Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A33510
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To the bishops and their ministers or any of them to whom this shall come ; Something by way of query which they are desired to answer in plainness and according to the Scriptures of truth
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Coale, Leonard.; Coale, Benjamin.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing C4761; ESTC R29227
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6,340
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12
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TO THE BISHOPS AND THEIR MINISTERS OR Any of them to whom this shall Come Something by way of QUERY which they are desired to Answer in Plainness And according to the Scriptures of Truth He that entereth not by the Door into the Sheepfold but climbeth up some other way the same is a Thief and a Robber John 10.1 Let no man deceive you with vain words but prove what is acceptable unto the Lord And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them Ephes 5 Printed in the Year 1671. TO THE Bishops and their Ministers OR Any of them to whom this shall come c. THIS is a Visitation unto unto you all that you may consider what you are a doing for the Lord God sees all the actions of men and all must come to judgement and every man must receive according to his doings and every one that is a Persecutor or envious or a despiser of them that desire to live in the fear of God who for Conscience sake to God cannot conform to the Wills Customes and vain Traditions of men I say unto you that are Persecutors of such or do cause such to be persecuted you must expect your reward from God according to your doings for God in all Ages hath abhorred such and when they have done their Work he hath rendered unto them their Wages and brought on them Judgments and Plagues and none of them could escape his stroak when he arose to plead the Cause of the Oppressed and to render vengeance upon their Oppressors And the Lord is the same at this day as in dayes of old his eye beholds the evill and the good and he is a rewarder of all according to their workes and their doings for he doth hear the Cry of the Oppressed and will not at all acquit the wicked except they repent and turn at his reproof and meet him by true repentance which is to put away the evill of their doings by fearing to do evill and learning to do well and to study how to please God and not to devise Mischief against the Innocent as many do at this day and are pulling and haleing their Goods from them and casting them in Prisons and Holes and Excomunicating them that were never of their Church which was never the practice of the true Christian People or Ministers neither do we read that Timothy or Titus were ever called Lord Bishops or had such Typpits and Hoods and white Sleeves and Surplices as the Bishops and their Ministers have at this day for the white linnen wherewith the saints were arrayed was Righteousness they were adorned with a meek and a quiet spirit which was and is with the Lord of great price Neither did they sue men at the Law for Tythes and cast them in Prisons and Holes as those called Ministers do at this day who would force people to give them maintenance and wages when they do no work for them and to pay for their Bread and Wine when they neither eat nor drink of it and if they will not pay them their demands they sometimes take three or four times as much as they at first demanded and sometimes as much or more then a mans estate is worth by the year Oh Abominable wickedness Do those that are found in these things think that the Lord takes no notice of it or that his eye sees not Yes yes the Lord sees all these cruelties and will not at all acquit the actors thereof in that day that he comes to plead with all flesh Therefore consider what you are doing you that are found in those things do not think to escape the hand of the Lord for God is no respecter of persons but as is said will render to every man according to his doings and in that day none can hide themselves or save themselves from his stroke though they may call to the Hills to cover them or to the Mountaines to hide them yea though they fly into the clefts of the Rocks his hand will find them for none can hide when he appeares in his Judgments Therefore all consider while you have a day and a time for how great soever you are or how ever you may vaunt your selves over the Innocent People of God who desire to live in his fear and to wait upon him and to Worship him as he requires I say however you may vaunt over such and oppress persecute and seek to suppress such yet your breath is in your nostrills and the Lord is the giver of it and he may take it at his pleasure for he gave unto man Life and Breath that man might live unto him and fear to offend him and made man to serve him and to wait upon him and to worship him in spirit and truth as he requires and his spiritual worship which Go◠worshiped in is and ever was a 〈◊〉 to all Persecuters and Despisers and to all that preach for hire and Divine for mony for the Ministers of the spirit and those that spake the word of the Lord testified against such that spake and the Lord had not spoken unto them and such did not profit the People at all and men by wisdom which is earthly and sensual know not God but if ever men come to know the Lord to their comfort and salvation they must learn of Christ the Light and Life of men who said I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest to your soules and hath said He that will be my disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me who am the way to the Father And hath said I am the Light of the world Therefore have a care how ye resist mock scoff and deride this Light which lighteth every man and shewes them there evill deeds and reproves in secret and shewes them what they should do and what they should not do which teaches and shews that they should do to others as they would others should do to them Now all you Bishops and Ministers so called consider whether you are followers of Christ as they were who bid People follow them as they follow Christ or on the contrary are in the steps of those that persecuted Christ Members and cryed peace peace to people while they put into their mouthes but if they put not into their mouthes they prepared war against them and such the true Prophets and Ministers who spake as the Spirit of the Lord gave them utterance and as he required testified against Now it is my desire that you may truly weigh and consider these things and examine your own hearts in the coole quiet peaceable harmless Spirit which envyes not and in the meek spirit And every one of you that doth so may find I am your Friend and one that desires men might repent and come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved with out which all men are miserable whatever they profess or posess in this world Now
prey to the ungodly and is hated reviled mocked and excommunicated out of your Church when it may be they were never of it and inprisoned and as it were buryed alive because they do not come to your Worship and conform to you in those things which they are truly perswaded against and that by the Spirit of God And then again if any such that hath thus for a time been separated from you and walked in Righteousness and Truth and it may be suffered much by you for the â—â—me I say if such a one turn again like the Dog to the vomit and as the Sow that was washed to walow in the mire from the grace of God into unrighteousness and filthyness and do that which is evil then such thereby become again fit Members of your Church and are receved iâ— amongst you as good converts again and do enjoy their Liberty as before all which makes many moderate People greatly to question and suspect that your Church and way of Worship is not the true Church Worship and therefore do absent from it Query XVIII And can you blame any for absenting from you Or is it reasonable for you to force and compel People to be of your Church who confess you are miserable siners that have erred and strayed from the wayes of God as indeed we believe you are Do you think that outward force is the way to bring People that are sinceare to be of your Church which daily err and stray from the way of God Or rather Query XIX Would it not be more Christian like for you to let others alone in matters appertaining to God his Worship and Religion so long as they walk innocently towards all men And must all render an account to God of all their deeds and receive a just reward according to their doings for he is no respecter of persons I say were it not better for you who say You are Gifted men or Spirittual men to use only the Spiritual Weapon if you had it to convince gain-sayers with all and by your lives and good conversations to Preach forâ—h to all That you are indeed the Embassadors of our Saviour Jesus Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Query XX. What are the fruits and markes of a true Christian Query XXI And what are the fruits and markes of a false Prophet by which People may know and distinguish them from 〈…〉 Query XXII Why did Cain Kill his Brother Aâ—â—â— Did he well in so doing yea or nay Query XXIII Is Persecution of Christ or of Antichrist Who was the first Persecutor about Worship Query XXIIII What will be the portion of those that cause the blind to wâ—â—der out of the right way and are not you such yea or nay Answer these things in meekness and moderation according to Scripture That if you are really and truly of those that seek the Exaltation of Truth and Holyness it may be manifest but if you seek not this but your selves and are such as God never sent then know assuredly that the Lord God of Heaven who beholds your actions and from whom you cannot hide your selves will discover you more and more and your nakedness and shame shall yet more and more appear in the sight of Nations and he will give you the Cup of his dreadful Vengeance and Indignation to Drink as a just reward of your doings if you repent not This is from one that from a Child hath desired and truly longed after the saving knowledge of God and his way in which I might find Life and Peace to my Soul being now in Bonds with many more for Obeying and Keeping the Commands of Christ Jesus Benjamin Coale Reading Goale the 8th Month 1671. THE END