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_v	worshipper_n	3,990	5	12.1152	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60665	The wisdom of the earthly wife confounded, or, A manifestation of the spirits of some envious professors who are ready to prefer the hireling priests works of darkness, whose works are against the revelation and coming of Christ in spirit, as their fore-fathers works of cruelty and murder were against him in the dayes of his flesh, as may be seen at large in the scriptures of truth ... this was chiefly occasioned by some nonconformists promoting the works of darkness of a conformist (or chief priest of Warsick-shire, called, Thomas Willson, in his book, ... who slanderously charges the people called Quakers to be false interpreters of the Holy Scriptures) wherein is something of answer to such as have any true tenderness left in them, and would receive the truth if they knew it, but its like to the hard-hearted, stubborn and rebellious (like those, Matth. 27.25. who said, his blood be upon us and upon our children) it will be foolishness, as is the preaching of the cross to them that perish ... / by William Smith.	Smith, William, d. 1673.	1679 (1679)	Wing S4345; ESTC R9981	10,614	16

Visitation to all mankind and that by his secret Reproofs at times in their Consciences for Self-Righteousness as well as their other Ungodliness that they might turn to his Grace which hath appeared to all men Light or Witness within them and live And all you confused Builders of Babel with your many Lo here 's and Lo there 's you have rejected the Head or chief Corner-Stone and true Foundation and if you will be truly Wise that you may know him you must first become Fools that you may be Wise and then you will throw down and lay waste all your lofty Buildings of Self Righteousness and dig deeper then ever you have done yet to the true Rock and Foundation and whoso Bui'ds truly thereupon shall be safe But all you talkative Letter-wise People and Professors of all sorts that have no other Ru'e to try Spirits and Doctrines but the Scriptures in your Natural Carnal Reasons and fallen Degenerated Wisdoms though you neither know them nor the Power of God but are putting Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness justifying the Wicked and condemning the Righteous as did they whose steps you follow What! did you never read or take notice of the Fruits of trying Spirits and Doctrines by the Scriptures in their Carnal Reasons Degenerate Wisdoms being out of the spirit which gives a right understanding of them Was it not to Condemn the Saviour of the World and his blessed Followers to Death Oh! Outside Literal Professors of this Generation take heed ye be not found spiritually in the same steps The holy Scriptures we more dearly truly own in their places than you do and do esteem them above all other Outward Writings because of the great plenty and variety of sweet sound heavenly Sayings uttered by God in and through Christ Jesus who was filled with the Spirit without measure and anointed with the Oyl of Gladness above his Fellows as it s written of him and also uttered through Moses and the rest of the holy Prophets Apostles but we cannot set them above the Spirit We say they are a Testimony or Declaration of what the Primitive Saints were made Living Witnesses of by the working of the mighty Power of God in them whereby they came to put off the old Man with his Deeds and put no that New Man Christ Iesus which is after God created in Righteousness and true Holiness in whom ONLY was and is the Perfection of Saints And without witnessing of more or less of this Spirit that wrought in them that gave forth the Scriptures there is no saving Benefit nor Comfort to be had from them for they viz. the Scriptures do answer to the Witness of God or Light within People and they are given forth to be read and believed and only can be rightly understood in a measure of the same Spirit that gave them forth and they testifie how where and by what means people may attain to that Infallible Spirit that always was is the Saints chief Rule Guide Leader who leads in the same Path they were in that gave them forth and these only are the truly learned that can read them without wresting and to such they are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof c. but they were not given forth to be set above the Spirit of God they were not given forth to be wrested by Covetous Carnal-minded men to uphold their Carnal Sects Opinions Judgments and Religions to War against the true Spiritual Worshippers whom the Father seeks to Worship him in the Spirit in the Truth And inasmuch as the Invisible Wise God Creator of all things is to be honoured and esteemed above any Visible created thing so is his Holy Invisible Spirit to be honoured and esteemed above the Scriptures are not all holy Declarations made by the holy Spirit of Truth And who dare say That the Maker is not Greater and more to be looked at and esteemed than the Thing made How now Porfessors that in your Natural Reasons set your selves as Judges both of Scriptures and the Spirit that gave them forth and in setting the Scriptures above the Spirit of God your Darkness is largely Manifest And may you not be justly compared to those that built the Tombs of the Prophets and garnished the Sepulchers of the Righteous and were the Children of them that killed them The Scripture saith Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the World 1 John 4. 1. I say the Infallible Spirit of God must Try all Spirits and without that none can try them Come Professors what say you have you that Infallible Spirit to try the Fallible with If you say Nay but we have the Scriptures to try them by I never yet heard any of you say otherwise I hope you will not deny but that the Spirit of Christ is Infallible and the Scriptures say He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And he that 's spiritual judgeth all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. So you Fallible-spirited Natural men what have you to do with the Scriptures you being the Unlearned men who have not learned of Christ you do but Wrest them to your own Destruction because you have no true Judgment in your goings and make to your selves crooked Paths Lo here Lo there and in your own private Spirits give your corrupt Meanings to the Scriptures oppose the Spirit that gave them forth The Apostle saith He that keepeth his Commandments dwelleth in him and he in him And hereby we know that he dwelled in us by the Spirit which he hath given us 1 Iohn 3. 24. The Lord God said by the true Prophet concerning the false Wo unto the Foolish-Prophets who follow their own Spirit and have seen nothing Ezek. 13. 3. And these are the true Confessors of Christ come in the Flesh and in the Spirit whatever Fallible-spirited men that are rending and wresting the Scriptures may judge of them And whereas some Envious Dark Spirits seeing their glorying in their Literal Knowledge so hard beset may suggest That I Design to possess People against or would beget them into a Low esteem of the Scriptures God knoweth if any such there be they greatly Wrong themselves and me and all those who believe their False Suggestions for my only End is That People might be possessed with the Spirit of Truth that leads into all Truth and teaches the true Knowledge of Scriptures and to set them in their places and not to be ever Learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth so that you all might come to Christ and learn of him that you may have Life is the Desire of your Friend Written in the 10th Moneth from Market-Harborough 1678. William Smith POSTSCRIPT HAving considered that some Dark Spirits like this Priest's may take Occasion at my so much judging his Works to be Works of Darkness without any

THE WISDOM OF THE Earthly Wise CONFOUNDED OR A Manifestation of the Spirits of some Envious Professors who are ready to prefer the Hireling Priests Works of Darkness whose Works are against the Revelation and Coming of Christ in Spirit as their Fore-Fathers Works of Cruelty and Murder were against him in the Dayes of his Flesh as may be seen at large in the Scriptures of Truth This was chiefly occasioned by some Nonconformists promoting the Works of Darkness of a Conformist or Chief Priest of Warwick-shire called Thomas Willson in his Book who slanderously charges the People called QUAKERS to be False Interpreters of the Holy Scriptures wherein is something of Answer to such as have any true Tenderness left in them and would receive the Truth if they knew it But its like to the Hard-hearted Stubborn and Rebellious like those Matth. 27. 25. who said His Blood be upon us and upon our Children it will be Foolishness as is the Preaching of the Cross to them that Perish By WILLIAM SMITH Printed in the Year 1679. The Wisdom of the Earthly Wise CONFOUNDED c. WE whom the heavenly Day-spring of God from on High hath visited who were once in Darkness and the Shadow of Death as well as others I say We do not marvel to see the Literal Outside Professors of this Generation of all Sorts and Perswasions out of the Truth as well as Chief-Priests the Old Enemies of Christ though they so much differ and disagree amongst themselves how ready they are to joyn Hand in Hand against the Lord and his blessed Heritage whom he hath blessed and will bless above all the Families of the Earth Yea how ready are you to catch up and imbrace any piece of Darkness and Confusion that ariseth out of the Bottomles Pit of the Deceived Envious and Babylonish Hearts of such as hate the Witness or Light of Christ in their own Consciences and also envy such who by believing in the Light of Christ within are Witnesses of his Spiritual Appearance So all you Malicious Papists Chief-Priests Presbyterians Independents and Baptists of all sorts c. that do not believe in Christ the true Light who lighteth every one that cometh into the World according to Iohn 1. 9. 8. 12. 9. 5. are all wrong in the Ground and you are all against us and we are against you all till you come out of Deceit Envy and Unbelief we know your Spirits will concur against us as did your Progenitors the chief-Priests the hard-hearted Iews Scribes Pharisees Saduces c. against Christ and his Followers in the days of his Coming in the Flesh who as Christ told them they did Err not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God Mat. 22. 29. And even so do ye who will not abide his Spiritual Appearance in your selves nor in such as are Witnesses of it So in this State you are all from the Highest to the Lowest of all sorts both Priests Teachers aad People far from the true Interpretations of holy Scriptures and if ever you come truly to it you must come down from climbing up another way to Christ the Door and Light of the World who lighteth every man that cometh into the World And also if you will be true Followers of him that you may have Life and Treasure in Heaven you must with the Young man Matth. 19. which I believe will be as hard for many of you Rich Ones in your Natural Wisdoms as for him Sell all your great Possessions of that Wisdom which is from below which is Earthly Sensual and Devilish in which you have given false Interpretation upon the holy Scriptures and thereby wofully wrested them to Justifie or Indulge your selves in a continuance in sin to the end of your days the Wages of which is Death as faith the Apostle But the Spirit gives Life and leads to true Interpretations of holy Scriptures though Contrary to your Natural Dark Conceptions and Imaginations The Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God they are Foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned see 1 Cor. 2. Now I would have all you Outside Literal Imitaters of all sorts that are not too high too swelled with your vain Notions and Imaginations to lay them by a while and consider Seriously since there is but One ●ay to God and One Truth One Lord One Faith One Baptism which is Spiritual and only known to the true Spiritual Worshippers Mark One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Ephes. 4. 5. and a Mystery to you all and ever will be while strangers to the Light of Christ within which will give a right Understanding of Scriptures to them that believe in it and follows it and will lead to a right use of them c. But how many Ways Worships Faiths Baptisms c. are there amongst you every one Crying up his own Way and Form pretending to the Scriptures for it Oh! what Distractions and Confusions are here And where must they be charged upon the Scriptures or upon you with your many Lo here 's and Lo there 's Every one for his own Way in Opposition to the Way of God which is but One and his People One in it Now look upon your selves and among your selves and behold the Fruits of your Interpreting Scripture Is it not to make the World or People like a Wilderness Lo here Lo there See here See there But what saith Christ Believe them not go not after them nor follow them for behold the Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17. 21. Thus saith our Lord Christ Jesus and we have believed him and in our measures have Infallibly found it so And if this should seem strange Doctrine to any to whose hands these may come though of the many Ways Forms and Perswasions since you all profess the Scriptures to be your Rule I would know how you Interpret these following Scriptures God is a Spirit as Christ said and is to be Worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth God is Light and in him there is no Darkness at all If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in Darkness we Lye and do not the Truth but if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light then have we fellowship one with another and the Blood of Iesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin Christ said I am the Light of the World he that follows me shall not walk in Darkness but he shall have the Light of Life and said Believe in the Light that ye may be the Children of the Light The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying Vngodliness Worldly Lusts we should live Godly Righteously c. in this present World This Grace appearing unto all is that all might believe therein and obey it and be saved but some of Old did dispight

plain Proof made thereof to Answer my present Business at this time is not so much to concern my self with his Darkness it is so palpably Gross to all that have the least spiritual discerning as to shew the Confusion and Darkness of such Professors that separate from such Priests as not owning them to be Ministers of Christ and yet in Envy prefer and promote their Works in Opposition to the Truth of God Now since his works viz. the Priest's seems to be chiefly about True and False Interpretations of Scriptures I may compare them and see which he most resembles The True Interpreters do it by the Spiritual Vnderstanding received by the Inspiration of the Almighty The False Interpreters do it by Natural Reason or Earthly Wisdom of Fallen Degenerate Man I may touch at a Passage or two in his Book passing by many such like with the ground of his Matter in General with as much brevity as I can because I would not be tedious to the Reader from which I can prove his whole heap of Confusion and Darkness of One Hundred Sixty and Six pages to be founded upon a Shadow and down must it tumble and vanish away like Smoak before the Wind. So having perused His tedious Tautologies or rather bundle of Dark Impertenent Cavils against God's Truth and People I find the Scope and Drift of his Matter is to make void or cry down as now ceased Immediate Revelation Inspiration Vision and the Truth in the Inward Parts or the Spiritual In-being of Christ in the Hearts and Souls of his People there to Work their Salvation all which is still continued and truly witnessed by the true Spiritual Worshippers without which we affirm there is no true Interpretations of holy Scriptures Oh! all People that have the least Spiritual Understanding behold the Darkness of such Priests and Professors Where there is no Revelation there is no True Saving Knowledge of God see Mat. 11. 27. Object But we have it by the Scriptures Answ. I prove by the Scriptures that it must be Immediate from the Son Christ Iesus or you have no Life Search the Scriptures for in them you think ye have Eternal Life they testifie of me but ye will not come unto me that ye may have Life Iohn 5. 39. See page 74 75. of this Priest's Book We saith he like Honest Men have no Vision pretend none if we were Knaves we might pretend Inspiration as well as others Ah! Poor Blind Guides indeed then you Perish and have no heavenly Understanding Where there is no Vision the People Perish Prov. 29. 18. There is a Spirit in man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them Vnderstanding Job 32. 8. When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me c. Gal. 1. 15. I was not Disobedient to the heavenly Vision Acts 26. 19. I will come to Visions and Revelations of the Lord 2 Cor. 12. 1. And also Paul prayed That the People might receive the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation What was Paul a Knave for this And how often doth Paul say be ye Followers of me even as I also am of Christ And if we do so and in our measures witness the same Spirit of Wisdom Revelation Inspiration and Vision must we therefore be Knaves for that Oh Darkness who is so Blind that they cannot see it We say All holy Scripture is given by the Inspiration of God and can never be rightly known nor understood but by the Inspiration of the Almighty which gives an Understanding to know them without which they can never be truly known nor interpreted And in the Latter Dayes saith God I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh Sons and Daughters shall Prophesie Young Men shall see Visions and Old Men shall dream Dreams Ioel 2. 28. Acts 2. 17. Many more Scriptures might have been instanced as full and pertinent to this purpose but these are sufficient to Manifest the Ignorance Darkness and Blindness of such Priests and Professors And who have believed in Christ as a Light within them know him to be the same to his People Yesterday to Day and forever So all Honour Praises and Thanks forever be given to him who hath hid these things from the Wise and Prudent of this World and revealed them to Babes and Sucklings And as to Christ's Spiritual being within it is before sufficiently proved but I perceive such Priests and Professors do only or chiefly talk of Christ without them which is Well-pleasing to the Devil that so he may do his Work within them without Disturbance while He that is stronger then he may not be received to cast him out and spoil his Works and such Ministers or Teachers of what sort soever are not of Christ but of Anti-christ as well as the Pope Now I charge all or any one of the blind Guides of all sorts in the whole World to whom the Spirit of true Wisdom Revelation Inspiration and Vision is ceased to give one plain Scripture that it ever was is or ever will be ceased to the People of God who did and do fear and obey him while upon Earth Why did the chief Priests and outward Professors of the Letter in days past slight and set at nought Christ Jesus in his outward appearance to them because he reproved their Self-Righteousness and said he was the Son of God and Light of the World and said his Kingdom was not of this World neither was it to be found in Observations where they were seeking it but it was to be found within in the Spirit so making clean the out-side of Cup and Platter would not serve them then neither will it now And why do the chief Priests and outward Professors of the Letter in this day slight and reject him in his inward appearance as Light within in their Consciences because he condemned their Self-Righteousness which they are also getting in the outward Observations and many of them see that if they should hearken or lend an Ear to him or his Light within he would break their false Peace and bring Spiritual War Division and a Sword within to spoil and cut down their Self-Righteousness as well as the rest of their Ungodliness and that which would not that he should Reign in his Kingdom within to subject Man and Woman to himself who will admit of no Righteousness but his own and therefore the Hypocrites and Formal Professors will not abide him but love the Darkness rather then Light and in their Darkness Judge his Light within to be a Spirit of Delusion and what not as their fore-Fathers did of Old yet he that is the Searcher of Hearts and Tryer of Reins hath not left himself without a Witness in you to which I now appeal what any of you from the highest to the lowest know more by your long Professing of the true God mark whom to know is Life Eternal John 17. 3 then you did at your first beginning to profess him O! Friends and People that have any regard to your Immortal Souls this is of great weight for you all deeply to ponder and let Gods Witness speak in you that will deal plainly with you and tell you the Truth And since the Life of Man and Woman here is full of trouble short and uncertain attended with Temptations Oh! how doth it concern all that truly desire a better and more durable inheritance to weigh consider that great and double caution of Christ his Apostles Take heed that no man deceive you and let no man deceive himself in which deceit all men are how conceited and confident soever they may be till they come out of their vain and dead Faiths into the living Faith in God Christ which is to believe in as sufficient for the Salvation of man his Spirit Grace Talent Light or Kingdom within which is likeed to a Grain of Mustard-seed indeed too low and too small a thing for the lofty Professors of this Generation to find or receive as was his outward appearance to your fore-Fathers when he was found in the Manger I know your Inns are taken up with other Guests and there is yet no room for him so full of vain Imaginations and high Conceits are you that you will not bow down so low as to receive own him as a Reprover in your Consciences for whoso do come to have their Understandings opened and to be enlightned with the Light of Life so that they come to see the blind Guides of all sorts that are boasting in other mens Lines of things made ready to their Hands and how they strive to keep People from believing in this Heavenly Principle within lest they with their chargeable unprofitable Preaching should be discovered and their running unsent speaking of themselves seek their own Glory the Praise of Men Self-Interest their Gain from their Quarter c. all which with much more the Light within doth discover judge and condemn and that makes such Hireling Teachers of all sorts to hate it and prejudice their People against it Oh! People of all sorts beware of such Teachers for they make a Prey upon you Deceive you Therefore no longer spend your Money for that which is not Bread nor your Labour for that which satisfieth not your hungry pined Souls but come home to your Teacher within to the Law Testimony Commandment or Light within you which made David wiser then all his Teachers and so it will you if you can receive it believe in it and follow it W. S. THE END