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	ground_n	pillar_n	16,417	5	10.6783	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14001	Nevv essayes: meditations, and vowes including in them the chiefe duties of a Christian, both for faith, and manners. By Thomas Tuke, minister of Gods Word, at S. Giles in the Fields.; New essayes: meditations, and vowes.	Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1614 (1614)	STC 24312; ESTC S105349	74,323	307

Mother of vs all hee that hath not Her for his Mother hath not GOD for his FATHER This is GODS Family hee that serues not Him in it serueth the diuell out of it This is the Court of the great King Hee that is not New-borne in it is some base-borne caitiffe and not counted among the Sons of the King Of the Militant Church CHRIST hath a part of His Mysticall Body triumphing with Him in the heauens and He a part warring vnder Him heere on earth This is a Spirituall Building made of liuing Stones hewen out of the Rocke CHRIST IESVS This is Noahs Arke out of which there is no meanes to scape the flouds of vengeance This like a Ship is weather-beaten with the raging winds and waues of worldly troubles yet is not swallowed vp This Church though farre and wide dispearsed is yet but One as many Members make but one Body many Branches make but one Tree many Riuers make but one Sea many People make but one Kingdom And One shee is because shee acknowledgeth but one GOD confesseth one Faith is ruled by one Head animated of one SPIRIT participateth of one Baptisme and is gouerned by one Law This Church Militant is the Sub-vrbes of the Church Triumphant None must enter into This but hee that hath first passed That None shall triumph like a Victor but hee that hath fought like a Souldier And hee that would weare a Crowne in This must first take vp His Crosse in That The proper and essentiall Members of this Church are all of them holy by the imputation of the Merites of CHRIST their Head and by the powerfull operation of the Spirit of CHRIST which is within them And all these are infallibly knowne onely vnto GOD who seeth the secrets of the heart and can certainely iudge of inward vertues As for the iudgement of men which may bee deceiued with shewes as the Birds were with those artificial grapes of Zeuxis it is vncertaine if of others except there bee some singular reuelation and rather an opinion of charity then a conclusion of certainety This Church Militant is in the world but not of the world All her Members are strangers in the earth but descended from heauen generated not of man but regenerated by the Holy Ghost not begotten of mortall bloud by the appetite of the flesh or will of man but of Immortall Seed by the Word of GOD according to His Will The onely Husband of this Church is CHRIST IESVS For Hee onely hath her holds her leads her To Him alone shee owes her loue her loyalty and fidelity The Friends not the Husbands for shee hath but One of this Bride and Bridegroome are all true Christians specially Pastors which heare the Voice of the Bridegroome and take great delight therein eschewing the voice of strangers The common condition of this Church and all her Members is affliction and persecution But shee counteth nothing more glorious then to beare the reproach of her Husband who is troubled in all troubles remembers all her sighes and enbottles all her teares And shee hath this property that like a Garden shee is greenest after a shower like Camomill shee is most odoriferous being troden on like Spices Shee is most fragrant being rubbed or bruised Whiles shee is persecuted shee flourisheth whiles shee is pressed shee spreadeth whilst shee is iniured shee vanquisheth whilst shee is corrected shee learneth and then gets vp when shee seemeth to bee beaten downe Then is shee most valiant in the Truth when shee is most oppugned for the Truth Being laden with tribulations she gathers strength being watered with the bloud of Martyrs shee taketh Spirit in sorrow shee reapeth solace being straited she is enlarged her very teares doe feed her her fastings do refresh her and those things doe make her floate aloft like corke which make worldlings like lead sinke downe vnto the bottome This Church is the pillar and ground of the Truth so termed of her seruice because shee doth by her Ministery Keepe Confirme and Preach the Truth not that shee hath authority ouer the Truth for the Truth is the ground and pillar of the Church But shee hath authority ouer her children and against all Heretiques from the Truth with which shee is betrusted to preserue and Preach I will therefore enquire for the Scriptures in the Church and for the Church in the Scriptures For the Church sheweth the Scriptures by her Ministery and the Scriptures demonstrate the Church by their Authority Of particular Churches THE Sea is one yet by reason that it washeth on many Countries it obtaineth many names as Brittish Spanish Adriaticall Mediterranean So all true Particular Churches in the world make but one Catholique Congregation though by reason of the Countries States or Nations in which they are dispearsed or else because of diuerse outward formes of gouernment they are called by sundry names These Churches by reason of their open profession of the Gospell and by reason of their outward formes are called visible and may bee seene though which of the Professours in them be truely Saints and appertaine to GODS Election and which are onely guilded pot-sheards and not truely sanctified no man can define precisely These Churches are like the Arke in which were all kind of beasts cleane and vncleane like a Barne where there is wheate and chaffe like a Garden where is flowers and weedes an Army where are men and milk-sops a Net wherein are good fish and bad a Kingdome or Citty wherein are good Subiects and false or vnworthy varlets Now these Churches are then reputed true and counted the daughters of the Catholicke when they professe the true faith of CHRIST and maintaine the true worship of GOD For there is the Church where there is true Faith saith Hierome where GOD is feared and praysed saith Austen where the Sacraments of CHRIST are rightly celebrated and His Word heard and conserued saith Beda Where there is consent in the Faith and consanguinity of the Apostles Doctrine saith Tertullian Where GOD appeareth and speaketh with his seruants saith Ambrose Into what Church therefore soeuer I shall come and shall perceiue the soundnesse of worship and the Faith of CHRIST Preached and maintained in the same I will liue peaceably and submit my selfe to the ordinances of GOD therein most willingly Of Christians CHRIST is the King of Kings and LORD of Lords and Christians of all men are onely of His Royall Bloud bone of His Bone flesh of His Flesh animated with His SPIRIT sprung from His Loynes swayed by His Scepter and partakers of His Glory Christians are not vnder the Law but delight in the Law For he that delights in the Law studies to deale according to the Law but hee which is vnder the Law is dealt with according to the law Euery Christian as hee is a Christian must say with Christ My Kingdome is not of this world And though it bee his destiny for a time to liue in this world

yet his desire and endeuour should bee euer to liue and loue as one not of this world but redeemed from the world Many are Christians in name not so in deed for they that are CHRISTS do crucify the flesh and fleshly desires and are not ruled by their flesh but gouerned by His SPIRIT In vaine is hee called Christian that is in nothing like to CHRIST What will it pleasure a man to be reputed that hee is not Hee is indeed a Christian that resembles CHRIST his Maister that sheweth mercy to the miserable that feeleth the smart of others that being iniured breakes not forth vnto reuenge that can liue inglorious for the glory to bee reuealed that preferreth heauen to earth and GOD to Mammon that counts it his meate and drinke and pleasure to doe the Will of his Father that takes vp his Crosse in this life and beares it with patience and which iudges him onely happy in his death which dyeth either in CHRIST or for CHRIST CHRIST endured the Crosse before Hee obtained the Crowne and suffered Shame before Hee entred into His Glory O Christian thou art a delicate Souldier if thou thinkest to winne the field without fighting or to triumph without troubles For the whole life of a Christian if hee liue according to the Gospell is labour toyle trouble crosses Martyrdome Of the Ministers of Christ ALL the Apostles had equall power What Peter was all were what Peter could all could There was indeed amongst them disparity of gifts inequality in yeares difference in conditions but an identity of power an equality of authority all being equally partakers of one and the selfe-same Office of one and the selfe-same Power These had authority ouer nature to sure it ouer diuels to subdue them ouer all men to conuert them To these CHRIST IESVS gaue power to worke mighty wonders to bind and to loose to open and shut the dores of heauen These hee sent into the world as the Sunne his beames as the Rose her sweete smels and as the Fire his sparkles that as the Sunne appeareth in his beames as the Rose is perceiued in his smels and as the Fire is seene in his sparkes so the potency of CHRIST might be acknowledged in their Vertues and His Maiestie discerned in their Ministery These were the Planters of GODS Vine-yard the Architects of His Temple the Fathers of His Church the Champions of the Faith and Trumpetters of the Gospell who with their siluer-sounding blasts made the Vallies sing the Mountaines ring and fil'd the eares of all These were men of mercy such as had obtained mercy shewed mercy and by whom GOD wrought his works of mercy They neither liued to themselues nor dyed but vnto Him that dyed for them and for His sake also euen for vs receiuing light from the Father of Lights and spending themselues like Lampes in giuing light vnto others Successors to these are all faithfull Bishops and Priests who are not Maisters of the Church but Ministers not Lords but Seruants not Authours of the Faith but Preachers not Makers of the Truth but Keepers To whom is committed the word of reconciliation the dispensation of the Mysteries of GOD the power of remitting and retaining sinnes the care of the Churches and the keeping of the Faith These simply as they are Ecclesiasticall persons haue no secular power and authority for if the Maister then the seruant must also say My Kingdome is not of this world CHRIST came not to make them Princes but Priests Not Monarkes but Ministers Hee gaue them the keyes of heauen and not of Citties or Kingdomes Hee committed the Word vnto them but not the Sword and gaue them authority to deale with mens soules but not with their States or Substance Now to make a true Minister it is requisite that he haue a true Power a true Mission for otherwise he runnes vnsent and rules but not by CHRIST And that hee Preach the Truth or else hee abuses his Power This is a most reuerent and holy calling not instituted by man nor Angell nor any other creature but by IESVS CHRIST the Head and Husband of the Church And they that are thereof had neede to haue a thousand eies because they liue not to themselues onely but to the people also And they are as a Beacon vpon a Hill a Citty vpon a Mountaine a Candle vpon a Table all mens eies are fixed on them By teaching and liuing well they teach the people to beleeue and liue well but by liuing ill they teach GOD how to condemne them And in truth a good life is a good Sermon and oftentimes an ill Pastor destroyes as much with his ill life as hee buildeth vp with his good doctrine Of men no man is better then a Christian and of Christians no man is better then a good Priest But hee that is vicious is like a peece of dung with a Diamond in it and as the water in Baptisme which is profitable to others but perishes it selfe But yet GOD may worke effectually by the Ministery of wicked men for their power and calling is His and their wickednesse is their owne that is holy though they bee vnholy Their authority is not the better for their godlinesse nor the worse for their vngodlinesse The light is not polluted though it passe by polluted places or persons neither is the soule corrupted though it should bee in a corrupted body so neither is the power and authority of the Minister stained though hee bee full of staines himselfe And as water whether it run through a pipe of Wood or Stone or Siluer doth good vnto the ground so the Word and Sacraments are auaileable to the Receiuers whatsoeuer the Minister be that giues them Neither are wee to respect riches age greatnesse of gifts noblenesse of birth in a Minister as if hee were to bee contemned when these things are wanting but wee are to regard especially his place and power for the power varies not with the man neither is the Word and Sacraments of greater respect for any personall respects in the Minister Water hath the properties and effects of water whether brought in an earthen Pitcher or a cup of gold or siluer And though the more excellent gifts a Minister hath the better it is yet his power is not thereby greater or more excellent but still it is the same as a Diamond is whether set in gold or siluer Or as the authority of a Iustice is the same whether hee haue more wisedome godlinesse and insight in the Law or a lesser measure of the same And of all faithfull and true Ministers of CHRIST it may bee said how different soeuer in their Age Wealth Birth Breeding Gifts They are the Dispensers of the Secrets of GOD and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Co-workers with Him For without them Hee will not saue men and without Him they cannot saue men I say He will not for who that contemnes the Baptisme of man is Baptized with the Holy GHOST