Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	false_a	know_v	true_a	4,114	5	4.5846	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87930	A letter from a Member of the House of Commons, to a gentleman now at London, touching the new Solemne League and Covenant.	Member of the House of Commons.	1644 (1644)	Wing L1411; Thomason E45_8; ESTC R2550	7,624	16

A LETTER From A MEMBER OF THE HOVSE OF COMMONS To a Gentleman now at London touching the New Solemne LEAGUE and COVENANT OXFORD Printed by H. Hall An. Dom. 1644. A Letter from a Member of the House of Commons to a Gentleman now at London touching the New Solemne League and Covenant SIR IT 's no wonder but common experience that the division of King and People so destructive to publique peace and private happinesse drawes with it the breach of all relations for when the foundation of publique order is subverted we may soone expect the fractions of families and friends bonds sacred in all ages the late strangenesse betweene us arising from our different wayes in the present distractions is one instance which yet may not withhold me from expostulating your taking the new Covenant and preaching with much vehemency as is affirmed the necessity of taking it by others I shall not looke backe on the causes of your engagement to that party who have thus advanced themselves though I conceive the clearenesse of your judgement must discerne the unsoundnesse of these grounds that were layed for taking up Armes against the King and that you could not secure your conscience in partaking with such blacke designes by principles which constitute the King onely passive in government and that he must sic as an idle Spectator of the disorders and miseries of his Subjects and thinke his account well discharged towards God and Man if he leave all to the Counsells of others without his owne deliberation or triall of them by Scripture or reason Surely the charge of a Prince is not so weighty if this be the greatest burden nor his finall account in this respect so terrible neither were the prayers for him so necessary in respect of his people depending on him as the Scriptures assure us if their good or evill were so little concerned in him Your former resolutions not to conforme to humane Lawes in any thing wherein your conscience was unsatisfied of divine authority extended not to inforce others to repeale lawes by the sword which they are perswaded were a sinfull disobedience to God and his Vicegerent And unlesse your passions have darkened your judgement and made you impatient of contradiction though from your owne or the most undenyable principles of divine truth I may hope you will satisfie or ease a doubting conscience in this your Covenant And first upon view of the Title being a solemne League and Covenant amongst Subjects without as much as a royall assent or authority of law without which all agreements to alter religion or government are a knowne high treason I find most men though farre engaged on your party stand amazed how they can defend religion by treason how they can breake the supreame lawes of government without breach of duty to God fidelity to his Vicegerent or peace of conscience I have not yet found any answer to this unlesse it be expected that our president of violence may aswell iustify as cause another But it seemes the end of this Covenant is the foundation of its legality and being for Reformation and defence of religion c. The Lawes of civill government must give place to it A Position which I still accounted till of late the peculiar of the Jesuits and if that be the support of your Covenant the affinity it hath with that sect should at least render it suspected if not hated by your selfe but the opposition it hath to the practice of Christians in all ages the scandall it gives to the cause of religion by shaking all governments where it 's entertained make it odious to Christians that desire the union of truth and peace The name of Reformation and defence of religion hath seldome beene wanting to any rebellion the foulnesse of which crime seeke to lurke under the most plausible pretences And as I plainely see by this Covenant not reformation or defence but alteration and introduction is avowed and there is no invasion or violence but may usurpe the title of defence if alteration of lawes government by force against the mind of the Prince be such Therefore the penners of this Covenant warily omitted lawes out of the particulars to be defended by this Covenant in the Title which must cast shame on the front so contradictory to them The next end the honour and happinesse of the King whether sincerely intended I appeale to your selfe or any that take this Covenant whether the maine Scope be not to take away his iust authority divest him of power and place all or the principall parts of Majestie in others without whom he shall be disabled to resist any rebell or enemy if this be a truth as I thinke it 's known to the most common understanding you will stand guilty to God aswell of grosse hypocrisy as disobedience and I should gladly know what honour is meant the King that shall be reduced to such a condition I beleeve few forraigne Princes will understand such an estate of much honour and they will quickely find it of lesse power and that the peace and safety of the three Kingdomes will be kept by this Covenant when the Soveraigne power the band of union is dissolved I may rather dreame then beleeve To the preamble that makes the danger of Religion the motive of this Covenant whosoever lookes on the progresse of the present distractions and by what degrees they rose that sees the credit and imployment that Sectaries and Schismatiques of all sorts have among those Covenanters that such as in the cleerest and most unsuspected times were branded for disturbance of Church and State now undertooke to declare them enemies to Religion that have beene the Champions of Gods cause against the common enemies of our Religion if Papists are so intended by this Covenant that sees by whom Armies have beene raised Townes taken the King pursued will find plots against the true Religion and the professors thereof under the maske of defending it and all the miseries raised in the three Kingdomes to take their originall from these Covenanters who while they violently acted their designes in England and Scotland defrauded Ireland of necessary releife and cast it into that infelicity it so long groan'd under The commendable practice of those Kingdomes in former times and the example of Gods people in other Nations is of weight if the allegation were of credit and the times had beene pointed out that we might have beene informed of their certainety and authority I have heard of the unholy league in France to resist Henry the 4 of that Kingdome if he submitted not to the Roman religion if that be one of your examples as it hath great likenesse to your present Covenant and difference of true and false Religion makes not a difference in the legality of Armes against the Prince which are rebelliously borne if against him or his lawes and you well know there is no law to alter Religion against the will of the King I

shall not deny you the truth but leave you the strength of that example There was an attempt of the Papists neare the death of Queene Elizabeth to oppose any successor not of their Religion I remember but these that are so well like your case and I beleeve there are none nearer in this or other kingdomes The first article to endeavour the preservation of the reformed religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Disipline and Government against our common enemies carrieth such doubtfull sence as I may justly suspect it rather a snare to entangle then a rule to guide the Conscience It is not onely rash presumption but irreligious prophanenesse to sweare preservation of unknowne precepts and the Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government of the Church of Scotland are knowne to few that take this Oath who with an implicit faith sweare to preserve they know not what perhaps that which if they knew they would rather desire to destroy I thinke your selfe would not sweare to preserve the Doctrines c. of all the reformed Churches and I am sure no law bindes me to preserve this and Christian duty forbids me to sweare defence of that which I know not which may be sinfull in it selfe and must needs be sinne to him who sweares in ignorance so much more to them that enforce it on others and whereof God will one day require an account And they who formerly found the Canons of the late Convocation so full of exception have herein justified them and given all the offence they tooke at these Canons and much more in the injustice of this oath being of things unknowne of an other Church and Nation of Discipline and Government which are of humane institution and perhaps opposite to our owne fundamentall lawes dishonourable to our Church and Nation and destructive to both a matter of worse consequence then the late c. and your selfe if I heare truly are much departed from your former resolutions that thought subscription should be forborne to some tender consciences and now judge there is no pretence for avoyding this Covenant that hath not only doubtfullnes but apparent danger of perjury and presumption and in comparison whereof the most rigid of the former Canons was a most innocent and tender Injunction I inquire not why Scotland may not be reformed why England and Ireland must but why in doctrine I pray demand of these that have acknowledged the soundnesse of it by their oathes and preachinge and when that famous and conscientious Doctor Reynolds and others at Hampton Court moved a reformation of some things in Ceremony and Clergy they openly professed their unquestionable assent to the Doctrine of the Church of England in the thirty nine Articles and the oath of Supremacy which how observed in this Covenant undertaken without the King and to be performed without respect to him is seene of all I may more then suspect these new reformers are not of our Church that deny her Doctrine and that these men who had no conscience in their former subscriptions will not expresse any in their reformation The rule they pretend is the word of God with an addition of the example of the best reformed Churches Doubtlesse the example of other Churches is not the touchstone whereby we must try doctrine or worship it seems the word of God will not doe the worke these men intend they will herein allow the superstructure of traditions and they are contented to exclude the example of the primitive Church a name venerable to all Christians and in all true Christian Churches and to reforme their mother the Church of England by other Churches where neither the word of God nor primitive practice covince her of errour is farre from the duty of sonnes and Charity of Christians I conceive the word best reformed will beget a Schisme rather then close the breach of the reformed Churches and while we expresse our esteeme of some in such language as upbrayds others with defects we provoke their just complaint against us There is not any reformed Church that I have heard of that accounts it selfe worse then other in their confessions of doctrine and therefore some will be undoubtedly scandalized by this expression and a faction raised among our selves while every man takes best reformed in his owne sence and the consideration being of so great variety of circumstances when some that are accounted best in government may be worst in doctrine and the contrary it must prove unquietnesse to the conscience and an uneven rule to reforme the Church We may depend on Gods promise that he will dwell among us that have one faith one baptisme one Lord Jesus Christ who died for us and if in matters of forme and circumstances of government we differ and yet retaine the unity of spirit in the bond of peace as is our duty we may be assured he will still delight to doe soe rather then in the causeles rents for indifferent things But the use these men make of scripture is for phrase not for proofe 2. For the extirpation of Popery Superstition Herisie Schisme and prophanenesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound doctrine and the power of godlinesse you have an universall consent that it 's fit to be done by every one as he hath the warrant of a lawfull calling to it But why Prelacy c. that hath the authority of longest continuance and practice in the first and best ages of the Church of God of legall establishment in this Kingdome that hath beene eminent for the Learning Piety Zeale and Martyrdome of many in these Orders and from whom we must in a great part by Gods great blessing acknowledge the happy reformation in this Church may justly be demanded if any among us as many doe conceive this government as necessary to continue as you doe to be destroyed will you not put as great a burden upon their conscience in pressing it in this Covenant as you imagine upon your owne by the continuance of this government surely more for your Covenant in this very point is a breach of duty being a plaine and wilfull resistance of the higher powers and not only contempt but subversion of Lawes Sir I have no intent to travell into controversies but the Lord was and will be one and his name one in the three Kingdomes if this government continue and I am sure a Covenant to take it away against the mind of the Prince while it thus standes by law is rebellion against God and his Vicegerent 3. It might move any man to just indignation that reads your ostentations of loyalty when the very act you doe and the formes of publishing these words denounce the contrary I am sure the King is not consulted with no reservation made of his consent in this very thing that is thus imposed on all his Subiects and the World that is called to witnesse will testifie loyalty is spoken treason acted And I appeale to your selfe