Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	great_a	know_v	world_n	4,002	5	4.4108	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30565	The leper clensed, or, The reduction of an erring Christian being a narrative of Richard Ballamie of Tiverton, his falling off to Anabaptism, and of his returning to the truth : with the causes and occasions of both : wherein he is not onely cleared from the Anabaptists unjust excomunicating of him for leaving them, but their unchristian waies and wildes to deceive are also laid upen / by him published to caution young ignorant Christians against the error of that way.	Ballamie, Richard.	1657 (1657)	Wing B606; ESTC R24725	12,510	31

you received the first conviction least you one day lye dovvn in sorrow for going away from God and from the striving of his Spirit Let me ask you that have withdrawn from that Ministry to whom you can say we are your work of the Lord have you the same tendernesse the same affections to God that you once had in former dayes are not these much decayed O return from whence you are fallen and repent And now I shall conclude by giving the reader an account of the sad experience that I have had in two yeares digression from the publique ministry in Tyverton which God did at first blesse to the awakening of my soul 1. I do not remember that I have had one Conviction under all the sermons which I heard whilst I walked with them But that sence of my condition which I had before did abate and by little and little fall away after I turned my back upon the means which God made use of in working upon me Therefore I beg of all those upon whose hearts God is working to take heed of despising or slighting those instruments with whom God is present 2. I was drawn off by these men when I was in the greatest probabillity of receiving good from the ministery that ever I was For I do remember still the Impressions which were made upon my soul by those truths which I heard from Mr. Chishull a little before I was thus drawn aside which did work mightily to conviction and to resolution in me but the devil envying my prosperity sent me this Thorn in the flesh and their Insinuations and temptations did so prevaile with me that I left this ministry to attend on them which was but a diversion from the work of my soul and I find that whereas before I had somthings of weigh upon my spirit these were soon laid aside and I had nothing to doe but to dispute about baptisme and to rayle against ministers so that my former awakenings were turned into drousinesse and doating about questions 3. As I found no profit my self by attending upon their teaching so I observed little to any other Nay it hath been not onely mine but the experience of others who have constantly attended them as long as my self that there was nothing but deadnesse of Spirit to be gained there which hath at last caused them to desert them also 4 They are very vigilant and watchfull to find out any that are convinced and awakened under the publique ministry and when they begin to see things a little darkly and confusedly they take the advantage of this twilight in which their souls are to put off their commodities where their souls have some tendernesse and yet a great deal of ignorance they are fit to be wrought upon by them for by reason of the first they dare not neglect a Command of God and by reason of the second it appears to them that it is necessary to be dipt And they effect this especially by these means First shewing them very much kindnesse and pretending very great love and bowels of pity to their soules and they stand like Absalom in the gate by fair speeches to draw the hearts of people from their Ministers 2. By promising them very much peace in their way and telling how much peace they have found since they entred into this way and this is a very great notice to soules who have some troubles accompanying their awakeings and indeed there are very few of their hearers or followers troubled in Spirit for they want a searching Ministry I fear they get such a peace as I did by loosing my conviction 3. When they see that any do incline to them and their way in judgement they do presse them to a speedy submission to Baptisme that they may not have time to deliberate about it or to goe to the Minister or any christian friends to advise 4. Let me therefore from my experience warn all young Christians to watch in this case for know that if the devill cannot keep off the word from your hearts he will then draw you off if it be possible from that word and Ministry which he sees doth profit you And doubtlesse he hath gotten much by this designe And many soules will at last lament what I now do viz. that they were so soon perswaded to leave the means in which God did vouchsafe to struggle with their soules and if any such Temptation do come in your way I beseech you to deliberate about it and though it be backt with promises of peace yet enquire whither that which others call peace may not be more fitly called slumber 5. I have seen how they labour to hold those by policy whom they have gained by craft they hinder all that incline to them from hearing any that discent from them as much as in them lies though never so godly Nay though they acknowledge that they have been the Instruments of their Conversion Nay they do abstaine from all society with Christians that are principalled settled in their judgements able to defend them least any of their weak ones should heare any thing that contradicts their principles so that it is nothing but ignorance of what is to be said against their principles and practises that keeps the greatest part of their followers to them Let me therefore beg you that would know the truth to waigh what is brought against as weld as what is to be spoken for your opinion for it is an argument of weaknesse and guilt when we shun the tryall The papists are Conscious that their opinions and practices would not stand if the Scriptures should be opened to the people and doubtlesse many of you do fear what would follow if your hearers should know what ministers do or can offer to the people against your way But it is easy to keep them to you who must receive your interpretations of Scriptures and no other 6. They do presse very vigorously obedience to all the commands of God and in Generals they will seem zealous of or God and holinesse But when it comes to particulars all their zeal runs out into a submission to their way as if there were nothing of that weight that Dipping is on But for the mortification of sin for the setting up of Religion in Families for performing the respective duties of their Relations these are not minded so that I must professe though I have heard them est revile Ministers as Scribes and Pharisees yet I never saw any Generation of men that did more resemble the Scribes and Pharisees then they in this in that they laid up their Religion much in litttle things in certain washings and so did these they have more charity many of them for Quakers and Ranters then for those that conform not to the Baptism I speak not this of all for as I have said I believe there is a mixture of godly amongst them for vvhose sakes I vvrite these things that they may be vvarned And novv I bless the Lord that he hath brought me back again and given me a tast of the sweetnesse of the publique Ministry in this place And that I find God meeting my soul and stirring a fresh upon my spirit and I cannot but pray and mourn for those that yet remain under the temptations with which I was holden a long time I trust yet that the time is comming that many more of them will see the evil of their wayes as I have done and be humbled as I have been and desire yet to be more and more before the Lord. FINIS

THE LEPER CLENSED OR THE REDVCTION Of an Erring CHRISTIAN Being a Narrative of Richard Ballamie of Tiverton his falling off to Anabaptism and of his returning to the Truth with the causes and occasions of both Wherein he is not onely cleared from the Anabaptists unjust Excomunicating of him for leaving them but their unchristian waies and wildes to deceive are also laid open By him Published to caution young ignorant Christians against the error of that way Esaiah 29. 24. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding and they that murmured shall learn Doctrine London Printed and are to be sold by Francis Eglesfield at the Mary-gold in S. Pauls Church-yard 1657. The Leaper Cleansed IT may seem strange to all that know me to see me in print and if any that see me thus appear judge that it is me main businesse to vindicate my self they are mistaken I am partly driven to this by the irregular proceedings of those who have judged me as an offender and yet would not give me liberty to speak for my self So that I am enforced to speak this way or to justifie them by my silence but that which most of all prevails with me is 1. A desire to give glory to God in acknowledging his mercy who hath opened my eyes and shewed me the errour of my way 2. I judge it my duty to labour to undeceive all the simple and plain hearted 3. I think it as necessary to discover the hypocrisie of some that lye in wait to deceive and by cunning insinuations and pretences draw aside many souls to their own losse if not to their destruction It is notoriously known to all the inhabitants of Tiverton that I was deeply engaged in that way which is commonly known by the name of Anabaptists yea so far as that I though I was bound to oppose all that dissented from that way as being antichristian and so zealous was I to promote that interest that I forsook my relations left my Fathers house not caring for any society but such as were for that way refusing to joyn in prayer with such as differed from me in that though otherwise godly Thus I continued for the space of near two yeares but at last God was pleased to cause me to reflect upon my self and wayes and by some special providences of which I shall by and by give an account he made me willing to stand upon the waies and see and enquire for the way of the Lord for untill this time I was so filled with prejudice against the publick ministry that I refused all conferences and debates with any though offered with never so much mildnesse concerning the way in which I was or if I did at any time admit of any it was to defend and not to examine it but now God having put some check upon my spirit I began to lay things in the ballance and observing another people in this place walking under Ordinances and joyned with the publick ministry such thoughts as these are would come in sometimes We say we are in the way of God they say they are in the way of God May not I all this while be mistaken Though I often opposed such thoughts as these yet they returned upon me by my observation for I could not but take notice that those I walked withall were looser both in their principles and practizes than those I dissented from I found them sleight in their thoughts of the Sabbath and that they observed that day rather out of policy than out of conscience not so much to sanctifie the name of God as to keep their hearers from attending the publick Ministry they speak sleightly of those that walked strictly and closely with God in duty saying that all the Religion of such lay in duties but theirs was spirituall I further observed that their families were without prayer generally their children without instruction and surely their constant neglect of duties in their families made me grow very carelesse of mine in private The consideration of these things made me begin to enquire whether this were the truth which I professed From henceforth I resolved to consider what was objected against the way I was in and to weigh the Arguments I had slighted because I saw many serious godly people did live in the profession practice of that which I opposed And upon serious inquiring into the Word and earnest seeking of God it pleased the Lord to satisfie me in the truth and in particular touching these two controverted truths 1. That the Covenant of grace stands now in force to the children of believers under the Gospell 2. That this is a sufficient ground by Gods appointment why the children of believers should be baptized this is evident from many scriptures in the new Testament which the Anabaptists have endeavoured often to obscure I shall onely mention one which was as full to me Act. 2. 39. The Promise is to you and to your children the Anabaptists have laboured to darken this truth by perswading the world to believe that children have no right to the Promise till they are actually called which they would infer from the last claim of the forementioned Text. But by considering I saw their mistake in the Text Call hath no relation to children but to them afar off 1. Because the children are joyned with their Parents in the promise which is an intire proposition in the Text. 2. If children should be excluded from the promise this could not have comforted the Parents but have sadned them that their children should be the same with heathens Now here the scope of the Text is urged by the Apostle for consolation 3. If so Then this could not encourage the Parents to submit to these under this administration but would have hindred them that their children should be excluded from the promise who stood in it for 2000 years before under the other administration 4. If so then children would be superfluous in this Text and so the spirit of God would be charged with tautologies which would be blasphemy to affirme 5. The tense is changed the promise is to you and your children in the present tense but when he speaks of the call he speaks in the future tense as many as God shall call which must needs be applied to them afar off and not to children 6. If their interpretation hold good there would be a very great charge in the extent of the covenant narrower under the Gospel then it was under the law and no notice in all the Book of God given of such a change 7. If their interpretation be true then the believing Jews should have losse by their repentance if their children should be excluded from the Promise as soon as the Parents had repented 8. Then they could have no hope of their children for hope without promise is presumption 9. If children should be excluded from the promise let any man breathing shew me what priviledge the children