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	succession_n	1,657	5	10.2019	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85050	Vindiciæ mediorum & mediatoris. or, the present reigning errour arraigned, at the barr of Scripture and reason. Wherein is discovered the falshood and danger of that late borne opinion, that pretends to an immediate enjoyment and call of the Spirit of God, both above and against its owne fffects, [sic] cause, word, ministry, and witness, in all respects. Occasioned by a pamphlet, intituled, The saints travell to the land of Canaan, or a discovery of seventeen false rests, &c. By one R. Wilkinson, a preacher of this errour about Totnes in the West. In the treatise following, the reader shall finde, most of the maine fundamentall doctrinall truths that this age doth controvert, faithfully vindicated, cleared, confirmed. By F. Fullwood, minister of the Gospell at Staple Fitzpane in the county of Somerset.	Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.	1651 (1651)	Wing F2521; Thomason E1281_1; ESTC R202060	131,348	337

I mean those Ministers that first obeyed that call of God Come out of her c. They undoubtedly had both an outward call from men because they were Preachers in Rome and an inward call from God for that they came out of Babilon Now 't is most unreasonable to judge that they lost their inward call to teach by leaving Rome and for their outward call unto it either the Essentials of their commission received from men be fore remained the Antichristian circumstances being shaken off like Eliahs mantle when he went to Heaven as it did their Baptisme upon the old rule Fieri non debuit factum valet or else their call was extraordinary to them their necessity giving a sufficincy of warrant therto 2. The calling of such Ministers being received many yeares before they left Rome might for any thing we know be received when the Church of Rome was a true Church though extreamly corrupted For as soon as ever the Pope was the man of sin the Antichrist i. When his iniquity was ripe may we not think that God would not suffer his People or Ministry much lesse any longer under him but both called and brought them from under him and then there is no difficulty left but we have found and granted a succession of Persons in the Ministry of Christ from the Apostles times But suppose that Rome was so far apostatized as that she was undoubtedly Babylon before both these Ministers ordination by her and leaving of her yet what reason is there that when they have left the Church of Rome with her Antichristianisme that they should stil be condemned for Antichristians the People leaving the Romish Church were therefore honored as the true Church and why not the Ministry upon the same account as the true Ministery Que. But to the Ministery leaving Rome is is there not required a new Ordination seeing their former was Antichristian Answ Those Ministers that saw reason for leaving Rome it seems saw no reason for a new Ordination 2. When God denieth an ordinary way for things that he purposeth to continue he himself supplieth extraordinarily as he fed Elias supplied the womans Bagg and Cruse and might doe here viz. By the consent of the Church having all Vox popult vox Dei power radically in her that Officers should have even for Ordination and in such a case the voice of the People is the voice of God Again it is granted by the very doubt that there is and must be a true Ministery some where and urged by the Objection also that the Ministery of Rome is Antichristian Therefore the true Ministery must needs be with us that is the discenting Reformed Churches Let the way of Devolution Derivation of it be either extraordinary or ordinary or whatsoever 2. But we shall add a few things more for satisfaction to the scruple viz. To prove that the Ministery of the Reformed Churches and perticularly of England is the Ministry of Christ I mean not every idle blinde and corrupt guid among us but such as be in life Godly and honest in Labours abundant and faithfull among us such as these are truly sent by Jesus Christ 1. Therefore consider it being granted that there is and hath been still since the daies of the Apostles a succession of the Ministery of Christ where should it be before God called us out of Babilon it must be either in the Church of Rome or among the Turks or Jews The two later no Christian none will say that they had the Ministery of Christ therefore it follows the Ministery of Christ before the reformation was in Rome i. under the Romish power But when we devided and abjured Rome as Antichristian The true Ministery must be either with Rome or us that did discent from Rome it is most unreasonable and a contradiction to say that the true Ministery is with the false and not with the true Church Now if it be granted as it cannot with any kind of colour be denied that when the people of God first came out of Babylon they brought the true Ministery out along with them it is most clear that the Ministery of England hath had a Succession most known and visible from those that first brake off from Antichrist Now the only difficulty is whether we or those that seperate from us have this Blessing pleaded for and it is cleer from what hath been just now said that we once had it and it behoovs them to shew when and how we lost it But as for them that seperate from us t is very unlikely that the true Ministry should be with them for first none of their Preachers at least very few of them in his great Harvest pretend unto it And again their own pretences or vain imaginations would not create their lawfull call unto it Which call consists of two parts viz. Qualification and Tit. 1. 2 Cap. Commission The first they only presume they have the last they care not for 2. Moreover we may prove the truth of our Ministry from the truth of its fruit and Effects First Our Saviour in giving us rules for the triall of Teachers saith By their Fruit ye shall know them Their Fruit that is their Doctrine you shall know them that is whether they be of God If there be a Ministery of Christ in the World where should it be but where the Doctrine and truth of Christ is taught and though we cannot cleare a Succession of persons yet doubtless a Succession of Doctrine is in this sense enough to clear the truth of our Ministery We have the Doctrine of Christ truly preacht among us I mean the reformed Churches above all other Churches in the World and upon evident consequence it follows that we the Reformed Churches have a cleerer evidence of the truth of our ministery then any other 2. From the Effects thereof wrought by preaching in the hearts of the Hearers cut off the Beams from the Sun and they cease any longer to be conveyances of light unto the World And the Ministery cannot do the work of Christ but as depending upon Christ who are only Ministers by whom you beleeve as God gave to every man Now if the Ministry do the work of Christ and this be only by the strength and help of Christ surely it is Christs Ministery and it may say with the Apostle to all the true Converts in England ye are the Seale and witness of our Apostleship and call from Heaven who have been owned and used by the hand of Omnipotency in your spirituall Creation Resurrection and Regeneration This reason may be by no means sleighted As to say there were never any truly converted among us by the Ministry of the word is against very sense and most uncharitable so to deny the mean to be of God is no lesse then Blasphemy To conclude remember that the seven Stars are in the hand of Christ not only to be used but kept by him Rev. 2. 1.

that they are according to the Analogy of Faith as very Scripture So that while our Sermons are the truth of God and we our selves in commission from God the words that we speak are the words of God and we may speak them boldly as in the name of God and he that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Obj. 3 The two former Objections would have none but this third on the contrary would have all Preachers it knows not why we should put such a difference betwixt Ministers and others And therefore will have those that are gifted to preach without any more adoe Answ Ministeriall gifts are of two sorts such as belong to Officers and such as are common to Members also but they both have their place proper to them and do 1 Cor. 12. 17 29. not lash or jossle And are all teachers if the whole Body were an eye where were the hearing Que. But did not the persecuted Saints Ast. 8. 4. go preaching the Word every where and why have not we the same Gospell liberty Answ This if considered gives no license at al towards the wide and common practise of preaching by the presuming illiterate men of our times For 1. First It is to be observed that the word here use for Preaching is commonly used for publishing or declaring any thing abroad in the World The same is used of the impotent man that was healed Luke 8. 39. it is said he went away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preaching i. declaring the same and praise of him that had healed him so the Disciples here went preaching i. reporting the word Gospell Christ for which they suffered 2. Observe that before they went out of Jerusalem as also when once they came into Jerusalem again where the Ministry was setled we heare nothing of their preaching And we dispute not here how far private Christians may excercise their gifts where there are none that may preach by way of office But we dispute and argue against such only as by their allowance of common preaching would destroy the Function Que. The Apostle telleth us that we may all prophesie and by prophesying is meant 1 Cor. 14. 31. preaching therefore why may not all preach Answ Prophesying at least in the place now urged doth not mean preaching All conclude it is either more extraordinary or else more ordinary then but none the the same with preaching or the pretended Prophesying of our daies if we receive these Prophets among the Corinthians as extraordinary Officers as their name and 1 Cor. 12. 28 29. Cap. 14. 5. place they being still ranked with Apostles and such as speak with tongues would seem to intimate then without doubt the Prophets among us do not so much as pretend to their work or office But and if we take these Prophets in a more ordinary capacity then they are as much below as before they were above Pastors and Teachers For it is generally concluded even by such as complain of the losse of this excercise in our Churches that this way of Prophesie was but an excercise of our gifts as members not Officers Acts 13. 15. 1 Cor. 14. 29 30 31 32. And that it was only used in a Church that had Officers and that by their invitation and not till after publike preaching ended and both it and its spirit were ever liable and ready to be tried and censured by the rest of the Prophets the spirit of the Prophets being subject to the Prophets All which circumstances cleerly differ prophesying and preaching prophesying being only subordinate unto not at all opposed against much less the same with preaching Not but that as Vision by the Prophets so prophesying Prov. 29. 18. may be sometimes use by the Apostles either by a Metanimy or an abuse of speech for that that is properly called preaching Obj. 4 We grant say others that while the Apostles lived in the World there was a preaching by way of Office but that there is any succession of Ministry from them to us as is pretended wee deny Answ But we shall cleerly prove what is denied viz. That the ministry of preaching by way of Office did not expire with the age of the Apostles but rather it hath use and place in the Church in the last daies which we shall demonstrate from its transition promises and ends as they all are cleerly recorded in scripture 1. First let us observe the transition which the Gospell discovers whereby this Office is transmitted or made over to posterity As the Father saith Christ sent me so or upon that account send I you the Apostles sent by Christ say also in effect as Christ sent us so we send others Instanced especially in Timothy and Titus God sent Christ into the World not only Heb. 2. 3. 2 Tim. 1. 11. Tit. 1. 3. to be a King and Preist but a Preacher or Prophet also Christ sent Paul and the rest not only to be Apostles but Preachers also Paul c. sent Timothy and Titus not to be Evangelists but preachers also and withall let them know their place power and duty That they should send others and ordaine Elders and Bishops in every City whence we may aptly observe two things both the Tit. 1. 5 7. truth and the manner of the succession of the Ministry of preaching from the Apostles downward The Father gave the Son and the Son gave his Servants the ministers power by and in their own mission to ordaine and send others successively to the end of the World Which by undeniable consequence must needs follow for the Bishops or Pastors ordained or sent by Titus with the Angels in the Revel without question lived and ruled after the Apostles The former of which not being immediately ordained by Apostolicall power however the later were what then should hinder but by the same the Ministry of Preaching may and doth pass to the end of the World 2. But secondly We may further demonstrate the succession and use of preaching in the Church even to and after the daies we live in from the promises belonging to it viz. the promises of it and to it First There are promises of Preachers even to the last purest times to the purest times which shew that the coming of the spirit is not the going away of the Ministery And to the last daies witnessing that there is a succession and use of the same even to and with us When the new Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven it shall be built upon the foundation of the twelve Apostles that is their Doctrine as laid down by the Ministry of it But how doe you prove that therefore compare therewith Ezek. 47. 10. For even then the fishers i. of men shall stand and spread out their nets c. But let us also more plainly add that of Jere. 3. 15. Where God speaking of the restitution of his Church or the building of the new Jerusalem by