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	religion_n	true_a	7,548	5	5.1593	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79472	The beacon flameing with a non obstante: or A justification of the firing of the beacon, by way of animadversion upon the book entituled the beacon's quenched, subscribed by Col. Pride, &c.	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1652 (1652)	Wing C3809; Thomason E683_30; ESTC R206835	18,732	28

Power in matters of Religion which we from Scripture own to be in the Magistrate and which hath been exercised by all the Magistrates that ever were in the world to this day unless they were by death or otherwise hindred And it is most famously known by all that know the Historie of the times that there were never any pleaders for a Toleration of all Religions but they were great persecutors of the contrary minded if they once got into the saddle The Historie of the Arrians is famous who once were enemies to all persecution when they were under the hatehes but when they got power into their hands were more bitter persecutors then the Heathen Emperours The Donatists were great Patrons of a Toleration till under that Apostate Julian they got power into their hands and then they filled Africa with blood and desolation The Storie of the Germane Anabaptists is so famous that it needs no mentioning A Presbyterian Classis would do well but let it have some new name that may pronounce Censures c. and what would this be less then a Spanish Inquisition Some new name to wit a Parliament for to them onely we seek for redress Here you do more then insinuate that if the Parliament shall punish men for or but hinder them from common swearing offering their sons to Molech open rejection of the Lords daie worshipping the Sun or a golden Calf preaching up Mahomet preaching down Christ or maintaining that the Pope hath authoritie to blow up Parliaments change the Government of this Commonwealth discharge the people of Obedience to their Magistrates or they suppress Popish and Hereticall Books all which come under the notion of Religion they are no better then a Spanish Inquisition We beseech our dear Countrey-men that subscribed The Beacon quenched whoever were the Authours of it to consider what brave Doctrine this is and whether they are not of another minde as we are perswaded they are whatever they may say in a passion But they know the Parliament and Armie have often declared against such proceedings to wit as we suppose your meaning is the suppressing Popish and Heretical Books The Parliament hath often declared to maintain the Protestant Religion in opposition to Poperie and that they never intended to let loose the golden Reines of Discipline for men to follow the imaginations of their own hearts and everie man do that which was right in his own eyes commit Idolatry despise Gods Ordinances Blaspheme God Christ and Scripture The weapons of fasting and prayer are more available and Christian then those of force For lesser matters in Religion that are not so clear fasting and praying is the best But for Idolatrie Superstition Heresie and Blasphemie These without controversie God would have the Magistrate exercise his authoritie in suppressing as manifest evils that strike at the foundation Deut. 13. 6 8 9 11. Zach. 13. Rom. 13. How simple are these Subscribers to imagine that the truth of Christs holy Religion needs the support of humane Arms to sustain it That Christ can support his Church Truth and Worship without the Ministerie of men or Magistrate is true But that he hath not appointed the Magistrate to punish evil doers and encourage those that do well and that in reference to both the Tables is false as hath been alreadie proved And how distrustfull are these men of Gods Providence It 's no distrust of Gods Providence for men to do their dutie and use the means that God hath prescribed if it were the charge would lie against all war whatsoever just or unjust and all Courts of Judicature yea against the Magistrates cutting off the rottenest Branches in the Common-wealth for the good of the whole Bodie and indeed against all Government whatsoever For is not God able to avenge his people make up their losses preserve a State if he would without the help of any Government at all And doubtfull of our own strength to imagine that any Papist can say or write more then we can answer To do what God requires is no argument of our doubting either of the goodness of our cause or our abilitie to answer gain sayers We desire nothing more then that they and all dissenters should propound their doubts in a Christian way You are verie tender of Papists Idolaters Heretiques and Blasphemers with none else the Beacon meddles these are but Dissenters with you We wish your charitie were a Scripturecharity Do you think such as they will meet in the love of Christ for better instruction Or that those blasphemers that denie the Merits and Divinitie of Christ will meet the Orthodox in the love of Christ What Grolleries are these They forget that at the beginning of July last a Petition was presented to the Parliament by many thousand well-affected persons one Branch whereof was That the press might be open to all What if we had remembred that Petition which moved for so wicked a thing as the gratifying the verie Kingdome of darkness must not we therefore dare to petition for that which is just and good yea so much the rather And indeed that Petition you mention may well be remembred for a Julian spirit put in this Petition among the rest That Tithes might be taken away and no other maintenance established in stead thereof Had those Petitioners put in And that the Tithes might come to those who pay them as their own proper goods they would not be such deceivers of the poor Countryman as otherwise they will be Now if it were worth the examining we might certainly finde many untruths also in a few leaves of that Pamphlet as that 1500. of each book were printed is improbable and that they were all printed in England is doubtfull Have you been thus inraged at us for our Pamphlet as you call it without examining of it more shame for you And that 1500. of each book was printed we assert not but guess because that number is the usuall impression of a book But that they were all printed in England we are readie to make good if the State should judge it worth the while We do not guess at that but are sure of it The Subscribers rank the Christian Moderator among Popish books because it equally rejects Episcopall bondage and Presbyterian slavery We perswade our selves no wise man that reades that book will doubt that he is a Papist though now and then he transform himself into the appearance of a Protestant as the Devil sometimes changeth himself into the shape of an Angel of light It is known and can be proved if need be that Sancta Clara that famous or rather infamous Priest presented one of them to a Ladie who told it to a reverend Minister of this Citie and withall said that he was the Authour of the book Beside the verie designe of the book is to vindicate the Popish Religion it pleads for a generall toleration and especially for a toleration of Popery It pleads against

apple that hath a dram or a whole gile of beer that hath a gallon of strong poyson in it For Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Sprig they are very well able to answer for themselves onely this we gather that they are the more violent as we conceive against Mr. Sprig for being the Authour of Anglia Rediviva or the History of the war while Sir Thomas Fairfax was Generall by whose success the Presbyterian tyranny began to be abated We are not violent against Mr. Sprig but we think zealous against his blasphemy and that onely because it is blasphemy and though it never can pull the sun of righteousness out of the firmament yet it indangers the total eclipsing of it in our horizon And as for the Presbyterian Tyrannie to be begun to be abated by Sir Thomas Fairfax it 's a silly fiction the glorious Reformation that Presbytery purports though ever since the dawning of Reformation earnestly pray'd for by all the godly judicious Protestants nicknamed Puritans yet it was never exercised publickly before Sir Thomas Fairfax was Generall and by means of his success against the great enemies of Presbytery And not to this day much less while he was Generall did Presbytery in any part of this Nation do any thing that might have the least shew of Tyrannie a foolish picture of a bugbear that you paint upon good and wholsome Order in the Church of God And pray whence did you gather that we were violent against Mr. Sprig because he was the Authour of that History when as one of us the Subscribers hath the vending of that particular book Now the truth is this party of men make an appearance of zeal against Papists and popish books the better to disguise their designes when as their malice and spleen is against the well affected whom they stile Independents and Sectaries You cannot forbear being bitter and censorious our zeal with you is but an appearance of zeal and to disguise their designes and their malice and spleen is against the well-affected Is this Christianly done reade our Beacon fired do we give you any occasion of these expressions and do we so much as name Independency or Sectary in all the book Your Catalogue of books we said before is such that the most of them were complained of formerly and one or other punish'd for them viz. The History of Independency Mr. Walker the supposed Authour died prisoner in the Tower The Plea for Non-scribers complained of and a Bookseller imprisoned for it The same was done for Bonds and Bounds Mr. Loves Sermons the Epistle whereof you say hangs a flag of defiance charg'd upon Mr. Calamy a notorious untruth as at the beginning is proved Manus Testium Lingua Testium with a Narrative of the mysterie of State long since complained of and the supposed Authour many months imprisoned for them with others And for all these books they are unjustly charg'd upon us or the Presbyterian party let the Authours answer for them if they have not alreadie do we deal so with you or any others do we charge the Armie or Independency with popish with Mr. Sprig's Mr. Hobs's or the rabble of Ranters books These books we should not have mentioned but through a necessity of quenching the fire of this Beacon Which does it no more then if you should throw oyle into the fire but does make good what we chiefly intended by the firing our Beacon to wit the necessity of the Parliaments regulating the exorbitancy of the Press as the onely way to prevent the publishing of such books as tend to the dishonour of God and disturbance of the State And of what more dangerous consequence such books are then any other sorts of books whatsoever we leave to all true lovers of their Country to judge Popish and blasphemous books are of more dangerous consequence not in the least to justifie treasonable ones by how much the more God is provoked by them We humbly hope the Parliament will not restrain any peaceable spirit from the liberty of professing nor shut up the Press from any godly persons having due regard to the honour and peace of the Parliament and this Common-wealth For your last hope or wish or prayer we will but mend it a little and so conclude with an Amen viz. We humbly hope that the Parliament will not restrain any peaceable spirit that is a Prophet from the liberty of prophecying nor shut up the Press from any godly persons while they write godlily having due regard to the honour and peace of the Parliament and this Common-wealth Amen FINIS De Antichristo p. 110. * Read Jus Divinum The Assertion of the Government of the Church of Scotland The Provincial Assembly of Londons Vindication of Presbyterian Government and see if any tyrannical or heretical principles be in them Athan. Optatus