Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	spirit_n	teach_v	worship_v	1,936	5	9.0220	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80635	Some treasure fetched out of rubbish: or, Three short but seasonable treatises (found in an heap of scattered papers), which Providence hath reserved for their service who desire to be instructed, from the Word of God, concerning the imposition and use of significant ceremonies in the worship of God. viz. I. A discourse upon 1 Cor. 14.40. Let all things be done decently and in order. Tending to search out the truth in this question, viz. Whether it be lawful for church-governours to command indifferent decent things in the administration of God's worship? II. An enquiry, whether the church may not, in the celebration of the Sacrament, use other rites significative than those expressed in the Scripture, or add to them of her own authority? III. Three arguments, syllogistically propounded and prosecuted against the surplice: the Cross in Baptism: and kneeling in the act of receiving the Lord's Supper.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Nichols, Robert, Mr.	1660 (1660)	Wing C6459; Thomason E1046_2; ESTC R208022	73,042	79

once admitted into the Worship of God did multiply and increase till they had obscured if not clean covered and abolished the simplicity and glory of God's Ordinances as bad weeds overgrow the Corn and secretly stollen the heart away from all due reverence and respect to the word of Life and seals of our Salvation For as a man is blind carnall impotent and yet a Lover of his own devices So are the signs devised by him dark vailing the brightness of the Gospel carnall not spirituall dead without Power and yet better affected more delighted in than the Sacraments themselves No sooner was the sign of the Cross added unto Baptism and made a sign like to the Lord's but it presently became greater than the Water which was Christ's sign and that in the Eyes of them who so advanced it Moreover admit Reason for an Umpire in this matter and Images cannot be kept out of the Church for no means is more profitable to inform the mind confirm the memory and move the affection than is the sight of a Picture artificially made cut or carved if a man may believe himself or give credit to his immagination If the Will of God be not unto us instead of all reasons we shall be hardly drawn to dislike that manner of teaching or worshipping A man that is enlightned with the knowledge of God's Will and the mystery of Salvation may lawfully in his meditations make use of diverse Creatures or things that are apt and fit to represent Spirituall things unto him but he must not take upon him to determine them to be used as signs for such an end and purpose for having no promise of God to come by that course he can expect no blessing from God in that practice but the contrary Seeing therefore man is himself ignorant and unwise neither able to receive the things of the Spirit nor discern that which pertaineth to the Kingdom of Christ nor yet being enlightned with the knowledge of the Truth according to godlinesse to devise any fit or acceptable means whereby God should be worshipped or his People taught in the wayes of holiness It followeth That in the worship of God signs not approved of him in his Word cannot be instituted or used in Faith and consequently are to be held unlawfull 5. Christ Jesus the great Doctor of his Church Mat. 23.8 10. Joh. 4.25 Acts 1.3 being called of his heavenly Father to teach to us perfectly and at once the whole Counsell of God and the things that did pertain to the Kingdom of God to the end of the World was faithfull in all his House as was Moses and made known unto his Disciples whatsoever he received of his Father Heb. 3.2 5. But Moses prescribed the form of God's worship in every particular Ceremony significant and brought in none Joh. 15.15 no not one into the Church which the Lord himself did not institute giving charge to the Church of the Jews That the● should neither add thereto Exod. 25.9 38 39 40 27 19 39 42 43. Deut. 12 32. nor take ought therefrom Therefore our Saviour Christ also taught his Disciples what Ceremonies significant ought to be used in the Church of God to whose Ordinance nothing must be added from whose Institution nothing ought to be diminished The old Testament was indeed delivered unto one People only of the World The Commission of the Gospel was Go teach all Nations But the liberty of Instituting Rites significant was no greater to the Christian Church Vis Jun. Animad in Bell. lib. 4. de pont Cap. 17. than to the Church of the Jews They had a prescription of particular Ceremonies most fitly agreeing to the polity of their Church and Common-wealth and dispensation of those times So hath the Christian Church also to which we are as precisely bound as ever was the Church of the Jews to the Ordinances appointed for that time and state as hath been shewed before in Circumstantiall matters concerning Time Place and Order of divine Service And several Christian Churches have liberty according to the generall Rules of Scripture to constitute what is most agreeable to the condition of the Country and doth best tend to Edification And in these things the Jews had Authority no less than the others In Ceremonies and Rites significant annexed to the Worship of God the Jews were tyed to the written Law of Moses and the Prophets nor may any thing be attempted lawfully by the Christian Church in things of this Nature more than was or ought to have been by them Though men be as different almost in Nature as in Nations and Languages yet must they of necessity submit themselves to the use of Baptism and the Lord's Supper which two Ceremonies onely are commanded by Divine precept and are to be received of all Christians that in truth and soundness professe the Gospel And seeing Christ Instituted no signs but these the Apostles commended no other to the severall Churches planted and dressed by them What necessity is there that difference of People to which the Gospel is now preached should inferr a liberty of inventing new Signs or Rites never seen or allowed of Christ Those that God prescribed for the Jews were fit for that Time and for that People none else might be devised those that Christ hath ordained for all Churches are sufficient most fit for them what shall be brought in besides and annexed to them doth want both his Approbation and Blessing As Moses was faithfull in the House of God as a Servant both in thing re●ll and rituall as some distinguish So was Christ also as a Son Neither did his faithfulness stand in removing the Law of Jewish Ceremonies and disburdening all Christians from the use of them but in prescribing Laws and Ordinances whereby the Church is to be ordered and instructed untill his second coming and that as particularly and expresly as Moses had done unto the Israelites To stand upon comparison betwixt Moses and Christ in perfection or reall faithfulness as some call it is not to this purpose for his perfection is one thing his faithfulnesse another and whom He did exceed in perfectnesse He did every way equalize in faithfulnesse in the House of God He did not onely teach a more excellent Doctrine than Moses but more full and perfect He did not onely antiquate what Ceremonies were to be shadows of good things to come and figures of man's Redemption by his Sacrifice upon the Crosse but he ordained also with what visible Signs and Tokens his Church should be nourtured and assured of his love and favour● As he died to bring Life to mankind raised up himself from Death ascended entred within the Vail and hath taken possession of the heavenly Mansion for us So did he give direction to his Apostles and in them to all Churches by what Statutes and Laws his People should be Governed by what Signs and Ceremonies they should be taught and confirmed