Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A17338
|
A sermon preached at Pauls crosse on Trinity sunday, 1571. By E.B.
|
Bush, Edward.; Bunny, Edmund, 1540-1619.
|
1576
(1576)
|
STC 4183; ESTC S107148
|
27,884
|
68
|
slacknes of the lawe which doth ouer rule vs or by the corruption of them that haue the execution of the law in their handes I will not now say but this I may to truely saye that there is great lack of seuere discipline As for excoÌ„munication it is more vsed for mony matters then for correction of sinne These and sundry such other abuses and enormities be the thinges which greeue good men and cause them both to praye and to preach for the reformation of them It is not a cappe tippet or surples only which are but small matters and the smallest of many matters which are to be reformed in the Church of England And yet my meaning is not that smal accoÌ„pt shuld be made of these things For hereof I am wel assured that how small soeuer they seeme they do no smal hurt in the church of God for to clogge mens consciences to hinder the course of the goâ—pell to breede contentions amonge bretheren is no small hurt Sâ—al thinges may do much hurte a graine of a grape is but a smal thinge and yet it killed Anacreon the Poet a haire is but a very smal thinge and yet it choked on Fabius a senator of Rome a flee is but a small thing and yet it straugâ—ed a proude Pope yea the proudest I think â—hat euer was Adrian the .iiij. a contry man â—f our owne a smal mote may hurt the eye 〈◊〉 smal thing may trouble a good consience 〈◊〉 smal deale of LeaueÌ„ wil Leauen a whole â—mp to eate meate is but a smal thing yet â—a maÌ„ eate it with a douting repining coÌ„â—ience he is condeÌ„ned because he enteth not â—f faith It is a smal thing to say Aue to a maÌ„â—et S. Iohn saith that he which saith Aue â—hat is God speede to him that bringeth not â—is doctrine is partaker of hys euill deedes â—hrist sayth that he which is faithfull in a â—tle wil be faithful in much and he that is 〈◊〉 faythfull in a little wil be vnfaithfull in â—uch So also the poet sayth Vnleâ—se thou â—ke heede to small thinges thou shalt loose â—reat thinges Wherefore I woulde make â—umble sute and supplication vnto those â—hom I loue reuerence and honour that â—ood mens consciences in thys case myght â—ot be enforced but perswaded Surely it 〈◊〉 a token of Gods anger wrath when the â—outhes of his seruauntes the prophetes be â—opped It is conuenient tyme that these â—hinges were redressed Let vs not saye as â—he Iewes â—id who after they wer returned from captiuity said as appeareth by the prophet Aggeus the tyme is not yet come that the Lordes house shuld be builded but God by his prophet sayde vnto them is it tyme for your selues to dwel in your sealed houses and this house lye wast Euen so may I now saye is it tyme for you to lye in your faire houses to seeke your own commodites and follow your owne pleasures and not to seeke reformation of religion and the house of God Let vs not defer and put of the time Salomon saith he that obserueth the mynd shall not sow and he the regardeth the clouds shall not mow for either the wind is in the north then it is to colde or els in the south and then it is whot or els in the East and then it to dry or els in the west and then it is to wel and so a maÌ„ shal neuer sow This teacheth vs that we must not stand to muâ—h looking to the time and putting of the time but we must earnestly zealously go about gods cause and God shal blesse our trauaile giue good successe vnto the same Thus you haue heard how the church is dissolued and disordered Let vs pray vnto God to establish the Pillers of it Our gracious Soueraigne the Queenes Maiesty is the principall piller of this church of England vnder Christ It standeth vs greately vpon earnestly to pray vnto God long to establish this piller amongst vs. For if the strong Sampson the mighty God shoulde for our syns lay hys hand vpon this piller and pull it down O Lorde what ruine were lyke to folow I sée nothing but destruction lyke to fall vpon vs as did vpon the wicked Philistians All those pastors who are either in chefest place or endued with greatest giftes are called in the scriptures pillers so Iames Cephas and Iohn who were counted to be the pillers gaue vnto Paule and Barnabas their right hands of society fellowship Let â—s likewise pray vnto God for these pillers that they may all ioyne their harts hands of felowship together to fight manfully together to ouerthrow the kingdome of Antichrist and darknes and to establish the kingdome of Christ among vs The Church of God is called the piller of truth we ought lykewyse to poure out our prayers before God that thys piller may stand stedfast among vs And here if I dyd loue digressions discourses from my matter I in got aunswer the papistes who bragge much of this place cry mightely out saying the church is the piller of truth we be the church therfore we be the piller of truth but this reason I will returne vpon them The Church is the piller of truth now if they can proue that they be the pillers vpholders mainteners of truth then must we and wyll we graunt them to be the Church But if they be the pilers of damnable doctrine contrary to Gods holy word howsoeuer they braggs themselues to be the Church of Christ they be in déede the Sinagoge of Satan In the Arke of the Couenant wer three things the tables of the testament the pot of Mannâ— the rod of Aaron which be .iij. certain signes of the visible Church of Christ Whereby we may learne that where the worde of God is truely preached the sacramentes according to Christes institution ministred and Ecclesiastical discipline dewly executed there is the church of Christ Now if the papists can proue that in there Church true doctrine grounded vpon Gods word hath bene preached that the sacraments haue bene vsed ministred according to Christs institution and that discipline hath bene rightly executed then will we recant and reuoke whatsoeuer wee haue mainetained or preached then will we ioyne handes with them But thys they can neuer be able to proue therâ—â—e they can neuer proue theÌ„selues to be the â—e church of God which is the piller of truth But to leaue thys now I wyl come to the â—ird part of my matter which conteyneth I haue before touched an exhortation of â—e Prophet vnto the wicked to cease from â—eir folly and wickednes not to trust to â—uch to their own wisdome and power not 〈◊〉 exalte themselues against God and hys â—eople but rather to remember that all true â—eferment commeth from God and he exalâ—â—â— some and putteth downe other I sayde â—o the foolish be not so foolish c. First 〈◊〉 vs consider whom the prophet calleth â—â—â—sh
poore protestants who must be faine to receyue their Priestes to be ouerruled with their Cannon law to take their Ceremonies which now as I haue sayde are prickes in our eies and thornes in our sides I am perswaded in my conscience that the word of God would better fructifye amonge vs and we should enioye more quietnes if we did receyue as little from them as they do of vs And I besech God if it be hys holy will it may be so But some man may here say do you not know that many good men haue beene deceiued wil you haue none such receiued Yes dearely beloued my meaning is not but that Godly meete men hauing â—nounced their popish orders and satisfyed 〈◊〉 church of God may be receiued and adâ—itted to serue in the church of God but I â—iâ—ffly speake of those blind guides and eâ—mies to gods truth which are not to be â—rmitted to remaine for the ministratiâ—â— of the word and sacraments What should I heare complaine of the â—â—nd ignorant and vnmeete ministers that â—e admitted I might say much herein but I â—â—yst not nowe speake of that whereof I â—â—nnot think without great greffe This on 〈◊〉 I say that this is a great offence to many â—â—d a great sclaunder to the worde of god â—o graunt it may be redressed Here I may â—â—mplaine of the great lack of doctrine and 〈◊〉 the preaching of Gods word vniuersally 〈◊〉 â—odâ— in the country London hath great â—ause to praise god for that his word is here 〈◊〉 plentyfully preached And if London do â—ot thankfully receiue it and truely folow â—t it shal be easyer for Sodom and Gomorâ—ah in the day of iudgement then for thys Citye But surely when I come out of the â—untry hether to the City methink I come â—nto another world euen out of darknes inâ—o light For here the word of God is plentifully preached I pray God it may be as pleÌ„tifully folowed In the country their wonderful great want thereof that a man may go a great way and cannot heare the word of the Lorde preached Here be many good meÌ„ endued with many good gifts of knowledge zeale and godly life able to do much good in the church of god I besech God for his crucifyed Christs sake that they may be well fauoured cherished maintained In the country be fewe labourers Loyterors inow Here in London as I am perswaded is much good ground many which receyue the word of God with a good honest hart and bringe forth fruites some thirtyfolde some sixtifolde and some an hundrethfolde In the cuntry for want of tylling oft plowing for without oâ—t plowing and much labour barren ground will not bring fourth fruit there springeth fourth brambles bryars and wéedes But here is a misery to be considered although there is great lack of profitable pastors and faithfull labourers in the Church I meane in those cuntries that I haue bene in and I think other contryes be not farre vnlyke yet notwithstanding there be mo then be placed in any charge or preferred to any calling I know myself good and godly men learned men of long â—ontinuance in the vniuersity and able to do â—uch good in the Church of God and yet â—ot called in any charge or placed ouer any â—ock Yea some haue told me that they haue â—ene offered many benefices as they be calâ—ed and yet they could not haue taken one â—nlesse they had taken part with Iudas Isâ—ariote or with Simon Magus But what â—eane you by that will some man say For â—â—uth ether they must haue said with Iudas â—hat will you giue me will you giue me â—â—enty markes or poundes and take you â—he rest and so I shall not be able to contiâ—â— on the chardge but I wyll betray all â—his people to the diuell and to you or els â—hey must haue sayde with Simon Magus â—hat shall I giue you for your benefyce I â—il giue you such a dish of Apples as Maiâ—ter Latimar speaketh of or I wil giue you â—x or xl l. a yeare out of it I will giue you so much that I shall not be able to giue a poore body a peece of bread But I will here admonish these patrons that for as much aâ— to them it perteineth to place faithfull pastors ouer Christes congregations which can and will féede them with knowledge and direct them by example of godly life if they loking vpon their owne commodities do not prouide such men but place blinde guides dum dogges and lewd hyrelinges the people for want of instruction shal perish for where prophecy that is the preaching of Gods word faileth ther the people perish faith Salomon but ther bloud shal be required at these patrons or rather latroÌ„s hands Let them trust vnto it and looke for it But here is another abuse which is partly an occasion of the other Not only papistes but also professers yea and preachers of Gods word do ioyne many liuinges together and place vnder them careles Curatos doing little or no good themselues to diuers of theÌ„ Patrons see this and gather hereof that they may as well enioy the benefice as other ecclesiasticall men which come neuer or seldome to their charge I cannot tell what to say hereto but that both is nought and that the patrone which doth not prouide a good man for his charge and that minister which doth not carefully looke to his charge and diligently feed his slock these both euen the patron and the pastor shall perish and the peoples bloud shal be required at their hands I am sory euen in my hart that professors preachers of the Gospell should so far ouer-reach themselues in this behalfe that they â—ust be reformed and restrained by lawe I â—ray God that the state of the Church of â—ngland may be brought to that order that â—her may be to one flock one sheperd to one â—hurch on Minister and that all faculties â—luralities residences and such other abhoâ—inacions may return to Rome froÌ„ whence â—hey came I may here lykewise complaine â—â—w that the liuinges appointed to maineâ—â—ine the Ministery are made vniuersally â—ayes and spoiles for al sorts of men They â—aineteyne â—oyes in the vniuersity gentelâ—en in the Innes of courte gentelmen and â—awyers in the cuntrey and are commonly â—ade rewardes for seruing men Thus the â—ople pay their deuties to thys ende that â—â—ey may haue a learned man amongst theÌ„ 〈◊〉 teach comfort them the same be vngodâ—â— conueied to other vses the people being as â—attered sheepe without a shepheard This is â—meÌ„table to see so many gatherers of tâ—eth 〈◊〉 few preachers of the word this had neede to â—e reformed for vntolerable abuse is herein 〈◊〉 may here coÌ„plaine of great want of Ecleâ—asticall discipline and punishment of synne 〈◊〉 heare great complaint here of abrode â—â—the â—ountry that there is ether no punishmente for synne or at the least very lyttle Which whether it be throughe the