Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	scripture_n	spirit_n	try_v	2,382	5	8.8588	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86489	The skirts of the whore discovered, and the mingled people in the midst of her. In a letter sent by Denys Hollister to the independent baptiz'd people, who call themselves a Church of Christ in Bristol, but are found to be a synagogue of Satan, in answer to a charge brought to him from them by some of their members, and by him ... published. Together with another letter written by him to Thomas Ewens, a teacher among them, ... referring to his speaking among his people of having Sarah Latchet a servant of Jesus, once a member among the Baptists, sent to Bridewell, and whipt for testifying to them in the name of the Lord in their meeting the second day of the ninth moneth. 1655. And likewise an answer to 16 antiqueries directed to the people called Quakers, which answer was sent to Thomas Ewens, from whom the antiqueries were received, though Iohn Pendarviss a long time after published the antiqueries by the name of Queries, without the answer to them, or taking the least notice of it in a book entituled Arrows against Babylon which hath occasiond the presenting of the one, and the other, now to the view of those who read, and understand, to judge of the whole, and of their unfaire and deceitfull dealing.	Hollister, Dennis, d. 1676?	1656 (1656)	Wing H2508; Thomason E896_3; ESTC R202571	35,627	37

Lord God is gone forth against thee except thou repent who waxeth worse and worse deceiving and being deceived and little dost thou think the extream heighth of wickedness into which thou art spreading above many thy Companions if the Lord prevent not Alass alass Why was I warned from invisible sights many moneths if not years past to beware of thee something of whose condition was then manifest which I could not believe till in time it began to be made manifest by its fruits and now begins to be visible and breaks out like the fire which thou canst not contain within thee but openly opposest the appearance of Christ where it is found in life and power O my Friend Tender and open is my heart towards thee what would I not do that thou mightest escape the pit out of which no redemption can be How often am I wounded and my heart troubled in minding of thee O that thou might st know the things belonging to thy peace and how sandy thy foundation is on which thou standest and the deceit which fast thou holdect and so be led to repentance and not shut up the Kingdom of Christ against thy self and others My bowels are even turned for thee not knowing how to give thee up who am thy friend as thou lovest the light D. H. To this no answer at all was returned but many moneths after the said Antiqueries by the name of Quaeries were published in a book entituled Arrows against Babylon without taking the least notice therein of the answer given to it long before of the honesty equity and justness of which proceedings the wise in heart may judge and by the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world of which Iohn was a witness come to see where deceit reigns and the spirit of whoredomes witchcrafts and abominations rules but the answers were as followeth The ANTIQUAERIES answered Query 1. Whether you be willing that the depth of your perswasions concerning Christ his being contained in the Heavens the raising of our dead Bodies after natural death try all of Spirits and Doctrines according to the Scriptures should be clearly and openly known and published Answer 1. Yea and clearly and openly do we publish and declare the way to God according to the Scripture Christ who is risen of whom we bear witness and that he is ascended into Heaven and set down on the right hand of God But as for his being contained you ask you know not what And as for our perswasion of the raising of your dead Bodies after natural death or as you say the corruptible Bodies that are laid in graves or cast into the sea literally we say flesh and blood inherits not the Kingdom of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption But our perswasion is that the wicked and unjust shall arise to shame and everlasting contempt and therefore we warn you in the presence of the Lord to hearken unto the Light that shews you sin and come to repentance that you may witness a change lest that day come upon you unawares And the resurrection of the Just we own to everlasting life but we are not of those that say How are the dead raised and with what body do they come but we know that there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body and we confess and are perswaded of the resurrection of the just and unjust and to every seed his own body according to the Scripture And trial of Spirits and doctrines we own and are willing thereunto by the Spirit of the Lord to try and to be tryed and our perswasion is known unto the children of Light and the truth is plainly published and yet not known unto the world nor by its wisdom but to the Saints well known and in the light have we fellowship with the children of God unto whom his secrets are revealed Query If so What was the reason you gave no answer when it was put to you whether you did agree to those few plain Scripture truths concerning Christ and those weighty things before named Answer The spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not limited to your time and if you do conclude because there was not an answer when it was put that we deny Scripture truths you are given over to believe lies the same may be drawn concerning you for not returning an answer to our Queries when they were put and likewise your own reasons may be turned upon you if no particular answers to your Antiqueries were given and you judged out of your own mouthes First Because there is an intruding by you into the things not revealed Secondly Because some things are of less concernment and because in the conclusion there is an answer required in a masterly maner In all which you shew you alow your selves in the things which you condemn and that you are not taught by the light within to do as you would be done unto although you say the light within which is the light of right reason shews the unreasonableness or inequality of such a way of proceeding in taking of so casie a work as to hand out a heap of questions in number twenty seven but rightly distinguished amounting to a far greater number And here you are seen not to own the light of right reason to shew you your own unreasonableness who have sent out a heap of Queries by number sixteen which are near as much if they be not altogether as our twenty seven Questions and your particular Answers to them And your Answers are dull stuff saving the Scriptures which we own as they were spoken by them who lived in the life but the unclean spirit of confusion by which you speak we utterly deny You say The Church under the New Testament being the Kingdom of God there is the cup of the Lord who is the true Vine which cup is an outward cup you say in which you shew your ignorance that you neither know the cup nor the Vine nor the Kingdom of God You say The worship of Devils and sacrificing and seasting and the cup of Devils was outward but say you the cup of fornication and abomination which all the world drinks of is not to be taken literally but mystically And here you have shewn your confusion who say The cup of the Lord which is the true Vine is an outward cup but the cup of fornication and abomination is mystically to be taken which you have done accordingly yet you say the sacrifices and feastings to Devils is an outward worship but fornication and abomination is mystical and denotes a certain measure of the delusion of the Whore And whether the drinking of the cup and sitting at the Table and feasting and sacrificing to Devils was not abomination and a certain measure of the delusion of the Whore let all that can discern judge and whether it concerns not you to examine if this be not a certain measure of the delusion of the Whore

s true I said the thing called the Body of Divinity by the Wizards of this world was a plague to the Land and doe still affirme it to be so Although I perceive some among you are so blinded by the god of this world that they know not how to put a difference between the spirit of Witchcrafts which acts in the Diana called Divinity and the pure Spirit of Christ by which the Scriptures were given forth And whereas you accuse me for saying the Scriptures were a blinding or a veil I demand where are your eyes Hath the god of this world indeed so blinded it that you cannot read plain words of Scripture but lay that to my charge as sinne which is according to that which came out of the mouth of him whom you pretend to honour Doth not Christ Jesus the Light of the world and the wisedome of God say Mdrk 4.11 12. Vnto you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom but to them that are without all these things are done in Parables that seeing they might see and not perceive and hearing they might hear but not understand c. And the like words in Luke 8.10 Was not Isaiah sent to this purpose to make the peoples hearts fat and their eares heavy and to shut their eyes And to say unto them hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not Isa 6. Doe ye not understand that the Letter killeth and the Spirit quickneth besides many other Scriptures manifesting the same thing Oh my Friends were you not wholly given over and become past feeling without any sence of the life and spirit of God how can these things be especially at such a time when the night is so far spent and the day so much appeared and the true Light come and the glory of the Lord risen and the children of the Lord walking in the light of the Lord and calling each other thereinto according to the Scriptures were it not your way to be silent and not manifest your ignorance and folly in accusing others for speaking upon the matter the very words of Scripture when it is your own ignorance even of the very Letter of Scripture that is the cause of it And whereas you accuse me for affirming in the Church that the Scriptures were not the Word of God and Rule of Life when I only propounded it among you to consider whether it was so or not In this you manifest your ignorance as well as in the former And therefore I demand of you where doth the Scripture call it selfe the Word of God and to whom was it the rule of life It is true the Holy Scriptures of Truth declare of the Word and that Word of which it declares was God and took flesh and by that Word was the world made and by the same Word it is reserved to the judgement of the great day And if you can find the Scriptures declaring of any other Word of God let me know it and till then be silent and adde not your imaginations which are onely Evill and that continually to the Scriptures Thus having answered what you sent to me I shall further adde that I take notice that God hath granted me that mercy that in all studied accusations raked up together against me you cannot finde one particular thing to lay to my charge condemned by the spirit of Christ to be contrary to the Scriptures of Truth and that all or most part of what you seem to gather up is of that which was done or spoken whilest I was among you and not then reproved and so your own evill is manifested and not mine But to conclude for my heart is moved after some of you why would you stone or otherwise harm me what evill have I done Why doe ye wait for my Halting and lay snares for him that reproved you in times past by words and now by silence Why are your spirits imbitter'd against him that thought nothing deare to doe you service Have I not served you freely many years together and been a keeper of your Vineyard In which all my reward from you was to beare and be broken under your backbitings murmurings formality and unfruitfulness and other evils not a few then in being and still is among you Is it not time now for me to look to my own Vineyard and to mind my Eternal Habitation Have I ever made a gain of you or any of you Surely I have been servant to you neer as long as Iacob was to Laban for both his wives And may I not now be permitted to mind mine own but you must pursue like Laban after poor Iacob when God bid him return I know and am perswaded that the most embitter'd spirit among you cannot but say I have been more righteous then you more discerning more faithful and diligent then you though I am not thereby justified neither have I whereof to glory And may I not say to you as sometimes the poor Ass abused by the blind Prophet said to his Master what have I done Have I not been your servant these many yeares was I wont to doe as now Surely if ever the Lord take pleasure in you and open your eyes you will soon see the Angel in the way and that the poor Ass hath more discerning then the wilfull angry and passionate Prophet You are my Witnesses that some manifestations of truth was breaking forth in me some yeares past and was sometimes manifested among you at which some of your hearts burn'd some trembled some were offended and contradicted c. My selfe in all was groaning after power spirit and life without which no satisfaction came to my soul from whence I ceased not to warn you from day to day of your danger in the state where you stood short of the life But you not being warned how often hath mine heart lamented in your hearing in these and the like words To whom shall I speak and give warning you will not hear your hearts are uncircumcised and you cannot hearken The word of the Lord is a reproach so you and you have no delight in it O that my head were water and mine eyes a fountain of tears c. Oh that I had in the Wildernesse a lodging-place of Wayfaring men that I might leave my people and goe away from them for they are Adulterers an Assembly of treacherous men and bend their tongues like bowes for lyes but are not valiant for the Truth upon Earth c. But this seemed as idle words yet was I made to proceed and to warne you of the mighty day of the Lord now at the doore in which you could never stand I told you your foundation was on the sand short of the life your profession was in words not in power and that your mountaines must be brought low and your valleys exalted before the Lord come to your Temple and at last that your Church was but an Harlot and the spirit

in the name of the Lord as they said who charged me once more with the same false accusations with some other feigned and false additions who as soon as they had done fled away as men surpriz'd with fear or accused by their own Consciences and said they were not to receive any answer and so hasted away espeially the two Baptists notwithstanding I urged them by several Arguments to hear a little and told them it was the wicked that did flee and could not stand in the judgement but the righteous was bold as a Lyon And afterwards meeting with Robert Simpson who was the mouth of your three messengers my bowels moving towards him I put it to his Conscience what he had done and asked how he durst come to me and in the name of the Lord lay to my charge that I affirm'd the Scriptures of truth were one of the greatest plagues in the Land when as I never spake nor thought any such thing Who answered he spake it not nor laid it to my charge neither did he hear any such thing from me I told him I had it under his hand which he confidently denied before several witnesses I told him I could shew it he replied if I could he would acknowledge himselfe a lyar before those then present I desired him to stay a little and I would fetch his paper who answered he should not stay I desired him to call againe that Evening or the next morning and he should see it who replyed he had other business to doe or to that effect and so passionately departed upon which the next day I writ to him as followeth The Letter to ROBERT SIMPSON Robert Simpson IT came upon me in sobernesse yesterday to manifest to thy Conscience a little of the deceit in which thou inhabitest not knowing of another opportunity by reason of thy sudden departure for London and therefore charged thee with coming to me with lyes in the name of the Lord and demanded of thee how thou durst in the name of the Lord tell me and so lay to my charge that I said or affirmd that the Scriptures were one of the greatest plagues of the Land when I never spake or thought any such thing To which thou replyedst thou never spake it nor laid it to my charge I told thee I had it under thy hand which thou boldly and confidently didst deny again and again and when I told thee I could shew it under thy hand thou replyedst it was not so or to that effect and that if I could produce any such thing thou wouldst acknowledge thy selfe a lyar before those men who were then present Now the lyar is without and for the Lake and a proud look a lying tongue and a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations the Lord hates But thy lips hath spoken lyes and thy tongue hath utterd perversenesse and as the false witnesse shall not be unpunished so he that speaketh lyes cannot escape Now having found thy paper the fifth thing thou layest to my charge is in these words whi●h thou mayst see when its convenient viz. Speaking reproachfully of the precious Scriptures of Truth As first affirming it was a blinding to souls and secondly one of the greatest plagues of the Land where thou mayst take notice of a lye invented among you a lye prosecuted a lye denied and the lye proved upon thee Therefore oughtest thou to own thy condemnation which is just and repent before he appear who is a swift witnesse against all lyars And by this also mayst thou with the rest of thy company take notice what the nature of the rest of the Charge is which in the name of the Lord which is dreadfull both thou and they have laid to me Friend I do not insuli over thee nor delight in thy woe and misery but sorely grieved I am to see how the man of sin that wicked one whom the Lord is now risen as a mighty man refreshed after wine to destroy with the glory of his coming it exalted among you who once were so dear unto me and that your eyes are so blinded and that thy heart is so hardened that though your root is become rottennesse and your fruit withers and you become like stubble fully dry yet art thou insensible and canst not see but under a cloak of Profession hide your selves as if you were delivered to commit abomination but all that I desire at this time as to thee is that thou repent and pray God that the thoughts of thy heart may be for given and that thou fear and tremble before the dreadfull God whose name thou hast taken in vain and cannot be hold guiltlesse Which is the groaning of thy friend who is a Lover of thy soul though a Witness against thy deceit who in the world is known by the name of D. H. 25th first moneth 1646. Vpon the reading whereof I shall not now mention his wrath and passion though it much exceeded the bounds of moderation but to the Letter I have received no answer Now therefore upon the whole matter let the unjustness of your proceedings be considered Nicodemus a Pharisee could say Doth our Law judge a man before he be heard And Festus a Heathen Roman Governor was so noble That he heard Pauls defence as to the accusations made against him by his own Country-men And King Agrippa said unto Paul Thou art permitted to speak for thy self But ye have falsly accused judged and condemned me and refused to hear my defence which in writing I sent you and not onely so but sent your Messengers the second time with like false accusations which Messengers would not receive my answer saying They were not to do it and when I met with him who was the mouth of the three and put it to his conscience what he had spoken with his mouth and writ with his hand he denyed it and fled and refused to hear any farther and when I charged him with it he like the man cast into utter darkness became speechless so as not to answer me by word or writing Are these the people of the Lord are these his doings Is this the Church of Christ or the Harlot Ye who are simple-hearted among the people called Churches consider of it take advise and speak your mindes whether such things as these have been done in Israel And whether being thus dealt withal and constrained I could do less then publish this to the view of all men without an apparent suffring of my self and the everlasting Truth of God by me owned which is dearer to me then thousands of gold and silver to lie under such false accusations and slanders as a fore said And now friends having thus given you a particular and true account of proceedings and the manner of them let me ask you what aileth the mountains and the hills Are ye grieved that I having at last sound the Pearl of great price which in the field of this World was and is hid am

such thing in use among those with whom I walked these many yeares And although many among you are now running from mountain to mountaine building Altars in your own inventions yet can you not from thence Enchant nor ensnare the Israel of God the true Seed whom the Lord hath blessed and with whom the Lord of a truth is And whereas you charge me with neglect of breaking of Bread I answer Have not you your selves neglected it have you medled in any such thing for some yeares past Oh my Friends durst you pretend to come in the name of Christ with such things as these know ye not that his Name is dreadfull to all Hypocrites and his wrath to be reveald against such Hypocrisie and Deceit He loveth truth in the inward parts and those that name his Name must depart from iniquity But Baptism and the Supper of the Lord I own c. 3. You say my sin lies in extreme censoriousnesse and rash judging not only of men abroad but if the Church calling the Church of Christ an Harlot To which I reply the charge is false and from the Father of lyes for I never called the Church of Christ an Harlot but doe own it dearly and in my measure know it to be chast and pure yea an habitation for the Lord who dwells not with impurity I judge it to be so but the Harlot is an Harlot and not the Church of Christ and it is not my sin but my duty to declare it so * And let the Spirit that moved in your Assembly not only that day that proves my parting day Rev. 1. ch 3.9 and when Eliz Marshal was sent of the Lord among you for your good but at many other times since manifest and testifie who dwells there an habitation for whom you are and whether you are an holy habitation for the pure God or a Cage of unclean and hatefull Birds And truly in this my desire is that prejudice passion and fuay may not so blind your eies But that in the pure feare and light of the Lord you may consider and try your selves that so you may not be deceived and prove rebrobate silver in the day when God shall try you for to triall you must come c. 4. You say my sin lies in asserting the Church-Principles contrary to Truth As first that Faith is an eternal thing To which my Reply is That Faith is a Mystery held in a pure Conscience hid and unknown to all ignorant and vulturous eies as well as to yours And when you are guided by the pure light of Chr. to know what it is they speak til which time it will be your wisedom to keep silence For the wise mans eies are in his head but a foole will be medling Yet let me ask you whether that Faith by which the Saints are justified by which they overcame the world by which they saw him that was invisible by which their hearts are purified by which Enoch was translated that he saw not death and is the substance of things hoped for be eternal or carnal or what middle place you have to account it in Oh that you were not wise in your own eies Secondly That Christ and Faith were all one To which I only reply that I never asserted any such thing but enquired after it as you very well know Yet this I say let the difference be manifested by you if you can and how you will divide them Thirdly That Christ Jesus is not the object of Faith To which my Answer is that the word object in this sense is your own not mine nor the Scriptures and therefore is denied with much more of like stuff in use among you But that Christ Jesus is the only foundation laid in Sion and that no other foundation can be laid besides him is it that I have and still doe assert and affirm against all gainsayers and opposers whatsoever And withall that but very few in the world know this foundation but are offended at him and stumble at that stumbling stone as it was in dayes of old But plainly and honestly let me ask you Why floe you question me for these Principles as you call them now i● it be for Connscience sake as that which is your duty why had you not done it sooner or while I was among you Why had you not then disapproved me by the Scripture Why would you suffer things which you call Principles contrary to truth to be asserted among you without rebuke I advise you once more to take heed and beware of this Hypocrisie and Deceit for God is not mocked His name is dreadfull and must not be pretended to cloak and cover such deceitful actions Did not many of your hearts burn within you when I spake did you not wait for my words Why then doe you now rake together things in your carnal imaginations to lay to my Charge which I know not and pretend the holy and dreadful name of God to it Am I become your enemy because I told you the truth Truly these hidden things of Esau will be sought out the skirts of the Whore will be discovered and all deceit manifested And then woe from God will be the portion of thousands But if the ground upon which you charge me be your passion your corruption carnal wisedome and pretences to have something whereof to accuse me as doubtless it is and that in your Consciences will witness it then I demand of you whether your Charge as well as your Church is not to be denied and witnessed against by every sonne and daughter of Sion as carnal sensual and devilish and much like unclean persons which whiles together in acts of uncleanness approve each others practises but when separated accuse one another of evil deeds This cannot stand with devouring fire 5. You say my sin lies in speaking reproachfully of the precious Scriptures of Truth affi●ming that it is one of the greatest Plagues of the Land a blinding to souls and not the Word of God nor Rule of Life All which is false and from the Father of lyes for I never affirmed any of the three among you though something of query hath been put concerning the two last and therefore my Reply shall be to each and shall say The Scriptures of Truth I ever own'd and still doe as that which was given forth by inspiration of the Spirit and is profitable c. But that ever I said or thought or that it ever entred into mine heart to think that it was one of the greatest Plagues of the Land is so utterly groundless false and proceeds only from the father of lyes and invented by his instruments among your selves that I cannot but wonder what spirit hath possessed you and that you durst mention such filthy Vntruths and pretend it in the name of Christ But surely the righteous Judge in whose presence the lying lip and double tongue can never stand will require it at your hands It