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	house_n	pillar_n	3,545	5	10.4316	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03764	A second sermon, preached at Paules Crosse, the 21. of May, 1598. vpon the 21. of Math. the 12. and 13. verses concluding a former sermon preached the 4. of December 1597. vpon the same text. By Iohn Hovvson, student of Christes-Church in Oxford.	Howson, John, 1557?-1632.	1598 (1598)	STC 13883; ESTC S121034	36,582	56

promised after him but to Solomon who was borne after his good intent of building Gods house Thirdly though God promised many blessings to Solomon when he craued wisedome as richesse glory long life c. yet he neuer promised that his seede should raigne after him till such time as he had finished the house of God 1. Reg. 9. 1. Reg. 9. but then he said thou shalt not want a man vpon the throwen of Israel Fourthly when the Temple was reedified by Nehemiah and others in most sumptuous manner Zach. 6. God commanded two crownes to be made Zach. 6. with the names of the chiefe benefactors engraued in them and caused them to be placed in the Temple for a perpetuall memory and most honorable testimony to all posterity of their zeale liberalitie towards the house of God And this kinde of furniture was not proper to Gods house vnder the law onely but likewise vnder the gospell for as Esayas prophesie was fulfilled vnder christianity Domus meae domus orationis vocabitur cunctis gentibus that Gods house should be the house of praier to all nations Esay 56. and the house of praier should be likewise Gods house so it should seem that Dauids wish or prayer reached euen to vs that were after the law who desired of God that he would keepe for euer this voluntarie bountie and liberalitie in furnishing Gods house in the purpose and the thoughts of the harts of his people And therefore assoone as God gaue encrease to his Church oratories were built and assoone as God raysed vp Kings and Princes which fauoured the Christian truth and religion 1. Chro. 29.18 no cost was spared to furnish the Churches which also were builded with royall magnificence Al which the ancient fathers of the Church the chiefe pillers and lights of the gospell after the Apostles iudged as acceptable vnto God as the making and furnishing of the tabernacle or Solomons Temple and therefore Eusebius noteth the great ioie which the Christians conceiued when Constantine builte those magnificent Churches and furnished them to be laetitia diuino munere infusa a ioy whereof God was the author Eus eccle hist lib. 9. cap. 10. ex vers ruff Cyril chare 12. not proceeding from vanitie or superstition Cyrillus Bishop of Ierusalem saieth that the Kings in his time did adorne the Churches with siluer and gold c. pietatis ergô in holynes and deuotion Tertullian calleth those voluntary donations deposita pietatis Tertul. apologet pledges and testimonies of religion pietie and deuotion Orat. 1. contra Iulian. Greg. Nazian saieth that the cost which Gallus Iulianus brother bestowed vpon the Church which he built was acceptable to God euen as Abels sacrifice Saint August saith August super Psal 113. con 2. that the vessels of golde and siluer which were vsed in the celebration of the sacraments were Sancta holy and consecrated to his honor cui pro salute nostra inde seruitur And thus you see that this house of God both by Gods appointment and to his great good liking hath euer beene adorned with this rich furniture But as there haue beene many sorts of theeues and robbers hereticks schismaticks and politicians which would rob God of that liuing furniture of the multitude of people so are there and euer haue beene many Atheistes and irreligious Iulianists which haue beene readie to rifle his house of this other furniture to spoile the Church of the ornaments and all other riches landes and reuenewes which were giuen vnto God to maintaine his house and his houshold withall for it hath beene as true a rule in Gods house as in the dwellings of men Difficilis magni custodia census where riches are theeues will resort Thus the first Temple builded by Salomon was destroyed by Nabucodonozor and the riches and furnitue carried to Babylon and afterward fouly abused and prophaned by Baltazar The second Temple being also admirable for the fabricke and the riches of it though inferiour to the former was assaulted by Antiochus by Heliodorus by Pompey by Crassus and some Roman Emperours and of late yeeres in Christianitie what so common as sacriledge and robbing and spoyling of God in his house and his household so that where heretofore they complayned thus Ecclesias Christi quas construxere parentes Sternere nituntur nati pietate carentes They haue now brought their desire to the issue so that in countrey Villages Canescunt turpi templa relicta situ Ouid. The Churches are almost become that which those heretikes pseudoa postoli likened them vnto little better then hog-styes for the best preparation at any high feast is a little fresh straw vnder their feete the ordinary allowance for swine in their stye or at the best Domus opportuna volucrum that which God threatned as a plague to Babylon a cage of vncleane and hatefull birds Apoc. 18. and in cities and boroughes they are not like the Palaces of Princes as they were in the primitiue church regijs aulis clariora Chry. Hom. 66. ad pop Ant. but like a countrey hall faire whitelimed or a citizens parlour at the best well wainscotted as though we were rather Platonists then Christians who would neither haue gold nor siluer in their churches because it was Inuidiosa res and gaue occasion to sacriledge nor Iuorie that was taken from the bodie of a dead beast because that was Oblatio minimè sancta a prophane offering nor iron nor brasse because they were Instrumenta bellorum instruments for warre but Lapides ligna dicato qui velit publicisque templis offerto but if any mā would dedicate wood or stones Theodor. serm dedijs Angelis ex Pla. or such base stuffe it was lawful to do it Theod. alledgeth it out of Plato For the allowance which we make vnto God to maintaine his family is thin and bare in quantum sitis Iuuen. sat 14. atque fames frigor a poscunt after the rate of a cup of cold water and a peece of bread which shall be rewarded as our Sauiour saith at the day of iudgement but to such as are able to giue no more after the rate of a frize coat or a flannell wastcote which Dionysius thought warme enough for winter and cold enough for sommer after the rate of a Stoicks dinner or Philosophers breakfast after the rate of Elias diet in the desart or Daniels in the Lions denne And the allowance which we make God in his house in our Churches is that which Constituta diualia permiserunt Iudaeis that which the constitutions of the christian Emperours allowed to the Iewes in their synagogues that is Tegumen parietibus imponere Cassiod lib. 2. epist 27. bare walles and a couer vpon it to keepe vs from rayne Nec aliquid ornatus fas sit adijcere neither is it lawfull to adde any ornament as was said to the Iewes except perchance a cushion and a wainescot seate for ones owne

vs farre off from vs in heauen in the bosome of God quasi ratio Dei but yet made knowen vnto vs by the holy Scriptures Which rule and instruction the holy Fathers and men of God haue euer obserued Greg. Hom. 34. confirming their doctrine with reason and authoritie Nos affirmare nolumus quod apertis testimonijs nō approbamus vve vvill affirme nothing but vvhat vve can proue by reason and authoritie and submitting themselues and their iudgements to reason and authoritie Arguant me ratione velauthoritate Policra prolog lib. 8. ego vel ad inimici vocem nō refugiē emendari Let it be groūded on reason or authoritie I wil giue eare to the reproofe of an enemy And this patterne of our Sauiour not only priuat men but the whole Church of Christ in their lawes and constitutions do redily imitate Sancta ecclesia ex magisterio humilitatis instituta The holy Church bred vp in the schoole of humilitie and following the steps of our maister Christ Greg. moral 8. Recta quae errant bus dicit non quasi ex authoritate praecipit sed ex ratione persuadet Force not men to beleeue that which is true by authoritie but perswade them by reason because as it is wisely obserued Plus mouere solet ratio inserta in mandato Humbert in regulam Aug. quàm ipsum mandatum a reason inserted to a lawe or commandement moues much more then a naked lawe And therefore the Church saith with Iob videte an mentiar Examine whether I ly or no Iob. 6. beleeue not that which I say because I speake it sed an vera sint ex ratione pensate but weigh with reason the truth of it and if the Church do teach that as oftentimes it doth which cannot be comprehended within the compasse of reason yet for all that rationabiliter suadet Greg. ibid. it perswades you with reason Ne de occultis ratio humana quaeri debeat That of some mysteries and secrets of Christianitie you may not aske or seeke the reason Whereas on the other part it is the custome and order of stubborne men of hereticks schismaticks Non rationes afferre sed placita not to vrge reason but their will their pleasure Aug. contra Faustum Man lib. 14. ca. 9. their phantasie or opinion as Faustus the Manichee when he had charged Moyses that he did diuina lacessere offer violēce to the lawes of God dixit abijt saith S. Austine nihil probare sategit nihil curauit ostendere he said as Pilate said quod scripsi scripsi quod dixi dixi when he had said it he had done he neuer made offer to proue it or giue a reason of his speech and though our doctrine be neuer so true yet it is without the compasse of modestie and discretion for any man be he neuer so learned to vse these kinds of assertiōs Ego in hoc libro non contuli sed asserui assero penes nullum volo esse iudicium sed omnibus suadeo vt praestent obsequium I haue not vsed proofes or authoritie in my writing but I affirme that that I say and submit my selfe to no mans iudgement but require euery man to consent to me scio me mea dogmata habere de caelo I know that my speeches descend from heauen are authenticall and canonicall for it is a propertie peculiar to God only Caiet super 1. Cor. 12. facere prout vult to do what he list and say what he pleaseth for other men must haue regulam voluntatis a rule to direct their will and some reason to direct their speach otherwise while he takes vpon him a propertie or qualitie peculiar to God he becomes fatuus confidens in stultitia sua Prou. 17. a foole that is confident in his owne follie And thus much by way of probabilitie why our Sauiour would alledge a reason The Preface to this speech of his is this Scriptum est it is written I noted before vnto you that we must vse some rule wherby to square out and measure our speeches and actions and one was from within vs homogenea regula mans reason another from without vs regula heterogenea Gods word he vseth this second rule as the surest rule which cannot erre the word of God which rule though it be heterogenea supernaturall to vs yet it is homogenea naturall to him who was God himselfe for the word of God may be said to be ratio Dei which was homogenea to him as humane reason is to man So that his speech is not a bare reason which peraduenture might admit cauils and exceptions and contradictions but is ioyned with authoritie as good authoritie as any Prophet spake with when he said Haec dicit dominus thus sayth the Lord And this S. Austine saith is or do naturae Aug. de mor. eccle catho ca. 2. the order of nature that when we learne any thing or teach any thing especially touching faith and religion Rationem praecedat authoritas Reason should be grounded vpon some good authoritie for saith he Infirma ratio videri potest quae cum reddita fuerit authoritatem postea per quam firmetur assumat For it may seeme to be a vveake reason vvhich vvhen it is alledged requireth some other reason and authoritie to confirme it Now our Sauiours reason was grounded vpon good authoritie vpon that which was regula prima the chiefe rule with the Iewes especially Scribes and Pharises and Priests which is the vvritten vvord of God which being deliuered sincerely according to the true sence and meaning of it as he did admits no deniall and therefore the Pharises do make no reply Now it is worth the obseruation to cōsider our Sauiours manner of reasoning with them It is most certaine that with all sorts of mē that confesse there is a God the word and will of God is regula prima the first and the chiefest rule to direct them in all their actions and therfore some heathen haue the speeches of oracles for their chiefe rule fruiturque deorum colloquio Virg. Aenei 7. other the word of God which is scriptum in cordibus written in our hearts naturall reason for their chiefe rule as the Philosophers had other the word of God written by the pen of man but inspired by the holy Ghost as the Iewes had the old Testament for their chiefe rule and Christians both the old and the new and whosoeuer disputed with any one of these sorts of men out of these grounds which they receiued for their chiefe rule disputed demonstratiuely and otherwise not so for a reason or authoritie from the scripture will not moue a Philosopher nor a reason from the new Testamēt is no rule for a Iewe. Wherefore our Sauiour hauing to deale with the Scribes and Pharises and Priests c. who receiued the word of God written in bookes of the law and the Prophets for their chiefe rule