Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	father_n	holy_a	word_n	4,533	5	4.0905	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30532	Many strong reasons confounded, which would hinder any reasonable man from being a Quaker and offences taken out of the way, but particularly foure and twenty arguments overturned and confuted, put forth and sent into the world by Richard Baxter, a professed minister, but a frequent contenter against the ways of God ... / ... by ... E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1657 (1657)	Wing B6011A; ESTC R14497	21,411	23

doth condemn unrighteousnesse and bring war and a sword upon earth as Christs Doctrine did And this is the good where wee come Many are changed from wickednesse rudenesse and ungodlinesse to live soberly righteously and purely in this present world without offence towards God and men For to say We make people both to hate godly Teachers and people this is utterly false for we endeavor to bring people to the true Teacher Christ Jesus and to have fellowship with the Saints It 's true in the world our Doctrine doth make division and doth set a man at varience and doth set Father against Son and Son against Father even as Christ did and his Doctrine so he saith we do But again he belyes us in saying We bring people into confusion and abominable error or that we cast people into a malicious mood or tincture of bitterness this is also false and this is my Answer He that doth the will of our Father knows of our Doctrine whether we be of God or of our selves and to all the world besides we are unknown and desires to be manifest to every mans conscience in the sight of God and not to that wisdom which is of this world And though he scorn at such who are made to cast off their Points and Lace yet is not this more then any fruit that his Doctrine hath brought forth for as we do so did the Apostle exhort against all superfluity of naughtiness as Points and Laces are and it seems that such as depart from iniquity become a prey to such wicked mens slandering and scornful tongues and a maner to make Bookes of to send into the world 17. His seventeenth Reason Saith he It is no great encouragement to us to turn Quakers when we consider who are their followers very few experienced sober Christians turn to them saith he but such who are ignorant and ungrounded and raw professors c. Ans. To this I answer Let no man take encouragement from without to turn Quaker or to own the way of Gods salvation but let every one feel a measure of God in his own heart converting him from sinne unto righteousnesse and drawing his mind from the vanity and hypocrisie of this world to the truth and singlenesse of heart And he appears to be of the spirit of the Pharisees who said None but a company of poor people which were accursed followed Christ and so saith he in effect None but such as are ignorant and such like But what if there were not any other but such who owned the way of the Lord this is a confirmation of it rather then a cause of objecting against it when such who are ignorant are brought to the knowledge of God But yet his words are false for it is known that very many honest humble sober men and people who have all their dayes been sincere towards God in what they have known of him have and do own us and indeed all that ever owns God and Salvation shall own us for we are of God and he that is of God heareth us and the whole world lyes in wickednesse And such as are self-conceited and in pride and wise in their own eyes and in the wickedness of the world such are his followers and not ours though he falsely say it for such as follow Christ have we fellowship with and not with such as walk in darkness 18. His eighteenth Reason Saith he It is an evident judgement of God upon these people that turn Quakers and a punishment for their former sins c. Ans. To this I answer The Lord God his Angels and all his Saints and Servants I call to record against thee and they all shall witnesse that it is mercy and not judgement upon them that owns the way of the Lord And them that owned the Quakers in truth and sincerity have and do witness a remission of their former sins and forgiveness of them by Jesus Christ and not a punishment for them And Richard Baxter may please himself and some others with his reasonless Reasons as these are yet they are not worthy of the name of Reason they be so senseless and utterly false And though he railes against the Anabaptists as well as against us yet any man whose eye is open sees his folly turns it upon his own head And he may conceit himself in these things for a moment but the day of the Lord will declare it otherwise and that upon us mercy and peace shall be and not judgement nor wrath 19. His nineteenth Reason Saith he They are already in division among themselves as the contention between Nayler and Fox and their followers doth shew To this I answer Though an occasion may come and be taken against the truth yet wo unto him by whom it comes and to them who doth receive it for the testimony of truth abides for ever But as about that division he speakes of it hath been answered by writings several times and now I say It happened but as a tryal to the Lords people and not to destroy them though the enemy boasts himself because of it yet the Lord knows how to preserve his in the midst of temptation But these things are now at an end though a temptation presented it self yet it overcame not and truth is the same and the testimony thereof doth never change and all these refuges which the wicked flyes unto shall not cover them when the Lord appears 20. His twentieth Reason And saith he To make all their delusions more odious wickednesse they father it upon the Holy Ghost c. Ans. His words are utterly false yet we say we have received the Holy Ghost which teacheth us and leadeth us into all truth and by it are we lead out of all wickedness and delusion and all wicked speeches which he brands us withall and these things are his own for he is seen to be in delusion and odious wickedness and wicked speeches And saith he They speak against the DOCTRINE of the SPIRIT and cryes down the love of the Saints and against the Ordinances of the Ministers of Christ To this I have answered In the love union with all the Saints we are and Ministers of Christ but against Hypocrisie we declare such who profess what they are not and use their tongues and saith the Lord saith when the Lord hath not spoken to them and sprinkle Infants and saith it is ●n ordinance of Christ and singing Davids Experiences in Rime and Meeter with many other things which the Priests hath in their practice such things we deny to be Ordinances of Christ and them to be Ministers of Christ which do practice them and this we do say by the spirit of truth But that we prenounce damnation against Gods Church and holy Servants this is false again and is but the fulfilling the number of his lyes and though he charge us secretly with preaching another Gospel then that which Paul preached is false and if we

in many things and what the Ministers of Christ did these do not And whereas he pleads for tythes never Minister of Christ did in the Gospel-administration claim the tenth of peoples labours nor none of the Ministers of Christ were maintained by tythes but lived of the Gospel which they preached which livelyhood was not great sums of money and compelling some of it too from the people by a Law but the Churches ministered to the Apostles necessities whom the Apostles had begotten to the faith and planted them as a Vinyard and kept them as a Flock But the maintenance of the Priests of England is another case they must have so much a yeer and people is bound to pay them and sometimes so much a Sermon and they maintain themselves in idlenesse and fulnesse and pride and spend the Creation more then upon their necessities But he saith concerning tythes That tythes are the Churches and not the peoples and by the Law of the Land too What the Law of the Land requires which is just we do own and do not resist it but obey it but what the Law of the Land commands which is contrary to the Law of God as the Law is which commands to pay tythes we cannot be obedient to it for we read in the Hebrews that Law which commanded to pay tythes take tythes in the old Covenant is put to an end and Christ the second Priesthood established and the priesthood being changed there was a necessity of change of the Law also which upheld the priesthood Then whence is that Law of the Land which commands tythes of God or ootherwise judge ye seeing the Scripture saith The Commandment going before viz. that gave tythes is disannulled 8. His eighth Reason The Quakers way is too cruel and uncharitable to be the way of God they damn saith he the most humble holy faithful servants of God to whom God hath promised life c. Answ. This is not the least of his lyes our way is Christ and is neither cruel nor uncharitable but pure and holy and zealous against all sin and cannot bear and suffer iniquity but reproves it neither do we damn any but warns all to repent to be humble and lowly that they may have the promise of life and we sharply reprove sin and deceivers and deceit and this makes the men of this generation mad and calls it cruel and uncharitable whenas we do but warn them of their sins shewing them if they live in sin they perish and if they repent and turn to God they shall be saved and God hath given us the spirit of discerning and by their fruits we do know a child of God from a child of the devil and herein do establish the Gospel and not repeal it though he falsly saith so neither do we condem any who fear the Lord in any thing they do or speake in his fear but with such we have unity who walks in uprightness in the midst of a malicious world and perverse generation as this is 9. His nineth Reason saith he After all their sins they most impudently 〈◊〉 a sinlesse perfection c. Ans. What such as are in darknesse doth conceive of us and so utters it matters not but many of us do witnesse that Christ hath done away our sins and in him we are compleat through faith in which we are perfect without sin and it is not of our selves and that perfection we exhort all to presse after that they may be perfect in Christ Jesus without sin And he saith They themselves desire a sinlesse perfection and 〈◊〉 it is their command and duty and yet saith it is an impudent 〈◊〉 in us to professe that which himself confesseth they desire and is their command and duty and this is great confusion and comes out of Babylons store And though he would falsly suppose that the Quakers suppose to have no need of Christ and saith he They dare it seems say they will not be beholding to God or to the blood of Christ for the pardon of sin but these are his foolish imaginations for we are beholding to Christ and to his blood onely which hath clensed us from all sin and by it our sins and trespasses are blotted out and forgiven And we do not think highly of our selves though he impudently chargeth it upon us and hath bent his tongue for lyes and made them his refuge and strong Reasons 10. His tenth Reason That we do in many Doctrines so openly comply with the Papist that people may see plainly that the Iesuits and Fryars are our Leaders and he saith this hath been proved by many Confessions c. Answ. The Papist we utterly deny their Doctrines their wayes and whatsoever savours of popery and are not lead by any other but by Jesus Christ as our lives and Doctrines doth make appear to all that have an eye to see it 's true we may be falsly slandered and accused by Richard Baxter and by the Priests and the wicked people of the world for it is enough for us to be as our Master Christ who was called a Devil and as was he so are we slandered and accused in this and many other things But that ever it was proved that we are led by Jesuits and Fryars this is one of our Adversaries slanders he hath once and again accused us but he never proved it though now he saith The Papists make the Scriptures a dead Letter and no Rule of faith and so do we The Papist cryes down our Church and Ministers saith he The Iesuites cryes up free-will and sufficient grace to all and a common sufficient light to all and so do we saith he The Papist extenuate imputed righteousnesse in setting up inherent righteousnesse and the Papist place most in external abstenances and observances and so do we saith he c. To all this I answer What is truth we hold and maintain in the power of God and may not deny it though the Papists may hold the same in words which seldom they do for we hold the truth for the truths sake and dare not deny the truth though the devil confesse it in words but he hath falsly compared us with the Papists and Jesuites for we do not hold free-will in the creature neither do we extenuate imputed righteousnesse neither do we place most in external abstenances and observances herein Richard Baxter hath belyed us But what if I should measure him by his own rule and should say that the Jesuites and Fryars are his Leaders Why because the papists say Christ was born of Mary and did many miracles dyed being crucified of the Jews was buryed and rose again and so doth Richard Baxter say and all the Presbyterians in England and therefore may we conjecture they do but prepare people to be papists or open Infidels as he saith concerning us But further the papists say that sprinkling Infants is baptizing into the faith of Christ and they say none must

be free from sin while they are upon earth and they cry against heresie and error and thus doth Richard Baxter and his company and therefore by his own Arguments he may be judged that the Jesuites and Fryars are his Leaders and that he prepares people to be papists but I will not be so uncharitable to judge him 〈◊〉 by this rule as he hath falsly done us though I do know in the sight of God there is a greater concurrence in Doctrine and practice and conversation between many of our Accusers and the Papists then there is between the Papists and us and the light of Christ in all consciences shall answer me in the day of Gods righteous judgements and the papists and him we do deny and see them to be of one spirit though differing in appearances and what we are it is by grace and not of our selves and what we do it is through Christ and not by our selves and to God we appeal for judgement and tramples upon all mens vain conceivings false judgements lyes and slanders and turns them back to them again where they were hatched 11. His eleventh Reason He saith Our Doctrines are self-contradictory and therefore they cannot be of God c. Ans. To this I answer This is false our Doctrines do agree in one and are not self-contradictory though falsly he may judge of this as he may judge of other things if he had been in Christs time likely he would have judged his words self-contradictory who said Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you and yet at the same instant of time said The flesh profiteth nothing with many other such instances as might be brought Why but Richard Baxter tells you We say all men have a sufficient light within them and goes up and down preaching it with great zeal This is no more than the Apostle Iohn did who told the Saints they needed no man to teach them but as the Anointing in them and yet preached unto them and wrote Epistles to them but did Iohn contradict himself let wise men judge And Iohn said Christ lighteth every man that comes into the world with the true light and no more then he did do we contradict our seves herein for we follow the same example we say the Saints have the Annointing in them and needs no man to teach them and yet we do exhort them as the Apostle Iohn did And he asks what do we preach If darknesse who would have such Teachers if light what needlesse labour is this when all men have sufficient light already c. To all this I answer We preach light that all should believe in it and thereby should be lead out of darknesse and the light is sufficient being believed in by the creature but all are not lead by it sufficiently neither doth receive Christ And we may ask him now and say If he preach darknesse as it is likely he doth rather then the light because he smites at preaching the light that hath lighted every man that cometh into the world and so in effect denies the Lord that bought him then who would have such a Preacher but if he preach the light and not that light which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world which is Christ and is sufficient as it seems by his own words he doth not because he condemns us for it then is he a Minister of Antichrist according to his own confession But whatever he judge we are sent to turn people from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God and herein we do as the Ministers of Christ did but that wee revile the Ministers of Christ as blind guides as saith he this is false again but such we bear witnesse against who preacheth for hire and oppresseth the Common-wealth and are in the steps of the proud Pharisees and all people that follows them are in darknesse as the Pharisees were and in the way of damnation because they are not in the truth who follows not Christ and yet such people are lightened with the light of Christ and that is their condemnation because they believe not in it and it is sufficient to the condemnation of all such 12. His twelfth Reason Saith he Consider also how sutable their Doctrine is to the interest and pleasure both of the Papist and the Devil why saith he they damn all the Ministers and Churches of CHRIST c. To this I answer A lying tongue is but for a moment though he makes lyes his refuge yet shall they be swept away Of the Ministers and Churches of Christ are we and such as are so they we own and are one with them though this man saith otherwise and it doth little appear that our Doctrine is sutable to the interest and pleasure of the papists for we finde them our enemies and Gods enemies and bears our witnesse against them as against the devil and do say that they are his off-spring and that the Priests of England are their off-spring such as are open lyars especially But if we should reckon we should find their Doctrine more agreeable to the papists in many things then ours are as I have instanced concerning sprinkling of Infants and other things but doth it follow that the papists and we agree because the papists declare against them out of cruelty and wickednesse and out of a murderous mind to divert people into idolatry and wicked superstition and we declare against them out of love to peoples souls that they should not alwayes be deceived and alwayes learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and hath no other end to ourselves God is our witnesse but that people may be converted to the knowledge of God as I said before though the papists may hold some truth in words and cry against some sort of people out of a wicked end yet may not we therefore deny the truth as it is in Jesus neither must be silent in declaring against sin and wickednesse and let him say what he will concerning any advantage the Devil reaps by us it will but be the overthrow of his very kingdom Why but saith he If we do but unchurch all the reformed Churches the Papists will give us a fee I say it is a hard thing to unchurch them that never were truly churched and that we seeke to unchurch such as are the Churches of Christ this is utterly false and the papists fee and his reproach we trample upon them both together and let him take the papists fee as he pleads for it for it was they first that took tythes for a see and it is he now that strongly pleads for them to be maintained in his Ministry by them 13. His thirteenth Reason Saith he The Doctrine and practice of the Quakers is contrary to the experience and holy nature of the Saints why saith he they have found a renewed light and life by