Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	eternal_a	life_n	way_n	4,470	5	5.3302	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03857	The advise of a sonne, novv professing the religion established in the present Church of England, to his deare mother, yet a Roman Catholike	Hungerford, Anthony, Sir, 1564-1627.	1616 (1616)	STC 13971.5; ESTC S115241	23,830	40

THE ADVISE OF A SONNE NOVV PROFESSING THE RELIGION ESTABLISHED IN the present Church of England to his deare Mother yet a Roman Catholike AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by Ioseph Barnes Printer to the Vni versitie 1616. THE ADVISE OF A SONNE VNTO HIS MOTHER SEeing it hath pleased God to appoint you the meane of my being in the world by whose holy ordinance you may iustly chalenge as of your right frō me all sincere affection dutie and observation and besides the bond of Nature my obligacion being much encreased by your most louing and cōtinued care of me even from my childhood it is now my part and that vnder perill of a curse if I neglect it by all meanes I may to yeeld comforts to your yeares and from my hart and soule to wish that when your temporarie daies on earth shal end you may by the mercy of God take possession of the eternall ioyes of heaven I know and haue witnesses of this so many as haue knowne you that your intentions haue ever aimed at this mark your life and actions haue beene a rare patterne to your sexe alwaies well declaring your devotion zeale to the service of God The which being the principall end of our creation howsoever the generalitie now in this state of corruption trāsported with the cares the pleasures and enticements of this life lay it not to the heart it is without question a blessing incomparable whereof none can judge but they that feele it when God of his meere mercie by his holy Spirit shal moue the heart of a sinful creature who before delighted only in the way of his owne destruction sincerely to seeke and serue him for this we may build vpon as a truth that must admit no question that never any shall haue their place in heaven whose hearts by grace haue not beene truely moued to this duty heere on earth Since then the time of this life is the moment wherevpon dependeth etermitie of weale or woe it behooveth every Christian that desires salvation seriously to consider of the way he walkes in especially seeing we learne frō our Lord Master Christ himselfe that the way is narrow that leadeth vnto eternall life and that they are but few that finde it Yet this difficultie of finding the way to heaven riseth from the passengers wilfulnesse or want of care for the truth is that of the small company that make profession of Christianity in the world the greatest part howsoever they disguise themselues in acting their parts on earth with a maske of religion yet never aiming sincerely at salvation for their end wholly neglect the meanes and so runne the broad way to hell Others better weighing the shortnesse and instability of this present life and well foreseeing their future mortality in a state most blessed or no lesse accursed desire earnestly the joyes of heaven yet never attending diligently to attaine them by that way which God hath directed for that end but relying vpon guides whom they choose themselues at adventure to conduct them are carried blindfold at the last thorough vncertaine by-paths to their certain ruine It is true that God hath never failed in every age to send faithfull guides into the world to direct his servants in this earthly passage but it is likewise found true by woefull experience that the Divell hath heere his swarmes of agents likewise to mislead vs and of those very many who haue learned the skill of their master the Prince of darknesse to transforme themselues into the shape of the messengers of light If wee looke to the Church consisting of the Iewes alone before the comming of Christ we finde it recorded by the holy Prophets of God that it was in continuall danger by reason of false prophets and seducing Pastors that did infest it who a ler. 14.14 prophesied in the name of God when he sent them not so that as the Prophet Esay complaineth b Esay 9.16 The leaders of this people caused them to erre and they that were led by them were destroyed When Christ our Saviour came into the world who were they that most opposed him but the Scribes the Pharisies the high Priests who were then esteemed and tooke vpon them to be the guides and leaders of the people nay to discourage their Nation from receiving the doctrine of their salvation they thought it enough to presse this question c Ioh. 7.48 Doe any of the Rulers or of the Pharisies beleeue in him but this people that know not the Law c. In the time of the Gospell wee are forewarned of false teachers that shall rise vp in the Church who shal come neverthelesse in the name of Christ taking vpon them to be our guides nay some of them shall put on so faire a vizard of outward carriage as that they shall seduce if it were possible Gods chosen children So that it will concerne vs no lesse then the losse or salvation of our soules to be wary in our choice of the guides we follow for though it be certaine that the blinde and seducing teacher shall for his hire haue his portion in hell with his Master for whom he laboured yet must the seduced likewise know that they cannot escape the judgement of God so the one with the other fal at last into the pit of eternal ruine But herein to make vs the more inexcusable almighty God out of his infinit care of mans salvatiō hath not only forewarned vs of these noysome weeds that shall daily spring vp in his Church to the endangering of the corne but to make vs able to discerne betweene the true Pastors of his flocke and those impostors that endeavour to delude vs he sends vs none to treate with vs in this great affaire concerning our saluation but with instructions in writing and those open to our view requiring vs to whom these messengers are sent to haue an eye to their commission d Esay 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speake not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them It is true that from the first creation of the world for divers ages there was no written Word but as God himselfe was pleased to bee the immediate teacher of our first parents so afterwards frō time to time he raised vp preachers for his people whom in divers manners hee inspired with knowledge and enabled for this worke of instructing others in his true feare and service But when once it pleased God in his wisdome to appoint Moses that holy man to be the faithfull pen-man of his everlasting Law which he gaue for the government and direction of his Church it is required as a duty of the people of God e Iosh 1.8 That this booke of the Law depart not out of their mouthes That they meditate therein day and night To observe and doe according to all that is written therein And to restraine vs from wandring out of

tell you they haue an vndoubted way to assure you of the doctrine they teach you to bee the truth of God which is by meanes of the miracles they boast to be frequent with them I wil confesse if we may beleeve them it hath been as easie and familiar with them to worke a wonder as it hath been with the Pope to make a Saint and yet I must tell you some doctors of his owne a Canus loc l. 5. c. 5. q. 5. Concl. 3. Cajetan likewise make doubt whether al be Saints in heavē that the Popes have canonized for such and thrust into the Romane Calender But to the miracles which they can chalenge as proper to their Church since their Bishops of that Sea haue ascended into the seate of their Vniversall Soveraignetie if they were all true as for the most part questionlesse they are but fables impostures such as those of the Legend are observed to be by men judicious and learned among themselves as Canus that plainly stiles the writer of them b Canus loc l. 11. c. 6. a man of a brasen face and a leaden heart Espenceus that affirmes c 2. Tim. 4. digr 25. No stable to be so ful of dongue as the Legends are ful of lies yet could this prove no certaine meane to assure vs of the truth to be with them seeing as Stapleton one of their Priests confesseth d Stapleton prompt mor part astiu in Dominic 24. post Pentecost For the more triall of the godly not only Antichrist himselfe and his forerunners but all heretikes also may doe true miracles by the permission of God as the Sorcerers of Pharaoh did And greater I presume my masters of Rome cānot boast of in these later times then Baronius the Cardinall hath recorded to be done by Simon Magus that instrument of the divel e Anno 63. num 22. That he made Images to walke and would lye in the fire without hurt that hee would flye in the ayre and make bread of stones that he could open doores fast shut vnloose bonds of iron that hee had many shadowes following him as it had bin men c. The like we may reade of others of that kinde But for resolution of this point I will here set downe a discourse of a learned Father the which is well worthy of your observation f Chrysost oper imperf num 49. Since Heresies have gained place in the Church there can bee no proofe of true Christianitie neither refuge for Christians willing to know the truth but the holy Scriptures Hereto fore it was by many means declared which was the Church of Christ and which was Gentilisme but now there is no way for those that are willing to know which is the true Church of Christ but by the Scriptures only wherefore because all those things that properly belong to Christ in truth Heresies likewise haue in schisme they haue churches they haue the holy scriptures they haue Bishops other orders of the Clergie they have Baptisme the holy Eucharist and all other things yea Christ himselfe whosoever therfore is willing to know which is the true Church of Christ how shal he know it in the confusion of so great resemblance but by the Scriptures only Heretofore it was knowne by miracles which were true Christians which false by what means The false either could not work signes as the true Christians did or at least not such as true Christiās could But now the working of miracles is wholly ceased and it is observed that counterfeit signes are more wrought with them that are false Christians Nay Peter in Clement hath foreshewed that Antichrist shal haue power giuē him to work true miracles Heretofore by the outward cōversation the Church of Christ might be knowne when the lives of Christians either all or the most part were holy such as it was not with others but now Christiās are become as bad or worse then heretikes or Gentiles nay there is a better outward carriage many times observed amongst those that are in Schisme then amongst Christians Hee therefore that would know which is the true Church of Christ how should hee know it but only by the Scriptures Our Lord therefore knowing that so great confusion of things would happen in the last dayes commands Christians that desire to receiue assurance of true faith to fly to nothing but the holy Scriptures If they looke to other things they shall be scandalized and perish not vnderstāding which is the true Church and thereby shall light vpon the abomination of desolation which shall stand in the holy places of the Church c. Thus far St. Chrysostom My masters of Rome howsoever they glose it like not the language of this learned Father To wish thē to expose their Church and doctrine to bee judged by the holy Scriptures were a hard saying with the Capernaites g Ioh. 6.60 in good reason they may tell you they cannot beare it But if St. Chrysostome had dealt so friendly with them as in place of onely Scriptures to haue named the word of God defining that word to consist as well of vnwritten traditions as the written word had withall assigned the Church of Rome with her supreame Pastor to be the trustie treasurer of vnwritten verities and the only infallible interpreter of the written word whereof the Cardinals conclusion might haue beene made good h Hosius de express Dei verbo pag. 38. That which pleaseth the Church is Gods expresse word and at the last resolving this Church into the Pope i Vnder the name of church we vnderstand her head that is to say the Rom. or bishop Greg. de valent in Tho. tom 3. disput 1. quaest 1. punct 1. alone questionlesse they would haue taken it as a kindnes at his hands But if he will insist vpon only Scriptures they will never giue over cavelling at this point First they will tell him k Canus loc l. 3. c. 3. that many things belong to Christian faith which are contained in the Scriptures neither openly nor obscurely St Chrysostome it seemes was of another mind who affirmeth l In Mat. hom 45. That whatsoever is required to salvation is all accomplished in the Scriptures neither is any thing wanting there that is needfull for mans salvation which mooues another of the antients to advise m Isidorus Pelusiota lib. 1. ep 369. That we refuse whatsoeuer is taught vnlesse it bee contained in the volume of the Bible a reason whereof Cyril a learned Father giues n lib. 72. in Ioh. haec autē scriptasunt c Because such things are written as the Apostles saw suffïcient for our faith and manners Possibly if they be intreated much in good nature they will acknowledge at the last as Bishop the Seminarie doth in his Tract against M. Perkins of Traditions o The scriptures containe not the resolution of difficulties which the learned must beleeue if they