Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
truth_n church_n doctrine_n false_a 3,917 5 6.8146 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A05169 A sermon preached before his Maiestie, on Wednesday the fift of Iuly, at White-hall At the solemne fast then held. By the Bishop of S. Davids. Wm. Laud. Laud, William, 1573-1645. 1626 (1626) STC 15303; ESTC S102878 20,162 56

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

cause is at triall But what cause of his is it that 's particularly meant in this place For if it bee Gods 't is worth the knowing what ere it bee And no cause of his can be heere but Men owe it as well as him some duty And therefore necessary to be knowne that due may be performed vnto it Now the Cause of God meant heere though it bee proposed as Causa vna one cause yet 't is very large and comprehends many particulars vnder it Some directly concerne God and some only by reflex But God is so tender of his Iustice and his Honor that nothing can so much as touch vpon him but 't is Gods cause presently In as much as yee haue done it or not done it to one of these little ones you haue done it or not done it to mee S. Matt. 25. And so goes the Text Gods Cause all and but one whether it be directed against him or reflected vpon him Whether it bee the Reproach which the Sonne of God suffered for vs Or the troubles and afflictions which we suffer for him 't is Gods Cause still and accounted as one As one And yet I find three things agreed vpon to bee principally contain'd in this Cause of God First the Magistrate and his Power and Iustice. And resist either of these and yee resist the power and the ordinance of God Rom. 13. There 's Gods cause plaine And the Eye of nature could see Aliquid diuinum somewhat that was diuine in the Gouernours and Orderers of Common-wealths In their verie Office In as much as they are singled out to be the Ministers of diuiue Prouidence vpon Earth And are expresly called the Officers of Gods Kingdom Sap. 6. And therfore the Schoole concludes that any the least irreuerence of a King as to dispute of his Iudgements And whether wee ought to follow and obey him Sacrilegium dicitur is iustly extended to be called Sacriledge And since all Sacriledge is a violation of some thing that is Holy it is euident that the Office and Person of the King is sacred Sacred and therefore cannot be violated by the Hand Tongue or Heart of any Man that is by deede word or thought But 't is Gods cause and hee is violated in him And here Kings may learne if they will I am sure 't is fit they should That those Men which are sacrilegious against God and his Church are for the very Neigbour-hood of the sinne the likeliest men to offer violence to the Honour of Princes first and their Persons after Secondly the cause of the Church in what kinde soeuer it be Be it in the cause of Truth or in the cause of Vnity or in the cause of Right and meanes 't is Gods cause too And it must needes be so For Christ and his Church are Head and Body Ephes. 1. And therefore they must needs haue one common cause One cause And you cannot corrupt the Church in her Truth or persecute her for it nor distract her from her Vnity nor impouerish and abase her in her meanes but God suffers in the oppression Nay more no man can wilfully corrupt the Church in her doctrine but he would haue a false God Nor persecute the profession of the Church but he would haue no God Nor rent the Church into Sects but hee would haue many Gods Nor make the Church base but he would plucke GOD as lowe Were God as much in his power as the Church is And therefore the Churches Cause is Gods Cause And as Eusebius tells vs when by Stephen Bishop of Laodicea the state of that Church was much hazarded it and the meanes of it were mightily vpheld by God himselfe And Elias Cretensis goes full vpon it in the generall 'T is Gods cause any controuersie that he debates against his Enemies Now this euer holds true in whatsoeuer the Church suffers for the name of God and Christ. And therefore if either State or Church will haue their cause Gods the State must looke their proceedings be iust and the Church must looke their Deuotions Actions be pious Else if the State be al in vvorme-wood Iniustice if the Church sauour of impurity and irreligion If either of these threaten either Bodie neither can call vp God then For sinne is their owne and the diuells cause no cause of Gods who punishes sinne euer but neuer causes it Thirdly 'T is Gods cause which is directly against himselfe when Iniustice that he will not or weakenesse that hee cannot Arise and Helpe are most vnworthily nay blasphemously cast vpon him The very Text you see calls it no lesse then Blasphemie And as S. Basil tells vs 't was audacter effusa most audaciously cast into the face of God But how I pray How why they persecuted the Church of Christ with great extremities and then because God did not alwaies and in all particulars deliuer it Deum vt infirmum traducebant they accused God of Impotencie Rabsaches case before Christ in the flesh which of the Gods haue deliuered the Nations that serue them that the Lord should deliuer Ierusalem 4. Reg. 18. Pilates case to Christ. Haue not I power to crucifie thee and power to loose thee S. Ioh. 19. Iulians case after Christ. For while he raged against the Christians hee turn'd the contumely vpon God And charg'd omnipotence with weakenesse So you see the Cause of God what it is and withall that it is many and but one Many in the circumference of his creatures which fill vp the State and the Church and yet but one in the point of that indiuisible Center which is himselfe Well we haue found Gods cause as 't is tumbled vpon the earth But what is it the Prophet would haue God doe to it What Why that followes Iudica Pleade it Iudge it Maintaine it Lord. For the King and the State For thy Church and Seruice For thy selfe and thine honours sake Thou hast made their cause thine owne therefore maintaine it as thou doest thine owne Now this God is neuer wanting to doe nor neuer will be So far as Iustice and Religion make the cause his hee will Pleade it first and Maintaine it after But yet hee doth not this alwaies with a Iudgement that is visible to vs. Nor with such a one as will make enemies confesse that Gods maintenance is on our part And therefore as Ruffinus thinks these words are not only a Prayer that God would Arise and maintaine his cause but that he would so plead it that hee would make the Iustice and Right of it appeare to Enemies and Opposers and the maintenance euident to friends and defenders of it So maintaine thy Cause is as much in effect as make the world know 't is thine and thou wilt maintain it That from Gods maintenance the cause may haue safety And from our hope of maintenance we may receiue Comfort Why but why should God pleade iudge and