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 tradition_n 4,605 5 9.4382 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A91719 The revoltex [sic]. A trage-comedy acted between the Hind and panther, and Religio laici, &c.; Revolter Dryden, John, 1631-1700. Hind and panther. Selections.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700. Religio laici. Selections. 1687 (1687) Wing R1207; ESTC R229936 13,091 40

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

She were too good to be a Beast of Prey Dii te Damasippe decaeq Donent Tonsore for these small Remainders of Pity The next was to shew ye that he could tame a Panther while you see the Hind and the Panther so lovingly discoursing together A miracle I le assure ye equal if not superior to the choicest in all Ribadenira if you consider how difficult a thing it is to domesticate that wild Animal In short the whole Poem if it may deserve that Name is a piece of Deformed arrogant Nonsence and self-contradiction drest up in fine Language like an ugly Brazen fac'd Whore peeping through the Costly Trappings of a Point de Venise Cornet I call it Nonsence because unseasonable and Arrogant because Impertinent For could Mr. Bayes have so little Wit to think himself a sufficient Champion to decide the High Mysteries of Faith and Transubstantiation and the nice disputes concerning Traditions and infallibility in a Discourse between the Hind and the Panther which undetermin'd hitherto have exercis'd all the Learning in the World. Or could he think the Grand Arcana of Divinity a Subject fit to be handled in flourishing Rhime by the Author of the Duke of Guise or the Conquest of Peru or the Spanish Fryar Doubts which Mr. Bayes is no more able to unfold then Saffold to resolve a Question in Astrology And all this only as a Tale to usher in his beloved Character and to shew the excellency of his Wit in abusing Honest Men. If these were his thoughts as we cannot rationally otherwise believe seeing that no man of understanding will undertake an enterprise wherein he does not think himself to have some advantage of his Predecessors then does this Romance I say of the Panther and the Hind fall under the most fatal Censure of unreasonable folly and sawcy Impertinence Nor can I think that the more Solid Prudent and Learned Persons of the Roman Church Con him any Thanks for laying the Prophane Fingers of a Turn-Coat upon the Altar of their Sacred Debates And so much for the Hind and Panther Now you shall hear Mr. D. disputing against Mr D. Mr. D. the Romanist against Mr. D. the Protestant As if he thought the controverted Points of Religion between differing Judgments were only Paradoxes for acute Ingenuities to play with and shew the Dexterity of Wit to manage the Cause of Plaintiff or Defendant Mr. D. the Romanist discoursing of Traditions thus begins Hind and Panther p. 41. But the Rule you lay Has lead whole Flocks and leads them still astray For did not Arrius first Socinus now The Sons Eternal Glory disavow And did not they by Gospel Texts alone Condemn our Doctrine and maintain their own Have not all Heretic's the same pretence To plead the Scriptures in their own defence How did the Nicene Council then decide That strong debate was it by Scripture try'd Page 42. No sure to those the Rebel would not yield Squadrons of Texts he Marshall'd in the Field The good old Bishops took a simpler way Each ask'd but what he heard his Father say Or how he was instructed in his Youth And by Traditions Force upheld the Truth To this after he has put a frivolous Answer of his own into the Panthers Mouth he goes on I see Tradition then is disallow'd When not evinc'd by Scripture to be true And Scripture as interpreted by you But here you tread upon unfaithful Ground Unless you could infallibly expound p. 44. Which you reject as odious Poperie And throw the Doctrine back with scorn on me Thus when you say Traditions must be try'd By Sacred Writ whose Sense your selves decide You said no more but that your selves must be The Judges of the Scripture Sense not we If not by Scripture how can we be sure Reply'd the Panther what Tradition's sure For you may Palm upon us now for old All as they say that Glitter is not Gold. How but by following her reply'd the Dame To whom deriv'd from Sire to Son they came Where every Age does one another move And trusts no farther than the next above Where all the Rounds like Jacob's Ladder rise The lowest in the Earth the Top-most in the Skies 46. You must evince Traditions to be forg'd Produce plain Proofs Unblemish'd Authors use As antient as those Authors they accuse Till when 't is not sufficient to defame And old possession stands till Elder quits the claim This was the Opinion of Mr. D. the Romanist upon the Case of Traditions now you shall hear the Judgment of Mr. D. the Protestant upon the same Subject Relig. Lai p. 20. We hold and say we prove from Scripture plain That Christ is God the bold Socinian From the same Scripture urges he 's but Man. Now what appeal can end th' impatient suite Both parts talk loudly but the Rule is mute Shall I speak plain and in a Nation Free Assume an honest Laymans Libertie I think according to my little skill To my own Mother Church submitting still That many have been sav'd and many may That never heard the Question brought in play For the Streight Gate would be made streighter yet Were none admitted there but Men of Wit. The Few by Nature form'd with learning fraught Born to instruct as others to be taught Must studdy well the sacred Page and see Which Doctrine this or that does best agree With the whole Tenour of the work Divine And plainliest points to Heavens reveal'd design Which Exposition flows from genuine sense And which is forc'd by Wit and Eloquence And then Traditions parts are useful here When general old disinterest and clear That antient Fathers thus expound the Page Give Truth the Reverend Majesty of Age For still the nearer to the Spring we go More limpid more unsoil'd the Waters flow Thus first Traditions were a Proof alone Could we be certain such they were so known But since some flaws in long descent may be They make not truth but probability Tradition written therefore more Commends Authority than what from Voice descends And this as perfect as its kind may be Rowls down to us the sacred Historie Which from the Universal Church receiv'd Is try'd and afterward believ'd And p. 16 If Scripture tho deriv'd from Heavenly Birth Has been but carelesly preserv'd on Earth If Gods own people Who did neither time nor studdy spare To keep this Book untainted unperplex'd Let in gross Errors to Corrupt the Text. Omitted Paragraphs embroil'd the sense With vain Traditions stopt the gaping Fence Which every common hand pull'd up with ease What sasety from such Brushwood helps as these If Written Words from time are not secur'd How can we think have Orall sounds endur'd Which thus transmitted if one Mouth has fail'd Immortal lies on Age are entail'd And that some such have been is prov'd too plin If we consider Interest Church and Gain In the Second place Mr. D. the Romanist is for proving the Infallibility of his New
Mother which he thus Essaies to accomplish Hind and Panth. p 52. And w●at one Saint has said of Holy Paul He darkly Writ is true apply'd to all For this obscurity could Heaven provide More prudently than by a living Guide As doubts arose the difference to decide A Guide was therefore needful therefore made And if appointed sure to be obeyd Thus with due Rev'rence to th' Apostles Writ By which my Sons are taught to which submit I think those truths their sacred works conrain The Church alone can certainly explain That following Ages leaning on the Past May rest upon the primitive at last Nor wou'd I thence the word no Rule inferr But none without the Church Interpreter P 59. Then granting that unerring Guide we want That such there is you stand oblig'd to grant Our Saviour else were wanting to supply Our needs and obviate that necessity It then remains that Church can only be The Guide which owns unfailing certainty p. 60. All which the Mother Church asserts her own And with unrivall'd claim ascends the Thrown Exit Hind Now Enter Panther in the Person of D. the Protestant Relig. Laic p. 18. Such an Omniscient Church we wish indeed 'T were worth both Testaments and cast in the Creed But if this Mother be a Guide so sure As can all Doubts resolve all Truth secure Then her Infallibility as well Where Copies are corrupt or lame can tell Restore lost Canon with as little Pains And truly explicate what still remains Which yet no Councils dare pretend to do Unless like Esdras they could write a new Strange Confidence still to interpret true Yet not be sure That all they have explain'd Is in the blest Original contain'd More safe and much more modest 't is to say God would not leave mankind without a Way And that the Scriptures tho not every where Free from corruption or entire and clear Are uncorrupt sufficient clear and entire In all things which our needful Faith require If others in the fame Glass better see 'T is for themselves they look but not for me For my Salvation must its doom receive Not from what Others but what I believe And p. 16. speaking in commendation of the Translation of Father Simon he has these words Where we may see what Errors have been made Both in the Copier's and Translator's Trade How Jewish Popish Interests have prevail'd And where Infallibility has fail'd P. 24. He goes on thus In those dark times they learn'd the Knack so well That by long use they grew Infallible At last a knowing Age began t' enquire If they the Book or That did them inspire And making narrower search they found tho late That what they thought the Priests was their Estate Taught by the Will produc'd the Written Word How long they had been cheated on Record P. 22. He has moreover these Lines The Partial Papists would infer from hence Their Church in last resort should judg the sence But first they would assume with wondrous Art Themselves to be the whole who are but part Of that vast Frame the Church And in his Preface to his Relig. Laic he has this Expression upon the same Subject But by asserting the Scripture to be the Canon of our Faith I have unavoidably created to my self two sort of Enemies The Papists indeed more directly because they have kept the Scripture from us what they could and have reserv'd to themselves a right of Interpreting what they have deliver'd under pretence of Infallibility After this Mr. D. the Romanist falls into a Rapture and extolls his new Mother to that degree as if he were striving to outdo the Canticles Saies he Hind and Panther p. 61. Behold what marks of Majesty she brings Richer than Ancient Heirs of Eastern Kings Her right hand holds the Scepter and the Keys To shew whom she commands and who obeys With these to bind or set the sinner free With that t' assert spiritual Royalty One in her self not rent by Schism but sound Entire one solid shining Diamond One central Principle of Unity As undivided so from Errors free As one in Faith so one in Sanctity Thus one thus pure behold her largely spread Like the fair Ocean from her Mother-Bed From East to West triumphantly she rides All Shores are water'd by her wealthy Tides The Gospel's sound diffus'd from Pole to Pole Where Winds can carry and where Waves can roll The self same Doctrine of the Sacred Page Conveigh'd to every Clime in every Age But Mr. D the Protestant talks at another rate as for Example Relig. Laic p. 23. In Times o'regrown with Rust and Ignorance A Gainful Trade their Clergy did advance When want of Learning kept the Lay-men low And none but Priests were authoriz'd to know When what small Knowledg was in them did dwell And he a God who could but Read or Spell Then Mother Church did mightily prevail She parcell'd out the Bible by Retail But still expounded what she sold or gave To keep it in her power to damn or save Scripture was scarce and as the Market went Poor Lay-men took Salvation on Content As needy men take Money good or bad Gods Word they had not but the Priests they had Yet whate're false Conveyances they made The Lawyer still was certain to be paid When he comes to the Panegyrick upon his present Majesty where he had so transending a Subject and ought tho it had been by way of Digression to have expended the whole Treasure of his Genius Heaven 's what a difference there is between the feminine Encomiums of Mr. D. the Romanist upon His present Majesty and the ranting Raptures of Mr. D. the Independent upon a Monster of a Tyrant as if the very Noise of Olivers silver Prize had inspir'd him The choicest of Mr. D. the Romanist's thoughts which he had to bestow upon his Soveraign are only these A plain good man whose name is understood So few deserve the Name of Plain and Good Of three fair Lineal Lordships stood possess'd And livd as reason was upon the Best Inur'd to Hardships from his early Youth Much had he done and suffer'd for his Truth ●t Land and Sea in many a doubtful fight Was never known a more Advent'rous Knight Who oftner drew his Sword and always for the Right But this is nothing to the lofty strain wherein Mr. D. the Independent Courts the fortune of a prosperous Rebel in his Poem upon the Death of Oliver Cromwell where he has these towring Expressions His Grandeur he deriv'd from Heav'n alone For he was great e're Fortune made him so And Wars like Mists that rise against the Sun Made him but greater seem not greater grow And yet Dominion was not his Design We owe that Blessing not to him but Heav'n Which to fair Acts unsought Rewards did joyn Rewards that less to us than him were giv'n Swift and resistless through the Land be past Like that bold Greek that did the East subdue