Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	lead_v	spirit_n	7,650	5	5.6570	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18948	The recantation of Thomas Clarke (sometime a Seminarie Priest of the English Colledge in Rhemes; and nowe by the great mercy of God conuerted vnto the profession of the gospell of Iesus Christ) made at Paules Crosse, after the sermon made by Master Buckeridge preacher, the first of Iuly, 1593. Whereunto is annexed a former recantation made also by him in a publique assembly on Easter day, being the 15. of April, 1593	Clarke, Thomas, seminarie priest of the English college at Rheims.	1594 (1594)	STC 5366; ESTC S118981	19,358	48

master that is to God before whose tribunall we shall all stand and giue an account euery one for himselfe let vs not therefore sayth he any more iudge another but iudge this rather that no man put a stumbling blocke or an occasion to fall in his brothers way My meaning herein thou mayest easily gather and God grant thou may vse it to the benefite of thine owne soule and Christes small flocke The second cause that mooued me to the publishing heereof was the good that might hereby grow to those that be but lightly infected with Papistrie that by my example seeing my conuersion and reading my Recantation they may be mooued to consider for the safetie of their soules the great perill and imminent danger wherein they doe continually liue and so they may call to God for the heauenly vnction of his holy spirit and the precious gift of his grace that may cure their wounds and leade them to the perfect knowledge of his pure trueth And those that perticularly by my doctrine example haue erred or doe goe astray may by these meanes which I heartily aske of God for his sonne Iesus Christ his sake be reduced againe into the right way and for mine owne part I shall for euer heereafter haue the testimonie of a better conscience that I haue not bene negligent herein to performe the duetie of a good Christian in putting such in minde of their estates and shewing them the meanes the like wherof if they aske it as they should God doubtlesse will not denie them of my conuersion If I had contented my selfe with the vttered matter and not haue proceeded any further to publish the same the world might haue layed some blame on me and reprehended me for lighting of a candle and putting it vnder a bushell but being put on a candlesticke and left indifferently to giue light to all not presently but for posterity I shall be I hope in this behalfe free from the calumniation of any Consider I pray thee deare Christian if thou bee a Papist or any thing addicted that way that thou canst not imagine any sinister cause for the which I should as they say haue turned my coat the greatest cause of all things which thou canst thinke of is worldly wealth which on that side I neuer wāted nor any thing els that was cōuenient either for my pleasures or necessities and therefore I had no cause for that to forsake them if I had not bene induced thereto by further consideratiōs means thē is the regard of worldly cōmodities but cōtrarywise as thou shalt more largely vnderstand in my recantation they were the onely things that for a lōg time withheld me frō embracing the pure waters that spring to euerlasting life But perchance thou wilt say I hoped for better then I had beleeue me no I neither hoped for better nor haue so good notwithstanding if I should be driuen to beg my bread let all the papists in the world know that I will not forsake the kingdome of heauen for this worldes good neither doe I make my bodily life more precious then my soule for what would it profite me to winne the whole world and to lose my soule or what exchange should I make with God for my soule I know they would receiue me againe if I would like a dog returne yet to my vomite but farre be that from me better it were for me neuer to haue bin borne then once to thinke on any such matter and I hope God that hath done thus mercifully by me and delt thus mightily with me hath not nor will not bestow his grace in vayne vpō me but will perfect his worke so effectually begun The last cause that moued me to publish these presēts was to assure the aduersaries to whose hands I am sure they wil come that I neither haue done nor hereafter wil doe any thing against thē of malice but in all my procedings I haue will deale as charitably as I can not betraying the trueth of God which I preferre before the estimation of the whole world neither would I haue any mā to think that I speak as though I did any thing at all relie vpō their good opinions of me for that I am assured they hate me as the deuil and will not sticke to employ all the labour they can to deface and discredite both me and my calling But let them not spare their enuious carping will demonstrate in them the lying spirite that ouerruleth them and euery one that is not as blinde as themselues will soone perceiue their legier de maine and although their buzzing will obtaine place in the eares of their complices and fautors who are alwayes ready to bandie the balls which their leaders tosse so farre as the slanderous blastes of their wicked mouthes will cary them yet I hope the force of them flie they neuer so stiffely shall not bee able to make winke the least child in Gods Church much lesse ouerthrow him Moreouer I doe heartily desire euery Christian reader to weigh with good consideration these presents Yf thou be already infected with error and blindnesse pray to God that he will bestow vpon thee the cleare light of his truth persist not wilfully in wickednes but take occasion hereby to sift and try the spirit that is aswell in thy selfe as in thy teachers if thou be ignorant and vnlearned builde not thy faith vpon the credite and good opinion of other men say not as I know many haue and doe say I am not able to render an accompt of this or that thing but I know it is true I must beleeue so because this learned man or these diuines and good men beleeue so aske them they are able to giue you an answere both for themselues me it is a weake building that hath so shallowe and vncertaine a foundation and a simple faith is it that is pinned so slenderly to other mens sleaues the Apostle Saint Peter biddeth thee to bee able and readie to render an account of thy faith to euery one that shall demand it at thy hands I meane not that thou art so exactly bound as he that teacheth both thee and others but in some good measure according to thy abilitie and the talent that God hath lent thee thou art bound to knowe what thou beleeuest in whom thou beleeuest what thou art bound to beleeue Build not therefore thy faith vpon the faith of other men for that foundation cannot chuse but faile thee but erect thy building vpon the immooueable rocke Christ Iesus of whom the scriptures doe most plentifully beare witnesse Art thou learned search the scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they that testifie of me c. Art thou vnlearned goe to thy Pastor goe to him that hath charge of thy soule and receiueth instruction from God for thee The Priestes lippes shall preserue knowledge thou shalt seeke the law at his mouth for

that I did heare and when I heard I was vnwilling to heare I would not heare At the length when God had brought me to heare in some good measure he taught me to consider of diuers things the which for breuities sake I will omitte to speake of in this place by consideration he bread in me a doubting of the estate of my soule by doubting he wrought a desire of the cleare knowledge of his trueth the which as then I had no meanes to atteine but by the secret manuduction of his holy spirite and the reading of holy scriptures by bothe which it pleased his heauenly Maiestie of his accustomed mercie to reforme my strayed iudgement and thus by little and little he taught me as it were the first rudiments of his true faith and at the last he caused me absolutely to resolue to come forth of Babylon But such was the malice of the deuill the auncient enemie of mankinde that seeing and enuying this my resolution he cast such a stumbling blocke in my way that for a whole yeeres space I was not able to moue it much lesse to remoue it This blocke in deede was heauy and very heauy consisting of two woods of life and of death First he layed before me the terror of death the rigor of the lawes and my iust desertes in transgressing the same against this I opposed my voluntary submission presidents that had escaped the like danger and haue before me occupied this place and most of all her Maiesties clemencie and most gracious mercie vsed towardes all especially to men of my coate and profession This part of his stumbling blocke being but a little stirred he assaulted me presently with a second thing of no lesse importance then the first which was mine owne estate in this maner That admit my life were spared yet I had not to looke for any liuing or maintenance and hauing of my selfe none I should by recanting bring my selfe to pouertie and misery and be of none accompt Whereas now I wanted nothing I could wish for and was reputed amongst the best Against this I had nothing to oppose but onely an vncertaine hope as I thought of her Maiesties bountie and the wisdome and charitable care of her honorable counsaile for the prouiding for of such manner of persons Briefely after the deuill had throughly wrought in me the feare and vncertaintie of both life and liuing therein he left me miserablie deiected and wrestling in so much that for a great space after I remained here and there in the countrey for vpon this my resolution I quite forsooke the chiefe place of my vsuall staye and abode but could proceede no further till at the last in place where I was in my secrete chamber word was brought me of the taking of one of my coate whom I wel knew These newes bread in me such a present feare that from thenceforth I could not be in quiet Wherefore with as much conuenient speede as might be I prouided for my iourney towards London whither being come because I was in the place as it were a meere stranger and being acquainted with no one to whom I durst impart my minde in a matter so dangerous I was by reason of my feares aforesaid constrained to deferre my submission vntill it would please God either to offer me fit opportunitie thereto by some one or other or that he should endue me with sufficient courage and fortitude to peforme my determinate purpose the which at the length of his great goodnes he graunted me but making me to knowe withall that his honour and glory must alwayes be sought of me whether it be for my temporall auaile or disaduantage Thus at the last he hath deliuered me from all mine enemies for which great worke and mercie of his what haue I but with the prophet Dauid to say Benedictus Deus qui non dedit nos in captionem dentibus eorum anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium laqueus contritus est nos liberati sumus Blessed be God which hath not giuen vs ouer for a pray vnto their teeth Our soule is escaped euen as a birde out of the foulers snare the snare is broken and we are deliuered It followeth touching the a●iuration of those errors which once I held but now detest that I speake somewhat To stand vpō euery particular it is not my meaning neither doe I purpose to make any long discourse vpon those poynts which I will touch also I meane to speake but of a fewe things because this time will not suffer me to handle many neither these fewe as I would If my order in placing the poynts handled seeme preposterous to the learned I preferre their iudgements and desire them to pardon my wants and accept herein my dutifull labours Furthermore if at the first I shall attempt to put the axe to the roote of the tree whereon the rest of the branches growe I shall at once ouerthrowe both the one and the other and because I will leaue my selfe more scope though otherwise I could finde sufficient I will beginne with some particular branches and so descend to the bodie and roote but whether I beginne at the toppe or in the middle it is no great matter for my meaning is to destroy all though not in all yet in my selfe First therefore to speake of the worshipping of Images which the aduerse part holdeth for great pietie and religion I can finde no warrant therefore in holy writ but contrarily I finde it expresly forbidden with fearefull curses therefore threatned as in the second commandement of the first table it is forbidden in these wordes Thou shalt make thee no grauen Image neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath or in the waters vnder the earth thou shalt not bow downe to them nor serue them Also when ye are come ouer Iordan c. ye shal driue out all the inhabiters of the land before you and destroy all their pictures and breake asunder all their images of mettall c. That worshippers of Images are accursed we reade in Deu. these words Cursed be the man that shal make any carued or molten Image which is an abominatiō vnto the Lord. Also in another place Miserable which may import so much as to say accursed are they among the dead is their hope that call them gods which are the works of mens hands golde and siluer and the thing that is inuented by arte c. Many other places I could alledge against the making and worshipping of images but I will omit them onely I will rehearse vnto you the wordes of Tertullian vpon this matter so I will passe further God saith he hath forbidden an Image aswel to be made as to be worshipped c. And a little after hee goeth forward in this sort Some one or other to mainteine idolatrie will say Why then did Moses make the

Image of the brasen serpent in the wildernes Which obiection he answereth in this sort One and the selfe same God hath by his eternall lawe forbidden any Image to bee made and also by his extraordinarie and speciall commandement the Image of a serpent to be made If thou be obedient to the same God thou hast his lawe make thou no Image but if thou haue a regard to the Image of the serpent afterwards made by Moyses then doe thou as Moyses did make not any Image against the law vnlesse God command thee as hee did Moyses What neede we to stand vpon moe proofes herein these I take for this time sufficient to confirme the trueth of the matter And herein I assent and consent to the true doctrine of Christ his vniuersall Church affirme the doctrine of the Romane Church herein to be false and erronious and therefore I vtterly renounce and abiure it Touching prayer for the dead which adhereth to another absurditie like to it selfe which is Purgatorie although out of the decrees of Councels and olde Fathers many profes seeme to be deducted for the mainteining therof yet in the whole processe of holy Scriptures which as the Prophet Dauid saith are lanternes vnto our feete and lights vnto our paths I finde no warrant for either of them but contrariwise that they are both vaine and friuolous As for example in the Reuelations it is said Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours c. If euery soule that dieth in the Lord bee blessed then there are none that die in the Lorde in Purgatorie where there is no blessednesse but according to their opinion all miserie and calamitie euen as in hell it selfe Secondly it is said that they rest from their labours If then they rest from their labours it must needes followe that they are not in Purgatorie where as they themselues say are extreme labours though not actiue yet passiue Whereupon I inferre two things First that no saued soule goeth to Purgatorie which is meant by those which die in the Lord for euery one that dieth in the Lord by sufficient testimonie of this place is blessed which cannot be but in possessing the vision and sight of God in whome onely the dead haue and enioy all blessednesse the which none can haue and enioy but onely those which are saued as also rest from all and all maner of labours which cannot bee had nor found in Purgatorie being as I said before according to the aduersaries opinion a place of torment and vnrest and this place of Scripture attributing both blessednesse and rest and that immediately after their death to all that die in the Lord that is the seruants of the Lord it must needes be that euery such soule is in heauen not in Purgatorie Secondly I inferre that there is no such place as Purgatorie because there is no vse of nor for any such place For all the creatures things and places which God made hee made them for some ende vse and purpose for he made nothing in vaine and in all the Scriptures we neither finde mention made of Purgatorie nor vse for any such place which no doubt would haue bene done if the place had bene and of such necessitie as the aduersaries affirme it to bee either by Christ himselfe or his Apostles who haue left vs written all things necessarie for our saluation therfore I may safely conclude that there is no Purgatorie That praiers auaile not the dead because I haue bene so tedious before I wil only alledge one example out of Ecclesiastes The dead saith he knowe nothing at all and they haue no more portion for euer in all that is done vnder the sunne If it bee so then in praiers they haue no portion If they haue no portion in prayers then in vaine doe they pray for the dead Thus wee see this their doctrine both of praier for the dead and Purgatorie to be false and superstitious and therefore I renounce and abiure it Prayer to Saints as Mediatours betweene God and vs I finde to derogate from the sole mediation of Christ by these testimonies of holy Scripture Come vnto me saith Christ all ye that are laden and wearie and I will ease you Also in another place I am the way the trueth and the life no man commeth to the father but by me And S. Paul to Timothie There is one God and one Mediatour betweene God and man euen the man Christ Iesus which gaue him selfe a ransome for all men c. In all which places wee finde no mention made of this or that Saint but of Christ himselfe Therefore this doctrine also as false and erronious I abiure and renounce Concerning the propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse for the liuing and the dead I affirme that it is iniurious and derogatorie to the death and passion of Christ for our aduersaries will haue Christ to be dayly offered both for the liuing and the dead But S. Paul saith that Christ needed not to be dayly offered or often times to offer for the peoples sinnes as the Priestes of the olde law did for now saith he In the end of the world he hath appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe c. And in another place hee saith That with one oblation hee hath consecrated for euer those that are sanctified c. And S. Peter saith that Christ hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to God c. Wherefore this one oblation of Christ I confesse to bee solely propitiatorie and sufficient for my sinnes and for the sinnes of ten thousand worldes if there were so many and I abiure all other propitiatorie sacrifices and oblations whatsoeuer as blasphemous and iniurious to this Moreouer I find in the olde Testament no mo Sacraments prefigured and in the new no mo instituted by our sauiour Christ who onely had power to institute them then two that is to say the sacrament of Baptisme and the Lordes supper and the other fiue I finde to be made sacraments by the presumptious inuentions of men therfore as their vaine institutions and fantasies I abiure renounce them as sacraments Iustification is an other great poynt which the aduersaries make to consist of two partes that is to say of Faith and of our owne woorkes and merites but the Scriptures allowe not workes as causes and reteine only faith as the instrumentall cause of our iustification for the Apostle saith There is no difference all haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesu c. And it followeth in the same Chapter Therefore we conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the woorkes of the law c. And in another place he saith By grace