Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	peace_n	spirit_n	unity_n	1,812	5	8.9331	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91351	A cryer in the vvildernesse of England, declaring the baptisme of the eternall spirit, to be the onely baptisme in Christs kingdome published in Gospel-light, according to the word written in the Scriptures, and the eternall word written in the hidden man of the heart, for satisfaction of those, who are satisfied with truth alone. By Edward Punch of Carisbrook in the Isle of Wight, who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God to salvation.	Punch, Edward.	1653 (1653)	Wing P4211; Thomason E725_7*; ESTC R206765	72,185	101

which he hath no right to doth this argue that therefore he will throw away all that is his own or any of that he hath right to But do you know what an Ordinance of God is that you do cry out so much for Ordinances if you do not then give me leave to declare some unto you and these are standing Ordinances indeed and those wherein God is glorified among his people in the true and spiritual performance of them First then let us take up that Ordinance of Christ Matth. 5. 16. compared with Phil. 2. 15. Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your Father which is in heaven I advise those to take up this Ordinance or to walk in it that have the true light of Christ in them let us so walk in the light of God revealed in us that all may see that our light is of God and this you see is a Gospel-Ordinance 2 Observe another Ordinance which is also a command of Christ Joh. 13. 34 35. ver 35. by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another I also advise all to obey this Ordinance of Christ that have the precious love of Christ shed abroad in their hearts by the spirit of love from the Father and the Son Oh let not us who are all in one eternal love brought out of eternal bondage sin and darkness into eternal liberty light and love let not us confine our love to forms and opinions as it is the ordinary practise of our times But let our love extend unto all and from very love to do good unto all we have an Ordinance for this large extent of love Love your enemies do good to them that hate you c. Do good unto all but especially to the houshold of Faith love the brotherhood but nowhere love for opinion that is carnal love for the true brotherhood lies not in any form but from oneness of spirit in love But many now adays look so much upon carnal Ordinances and outward observations that their love is wholly upon that and those that follow those forms they are undone And they are so far from fulfilling this great Gospel-Ordinance toward all that they manifest more hatred and envy to those that li●e in the same love of the Father that they say they do live in though they do not live under the same form as they do then they do manifest to the greatest blasphemer or wicked person in the world and all is from some difference about outside things but they that are joyned to the Lord are one spirit not joyned to one form Here is the cunning of the devil to break in pieces the bonds of love and unity among those that profess the Lord Jesus But I could wish love were more practised among all that do own love and that all would do as they would be done unto but this I must tell you There is no command more exhorted unto and no command more slighted then this is I could wish we had not cause now to say to people as Christ said to the Pharisees that they do make void the commands of God by their traditions yet this is the practise of many now to this very yeer 1653. For they set up f●rms and traditions of men and confine all to follow them and to obey these Ordinances that are of men and those that will not or that cannot follow them nor submit to them they must be cryed out against for hereticks and blasphemers and so love that is the great command of God that is made void and the Ordinances of men they are s●t up and cryed up let love and Christian fellowship go whither it will 3 We have another Ordinance set forth Col. 3. 16. unto which we do well to take heed Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in the several parts of the great mystery of godliness Let us teach exhort instruct and comfort each other as we are taught instructed and comforted in the Lord that so we may be instruments so strengthen one another against all conditions tbat we may fall into Let those who are indued with power from on high continue in the word and doctrine of truth and righteousness Here is another Ordinance of God God enable us to obey it in sincerity 4 Let us walk wis●ly toward all giving no offence to Jew nor Gentile nor to the Church of God that whereas others do speak evil of us as evil coers they may be ashamed by the beholding our sincerity in Christ Jesus But as for those who are offended at the truth let them bear their own shame for the cause of offence is not in the truth but those that oppose it let not this Ordinance be forgotten neither 5 Give no place to the devil nor your own deceitful lusts but abstain from all fleshly lusts that do war against the soul and be ye holy in all manner of conversation acting and shewing forth the purity of the hidden man of the heart that you may appear to be the workmanship of God in spirit and power and that ye have received the spirit of power love and of a sound minde have also a special eye to this Ordinance too 6 Deal honestly with all men and speak truth every one to his neighbour put away lying and all deceit guile and hypocrisie let all your actions speak forth righteousness and act in righteousness and uprightness toward all hate flattery and bribes with all things that are evil do unto all men as you would have they should do unto you Here are Ordinances enough if we could but see them and had but a principle from God to walk in them the Lord bring forth righteousness in our hearts and then our actions will speak forth righteousness indeed 7 Be not partial one to another Jam. 2. Let not the rich slight the poor nor let not their benevolence be tyed up under single forms and remember this that pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widdows in their afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the world Jam. 1. 27. here are Ordinances enough everywhere in the word of God I could wish they were in our hearts too for here are Ordinances enough for us to practise if water were quite down Remember Rom. 14. that the stong should not slight nor despise the weak nor the weak should not contemn the strong but let all keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace 2 Pet. 4. 2 3 c. You may take them exhortations Luk. 3. from John to the people and also many more in the word of truth onely I thought it good to put you in minde of a few that so ye may see there are other Ordinances besides cold water and such as there is a thousand times more ground to

the world seeing Gods Laws are pure holy just good righteous and upright Laws that are written in his peoples hearts and brought forth in their conversations what think you are not such Laws who are of God the Laws of the spirit of life of love of power and of a sound mind are not these sufficient to distinguish Gods people from the world the world being led by the Devil and their own lusts 3. What think you is not the light of God in his people clear enough bright enough shining forth in them and they in it to distinguish them from the blind and dark world who do live and walk in darknesse and stumble at they know not what seeing light is sown for the righteous and it springs up in them and they shine forth in it I hope this will be bright enough to see and discern them in without their going under water 4. The wisdome of God being wrought in his people by the word of Gods eternall wisdome in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge this is wise enough to distinguish them from the ignorant and foolish world this is wise enough to direct them in wayes above the wayes of the world and so the wisdome of God being revealed in the secret parts in the inward man and so teaching the whole man to walk wisely toward all men that so wisdome might be justified of her children and this is enough to distinguish wisdomes children from the world they need not have water-Baptisme to help in this businesse 5. Is not the love of God revealed in his people the foundation of their happinesse and that whereby they do stand is not this enough to distinguish them from the world who lives in wrath hatred malice and envy hatefull and hating one another 6. Is not the holinesse purity and righteousnesse of God holy enough and pure enough and righteous enough being brought forth by the mighty power of God in them for to distingish them from the unclean unholy and unrighteous world except they be washed in earthly water what think you can this adde any thing to the purity holinesse and righteousnesse of God for the further distinguishing of us from the profane world 7. The grace of God that bringeth eternall salvation to light in our souls teacheth us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and teacheth us also to live Godly Righteously and soberly in this present world and is not this enough to distinguish us from the evil world O that we could once see that principle of eternall grace manifest it self in those that professe godlinesse then I affirm they need no more to separate them from the world 8. God dwells in his people walks in them lives in them they are his habitation his resting place they live in God in divine injoyments and what think you now is the presence of God living and dwelling in his people in the precious discoveries and injoyments of love and favour living in them to Eternity Is this enough to distinguish them from the world who do live without God c. What think you is not eternall being the Lord Jehovah the mighty God in the love wisdome life light power c. of divine spirituall glory enough to distinguish his people from the world without their coming under some carnall ordinance of being thrown into water or the like 9. You talk of distinguishing the world and carnall Church one from another by water-Baptisme but you are quite out for this is rather a mark of Antichrist wherein the world and carnall Church are joyned together and so a Kingdome of Antichrist is made up of carnall Christians made so by water-Baptisme Objection 4. But Infant-Baptisme hath been of a long time standing for ought we know even from the Apostles times Answ 1. Let this be granted yet if you cannot make it appear to be of Scripture proof either from command or example it is nothing worth for consider there were many Antichrists gone forth even in the Apostles times and that which hath no ground in Scripture must needs be an Antichrist and then here is the whole line of your succession cut off What do you think Is not this the way to set up an Antichrist to go about to make Christians where Christ makes none Now all Europe have been made Christians by Infant-Baptisme and yet many thousands of them have not been Christians indeed and then what have they been but Antichristians and all this hath been done without any Testimony at all from the word therefore it is of Antichrist and not of the true Christ Again many have been dipped in water at severall times from an outward profession and after their conversation have declared them to be of Antichrist so both forms in both wayes go to make up a Carnall Church for Antichrist From unity in a form for which there is no ground at all for in the word of truth but meerely from mens carnall principles conceits and traditions one never being commanded nor any example of the practise of it and the other in Force and in use when other Ceremonies were Objection 5. Water-Baptisme keeps men in Fellowship Love and Unity among themselves so that they denyed no● asunder as others do and as they might if they did not take up this form Answer 1. Example teacheth us that Unity in an externall form cannot keep people together in Unity fellowship and love for many that have been and are still one in some forms as water-Baptisme c. yet they agree not in other things and at last many have broken quite in pieces and parted quite asunder Forms do commonly keep people together for their own ends and interests therefore this Unity is not Gospel-proof but Antichristian Unity for that is Antichristian Unity that tyes up peoples love in one form 2. The people of God who are called by his grace and hath his love revealed in them and do really live in God and so in love and so in the Unity of one eternall Spirit by whom they are all led into all truth faithfullnesse Love fellowship kindnesse tendernesse of heart Bowels of Compassion c. one to another they need not to have any outward form of water or any such thing to keep them in Unity of Spirit c. being one Spirit in the Lord but that one eternall Spirit that is in them all who doth quicken them all it being the spirit of love in them all this internall work of God in power from on high shed abroad in his peoples hearts is of infinite more force to keep them in love and fellowship with one another in the Father and the Son than any earthly form dipping or sprinckling a little cold water you that are truly spirituall consider Objection 6. That which was once commanded and never reversed or repealed is still in force and water-Baptsme was once commanded and never repealed therefore it is still in force An. 1. All Ceremonies were

A CRYER IN THE VVILDERNESSE OF ENGLAND Declaring the Baptisme of the eternall Spirit to be the onely Baptisme in Christs Kingdome Published in Gospel-light according to the word written in the Scriptures and the eternall word written in the hidden man of the heart for satisfaction of those who are satisfied with truth alone By Edward Punch of Carisbrook in the Isle of Wight Who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the Power of God to salvation Acts 13. 41. Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your dayes a work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you 1. Cor. 12. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one body whether Jews or Gentiles whether bound or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit Acts 11. 16. Then remembred I the word of the Lord how that he said John indeed baptised with water but ye shall be baptised with the holy Spirit Acts 1. 5. LONDON Printed by T. M. for Richard Moone at the Seven Stars in Pauls Church-yard near the great North doore 1654. To all true Saints in England and elsewhere who are really partakers of Spirit-Baptisme in the Lord JESVS who is the way into the possession and injoyment of eternall grace and glory in the Lord JEHOVAH FRiends in the truth He that hath set his hand to the Plough and looketh back is not fit for the Kingdome of God And I must here declare unto you that Gods Kingdom that he will bring forth in these latter dayes is another manner of building and work than the world or Churches under Antichrists raign doth think of for God is now pulling down the old building that man hath been setting up this many hundred years and O friends I would advise you not to stand looking back upon the old building in Antichrists Kingdome but with the Apostle look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousnesse Let us who are of the day go toward Zion with our faces thither-ward for looking back hinders seeing what is before us Let us look unto the new Jerusalem the City of the living God that cometh down from God out of heaven and let us not so much as take any notice of the old heavens wherein men would ascend up to God for God hath not bid us look after the old but the new and hath bid us rejoyce for ever in the things that he will create and he hath told us that he that stands upon the Throne makes all things new And this is a clear truth that all the Churches and Church orders of men as they call it are yet in Babel they are all in confusion one with another amongst themselves One saith here is Christ and another saith there is Christ one for one way another for another way one for one order another for another order one interprets Scriptures one way another another way one saith one thing is truth and another saith another thing is truth and many cry out against the clear truth and would if it were possible hinder that from appearing And now how can you imagine that the Churches are out of Babel and yet still in confusion in darknesse and mistakes Christs first coming brought divisions into the world but now it shall bring peace among all Luke 12. 51. Isa 11. Consider a few particulars wherein it doth appear that Babylon is not yet fallen but standeth still even to this day 1. When God brings forth his great work in the latter dayes The wolf and the lamb shall dwell together in peace c. but now we are far from such a disposition for those who look like lambs and are so for ought I know they cannot dwell together in peace and love but are at great difference as well as the lamb and wolf but persecution shall come to an end in the latter dayes and not continue as before therefore look not for such a time now to come 2. In that day the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord but it is now full of ignorance of the Lord as all carnall principles and doctrines of men do witnesse with their works and actions 3. In that day God will get his people a name and a praise in all lands where they have been put to shame but yet they are a reproach in all Lands therefore that day is not yet come 4. In that day God will turne to his people one pure language wherein they shall all serve him with one consent and God will give them one heart and one way the Lord shall be one and his name one c. But none of this is to be found for we see even among those that praise God there are many languagues and they serve God according to their knowledge or ignorance in many wayes and there is no consenting together therefore Antichrist is not yet destroyed so we are yet in the wilderness in Babel Egypt and Sodom where our Lord was crucified c. and as the great difference was between open profannesse and a forme of Godlinesse so now it is between the forme and the power of godlinesse Therefore the loftinesse of man is not laid low nor the Lord alone exalted 5. The promise is that in that day the peace of Gods people shall be great but now it is not so for our divisions are now great and our peace little with men then none shall disturbe nor make them afraid but now there are many disturbers even against the cleare truth Therefore Antichrist is not yet destroyed but doth oppose Christ in Spirit and so Babel or confusion is still present therefore not the new heavens and new earth the worke of God in this world as is cleare by many witnesses 6. When Babylon is fallen the kingdomes of the world shall become the kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ this must needs be in another manner of way then before for all Nations are at Gods disposing still even in the highest of Antichrists raign But we see not this yet fulfilled for the kingdomes of the world are still as they were men are unrighteous unholy without love pity and compassion to their fellow Creatures as they were some have thousands of Gold and Silver and others want food and raiment c. This does not look like the righteousnesse of God in the new heavens and new earth but like the unrighteousnesse of men in the old tyrannical cruell and oppressing kingdome of Antichrist this looks not like the love of Christ but like selfe-love c. as in the Epistle of James Consider farther the Church of Christ was to be droven into the wildernesse of Antichrists kingdome during his reigne and the outward Court of the Temple was given to the Gentiles during Antichrists reigne and I hope you know what this is therefore take not that unto your selves that is given to the Gentiles