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	spirit_n	word_n	8,255	5	4.2520	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69047	A dialogue betwixt Cosmophilus and Theophilus anent the urging of new ceremonies upon the kirke of Scotland	Calderwood, David, 1575-1650, attributed name.; Murray, John, 1575?-1632, attributed name.	1620 (1620)	STC 4355; ESTC S114406	21,825	48

call ye the bands of their fidelity Theoph. Their oath and their subscription to that confession of faith which two do bind us also which are professors Cosm. O but these bonds may be loosed Theoph. I confesse they may be violently broken but lawfully loosed they cannot be For an oath is the strongest bond that the tongue can make and subscription is the strongest bond that the hand can make If ye breake these bonds tell me what shall bind a man Cosm I tell you Theoph. our superiours King and Church may loose them Theoph. No Cosmophile that may they not For both consented yea and by their authority presented this confession and urged these bonds on all binding first themselves then others to hold fast their profession according to that confession during all the dayes of their life So the bands of the grave must bind al before we can be loosed frō these bonds Indeed Cosmophile there is harder and faster knots in them then ye consider of namely in the band of the oath Cosm. What be these I pray you Theophile Theoph. In that band there is a double and indissoluble knot The one the perswasion of the truth The other the promise for the truth In the former the takers of the oath solemnly professed their perswasion wrought in their hearts by Gods spirit through his word of the undoubted truth of that religion doctrine and discipline professed in the Kirke of Scotland at that time and after to be continued therein and by the contrary the detestation of all false religion Papistry and all the particular poynts thereof as they were then condemned by our kirk In the latter they solemnly promised to maintaine defend prof●sse and practise that true religion in all the poynts thereof and to abhorre and detest the contrary Cosm. It is true Theophile that band and the knots thereof holds fast upon the substantialll poynts of religion doctrine and discipline which a●e unchangeable but not so upon the changeable rites and ceremonies about them Theoph. Surely Cosmophile the matter of the oath and all the particulars thereof are like a holy Taber●acle so joyntly and soundly compacted and knit together that the loosing of one pin bring●th perrill to shake all loose So albeit some might seem to be indifferent in themselves severally and apart considered yet ye must not thinke it 〈◊〉 thing indifferent to single and pick out the small pinnes of it as yee account them at your pleasure lest all as is like this day fall downe about your eares Cosm. But will you consider Theophile that your formes and ceremonies for the which and ours against the which yee stand have not entred in that oath being but things indifferent Theoph. Yes but they have Cosmophile for in it ours in generall termes are included and yours excluded and abjured Farther this oath is relative and hath respect to the former confession bookes of discipline and acts of assemblies By the which particularly and expresly our formes were received ratified and passed under practise as agreeable to Christs ordinance and yours rejected and debarred out of our Kirk as Antichristian rites Cosm. That oath Theophile so farre as it concerned these outward and alterable formes or the like was but indefinite and conditionall that is such formes as it should please the Church for the time to appoynt continue or change according to that power and libertie she did professe herselfe in sundry acts of assemblies to have over such indifferent things Theoph. It was both determinate and absolute Cosmophile even in these formes and such was the mind of our Kirk at that time which as I sayd in the former answer received ours and rejected yours So that her Profession of her power in the change of things indifferent extends not to their formes which are so particularly and by name excepted and the great seale of that solemne promise set upon the continuance in reteining of the one and in outholding and withstanding of the other Cosm. I think Theophile that was an unadvised Oath in respect of these indifferent formes which should not be made the subject of an Oath seeing they are so subject to changes Theoph. I think Cosmophile ye are evill advised to condemne so wise and worthy a Kirk consisting both of preachers and professors of all estates in an errand of so great importance as if they had not known nor keeped these inseparable conditions of a lawfull oath which the Lord himselfe expressed Ierem. 4. 2. That an oath should bee in Truth and so not false in Iudgement or discrerion and so not rash In Justice and so not unrighteous or unequitable The first and last respect chiefly the matter of a lawfull oath and the mid the manner Now that this oath was given in truth and to the truth it is cleare because they swore their resolution and perswasion of the truth of these heades contained therein That it was given in judgement not rashly or unadvisedly as yee say it is cleare by the words of the confession where it is sayd that after long and due examination of their conscience being throughly resolved in the trueth by the word and Spirit of God they gave it That it was given in justice it is cleare because all the particulars they swore too were and are agreeable to GODS word serving for the edification of the Kirke and overthrow of the kingdome of Sathan and of his eldest sonne the Antichrist and that their formes which yee call indifferent were not such in the judgement of our Kirke when they appoynted the one and discharged the other is evident by the religious and grave reasons given for their so doing As that ours were according to Christs institution agreeable to the simplicitie of the Evangell profitable for the preservation of the purity of Gods holy worship and eschewing of the occasions and countenance of superstition and conformity with Rome but yours by the contrary Cosm. I see then Theophile yee are loath to grant these formes to be indifferent Theoph. That I am Cosm. and although I should yee would be little neerer your purpose For it is neither the unadvisednesse of the maner nor the the indifferencie of the matter of an oath will loose the band thereof once layd on as long as the indifferent matter is not turned to a sinfull use or abuse Although such cases might possibly hinder the making of it it is onely the unlawfulnesse looses all The oath which Iosua and the Princes of Israel gave to the Gibeonites Ios. 9. 14. 15. was unadvisedly made for they consulted not sayes the text with the mouth of the Lord yet it was advisedly keeped for the religious reverence to the great and glorious name of God If yee be able to prove that our formerly established formes are turned unlawfull unprofitable inequitable profane or superstitious goe to try your wits Your Bishops and Doctors publickly professed they would not they could not Cosm. Yea but for all that

preaching cleanse all Theoph. Seeing yee urge preaching Cosm. go to shall not this be a particular poynt of it that a● the monuments and remainders of Idolatry and all the occasions and entisements to it be removed What wil become then of your ceremonies The truth is Cosm. as long as that man of sin hath place upon the face of the earth they wil never be cleansed And as for preaching it is appoynted by God not to cleanse them but to consume them and him both 2. Thess. 2. Indeed Cosm. ye may be the Popes Pensioner for the paines ye take to vent and advance his wares Cosm. Yet seeing other things Theoph. which have been abused to superstition are purged and retained as for example our Temples and Churches wherein the true God is now truely worshipped tell me why may not these things in like manner be purged and retained Theoph. I desired you before Cosm. to hold off your unlike examples but yee doe not therefore by answer either to content you or convict you I say 1. Temples or Kirkes have a needfull use both natural and civil in the commodious and comely containing of people for the publick practise of Gods worship So the abuse may be purged and they retained But the best use of your ceremonies is but abuse which being removed they fall as idle and fectlesse things to the ground 2. Albeit a Kirk be the place wherein God is publickly worshipped yet it hath no place or state in the exercise of that worship as any part poynt or ceremony thereof as your formes have 3. Sometimes some needful circumstances may require even the Temples to be removed and razed as the Temples of Idols were in the dayes of Constantine and Theodosius two godly Emperours Cosm. Would your Ministers Theoph. in their doctrine tell the people that these ceremonies should be and are used without any Papistical superstition and opinion of merit of inherent holines and efficacie or of necessity as if they were essential parts of Gods worship this would purge all Theoph. If they should so doe Cosmophile how would you purge them of the slander of inconstancie who before in their doctrine have told the people so oft that such ceremonies should not be used at all because superstitious And albeit they should tell and tell again as ye prescrive what assurance have ye that therby the hearts and minds of simple people should be purged of that naturall inclination they have to superstition so long as the objects occasions of it stand in their eyes And so much the rather when they see such things so violently enforced as if they were matters of greatest efficacie and necessity in Gods worship I must say Cosm. little wit makes meekle travell Were it not better to fill up the pit and so to take away all danger of falling in it then to spend time unnecessarily to warn folks to go by it who notwithstāding possibly through forgetfulnes carelesnes or want of light might fal into it Preachers preaching may be better imployed then to be made slaves to your ceremonies by giving continuall warning to saif from their ill when no sound warrant can be given for their good Cosm. Now say to the second poynt Theoph. may not the authority of King and Kirk lawfully reduce and impose these formes Theoph. They may not Cosm. in respect their hands are already bound by these former bands they must come from some new found land or go to it who make this thing Cosm. But answer me Theoph. is there not lawfulnesse and strength in their authority to do it Theoph. I have answered that already in effect Cosm. But I will adde this further It is true God hath given authority to both but with this restriction and direction sayes the Apostle Paul 2. Cor. 13. 10. not for the destruction but for the edification of his Kirk For the power of authoritie is the power of equity and not of injury Now by urging to re-edifie that which was justly destroyed and to destroy that which was lawfully built what humane authority can free the doers from transgression Gal. 2. or themselves from guiltinesse Cosm. That holds onely Theoph. in matters of substance according to the Apostles meaning and not in matters of ceremonies Theoph. It holds both in substance and ceremony Cosm. where the edification of a Christian soule may bee hurt or the course of the Gospell hindered Cosm. Ye curbe the power and authority of the King and Church strangely Theoph. that denieth it to them even in things indifferent Cosm. I have told you Cosm. that there is nothing indifferent that breakes these Apostolicall rules Mans authority is not absolute in things indifferent but i● is tied to these former scriptures from the which if it vary it wants the warrant of divine authority Cosm. But Theoph. this twofold Christian authority takes away all perril of offence and prejudice against these rules Theoph. One thing sayd and another thing seen Cosm. We see sensibly it rather continues and increases offence For the hearts of the lovers of the truth of King and Kirk are exceedingly grieved when they see humane authority enforcing what divine authority hath forbidden And the hearts of the enemies to all wonderfully comforted when they see authority so favour and further their formes For then there is no perill of offence when the expediencie and utilitie of the use of things indifferent is evident but if that be not the injunction of authority is very inexpedient unprofitable and doubleth the danger Cosm. The Papists Theoph. have but smal cause of comfort hereby For ye see how farre we differ from them in poynts of doctrine Theoph. But if ye wil call to mind Cosm. how they place almost the life of their religion in their ceremonies and that by them the very power and purity of true religion have been peece and peece weakned and worn out ye shal easily perceive that they cannot but conceive a great hope that we shal with time by following and affecting so fervently their formes fall in likewise upon their faith Cosm. Ye perceive not Theoph. the wise intent of authority to draw the Papists to us by conforming in some measure in outward shewes or ceremonies to them Theo. Wel Cosm. that intent had never yet a good event For it is the express precept of God in scripture both of old new testament that we should be in every thing● so farr as possibly can be unlike to Idolaters We are cōmanded to come out of Babel both in conscience and countenance in inward affection outward fashion in substance and ceremony We are commanded to beware of Idols to hate and cast away their garments coverings ornaments and to eschew every appearance of their evil It proves never well to bee wise above that which is written Before yee had yeelded to their ceremonies ye should have seen them in some measure yeild to your substance Ye have been over sudden