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	know_v	scripture_n	6,716	5	6.3200	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78474	Certaine modest observations and considerations of the true Protestants of the Church of England· For their right choyce of church governours, and church ceremonies, together with the church liturgie, according to the word of God. Presented in all humility to the high and Honourable houses of Parliament to bee voted and enacted, and to maintaine against all opposers. With the good meanes to expedite the same. Leaving the authors iudgement to your wisedomes best considerations.		1641 (1641)	Wing C1706; Thomason E178_7; ESTC R1377	7,880	14

Christ whom onely taking and making away them with a more stricter addition to all their favorites more then our Lawes have yet truly executed you would then seeke and settle the good of this Protestant Church the brightnesse of the Renovation and setling of the true Govrenors and Government of the Church by your Renovation setled of the true Governors and Government by which meanes all Sects Schismes and opinions with their Abettors will vanish of themselves away by the Sun-shine light of the Protestants Church and truth or be brought home from their sepetated opinions some of which professe one truth with us in Doctrine though not in their departure and seperation For now as it standeth undecided and not done to settle the right way by your honoured Acts Atheists hold themselves good Christians thinking the best way to be Newters and all Sectaries lives in hope so as the Land is polluted with their infecting and seducing simple people And therefore after removing the Adversaries the Papists it is the chiefe care as at first your Honourable purposes in all your excellent caused Orations and Speeches there to have begun and setled the house of God which by dumbe Dogs wicked Ministers c. to abolish cleane in which it is well knowne you have laboured in greatly if it were effected without opposition The 5. Consideration Jf there be any opposition against the good meaning you voting of this your good purposes Jt is in them that are either Malevolent to the State of Protestancy and such are not fit to be allowed vote at all or such that are ignorant wise and have not perused the unlawfulnesse of ill custome by Antiquity from right wayes and them rather to be disputed withall by forcible arguments but J should humbly referre them onely to one Booke among others concerning the danger of Limitted Prelacy not well answerable and yet answered by some slightly in the Prelates behalfe under the colour and title of a modest Advertisement and in a calme examination so called as if the first did arise from some storme which J perceive not at all but as a good gale of wind to sale by and the Answere● seemes to becalme the voyage of Grace and would cause it to lye at his Anchor to hinder the true wayes proceeding already honourably and Religiously intended to arrive at the Port of Truth As this Parliament hath partly voted already So as if his title of calmnesse may signifie weaknesse his whose answer layes it open upon him for sure it is better to have a ●●e-growing storme to increase the ground-work to goodnesse then to have a dry Calme to hinder it for under his Calme seemes but a Cavill as from his Reasons may be well seene Jt were too large here for to discusse them all to so wise a Senate shewing in him meerely a naturall politique braine to find out faire Reasons in a foule understanding As for instance in our accustomed Discipline to defend the Answeres by way of Cueres 1. Whether it is so bad as men living under it are not capable of Salvation a stout Argument when as they may be capable without it and that Salvation may be under the Government of Turkes and Papists although not by it and so in other places And why shou●d Episcopall Martyrs be allowed a ground to make good that which is bad of it selfe in their Discipline of truth pretended no● erroneous and yet no doubt those Martyrs may be saved too for standing to the true Faith against Heresie 2. By way of ●uaere saith if any desire a better Discipline instead are they all agreed what they shall be from Scripture or by evidence of necessary consequence of Logicall differences Wherein if Divines must chop Logick for maintenance of truth directed by the Scriptures already as if that were not plain without Logick Rules We shall make the Scripture like a nose of Wax as Logicke can doe and Papists uphold 3. And his third and ●ast Reason by ●uare Whether the new Discipline be a plaine Commandement or forbidden in the old I admit of neither of both It is sufficient Answer That the examples of a true Discipline desired is appointed by the Apostles directions in the Church in their times where the truth and true Church was knowne it is sale for us to ●unta●e and follow as neere as we can as a precept and ●ule to us because they were especially directed by the Spirit of God and so by inference a certain Rule and Example for the Protestant Church so neere to follow and on the contrary side the old Discipline being contrary to the Apostles and Churches practice therein in their time is a forbidding in way of Truth though otherwise seeming to the Prelates never so good and I partly know yee have given order concerning the Examination of the Litturgy Apocrip●● and singing Psalmes to amend by Learned and wise Divines as to your great commendation it may with other things be spoken But the said three Reasons so calmely put with the rest of the Booke we may calmely reject is but indeed a Calme C●vill not fit in common reason much lesse for so wise and honourable a Senate since it is to no purpose but to uphold the Prelates and their Discipline and Government which made their voyage from old ill customes and examples from bad Presidents and places corrupt and brought it into England in the Nonage of our Church 1 And if it be a Puritanicall pack as the Archbishop and other Bishops doe conceive it to maintaine the unlawfulnesse of Pluralities and non-residency 2 By Vnpreaching Prelates and Ministers 3 Sole Ordination and Election Excommunication c. 4 To abate the Clergies pompe Ambition Lordlinesse and Riches 5 The mis-imploying the Temporalities of the Church 6 To restraine the Clergie from medling with temporall Offices and affaires 7 To abhorre the ill use of the Oath Ex Officio 8 The Reformation of the Litargie all offensive which by divers men have been complained of by Bookes in print and by way of Petition for remedy and most especially in a noble defence of Church Prayers Objected by Seperatists Which the Scots vsed not nor reformed Churches a most Learned Lord of the Vpper house of Peeres had solidly and wisely opened the truth for some seperation for ill use of the same as disagreeing to the worke of Gods holy Spirit which setling our Church in the foresaid grievances it will open the way as I said to bring the Seperatists and others in obedience with us And if for these matters of Reformation aforesaid men dare thinke or count you Puritanes let not these Honourable Houses and Grave Senators therein thinke it no harme so to be so accompted by loose libertines for your wise endeavours to vote and enact these things to be done for thereby you shall be purer then they and find that beatitude Blessed are the pure in heart for these your Votes Acts must be done from your

CERTAINE MODEST OBSERVATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS of the true Protestants of the Church of ENGLAND For their right choyce of Church Governours and Church Ceremonies together with the Church Liturgie according to the word of God Presented in all humility to the high and Honourable houses of PARLIAMENT to bee voted and enacted and to maintaine against all opposers With the good meanes to expedite the same Leaving the Authors Iudgement to your Wisedomes best Considerations LONDON Printed for IOHN THOMAS 1641. Certaine modest Observations and Considerations of the true Protestants Right in the just choyce of the Church Governours Church Ceremonies and Church Liturgy according to the Word for the Honourable Houses of Parliament to vote enact and maintaine against all oppositions The Authors best Iudgement left to their wise Considerations MOst Noble and Wise Senators of this famous and well hoped Parliament J have stood long musing upon the excellent Reports of your grave proceedings concerning the Church of England whether to forbeare or to present my plain and Rigid lines knowing that many hath writ and printed to your views divers Books some judiciall and some Phanaticall And seeing the necessity of some solid truth to be performed and judged of speedily without delay for the glory of God and good of this Church and State for setled Right and Government to be held in this our Nation which might not savour of Customes which oft-times prevailes and proves a Tyrant and well by some so called where it is maintained from undue and unjust beginnings and proceedings as in our Lord Bishops too plainly hath appeared amongst whom to have Lord Archbishops to be Overseers of Overseers is the most seeming groundlesse without reason and Religion Groundlesse because high Priests to the Iewes Christ and the Apostles over the Church Ministery is no true president for them to ground Archbishops by for in the Gospell it ceased and Christ Iesus was the high Priest yea and the onely Archbishop of our Soules by that Government he hath prescribed unto Bishops of his Church his Apostles after him which to plead custome for higher Government is an abuse to Christ and if there bee any substitute to Christ to take place of Archbishops it must be he whom is the Defender of the Faith of Christ our King and his high Councell to be Arch-Overseers for it is too plaine that such will oversee the Errors of their Brother Bishops nay more bring them to errours too I shall not need to repeat them This Parliament hath found examples too many The Second Consideration is to beat backe the feares of the learned and wise that thinke this Change is a Novelty of as great consequence as the late Innovations of our Church by the Bishops Let this satisfie if they feare God as I verily thinke some that spake it doth and will take satisfaction this change and Novelty is no further then to Renovate the old Truth of Gods revealed word to his people The other is an addition and so drawes in a curse to adde or diminash and sure these Honorable Houses have taken notice of the Protestants Testimony and redressed their Innovations in some part and there are many more growes upon us if not prevented betimes so many Sectaries labouring with Petitions to these Honourable Houses to support their owne opinions which would turne to a great confusion if this High Court of Parliament should not speedily Rectifie as well against the Papists and their Priests which are indeed the true accounted Puritanes worthy of that scornefull Nick-name in the world and farre more exceeding the Sect of the Brownists so called But they with others of multitude named to the number of 29. or 30. severall Sexes and Schismes besides Atheists whom I feare are too many amongst us which could wish every Sectary might have liberty to use their owne consciences and opinions as if there were no Rule of conscience I need not name them all take upon them no lesse then the Sword of the Spirit to defend their errors but it is of the evill Spirit the Prince of darknesse because indeed their severall ground worke to perswade them is like the Divels Logique that used Scripture to our Saviour Christ though falsely But him he could not deceive no more J hope shall they to us Protestants whose truth is Christ and we protesting for Christ are the more truly to be accounted Christians of Christ if we stand to make choice and to enact and maintaine the true sincerity of Protestants Religion in Preaching Prayers and Ceremonies The third Consideration I have partly knowne and considered your Honorable actions and good Resolutions crossed and hindered by strong hand both for the good intended to the Church and Common-wealth by their evill intentions to intercept you if they can And it is from that potent power of malice the Prince of darknesse aforesaid that sowes his tares among your Wheat that endeavours to crosse all good intentions by preventions of which J need not tell you his further manner of power in so great a troubled Government both in Church and Common-wealth as the like hath not bin seene or heard of in this state these hundred of yeares and therefore you must first seeke to vanquish him and all your foes and factious heads must be made higher by a pole then their bodies for how can the Sheepfold be quiet while yet amongst them there be some Woolves you have a great worke and a great many to rule and wrastle with so fight that you may conquer too and cut off those that rayse tumults and errors for if they get a head the Kingdome is divided Separations are the wound of a Crowne whereby neglected it will bleed to death J feare by it some quarrels and divisions at last You have begun well why stick yee upon Aristippus or Diotrephes who loveth to have the preheminence and worketh Kings unto it I feare to make more such as then will prove as bad to him and us as the Vine-plants did of good Noah's owne planting if the Protestants Councell which is your selves doe not order the planting of it An example appeares in the Archbishops c. The last Deputy of Ireland c. that is fled away and some no doubt at home that hopes of a Kings power to quit them de●e●vers of the King and others The 4. Consideration For which causes as your greatest danger amongst all Heresies and Schismes amongst us this greatly marvailed that they the Papists are not chiefly parted from Brittaines Court and else-where in this Kingdome not yet fully Banished nor disarmed for it is my poore opinion which I conceive under favour nor groundlesse to establish Christ in his Throne and his truth to be advanced in the Protestant Religion Religion is first the chiefe evill to avoid them that are open enemies to Protestants and yet under the name of Christians too and Iesuites of Jesus that so counterfeit the name and practice contrary to Jesus and