Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	catholic_a	church_n	faith_n	4,551	5	5.8936	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05470	Two sermons viz. 1. A preseruatiue lilie to cure soules. And 2. How to seeke to finde Christ. Preached by that famous and iudicious diuine, Peter Lilie, Doctor of Diuinitie, and sometime fellow of Iesus Colledge in Cambridge.	Lily, Peter, d. 1615.; Lily, Dorothy, d. 1627.	1619 (1619)	STC 15600; ESTC S108559	27,509	75

Sunne vnto the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles By which is meant the calling of the Gentiles And therefore they are iniurious to binde Christ to Rome and absurd also seeing in their Creede they insert these words I beleeue the Romaine Catholike Church For the Catholike Church is the vniuersall society of all the Faithfull or Elect both of men and Angells the Romaine Church is but a particular Church as the Church of England or France is though to speake the trueth sometimes a flourishing Church Rom. 1.8 of which Saint Paul saith That their Faith was published throughout the whole world One of the originall or mother-churches a Church for her constancie in the Faith reuerenced of other Churches But now the case is altered The faithfull Citie is become a Harlot Iustice Iudgement lodged in her but now those that shined as gold are as blacke as pitch And therefore to seeke after Christ in Rome is not conuenient much lesse to appropriate the truth to the Church of Rome and yet I will not deny but many in the Romaine Church appertaine to Christ who grone vnder that grosse superstition Papisme it selfe is not a totall defection but an aberration from Christ though a grosse one neither is there any cause why they should obiect vnto vs our paucity who neither are so few as they would haue vs to be esteemed and yet if we were we know that trueth is not to be measured by multitude Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill For the most part euill goeth with the multitude And Gregory Nazianzene saith That to esteeme of things according to the multitude were to preferre the dust of the earth before the Stars of Heauen to neglect Pearles and to gather pibble-stones which are infinite I cannot hasting to other matters prosecute this point at full onely this I wish you to take heede of the confused clamours of our Aduersaries in whose mouthes nothing is more frequent then the Temple of the Lord the Church the Faith the ancient and Apostolike Sea the Chaire that cannot erre with a number of like childish vaunts to bring vs backe vnto Rome as if Christ were no where to be found but there where indeede hee is neither so soundly nor sincerely as he ought to be I would also admonish the Schismatikes who according to the praediction of our Sauiour say Heere is Christ and there is Christ and with them is Christ no where else is Christ euerie Sect challenging to themselues the name of Christ and thence excluding the other from any right or title therein But this occasion requireth other matter at my hands and therefore leauing other errours committed in seeking Christ out of due place I come to that which is heere committed by the VVomen and here I must repeate our distinction The errours saith Bernard committed in seeking of Christ are in the time in the manner in the place of which three errors these women committed onely the last for of the former two we must acquit them For how can they be said to erre in the time who so earely come to the Sepulchre to finde Christ Christ was crucified on the Friday the day following was the Sabboath which caused them to rest but the day after before it was yet light neither discouraged with the darknesse nor caring for the VVatch which might well haue amated them they come vnto the Sepulchre to finde Christ Neither may they be said to erre in that manner of seeking which those doe commit that follow Christ in the Desart not for the Miracle but for the Meate Many there are that are like vnto these the Apostle saith Philip. 2.21 Omnes quae sua sunt quaerunt Euery man seekes his owne and not that which is Christs But these holy VVomen when Christ was now dead with the perill of their liues considering the malice of the Iewes with the expence and cost of their goods come earely to the Sepulchre intending to performe their funerall rites vnto Christ And heerein for their zeale and loue though not according to knowledge they deserue if not commendation yet tolleration The errour properly committed by them is their seeking of Christ out of due place Cur quaeritis viuentem inter mortuos Why seeke ye him that liueth among the dead The Sepulchre or Graue is domus mortuorum The house of the dead inhabited of rotten carkasses in which it was vnpossible that Christ should either remaine or putrifie He tolde them That hee would rise the third day which they forgetting or not beleeuing come with their odours to embalme him and to that end doe seeke him among the dead For which cause the Angell doth somewhat taxe them Cur quaeritis viuentem inter mortuos Why seeke yee the liuing among the dead This is their errour about the place and so is it ours to and much more grosse and I now speake of the ordinarie errours committed call them how you will either in the manner of seeking or about the place Christ when they did seeke him was risen but he was not yet ascended but now heis both risen and ascended sitting on the right hand of God Coloss 3.1 where wee ought to seeke him If Christ be risen let vs seeke him where he sits at the right of God But we like wormes lie groueling on the earth whose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Conuersation ought to be in heauen If you vnderstand not my meaning I will make it plaine The Apostle taxing certaine persons among other things brandeth them with this title namely Philip. 3. That they minded earthly things then the which nothing is more opposite to the finding of Christ Christ as he is God filleth all places as hee is Man hee is contained in one place namely in Heauen where is the Kingdome of Glorie where our affections desires and thoughts ought to be For if we seeke him on earth who now raignes in Heauen wee shall neuer finde him Men naturally looke vp-wards to heauen whereas the beast looks downe wards But is it not absurd that with the eyes of our bodies we should looke vp-wards and with the eyes of our hearts looke downe-wards Yet so it is which he saith is to transforme the Image of God into the Image of a Beast and thus speaketh he to him to make him blush for shame For whereas thou art made streight and oughtest to looke vp to heauen thou with the beasts dost creepe on the earth like a brutish creature so art become beastiall in heart in the stowping of thy soule to the earth If hee did thus say vnto them doe not wee stand in need to stirre vp our selues by all meanes to the contemplation of the heauenly life and to shake off this earthlinesse of minde The Prophet speaking to the Iewes begins thus Ierem. 22. Hearken O earth earth earth three times repeated May it not be said to many of vs who are

much euery day and therefore not onely while as yet we liue we must seeke him but we must not neglect any time yea we must with expedition accept any occasion of seeking Christ for wee know not if euer hee will knocke at our doores againe The second error men commit in seeking of Christ is in the manner it is long ere wee beginne to seeke him whom we should seeke before all things but when wee doe begin to seeke it is after a negligent and carelesse manner as if the matter were not great whether found him or no. Matth. 6.33 But what saith our Sauiour Christ Seeke first the Kingdome of God and by First is meant not a priority in order and the anticipation of time but a priority in the earnestnes or intention of our minde as if he should haue said Seeke the Kingdome of heauen not onely before all things but aboue all things with greater vehemencie and affection then you doe any other thing in the world besides This is the meaning of our Sauiour and so much doth the words of our Sauiour import Hee that would finde Christ must seeke him zealously with feruour and heate Mat. 11.12 For the Kingdome of heauen suffereth violence the violent take it by force And after we haue found him then we must seeke how to keepe him too To which purpose Tertullian hath a notable admonition and very fit for our times in which many are like vnto children Ephes 4.14 Carried about with euerie blast of doctrine or like those women who were euer learning 2. Tim. 3.7 and yet neuer came to the knowledge of the truth euer seeking and neuer finding because when they haue found they loose that they haue found either of too much curiositie in seeking or of too much inconstancie in relecting and learning to seeke of whom Tertullian thus speaketh Our Sauiour saith Seeke and yee shall finde knocke it shal be opened vnto you aske and it shall be giuen The true vnderstanding of which place saith he consists in three points For our Sauiour speaketh this Jnipsis doctrinae primitijs when first he began to teach when hee was yet scarce knowne to his Disciples while as yet Peter had not acknowledged him to be the Sonne of God and so most peculiarly saith he doth the speech belong to the Iewes who did not acknowledge Christ to be the Messias and therefore were willed to seeke He addeth further admit it be spoken to vs as in truth it is yet saith he it hath his bounds and the true vnderstanding of these words consists in three points in re in tempore in modo in the thing in the time in the manner The diuision is not much vnlike that of Bernard that is saith he we must vnderstand what it is wee seeke how wee seeke and when wee are to seeke it That which we ought to seeke is Christ and we ought to seeke him till we finde him Et invenisti cùm credidisti and then thou hast found him when thou hast beleeued in him and then seeke how thou mayest keepe him for no man saith he seeketh but he which either neuer had Christ or else hath lost him Luke 11.5 The man in the Gospel who repaired to his friends house knockt at his doore desiring him to lend him three loaues was very importunate to be let in but as soone as he was let in he ceased to knocke any more The widdow that lost her Groat Luke 15.8 swept the house diligently till she found it but after shee once found it shee gaue ouer seeking and sweeping Luke 18.3 The widdow was importunate to be heard of the wicked Iudge but after she was admitted to audience she gaue ouer her importunity and therefore there is a measure in Seeking and Knocking therefore after we haue by Faith working by Charitie apprehended Christ we must not seeke after any other Faith No nor if wee will follow the policie of some States not suffer disputation in the question of Faith and Religion for though disputing of truth be a kind of teaching of truth and that truth feares no examination or discussion yet as often as factious or schismaticall spirits shall offer disputation in the matter of Faith or Gouernemrnt to accept of that challenge is to bring those things that are soundly and surely setled to new trialls and to seeke after that which is already found which neyther the rules of Pollicie nor Diuinitie doe admit I speake this to stop the mouths of some who with more insolency then confidency desire that things in controuersie may be disputed of which according to the sence in which they desire it were to seeke for that which indeede wee haue found and which without curiositie or distrusting wee ought to maintayne euen with the perill of our liues As wee haue learned Christ so let vs goe on rooted and grounded in Charitie and not be moued from the profession of our most holy Faith Neither let vs giue eare to those who vnder pretence either of truth in Religion or sincerity in Ceremonie would alienate your mindes from that obedience and gouernement in which you haue been trayned vp in Christ Iesus VVee presume that we haue found Christ so farre forth now our endeuour is and must be to keepe him not onely in our heads by speculation that in our hearts by affection to which purpose I shall speake more in conuenient place The third errour men commit in seeking after Christ is that they seeke him not in the place they should seeke him This is the errour committed by these holy women for which the Angels blamed them and therefore a little longer to be insisted vpon And this error may be collected easily and plainly from the speach of our Sauiour in the Gospell who telleth vs That false Christs Matt. 24.24 26. and false Prophets shall arise and shall shew great signes and wonders saying Beholde hee is in the wildernesse hee is in the secret places On which place Doctor Stapleton writing according to his virulent manner sayth it is accomplished in our teachers who leauing the right way the Kings high-way the auncient and Apostolike Church doe seeke after Christ in corners in the wildernesse of our owne wandring imaginations and amongst such Apostataes who challenge to themselues the name of the Church But the truth is it is much better fulfilled amongst them who confine Christ vnto a certayne place and thinke he cannot be found out of the limits of their Churches In times past the visible Church was in one Kingdome I meane among the Iewes Notus in Iudaea Deus God is well knowne in Jewrie But now the time is come which our Sauiour spake of Iohn 4.23 The houre commeth and now is that the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth And this was long fore-told by the Prophets and namely the Prophet Malachy Mala. 1.11 who saith From the rising of the