Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A02578
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Quo vadis? A iust censure of travell as it is commonly vndertaken by the gentlemen of our nation. By Ios. Hall D. of Diuinitie.
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Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.
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1617
(1617)
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STC 12705; ESTC S119019
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29,668
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118
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Through many insensible declinations doe wee â—all from vertue and at the first are so gently seazed by vice that wee cannot beleeue our accusers It is mischiefe enough if they can bee drawne to a lesse dislike of ill which now by long acquaintance is growne so â—amiliar to their eyes that they cannot thinke it so loathsome as at the first view The societie of wilfull Idolaters will now downe with them not without ease and good meanings beginne to bee allowed for the clokes of grosse superstition From thence they grow to a fauourable construction of the mis-opinions of the aduerse part and can complaine of the wrongfull aggrauations of some contentious spirits and from thence yet lower to an indifferent conceit of some more politike positions and practises oâ— the Romanists Neither is therâ— their rest Hereupon ensues an allowance of some of their doâ—trines that are more plausible and lesse important and withall a censure of vs that are gone too farre from Rome Now the mariage of Ecclesiasticall persons begins to mislike them the daily and frequent consignation with the crosse is not to no purpose The retired life of the religious abandoning the world forsooth sauours of much mortification and confession giues no small ease and contentment to the soule And now by degrees Poperie beginnes to be no ill religion If there cannot be a false fire of mis-deuotion kindled in them it is enough if they can be cooled in their loue of truth which how commonly it fals out amongst vs I had rather experience should speake then my selfe Some there are that by a spirituall Antiperistasis haue growne hotter in their zeale by being encompassed with the outward cold of irreligion and errour who as they owe not this grace to themselues so they are more for wonder then imitation If Daniel found a guard in the Lions denne shall another put himselfe thither for â—helter And if Peter walkt vpon the pauement of the water did the rest of the Disciples step forth and follow him That valiant champion of Christ since wee are fallen vpon his name who durst draw his sword vpon a whole troupe after all the protestations of his inseparablenesse from his master was yet infected with the aire of the High-Priests Hall and whiles hee but warmed himselfe at that fire cooled in his respect to his Sauiour Although perhaps this contagion working as it commonly doth remissely causeth not any sudden alteration in our Traueller but as wee say of Comets and Eclipses hath his effect when the cause is forgotten Neither is there any one more apparant ground of that luke-warme indifferencie which is fallen vpon our times then the ill vse of our wandrings for our Trauellers being the middle-ranke of men and therefore either followers of the great or commanders of the meaner sort cannot want conuenience of diffusing this temper of ease vnto both Sect. 15. All this mischiefe is yet hid with a formall profession so as euery eye cannot finde it in others it dares boldly breake â—orth to an open reuolt How many in our memory whiles with Dinaâ— they haue gone foâ—th to gaze haue loâ—â— their â—pirituall chastitie and therewith both the Church and themselues How many like vnto the brooke â—â—dron run from â—ierusâ—lem through the vale of â—â—hosâ—pâ—â—t and end their course in the dead Sea A popish writer of our Nation as himselfe thought not vnlearned complaining of the obstinacie of vs heretickes despaires of preuailing because hee findes it to be long agoe fore-prophecied of vs in the booke of the Chronicles At illi Protestantes audire noluerunt It is well that Protestants were yet heard of in the old Testament as well as Iâ—suites whose name one of their owne by good hap hath found Numbâ— 26. 24. Like as Erasmus found Friers in S. Pauls time inter falsos Fratres But it were better if this mans word were as true as it is idle Some of ours haue heard to their cost whose losse ioyned with the griefe of the Church and dishonour of the Gospell wee haue sufficiently lamented How many haue wee knowne strucken with these Asps which haue died sleâ—ping And in truth whosoeuer shall consider this open freedome of the meanes of seducement must needs wonder that wee haue lost no more especially if he be acquainted with those two maine helpes of our aduersaries importunitie and plausibilitie Neuer any Pharisee was so eager to make a Proselyte as our late factors of Rome and if they bee so hot set vpon this seruice as to compasse sea and land to winne one of vs shall wee be so madde as to passe both their sea and land to cast our selues into the mouth of danger No man setteth foot vpon their coast which may not presently sing with the Psalmist They come about mee like Bees It fares with them as with those which are infected with the pestilence who they say are carried with an itching desire of tainting others When they haue all done this they haue gained that if Satan were not more busie and vehement then they they could gaine nothing But in the meane time there is nothing wherein I wiâ—h we would emulate them but in this heat of diligence and violâ—nt ambition of winning Pyrâ—â—us did not more enâ—ie the valour of those old Roman souldiers which hee read in their wounds and dead faces then we doe the busâ—e audacitie of these new The world could not stand before vs if our Truth might bee but as hotly followed as their falshood Oh that our God whose cause wee maintaine would enkindle our hearts with the fire of holy zeale but so much as Satan hath inflamed theirs with the fire of â—urie and faction Oh that hee would shake vs out of this dull â—ase and quicken our slacke spirits vnto his owne worke Arise O North and come O South and blow vpon our garden that the spices thereof may flow forth These suters will take no deniall but are ready as the fashion was to doe with rich matches to carry away mens soules whether they will or no. Wee see the proofe of their importunitie at home No bulwarkes of lawes no barres of iustice though made of three trees can keepe our rebanished fugitiues from returning from intermedling How haue their actions said in the hearing of the world that since heauen will not heare them they will trâ—e what hell can doe And if they dare bee so busie in our owne homes where they would seeme somewhat awed with the danger of iustice what thinke wee will they not dare to doe in their owne territories where they haue not free scope only but assistance but incouragement Neuer generation was so forward as the Iesuiticall for captation of willes amongst their owne or of soules amongst strangers What state is not haunted with these ill spirits yea what house yea what soule Not a Princes Counsell-Table not a Ladies chamber can be free from their shamelesse insinuations It was not for nothing that their
learne to keepe their sonnes at home and not wilâ—ully beate themselues with the â—taffe of their age vpon them let my pen turne a little as those that are more then accessaries to this both priuate and publike mischiefe Sect. 3. It is the affectation of too-early ripenesse that makes them prodgall of their childrens safety anâ— hopes for that they may be wiâ—â— betimes they send them fooâ—â— to the world in the minority boâ— of age and iudgement like as fonâ— Mothers vse to send forth theâ— daughters on frosting early in colâ— mornings though into the miâ— of a vaporous and foggy ayre anâ— whiles they striue for a coloâ— loose their health If they were nâ— blinded with ouer-weening aâ— desire they could not but see 〈◊〉 their vnsetlednesse carries in it manifest perill of miâ—-carriagâ— grant that no danger were threâ—ned by the place experience giâ— vs that a weake-limde childe if 〈◊〉 be suffered to vse his legges too soone too muâ—h lames himselfe for euer buâ— if hee waâ—ke in vneuen ground he is no leâ—se subiect to maimes then crookednesse Do they not see how easily a young twig is bowed any wayâ— Do they not see that the Mid-wiâ—â— and the Nurse are wont to frame the gristly head of the Infant to any faâ—hion May not any thing be written vpon a blanke And if they make choice of this age because it is most docible and for that they would take the day before them why doe they not consider that it â—s therefore more docible of eâ—ill â—ince wickednesse is both more 〈◊〉 and more plausible then â—ertue especially when it meetes with an vntutored iudge and â—incâ—â—here is so much inequality of â—he â—umber of both that it is not â—ore hard to finde vertue then to misse vice Heare this then yee carelesse Ostriches that leaue your egges in the open sand for the Sun to hatch without the feare of any hooâ—e that may crush them in peecâ—s haue your stomackes resolued to digest the hard newes of the ruine of your children Doe ye professe anmity to your owne loynes then turne them as ye doe loose to these dangers ere they câ—n resist ere they can discerne but if ye had rather they should liue and grow bestow vpon them the kindly heat of your beâ—t plumes and shelter them with your owne brest and wings till nature haue opened a seasonable way to their owne abilities Seâ—â— 4. Yea let it be my iust complaint in this place that in the very transplantation of our sonnes to the saâ—er soile of our owne Vniuersities and Innes of Court nothing is more preiudiciall then speede Perfection is the childe of Time neither was there euer any thing excellent that required not meet leisure but besides how commonly is it seene that those which had wont to swimme onely with bladders sinke when they come first to trust their owne armes These Lap-wings that goe from vnder the wing of their damme with their shell on their heads run wilde If Tutors be neuer so carefull of their early charge much must be left to their owne disposition which if it leade them not to good not only the hopes of their youth but the proofe of their age lies bleeding It is true that as the French Lawyers say merily of the Normans which by a speciall priuiledge are reputed of full age at 21. yeeres whereas the other French stay for their fiue and twentieth that Malitia supplet aetatem so may I say of the younglings of our time that Precocitie of vnderstanding supplieth age and stature but as it is commonly seene that those blossomes which ouer-runne the spring and will be looking forth vpon a February-Sunne are nipped soone after with an Aprill-frost when they should come to the knitting so is it no lesse ordinary that these rathe-ripe wits preuent their owne perfection and after a vaine wonder of their haste end either in shame or obscuritie And as it thus falles out euen in our Vniuersities the most absolute and famous Seminaries of the world where the Tutors eye supplies the parents so must it needs much more in thâ—se free and honourable Innes as they are called for their libertie Colledges for their vse of our English Gentry wherein each one is his owne master in respect of his priuate studie and gouernment where there are many pots boiling there cannot but bee much scumme The concourse of a populous citie affords many brokers of villanie which liue vpon the spoiles of young hopes whose very acquaintance is destruction How can these nouices that are turned loose into the maine ere they know either coast or compasse auoid these rockes and shelues vpon which both their estates and soules are miserably wracked How commonly doe they learne to roare in stead of pleading and in stead of knowing the lawes learne how to conternne them We see and rue this mischiefe and yet I know not how carelesse we are in preuenting it How much more desperate must it then needs be to send forth our children into those places which are professedly infectious whose very goodnesse is either impietie or superstition If wee desired to haue sonnes poisoned with mis-beâ—eefe what could wee doe otherwise Or what else doe those parents which haue bequeathed their children to Antichristianisme Our late iourney into France informed me of some ordinary factors of Rome whose trade is the transporting and placing of our popish nouices beyond the seas one whereof whose name I noted hath beene obserued to carry ouer sixe seuerall charges in one yeâ—re Are wee so foolish to goe their way whiles wee intend a contrary period Doe wee send our sonnes to learne to be chaste in the midst of Sodome The world is wide and open but our ordinary trauell is southward into the iawes of danger for so farre hath Satans policie preuailed that those parts which are only thought worth our viewing are most contagious and will not part with either pleasure or information without some tang of wickednesse What can wee pleade for our confidence but that there is an houshold of righteous Lot in the midst of that impure citie that there are houses in this lericho which haue scarlet threeds shining in their windowes that in the most corrupted aire of Poperie some well reformed Christians draw their breath and sweeten it with their respiration Blessed bee God that hath reared vp the towers of his Sion in the midst of Babylon Wee must acknowledge not without much gratulation to the Gospell of Christ that in the very hottest climates of opposition it findes many clients but more friends and in those places where authorâ—tie hath pleaâ—ed to giue more aire to the truth would haue had many more if the Retormed part had happily continued that correspondâ—nce in some circumstances wiâ—h the Romane Church which the Church of Englanâ— hath hitherto maintained God is my record how â—râ—e my heart is both from paâ—â—â—alitic and prâ—iudiâ—e Mine eyes and eares can witnesse with whaâ— approoâ—e and applause diuerâ—