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	faith_n	pillar_n	4,667	5	10.3750	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91973	Pædo-baptisme: or, the baptizing of infants justified: by the judgement and practice of ancient and moderne Protestant divines, both foraine, and of this nation: clearly proving the absolute necessity of baptizing infants, from the authority of sacred scripture and the force of undeniable reason. Together with an excellent letter of Mr. John Philpots to the same purpose. / Collected by Robert Ram, minister of Spalding in Lincolnshire. Published by authority.	Ram, Robert, d. 1657.; Philpot, John, 1516-1555.	1645 (1645)	Wing R194; Thomason E276_12; ESTC R209870	23,751	33

marvellous beautifull composition in the middest of the Sky the sight whereof so inwardly comforted me that I am not able to expresse the consolation that I had thereof yea the remembrance thereof causeth as yet my heart to leape for joy and as charity is no churle but would others to be partakers of his delight so me thought I called to others I cannot tell whom and whiles they came and we together beheld the same by and by to my great grief it faded away This dreame I thinke not to have come of the illusion of the senses because it brought with it so much spirituall joy and I take it to be of the working of Gods Spirit for the contentation of your request as he wrought in Peter to satisfie Cornelius Therefore I interpret this beautifull City to be the glorious Church of Christ and the appearance of it in the Sky signifieth the heavenly state thereof whose conversation is in Heaven and that according to the Primitive Church which is now in Heaven men ought to measure and judge the Church of Christ now in earth For as the Prophet David saith The foundations thereof be in the holy hills and glorious things be spoken of the City of God And the marvellous quadrature of the same I take to signifie the universall agreement in the same and that all the Church here militant ought to consent to the Primitive Church throughout the foure parts of the world as the Prophet affirmeth saying God maketh us to dwell after one manner in one house And that I conceived so wonderfull joy at the contemplation thereof I understand the unspeakable joy which they have that be at unity with Christs Primitive Church for there is joy in the holy Ghost and peace which passeth all understanding as it is written in the Psalmes As of joyfull persons is the dwelling of all them that be in thee And that I called others to the fruition of this vision and to behold this wonderfull City I construe it by the will of God this vision to have come upon me musing on your Letter to the end that under this figure I might have occasion to move you with many others to behold the Primitive Church in all your opinions concerning faith and to conforme your selfe in all points to the same which is the pillar and establishment of truth and teacheth the true use of the Sacraments and having with a greater fulnesse then we have now the first fruits of the holy Ghost did declare the true interpretation of the Scriptures according to all verity even as our Saviour promised to send them another Comforter which should teach them all truth And since all truth was taught and revealed to the Primitive Church which is our mother let us all that be obedient children of God submit our selves to the judgement of the Church for the better understanding of the Articles of our faith and of the doubtfull sentences of the Scripture let us not goe about to shew in us by following any private mans interpretation of the Word another spirit then they of the Primitive Church had lest we deceive our selves for there is but one Faith and one Spirit which is not contrary to himselfe neither otherwise now teacheth us then he did them therefore let us believe as they have taught us of the Scriptures and be at peace with them according as the true Catholique Church is at this day and the God of peace assuredly will be with us and deliver us out of all our worldly troubles and miseries and make us partakers of their joy and blisse through our obedience to faith with them Iob 8. Therefore God commandeth us in Iob to aske of the elder generation and to search diligently the memory of the fathers For we are but yesterdaies children and be ignorant and our daies are like a shadow and they shall teach thee saith the Lord and speake to thee and shall utter words from their hearts And by Salomon we are commanded not to reject the direction of our mother Prov. 6. The Lord grant you to direct your steps in all things after her and to abhor contention with her For as St. Paul writeth 1 Cor. 11. If any man be contentious neither we neither the Church of God hath any such custome Hitherto I have shewed you good brother S. my judgement generally of that you stand in doubt and dissent from others to the which I wish you as mine heart to be conformable and then doubtlesse you cannot erre but boldly may be glad in your troubles and triumph at the houre of your death that you shall die in Church of God a faithfull martyr and receive the Crowne of eternall glory And thus much have I written upon occasion of a vision before God unfained But that you may not thinke that I go about to satisfie you with uncertaine visions onely and not after Gods Word I will take the ground of your Letter and especially answer to the same by the Scriptures and by unfallible reasons deduced out of the same and prove the baptisme of infants to be lawfull commendable and necessary whereof you seeme to stand in doubt Indeed if you looke upon the Papisticall Synagogue onely which hath corrupted Gods Word by false interpretations and hath perverted the true use of Christs Sacraments you might seeme to have good handfast of your opinion against the Baptisme of infants but for as much as it is of more antiquity and hath its beginning from Gods Word and from the use of the Primitive Church it must not in respect of the abuse in the popish Church be neglected or thought not expedient to be used in Christs Church Auxentius one of the Arrians feet with his adherents was one of the first that denied the Baptisme of children and next after him Pelagius the hereticke and some others there were in St. Bernards time as it doth appeare by his writings and in our daies the Anabaptists an inordinate kind of men stirred up by the divell to the destruction of the gospell But the Catholique truth delivered unto us by the Scriptures plainly determineth that all such are to be baptized as whom God acknowledgeth for his people and voucheth them worthy of sanctification or remission of their sins Therefore since that infants be in the number or scrole of Gods people and be partakers of the promise by their purification in Christ it must needs follow hereby that they ought to be baptized as well as those that can professe their faith for we judge the people of God as well by the free and liberall promise of God as by the confession of faith For to whomsoever God promiseth himselfe to be their God and whom he acknowledgeth for his those no man without great impie●y may exclude from the number of the faithfull But God promiseth that he will not onely be the God of such as doe professe him but also of infants promising them his grace and remission

and unchangeable love to his elect 2. The occasion of the covenant the same as mans misery by his fall in the loynes of Adam of which this covenant of grace is a pregnant and mercifull remedy 3. The Author is the same as God gracious mercifull slow to anger pardoning iniquity c. 4. The thing promised is the same as Christ the redeemer and Saviour of mankind 5. The spirituall efficacy of the Ordinances the same as the mortification of the flesh and the renewing of the creature to Gods Image in Jesus Christ 6. The subjects the same as a people in covenant with God to yeeld obedience to the faith 7. The end cujus the same as the glory of Gods mercy to his elect and the unexcuse of the reprobate 8. Finally the end cui the same as good workes here in this life and the immortality of the soule and eternall blessednesse in the life to come In another place concerning the baptizing of all without difference he saith That though divers borne within the Church are reprobates yet as they come one and one unto us we cannot say that this or that child is a reprobate he may be an elect vessell for ought we know And the adequate end of baptisme administred is not salvation of the baptized The glory of God is the principall end namely the glory of Gods singular mercy in the salvation of his elect and the glory of Gods justice in the unexcuse of the reprobate As all outward ministrations in the Church serve for the glory of Gods mercy and justice We put them all under the initiall seale of the gospell that they may be made subject to the gospell and be judged by the gospell Wynells covenants plea for Infants Next to the arguments drawne from expresse testimony of Scripture for the baptizing of children Dr. Featley we have a most forcible argument drawne from the consent of the universall Church testified by their constant practice of admitting children to baptisme even from the Apostles daies unto this present This argument if it be well weighed is of very great moment and may convince the conscience of any ingenuous Christian For no Christian doubteth but that the Apostles were inspired by the holy Ghost and Christ promised his Spirit to lead his Church into all truth which promise he hath hitherto made good in such sort that it cannot be proved that ever the whole Church of Christ universally erred it is true particular Churches have erred and may erre and generall Councels which the Schooles terme the representative Church are subject to error and have sometimes decreed heresie and falshood for truth but the formall Church as they speake that is all the assemblies of Christians in the world cannot be impeached with error at any time whence I thus frame my argument That which the Apostles in their daies began and the whole Christian Church scattered over the face of the whole earth hath continued in all ages and all Countries where Christianity hath been and is professed cannot be an erroneous practise But the Catholike Christian Church in all places and ages even from the Apostles times hath admitted the children of faithfull parents to holy baptisme Ergo the practise of christening children cannot be erroneous or unwarrantable as the Anabaptists teach Featly Disputation with Anab. pag. 19. Confessions of Reformed Churches for Baptizing of Infants Helvetian WE condemne the Anabaptists who deny young infants born of faithfull parents to be admitted to baptisme for according to the doctrine of the Gospell theirs is the Kingdome of God and they are within the covenant of God why therefore should not the signe of the covenant of God be given unto them why should they not be initiated by holy baptisme that are Gods peculiar and within his Church The Helvetian confession cap. 20. Belgick Certainly Christ shed his blood that he might no lesse wash infants of faithfull parents then those of yeeres and therefore it is requisite they should also receive the signe or Sacrament of that thing which Christ for their sakes accomplished The Belgicke confession Article 34. French We acknowledge onely two Sacraments common to the whole Church the former whereof is Baptisme given unto us to witnesse our Adoption because in it we are engrafted into the body of Christ that being washed with his blood we might also be renewed by his Spirit unto holinesse of life Confession of France Articl 37. Augustane Infants being by Baptisme commended to God are received into the favour of God and made his sonnes as Christ testifieth Matth. 18. saying It is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish Augustane confession Article 9. Saxon. We retaine the baptisme of infants also because it is most certaine that the promise of grace belongs even to infants nor doe we we judge this a meere idle ceremony but that then they are truely received by God and sanctified The Saxon confession cap. 14. I believe and confesse that our children forasmuch as they also are included together with us in the covenant when they are baptized into the Articles of the ancient Catholique faith Palatine are made partakers as wel as we of the death of Christ and of all other good things c. Palatinate confession Baptisme is a notable badge of the people of God Harmony c. for it serves us to shew of what profession we be and by our baptisme we declare in the Church what faith we professe both we our children and our families namely the Christian Religion Ex actis concordia inter Lutherum Bucerum Helveticas Ecclesias A Letter of Mr. Philpot to a friend of his prisoner the same time in Newgate Wherein is debated and discussed the matter or question of infants to be baptized The God of all light and understanding lighten your heart with all true knowledge of his Word and make you perfect to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ whereunto you are now called through the mighty operation of his holy Spirit Amen I Received yesternight from you deare brother S. and fellow prisoner for the truth for Christs Gospell a Letter wherein you gently require my judgement concerning the baptisme of infants which is the effect thereof And before I doe shew you what I have learned out of Gods Word and of his true and infallible Church touching the same I thinke it not out of the matter to declare what vision I had the same night whiles musing on your Letter I fell asleepe knowing that God doth not without cause reveale to his people who have their minds fixed on him speciall and spirituall revelations to their comfort as a taste of their joy and Kingdome to come which flesh and blood cannot comprehend Being in the middest of my sweet rest it seemed me to see a great beatifull City all of the colour of Azure and White foure square in a