Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	heart_n	life_n	spirit_n	3,986	5	4.7353	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02549	An humble remonstrance to the High Court of Parliament, by a dutifull sonne of the Church	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1641 (1641)	STC 12675; ESTC R210029	12,040	46

over Presbyters to be grounded rather upon the custome of the Church then any appointment of Christ I must answer First that we cannot prescribe to other mens thoughts when all is said men will take liberty and who can hinder it to abound in their own sense But secondly if they shall grant as they shall be forced that this custome was of the Church Apostolicall and had its rise with the knowledge approbation practise of those inspired Legates of Christ and was from their very hands recommended to the then present and subsequent Church for continuance there is no such great dissonance in the opinions as may be worthy of a quarrell The second is intended to raise envy against us as the uncharitable censurers and condemners of those Reformed Churches abroad which differ from our Government Wherein we do justly complain of a sclanderous aspersion cast upon us We love and honour those Sister-Churches as the dear Spouse of Christ we blesse God for them and we doe heartily wish unto them that happinesse in the partnership of our administration which I doubt not but they doe no lesse heartily wish unto themselves Good words you will perhaps say but what is all this faire complement if our act condemne them if our very Tenet exclude them for if Episcopacy stand by Divine right what becomes of those Churches that want it Malice and ignorance are met together in this unjust aggravation First our position is onely affirmative implying the justifiablenesse and holinesse of an Episcopall calling without any further implication Next when we speak of Divine right we meane not an expresse Law of God requiring it upon the absolute necessity of the being of a Church what hinderances soever may interpose but a Divine institution warranting it where it is and requiring it where it may be had Every Church therefore which is capable of this forme of Government both may and ought to affect it as that which is with so much Authority derived from the Apostles to the whole body of the Church upon earth but those particular Churches to whom this power and faculty is denied lose nothing of the true essence of a Church though they misse something of their glory and perfection whereof they are barred by the necessity of their condition Neither are liable to any more imputation in their credit and esteeme then an honest frugall officious Tenant who notwithstanding the profer of all obsequious services is tied to the limitations and termes of an hard Landlord But so much we have reason to know of the judgement of the neighbour Churches and their famous Divines that if they might hope to live so long as to see a full freedome of option tendred unto them by Soveraigne Authority with all sutable conditions they would most gladly embrace this our forme of Government which differs little from their owne save in the perpetuity of their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or Moderator-ship and the exclusion of that Lay-Presbyterie which never till this age had footing in the Christian Church Neither would we desire to choose any other Judges of our calling and the glorious eminence of our Church so governed then the famous Professors of Geneva it selfe Learned Lectius for a Civilian and for a Divine Fredericus Span●emius the now renowned Pastor and Reader of Divinitie in Geneva who in his Dedicatory Epistle before the third Part of his Dubia Euangelica to the incomparable Lord Primate of Ireland doth zealously applaud and congratulate unto us the happy as he conceiveth flourishing estate of our Church under this Government magnifying the graces of God in the Bishops thereof and shuts up with fervent prayers to God for the continuance of the Authority of the Prelates of these Churches Oh then whiles Geneva it self praiseth our Government and God for it and prayes for the happy perpetuation of it let it not be suffered that any ignorant or spightfull Sectaries should openly in their Libels curse it and maliciously brand it with the termes of Unlawfull and Antichristian Your wisdomes cannot but have found abundant reason to hate and scorn this base and unreasonable suggestion which would necessarily inferre that not Christ but Antichrist hath had the full sway of all Gods Church upon earth for these whole sixteen hundred yeares A blasphemy which any Christian heart must needs abhorre And who that ever hath looked into either Books or men knows not that the religious Bishops of all times are and have been they which have strongly held up the Kingdome of Christ and the sincere truth of the Gospel against all the wicked machinations of Satan and his Antichrist And even amongst our owne how many of the Reverend and Learned Fathers of the Church now living have spent their spirits and worne out their lives in the powerfull opposition of that Man of sin Consider then I beseech you what a shamefull injustice it is in these bold sclanderers to cast upon these zealously-religious Prelates famous for their workes against Rome in forraigne parts the guilt of that which they have so meritoriously and convincingly opposed If this most just defence may satisfie them I shal for their sakes rejoyce But if they shall either with the wilfully-deafe Adder stop their eares or against the light of their owne consciences out of private respects beare up a known error of uncharitablenesse this very paper shall one day be an evidence against them before the dreadfull Tribunall of the Almighty What should I urge in some others the carefull peaceable painfull conscionable managing of their charges to the great glory of God and comfort of his faithfull people And if whiles these challenge a due respect from all well-minded Christians some others heare ill how deservedly God knows and will in due time manifest yet why should an holy calling suffer why should the faults if such be of some diffuse their blame to all Farre far we know is this from the approved integrity of your noble Justice whiles in the mean time unlesse your just check doe seasonably remedy it the impetuous and undistinguishing vulgar are ready so to involve all as to make innocence it self a sin and which I am amazed to think of dare say and write The better man the worse Bishop And now since I am faln upon this sad subject give me leave I beseech you to professe with how bleeding an heart I heare of the manifold scandals of some of the inferiour Clergy presented to your view from all parts It is the misery and shame of this Church if they be so foul as they are suggested but if I durst presume so far I should in the bowells of Christ beseech you upon the finding of so hateful enormities to give me leave to put you in mind of the charitable example of our religious Constantine in the like case you cannot dislike so gracious a patterne I plead not for their impunity let them within the sphere of their

offence beare their own sin But oh forbid to have it told in Gath or published in the streets of Ascalon Your wisedomes well see under what malignant eyes we are of opposite Spectators What a death it is to think of the sport and advantage these watchfull enemies will be sure to make of our sins and shame What exprobrations what triumphs of theirs will hence ensue These and all other our cares are now securely cast upon your exquisite prudence and goodnesse The very mention of our feares whiles ye sit had need to crave pardon of presumption But withall to take down the insolence of those envious Insulters it may please you to give me leave to tell them that however in so numerous a multitude there be found some foully vicious as there is no Pomegranate wherein some grains are not rotten and even in twelve there is one Iudas yet upon a just survay it will be found that no one Clergy in the whole Christian world yeelds so many eminent Scholars learned Preachers grave holy and accomplished Divines as this Church of England doth at this day And long and ever may it thus flourish as it surely shall through Gods blessing whiles the bountifull incouragements of Learning and ingenuous education are happily continued to it And the more when those luxuriant boughes of disorder and debauchednesse are through just censures seasonably lopped off But stay Where are we or what is this we speak of or to whom Whiles I mention the Church of England as thinking it your honour and my own to be the professed sons of such a Mother I am now taught a new Divinity and bidden to ask Which Church we mean My simplicity never thought of any more Churches of England but one Now this very dayeswiser discovery tels us of more There is a Prelaticall Church they say for one and which is the other Surely it is so young that as yet it hath no name except we shall call it indefinitely as the Jews were wont to style the creature they could not abide to mention That other thing And what thing shal that be think we Let it be called if you please the Church Antiprelaticall but leave England out of the style Let it take a larger denomination and extend to our friends at Amsterdam and elsewhere and not be confined to our England Withall let them be put in mind that they must yet think of another subdivision of this division some there are they know which can be content to admit of an orderly subordination of severall Parishes to Presbyteries those again to Synods others are all for a Parochiall absolutenesse and independence Yea and of these there will be a division in semper divisibilia till they come to very Atomes for to which of those scores of separated Congregations knowne to be within and about these walls will they be joyned and how long without a further scissure Oh God where doe men stay when they are once past the true bounds But if it be so that the Prelaticall part must needs make up one divident member of this English Church tell me brethren I beseech you what are the bounders of this Church what the distinction of the Professors and Religion and if the clients of the Prelacy and their adherents whose severall thousands are punctually calculated be they who make up this Prelaticall Church what grounds of faith what new Creed doe they hold different from their neighbours what Scriptures what Baptisme what Eucharist what Christ what heaven what meanes of salvation other then the rest Alas my brethren whiles we doe fully agree in all these and all other Doctrinall and Practicall points of religion why will ye be so uncharitable as by these frivolous and causlesse divisions to rend the seamlesse coat of Christ Is it a Title or a Retinue or a Ceremony a garment or a colour or an Organ-pipe that can make us a different Church whiles we preach and professe the same saving Truth whiles we desire as you professe to doe to walk conscionably with our God according to that one rule of the Royall Law of our Maker whiles we oppose one and the same common enemy whiles we unfainedly indeavour to hold the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Oh consider I beseech you in the feare of God consider whether these be the thoughts of the sons of peace and such as are sutable to the charge and legacy of our deare Saviour and think seriously from what spirit they proceed For us we make no difference at all in the right and interest of the Church betwixt Clergy and Laity betwixt the Clergy and Laity of one part and another we are all your true brethren we are one with you both in heart and brain and hope to meet you in the same heaven but if yee will needs bee otherwise minded we can but bewaile the Churches misery and your sin and shall beseech God to be mercifull to your willing and uncharitable separation Howsoever I have freed my soule before my God in the conscience of this just expostulation and faithfull advise What remains but that I poure out my heart in my fervent and dayly prayers to the Father of all mercies that it would please him to inspire this Great Counsell with all wisedome from above and crown this great meeting with the blessing of all happy successe so as it may produce much glory to his own name much complacency and contentment to his deare Anointed comfort to all good hearts terror to his enemies seasonable restraint to all insolence and faction prevention of all Innovations and lastly a firm peace and settlement to this Church and Common-wealth and to all other his Majesties Dominions Which God grant for the sake of the Son of his love Jesus Christ the righteous Amen Amen FINIS Jacobus Lectius Pre●er Theol. l ● vide Episc. by Divine Right fol. ult. Obversatur mihi crebro grata ista Ecclesiarum vestrarum facies ista in publicis pietatis exercitiis reverentia c. Et quamvis omnia illa regna abundent praesulibus eruditissimis Theologis summis c. Sive prolixi nostri erga ecclesias omnes Britanicas affectus quarum praesules amplissimos Pastores fidos greges florentes in Domino suspicimus amplexamur c. Quo Deo sua semper apud vos constet gloria Serenissimo Regi vestro suum jus praesulibus sua authoritas pastoribus suus honor Eccles●is vestris omnibus sua sanctitas sua tranquillitas c. Epist. Dedic. 3. Part is Dub. Euang. Anno 1638. Et nostris pinguescunt monstra ruinis Jos. Isc