Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A57312
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To the magistrates, governours & rulers concerned in England
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing R1496; ESTC R11926
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5,420
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8
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have cause to repent of it when it were too late for as I said before that Prerogative is only peculiar to the Son of God to give Infallible Judgment of Truth and Error and to render to every man a Reward according to his Deeds be they good or bad and whosoever assumes this Prerogative cannot be innocent for Vengeance is mine saith the Lord and I will repay it Rom. 12. 30. Heb. 10. 30. Rom. 3. 5. And how can the Natural man perceive the things of the Spirit of God to whom the Apostle saith they are foolishness 1 Cor. 2. 14 Can Fines Imprisonments or Tortures upon the Bodies of men expiate their Offences to God or satisfie the Displeasure of Heaven for their committing or omitting any thing or duty Or is poor fallen man a fit Judge in the weighty matters of Gods Kingdom Oh! weigh and consider these things well and be not high-minded but fear and dread the living God unto whom you must give an Account of that Stewardship committed to you and God Almighty give you to see both your Priests and Us for there is little hopes of their seeing either Truth or Error while your great Benefices Gifts and Rewards stand so much in their Eyes such things alwayes blinded the Eyes of the false Prophets of Israel whom the true Prophets cryed Wo against Isa 56. 10 11. Jer. 23. Ezek 34. Mic. 3. 11 12. and against the Judges also that Judged for Rewards as well as against the Priests which preached for Hire and said Therefore should Zion be plowed as a Field and Jerusalem should become on Heaps c. And is not the cause now in England And how can it but produce the same Effects What will be the end of these Covetous Practices which the Priests and Lawyers are daily found in Are they not the proper Marks of those cursed Children which Peter spoke of 2 Pet. 2. 14 And who are they that are walking in the Way of Cain and running greedily after the Error of Balaam which Jude spoke of vers 11 I do entreat you in all Humility to consider these things in this your day and see who carry the Marks aforesaid for they are the false Prophets which Christ warned his Disciples of Mat. 7. 15 16. who are known by their Fruits And let all People alone in matters of Faith and Worship towards God it is dangerous for you to sit Judges over mens Faith and Consciences in matters for which they and they alone are only responsible to God and not to any Earthly Man You your selves cannot Infallibly say that the Way and Worship in which you now walk and worship is the Way and Worship of God and how then can you enjoyn others thereunto and that under severe Penalties Who doth not believe it is either the VVay or VVorship of God Is not Faith towards God his own Gift And who can perswade the Heart but he And all Offerings and Sacrifices without it are as the cutting off a Dogs neck and offering Swines Blood which is Abomination before him therefore take heed what you do concerning this great and weighty matter for GOd will not be mocked with Lip-service nor a voluntary Humility but faith at this day as in the dayes of old My Son give me they Heart Prov. 23. 26. This is the Rock upon which many of our fore-Fathers have suffered Ship-wrack So in tender Bowels of Love I entreat you beware of it and trust God with your Church if it be of him he will defend it and no weapon formed against it shall prosper but if it be of man he will overthrow it and all your VVisdom Strength and Pollicy cannot uphold nor defend it And judge Righteously between a Man and his Neighbour in temporal things for that is your place and business and the end for which you were ordained of God and herein as you are a Terror to Evil-doers and a Praise to them who do well you shall thrive and prosper and in this shall your Posterity be happy when your Heads are in the Dust But let the Ark of God alone for by his Power alone he will support that Remember when Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the Ark of God when the Oxen shooke it how the Wrath of God rose against him and he smote him for his fault so that he dyed by the Ark of God 2 Sam. 6. 6 7. 1 Chron. 13. 10. These things were written for our Learning that we should not tempt God as some of them tempted him and were destroyed And we pray you take Gamaliels counsel concerning all Dissenting Parties who live peaceably under the Government and let us alone If we be of God ye cannot overthrow us Acts 5. 34. But if this work be of man it will fall and come to nought vers 38 39 40. To this advice the Jews hearkned though they were in great Rage against the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Acts 5. 40. and for a time let them go but the High-Priests rage would not suffer that long to continue but again and again stirred up the Rulers to persecute Christ and his Disciples till they had stain them and thereby drew down the Wrath of God upon themselves and their Posterity And they judged themselves as safe then in their work and thought they had as good Law for their proceedings as you now think you now have to prosecute us by nay their Confidence led them to say His Blood be upon us and upon our Children Mat. 25. 25. which came to pass to their Misery and Condemnation Examine all Histories since the Creation did ever any long prosper who prosecuted any meerly for their Consciences towards God How can any Mortal uncertain fallible man with safety prescribe a way of Worship to his fellow-Creature in which he can assure him Acceptance with God Did Christ who had all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to him enjoyn any Man or People to any Way or Worship under any outward Penalty in Body or Purse What Example have you for such Proceedings in all the Gospel Day or Ministration If the Scripture be your Priests Rule as they pretend let them shew a president for their Proceedings in this matter from any who either believed or followed Christ Nay when there arose a difference amongst the Disciples about Eating c. the Apostle said Let every man be fully perswaded in his own Mind and commanded him who eateth not to despise him who eateth not neither him who eats not him who eateth for God hath received him Rom. 14. 2 3 4 5. And writing to the Phillipians he said Let us therefore as many as be Perfect be thus minded and if any thing ye otherwise minded God shall reveal even the same to you Phil. 3. 15. He did not force them under Fines and Penalties into his Belief or Mind in things appertaining to the Kingdom of God And writing to the Corinthians he exhorted them to follow him as he followed Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. and no otherwise And to Timothy he describes those Fruits by which Christ told his Disciples Mat. 7. 16. they should know the false Prophets 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. and commanded them To turn from such And this is the reason why many turn from such now whâ—se fruits proclaim them rather Sons of Beliel than Ministers of the Gospel And Peter writing to the Saints fully describes the false Teachers and their fruits 2 Pet. chap. 2. And then John writing to the little Children said It is the last times as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now there are many Antichrists whereby we know it is the last times 1 John 2. 18. And again he said Little Children let no man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is Righteous even as he is Righteous but he that committeth Sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning And for this purpose was the Son of God made manifest that he might destroy the works of the Devil In this are the Children of God manifest and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God 1 John 3. 6 7 8 9 10. Now the God of Mercy give you Understanding more and more to discern between the Righteous and the Wicked and between them who serve God and they who serve him not Amen I am A Friend to all the Vpright in heart without Respect of Persons Ambros Rigge Gatton in Surrey the 2d of the 4th Moneth 1682. THE END