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_v	worshipper_n	8,943	5	13.1108	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70537	The character of the true church In a sermon preach'd at the French church in the Savoy, upon these words, How goodly are they tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel, Numb. XXIV. v. 5. By A. D'Astor de Laussac, formerly a prior and an archdeacon of the church of Rome.	Dastor de Laussac, Antoine.	1700 (1700)	Wing L623C; ESTC R221680	22,752	35

to pass that Christians who in the golden days of the Church were lookt upon as so many Gods come down from Heaven are now so much altered how comes their Religion to be so earthly They formerly carried Christ in their hearts they express'd these mysteries in every action of their lives and now they think Christ can hardly be found but in Images of him so frail so corrupt is their piety that they wou'd think themselves without any Religion were they once without their Images and Relicks were they once deprived of the privledge of procuring themselves Patrons among the Saints Whence comes so deplorable a change Can we look upon the Church in this condition as that new Jerusalem St. John saw coming down from heaven paepared as a Bride adored for her Husband Revil 21.2 Alas if it be the same Jerusalem it shares in the same fate with that whose sad condition Jeremiah bewailed and we may say with him how doth the city sit solitary that was full of people Lam. 1 How is she become as a widow She that was great among the Nations and Princess among the Provinces how is she become tributary Such was the fate of Christ's Church It was formerly full of worshippers who worshipp'd in spirit and in truth but after it was gone to decay there were hardly seen any Christians but such as were carnal idolatrous or superstitions Christ her Spouse had indeed promis'd to be with her till the end of the world provided she taught that Doctrine he had deposited with her but her Ministers were backward in performing the conditions impos'd they follow'd not so much the Scripture as the interpretations they gave it according to their particular interest and designs therefore Christ abandon'd them They preach'd the imaginations of their hearts they set them forth as rules of faith by means of that authority they usurp'd over mens Consciences Hence came the deplorable state of the Church which was found insensibly burden'd with more precepts and ceremonies than the Synagogue hence it was that the Church which had triumph'd over the world became herself tributary in the flock tributary to ambition in the ministry tributary to those superstitions which ignorance or slackness of piety had introduc'd into the flock You need not wonder at the strangeness of this proceeding God suffer'd it to be so the better to display his incomprehensible wisdom By permitting disorder and corruption to invade the Church occasion'd by the pretended infallible authority the ministry had assum'd over the word of God He wou'd make Christianity sensible of the indispensable necessity of submitting the Ministry to his Holy Word as he had order'd it The Church is represented to us as terrible as an Army drawn up in battel array For what makes an Army terrible to the enemy but good order and discipline What made the primitive Church so powerful and glorious Terrible it was to the world because the truth and efficacy of its doctrine submitted the flesh to the spirit terrible to Tyrants because it plac'd the pleasures of this present life far belew the glorious advantages of a future state it became terrible to error because it submitted reason to faith tradition to revelation the authority the Ministry has over the people to the authority the word of God ought to have over the Ministry God saith St Paul has set some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors and Teachers for the edifying of the Church that the faithful might not be like Children toss'd up and down with every wind of doctrine Acts 20. The Holy Ghost saith the same Apostle has set some overseers to feed the Church of God which he has purchas'd with his own blood We own this ordination to be by God's appointment we respect this Ministry upon that account but the Ministry is of the nature of relative beings it is not set up for it self the Ministry has a relation to God who establish'd it and for that reason all that it teaches in Religion must be referr'd to the glory of God Now that relation does not appear and is not made good when that faith the Ministry would set up has too great a relation to its own particular interest Acts 20. the Holy Ghost has appointed Overseers and Pastors to govern the Church of God 't is true their flock must listen to them in order to be instructed but then they themselves must listen to the Holy Ghost John 16.13 14. who speaks by the word of God When the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you Here is as it were the finger of God pointing out the subordination of the Ministry to the Holy Ghost who guides it the Holy Ghost does not speak of himself he glorifies the Saviour that sent him by receiving from him what he teaches the Apostles And must not this order last for ever Is it possible there shou'd have been a time when the Ministry had power to decide by its own authority when it might be dispenc'd from glorifying the Holy Ghost by taking out of those Sacred Writings he himself dictated those rules of faith it would impose upon the flock If this subordination had lasted if the Ministry had been in every particular rul'd by the word of God wou'd the worship of Images have been set up so expressly contradicted therein wou'd not the hand of Ezekias that broke down the Brazen Serpent whereby the people were led to Idolatry have taken away under the Gospel a worship that proves so often a rock of offence to Christians Wou'd not the Angel that took up the body of Moses lest divine honours shou'd be paid him have hid the relicks of Saints in their Graves rather than have permitted them to be carry'd in pomp about their Churches and upon their Altars there to receive such honours and adorations as are only due to God If the Gospel had been consulted wou'd Christians that pretend to works of supererogation be otherwise thought of than unprofitable Servants Wou'd the Supper of the Lord have been taken for the real and substantial body of Christ rather than for the virtue and efficacy thereof if regard had been had to the style of the Gospel that always gives to the sign the name of the thing signify'd and oftentimes attributes to the effect the name of the cause that produces it If Christ has edify'd his Church by himself or his Apostles how comes it that the Gospel makes no particular mention of Transubstantiation of the Sacrifice and worshipping of the Sacrament The first of these is a continual Miracle the Sacrifice of the Altar is one of the essential parts of piety the worshipping of the Sacrament is such as must necessarily if of divine institution make men that neglect it guilty of the

highest Profanation but if forbid of an abominable Idolatry How comes the Gospel to be so silent in this matter Why did the Holy Ghost who inspir'd the Apostles with all the fundamental truths conceal such important ones from them What! is God so jealous under the Mosaical dispensation of the methods the people of Israel were to use in his worship as to prescribe the very least ceremonies nay the smallest vessels they should use in their Sacrifices and can it be thought under the dispensation of the Gospel that Christ who came to teach men how to worship in purity and in truth and establish a Religion far more excellent than that of the Law should have left it to tradition alone to set rules for the most essential part of Christian worship The Church then is not of Christ's not of his Apostles setting up those that succeeded after the establishment of the Faith are they that laid the foundation or Christian Religion But how does this appear probable Except the Lord build the house Psal 128. they labour in vain that build it Let them insist never so much upon the antiquity rank and profound learning of their Doctors that taught these particular opinions in Christ's Religion there must be seen at least Christ's hand in those of the Gospel Ministers that is the will of Christ and the doctrine of the Gospel must be the foundation of faith and piety 1 Pet. 1. All flesh is as grass saith St Peter and all the glory of man as the flower of grass The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away but the word of the Lord endureth for ever And this is the word which is preach'd unto you by the Gospel 'T is that holy word which has always been the foundation of the Christian faith 't is the only rule of faith in the Church of Christ When Religion was upon its decline tradition took place of the Gospel it became the foundation of faith by means of the authority the Ministry had assum'd over the word of God but when the purity of Christianity was re-establish'd the word of God was reinstated in all its prerogatives which the Lord had given it over the Ministry and it may be said of the Reformation what the Prophet said of the establishment of the Church The same stone which the builders refus'd is become the head stone in the corner Psal 118. This is the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes This is the day which the Lord has made we will rejoyce and be glad in it The authority of the word of God is undoubtedly that corner stone of the spiritual building whereby you are reunited with the primitive Christians since you believe nothing but what they believ'd 'T is God Almighty himself that hath purify'd his Church by restoring it to that order he had at first establish'd The Son of God being sent into the world to enlighten all men and the Holy Ghost which Christ sent to his Apostles have secretly reform'd in the Christian Faith all that was not established by the Gospel God has restored the purity of the Gospel to its lustre and that ought to be the subject of your joy since persecution that attends it serves to set off the glorious character of the Church of Christ and that 's the second head of this discourse Balak thinks to compass his designs upon Israel and rid himself more easily of them if he can but get Balaam to curse them he makes him look on all sides but the more he strives to curse them the more he finds himself constrain'd to bless them Thus the Church of Rome tries all ways to render the Protestant Religion odious they expose it in its Reformation Reformers Temper and in its forsaking as they pretend the ancient Ministry But as Balaam with-held by the spirit of God was proof against all the crafty contrivances of Balak so a Christian who is enlighten'd by the Gospel will always look upon the Reformed Church as Balaam did upon Israel 't is a people that shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations Numb 23. The Lord their God is with them and the shout of a King is among them In a word he will cry out notwithstanding all worldly designs and Polices How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel This is to be understood of a Christian inlightned by the Spirit of God thoroughly convinc'd of the maxims of the Gospel and that thinks seriously on his Salvation for among Christians who only bear the name of such and whose Religion is their Interest there are many who know the truth to be in that Church Christ has reviv'd but some forsake it because 't is forsaken in their native Country others persecute it because 't is persecuted by the world But what matters it if Religion be obscure to worldly-minded-men who shut up their eyes to the truth when they may be thereby expos'd to misery and contempt what matters it if it be oppos'd by such Christians as find it their particular interest and advantage to be animated with a mistaken zeal 't would be very unjust to judge of a Church by the opinion the world conceives of it for whether we consider the Church as expos'd to the contempt and reproaches the world strives to over-cloud it with or rais'd to lustre and splendour in spite of the world itself those very clouds are as bright and glorious as that glittering light and purity it shines with in the eyes of true Christians and herein do we see the oracle of the Prophet David accomplished there is a day that discovers to us another day and a night that discovers to us another night The beauty of the primitive Church is a day Psal 19.3 that discovers to us the excellency of the reviv'd Church the motives of hatred and persecutions Christ and the primitive Church have undergone form as it were a night that discovers to us the principle of disgraces and oppositions that over-power the Church wherein Christ has renew'd the purity of Faith which was in primitive Christians Who will not then admire the beauty of that reviv'd Church so conspicuous for its uniformity with the primitive Church And who will forsake that Church because 't is reviled by worldlings because 't is hated and persecuted in some parts of the world as Christ and the primitive Christians were This opposition the Church of Christ meets with in the world is one of the fairest strokes to set off its beauty 't is a Seal the Heavenly Father has sealed it with by a happy conformity with Christ Behold this Child said Simeon is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against Would not one think 〈…〉 he made a description of the reformed Church that having brought again Christianity to purity of Faith revives piety in some and stirs up envy