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	holy_a	word_n	6,560	5	4.2187	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33486	The converted capuchin, or, The recantation of Father Basil after he had continued nigh forty yeares a fryer of that order and perswaded many Protestants to the Romish-beliefe : with his answers to those reports framed against him since he left his convent at Roüen to be one of the reformed church at Sedan / English according to the French copy.; Declaration du sieur François Clouet, cy-devant appelé Père Basile de Rouen, où il déduit les raisons qu'il a eues de se séparer de l'Eglise romaine. English	Basile, de Rouen, d. 1648?	1641 (1641)	Wing C4738; ESTC R23037	16,013	23

made a vow to keepe the Rules and Institutions of Saint Francis which bind not the Friers to study sacred letters but command in expresse termes That those of the fraternity which are unlearned need not to study to learne them but ordaine in the second chapter that they should be clad in old tayments and that they might peece them with sacke-cloth and other peeces on Gods blessing Being thus fastned to this Order I thought with my selfe that in observing it I should do workes of Supererogation by which I supposed to doe more good than God commanded me and so to merit a degree of glory in Paradise above that common to the Saints which had no more perfection here than meerely to fulfill the Law of God In the interim this perswasion dwelt in my soule that true Religion which leads to salvation comes from God not humane invention To the end therefore I might strengthen my selfe in the beleefe of the Romish Church and be furnished with answers to gain-sayers I desired to know as exactly as I might what Jesus Christ and his Apostles Founders of Christian religion taught us as it is contained in holy Scriptures but in reading them glory be to God it happened cleane contrary to my purpose and intendment His Prayer upon his Conversion O Lord my God and my Creator who from all Eternitie knowest those that are thine owne which no power can wrench from thy holy hands how copious hath bin thy bounty to me thy poore servant thou hast dealt with me ó Lord according to the greatnesse of thy Compassion by reducing my soule from death my eies from superstitious tears my feet from falling Thou didst suffer me to spend neere forty yeares in an erronious religion which I supposed conformable to thy holy Word and have as obstinately defended it not slighting the least occasion tending to the persecution of thy Church But O my eternall God it was my ignorance did it and I now beg thy pardon with an heart contrite and humbled before thy glorious face Thou hast put me to the test O Lord by a sore disease which I thought would have put an end to my being in this world but thy goodnesse contented it selfe to depresse my body that thou mightest raise up my soule in giving a good issue to my heavie triall I have been fully sensible of thy benefits Oh Eternall what shall I render unto thee for them that am but dust and ashes in thy Divine presence I will sacrifice unto thee a sacrifice of thanksgiving I will invocate thy holy Name I will pay my vowes in the presence of thy people in thy Temple and employ the rest of my dayes in the service and edification of thy Church Give O Father of Mercy the same grace which thou hast bestowed on me unto them that shall reade this my Declaration and particularly my God and my blessed Father I beseech thee with teares of true sorrow to have pitie upon those whom I have helped to erre from the right way perswading their revolt from thy holy Church O suffer them not to be deprived of the participation of the blood and merits of thy Son Christ Jesus but touch thou their hearts with a sorrow such as may conduce to a true repentance in them Have likewise mercy upon so many poore soules as goe astray for want of instruction prick them forward with the goad of thy feare stirre in them a desire to know thy truth by reading thy holy Word let thy relieving hand draw them out of the mire whereinto they are fallen by originall sinne regenerate them O good God unto a newnesse of life by the workings of thy holy Spirit nor lay thou to their charge the hatred they beare me for reverencing thy holy Name But grant rather that they acknowledging the sanctity of the doctrine which I have embraced which is the very same Jesus thy Son brought from heaven on earth they may clearely see how they are abused and abhorre those superstitions which inveterate wont makes them thinke to be none that they may detest the impiety of their seducers who being blind may else be throwne into the pit unlesse thou open their eyes by the beames of thy holy Spirit Let them not depend longer upon humane traditions but receive thy Word for the onely guide of their faith and Jesus Christ their Mediator and Sacrificer so that having led a life here in the confession of thy most holy Name and the profession of that truth contained in thy most holy Word wee may together everlastingly blesse thee in thy holy Tabernacle in Heaven Amen A Refutation of calumnies which were put upon mee I Should conclude my Declaration thus with giving of thanks which I am bound to render the divine goodnesse for having not only taken from me the horrid and darke veile of my blindnesse and called mee to his marvellous light but also for the courage he hath given me to withstand all the assaults that corrupt nature and humane respects could bring against my resolution did I not feele my selfe obliged to adde these lines in defence of my innocencie which I understand to be abused by the enemies of true religion Yet if the interest of God and his holy Church could set apart my owne interests herein I would make it my glory to despise these disgracefull aspersions for the love of my Redeemer who hath given me himselfe for an example But such separation not being possible I will genuinely and without sharpnesse represent that which may serve to wipe away these reproaches which they have published against me protesting that all the revenge I will take for these injuries is to entreat God with a good heart for the salvation of them which are the authors that he would please by his goodnesse and the efficacie of his holy Spirit to break the bands of that Error wherewith they are so strongly bound that he would be gracious to them as he hath been to me and putting off that vaine industry to be reputed holy among men they may subject themselves to the Word of God to the end they may be saved The first Calumny I Learn by letters of my friends that they accuse me for drawing out of the purses of divers persons above two thousand pound sterling under pretext of Pius uses and that now I serve my owne turne with it to the prejudice of them for whom it was appointed The grossenesse of this Calumny hath discovered it selfe so much the better for who is it but knowes that Capuchins handle no money nor doth any body use to offer them any unlesse that craving almes at a doore unawares they put a double in their scrip as they would to an Eremite but the Capuchins do never receive it Their Order permitting them to receive a bottle of Wine a Capon or things of like kind but not one Double or Denier as doe others who professe poverty If any man have received this summe of money for me

me with commendations in that he wrote to me since disavowing the false reports raised upon me and exhorts me returne to my Order giving me his faith and word That I shall not be lesse honoured among them then before And to note that he names my going thence a blow so unexpected if it were so it must follow my deeds and behaviour were unreproachable for had I lived licentiously before my bad deeds would have prepared their wits to have termed this Exite a foreseene and lookt for not so unexpected an Accident The motive for writing this Letter makes for my Justification for t is to establish this Assessor whose faith was staggering Had I lead so profane a life this change of mine could not have made so hard an assault upon the faith of a man of so good a judgement as he is to whom this Letter is addressed when a rascally deboist fellow strayes from the right way the world is not much troubled or shaken at it but if a man conscionable in his Courses goes away there is much more cause of astonishment Truly if it were behovefull for a Provinciall to pen these Letters to settle his wavering beliefe for feare my example might draw him after me it may be yeelded that my life was not so guilty of libertinisme and serve for argument of my honest deportment The Letter tels farther that I fled for feare of the rods that were laid in Pisse for me I do not beleeve that he who frames these nor yet the foure Definers who have a deliberate voyce for imposing penance upon offenders justly condemned have so corrupt consciences as to take it upon the Holy Evangelist that ever they took into consideration the punishing of any crime of mine nor that ever it entred into their thought to pronounce sentence against any of my actions if to belye me be enough to beget beliefe there is no innocency in the whole world which may not bee subjected to Diffamation And for the terme Flying possibly this reverend Sir had wished that ere my departure from the Cloyster I had presented my selfe before him to ask his leave thus Reverend Father Give me your blessing for I will leave the Church of Rome and your Congregation because there I cannot accomplish my salvation I intreat his Reverend selfe to hold me excused if I tendred him not this duty it was not contempt caused me do otherwise I will not allow that for a Truth which is not universally true to wit That the Justice of the Order punisheth all those liberties it knowes not For I am able to shew when other occasion offers it selfe that the Justice of the Order hath beene conscious of many extravagancies and wicked Acts which it hath let passe unpunished but if in me it knew any which it could not dispense withall why did not that Justice give me my due of punishment being alwayes at hand For I have this twelve yeares assisted at all the Chapters held in that Province and at the very last before my going away I alwayes had a voice active and passive in all Elections I personally was before the Provinciall and Definers who at that time receive both true and false accusations which the Religious of Covents frame against each other and underlings against their Superiours I alwayes came thence with honour being thence sent back to be Guardian of some Covent Six or seven moneths after the last Provinciall Chapter the same Provinciall Fathers and Definers which were principals there were assembled at the Covent of Roüen where I was to treat upon sundry businesses and among the rest to give judgement upon a Fryer who was prisoner in that Covent I appeared twice of my own free will before them to acquaint them what things I thought becomming me for the discharge of my Conscience they applauded my Zeale and testified of me that I had benefitted in my proceedings so our Conference ended and I departed Presently after I was sent by the same Provinciall Scribe of this goodly Epistle three Leagues from S. Michel with a young Fryer to visit Madame de Forrests his Aunt who is one of the Religion but chiefly to talk with her Minister and this done to visit his kindred and some of my friends I had my Letters of Obedience signed by his owne hand and sealed with his owne Seale they prescribed me no terme at all yet in all I spent but six weekes If the Justice of the Order had knowne in me crimes which it could not passe by without punishment why did not this Provinciall with whom I daily was cause me to be staid instead of sending me so long a voyage having occasions of other nature sufficient to retaine me being engaged upon preaching in the Pulpit of the Covent and upon other imployments that he might have well pretended But surely when he sent me with so good a will the thought of my offences was not in him Certainly had I felt my selfe culpable and bound to take my heeles to outrunne my punishment I had then the key of the Fieldgate I had liberty to go and come my Companion being my subject and owing me obedience in this Voyage I had leisure enough to treat of the meanes of my Conversion with a Gentleman of the Protestant Religion without the knowledge of my Camarade but not being otherwise importuned I beleeved it would be better to see the end of one Moneth after the worke of the Lord begun in me So shaking this Viper off my finger as S. Paul did that at Maltha I call to minde the words of our Saviour in the S. of Matthew Blessed are they c. The Third Calumny THE third untruth is couched in the same Letter and the words are these That which Pride wrought in the bad Angels Covetousnesse and Despaire in Iudas and what other vices have begot in all the Desertors of the Faith Vanity alwayes accompanied with all sorts of Licentiousnesse both dishonest and irreligious hath wrought in this poore man making the punishments he deserved terrible to him although we had not prepared for him such as were very great If he would have himselfe believed he should specifie those Actions dishonest c. and the time when I began to give my selfe unto them To moote thus in Generall without being able to particularize any thing is but tacitely to confesse himselfe a Backbiter if I had beene guilty of all sorts of dishonest liberties some scandall must have risen as unto divers whose Sentences are yet fresh upon the Register of the Definition of the Capuchins which I could relate even to the meanest Circumstances But I cannot hinder publick babling tongues more prone to belye then praise vertuous Actions nor stop the talke of these base Liberties The silence which hath been kept upon this Subject might passe for a Miracle in the Church of Rome If I had been of a scandalous fame would they have appointed me these six or seven yeares Preacher upon