Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	answer_v	know_v	word_n	2,215	5	4.1186	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05360	An excellent treatise of Christian righteousnes, written first in the French tongue by M.I. de l'Espine, and translated into English by I. Feilde for the comforte of afflicted consciences, verie necessarie and profitable to be reade of all Christians, as well for establishing them in the true doctrine of iustification, as also for enabling them to confute the false doctrine of all Papistes and heretickes; Excellent traité de la justice chrestienne. English.	L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597.; Fielde, John, d. 1588.	1577 (1577)	STC 15512; ESTC S106720	64,303	130

AN EXCELLENT TREATISE OF CHRISTIAN RIGHTEOVSNES WRITTEN FIRST in the French tongue by M. I. de l'Espine and translated into English by I. Feilde for the comforte of afflicted consciences verie necessarie and profitable to be reade of all Christians as well for establishing them in the true doctrine of Iustification as also for enabling them to confute the false doctrine of all Papistes and Heretickes ANCHORA SPEI Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautrollier dwelling in the Blackfriers 1577. To the Reader Loe here the ioy of Christians all laid vp within this booke To teache the way that leades to life whereon ech man may looke It is not we but it is he that freely giueth life That none but he may praised be without gainesay or strife TO THE VERTVOVS AND MY VERY DEARE FREND THE LADY ELIzabeth Terwhitte I. F. wisheth encrease of godlines and constancy in the true religion of Christ to the ende and in the ende RIght vvorshipfull my very good Lady after I had perused this litle treatise of Christian righteousnes as it vvas first vvritten in the Frenche tongue I tooke great cōfort in it thought it to be very necessary to be turned into Englishe for the benefite of Christes poore Church I therefore as occasiō serued at conuenient times performed that I purposed vvherein I haue studied to be as simple and plaine because of the vnlearned as possibly the matter phrase of that tongue vvould suffer me I am not ignoraunt vvhat an hard thing it is to translate vvell and contrarivvise hovv easie a thing it is for euery carping Momus or ignoraunt zoilus to finde fault but herein I shall as God shall asist me arme my selfe vvith paciēce to beare vvhatsoeuer hath bin is or shal be layd vpon me This only shall cōfort me that I vvalke not before men but before God in vvhose presence I protest that according to the simple knovvledge he hath giuen me I haue dealt simply and sincerely Of all vanities I esteeme it the greatest to hange vppon the blastes of mens mouthes They that are that vvaies caried highest and haue not the testimony of good consciences neither seeke to approue themselues to God to vvhom they must stand or faule they shall finde no comfort in it in the day of death It litle auaileth a man to be iustified of the vvhole vvorld and to be condemned before god Therefore God giue vs grace to vvalke as in his presence that vvhatsoeuer vve take in hande it may be consecrated to him haue an excellent blessing vpon it I haue dedicated my labours herein to your good Ladyshippe for sundry causes thogh I deny not but my meaning is to make them common to the church of God first that they may be a testimony to all posterity of your forvvardnes fidelity sinceritie in the religion of Christ Iesus Then of my bounden duety and good vvill tovvards you And I most humbly beseeche you in the eyes and sight of the vvhole vvorlde that you constantly and inuiolably holde and keepe that blessed hope of your best inheritance And as God in mercy hath dravven you out of the sincke and mier of Poperie and of the false vvorshippe of God vvherto as to all other vices vve are most apt by nature to the true religion of Christ so goe forvvards and most humbly and continually thanke him for it Acknovvledge it the greatest benefit that euer in mercy he coulde haue bestovved vppon you Bevvare of the vvorld that maketh least accompt of this most excellent and vvaighty thinge Study by all meanes to ansvvere this holy excellent callinge that your religion may shine as vvell in vvorkes as in vvordes in an holy conuersation as in a sincere professiō Knovv assuredly that vvhere the truth of God raigneth there the kingdome of Sathan decaieth the strength of sinne abateth the pleasures of the flesh are restrained Iesus Christ by the scepter of his holy vvord blessed spirit cōtinually vvorketh to the daily mortifying of the outvvard man and quickening the invvard to the brideling maistering of the affections of the mind till it be renued reformed chaunged into his holy obedience and so by litle and litle be translated into his kingdome And till this be brought to passe you shall neuer feele vvhat Christes righteousnes is vvhich is our only happines vvherof this booke so notably comfortably entreateth The Lord Iesus open your heart and giue you vnderstanding in all his misteries that you may see his great glory till you may comprehende vvith all Saincts the height depth vvidth and length of his glorious righteousnes laying holde vpon it through aliuely faith and so be sealed vp through him as I doubt not but you are to euerlasting happines fare you vvell most humbly from my poore house this seconde of Nouember 1577. Your good Ladyships bounden in the lord I. F. AN EXCELLENT TREATISE OF CHRISTIAN RIGHTEOVSNES Made by M. I. de l'Espine Minister of the worde of God and newly put furthe for the instruction and consolation of the children of God. THERE is not any one article in all our Christian Fayth the knowledge whereof canne be so helthfull and necessarie vnto vs as this of Christian righteousnesse Nowe forasmuch as of this righteousnesse dependeth euerlasting life and of Faith dependeth this righteousnesse and of Faith cometh that knowledge which we haue of the promises of our God and of Iesus Christ who is the onely meane that they are applyed and freely accomplished towardes vs without hauinge any respect to any of our workes It behoueth for the better vnderstanding of all these thinges aright that we laye them furthe in order beginne with the definition of Christian righteousnesse But it must be noted that in the holy Scripture the signification and vse of this worde Righteousnesse is farre different from that which is vsurped in the bookes of the philosophers and schoolemen because they take righteousnesse for a certaine habite and qualitie which being enclosed in our minde enclineth vs to liue honestly and in such sorte to order the course of all our actions that they be entirelie conformable to reason and to those rules that are sette out vnto vs in the Lawe A thinge that we can not doe perfectly seeing that we are loaden and compassed about with so greate infirmitie and for that our nature beinge so diseased and corrupted it yrcketh vs and wholy turneth vs from the loue study and exercise of that which is good and disposeth and stirreth vs vp to the quite contrary to embrace and followe vice with a meruelous will and readynesse Adde hereunto that we are driuen and ledde in this case by many tentations and assaultes wherewith the flesh the worlde and deuill doe continually assaile vs Wherfore we must conclude that in the whole worlde there can neuer be founde a righteous man if righteousnesse be to be measured according to that definition which the philosophers haue

to esteme the iudgement of men be it in good or euill because they are vaine of their owne nature and if they praise vs this ought not to puffe vs vp or to encrease the opiniō we haue of our selues Also if they dispraise or condemne vs we ought not therein to discourage our selues hauing the spirite of God his worde and our owne conscience to susteine and iustifie vs. We are at this day excommunicated of the Pope and condemned and reiected from his presence and of the most parte of men and principally of them who are in greatest estimation and credit of knowledge and wisdom notwithstanding concerning the Pope we ought to make no reckoning of him nor of all the sentēces that he can pronounce and thunder out against vs For he is the enemie of Iesus Christ and consequently Antichrist and an enemie of the light forasmuch as all his workes are euil and of the truth being the first Embassadour and minister of lying and to conclude an vtter enemie to the saluatiō of men and of the honour of god Also he is the sonne of perdition to cast awaye and to destroye all those which will depende on his aucthoritie and wil be brought to his opinion touching the estate and saluation of their conscience Is not this he which beareth the name of blasphemie vppon his forhead to shewe that he woulde be the protectour It is not therfore to be meruailed at if he condemne and holde those for heretiques which loue the honour of God and employ them selues to aduaunce the kingdome of Iesus Christ As concerning the great and wise men of this world we ought not also to discourage our selues if they sette them selues with all their strength against the truth wherof they haue no knowledge as Iesus Christ sayeth that his father hath hidde from the great and wise of the worlde the misteries of the kingdome of heauen and hath reueiled them to litle ones According to which S. Paule sayeth that he preached Iesus Christ crucified which was an offence to the Iewes and foolishnesse to the Grecians alleaging that which is written in Esaie I will destroye the wisdome of the wise and will caste awaye the vnderstanding of the prudente And adioining that same question Where is the wise where is the scribe where is the disputer of this worlde Hath not God made the wisedome of this worlde foolishnes Ieremie sayeth also seeing the people to make no accompte of his worde I will get me vnto the great men and will speake vnto them For they haue knowen the waye of the Lord which the people knew not But these also haue broken the yoke and haue banded them selues together to speake against the worde of God as the others All these places serue to shew vnto vs that God hath chosen the foolish thinges of the world to confounde the wise And hereof it is that we see nowe a dayes that the greatest men and they that are of most reputation in the worlde do most obstinatly resiste the truth and shewe by worde and effectes that they are most blinde in God his matters taking darkenes for light sower for sweete and sweete for sower Now as the greatnes and aucthoritie of men ought not to astonish vs nor any whit to moue vs so also neither the nomber and multitude of them Forasmuch as the waye that leadeth to destruction is broade and is chosen of the greatest nomber of persones who enter there and goe on in it because that men are naturally enclined to embrace errours and lyes and their is none but the elect of God which beleue and loue the truth who are a litle nomber as Iesus Christ sayeth in respect of the reprobate We conclude then that to the ende we be righteous it is not needful that we satisfie men nor conforme our selues to their iudgement in matters that concerne the honour and seruice of almighty God the estate of the conscience wherin oftētimes they erre because they leaue the worde of God which is the only way wherby by a man maye well and rightely iudge and define of these two poincts and betake thē selues to the iudgement and definition of their owne opiniōs and phantaseis which are for the most parte fonde and ridiculous There are two thinges in which we maye applie our selues to mans iudgement that is to say to thinges meerly ciuill politique and to thinges indifferent For it must not be that a faithfull man be partiall in policie neither that he violate the publique peace as lōg as he may keepe it mainteine it without offence to God or trouble to the quiet of his conscience But it behoueth that he obaye the ordinaunces of the Magistrate and keep the statutes lawes customes of the countrey where he dwelleth carefully watching that he giue no occasion of offence nor suspicion that he will innouate or alter any thinge in the estate and policie of the common wealth As concerning thinges indifferent we must follow the counsaill of S. Augustine writing to Ianuarius that when the thing that is commaunded of men is not contrarie to Faith nor to good customes we must hold them for indifferent not gaine stand in any thing what so euer to the end to keep peace with those with whom we are conuersaunt For which cause Vitcor Bishop of Rome was sharpely reproued by Ireneus other auncient fathers because that for the diuersitie of ceremonies which they kept in the celebration of Easter he had separated his Church from the Communion of the Easte churches The which thing was attributed vnto him for great presumption and arrogancie that he would go about to subiect all Churches to the Customes and ceremonies which were obserued in his and for hauing renounced the common confederation in which he ought to haue abidden vnited and fast knitte and not to haue broken the chaine of charity which ought to haue locked together alike all the members of the vniuersall Church The last indgement to which we must aunswere is that of our conscience which either ministreth vnto vs great consolations or else great torments according as it is either euill or well disposed For we may saye that a pure conscience is a paradise which we maye haue in this worlde forasmuch as there is not any thing which can bring vs greater peace contentmente be it in prosperitie or in aduersitie Euen like as the bodie when it is in good health is strong and able to beare the great stormes colde of winter and likewise the excessiue and vntemperate heat of the sommer euen so a consciēce that is whole fully resolued can beare stowtely all accidēts without yeelding or shrinking vnder the burden and waight of any thing what so euer may happen vnto it Cōtrarywise an euill and sicke conscience is a verie hell and there is nothing in the world that may more vexe tormente vs And