Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	ancient_a	church_n	true_a	2,421	5	5.1957	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44363	The Spirit of Christ, and the spirit of the Apostles and the spirit of the martyrs is arisen, which beareth testimony against swearing and oaths, for which the martyrs suffered in the time of the ten persecutions and some since, which we also, the people of God called Quakers, do suffer for, as many thousands have done, for keeping the commands of Christ who saith, swear not at all and also, here you may see such martyrs as could not put off their hat or bonnet to the Pope, nor his legate, and as example of one martyr that could not give sureties, being innocent, so that you may see in this book following, to swear not at all, nor to take oaths, nor to deny putting off the hat or bonnet, nor to deny giving sureties being innocent is no new thing, which is proved out of the Scriptures and book of martyrs / published by Ellis Hooks.	Hookes, Ellis, d. 1681.	1661 (1661)	Wing H2662; ESTC R4402	20,779	30

Christ forbids is not only prophane Swearing Exod. 20.7 in the Common Communication for that was forbidden in the Law where it is said Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain c. but solemn Swearing which was to be performed and that was the perfection of the Law And Kings and Princes may take warning by this King Richard not to fulfill the cruel and bloody desires of their Prelats And Chrysostom Acts Monuments Vol. 1. fol. 701. who was Bishop of Constantinople in commendation of whom much is said in the Ecclesiastical History he blameth them greatly that brought forth a Book to swear upon charging his Clark That in no wise they constrain any body to swear whether they think a man swear true or false saying that it is a sin to swear well Now I mentioned before that it was an Emperor that commanded first that men should swear by a Book and this Chrysostom reproves So hereby it may be seen by these Examples that it is no new Doctrine to deny all Swearing and there hath been a People very many years in the Low-Countries that have denyed Swearing in any matter therefore their Yea and Nay stands in Courts of Judicatory equal with an Oath they being men generally of known Integrity whose Yea is Yea and Nay Nay in all places and matters as hereafter you may see Likewise Jerom who was an antient Father and Teacher in the Church which all the Protestants owned upon that place Matth. 5.37 and James 5.12 these are his words It was permitted under the Law to the Jews as being tender as it were Infants that they were to offer Sacrifices to God lest they should sacrifice to Idols so that they might swear by God not that it was rightful so to do but because it was better to swear by the LORD than to swear by false Gods and Devils But the great Evangelist in sincerity and truth admits not of an Oath since every true saying is equality thereunto In like manner doth Theophilact an ancient Father of the Church whom the Protestants own and have often cited his Doctrine for proof upon the place in controversie saith Learn hence that then under the Law it was not evil for one to swear but since the coming of Christ it is evil as is Circumcision and in some what ever is judaical for it may become a Child to suck and not Man So that Oaths pertained to the Jews who were under the changeable Covenant and the mutable Covenant which continued but for a time till the Seed Christ the Oath of God was revealed and where He is revealed and witnessed all the Judaical things times and figures and changeable Ordinances have an end Likewise Ambrose upon Psalm 118 he saith None doth swear aright but he that knows what he sweareth and the Lord hath sworn and will not repent that is concerning his Son God's Oath which ends the Oaths Upon Psal 110. Ambrose saith Let him then sweare who cannot repent of his Oath And a little after the said Ambrose saith Do not imitate him in swearing whom you cannot imitate in fulfilling And indeed the principal Solution given by him is Swear not at all and the aforesaid Waldenses who condemned all manner of Swearing as unlawful they made it their care to avoid Swearing and Lying and hereby they did give sufficient caution against all Inconveniences which might come thereby as to Government in general for whereas Testification or Assertion is made without an Oath is as sure as if it had been sworn to And Biship Usher doth esteem that place of Matth. 5. Swear not at all to be a sufficient plea for the Waldenses against Swearing And therefore they who have any esteem of the aforesaid Authors and of their Doctrines must not condemn the Quakers as for novelties or for broachers of new Doctrine For Rinerius one of the Popish Inquisition saith Among all the Sects which are or have been there is not any more pernicious to the Church meaning the Church of Rome than the Waldenses and that for three Reasons first Because of their Antiquity and secondly Because of their Universality and thirdly In that they did profess it no way lawful fer a Christian to Swear on any occasion Which Doctrine was contrary to the Church of Rome which made Rinerius and Jansenius two Papists so much envy the Waldenses in this thing about the keeping the Commands of Christ And yet notwithstanding all this Cloud of Witnesses both in the Primitive times and after Ages divers who suffered as Martyrs did hold the same and also the many Testimonies of them who have dyed in the Faith of Christ and the Apostles and kept the Testimony of the Commands of Christ And also it is recorded that the Christian Martyrs in King Richard's days and in Henry the Fourth and Henry the Sixth's dayes and Maries dayes here in England did bear a good Testimony against Swearing and likewise did refuse to swear according to the Command of Christ who said Swear not at all Therefore I say it is neither lawful nor comely nor sfe to break the Law of Christ which ends the Law and Commandment that commands Swearing which Law of Christ is the Law of the Spirit of Life the Transgression of which is evil and the Penalty of which is Condemnation So see some Examples as followeth John Florence a Turner held That all such as did swear by their Life or Power shall be damned except they repent First Vol. 1. pag. 871. Hen. 6ths days it is said That Margery Baxter did inform this Deponent That she should in no case swear saying to her in English Dame beware of the Bee for every Bee will sting therefore take beed you swear not neither by God neither by our Lady neither by any other Saint and if you do contrary the Bee will sting your mouth and venom your soul Above one hundred taken Vol. 1. pag. 869. Hen. 6ths days whereof some were burned some cruelly handled and some were forced to abjure who said It was not lawful to swear in private cases There it is said That neither the Pope nor the Prelats Vol. 1. pag. 896. Hen. 4ths dayes neither any Ordinary can compel any man to swear by any Creature of God or by the Bible-book Woodman's Examination before the Bishop of Winchester Winchester said Hold him a Book if he refuse to swear Vol. 3. pag. 823. Ma. dayes he is an Anabaptist and shall be Excommunicated Wood. I will not swear for you Excommunicate me if you will for you be not meet to take an Oath c. Winch. said Thou art an absolute Fool Pag. 822. and an Heretick Lay thy hand on the Book and answer to such things as I lay against thee Wood. I will lay no hand on the Book for none of ye all I have nothing to do with you Winch. This man is without Law and cares not for the King nor Queen