Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	christian_a	church_n	true_a	4,006	5	4.8519	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69532	A learned, vsefull and seasonable discovrse concerning the Chvrch of England, and the Chvrch of Rome addressed by way of letter to M. St. Iohn, a Romish priest / by that eminent author and worthy patriot, Dr. John Bastwick, now prisoner under the popish tyranny at Yorke.	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.	1643 (1643)	Wing B1066; ESTC R18862	10,786	12

A LEARNED Vsefull and SEASONABLE DISCOVRSE Concerning The CHVRCH of ENGLAND And The CHVRCH of ROME Addressed By way of Letter to M. St. IOHN a ROMISH PRIEST By that Eminent Author and worthy Patriot Dr. JOHN BASTWICK Now PRISONER under the POPISH Tyranny at YORKE Imprimatur JA. CRANFORD LONDON Printed for John Wright Junior at his Shop at the upper end of the Old-Bailey 1643. A Learned Vsefull and Seasonable Discourse concerning the Church of ENGLAND and the Church of ROME To the most accomplisht and learned Mr. St. JOHN Most worthy Sir FAme doth not ever delude us She proclaimes you not onely for a Scholler but celebrates you as a profound Divine and Philosopher It seemes yet to me by her sparing Relation that she was loth to offend your Modesty For after our acquaintaince you appear'd to me far greater then your Fame Verily you have so temper'd Excellent Learning with sweet Conversation that your Demerits exceed the praises even of an eloquent Lover This rare Elogy is the more illustrious in you as t is most seldome to be found in Others of your Rank and Roman profession to deale freely with you as your Curtesie invites me Being both of us cast into the same Prison but for different Causes you for defending the Pope I for impugning him I confesse that at first I purposly shun'd your Acquaintaince not in hate to your Person but out of feare of your Party which after some private Colloquies had wrong'd me and the Truth dearer to me then my selfe reporting that the Defenders of our Religion were unlearned and dishonest and absurdly caluminating our Doctrin as false and Hereticall It happened likewise that after we had casually met together in company but had then no leisure to enter into any Dispute it was bruited abroad I know not by whom that being challeng'd by you to a Scholasticall Combat I had cowardly declin'd it As my credit is not so weak to be wounded with such silly Rumors so I hold it not fit to let them passe without Comptroll Your Conference indeed I refus'd for this reason because I conceiv'd there was small hope to win you to our fide by any evidence of Truth being such an old Souldier of the Popes and now growne aged and gray hair'd in Popery But when after I had learnd by experience that you were a Gent. of singular Ingenuity and Candor and perceiv'd likewise how affectionately you lov'd me and how zealous you were of my Soules-health I began to be much inflamed with desire of your Society For Civility and Curtesie is of so winning a nature that it is a stronger Allurement then the strongest Enchantment You were often heard to say that you would give any thing to procure my Conversion yea goe to Rome bare-footed if such a painfull journey might reclaime me to the Roman-Church How much am I obliged for so eminent a Favour I confesse I was now as zealously desirous of your wel-fare For how could I retaliate so solicitous a Love but by a reciprocall Solicitude of your Salvation Nor did your Curtesie and good will rest onely in good wishes but you promis'd also very kindly to lend me your helping hand to rayse me from my Fall and gently to shew me the way after my wandering I began therefore to perswade my selfe that if haply like a straid Sheep I had gon out of the way into the Mazes and by-pathes of Error I could not possibly find out a better guide to conduct me to the Temple of Truth Your Sufficiency for Learning was well known to me and your Humanity so apparent that it was still ready to seize on me even against my will I saw we had Both leisure more then enough and that we could not better bestow our Time nor find a more pleasant Recreation during our Imprisonment I was desirous therefore to heare your Instructions and to be better informed by you not by any interloquntory Conference which is subject to inconveniencies and not so safe for either of Us but by this silent and temperate way of Writing which is more considerate and not unbecomming our present condition I remember at our last Parley you most confidently affirmed the Roman Party to be the onely true Church renowned for Antiquity Succession Conspicuousnesse Amplitude and Unity That in her Faith our Ancestors liv'd and dyed of whose salvation should their Posteity doubt it were grosse impiety That she is reputed a true Church by her profest and Capitall Enemies and that eternall Woe will be the Reward of them that erre or deviate from her Lastly you wisht out of your hearty desire of the common salvation of all that all differences being accorded and all Factions abandon'd all men would returne to the Roman Church casheering the dull and droway Religion of Luther and Calvin concluding withall that you could easily coine if you were disposed one far better and more tolerable I as confidently urged that our Church wanted neither divine-Divine-Truth nor saving-Faith Thus all our talke at that time ended in your Yea and my No But because the matter in controversie was of such important consequence I conceiv'd that it ought to be asserted not by bare words but forcible arguments yet not with pride or pertinacy but with Christian Humility and a mind prepared to imbrace the Truth The principall and most impregnable Reason inducing me to beleeve that ours is the true Church is because I cleerely see it hath all those Requisits that constitute the essence of a Church For when our Saviour Christ sent forth his Apostles to instruct the whole World he gave them onely this Commission to preach the Gospell and administer the Sacraments promising his Peace which includes all happinesse to all Nations Cities and people that resisted not their Evangelicall Legation Wherefore since the sincere preaching of the Word and beliefe of that Word preached together with the incorrupt administration of the Sacraments containe the summe and substance of our Religion and are the very essentials of the Church why should we not not both hope and judge most worthily of ours that hath neither corrupted the Doctrine of the Gospell nor adulterated the Sacraments Contrariwise your Church having polluted the Fountaine of the Gospels with the mire and dirt of humane Inventions and having corrupted the purity of the Sacraments with a number of trifling Ceremonies it seemes to me to have declin'd far from Truth and to have no right to challenge to it selfe the Title of Catholik to which she vainly pretends S. Augustin defines them to be Christian Catholikes that are keepers of Integrity and follow those things that are right And now you may see how weakely done it is of our wilfull Adversaries to cry out and calumnate us for Heretiks For if men would be pleased to try our Doctrine and yours by the Rule and Canon of the Gospell 't were no hard matter to judge whether Church were the preserver of Integrity and the Vassall of