Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	know_v	love_n	1,929	5	5.1685	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97098	The fountain of slaunder discovered. By William Walwyn, merchant. With some passages concerning his present imprisonment in the Tower of London. Published for satisfaction of friends and enemies.	Walwyn, William, 1600-1681.	1649 (1649)	Wing W682; Thomason E557_4; ESTC R204437	31,569	29

the hand of the common Hangman wherein with thousands of wel-affected people I was engaged and to which I stand being no more for Anarchy and Le●elling then that Petition importeth the burners thereof and the then aspersers of me and my friends having been since taught a new lesson and which might be a good warning to those that now a fresh take liberty to abuse us but no heart swoln with pride as the politicians nor so scornes advice spurns and jeers and laugh at all yet for all their confidence few of them escape the severe hand of Gods justice first and last even in this world Indeed it hath been no difficult thing to know my judgement by the scope of that Petition and truely were I as deadly an enemy unto Parliaments as I have been and still am a most affectionate devotant to their just Authority I could not wish them a greater mischief then to be drawne to use Petitioners unkindly or to deny them things reasonable upon suspition that they would be emboldened to ask things unreasonable by which rule no just things should ever be granted wishing with all my heart that care may be speedily taken in this particular the people already being too much enclined to be out of love with Parliaments then which I know no greater evill can befall the Common-wealth Another new thing I am aspe●●t withall is that I hold Polygamie that is that it is lawfull to have more wives then one I wonder what will be next for these will wear out or returne to the right owners and this scandall would intimate that I am addicted loosely to women but this is another envenomed arrow drawne from the same Pollitick quiver and shot without any regard to my inclination and shewes the authors to be empty of all goodnesse and filled with a most wretchlesse malice for this is such a slander as doggs me at the heels home to my house seeking to torment me even with my wife and children and so to make my life a burthen unto me but this also loseth its force and availeth nothing as the rest do also where I am fully known nay it produceth the contrary even the increase of love and esteeme amongst them ●● from those whose goodnesse and certain knowledge can admit no such thoughts of vanity or vilenesse in me one and twenty years experience with my wife and fifteen or sixteen with my daughters without the least staine of my person putting the question of my conversation out of all question There are also that give out that I am of a bloudy disposition it s very strange it should be so and I not know it sure I am and I blesse God for it that since I was a youth I never struck any one a blow through quarrell or passion avoyding with greatest care all occasions and provocation and although possibly nature would prevaile with me to kill rather then be killed yet to my judgement and conscience to kill a man is so horrid a thing that upon deliberation I cannot resolve I should do it And though to free a Nation from bondage and tyranny it may be lawfull to kill and slay yet I judge it should not be attempted but after all means used for prevention wherein I fear there hath been some defect and upon extreme necessity and then also with so dismall a sadnesse exempt from that usuall vapouring and gallantry accustomed in meer mercinary Souldiers as should testifie to the world that their hearts took no pleasure therein much lesse that they look't for particular gaine and profit for their so doing and I wish those who have defamed me in this did not by their garnisht outside demonstrate that they have found a more pleasing sweetnesse in bloud then ever I did Now some may wonder why those religious people that so readily seem ●he Polliticians turnes in catching and carrying these aspersions from man to man have not so much honesty or charity as to be fully satisfied of the truth thereof and then deale with me in a Christian way before they blow abroad their defamations or why the taking away of my good name which may be the undoing of my wife and children should be thought no sin amongst them but truely I doe not wonder at it for where notionall or verball Religion which at best is but superstition is author of that little shadow of goodnesse which possesses men it s no marvell they have so little hold of themselves for they want that innate inbred vertue which makes men good men and that pure and undefiled Religion which truly denominateth men good Christians and which only giveth strength against temptations of this nature And as men are more or lesse superstitious the effects will be found amongst them nor is better to be expected from them untill they deeme themselves no further Religious then as they find brotherly love abound in their hearts ●owards all men all the rest being but as founding brasse and tinkling Simbals nor will they ever be so happy as to know their friends from their foes except they will now at length be warned against these cunning wayes of Polliticians by scandals and aspersions to divide them and be so wise as to resolve to beleeve nothing upon report so as to report it againe untill full knowledge of the truth thereof and then also to deal as becommeth a discreet Christian to whom anothers good name is as pretious as his own being ever mindfull that love covereth a multitude of sins But I have said enough as I judge for my owne vindication and discovery of the infernall tongues of Pollititians that set on fire the whole course of nature and am hopefull thereby to reclaime some weak wel-minded people from their ●odain beleeving or inconsiderate dispersing of reproaches and so to 〈◊〉 the polliticians ends in this dangerous kind of delu●ion As for those who know me and yet asperce me or suffer others unreproved all such I should judge to be polliticians their hirelings or favourers and I might as well undertake to wash a Blackmore white as to turne their course or restore them to a sound and honest mind ● However I shall no whit dispaire of the prosperity of the just cause I have hitherto prosecuted because though at present I be kept under yet I have this to comfort me that understanding increaseth exceedingly and men daily abandon superstition and all unnecessary fantastick knowledge and become men of piercing judgements that know the arts and crafts of deceivers and have abillity to discover them so that besides the goodnesse of the cause which commands my duty I may hope to see it prosper and to produce a lasting happinesse to this long enthraled Nation A good name amongst good men I love and would cherish but my contentment is placed only in the just peace and quietnesse of my own conscience I may be a man of reproaches and a man of crosses but my integrity no man can take from

Godlinesse with which they stalked so securely becomes a badge of their reproach The Scribes and Pharisees and Herod and Pilat had their time but are their names now any other but a by word and doth not the Doctrine of Luther shine in despite of all his mighty opposers What gained the Bishops by bespeaking the Presbyter of so much errous and madnesse but their own down-fall what got the Courtiers by accusing Parliaments of intending Anarchy and Community but their own ruine and have not these Presbyters brought themselves to shame by their bitter invective Sermons and writings against the Independent and Sectaries 3. And are all these forementioned acquitted of the aspersions cast upon them and am I and my friends guilty why must these scandalous des●mations be truer of us then of them in their severall times there were beleeved to be true of them and its time onely and successe that hath cleared them and should perswade men to forbear censuring us of evil unlesse the just things w● have proposed and Petitioned for be granted and if we content not our selves within the bounds of just Government let us then be blamed and not before but what sayes the polititian if somebody be not asperst Mischief cannot prosper if these men be believed and credited downe goes our profit And truely that enemies to the common freedome of this Nation or enemies to a just Parliamentary Government enemies to the Army or men of persecuting principles and practises should either divide or scatter these false aspersions against me I did never wonder at beleiving these to be but as clouds that would soon vanish upon the rising of the friends of the Common wealth and prevailing of the Army And so it came to passe and for a season continued but no sooner did I and my friends in behalf of the Common-wealth manifest our expectation of that freedome so long desired so seriously promised them in the power of friends to give and grow importunate in pursuit thereof but out flies these hornets againe about our ears as if kept ●ame of purpose to vex and sting to death those that would not rest satisfied with lesse then a well grounded freedome and since we have been a fresh more violently ●yled at then ever as if all the corrupt interests in England must downe except we were reproach● to purpose And certainly there was never so fair an opportunity to free this Nation from all kinds of oppression and usurpation as now if some had hearts to do their endeavour that strongly pretended to do their utmost and what hinders is as yet somewhat in a mistery but time will reveal all and then it will appear more particularly then will yet be permitted to be discovered from what corrupt fountaine though sweetned with flowers of Religion these undeserved clamours have issued against me and my friends But I shame to thinke how readily the most irrationall sencelesse aspersions cast upon me are credited by many whom I esteemed sincere in their way of Religion and that most uncharitably against the long experience they have had of me and most unthankfully too against the many services I have done them in standing for their liberties and animating others so to do when they were most in danger and most exposed never yet failing though in my own particular I were not then concerned to manifest as great a tendernesse of their welfare as mine owne But in patience I possesse my self such as the tree is such I perceive will be the fruit and as I see a man is no farther a man then as he clearly understands so also I perceive a Christian is no farther a Christian then as he stands clear from errour and superstition with both which were not most men extreamly tainted such rash and harish censures could never have past upon me such evil fruits springing not from true Religion wherein as full of zeal as the times seeme to be most men are far to seek every man almost differs from his neighbour yet every man is confident who then is right in judgement and if the judgement direct to practice as no doubt it ought no marvell we see so much weaknesse so much emptinesse vanity and to speak softly so much unchristianity so many meer Nationall and verball so few practicall and reall Christians but busie-bodies tale bearers serviceable not to God in the preservation of the life or good name of their neighbours but unto polititians in blasting and defaming and so in ruining of their brother If I now amidst so great variety of judgements and practises as there are should go a particular way Charity and Christianity would forbear to censure me of evill and would give me leave to follow mine owne understanding of the Scriptures even as I freely allow unto others Admit then my Conscience have been necessitated to break through all kinds of Superstition as finding no peace but distraction and instability therein and have found out t●ue uncorrupt Religion and plac●● my joy and contentment therein admit I find it so brief and plaine as to be understood in a very short time by the meane● capacity so sweet and delectable as cannot but be embraced so certain as cannot be doubted so powerfull to dissolve man into love and to set me on work to do the will of him that loved me how exceedingly then are weak superstitious people mistaken in me That I beleive a God and Scriptures and understand my self concerning both those small things I have occastionally written and published are testimonies more then sufficient as my Whisper in the eare of Mr. Thomas Edwards My Antidote against his poyson My prediction of his conversion and recantation My parable or consultation of Physitians upon him and My still and soft voice expresly written though needlesse after the rest for my vindication herein all which I intreat may be read and considered and surely if any that accuse and backbite me had done but half so much they would and might justly take it very ill not to be believed But when I consider the small thanks and ill rewards I had from some of Mr. Edward's his opposers upon my publishing those Treatises I have cause to beleive they are fraught with some such unusuall truths that have spoiled the markets of some of the more refined Demetrius's and crafts-men I must confesse I have been very apt to blunt out such truths as I had well digested to be needfull amongst men wherein my conscience is much delighted not much regarding the displeasure of any whilst I but performe my duty And in all that I have written my judgement concerning Civil Government is so evident as if men were men indeed and were not altogether devo●d of Conscience might acquit me from such vanities as I am accused of but for this besides those I have named I shall refer the Reader to my Word in Season published in a time of no small need and to that large Petition that was burnt by