Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	true_a	worship_n	worshipper_n	3,023	5	12.1458	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82320	The stumbling-stone, or, A discourse touching that offence which the world and worldly church do take against 1. Christ himself. 2. His true word. 3. His true worship. 4. His true church. 5. His true government. 6. His true ministry. Wherein the University is reproved by the Word of God. Delivered partly to the University-congregation in Cambridge, partly to another in the same town. Together with a brief touch in the epistle (for the present) on the late quarrelsom, weak, and erroneous Animadversions of one Mr. Chambers, called Doctor in Divinity, and Pastor of Pewsy in Wiltshire. By William Dell minister of the Gospel, and Master of Gonvil and Cains Colledge in Cambridge.	Dell, William, d. 1664.	1653 (1653)	Wing D930; Thomason E692_1; ESTC R206987	41,191	48

his utter Enemies And this also was foretold by Simeon Luke 2. Where he saith that by the coming of Christ in his word the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed and then that unbelief and enmity against Christ that before lay hid is discovered and brought forth by the Preaching of the Word as we have seen heretofore and still see by daily experience And for this cause also they are offended 5. They are offended at the true Word because everywhere so 5. Because so few entertain it few entertain it and embrace it As when Christ himself preached there were very few in all Iudea and Ierusalem that entertained his Doctrine and though sometimes many thronged to hear him yet at another time they were so offended at his Doctrine that they all forsook him so that Christ said to the twelve Iohn 6. Will ye also go away Now this makes many to be offended at the true Word that when it comes to any town or people the far greater part should reject it and speak evil of it and they for the most part the greatest wisest and learnedst men and that only a few poor and contemptible people should receive it this also exceedingly offends 6. And lastly They are offended because the true Word of Christ 6. Because it occasions troubles where it comes in any evidence and demonstration of the Spirit brings Troubles Tumults Stirs and Vproars in the VVorld ac to that of Christ Mat. 10. 34. I came not to send peace but a sword for I am come to set a man at variance against his Father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law For the true word of Christ is such a sword as cuts in sunder all Natural and Civil relations and takes away the peace of any place where it comes in power Christ saith also Luke 12. 49. I am come to send fire on the earth and what will I if it be already kindled This fire that Christ sends is the word in the ministration of the spirit of which the Lord saith by the Prophet is not my word as fire and this word comes to burn up all the corrupt Manners Fashions Customes Yea all the lusts and sins of the world and all the Antichristian Doctrine and formes of worship in the outward Church And when this fire begins to burn anywhere presently all the people are in an uproar and lay all their heads and use all their hands together to quench it So that where-ever the true word comes the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take councel together against it and say Let us break these bonds in sunder and cast away these cords from us which no fl●sh and blood especially the Rich Wise Learned Honourable would endure to be bound in Now this exceedingly offends For say they before this kind of word came in all things were better and more quiet Under Episcopacy The world say before the Gospel came all things were quiet all things were wel and in good order But since this new Doctrine came in all things are full of trouble mischief wars and death and therefore they reckon this word the cause of all the evils we have and do endure But yet the cause of all these tumults are not truly in the word The word is not properly the cause of these Tumults but by accident but in the world and in the Devil Christ he will have his Christians to publish his word and thereby to gather together his elect unto him now the World and the Devil the Prince of it will not suffer this to be done quietly and hence arise all tumults The Devil who hath the first possession of the world would have all things quiet that he might keep his possession but Christ will not suffer it to be so but he will have all those whom his Father hath given him out of the Devils possession by the might and efficacy of his word but the Devil will not endure that this should be done quietly but stirs us all the World against the word And so where ever the word comes in truth there are alwayes troubles and uproares but where the word is preached and the world is quiet that for certain is not the true word of God Wherefore the dull and drousie Divinity of Synods and Schools The ordinary Divinity of the Schools is none of Christs Word cannot be the true word of Christ for that meets with no opposition and contradiction at all from the World or worldly Church it meets with no enemies and avengers amongst them but it is rather praised and embraced and honoured with degrees and Scarlet and the Professors and Publishers of it are in credit with men and worldly Powers and receive from them riches honour and quiet life whereas the true Doctrine of Christ can never be published without the offence of the world And thus much for their offence at the true word of Christ 3. They are offended at his true Worship 3. At his true Worship For Christ under the New-Testament hath instituted a New-Worship and this the World and worldly Church are also greatly offended at Because this Worship is wholly spiritual and hath nothing carnal Because it is Spiritual De instituendo cultu notanda est haec regula Sine Spiritu Sancto non est suscipienda ulla ratio aut modus colendi Dei Luther in c. 35. Gen. Cultus Dei principaliter vere consistit non in externis operibus sed in fide spe dilectione Dei. Luth. in cap. 25. Gen. in it but consists altogether of Grace and truth according to that of Christ Ioh. 4. 23. The hour cometh saith He and now is that the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth and there is no worship in truth but that which is in Spirit And Paul saith of true believers Phil. 3. 2. we are the Circumcision who worship God in the Spirit and have no confidence in the flesh Now this spiritual VVorship stands in Faith Hope and Love whereby our old nature is mortified and we bring forth spiritual fruit unto God and to our brother And this Worship of the New-Testament being wholly spiritual is free from Time Place and Person as all spiritual things are and so at all times and in all places alike this worship may be performed by all persons alike who are true believers And so accordingly do all true believers at all times and in all places alike believe in God and trust in him and fear him and love him and delight in him and speak good of his name and also do good to their brother in Instructing Teaching Exhorting Comforting him and Helping him as freely as Christ hath

Oxford a man of such excellent Mr. Owen Learning and Judgement But truly such Doctrine deserved such a License that something at least might make it considerable Whereas the true Doctrine of Christ the Word of Faith the Word of the Kingdom hath a standing License from Jesus Christ and comes upon the World as the Rain and Dew without asking Prodiit ex adipe iniquitas eorum transierunt in affectum cordis leave of Man or the Son of Man But great Places are greatly dangerous to those whose Faith is not stronger then their form And so I leave this also to the Wisdom and Judgement of our Lord Jesus Christ into whose hands God hath given all things Christian acquaint thy self much with the Word of God and be much in the prayer of Faith for some of the Angels are preparing to sound the Last Trumpets and to pour out the Last Vials on the very Seat and Throne of the Beast and we hope ere long to hear that shout of Triumph in the Spiritual Church Babylon is faln is faln is faln and is now become the Habitation of Devils and unclean Spirits which before was the Habitation of Hypocrites and false Christians yet covered over with all the most glorious shews of Religion and Holiness that the Deceiveableness of Vnrighteousness could put upon them And now if thou please read on and let the Spiritual man judge who judgeth all things William Dell. The stumbling Stone Math. 11. ver 6. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me THese words are the conclusion of Christs Answer to that Question which John the Baptist Iohns Question propounded to him by two of his Disciples himself being in prison the Question was this Art thou he that should come or do we look for another Now it is much disputed whether John Some say Iohn did not ask it for his own sake himself did at this time doubt of Christ or no and several men give in several Opinions which I shall not now stand to recite but all almost both Antient and Modern do conclude that John propounded this Question to Christ not that he himself did now doubt whether Christ were the true Messias or no seeing He had before given so clear a Testimony to Christ that he was the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world and had also Baptized him with water and had seen at that time the Heavens opening and the Spirit of God as a Dove descending and resting on Christ and had heard the Fathers own voice saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Wherefore they say that John himself could not possibly after all this doubt of Christ and therefore that he did not propound this Question to him by his Disciples But for his Disciples for his own sake but for Theirs that they who before had envied Christ for their Masters sake and would rather have had John to have been the Messias then him might now be assured and fully instructed touching Christ from Christ Himself Thus they But for my part I do conceive that Iohn did propound this The Authors judgement Question to Christ for his own sake rather then for his Disciples For though when he lived in peace and freedom he had a clear Revelation from the Father touching the Son by the Spirit and had accordingly cleerly spoken of Christ to others yet now being in Prison and Bonds and neer unto death he is brought by great Tribulation and Temptation to doubt of all that Truth which before he had been taught of God and even to question whether Christ were the true Christ or no For thought he If he be the true Christ why doth he not send Redemption to me who suffer for his sake but suffer me thus to perish whilst he might help me if he be the Christ and if he work Miracles for others as I hear he doth why doth he wholly neglect me who have given such an honourable Testimony to the world of him And truly brethren we know not vvhat place or power the Tribulation our trial Gospel of God our Saviour hath in us till Tribulation come and so much of the true knowledge of Christ and of true faith in Christ we have indeed as we have strength in such hours That truth which we confess freely in Prosperity we are fain to begin to learn it again in Tribulation and Tribulation makes us learn the Truth over again the second time it makes us to learn that in Experience which before we had learned only in Doctrine And how hard a matter it is to hold fast in Trouble that Truth Hard to hold fast truth in Trouble which we well know and freely profess in Prosperity we may see not only in John the Baptist who being in Prison doubted whether Christ were the true Christ after he had been so clearly taught him by God and his Spirit and had so plainly confessed him but also in the Disciples of Christ who though they had heard all his Doctrine and seen all his works and had confessed him to be Christ the Son of the living God yet when the High-Priests were inraged and the People in an uproar and when they beheld the Swords and the Staves and Christ was apprehended and themselves in danger they were all offended at him and fled Yea we may see it in Christ himself who though the Father had testified touching him three times from Heaven saying this is my beloved Son c. Yet when his suffering drew near he exceedingly feared and was amazed and astonished and on the Cross cried out aloud my God my God why hast thou forsaken me ☜ My brethren no man knows the grievousness and efficacy of Tribulation and the weakness and frailty of Humane Nature but they who have had experience of both but this is the comfort of the faithfull that that knowledge of Christ and the Gospel which God hath taught us and we have heard and learned from him will certainly endure and hold out throughout all the greatest and longest storms of Tribulation and Temptation though with much striving and difficulty but they who have had much knowledge of the Truth and have made a glorious profession of it before men and yet have wanted the true Teaching of God and true faith through that teaching such when Tribulations and Difficulties have risen up have quite departed from the Truth and have often renounced it We know not brethren I say again what we do believe aright touching Christ and his Gospel touching the Love of God to us and the Remission of our sin c. till distress and Tribulation and death come and what we are then we are that indeed Yea at such times we are to be judged according to our faith and not according to our sense and feeling Luther was wont to say that in Temptation he could hardly make Luther use at all of that

Christ Offended at them Now the World and the Worldly Church are Offended 1. At Christ Himself 2. At his true Word 3. At his true Worship 4. At his true Church 5. At his true Ministry 6. At his true Government Of these things I shall speak in Order according to the good hand of God with me and shall desire to be so faithfull to Christ as not to depart one hairs breadth from his truth though it may be it will come to pass that all or the greatest part of you will be grievously Offended at it I begin with the first and will shew that the World and Worldly Church are offended 1. At Christ Himself 1. At Christ himself and in him And they are offended at him in many regards of which I shall mention these five 1. They are offended at the meanness of his ontward condition 1. At the Meaness of his outward condition in the World in the World For indeed he was in a very low plain simple and contemptible condition in the dayes of his flesh as any ordinary Tradesmen in this Town and lived with Ioseph in his Trade of a Carpenter Wherefore Paul saith of him Phil. 2. that he made himself of no account and took upon him the forme of a servant and was made in outward appearance as any other man That is he was in the outward condition of any ordinary man in the World Now this mean condition of Christ did much offend them for thought they is this the Christ of whom all the Prophets have spoke such glorious things whom all the Iews expect and who is the desire of all Nations Is this He whose name is wonderfull Councellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of the increase of whose Government and Peace there should be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and to stablish it with Justice and Judgement from henceforth and for ever Is this plain ordinary man the Messias how can this thing be For they thought that the true Christ of whom such excellent things were spoken should be some great Prince or learned Priest and that that form of a servant and mean condition in which he was could in no measure agree or be sutable to the true Christ And for this cause they were greatly offended at him and thought Him not worthy to be in any place of reckoning 2. They were offended that he being in so mean an outward 2. That in so low a condition such high things were spoken of him condition John Baptist should yet speak such high things of Him and he of Himself Iohn Baptist testified of him that he was the only begotten Son in the bosome of the Father the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World the fountain of the fulness of all the Saints the beloved Son unto whose hands the Father had given all things and that he that did believe in him had everlasting life and he that did not should not see life but the wrath of God should abide on him c. and these all were wonderfull things to be spoken of one whose outward condition in the World was so plain and contemptible And as Iohn had spoken these things of Christ so Christ every-where gives forth himself as the Son of God and said He and his Father were one And this exceeding offended the Iews as you may see Iohn 5. 18. The Iews sought to kill him not only because he had broken the Sabbath but also because he had said God was his Father making himself equal with God And Iohn 10. 31. The Iews took up Stones to Stone him and said we Stone thee not for a good work but for blasphemy and because thou being a man makest thy self God And so they were all offended at this Mystery God manifest in the flesh in the flesh of so mean and despicable a person in the eye of the World 3. They were offended at Christ because in him was no humane 3. Because in Christ was no meerly humane nor carnal thing or worldly thing which any Natural or Carnal man could possibly like of or delight in He excercised no worldly witt Wsdom Reason Learning Parts nor any thing that might commend him to the World neither did he live in any outward formes of Religion or Worship which might commend him to the carnal Church There was nothing in Him but the presence and manifestation of God the Word of God the Righteousness of God the Nature of God the Spirit of God the Works of God and God was all in all in Christ and God is wholly contrary to the World and the World to God And so the World and worldly Church were wholly offended at Christ He being altogether in the Father and the Father in him in such sort that the Father in him spake all the words and did all the works and he could neither do nor speak any thing of himself he was taken up unto so neer Union and Communion with God 4. They were offended at the reproaches and misreports that 4. They were offended at his Reproaches went commonly abroad touching Christ raised for the most part by the Scribes and Pharisees and Rulers of the Church because they knew and were assured that Christs prevailing would be their undoing Therefore they gave out that he was a Sabbath-breaker a Blasphemer an unlearned and ignorant man and that made him err a Vitious man a Glutton and Winebibber a friend of Publicans and sinners and that he had a Devil and was mad these were the common reports that were commonly divulged abroad touching Christ and that by the Teachers of the best repute in the Church and the common-people reckoned them to be very true and thereupon were horribly offended both at Christs Doctrine and works And this was Christ a very sign to be spoken against which Isaiah foreseeing in the Spirit speaks thus in the person of the offended Jewish Church Isai 63. 3. He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not And Christ himself by the Prophet complains of this usage saying they laid to my charge the things that I knew not But yet these false reports so far prevailed that he became a Stranger to his brethren and an Alien to his Mothers own Children 5. They were offended at him because of his bitter and shamefull cross and sufferings and herein lay the heighth and depth of that 5. At his sufferings Offence for which the VVorld and worldly Church look at Christ For the Ecclesiastical Power condemned him as a deceiver and blasphemer and they also prevailed with the secular Power to condemn him as a Seditious person an Enemy to Caesar and a Rebel And so after all the works of God which he had done and works of God which he had taught they

Christ through our abiding in him so they shall as certainly perish and be ruined through His abiding in Us and their dashing against Him in Us. 2. To carry our selves aright in the midst of offences let us be sure that the Word we believe and hold forth is Christs Word 2. To be sure the Word we confess is the true Word of God and then we may be very confident that this truth and cause shall and must remain how many Adversaries soever it may have and though the World and Devil may rage against it yet as hath been said they shall never be able to overthrow it much less to root it out A true Christian must be able to say I know the Word which I believe and profess is the only Word of the Lord God and his everlasting and unchangeable truth and the last manifestation of his will by his own Son and what ever Word agreeth not herewith is false and of the Devil and Antichrist and therefore by this Word will I stay though all the VVorld be against me And when we are thus certain of the Word of God through Faith and the Spirit it comforts the heart and makes it glad and settles it in inward Peace and Rest in the midst of all outward Oppositions and Troubles as through Gods goodness we have found by Experience For when we know that the VVord which we have received and profess is the very Doctrine of the Son of God then also we know that it shall prevail against all Kingdoms Common-wealths States Governments Societies Universities against all Laws Orders Decrees Acts and against all sorts and degrees of worldly and Ecclesiastical Powers which are contrary thereunto and shal in the time appointed by God utterly consume them and bring them to nothing And by these Means to wit by abiding in Christ and being all in Him And by being sure that the Word we believe and profess is His Word we may live safely in the midst of all offences without the least prejudice Vse 4 4. Lastly I shall speak a few words to those in this Vniversity and Town who are offended at Christ and his Gospel and also a few words to those who through the Grace of God have escaped this offence and so shall conclude this matter And first for you who are offended at Christ and his VVord 1. A Word to them who are offended which we must needs say is come amongst you in Truth and in plainness and are angry at it and storm at it and reproach it and think and contrive how to resist it and to hinder the free course and passage of it in this place because it is not only contrary to the Philosophical Divinity of the Schools and Vniversity and the common carnal Religion of the Nation but doth also reprove and condemn them and will have the haughtiness of men bowed down and the pride of men laid low and the Lord Iesus Christ and his things only exalted and that here where the VVit and VVisdom and Parts and Learning and Accomplishments of men have ruffled it and reigned hitherto I say you that are thus offended for this cause are offended at Christ himself and at God in Christ and you do stumble at the stumbling Stone and shall so fall thereby as to be broken in pieces Yea this Stone it self shall fall upon you and shall grinde you to pouder and you shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power and this destruction shall be poured on you with the greatest severity and wrath that God himself can inflict in all his Infiniteness and Eternity For if as the Penman of the Epistle to the Hebrews saith the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every trangression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward what escaping can there be for them who neglect that great salvation which was published at first by the Lord Christ and after confirmed by the first believers and witnessed to by Signs and Miracles and gifts of the Spirit by God himself Heb. 2. 2 3. and if as the same Believer saith he that despised Moses Law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment shall he be guilty who treads underfoot the Son of God c. And assuredly it had been much better for you that you had lived among the Heathen and Pagans where the Gospel of God our Saviour had never been heard then to hear this joyful sound which manifests the Love of God and brings along with it Remission of sins and the gift of the Spirit through faith in Christ and to be offended at it and so to be destroyed by the word of salvation and to be immediately punished with eternal death by him who is the true God and eternal life And this is the heavy burden which the VVord of the Lord hath laid on your shoulders and you cannot remove it 2. And then for you true Believers you little flock you few chosen out of the many called who hear the VVord of Christ and 2. A Word to them who are not offended are not offended at it though you hear it everywhere and that with both ears in this Vniversity and Town Contradicted Misreported Reproached Scandalized and called Error Heresie New Light Faction Schism Sedition and hear all manner of evil spoken against it falsly not only by the rude and ignorant People but also by the Scribes and Pharisees and Hypocrites of this place and yet for all these offences you are not offended at it but own it and love it and imbrace it notwithstanding all the extream disadvantages it hath from this Place which is counted by carnal people the very fountain of Religion and the Ministry knowing by Gods own teaching that it is the VVord of Righteousness and Life and the Truth as it is in Iesus though contrary to the sense of the Vniversity and Schools who have generally their teaching from man To all such I say by the word of the Lord blessed are ye of the blessed of the Lord for you are all taught of God touching Christ and have heard and learned the Son from the Father and through this teaching you have true faith in Christ and so know him by experience whereupon Christ is most precious to you and through this faith you are established on Christ so that nothing from Earth or Hell can remove you And being so established through Vnion with Christ you can no more perish then Christ can perish and you shall as ce●tainly be saved as Christ is saved This is your blessedness from the Lord and the World and the Devil shall never be able to make it void And therefore go and eat your bread with cheerfulness and lie down and rise and live in safety under the shadow of the Almighty though in this World and in this Place you dwell among Bears and Lyons and have your conversation in the midst of Scorpions for Christ himself hath blessed you in himself and you shall be blessed for ever Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me FINIS