Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	scripture_n	speak_v	word_n	9,140	5	4.5911	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68490	An epistle of a Catholicke young gentleman, (being for his religion imprisoned.) To his father a Protestant Who commaunded him to set downe in writing, what were the motiues that induced him to become a Catholicke.	N. N., fl. 1614.	1623 (1623)	STC 18330; ESTC S114781	16,671	48

rrror then did it not rely vpon the truth of God and then it were no diuine Faith Againe if in that Faith by which we are saued we might be seduced to falshood See William Perkins pro. de fide n. 6. then by falshood we might be saued and by vntruth attaine to truth which parradoxe is both blasphemous hnd ridiculous Authorities of holy Scriptures consent of venerable antiquity and the vnanimous approbation of the vniuersall Church I could produce for the truth of these properties but I holde them needlesse for that in themselues they doe appeare most perspicuous and by no Protestants which I can reade of are they denyed as by all Catholicks is confessed I hauing thus farre waded at the length I began to obserue where this rule and direction is to be found that by consent therof I might be conuayed to that knowledge which so much importeth me and therefore I doe here inquire of the Protestant and he telleth me readily that true it is such a rule must guide all Christians and is to be found in their Church contained in their Bible and by them tearmed the word of the Lord and diuine Scriptures this they say is easie plaine and an infallible direction to all who seeke after Heauen and heauenly knowledge 5 But heere I am intangled with so many difficulties so that I am rather pusled clouded and encombred then any way freed cleared or ascertained of any truth First how can it appeare vnto mee that I may be assured that this Booke is the word of God and of that continuance and authority whereof I speake Wee see many workes beare Saint Augustines name and others of other Fathers which Protestants stoutly deny to bee theirs yet not so auncient as their Booke of Scripture must be if it be true Scripture indeed Heere I inquire so certaine knowledge of the Truth that in it selfe it be plaine for all men to perceiue it and so certaine that it should be impossible how it could be otherwise else as I haue before said it cannot guide or warrantise Diuine and infallible Faith But I haue euer found Protestants so extreamely pusled in this point that they know not how to extricate themselues their Answers were so weake different disjoynted and vncertaine that at the last they haue no refuge but to depend vpon the tradition of the Roman Church from whence they haue their Scriptures yea and those traditions also they must grant to be of infallible truth and Faith otherwise their Scriptures will not carry credite sufficient whereupon to build an infallible Faith and yet if they graunt this they suffocate and choake their owne cause in many essentiall and important points of difference twixt them and Catholicks so as this Rule ought to be cleare easie and infallible is no sooner looked vpon but it is presently lost in ambiguities doubts and vncertainties 6 And admit that they were able in the grounds of their Doctrine to produce any one infallible plaine certaine rule assuring me that the Booke they shew me is the word of God or written by such sacred Authors as they tell of which they are neuer able to doe See Iohn Cal in Praesat in no test Zanch. lib. de Sanctis fol. 412. tom 2. Beza in resp ad defen Cast Ite Beza in praefat no. test 1556. Car. moli in transla no. cest par 11. fol. 110. Ite parte 64. 65. 66. 74. 99. See confe at Hampton Court pag. 46. yet are they presently encumbred with another difficulty which maketh all vncertaine which is contained in it For in former times of a great part of this volume the Greeke translations were many the Latine more of late since Luther began from him his complices and Of-spring the translations haue bin diuers and so different that one condemneth another to Hell for corrupting falsifying and abusing of holy Scriptures yea Luther himselfe differeth in aboue 30. places as I can easily shew from himselfe in seuerall translations of St. Mathewes Gospell out of these into English we haue at the least 7. or eight seuarall versions of all which his Maiesty pronounceth there is neuer a good and the Geneua be the worst of all Heere I would see how the ignorant or learned amid such diuersity of opinions in men of knowledge in all sacred languages can with assurance and certainty select the true Translations from the false that it be impossible to erre herein for if in this case there can be no infallible rule and direction plaine and easie for all men to vnderstand as I haue before deliuered it is impossible that any man can be able to settle an infallible and neuer erring Faith vpon any thing contained in it when as he is not certaine what is the true word of God and what by Ignorance Error or wilfulnes is thrust in by humaine inuention and subiect to falshood 7 Heere not onely the Ignorant is so intangled with the Brackes and Toyles of vncertainty and instability so as he knoweth not which way to get out yea findeth impossibility by his owne industry euer whilest he shall liue to cleare himselfe But the Learned also are no lesse clouded with endlesse variety and difference among such as are no lesse yea more learned then themselues hauing no reason whereupon to relye their owne Iudgements before others and bee so assured thereof as that it is impossible they should be deceiued and consequently to frame an Article of Diuine Faith vpon the assurance thereof So as out of this head this rule of onely Scriptures hath lost not onely certainety but perspicuity also both which are very much behoofefull in the direction whereof I speake 8 And heere in my vnderstanding it cannot be answered as in the Proeme of the new Bible See Calu. vbi supra those Translations say to wit that this diuersity is not in matters appertaining vnto Faith Iosias Symlerus in vita Bullinger but in other pointes of lesse consequence First that is not true as by the inuectiues some of the Translations make against the rest doth appeare Againe in most pointes of Controuersies betwixt them and Catholicks they translate places concerning those points differently from the olde Latine receiued aboue 1000. yeares agoe in Gods Church onely in fauour of their owne herisies and opinions being matters of Faith As for example they translate for Priests Elders for Idols Images c. I say yet further that in so much as all matters there is the true Word of God and I partly finde that some part thereof is mistranslated and that is proued by the diuersities of those Translations dissonant each to other Therefore cannot all bee true in regard hereof I say I must require a sure certaine and infallible Rule by the which it may remaine vndoubted that those errors or mistakings were in matters of Faith as well as lesse matters sithence I could neuer heare of any Warranty out of Heauen assuring these translations

in matters of Faith more than in smaller matters 9 But admit againe that Protestants had some sure infallible rule or meanes to ascertaine vs that this which they propose or any of these is the sincere translation of Gods word yet are we as deeply incombred as euer for insomuch as Gods word consisteth not in bare characters or sillables but in the spirit and meaning of that writing where I pray is that plaine and infallible Rule which Protestants can assigne the conduct whereof who so followeth cannot possibly erre in the true meaning of holy Scripture For without this all the rest is nothing auaileable to sustaine an infallible Faith and an error or mistaking herein is so pernicious and damnable that whosoeuer is possessed therewith cannot possibly enter Heauen Qui non St. Ioh. 3. credit iam iudicatus est who beleeueth not aright is already iudged And Heb. 11. sine fide impossibile est placere Deo without Faith it is impossible to please God And our Faith is not grounded vpon letters Characters or sillables but of the signification true meaning of the holy Ghost vttered in them 10 Heere againe I finde Protestants so masked or hoodwinckt that they know not which way to take or what to say as may easily appeare by the poore shifts they are put vnto when in this matter they are by Catholickes called to accompt And first it is a vsuall refuge of theirs to say that the Scripture is easie and plaine of it selfe to be vnderstood of euery one without difficulty or ambiguity But this is so apparantly controwlde with the forme and matter of Scripture and euery mans particuler experience that it plainely discouereth the weakenes and insufficiency thereof As for the forme stile it is repleate with Maiesty and depth it containeth many Hebraicismes and Grecismes which the ignorant and vnlearned doe not vnderstand yea many times the most Learned doe make doubt differ about for that it doth containe so profound matter aboue ordinary capacity As the Trinity and Vnity in God the Incarnation Resurrection and Ascention of Christ our most B. Sauiour together with his Priesthood and presence in the most Blessed Eucharist with the like which doe inuolue great hidden misteries and profound difficulties containing many seeming contradictions which to reconcile great Clerks holy Fathers haue much trauailed writing whole Bookes large tomes therof against Iuliā the Apostata other enemies of Christianity Lib. 3. conf cap. 5. Iustitui animam saith St. Augustine intendere in Scripturas sacras c. I intended to bend my minde to holy Scriptures to see the quality of them and beholde I see a thing vnknowne to the proude not open to Children but in gate lowly in effect lofty and couered with mysteries neither was I such as I could enter into it or bowe my necke to the entrance of it So he Thus did this holy Father and great Doctor finde the holy Scriptures which Protestants make so easie plaine and thus doth euery mans experience teach not only in the endles diuersity of expositions betweene Catholicks Sectaries but especially between Sectaries themselues Protestants with Protestants who haue filled the world with their ianglings and giuen testimony that they speake against their Consciences and knowledge when they say that the Scriptures are easie for euery one to vnderstand else why should they spend so much time in making so many Expositions and Commentaries and in filling Bookes to make that vnderstood which euery man with so much ease doth conceiue or why should they after all their Commentaries leaue all controuersies of Scriptures more ambiguous then before yea in stead of clearing all doubts beget infinite new controuersies before vnheard of 11 And from hence doth appeare how poore and weake an Answer that other is which many brought into straights flie vnto saying that Scriptures are made plaine by conferring one place with another for this both Catholickes and their opposites with all diligence doe affirme yet agree neuer the more by this neither are they conuinced of one Truth St. Paul saith Rom. 1. Abacuc 2. Gal. 3. Heb. 10. Act. 15. Iustus ex fide viuit The Iust man liueth by his Faith and againe Fide purificans corda hominum God by Faith purifying the hearts of men And St. Iames saith St. Iam. 2. Sicut corpus sine Spiritu mortuum est ita fides sine operibus mortua est like as the body without the Spirit is dead euen so also Faith without workes is dead and nothing auaileable Protestants explicate St. Iames by St. Paul but Catholicks explaine St. Paul by St. Iames This diuersity hath wel nigh cōtinued 100. yeares tossed discussed with all diligence yet not to this day agreed vpon between them so the like in all other points of cōtrouersies we doe find 12 Moreouer I demaund whether after conference of places such as doe infallibly finde Truth thereby that it be impossible hauing so done to be decciued if you say they doe then you will be controwled by dayly experience as well in Protestants as in Catholicks who after all differ as before which could not be if by this meanes they did infallibly finde the Truth For Ephes 4. that is but one as God is one and Faith one But if you graunt all that conference of places notwithstanding the true meaning of holy Scriptures and consequently cannot serue for the purpose we treate of 13 Others confesse that conference of places cannot be sufficient in this case but avow that Almighty God will enlightē the hart of euery one in particular that seeketh the knowledge of his Truth But this seemeth vnto me the most absurd desperate and vnlikely shift of all vnlikelihoods for as I haue said notwithstanding this priuate Spirit we see the diuersity dayly encreased rather then any way diminished which could not be if God particularly and infallibly guided euery one that heartily desired the truth then must you shew a meane how euery one shall know or be infallibly assured that this priuate exposition is true and all contrary to it false and then must he shew how he commeth by that speciall guift denyed to all that differ from him or how we can be assured therof or how is this rule generall to all which so many so earnestly trauailing for truth seeke after yet attaine not vnto this therefore so repugnant to euery mans reason experience seemeth only a rendeuous which men are driuen to retire vnto hauing no better to succor or help themselues with for mine owne part thus much I say and know that in sincere desire of truth I yeeld to none I know it the life of my soule I preferre before all worldly treasures and as I rancke not my selfe among the Learned so am I not the most vnlearned among the ignorant and vnlearned yet when I peruse the holy Scriptures I doe find them so deep so profound