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	jesus_n	life_n	1,867	5	4.4456	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46888	The strong man armed cast out and his goods spoiled, or, The poor man sitting at Jesus's feet clothed and in his right mind being a true convert's testimony of the power of the Lord in turning the soul from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ... / formerly given forth in writing unto my relations and acquaintance the professors called Independents in Nottinghamshire, declaring the cause of my leaving their assemblies ... by James Jackson, formerly a parish priest and a teacher amongst the Independents and now ... made willing to take up the daily cross and walk with the despised followers of the Lamb in scorn called Quakers.	Jackson, James, fl. 1674-1708.	1674 (1674)	Wing J75; ESTC R34953	24,289	34

Good-will of God to the Poor and preached Peace to the Broken-hearted testifying the Love of God to Mankind in sending his Son to them to open their Blind Eyes and recover them out of the Snare of the Devil exhorting Men to believe in the Light lest Eternal Darkness come upon them And all that was done in his Ministry was not from any outward Encouragement or Reward but moved only hereunto from the Tenderness of his Pitty and Compassion to poor Sinners So it is at this Day all that are born of the Spirit are true Ministers of the same Gospel and publish it freely in the Constrainings of the Love of God which layes a Necessity upon them to minister freely without Expectation of Gifts and Rewards But do they deserve the Name of Gospel-Ministers who preach another Doctrine then what Christ or his Apostles ever did confidently affirming That the Doctrine of the Light within or to say the Light in every Man's Conscience is the Light of Christ this is Blasphemy but tell Men that Light which doth convince them of Sin is not the Light of Christ but Natural Conscience and therefore not able to sanctifie and save such as believe in it and obey it and yet they say There be some whom they call Saints and Believers in whom there is true Saving Light but as for the greatest Part of the VVorld they are altogether destitute hereof and yet though they make a seeming Distinction between Saints and Sinners yet they themselves confess they are Sinners yea and believe that they must be so while they breath upon Earth And thus are People held in Ignorance Unbelief and Confusion their blind Guides having caused them to err from the Truth for verely this hath been and is the Doctrine of these eminent Men. Qualif 5. That Gospel which Jesus Christ had preached and witnessed to in his holy Life he confirmed and seal'd by his Death in his Blood Now this Last is that which crowned and compleated his Ministry and the same Spirit is in all the Faithful at this day whereby Christ's Ministers are enabled to declare the Truth in the Life and Power of the Eternal Word without the Help and Assistance of acquired Parts Arts and Studies for to such saith Christ It is not you that speak but the Spirit which speaketh in you and thus declaring what they have seen tasted and handled of the Word of Life they are not ashamed of their Work nor afraid of Men neither will they conceal their Meetings in Time of greatest Danger nor slip out at Back-Doors to avoid Sufferings but are in a continual Readiness and Preparedness to forsake all that is dear to them rather then to turn their Backs upon the Work of God or in the least to prove Unfaithful by Denying or Betraying the Truths of Christ Wherefore now consider these things all ye Admirers of Men and give place to the Witness of God in your own Consciences and see if one of your Gifted Brethren Pastors and Teachers be thus qualified Object 4. But the Scriptures are very plain that Vnbelievers and Reprobates are without Christ as in Ephes 2.12 and 2 Cor. 13 5. wherefore though we do believe that Christ is in every Believer yet we cannot understand that the Light in every Man is the Light of Christ. Answ 1. Indeed one of these Scriptures at first Appearance seems to contradict all that hath been said before it will be therefore necessary to speak to them severally That in Ephes 2.12 plainly affirms That before Conversion they were without God and without Christ in the World And truly I can witness this Scripture fulfilled in my own Particular for I know the Time when I was without Christ and without God in the World when I lived in Sinful Pleasures and Delights fulfilling the Lusts of the Flesh with Greediness I lived then as if there was no God in the World yea without any awful Respect to the Eye of God and Christ And yet I can as truly affirm that at that Time the Light of Christ was in me testifying against my Iniquity And this may seem a Mystery that a Measure of his Light should be within a Man when that Man is without Christ yet I have experienced the Truth hereof and therefore testifie that its one Thing for the Light of Christ to be in a Man and another Thing for a Man to be in the Light of Christ and thus it is the Light of Christ may be in a Man and yet that Man out of the Light of Christ whereupon I affirm and declare that the Light of Christ is in every Man but no Man is in Christ till he be a new Creature And as to that other Scripture 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates This Place doth not at all oppose what before hath been written if it be seriously considered but doth greatly confirm the Truth of this Doctrine If therefore by Reprobates be intended such as have sinned out the Day of Grace and done Despight to the Strivings of the Spirit of God as the old World did yea and as those eminent Professors whom Stephen reproveth saying Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in Heart and Ears ye do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye Acts 7.51 And as Jerusalem which remained Impenitent in the Day of Visitation till the Things of her Peace were hid from her Eyes Luke 19.42 And as those Guests which had been often invited and yet refused to come making light of those many renew'd and reiterated Tenders of Grace entreating the Messengers spightfully and slew them wherefore the King was wroth and protested against them that none of those Murtherers should taste of his Supper Mat. 22. Or like that Fig-Tree which the Master of the Vineyard when he had come three Years expecting Fruit and found none required the Dresser to cut it down and cast it into the Fire Luke 13.7 And like those who had tasted of the Heavenly Gift and of the Good Word of God and of the Powers of the World to come but after to fall away and crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh put him to open Shame these bringing forth Thorns Bryars are rejected and are nigh unto Cursing whose End is to be burned Heb. 6.7 8. And such as the Lord complaineth of by the Prophet Jeremiah saying They are all grievous Revolters walking with Slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all Corrupters the Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed of the Fire the Founder melteth in Vain for the Wicked are not pluck●d away Reprobate Silver shall Men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6.29 And the Spirit speaketh expresly that some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking Lyes in Hypocrisie having their Conscience seared with an Hot Iron and so are past feling 1 Tim 4.2 Now

I had no Benefit of any Outward Help Teaching or Counsel but he who before had been my Reprover was then my only Teacher who sealed Instruction upon my Soul whose Voice I heard which did shake and shake the Heavens and the Earth also and caused me to cry out Lord What wouldest thou have me to do And being brought to the Foot of God could truly say Speak now Lord for thy Servant heareth And abiding in this broken and shattered State I clearly felt the Judgment of the Lord powerfully at work in my Soul as an Ax at the Root of the Tree and as a Refiner's Fire till the Life and Power of Sin was slain subdued and mortified perfectly in my Will and Affections then was the Lord Jesus revealed in me whom I had pierced the New Birth Discerned which is created after God in true Holiness and the Immortal Pure Precious Seed of the Eternal God which ever before had been pressed down trodden under and held in Bondage arose yea the Tender Plant of his own Right Hand sprung up in me panting and vehemently breathing after and never since could be satisfied but with his Living Presence Behold these things worketh the Lord oftentimes with men looking upon men And if any say I have sinned and perverted that which is Right and it profitted me not he will deliver his Soul from going into the Pit and his Life shall see the Light And this is the Sum of the Confession which I was not ashamed to witness in your publick Assemblies both at Nottingham and other places in the year 1668. Objection But it is probable some of you will object saying After this Change was wrought thou didst Joyn to our Assemblies Owned us Prayed with us Preached amongst us and seemed to enjoy Refreshings and Satisfaction in our Assemblies wherefore then art thou now departed from us and gone to the Quakers Answer 1. Notwithstanding that great and notable Work begun in my Soul and in some measure effected by the Mighty Power of the Lord yet was there after some time a certain Deadness Coldness and Darkness drawn over me again occasioned through Weakness Unwatchfulness and Formality whereby that good Condition was lost nevertheless I found and felt tender Breathings moving in me thirsting and seeking for renewed Testimonies of the Love of God then in the Simplicity and Uprightness of my Heart not knowing a more likely way to obtain Satisfaction I joyned to your Society and can truly affirm though I now see it was no better then seeking the Living among the Dead that the Lord was pleased in the Condescensions of his Love many times to stoop down and reach forth from the openings of his Bosom Refreshings and Nourishment to that tender Babe of his own begetting yea while I frequented your Assemblies Answ 2. And as I continued Faithful and Obedient to that measure of Light and Knowledge which was revealed in me it is well known to all or the most of you what Censures Opposition and Contradiction both I and the plain Scripture-Truths which I declared in your Assemblies suffered from many of your Brethren charging me That I was leading into Quakerism long before I understood either by word or Writing what the Quakers held Answ 3. But however these Censures occasioned a free and impartial Search into the Quakers Principle Doctrine and Practice for verily before I was as much afraid of the Quakers as ye can be But standing single in the Will and Counsel of the Lord desirous to prove all things and hold fast that which is good abandoning all Consultations with Flesh was resolved to cease from Man and to cleave unto the Truth as the Lord should reveal and discover the same to me waiting in this Unbyassed Unprejudiced and Dis-engaged Frame examining carefully the Principle Foundation Doctrine and Practice of this Despised Holy People great Clearness and Satisfaction arose in my Soul for as Face answered Face in a Glass so were the Truths delivered by them owned and embraced by the Witness of God in my own Conscience and the same Spirit Light Life and Power which is manifest in them I came to feel in a measure in my own Particular And yet for all this before I came to any visible Closure with them I sate down and counted the Cost and am made willing freely to endure the Cross and undergo the World's Reproach and Shame knowing that whoever will be Christ's Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow him And truly Friends the Day of the Lord's Power is come and felt whereby I am made willing to forsake Fathers and Mothers Brethren and Sisters Parsonages and all kind of Ecclesiastical Promotions Friends Honours Pleasures Profits Houses Lands Goods yea and Life is self to follow the Lamb and fall in with his Interest as it is only witnessed and embraced by and amongst the Children of Light by the World called Quakers Answ 4. But if it were possible I desire to make clear to your Satisfaction that there was sufficient Ground for me and so there is for you who have any Tenderness and Breathings in your Souls after the Lord to separate your selves from the Tents of those Ungodly Men your Teachers who are no better then Filthy Dreamers Blind Guides and Belly Gods who belch out nothing but Blasphemies Lyes Slanders False Accusations and Evil Speeches against God and Christ his Wayes Truth and People and this I see and declare against them in the Light For verily there is and I witness it an Honest Gracious Tender Principle in many of you called Independents which kindles in you perfect Hatred against Sin and unsatisfied real Breathings and Pantings after the Sensible Living Presence of the Lord But your Leaders cause you to Err and ye are scattered upon the dark and barren Mountains And this I testifie in the Name of the Living God That it will be so with you while ye follow these Wandring Stars Clouds without Rain Seducing Spirits your Pastors and Teachers who are Ravening Wolves and Ministers of Antichrist whom ye ought not to receive into your Houses nor bid them God speed For 1. They are altogether Ignorant of the True God and all the Knowledge that these men pretend to have of the Deity is attained by Reading and Hear-say for they will confidently affirm That Vision and Immediate Revelation is ceased Judge ye therefore what Knowledge these men have of God when the Scriptures say No man knows the Father but they to whom the Son reveals him 2. They Reproach and despise Jesus Christ the only Son of God of whom the Scriptures witness and testifie to be the True Light which enlightens every man that comes into the World But they are not afraid to say The Light in every man is but a Natural Light and at the best not able to save those who believe in it and obey it And to discover themselves more plainly to be the Ministers of Antichrist they are