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	teach_v	6,712	5	6.4919	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41100	The last vvill and testament, with the profession of the faith of Humfrey Fen, sometimes pastor of one of the churches of Coventry, but cast out by the High Commission for labouring in a peaceable way the reformation of our discipline	Fenn, Humphrey, d. 1634.	1641 (1641)	Wing F676; ESTC R14339	3,087	9

THE LAST VVILL AND TESTAMENT WITH THE PROFESSION of the Faith of Humfrey Fen sometimes Pastor of one of the Churches of COVENTRY But cast out by the High Commission for labouring in a peaceable way the Reformation of our Discipline PRINTED Anno Domini MDCXLI I Professe with the Church of England the same doctrine of Faith and Sacraments established in the first yeare of the raigne of the renowned Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory of which doctrine according to the measure of the grace of God I have been Preacher fifty and five yeares though unworthy of such a degree in the Faith of Jesus Christ my Lord God and Saviour blessed for ever Touching the Discipline of the Church to hold that Doctors Pastors ruling Elders and Deacons which is restored by the most reformed Charches is to be held Apostolicall universall and unchangeable and that the Churches of England doe sinne against their Head and only Monarch in violent opposition thereof for the upholding ambitious pompes and worldly Prelacy which being a humane presumption at the first being pretended for a remedy against Schisme a cure more dangerous than the disease it selfe made way for Antichrist the head of Papacy with power and now serveth with us to hinder the Churches edification and to maintaine a shamefull Schisme against all the reformed Churches of the Gospell Touching ceremonies I beleeve the Church hath no authority to ordaine any for pompe or signification but only for order and comlinesse and that Ecclesiasticall decrees therein doe binde onely in case of scandall and contempt But decrees for ceremonies of the other kindes are so far from binding that in defence of Christiall liberty they ought to be broken I therefore professe the Ceremonies in question with us unlawfull for that they be teaching signes which in Gods worship he only may institute or for that originally they are superstitious the same devised by Heretikes and Antichrist in his Idolatry to captive soules and so prescribed it to be used in Gods worship or for that they doe grace Popery and scandalize the weake who for their sakes conceive the better of Popery or for that they give Papists occasion to scorne our religion and profession who borrow their Ceremonies and grieve zealous Christians to see the Spouse of Christ forced to conforme to the strumpet of Rome and to weare the tokens of her captivity which no true Zeale can disgest with patience neither can it stand with hearty repentance for former straying from God or for that they breake the unity of brethren spoile the Church of faithfull Pastors stay many from the worke of the Ministery and give advantage to prophane persons and Papists to persecute true Professors and make the State guilty of the blood of the righteous by wearing out their spirits by many indignities not to be looked for at the hands of brethren and I doe lament the ceremoniall bondage of our Church wherein Christian liberty is inthralled with humane presumptions which are exalted and inforced with more Zeale than the holy Ordinances of God and the ragges of the whore of Babylon injoyned the Spouse of Christ to the scorne of all her sisters the Reformed Churches who together with the doctrine of the man of sinne have cast out the Image of the Beast his Hierarchy Archbishops Suffragans Deanes Bishops Chancellors Archdeacons Commissaries Officials Prebends with the Canon Law Spirituall Courts dispensations for non-residents that odious sin restraint of marriage without their dispensation not much differing from the doctrine of devils with their oathes ex Officio compurgatory censures commutations of pennance absolutions consecrations confirmations together with all their contrived ceremonies to be the filthy remainder of uncleane Beasts so doe I humbly desire the Lord to purge and cleanse his Church thereof at the length and as I my selfe for the space of fifty five yeares according to my weake ability opposed those corruptions and by prayer supplication conference and suffering endeavoured in a Christian peaceable manner the sincere reformation thereof so doe I earnestly exhort by the like Christian meanes all that feare God love the peace of Jerusalem and desire the crowne of vanquishers according to your calling to doe the like and as these times doe require of those that love the Lord Jesus an open profession of this cause wherein Christ is persecuted in many of his members so they would not be wanting in this duty at this time wherein through the defection of many others thinke the cause forsaken yet doe I not hold it lawfull for these corruptions to separate from the communion of the Church of England if therein a Christian may enjoy true doctrine with the Sacraments from a Minister able to teach the truth and where in the worship of God he is not forced by a personall act to approve of those corruptions Touching the civill Magestrate I acknowledge our dread soveraigne King Charles is supreame governor over all persons in his Dominions by civill power to suppresse all false worship to compell all to the meanes of faith and knowledge of the truth which is according to godlinesse to force all Ecclesiasticall Ministers to a faithfull execution of the duties of their place injoyned by our blessed Saviour and to reforme the remaining corruptions in the discipline service and ceremonies of the Church according to the order of Gods word and though I hold him subject to all the ordinances of Christ in his Church serving to the salvation of men yet doe I deny him to be subject to any person forraigne or domesticall touching his life liberty crowne or dignity or to any other forraigne or domesticall censure by whomsoever executed This confession I set downe under mine hand as my last act in this kind as a fruit of mine age which is eighty seven yeares and brought out in a serious meditation of my appearing shortly before the judge of all flesh who only knoweth my heart and to whom only I shall stand or fall his judgements I feare and doe humbly crave pardon for all mine infirmities in this profession as for all my other sins but as touching the substance of this profession as I know assuredly so I appeale to his all seeing spirit whether I have in hypocisie contrary to the full perswasion of my heart lived so long therein indeavoured so much for it and now am ready to dy therein Let this suffice to stop the mouthes of slanderers who incroaching upon the office of God cry out of mens hypocrisie who being as they say convinced in their consciences doe yet for sinister respects continue the profession of the cause as an Archprelate openly traduced as honest a man as himselfe in the High Commission Court not long since whereas also he cast out many unsavory speeches and reproaches unbeseeming a man of God and chiefe Father of Pastors as forsooth he would be taken to be and unworthy so many well deserving Preachers of the Gospel whose right hand of Fellowship himselfe would not have scorned while King Iames stood indifferent in the cause be it therefore that King Iames have forsaken this cause which had his first love under his hand witnessed by many workes and namely by interceding for Mr. Thomas Cartwright and others imprisoned for this cause through the false suggestions of ambitious men who fearing to lose the fat morsels of their large rewards abused the state by untrue surmises which they were never able to make good And be it since that shew of a dispute in the cause at Hampton Court wherein men were purposely chosen to undertake our cause who excepting one reverend Father never tooke the cause to heart as men that pesent themselves in an act upon a Stage be it I say rhat ever since that time our cause hath lost many lovers by death many famous Ministers and others by defection yet the cause is the same it was when it was esteemed holy by the best professors that were when it was embraced by so many reformed Churches and as it was in the judgement of so many reverend men which ever have approved it for all the violent and unkinde opposition made thereto and as the cause remaines the same it was so I thanke my God that by his grace I affect it no whit the lesse but am assured it is a truth of God wherein after fifty five yeares labour in the Ministery of the Gospell after much reading what hath been written on both sides after many conferences with worthy brethren of indifferent judgement after many prayers to the Father of lights lastly upon advised deliberation and consideration of the effects that have ensued the persecutions I gladly end my daies and with joy doe beare it in my bosome into the presence of God and doe hope and in my best prayers doe beseech him to raise up daily faithfull men to contend for the truth of God against all gain-sayers Humfrey Fen departed this life in or about September 1634. FINIS