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	teach_v	word_n	4,801	5	4.3076	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30519	A discovery of divine mysteries wherein is unfoulded secret things of the kingdom of God, being a testimony ... : all which are published for the edification of such as desire to know the truth / by a servant of truth, Edward Burroughs.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1661 (1661)	Wing B5999; ESTC R20971	24,161	40

God nor rightly exercise the Conscience in Unity and Peace but while a Nation or Kingdom or People walk by the Rule of Traditions Prescriptions Commandments of Men Example of others or the like they erre in Judgment in Faith Doctrine and Worship and are all divided and in Contentions about these matters because their Rule of Conscience and Judgment is doubtful and alterable and not infallible and therefore they have no perfect assurance of God's acceptation to them in their Faith and Religion nor perfect Peace and Unity in their Faith and Worship But as the Rule of their Consciences in their Duty towards God is divers some makes one thing and some another their Rule so are they divers and divided in what they hold profess and practise and are but of great Babylon in their Religion And because that something besides the Spirit of God exerciseth the Conscience therefore is it that here are so many wayes and Sects of Religion and kinds of Worship in Christendom and among Christians while the Spirit of Christ only is not the Rule of Iudgement and Exercise of Conscience to God and Man for the only perfect Rule of Conscience in the exercise to God is the Spirit of Christ and not any other thing And now whosoever shall persecute the Exercise of Conscience when guided by the Spirit of Christ such persecute Christ Iesus And this is Persecution for the Name of Christ when Sufferings are inflicted as Reproaches Imprisonment or whatsoever for the exercise of Conscience towards God by his Spirit but and if any are persecuted for Religion-sake only so if that in such their Exercise of Religion they are not guided by the Spirit of Christ yet that suffering is a kind of Persecution also If I say the suffering be only for and because of their Religion-sake and they walk justly and righteously as men so that as is signified about the middle of this Chapter though some may profess good Conscience and cry for Liberty thereof in their false Sect and Religion not taught them by the Spirit of Christ yet the Civil Magistrate ought not to punish and use violence to such for their Religion but if they do they persecute and the Lord will lay it to their charge But yet this is safe for all first to obtain true Liberty of Conscience to Godwards and to receive the Spirit of Christ to be taught only by it in the Exercise of Conscience and Religion that they may not erre in Conscience and Iudgement in Spiritual matters nor suffer wrongfully under pretence of Righteousnesse-sake when as it is not truly so CHAP. IV. Concerning the Diversity of Judgements in RELIGION TO all ye that are of divers Judgments and Opinions in and concerning Spiritual matters who are divided about matters of Faith Doctrine Worship and Church-Government some of you holding one thing and some another different and contrary to that being diversly divided in mind and heart concerning the matters that are one in themselves and to which you all assent as to the things in themselves and yet are different and contrary-minded about the self-same things To you all I am moved to write that so ye may be informed perfectly first What the Cause is of your Divisions and why it is thus amongst you And secondly Of the bad Effects and Fruits such Divisions have brought forth And lastly the means and way of Reconciliation that ye may come into Love and Peace and Unity with God and one with another in all things pertaining to his Kingdom First The Cause of your Divisions and of the Diversities of Judgements and Opinions that are amongst you concerning the things and matters of God's Kingdom is Because you want the Spirit of God to guide you and it is not the Rule of your Knowledge and Iudgment and you wanting the Spirit of God in which is Unity among Saints therefore is it you are so divided and divers and different and contrary one to another in these things it is because ye want the Spirit of God I say which only teacheth the true Knowledge of God and gives an Understanding in all his Wayes and Matters It is the Spirit of God that teacheth true Faith true Doctrine and true Worship and all things about Church Ministry and Religion and if that you had the Spirit of God in you and were taught and guided by it it would teach you into one Faith and one Truth and into the true Worship and into the true Church-Government and you would be in unity and peace And if you all had the Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures and by which Spirit the Saints of God were guided in dayes past it would teach you into Unity and to be of one mind one heart and one soul in all the matters pertaining to God's Kingdom in Faith Worship Doctrine and all things else if you had the Spirit of God I say and were taught by it then you would have Unity with God and one with another in all his wayes and there would have been no Division nor Contention amongst you about Spiritual matters but because you want that therefore you have strife and division amongst you even throughout all Christendom Here 's a Nation and a Kingdom holding such a Faith and Worship and there 's another People holding Faith and Worship contrary to that and here 's one Sect of people and there 's another different in Faith Iudgment and Opinion and this is a shame to whole Christendom that all should profess Christ Iesus and Faith in him and Salvation by him and his Doctrine and Worship and yet be in strife and division and in great contentions concerning the same some holding and practizing one manner of Faith Worship and Doctrine and others holding contrary and different and this shews that ye are all fallen from the Life of Christianity as it was held in the Apostles dayes amongst the true Churches for they were of one heart mind soul and spirit as it is written they were of one Faith of one Worship of one Doctrine and hand one Way of Church-Government and this continued amongst the Churches of Christ till there were some that had erred from the Spirit of God in their own Consciences and then they also erred in Faith in Doctrine and in all other things relating to God And these were the Apostate Christians that had erred from the Spirit and divided themselves from the true Church and differed in Iudgment amongst themselves and this was because they had erred from the Spirit of God which would have kept them in unity with God and one with another for the Spirit is the Bond of Peace and the Seal of the Covenant of Love among the Saints So now all ye who are divided in your Knowledge and Iudgement and are in contention one with another about the matters pertaining to God's Kingdom you are the Apostate Christians and you are without the Spirit of Christ The first Apostate Christians erred

from the Spirit and so became divided from the true Faith and from the true Worship and also among themselves and you never yet received the Spirit of Christ that you might come into Unity and Fellowship with God and one with another and that is the reason of all your Divisions in Religious matters because you have not received the Spirit of Christ to teach you and to unite your hearts to God and one to another but you having the Scriptures traditionally by descent through Ages which do describe and declare of that Faith and Doctrine and of the Worship and Church-Government which were among the Saints of old which they held and practised and from the Scriptures which declare of the things from thence you take up a Conceit and false Judgment and an Imitation and a false Conformity and then each sort of you call that your Faith and Church-Government and some after one manner of form and some after another and thus you are divided because you want the Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures which Spirit did work true Faith in the hearts of them that gave them forth in dayes of old and it taught them Worship Faith Doctrine and all things concerning Gods Kingdom for the Spirit led them into all Truth and now you wanting the same Spirit that wrought in them and taught them and you having but their words to wit the Scriptures from thence in the Wisdom which is below and in the carnal Reason and in the first mans understanding each Nation takes up a conceit that it is so and so and takes up an Imitation of Worship and Church-Government according to their own sensual wisdom and according to the bredth and depth of their Conceits and then imitates and that severally and diversly and in a divided manner and this is amongst Kingdoms and amongst Neighbours and Brethren this Division in matters of Faith Worship and Doctrine and Church-Government and yet all these have had the name of Christians and Church-Members and Worshippers of God but yet are of many wayes of Worship holding different and contrary Principles of Faith and Doctrine and also of Worship and Church-Government and thus have Nations Cities and Countries been for many Ages and thus hath it been and is at this day amongst the Apostate Christians that want the Spirit of Christ to be their Rule of Knowledge of Iudgment and Worship and of their Faith and Practices in Religion And this is a shame to whole Christendom amongst whom the spirit of Antichrist hath entered which hath thus divided Nations Cities Neighbours and Brothers for all these Divisions about Religion amongst the Apostate Christians are of Antichrist and not of God it is that spirit of Antichrist that hath wrought all these Divisions and planted them in the minds of People Secondly Concerning the bad Effects of these Divisions in matters of Faith and Worship as I have said This Division in Religion hath begotten and brought forth very much Evil throughout the World much heart-burning envy hard-heartedness strife and contention between Kings and Rulers and between Nations between Cities between Neighbours and between Brothers this Division hath wrought bad Effects amongst all these so that it hath brought forth much War and Bloodshed between Kings and great Persecutions between Rulers and their People and great Debate and Strife amongst Neighbours and Friends so that great Murders and losse of many Lives have been produced and brought forth upon this Quarrel about Difference in matters of Faith and Religion and Antichrist hath not only divided people in Iudgement but hath also provoked people into rage and envy to the killing and destroying of one another and even that Division about Spiritual things begotten by Antichrist amongst false Christians hath been turned into personal enmity and brought forth in the end murdering and killing the bodies of Thousands when the original debate hath arisen about Church-Government or Points of Religion and this is the woful Effect that Division of Religion hath brought forth in all Christendom And all this Fruit and Effects as well as the Cause of it hath been of Antichrist and of the Dragon and the Devil throughout the World all this Persecution and spoyling of Goods Imprisoning of Persons taking away of Lives and Banishment and whatsoever Persecution otherwise that hath risen and been inflicted upon any for and because of Differences in Religion and about Faith and Worship all this hath been of Antichrist and even all Laws made for that end and all Executors of such Laws and all Penalties of such Laws and all Wars and Bloodshed whatsoever that have ensued only and upon the account of Differences in Religion that being the first and the only ground of the Quarrel All this hath been of Antichrist and it came out of the bottomless Pit and never rose from the Spirit of God but from the Antichristian spirit of Envy and Wickedness that hath first divided people about matters of Faith and Religion and then provoked them to envy and malice stirring up Kings to fight one against another that was not of their Religion but different and contrary to it And so the hearts of Rulers have been stirred up to persecute all under them that were different and contrary in matters of Faith Worship and Religion and this the spirit of Antichrist hath effected throughout Christendom and so each King that hath been strongest would maintain the Principles of his Faith and the Practice of Religion according to his own Conceit in his Dominions And thus hath Religion Worships and Church-Government been set up and stood amongst Apostate Christians throughout the World by Force and Power and by violent Laws and through Persecutions and Murders and all this hath been by the spirit of Antichrist and the Spirit of God hath had no hand in those matters for the setting up and contriving of false Faith false Worship and false Church-Government all this hath depended upon the Powers and Authorities of the Earth through many Ages and what Religion and Church-Government or Way of Worship that Kings or Queens have set up that only hath been promoted but all the rest persecuted and restrained by force and violence and all this hath been of Antichrist And now to all ye that are of divers Judgments in matters of Faith and Worship in Religion this is a Caution to you all and I do warn you all in the presence of the living God that though ye be divided in the belief and practice of Spiritual things yet live in peace and unity with all men in all outward relations and do not envy nor hurt one anothers Persons though you are in difference about Religion yet suffer not that Difference to grow into persecuting or envying one anothers persons but seek to inform one another and instruct one another in the Spirit of Meekness and perswade one another out of that which is evil to that which is good by patience gentleness and long-suffering and do