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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	aaron_n	bring_v	power_n	12	3	4.0887	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03334	The first motiue of T.H. Maister of Arts, and lately minister, to suspect the integrity of his religion which was detection of falsehood in D. Humfrey, D. Field, & other learned protestants, touching the question of purgatory, and prayer for the dead. VVith his particular considerations perswading him to embrace the Catholick doctrine in theis, and other points. An appendix intituled, try before you trust. Wherein some notable vntruths of D. Field, and D. Morton are discouered.	Higgons, Theophilus, 1578?-1659.	1609 (1609)	STC 13454; ESTC S104083	165,029	276

a due reformation he should not designe honourable and condigne Instruments for such an excellent purpose 2. Where is the difficulty and impediment in this case Is it in his Prescience that he cannot foresee what is to come or is it in his Power that he cannot effectuate what he desireth Not in the First for I haue his owne testimony by the mouth of Samuell his prophet saying 1. Reg. 13.14 QVAESIVIT c. God hath sought a man according vnto his heart to witt Dauid his seruant What he sought he found and yet he found no good thing in Dauid which was not his owne gift Not in the Secōd for I am ascertayned by the Forerunner of my Lord Luc. 3.2 POTENS c. God is able euen of theis stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham 3. And if Caesar could say in the pride of his mortall heart Inueniam aut faciam viam either I shall find a way or I will make one did it not concerne the VVisedome of God to speake no more of his Prouidence which we Protestants haue already destroyed by inforcing a damnable errour vpon his vniuersall Church either to finde out some man already indued with conuenient gifts or els to prepare some in case none were yet adorned by him to vndertake such a royall and incomparable work of REFORMATION 4. For how can I suppose or once imagin without iniury vnto my Lord expectation of his reuendge that any base and detestable Caitifs falling away from the sweete communion of the Church into accursed heresies and being therevpon the Prophetts of hell should then also and neuer before be stirred vp and excited by God to redresse his Church the Pillar Firmament of truth Is it probable nay is it possible that they who remayned not in the duty of hir Sonnes should be aduanced vnto the dignity of hir Fathers Are men actually inspired by God and by the Diuell to impugne and to defend hir to destroy and to maintayn hir to infect and to preserue hir Were hir sworne enimies more tender of hir good then hir best friends and were vile Rebells more respectiue of Gods honour then his dearest Seruants 5. You that haue the common instinct of morall reason and the ordinary light of humane vnderstanding iudge I pray you iudge vnpartially in this case Luther thou art the scourdge of God c. See Sir Th. More cōtra Luth. de Sacram. whether such disastrous Reformers as Henricus Aërius and the like were not rather ministers to execute the Iustice of God then counsellours to promulgate his will and whether he doth not rather correct then direct punish then prescribe by such men It was a tyranny in Mezentius to bind liuing men vnto dead carcasses But the VVisedome of God doth assure me that he will not tythe liuing body of his Church vnto the dead and putrified members thereof 6. The consideration of which poynt was of great power and efficacy in my heart to make me disclayme and abandon the proceedings of our GREAT Reformer M. Luther in whom there was no true resemblance of a pious and diuine Spirit Witnesse his furious declamations against Zuinglius and all Sacramentaries the Patriarch and Brethren of our ghospell his rude and vnsaintlike inuectiues against King Henry the eight his hereticall and grieuous assertions his contemptuous * This is peremptorily denied by D. Abbot against D. Hill pag. 307 with a marginall reference vnto VVhitak answ to Camp But VVhitak in his answ 10 Raindas c 7. being better aduised in this matter maketh some confession thereof howbeit he interlaceth dishonest euasions and grosse vntruths reiection of some Canonicall Scriptures his beastly and vnchristian positions his light and vayn imaginations his familiar conuersation with Diuells All which and many more odious things are extant in his owne workes things incredible vnto such as do not yet know them and fearfull vnto such as haue experience therein * Iuue●al Felicia tempora quae te Moribus opponant habeat iam Roma pudorem O happy times that brought thee forth to thunder out complaynt Now Rome may blush to see hir self opposd by such a Saint 7. But I will omitt the work of our late Reformation transacted by this boysterous Friar and returne vnto my other reforming gentlemen with whom I made this brief conclusion 9. The admirable WISEDOME of God doth confirme and ought to establish me in the doctrine of Purgatory and Prayer for the dead inasmuch as the first aduersaries thereof were desperately affected against his Truth and exercised open hostility against his Church There is an Aërius and an Henricus here is an Augustine and a Bernard the first deny it follow their peculiar imaginations the second affirme it rely vpon the conformable iudgement of the Catholick Church choose now whom thou wilt follow in this case and with which of theis thou wilt aduenture the eternity of thy soule 9. Shall I answere and say I respect not what the first or second haue deliuered but what the Scripture it self hath taught herein A poore euasion for the Scripture is clearely against me in this poynt and I can not gainsay it vnlesse I will come forth with a non obstante of mine owne sense and yet I am bound in all humility to subordinate my vnderstanding vnto the instruction of my Superiours But if in pride and insolency as S. * Furiosus mente clatus opinione c. See Epiphā haer 75. The same censure belongeth vnto the rest Aërius Henricus Luther and others haue done I should preferr mine owne iudgement before the learned Fathers and renounce that due and conuenient subiection which I should haue toward the ancient Catholick Church she that must and shall iudge me and all my Protestanticall Doctours oh what monsters of opinion might I conceiue and what certainty of truth can I bring forth Truly as Aaron formed many pretious iewells into the similitude of a calf Exod. 32.4 so I might haply fashion vnto my self many foolish conceipts by casting the pretious word of God into the mould of my priuate and misguided fancy CHAP. III. The TRVTH of God hath confirmed this doctrine by a renowned Miracle An exception of Protestants refelled §. 1. The nature and Vse of Miracles 1. I Considered first that as a Miracle is a Diuine work in its nature because it can not be wrought without the speciall concurrency of Gods power so in its vse it is a Diuine testimonie because it hath a reference vnto some truth and principally when it is exhibited vnto that purpose for it procureth an inward conuiction of the vnderstanding A mystery is secret hidden and so it differeth from a miracle in respect of the VSE though it agree with it in the NATVRE thereof by an outward demonstration vnto the sense In which respect I may truly say that a Miracle is the broad Seale of Heauen affixed vnto some writing or euidence of

and I know not where they haue placed hir They can not assigne vnto me any persons time or place wherein their Synagogue had a resplendent face and a laudable dilatation §. 2. The SECOND Consideration touching a visible Church free from any damnable errour The Protestants loosenesse and confusion in their description of the Church 1. I Considered Secondly that this VISIBLE Church can neuer be taynted vniuersally with any errour and specially if it be such as either expressly or implicitely indangereth the principles of saluation for in matters of the necessity of saith she is freed from the possibility of errour 2. Hence it is that i Part. 4. de Vnit. Grac. Considerat 6. Iohn Gerson a man highly * See afterward c. 3. § 3. num 4. c. aduanced by D. Field prescribeth this ensuing obseruation as an infallible rule VVhatsoeuer is determined by the Pope of Rome together with his generall Councell of the Church in matters appertayning vnto faith that is vndoubtedly true and to be receiued of all the world For this consideration is founded in the articles of our faith VVe belieue that there is an HOLY CATHOLIQVE CHVRCH which is exempted from errour in hir faith c. 3. As this position was credible with me for the Authours sake and he vpon D. Fields singular commendation so I was induced farther and more strongly perswaded to intertayn it by the certayn warrant of him who is TRVTH it self and promised his Spirit vnto the holy Apostles with assurance Io. 16.13 that he should lead them into all Truth 4. In quality it is Truth without errour In quantity it is All truth necessary and expedient for them or vs in this peregrinant estate For as this promise belonged then particularly vnto each Apostle so it belongeth now generally vnto the whole Church which being taken either in hir latitude as she is diffused ouer the world or in hir representation as she is collected into a lawfull Synod is priuiledged from errour in hir doctrinall determinations 5. And this was clearely imported vnto me in a sentence of S. 1. Timoth. 3.15 Paull vnto his beloued Timothy whom he instructed how he should behaue himself in the house of God which is the ground and PILLAR OF TRVTH 6. For howsoeuer it pleaseth D. k Pag. 199. The church of Ephesus hath erred damnably in faith Field to elude the grauity and power of this Scripture by restrayning the Apostles sense therein particularly vnto the Church of Ephesus which was committed vnto the Episcopall care of Timothy yet as many reasons did preuayle with me to reiect his exposition so I preferred the authority of S. l Comment●r ibid Ambrose saying that VVhereas the whole world is Gods the Church is sayd to be his howse of which vniuersall Church Damasus the Pope is Rectour at this day This Vniuersall Church is the Pillar of truth sustayning the edifice of faith 7. Herevpon l Prascripe cap. 28. Tertullian deriding the hereticks of his time esteemeth it a base and grosse conceipt in any man to suppose that the holy Ghost who was asked of the Father and sent by the Sonne to be the Teacher of TRVTH should neglect that office vnto which he was designed and that he should permitt the Church to vnderstand the Scriptures otherwise then he spake by the mouth of the Apostles And farther Is it probable saieth he that so many and so great Churches if they did erre should erre thus conformably into the same faith VARIASSE debuerat ERROR doctrinae Ecclesiarum Caeterùm quod apud multos VNVM inuenitur non est erratum sed TRADITVM Errour bringeth variety but where vnity is there is the truth Thus the Churches are many in number but one in faith diuided in place but ioyned in opinion 8. Mine earnest meditation in this point taught me to lament the confusion of our Protestants admitting innumerable sectaries into our vast and incongruous Church Fox in Act. Mon. See the 3. Conuers of Englād which is a very Chimaera thrust together and fashioned in specificall disproportions But this was our necessity hard necessity and not our choyce to make such a pitifull delineation of our Church For whereas we had not any certayn succession to deriue hir descent and petigree from the Ancients we were compelled in this respect to deale liberally like good fellowes and take sondry hereticks with incompatible factions into our society least by the same reason for which we exclude others we should exclude our selues also from the communion of the Church pag. 137. 9. Hence it is that D. Field laying the fundation of his Babell feareth not to say that the Churches of Russia Armenia Syria AEthiopia Greece c. are and continue parts of the TRVE CATHOLICK CHVRCH A position manifestly repugnant vnto Reason and Authority Vnto reason for if truth of doctrine be a Note of the Church as we defend how is that a true Catholick Church which impugneth the truth and how is that one Church which is distracted into many faiths Vnto authority for S. * de haeres in perorat See the 3. conuers of England Part. 2. chap. 10. num 10.15.16.17 c. Augustine doth constantly affirme that whosoeuer maintayneth any heresy registred or omitted by him in his Treatise he is not a CATHOLIQVE Christian and consequently no member of that Church wherein alone we haue the promise of saluation For as our * Fides in Christum faith in Christ must be TRVSTFVLL liuely and actiue by a speciall application of his merits vnto our selues so our * Fides de Christo faith of Christ must be TRVE syncere and absolute by a iust conformity vnto the will of God reuealed by him and propounded by his Church And therefore D. Fields * Part. 4. de vnit Graecorum considerat 4. Gerson intreating of peace and VNITY in the Church laboureth to draw all men into a communion of faith and iudgeth it a great folly in any man to conceiue that we may be saued in our particular sects and errours 10. When I had discouered by an earnest prosecution of this point how naturally and powerfully our Protestāticall * The Church may erre Diuers Churches though erring grosly in faith make vp one Catholick Church c. doctrines conuaigh men into Laodiceanisme and a carelesse neglect of vndefiled Religion whence Atheisme must necessarily ensue I resolued with hearty affection to vnite my self vnto that Church which is pure and single in Religion wheresoeuer I should deprehend the same For though I saw that the Protestants religion was false in some things yet I had great hesitation and doubt whether the Papists were true in all as S. * Confess lib. 6. cap. 1. Augustine spake sometime vnto his louing Mother I am now no Manichee nor yet a Catholick Christian And so mine estate as well as his might be resembled vnto the case of that patient * S.

the ballance and art found too light 2. FIRST to deny the fact it seemed an vnreasonable conceipt because as it was done in a publick and solemne conuenti● so it is recorded in very authenticall manner by a reuerend a Gulielm Abbas in vitâ S. Bernard l. 3. c. 5. person of S. Bernards familiar acquayntance 3. If this be not sufficient yet b Epist. 241. S. Bernard himself did giue me such a pregnant intimation as satisfied me abundantly in this behalf For thus he wrote vnto the people of Tholouse after his returne Our abode with you was short but not vnfruictfull inasmuch as the TRVTH was manifested by vs not onely in speach but in POWER also 4. Wherefore that excellent commendation wherewith M. Luther is aduanced by one of his c Ioh. Aurifaber in colloq mensal Luth. disciples but very vniustly since that notable Apostle as d Contra Pighium Caluin stileth him e See Luth. in Esaiam cap. 37. did neuer cure so much as a lame horse doth iustly appertayn vnto this worthy Saint viz. Vir potens erat in dictis factis he was a man mighty both in word and deed as f Prophet● erat operator miraculorum Part. 2. Serm. de S. Bernardo See Guliel Abbas in vita S. Bernardi lib. 3. cap. 6. c. Iohn Gerson himself deliuereth sutably to the same purpose 5. SECONDLY to impute this fact vnto sorcery and incantations it were a Iewish and heathenish folly so the miracles of Christ himself and of his Apostles and Martyrs were traduced by their enimies Besides since all ingenious Protestants confesse that Bernard was an holy man and replenished with diuine grace as his life and his writings do contestify vnto the world how could I stayn his honourable name with such ignominy and disgrace 6. No I will leaue that humour vnto M. g Centur. 14. c 85. Bale let it be an argument of his vngentle nature and not of mine to accuse this glorious Saint and to crucify his name with bitter reproaches Coecus blasphemus ille Bernardus that blind and blasphemous Bernard 7. But forasmuch as I knew very well that M. Bale was imbued with a h See the 3. Conuers of England Part. 2. c. 5. num 25. c. 6. num 32. c. malignant disposition against this and other Saints some of them being the honour and crowne of our nation I remitted him vnto the sweet and modest answer of i De Considerat lib. 2. S. Bernard saying If one of the two must needs be that either God or I must be reproached it is well for me if he vouchsafe to vse me as his buckler I do gladly receiue the darts of venimous tongues against me that they may not come vnto him I refuse not to be inglorious if I may defend the glory of my Lord. It is my honour to participate with him that sayed Psal 68.11 Opprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me 8. THIRDLY to pretend that howsoeuer perhappes some opinions of Henricus were expugned by this Miracle but not precisely this concerning Purgatory and Prayer for the dead it was the last refuge which I could make and the fayrest suggestion which I could conceiue and yet as Ioab perished at the Altar a place of protection so you will faile in this anchor of your hope 3. Reg. 2. 9. My secrete dispute in this poynt was somewhat lardge but I will contract it as briefly as I may because I am vnwilling to abuse your patience with any long and tedious discourse §. 4. Two Considerations the first Generall touching the Catholique articles which HENRICVS impugned the second Particular touching Purgatory The Protestants are conuinced 1. I Considered FIRST that whatsoeuer Henricus disapprooued in the Church he is imitated therein by Luther or by some of his ghospell which is branched into much variety and difformity of sects For a more exact demonstration whereof I layed downe a catalogue of the particulars impugned by Henr. which I will exhibit here vnto your sight and waighed euery one singly by itself 1. Purgatory Prayer and Oblation for the dead 2. Inuocation of Saints 3. Excommunication by Priests 4. Peregrination 5. Temples 6. Festiuities 7. Consecration of oyle and chrisme 8. Ecclesiasticall sanctions 9. Transubstantiation 10. Baptisme of Infants 2. The VValdensians following the Henricians the Albigensians Professours of the same faith and religion which we now professe as D. k Against D. Bishop part 2. pag. 55. Abbott testifieth to our great l See the 3. Conuers of England Part. 2. c. 10. num 2. c. Also the Examē of Fox his Calendar-Saincts chap. 3. nū 17.18.19 c. disreputation following the Waldensians VVicleuians consorting with them all though not in euery particular do symbolize very much in their impugnation of theis things 3. I descended vnto our later Churches more euangelically ordered and more speciously collected then theis former were and making a seuerall inquisition touching the ten precedent articles I found that the FIRST and SECOND are contemned generally by all the Brethren of my Ghospell In the THIRD there is no small difference amongst them For m Erastus c. some wholly reiect that terrible censure Sondry Diuines also of good regard saith n Cathol doctr pag. 191. M. Rogers conceiue that Christians cleauing vnto Christ their fundation are not to be excommunicated either for any errour or misdemeanour whatsoeuer The Presbyterians deriue the validity of this censure not from the Clergy See M. Rogers ibid. but from a Clero-laicall Consistory the creature of Caluins imagination 4. I considered farther that as some amongst vs do intertayn a base conceipt of this high matter so others do vniustly clayme the exercise of this power For since it belongeth vnto spirituall iurisdiction and since this iurisdiction belongeth vnto no * Ordinarily man who is not lawfully consecrated and since we haue no consecration but * We plead so such as came directly from the Pope and since he is o D. Fields rumbling phrases pag. 64. Antichrist the child of perdition with the foame of his impure mouth and froath of his words of blasphemy c. I could not perceiue what iust title we can haue vnto theis celestiall and diuine offices in the Church For what communion is there betwixt Christ and Antichrist 5. The FOVRTH is cashiered by all as superstitious and profane The FIFT article concerneth the Anabaptists and Brownists most properly who detest all Churches because they were polluted with Antichristian abominations of the God Maozim c. And truly their opinion herein floweth naturally from our principles for if the Pope be Antichrist and if the Churches were the temples of such Idolatrie as we pretend then theis men do laudably hate the very place of such vntmachable impiety and desolation 6. The SIXT article pertayneth vnto the rigid and syncere Caluinians whose Congregations are purified and cleansed from