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	word_n	14,132	5	4.8692	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50257	An answer to the switch for the snake A book so called. Discovering the weakness of the Switch, which the leading Quakers (of the second days meeting in London for government) have lately (as I am told,) given into the hands of each Parliament Man. Vice is nourished, and gets life by covering it, saith a heathen author; even so it is with errors in religion. Humbly shewing, that it is impossible, that the pens now in controversie, against us Quakers, should be put a stop to, before there's an order given forth, (from the second days meeting) for the reformation of our numerous preachers in the country. And also a book of retractions of all the errors in our Friends printed books, be published, with an appendix and postscript. By William Mather, a lover of (the well meaning persons, especially among) that people.	Mather, W. (William), fl. 1695.; J. W.	1700 (1700)	Wing M1284; ESTC R221796	17,005	18

People of God Quakers in this Age is greater sufferings and more unjust than in the Days of Christ or the Apostles F. B. 273. what was done to Christ or the Apostles was chiefly done by a Law and in great part by the due executing of a Law Answer Surely this must be a great mistake in Ed. Burrows for 〈◊〉 Quak●● 〈◊〉 I can hear of had his Hands and Feet N●●●● to a Tree o● a Cross and there hang till Death as the hard Hearted Romans did by the Jews procurement of ha●der Hearts Crucify our ever Blessed Saviour and also we read that three of his followers suffered so as Phillip Andrew and Simon and that John was thrown into a T●n of Scalding Oil and by the Power of Jesus Christ took no hurt and likewise Mark the Evangelist it 's said had a Rope tyed about his Neck and was drawn through the Streets of Alexandria until his Flesh was re●● in 〈◊〉 They that are false Preach Christ without William Smiths Primer P. 8. and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above But if we make but a small amendment say you in P. 220 of the word only and then read it thus They that are false Preach Christ without and bid People believe in him only as he is in Heaven very good Then George Whitehead now that you have found out the way of amendments thou mayest do well to follow on to the end that none may Write more against it As First begin in P. 65. in thy Truth defending the Quakers and there use the word only as That Faith in Christ without Men is contrary to the Apostles Doctrine And so it greatly behoves th●● to do ●●●ing thou hast given such a large Testimony to Christ without us in P. 544 in the Switch contrary to what thou hast formerly Printed and yet in all thy large Confession thou dost not own him now to be in Heaven without us in the true nature of Man and in the true and re●● Body wherein he suffered that he will come again in that Body without us to Judge the Quick and the Dead at the last Day And if thou wilt by the help of Divine Grace make a Book of Retractions of all things that 's contrary to the Doctrines of Christ Jesus in Holy Scripture in thi●● and other Friends Books and get the Members of the second Days Meeting in London to sign it it will as I may say take the Weapons out of the Hands of all those tha● say The Quakers hold damnable Errors I am not without hope but that thou mayest be an Instrument in this good work which if thou lives to see it accomplished thou wilt leave a 〈…〉 behind thee for thou m●●t needs acknowledge thou art subject to 〈…〉 w●ll as Samuel Eliab and Elijah who you say in P. 497. were viz. Good Men 〈◊〉 s●nne true Prophets also have been mistaken in some things and have had their weakness and failings Sam. 16.16 1 Kings 18.18 Rom. 11.3 4. And further in P. 229. That we have always readily offered and submitted our words and writings to the Testimony of Holy Scripture c. If this you really intend then do you choose three or four of the learned'st Quakers to meet with such a number of the soberest Ministers of the Church of England seeing you acknowledge their Creed is Orthodox to help to make a Book of Retractions But if you still hold that none can rightly judge of Doctrines whether they are according to Scripture or no without the same degree of Gods Spirit as the Prophets and the Apostles had the Controversie will not end except you will acknowledge you have it in that degree The good Physitian saith one will try the Apothecaries Drugs ere he make use of them for his Patients Body And shall we not try the ingredients of that Religion by the Holy Scriptures which is accounted the Physick of our Souls If the Gold be pure why fears it the Touchstone Therefore be not backward to come to the Test and for your Assistance take those above and if you see some failings in them judge not that they are not accepted of God for small failings not be so uncharitable as E. B. seems to be in P. 32. of his works and P. 73. in the Switch viz. That God doth not accept of any where there is any failing c. I have more Charity for our Antient friend Isaac Pennington above mentioned that he was accepted of God tho' he had failings for after he had Writ Queries that strengthened some Men in the keeping on their Hats in Prayer time retracted it saying viz. God knows saith he I did not willingly mistake Nay truly the Power was upon me when I wrote those Queries but I did not understand the signification thereof Jud. and the Jews P. 69. Therefore we have no need to boast that we have a Spirit given us beyond all our forefathers Gre. Mist P. 89. In Brief a Man that does but once tell you G. W. c. of your mistakes that they might be amended had need have the same Armour of Grace in his Heart as little David had when he encountered Great Goliah yea as bold as Davids Worthies were who ventured their Lives to fetch Water from the Philistians Camp to be sure you will scoff at him at a high rate Wound or Kill him as you account that Crisp Bug Keith c. are Dead to the Life of Truth for opposing your Errors Wounded them it 's true you have for which God will Judge you for every one of them at first only desired that you might bring your deeds to the Light viz. to be tryed by Scriptures but instead of Answering their Christian desires for your good you fall upon them and wound them and made them grieve By this it further appears you are no followers of the good Samaritan he did heal where he had not wounded you wound and seek to make the wound bigger the Blessed Jesus you take not for an example he went about doing good to his very Enemies being Reviled Reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.23 Oh! How did his Lamb like Nature Weep when he turned his Face towards hard hearted Jerusalem and thought of the miseries that were coming upon those his fierce Enemies But you seek not to bind up the Wounds you have made in your Brethren seek not to win them in a Spirit of meekness but like rough Esau contend with them fiercely and rejoice if any ill befalls them doing what in you lies to starve them by hindering their Trading Your own Consciences will tell you if not feared this is truth You are not come into the Patience of a Christian as David was in when Shimei curst him bitterly Oh! how patiently David bore it being sensible there was some Cause in himself that God did permit Shimei to curse him so often before his mighty Warriours Consider this you fierce dispisers of all those who desire

a good End Almighty God which shewest to all Men that be in Error the Light of thy Truth to the Intent that they may return into the way of Righteousness c. Lord from whom all good things do come grant us thy humble Servants that by th● holy Inspiration we may think those things that be good c. Almighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the Inspiration of thy holy Spirit c. That it may please thee to bless and keep the Magistrates giving them Grace to execute Justice and to maintain Truth That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of Grace to hear meekly thy Word and to receive it with pure Affection and to bring sorth the Fruits of the Spirit That it may please thee to bring into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived That it may please thee to defend and provide for the Fatherless Children and Widows and all that be desolate and oppressed That it may please thee to forgive our Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and to turn their Hearts Grant us O Lord to learn to love our Enemies by the Example of thy Martyr St. Stephen who prayed for his Persecutors c. Almighty God by whose Providence thy Servant John Baptist was wonderfully b●rn and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Saviour by preaching Repentance make us so to follow his Doctrine and holy Life that we may truly repent according to his preaching and after his Example constantly speak the Truth boldly rebuke VICE and patiently suffer for the Truth c. Since it hath pleased God by his Grace to convince me That Baptism with Water and the Lords Supper are to continue in the Church until Christ's coming again in the same Body in which he ascended to Judge the World by which I was stirred in Spirit to search the holy Scriptures and therein came to understand and believe That the Holy Ghost was if I may so speak scattered or poured upon the Apostles Acts 2. 3. seeming to the Eye like Cloven Tongues or as flames of fire will so seem by the like figure I do believe Water was sprinkled or cast upon those 3000 young and old that were converted by Peter's Sermon and so baptized the same day and not plunged over Head and Ears in Water as some think ver 41. The same may be understood of the Jaylor and his Family who were converted and baptised with Water at mid-night Ch. 16.33 And also since it hath pleased God to further enlighten me thro consenting unto his Commands in H. Scripture I am enabled to make a full discovery how Satan has beguil'd such a number of our young Preachers which was by hearkening to those Ancient Preachers that made them believe there is but one ●ight in all Men. As First They mistaking that Text John 1.9 That was the true Light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World From thence supposing That all Men were enlightned with a Light of Christ Jesus from their Mothers Wombs sufficient to Salvation as particularly G. Fox in p. 20. Gr. Myst saith Where there is Life in an Infant there is Light And in p. 42. disapproves his Adversary for saying That no Man by that Native Light inherent in him had power to believe c. And to the same purpose see p. 15. in W. Pen's Primitive Christianity 2. Thus it appears they own but one Light that we were born with This Light or Understanding tho it be called The Candle of the Lord Prov. 20.27 which reproves for some sins yet is but a dim Light to see spiritual things by but when it shall please God to Lighten this Candle by the Influence of his Divine Grace and H. Scriptures then the Soul is Light in the Lord. 3. So that our young Preachers laying aside the Light of the H. Scriptures and Preaching only this common Light in Mankind must needs Preach false Doctrine and other confused stuff so that it has led too many of them to think the H. Scriptures are no help to make a Minister and has so exalted them that they think they have the same Degree of Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had see p. 213. Gr. Myst But they may wait long enough before they attain to that Degree of God's Spirit the Apostles had For those Discoveries the Apostles had were to confirm a belief in peoples hearts of the miraculous Birth Sufferings c. of our blessed Redeemer And Mortal Man whose heart is deceitful must no more expect that God will so far trust them with such a large measure of heavenly Treasure as he did the Apostles the Prophesie of Joel being fullfilled in them Yet God in mercy now gives to all the sincere believers in his only Son Jesus of Nazareth such a measure of his Divine Grace as will both deliver and preserve them from the evil of the World and bring them to eternal Life and Salvation Titus 2.11 4. We the hearers of such Preachers that have so long preached from their own Spirit without the H. Scriptures over whom Satan can get advantage to Transform Himself as an Angel of Light by which way he gets the Name of an Angel of Light we must needs I say by hearing such Preachers be enticed not to endure sound Doctrine But if I should write of the diverse Confusions this Spirit hath led us to this 40 Years past it would make a large Book and this I know by Experience that where this Spitit Rules they cannot with any Love read any of the Good Doctrines written in the Books of any Minister of the Church of England tho' it be Dr. Goodmans Penitent Pardon'd or Dr. Scots Christian Life Vol. 5th but for this my Book they will warn as many as they can not to read it for fear of Infection O Lord open their Eyes c. for thou knowest I have Love for them For one of them hath given this Good Councel to them all viz. The best way to recover the deceived is to discover the deceiver 5. Now to get clear out of Babylonish Confusion I do advise all amongst them that fear the Lord to whom this may come yea and all Dissenters so called to come and hear sound Doctrine from such as have studied or thorougly meditated in the H. Scriptures for too many dissenters want Christian Love to each other and it is apparent that some of their Preachers strive more to encrease the Number of their Hearers for outward gain than to excel one another in a Christian Life Now I appeal to every honest Impartial Reader whether the Preachers of the Church of England have not more Christian Charity to the Dissenters in General than they have to one another for too many of the Dissenters are for the straightening each others Liberties in many things while the Church of England grants