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	worship_n	worshipper_n	5,508	5	12.7528	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78117	An answer to the Essex Watchmens watchword, being 63 of them in number. Or a discovery of their ignorance, in denying liberty to tender consciences in religious worship, to be granted alike to all. Also, shewing how persecution for conscience came in. / By Edw. Barber freeman of Engl. citizen & marchant-taylor of London.	Barber, Edward, d. 1674?	1649 (1649)	Wing B692; Thomason E552_9; Thomason E561_9; ESTC R205724	17,312	22

Lords people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them for know the Ministers of the Gospel are fitted for their service by gifts from heaven as Ephes 4. 8. 11. to the 15. And not by Arts learned at Oxford or Cambridge although I desire not in the least to take any thing from them that is properly due to humane learning as thereby to fit men for the service of the State and Common Wealth Again you say the Warre was begun for the defence of the King and Parliament to end in the death of the King and violation of the Parliament Herein you shew as little judgement in civill things as in spirituall but your London brethren at Zion Colledge hath been sufficiently answered to this Next you speak of the feares about Religion and Parliament which you say is turned into sorrows I blame you not for the mysterie of Iniquity is discovered and your cunning craftinesse whereby you lye in wait to deceive also who are those great merchants of the earth with your weeping and wailing for no man buyeth your merchandize any more The which is much aggravated in you by the Agreement of the people wherein your flattering with the Parliament concerning the tender therof is much discovered And for the draught of poyson you speak of I wish this nation had been no more poysoned with the golden cup of the Whore And for the love care you speak of to the people of your respective flocks your Ordinance for Tyths with treble damages without bayle or mainprize upon refusall will sufficiently demonstrate it wherein you have as your reverend Fathers indeavoured to rule with violence not by love And whereas your hearts tremble to think of the subversion of the ancient well grounded government of the Kingdom the Protestant Religion what do you meane what ayle you Have not your selves done this in cutting of your Reverend Fathers the Prelates Alasse they by their Agreement desire to take away all slaverie and tyrannie brought in by Tyrants and their flatterers in their Civill or Ecclesiasticall Government and instead thereof inright the Freemen of England and their posterity in their civill rights and the liberty of the Gospel of King Jesus in its due to wit to set up his government by his lawes and Statutes only Next you speak of an unlimited power of Parliament and that in Religion surely the word of the Lord is fulfilled Isay 44. 25. Saying that frustrateth the tokens of Lyars that maketh diviners mad that turneth wisemen backward and maketh their knowledge foolishnesse c. But truly Sirs I cannot agree with you in neither of these for first in civill things for which they are properly called together they are not to act for their own ends and by respects but for the good safety and wel being of the people their Trusters or Impowrers by whom they may and ought to be called to an account if they should neglect to performe their duty For if in things civill the Parliament have an unlimited power why complain you of the Executions done in Queen Maries dayes by a Parliamentarie power with the consent of your Reverend Fathers the Prelates As also in Queen Elizabeths dayes upon Barrow Greenwood and Penrie who were hanged for professing against the Common Prayer book which now you practice the case being altered neither are we ignorant of the turnings changings and unchangeings of you Priests as in Henry the eights dayes Papists in Edward the 6. Protestants in Queen Maries Papists in Queen Elizabeths Protestants in K. James and K. Charles his dayes for the Bishops and Episcopal Government Now for the Presbyterian a greater Benefice being a loadstone sufficient to carrie the greater part of you after it like some Lawyers that looks more at the greatnesse of th● Fee then the goodnesse of the cause nay being Feed leaves his Client and turns on the other side I would there were none such fate in the House of Commons Secondly For Religion they receive no authority or charge from God he having given that power and prerogative onely to his Sonne King Jesus they being Masters of the flesh only but God the Father of Spirits and therefore ●is worship being spirituall he requires only voluntary spirituall worshippers to worship him as John 4. 24. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth c. For the many Oaths Protestations and Covenants you speak of I feare as Jeremiah saith For these the Land mourneth for it had been good if they had been fully debated concerning the lawfulnesse of them before they had been with such violence forced upon the Nation although now you desire not to have them kept for if not lawfull by the word of God they are of no more force then theirs that had bound themselves with an Oath neither to eate nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts 23. 12. And whereas you object against the Ambiguity or darknesse in that it is said it is intended that Christian Religion should be held forth as the publick profession of this Nation yet doth not declare what that Christian Religion is And can you object this Have you forgot the Protestation Covenant Vowes League and Covenant you engaged this Nation in for the Protestant Religion yet never did declare what that Protestant Religion was you intended and so much spake of And whereas you alledge that all Sects and Errors in the Church of Christ nay take the Church of Antichrist to it since the Apostles dayes do all lay claime to Christian Religion and may by this Agreement plead at least stand as Probationers for the priviledge of publick profession I wonder else how could you all this while come in for a share and are you not herein as those of whom the Apostle saith Yee professe that ye know God yet in works you deny him c. Titus 1. 16. And whereas you seem to take offence that only the Popish and Prelaticall are left out I shall desire to include them also otherwise I nor you nor they can obey Christs commands Mat. 7. 12. and Luke 6. 31. to wit to doe to all men as we would they should doe unto us In the next place I joy that you desire that God would increase that care in you and others to have Religion reformed to the greatest puritie in doctrine worship and Discipline according to the word of God and for instructing people in a publick way And for the confutation of Heresie and Errour c. How can this be done and not liberty of conscience granted I hope then the truth will not be confined as it hitherto hath been by you within the Lips only of the Tribe of Levi as you call them But that others shall have liberty to speak either to add unto or contradict if erroneous To the second branch where sound doctrine and a good conversation shall be the only meanes to winne upon the contrary minded

grounds and reasons for it And lastly shew you how persecution for conscience came in and was afterwards agrivated to uphold not the Church of Christ but the state and ●hurch of Antich●ist First then were our Religion as false as you our Adversaries pretend yet were that no ground to take away our lives estates o● banish us pulling down our houses to make Iakes therof and hang us on the timber as some of eminency have preached for before authority I spare to name them I say we proving loyall to our Country though holding errors in our judgements yet were that no ground for persecution as is cleare from Christ by the parable of the Tares Mat. 13. Whereby the Tares must needs be understood men professing a false Religion which when some would have had them pluckt up Christ declared his mind to the co●t●ary and commanded they should be let alone and grow with the wheat untill the harvest in the world Although not in the Church least men undertaking to pluck up the Tares wanting wisedom to distinguish pluck up the wheat in stead thereof as it hath and doth often come to passe according to the words of Christ which shews that some shall be so blindly led and devoted as to kill the Saints thinking thereby that they do God service and therefore Christ will have the tares let alone with the wheat untill the harvest then who without great sin can attempt to pluck them up before that time And this doth no way contradict Gods word which saith that Magistrates are Gods Ministers to take vengeance on them that do evill the tares being sinners against God in false Religion whom he hath reserved to be punished with flaming fire at the day of Christ the other being trespassers against men and are justly to be punished by the civill Magistrate and herein we give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods 3. The Lord commandeth that those that are blindly led on in a false Religion and are offended with him for the teaching of the Gospel should be let alone and referreth their punishment to the falling into the ditch Mat. 15. 14. And Phil. 3. 3. For we are the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Thirdly the Lord Christ reproveth those Disciples that would have had fire come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans that would not receive him in these words Ye know not of what Spirit ye are for the Son of Man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them Which sheweth plainly that Christ would have no man hurt for Religon yea though they were refusers of himself Luke 9. 54. 55. 56. Fourthly when the Lord Christ sent forth the twelve to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom this is the utmost that he directed them unto concerning those that should refuse to hear their words namely Mat. 10. 14. 15. To shake off the dust of their feet for a Testimony against them leaving their further punishment to the day of Judgement This was clear under the Law where none was compelled to the worship of God by the Authority of the Civill Magistrate but as the Lord did perswade the heart by his Word And as this was so under the Law much more in the time of the Gospel the Body being of Christ as first by the Commission of Christ given to the Apostles where Christ sheweth though all power in Heaven and Earth was his yet he only appoints Preaching the Gospel for gathering of his Churches throughout the world according to Pauls words where he saith The weapons of our war-fare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God Gen. 9. 27. Exo. 35. 5. 21. 22. 23. Psa 18. 43. 44. 110. 3. Col. 2. 17. Matt. 28. 19. 20. 2 Cor. 10. 4. 5. Again the same Apostle commandeth 2 Tim. 2. 24. That the servant of the Lord strive not but be gentle towards all men suffering the evill instructing with meeknes the contrary minded proving if God at any time will give them repentance that they may acknowledge the Truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the Devill Which plainly sheweth that repentance must be continually waited for and not constrained by violence and persecution and that because repentance is the gift of God and cannot be given by man and therefore Religion not to be forced or compelled Ephes 2. 5. 8. According to these commands the holy Prophets fore-told That when the Law of Moses should cease in matters of worship and the Law of the Messias should be set up instead thereof that then the carnall Weapons should cease They shall break their Swords into Mattocks and their Speares into Sythss Nation shall not rise against Nation neither shall they learne War any more They shall sit every man under his vine and under his own fig-tree and none shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord ha●h spoken it There shall none hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountaine for the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea Which when Christ came he taught and practied and so did his Apostles and servants Behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved in whom my Soul is well pleased I will put my sppirit upon him and he shall shew Judgement to the Gentiles he shall not strive nor crie neither shull any man he are his voice in the streets a bruised Reed shall he not break and smoaking Flax shall he not quench till he send forth Judgement unto victory Advising them to be so far from persecuting those that should oppose and not be of their Religion that when they were persecuted they should pray when they were cursed they should blesse leaving the Judgement to God Isa 2 4. Micha 4. 3. 4. Isa 11. 9. Isa 42. 1 2 3. Matt. 12. 18. 19 20. 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. 2 Cor. 10. 4. Rom. 12. 14 to the 20. The reason of all is They who are now blind may see They who now reject the Truth may receive it They who are now Tares may become Wheat They who are now in the snare of the Devill through wicked works and adversaries to the Truth may hereafter come to repentance They that are now Blasphemers and persecutors as Saint Paul was may in time become most glorious and faithfull witnesses as he did They that are now Idolators as the Corinthians somtimes were may hereafter as they become true worshippers of God They who for the present are no people of God in vissible appearance nor under mercy may hereafter become the people of God obtaining mercy as the Saints have done for some come not till the eleaventh houre though some came at the First Third and sixt houre yet some not