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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	religion_n	true_a	7,548	5	5.1593	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18948	The recantation of Thomas Clarke (sometime a Seminarie Priest of the English Colledge in Rhemes; and nowe by the great mercy of God conuerted vnto the profession of the gospell of Iesus Christ) made at Paules Crosse, after the sermon made by Master Buckeridge preacher, the first of Iuly, 1593. Whereunto is annexed a former recantation made also by him in a publique assembly on Easter day, being the 15. of April, 1593	Clarke, Thomas, seminarie priest of the English college at Rheims.	1594 (1594)	STC 5366; ESTC S118981	19,358	48

sayde qui mala facit odit lucem non venit ad lucem vt non arguantur opera eius he that doeth euil hateth the light neither commeth to the light least his deedes should be reprooued Euen so my cause being faultie in it selfe could not abide the touch of due examination therefore put me in feare to depart by authoritie but by stealth which with great difficultie I performed Hauing studied sometime in the Vniuersitie aforesayd I was made Priest and after some space was by the President of the Colledge sent into this Realme of England to winne soules as they terme it and as I then tooke it to God but had not God whose mercies are aboue all his workes plucked me backe with his mercifull hand I had doubtlesse perished together with many soules of that profession on whome hee sheweth no mercie but such is his great goodnes and infinite mercy towardes his elect that euen in the depth of their sinne he can and wil raise them the which is most euidently manifested in me who neuer in my life gaue any regard to the true doctrine of Christ though in some part I knewe it but farre otherwise then I ought to haue done as it is in it selfe because that from my youth I was led astray and blinded with the choking myst of Papistry and was now come euen into the midst as it were perfection of all error and blindnesse insomuch that I did not now walke in the counsell of the vngodly nor stand in the way of sinners but in the highest degree of sinning I sate established in the seate of the pestilent whom it is farre more hard to raise and remooue then either him that walketh or him that standeth wherefore in me raised that sate the great mercie and wonderfull worke of Almightie God is more commended more euidently set foorth then if I had but walked then if I had but stoode the which because I wil be as short as I may I leaue to the deuoute consideration of euery good Christian present onely my selfe will say with the Prophet Dauid Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi Calicem ●alutis accipiam nomen Domini inuocabo What shall I render to the Lorde for all his graces and benefites bestowed vpon me I will receiue the cup of saluation and I wil call vpon the Name of the Lord. Hauing with great danger by reason of a tempest that happened passed the seas and being arriued in England I fell bustly to worke in my profession and calling letting passe no opportunitie but vsing all meanes that I could to become a worthy workman in deede a wastfull destroyer in God his vineyarde I forbeare to speake of the zeale I had the paines I tooke my dayes labors my night watchings c. In all which I humbly confesse to Almightie God and acknowledge before this worthy assembly that I did nothing els but dayly more and more offend God impugne his trueth supplant his Church and peruert his people by labouring to seduce them from his true religion into idolatry and to bring them from their naturall dutifull obedience towards their Prince vnto the seruile yoke and bondage of the Pope I meane in perswading them to acknowledge his Papall dignitie and vsurping supreme authoritie ouer all Kings and Princes of the world Whereby beside the hatred of God I incurred y e high displeasure of my dread Soueraigne and most gracious Queene as also the penalties of her godly and most iust lawes made against such offenders Notwithstanding I protest before the dreadful seate of the most Highest that I neuer offended against her royall person neither was I euer guiltie in platting any thing against the good estate of my deare Countrey or consenting to any lewde practice in that behalfe neither did I any thing touching my function in matters of Religion of malice as knowing and would not knowe but wherein so euer I offended it was of blinde zeale masqued and caried away with ignorance and error And although I sayde before that I had some knowledge of the trueth yet I tolde you it was but afarre off it was but a superficiall and carnall knowledge Who more rare or better read in the Scriptures then the Pharises yet our Sauiour Christ tolde them that they erred and knewe not the Scriptures whereby wee are giuen to vnderstand that a man knowes nothing knowe he neuer so much except the Spirit of God doe further illuminate and quicken the vnderstanding with his grace for it is the spirit that quickeneth Thus haue I though confusedly confessed vnto you my guiltines and offence it followeth that I giue you to vnderstand the meanes which God vsed to restore me againe to life that was dead But herein I feare to exceede as they say my compasse in promising more then I am able to performe For how can I declare and manifest that vnto you which I neuer knewe my selfe surely I can assigne no meanes but must say with our Sauiour Christ Ita pa●e requoniam sic fuit placitum ante te It is so O father because thy good pleasure was such Wherefore let vs all be amased and fall into admiration of God his workes and with the Apostle Saint Paul crye out O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae scientiae Dei quàm incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia eius inuestigabiles viae eius O the deepenes of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements his wayes past finding out and let vs confesse with the prophet Dauid A domino factum est istud est mirabile in oculis nostris This is the Lord his doing and it is marueilous in our sight Maruailous in deede it might and would be in our sight if I weare in any reasonable measure able to expresse the secret working of God in my soule by his often holy inspirations which I did oftentimes repel not of malice but of ignorance taking gods holy motions for deuilish temptations well did our mercifull Sauiour verifie and more then verifie in me his owne saying Ecce sto ad ostium pulso Behold I stand knocking at thy dore but he not onely stood knocking as one ready to goe his way if he were not let in but he perseuered knocking he sate knocking as one that meant not to be wearied as one that would not away as one that would by force enter O gracious God what was I what am I nay what can I bee that thy high Maiestie shouldest be so mindefull of me that I should bee in such reputation with thee Vermis sum ego non homo opprobrium hominum abiectio plebis I am a worme O Lord and no man the reproch of men and the outcast of the people I say not of thy people O Lord but of all people for in hearing thy voice I hardened my heart Long was it or

master that is to God before whose tribunall we shall all stand and giue an account euery one for himselfe let vs not therefore sayth he any more iudge another but iudge this rather that no man put a stumbling blocke or an occasion to fall in his brothers way My meaning herein thou mayest easily gather and God grant thou may vse it to the benefite of thine owne soule and Christes small flocke The second cause that mooued me to the publishing heereof was the good that might hereby grow to those that be but lightly infected with Papistrie that by my example seeing my conuersion and reading my Recantation they may be mooued to consider for the safetie of their soules the great perill and imminent danger wherein they doe continually liue and so they may call to God for the heauenly vnction of his holy spirit and the precious gift of his grace that may cure their wounds and leade them to the perfect knowledge of his pure trueth And those that perticularly by my doctrine example haue erred or doe goe astray may by these meanes which I heartily aske of God for his sonne Iesus Christ his sake be reduced againe into the right way and for mine owne part I shall for euer heereafter haue the testimonie of a better conscience that I haue not bene negligent herein to performe the duetie of a good Christian in putting such in minde of their estates and shewing them the meanes the like wherof if they aske it as they should God doubtlesse will not denie them of my conuersion If I had contented my selfe with the vttered matter and not haue proceeded any further to publish the same the world might haue layed some blame on me and reprehended me for lighting of a candle and putting it vnder a bushell but being put on a candlesticke and left indifferently to giue light to all not presently but for posterity I shall be I hope in this behalfe free from the calumniation of any Consider I pray thee deare Christian if thou bee a Papist or any thing addicted that way that thou canst not imagine any sinister cause for the which I should as they say haue turned my coat the greatest cause of all things which thou canst thinke of is worldly wealth which on that side I neuer wāted nor any thing els that was cōuenient either for my pleasures or necessities and therefore I had no cause for that to forsake them if I had not bene induced thereto by further consideratiōs means thē is the regard of worldly cōmodities but cōtrarywise as thou shalt more largely vnderstand in my recantation they were the onely things that for a lōg time withheld me frō embracing the pure waters that spring to euerlasting life But perchance thou wilt say I hoped for better then I had beleeue me no I neither hoped for better nor haue so good notwithstanding if I should be driuen to beg my bread let all the papists in the world know that I will not forsake the kingdome of heauen for this worldes good neither doe I make my bodily life more precious then my soule for what would it profite me to winne the whole world and to lose my soule or what exchange should I make with God for my soule I know they would receiue me againe if I would like a dog returne yet to my vomite but farre be that from me better it were for me neuer to haue bin borne then once to thinke on any such matter and I hope God that hath done thus mercifully by me and delt thus mightily with me hath not nor will not bestow his grace in vayne vpō me but will perfect his worke so effectually begun The last cause that moued me to publish these presēts was to assure the aduersaries to whose hands I am sure they wil come that I neither haue done nor hereafter wil doe any thing against thē of malice but in all my procedings I haue will deale as charitably as I can not betraying the trueth of God which I preferre before the estimation of the whole world neither would I haue any mā to think that I speak as though I did any thing at all relie vpō their good opinions of me for that I am assured they hate me as the deuil and will not sticke to employ all the labour they can to deface and discredite both me and my calling But let them not spare their enuious carping will demonstrate in them the lying spirite that ouerruleth them and euery one that is not as blinde as themselues will soone perceiue their legier de maine and although their buzzing will obtaine place in the eares of their complices and fautors who are alwayes ready to bandie the balls which their leaders tosse so farre as the slanderous blastes of their wicked mouthes will cary them yet I hope the force of them flie they neuer so stiffely shall not bee able to make winke the least child in Gods Church much lesse ouerthrow him Moreouer I doe heartily desire euery Christian reader to weigh with good consideration these presents Yf thou be already infected with error and blindnesse pray to God that he will bestow vpon thee the cleare light of his truth persist not wilfully in wickednes but take occasion hereby to sift and try the spirit that is aswell in thy selfe as in thy teachers if thou be ignorant and vnlearned builde not thy faith vpon the credite and good opinion of other men say not as I know many haue and doe say I am not able to render an accompt of this or that thing but I know it is true I must beleeue so because this learned man or these diuines and good men beleeue so aske them they are able to giue you an answere both for themselues me it is a weake building that hath so shallowe and vncertaine a foundation and a simple faith is it that is pinned so slenderly to other mens sleaues the Apostle Saint Peter biddeth thee to bee able and readie to render an account of thy faith to euery one that shall demand it at thy hands I meane not that thou art so exactly bound as he that teacheth both thee and others but in some good measure according to thy abilitie and the talent that God hath lent thee thou art bound to knowe what thou beleeuest in whom thou beleeuest what thou art bound to beleeue Build not therefore thy faith vpon the faith of other men for that foundation cannot chuse but faile thee but erect thy building vpon the immooueable rocke Christ Iesus of whom the scriptures doe most plentifully beare witnesse Art thou learned search the scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifie of me c. Art thou vnlearned goe to thy Pastor goe to him that hath charge of thy soule and receiueth instruction from God for thee The Priestes lippes shall preserue knowledge thou shalt seeke the law at his mouth for

Image of the brasen serpent in the wildernes Which obiection he answereth in this sort One and the selfe same God hath by his eternall lawe forbidden any Image to bee made and also by his extraordinarie and speciall commandement the Image of a serpent to be made If thou be obedient to the same God thou hast his lawe make thou no Image but if thou haue a regard to the Image of the serpent afterwards made by Moyses then doe thou as Moyses did make not any Image against the law vnlesse God command thee as hee did Moyses What neede we to stand vpon moe proofes herein these I take for this time sufficient to confirme the trueth of the matter And herein I assent and consent to the true doctrine of Christ his vniuersall Church affirme the doctrine of the Romane Church herein to be false and erronious and therefore I vtterly renounce and abiure it Touching prayer for the dead which adhereth to another absurditie like to it selfe which is Purgatorie although out of the decrees of Councels and olde Fathers many profes seeme to be deducted for the mainteining therof yet in the whole processe of holy Scriptures which as the Prophet Dauid saith are lanternes vnto our feete and lights vnto our paths I finde no warrant for either of them but contrariwise that they are both vaine and friuolous As for example in the Reuelations it is said Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours c. If euery soule that dieth in the Lord bee blessed then there are none that die in the Lorde in Purgatorie where there is no blessednesse but according to their opinion all miserie and calamitie euen as in hell it selfe Secondly it is said that they rest from their labours If then they rest from their labours it must needes followe that they are not in Purgatorie where as they themselues say are extreme labours though not actiue yet passiue Whereupon I inferre two things First that no saued soule goeth to Purgatorie which is meant by those which die in the Lord for euery one that dieth in the Lord by sufficient testimonie of this place is blessed which cannot be but in possessing the vision and sight of God in whome onely the dead haue and enioy all blessednesse the which none can haue and enioy but onely those which are saued as also rest from all and all maner of labours which cannot bee had nor found in Purgatorie being as I said before according to the aduersaries opinion a place of torment and vnrest and this place of Scripture attributing both blessednesse and rest and that immediately after their death to all that die in the Lord that is the seruants of the Lord it must needes be that euery such soule is in heauen not in Purgatorie Secondly I inferre that there is no such place as Purgatorie because there is no vse of nor for any such place For all the creatures things and places which God made hee made them for some ende vse and purpose for he made nothing in vaine and in all the Scriptures we neither finde mention made of Purgatorie nor vse for any such place which no doubt would haue bene done if the place had bene and of such necessitie as the aduersaries affirme it to bee either by Christ himselfe or his Apostles who haue left vs written all things necessarie for our saluation therfore I may safely conclude that there is no Purgatorie That praiers auaile not the dead because I haue bene so tedious before I wil only alledge one example out of Ecclesiastes The dead saith he knowe nothing at all and they haue no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the sunne If it bee so then in praiers they haue no portion If they haue no portion in prayers then in vaine doe they pray for the dead Thus wee see this their doctrine both of praier for the dead and Purgatorie to be false and superstitious and therefore I renounce and abiure it Prayer to Saints as Mediatours betweene God and vs I finde to derogate from the sole mediation of Christ by these testimonies of holy Scripture Come vnto me saith Christ all ye that are laden and wearie and I will ease you Also in another place I am the way the trueth and the life no man commeth to the father but by me And S. Paul to Timothie There is one God and one Mediatour betweene God and man euen the man Christ Iesus which gaue him selfe a ransome for all men c. In all which places wee finde no mention made of this or that Saint but of Christ himselfe Therefore this doctrine also as false and erronious I abiure and renounce Concerning the propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse for the liuing and the dead I affirme that it is iniurious and derogatorie to the death and passion of Christ for our aduersaries will haue Christ to be dayly offered both for the liuing and the dead But S. Paul saith that Christ needed not to be dayly offered or often times to offer for the peoples sinnes as the Priestes of the olde law did for now saith he In the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe c. And in another place hee saith That with one oblation hee hath consecrated for euer those that are sanctified c. And S. Peter saith that Christ hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to God c. Wherefore this one oblation of Christ I confesse to bee solely propitiatorie and sufficient for my sinnes and for the sinnes of ten thousand worldes if there were so many and I abiure all other propitiatorie sacrifices and oblations whatsoeuer as blasphemous and iniurious to this Moreouer I find in the olde Testament no mo Sacraments prefigured and in the new no mo instituted by our sauiour Christ who onely had power to institute them then two that is to say the sacrament of Baptisme and the Lordes supper and the other fiue I finde to be made sacraments by the presumptious inuentions of men therfore as their vaine institutions and fantasies I abiure renounce them as sacraments Iustification is an other great poynt which the aduersaries make to consist of two partes that is to say of Faith and of our owne woorkes and merites but the Scriptures allowe not workes as causes and reteine only faith as the instrumentall cause of our iustification for the Apostle saith There is no difference all haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesu c. And it followeth in the same Chapter Therefore we conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the woorkes of the law c. And in another place he saith By grace