Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
truth_n church_n doctrine_n hold_v 3,934 5 6.1946 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A83012 The confident questionist questioned: or, the examination of the doctrine delivered by Mr. Thomas Willes in certain queries. Published by Mr. Jeremiah Ives. Examined by counter-queries. By N.E. with a letter of Mr. Tho. Willes. N. E. 1658 (1658) Wing E18; Thomason E934_3; ESTC R207678 33,986 58

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

there was no such Necessity then must he needs acknowledge the Popish Bishops to have power of Ordination for as much as there was no other Ministers to ordain and from them they had received Ordination So that which way soever hee should turn their Call would appear to bee clear and certain Neither could the opinion of the Receivers null or annihilate the truth of their Call which could not depend upon their opinion but must needs consist in the conformity of their Ordination as to the substance of it to the primitive Institution or the necessity of the susception of the work of the Ministry as in an extraordinary case without Ordination But hee refusing either to receive satisfaction from or to make any direct Reply unto this fair Proposal manifested his intents by offering an open opposition to both in a publick Dispute if hee might bee admitted thereunto notwithstanding his Concession of both principles and thereby manifested his desire of contention rather than love of Truth and Peace the great Interests of all good Christians and upon this account his offer was and I conceive most justly rejected For my part I know no ground wee have in the Gospel to admit the enemies of the Truth and open opposites to the Gospel-Ministry as are the Sect of the Anabaptists publickly to dispute in Christian Assemblies against our Doctrine and Ministry which wee hold forth in concurrence with the universal Christian Church from the Word and Gospel Though I do beleeve there may bee a sufficient ground for dispute against the enemies of the Truth and true Religion when the Gospel cannot well by other means get footing or it may bee conducible for the further propagation of it amongst such as have not embraced it What ground there may bee for some particular dispute upon some special occasion with special Cautions and Rules to regulate it I shall not here define but only say such things are to bee ordered by Prudence according to the general Rules of the holy Scripture Thus as to that which you last desired I have I hope in the first place given you some satisfaction Only this I le adde that I received from him and some of those that were with him what I told them I expected from them from some words they spake unto that purpose even an unchristian-like abuse in slanderous and reproachful reports that I could not make good my Calling to the Ministry nor maintain in private what I had delivered in publick But besides the Testimony of persons of credit that were then present I hope I shall bee able through divine Assistance to evidence that I can make good the doctrine I have delivered Now as for your other Questions I shall answer them in order 1 As for what I spake concerning the baptizing of the children of wicked Parents I spake only as might plainly appear to them that heard mee of such as being under the outward Administration of the Covenant of Grace were to bee accounted Members of the Visible Church till juridically ejected by excommunication And I see no reason why the children of such Parents may not bee baptized under the Gospel as well as the children of the wicked Jews were to bee circumcized under the Law When God in the times of the Gospel doth more largely extend the grace of the Covenant what ground have we to abridge any of any such Ordinance whereby that grace may bee communicated And do not wee often see that God passes by the children of good and godly Parents and chuses the children of those that are evil and wicked And if it bee the outward subjection unto the external Administration of the Covenant of grace in the Parents that gives children right to this outward priviledge of Baptisme why are not the children of wicked Parents living under this outward Administration to bee admitted to Baptisme of equal right with the children of those that are truly godly and religious Now it must needs bee the Parents outward profession of the true Religion or submission to the Administration of the Covenant of grace or the inward possession of the grace of the Covenant that must give them right for their children to Baptisme The latter it cannot bee viz. the inward possession of the grace of the Covenant because this falls not under mans cognizance but now visible Administration requires some visible Evidence of the parties interest in or right to that Ordinance which is to bee visibly administred And therefore the latter it must needs bee viz. an outward profession of the true Religion an outward submission to the Administration of the Covenant of grace And therefore the children of wicked Parents being members of the Visible Church and so having a true right in Foro Ecclesiae to the Sacrament of Baptisme ought as well to bee baptized as the children of Parents are to repeat the very words as I delivered them in publick the more need there is that their children should bee solemnly engaged to God I judge it very necessary that a solemn obligation to the duties of Christianity should by Baptisme bee laid upon them But I see not why Mr. Ives should enter his exception against the baptizing of the children of wicked Parents as such unless hee sought to colour his opinion which hath ever been exploded in the Christian Church when it is well known hee is against the baptizing of any children at all 2 As for what I spake of the fifth Monarchy-men I mean that generation which in these daies is called by that name take my very words at large which were but briefly rehearsed in the Sermon excepted against for the correction of a mistake under which they were censured take them thus some there are that do openly decry the Ministry their Call Maintenance and Administrations as Anti-Evangelical and Antichristian Such are these foul-mouthed Sectaries Seducers and Hereticks Quakers Anabaptists and Fifth-Monarchy-men whose breath is the very smoake of the bottomless Pit smelling strong of the Brimstone of Hell This I spake in allusion to that whereby such like Errors Heresies and Blasphemies as are vented now adays by men of these Sects are prophetically represented Rev. 9.2 3. as some do interpret it If there are not some of all these Sects as bad as I have represented them I confess I am under a great mistake and I could heartily wish it was but onely my errour 3 And as for that charge that I should tell any Gentleman that I was informed that Mr. Ives was a Jesuite and should stirre him up upon that account to apprehend him I must needs reckon it amongst those slanders and reproaches that have been most injuriously raised against mee For though I suppose you are not ignorant that Mr. Ives is openly and commonly reported to bee a Jesuite though upon what grounds I know not whether because of his erroneous principles and extravagant Practices in his intrusion into the Office and yet opposing the Call of