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	scripture_n	testimony_n	4,093	5	8.2532	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00631	An antiquodlibet, or An aduertisement to beware of secular priests	Fenner, Dudley, 1558?-1587, attributed name.; Udall, John, 1560?-1592, attributed name'.	1602 (1602)	STC 10765; ESTC S117686	60,651	170

it questionable whether the vndeifying of that eternal and omnipotent Spirit and the crowning of Satan with the glorie and maiestie of the Godhead be an action in it selfe and in the nature thereof contradictorie to the will and statutes of the immortall King and lawgiuer he may with like reason doubt whether an acknowledgement of the true Iehoua for our God only and a cariage with all reuerence and honour towards him on our part be conmaunded in the Decalogue If then the said action be originally an aberration from the law how can it receiue from any intent of man though neuer so good this pr●rogatiue of being made correspondent to the same whereas it is a principle knowne and vndeniable that ill is not to be done that good may grow thereof in case the intention of the Agent could priuiledge and dispense with the pollution of our actions the said principle should containe an idle direction or restraint of our proceedings Further if the act in question be not in it selfe a disobedience to the law but of a nature indifferent and newterall then some transferring of the Deity from the true God vnto the Diuell and some premeditate mention of his most blessed name accompanied with termes of the highest blasphemie shall finde in the Decalogue no prohibition Then likewise are we not commaunded without calling into question and doubt to beleeue and rest perswaded by testimonie of the word and Spirit that Iehoua only is our God and he onely to bee worshipped But if both the one and the other be in theologie a great incongruitie then the said act can in no sort partake of newtralitie But let vs ●ebate a little what should bee the int●nt and end of disputing against God There is in all probable discourse but this ●ne ground and cause thereof that beare a shew of lawfulnes namely an inten to confirme our iudgement in the truth vpon sight and conference of the weake arguments concluded against God with such as are alleaged for him But this purpose of reenforcing our iudgement in the truth cannot warrant any dispute in this behalfe For our iudgement touching the diuine nature and actions of God and the honour due vnto him hauing already receiued the greatest confirmation that may be from the voyce of God himselfe in the Scriptures from the publique and constant testimony of the Church from the inward perswasion of the holy Ghost from the euidence yeelded and proclaymed by the creation of Heauen and earth the intendment and indeauour of this crooked and left-handed proofe whereof wee speake must ●● the presence of so excellent a brightnes as the demonstration specified doth affoord vtterly quaile and rest in the same account as a poore silly candle doth that for enlarging and better cleering the surpassing lustre of the Sunne is lighted at noone day Besides why should the sight of a leane mishapen argument inuented and alleaged against God rather confirme the disputers iudgement in the truth then giue him cause to accuse the dulnes of his wit that could not inuent a better May hee not apprehend also that others of a deeper reach and knowledge then himselfe are able to disclose some proofes of strength and such as hee cannot answere and so rest doubtfull and no whit confirmed Nay may not the disputer himselfe in the search of allegations against God stumble on an argument of such constitution and temper as neither himselfe nor some others can resolue In which case this course wil be so farre from confirming the iudgement in the truth that on the contrary it will rather occasion the suspecting of it and serue to strengthen erronious conceites of God Experience hath made it cleere that this course of disputing against God is of a daungerous consequence and as it were a bridge for Atheisme and other impieties to passe into the opinion and life of man The quodlibet propounded by the Serpent to our grane and prime mother against the most iust and holy proceedings of our Creator with her and Adam thereby to rayse in her apprehensions of Soueraynty and a desire of equality with God shee being ready to giue eare thereto and either not willing or vnprouided how to resolue and answere the same proued in the issue of the disputation a quodlibet of vnspeakeable losse and infelicity to either of them and their posterity and not otherwise satisfiable then by the most precious blood of the eternall Sonne of God As this quodlibeticall method serued amongst other furtherances as a speciall meane to draw our first parents to a defection from their Creator so if wee should inquire into the occasions of Atheisme of heresie of disloyalty and treason in their descendants we shall finde that it hath in sundry ages giuen life and nourishment to the same But I will not insist vpon particularities herein what hath been already sayd I hope will suffice for conuincing the Assumption in question of im●●●y The inference that is necessarily deduced thereupon and which is of preiudyce to the state of Princes is a liberty of disputing against their persons their title and interest to their Crownes their resolutions and proceedings For if wee holde it for lawfull to call God into question to arraigne him as it were at the barre and to deuest him of his prerogatiues royall then is it much more allowable to frame in our disputes a bill of an inditement against the Monarches of this worlde to heape personall imputations and scandals vpon them to proue a nullity in their titles to iustifie the excommunications thundred out against them and the absoluing of Subiects from their alleageances to auouch it for an honourable and meritorious act to remoue them from their thrones by publique armes or indirect practises to traduce and proclayme to the world their proceedings for such as exceed for tyranny and cruelty the actions of the most barbarous tyrant that euer had Scepter in his hand Now howsoeuer the Quilibet disguiseth with vs as if he had for no other intent made choyse of this method then to bandy a Iesuit too and fro a●● redly his principall scope was the hauing of some pretext and colour to deliuer his spleene against her Maiesties proceedings which hee hath in his Quodlibets formally done and yet so as hee would haue it interpreted that they are thus branded and depraued not by himselfe but by the intemperate tongue and pen of others But it is neither his good intent nor the prerogatiue of a quodlibeticall method that will procure him a discharge in a court of iustice and impunity in this behalfe If he or any for him should pleade that opposits marshalled directly in opposition one to the other doe so much the more cleere and notifie themselues it will be remembred vnto him that this maxim holdeth trew not when the one is proued to be the other but when each of them is seuerally in his proper nature and colours presented vnto vs and so a conference made of

an ex●●dient for preuention of perill in this behalfe First there is an impossibility of such caution there being nothing that this or any forraine nation can yeelde which could be in valew satisfactory and answerable to her Maiesties life Secondly a possibility herein supposed yet cautions of what nature soeuer will be found exposed to so many incertainties as that they cannot serue for groundes of assurance in the case of so precious and inestimable a iewell Obligation of othe is with Romanists dispensable Ostages subiect to mortality and other accidents pledges in the nature of lands or chattels decayable caution of townes from forraine Catholiques full of difficulties and inconuenients Thirdly vpon the succeeding of an attempt against her Soueraigne and vnualuable person how shall we in so great a confusion and astonishment either reteyne in our hands without present daunger the caution giuen or pursue the recouery of satisfaction if we be not seazed thereof Speech therefore in the case proposed of caution is senseles But he hath happely some better ground for displanting and extermination of Puritans Howsoeuer it pleaseth him in shew to distinguish betwixt such as agreeing in the opinion of doctrine against the church of Rome doe notwithstanding differ in some honourable additions and circumstances of discipline yet in truth and in the secret account of his popish heart whosoeuer acknowledgeth not the soueraignety of Peters chayre or standeth in opposition of iudgement to the Counsell of Trent● is vnto him and to all of his stampe a Puritan and shall in that day of Iubiley which they haue so long attended passe as conuict of heresie to the faggot or sworde In those times of Queene Mary when the Pope swayed the Scepter in this land it was not enough to pleade a concurrence with them in opinion touching the gouernement of the state Ecclesiasticke by Bishops and other subordinate officers of the Clergy It was neither the Episcopall Roc●et nor the ornament of Typpet nor the squarenes of a Cap nor the mustring in Cope or Surplice that could then priuiledge a Protestant against the Clinke or the Purgatory of Smithfield And doe we thinke if then euery Professor of the Gospell from the Archbishoppe to the poore Curate and from the person of Honour to the Cobler were drawne into question of life that any hereafter shall for respect of his Typpit or Rochet finde fauour and impunity I doubt not but there haue beene many of each sorte and quality in France Germany the lowe Countries and else where who shoulde haue beene spared from the hard measure and extremity offered vnto them if their liking of the auncient dignities and outward formalities in the Churche could haue procured them regarde and grace It were against common sense to conceiue that they will persecute the refusing of the Surplice and leaue vncensured the contempt of the Masse punish all inconformity to externall ceremonies and beare with contradiction to the Popes Supremacy As to the Duke of Medina if in 88. hee had preuayled in his attempt against vs each Catholique would haue seem●d Protestant his sworde not discerning the one from the other but resolutely proceeding on to make roome for the King his Master So if the Lorde in his iustice should abandon this sinfull Land to the mercy of the Secular Priest and Iesuit then to smooth the way and passage for S. Peters Vicar euery Protestant should be adiudged a Puritan Whereas therefore hee pretendeth in word the ruine of the Puritans I hold it for certaine he intendeth in deede the generall dispatch of all Protestants For what else can we probably conceiue to be his drift herein It is cleere that his heaping of so many scandalous indignities vpon them and his charging them not only in generall with endeauours to pull downe Kings and Princes but in particular with practise to kill her Maiesty and to subuert all other Protestants cannot haue other scope then the raysing and nourishing of perpetuall ielousies great feares and bloody hatreds not onely betwixt the Protestant and the supposed Puritan but specially betwixt her royall selfe and many thousands her faythfull subiects and consequently the absolute depriuing her of their ready and dutifull seruices If then he labour to destitute and strip his Prince of the loyall affection and seruice which an infinite multitude woulde tender and performe vnto her if hee would likewise stirre the flame of ciuill contention amongst all the Protestant subiects of this State doth he not thereby ayme at some fearefull eclipsing of her Maiesties power and strength Doth he not prepare and fashion an ouerture to a desolation and change of State Either Religion and peace with the loue seruice and multitude of people on the one part and the reciprocall fauour and respect from the Prince on the other part are not the true foundations and pillars of the stand and greatnes of Monarches within their seuerall dominions or if they be then he that shall employ the whole force of his wit and affection as well to the expugnation of Religion and the mutuall amity amongst compatriots as to disarme his Soueraigne of the loue seruice and multitude of his subiects and to worke in him a reiection likewise on his part of all Princely and respectiue conceit towardes them cannot but stand in the iudgement of vnpartial men iustly chargeable with the imputation of a trayterous heart to his Prince and Countrey As therefore the vrged repeale of the sayde Statutes and the toleration of Popery is of a pernicious consequence so would he through the side of the Puritan wound both Prince and Subiect both Bishop and Curate Besides to yeelde vnto the mayne question in hand some further light let it be considered what doctrine he deliuereth in his Quodlibets of State and Succession for resolution and direction of the Subiect in case of the Popes excommunication The regarde of the time and the present affliction indured by Catholiques makes him as hee sayth vnwilling to maintaine positions odious to the State but yet hee is bolde to enforme the Subiects of their duty herein First therefore hee giues them to vnderstand that it is lawfull for his Popeship to excommunicate Princes and lawfull also for the Subiects to put in execution the sentence of such excommunication Secondly he doth aduertise them that howsoeuer both the one and the other be lawfull yet in regard of the manifold inconueniencies insuing thereof it is not expedient so to proceede Thirdly because the question of expediency should not vpon occasion offered for aduauncement of their religion either intangle scrupulous and nice consciences or minister discouragement to the forward and hotspirited Catholique he cleareth it and directeth them when they are to refuse their allegeance vnto their Soueraigne and take armes against him for execution of the sayd sentence Hee doth therefore the Bull and the denounciation thereof being supposed to bee of sufficient validity teach and instruct them that when they may without