Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	faith_n	life_n	true_a	3,991	5	4.8169	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60620	A briefe answer unto a book intituled Shetinah, or, A demonstration of the divine presence in places of religious worship published by Iohn Stillingfleet, who stiles himself M.A. rector of Beckingham in Lincoln-shire, and late fellow of St. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge. In which book he hath declared many perverse things against the people of God (called Quakers,) and for so much as is considerable, wherein that people are any way concerned, it is in the power of God here answered, by one who is set for the defence of the Gospel, William Smith.	Smith, William, d. 1673.	1664 (1664)	Wing S4290; ESTC R220735	21,376	28

word then how can an ungodly man preach it and not corrupt it and this matter being reduced out of thy general terms and stated particularly into such as it doth properly belong then we can truly say that Gods presence is in his worship by his ministers and that they are his Embassadours and Stewards of his mysteries but we dare not say that so it is with ungodly men or that the ministry of ungodly men doth work to the conversion of souls or production of saving faith Some few particulars of this Chapter I shall answer Thou sayest it is so certain a truth that if the minister be bad yet if he preach the pure word of God we must receive the word because we are not so much to regard the man preaching as the word preached Answ No lye is of the truth for it is as possible that the East and West should joyn together as for a bad man or an ungodly man to preach the pure word of God for God doth not make use of such men to be his Embassadours or Stewards neither can such work together with God in any service for him because it is inconsistent with the pure nature of God to be a co-worker with an ungodly man for an ungodly man is against God and God is against all his ungodlinesse and these cannot possibly work together in man being that they are contrary in nature one to the other and yet thou fears not to go about to prove this ungodly assertion from the ministry of Iudas and saith that of all of them Christ said he that receiveth you receiveth me and yet one of them was Iudas Iscariot who also betrayed him Then thou sayest we may plainly see by Christs own words we may receive Christ by the ministry of Judas a traytor nay sayest thou I might say a Devil Answ Thou art gotten into high prophanenesse for when Iudas was sent forth with the rest he had part in the ministry but when treacherous thoughts did rise in him and that the Devil stirred him up to act his treachery he was never a minister of Christ after that and it may be read in the first of Acts where the Disciples prayed and said shew which of these two thou hast chosen that he may take part of this minis●●y and Apostleship from which Iudas by transgression fell mark it and consider thy assertion Thou saist that every Saint should have their garments died white in the bloud of the Lamb much more Christs Stewards they should be cloathed with the white robes of sincerity to act unfeignedly for God Answ These are only words as if one proud man should bid another be humble or one drunkard bid another be sober and tell them it should be so but view thy self and the rest which thou looks upon to be stewards and see if thou can find it so indeed and if not then you are not as you should be by thy own confession and if Christs Stewards should have their garments so died then surely no bad man or ungodly man can stand in that office neither is it possible that any such should act unfeignedly for God but who are his Stewards indeed through the sanctification of the Spirit they are cloathed with his righteousnesse and are approved in his sight In the tenth Chapter thou seems to hold forth practical deductions from Gods presence with his ministers and saith God is affronted by any indignities that are offered to his ministers and how can any have so impudent a face sayest thou as to pretend they are sent of God who makes railing and reviling of others to be their work Answ This is the work which thou art found to be in who calls the ministration of the Spirit canting language and Christs Ministers Foxes and Hereticks which surely are great indignities and in the highest manner of railing and reviling by which thy practical deduction is found to be out of Gods presence and railing and reviling of others were never our work though we do give righteous judgement against the Seed of the evil doer In the eleventh Chapter thou seems to hold forth Gods presence in his worship by the holy spirit and saist the word and the spirit goes together and thou saist thou shall begin with the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Answ This was the word of the Lord unto the Prophet and he had the spirit in the word my spirit which is upon thee mark here was the spirit upon him and the word spake in the spirit and the word put words into his mouth mark again and the word said my words shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed mark again the word was in the Seed and was not to depart out of the mouth of the Seed nor out of the mouth of the Seeds Seed from henceforth and for ever saith the Lord and this is the word that lives and abides for ever and it is in the mouth of the Seed and from the Seed are the words of the word spoken and there is the true ministry if thou hast an ear to hear and here is the word and the spirit joined together which is the word of the Gospel that we preach Thou saist all Gods children shall be clearly taught by the spirit of God Answ Then is man laid wholly aside in that work and why art thou so offended at silent meetings when thou saist all Gods children shall be clearly taught by his spirit and if clearly then it doth not admit of any conjunction in its teaching Thou saist mans preaching may fill the head full of notions but the spirits teacbings must fill the heart with real motions of grace and goodnesse towards God Answ Then let all flesh be silent that notions may die and wither and that the heart may come to be exercised towards God in his spirit and then people will not be alwaies learning as now they are amongst notions but will come to the knowledge of the truth in the spirit and so come to the joy of Gods salvation Thou saist take a Christian without faith and you unchristian him Answ Every true Christian lives in the faith and therefore cannot be taken without it and so cannot be unchristianed as being without it In the twelfth Chapter thou seems to hold forth the spirits teaching five wayes 1. by removing impediments 2. by suggesting Gospel truths to the soul 3. by enlightening the mind 4. by strengthning the soul 5. by raising truths Ans Thou art quite beside the matter for these particulars do not so belong to the spirits teaching as to its working only the third particular is as to its

A Briefe ANSWER Unto a Book Intituled SHETINAH OR A Demonstration of the Divine Presence in places of Religious Worship Published by Iohn Stillingfleet who stiles himself M. A. Rector of Beckingham in Lincoln-shire and late Fellow of St. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge In which Book he hath declared many perverse things against the people of God called Quakers and for so much as is considerable wherein that people are any way concerned it is in the power of God here Answered By one who is set for the defence of the Gospel WILLIAM SMITH But the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waves cast up mire and dirt Isai 57. 20. Printed in the Year 1664. To the READER Reader IT is my love to Gods precious Truth and People that doth engage me to this undertaking for I am not a man of strife though at this time constrained to make a just defence against the force of an open enemy and though the battel hath been long and enemies many that hath appeared against us that the Answers which hath been given to several opposers might be sufficient on our behalf yet seeing that they still rise up against us in open view we have stre●gth in the Lord to fight the good fight of faith for the trutb of God hath ever met with many and great oppositions in every manifestation through all ages and it hath alwaies been opposed as errour and delusion and such as have lived in it as hereticks and seducers and so the truth not being known as it is it hath been censured by strangers to be the greatest delusion who in darknesse and blindnesse hath alwaies oppressed and persecuted the birth born of it and so it is at this day as by the great opposition oppression and persecution of those that live in it doth clearly manifest and whereas John Stillingfleet hath endeavoured to cloud the Sun in a clear day yet his darknesse cannot remain upon the glorious truth but with the light and power of God is removed as airy vapours therefore Reader be equal in thy judgement and let Gods witnesse determine the matter and though many answers be but short yet if thou reads with that of God in thee thou wilt find them full to the matter stated and if thou by diligent reading reap any profit to thy soul the end of my labour will be answered who am a lover of all souls W. S. READER thou maist take notice that John Stillingfleet's Book was Answered more at large in the 10. Moneth 1662. but through miscarriage at the Presse some part of it was lost and the remaining part is but lately come to my hands which is the reason that this came no sooner to view Given forth the second time in the 11. Moneth 1663. A Brief Answer c. Iohn Stillingfleet I shall collect some heads out of thy Book wherein the truth and people of God are most concerned and briefly answer them THou hast directed an Epistle to one whom thou calls Right Honourable Anthony Lord Ashbie one of his Ma●esties most Honourable Privy Counsel and thou acknowledges his goodnesse and favours and upon such considerations thou sayest thou prostrates the Treatise of thy Book at his Honours feet not with any hopes to equallize his worth or merit his patronage with so slender an Essay as it is Answ Such gratuities for favours manifest but little kindnesse and if well considered will not be found worthy of any acceptation for it being a Treatise against the truth and people of God it is not to be received or entertained as a seasonable gift and being but a slendour Essay it is in the lowest and weakest manner offered in thy own way and so altogether unworthy of reception by him at whose feet thou hast prostrated it Thou sayest the Majestick Shetinah and the divine presence in Gospel worship fills both pages of thy ensuing discourse Answ The majesty and glory of God is in himself and cannot be engraven or printed in pages and as for thy matter with which thou hast filled thy pages it doth not savour of the divine presence as presently will appear but thy pages are filled with thy own conceptions and thou offers them as divine truths Thou sayest all thy ambition is by this slender Essay to act the part of Socrates his staffe Answ Socrates staffe and the divine presence is not alike and thou hast soon forgotten that thou said thy pages were filled with the div●ne presence but it is here manifested what thou fills them withall and what thy Essay tendeth to and what thy ambition is to act which indeed is more like a heathen then a Christian Thou sayest too too many want such a staffe to correct them for their errours and that the Ministers of the Gospel are looked upon as the Pursivants of the great whore of Babylon and are set at open defiance Answ Would thou be correcting errour with thy staffe before thou hast shewed what errour is and who they are that live in it and did ever Gospel Ministers correct errours with a staffe though too too many have lived in manifest errours and if errours be so to be corrected then I am sure the staffe would fall to thy own share who calls truth errour and would be correcting it with a staffe which manifests that thou art a Pursivant of the great whore indeed and we cannot but pity thee though we set thy staffe at open defiance but Gospel Ministers are owned and honoured and that in love unfeigned Thou sayest the Spirit of life the light within the everlasting word the everlasting Gospel are the choice Rarieties that will rellish only in the curious pal●ates of our Quakers and in the mean time thou sayest the Church of God lyes destitute and forlorn Answ Yes these are the things indeed which is choice food unto us and therein we rellish the sweetnesse of the heavenly virtue by which our souls are abundantly refreshed and this is our wine and milk without money or price and therefore we cannot buy and trade with thee and can the Church of God lye destitute where these things are loved and wouldst thou be accounted a Gospel Minister and would not have people to love and feed upon the everlasting word and the everlasting Gospel What Gospel dost thou preach if it be not everlasting but with the light of the Gospel thou art comprehended and art found out of the Spirit of life and light within and so thou preachest thy own words and not the word everlasting Thou sayest they cry down all stipends of preachers as the hire of the great whore of Babylon and the legal maintenance by tithes as an introduction to Antichristianisme Answ Yes we do so for the whore hath set them up and they are nourished in her lap and we say that legal maintenance by tithes are not only an introduction to Antichristianism but is practised in Antichrists Kingdome and wouldst thou be a Gospel Minister and

art pleading for stipends and tithes thy doctrine demonstrates thy principle and thy practice doth manifest that Christ never sent thee for none of his Ministers ever took stipends or tithes for their labour in the Gospel and therefore thou art found out of their way and practice for which cause thy ministry is denied Thou also hast directed a Preface to the Reader wherein thou sayest the main scope and design of thy present undertaking is to vindicate the publick worship of God and his sacred ordinances from that undervaluing contempt which hath been thrown upon them by Quakers c. Answ Thy scope and design and undertaking is for desolution and as for the Quakers they n●ither undervalue nor contemn the publick worship of God nor his sacred ordinances for they have not so learned Christ but thy undertaking is to vindicate those things which God hath not appointed nor ordained and such things we do deny but we worship God in the Spirit which is the publick worship for it is without limitation and it is thy worship which is private who creeps into a house made with hands and wouldst limit the holy One unto it to be worshipped and thus thou ravines about in thy own way and calls evil good and undertakes to vindicate it Thou sayest Hereticks are the greater foxes and the lesser foxes and hunting and taking of such are not only a noble recreation adaequate indeed for the vast ability of the most generously spirited Christians but also a very charitable undertaking for the Church of God in those that can but any way help forward so serviceable a design Answ Thou thirsts to have thy design promoted and so presents it to others as a noble recreation and a charitable undertaking for Christians but true Christians did never recreate themselves after that manner nor never were found in such an undertaking for Paul saith after some admonitions a Heretick is to be rejected if he refuse to hear but he doth not say hunt them and take them and destroy them and Paul was a good Christian but thou art promoting thy design against the innocent and under the name of foxes would have them hunted and taken by which it is seen what is in thy heart if thy hands had power for it is to be understood that a lamb never hunted a fox but it is the nature of a fox to hunt the lambs and if he can come to his prey he devours and destroyes them and a fox hath his hole for the day and ravines in the night mark that and that is the hunter and devourer which is thy secret design but thou art chained and the lambs preserved Thou saist where could we find the proverb more fully verefied then in the subtil deluding Schismaticks of our age and for bloudy cruelty can we find a parallel of these where they get power and is it not high time saist thou to endeavour the reclaiming and reformation of those whose main intendment is to ruine the Church of God and deny the precious Truths and Ordinances of the Gospel Answ These ●hings are certainly thy own and it is high time for thee to reclaim and reform thy unruly spirit which is found in the highest degree of enmity and cruelty which the Quakers were never guilty of for their principle leads them in love and peace and good will to all men and that line doth not parallel with bloud-thirsty men who are destroying one another about their worships and Religion and it is high time that such were reclaimed and reformed from their iniquity of which the Quakers were never guilty Thou faist the Wolves were destroyed out of the Land by a victorious Prince oh saist thou that we could see the like deliverance from the Foxes Answ Here the bottome of the pit is come up and a murderer is seen which would destroy the innocent as Foxes and would have the help of a Prince to do it by which thou shewest the nature of a Wolf and the Land is spread over with too many such as thou art that the Lambs can hardly find an outward place to lie down quietly amongst you Thou saist for Iustice that puts thee upon looking well about thee at home since in that little spot of ground divine providence and goodnesse hath called thee to be resident upon in the work and calling of a Minister of the Gospel thou hast found many even too many saist thou of these little Foxes to have their fixed abode being sadly perverted by the grosse and strong delusions of the Quakers Answ Thou hast already manifested thy Justice and it is seen to be in the enmity and thy residence in that place as a Gospel Minister was never so ordered by Gods providence and goodnesse but a great Living called thee and in it man hath placed thee and it is for thy gain that thou looks so well about thee and if such as thou calls Foxes could put into thy mouth willingly as thou takes it from them unlawfully then it is like thou wouldst blot out the name of Foxes and give them the name of Christians and in this stands thy Justice to feed upon the fat and to live at ease in thy residence and for such whose fixed abode is there whom thou calls Foxes they was converted to the faith of Christ before thou came to be resident amongst them and it is the truth of God which they have received by which they are turned from errour and delusions and their fixed abode is their natural right and they are a people whom I very well know and I know that they live peaceably soberly and are of an honest conversation and thou hast nothing against them justly saving this one thing that they worship the God of their Fathers after the manner which thou calls heresie Thou saist they are hurried to a high degree of contempt of publick prayers preaching sacraments c. and these by right saist thou are part of my charge though they have withdrawn themselves from being any part of my flock Answ They are established in the truth and publick prayer and preaching in the spirit of God they never denied and they are not by right any part of thy charge for since thy coming among them they have denied thy practice and therefore they are not withdrawn from thee for they never belonged unto thee and if it should be granted that some of them were part of thy charge and of thy flock then hast not thou been a carelesse shepherd to let thy flock goe astray and be lost how canst thou say if it be so that thou hast kept all thy flock together which is the care of a good shepherd Thou saist to attempt the best means and to use the most likely wayes and method for their recovery seems not onely truly charitable but highly just and equitable Answ Thy attempts and means are far unlikely to recover them if they was in errour for thou attempts to be delivered from