Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	authority_n	church_n	person_n	1,479	5	5.0691	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37498	The tryal of spirits both in teachers & hearers wherein is held forth the clear discovery and certain downfal of the carnal and antichristian clergie of these nations / testified from the Word of God to the university-congregation in Cambridge by William Dell ; whereunto is added A plain and necessary confutation of divers gross errors delivered by Mr. Sydrach Simpson in a sermon preached to the same congregation at the commencement, Anno 1653 ; wherein (among other things) is declared, that the vniversities (according to their present statutes and practices) are not (as he affirmed) answerable to the schools of the prophets in the time of the law, but rather to the idolatrous high places ...	Dell, William, d. 1664.; Simpson, Sidrach, 1600?-1655. A plain and necessary confutation of divers gross and antichristian errors.	1660 (1660)	Wing D933; ESTC R219079	121,760	168

the Hearers when they do not receive the Word of Truth from the Teachers of Truth but do contrarily cleave to Humane and Philosophical or Moral or Formal and National Doctrine published and held forth by the Teachers of Error Now hence it is evident That there are two Heads or chief Teachers in the World which are Christ and Antichrist and also that there are two Seeds or Generations which flow from them begotten by their Doctrine The One is Christs Seed or the Elect and Faithful the Other is Antichrists Seed or the Reprobate and Unbelievers And each Sort of these People do joyn Themselves to their several and proper Heads and by this they are certainly distinguished known and discerned Antichrist and his false Teachers who are the Head of the Malignant Church and People they come in great Pomp and Glory as to the eye of the World being beautified and dignified with Degrees Names and Titles being exalted to great Honour Authority and Power being full of fleshly Wisdom Rhetorical Eloquence and Philosophical Learning and so to Humane Judgement They are most considerable Persons in the Church and very Angels of Light in appearance And they being thus adorned and beautified to the pleasing and content of the World all the World come in and commit fornication with Them and do hear and conceive Them and are conquered by their Inchantments But Christ and his Teachers come in true Humility and Self-denial and Meekness and Lowlyness and without the Titles and Glory of the false Teachers which they utterly despise and refuse and without all Excellency of Speech and Wisdom and Learning of this World and These do contradict the Religion and Righteousness of the World and speak the Truth which is of God by the Spirit which is of God and these Teachers all the true Sheep of Christ the faithful flock do own and acknowledge and they come and hear the Words of their lips being assured that it is not They that speak but the Spirit of their Father which speaks in Them For the Body and Members of Christ do necessarily cleave to Christ their Head and the Body and Members of Antichrist do in like manner necessarily cleave to Antichrist their Head And as the Body and Members of Christ do cleave to Christ their Head and to those that are in his Spirit and will not nor cannot joyn to Antichrist and to those that are in his Spirit so also the Body and Members of Antichrist do cleave to Antichrist their Head and those that are in his Spirit and will not nor cannot joyn to Christ and to those that are in his Spirit For such as the Body it self is such a Head will it choose to it self and so a Spiritual Heavenly and Faithful People will joyn Themselves to such a Teacher or rather to Christ Himself in and through him And a carnal worldly and unbelieving People will joyn Themselves to such a Teacher and to Antichrist Himself in and through him Wherefore as they that hear the true Teachers and Christ in them and do joyn and cleave by faith to the Word and Doctrine which they hear knowing that it is of God as all Such are certainly of God even his true Children and People and the true Sheep of Christ in as much as they know his Voice and cleave to it So they that hear the false Teachers and Antichrist in them and do cleave to their Doctrine and Ministry and do like commend and applaud that all such are not of God but of their father the Devil and the true and natural Members and People of Antichrist And this very Doctrine Christ Himself hath clearly taught in his Gospel as John 5. 43. where he saith to the Jews I am come in my Fathers Name and ye receive me not another shall come in his Own Name and Him ye will receive That is the Unbelieving Jews would not come and cleave to Christ as their Head though coming in the Name of God that is in the true Power Wisdom and Righteousness of God because they were none of Christs own Sheep But Antichrist coming in his own Name that is in his own Power Wisdom and Righteousness they receive Him and joyn to Him as to their own true and Natural Head And again John 8. 47. Christ saith to the Jews He that is of God heareth Gods Word ye therefore hear it not because ye are not of God Whence it appears that to hear and cleave to the true Word of God taught and held forth by Christ and his Prophets is a manifest Token that men are of God but to turn away from it and to despise it and to embrace another Doctrine is as manifest a Sign that they are not of God but of the Devil as Christ saith to the same people ver 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil for there is no Truth in Him and he abides not in the Truth no more do Ye Again John 10. v. 4. 5. Christ saith His own Sheep follow Him the true Shepherd because they know his Voice and a stranger will They not follow but flee from Him because they know the Voice of Strangers Wherefore they that hear the Word of Faith in the true Teachers of the Gospel They have in them the Spirit of Truth but they that dislike and disrelish that Word and joyn to the Teachers and Doctrine of Antichrist They all have in them the Spirit of Error And therefore it concerns us more than the World is aware of to take heed Whom we hear For if we cleave to the Teachers of Truth as hath been declared then have we the Spirit of Truth but if to the Teachers of Error then are we of the Spirit of Error And thus this Scripture teacheth us how to know and discern the Spirit both of Christ and of Antichrist and that both in the Teachers and in the Hearers both which are of great Use to the true Church of God in all Times but especially in these Last Times And these things I have spoken and testified freely according to the measure of grace given knowing that they will be as acceptable to the true Friends and Members of Christ crucified as they are troublesome and displeasing to the Members of Antichrist FINIS A Plain and Necessary CONFUTATION Of divers gross and Antichristian Errors DELIVERED To the University Congregation At the Publick Commencement Anno. 1653. By Mr. Sydrach Simpson Master of Pembroke HALL in CAMBRIDGE Potentior est veritas quam eloquentia potior spiritus quam ingenium major fides quam eruditio ut Paulus ait Stultum Dei sapientius est hominibus Luther Epist. ad Caspar Bornerum Profes Lipsens Non est istud temeritas sed fides neque inconsideratio sed ratio neque furor sed fiducia Hillarius lib. contr Constantium Augustum LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Sign of the Black-spread-Eagle near the West-end of Pauls 1660. An Apologie to the

and Temporal Power which they had gotten have stricken great fear into the whole World and have miserably vexed innumerable Consciences with a grievous and lasting bondage and have even driven them to Despair whilst none durst approve or own any Spirit or Doctrine though never so manifestly of Christ and his Gospel without their Allowance and Approbation so mightily hath the power of Antichrist prevailed in the World and that against the express Word of Christ. Now the ground of this their Antichristian Pride and Usurpation is This that they arrogate to Themselves that They are the Guides and Shepherds of all Christian men and are to teach them the Gospel which they are only to receive from their lips whereas Christ hath promised his true Church that they shall be all taught of God and shall hear and learn Themselves from the Father and hath also promised to send to them the Spirit to lead them in all Truth and to give them an Annointing to teach them All Things Now they by robbing the Faithful of this Power and arrogating it to Themselves have made themselves contrary to Christs Command Lords and Masters in the Church of God and have usurped to themselves Superiority and Authority over other Believers and have subjected all the World to their Opinion and Judgement in the things of God by which means they have set wide open the flood-gates to Antichrist and his Kingdom to break in upon the World and to overflow it whilst they had robbed all Christian People of their own Judgement in all the Things of God and had made them to depend wholly on the Judgement of the Clergy And had not Christian People thus unchristianly delivered up their Judgements to the Clergy and that in the very Highest Points of Religion Christianity had not been so miserably blinded and corrupted as it is and the Mysterie of Iniquity had not so much prevailed in the World as now it hath For when Christians would not try the Spirits whether They were of God and the Doctrines whether they were the Word of God or no but thought this a matter too High for them and would refer and submit all to the Judgement of their Ministers then Antichrist the Apostle of the Devill came forth boldly and proudly exalted Himself above all that is called God and his Kingdom above all the Kingdoms of the World having first put out both the Eyes of Christians by taking away from them their Right and Power of trying Spirits and judging Doctrines But when true Christians shall search the Scriptures as God I trust hath now fully put into their hearts to do and shall justly and lawfully take to themselves the Power which God hath given them to try Spirits and Doctrines then Antichrist and his Agents the carnal Clergy must soon be brought down for the Faithfull by that Word shall soon perceive that They are not of God nor their Doctrine of that right Gospel which is after the Mind of Christ. Well then by what hath been said You who are of Christs true Sheep may perceive that it is evident by the Word that faithful Christians have Right and Power to try Spirits and Doctrines though Antichrist for many Ages hath robbed them of this Priviledge For that I may speak a little more to this matter the Tryall of Spirits doth unquestionably belong to all Men who have received the Spirit of God for to this Spirit of God which dwells in the faithfull the Gift of Discerning Spirits is inseparably annexed and the Spirit of Christ which truly dwells in all true Christians cannot deceive nor be deceived in the Tryall of Spirits So that this now is a Common Grace that in some measure belongs to all true Christians who have received the Unction that teacheth them all things and is true and is no lie And though there be in the Church Diversities of Gifts from the same Spirit which are given to some and not to others as Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues and Miracles and Gifts of healing c. mentioned by Paul 1 Cor. 12. yet this gift of Trying Spirits is given to All in some measure that have received the Spirit For as in the Natural Body there are several Gifts given to several Members which are not given to all the members as Seeing to the Eye Hearing to the Ear Walking to the foot c. but Feeling is given to all the Members so also in the Body of Christ that is the spiritual Church several Gifts are given to several Saints but the Tryall of Spirits and Doctrines to all Saints who have received the Spirit and if any have not Christs Spirit he is none of His and if any have Christs Spirit he can in some measure discern and judge of all Spirits in the World and the more any man receives Christs Spirit the more able is he to judge of all Other Spirits Wherefore they who are true Believers and have received Christs Spirit their Judgement is to be preferred in the Tryall of Spirits before the Judgement of a whole Council of Clergy men And they only who can try Spirits by the Spirit of God and Doctrines by the Word of God written in their hearts by the Spirit are fit to commend Ministers to the Work of God that is the Congregations of the faithful and not Universities and Assemblies of Divines And thus you may perceive that seeing many false Prophets are gone out into the World it concerns the faithful as they tender their own everlasting Salvation not to believe every Spirit that speaks of Christ and his Kingdom and his Things but to Try the Spirits whether they be of God Object But now it may be some will be ready to say We ought indeed to try the Spirits seeing there are many falfe Prophets in the world but we hope there are no such Persons among us but only some upstart Men with their new Light who with their Novelties and Fancies trouble the Nation and would fain turn all things upside down and we know these well enough already and do sufficiently despise them Answ. It is very like you do but yet let me say to you Men Brethren and Fathers understand Your selves and know what you do in this matter For at the beginning of the Reformation by the Ministry of Luther Zuinglius Calvin and divers others pretious servants of Jesus Christ the Popish Clergy applyed all these Scriptures Try the Spirits whether they be of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world and beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves I say these and the like places of Scriptures they applied to these Godly Men and yet they Themselves were the false Prophets indeed and the Other whom they termed such were true Ones Wherefore it is possible for You to be mistaken as well as They and no doubt but you will be mistaken except the Lord be gracious

read Aristotles Logick according to the Institutions of Porphyrius and Averroes Brother or Fryar William read Tullies Rhetorick and Gislebertus read Divinity to them on Sundays and Saints days And for Oxford that was founded by King Alfred Anno 895. by the perswasion of Neotus the Monk and Rewards were propounded for those that would profess Learning there Afterwards both these Schools were made Universities in Edward the firsts time by the Court of Rome as Robert Remington affirms Yea farther by the very Names of the Colledges it is manifest what Religion set them up some being founded in the Honor of one Saint some of another Saint one being founded in the Honor of Christ another in the honor of Jesus another in the Honor of Immanuel another in the Honor of the Trinity Whereby they have rent the Name of God in pieces each one seeking to honor that Name of Christ most in the Honor of which his Colledge was founded Yea some Colledges have been founded in the Honor of Christs Body as the Colledges of Corpus Christi in both Universities and one in Oxford for the Help of all Dead Souls and for their rescue out of Purgatiry And so it is well known what Religion founded them And what Religion will in due time Destroy these Foundations if they be not Reformed is as well known For Wickliff whom God raised up to be one of the most Eminent Reformers of the Christian Religion since the Apostles times speaks thus touching Universities Colledges and Students Seeing Christ saith he hath not ordained these Universities or Colledges it is manifest that both They and the Graduations in them are nothing but so much vain Heathenism introduced in Testimony whereof as well the Collegiates as other Graduates do seek the things which are their own leaving the Rules of Charity From whence do arise Envies and Comparisons between Persons and Countries and many other seed-plots of the Father of Lyes Again he having spoken of other Sects saith Our Judgement concerning Colledges is the same as touching their General Studies For through Them Persons and Countreys are accepted against the Rules of Charity and inward Envies are heaped up with other Sins Perjuries and Simonies against their own Statutes Notwithstanding it is granted that out of such Colledges many Good Things do arise as well as out of other Sects yet not so Many as by the occasion of the sin of the Devil and the sin of the fiest Man And therefore let a Faithful Man be ashamed to alledge the fruit of such Profit Again saith he If these Colledges are in their Conversation rejected of the Lord who doubts but that to nourish Them in this Way is no Alms but the foolish Presumption of a Faction and Party against Christ For all these Sects and all Newnesses which are not founded on Christ the Lord they tempt Christ with the Devil Mat. 4. seeing they despise the free Ordination of his Sect and do rather choose another servile Sect less good as if they would not ascend into the Heavenly Sion by the steps which God hath Ordained but would flie to the Pinacle of the Temple by the carrying of the Devil What Alms therefore is it to cherish such a Childe of the Devil in Cains Castles against Christ He also affirms that one Ideot through the Help of the Grace of God doth more Good in the Church then many Graduates in the Schools and Colledges and that Gods Inspiration of such doth more profit the Community of the saithful then all the Universities and all their Studies and Priviledges Thus hath Wickliff witnessed in this Matter who was also Himself Master of Baliol Colledge in Oxford And Philip Melancthon gives this Testimony of Him Equidem sapientem virum judico fuisse Wicklefum Anglum qui omnium primus quod ego sciam vidit Universitates fuisse Satanae Synagogas that is I do indeed judge Wickliff of England to have been a Wise man who for ought I know first of all saw Universities to have been the Synagogues of Satan John Hus also that excellent Instrument of Jesus Christ and blessed Martyr saith speaking on that Scripture Isa. 28. Wo to the Crown of the Pride of Ephraim and the Crown of Pride shall be troden under foot saith The Doctorships and Masterships of many who having the Word of God wholly choaked in them do now too shamelesly make broad their Phylacteries and inlarge the borders of their Garments and love the chief Chairs in the Schools and to be saluted in the Markets and to be called of men Doctor And by this They go in the Apparel and Harness of the Mystical body of Antichrist because it is written that He is the King of all the Children of Pride And the Crown of Pride of these Children of Pride shall be troden down And thus as it is manifest what Religion founded the Universities so it is as manifest what Religion will in the appointed time destroy these Foundations if they be not truly and thorowly Reformed For surely as they are if the work of Christ go forward in the World as it necessarily must do notwithstanding the present Defection in the appointed time They can no more be held up then the House built on the sand in the time of Tempest For the true Spiritual Church is built on the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner Stone and so it is firmly founded upon a Rock and can never fall But the Universities are built on the Philosophers and Heathens Plato and Aristotle being the chief Corner Stones and so They are built upon the Sand. And neither can their own Hands uphold them nor the Secular Arm establish them in that Day wherein the Lord alone shall be exalted But it is not Men of Moral and Civil Religion and Righteousness who will do this Work and execute this Vengeance for the Inchantments of the Universities are too strong and mighty for all Humane Spirits But the Called Chosen and Faithful Ones of Christ when He shall summon them and call them to his foot They shall not stand on Complements Formalities and Niceties nor regard Friendship or Enmity but through the Power of Faith shall break through all that can be said and objected by the Wisdom Policy Prudence and Religion of Man and shall execute the Righteous Judgements of the Lord on these Mothers of Harlots and Fornications of the Nations And whereas he saith their Destruction will never be but of Themselves I do verily believe that For seeing their Root is rottenness their Fruit must needs be Destruction Yea the Lord will raise up his Word in the midst of them to destroy them For the more the Word of the Lord shall blow upon the University the more shall this Grass wither and the Flower thereof that is Humane Learning fade away till it be at last quite dried up And this is the University whose