Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02534	Epistles the first volume: Containing II. decads. By Ioseph Hall; Epistles. Vol. 1	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1608 (1608)	STC 12661.7; ESTC S103637	49,336	198

yet blessed Marie should bee a God if shee could at once attend all her Suiters One solicites her at Halle another at Scherpen-heuuell another at Luca at our Walsingham another one in Europe another in Asia or perhappes another is one of her newe Clientes in America Tenne thousande deuout Supplyants are at once prostrate before her seuerall shrines If shee cannot heare all why pray they If shee canne what canne GOD doe more Certainely as the matter is vsed ther cannot bee greater wrong offered to those heauenly spirits then by our importunate superstitions to be thrust into Gods throne and to haue forced vppon them the honours of their Maker There is no contradiction in heauen a Saint cannot allowe that an Angell forbids See thou doe it not was the voyce of an Angell if all the miraculous blocks in the world shall speake contrarie wee knowe whome to beleeue The olde rule was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Either that rule is diuelish or this practice And if this practice bee ill GOD deliuer mee from the immediate authour of these miracles Change but one Idoll for another and what differ the wonders of Apolloes Temples from those of these Chappelles Wee reuerence as wee ought the memorie of that holy and happie Virgin Wee hate those that dishonour her wee hate those that deifie her Cursed bee all honour that is stollen from God This short satisfaction I giue in a long question such as I dare rest in and resolue that all Popish miracles are either falsely reported or falsely done or falsely miraculous or falsely ascribed to heauen To Mr. WILLLIAM BEDELL at Venice EP. 7. Lamenting the death of our late Diuines and inciting to their imitation WE haue heard how full of trouble dāger the Alpes were to you and did at once both pittie your difficulties and reioyce in your safetie Since your departure from vs Reynolds is departed from the World Alas how many worthy lightes haue our eyes seene shining and extinguisht How many losses haue wee liued to see the Church sustaine and lament of her childrē of her pillers our own and forraine I speake not of those which being excellent would needs be obscure whom nothing but their owne secrecie depriued of the honor of our teares There are besides too many whome the world noted and admired euen since the time that our common mother acknowledged vs for her sonnes Our Fulk ledde the way that profound readie and resolute Doctor the hāmer of heretickes the champion of Truth whome our younger times haue heard oft disputing acutely and powerfully Next him followed that honour of our schools Angel of our church learned Whitakers then whom our age saw nothing more memorable what clearnes of iudgemēt what sweetnes of stile what grauity of person what grace of cariage was in that man Who euer saw him without reuerēce or heard him without wonder Soone after left the world that famous and truly illuminate Doctor Francis Iunius the glory of Leiden the other hope of the Church the Oracle of Textuall and schoole-diuinity rich in languages subtil in distinguishing in argument inuincible and his cōpanion in labours Lu. Trelcatius wold needs be his cōpanion in ioyes who had doubled our sorrow loss but that he recōpenced it with a son like himself Soon after fell old reuerend Beza a long-fixed star in this firmament of the Church who after many excellent monuments of learning and fidelity liued to proue vpon his aduersaries that hee was not dead at their day Neither may I without iniury omit that worthie payr of our late Diuines Greenham and Perkins whereof the one excell'd in experimentall diuinity and knew well how to stay a weake conscience how to raise a fallen how to strike a remorse-lesse The other in a distinct iudgement and a rare dexterity in clearing the obscure subtilties of the schoole and easie explication of the most perplex discourses Doctor Reynolds is the last not in worth but in the time of his losse Hee alone was a well-furnisht librarie full of all faculties of all studies of all learning The memorie the reading of that man were neere to a miracle These are gone amongst many more whom the Church mournes for in secret would God her losse could be as easily supplied as lamented Her sorrowe is for those that are past her remainder of ioy in those that remaine her hope in the next age I pray God the causes of her hope and ioy may bee equiualent to those of her griefe What should this worke in vs but an imitation yea that word is not too bigge for you an emulation of their worthinesse It is no pride for a man to wish himselfe spiritually better then he dare hope to reach nay I am deceiued if it be not true humility For what doth this argue him but lowe in his conceite high in his desires onely Or if so happy is the ambition of grace and power of sincere seruiceablenesse to God Let vs wish and affect this while the world layes plots for greatnesse Let me not prosper if I bestowe enuie on them He is great that is good and no man me thinks is happy on earth to him that hath grace for substance and learning for ornament If you knowe it not the Church our mother lookes for much at your hands shee knowes how rich our common father hath left you shee notes your graces your opportunities your imployments she thinks you are gone so farre like a good Merchant for no small gaine and lookes you shal com home well laded And for vent of your present commodities tho our chiefe hope of successe bee cut-off with that vnhoped peace yet what can hinder your priuate traffique for God I hope and who doth not that this blow wil leaue in your noble Venetians a perpetuall scar that their late irresolution shal make them euer capable of all better counsels and haue his worke like some great Eclipse many yeares after How happy were it for Venice if as she is euery yeare maried to the sea so shee were once throughly espoused to Christ In the meane time let mee perswade you to gratifie vs at home with the publication of that your exquisite Polemicall discourse wherto our cōference with M. Alabaster gaue so happy an occasion You shall heereby cleare many truthes and satisfie all Readers yea I doubt not but an aduersary not too peruerse shall acknowledge the Truthes victorie and yours It was wholsom counsell of a Father that in the time of an heresy euery man should write Perhaps you complaine of the inundations of Francford How many haue been discouraged from benefiting the world by this conceit of multitude Indeed we all write and while we Write cry out of number How well might many be spared euen of those that complaine of too many whose importunate babbling cloyes the world without vse To my Lord the Earle of ESSEX EP. 8. Aduise for his Trauailes MY Lord both my duty and

superstitiously-ignorant are contrarily extreame while the one seekes out naturall causes of Gods immediate and metaphysicall works The other ascribes ordinary effectes to supernaturall causes If the violence of a disease cease after a vow made to our Ladie If a souldier armed with this vow escape gunshot a captiue prison a Woman traueling death the vulgar and I would they alone cry out A miracle One loadstone hath more wonder in it then a thousand such euentes Euerie thing drawes a base minde to admiration Francesco del Campo one of the Arch-dukes Quiryes told vs not without importunate deuotion that in that fatall fielde of Newport his vow to their Virgin helpt him to swimme ouer a large water when the oares of his armes had neuer before tryed any waues A dogge hath done more without acknowledgement of any Saint Feare giues sudden instincts of skill euen without precept Their owne Costerus durst say that the Cure of a disease is no miracle His reason because it may be done by the power of Nature albee in longer time Yeeld this and what haue Lipsius his two Ladies done wherefore serues all this clamour from the two hilles I assented not neither will bee herein thus much their enemy For as well the manner of doing as the matter makes a miracle If Peters handkerchiefe or shadow heale a disease it is miraculous though it might haue been done by a Potion Many of their recoueries doubtlesse haue beene wrought through the strength of Nature in the Patient not of vertue in the Saint How many sicke men haue mended with their physicke in their pocket Tho many other also I doubt not of those Cures haue fallē into the fourth head which indeed is more knotty and requires a deeper discourse Wherein if I shal euince these two things I shal I hope satisfie my Reader and cleare the Truth One that miracles are wroght by Satā the other that those which the Romish Church boasteth are of this nature of this author I contend not of words we take miracles in Augustines large sense wherein is little difference betwixt a thing maruelous miraculous such as the spirite of GOD in either instrument calles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perhaps it would bee more proper to say that God workes these miracles by Satan for as in the naturall and voluntarie motions of wicked men so in the supernatural acts of euil spirits as they are acts there is more then a meere permission Satan by his tempest bereaues Iob of his children yet Iob looking higher sayth The Lord hath taken No sophistrie can elude this proofe of Moses that a Prophet or dreamer may giue a true signe or wonder and yet say Let vs goe after strange Gods nor that of our Sauiour who ●oretels of false Christs false Prophets that shall giue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signes and wonders and those great The are some too great I grant for the hand of all infernall powers by which our Sauiour inuincibly proues the truth of his deity These neuer graced falsehood neither admitte any precedent from our times As to the rest so frequent and common for mee I could not beleeue the Church of Rome were Antichristian if it had not boasted of these wōders Al the knot lyes then in the application of this to Rome and our imaginarie Lady How shall it appeare that their miracles are of this kinde Ludouicus Viues giues sixe notes to distinguish Gods miracles from Satans Lipsius three Both of them too many as might easily bee discouered by discussing of particulars It is not so much the greatnesse of the worke not the beleefe of witnesses not the qualitie nor manner of the action nor trueth of essence that canne descrie the immediate hand which worketh in our miracles That alone is the true and golden rule which Iustin Martyr if at least that booke bee his prescribes in his Questions and Aunswers How shall it bee knowen that our miracles are better then the Heathens although the euent countenaunce both alike Resp Ex fide cultu veri dei Miracles must bee iudged by the doctrine which they confirme not the doctrine by the miracles The dreamer or prophet must bee esteemed not by the euent of his wonder but by the substance and scope of his teaching The Romanists argue preposterously while they would prooue the trueth of their Church by miracles whereas they should proue their miracles by the trueth To say nothing of the fashion of their Cures that one is prescribed to come to our LADIE rather on a Fridaye as * Henrie Loyez another to washe nine Dayes in the Water of MONT AIGV as Leonard Stocqueau another to eate a peece of the Oke where the image stood as Magdaleine the widow of Bruxelles All which if they sauour not strong of magical receits let the Indifferent iudge Surely either there is no sorcery or this is it All shall bee plaine if the doctrine confirmed by their miracles be once discussed for if that be diuine truth we do vniustly impugne these workes as diabolicall if falshood they do blasphemously proclaime them for diuine These workes tend all chiefly to this double doctrin that the blessed virgin is to bee inuoked for her mediation That God Saints are to be adored in by Images Positions that would require a volume and such as are liberally disputed by others whereof one is against scripture the other which in these cases values no lesse besides it One deifies the virgin the other a stocke or stone It matters not what subtile distinctions their learned Doctors make betwixt mediation of Redemption and Intercession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Saint and the Image Wee knowe their common people whose deuotion inriches those shrines by confession of their owne Writers climbe the Hill of Zichem with this conceite that Marie is their Sauioresse that the stocke is their Goddesse which vnlesse it bee true how do their wonders teach them lyes and therefore how from GOD But to take the first at best for the second is so grosse that were not the seconde commaundement by Papistes purposely razed out of their Primiers children and carrers would condemne it it cannot be denied that all the substance of prayer is in the heart the vocall sound is but a complement and as an outwarde case wherein our thoughts are sheathed That Power cannot knowe the prayer which knowes not the heart either then the Virgin is God for that shee knowes the heart or to knowe the heart is not proper to GOD or to knowe the heart and so our prayers is falsely ascribed to the Virgin and therefore these wonders which teach men thus to honour her are Doctors of lyes so not of GOD. There cannot be any discourse wherein it is more easie to bee tedious To ende If prayers were but in wordes and Saints did meddle with all particularities of earthly thinges