Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	truth_n	worship_n	worship_v	19,034	5	9.4594	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07444	The iudge of heresies one God, one faith, one church, out of which there is no saluation. Excluding all infidells, Mahumetans, Iewes, obstinate papists, and other heretikes of all sorts, and consequently all newters, who conforme themselues onely externally to any religion, from hope of participation of the kingdome of heauen. If they finally persist therein, and returne not to the knowledge and zealous profession of the true faith. By Iohn Merideth, Sub-Deane of Chichester.	Meredith, John, b. 1579 or 80.	1624 (1624)	STC 17830; ESTC S112660	68,232	98

deepest depth of Impiety I thinke it fit I say in this secure silence but great and crying necessity yea most needfull I deeme it to vse the best meanes I am able to saue their Soules who are vpon the brinke of Hell and run with no small alacrity to destruction as if it were vnto Saluation By propounding vnto them the end of their Deuiall Course which is In●uitable Damnation if they continue vnto the end therein and by reducing them into the right way which conducteth vnto eue●lasting life and endlesse saluation that wee being gatherd together into one fold may be safe vnder the tuition of the great Shepheard of our Soules Christ Iesus our Lord and onely Sauiour THE IVDGE OF HERESIES CAP. 1. Sheweth that God requireth truth in Religion which must be squared to the Rule of his Word and therfore Iewes Turkes and Papists whose Religion is false because contrary to the Scriptures cannot bee saued if they persist in their obstinacie and that Papists are but Pseudo Christians THough the most high and mighty God doth not stand in neede of Mans Seruice yet so hath hee ordained that Man should doe him certaine worship and that ad dandam ●onauext Breuiloq Par. 3. Cap. 11 1. viam perueniendi ad Coronam per obedient●am to make a way for man and to op●n him a doore to obtaine a Crowne of Immortality by Obedience with this bond of Pietie are wee obliged vnto God this is the Su●me of the Religion we profes●e To this end God made Man Exceptorium bonitatis Organon Clarificationis eius saith Irenaeus the Treasure-house Iren●●● lib. 4. ad●ers ●arcs Cap. 24. of his goodnesse and instrument of his glory and againe Exceptorium Justi iudicii ●ius the vessell of his wrath fury and indignation if vngratefully he neglect the exhibition of that allegeance hee doth owe vnto God the which hee hath r●uealed vnto man in his word But as Augustine obserueth Duobus modis hic peccatur antequam sapient fiat A man may offend two wayes before Lib. 3. de lib. Arb. hee hath pe●forn ed it if either hee refuse to apply himselfe to the knowledge of his Word or hauing receiued it will not shape himselfe to those Duties it requireth for p●●u●ntion whereof God made Man by nature to aff●ct these two things Wisedome saith Lactantins and Religion L●b 3 d● sa●s ●a pient cap. 11. Idem 〈◊〉 4 de vera Sap cap. 3. inseperable also in Office because In colendo sap●re debemus wee must bee wise in worshipping that is wee must know what and how we worship and In sapiendo colere in our wisedome wee must worship that is fulfill in Act and deed that which wee know Therefore there is Religion in Wisedome and Wisedome in Religion for which cause they cannot bee separated because to bee wise is nought else Nisi Deum Verum Iustis Ibid. piis cultibus honorare but to honour the true God with due and deuout worship for the selse same God hee is who must be vnderstood and that by Wisedome and be honoured and that by Religion ●ut Wisedome must haue the preced●nce Religion must follow Quia prius est Deum sc●re consequens colere wee must know God before wee can worship Ibid. Cap. 4. him Our Sauiour did vpbraid the Samaritanes for worshipping that which they knew not declaring that God will bee worshipped I●b 4. in Spirit and in truth that is purely against Hypocrites and Newters and in truth against Infidels Iewes Mahumetans and Heretickes The last Condition hee annexeth for those who seeme to worship God in minde Non tamen rectam habent scientiam but want true knowledge for wee must worship him in Minde sanam opinionem de ips● habere and haue a sound Theophilact Ibid. opinion of him for such worshippers God requireth Quoniam spiritus est Spiritus Spirituales quoniam veritas est veros as hee is a Spirit spirituall as hee is truth such as must worship him in truth And thus much the Pagan could discerne by the darke glimmering of Nature saying that it is the chiefe matter to bee regarded in Religion toward God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epicte● in Enc●yrid cap. 38. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to haue right opinions of God Therefore it sussicet● not to Beleeue Simply but Sicut dicit Scriptura as the Scripture teacheth vs for the true faith Theophil Super cap. 7. Job I●id is drawne out of the Scriptures th●refore our Sauiour saith Hee that beleeueth in me as the Scripture saith that is as the Scripture testifie of me for many think they beleeue in him Sed non vt dicit Scriptura but not as the Scripture directeth and so they follow their owne Sects such are all Heretickes for they beare Witnesse of Christ and whatsoeuer is requisite for vs to know concerning God is cont●ined in them therefore Caietan saith the Scriptures are Deus dicens Seipsum God declaring himselfe and his will vnto man In them God hath set downe what manner of worship he requireth of vs what we ought to beli●ue of him for euery one worshippeth God according to that beliefe he hath of God gathe●ed out of the Scriptures and this beliefe is acc●ptable vn o God and Saluation vnto men In which all those are saued who are predestinated vnto Saluation and without which it is not poss●ble for any man to be saued Whosoeuer therefore shall belieue or maintaine any thing of God and his Christ which is cont●adictory to his holy word doth e●re and that da●nably For as the Philosopher saith An Affirmation and Nega●ion are neuer true of the same Subiect Therfore it is impossible that Turkes Iewes Pagans Hereticks and Orthodoxall Ephes 4. Christians shou●d al● speake and belieue truth of God ● hom they professe s●eing they belieue contrary things of him and that directly contrary to the Scriptures also which are the Rules of Faith This is that Faith in which all Beleeuers since the beginning of the world vntill this present day haue beene saued and wherin our future Posterity vn●ill the dissolution of the same shall bee saued Euen that Seed of the Woman Gen. 3. which bruised the head of the Serpent foreseene by the Patriarches for●told by the Prophets decla●ed by the Euangeli●●s pr●ached by the Apostles and their Su●cessors in fu●ction and Office and belieued by all the fa●tl full vntill this day E● cum pr●dicantium diuersa sunt tempora non tamen Max 〈…〉 in Nat●●● du●ersa narratio and though they liued not all at the same time yet they consented in the same matter One Christ was euer b●lieued so th●t the Faith of the fore-named Ancients and Ours is one and th● selfe same Christ was an● is Heri Hodie ipse in S●cula yesterday Hebr. 13. August this day and the same for eu●r Tempora mutata sunt non fides the ●imes are changed the Faith is one and

Charitatem in Intentione Loue in thy Intention and Veritatem in Electione Truth in the choyce of thy B●ru Religion For if thou doest loue God and yet doest not serue him according to the Truth of his word thou hast the zeale of God but not according to knowledge therefore thou art not excused by doing that which thou doest beleeue ought to be done for thy beleefe being euill yea being no faith indeed but a light rash Credulity maketh thy purposes like that wicked ones prayer to be turned into sinne and the deuill doth deceaue thee by making thee conceipt it to be faith for as Pirats at Sea are wont in the darke time of the night to set vp lights in places full of sandy shelues and hidden Rockes thereby to allure Passengers vnder hope of attaining to an hauen of Safetie to shipwra●ke and destruction Such is this light of false faith kindled by the Spirits of the Ayre not whereby they may saue the poore Sailers on the Sea of this world and the flouds of this wretched life but by which they may sinke them into the bottomlesse pit of hell and damnation In this respect St. Paul saith that Satan transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light Therefore we that wa●t on the floods of this life must not beleeue euery light vnlesse we fall among Heresies which ruinate the soule while we purpose to reach the true Church which is the pillar and ground of Truth So in matters of Faith and case of Religion a man may intend the true worship of God and yet commit Idolatry as you Papists do● in your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or worshipping of the Sacramentall Bread which is meere Idolatry therefore Bonauentura saith ●●p 3. Se●t dist 9. that a man may be deceaued in his worship Nisi fiat secundum directionem regulam fidei If it be not done according to the direction and rule of Faith for one may De facto adore the diuell transformed into an Angell of light intending it vnto God Neither may his ignorance excuse him for he hath a treble helpe assigned him to preuent error First the prediction of the Scripture saying Many shall come in my Name Math. 24. Secondly prayer vnto God for inward illumination Thirdly suspention of his Credulity For we must not beleeue 1 Ioh. 4. euery spirit but try the Spirits which are of God otherwise if he be an Idolater he may be iustly taxed for worshipping hee knoweth Ioh. 4. not what In vaine doe we beleeue to attaine to the end of our Hope if so be we are ignorant of the right way which leadeth thereunto how much greater is our danger if running a Contrarie or By-way we will not be reclaimed but goe forward therein presumptuously notwithstanding admonition and direction of cunning guides whom we despise Which is as much as if a man who is drunke should thinke himselfe to be sober and doe all as a drunken man doth and yet thinkes himselfe to be sober and would be so accounted by other Such are they who being ignorant of the Truth haue a seeming shew or shadow of the same and doe euill as if it were good and runne on to destruction as if it were to saluation yea and binde themselues by their supposed knowledge to persist in their ignorance and error reiecting the meanes of Reformation saying with the wicked We will none of the knowledge of thy wayes Iob. ●1 O bloody deuotion sprouting from that Hel-bred Ate which made the Heathen to sacrifice their sonnes and daughters to the deuill and causeth the like in you that are deuoted vassals to the Pope in respect of your soules and your children also who may truly cry out against you Parentes sensimus p●rricidas wee haue 〈◊〉 found our Parents the murtherers of our Soules for preuention whereof St. Iohn as I haue said would haue vs try the spirits whither they be of God if through negligence to examine and finde out the truth thou art deceiued the fault is in thy selfe for as Chrysostome saith They cannot excuse themselues from condemnation Ho●●il S●p Math. who had meanes to finde the truth if they had a desire to seek after it for if the truth be the saluation and life of them that know it M●gis debet quaeri quam quaerere It ought rather to be sought for by other then that it should seeke after vs. And surely Negligence in learning the Grounds of Christian Faith is the chiefe cause that suffereth Man to fall into error when men are carelesse to seeke after Gods helpe therefore they are worthily depriued thereof is not he worthy to haue his house darke that shutteth vp the doores thereof and the windowes against the bright beames of the Sun●e which would enlighten it Such persons must know that faith is not Naturall but proceedeth ●phes from the Election of Gods goodnesse and is Donum Dei the Gift of God for were it Naturall all men would hold the selfe-same Faith nor should there be so great dissention about it as we see at this day therefore it is to be sought of God and therefore as the Sunne is not to be seene but by his owne light So the Sunne of Righteousnesse whereby the day spring from an high hath visited vs is not to be seene but by the light of God● grace But because many are rebellious against this light therefore they are wilfully blinde Another cause is Auersion of the vnderstanding from those things which are to be beleeued and from those which might induce them to beleeue them and conuersion vnto Error for as hee that hath his eyes turned from those obiects which he should behold and turned vnto other in that Auersion cannot see what hee should Such are those who embrace false opinions and damnable Sects with such contumacy that they will not vouchsafe to thinke or heare of the contrary and stand out with so great an hatred against those who hold the truth that they will not so much as giue care to their Arguments but resist the holy Ghost who speaketh by their mouth of which sort of men Salomon spake truly A foole hath no delight in vnderstanding vnlesse thou doest sooth him in the conceipts of his owne heart as the v●lgar translation Prouerb 18. hath it For as Vigilius saith Mans minde being before poysoned with Lib. 1. contra Eutichen fla●●● sub J●it the error of false opinion is growne obstinate against the entertainment of the truth nor will yeeld to any testimony bee it neuer so Authenticall for it had rather maintaine a false conceite wherewith it is once infected then renounce it though it bee reputed with neuer so good authority Therefore St. Paul holdeth such Incorigible and not to be de●lt withall who after the first and second admonition persist obstmate Tit. 3. and censureth them condemned euen by the verdict of their owne conscience He that seeth an imminent danger and runneth vpon

yet were not without sinne no more are the Papists In the person of whom Paul speaketh saying I knowe nothing 1 Cor. ● by my selfe and yet am I not thereby iustified Neither is it to any purpose that they say My Conscience doth not iudge mee to bee culpable but contrarily doth iudge me to be in the right way for I say this iudgement is erroneous and therefore is condemned by the highest Iudge and if their conscience be their chiefe booke wherein they learne that which they will retaine without instability they must know that they are bound to correct the Booke of their Conscience if it be corrupted by comparing it and correcting it by the true Booke of the Generation of Iesus Christ which is the word of God The neglect whereof is the chiefe cause of the retardation from conuersion of our Pseudo-Catholiques who hauing studied their whole time in the false and vncorrected booke of their owne conscience wherein they finde nothing but falsehoods yet refuse to trie and examine their Religion by the word of God but make ignorance their deuotion like those Hereticks called Gnosimachi Damascen lib. d● 100. h●r●s 88. Who prohibiting all knowledge in Christianity taught That they who sought after knowledge in the holy Scriptures Suparfluum quid faciunt tooke in hand a needlesse labour for they said that God required nothing but good deedes of Christians and that therefore it is best for Christians to walke plainely and not to search after the knowledge of any articles of Religion But if you doe obiect that it is dangerous for you being an ignorant Layman to looke into the Mysteries of Faith whereof you are not able to iudge but that it is more safe for you to beleeue in generall as the Church doth though you doe not know any of the particulars I say vnto you with the Father you are deceaued in your opinion for Tutior est Affectus vera quaerendi quam Incognita procognitis praesumend● The desire to seeke the Truth is more safe then that a man should presume o● things vnknowne insteed of things which hee is bound to know And farther I say with the golden Father If thou wouldest Ho●il 44. ●ap 23. Nath. go vnto any place vnto which thou diddest not know the right way to gaine some great necessary commodity thou wouldest not neglect thy iourney because of thy ignorance of thy way but thou wouldest enquire after cunning guides and learne the direct path of them So if thou wilt learne the way to heauen thou must pray vnto God thou must reade the Scriptures thou must enquire of those Priests who are the Porters vnto the Scriptures But if thou wilfully refuse this meanes thy case is desperate because thou louest darkenesse more then light for as he that plucketh out his owne eyes can neuer recouer his sight so he that hateth the knowne truth Ex malitia cannot possibly repent for the Spirit of truth is the light of our soule but if our eye be euill the whole body must needes be darke If thou sayest thou doest not hate the truth but art not able to discerne it I answer this argueth naturall blindenesse of thy soule for the light discouereth the differenc●s of obiects vnto him that can see which is wholy vnprofitable vnto the blinde pray therefore vnto God that hee would bring thee out of that darkenesse of Aegypt and that he would open thine eyes that thou mayest behold the wonderfull things of his Lawes and that hee would giue thee a wise and vnderstanding heart Then shouldest thou behold the slauery of Aegypt and tyrannie of Pharaoh which in that time of palpable darkenesse thou couldest not Exod. 10. Prou. 2. see But when wisedome entereth into thine heart and knowledge delighteth thy soule then shall counsell preserue thee and vnderstanding shall keepe thee and deliuer thee from the euill way and from the man that speaketh froward things that is Antichrist and from them that leau● the wayes of righteousnesse to walke in the wayes of darkenesse CHAP. 5. Answereth Obiections made from the diuine Philanthropy or loue of God vnto mankinde who say they will not condemne vnto euerlasting death such infinite multitudes of people who die in infidelity and Heresie and saue but only a fewe true beleeuing Christians where is plainely proued also that very few in respect of those who are to be● damned shall be saued ANother Reason which is the last and of greatest moment is a certaine blinde kinde of pitty whereby such persons become impious against God and while they thinke otherwise of God then the truth is they offend against the Truth and this is drawne from the Diuine Philanthropy or loue of God vnto man they demand how Gods mercy should elect so few vnto Saluation and forsake so many vnto damnation especially seeing he is more prone to saue then to condemne or that his Mercy is not lesse to take pitty and to pardon then his Iustice to reuenge and punish They say it standeth not with the goodnesse of God to be cruell against his creatures and that hee should suffer any of those whom he hath made to perish And thus while they thinke They honour his goodnesse they offend his Truth From whence they conclude that the immensity of Gods mercy and goodnesse is such that he will saue euery man in his owne faith law sect or religion if so be he beleeue the same to be good and pleasing vnto God They argue farther That it is a great presumption to suppose that a fewe Christians should thinke themselues only to be saued the whole remaining multitude of euill Christians which farre exceede the good in number beside Iewes Saracens and Pagans being cast off to destruction Doth it stand with Gods Maiestie who is Lord of heauen and earth to haue moe slaues then freemen more adiudged to torments then faithfull Subiects Why should the mercifull God create so great a multitude of those to be damned and not rather saue them I would haue these men to know that Qui puis fuit vt non existentia crearet Iustus est vt errantia et Hugo de Sancto Vict. lib. 1. de Sacram. part 8. cap. 5. delinquentia Indice● As God is mercifull in creating those who before had no being So hee is iust to punish them that e●re and offend against him It is certaine that hee created them out of the riches of his goodnesse and bestowed many great guifts on them freely But hee neuer punished any without their most iust desert Whence it appeareth that the Iustice of God is the efficient cause of their damnation but their owne euill deserts are as it were the materiall and meritorious cause of their perdition But that there are so many damned and so few which are and shall be saued is caused partly by the Iustice of God partly through want of disposition in Man to receiue and entertaine Gods mercy Therefore whereas some doe reason

prouing them to be traitors to Christ and no better then Atheists who communicate outwardly with the Papists in their Religious Rites and seeme also to bee Protestants in heart and affection with St. Augustine his Censure of the forenamed for a conclusion THere is a God and the same is the most Omnipotent Lord of hea●en and earth and all things therein contained and therefore he will be worshiped by man though Atheists deny him He is a Spirit and therefore he requireth true and vnfeigned deuotion though Hipocrites dissemble it Hee is holy and requir●th Sanct●ty in his seruants though Epicures neglect it He is Truth and therefore he will be Worshipped in truth though Hereti●ks depraue it Hee only is God and there is No other God beside him though Pagans doe multiply And therefore he claimeth all worship to be done vnto him alone though Idolaters translate it He is the Law-giuer and hath prescribed what worship he requireth of vs From which he will not haue vs to decline either to the right hand or to the left though Libertines Newters or to giue them their proper denomination Nullisidians doe diuersty vary who thinke God is satisfied with any kinde of worship and that man for this cause is safe in what Religion soeuer he liueth or dyeth and might shape himselfe vnto seuerall Religions though neuer so different if they did not directly deny God The which damnable opinion proceedeth from palpable and grosse ignorance in the true faith and is like vnto that error of the Pagans who by Symachus their Ambassadour required of Valeatinian the Emperour that their Idolatry might bee restored and maintained as well as Christ●anity for that worshiping of many Gods saith he is the best meanes to finde out the true God Thus he speaketh in the Christian Poet Secretum sed grande nequit rationis opertae Prudent lib. 2. contra Symachi●n Qu●ri aliter quam si sparsis via multiplicetur Tramitibus centenos terat orbita calles Qu● situra deum variata indage latentem The great secret of the hidden Mistery of the truth cannot be otherwise sought out then by diuiding the way into diuers pathes and without wheeling about seuerall courses thus is God best sought who lyeth hidden in variety of Mazes For as those Pagans not knowing the only true God did therefore addict themselues to worship many Gods that therby they might attaine to the knowledge of the great secret Mystery of the true Religion as they supposed So Newters being ignorant of the true saith betake themselues to sundry Sects and Religions and thinke that to be the safest meanes to become secure of Saluation But as the prudent Poet saith Longe aliud verum est c. The contrary is true for diuersity of wayes hath diuers creckes and causeth to goe astray more dangerously the plaine way only is without error being without turnings and doubtfull vnknowne by-wayes for as there is but one Maker and Gouernour of this world which is God and but one Truth So there can be but one simple Religion because whatsoeuer is true and good cannot be perfect vnlesse it be singular And in vaine doe Newters hope by their various practise to be saued for Dubius in fide Infidelis est Vacillation argueth Extrade Haeret cap. Dubi●s Symbol Infidelity Whosoeuer doth not beleeue the Catholike faith Fir●iter fideliterque saith Athanasius faithfully and constantly he cannot be saued The state of such persons who through doubt being perplexed in case of Religion and therefore embrace all and consequently are voyd of ●ny faith is most elegantly described by Vinc●ntiu● Lyrineusis as followeth Et rev●r● cum quaequ● Nouita● ebullit statim cernitur frumentorum gravitas Leuita● palearum c. Lib. cont h●r● cap. 25. And in very deed when any Nouelty ariseth the solid weighty corne is presently discerned from the light Chaffe then that is cast from the floore without any great labour which had no weighty substance to keepe it within the floore for some flye away wholly out of hand some are shooke off only and feare to perish and are ashamed to returne being wounded halfe dead and halfe aliue like those who haue dranke such a quantity of poyson which doth neither kill nor will be digested nor cause death nor suffer to liue O miserable condition with how great and furious stormes of cares are they touzed Sometimes they are rapt by an headlong error whither the winde will driue them sometime returning vnto themselues they slide backe againe like contrary waues one while through rash presumption they approue things vncertaine another while through foolish feare they are afraid at those things which are certaine They doubting which way to goe whither to returne what to desire what to shun what to hold what to let goe Hitherto Vincentius Such as these are too many who carry the Title of Christians in most Churches they will not approue the Religion of the Reformed Church nor that of the Papists neither will they reiect them but as a learned and religious Diuine of our Church Mr. White Epla dedica● ad lib. said They being ignorant and vnderstanding nothing but liuing voide of the knowledge and conscience of all Relgion are possible of his minde that Turonensis writeth of who said that it was best of all if both the one and the other were followed neither were it any hurt Si inter Gentilium aras Dei Ecclesiam quis transiens vtraque veneretur if going betweene the Alters of the Pagans and the Church of God a man should giue honour vnto both Whereas the saying of an Antient is most true concluding the contrary in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoder Pr●sbi●er lib. de Incar●●● Do● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. For it is not possible that a meane betweene Truth and falsehood should be found or conceipted for the truth is alwaies in the middest and neuer declineth from thence and therefore is firme and euen on all sides and straite and doth not suffer any thing that is diuerse which may make it crooked or thrust it out of its owne state or constancy Such wauexers are no Bel●euers for Faith is Certitudo quaedam H●go de Sarcto Vict lib. 1. de Sa●r●●● art 8. ca● 1. an●m c. A kinde of certainty of the minde of things ab●ent about Opinion and b●neath Knowledg● it is called a Certainty Quia vbi est adbuc d●bitatio sides non est Becaus● where doubting remaineth there is no faith for Faith consisteth in two things Knowledge and Affection or Constancy or stability of beliefe The Substance o● Faith is in the Affection the matter is in Knowledge which knowledge may be wholly without Faith But ●aith cannot bee without some Knowledge because he that heareth any thing and doth not vnderstand doth not alwaies beleeue but he that doth vnderstand nothi●g doth beleeue nothing although he may sometime b●l●eue that which he doth not vnderstand

Profecto qui veritatem pro pecunia negant Deum pro pecunia vendunt Surely they who denie the truth for money doe sell GOD for ●o●l cap. Ab●●t money If a man should through infirmity deny the truth as did Peter vpon such repentance hee might receiue pardon though God doth sildome graunt repentance vnto such wretches But if any one shall with Iudas and Balaam be seduced by cou●tousnesse to betray the truth let him expect no other reward then befell those vnhappy Caitiues Vaevictis Woe vnto them that are ouercome by riches which perish who through feare shall deny the truth Timendo mortem car●i● tuae mortem dabis animae tuae by fearing thy flesh thou slayest August thy soule In which case our Sauiour commandeth his Disciples not to feare those who can kill the body vpon which words Chrysost●●● thus excellently reaso●eth Ne forte propter ●imor●m mortis non libere dicatis quod audistis least happily for Homil. 25. i● Math. feare of death you should not vtter that freely which you haue heard nor boldly preach vnto all men that which you heard in secret for as it is shewed by these words He onely is not a Traytor to the truth who transgressing against the truth doth speake a lye openly in stead of the truth But hee also who doth not vtter the truth freely which hee ought to vtter freely or doth not defend the truth freely which he ought to defend freely Such a one is a Traytor vnto the truth for as the Priest is bound to preach freely that truth which he heard of God So the Lay-man is bound faithfully to defend that truth which he hath heard of the Priests proued out of the Scriptures which if hee neglecteth to performe hee betrayeth the trueth for with the heart wee beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth wee confesse vnto Saluation And I doe adde this that euery dissembler in Religion is an offence vnto man and woe be vnto that man by whom the offence commeth in this kinde The Apostle saith wee must abstaine from all appearance of euill And it is the duty of euery good man so to order his actions that they breed no scandall to those who are without or to those who are apt to fall away But they who communicate with any Sect in the Sacraments of their Religion by that very action seeme to confirme their Religion and to draw other thereunto as much as in them lyeth whereas they should rather cry out against all heresie and seeke to bring them to the truth and thou by thy hypocrisie makest them to persist more obstinately in their errors and consequently thou art no Christian Heare what that holy Orthodoxall Bishop of Alexandria saith in his Epistle vnto the Clergy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. Concil Nic. part 1. ap●d Cyzicen It is fit that we who are Christians should auoid all those who speak against Christ and hate him as the ●nemies of God corrupter of soules and not to say so much as God speed vnto such kinde of men as St. Iohn hath cōmanded vs vnlest we should in so doing cōmunicate with them in their sins yea by so doing we should cōfirme them therein for they will say Why should wee forsake that Religion which the Protestants embrace with vs Whereas we are obliged to labour for their reformation and to winne them vnto the truth which happily may be effected when they shall behold vs to detest their sacred solemnities and to despise them as prophane trisles and then though they should not consent vnto our truth yet they may be ashamed of their owne falshood Some there are whose Religion consisteth herein that they doe not contradict the faith which is established be it neuer so false blasphemous and are slexible to all formes that are imposed on them because they haue not layde any foundation of the truth in themselues and this is the cause why they are so apt with Leon●das Mutari pro temporum ratione to change with the time Plutarch in Lacon The holy Ghost termeth such persons luke-warme whom hee speweth out of his mouth who with the Parasite in the Poet Apocalvps 3. Cry At s Aio Negas Nego play Protestant with one and Papist with another Saint Paul calleth them Men-pleasers Terent. which cannot please Christ. Galat 1. These make Religion a matter of indifference and hold the Academicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be the best wisedome especially when in an Interregnum Religion hangeth Inter malleum et Incude●● as they say vpon the pleasure of the Prince and his Peeres as yet vnknowne to the party whether truth or falshood shall preuaile the losse of whose fauour they will not aduenture for conscience sake But let these wretches consider their iust censure by St. Augustine There are some saith he that are Christians for this cause only that they may thereby purchase the fauour of those Lib● de Catechis ●ud cap. 17. persons of whom they expect temporall riches or because th●y will not offend those whom they doe feare Sed istireprob● su●t but such as are R●probates But whereunto may I liken this vaine generation They are like vnto the Reare-mouse in the Fabler which are most base and odious creatures It is doubtfull whether they be Gressible or volatle of whom it is reco●ded That dis●●rd being betwee●e the flying creatures and the ●ou●e footed beasts and the day of Battaile assigned The Rearemouse absented himselfe thereon of policie to obserue on what side the victory would betide that hee might ioyne with the Conquerour The Battaile being finished and many slaine and wounded on both parts the foure-footed beasts met with the Reare-mouse and cried out to apprehend him and to slay their Enemie The Rearemouse answered what say you my friends I am of your side and he shewed them his feete and so escaped And in like manner meeting with the Birds hee shewed them his wings and escaped accordingly Let these Ancipites temporum palpatores as Cyprian speaketh These doubtfull Lib. 2. Exempla 2. ad Donas Time-seruers and Dalliers in sundry Religions behold their basenesse in this creature and let them know that Facti sunt vespertiliones neque in muribus plane neque in volucribus sunt Varro in Ag●thone They are become Monsters in Religion seeing they are of any and consequently of no Religion But let them know withall That God is not like vnto man that he will be mocked though mans eyes may be blinded his iudgement deceiued There is but one God one faith one truth and one Religion which is to be performed in Spirit and in truth Ephes 4. Ioh. 4. and such God requireth And all men are either members of Christ and such beleeue in heart and confesse with the mouth his Gospell or the members of Satan and such either openly impugne or secretly dissemble the Doctrine of the Gospel Betweene these two there is