Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A25510
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The Answer of the new converts of France to a pastoral letter from a Protestant minister done out of the French copy publish'd there with permission.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing A3297; ESTC R12752
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6,346
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20
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deserves your nearer application Do not think to excuse your selves by reason of the too great extent such an Examination appears to have to fill us with greater Confusion and Sorrow for leaving your Church you needed only to convince us of this one Article of your Faith which saith Art 31. That God rais'd up certain Men in an extraordinary manner to Model the Church anew that was fall'n into Ruine and Desolation Convince us we say but of this and we shall always think our selves miserable for being such Rebels against the Order of Divine Providence and endeavouring by our Infidelity to destroy the Work of God But you cry It is in vain seeing we can't believe it to be the Work of God nor have any faith for this extraordinary Mission 'T is true Zuinglius Luther Luth. Tract de Ver. Eccl. Reform Calv. Instit lib. 4. cap. 3. Sect. 4. St. John 5.31 and Calvin have born that Testimony of themselves 'T is true they have given themselves the Titles of Apostles and Evangelists but since Jesus Christ has said speaking of himself If I bear testimony of my self my testimony is not true what credit can that Testimony claim that your Patriarchs have only given of themselves Where then shall we begin to judge for every extraordinary Mission is vain and useless if it brings not its Proof and Evidence to those in favour of whom it is sent Shall we know their Authority by their Miracles by their Works or by their Doctrine Their Miracles were never known the Works of such as are Enemies to Virginity to Vows of Chastity Fasting Abstinence Austerities Penance Confession of Sins and to the Pains requir'd for their Expiation are too opposite to the Spirit of the Gospel either to perswade or edifie Their Doctrine supposes their Mission as St. Paul tells us and therefore proves it not for How shall they Preach saith he Rom. 10.15 unless they be sent Without so much as Examining this Doctrine to the bottom their Divisions and the Contradictions that were between themselves and remain to this Day among their Followers in the chief Mysteries of Faith are they not wholly opposite to Truth and the Unity of the Spirit of God Luther will have it That in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper besides the Bread the Body of Christ is really truly and corporeally contain'd Calvin denies that the Body of Jesus Christ is contain'd in the Sacrament but tells us it is however communicated there and really and substantially receiv'd Zuinglius on the contrary says That Jesus Christ is neither contain'd nor receiv'd nor communicated in or by the Sacrament but only the Figure of Christ's Body and the Effects of his Death and Passion Did the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ teach after this manner Do we find among them Contradictions in the Mysteries of Faith or in their Doctrine What then Sir would you have us think of these three Apostles and Evangelists of your Reformation Into which of their Countries for every one of them has his own particular would you have us go to live in the Profession of the Truth as you advise us in your Letter For 't is in this Sence we understand the Resolution which you cunningly suppose we have made to stay in the Bosom of Rome only till we have put our Affairs in order It seldom appertains to any but to God to penetrate so deep into the Hearts of Men However Sir make use of what time you have to determine to which of your three Evangelists we ought to submit and which we ought to relie upon Otherwise be not surpris'd that we live and enjoy one another in that City where generally all our Fathers and yours excepting it may be two or three since Jesus Christ and his Apostles have been bred up that we live peaceably in the same Church in which they liv'd and therein seek that Salvation we hope they have found Permitted to be Printed Given this Sixth of February 1686. DE LA REYNIE FINIS
THE ANSWER OF The New Converts OF FRANCE TO A Pastoral Letter FROM A PROTESTANT MINISTER Done out of the French Copy Publish'd there with Permission Publish'd with Allowance LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's most Excellent Majesty for his Houshold and Chappel 1686. THE ANSWER OF THE NEW CONVERTS OF FRANCE To a Pastoral Letter from a Protestant Minister IT is not Sir to give you an Account of our Conduct that we now write to you we know you are not in the Circumstance of approving it and we are much troubled at it Nor is it to Answer either your injurious Language or your Menaces the Holy Ghost confirms us against them both when he tells us 1 Pet. 3.13 14. Who is he that can hurt you if you do only that which is good but and if you suffer for Justice sake you shall be happy Fear not what they would make you fear nor trouble your selves but sanctifie our Lord God in your hearts and be always ready to satisfie every one that asks you a reason of the hope which is in you It is therefore in obedience to these last words we have now broken that profound Silence in which the Moderation that our Faith as yet but tender inspires into us would retain us were we not oblig'd to render an Account of that Faith and to hinder the weak from being scandaliz'd at the Reproaches you have cast upon us and the Church from being dishonor'd by those who are not happy enough to know her We shall not distinguish among us as you have done the Libertines those Christians whom you call cowardly nor those whom you think you honor by the name of simple Apostates because we cannot believe but that Division was rather a Figure and an Artifice then any real Effect of your Sincerity For we are perswaded there is not one of these three pretended States tho' never so Impious and Libertine but your Zeal would willingly draw back again into your Party and not one but you would rejoyce to see become a Martyr for your Religion The haste you would thereupon make to revoke the Sentence against them should make you consider with how much rashness you have pass'd it Doubtless Sir you never thought of this when you durst pronounce There was no further sacrifice remaining for their sins and like a God upon Earth condemn'd them to devouring Flames Without examining too nicely this Judgment God himself lets us see the rashness of it Psal 109. when he assures us the Priesthood of Jesus Christ shall never have an end because he will offer eternally the Sacrifice of his Cross for the Redemption of Sinners The transgressions even of the wicked Ezek. 18.22 23. say what you will God will not remember as the Scripture tells us from the moment he converts himself from them for I will not saith the Lord by the mouth of his Prophet the death of a sinner but that he should return from his wickedness and live But without doubt you will say this Conversion consists in returning into your Church which in your Letter you invite us to But can this Proposition move a Christian if it could not have been propos'd to him through every Age. since the Death of Jesus Christ And could this have been done Two hundred years since before you had any such thing as a Church It is of no purpose to tell us as we have so often heard That your Church subsisted always but that it was invisible For can the Church subsist without Faith Rom. 10.14 and Faith saith St. Paul without Preaching and Preaching without some Action that is both publick and visible Have not you your selves taught us Conf. de Foy. 28. That where the Word of God is not received and where the Sacraments are not in use no Man can judge properly speaking that there is a Church All these Consequences have they not made you own That at that time the State of the Church was discontinu'd How then could any one propose to a Neophyte to embrace that Faith which they could not make him know Nevertheless can we Sir believe that for so vast a time that according to your selves is from the Fourth or Fifth Age to this day in which you tell us the visible Church which was no other but the Roman was fill'd with Errors or at least since the Tenth Age when you assure us she was fall'n into all manner of Superstitions and Idolatries Can we I say believe that during so long a space of years the Gates of Heaven were shut the Blood and Death of Jesus Christ were ineffectual the Kingdom of the Saviour of Mankind ceased and the Empire of the Devil was full entire and absolute within the House of the Son of God Do's not Jesus Christ himself teach us to the contrary S. Mat. 16.18 S. Luc. 22.32 S. John 14.16 That the gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church and that he has pray'd for her that her faith shall never fail in short that the holy Spirit shall remain with her for ever We formerly Sir believ'd according to the ancient Principles you taught us That is was enough to shew the truth of these words That there was a small number of the Faithful who liv'd according to outward appearances in the Communion of the Roman Church but whose Hearts you assur'd us never adher'd to its Worship But now you not only bid us preserve our selves from that Illusion but also tell us that nothing is more criminal then such a thought That such a Devotion is injurious to God That God requires all or nothing and that since he is the Redeemer of both he will be glorifi'd by both For 't is not enough say you after St. Paul to believe in your heart to justice but you must profess it with your mouth to salvation We believe you Sir and we acknowledge our selves oblig'd to you for so kindly contributing to confirm us more and more in the Church we are so lately enter'd into by leaving us no further doubt of the newness of yours For from henceforth where can we believe your Church subsisted during so many Ages when you had neither Temples nor Service nor Assembly nor Preachers nor Sacraments nor Faithful You have endeavor'd hitherto to come off by telling us as occasion serv'd sometimes that it was visible and sometimes that it was invisible You said your self to M. de Meaux That before the Reformation P. 120. the truly Faithful were mingled with the rest in the same outward Profession But thanks be to Heaven we are now likewise taught by you that we cannot believe without Illusion That one of the Faithful can preserve himself in the outward Communion of the Roman Church altho' his Heart do's not incline to the Worship and that there is nothing more criminal then such a thought There remains then no further doubt but that according to your selves not only