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	know_v	time_n	2,050	5	3.5238	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93412	A testimony for the truth and against deceit and deceivers with a reproof unto those who are not faithful to the truth which they are convinced of / By Stephen Smith.	Smith, Stephen, 1623-1678.	1668 (1668)	Wing S4215; ESTC R184378	12,419	15

are consulting the mind being drawn from the Witness for God in their hearts by their wilfull yeelding to the Enemy of their Souls who is alwayes ready with his Baits to betray them who desires ease in the Flesh and whose minds are out in studying Arguments to keep them in the same the subtil Serpent being here at work to the end that the Creature may pertake of his Table for he knows that then they cannot pertake of Gods Table as the Scriptures of Truth declares so at his Table he hands out curious words in Prayers and hanging down the head like a Bullrush and with feigning and flattering words to all sorts of Deceitfull Workers and doth help to turn and wind with all sorts of Worship which the Beastly Nature sets up and so tells them there is Flesh as well as Spirit to be satisfied and that they must live in sin as long as they have a being here and to others whose natures be inclined to Lust he provides plentifull Dishes for them and others who are disposed to Drunkenness he directs them to Companions and opportunity and at his Table are variety of Dishes for the Covetous man or Proud High Heady Boaster Curser Ranter for all sorts that will come to his Table he hath curious Dishes in a plentious manner and in all these he promises content and satisfaction but as he ever was so he is and ever will be a Lyar for let those speak who hath fed most plentiful at his Table if ever they were satisfied but that the more they fed the more hungry they were let all all these forementioned and Gamsters speak for themselves and Thieves and Murtherers and the like But in some he works more in a Mystery and furnisheth his Table with curious words and so feeds them and decks them but alwayes at his Table he hath this Dish for all sorts of Professors and Prophane that they must live in Sin in this Life this is as it were a Chain by which he holds all that will believe so fast to his Table and then let them be as rich as they will in comprehending and getting into the Brain-knowledge the Scriptures and outward Learning so though the work grows so high in the Mystery of Iniquity that the Enemy of the Soul hath exalted himself above all that is called God and so makes a shew in fine Words and in long Prayers and in curious Arts yet whilst he can keep them in his Chain to his Table if they cannot have ease in professing in one Sect he will give them leave to profess in another Sect and if that will not serve he will give them leave to go into the profession of Truth it self and further to meet together with them in the Truth any thing but hearing the Voice of the Son of God and obeying which brings to the Table of God and so overthrows his Table to any thing but this his Chain will reach Now as to what is before those that have seen something of Truth and some trouble hath by reason thereof risen in them but for love of a little ease to the flesh such their minds being out willingly goes into the Devils Chain and so feeds at his Table where they are furnished with Arguments against the Spirit of Truth manifested to lead and to guide into all truth and so out of Sin which is the Devils Chain but being thus furnished according to their hearts lusts being in the Adulterous Spirit takes all occasion to speak evil of the Truth and them that are in it who are true worshippers of the Lord according to his Will in Spirit and Truth so the god of the World having blinded their minds an evil eye gets out and this watches for the halting of them who are in Truth and when the just hand of God is gone out in making manifest some who have been in the profession of Truth who have hardned their hearts against reproof till at length their hypocrisie and guile is made manifest on which they hereby take occasion to speak evil of the Way of the Lord and them that are in it the Enemy of their Souls giving them thereby some ease for the present but it lasts not long but the Fame of Truth is sounded in their ears again by the Witness for God within or else from those in whom in dwells without them then the Lamb riseth and gives torment again their Coverings be too narrow will not serve them neither shall they Wo to the Rebellious Children saith the Lord that take Counsel but not of me and that cover with a covering but not with my Spirit So all unrighteous Coverings which people of unstable minds are under the Wo of the Lord is against so what will become of them that are under them O that men would in coolness consider whose day of Gods Visitation in Love is not past lest by their often provocations he visits in his great Displeasure and says My Spirit is weary with striving it shall strive no more now for the sakes of many who have yet true Breathings after Living Refreshment and are willing to take up Christs Yoke and Burthen and to follow him that is meek and lowly in heart that so they may find rest for their Souls for their sakes I shall give a brief Relation of the Ministers of Christ and of the Ministers of Antichrist First The Ministers of Christ must know Christ and see him and believe on him John 6.40 But some will say Who is there that knows not Christ Doth not all that can read see what is writ of him in the Scriptures of Truth And is not that the Ghrist which you mean who suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem and the like Yes we do own the same Christ and that which the Scriptures do declare of him is true and we do expect no other but to know him no further then the report of him though that be true this is but a poor knowledge which the Workers of Iniquity have of all sorts that lives visibly in gross and manifest Sins and notwithstanding that knowledge yet live and abound in the same so that knowledge only though that as I have said be true is not sufficient to fit a man to be a Minister of Christ But saith the diligent Enquirer What knowledge then is necessary for a Minister of Christ To know him as he is the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints to know what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory Collos 1.26 27. To know him as he is a Covenant given to the People and a Light to enlighten them manifested within them to give the knowledge of God and to know that he is the Light of the World and how he hath enlightened every man that comes into the World to know him to be the Word in the Heart and in the

their Mouthes is opened there is little need to speak of that these being Sayers but not Doers so not accepted of God these are they which run and are not sent which speaks a divination of their own Brain so not like to profit the people you may read of them at large Ezekiel the thirteenth read the Chapter from such Priests and Prophets as these is Profaneness gone forth in all the Land read Jeremiah the twenty third so they are sufficiently markt out in the Scriptures of Truth But some say we know all the Priests now adayes are bad enough and the smoothest of them preaches for filthy lucre sake but they speak good words so we may do as they say and not as they do O foolish People is it not because you love such easie Prophets who speaks peace to you in your Sins that you thus speak have you not heard what the Scriptures of Truth sayes Do men gather Grapes of therns or Figs of Thistles By their Fruits you may know them Should we not count him a very Fool that should go look for Figs on Thistles or sweet water out of a bitter Fountain What if they should say the Lord lives that is a true saying to them which knows it in themselves but it s a Lye to them who say it and knows the contrary in them but these Priests which Peach for Hire cry Peace to men whilst they put into their Mouthes to the end their god may be supplyed which causes and constrains their Mouthes to be open but in case you deny to put into their Mouthes then Demetrius like prepares War crying out we have a Law and if you wont pay we will make you pay But by the way what compulsive Law of man doth Christs Ministers use or were they to use prove any such thing in the Scriptures of Truth that they were to compel any man to give to them now if God hath appointed no such Maintenance by his Righteous Covenant and Law Is it not stealth in his sight to compel and take that by mans Law which God hath not appointed in his Law Look about you Priests for the Righteous Judge will sit in Judgment and to the Lambs Bar to give an account you must come and then the twisting Serpent will stand you in no stead but all things will be laid bare before you what esteem you have had of your god which is your Belly for the serving of which how have you yeelded unto the lying Spirit and so like Ahabs Prophets perswaded instigated many to go on in Persecution though to their destruction Have you not told the Magistrates that the Quakers are Ring-Leaders of Faction though you never come to their Meetings nor never examined the cause why they dissented from you nor never heard that they went about to disturb or molest any of their outward injoyments but barely because they bore a faithfull Testimony against the twisting twining Serpent the great Enemy of mans Soul which Spirit of Error your god cannot be served without so a great stir and ado you make in being Instruments of casting into Prison haling and tearing away the Goods and the like from those who lives in the Fear and Dread of the Lord God Almighty and in peace with men though in enmity with the Serpent the Enemy of mans Soul so the innocent blood which hath been shed in Nasty Holes and Stinking Prisons cries aloud unto the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth who is Lord of all who created all at his pleasure and can destroy all in the same those that be innocent out of the revengefull spirit have committed themselves and so cannot use any compulsive way with Weapons that are Carnal but in plain Demonstration and Power of the Spirit of Truth and their innocent Cause to the Judge of all they have committed to be cleared in his will and time who will assuredly do it But further to clear that you are the Ministers of Antichrist if notwithstanding what is declared any yet be in doubt Hearken what Christ saith to the Wicked I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and visited me not Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee Then shall he answer them saying Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment Matth. 25. In the same Chapter he shews the Righteous mans love and his reward and how did they express their love to Christ Did they do it in speaking great words of his Name No as you may read they visited his Brethren in their necessities so mark by the way there were Righteous men and now are though the Ministers of Antichrist for their gods sake would have all err and stray again from the Lords way but the Pearl for which they have sold all and bought is of more value then so but since Christ hath Brethren are not they them which are led by the Spirit of Truth and if people be given up to obey it will it not lead them out of the Spirit of Error If so then must they not depart from your wayes who are in the Revengefull Spirit Well then since those that are led by the Spirit are Sons of God as the Scriptures of Truth declare Rom. 8. and Heirs with Christ for he that sanctifieth and them that are sanctified are all of one wherefore he is not ashamed to call them Brethen now since there is such a unity between Christ and his Followers Shall it avail them any thing who call upon Christ yet persecute so near Relations as his Brethren And since those that visited them not in their necessities received such condemnation what will become of you And you Generation of wicked Doers who have been the cause of the Imprisoning so many of Christs Relations where several hundreds have laid down their lives for their faithfull Testimony against you because of your Adultery from the Lord and his Worship which is to be performed in Spirit and Truth and have set up worships according to your own hearts Lust and because of the Lords Patience and Long-suffering and great Mercy how do you harden your hearts against Reproofs and for good return evil and so go on scoffing and mocking well though the Lord hath exercised a great deal of patience it s my belief it will not last long but he will execute Righteous Judgment and plead the Cause of the Innocent who hath committed all to him with Praises and Glory from his own Works for ever The 21th day of the 11th Moneth 1667. Stephen Smith THE END