Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	world_n	write_v	zeal_n	34	3	7.1967	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84758	Dæmonium meridianum. Satan at noon. Or, Antichristian blasphemies, anti-scripturall divelismes, anti-morall uncleanness, evidenced in the light of truth, and published by the hand of justice. Being, a sincere and impartiall relation of the proceedings of the commissioners of the county of Berks. Authorized by the ordinance for ejection, against John Pordage, late minister of Bradfield, in the same county. Published for the vindication of justice, and satisfaction of the conscientious, in the name, and by the order of the said commissioners and assistants. With some notes, and animadversions upon a book of the said John Pordage, initiuled, Innocency appearing, &c. / By Christopher Fowler, minister of the gospel at S. Maries in Reding.	Fowler, Christopher, 1610?-1678.	1655 (1655)	Wing F1692; Thomason E840_1; ESTC R207466	137,560	179

cleaving of the soul but the fiery deity burning up our lusts and corruptions in the center of the soul Two other passages of blasphemy there were uttered by the Dr that were forgotten by Mr Tickhill the Deponent but after finding his paper he doth remember them and doth assert them as upon oath The first is this That God in Christ and Christ in the saints is the unity in trinity and trinity in unity The second is this That Christ in his preparatory coming by his fiery deity quite consumes and destroyes all sin and corruption which consuming of sin is that doing away of transgression mentioned Dan. 9.24 If it be said Mr Tickhill is severe and rigid and so prejudice may barre the door against truth then Secondly we request that this testimony witnessed and signed with Mr Pendarvis his own hand may be considered These are to certifie whom it may concern that in a sermon at Ildesly Dr Pordage did deliver these following expressions First That Christ was a figure and but a figure Secondly That the Godhead was mingled with our flesh Thirdly That the imputative righteousnesse of Christ was but a saplesse righteousnesse Fourthly the graces and gifts of the spirit were but flesh Fifthly That Dr Pordage did falsely accuse Mr Tickhill of coming on purpose to oppose him neither of us h This work of providence as it were speaking thus as now we see it come to passe yonder is a blasphemer hear him and discover him thought of his being there I went and he with me to preach upon the desire of the people what limitation us'd by the Dr or whether any I do not well remember Ita testor Joh. Pendarvis Second Particular To the second as to his witnesses here we do unfeignedly professe we are even fain to force our selves under much unwillingnesse to this part of the animadversion not that we regard any revilings and censure so as to be troubled but because we are willing to live in peace But because the matter of these articles charged and proved is of so high a concernment that all that is dear and p●ecious to souls in heaven and earth is imbarqued in it and because the Dr pretends visions and those of such height and glory as he calls them that the like have not been heard or seen and because his friends do intimate that these Angelicall visions are in order to the pure preaching of the gospel to the Church which hath been in Apostacy many hundred years and because he layes such a weight upon his witnesses Lastly because he hath published them to the world and named them often in the text and margent we think it a duty incumbent upon us to write the truth promising to deliver nothing but the truth and purposing not to write all the truth we might merely for quietnesse sake and to prevent family disturbance Truly it seems somewhat observable that Dr Pordage who hath enjoyed such visions of glory as he saith hath such high discoveries pretends to such a pitch of sanctity and mortification even to perfection Having so much acquaintance in London and in the Countrey and being under so high a charge as Blasphemy Devillisme Vncleannesse and ignorance that notwithstanding all this he should bring no more or no other witnesses in his behalf then he hath done And were it not that we desire to be serviceable to the publick we might have spared this pains we have no itch to be in print for the very consideration what manner of persons the witnesses are hath given no small satisfaction of the Drs guilt to all Christians hereabouts that know him and them The first witnesse for the Dr is Richard Higgs we purpose not to mention the many ill-complexioned and hard speeches which this man hath uttered against the ministry and maintenance This language now a daies passeth amongst many rather for a prime character of a godly man as they stile it then for any fault many and we speak it sadly to see them so befooled have little else to shew for their religion but their being scurrilous against Vniversities Ministers Learning and maintenance Do we speak for our selves in this or for the truth the Lord knows and our consciences know and the day will discover it So that the gospel religion learning might thrive prosper we should desire to be silent though we sate in the dust and whatever become of us or ours or them we can in some measure be contented so that the purity and power of the gospel may dwell in the land This man is brought in by the Dr as his chief witnesse he quotes him often and doth preface his testimony that he is a pious prudent and a learned Christian and therefore to be heeded by the people and believed by the Commissioners Thus he deposeth that he heard the Dr preach at Bradfield upon and for the imputative righteousnesse of Christ and this he attested with much confidence but now observe these particulars Being demanded by the Commissioners very often and earnestly to declare what he conceived the Dr did mean by Christs righteousnesse he would at no hand although he was upon his oath reveal it We were suspicious at first that there might be some ugly speckled toad lying under a wholsome sage leaf some wretched familisticall blasphemy under wholsome expressions nothing more common these late years past have discovered this practise more then many former generations and therefore we pressed him over and over seeing he had been a seven years hearer at times and a man intelligent and one that penned the sermons that he would tell what he conceived the Dr did understand by Christs imputative righteousnesse but there was no prevailing with him he would not tell Being further asked what he himself meant by Christs imputative righteousnesse he would not tell nor answer either this was his weaknesse that he could not tell or else his wilfulnesse that he would not If the first how grosse is his ignorance and how unfit his testimony if the second what unconscionablenesse is this he being sworn to speak the truth But it seems to be his ignorance for Being now prompted by the Dr from whom he confesseth he had the * This practise of the Dr l●oks very ill favoured for this is not the first time that he hath done so with his witnesses paper before he came prescribing what he should speak to say the righteousness of Christ was his active and passive obedience he did tell the Commissioners what he meant but being further asked what he meant by Christs active obedience he answered Christs death upon the Crosse This pitifull answer makes us who know his former profession think that the fiery Deity and visions of Bradfield and a typicall Christ are like to make this man to forget if not to slight the knowledge of Jesus Christ in the scripture and now we have mentioned that blessed book denyed by many and wofully neglected by most the reader

the Justices of the Peace William Wickins sworn and examined saith that Dr Pordage did deliver in his sermon upon the 29 of Sept. that accursed were the people of Bradfield and their posterity and to you I speak so may you be accursed and your posterity in this world and in the world to come Animad 7. The Dr pretends to and now hath printed h●gh visions and so high that even by himself they are likened to the visions of Paul and John in the Revelation so far are they above the raptures and trances of John Becold Matthias and the rest in Germany He hath seen the world of Divells evill spirits innumerable their order and government he hath heard felt tasted and smelt hell in salt sulphur that by amagicall tincturation as his phrase is He hath seen the world of Angells and of them without number bright as the rayes sparkling like diamonds he hath tasted and heard the dews of paradise and h●rmonious musick his inward senses were opened to see the kingdom of glory and there he saith he is for his spirituall senses were never shut nor shall be unlesse he return back into the earthly nature pag. 77. He saith this was given to him as an extraordinary favour from God and this he speaks in high langu●ge and swelling words and now he hath a command from God to publish it some persons are and many more are like specially if the Quakers proceed in every corner of the Land to make the people Antiscripturists which is the great design of the Divell for the Bible makes him a Quaker we say many are like to cry up these visions and cry out upon the ordinances of the Lord Christ The question is concerning their proceedure whence are they whether from God or from the Divell we shall confesse with all willingnesse that if they be from God visions of the Lord they are very admirable and extraordinary as he calls them besides the ordinary dispensations of God to his hidden ones and let it be proved by the Dr or any of his in the world that they are such we shall willingly confesse our selves to be persecuters plunderers theeves lyons as he saith and we trust we shall not be ashamed to give God the glory But if they be from hell and diabolicall then we say the God of heaven did scarce ever permit Satan to act a cheat upon fallen man beyond this delusion of the Dr we do not know but it may be our ignorance we heartily confesse any feigned storie of visions that come neer these the 74 75 76 77 pages of his book do exceed all of the Mahumetans Papists Familists old or new we cannot but look upon them First as tremendous judgements from God upon men who are most righteously punished with believing lies because they receive not the truth in the love of it Secondly as wise providences for the tryall of others of the christian magistrate for the probation of his courage zeal and love to truth and of the private christian for the tryall of his faith that those that are approved may be made manifest Thirdly As a call from heaven to every one of us to keep close to Scriptures to labour for a sound scripturall knowledge of the Lord Jesus to love the truth for the truths sake and to practise it for Christs sake from his love and for his glory The reader hath seen his blasphemies we shall now desire his favour to consider and judge what his apparitions revelations visions are and what his mortification is which was alwaies the pretence of cheates and deceivers John of Leyden did much presse the people to mortification and to a converse with God the precious title of holynesse is assumed by the Popes even those that were conjurers whoremongers dealers with the Divell we shall speak of these in order First Of Angelicall Apparitions We desire to bring them to the scriptures the only balance and lapis lydius that so we may try them by the weights and touch of the word let no man say this is a low dispensation if they do yet their hard words are occasionally our advantage the more these times vilifie the more we desire to magnifie the scripture the wickednesse of these dayes by a kind of antiperistasis intending the small heat of our affections toward them the history of the word is a ground for a divine faith because the authority is divine humane authours we do we can believe but humanely First They were very rare to a very few men and those eminent and extraordinary ones as to Abraham Jacob Daniel c. we believe from Adam to Moses and from him to Christ and from Christ to this day we cannot find thirty persons upon authentick records that have had apparitions of Angels not one Saint amongst many thousands Secondly To those they did appear they appeared seldome most of these few had they had apparitions of Angels but once lesse they had had none at all Thirdly They made no tarriance with them to whom they did appear we believe take all the appearances from the creation to this day and compute the time it will not in all make up one naturall day take them all together not 24 houres Fourthly Very few of them did appear upon their appearances not above two or three at most but most commonly but one and when the scripture speaks of Angels plurally it names their number as two to Lot three to Abraham two to the sepulchre of Christ unlesse it be to Jacob in Gen. 32.2 and to Elisha 2 Kings 6. and to the shepheards Luke 2. Fifthly Their appearance was upon some extraordinary businesse which may be reduced to these four heads 1. Either of tidings and message as of a son and such a son as Isaac to Abraham and Sarah when the one was an hundred yeares old and the other ninety so to childlesse Manoah concerning the birth of Sampson to Zachary concerning John the Baptist and to the V. Mary and the shepheards to foretell to Mary and declare to the shepheards the birth of Jesus Christ and to declare to the women his resurrection 2. Angels have appeared for comfort so to Jacob when he was afraid of Esau to Joshua at the siege of Jericho to Gideon against the Midianites to Daniel in the captivity to the Lord Jesus Christ in his agony 3. They have appeared for deliverance as to Lot out of Sodom when God purposed to rain brimstone to Peter in prison when his chains fell off Acts. 12. 4. They have appeared for direction so to Cornelius to bid him send for a Minister Peter Some of these apparitions were not of created Angels but of the Angel of the covenant the Lord Christ as that of Joshua and Gideon as appears by the context besides these the scripture records very few Austins rule was non credo quia non lego I believe nothing but what I read in the Bible Sixthly Many of these few angelicall

more then the Pope himself The like entertainment found the reformation in England in Q. Eliz. time but by the care of the Magistrate this fire of hell did not flame very high nor last very long nor spread very faire now in these dayes the reformation prayed for being in some hopefull way of attainment what visions and revelations are pretended farre and wide even from Dan to Beersheba from Barwick to the mount Thirdly Observe this Dr in all his visions sees nothing at all there is a deep silence as to the everlasting Godhead and most precious bloud of our Lord Jesus his visions teach the way to the virgin essence and the life of perferction by way of conformity which way he saw fore-right and wisdome that eternall virgin invited him to follow her in the the way of circumcision resignation and the crosse and so on to the resurrection ascension glorification and fixation pag. 77. These good words as they are here signifie to us that know the man no more then a bladder upon a nut-shell Nay we have reason to believe that in his sense they are full of the wine of dragons and poison of asps making our Lord Christ but a type Fourthly Observe that he ascribes his height and abstractednesse and his pretended mortification and living with God unto his visions for so he tells you the good effect of this upon my self and family pag. 72. the effects and impressions left upon our spirits pag. 76. And now for the space of these four years ever since these we by the grace of God pag. 77. c. his holinesse is not wrought by the scriptures but by apparitoins So that now it must not be sanctifie them through thy truth but through visions now it must be no more believing in Christs name through the word but through the sight of the dark and light world Oh horrid who sees not but in these quaking dayes when there be so many hundred Quakers who deny the scriptures this Dr comes in with his visions and tells their glorious effects to do a kind office for the devil viz. to make the scriptures seem uselesse and by degrees rejected and at last denied We shall conclude this with that precious passage of Dr Reynolds in his first thes with a little addition Away with the Jews and their Cabala of Rabbins away with the Montanists and their new comforter away with the Trent Fathers and their traditions away with the Anabaptists and their revelations away with the Quakers and their actings away with Matthiz and all his trances away with the Statists and their guide reason away with John of Leyden with all his raptures and away with John of Bradfield with all his visions The scripture the word sufficeth us our salvation is Christ the way to salvation faith the guide of the way the scriptures the light whereof directeth our steps the food nourisheth our souls the preservative keeps us from diseases the plaister cureth our wounds the sword killeth our enemies and the conduct brings us to eternall glory Animad 8. He tells the world thus we had an opening of the eternall world by a divine transportation into the glory of the majesty and we heard unutterable words and mysteries and we daily dy to our self ownments it is our desire to put some Queries to this Seraphick man to clear the truth First Dr pray tell us whom do you mean under these high visions and such a degree of perfection from the enjoyment of them for pitty do not design to cheat your reader at a distance who never heard of you but by your book Tell him who you mean by we and us if you will not then we must thus Father * These names th●y have given themselves in a mysticall sense and there is we believe some mystery of wickednesse in it Abraham formerly called John Pordage one Deborah formerly Mary the quondam wife of John two Mary Flavell the woman of them both three we know no more unlesse it be Eliezer the Steward of the family called Francis and Susan Day as for Rahab formerly Mary Pocock she denies it Mr Bromley did first scruple and then * If it had not been so he would quick●y have said it the country conceives his silence to be a concession deny his oath being demanded to testifie of Mrs Blagraves vision in her morning coat Mary Allen saith nothing John Bolt is a pitifull ignoramus fit to be the Drs servant and witnesse here is all the number that we know of they shall proceed no further their folly is made manifest blessed be God Secondly Why did you very often neglect your people upon the Lords Day somet●mes five or six weeks together did not you apparen●ly mind your own tithes more then their poor souls and when you were in the pulpit why did you use such uncouth canting unedifiing language one of the inhabitants deposed that you preached like John Tawney Thirdly Why did you when you thought you might safely do it speak so sleightly of the Lord Jesus nay have not you wickedly if not in some degree Satanically out of your Satanicall pride from your Satanicall visions reproached the bloud of the Lord Christ God blessed for ever are these the effect of your visions and your transporting into the eternall world Oh villany of all villainies Fourthly What mean you by saying p●g 35. that many from out-places were quickened by your ministry and strengthened do you mean your witnesses The Lord convert them or whom do you mean name one name but one of those many this is not only vain boasting but wicked that may be in a truth but this is in a ly The Lord be mercifull to that country Fifthly What mean you by suffering under your nose the child Hannah to call Mrs Flavell Aunt the child was not so wise as to know her own Father and you were not so honest as to let her know her own Mother Sixthly What did you mean to suffer Mrs Flavell to live in the practise of such known untruths as these for many years viz. that Hannah was not her child that she was the child of a dear friend of hers that she was entrusted by the mother to look to it and this against your knowledge have you a dispensation for this lewd practise Seventhly Nay Dr tell us what did you call the child did not you say Mrs Flavell was her Aunt you pretend poorly in your book a law suit as a reason why she concealed her name nine years together pray tell us why Widow Fruin should be so unsafe was dead Mr Fruin any more lyable to a law suit then dead Mr Flavell it smells above ground Pray tell us one thing you are best able to answer and we will put it to you in your own language sc were not you Mr Frewins figurative similitude Eighthly Why did you in such an unseemly manner for any man but in you very scandalous suffer nay entertain Mrs