Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	believe_v	know_v	life_n	4,056	5	4.5878	4	false

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

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 HOra mortis hora veritatis is an usual Saying and the Product of a Christian Charity presuming all Men to be Men and to have knowledge of an Eternal State and some dread of God upon their Souls but it faileth in several Cases 1. Where Persons in that hour have no just use of their Reason and so speak they know not what 2. Where the Person is not sure of his Death but is muzzled up in an hope of Life if he will speak to such a sense 3. Where the Person is ignorant or Atheistical either not knowing or not believing an Eternal State Or 4. Where the Party though believing an Eternal State yet is persuaded that the nearest way to it is by speaking false to save the Repute of a Sham-Religion into which he hath been Baptized and in which he hath lived In the first Case the same Reason that alloweth no great Credit to be given to one mad or drunk in his Fits while he liveth will also discharge our Charity for giving their Dying Words no more credit The Reason for the second is as plain because the onely Reason of Mens charitable Presumption in that Case is our fancy of the Persons Apprehension that he is presently going before the Tribunal of the just Judge of the whole Earth who hath told us that all Liars shall go into the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone Now he who hath no such Apprehension hath no more credit due to his Words dying than when he was living nay so much less as he valueth Life which he hopes may be prolonged by Lying For the third whoso considereth that the Reason why Charity directs more credit to the Words of a dying than of a living Man is because it presumes a Christian possessed with the belief of an Immortal State and Eternity and of the truth of Holy Writ will without difficulty understand why the Words of a dying Man that either doth not know or though he hath heard such things yet accounteth them Romantiquè deserve no more credit than they had due to them when the Person was at furthest distance from his Latter-end especially if he suffereth as a Malefactor for though it may be he either knoweth not or believeth not that he hath an Immortal Soul capable of eternal Happiness or Misery yet he cannot but know that his Repute will out-live him and when he is dead he will be yet spoken of and his Relations also will be a little concerned in the Worlds Discourses of him may justly be presumed not knowing of any inconvenience from false Discourses tending to that end to lie for his and his Families and Friends Reputation And in the fourth Case it is as plain adm●●ting a Man to believe an Eternity and the Immortallity of the Soul in Bliss or Misery yet 〈◊〉 he believeth that the nearest way in his State to that Bliss is to tell Lies for the Glory of God as he is persuaded to uphold the Reputation of the Church the onely true Apostolick Church and the true Catholick Religion he hath all the reason in the World and it is a great piece of his Religion to die with a Lie in his Mouth that is an highly officious Lie and so far from guilt that it becometh meritorious The third of these is the Case of too many who are no pr●fest Papists Some scores die by the Hand of the Executioner every year boldly denying what must be true or double the number of them not tainted with any ill Repute must be perjured and an easie Judgment will determine That a double or treble number of Persons of known Integrity are rather to be believed upon their Oaths than half or a third part of that number are who have been ignorant and Atheistical Persons of no repute during the time of their Lives dying without any sense of their other Sins or due knowledge of the Principles of Religion which hath put me into some admiration of the Credulity of some amongst us who will so often say of Persons professing our own Religion though they have died denying the Fact for which they have died Doubtless they were guilty whatever they said at the Gallows that they should so easily credit Papists dying Words contrary to the most evident proof especially considering that by the Principles of Popery and the Determination of the generality of their Directors of Consciences Papists may tell Lies in an hundred Cases and in some Cases ought to do it which is directly contrary to all the Principles of that Religion which Protestants profess The fourth is the Case of Papists who do not onely judge that jocose Lies are no Sins and officious Lies to save themselves without wronging others but venial Sins but pernicious Lies also such as are to the injury of others and the violation of Justice in many Cases either not Sins or very little ones attoned presently by Confession as in case they do not tend to some notable damage of others of which I hope their Priests must be Judges He who will read in English what their Divines say in this Case may find it in a Book called The Practical Divinity of Papists p. 248 249 c. And if any desire to have it from the Pens of their Divines themselves he shall find them there quoted to his full satisfaction And if it be meritorious to lie for the Catholick Cause Lying with them in their hour of death for the Credit of their Church or pretended Religion is plainly the nearest way the Malefactors of that Religion can take to go to Heaven But yet when any of these Persons tell or write Lies at such a distance from the hour of their Death that they have time to make Confession and take Absolution according to their Religious Principles they are as innocent as the Child unborn So that I confess I have not been much affected with the Writings or pretended Writings or Speeches of Men of this Religion some short time before their Death or in their dying hour and have had a great temptation upon me to think that those Protestants who have been moved at them have been very ignorant of their Principles or at best too much inclinable to their Religion they would never else at that rate defame their own Religion by denying or questioning the truth of what hath been said by those who have been bred and lived in the Profession of it and credited the Romish Religion by a credulity of any thing the Professors of that say because forsooth they are Dying Words as if Protestants might I am sure by their Principles they may not die with Lies in their Mouths but Papists who by their Principles may and perhaps ought may not do the same