Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A03632
|
A godly confession and protestacion of the christian fayth, made and set furth by Ihon Hooper, wherin is declared what a christia[n] manne is bound to beleue of God, hys Kyng, his neibour, and hymselfe
|
Hooper, John, d. 1555.
|
1550
(1550)
|
STC 13757; ESTC S117853
|
21,202
|
64
|
As it is in the scriptures and in the seconde part of the common crede I beleue in Iesus Christ his onelye sonne our Lorde whiche was conceyued by the holy ghoste borne of the vyrgyn Marye suffred vnder Poncâ—us Pylate he was crucified dead and buried he descended into hel and the third day he arose agayn froÌ„ death vnto life and ascended into heauen and there sitteth on the ryght hand of God the Father almyghtie And froÌ„ thence he shal come to iudge both the quick the dead I beleue that by this meanes and no other the sinnes of al beleuers to be forgeuen without the merites and deseruiÌ„ges of Adams posteritie By AdaÌ„ sinne came into the world and bi sinne deathe Euen so wythoute all merites respectes and worthynes of Adam either of anye of his posteritie by Iesus Chryste came remission of synne and lyfe euerlastyng And euen as I beleue stedfastli sinne death bi this meanes to be ouercome and destroyed and euer lastyng lyfe to follow it so beleue I the sonne of God to be perfect God maÌ„ accordyng to the scriptures and do condemne the heresies of Arian and Marâ—ian with their complices adhereÌ„tes that wyckedly beleued the contrarye And as I confesse and beleue the measies of our saluation to be onely Christ so I condemne the Pelagian and all such other as beleued and taught that thei culd by their own powers streÌ„gth and wyll worke theyr own saluation which false opinion coÌ„culcateth frustrateth slandereth condemneth and blasphemeth all the deseruynges of Christ. Therfore the Pelagian is called worthyly the ennemy of grace Farther I beâ—eeue that the grace of God deserued by the passion of Christ dothe not onely freely and without all merites of man begyn teache and prouoke manne to beleue the promyses of God and so to begyn to worke the wyl of God but also all the woorkes merites deseruynges dooynges and obedience of man towardes God althoughe they bee done by the spirite of god in the grace of god yet being thus done be of no validitee worthynes nor merite before God except God by mercy and grace accompte theym worthy for the worthynes and merites of Iesus Christ that dyed vnder Poncius Pilatus So that I beleue grace not oneli to be the begynner of al good workes but that all good workes done by man in the greattest perfeccion haue neede and wanteth grace to pardon their imperfeccion I beleue in the holye ghoste equalle god with the father and the soÌ„ne and procedynge from them both by whose vertue streÌ„gth and operacion the Catholyke churche is preserued from all 〈◊〉 and false doctrines and teacheth the coÌ„munioÌ„â—f saincts in al truth and verity the whych holy spirit shal neuer forsake the holy church which is Christ his mystical bodye I beleue that this holye spirit worketh the remission of synne the resurreccion of the fleshe and euerlastynge lyfe accordyng to the holy scripture Thys is my fayth and doctryne concirnyng the Godhed and diuersitie of persons in the holy Trinitie and also of the two natures in Chryst hys godhed and manhed Abhorring and detestiÌ„g the heresies of Samosaâ—enes Arian Nestor Eutiches who wer condemned by godly couÌ„cels Nece CoÌ„staÌ„tinople Ephesin Calchedom other I detest and abhor the Martian Manâ—che that faineth to be two gods and both eternal one good the other euil alwaies at debate among them selus I detest abor y e monsterous doctrine of the Valentines so generally of all those that haue denied to be ani god or wold haue many gods Also al those I detest that haue erred and in aintaine theyr erroure in any thyng concerning the essence of god ordeined the plurality of persons as of the father the soÌ„ne and the holye goost This is the faith of gods spiryte in my conscience whiche I haue lerned in hys word haue fayethfullye and râ—lygyouslye preathed and taughte the same in all my sermons as I wyll be iudged by onne audytory Also the same doctryne I haue furthred set forth in al mi boks 〈◊〉 writings though sum CaluÌ„niators and sclaunderers wulde gladly make pore the people beleue the coÌ„trary But I do decline and appeale from such vncharitable spretes vnto the charitable reader and louyng herte of all theym that be indued with gods holy sprete for they wyll not constrayne nor force letter sillable word or senteÌ„ce coÌ„trary to the mynde of the speaker writer but wyll Iudge and serche for iudgement in the processes and circumstances of the writer content themselues with the writers mynde rather than to brynge theyr affection and corrupte myndes to make their own imaginations and fantasies an other mans doctrine as the Arrian Pelagiane Anabaptist Papist and other do and haue doone bryngynge corrupte myndes to the lesson and readyng of Christes testament and wold that their fals heresies and vntrue imaginations should be Christe his doctrine Seeyng bothe goddes lawes and mans lawes suffereth and geueth libertee to euery man in a cause of religion to be interpretater of his owne wordes it were contrarye to iustice to put any man from it For if the auctor may not be the interpreter of his owne mynde what wold not malyce enuy spite and disdayne gather of works most truly and faith fully mente and wrytten And seyng charitee and the lawes of this realme as it appereth in an act of parliament made in y â— first yere of the reigne of our Soueraine Lorde Kyng Edward the syxte geueth lybertee and lycence to hym that shalbe accused for a matter of Religion vpon malice euyll wil hatred disdayn or bee made and suborned recordes to repell and conuicte all suche false recordes and theyr accusers by other faithfull and indifferent Recordes The whiche acte of parliament God forbydde should be denied to any of the kyngs Maiesties preachers for yf the testimonye of theyr audientes shal not quitte theym from the spyte calumniacion of malicious vncharitable meÌ„ they shal not long preache the truth For ether the papistes wyll accuse theÌ„ bycause thei wishe theÌ„ pope al monumentes of papistry to be taken out of the way Ether the carnall gospellar that cannot abyde to heare his faultes carnal life rebuked And I thinke if the Kinges magestie his most honorable couÌ„sel prepare not the soner a brydle correction for synne the true preacher of God hereafter shal be more persicuted for reprehendynge of synne and vngodly lyfe then euer yet hyther vnto he hath bene persecuted by the papistes Thus I haue declared my fayth and belefe towardes God accordyng to the Scriptures in the which I trust to coÌ„tiune vntil deth end this myserable and wâ—fihed life Nowe I wyll declare also the same towardes the churche of Christe what I beleâ—e of the magistrates the mynisters of the woâ—de and the people I dwel wyth al. And of these thynges I wyl speake accordyng
I thiÌ„k of all gods Sacramentes in the ministery of the churche And of Baptisme because it is a marke of our Christian church this I iudge after the doctryne of Saint Paul that it is a seale and coÌ„firmacion of iustice either of our accepcion into the grace of God for Chryst for his innocencye and iustice by fayth is ours and our sinnes and iniustice bi his obedience ar his wherof baptisme is the signe seale and coÌ„firmatioÌ„ For although frely by the grace of god our synnes be forgeuen yet the same is declared by the Gospel receiued by faith and sealed by y e sacramentes whyche be the seales of gods promises as it is to be sene by the fayth of the faythfull Abraham Baptisme hath hys promises as is a fore sayd hys elemente the water his proper coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t hys proper ceremonies washiÌ„g in y e water As for other mens opinioâ—s that saye Circumsicion was the seale not onely of AbrahaÌ„s acceptation freely into the grace of God by faith but also of hys obedience and proper iustice I beleue it not to be trewe for S. Paul confuteth it in the same place as an errour sayiÌ„g AbrahaÌ„ had nothiÌ„g wherof he mighte glory before god If he had nothiÌ„g god confirmed that he gaue him not that he found in him for S. Paul saith that Circumcision was the seale of the Iustice that caÌ„ by faith not by workes They be out of the way that haue the lyke opinion of baptisme for S. Paul disputeth not in that place whether works plese god but sheweth that our saluacion coÌ„meth by grace and not bi workes Ther be other that think SacrameÌ„ts to be the coÌ„firmatioÌ„s not only of our fre acceptacyon into gods fauour by fayth but also of our obedyeÌ„ce towardes God hereafter And because Infantes and young babes cannot professe obedience nor put of the olde man nor put on the newe thei would exempt and defraud the young chyldren of baptisme Saynt Paule coÌ„fesseth also this opinion in the same place AbrahaÌ„ saith he beleued God and it was accoÌ„ted vnto hym for iustice and sayth not Abraham professed obedience Therfore God coÌ„firmed his owne infallible truth and promises to Abraham by circumcision and not Abrahams obedience For if he had he had confirmed the weke and vncertayn infirmitie of man and not hys own infallible truth For AbrahaÌ„ wyth all hys obedience was infyrme and vnperfect wythout Christ Yet was bouÌ„d to work in a godly life As for those that say CircumcisioÌ„ and Baptisme be like and yet attribut the remission of originall synne to Baptysme whyche was neuer gyuen vnto Circumcision they onelye destroye not the similitude and equalitie that should be betwene them but also take from Christe remission of synne and translate it into the water and element of baptisme As for the supper of the Lord which is the other Sacrament whereby the church of Christ is knowne I beleue it is a remembraunce of Christes death a seale confyrmation of his preciouse body geuen vnto death wherwyth we are redemed It is a vysyble word that precheth peace betwene God and man exhorteth to mutual loue and godlye lyfe teacheth to contemne the world for the hope of the lyfe to come when as chryst shall appeare and come downe in to the cloudes whyche nowe is in heauen as consernynge hys humanytye and no wher elles nor neuer shalbe tyll the tyme of the generall resurrection I be leue that this holi sacrament hath his proper promises proper elementes proper commauÌ„demeÌ„t and proper Ceremonies As concerning the ministers of the churche I beleue that the church is bound to no sort of people or any ordinary successioÌ„ of bishops Cardinals or such lyke but vnto the only word of god none of theÌ„ shuld be beleued but wheÌ„ thei speak y e word of god Althogh there be diuersitie of giftes knowledge amoÌ„g men some know more and some know lesse And if he that knoweth lest teache Christ after the holy scriptures he is to be accepted he that knoweth most teacheth Christ contrary or and ther wayes then the holye scryptures teache is to be refused I am sory therfore wyth all my herte to se the churche of Christ degenerated into a ciuil pollicy for euen as kinges of the world naturally by descent froÌ„ theyr parentes must solow in ciuil regiment rule and lawe as by right they oughte euen so must such as succede in the place of Bishops and priestes that dye possesse al giftes and learning of the holly gost to rule the church of Christe as his godly predecessour had so that tholy ghost must be captiue bondman to byshops seas palacies And because the holye gost was in saint Peter at Rome and in mani other godly men that haue occupied bishopprickes and dioses therfore the same gifts thei sai must nedes followe in their successours althoughe in dede thei be no more like of zeale nor diligence then Peter and Iudas Balaham and Ieremy Anna Caiphas to Iohn and Iames. But thus I conclude of the mynysters of what degre or dignity soeuer thei be thei be no better theÌ„ recordes testymonyes mynysters and seruauntes of goddes worde and gods sacrameÌ„ts Vnto the whych they shuld nether adde demynish nor chaunge any thyng And for their true seruyce and dyligeÌ„ce in thys part thei shoulde not be onely reuerenced of the people but also honoured by the magistrates as the seruauntes of god And I beleue that as many soules as perish by their negligeÌ„ce or contempt of gods word shalbe required at theyr handes Of the people thus I beleue that they owe their dutye and obebience to god to them kyng and magistrates vnto theyr neighboures and vnto them selues Vnto god they owe both bodye and soule to laude and prayse him according to gods boke To cal vpoÌ„ him in the daies of their trouble and vpon none els to coÌ„forme both their doctrin their lyues to promote and set forth the glory of God Theyr dutye to the kynges maiestie is theyr obedience to him his lawes and the Realme for conscience sake and rather to lose bothe body an goodes theÌ„ to offende his highnes or his lawes whensoeuer any subiect be called to serue with body or goodes at home or froÌ„ home willingly thei must obei without question or farther inquision to serche whether the kynges cause be righte or wronge for whether it bee or be not it maketh the death of him that serueth in this respect nether better nor worse For I beleue suche as obeyed kyng Iosias and were slaine in the battayle againste the Egiptians wer acceptable vnto god in Christ thoughe kyng Iosias had not y â— best quarell In this case the subiect oweth his body and goods vnto this lawfull magistrate and may deny him of none of them