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
A12788	A learned and gracious sermon preached at Paules Crosse by that famous and iudicious diuine, Iohn Spenser ... ; published for the benefite of Christs vineyard, by H.M.	Spenser, John, 1559-1614.; Marshall, Hamlett.	1615 (1615)	STC 23096; ESTC S521	35,428	60

be named the Lords Vineyard Surely to vse Gods owne similitude where there hath publikely passed a solemne contract of marriage visibly confirmed by Couenants and pledges mutually deliuered and receiued though the wife keepe not the truth of her first faith but euen openly and shamelesly turneth away her heart after other louers yet til there passeth a publike renouncing one of the other and a bill of diuorcement giuen and separation passed she is accounted his wife whose name she beareth whose wife shee publikely professeth her selfe to be So is betweene God and his visible Church both Israel and Iudah notwithstanding their fornications still kept the publike profession of the name of the God of Israel they retained circumcision the outward seale and pledge both of his Couenant both offered sacrifices to him that brought thē out of Egypt euen by that stile though in a superstitious maner both had the law of God publikely amongst them his Prophets also And therefore this outward foundation of the old league and couenant continueth stil the Lord accounteth them both as his and notwithstanding their knowne adulteries and their children of fornication by other gods whom they also serued hee intreateth them though in anger and displeasure and in threates and sometimes in chasticements yet as his owne for they were neuer denounced till they were destroyed and by the benefite of that same outward society coniunctiō which in the midst of their other abominations still remayned between God and them of the word and Sacrament many spirituall children also were borne by them to the Lord such as those 7000. were in Elias dayes who liuing in house together with their illegitimate brethren feared their father the God of Israel and secretly mourned at the abominations of their mother howsoeuer by liuing in so corrupt a house they might be tainted with some of the corruptions of their mother and carnall brethren And this is the nature of the Christian Church wherof that was a figure it is here on earth subiect to alterations and to that like generall defection and ouerrunning with weeds which both Christ and the Apostles prophesie should happen in the outward and visible face thereof which we see did happen in the figuratiue Church of Israel before Christ though the roote and foundation of Christianity shal neuer faile in it and the booke of God the seed of immortality shall remaine in it vncorrupted and the publike profession of Christ shall neuer be vtterly choaked for the Elects sake that shall bee from age to age of this world being borne in it yea though one part of the Church whose preseruation of the trueth shall be lesse corrupted then an other as Iudah was in comparison of Israel For the particular Churches are like Vineyards some flourishing for a time some barren and according to their husbandmen some cleaner kept some ouergrowne with thornes some become wilde for want of pruning yea they are like our bodies some sound and orthodox some more diseased some sicke vnto death and some vncleane and leprous and with whom there can bee no communion Thus the Church of Corinth in the Apostle Saint Paules time was not so sound as the Churches of Rome Ephesus the Church of Galatia was infected with a most dangerous error After when S. Iohn wrote the church of Ephesus had her imperfections the other sixe Churches were more infected and amongst them Laodicea was in farre worse estate then either Pergamus or Thyatira and yet all these remained the Lords Churches and Vineyards in the middest of their errors corruptions because they helde that foundation of Christianity vpon which the Church is builded Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God For although as euery sinne is opposite to theloue of God so euery error also is opposite to his truth and doe not agree together yet by reason of our weake eyes and iudgements not discerning the disagreement of truth and error as of righteousnes and sinne the best men doe receiue some probable errors into the society of truth without reiecting and ouerturning their faith of those grounds which they truly hold and therefore though euery little error in matter of faith be dangerous and causeth some defect and mayme in our practise of piety eyther in our inuocations of faith or in our works of loue and the more deadly the nearer they touch the principall grounds yet they doe not all make wounds vnto death and kill our faith and piety till they come to be knowne and wilfull errors that is to be heresies and sinnes of the will for then the least error is deadly because it is wilfull and directly opposite to the loue of the truth of Christ Finally as one Church is more or lesse pure and Orthodoxe then another so wee see how the selfe same Churches continue not alwayes in one and the selfe same state for the Church of Iudah was sometime religious sometimes idolatrous sometimes purged in part the groues and high places still remaining so hath euery Church in the world since Christs time vndergone great alterations and changes the Church of Rome in her first ages was very sound and pure the Easterne Churches were more ouergrowne with errors in these latter ages since as Platina obserueth Iohn 10. The people were cleane departed from Saint Peters steps the west Churches haue more declined and the Easterne Churches except that one error of the proceeding of the holy Ghost in all other parts of faith remaine much more pure then the Church of Rome and her adherents yea Rome it selfe began a little changing of her selfe when Pius the fift acknowledging that their bookes of publike diuine seruice in all places were stuffed with vaine errors of superstitions did cast out some corruptions and no doubt besides the priuate reformations both in the iudgements and practise of numbers of her followers who will not embrace all her abominations she would haue proceeded further in publike reformation had not besides the loue of her priuate gaines a respect of her publike credit hindred her for by confessing any one error shee seeth that shee should giue preiudice against her self for other her opinions in acknowledging that shee might erre in them also Which ministreth an answere to their vaine obiections who demand of vs where our Church was for so many ages till Martin Luthers dayes in what caue of the earth it lurked for our Church is one and the same which it was at the first planting of Christianity amongst vs It hath alwayes had one and the same roote and foundation one and the same Christ publikely professed though at the first more purely afterwards more corruptly and not by Gods mercy the same Christ more purely againe For as the new dressing and weeding of a Vineyard is not a new planting and as the often repairing the decayes and purging of the vncleannes of the Temple was not the new founding and building of another Temple so in our Church

A LEARNED AND GRACIOVS SERMON Preached at Paules Crosse BY THAT FAMOVS AND ludicious Diuine IOHN SPENSER D. of Diuinity and late President of Corpus Chr Coll in OXFORD Published for the benefite of Christs Vineyard by H. M. IOHN 15.2 Euery branch that beares not fruit in me he taketh away and euery one that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit LONDON Imprinted by George Purslowe for Samuel Rande and are to be solde at his shoppe neere Holborne Bridge 1615. TO THE RIGHT REVER END AND worthily honoured Father in God IOHN by Diuine Prouidence L. Bishop of LONDON Grace and Peace be multiplied with all the complements of true Essentiall Happinesse THe Author of this Heauenly Sermon Right Reuerend and most worthy Moecenas of Learning I may iustly compare to Iohn the Baptist of whom Iesus giueth this commendation that hee was a burning and a shining light Iohn 5.35 for hee was a Iohn indeede a faithfull dispenser of the mysteries of God in whom the grace of God was exceedingly resplendent who burned with zeale loue towards Gods Vineyard and was while he liued such a shining light in the house of God in respect of his knowledge learning piety and godlinesse that he was reuerenced of all good men admired of such as excell in iudicious learning yea all mē of what sort or condition soeuer which knew him did worthily afforde him the testimony of a milde and louing spirit Oh what admirable height of knowledge and depth of iudgement dwelled within the lowly minde of this true humble man great in all mens eyes except his owne with what grauity maiesty of speech did his tongue vtter heauenly mysteries which many a Christian eare hath heard with vnspeakable ioy and comfort Oh how did he empty himselfe to fill others how did hee waste and consume himselfe to inlighten that flocke which was committed to his chargel yea as it is the nature of true goodnes to communicate it selfe to others so was it this good mans endeuor that as he was Lux illuminata inlightned himselfe with knowledge and grace from aboue so he might be Lux illuminans the instrument and seruant of God to inlighten others in the wayes of their peace to the glory of his Master Christ and the soules health of the lambs of his little flocke For mine owne part I professe it freely that as I was to him vnder God most of al indebted for my liuelihood in this world so for matter of learning light of knowledge if I haue any it was especially drawn from his fountain deriued from the splendor of his goodnes yea while I liued as it were vnder his roofe being his Minister for the space of fiue yeares what gaine I got by attending his voyce how much I haue profited by penning and obseruing his precious meditations and what a blessing I haue reaped from the haruest of his honest religious and vnblameable conuersation those which knew mee before and haue been acquainted with me since can truly testifie to Gods glory that me mihi meliorem reddidit quam accepit Wherefore now to shew my thankfulnes in part and the reuerend respect I deseruedly bore him I haue vndertaken though vnworthy of all others to publish such of his learned labours as he left behind him and which I am sure he rather penned for his owne priuate vse then with any purpose to haue them printed eyther before or after his death for though by all possible means this blessed mā was euer ready to manifest his good will to the benefite of the Church and behoofe of posterity yet was hee so lowly in his owne eyes so cast downe in his owne conceite and his labours of such little esteeme in his own sight that he held nothing he did worthy of the worlds view though his paines were neuer so great in the composing thereof yea this of mine owne knowledge I dare affirme that such was his humility and modesty in that kind that when he had taken extraordinary paines together with a most iudicious and complete Diuine in our Church about the compiling of a learned and profitable worke now extant yet would hee not be moued to put his hand to it though hee had a speciall hand in it and therfore it fell out that tulitalter honores Concerning this particular Sermon which is his fathers postbumus and presents it selfe in the first place to the world before the rest which by Gods grace shall follow after though of it selfe it deserues allowance and binds dependency vnto it yet am I bolde to recommend the protection thereof to your Lordshippe and to intitle it to your Honours name vpon due deliberation and diuers iust causes as first in regard of the vnthankefulnes of this inconsiderate age of ours which is more willing to entertaine euery idle Pamphlet and vaine toy that fond inuention can excogitate then to embrace such laudable enterprises which further the Kingdome of God or perswade the truth of religiō among the sonnes of men amongst which vngratefull monsters some are such Atheists and open enemies of Gods truth that they bark at them sicut Cerberus in Stygio some are such Athenians affecters of nouelty that they will hisse at them sicut anguis in herba and looke asquint at euery occurrēt that fits not their humor and there is an ignauum pecus which them selues stand idle in the market place al the day long and yet with forked tongues will they not spare to carpe at each monument of piety and in a preiudicate opinion reiect disgrace their paines who shall but crosse the path of their wicked delights wherefore I much desired my Honourable L. that this worthy Sermon might find such an happy Patrone as your selfe being assured that passing vnder your Honourable name it might be sheelded from the iniurie and enuy of impious superstitious and contentious persons and might find with men of sound iudgemēt the freer acceptation and with men of great place the grauer consideration and with men of all sorts the better intertainment when it comes abroad And further though I know your Lordshippe delights not to haue your name diuulged in printed papers yet I doubt not but you will bee pleased to patronize this poore Orphan and suffer it willingly to passe vnder your Honors protection and that for it own sake being a discourse of Gods Vineyard a part whereof Almighty God hath made you an happy ouerseer but especially for his fathers sake whom while hee liued you loued as your owne life and tendered as that which was neerest and dearest vnto you oh how did the loadstone of your loue euer draw him after your selfe so that in the same Vniuersity you were Students together in the same house you were seruants Chaplaines together in the same city you were neighbours and Preachers together to the same colledges where you were first Students you were aduanced together and I doubt not but in the