Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	call_v	church_n	word_n	4,868	5	4.3217	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32754	The retraction of Mr. Charles Chancy formerly minister of Ware in Harfordshire wherein is proved the unlawfulnesse and danger of rayling in altars or communion tables : written with his own hand before his going to New England, in the yeer, 1637 : published by his own direction for the satisfaction of all such who either are, or justly might bee offended with his scandalous submission, made before the high commission court Feb. 11. anno, 1635.	Chauncy, Charles, 1592-1672.	1641 (1641)	Wing C3740; ESTC R212688	22,072	47

of offence given to them so Gideons Ephod was onely a monument of a great victory that God had wrought for him yet the Israelites went a whoring after it and abused it to idolatry after the death of Gideon and it became a snare to his house Jud. 8. 27. yea it is a common principle of nature that we must hurt no man and therefore we must doe nothing whereby any man may be hurt or grieved or wounded this was signified by those judiciall laws Deut. 22. when the Israelites were commanded to make battelments upon the tops of their houses lest they should bring the guilt of blood upon them and Exodus 21. 33. he that diggs a pit and covers it not if an Oxe or an Asse fall into it the digger of the pit shall make it good the like Divines by good reason gather in case of danger to the soule But now the argument is yet stronger if that which had not an appearāce of evil as the brazen Serpent and Gideons Ephod yet was to be taken away destroyed being a passive scandal onely how much more that which hath an apperance of evill as the present additions to Gods worship have for then it is not onely a passive scandall that proceeds from his weakenesse only that falls but also active in respect that it gives occasion of offence To the second I answere that it is a vaine plea to say that magistrates are offended by the refusall of ceremonies as well as weake Christians by the injoyning of them for that is not to bee called an offence that is taken by any mans disobedience to an unjust command might not Nebuchadnezzar also have made this plea when those three noble Jewes would not worship his golden image And Jeroboam likewise when the Priests and Levites and godly Israelites refused to go up to Dan and Bethell why these Puritan Ministers and People regard not the offence of the King and State but all they stand upon is that themselves are offended and scandalized belike then they are more to be respected then governours themselves againe it is a silly pretence that they should complaine of offences that have power to reform them and to take away the occasions of them without any damage to themselves as Magistrates may easily doe by their command The second pretence for railes is lest that the Communion Table should be anoyed with boys or dogges or telling of money or laying on of hats upon the Table The proofe of the idlenesse of this second plea Vpon a common reason or disconvenience if the anoyance of the Table be granted to bee such no speciall privilege can be grounded as the railing about of the table alone is But all the pretended reasons or disconveniences are common to other instruments and utensiles about Churches as to the Font to the pulpit the Church-bible c. The proofe of the Major or former Proposition Every speciall priviledge is grounded upon some speciall reason It were a senselesse reason to say that a King because he is a man should have a guard attending upon him his Coūsellors of state his pallace his power to call Parliaments to presse Souldiers c. if this were a good ground then every man because he is a reasonable creature must have all these royalties or to say that a garden because it hath trees and herbs and flowers therefore it should be inclosed or fenced and walled in nay but there is a speciall reason for both these Kings have such great priviledges and State because God hath given such power unto them and because of the great charge that lies upon them above other men and the safety of all the people stands in their preservation and safety so gardens are inclosed and fenced in because of the speciall fruitfulnesse usefulnesse and vertue that is in them above common fields here is now a speciall reason for the speciall and peculiar priviledges both of the one and of the other so in the case in hand there must be found some peculiar reason why the Communion Table should be railed rather then other parts or instruments of worship in the Church for the rule of Logick holds sure à quatenus ad omne valet consequentia The proofe of the assumption or second Proposition All these pretended disconveniences of annoyance are common to other instruments or utensils about Churches as to the Font to the Pulpit to the Bible or reading-seat c. for why should it be a greater annoyance for Dogs to fowle or boyes or men to lay their hats or to tell money upon the Table after the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is administred then it is for the same or the like anoyances to bee done to the Font or Bible or Pulpit or reading seat It was indeed a reason of a great Prelate of this Land given to my selfe for the setting up of rails Why said he What if there should be Cows in the Church-yard if the Church-dores be open is it fitting or decent that the Cows should come and play the beasts at the holy Table but what would not this filthinesse defile other parts of the Church as well as the holy Table as he called it or should we therefore say that every part of the Church shold have a particular rail about it or rather that the whole Church shold be railed about that one rail might serve for al for fear of such defilemēts But the truth is that our Prelates have some secret mystery of speciall holinesse in the Table above other parts of the Church as was specified before but that is utterly ungrounded in the Word of God and unreasonable and stinkes of the breaden and dunghill God and is odious superstition and therefore to be abhorred The third pretense for rails refuted that they doe make for the Ministers ease it being troublesome to him to goe with the elements from seat to seat c. If the observation of Christs owne institution be far more ease to the Minister then can come by the setting up of rails and the peoples repayring to them to receive then by their own plea the former is better then the latter But the observation of Christs owne institution is far more ease to the Minister then can come by the setting up of rails and the peoples repayring to them c. I shall not need to prove the former proposition or the consequence for let this be granted on both sides that that course is to be observed about the administration of the Sacraments that may breed the most ease and the least trouble both to Ministery and people Therefore I will come to the assumption to prove that the institution of our Saviour Christ will bring more ease and lesse trouble both to Ministery and people For the cleering of this I will shew that Christ never ordained that the Minister should goe about to every Communicant to deliver the Bread and Wine unto him much lesse that the Minister should say a prayer

or Ornaments in the worship of God that the Papists the Ministers of the Antichrist the Priests of Baal doe what is this but with Achaz to set up the Altar of Damascus Ob. But what a blasphemous speech is this that a rail should be used about walks or gardens that is appointed for the adorning of the Communion Table Answ. T is true that for using such a speech against a Rail at Ware Master Humphry Parker of Hartford was censured very severely by the high Commission Court Sir Thomas Fanshaws zeale prosecuting the cause against him and me against him for no other cause pretended but because upon the dislike of rails provided for the Communion Table as being not so decent he cast out such a speech That if the rails provided did not like them hee would buy them for his garden and let mee here insert how this offence of his was set forth and aggravated by the A. B. at his censure Suppose said he that when Aholiab and Bezalcel were making the hangings for the Tabernacle some malepert person should have come to them and said What is here a motly coat for a fool that you are making of divers colours Had not this been a very wicked speech So though this Parker said hee spake thus irreverently of the raile whilest it was in the Joyners shop before it ever had been consecrated to that sacred use about the communion Table yet because it was destined to this holy nse therefore thus and thus hee deserves to be censured Oh the patience of our good God that endures such blasphemies to be daily belched out in these hellish Courts by those that set their mouthes against Heaven Belike then his Highnesse edicts and inventions are to be compared to and are of equall binding force with the Commandements of Almighty God and his raile is of like authority with the pattern that God shewed Moses on the Mount and the heavenly figure of the Tabernacle yea should a man speak against the flax or linnen in the Drapers shop in case that a Surplice should afterwards be made of it it would be as great an offence in the repute of his greatnesse as of old to speak against the Levitical Ceremonies ordained by the only Law-giver himself though perhaps as well a Whores smock as a Priests frock may be made of it but of this by the way To returne to the argument of the imitation of Idolaters the Formalists say that they do it not with the same minde and intention with Idolaters well but the Rail is the same the Altar is the same the manner of using is the same and in the same part of worship the Sacrament of the Lords Supper what shall wee term imitation to be if these things make not imitation Ob. 'T is true that in those things that have been invented by Antichrist or his instruments we are not to communicate with them but those that are more ancient then Popery and Antichristianisme though used by them we may lawfully use the same but such was the use of the raile as may appeare out of Eusebius for Constantine himselfe invented and used it Answ. Though a Rail be as ancient as the times of Constantine the Great yet wee know that the mystery of iniquity began to worke in the Apostles time Many errors and heresies were broched even in those dayes besides in Constantines days the Idoll of the Masse and unbloudy sacrifice was not invented therefore then there was much lesse danger of a Rail therefore let the Rail be as ancient as the age of Constantine or the Apostles themselves yet if it hath been abused or defiled by Antichrist it is to be abhorred by us Zanchie a learned Authour upon the fourth Commandement That even indifferent things polluted and defiled by superstition are to be abolished and to the like purpose to Queen Elizabeth Neque enim honestum est ut quae in Dei contumeliam usurpata diu fuerunt sires sint perse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} ea in Ecclesiâ cum discrimine etiam salutis piorum retineantur and hee proves it by the example of Hezechias Serpens aeneus qui institutus fuerat à Deo quidem ad salutem Israelitarum per pium Regem Hezechiam quia illo contra Dei verbum abutebantur Israelitae sublatus est ab hoc facto summè laudatur Hezechias quòd illum scilicet Serpentem redigeret in cineres eosque in profluentem ne ullum uspiam extaret vestigium projici jusserit How much more then should rails about Communion Tables be burnt that have beene and are daily so wickedly abused though never so innocent in their first invention Ob. But if all these evils are inferred upon the railing in of Communion Tables then it will be said unto me why then have you when you were called into the high Commission Court prosecuted by Sir Thomas Fanshaw of Ware Parke for words spoken against the Raile there which you had called an innovation a snare to mens consciences a breach of the second Commandement Idolatry and Superstition why have you so basely yielded to the submission imposed upon you by that Court acknowledging at the last that you were sorry for such words spoken by you Why did you professe at last before them that now you were of a contrary judgment and that you allowed a raile with a kneeling bench affixed to be a decent convenient ceremony promimised never to oppose that rail or any other ceremony more Answ. T is true that by the perswasion of friends thus far I yielded and truly very basely and timorously I deny not I will not goe about to plead now for that accursed fact nor excuse my selfe by the greatnesse of my temptations and straights no but I will lay my hand upon my mouth or rather cry out to the shame and confusion of mine owne face that I have denyed the truth of Christ and been ashamed of him in this adulterous and sinfull generation worthy also to be denied of him when he shall come in the glory of his Father with his holy Angels and I doe with indignation and detestation retract every word of that submission desiring earnestly the Lord not to lay this sin to my charge and his people to forgive the scandall of it or rather not to take offence at it and do willingly to make up this breach forgoe all the certaine comforts that I had upon the earth onely let this be added which I must needs speake for caution to others that I perceived evidently whilst I was conformable in my judgment that I must needs give way to the Rail or what soever innovations upon the same grounds that I conformed upon But the Lord be thanked that though I was a servant of sin yet he hath at the last subdued my soule to obey from the heart the forme of Doctrine to which I am delivered It is then I hope upon farre other and far better grounds that I have reversed my former sin then that I yielded upon at the first this I did rashly and unadvisedly and in temptation but now that the other is done in cold bloud and with due deliberation I meane this retractation of my errour let these few Reasons testifie unto the World and I do humbly entreat every soul that shall peruse these few lines to acquaint as many as he can perceive to be any ways scandalized by my fall with what is here contained that they may be raised up again this I do earnestly beg of them yea let mee be bold to charge them in the name of the Lord Jesus so far to tender the Gospell of Christ and the honour of Christian profession yea and the bleeding heart of a wounded Christian as also to make this use of it to themselves Let him that standeth take heed lest hee fall FINIS