Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A95895
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The picture of independency lively (yet lovingly) delineated
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Vicars, John, 1579 or 80-1652.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing V322A; ESTC R232195
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12,169
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come to a dead-lift or a hard pinch you laying down this irreligious Paradox for a principle which ye make open and constant profession of and wish to be enacted as the most sacred law of all others in the midst of all other Ecclesiasticall Laws and Canons in Christian states throughout the world Not to make your present judgement and practise a binding law unto your selves for the future out of a jealousie of your own frailty keeping this Reserve to alter and retract what ever should be discovered to be taken up by you out of a misunderstanding of the rule This being the avowed profession of your five grand-Apologists to the whole world in print yet a principle so inconsistent with sound faith and truth of Religion of which you so much vaunt as that it suits with none but such an one whom the Apostle James 1. 6 7 8. long since ye know reprehended and characterized the true character indeed me thinks of our Independent Brethren viz. A double minded man unstable in all his wayes wavering like a wave of the sea driven about with the winde and tossed Which he closeth up with this dreadfull determination Let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. And if such Scepticks as you professe your selves by this Apostles determination cannot so much as think to receive any thing of the Lord with what faces and consciences can ye think to obtrude your Independent-wayes and fancies upon us as the infallable Oracles nay Scepter and Government of God and Christ which your selves infallibly believe not to be such and take up only for the present with a Reserve of altering and not binding your very selves thereto for the future For Gods sake my Brethren take heed what ye do herein For does not the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 1 2. prophesie That in the last dayes perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud heady high-minded having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof Ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth Yea such as will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts will heap to themselves teachers having itching eares turning away their ears from the truth and will be turned unto fables and fictions new-lights and revelations And are not your thus pretended New-lights the very persons thus delineated by your own confessions and practises too even Murmurers Complainers desirous to walk after your own lusts and having mens persons in admiration for advantage Yea take heed I say ye be not found to be those Clouds without water carried about with windes and those Wandring-Stars which the Apostle Jude speakes of which know not when or where immutably to fix your faith and judgements Whereas our Presbyterians and all other true Believers are alwayes 1 Cor. 15. 58. Phil. 1. 27. Chap. 4. 1 c. Stedfast unmoveable standing fast in the Lord in one spirit and in one minde striving together for the faith of the Gospell and not tossed to and fro like children carried about with every winde of doctrine by the slight of men as too too many Scepticall-Independents are to the great obloquie and scandall of Religion O my Brethren I have therefore great cause to fear you will hardly prove Martyrs for that Church-way or Discipline for the future to which you will not peremptorily so much as binde your judgement no though but only for the present Now if all this aforesaid arise not as wise King Solomon sayes from Spirituall Pride and self-seeking what meanes I say all this fruitlesse writing and wrangling if not faithlesse shuffling with and against the unquestionable heaven-honoured Truths of the Presbyterian-way never to be refuted though much quarrelled at by all the New-Speculations of our most unkinde Dissenting brethren As namely your most unjust and injurious quarrellings and I fear malicious prejudicacies against reverend Master Edwards his pious painfull and learned Preaching and Writing against your Novell-wayes especially your quarrelling against his most learned Antapologia not hitherto answered as indeed unanswerable by the best of you all How also have the elaborate labours of Reverend Master Herl learned Doctor Stuart religious and learned Master Rutterford and divers other Eminent Divines been slighted traduced and abused by you who have most copiously and conscienciously confirmed by invincible arguments Scripture and reason their Presbyteriall and most abundantly and clearly confuted your Independent-way And though in the last yet not in the least place how have ye most ungodlily and ungratefully traduced and palpably abused pious and most precious Master Prynne who as I had a late former occasion to make like-worthy and honourable mention of him in my Letter to Mr J. Goodwin for his most famous and faithfull Sufferings his most elaborate learned and divine writings and for his indefatigable and most fruitfull Services many-fold wayes both for this Church and State too can never be sufficiently honoured embraced and beloved by all true-hearted Christians over this whole kingdome yet I say how hath this most incomparable and precious Gentleman this most Eminent Saint and Servant of the Lord and famous Patriot of his Country been lately and liberally traduced and most grossely abused by almost all our most unkinde and ungratefull Dissenting brethren of the Congregationall Church-way But most especially and more lately since my foresaid Letter was published by the fore-mentioned Master John Goodwin as in all his former insulting and usavory peeces so above all in that last and worst most scandalous Pamphlet of his Entituled Calumny arraigned and Cast a most slashy and false work as I can easily prove and a most undiscreet unjust and unreasonable taske undertaken by him in taking upon him to be both Judge and Party in his own cause For who can expect any other but a totall conviction and tyrannicall censure from a profest Adversary against his Antagonist But if any impartiall and judicious Reader will but enquire for and read over seriously this Mr. John Goodwins Letter to Mr. Thomas Goodwin then in Holland not long since printed and published by Mr. Bellamy in Cornhill in London he shall then see to his deep admiration what a fit man Mr. John Goodwin so tainted with Socinianisme if not Arminianisme with most dangerous Errors in Saving-faith sometime a Presbyterian and sometime an Independent is to sit a Iudge to arraigne cast and condemne such a most constantly orthodox pious and painfull servant to God and his country as Mr. Prynne And then certainly the Reader must needs also break forth with me into an extasie of astonishment and admiration at the strange boldnesse and unblushing audacity of Mr. Iohn Goodwin so to censure others considering his own guilt Ievity and instability of minde and grosse errours in judgement his said vanity and unconstancy of minde and promptitude to error being lately further enformed to me by very reverend and credible testimony thus That even
THE PICTVRE OF INDEPENDENCY Lively yet Lovingly Delineated PRO. 27. 6. Faithfull are the wounds of a Friend but the Kisses of an Enemy are deceitfull therefore PRO. 9. 8. Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee but reprove a Scorner and he will hate thee LONDON Printed by JOHN MACOCK at Adling-hill and are to be sold by MICHAEL SPARK junior in Green Arbour 1645. The Picture of INDEPENDENCY Lively yet lovingly Delineated THe most unhappy jars and intestine divisions between our most unkinde and unadvised Independent Brethren and the Presbyterian party especially in matters of Church-government having proved such a sad and sore Remora and retardation to the most blessed and glorious work of Reformation at this time in the Church of God so long and so longingly desired by us all and at the first so smoothly and sweetly begun among us have filled my soule and many thousands more with many and most various both sad and serious thoughts and conjectures both concerning the rice and root thereof the present growth and increase of them and the future fear and danger thereof even no lesse then a miserable and confused Anarchy if not seriously seen into and seasonably prevented either by a holy and humble reconciliation in them or by a just necessitated restriction by authority Now I considered with my selfe that for me to perplex my thoughts about the Dogmaticall discussion of the Controversie it self would be as endlesse as it hath been fruitlesse in respect of its proper end yet I know much good and satisfactory settlement in the Truth hath come by the labours that way taken But I conceived it a yet more near and as sure a way of satisfaction seriously and sincerely to look into the practicall-manner of managing the matter in controversie on our Dissenting-Brethrens part And truly me thought and that upon apparent and indubitable grounds as by and by I shall I hope make manifest that that of divinely inspired and most wise King Solomon Prov. 13. 10. seasonably and suitably offered it selfe unto me as a main if not sole and certain rice and ground of all the unchristianly and unbrotherly broyles and breaches in this kinde among us viz. that Only by Pride comes Contention This being then the undoubted spurious Spring of our sad and bad divisions I could not but instantly and easily apprehend Self to be one most strong streame and turbulent torrent issuing out of that foul fountaine Which that it most clearly appears so in generall we have here a sure word of Truth for it And that it is so in this particular and present speciall case what man though but meerly rationall can deny that rightly and impartially discerns any thing at all in the mannaging of the matter by our Independent or Dissenting Brethren against their Presbyterian Brethren For if it be not Spirituall-pride and Selfe-seeking that lead them on in their strange New-way but that they with us clearly intend as they seem seriously to pretend the glory of God in his own pure worship and that King Jesus alone may rule his Church and childrens consciences according to his written Word why then strive they so strenuously for such a way of worship and governement which they are not able to demonstrate make clear from the written Word unto their Presbyterian-Brethren Now if they are not able as they have oft and earnestly been moved and mildely intreated thereunto positively and plainly to set down unto us such an exact way of worship and Gubernation of Gods Church as may not without sinne be altered in the least circumstantiall particle thereof to the end of the world why rest they not content with us with so much materiality of worship and government as is set forth plainly clearly in the Word and with godly moderation piety and prudence humbly refer the rest in meer circumstantials to Christian godly Governours and Magistrates assisted with an Assembly of most learned and pious Pastours and Teachers no whit inferiour for parts and piety to the best of theirs and both these regulated and directed by the right rule of Gods Word as near as possibly in the integrity of their soules they are able herein also seeking assistance from Gods holy and un-erring Spirit by much fasting and prayer which I think they dare not deny to be Gods way Why I say must this most considerable and most Noble Body of Bereans be rather regulated and circumscribed to the unwritten New-lights and strange Enthusiasmes of our Dissenting Brethren they being also a most inconsiderable and inferiour part therefore of the Body Is there any reason much lesse religion for it And if not what then means all this most unkinde and unbrotherly writing and wrangling against your Presbyterian Brethren whom it highly concernes to contend earnestly to maintaine the faith and those truths of God Jude v. 3. delivered to them and as consonant to Gods Word and Scripturall Truth practised by all the Saints in all the Reformed Churches of Christendome yea and honoured by the speciall blessing of God himselfe on their way of godly Church-government as hath been all along for these many years most visible in those many thousands of most precious Christians and venerable Saints brought forth and bred up in the Presbyterian-way as Gods way and so highly honoured by himselfe as is aforesaid These I say are those that are most fit yea that are most deeply bound in conscience earnestly to contend for their so sound and ancient doctrine and discipline not you of the Independent-way for your meer imaginary opinions and barely conceited new-notions who have been desired againe and againe to manifest unto us out of Gods Word or from the constant practise of any setled Church in all Europe what it is ye would have and what it is ye hold as a certaine fixed and unalterable rule of Gods worship and Church Govern-ment but to this very day have not ingenuously declared it or dealt plainly with us therein witnesse even that so highly cryed up Apologeticall Narration attested by five of your most Eminent Pillars of Independency made-up mainly of many indeed fair pretences as of a strange and almost ridiculous voluntary-banishment self-praisings of your own parts and piety complainings but most untruly how ye have been slighted and contemned among us whereas ye have been equally embraced and honoured divers wayes both by the Parliament Assembly and City of London with the best of our Presbyterians boasting how ye have been approved and entertained in your Church-way in Holland c. Whereas both the Reformed Church in Holland and France also have assured us by the testimony of divers of their most pious and eminent Divines the clean contrary and that they have rejected your way as very dangerous and destructive to the Church of God and vilifying and undervaluing all the Reformed Churches in comparison of yours and to come to the point pleading a mentall reservation in the main matter of our desire untill it