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	true_a	visible_a	8,046	5	9.4741	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67550	The pious mans practice in Parliament time. Or A seasonable and necessary tractate concerning the presages, and causes of a common-wealths ruine, and the wayes, and meanes to preserve a church, and state, in prosperity, plenty, purity, and peace. By R. Ward, utriusque regni in Artibus Magister; and preacher of Gods holy word at Stansteed Mount-Fitchet in Essex.	Ward, Richard, 1601 or 2-1684.	1641 (1641)	Wing W804; ESTC R218413	102,562	298

of weake persons as women and children Thirdly of strangers Fourthly of beasts and cattell so in the Church of God or in any true visible Church there are First such as are strong in faith Secondly the weake and fraile Thirdly hypocrites which in outward shew joyne themselves to the Church as those strangers did Fourthly carnall and worldly men prophane persons yea Devils incarnate which may be compared unto beasts And therefore let neither ther all of us in this land in generall nor any of us in particular trust unto this that we are members of the Church of England which is a true Church and professeth the truth and true Religion It may here now bee demanded Question 2. Doth no prerogative belong to a true outward visible Church or are wee never a whit the better for being within a true Church which purely professeth the truth There is an externall prerogative of a true externall Church Answer which is not to bee contemned or despised The Prophet David had rather bee a doore-keeper in the house of God Psal 8.4 Rom. 13 1.2 c. and 9.4 then to dwell in the tents of wicked men because the Christian every way as the Apostle saith hath great priviledges above Heathens who are without the Church For in the Church are the meanes of grace and salvation offered Psal 79.6 Ier. 10.25 and there or by those within the Church the Lord is more easily entreated and is more difficultly provoked unto anger against them Yea in a true Church wee see many burning and shining lights which animate attract and encourage us to the practice of pietie and therefore it is no small prerogative to be made a member of a true Church neither should our care be small in learning and labouring so to live that wee doe not provoke the Lord to deprive us of this great blessing and blessed priviledge by taking away the Candle or removing the Candlesticke out of his place or letting out his Vineyard to other Husband-men who will bee more thankfull profitable and obedient unto him then we have beene And thus much for the second answer to the first Question Thirdly Answer 1 sometimes wee trust to precedent mercies and deliverances some in this land dow often say The Lord hath not dealt so with any Nation as with ours in giving us pious prudent and religious Princes who zealously and couragiously maintaine and defend the true Faith and in continuing his Gospel among us and peace prosperity and plenty unto us so long a time and in preserving us from the Spanish Armado or Bravado in 88. and that unparallelled Powder-plot and all the plots counsels and consultations of the Jesuits and all the Whoores brood who inendtd mischiefe against our Estate And therefore we may be secure in this land because the Lord we know will bee unto us one and the same to day and to morrow and for ever I answer hereunto 1. That this is most true that the Lord hath long dealt most graciously with England in all the particulars instanced upon And 2. That the mercie of the Lord is above all his workes and greater then all our sinnes And 3. That if we would live sincerely as Ammi the Lords people hee would never then so long as we so continued pronounce against us Lo-ammi that we should be no longer his people If we were ready to embrace the Lords offers or carefull to walke worthie of his love he would never then denounce against us Lonuchama that hee would no more be mercifull unto us For the Lord is immutable in himselfe and these changes are in us and if wee doe not fall from truth unto error from sanctitie unto sinne from profession unto profanenesse from religion to rebellion from God unto Sathan the Lord will never faile nor forsake us but continue to be our God and continue us to be his people But 4. If wee abuse his mercie Rom. 11 2● and long-suffering and prove like those evill Husband-men or that wicked servant we must then expect that mercie will give way to justice and judgement and wee through the Lords just anger shall become as miserable a Nation as ever we were happie by his free mercie and goodnesse And therefore let us adorne that profession which we have undertaken Let us make religion our Sparta 1. Pet. 2.12 and labour to beautifie it by righteousnesse holinesse sobrietie and temperance that those without the Church may bee wone unto her by our holie lives and godly conversations coupled with feare and then we may be confidently and comfortably assured that the Lord will be as a wall of brasse about us and hedge us about with a guard of angels and protect defend and preserve us from all our enemies and all who have evill wil at this our Sion whether forraign or domesticall establish Religion peace in our Borders and continue his Gospell in purity and sincerity amongst us even untill the second comming of Christ unto judgement Amen Fourthly Answer 4. some particular persons presume of their communicating of the Sacraments some will say they were baptized and have beene at the Lords table and therefore they conclude Tush 1 Pet. 2.21 no evill will come unto them But we must know that there is an outward washing in Baptisme as Saint Peter saith as well as an inward and many are washed by water who were never purged from all their fins by the blood of Christ And S. Paul tels us that all the Israelites were baptized in the Cloud in the Sea and were all made partakers of the same spirituall me ate 1 Corinth 10. 5.8 and drinke and yet many of them perished The Evangelists tell us that Iudas ate with his Master the Paschall Lambe and received a sop from him and yet died in damnable desperation and the Apostle saith that many communicate the outward elements in the Eucharist to their owne damnation And therefore let not us trust to the outword worke 1 Cor. 11.20 or to the partaking of the outward elements only for these alone profit nothing but let us labour for the baptisme of the spirit and true regeneration and endeavour to eate Christ by a faith unfained Luk. 10.20 and then wee shall have greater cause of joy and rejoycing than if wee had power to cast out devils to cure the sicke to raise the dead and to remove mountaines Secondly Quest 2. it may further bee demanded why wee in England may not presume of those many and great priviledges which wee have above many yea the most if not all other Nations First no outward thing will profit or advantage us at all Answer 1. as was shewed before rom 2.2.6 and therefore wee must not trust to any such thing And Secondly Answer 2. our Church and State hath long continued without any desolation or alteration and therefore we have the more cause not to be high minded but

1. A wise man without good workes And 2. An old man without Religion And 3. A young man without obedience And 4. A rich man without liberality and almes deeds 5. A woman without shame and chastitie And 6. A Master without wisedome And 7. A Christian which is contentious And 8. A poore man which is proud And 9. A King which is wicked And 10. A Priest which is negligent And 11. The common people without discipline And 12. A people without Law If the Reader would see all these enlarged let him read Antoninus in the place above cited These Master Warner in his Albi. on s Eugland Lib. 9. cap. 53. pag. 239. hath lively expressed in these verses viz. A wise man living like a Droane an old man not devout Youth disobedient rich men that are charity without A shamelesse woman vicious Lord a poore man proudly stout Contentious Christians Pastors that their function doe neglect A wicked King no Discipline no Lawes men to direct Are twelve the foulest faults that doe all Common-wealthes infect Fourthly observe wee Two sots of signes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that according to the Graecians there are two sorts of signes to wit probable and infallible or symptomes and signes or presag s and causes of a Common-wealthes ruine Of which particularly First the probable presages The presages or proble signes of a Nationell desolation viz. 1. Pragmaticalnesse and symptomes of a Kingdomes fall and destruction are these sixe which fellow namely First pragmaticalnesse when men looke unto and meddle with others and not themselves In a great house there are many severall offices and officers now if every man bee carefull in his owne place and looke well unto his owne worke then the house and family will bee well ordered but if one meddle with another and controle one another and looke more to each others employment and execution of their office then to their owne then all goes out of order And thus is it in a Common-wealth For when all sorts of men generally pry more into others then into themselves and consider the places offices and employments of others more then their owne and judge censure and condemne othere but never looke unto their owne wayes then that State or Countrey is in imminent danger of desolation and misery And therefore if wee defire the preservation of our Church and Common-wealth let every one sweep downe his owne doore and meddle with his owne matters and looke well to the carefull discharging of his owne place wherein God hath set him and then by Gods blessing we shall still flourish and prosper And Secondly 2. Innovations Innovations in a Church or State presage and occasion the ruine and downe-fall thereof Demosthenes Whence the Locrians enacted this Statute as Demosthenes witnesseth That every Citizen who was desirous to bring in any new Law should come and declare it publikely before the people with a halter about his necke to the end that if his new Law were not thought meete to be received and very profitable for the Common wealth be might presently be strangled as a worthie reward for his rashnesse And by this meanes Innovations and alterations in the State and Common-wealth were kept out Ascham As Master Ascham said Vulgus imperiti homines aegerrime a coresuetudine divelli possunt The common sort of people are hardly drawne from their old customes so wise men are hardly drawne to like or allow of new Lawes as Augustus Caesar said to a flatterer who blamed Cato Vticensis Erasm Rot. lib. 4. apophex Suctonio for his obstinacie against Julius Caesar Quisquis praesentem Reipublicae statum mutari non vult is Civis vir bonus est Whosoever opposeth himselfe against Innovations and alterations in a well governed State is both a good Citizen and a good man And this may bee said also of him that withstandeth the introducing of errors sects and heresies into any Orthodox Church Socrat. lib. 2. Tripart hist cap. 34. because as Sophronius said when hee heard one mention some errors and erroneous opinions in the Seleucian Synod Si per singulos dies propriamedere fidem licuerit veritatis integritas non diu manebit If every man were suffered to broach and bring into the Church his owne conceits and opinions and to teach them as necessary truths unto others the integritie of the truth would not long last in that Church Plutarch As old trees which have taken deepe and large roote cannot be removed or plucked up and transplanted else-where without apparent danger and hazard of the life thereof so a Common-wealth or State will not without much commotion be removed from her old and ancient Lawes and forme of Government Whence it was that Erasmus said As change of meate or drink or dwelling disturbes the constitution of the body and is an enemie to nature at first although a man remove and change to as good or better Ita praestat ferre principem aut Magistratus pristinos quàm novos asciscere quod omnis rerum novatio non careat perturbatione So it is better to beare with old Magistrates and to obey the ancient government when it is according or not contrary to the divine Law then to call in new Governours because all Innovation hath perturbations and troubles attending upon it Grimaldes The Lacedaemonians are highly praised by Historians for having continued seven hundred yeares without any alteration of their government And so also are the Venetians who have constantly lived in one forme of government by the space of a thousand yeeres and more Indeed I know nothing is perfect here on earth but every where much is amisse and therefore when any abuse is observed either in Church or State or any thing invented or found out which may be truely good and profitable for a Common-wealth it may be redressed or enacted by some Law this being but an addition to the Law not an alteration of the Law a necessary injunction not an unnecessary imposition a helpe not a hurt unto the State and a meanes that subjects may live in godlinesse and honesty and not bee provoked to sedition or heresie or any commotion and discord And therefore let us pray unto the Lord who hath the hearts of all men in his hands so to dispose and rule all our Governours both Ecclesiasticall and Civill as also this high Court of Parliament that all our holie wholesome good and godly Lawes may be executed and others established for the redressing of what is amisse but that no such Innovations or alterations may bee brought either into our Church or State as may offend weake consciences or hinder the progresse of Religion or the peace and prosperity of the Common-wealth And Thirdly 3. The feare of the righteous another presage of the ruine of a Kingdome is the feare of the faithfull flocke of Christ When cormorants and gulles forsake the seas and when wormes creepe out

and presidents both by threatnings and mild speeches both by countenancing the good and religious and by disliking disaffecting the irreligious and profane then certainly wee should quickly have a flourishing Church and State Octavius prayed God that it might be said That by him the Common-wealth of Rome was preserved from all danger and that at his death he might carry with him that hope That it should remaine many ages in that Estate he left it Suetonius This should indeed be the care and desire of every religious Ruler and the way and meanes thereunto is to labour to advance Religion and the pure worship of God for where true Religion is professed and the Lord truly worshiped and the Gospell sincerely and powerfully preached there wee may bee sure that the Church and State shall be preserved so long as it continues in that course and the Magistrates in that care of Religion And therefore if all our Governours as they ought doe desire that our Church Common-wealth and State may by them or by their meanes be preserved from all danger and that wee may long flourish after their deaths then let them while they live labour to protect maintaine and defend the truth and true Religion of Christ and advance propagate and enlarge his Kingdome and the preaching of the Gospell even from Dan to Beersheba This was alwayes Davids care as wee may see in the whole 1.17 Psalme and 2 Sam. 6. and 1 Chron. 14.12 and 16.4 and 2 Sam. 7.2 and 1 Chron. 22.14 And hence Magistrates are called Gods Ministers Rom. 13.4 that their principall care may be to advance his glory in the propagation of Religion and the promulgation of the Gospell yea hence we are commanded to pray for them 1 Tim. 2.2 that under them wee may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty yea hence the Lord hath recorded and humane histories put upon the file of fame the names of many Magistrates and Rulers who have beene most carefull herein as of David and Ashah 2 Chron. 14.21 and Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 17.7 and 19.8 and Ezechia 2 Chron. 29.5 and 30.1 and Constantine the great and Valentinian and Theodosius and Gratian. And therefore if wee desire the peace prosperity and good of our Land and Church we must daily invocate the throne of mercy and the Lords most sacred Majesty to give continually and successively unto us such Magistrates and Rulers both in Church and Common-wealth as may observe in themselves the Lawes which they prescribe unto others and may execute all holy and wholesome Lawes which are made justly impartially couragiously resolutely without respect of persons and according to the rule and direction of the Law of God and which may protect religion and preserve it in purity and sincetie And thus I have done with the second maine brance The duty of Subjects alone viz. The duty of Magistrates if they wish truly the welfare of the Kingdome Now 3. Followes the dutie of inscriours and subjects alone and what is required on their part if they desire that our Church and Common-wealth may long continue in prosperity purity and peace Their duties are these viz. 1. 1 They must fear the Magistrates They must feare the Lawes and stand in awe of the Magistrates according that of Plato happie is that Common-wealth where the people doe feare the Law as a Tyrant For as Magistrates as was showed before must nto be like scarre-crowes so no more must people thinke either Lawes or Magistrates to be such Plata in Convivic 7. Sapient Bias was wont to say Optimam else Rempublican in qua legem omnes perinde ac ipsum Dominum et Regem metuunt That Common-wealth must needs flourish and prosper where people are as affraid of their Laws as Lords as fearfull to breake the Lawes as to offend their King Solon being asked how a City might continue in a happy and flourishing estate answered Si Cives quidem Magistratui obediant Magistratus autem legibus If the Citizens obey their Governours and their Governours their Lawes provided that the Lawes be good But of this by and by 2. 2 They must honour the Magistrates Subjects must honour their superiours the Magistrates who beare a weighty burden for them If we could and would but consider the heavy tasks troubles cares and toylsome endeavours of our ●…nfull and carefull Governours we would thinke them worthy of double yea trible honour A Kingdome is nothig else then a care of anothers safety according to that of Antiochus who told his sonne Demetrius that their Kingdome was a noble slavery August de civit 1.14 Augustine saith Imperatores serviunt quibus videntur unperare Emperours are the servants of those whose Lords they seeme to be that is in labour and care for them not in subjection unto them Many saith Plutarch in outward shew seeme glorious and happy who by reason of a curst wife at home is full of heavinesse So a Kingdome seemes to bring all content with it but it is well knowne that Crownes have their cares yea so many so great so weighty that as a King of our owne once said if a man knew how many cares and troubles did attend it he would not take it up though he saw it lying on the ground And therefore they desire honour from and by us in bearing these heavy and hard burthens for us Yea as Lactantius saith Kings as they are men before God so are they gods before men and therefore as the Lords Vice-gerents and Deputies they are to be honoured by men And 3. 3 They must obey the Magistrates As people or Subjects must feare the Lawes and honour the Magistrates so they must also be subiect and obedient unto them Rom. 13. The Apostle commands every soule to be subject unto the higher powers And the reasons hereof are 1. Because this subjecton unto Magistrates is the very preservation of Kingdomes as we might abundantly show out of Romane Histories The Emperors of Rome continued long in their government so long as they kept the people in subjection yea so long their Common-wealth flourished but after the people began to cast off the yoke an crowne whom they pleased they then continued but a short tim●… their Empires as we see by Galba Otho Vitellius and Iulian who slew one another and by Pertinar who was slaine by the souldiers and then their Empire began to decay And therefore it is a great blessing of God when Subjects are obedient unto their Soveraignes and Superiours in all lawfull things For all things succeed well where there is obedience and sweet accord but the pride of rebellon is as the sinne of Witch-craft and preceeds ruine Prover 28.2 Subjects I say must be obedient and subject to Governours because as a man is a civill and sociable creature so there is nothing more pleasing unto God then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or when the order ordained and

truth maintaintd and defended And these things wee should all begge earnestly of God Having thus clearely handled Why wee must pray for the Church and Common-wealth What wee must pray for in the behalfe of our Church and Common-wealth it now remaines in order to shew Why wee must be thus carefull to pray and bus earnest in praying for our Church and State I answer hereunto First Answer 1. because wee cannot expect that either should prosper without prayer Heaven shall cease to be when it shall cease to runne and men shall cease to prosper when they cease to pray For how can wee expect a blessing from God either upon our selves or our Common-wealth when wee neglect to sue unto him by prayer for it And hence the lewes say Druf in Gen. Sine stationibus non subsisteret mundus the world could not endure without standing idest praying for they usually stood when they prayed and Gnammuda standing is one of the seven names which they give to prayer And therfore I may say to my brethren as Nestor said to his children Pray for ulesse God helpe us we shall all perish Homer The Lacedemonians custome was not to crave any thing of their Gods but what was of importance and great consequnce saying that all small matters were to be obtained by mans industry Now the prosperity purity and peace of our Church and State is a matter of much moment and therefore there is great reason that wee should all pray unto God for them And. Secondly Answer 2. wee should pray for our Countrey Church and State because no temporall thing should be dearer unto us then our Countrey I say no temporall thing because the Lord Religion and the truth must bee nearer and dearer unto us then either our Land liberty or lives Homer tels us that so deare was the love of his Countrey to Vlisses that he preferred his native soyle lthaca before immortality Wee must not so doe but onely preferre it above temporall things Some define a Countrey thus Definition of a Country It is the Region or Climate under which we are borne and the common mother of us all which wee ought to hold so deare that in the defence thereof we should not feare to hazard our dearest lives Plato saith There can be no kindred nearer unto us then our Countrey There is nothing more to be desired then the good of our Countrey nothing more to be affected then the love of our Countrey For although children parents and friends are neare to us yet our Countrey chalengeth a greater love And therefore as the heathen said Happy is that death which being due unto nature Pulchrum est pro patria mori is besto wed upon our Countrey And therefore seeing our Countrey should bee thus deare unto us there is great reason that wee should pray for it and our Church and State established therein And Thirdly Answer 3. because the good of the Common-wealth and Church is ours For if as Stobaeus saith The profit of the Countrey extendeth it selfe to every City of the same then the good of a Commonwealth and Church must in like manner be communicated and extended to every inhabitant therein Tully telsus Nemo sibinatus None are borne for themselves onely but also or their Countrey and therefore if wee should seeke the good of that before our owne gaine then much more should wee desire and labour to procure that which is good both for our selves and Countrey as peace prosperity plenty and purity are It argues selfe-love for a man to love his Countrey not for it selfe but for that good which he possesseth in it and therefore if wee love our selves let us pray for the peace and good of our Church and State For as the life of all the members proceedeth from the heart so from the Common-wealth proceedeth the common good of every one Geminianus lib. 6 de homine ca. 5.7 and upon the safety thereof dependeth the safety of all Wherefore every one of us should labour both by prayers and endeavours to promote the good of this Country The Senate of Rome saluted Augustus Sever. by the name of Pater Patriae The Father of the Countrie and the Romanes erected Images of all such as renowned or benefited their Countrey And therefore if wee desire happinesse and esteeme amongst men while wee live and a good name and report when wee are dead wee should by all meanes advance the good of the Church and Common-wealth And Fourthly Answer 4. wee should pray for our Countrey because necessity requires it it being now taking physicke and alwayes subject to enemies 1. Saint Iames saith If any be sicke let him send for the faithfull Ministers to pray with him and the prayers of the righteous shall save the sicke Here note that something is there expressed to wit that Prayers must be made for the sicke and some thing implyed viz. that besides the prayers of others the party must not neglect the meanes of Physicke for Physicke must bee used and then the blessing of God desired upon it by prayer whereby the creatures are sanctified unto us Thus should we now doe for our Church and Common-weath being sicke and Parliaments and Convocations being the proper Physicke ordained for the healing curing recovering redressing and restoring thereof and this Physicke being now a working we should all pray and that powerfully that the Lord would so blesse and assist them both that they may be instruments of much good both to our Church and State And 2. Certainly Liv. lib. 30. wee are never without some enemies or other either home-bred or abroad either open or secret Livy saith truely Nulla magna livitas quiescere diu potest si foris bostem non invenit quaerit domi No Nation can long bee quiet or at peace for if it have no enemies abroad it shall finde some at home Yea the devill being an enemy unto truth and all true profession Religion and worship doth ordinarily stirre up most enemies and employ most subtle and most crafty instruments against that Countrey or Kingdome where the truth is professed defended and maintained And therefore seeing wee are assured that wee are not destitute or altogether without enemies although wee could see none therefore there is great cause and need to pray for the protection preservation and prosperity both of our Church and State Fiftly and lastly Answer 5. wee should labour by prayer for the good of our Common-wealth and Countrey because otherwise wee are worse herein then infidels as will appeare by an example or two Aristotle beeing at Athens was very carefull for his Countrey the which when Alexander had over-runne and rased Valer. Max by letters he moved him to buid it up againe Plutarch Dion of Syracuse was so loving unto his Countrey that he never rested untill he had thorowly freed it from the tyranny of Dionisius Themistocles being banished his