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
A86489	The skirts of the whore discovered, and the mingled people in the midst of her. In a letter sent by Denys Hollister to the independent baptiz'd people, who call themselves a Church of Christ in Bristol, but are found to be a synagogue of Satan, in answer to a charge brought to him from them by some of their members, and by him ... published. Together with another letter written by him to Thomas Ewens, a teacher among them, ... referring to his speaking among his people of having Sarah Latchet a servant of Jesus, once a member among the Baptists, sent to Bridewell, and whipt for testifying to them in the name of the Lord in their meeting the second day of the ninth moneth. 1655. And likewise an answer to 16 antiqueries directed to the people called Quakers, which answer was sent to Thomas Ewens, from whom the antiqueries were received, though Iohn Pendarviss a long time after published the antiqueries by the name of Queries, without the answer to them, or taking the least notice of it in a book entituled Arrows against Babylon which hath occasiond the presenting of the one, and the other, now to the view of those who read, and understand, to judge of the whole, and of their unfaire and deceitfull dealing.	Hollister, Dennis, d. 1676?	1656 (1656)	Wing H2508; Thomason E896_3; ESTC R202571	35,627	37

the sake of him whom the world knows not and therefore persecute who was ever a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief have I chosen rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God then to enjoy the Pleasures and Treasures of England and can truly say Much rather would I be a Door-keeper in the House of God where the living presence and power of God is manifested known and witnessed then with you to dwell in the Tents of ungodliness where pride oppression violence persecution is owned and practiced These things are found among you if any of you deny the Spirit of persecution let him declare it and any of you are tender hearted and desire after the Lord Come forth from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters faith the Lord God Almighty The LETTER to the INDEPENDANT-BAPTIZED People Friends ALthough I cannot own any power at all you have over me neither am careful of the judgement of man who must abide the judgement of God before whose seat all must shortly come yet some Messengers from you having some time past been with me and told me they were sent by the Church of Christ and in the name of Christ to warn me of some things they lay to my charge as sin The true love I ever had to your souls constrains me to give you an answer in all simplicity and plainness and by the same spirit by which I often spake among you when many could not bear it but were offended as they still will be which I matter not well knowing from what fountain of darkness and ignorance it comes But before I proceed to answer the Particulars I must in faithfulness to your souls tell you that I am even constrained to bear witness that you are no Church of Christ neither know the name of Christ but a Synagogue of Satan and a Cage of unclean and hateful Spirits in which lodgeth Pride Hypocrisie Envy Slandering Back-biting Railing Lying love to this present World and conformity to the fashions customs and conversation of the same notwithstanding there is that in some among you after which my soul doth greatly groan with much longings that the salvation of God were come out of Sion c. but the Temple of God is holy Christ dwells not with these unclean Spirits And it becomes all who name the name of the Lord to depart from these iniquities his Name is dreadful to it and those that know his Name know it so c. To the Particulars 1. You say my sin lies in leaving the Church which hath these three sad considerations in it as you judge The drawing of many from the Faith and way of the Gospel The offending staggering and grieving many weak souls And the opening the mouths of many to speak evill of the wayes of Truth To which I Reply That all Judgement is given to the Son whom you being ignorant of and enemies to in your minds by wicked works by what can you judge or what is your judgement worth The Church I own as the Pillar and ground of truth which are all living stones built upon the living Foundation and groweth up into an holy Temple for God through the eternal Spirit in which the Lord God Almighty dwels and walks and manifests himself which Church I have not left But if by the Church you mean a company of people dead in trespasses without the life and power of godliness or true knowledge of God by the Revelation of the Sonne living in pride in the customes and loves of the world serving diverse lusts and pleasures ever learning but never comes to the knowledge of the Truth walking like other Gentiles in the Vanities of their minds having their understandings darkned and hating the true Light so that they are alienated from the life of God through ignorance feeding on ashes not on bread having a dead Forme without the living power of Godliness From this if I turn away it is not my sin but my duty and from this if any be drawn it is matter of joy in Heaven and of no sadness except to that which is beneath and to be cast out At which that which is offended stagger'd or griev'd may wel be said to be Weak and must perish It is true the mouths of many are now open to speak evill of the waies of Truth and of things they understand not as ever it was of old But as many among your selves are not the least in that transgression so shall you not miss of righteous Judgement except you repent in this approaching day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ Who is to be reveald from Heaven in flames of fire to take Vengeance on them who know not God nor obey the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ c. 2. You say my sin lies in neglecting and comtemning some of the Ordinances of Christ To which I Reply The Inventions Traditions and Imaginations of mens carnall wisedome withall that is done in the first nature being bus Cains Sacrifice and nol acceptable to God I am learning to neglect and disesteem Yea all that of which the Lord by the true Prophet Isay complaines Isay 11.10 to the 16. where you may read that in the account of the pure God the multitude of Sacrifices Oblations Incense New Moons Sabbaths solemn Assemblies appointed Feasts spreading forth the hands and making many prayers was to no purpose no delight had the Lord in it he required it not at their hands it was vain abominable and burthensome to him who could not away with it his soule hated it it was a trouble to him it was iniquity coming from impure hearts and bloody hands but the ordinances and appointments of God to his people I own approve and long after in the pure light life and spirit in which the true Saints had communion and fellowship When I asked your Messengers as they call'd themselves what they meant in particular by the ordinances that I neglected They rereplyed Baptism by Water and breaking of Bread To which I answer How can you but blush when you consider that degree of deceit and hypocrifie in which you now speak doth not that of God in all your Consciences reprove you I know it doth if you will observe it and therefore in plainness yet with true love let me ask you how can you say to me pull out the mote that is in thine eye when behold a beam is in your own eyes Can you judge me and not condemne your selves who doe the same things A Member of an Anabaptist Assembly I never was but did bear witness against it as ye know and the people with whom I walked was once neer upon casting out one for entertaining that opinion of Water-Baptism And when did you baptize as you call it your children I have known no

in the name of the Lord as they said who charged me once more with the same false accusations with some other feigned and false additions who as soon as they had done fled away as men surpriz'd with fear or accused by their own Consciences and said they were not to receive any answer and so hasted away espeially the two Baptists notwithstanding I urged them by several Arguments to hear a little and told them it was the wicked that did flee and could not stand in the judgement but the righteous was bold as a Lyon And afterwards meeting with Robert Simpson who was the mouth of your three messengers my bowels moving towards him I put it to his Conscience what he had done and asked how he durst come to me and in the name of the Lord lay to my charge that I affirm'd the Scriptures of truth were one of the greatest plagues in the Land when as I never spake nor thought any such thing Who answered he spake it not nor laid it to my charge neither did he hear any such thing from me I told him I had it under his hand which he confidently denied before several witnesses I told him I could shew it he replied if I could he would acknowledge himselfe a lyar before those then present I desired him to stay a little and I would fetch his paper who answered he should not stay I desired him to call againe that Evening or the next morning and he should see it who replyed he had other business to doe or to that effect and so passionately departed upon which the next day I writ to him as followeth The Letter to ROBERT SIMPSON Robert Simpson IT came upon me in sobernesse yesterday to manifest to thy Conscience a little of the deceit in which thou inhabitest not knowing of another opportunity by reason of thy sudden departure for London and therefore charged thee with coming to me with lyes in the name of the Lord and demanded of thee how thou durst in the name of the Lord tell me and so lay to my charge that I said or affirmd that the Scriptures were one of the greatest plagues of the Land when I never spake or thought any such thing To which thou replyedst thou never spake it nor laid it to my charge I told thee I had it under thy hand which thou boldly and confidently didst deny again and again and when I told thee I could shew it under thy hand thou replyedst it was not so or to that effect and that if I could produce any such thing thou wouldst acknowledge thy selfe a lyar before those men who were then present Now the lyar is without and for the Lake and a proud look a lying tongue and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations the Lord hates But thy lips hath spoken lyes and thy tongue hath utterd perversenesse and as the false witnesse shall not be unpunished so he that speaketh lyes cannot escape Now having found thy paper the fifth thing thou layest to my charge is in these words whi●h thou mayst see when its convenient viz. Speaking reproachfully of the precious Scriptures of Truth As first affirming it was a blinding to souls and secondly one of the greatest plagues of the Land where thou mayst take notice of a lye invented among you a lye prosecuted a lye denied and the lye proved upon thee Therefore oughtest thou to own thy condemnation which is just and repent before he appear who is a swift witnesse against all lyars And by this also mayst thou with the rest of thy company take notice what the nature of the rest of the Charge is which in the name of the Lord which is dreadfull both thou and they have laid to me Friend I do not insuli over thee nor delight in thy woe and misery but sorely grieved I am to see how the man of sin that wicked one whom the Lord is now risen as a mighty man refreshed after wine to destroy with the glory of his coming it exalted among you who once were so dear unto me and that your eyes are so blinded and that thy heart is so hardened that though your root is become rottennesse and your fruit withers and you become like stubble fully dry yet art thou insensible and canst not see but under a cloak of Profession hide your selves as if you were delivered to commit abomination but all that I desire at this time as to thee is that thou repent and pray God that the thoughts of thy heart may be for given and that thou fear and tremble before the dreadfull God whose name thou hast taken in vain and cannot be hold guiltlesse Which is the groaning of thy friend who is a Lover of thy soul though a Witness against thy deceit who in the world is known by the name of D. H. 25th first moneth 1646. Vpon the reading whereof I shall not now mention his wrath and passion though it much exceeded the bounds of moderation but to the Letter I have received no answer Now therefore upon the whole matter let the unjustness of your proceedings be considered Nicodemus a Pharisee could say Doth our Law judge a man before he be heard And Festus a Heathen Roman Governor was so noble That he heard Pauls defence as to the accusations made against him by his own Country-men And King Agrippa said unto Paul Thou art permitted to speak for thy self But ye have falsly accused judged and condemned me and refused to hear my defence which in writing I sent you and not onely so but sent your Messengers the second time with like false accusations which Messengers would not receive my answer saying They were not to do it and when I met with him who was the mouth of the three and put it to his conscience what he had spoken with his mouth and writ with his hand he denyed it and fled and refused to hear any farther and when I charged him with it he like the man cast into utter darkness became speechless so as not to answer me by word or writing Are these the people of the Lord are these his doings Is this the Church of Christ or the Harlot Ye who are simple-hearted among the people called Churches consider of it take advise and speak your mindes whether such things as these have been done in Israel And whether being thus dealt withal and constrained I could do less then publish this to the view of all men without an apparent suffring of my self and the everlasting Truth of God by me owned which is dearer to me then thousands of gold and silver to lie under such false accusations and slanders as a fore said And now friends having thus given you a particular and true account of proceedings and the manner of them let me ask you what aileth the mountains and the hills Are ye grieved that I having at last sound the Pearl of great price which in the field of this World was and is hid am