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	foundation_n	pillar_n	3,741	5	10.6899	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18210	A petition apologeticall, presented to the Kinges most excellent Maiesty, by the lay Catholikes of England, in Iuly last	Lecey, John.	1604 (1604)	STC 4835; ESTC S120958	34,556	41

Monsieur de Bethunes lettres whome the Sea of Rome is so farre from censuring that she hath already censured all those that shall any way seeke to giue you any disturbaunce or molestation with whome all the Princes in Christendome are in perfect peace and amity whome Catholikes haue as yet no way offended but by all meanes indeuoured to serue satisfie cōtent a His Maiestie hath no such reason to continue the lavves against Catholikes as the late Q. had to inact them Your Maiestie we say for these respects hath no such apparent cause to continue those lawes as the late Queene had to inact them the reasons and foundations of those lawes being by this happy mutation of state time and persons vtterly remoued If then DREAD SOVERAIGNE we haue beene are and will be as we haue and will demonstrate as loyall faithfull and affectionate to your Maiesty your predecessors and posterity and euen to those Princes that dealt most hardly with vs and to the good and peaceable estate of our Country as any sorte of your Maiesties subjectes within the Realme of our Ranke whatsoeuer we see not howe by authority we can be driuen to forsake our Catholike Fathers faith and beleefe vnlesse authority can by reason conuince vs that our faith is Infidelity our Religion superstition and the seruice we vse Idolatry or the Doctrine we receiue heresie These are points first to be decided and determined amongst Deuines and learned men of both partes and therefore that Magistrates should proceede against vs as men conuicted of those crimes before our cause be heard and determined by them that are by God appointed to handle those high and important pointes of diuinity we hope your Maiesties clemency and piety will not permitte But judgment being past on our side already in so many generall Councels abroade and conuocations and Parliaments at home commending and approuing the faith we professe what reason can giue life to that lawe that doth reuerse a sentence so authentically giuen without the full forme of justice and processe therein required CHAPTER 4 The reasons why we are so resolute in our Religion Reasons of Religion THE first reason that we giue of our faith Religion SACRED SOVERAIGNE why we ought not to suffer therefore as delinquents is that neither obstinate pride The 1. reason nor presumptious pertinacy nor dislike of order or Discipline nor contempt of authority nor curiosity affectation of nouelty or discontentment in our priuate humors maketh vs so constant and resolute in the profession thereof but our consciences meerely so informed and inforced in manner by the instinct of Gods grace and reuelation of his holy word and will but our vnderstanding captiuated in obsequium fidei by most euident a In no Religion but the Catholike only doe all these Testemonies concurre Testimony of holy Write of Vnity Vniuersality Succession Antiquity authority of Scriptures Fathers Saints Doctors Councels Parliaments Virgins and Martirs which all concurre only and joyntly in the Catholike Religion and in no other profession whatsoeuer which considerations accompayned with the feare of Gods judgments the danger of Hell fire and the desire of eternall Saluation commaund vs by the rules of reason in the practise profession of that Religion to obey the lawe of God before the lawe of Man The 2. reason It is an instance and maxime that suffereth no exception that neuer any generall or vniuersall innouation or alteration in matters of Faith or Religion from badde to better hath beene heard of either in the whole world or in any particular nation be it either from Iudaisme Gentilisme Paganisme Atheisme or Idolatry but that the commission and vocation of the messengers haue beene authorised Domino coöperante sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis Mar. 16. our Lord working with all and confirming the word with signes that followed which sithence our new messengers and reformers as yet haue not duly nor clearely shewed pretending as they doe to purge Christendome of superstition and Idolatry howe can they in reason craue at our handes credit or conformity to the newe lawes made on that behalfe God is ipsa vita lux veritas God that is the life The 3. reason light and truth it selfe cannot giue commission credit and authority to death darknes falshood but it is most euident and cannot be doubted of or denied that the first Apostles Conuertors of this our nations of England Scotland Ireland Fraunce and Germany were sent from the Church of Rome and deliuered vs the same Romane faith we nowe professe the same Masse and the same Sacraments and preached the selfe same Doctrine Mar. 16. Domino coöperante sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis our Lord working with all and confirming the word with signes that followed Reason then cōcludeth thus that either God in this case hath giuen testemony to falshood or else the doctrine confirmed by the testemony of God is true and auowable and not to be forsaken for feare of any humane lawes till we haue like testemony from Heauen to the cōtrary when our aduersaries shal duly reproue ours herein and make their owne mission as manifest by the word of God then if we doe not conforme our selues to the newe lawes imposed vpon vs worthely we are to endure these late inflicted penalties for matter of recusancy To conuince vs then that either we haue not the true Scriptures The 4. reason or interpret them not as we ought or that we dishonour God in honouring his Saintes or erre in the number or nature of our Sacraments or that our Doctrine is false and defectiue and to condemne vs and punish vs therefore as Heretikes and Idolators requireth in all reason an absolute commission from God the which when it shall be produced willingly we will obey If they alleadge Scriptures the Scriptures are common to vs both The 5 reason yet more likely in reason to be ours then theirs because that if the Church of Rome had not conserued them and communicated the same vnto vs our aduersaries had beene at this day Scripturelesse the very originall Bible the selfe same numero which S. Gregory sent in with our Apostle S. Augustine being as yet reserued by Gods especiall prouidence as a Testemony a We receiued the Scriptures from the Church of Rome that what Scriptures we haue we had them from Rome and haue nothing of our reformers but that we haue not so many bookes of Scriptures discanonized and rejected because they be expresse Testimonies against their newe and negatiue Religion If they stand vpon the sence and true interpretation we stand on that point more confidently then they they hauing no further warrant then their priuate spirit and we relying on the assistance of the holy Ghost therein promised to his Church for the instruction of all truth which is Columna firmamentum veritatis the piller

foundation of truth If they slie to the Fathers for one place euill vnderstood some time falsified some time mutilated and some time wholy corrupted we produce a thousand not by patches nor mammocke as they doe but whole pages whole chapters whole bookes and the vniforme consent of all the auncient Fathers and Catholike Church If they presse vs with their passed Parliaments and Princes for one of theirs we haue an hundred and for a Child King a Woman Queene we haue for vs so many so Holy so Wise so Learned so Religious so Victorious Princes as our Histories without them would be very barren our Names obscure our Clergy miserable our Bishops beggerly our Parliaments confused our Lawes intricated our Vniuersities without Colledges our Colledges without Schollers our Schollers without maintenaunce Reason then the life of the lawe requireth to our vnderstanding more ample and authenticall euidence before we be condemned by lawe as superstitious or irreligious The faith we professe The 6. reason Rom. cap. 1. is that faith and Religion which S. Paul to the Romans so highly commendeth which therefore is called Catholike and Romane because b The Church of Rome euen vvas and is the Mother Church al the Churches in the world either did in their beginninges or doe for the present agree vniformely with the Sea of Rome in vnion and communion of faith doctrine and fellowshippe hauing recourse thereto as to the Mother Church From the Pastors and Prelates of this Church to witte from a S. Gregory the Pope S. Augustine the Monke S. Gregory the Pope and S. Augustine the Monke we receiued the benefit of our conuersion and regeneration from them we receiued the selfe same Doctrine Discipline Seruice Sacraments Feasts and laudable Cermonies which are by vs held practized professed and defended with the effusion of our bloudes at this very day and this we finde verified by the Histories of b S. Bead Cambden Stovve Hollenshed and Sauel● S. Bead Cambden Hollenshed Stowe and that Tripartite History set out by Master Sauell The 7. reason From this Church of Rome we receiued our Bible our Gospell our Creede our Cannons which are the same through the whole Christian world among Catholikes both for the translation sence and interpretation The 8. reason This Church is by your Maiesty and by the learned sorte of the Protestants acknowledged to be the Mother Church wee hope then we are excusable that reuerence loue our dearest Mother from whose breast our forefathers and we haue receiued the sweet milke of our soules The 9. reason There was neuer yet since the Incarnation of Christ any heresie that crept into the Church of God but we finde the names of the authours of such heresies we finde by the Church of Rome Councels called to condemne them and Doctors imployed to confute them there is not the least Ceremony or circumstance that hath beene added for the greater Majesty and solemnity in Gods deuine seruice but the yeare is knowne when and the Pope by whome it was ordayned If matters then of so smale moment passe not without recording reason would that the lawes that must condemne our Mother Church of Idolatry and superstitions should tell vs the authours that first corrupted her integrity but if the first jnuentors and jnstitutors of the Masse of Purgatory of prayer to Saintes and the like supposed errors cannot be produced doubtlesse we must attribute them as wee doe indeede to Christ and his Apostles and as deriued from such infallible authority we are bound in all equity to followe them The 10. reason But if by the fruits your Maiestie will giue judgement of the tree the fruites of our Religion are Loue Vnity Concord Piety actes of Charity and Deuotion as Fasting Prayer Almes building of Monesteries erecting of Vniuersities founding of Hospitals conuerting of Nations calling of Councels confuting of Heresies obedience to our Princes though they bee Pagans and Infidels and that for conscience sake a Calu. lib. 4. Inst cap. 4 lib. 4. cap. 10. 6. 5. whereas both practisers and professors of the Religion which we are so pressed to embrace doe farre differ from vs in those pointes teaching vnder colour of the libertie of the Gospell b Knox in his exhortation to England printed at Geneua 1559. contempt of power and authoritie c Luther in his booke de potestate seculari in his comment vpon the 1. of S. Peter cap. 2. neglect of lawes d Goodman in his booke of obedience all vvh●ch teach contempt of authority and neglect of lavves in the places cited and obedience The examples are to late and lamentable in your Maiesties Realme of Scotland and in the Persons of your gratious Mother and Grand-Mother Father and Grand-Father to passe with silence the tragedies by such like played in sundrie other Countries Reason then the life of the lawe will acquite vs if we preferre a Faith that hath taken so deepe roote whose goodlie fruites wee daylie see and taste before a slender sleight greene and farre lesse fruitfull plant About twentie foure yeares nowe past when a certaine conference was helde in the Tower betweene Master Campion and Master Sherwin Catholike Priestes and some of the selected learned Protestant diuines there were then in prison in the Fleete diuers Catholikes both of honorable and vvorshippefull degree for Testemony of their conscience only as the Lord Vaux Master Thomas Somerset brother to the Earle of Worcester Sir Thomas Thresham Sir William Catsby others who offered the warden of the Fleet to procure them licence of the priuy Councell to be present at that conference and to haue that question of reparing to the Protestant Church discussed and decided one hundred French Crownes for euery day that this question should remayne thus vnder examination but their request could not then be admitted albeit the said warden did vndertake the sute and confidently promised to effect it and seriously laboured it aswell by his honourable friendes in Court as by all other meanes he could possibly The same offer of conformity and desire to be satisfied in this point which we made then we in humble wise make nowe and that with so much the more greater efficacy as your Maiesty hath a most full and ample possession of our hartes and affections for manifold important respectes both for the loue your gratious Mother did beare vs and the cause for which we suffer as also for the often to vs most comfortable protestations your Maiestie hath made and that in publique and in priuate that you haue a minde free from persecution or thrawling your subiects in matters of conscience that you would not increase our burdens with Roboam to which adding your Clemency of which wee haue tasted and your Gratious promises where vvith wee liue in hope and your daylie discourses springing from your natiue bounty and benignity make vs strayne our selues to the vttermost to giue your Grace