Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	body_n	church_n	head_n	1,965	5	6.4381	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70157	A just defence and vindication of Gospel ministers and Gospel ordinances against the Quakers many false accusations, slanders and reproaches. In ansvver to John Horwood his letter, and E.B. his book, called, A just and lawful tryal of the ministers and teachers of this age, and several others. Proving the ministers calling and maintenance just and lawful, and the doctrine of perfection by free justification, preached by them, agreeable to the scriptures. VVith the Quakers objections answered. And the Quakers perfection by hearkning to, and obeying a light within them, proved contrary to the scriptures. And their practices in ten particulars proved contrary to the commands and examples of Christ and his apostles. By a lover of gospel ministers and gospel ordinances.	Gaskin, John, fl. 1660.	1660 (1660)	Wing G290; ESTC R223664	109,852	161

their own Prophets said The Cretians are alwayes lyers evil beasts slow bellies This witnesse is true wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith Now if the Apostle did quote a Heathen Author to confute error surely it is no sin for a Minister now to quote Authors to confute error Also the Apostle writing to Timothy of false teachers saith Of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly Women laden with sins Now saith the Apostle as Jannes and Iambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes or judgements and reprobates concerning the faith Now I would know of you where you read in the Scripture of Jannes and Jambres withstanding Moses wherefore it is supposed that Paul did read it in some ancient writing and did alledge it for conviction of those false teachers But I know you cannot indure Antiquity because you know you have taken up a new Religion which none of the ancient Fathers knew nay I believe you cannot produce any modern Writer that ever writ in the maintaining of your new wilde opinions and is it to be supposed or imagined that the truth of the Gospel hath been hid a thousand six hundred years and that Christ had no Church upon earth till you Quakers sprung up which ●●th been but of late years if so then Christ ceased to be a Head or else he was a head without a Body which is folly and madnesse for any man to imagine But I shall shew you hereafter of what antiquity many of your opinions are and so passe from your fourth ground and come to your fifth ground that The Ministers are no lawful Ministers because they take money for Preaching or Tithes or Glebe lands or Augmentations But say the Apostles preached freely to all which I shall give you answer And first I shall lay down this for a ground from the Apostles words that God hath ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel and this Christ and his Apostles taught contrary to you Quakers opinions for Christ when he gave his Apostles their charge to go abroad to preach the Gospel commanded them to take or provide neither silver nor gold in their purses nor scrip for their journey nor coats nor s●aves for the workman is worthy of his meat so that Christ did promise to the Disciples a sufficient maintenance for meat drink and apparel at that time when there were very few that durst professe the Gospel After Christ Ascention when the Gospel was more spread abroad the people sold their Land and Houses and brought the money and laid it at the Apostles feet and Ananias and Sapphira having sold their possession and kept back part were strook dead and do you think the Apostles were not maintained out of that common stock after that the Apostles had gathered Churches he complained of the Church of Corinths backwardnesse in allowing him maintenance saying Have not we power to eat and to drink and to lead about a sister a wife who goeth a warfare at his own charge who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit for it is written Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn doth God take care for Oxen or saith he Is it not for our sakes altogether that he that ploweth should plow in hope if we sow unto you spiritual things is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things do we not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel And the Apostle saith That he robbed other Churches taking wages to doe the Corinthians service That is to speak plainly the Apostle did take maintenance from other Churches when he preached to the Corinthians and so many Ministers at this time take maintenance from other Churches because the Parish or people unto whom they preach are not able or not willing to allow them sufficient maintenance which I know of a truth Also many Ministers have the greatest part of their maintenance from a few honest godly persons when many of far greater abilities and that of right ought to pay far greater share pay far lesse and many in a Parish to my knowledge neither give nor pay any thing towards the Ministers maintenance and many but four pence a year for their whole families in which sense many of our Ministers may say they rob other Churches or Christians to do other service and yet you Quakers cry out that all our Ministers are Hirelings and false Prophets because they ●●ke wages or yearly stipends and may you not 〈…〉 say so of the Apostle seeing he saith of himself that he did take wages also the Apostle writing to the Calatians saith Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things but few that are taught do so communicate unto their teacher as Luther complaineth in his Sermon upon the same verse in his time for Satan saith he can abide nothing lesse then the light of the Gospel therefore he goeth about with all main and might to quench it and this he attempteth two manner of waies First by lying Spirits such as you are and then by Poverty and that he endevours by withdrawing the Livings of the Ministers that they being oppressed with Poverty and Necessity their persons and ministery should be brought into contempt or forced to forsake the ministery to work for their livings and so the people being destitute of the ministery of the Gospel should become in time as savage and wilde beasts where he complaineth of many Magistrates Noblemen and Gentlemen who take away the Church goods whereby the Ministers should live and turn them to other uses And I could wish that we in England had no cause to take up the like complaint I hope I have not offended you in quoting what Luther writeth seeing he was one of the greatest enemies the Papists ever had and therefore I hope no Popish Father But to proceed mind what the Apostle writeth to Timothy Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the word and doctrine Now that the Apostle doth mean by one of the honours the honour of maintenance is plain by the words following for the Scripture saith Thou shalt not muzzle the Oxe that treadeth out the corn and the labourer is worthy of his reward and the Apostle in the same Epistle saith That a Bishop or Elder must be given to hospitality Now if a Minister must live upon the Charity of others himself have shall he have wherewith to releive others and by given to hospitality can be no other thing meant Also the Apostle saith If any man provide not for his own family he hath denied the faith and is

and I in them and we have known and beleived the Love that God hath to us God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him And that I may make it more plain I will set this forth by a similitude We know that the Sun doth shine and give light and heat by its beams or operation and we do say the Sun shineth into such a house or room and the Sun doth warm such a place and such a creature Now the body of the Sun remaineth in the Firmament but its beams and light and heat are in several places here below So in like manner Christ his body is in Heaven but he sendeth abroad his light and heat several operations and workings of his Spirit in the hearts of his people and this Metaphor of the Sun is often used in Scripture wherefore I shall alleadge some of those Scriptures because they do fitly serve to illustrate this truth The Prophet Malachy prophesieth of Christ saying but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings And as it is the property of the Sun to give light and warmth or heat and to expel mists and fogs that do infect the Air and to compleat and enliven things that seem to be dead in the Winter so is Christ to his Church and people here on earth though he be in Heaven he is the light of his Church as the Prophet Isaiah saith Arise shine for thy light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising And this Sun of righteousnesse is said to expel the of his people as a thick cloud is expelled by the Sun And the Lord is said to be a Sun to his people that is in Christ for out of Christ he is a consuming fire Object But you say that Christ doth enlighten every man as the Sun giveth light to all and by hearkning too and obeying that light all may be saved I have answered this before but for a farther answer Answ That I confesse Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world in some sense for as the Sun in the Heaven doth give light and heat unto all so doth Christ as the Creator give a common light of nature He maketh his Sun so shine or rise upon the evil and the good All that common light of Knowledge and understanding that wicked men have and all outward blessings come from Christ In him saith the Apostle we live move and have our being but that Christ doth give a spiritual light of grace unto all that are born that I deny For we are all born blind and dark in regard of spiritual light so saith the Apostle ye were once darkness and St. John saith That the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not as the Sun shining on a man that is born blind he receiveth no light from the Sun and every man that hath this spiritual light hath it or receiveth it from God in and through Christ as the Apostle Paul saith For God who commanded light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ This light is a free gift and we were not born with it If we were what need Christ have dyed for our sins Or what use is there of his intercession if all men have a light within them by hearkning to which and obeying it they may be saved I have taken this by the way because it is one of your cheif grounds upon which you build your religion But it is a sandy one that hath no foundation on Christ or the Scriptures For you do not make the Scriptures to be the rule of your faith and practise but some revelations or impulse of Spirit And therefore you object against what is spoken or written by reading or study or reading other mens works which is the last of your objections that I know of with answering of which I shall conclude For Answer I say that your slighting of reading and studying the Scripture and reading of the writings of godly Ministers and others that have written on them is a chief cause of all your errors For Christ exhorteth all to search the Scriptures and that cannot be without reading them And the Apostle Paul exhorteth Timothy To give attendance to reading and to meditate upon these things and give thy self wholly to them Surely Paul knew Timothy was no Quaker for some of you Quakers have said that they may not read the Scriptures But the Apostle commendeth Timothy That from a Child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation If he had not been a Reader of Scriptures he had not known them for although many read the Scriptures that never knew the will and mind of God revealed in them yet ordinarily none knoweth the Scripture but those that have read them or heard them read or preached upon and as faith cometh by hearing so by reading some have been converted if we may believe their own testimony in History which bringeth me to the second part of your objection The reading of other mens Books or writings To which I say that the Apostle Paul though a man indued with extraordinary gifts of revelations Yet he did read other mens Books or writings as you may see by his writing to Timothy When thou comest bring with thee the books but especially the parchments Now if the Apostle did not read them what need he to have sent for them but that the Apostle did read other books besides the Scripture is plain for the Apostle writeth of Jannes and Jambres withstanding Moses and he must read it in some other book or writing then the Scripture for there is no such thing there Also the Apostle to Titus doth alledge what one of the Cretians own Prophets said which he had read in some of their books and the Apostle Jude saith that Michael the Arch-angel strove with the Devil and disputed about the body of Moses and Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophecied of such men saying Behold the Lord cometh with thousands of his Angels Now we read of none of these in the Scripture and therefore the Apostle did read them in some other books or writings and will you say the Apostles did not bost in other mens lines as you say of us surely if the Apostles made use of other mens writings much more may we and to what end hath God given gifts unto men if they may not improve them by writing for sometimes they have not opportunitie to exercise them otherwise unless you would have them hide their Talents and to what end doe you Quakers write so many books and spread them