall Assembly yea some of your Profession say That it belongs not to the Magistrate to punish any man for his Religion be it never so odious and wicked as we have heard from their own mouths So that there is another new Independency If it be replied here That I did prove before that ye acknowledge some Ecclesiasticall Authoritie whereunto your particular Churches are subject I answer It is but by necessary consequence that they must hold it and not interminis or expresly that they beleeve it for they deny interminis what they must grant by consequence It is drawn out of the evasions that they bring against our Reasons whereby whilest they seek to escape they are catcht Pag. 4. Your fourth Grievance whereof ye complain and bewall your selves is Brownisme together with all their Opinions wherewith ye are traduced Answ But ye disclaim not Brownisme and their Opinions absolutely but with a restriction and secundum quid viz. As they have stated and maintained them 2. By another limitation viz. That ye differ much from them not in re sed in modo rei It may be ye hold and maintain the same opinions but not the same way And yet ye sympathize very much with them in puining untoward names upon us but not upon them There also ye declare what ye confesse and beleeve viz. The trueth to lye in a middle way betwixt Brownisme and the Authoritative Presbyteriall Government Answ But this is nothing but your errour Veritie consisteth not in the middle of this or that which ye imagine but in a conformitie of our conceptions with their object and due measure which in this matter is onely Gods Word revealed in the holy Scriptures and according to this rule I take Presbyterian Government rather to be the middle betwixt Popish Tyranny and Independent Anarchy § 25. Pag. 25. Your fifth Grievance is Some incitements to this State not to allow us say ye the peaceable practises of our Consciences which the Reformed Churches abroad allowed us Answ If any man incited the State not to allow you a peaceable practise of your new Religion they did according to their conscience as your New-England men do with those of our Religion and as some say that some of you five would do with us Their Reasons might have been these 1. Because it cannot but open a door to all sorts of erroneous Opinions 2. It is dangerous for the State it may breed factions and divisions betwixt all persons of whatsoever relation betwixt the Magistrate and the Subject the Husband and the Wife the Father and the Son Brethren Sisters the Master and the Servant when the one is of one Religion or Ecclesiasticall Government and the other of another as ye have experimented The Son may refuse to receive any communion with the Father and the Brother with the Brother and so dissolve all naturall civill and domesticall bands of Societie 3. No State in Christendome where there is one onely Religion established will admit the publike exercise of any other or endure a Schisme in that which is already received Wherefore then should it be done here 4. If it be granted to our Brethren I cannot see how it can well be denyed to other Sects If it be said That other Sects differ more from us then they do it is all one Magis minus non mutant Speciem in matter of Toleration for then all must be tolerated howsoever some more some lesse And some of our Brethren grant all the Argument And if we distinguish so ye must declare and expound cleerly what Sects and