Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	speak_v	think_v	word_n	4,073	5	4.0677	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64274	Popery, superstition, ignorance, and knavery, very unjustly by a letter in the general pretended but as far as was charg'd, very fully proved upon the dissenters that were concerned in the Surey imposture / by Zach. Taylor.	Taylor, Zachary, 1653-1705.	1698 (1698)	Wing T599_VARIANT; ESTC R34648	26,353	28

the last of these I think Job was not Possest no more than my Friend is And for the other when he asserts That I deny that Natural or Preternatural Distempers can be attended with the Devil and that it 's a good Argument to prove it no Possession because a Distemper ib. p. 7. which he repeats over again and again I must desire my Friend to tell me where he learnt this of me for it is the first time I ever heard or thought of it I am sure there is no such thing in my Book and my Whalley Sermon that he hath heard something of advanceth the quite contrary Opinion I find I must discard him from the number of my Friends he is fitter for Mr. C.'s Acquaintance whose warm Brain is very fruitful in framing such Fabulous Stories and his honest Heart in falsly charging innocent Persons with them But the Man still goes on and would gladly know What they are to be blam'd for I have told him oft enough but yet he enquires further Is it for Fasting and Prayer p. 9. His own Conscience told him that was not the thing yet for all that he will go on They did believe He viz. Rich. was possess'd p. 9. And upon this Supposition what could be done otherwise Why abler Divines ought to have been consulted and more Discretion used But what means my Friend when he makes their Supposition to be the Ground of their Devotion This is but odd Divinity and surely Mr. Fra. never taught it him for the Consequence of it is that if the Supposition be false the Worship is Supersition The Quakers with all the other Spawn of Fanaticks the Papists themselves not excepted may justifie themselves on this Principle that Credulity and Supposition is a sufficient Ground of Worship That my Friend to omit all other Instances may see how good a Friend he is to Papists by this Principle he hath laid down let me ask him a Question or two Do not the Papists pay Adoration to the Sacrament of the Altar on the Belief and Supposition that Christ is personally there Do they not pray to Saints and Angels on the Supposition that they do hear them Tho my Friend exclaims against me for misrepresenting the Dissenters as instrumental to the Popish Interest if we may be allowed to infer from his own Arguments he himself will be found liable to the same Indictment for here is a Position laid down by him that will justifie them and all the Frantick Frey of Fanaticks of what Denomination soever The next Crime that he imputes to me is the charging them with Superstition but he produceth not so much as one place in all my Book to prove this Charge and have not I a very good Friend of him However Superstition is a long Word and as English it may possibly puzzle a Country Fellow p. 10. Nay he knows not but it s some ill Boggard may be Dick's Blanket p. 11. But if a Scholar should search what is the meaning of this Superstition in the Greek and find it to signifie Fearing of Demons or Worshipping of Devils it s known they viz. the Dissenters are so far from that that they Fast and Pray to dispossess him of his Dominion over Men as here they did ib. I know not here what to do with my Friend I must either rank him among the Class of Ignoramus's or I must make him blaspheme Christ If the Greek word for Superstition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie wholly as he saith A fearing of Demons or worshipping of Devils Christ himself being called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 17.18 let him tell me if according to his Exposition of it the fearing Christ may not be expounded by Jews and Pagans for worshipping of Devils I am ashamed of my Friend and yet Civility obligeth me to answer his Letter And some by the help of a Dictionary Wilson's perhaps for I suppose my Friend a Commonplace-man by chance may find that Superstition is to be wise above what is written or righteous above what is commanded and this would tempt an impartial Man such as my Friend is to cry cut Oh what a Slander This is that very thing they are most averse to c. p. 11. and so he goes on making such an Harangue in Person of a pert Scotch Presbyter as his Friend Mr. C. used to make to the Devil The Stoick in Lucian at a loss for an Argument cries out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so cries out my Friend O what a Slander But what is the Slander or where to be me● with Because he will not tell for I suppose he was conscious to himself of foul dishonest Play I was forced to examin my Book and I find that I charge Mr. C.'s Frothy Conferences as he calls them with Satan with gross Superstition p. 74. And what thinks my Friend of them Why he freely joins with me in condemning Mr. C.'s Fancies and he doubts unwarrantable Colloquies p. 3. Really Friend this is an Instance of the Moderation Jo. commends you for p. 32. And by this means you are like to set Things in a wonderful clear Light p. 30. as you vaingloriously pretend In another place I call the Narrative of the Surey Demoniack The Spawn of their conceived Superstition p. 73. And what thinks my Friend of it Why from the first time he heard of it he did really believe it would prove an Imposture p. 3. and that it was always suspected by him as a Cheat p. 22. Say you so Out of thy own Mouth will I condemn thee for was it a Cheat and did Mr. Jolly and the rest Fast and Pray and confer among themselves and with a pretended Devil about it and no Superstition in all this Verily my Friend you dare not speak Truth lest you should shame your Friends and the Devil On these two Accounts I charge them with Superstition and I think my Friend tho' he is none of the best will warrant me in them both and excepting the Word that is sometimes used as when I call their Easiness in believing Dugdale to be Possest a superstitious Credulity and the like I do not find that I say any more of it And for conferring with the Devil let me ask him according to his Dictionaries Definition of Superstition Whether they were not wise above what is written and righteous above what is commended I repeat the same Query as to their Fasting and Praying about what was an Imposture as himself acknowledgeth and thence leave any but my Ironically Impartial Friend to judge whether my Charge of Superstition against them be unjust Under the same Head my Friend doth rank Divisions p. 10 11. and in this he is right for Divisions are seldom free from Superstition And how doth he deport himself here Why he pretends not to vindicate them as in other Cases from the Guilt of it for it is so notorious Men see it with their Eyes but he endeavours to justifie them in

will engage that our Church though he thinks that I am oblig'd not to endeavour any Alteration of Government in it p. 6 shall indulge him and his Brethren in the capricious Liberty of their pretended Consciences But is not that an excellent Stroak that follows Some of them say the Imposing Terms of Communion is an Invasion of Gods Prerogative And that it is an usurping of Authority to make Laws for him to obey with an annexed Penalty on him for he shall either take that Worship which they have composed for him or he shall have none c. p. 13. Really Friend I have sometimes heard Men in Jest say That the Parliament was Omnipotent but I never had Reason to believe it till now that you tell me They have made Laws for God Almighty to obey with a Penalty annexed on him You are a pleasant Spark indeed and very fit to be an Advocate for Dissenters For tell me my Friend is reading Gods Word which makes up so considerable a part of his Worship with us Is repeating his own Commandment professing our Christian Faith by the Apostles Creed and addressing our selves to him in his beloved Sons own Words making Laws for him to obey My Friend I perceive wants a little of my Doctor 's help p. 7. But Goodman Friend pray tell me what you call them that make God to be Content with whatever comes next to their Tongues end that will not be at the Pains to Compose a sober Form of Worship for him but too often Foam out their own Shame and yet are not ashamed to Entitle it to but will needs have God admit it for the Groans of his Spirit To close this Head if these be the lofty Notions your Academick infuseth into his Disciples I thank God I have no Reason to envy his Learning The last Charge which his Title-page bears is that of Knavery but so conscious is he that he cannot acquit them of it that in his Book he drops it In short I had proved them Guilty of that which in another Case might have cost them their Ears and it was wisely done of our common Friend to stifle the Accusation I have I hope justified my Charge and clear'd my self from the Imputation of Injustice therein And indeed easily I might for so kind was my Friend that on a Fourfold Indictment he did not preduce one Instance on any one Head against me I was therefore forced to search my own Book not being conscious to my Self of any such unjust Dealings And I hope my Reader will think there is no other Language given them than what Truth on one Hand and Fanaticism on the other demanded from me There is one Thing remains and that the most plausible in all my Friends Books and 't is That I have charged on the whole Party the Miscarriages of a few I might justly demand what they mean by a Party For are the Presbyterians and Independants both but one Party I won't tell him how the Pharisees and Scribes made but one Party against Christ but I will examine how far I have charged the Body of Dissenters in general and what Reasons I had so to do Now I must still observe as before That though my Friend lay this to my Charge yet he produceth not one Instance of it no nor his Pedantick Seconds Baldwin and Janeway and if the Indictment be not proved I think of course it should be quash'd But that the World may see more into this Mystery I proceed to inquire how far I charged the Party with the Miscarriages of the Persons concern'd in the Surey Demoniack I have examined my Answer to it and can find but one Place unless he will refer hither what I before mentioned p. 3 4. that looks that way and it is p. 6. where speaking of that Sincerity that is requisite in Authors in Matters of this Nature I use these general Words If we be found tripping herein we expose not only our selves but our whole Party especially if the Leaders of them as in the present Case be conspiring with us to promote the Intrigue These Words affect not any one Party more than another but might have been retorted on the Church of England had any Man of Note in it been found guilty of such Tricks as the Surey Operators were Perhaps because I speak all along in the Plural to a Number of Men they apply my Words to the whole Party but that is very unjust for nothing ought to be enlarged further than the Circumstances of the Subject will allow Now I had to deal with no less than Fifteen Dissenting Ministers Heads of the Party that were one way or other concern'd in the Surey Demoniack There were no less than about Fifty Hearers that are produced as Eye or Ear-witnesses to Attest the pretended Truth of it in all about Sixty six adding the two Ministers that were dead since the Transaction a pretty little Conventicle And could I other than speak of these People in the Plural and Words that must imply what they were a Party and I think a considerable one too but if any will enlarge my Expressions to them to the whole Body of Dissenters I think they are very unjust to me since I could not speaking to so many write otherwise than as to a Party But I know the Spirit of the Men I have to deal with having laid it to my Charge they will admit of no Excuse but plead to it I must Then open your Ears my Friend and you shall hear what might be alledg'd for me were your Suggestion true 1. Mr. C. tells us This Thing was not done in a Corner Pr. And in one Sense true it is for he gives us the Names of Ministers not only in Lancashire but out of York shire that assisted at it so publick was the Matter 2. He tells us Mr. Baxter was desirous to add this Narrative to his late Book called The World of Spirits Pr. And that another Reverend London Divine desired that it should be printed as an Appendix to Mr. Increase Mather 's Book called A further Account of the Trials of the New England Witches A.D. 1693. Vpon which saith he much of it was then at London for the same purpose as is declared in an Advertisement on the Back of the said Books Title-page Pr. If this be true and if it be not let them fall on Mr. C. that deceives us This Act of Mr. Baxter is sufficient to bear it self the weight of such a Charge for what he did desire I do not doubt but the Party would own But here is also another Divine urgeth the same and to invite the Parties to make it publick Notice is given of it by an open Advertisement But to go on 3. If the Party disallowed it why did they not censure it by some Overt-Act before my Impostor did appear They had time enough and enough to have declared their dislike of it and ought if they took it to be a

Cheat to have called Mr. C. to an Account for it But instead of that it flies all over England the Party glories and triumphs in it in so much that a great Man among them was not ashamed to declare That though God had establish'd the Truth of Christian Religion many Centuries ago by Miracles yet he was pleas'd of late to vouchsafe a new one in favour of it meaning what was done at the Surey But no sooner doth my Impostor appear but the Party think to save their own Bacon by loading my Back And what must the meaning of this be I suppose it is this They resolved to wait the Strength of my Answer for had I not given the World full Satisfaction of the Knavery of the Matter there had most certainly been a Devil at the Surey and Mr. C. had been a Saint They knew that I was about it for I had given them fair Warning of it near a Year before their Demoniack was printed yet they sat snug and still expecting the Issue of what Evidence I could produce on the confidence of this Reserve That if I proved too hard for them they could overthrow me with a Cry That I charg'd on the whole Party the Miscarriages of a few But how doth my Friend clear the whole Party from having their Hands in it Why he is much surprized that a Script as drawn up by Mr. C. and so long ago censured by many sober grave Dissenting Ministers and who upon his Knowledge used their Endeavours to have it suppressed and thought they had done it should yet after some Years latency be made publick p. 2. I confess an Ingenious Friend of mine a Dissenting Minister intimated to me his Endeavours to suppress that Pamphlet He added That the Manuscript was lodged in Mr. Alsop's Hands and that he sitting by the Fire with him and discoursing about it he told Mr. Alsop he hoped he would not let that Pamphlet see the Light No saith Mr. Alsop no Light but this pointing to the Fire This was communicated to Mr. Jolly whilst I was writing the Impostor and what saith he to it You shall hear in his own Words for I have his Letter by me and then let the World judge and they are these You are informed that Mr. Alsop did express his Vnwillingness that the Surey Book should be printed Indeed as I also was credibly inform'd he did express his Dissatisfaction concerning the said Narrative according to the uncorrected Copy and before he saw the Affidavits but afterwards he and others were of another Opinion The Sum of all is this here are Seventeen Dissenting Ministers in Lancashire and Yorkshire concerned one way or other in the Narrative of the Surey Demoniack Mr. Baxter and another London Divine press one after another for the Publishing of it Mr. Alsop and others which may be the whole Party except one Man for ought I know are brought over to the same Opinion upon which the Narrative is printed and the Party in general are wonderfully proud of it extol and magnifie it till an Answer comes out that exposeth the Imposture and then of a sudden they draw in their Horns and would gladly sculk behind the Curtain But how desirous they are even yet to have it believ'd I shall in the Narrative more fully discover and thither I refer it And had the Party a mind it should be condemn'd for a Cheat what makes my Friend here and there to nibble at what he thinks in my Book liable to Exceptions Gladly would he have answer'd it if he could And all my Safety is that the Dog that barks though he would dare not or cannot bite He had a Fling at me about the word Obsession no less than thrice and much he got by it What hath he else to say Why he Queries what I have to charge the Attestors to the Surey Demoniack with Do they affirm Dugdale was possess'd or dispossess'd He confidently denies it No p. 4. and thereupon appeals to the Testimonial in which are these Words That the strange Fits of Richard Dugdale were by a Diabolical Power ib. Was he not according to their Judgment possest then You must pardon my Friend for he freely confesseth That he cannot well understand what is meant by Possession or Obsession p. 9. Only by denying it he sheweth that he hath a good Will though he wants Understanding to clear the Dissenters But my Friend is concern'd that I should say That if Dicky was a Demoniack their Prayers did not benefit him p. 24. And thence he makes me to argue thus He had his Fits after their Praying for him therefore their Prayers did him no good Now this is my Friend's Argument and none of mine for I have examined the Page he refers to and find no such thing in it p. 57. yet he goes to shew his Parts in arguing against his own Shadow and tells a long Story of some Prayers being answered not instantly but at some distance of time And what then Because God delays the Answer of some Prayers that were founded on a true bottom of Devotion to a distant Season that his Wisdom and Goodness sees most proper for them therefore Prayers that are founded on a Cheat and Imposture as these at the Surey were may be answered so too Is not my Friend an extraordinary Divine Well but I said their Prayers did him no good The Truth is Mr. C. tells us p. 26. That Richard said so and I cannot but believe him For if I should pray That the Man in the Moon might be eased of the Burden on his Back I suppose he would find little Good by it But I said That before March 25. they had left off their Fasting and Prayers and he asks how I knew it I proved it from Dugdale the Fathers Information p. 56. But here is the Thorn that sticks in their Side They tell us they kept a Fast March 24 1689 90. How do I answer this Very satisfactorily saith my Friend The Narrator hath the Impudence to pretend it and Dicky knew nothing of it I doubt this is one of their Sanctified Lies p. 25. I spoke modestly if I said I did but doubt it for the Truth is they put it past all doubt The Ministers had left him as his Father tells you the Month before Richard was this Day abroad at Hindfield yet they pretend not only a Fast-day for him but as if they had been with him they tell you the very Words that Satan spake to Richard and the manner how he went out of him which is such a notorious piece of Fiction as no degree of Impudence short of what Mr. C. and my Friend are Masters of durst venture to relate or justify His next Attempt is to clear Dissenters from a natural Tendency to abuse Sacred Forms of Worship and he proves it is not natural to them p. 25. And I am very glad to hear it for though the Ethiopian cannot change his Skin if what he

divide from a Church establish'd by Law Tell it not in Gath. Yet he hopes that no greater a Crime than for us to have had an Vnconsecrated Chappel by Force p. 12. This might have been a Fling of my Friend J. G. who if he speaks of a Chappel can scarcely speak a Word of Truth The Chappel hinted at for I suppose 't is Hindley and the Straak is levell'd at the Bishop's Head and not the Curate's was in our quiet Possession ever since the Restoration of our Lectures till the Dissenters whilst the Incumbent was alive forc'd in upon it and wrested it out of our Hands And if the Right Honourable the Chancellor of the Dutchy hath not relieved the Bishop under this Oppression which at my writing hereof I hear nothing of notwithstanding this falsly pretended Force of ours 't is at present in their Possession such Conscience do these Men make of what they say or write He hath another Fling at Bishops upon account of the largeness of their Diocesses p. 18. But he would do well to consider whether he doth not by this spit in the Face of Christ and his Apostles whose Oecumenical Provinces were something larger than the largest of our Diocesses His next Stroak is at the Body of the Clergy who Nero-like he could wish had but one Head for then he could strike it off with this one Blow A general Practice of Praying in the late Reign That it may please thee to keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee in Righteousness and Holiness of Life thy Servant our most gracious King and Governour p. 19. Now was not his Worship Idolatrous c. Now are the Mans Eyes in his Head or hath he put on his Spectacles What did we pray for That God would keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of him in Righteousness And is Popery such a Mass of Idolatry that there is no piece of true Worship in it Do they not worship God through the Intercession of Christ Jesus though they join other Mediators with him And was not that that true Worship that we prayed God to keep and strengthen him in as the best Means to reclaim him from the other My Friend I perceive is very blind and then though his Hand be never so Impartial his Feet may chance to run him into a Ditch and that is something worse than the Jaundice which since the Doctor could not discover in me my Friend hath for it seems I said these diminutive Slaves the Dissenters are Pluralists and if so he will never excuse them from Ambition and Pride and Covetousness nor from being Self-condemned p. 20. a Charge fouler by far than what I am made to lay against them But how doth my Friend acquit them from it He doth not so much as deny it such an able Advocate have they got of my Friend But all that he saith is He will unriddle the Dissenters Pluralities ib. And so he goes on to give some Reasons why they hold them as there is no Man but can give Reasons and better than his too why he holds Pluralities Thus he leaves them by his own Sentence upon them guilty of Ambition Pride Covetousness and Self-condemnation But let us examine his Reasons and the First is For the Convenience of the same People and Congregations that some of them may have less way to go one Day and others another Day p. 21. Do you intend this for a Reason in good earnest Friend I know one of your Preachers that hath a Run of Fifteen Miles long and another that hath a Round of near Thirty Miles Compass and have not the Congregations a great Convenience in having less way to go after them one day than another His other Reason is no better 2. There is another Mistery in it there are a sort of Ecclesiastical Officers mentioned Can. 138. These are hungry Beasts of Prey c. and the only way to secure the poor innocent Sheep and Lambs from their Guts is the Guard of a Recorded House p. 21. Be it so All that I shall say is They have more of those Guards in this one County of Lancashire than the King hath Castles in all his Three Kingdoms And now the Mistery is unriddled p. 22. Pluralities they have and Pluralities they will have And thus I have answered my Friend Whether it be with Pride and Passion uncharitable Censures and unjust Inferences with superstitious Scorn Reproach and invidious Reflections and unchristian Surmises and worse than Jefferian Innuendos p. 2. or p. 3. with spiteful Representations invidious Charge much Spleen and Rage Mire and Dirt little Tricks and Mispresentations of Things and confident Misjudging and Wier-drawing every Passage to the worst Sense c. I expect my Friend should tell me in his next Had I really been guilty of such Billingsgate Language as this is which I cannot find that I am Yet thou art inexcusable O Man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same Things The Truth of the Matter is thus The Narrative of the Surey Demoniack was fraught with so many Legends and Forgeries such Prophanations of Holy Scripture and if not Blasphemous Enthusiastical Presumptions upon God and Religion that it was not possible for any one to expose the Villany of it but he must be constrained if he would not call Darkness Light and Evil Good to make such Reflections upon them as could he be otherwise just to the Truth he would be willing to forbear Some Mens Actions are so very black that the naming of them is a Reproach unto them of this Nature were those at Surey which are so far from being capable of being covered with the Spirit of Meekness that St. Paul in the like Case chargeth us to Rebuke them sharply Tit. 1.13 For the Mouths of such unruly and vain Talkers and Deceivers must be stopped v. 10 11. He makes it a Duty incumbent on our Function They must be stopped And he countenanceth it with his own Example telling the Cretians in as plain Language as any my Friend meets with in the Surey Impostor That they were Liars bruit Beasts and lazy Gluttons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 12. And doth our Saviour smooth up the Pharisees a Generation that you suspect your selves may be compared to p. 6. such is the Force of a guilty Conscience doth he sooth them up in their Sins by soft Words and oily Language I hope he was all Condescension and Meekness and Humility and yet I find him roundly calling the Pharisees Children of the Devil Fools and blind Hypocrites and a Generation of Creatures poisonous as Aspers Doth he not resemble Herod to a Fox And reprimand one of his own Disciples who out of a mistaken Kindness dissuaded him from laying down his Life an Offering for Sin with no gentler a Rebuke than of Satan Mat. 16.23 For ought I see St. Paul nay the blessed Jesus since they