Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	commandment_n	keep_v	know_v	4,797	5	5.4171	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91119	A testimony of the Light within. A glorious truth, which all the holy men of God did bear testimony unto, and from which they spoke forth the Sciptures, and the end of all preachings and writings was to bring to Light within, to worship God in spirit and truth, and to Christ within, the hope of glory. The truth cleared from scandals, and some of the errors and false doctrines of two Cornish teachers laid open and testified against. With a description of the true ministers of Christ, and of the free ministery both under the law and Gospell administration; ... Also a testimony of the dawning of the glorious day of the Lord, ... Here is likewise, in short, declared the differences between the old Covenant, ... & the new covenant, ... Given forth from Christ the light within in love to the souls of all people, ... that they may have union with me in my fathers love ... whose name according to the flesh is Alexander Parker. Written chiefly to the inhabitants of the town and parish of Austell, in the county, of Cornwall, but may serve for any others who are in the same nature and condition with them.	Parker, Alexander, 1628-1689.	1657 (1657)	Wing P385; Thomason E909_6; ESTC R203124	42,617	54

and many opinions and their minds are earthly and carnall so I say That which a man may have and not have the mind of God is not the mind of God but a man may have the Scriptures Luke 1.1 1 Iohn 5.10 and not have the mind of God so the Scriptures are not it but a declaration of it and so I own them and bear testimony unto the same Truth that the Scriptures bear testimony unto and have the witness within my self according to Scripture testimony He that believes hath the witness in himself And the said Halls being asked if he knew God and he made a scoff at it because such a question was propounded to him and he said he knew God and I asked him if he kept the Commandements he said No Now try him by the Scriptures and we shall find him to be a lyer read 1 Iohn 2 3 4 verses Hereby do we know that we know God if we keep his Commandements He that saith I know God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar Iohn 8.44 and the Truth is not in him And here out of his own mouth he is proved by Scripture to be a lyar and so no Minister of Christ Then he propounded the same question unto me whether I knew God and kept his commandments Mat. 11.30 1 Iohn 5.3 Psal 119.143 which things I answered and witnessed to truth being made able by the power and life of Christ dwelling within me by whom all things are made easie and his commandements are not grievous but joyous they are my delight Then he said there was none perfect in this life therefore none can keep the commandements of God But his first thing I deny and it is false as I shall prove by Scripture Read Job 1.8 And the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill Here you may see the Lords own testimony and he that saith there is none perfect in this life is a blasphemer Psalm 37 37● 1 Cor. 2.6 Col. 4.12 Phil. 3.15 who would make God a lyar And David saith Mark the perfect and the upright man for the end of that man is peace And Paul said We preach wisdom amongst them that are perfect And again one prayeth in another place That they might stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God And let us as many as are perfect be thus minded Here are many Scriptures that witness the truth of Christs pure Doctrine of perfection For if any be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Phil. 5.24 old things are passed away and all things are become new and they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Then wo to all them that live in sin and plead for sin while they walk on the earth they be enemies to the Crosse of Christ Isai 3.11 1 Cor. 6 9. 10 Iohn 3 8. Heb. 11.14 Eph. 5.27 Luke 1.74 75 1 Iohn 3.8 and deny the end of Christs coming who came to take away sin and to purifie the heart and purge the conscience from dead works that his people may be a holy people to serve the Lord in purity holiness of life For for this purpose was the Son of God made manifest that he might destroy the works of the Divel and all sin is a work of the Divel and defiles the Temple Isai 51.2 Isai 48.22 Maark 7.22 Eph 2 12 Iohn 8 34 44 Isai 1 17 Mat. 11 28 29 and separates from God and breaks the peace with God and there neither is nor can be any reconciliation to God untill there be a separation from sin For all who live in sin profess what they will they are enemies to God and strangers from the covenant of promise and are of their Father the Divell who is the author of all sin and unrighteousness therefore cease from sin and learn to do well that you may live and enjoy rest and peace Now whereas it is said in one place of Scripture 1 Iohn 1 8 Heb 10 16 17 18 1 Iohn 3 9 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us This is the refuge for all the Divels Ministers and servants to flye unto who live in sin in the old nature and in the unconverted state to plead against the new Covenant and new Birth where sin and iniquity is done away And this Scripture did Priest Halls bring to maintain his argument against persecution Then I instanced another Scripture in the same Epistle of John chap. 5. v. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God And this he would give a meaning to and I told him 2 Pet 1 20 the Scriptures were of no private interpretation An he asked me how I would reconcile those two Scriptures I told him I owned them as they were set down for they were spoken to severall conditions And then he began to boast and would have turned the truth which was spoken by me into a lie and said I owned the Scriptures as they are and then takes them upon condition and thus impudently stood in a lye and after I spoke my former words and told him the Scriptures were spoken to severall conditions and instanced some Scriptures to prove it as in Acts 26.18 where the Apostle declares how he was sent forth and to what end which was to open the blind eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive forgiveness of sins c. Here you may see they were in a condition of sin unconverted Again read 1 John 2.12 where the Apostle writes to them whose sins were forgiven Col 2 13 I Write unto you little Children because your sinnes are forgiven you Here you may see another condition Again read Col. 2.13 And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with him Rom 9 20 Rom 6 22 1 Cor 15 49 1 Cor 15 22 Eph 2 1 2 3 1 Pet. 1 23. 1 Iohn 5 18 1 Iohn 3. 6 7 8 Gal 6 7 Mat 7 21 Rom. 8.13 having forgiven you all trespasses Here again as your understandings comes to be opened you may see the conditions and times they were in to whom the Scriptures were written there was a time when they were dead in trespasses and sins and there was a time when they were quickned and their sins were forgiven them And there was a time when they were the servants of Sin and free from Righteousness and there was a time when they were free from sin and become servants of Righteousnesse There is the first man and the second man The first Man is of the earth earthly and the second

Man is the Lord from heaven There is the first Adam and the second Adam In the first Adam all die and are dead in sins and trespasses and they who be there in that state are full of sin and if they or any of them should say they have no sin they deceive themselves and the truth is not in them but all who are born again of the immortall seed are kept by the power of God and the wicked one toucheth them not for whosoever abides in Christ doth not commit sin for whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither known him he that doth righteousnes is of God and he that doth commit sin is of the Div●ll therefore be not deceived for God will not be mocked with your words it is not your saying Lord Lord nor your customary worship and outside seeming holiness it will not cover your nakednes nor bring peace to your souls as long as you live in sin for if yee live after the flesh yee shal die and reap corruption but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body then shall yee live But some whose eyes are blinded by the God of this world stumble because it is said If We say c. the Apostle takes in himself Now this I say That the Apostles many times do come down to the capacities of others when they themselves have passed through such conditions As for example James the Apostle in the third chapter of his Epistle speaking of the unruliness of the tongue though it is but a little yet it is an unruly member full of deadly poyson therewith bless we God even the Father therewith curs we men which are made after the similitude of God Here we may see James said We but he himself was no curser but redeemed from it and this I instanced to Halls and them present at that time and he said though he was not one he had been a curser and I told him so had Iohn been a sinner and so have we all sinned and if we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar Iohn 17.9 10. But if we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Mark he doth not say from part but from all sins for if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin and they who deny the light within and deny the freedom from sin deny Christ and the end of his coming and would make his blood of none effect and freely from the Lord do I testifie against all such as Ministers of Anti-christ and they have made a Covenant with Hell and Death and no longer time will serve but term of life they tell people they must live in sin and never be without sin while they live and flatter them with a vain hope of going to heaven when there is but this hope which doth not purifie their hearts is the hope of the Hypocrite Isai 28.15 Iob 8 13 11.20 Mat. 15.30 which shall perish and their end will be wo and utter darkness the portion of all such who live in their sins Therefore fear the Lord and let every one that nameth the name of Jesus Christ depart from iniquity 2 Tim. 2 19. Further the same time Will. Vpcot affirmed that there was no Ministers of the Spirit now which thing I did deny Isai 50.2 Heb. 13 8. and do affirm it to be false for God is the same now as formerly and Jesus Christ is the same to day as yesterday and the spirit is the same and all who are made Ministers by the will of God 2 Cor. 3.6 2 Cor. 2.4 1 Cor. 5 19. Isal 61,2 are Ministers of the Spirit and of power and declare the word of life and reconciliation and ministers peace and glad tydings to imprisoned souls and condemnation and the day of vengeance upon all Oppressors which keeps the Seed in bondage He further said that Paul was not a Minister of the Spirit which thing is likewise false and a lie and blasphemy to affirm read 2 Cor. 3.6 and there you may read the Apostles Testimony where he saith Who also hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit Here it is evidently manifest that Paul was a Minister of the Spirit therefore all that say he was not are lyars Iohn 8.44 Rev 21.18 but William Vpcot did say that Paul was not a Minister of the Spirit therefore he is a lyar and so of the Devil let the Scripture be a testimony against him Further he the said William Vpcot said that the Scriptures were the Gospel and I asked him what part and he said the New Testament Matthew Mark Luke and John and the Epistles and he said further that all the whole Scripture was the Gospel All which I deny the Scriptures are but the report Luke 1.1 and fame of the Gospel but not the Gospel for the Gospel is a Mistery and cannot be bought for money but the Scriptures which is a declaration may be bought for a smal sum of money therefore not the Gospel for the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that doth believe Rom. 1.16 For therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them verse 17 18 19. The Gospel is glad tydings to captive and weary souls which those that preached the Gospel did witness the Redemption of Isa 51 1 2. Rom 3.24 Ephes 1 7. and the bonds of iniquity was broken and the oppressed set free and this Gospel the power of God unto salvation was in the beginning before all time and was manifest in the holy men of God from which the Scriptures were declared and spoken forth and they are a declaration of the Gospel the power of God unto salvation but they are not the Gospel the power of God unto salvation Several other things was spoken at that time but these are sufficient that I have here set down to all who love their souls and are not wilfully blind to try their spirits to be contrary to the spirit of truth and so to be turned away from as the Ministers of Christ exhorts 2 Tim. 3.1 c. and to them I did speak and warn them to give over deceiving of the people and told them the judgements of God would come upon them Mat 10.14 and shaked off the dust of my feet as a testimony against them and came away being several times bidden go forth and threatned to be put forth and some that was

in obedience to the Lord I have written what was given to me which here is committed to the view of the world Read with a single eye and examine those Scriptures that I have set down both in the Margine and other places and then try those men whom you have long looked upon to be Ministers of the Gospell and you may see them both in Doctrine and practice to be contrary to the Ministers of God mentioned in Scripture and in the steps of the false Prophets and false Apostles which the true Prophets of Christ and the Apostles testified against That which I have written it is not in envy to any of their persons God is my record it would rejoyce my heart that any one of them might turn from their wickedness and unchristian practices and cease deceiving and making Merchandize of poor Souls and lay down their Crowns at the Feet of Jesus and learn of him that their Souls might live and though I be hated of them and others for my love in dealing plainly not daring to speak peace to the wicked whom the Lord hath not spoken peace to but freely declaring the Truth as it is in Jesus owning the least appearance of Truth in any where ever I see it and cherish it but do witness against all hypocrisie and outside seeming holinesse and hyocriticall Professors it is abomination to God and the very prophane ones and the Publicans shall enter the Kingdom before such I say if I be hated for this my love in speaking and writing in plainness not respecting any mans person I have peace with God in what I have here written which I value much more than all the dearest love or greatest hatred and frowns of men So I do admonish all who read this or any other not to be hasty to judge nor to speake evill of things you know not but receive in love what you can reach unto and see to be truth and do not rashly censure that to be error which at present you do not well understand but try all things and hold fast that which is good From Tregangeeves in the Parish of Austell in the County of Cornwall the 15. day of the 9. month called November 1656. Writen by one who is a lover of the Truth and tenders all those who love the Truth in sincerity of heart who wait for the appearance of Christ in Spirit who am known to the world by the name of Alexander Parker A Testimony of the Light within a glorious Truth which all the holy Men of God did bear Testimony unto and from which they spoke forth the Scriptures and the end of all Preachings and Writings was to bring to Light within to Worship God in Spirit and Truth and to Christ within the hope of Glory TO all you People in the Town and Parish of Austel young and old high and low rich and poor Priests Professors and prophane ones of what sort or degree soever to you all am I moved of the Lord of Heaven and Earth to write and clear my Conscience whetheron will hear or forbear but chiefly to you who are breathing and hungring after righteousness in whom there are true desires and thirstings after the Waters of Life for you doth my Soul travail and for your sakes and the pure Truth which is daily slandered by false and back-biting tongues do I freely declare and write these following lines it being so the people of their Town and Parish many of them being so rude and bruitish that I cannot have liberty to speak by word unto you but they are ready to lay hands violently upon me and others of my dear friends who in meekness and innocency have come amongst you they have been haled forth and abused by the rude multitude as I my self was upon the sixth day of the week being the seventh day of the ninth moth called November 1656 when I was in your publick meeting-place and heard one of your Teachers whilest he uttered forth the Divination of his own brain that which by his study and labour he had composed and patched up and so spoke forth his conceiving and imagination and not the Word of God Now I having heard and having had some discourse with your Teacher William Vpcot and another of his Coat and being that divers reports and many slanders are cast upon me and my friends both by the Priests and others as that I deny Christ the Scriptures Prayer and the like which things are false and their accusation I do deny as to my own particular all their lies and slanders I do not value they are as dust under my feet and I stand clear and innocent in the sight of God and all just men and their lies and slande●s doth not touch me at all I know it is the portion of the Children of God to be reproached and reviled scoffed and scorned this is but a fulfilling of Christs words who was hated of the world and persecuted and put to death by the professing People and saith Christ as they have done unto me so they will do unto you if ye were of the world the world would love you but because I have chosen you out of the world therefore do they hate you but blessed are ye when men revile you Ioh 15 18 19. Mat 5 11 12. and persecute you and shall speak all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you these Scriptures are fulfilled in these daies upon this Generation and truly I can rejoyce in all this and count it joy that I am counted worthy to suffer for my Lord and Masters sake knowing this Acts 5 4● 2 Tim. 3.12 Heb. 11 26. that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution so their reproaches to me are great riches and truly for my own part I should be silent and bear all these things patiently But for the Truths sake and for their sakes who are tender hearted I shall declare and lay open some of their Deceits and Errors who profess themselves to be your Teachers I shall not speak by hear-say from others but what I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears in tenderness and love to your Souls and not in envy to their persons Rom 13.8 Mat. 5.44 Acts 13.14 15. Joh 16 2. Mat 12 33. Jude 11. 1 John 3 12 15. 2 John 9. Acts 21. 27 28 29 30 31. Luke 10 3. Mat 6 5. for I owe to no man any thing but love my desire is that they might turn from their wickedness and live and so I shall declare and leave it to you to consider and with the Light of Christ in your Consciences rightly to judge John 7.24 According to the will of God as I was moved by the living power contrary to mans will upon the sixth day of the week being their Lecture day so called I

came into the publick Meeting-place which you call a Church in meekness and innocency according to the practice of the Ministers of the Gospel and I sate down and imediately Vpcot your professed Teacher seeing me envy did arise in him and the image of Cain did appear in his face and he spoke to some of his hearers to put me forth in this thing if it were nothing else it is enough to try him for the tree is known by his fruits envy is a mark of the false Prophets and they who live in envy are of Cains generation and nature and he that envies his brother is a murderer and so of the Devil and is no true Minister and it was not the manner nor practice of the Apostles to cause any to be hailed forth but on the contrary the Apostles and Ministers of Christ were haled forth and beaten and abused and in this age your Teachers are found contrary to the Ministers of Christ not guided by that meek and Lamb-like Spirit that they were guided by but he is plainly manifest to have a contrary spirit of envy and so the spirit of error 1 John 4.6 The same time one whose name is Halls went up into the high place and stood praying there Pharisee-like which Christ cryed woe unto such that did so Mat. 23. and in his prayer he uttered forth his envy and blasphemy against Christ the Light and prayed to his God that they might not be guided by the Light within and afterward prayed that the Lord would reveal his Truth within Now here all who are not wilfully blind may see his confusion and out of his own mouth I leave him to be judged for Christ Jesus is the Truth and he is the Light John 14.6 John 8.12 and if the Truth must be revealed within then the Light is within and where this Light is manifest it leads and guids all who are in it out of death and darkness and all unrighteousness into the pure way of life righteousness and peace as Christ hath said whosoever follows me shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life and all who deny the light within denies the New-Covenant Isa 4● 6. Jer 31 31. 1 Tim 3 9.16 and the faith of Christ nay further they deny the whole Mistery of Godliness which is God manifest in flesh and this I shall prove by Scripture that all they who deny to be guided by the light within denies God Christ and the Spirit which are all one in substance though differing in names for God is light and Christ is light and the Spirit is light and they are all one God 1 John 5 7. who is light as John the beloved Disciple declares and this was his message that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all as you may read Iohn 1.5 And Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ declares and testifies of God dwelling within as you may read 2 Cor. 6.16 What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols for ye are the Temple of the living God as God hath said Rev 21 3. I will dwel in them and walk in them c. Again read Ephes 4.4 5 6. There is one body and one spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Col. 3 10 11. mind this well In you all Again read Col. 1.26 27 28. where Paul speaks of the Mistery which hath been h●d from ages and generations but now is made manifest to his Saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this Mistery among the Gentiles which is Chrict in you the hope of glory Again read 1 Cor. 3 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you And this is the New-Covenant of God prophesied of by the Prophet Jeremiah in the 31. Chap. 31 32 33 34. which was not according to the old Covenant Exod 34 1. Mal. 2 7. Heb 10 12 where the Law was written in Tables of Stone and the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they year by year offered up Sacrifice for sin c. But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Law in the inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my People And they shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more And again read Luke 17.20 21. And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God should come he answered them to wit Jesus and said the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation neither shall they say lo here or lo there mark well for behold th● Kingdom of God is within you Another Scripture I shall mention in the first Epistle of John 2.20 to the 28. Ye have an Vction from the holy One and ye know all things c. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you but the annoynting which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same annoynting teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lie and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him These Scriptures I have set down to prove that he or they that denies to be guided by the Light within denies God Tim. 32 26. Iohn 4 23 4● Jer ● 31 34. 1 27. Co●h 16 13 Job 8 1. ● Joh 5 29 1 Heb 10 16 Luke 17 21 1 Jo 2 27. 1 Jo● 1 3 5 Christ Spirit and the Scriptures and in a word the whole Mistery of Godliness which is God manifest in flesh where the true Worship in Spirit and Truth is known and witnessed and the New-Covenant enjoyed where sin and in●quity is done away and blotted out of the Lords remembrance and this is light within which leads and guids all the Children of God in the waies of righteousness and peace where the substance and life of all figures and shaddows and the life of all Scriptures is witnessed and enjoyed within for the Law is light and it is within and the Kingdome of God is light and it is within and the Spirit is light and the Annointing and Christ is light and these are all one in substance one God who is a Spirit of light and he dwells within his people and as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Rom 8 14. and here you may see the error and blasphemy of Halls who prayed that they might