Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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B12285
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A briefe discourse against the outwarde apparell and ministring garmentes of the popishe church
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Crowley, Robert, 1518?-1588.
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1566
(1566)
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STC 6079; ESTC S109113
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29,930
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82
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from the filth therof but that they haue neede to be made cleane by our helpe stayed from slyding in againe yea and lest we shoulde make sorowfull and pyerce the heartes of them that be quite escaped wheÌ„ they shoulde see vs by whose meanes they haue escaped bewadled in the same filth our selues and so bring al that we haue taught into doubt and all that we shall teache into suspicion we haue thought it meete for vs vtterly to refuse all these thinges that now are vrged For if we that haue by doctrine proued these things to be superfluous in the abuse of them superstitions shall nowe receyue them our selues and so in doing although not in words affirme them to be necessary What obstinate Papist will not be the more confirmed in the reuerende opinion of them what yong nouice in Christ will not afreshe embrace them what weakling will not againe inclyne to them And what perfect Christian will not weepe in hys heart to see them And shall not the bloude of all these be required at our hands shal not we once heare that horrible saying that Christ shal once pronounce against suche as we should herein shewe oure selues to be Tollite seruum nequam c. Take vp that naughty slaue binde hym hande and foote and cast hym into vtter darkenesse there shal be weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth Fearing therefore to lose our selues with the losse of so many soules besides our selues we haue chosen rather to venture the losse of worldely commoditie than to hazarde that which no earthlye treasure can bye Trusting that our Prince and all other in auctoritie will fauour our iust cause and not mislike with vs bycause we feare god more than man and are more loth to lose the heauenly Kingdome than earthly commoditie We hope that all wise men doe see what marke the earnest soliciters of this matter do shoot at They are not neyther were at anye tyme Protestantes but when tyme woulde serue them they were bloudy persecuters synce tyme fayled them they haue borne back as much as lay in them Shall we think then that such do seeke the aduauÌ„cement of gods glorye in the setting forth of his true religion no no. Theyr purpose is in vs sielly wretches to deface the glorious gospell of Christ Iesus whiche thing they shall neuer be able to bring to passe For thoughe we lyke cowardes shoulde runne from our Captayne and yelde our weapons into the handes of oure enimyes yea thoughe we shoulde lyke traitours tourne our pikes against him yet wil he haue the victorie For he hath the heartes of his enimies in his hande can cause them to take his part and to vse vs as traytours shoulde be vsed Our goodes our bodyes and our lyues we do with al humble submission yelde into the hands of gods officers vpon earth but our conscience we keepe vnspotted in the sight of him that shall iudge al men Desiring no thing but that it may be free for vs by doctrine to teach the flocke of Christ whereof we haue taken charge and when we haue so taught them to goe before them in doing that which we haue taught according to the truth of gods holy worde That when we shall appeare before that great shephearde Christ our flocke with vs and we with our flock may heare these ioyful words Euge ser ue bone fidelis c. Well done thou good faythfull seruaunt bicause thou haste bene faithful in the thing that is of small value I will make thee Ruler ouer muche enter thou into thy Lordes ioy Whiche ioy shall vndoubtedly be giueÌ„ to as many as vnfaynedly shall loue the comming of that shepheard To whome with the eternall father and the holy ghost be all honor glory and dominion for euer Amen Ecclesiasticus 4. Stryue for the truthe euen vnto death and the Lorde God shall fight for thee ¶ A godly prayer agreable to the tyme and occasion O Almighty God great Iudge of all Father of mercy and louing Lorde of thy flock and congregation we doe acknowledge they goodnesse thorowe which thou hast vouchedsafe to choose and call vs into the societie of thy Saintes the fellowship of thyne elect the folde of thy sheepe wherein allwayes thou haste dealt with vs in all thinges as with thine owne inheritance thy chosen sheepe and beloued Lambes For this thy great kindenesse we doe yelde to thee our moste humble heartie thankes We doe confesse also that on our behalfe for want of due consyderation of this thy goodnesse our dutie we haue grieuously offended thee not onely in vnthankfull vsinge thy benefites but also in wilfull and sinfull abusing thy mercie To holy assemblies we haue ioyned oure selues in the exercises of thy worde and sacraments of prayer charity yet not with such zeale diligence as we ought but with that lothsomenesse contempte whiche we ought not In comming to them dayly we haue filled our fansie rather than feede our faith we haue come to them more of custome than of conscience we haue heard much more with oure eares than we digested in our mindes And thus with harde hearts hearing much doing little promising faire performing nothinge in effect we haue remayned vncorrected not amended to the great offence of thy diuine maiestye Of thy displeasure kindled heretofore against vs we haue bene diuers wayes admonished For euen as thou didest leaue a remnaunt of the Cananites not cast out from amoÌ„gst thy people Israel to be snares whippes and thornes in their sydes and eyes bicause they did not fully cleane vnto thee so doe the remnants of the Remishe adâ—omination 〈◊〉 still amongest vs to witnesse thy wrath against our colde loue of sincere seruing thee yet is not our zeale inflamed to better The sharp scourges which we haue seene felte together with straunge signes shewed in heauen earth haue testifyed thyne anger agaynst vs but we earth and ashes are not yet by them taught our good The ministers of thy worde seing oure sinful state haue seuerely threatned greater plagues to fal on vs but we haue tryfled of our tyme not heartly tourned vnto thee And therfor it is that euen now we see as a begynning of greater vengeaunce their heartes whose power shoulde procure the correction of our mischiefe not only holdeÌ„ in neglect coÌ„tempt of that they should do but bent also to maintayne that they should destroy to the hindering of the course of thy gospel which they should set forwarde Are not the reliques of Romishe Idolatrie stoutely retayned Are we not bereaued of some of our pastors who by worde example sought to free thy flocke from those offences Ah good Lord these are now by power put downe from pastural cure they are forbyd to feede vs theyr voyce we can not heare This is oure great discomfort This is the ioy triumph of Antichrist his lymmes our enimyes yea that is more heauy increase of
price 3s 4d A briefe discourse against the outwarde apparell and Ministring garmentes of the popishe church psalme 31. I haue hated all those that holde of superstitious vanities 1566. ¶ The Booke to the Reader THe Popes attyre whereof I talke I knowe to be but vaine Wherfore some men that wittie are to reade mee will disdaine But I woulde wishe that such men shoulde with iudgement reade me twise And marke how great an euill it is Gods Preachers to disguise I knowe a cocks combe can not take from wise men any wit So doe I knowe that such attyre is for no wise man fit Good mindes can not but much mislike to see good men displaste But better mindes woulde sorrowe more to see such men defaste Their persons if ye do respect the matter is but small But on their office if ye looke then are they guides of all The Preacher is a messanger sent from no worldely wight But from that Prince that pearlessâ— is and made all by his might King Dauid coulde not take it well but thought himselfe dispisde When Hanon sent his seruauntes backe dishonorde and disguisde And shall not God thinke you reuenge himselfe vpon that route That to deface or else displace his Preachers goe about Yes doubtlesse for the mighty God will not long tyme endure The spite of such as so doe seeke to worke him displeasure All wise men therfore will beware How they doe such men wrong As haue such one to take their parte as for all is to strong God graunt that all men may once see on which side truth doth stande And pray to him for such as be made Rulers of the lande That they hauing before their eyes the feare of God aboue May seeke to set Gods worde in place and all vayne toyes remoue FINIS A declaration of the doings of those Ministers of Gods worde and Sacraments in the Citie of London which haue refused to weare the outwarde apparell and Ministring garmentes of the Popes church COnsidering how hurteful a thing it is to a christian coÌ„mon weale to haue the ministers of Gods worde despised and brought into coÌ„temt we haue thought it our dutie briefly to declare in writing to set forth to be seene of al men some parte of the reasons groundes of our doings in refusing to weare the outwarde apparel ministring garments of the popes church First we consider that the power that God hath giuen to his Ministers is giuen them that they should therby edifie or build vp the Church of Christ not destroy it or pul it downe according as S. Paule writeth to the Corinths 2. Cor. 13. Of which edifying or building of the church of Christ the same S. Paule speaketh in that Epistle that he wrote to the Ephesians It were to long to cite all his words in order we will therfore set downe certaine sentences referringe the Reader to the places where the same are written by S. Paule in that his Epistle First he saith thus I am non estis hospites c. Ye are not nowe straungers and forreners but ye are Citizens togither with the saints and of the housholde of God being builded vpon the foundation of the Apostles Prophets Eph. 2. Iesus Christ being the Head stone in the corner In whom whatsoeuer building is encreased it groweth into an holy temple in the Lorde These wordes doth S. Paule write to signify that the church of Christ which is builded of liuing stones timber taken out both from among the Iewes and the gentiles must be builded vpoÌ„ the firme sure foundation Iesus Christ not vpon any other for he was that foundatioÌ„ that the Apostles Prophets builded vpon and that the building which is set vpon that foundation doth growe in to an holy Tempell in the Lorde The builders must not suffer it to decay but they must still labour diligently that it may growe into an holy temple and that till it be as large as beautiful as it is possible for it to be in this vale of misery So farre of woulde S. Paule haue all the builders of gods temple to be from the pulling downe or defacing any parte therof Againe the same S. Paule sayth in the same Epistle Idem dedit alios quidem Apostolos c. Eph. 4. The same hath giuen vs some to be Apostles some to be Prophets some to be Euangelists some to be Shepheardes and some to be teachers to furnishe the Saintes vnto the work af administration for the building vp of the body of Christ till we doe all come into the vnitie of fayth the acknowledging of the sonne of God That we may be a perfect man and come into the measure of the ful age of Christ That we be no more babes to wauer and to be caryed about with euery winde of doctrine through the craftinesse and wylinesse of men wherby they set vpoÌ„ vs to disceiue vs. c. And afterwarde in the same chapter he saith I speake and testifie these things euen on the Lordes behalfe that ye should not walke as other nations doe in the vanitie of their owne mindes By these wordes S. Paule doth plainely teache â—â—e dutie 〈◊〉 a faithâ—ll preaâ—â—er that al such as are appointed to minister in the Church of Christ must be still occupied in building and neuer in pulling down neither in staying the reast froÌ„ going forwarde with the building they haue begonne And that such shoulde not be so babishe that they may be caryed away with euery straunge Doctrine or deceyued with euery subtile persuasion nor walke in the vanitie of their owne mindes but be stayde by the holy worde of God and in all things acknowledge the sonne of God by exercising their Ministeries according to his institution so nere as possibly they may vtterly renouncing forsaking all those vnprofitable ceremonies rytes that men haue deuised without sure grounde in Gods holy word in following the vanity of their owne mindes We therefore knowing that we haue receiued power to edifie and not to destroy that a day will come wherin we shal be sure to receyue at his handes whose builders we are according to our doings eyther in building or plucking downe or in staying hindring of that which should haue bene builded by others dare not be so bolde as to admit the outwarde ministring apparell of the popes church til it may manifestly appeare vnto vs that the same may helpe forwarde and not pull downe staye or hinder the building vp of the Lordes temple which is his Church or congregation purchased bought with so deare a price as the heart bloud of his most derely beloued and only begotten Sonne Christ Iesus We woulde not therfore in these dayes refuse them if we might but conceiue an hope that the vse of them might helpe forwardes with the Lordes building but forasmuch as we see playnely the contrary we may in no case admit them Wee graunt