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	faith_n	matter_n	4,045	5	5.7347	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47986	A letter from a gentleman at London, to his friend in the countrey, &c.	Gentleman at London.	1676 (1676)	Wing L1379; ESTC R10276	16,627	21

Bishop's resolution and as if it had been a matter of main import for the upholding of the Orthodox Faith they drive on his Preferment without observing the least Measure in the world While this was a Brewing an English Minister belonging to the French Church named Mr. du Maresq full of Zeal for the Truth printed a Sermon which he had Preached during these Bustles and this for the reasons which he gives in his Preface they were no sooner come abroad but my Lord Bishop of London thought both the one and the other deserv'd the Thunder of his Ecclesiastical tribunal To this purpose he caused all the Coppies to be seized The Minister was cited to the Bishops Court where at first they wrangl'd with him about a Licence to Preach which neither he nor any of his Collegues had ever heard of At last after much ado they discovered where the shoo truly pinch'd My Lord Bishop was offended by his falling upon Luzancy And would needs have the Minister to ask forgiveness of God his Neighbor the Church and his Superior This is not enough the Minister must also acknowledg that he is Convinc'd in Conscience that he has offended God and his Neighbor by printing Scandalous things Yet we have not all a Declaration too must be Sign'd and Seal'd otherwise the Minister is undone And because he refus'd a Motion so extraordinary My Lord Bishop presently caus'd him to be publickly Interdicted the functions of his Charge upon a Sunday in the midst of his Congregation A proceeding so severe against a Minister very well spoken of opened the Eyes and understandings of divers who want none they set themselves to inquire attentively what these scandalous things were which were imputed to him but their search was Fruitless they found nothing that look'd towards it In fine like the five Propositions which heretofore at Rome they maintained were in the Book of Jansenius they perceived these Scandals ow'd their birth to sharpness and prejudice Mean time this Minister of the Gospel because he stood firm to the maintenance of Truth was openly suspended for reasons reserved to my Lord Bishop and his Officers They had a care not to say what these reasons were they were too frivolous and would have cover'd the Authors with Shame and Blame But by a slight not welbecoming a Bishop they conceal'd the Account of a proceeding so defective They had much rather People should have Occasion to believe horrible things of this Minister than publish his fault it was so light And my Lord Bishop of London doubtes not but Men will judg by the prerogative of his Dignity that the right is on his side and that 't was enough to make one pass for Criminal to be accused and punish'd by a person so venerable as himself Quis sanctum dubitet quem apex tantae Dignitatis attollit All this as I have been informed past in the most unusual manner in the World The Minister is Condemned without being heard according to the formalities of Law 'T was much to purpose for him to offer to justify himself The Bishop refuses to see him slights the submissive Letters which the Minister writes to him and by his Order the Judges of his Court pass Sentence without saying or knowing wherefore who would have believed a Bishop of London one of a Noble Family and who has no small pretentions to the Archbishoprik of Canterbury had been capable of such a Carriage After so much noise what could we expect from a proceeding so rigorous It was believed my Lord Bishop would never have restor'd this Minister at least on easier terms than very ample satisfaction such as might hold proportion with the Offence which People were made believe the Bishop had received Notwithstanding against the opinion of many by the good Offices of Monsieur Durel together with those of Monsieur Ruvigny who had a mind to Oblige the Bishop and was pleased to Interpose without being intreated The Minister was restored to the exercise of his charge upon a bare acknowledgment that he was in the wrong to print his Preface without Licence from his Superior or any else in Authority c. a poor and dry satisfaction in my opinion after so much ado and which justifies the Minister for as much as he has publish'd against Luzancy and the Monks and condemns the rigor used to him Behold Sir whither Passion carries Men behold a Signal example in the person of a Bishop The Sanctuary is not priviledg'd and we are not afraid to set it awork even in that Holy Place Where is that Charity whereof so unseasonably in respect of Knaves we pride our selves when to uphold them we overwhelm a Minister of the word of God What a horrible use do we in these days make of it When the matters treated on in the Preface were without Reply must a whole Kingdom for a pitiful point of Honor needs have cause to believe that the Minister was a Lyer and Luzancy and the Monks unjustly Attackt Must it needs be I say that on a pretext so slight so heavy a Blow should fall on a Man whose carriage has always been without Reproach and who without consulting Flesh and Blood resolved in discharge of his Duty to speak Truths likely to displease more than one and he be punished so outragiously for a design so generously executed we see well enough how the world goes My Lord Bishop of London had undertaken the protection of Luzancy He had a mind to cherish this Plant which he had newly set in the Garden of the Church and could not indure that England should be inform'd it was of the nature of those Herbs which shew handsomly and yet are full of Poyson He could not see the Child of his care and study wounded especially in that part where Men are most tender without receiving the blow upon himself and the Arrows justly shot at the reputation of his Neophyte have lighted on him Behold the true cause of the Bishop's anger To offend a Knave was to attaque him to attaque him was to blemish the dignity of his See and those immature and hasty decisions were made both to uphold his Person and his Mitre Had my Lord Bishop in the design he had to declare himself the support of this Counterfeit Proselyte consulted the Commands of him from whom he holds both this Life and Character he would have learned not to do ill that good may come of it And that the use of pious frauds is proper only for those places where Religion being destitute of Truth which is its Basis cannot subsist but by foul Play with which those of Wit Amuse and make Shittlecocks of the Common People After all how can we henceforward reproach the Papists with their Inquisition when I have acquainted you with things as strange In good earnest when the wit of Man takes pleasure in blinding it self how considerable soever our Rank is in the world whether in Church or State and

tide and has sufficiently repented since Aliquando bonus dormitat homerus Let us now pass on to the sequel of Luzancy's Story and his witnesses It may easily be imagin'd how much joy the suspension of Mr. du Maresq brought him fierce as a Caesar to have a Bishop for his Defendor he undertook some weeks since to justify himself in a long Letter Addrest as they say to a Lady of Quality as he proceeds in a manner peculiar enough I thought it convenient to examine this Letter and acquaint you with the reflexions I have made which will serve for a Conclusion to my discourse This worthy piece being like the last Act of of the Comedy of this Hypocrite His Letter is written in shew to a Lady of Quality but in truth to a French Woman named Mistress Rene Wife to a Scotch Taylor living in Suffolk-street who was one of Luzancy's Witnesses and one of the Actors in St. German's Tragedy This Woman is a curious piece to look on and one of the most infallible remedies of Love that can be met with A couple of Fellows that have no imployment whose names are Le Comte and Champion kept a terrible Pother in dispersing coppies of this Letter both in French and English and by their means it may be called publick though it were not Printed as having gone through as many hands in Manuscript as if it had pass'd through the Press Le Comte the first of these two Frenchmen is an old Factionist one who is always an Enemy to the present Government and who incessantly affecting what is past is still forming frightful Imaginations of what is to come one of a mutinous humor of the same temper with Rene the Taylor a great Partizan of Brevals as well as he who made himself head of the Rabble for the bringing that Capucin into the Savoy whom Mr. Durel and divers other sober Men judged unworthy of the office of a Protestant Preacher for reasons which shall be alleadged hereafter For Champion he is a little pitiful Wretch heretofore a Monk now an idle Fellow whose tongue is always imployed in detracting and Pen in fouling of Paper Witness that impertinent Paultry Answer which he made to the Preface of Monsieur du Maresq and which with the Arrogance of an Author that deserves a Whipping he went from house to house to read himself T is a pitiful Writing void of common sence and which has as many saults as words He is besides the worthy Copier of all those pieces which Luzancy made to be presented to the Privy Councel I thought fit to acquaint you what kind of People they are of whom Luzancy makes use to vent his Tricks that yov may be ignorant of nothing which has happened in this abominable Intrigue Let us now go on to examine the substance of this Cheat's Letter and to begin Imagine with your self a Man who makes an Abridgment of his Life and undertakes himself to make an Elogy of it exactly imitating the Pharisee in the Gospel who gave thanks to God that he was not like other men but not the Publican who franckly confest his faults So he sets off his Righteousness after a very boasting manner every where he makes protestations of the innocence of his Conversion and purity of his Manners He flantingly sets forth the imployments which he says he had both among Societies and under Bishops even beyond his age as if this pretended Just Man were arriv'd at Christian Perfection he impudently maintains that his life has been free not only from great but even from the least crimes After such an assurance as he gives us of his vertue will not a Manrun great hazard of being thought saucy if he should slander him with an imputation of Guilt And he whose words according to his own saying are so true whose actions are so innocent whose Qualities so rare ought he not rather to be an object of every bodies admiration And yet all this while if we believe our own Eyes if the testimony of our Ears may be rely'd on and the inquiries of all Paris of both Religions and a number of People of London afford any certainty this false Muster which he makes of so many Vertues serves but to confirm us that he is a through pac'd Knave a Rogue capable of any Villany to compass his ends a Cheat a Makebate a Vagabond to day at Vitry Regent of the fifth Form to morrow among the Monks at Vendosme a little after in the service of a Bishop then in the Abby of Trape next with another Prelate at last a Preacher Errant here and there but chiefly at Montdidier where counterfeiting the name of Luzancy by a Bill signed with that name he cheated the Damoizele Cartier of a piece of Money All this is very easily proved if there were Judges Commissionated to take Information and execute Punishment This in few words is the Man who descirbs himself in his Letter as one exempted from the least Crimes and who says it could not be that he has imbrac'd the Protestant Religion but upon good Motives since in the Roman Church he wanted nor occasions of Debauch was not tyed by any Rule nor subject to any Law In fine he would make us believe 't was the pure love of Truth which has carryed him from his Country his Estate his Friends and all pretences of advancing himself which he might have in his Eye who is able to resist expressions so forcible and who would not let himself be persuaded by such Emphatical Figures of Rhetorick This crafty Hypocrite draws too a Convincing Proof that he has never done any thing worthy of reproach from the silence of the Romanists in as much as they say he stirr so little in producing Proofs of what they affirm To hear him chatter and read his Letter would not one think all the world were bound to busy themselves either in making Apologies for him or setting him out for what he is would not one say likewise that he who is justly charged with taking upon him another Man's name who can be proved a Lyer Wencher an Adulterer a Deceiver a Rook Prophane and Perjur'd is a poor Innocent whom the silence of the world Acquits of all these crimes was the like impudence ever heard of And this Wretch who has no defence but his Tongue against Proofs of Facts which are brought against him makes loud Braggs of want of Ability in his Enemies to verify what they affirm Whereas it were to be wished he would if he could answer the Preface of Mr. de Maresq He is so glad to find in his way my Lord Bishop of London thundring at that Minister that he makes that serve for a reason of his silence in that respect He says the actions of that Prelate are all for him That they justify him but too much and that to go about to defend himself were to wrong the Dignity of his Patron whose proceedings are so favorable to him And