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	ground_n	pillar_n	2,288	5	9.7053	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85415	Sion-Colledg visited. Or, Some briefe animadversions upon a pamphlet lately published, under the title of, A testimonie to the truth of Jesus Christ, and to our Solemne League and Covenant, &c. Subscribed (as is pretended) by the ministers of Christ within the province of London. Calculated more especially for the vindication of certaine passages cited out of the writings of J.G. in the said pamphlet, with the black brand of infamous and pernicious errors, and which the said ministers pretend (amongst other errors so called) more particularly to abhominate. Wherein the indirect and most un-Christian dealings of the said ministers, in charging & calling manifest and cleere truths, yea such as are consonant to their own principles, by the name of infamous and pernicious errours, are detected and laid open to the kingdome, and the whole world. / By the said John Goodwin, a servant of God and men, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1648 (1648)	Wing G1202; Thomason E425_2; ESTC R202233	27,686	36

Sion-Colledg visited OR Some briefe Animadversions upon a Pamphlet lately published under the title of A Testimonie to the Truth of Jesus Christ and to our Solemne League and Covenant c. Subscribed as is pretended by the Ministers of Christ within the Province of London Calculated more especially for the vindication of certaine passages cited out of the writings of J. G. in the said pamphlet with the blacke brand of Infamous and pernicious Errors and which the said Ministers pretend amongst other errors so called more particularly to abhominate Wherein the indirect and most un-Christian dealings of the said Ministers in charging calling manifest and cleere Truths yea such as are consonant to their own principles by the Name of infamous and pernicious Errours are detected and laid open to the Kingdome and the whole world By the said John Goodwin a servant of God and men in the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST I write not these things to shame you but as my Beloved Brethren I warne you 1 Cor. 4. 14. Tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum Non sentimus nos p●rire dum perimus in turba Sen. LONDON Printed by M. S. for Henry Overton at the entring out of Lombard-street into Popes head Alley 1648 Sion-Colledge visited IT is a sad Observation but full of truth that Religion never had greater enemies than those of her owne house yea then those who were pretenders in the Highest to her Advancement When a Commoditie is ingrossed and brought into few mens hands it is so much the more like to suffer to be adulterated and imbased It was never well with Christian Religion since the Ministers of the Gospell so called by themselves and so reputed by the generality of men for want of knowing and considering better cunningly vested that priviledge of the Church of being the ground and pillar of Truth in themselves claiming Nebuchadnezzars prerogative amongst men over the Truths of God whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive and whom he would he set up and whom he would he put down b There came lately out of the Presse a few papers stiling themselves a testimonie to the truth of Jesus Christ and pretending to a subscription by the Ministers of Christ within the Province of London I wish for these Ministers sake to whom I appeale to him who searcheth my heart and reines I wish nothing but good and for the truths sake also that I could conceive the impudence or boldnesse of any man so great as to present them in print unto the world for the Authors or Subscribers of such a piece of weakenesse to forbeare words of more provocation though of truth without their knowledge or consent I should be enabled by such an apprehension both to maintain in my selfe at least for a time those honourable thoughts of their persons which my witnesse is on high I have alwayes unfeignedly laboured to doe though still opposed by themselves in my way as also to comfort my selfe over that Religion wch they I Joyntly professe that it should not suffer upon any such terms of disadvantage dishonour wch those papers if ever owned by the persons whose names are subscribed to them are like to expose it unto The image and superscription stamp'd upon the piece and the men especially some of them whose Names are affixed if not enforced to it are so unlike and contradictious the one unto the other that being not able to found an act of judgement or conjecture who should be the Author or Authors of it upon both joyntly I am in some streight on which hand to leane whether to judge conclude any of those learned and pious men whose Names are subscribed or those weake and unworthy ones whose image and superscription the piece beareth for the Authors of it But that neither Dr Gouge nor Mr. Calamy nor Mr Case nor Mr. Cranford nor any of those great Names of men which parallel with these were either the Authors or Subscribers of the said Pamphlet these considerations me-thinks should be sufficient demonstrations unto any man 1. The very title it selfe and that in the first and principall part of it contradicts the tenour of the Booke and that in more places than one The title pretendeth thus in the first words of it A testimonie to the Truth of Jesus Christ Whereas the Booke it selfe testifieth against the truth of Jesus Christ viz. by numbring the precious Truths of Jesus Christ amongst infamous and pernicious errours Witnesse 1. page 5. where this assertion that no writing whatsoever whether Translations or Originalls are the foundation of Christian Religion is made an infamous and pernicious errour For is not this a cleer Truth of Iesus Christ and asserted in part in terminis but with fulnesse of evidence otherwise by the great Apostle where he saith that other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Iesus Christ a Except Iesus Christ be transubstantiated into inke and paper no kind of bookes or writings whatsoever neither Translations nor Originals can be in the Apostles sence any foundation of Christian Religion Againe is it not a precious Truth of Iesus Christ that no act of man whatsoever is any foundation of Christian Religon the Apostle affirming as we heard that other foundation can no man lay but Iesus Christ and yet the denyall of the act of man to be a foundation of Christian Religion as viz. the believing of the English Scriptures to be the Word of God is by the said book pag. 5. rank'd amongst infamous and pernicious Errours The Scriptures indeed or the word of God are in a regular sence the foundation of Christian Religion but to believe them to bee this foundation cannot be the foundation it selfe but only a superstructure or building upon it So that it is only the deniall of a superstructure to be the foundation which is charged by this learned Province of Subscribers to be an infamous and pernicious Errour against the Divine Authority of Scriptures More instances of this kind by the light whereof the palpable interfeerings between the Title and the Booke it selfe may be cleerly seen we shall have occasion anon to observe And is it not a very hard piece of beliefe to thinke that learned and pious men should so far forget themselves in the body of their Book as to break the Head and title of it 2. In the latter part of the said title in these words and to our solemne League and Covenant there is too little good sence to answer the worth and parts of the men mentioned For what can reasonably be meant by a testimony to our Solemne League and Covenant Do they meane that in the Booke it selfe they give the same Testimony to their Solemne League and Covenant which they doe to the Truth of Iesus Christ Though the truth is that it is a very poor and empty testimony given to the Truth of Iesus Christ to make infamous pernioious

Priests or Clergy-men gravely met together in the Name and Authority of their sacred Unction to stigmatize what opinions they pleased for Errors and Heresies and so to render them uncleane and not lawfull to be received or beleeved by their blinde Proselites But the Day-spring from on high hath now blessed be God visited this nation and men have put away those childish things from them to beleeve as the Church i. as the Clergy beleeveth to call Error whatsoever 52. Church-men though in conjunction with threescore Church-livings or more shall baptize by the name of Error to build their Faith and soul-provisions for eternity upon the sandy and slippery foundations of the judgements or affections rather of such men who have put the stumbling-block of their iniquity I mean this present world and self-interests before their faces These things considered evident it is that the Architects of the building called A Testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ c. have not laid so much as one stone aright in all this pile for their purpose of extirpating Errors or Heresies Therefore as to this point they have done nothing at all in pursuance of their Covenant but several things as hath been shewed to the violation of it The Covenant bindes them to endeavour the extirpation of Errors and Heresies and they have endeavoured or at least directly acted towards the establishment and further rooting of them Secondly neither have they pursued their Covenant according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense of it in pleading as they doe for Presbyteriall government For first it is the Assertion and Confession of that great Hyperaspistes of this government Mr. Edwards that the Covenant of the Kingdomes doth not tye us to the government of the Church of Scotland a If not so hardly then to Presbyteriall Government And secondly whether he had confessed it or no the truth it selfe hereof had been never the further out of the way For certain it is that there is not so much as any one syllable word clause or sentence in it by which according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense it engageth any man to the contending for or endeavouring of Presbytery Presbyterian Government is but Apochrypha in respect of the Covenant And though with Magisteriall confidence enough they conclude but without premisses pag. 24. that Presbyteriall government truly so called by Presbyteries and Synods is that Government which is most agreeable to the minde of Jesus Christ revealed in the Scripture yet as if their consciences had not taken the expression well at their hands by that time they come to page 34. they abate of their former reckoning halfe in halfe For here speaking of the Government they had declared for which say they we CONCEIVE to be most agreeable to Scripture But upon these termes they that should declare for the Independent government conceiving it to be most agreeable to the Scripture should pursue their engagement by the Covenant every whit as much as they Therefore in whatsoever they say or plead in their Testimony for Presbyterial government they do nothing at all in any pursuance of their Covenant according to the plain and true Grammaticall sense of it but only in pursuance of such an interpretation or sense of it which lying most commodious for their honour profit and ease hath by the mediation of their affections prepared it selfe a way into their judgements and hath there obtained the preheminence above all others it being very incident to men to suppose as the Apostle expresseth it gain godlinesse a i. in all matters of question and dispute to judge that most agreeable to the minde of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures which is best consisting with worldly ends So that howsoever they flourish in the front of their book as if they meant to give such an high and honorable Testimony to their Solemne league and Covenant and again in the reere as if they had accordingly avouched that Covenant which they have sworn to God b in this piece yet the cleare truth is that their flourish is all their fight they have not struck so much as one stroke with their pen in any legitimate or direct prosecution of their engagement by it And though it had been no great work of super-erogation in case they had done ten times more than now they have of such a tendency and import especially upon such a goodly frontispiece of pretence being also numerous enough if not many to spare and of super-abounding abilities for such a worke yet had they not violated this their Covenant and that ten times over yea and this in the most notorious and shamelesse manner in stead of keeping it they had consulted much better both for their credits and consciences than now they have done The truth is they have made more breaches upon their Covenant in this little piece than can readily be brought to account or ranged into form For how often doe they dissemble and prevaricate with their professions And again after all their shamelesse and most notorious prevarications and unconscionable dealings how doe they in the close wipe their mouthes with you know who professing that all that they had done was in the integrity of their hearts to discharge their dutie conscientiously in appearing for God his Truth and cause of Religion p. 34. But 1o Was it in the integrity of your hearis to discharge your duty conscientiously that you charge him with errors against the divine authority of the Scriptures as you doe page 5. who you cannot but know hath bent himselfe with the uttermost of his endeavoure for the vindication of their Divine Authority yea and who you have reason to judge hath laboured in this argument as much if not more and this with as much faithfulnesse as any of you all How did not your hearts smite yo in drawing up this bloody charge against him lest that very book of his which you had in your hands when you did it and which you cite in your margine should rise up in judgment against you in the great day considering that your consciences could not but tell you that he had dealt faithfully throughly and sincerely in pleading the cause of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures therein Is this your reall Reformation to cry out Midnight when the Sunne shines in his might upon your faces 2. Was it to discharge your duty conscientiously that you cite some of my words barely suppressing craftily my sence and explication of them being neer at hand as you do twice for failing in your wickednesse pag. 5. of your booke Or doe I not plainly cleerly and distinctly enough declare unto the world in my Treatise concerning the Divine Authority of the Scriptures in what sence I hold the Scriptures whether Translations or Originalls to be the word of God and consequently the foundation of Christian Religion and in what not Let the 13th and 15th pages of my said Treatise be look'd upon

called upon for holy and honest courses and called back from those that are dishonest and that we narrowly listen unto and mind those thoughts which accuse us and our conscience when it witnesseth against us Verily we reject God himself when we do not yeeld obodeince to such holy cogitations as these I appeale to the consciences of the Testimony-Subscribers themselves whether this passage be not much fuller and ranker of the spirit of that opinion which they reckon amongst the very dregges and spawne of those old accursed Heresies amongst noysome infamous horrid and pernitious errors than any than all the passages they have raked together out of my writings Yea if they please they may read more of the same Authors judgement upon the same point and to the same purpose in what hee comments upon verse 25. of the chapter where amongst other things hee conceiveth that Paul offered this to the consideration of the Jewes that the Gentiles even before Christ was revealed unto them were partakers of true righteousnesse a which is a saying ten degrees beyond the line of any of mine And yet M. Bucer was never to my knowledge counted an Arminian by any nor branded for an Heretick or a man of a rotten judgement by any unlesse it were by the Ministers of the Province of Babylon who as the story saith dig'd him out of his grave and made a sacrifice by fire of his dead and buried corps unto the Genius of their bloody Religion It were easie to fill many pages with passages from other orthodox and Reformed Authors as Melancthon Musenlus c. wherein they deliver many things fully consonant with what I have written and the Subscribers branded with the broad seale of their authority for erroneous But miserable is the condition of Truth which must not be suffered to passe by the warrant of its own light without letters of recommendation from the darknesse of men Nor were it any matter of much more labour or difficultie to bring in antiquity it selfe and particularly those very Authors who were the greatest opposers of Pelagius and the then errors denominated from him as Hierome Austin and Prosper by name with their mouthes wide opened in approbation and co-assertion of the same things for which I am arraigned at the Tribunal of Sinon a Colledge as an Hereticke It is Manichisme saith Hierome so condemne the nature of man and to despoyle it of Free-wil unlesse any man can find better or more proper English for liberii arbitriū And elswhere thou blasphemest in vain continually buzzing it in the ears of the ignorant that we condemn Free-wil let him be c●demned who condemneth it c Yet again in another place We so maintain Free-will that we deny not the adjutory of grace to it in all things d Augustine himself the famous Antagonist of Pelagianisme maintains to the full whatsoever is asserted by me concerning the wil and power of man If there be no grace of God saith he how doth he save the world If there be no Free-will how doth he judg the world e And again The Catholick Faith neither denies Free-will either in respect of a bad life or of a good nor doth it attribute so much to it as if without the grace of God it could doe any thing c. Yet again The Pelagians conceit that they know some great matter when they say God would not command that which he knew could not be performed by men I wonder who knowes not th●●… f It seemes Austin supposed no man ignorant of the truth of that which these Subscribers persecute under the name of a pernitious error The fame Author yet again We exeorate the blasphemy of those who affirm that God enjoy●●… any thing that is impossible unto men and that the commands of God cannot be observed and kept by every man in particular but onely by all men in common or in generall h I●…Austins verdict will passe the Subscribers are the Blasphemers not the Author of the divine authority of the Scriptures asserted Consonant to the last recited saying of Austine is this of Basil the great It is impious to say that the precepts of the holy Ghost are impossible i So that evident it is that these men confute Pelagianisme by plain Manicheisme nay that which onely themselves call Pelagianisme For it clearly appeares by the writings both of Hierome and Austin that the question between Pelagius and them was not whether man hath freedome of will either in respect of good or evill for these Fathers constantly defend themselves under the shield of this assertion against Pelagius his charge b But whether men notwithstanding their freedome of will did not still stand in need of Ajutorium gratiae the auxiliary or adjutory of grace both for the performance of and perseverance in what was good But these men have exchanged the Fathers adjutorium into their own compulsorium For me I never denied but alwayes have asserted the necessity of grace by way of adjutory onely the necessitation or compulsion of grace is no Article of my creed Reader I had not troubled thee with so much as any one of these quotations but that it is the calamity of these times to judge Truth and Error still commensurable with the votes of those men who having ingrossed the honour and repute of being ORTHODOX men unto themselves square these votes of theirs concerning Truth and Error not by any principles of the cleerest reason nor yet by the Scriptures soundly interpreted and understood but only by the Traditions of the Elders and by what they read in the writings of such men whom they are pleased to take into part and fellowship with themselves in their owne glory and vote ORTHODOX But to leave this there is yet one thing more in the Testimony so called to the Truth of Jesus Christ c. which hath too much shadow in it for the pensill of such exquisite Artificers as the Ministers of the Province of London and therefore represents it with much suspition of being a spurious and suppositious piece and not the genuine {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of such masters For doth not this testimonie once and againe viz. p. 24. and 26. commend the governement whereunto the hearts of the Authors seeme to be so impotently lifted up by the successe wherewith it hath been crowned Doubtlesse the reall and true Ministers of the Province of London having such abundant opportunity of converse with travellers from all parts cannot but be full of the Truth of this Information that there was more of the truth and power of Religion in England under the late Prelaticall Government than in all the Reformed Churches besides The best successe which they can with any colour of Truth entitle this Government unto is but the successe of the Gardiners sheers which prosper only to the keeping all even and smooth in the privet-hedge by the snipping

off and keeping under those thriving twigs and branches which otherwise would out-grow their fellows and hinder uniformity Lastly me thinkes there is too palpable a reflexion of prejudice and dishonour upon the Parliament in severall passages and strains of this piece to issue from between the feet of the sacred Conclave of Sion-Colledge though wiser men I confesse than my selfe resent the affirmative stronger in this than the negative conceiving an evill eye looking out of a faire face of words upon the Parliament to be no dissenting character of the Genius of the Ministers indeed of the Province of London To draw towards a conclusion if any man shall aske why I could not be content to sit downe by my charge with the same patience wherein others charged as well as I possesse their soules no mans pen moving against his accusers but mine I answer 1. I was loth that either the stones in the walls or tiles upon the houses should take the honour and comfort of this service out of my hand If these should hold their peace saith Christ the stones would erie a The honour of Christ must be vindicated and if the Jewes who are a people will not doe it the Gentiles who are no people b shall and will If men indued with reason and understanding shall not appear in asserting the honour of God against those who sin with an high a hand against it the inanimate and senceless creature will certainly rise up and take away this Crowne from them 2. The demand proposed supposeth that which ought not to be supposed viz. that my patience is not only exercised but overcome by my Charge The truth is though I doe not ●it downe by it in patience yet I rise up with it and beare it upon my shoulder with more than patience even with joy and gladnesse as I stand charged from Heaven to doe My Brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations c I trust the tenour of my Answer doth no wayes imply that there is so much as the least haire of the head of my patience fallen to the ground 3. One part of the rest who are compelled to drink of the same Colledge cup with me may possibly either have reversed the errors here charged upon them or otherwise be conscious to themselves of insufficiency to defend them Another part of them for ought I know may rise up in their own defence as I have done yea and possibly may prevent me But for those Assertions of mine which these Ministers have Baptized by the name of Errours I neither know any reason why I should proscribe them nor yet despaire of strength from God sufficient to maintain them against all contradiction whatsoever But 4. And lastly The chiefe motive which ingaged me to this undertaking was because I looke upon my self as the chiefe if not the only person for whose sake the 52. hands were at this time drawn out of the bosome to smite the rest When the Chiefe Priests and Elders had with more than ordinary diligence and importunity wrought Pilate to signe his warrant for the crucifying of Christ because matters deserving death were not so cleer against him as they desired they procured two thieves to be crucified WITH HIM the one on his right hand the other on his left a who in all likehood had not suffered death at least at this time but only to colour over the foule act of crucifying Christ with the justice of their execution if yet this execution it selfe were allowable by the Lawes of God and to represent the Lord Christ as a man only worthy such company In like manner I have some reasons importuning me to conceiue that this Court of Assize was called principally if not only for my sake and that no Testimony had been given at this time either to the truth of Jesus Christ nor against the Errours or Heresies of other men had not the two and fifty prudently judged it expedient that my Name should be blasted and not the reputation of a whole Province of Ministers suffer by the greenenesse of it The grounds of my beliefe in this point are 1. The sore wound given to their Cause by Hageomastix Displayed c. was never mollified with oyle untill now They never eased themselves of that sorrow till this Congregatio magna being called to advice about the cure prescribed this Recipe in order thereunto viz. that 4. or 5. innocent lines of this Treatise should be cited to appear upon a Stage purposely built for errors and heresies and here receive the shame due to innocencie and Truth But in vain have they rub'd themselves their sore upon this Dictamnum a the imflammation is never a whit allayed by it Yea to this day Haeret lateri aethalis arundo nor have the 52. hands of this Subscription with all their versatile motions and endeavours been able to wriggle or wrest it out 2. I judg the greatest part of the other Errours and Heresies produced upon this theatre to be beneath their cognizance by reason partly of the sillinesse contemptiblenesse and irrationality of them partly of the obscurity and inconsiderablenesse of their Authors I can hardly believe that such Eagles would have stoop'd to catch such flies such dead flies as these but only to put into my oyntment to cause that to cast forth a stinking savour 3. The said Testimony produceth my Errors Heresies so called by whole pages half pages as if it were loth to leave any romth for other mens Whereas my fellow-heretiques and Erratiques are quickly dispatch'd little being cited out of their books in comparison I suppose lest their errours should seeme as great as large as dangerous as mine 4. Lest I should seem not to abound with errors above the rate and proportion of other Delinquents in this kind they cite sayings almost of all sorts out of my writings to make errours of as Parentheses similitudes suppositions assertions of a most direct and cleer consistency with their own principles and what not 5. This Testimony to the Truth of Jesus Christ made all the hast was possible after the comming out of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures asserted to blast the credit and way-lay the acceptation of it with the generality of men Whereas there are very few if any of those other writings which are attainted of Errour and Heresie with mine but have been extant in Print some considerable time yea some of them to my knowledg several years But by the way is it not very in-harmonious that these great Professors of enmity and abhorrency against Errors and Heresies should persecute the Assertion of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures These with some other considerations of like nature with them render the jealousie very opportune and strong that my selfe only was the standing mark at which the arrow of the Testimonie was shot and that the rest were made to stand by only to give aime They