Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
christian_n apostle_n church_n creed_n 1,331 5 10.2664 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A39605 Fitz-Harys's last sham detected, or, A vindication of His Sacred Majesty from those foul aspersions cast upon him by that impudent libel called Fitz-Harys's last confession left under his own hand and published by Dr. Hawkins by a truly loyal subject. Truly loyal subject. 1681 (1681) Wing F1095; ESTC R14953 10,033 4

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

Confessions And it may be to give some due time for Confession and Absolution after such notorious things it is of late that they have rather chosen to write something aforehand than to speak much at the Hour of the Execution It much affects some credulous Persons that he in the beginning of his Confession declareth That he doth profess and declare his Religion in the general to be that which hath been truly and anciently delivered in the Four first General Councils and in particular my Belief is that true Faith of a Christian briefly contained in those Three Creeds commonly called The Apostles Creed St. Athanasius's and The Nicene Creed And I die a Member and in the Communion of Christ's Holy Catholick Church hoping for Mercy through the alone Merits of the Passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Whether Fitz-Harys was of Parts enough to draw up this Confession himself or who drew it for him I cannot tell sure I am it was drawn with subtlety enough and I fear with more subtlety than sincerity The Design I perceive is to leave us in the dark as to making any judgment whether he died a Protestant or a Papist That he did not die a Protestant Dissenter is evident enough for although any of them would at their death have professed their hope for Mercy through the alone Merits of Jesus Christ and also have agreed to the Articles of Faith expressed in the Three Creeds yet none of them would especially having not read the Four first General Councils dying have declared their Faith at adventures according to what they Decreed nor admitted any General in this Case but the Doctrine contained in Holy Writ So as the Scuffle about this Man's Bones must be betwixt Dr. Hawkins and the Romish Priests the one on the behalf of the Church of England the other on the behalf of the Church of Rome nor dare I determine who hath the Right For both Papists and knowing Protestants are agreed in the Doctrine contained in the Three Creeds both Parties will own a Communion of Christ's Holy Catholick Church both of them will declare their hope for Mercy through the Merits of Jesus Christ The Word alone is all the Papist will stumble at and when they come to die they will in conformity to their great Cardinal Bellarmine own that too as the safest So as nothing appears from this Paragraph too subtlely drawn for a Soldier of Fortune to be indeed the Author of the Draught but Fitz-Harys might die a Papist or a Protestant But though I believe this Confession calculated for the purpose to give credit to a Protestant Plot yet it will not reach the End for in the first Words of his Examination taken before Sir George Treby and Sir Robert Clayton May 10. 1681. he saith That he was born in Ireland and is the Son of Sir Edward Fitz-Harys and that he was bred and is a Roman Catholick So that while he was a Plotter we are sure he was a Papist from his own Confession and it is not likely he was any other when he told so many Lies for the Credit of the Roman Catholick Cause as he hath done in his Confession Let them that desire such a Member of their Church rejoyce in his Memory That which is most to be admired is to see the Midwifery of a Doctor of the Church of England to this Monster if not Bastard and the various Arts expressed in his Attestation to pursuade the World that the Contents are true He tells us he was perfectly by him first convinced that there was no hopes of Life for him so as he did it not it seems to save his Life Indeed he might have been perfectly convinced of this long since The Commons in Parliament could not do it for as they had Impeached him so they were bound in Honour to make their Charge good The Lords were not like to have found so notorious a Malefactor Not guilty and his dying Reflexions upon His Majesty let all the World see he could have no hope of Mercy from him But what his Wife might from some Suggestions of Persons of her own Sex persuade him who knows And therefore how Dr. Hawkins could assure the World he was so perfectly convinced there was no hope of Mercy for him I cannot tell I much less understand to what purpose the same Doctor tells us of his kneeling down and protesting the truth of several Paragraphs unless it were to induce the World to believe he spoke truth when it is impossible any should believe it that hath any reverent or indeed decent thoughts of His Majesty or that will not believe His Majesties Privy-Council and Ministers of Justice so unrighteous as to punish the Accessary and let the Principal go free nay so severely to punish one that vvas no Accessary but a Servant to His Majesty and that by the appointment of some first to get then to acquaint His Majesty vvith Seditious and Treasonable Libels for vvhat he did in that Service Or vvho vvill not believe Sir George Treby and Sir Robert Clayton and both the Sheriffs at London not onely egregiously vvicked but every vvhit as rash and vveak and very unfit for so great Trusts He that can get leave of his Reason to believe all these things may believe Fitz-Harys's Confession But he that cannot may see reason to adore and to be thankful for the good Providence of God in suffering such a Villain for ever to defame Dying Words of Papists and to disabuse a company of poor credulous Souls vvho have had so much Faith to spare for their Shams upon this single account because they vvere the Words of Dying Men. That vvhen Gavan's Lie in his Dying Speech about the One Mariana amongst the Jesuits that had held it lavvful for private Persons to kill the King vvhen it is knovvn it is the avovved Doctrine of multitudes of them in their Printed Books vvould not convince people it being onely vvhat Learned Men could by Reading find to be a Lie in a Dying Month nor my Lord Stafford's Denial of his knovvledge of Turbervill vvhen the contrary aftervvards vvas made appear by multitudes of Depositions printed by Smith People might at last have so plentiful a Proof of the falshood of their Dying Words as ordinary Persons might understand and none of any reasonable modesty could deny And hovv he vvho hath taken such pains to attest the most impudent Libel ever printed vvill for it acquit himself to His most Sacred Majesty to the whole Nation and particularly to those worthy Patriots vvho are so abused in it vvill be his not my Concern to study He vvho observed Fitz-Harys's Demeanour from the first to the last could not but discern him after his first Apprehension ready to say deny affirm or to do any thing to save his Life And if these vvere indeed his ovvn Words and he had not drank too much Brandy before he vvrote them as many thought he had the Morning he came to his Trial it is hard to imagine vvhat but some hopes of saving his Life could make him the Author of so impudent a Story unless some Popish Priest had persuaded him it vvas the next vvay to Heaven and secured him a sudden Pardon and Absolution for the Sin of vvhat he did upon his Confession But after this it may vvell be hoped vve shall hear no more of the undoubted Credit to be given to Mens Dying Words LONDON Printed for R. Baldwin 1681.