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	mark_n	1,651	5	9.1086	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02912	An advertisement or admonition, unto the congregations, vvhich men call the new fryelers in the lowe Countries, wrirten [sic] in Dutche. And publiched in Englis. VVherein is handled 4. principall pointes of religion. 1. That Christ tooke his flesh of Marie, haveing a true earthly, naturall bodie, 2. That a Sabbath or day of rest, is to be kept holy everie first day of the weeke. 3. That ther is no succession, nor privilege to persons in the holie thinges. 4. That magistracie, being an holy ordinance of God, debarreth not anie from being of the Church of Christ. After these followes certen demandes concerning Gods decree of salvation and condemnation.	Helwys, Thomas, 1550?-1616?	1611 (1611)	STC 13053; ESTC S116912	57,734	190

Magistracie is sinne and that Magistrats by reason of their office and aucthoritie are sinners For although a Magistrat should manifest never so great faith and repentance yet these men will not yeild that he may be of the Church of Christ for except be cast away his Magistracie his saith and repentance is nothinge This vnholy Office vnsanctified and horitie doth vtterly overthrowe faith and repentance Let it not displease you that wee write thus plainely set if it be a holie Office and Sanctified aucthoritie then it cannot debarr anie frō being members of the church of Christ Thus may you all see that these among you which teach that Magistrats may not be of the Church And that it is not lawfull for them to punish evill doers with the sword nor by the sword to mainteyne warr for the preservation of their contries people these are they that privily bring in damnable heresies despising goverment and speaking evill of these that are in dignitie and aucthoritie in that hereby they seeke the vtter overthrowe of all goverment and acc●●pt aucthoritie and magistracie most vise because evill doers are punished thereby which you teach ought not to be but is sinne wickednes to be done And if all men in these Provinces vnder the goverment of the lords stats generall were of your mynds as you would have them where were goverment and magistrats were it not all in the dust Thus is it evident that you would have Kings Princes magistrats vtterly abolished Is not this heresie privily brought in vnder so great a shewe of godlines to destroy the holy ordinance of god and how manie of you vnderstand that this heresie leads you to accompt magistrats the ministers of god but as the devills are wee hope there are thōsands of you that have no such thoughs and yet it is most evident and cannot be avoyded but it is the end of your ground rule is not this privily brought in●●e not therefore deceived by f●re humble speaches for weep● feste vnto you that it by this that is already said it do not plainely appeare to anie indifferent reader that your ground leads you to this that all that magistrats do by vertue and power of their Office in punishing evill doers is sinne in them if anie thinke good to oppose wee wil by gods assistance make it most clere that all may see it that wincke not with their eies If therefore you like not to hold that magistrats are no otherwise the ministers of god but as the devils are then leave of also to hold that magistrats by reason of their magistracie are to be debarred out of the kingdome of Church of Christ And also it shall appeare that this your ground doth evidently overthrowe all Magistracie in the whole earth for if God would have all Kings Princes saved and come to the knowledg professiō of his truth which Th-appostle saith he would 1. Tim. 2.2.4 and you confesse the same and if they cannot come to the knowledg and profession of the truth except they cast away their Magistracie as you say and hold then must all Magistracie be cast away in the whole world for God would have all the Kings Princes and Magistrats vpō the earth to come to the knowledg of the truth be saved And if you like not to overthrowe all Magistrats and Magistracie in the earth then leave of to hold that they may not be of the kingdome church of Christ One other marke that shewes you are the false Teachers Th-appostle speakes of is that you stand in your owne conceite this wee have found in some of you and wee require wee may not now find it in you all for then shall it appeare evidently vnto all men Thus have wee in these pointes wherein wee differ from you spoken so farr as God hath enabled vs beseeching you all with singlenes of hart to try your standing in these thinges wee have spoken of and that you would not hold these opinions because you have held them long but that you will loveingly be advised to search the Scriptures and see whether you have any Good warrant thus to hold and professe and teach men so Approve your selves now vnto vs and vnto all men that you walke not blindly in the stepps of them that have gone before you but that you disire and endeavor to walke by true sanctified knowledg from the Scriptures and that you do not so much seeke to heape multitudes together and build vp great Churches and congregations as to gather together a holy people and biuld vp pure Churches in the profession of the true faith that you may be approved of God which neither you nor anie people can ever do except you first make sure that your doctrine be pure and vndefiled for though a people should never so much excell in all holines of conversation yea though they should excell in works in love service in faith patience that their workes should be more at laste thē at first Reuel 2.19 yet if they suffer false doctrine false teachers they are impure polluted churches for a little leavē leaveneth the whole lumpe Gal 5.9 the lord will not approve of them but will certenly come against thē with the sword of his mouth will remove their candle suckes out of there places This the Lord saith but who beleeves the word of the lord herein If Churches and Congregations did beleeve these words of the lord it would make them try their doctrines by the word of the lord go vpon sound grounds with knowledg vnderstanding from the word of truth being testified vnto them by the teaching of the spirit of God and not receive doctrines vpon the good opinion they have of their Teachers knowledg holines faithfulnes although they should excell in all these thinges neither would the people of God be carried away after anie doctrines by the stronge working affections of their mynds judging it to be the working of the spirit of God when it is nothinge but the spirit of their owne affections wherein they may have great motions and feelings with much zeale but not according to knowledg Rom. 10.2 Therefore are wee comaunded not to beleeve every spirit neither in our selves nor in others but to try first whether they be of God And hereby shall wee knowe the spirit of error If wee heare Gods wo●d 1. Ioh. 4.6 That is if wee search and try everie thinge thereby 〈◊〉 that Churches and congregations would thus looke vnto their waies and not hold errors for companie sake nor walke in by pathes by affections It is better to hold the truth alone to walke in the waies thereof co●rary to all the affections of the hart which is deceitfull but this is a hard doctrine who is able to heare it It is a pleasing thinge to walke in a profession of Religion with a multitude and especially it but some of the grounds of

to do all thinges if your rule of particuler proportion be good there is no such course nor proportion in the scriptures Iohn his example will not serve your turne for Iohn planted no Churches If you will have planters of Churches and that all men must come to them then must they needs be endued with like gifts as the first ●lanters were speake all languages as Th-appostles did worke miracles and not err in doctrine for the Lords hand is not shortned nor his grace and mercie lessned to his Church and people But if he send men with the same office and aucthoritie that he sent his Appostles he will for the honor of his owne name the advancement of his truth and good of his people give them the same gifts and not bring his truth and people in bondage to men full of errors ignorances and blindnes as you and all men are therefore be content to be biulders vpō the foundation layd and forbid not others to build thereon but let every man take heed how he buildeth vpon it 1. Cor. 3.10 This may suffice for this point and so wee come to that to the which the best approved amōgst you have had no word of annswere hetherto wee knowe you cā say nothinge for it holding your rule of Successiō according to your course and proportion except you wil be so very vnadvised as to hold proportion in one thinge no proportiō in another and this that wee intend to speake of is your ministry How come you to raise a ministry where is your particuler example your rule is that Elders must make Elders and none but Elders must administer in the holie thinges You raise baptisme after Iohns examples but how will you do to ordeyne Elders seeing you have no such exāple when you have done what device will you have to keepe this auctoritie to your selves This is your ground for your Succession as all had baptisme from Iohn the first baptizer so all must have baptisme from your first baptizer As all Churches proceeded from the first Church at Ierusalem so all Churches must proceeded from Ierusalem your first Church As Elders proceeded by ordination from the first Elders so all Elders must proceed by ordination from your first Elders heere is your proportion But how came your Elders by their ordination did they ordeyne themselves where is your example and proportion for that Did the Church ordeyne them then your proportion is gone for the first Elders were not so ordeyned Thus are you overtaken in your ground not seeing whether it ledd you Forsake it it shal be no disgrace for you to forsake error you shall therein shewe the true grace of God to be in you in denying your selves and your owne waies and advancing the way of the Lord. Hold you to the perfect rule that all gaynsaiers are not able to withstand which was given by the law giver and that is VVhere two or three are gathered together into my name there am I in the midst of them and whatsoever they bind on earth shal be bound in heaven and what soever they loose on earth shal be loosed in heaven Mat. 18.20.18 And 1. Cor. 3.16.21.22 Knowe you not that yee are the Temple of god Lett no mā reioyce in men for all thinges are yours and 2. Cor. 6.15.16.17.18 what Cōcord hath Christ with Be●all or what part hath the beleever with the infidell and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols wherefore come out from amongst them and seperate yourselves saith the Lord touch none vncleane thinge I will receive you I wil be a father vnto you and you shal be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord almightie These three places of scripture proves thus much First that wheresoever two or three are gathered together in Christs name Christ is in the midst of them and they have power to bind and loose which is to receive in cast out to appoint Officers and to discharge and to administer in all the holy thinges for haveing Christ they have wi●h him all thinges also Rom. 8.32 Christs power cannot be devided from him therefore where he is his power must needs be he is a kinge where he is he gives power to his servants to serve him in all his ordinances The second place alleged confirmes this where it is said Let no man reioyce in men for all thinges are yours and in the 5. vers of this 1. Co● 3. saith The Appostle who is Paul and who is Appollos but the ministers by whome ye beleeved sheweing that the Cornithians were not the Temple of God neither had interest vnto all thinges because of their persons but because they beleeved their doctrine And wheresoever a compaine of men now shall beleeve their doctrine even they are the Temple of god and all thinges are theirs aswell as all thinges were the Corinthians The third place ●ore alleged proves who they are that Christ hath promissed to be in the midst of that is those that seperate themselves from Behall which are men without a yock from vnbeleevers from Idolls and which touch no vncleane thinge these are they that God will receive and amonge whome he will dwell walke and he wil be their God and father they shal be his people children they shall not need to respect the persons of men as hath bene shewed for by the free gift of Gods grace through their faith in Christ all thinges are thens Will anie men not withstanding all this say that anie people or congregation seperated from all vncleannes may not enioy Christ and all the holy ordinances without they be admitted there vnto by other ●en Did Th-appostle Paule disclayme both for himself and Cephas Appollos from all previlige vnto their persons teach the corinthians that their persons gave not them interest vnto the holie things but their doctrine through their owne faith and dare anie challenge previlege vnto their persons so take away the the aucthoritie of Th-appostles doctrine ministerie that is still in as good force aucthoritie as ever in the scriptures And by whose ministerie doctrine what people soever beleeves at this day all thinges are therin by faith in the scriptures not by Succession from men Heere wee desire that all men that have anie vprightnes of ●art would enter into a due consideration of the depth of 〈◊〉 error of Succession from or by the persons of men And through gods assistance wee will endeavour to speake what wee are able for the discoverie of this error which is so great dangerous of the sharpe bitter fruites whereof wee have deepely taisted our vvounds are yet fresh greene but not vvithstanding by the grace of God vvee vvill not be provoked to speake beyond the bounds of sobriet●e herein and to proceed herein by the most easie plaine and evident vvay to our best vnderstandings VVee intreat you and all men vvith all holy

a difference betwix the kingdome and the people otherwise where was the kingdom before your ●irst begininge was there no kingdome for your first beginners to enter into did they make a kingdome and enter into it and all of themselves then sure it was not the kingdome of God and it stands you vpon to looke it be for if they set vp a new kingdome they entred not into Christs kingdome for Christs kingdome was and is an everlasting kingdome and cannot be shaken as the Author to the Hebrewes sheweth Heb. 12.22 speaking of mount Syon the Cittie of the liveing God the Celestiall Ierusalem Vers 28. Seeing wee receive a kingdome that cannot be shaken let vs have grace whereby wee may so serve God that wee may please him with reverence and feare VVee have endeavoured with our best abilities wch you may see are smale to speake the larger of this point because wee our selves have bene formerly misledd with this error that the Church is the kingdome of heaven and monut Syon and because wee knowe some others are strongly possessed therewith which not with standing hold not Succession but indeed it is the ground of all Succession for if the Church be Ierusalem then must there needs be Succession for there mus● needs be adue proportion of all thinges betwene the Tipe the truth betwene the old Ieru the new Ieru betwēe the shadow the substāce And there being therfore Successiō in the old Testamēt there must of necessitie be Succession in the new If therefore you can prove your selves Ierusalem wee yeild you all the Prerogatiue of Ierusalem Then must all people nations come to you and receive all the holy ordināces from you Then must all sacrifices be offered vp in you And then they that are not in you are not in Christ And all that are borne of water of the spirit must enter into you and all that are saved must walke in the light of you And then are you the ioy of the whole earth Thē must you be perached to other Cities and then can you not be shaken for Christes kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome which shall never be taken away nor be destroyed Dan. 7.14 But you may be shaken taken away and destroyed though you were as excelent a Church as Corinth Ephesus Phillippi Thessa Smyrna Philadelphia for all they are shaken taken away destroyed which were much more excellent Churches then you euen so may you much more be Therefore you are not the kingdome of heaven nor that heavenly Ierusalem and so those previleges belong not to you which you challenge and some wretched men have given you whose condemnation sleepeth not and all vnder that culler of your being Ierusalem And let vs now bring to trial your other ground concerning this cause which is That the ordinances of Christ being as you call it once raised vp againe they are not to be raised anie more but all men must fetch thē from those that raised them vp or from them that have received them at their handes by Succession First wee say vnto you that which some of you could not nor you all shall ever be able to annswere whilst the world endureth How knowe you of faith that he or they from whome you received your begininges were the first This can you never prove to anie mans conscience that hath anie conscience except you can shewe Prophecie of scripture perticulerly that such a man should first raise up to speake your owne vvord the ordināces of Christ and that he hath done it and that you haue it from him All these must you prove by scripture if your rule be true and that men must have faith in it but not anie one of these can you prove by scripture ●nd therefore your rule is not true and no mā can have faith in it and then not to be hold and practiced by anie that wait for salvation by Iesus Christ vvho must have faith in all that they hold professe practice or els they sinne ffor vvithout faith it is vnpossible to please God Rom. 11.6 Let us by the mercies of God intreat all you that professe the name of Iesus not to stand vpon such vncertaine and vnfound groundes For wch vvay shall you ever be able to prove that he or they from vvhome you by Succession have your begining vvere the first No man can ever prove it the vvorld is too vvide for man to comprehend or knowe all that is done in it It is avaine invention cast it away seeing there is no vvarrant in Gods vvord to vvarrant it vnto you that he or they vvere the first And if he or they vvere vvhat then Must all the vvorld come to them By vvhat rule of Gods word There must be a speciall commaund for him or them to beginne And a restraint or forbiddinge comaund to all men for doeing the ltie after ffor God is as mercifull to his people now as ever he vvas and he hath not left them without rule of direction that they should sinne and fall was the lord so carefull for his people Israell for whome he had wrought so great wonders and yet they were continually rebellious against him as to give Moses twice warning at one time Ex. 19.21 and 21. Goe downe charge the people that they breake not to the lord to gaze least manie of them perish And againe lett not the Preists and the people breake to come vpto the lord least they be destroyed And did the lord most carefully appoint Aaron and his sonnes their severall Offices and services about the Tabernacle as is shewed Numb 4. where the lord chargeth Moses and Aaron that they should not cutt of the Tribe of the famili● of the Kohathites But this do vnto them saith the lord that they may live and not dye let Aaron his sonnes come and appoint them every one to his charge least they touch or see those holy thinges they ought not to touch and see and dye was the lord out of his great grace mercie and love so carefull for his people then to give such strait rules of direction to them least they should come neare handle or see those thinges which apperteyned not to them to handle or see and so sinne and dye And hath the lord left to beg 〈◊〉 now in leaveing his people no directions nor directors to appoint them to their ●ffice and shewe them what i● comaunded and what is for bidden Surely you will not say but the lord is as mercifull to rebellious Israell as ever he was then wee require you to shew where the lord hath now comaunded some especially to beginne and meddle with the holy thinges and for bidden all others except by their appointment they be permittd appointed therevnto If you will thus sett vp a speciall Temple and Preist hood of your owne shewe your warrant from the word of truth which seeing possiblie you cannot do let God have the glorie and see

denie and vvee speake to men of vnderstanding And came your first beginner in the power of the spirit in this measure and was all warantable and according to the truth that he did in his ministery will anie affirme that all was warrantable that he did or can anie affirme it and that he could not err-God forbid that anie fearing God should be so foolish nay was he not a man coming furth in some smale measure of the deepe mist of the mistery of iniquitie being then in much error and ignorance yea even in that administration of baptisme orels you haue bene vnprofitable disciples of his And would you tye all the world from the East to the west to come fetch the holy ordinances of Christ from him you his successors through all your errors ignorances and grevious corruptions where of wee knowe so manie and have cause to be jealous of you for maine moe VVhat truth pietie or godlines is there in this that you should seeke to make men either presently swallowe vp all your errors ignorantly to be washed of you with water or els stay vntill they have learned them otherwise they must not be baptized at all And further that men must be forced to learne your language and so vntill the poore disciples of Christ that would followe him English men or aine other nation can speake dutch they are debarred from the holy ordinances of God the meanes of their salvation by this your rule a fearefull mistery of iniquitie Hereby you have wrought such wickednes amongst vs and brought such desolation vpon vs the poore people of God as wee have cause to wish that in our heades were floodes of water and our eies were fontaines of teares that wee might power out a complainte against you for this your abhomination wich you have set vp whereby you have wrought such destruction and ruine in the Church of God seeking to pull it downe to build vp your selves Hereby have you glorified your Church sett hir vp to sitt as a Queene takeing vnto your selves all power authoritie yea even to shutt the gates of the holie Cittie the heavenly Ierusalem saieing that none may enter but by your authoritie Oh that you could see your great sinne herein the lamentable evill that you have wrought First against God in destroying his Temple which is built truely though exceeding weakely vpon the foundation the word of God And you have caused the enimies of God to blaspheme to make a mock at the profession of Iesus Christ And you have caused them that were more indifferently mynded to doble their doubtings and rather stepp backward then come forward Thus have you sinned with an high hand against the God of heaven who is able and will fill you the duble for this your iniquitie if you repent not And for vs you have brought much sorrow greife vexation of soule spirit vpon vs. The Lord doth knowe wee speake truely and great hath bene our cause of greife to see the Church of Christ which is his body whereof wee are though vnworthie members thus rent and torne in pecces and our profession and wee made a scorne of men who have wished and wayted for our overthrow and have taken vpon them to foretell of these evills that have come vpon vs which being come to passe according to their foretelling they have triumphed against vs blessed themselves as though their foresa●eings must needs come to passe Thus have our enimies reioyced at our miseries but the Lord hath wounded them vpon their right eie and made them a reioyceing to their enimies VVere this all our woe it were at full enough but you have by this your great sinne brought a further evill vpon vs then to make our enimies reioyce over vs saying there there so would wee have it for you have made our frends our enimies yea our familier frends with whome wee tooke sweet counsell went together to the house of God And such is the enmitie betwixt vs and them whereof you have bene cheife instruments as it can neuer have end whilst anie of vs live for it is that enmitie which the Lord put betwene the seed or the woman and the seed of the serpent which can have no end in them except wee fall into the same destruction for there is no p●ace to repentance to be found for their trangression For they were once enlightned and had trusted of the heavenly gift and were made part●●●s of the holy ghost And had tastied of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come and are fallen away it is impossible they should be renewed againe by repentance seeing they crucifie againe to themselves the sonne of God and make a mock of him Heb. 6.4.5.6 Now to shewe how they were once enlightned First Mr. Iohn Smy●h 〈◊〉 vpon whose head the blood of all this people shal be hath by his profession in all his practice and by word and in his sundrie writings with such force of argument and strength of protestation with ground of truth as his writings shewe manifested himself to be enlightned with this truth of God That wheresoever two or three are gathered to gether into Christs name there Christ hath promissed to be in the midst of them Mat. 18.20 and therefore they are the people of god and Church of Christ haveing right to Christ and all his ordinances and need not seeke to men to be admitted to the holie thinges but may freely walke together in the waies of god and enioy all the holie thinges From this truth of god wherewith he was enlightned is he fallen denying the words of our Saviour Christ That saith wheresoever two or three are gathered togither c. And holdeth that the first two or three that are gathered togither have onely right to Christ and all his ordinances and that after all men must come to them restraning the wordes of Christ wch are generall so anie two or three onely to the first two or three and so hath sett vp a Successiō against the wch he hath formerly by all wordes writinges practice sett himself with all detestation And this man like Balaam hath consulted with you and hath putt a stumbling blocke before the people of God who were also enlightned and so are manie as you knowe fallen with him to the same sinne and vnder the same condemnation And M. Iarvase Nevile haveing witnssed not onely this but divers other truths for the which he hath bene long imprisoned and condemned to perpetuall imprisoment yea expecting death for the ame yet notwithstanding all his former fidelity and constancie whereby his bondes were famous through the whole land falling with M. Smyth vpon this your blind Succession forsakeing the rock whereon he stood is now returned beyond his vomytt exclayming against your Succession and strives to build vp the Succession o● Rome which he hath formerly with all zeale and holines pulled downe so is