Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	spirit_n	witness_n	witness_v	2,015	5	9.4809	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76079	A declaration demonstrating and infallibly proving that all malignants, whether they be prelates, popish-cavaleers, with all other ill-affected persons, are enemies to God and the King: who desire the suppression of the Gospel, the advancement of superstition, the diminution of the Kings prerogative and authority, with the oppression of the subject. All which is evinced by strong proofes, and sufficient reasons. By John Bastwick Dr. of Physick.	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.	1643 (1643)	Wing B1061; Thomason E101_8; ESTC R1900	48,987	64

self authority can have no credit amongst Christians without adventiciall assistance of vaine man Is not the witnesse and testimony of God greater then the testimony of man If we receive the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater saith Saint John in his first Epistle chap. 5. vers 9. But the Prelates affirme the testimony of man is to be preferred before the witnesse of God so that we ought not beleeve the Spirit witnessing but the testimony of the Fathers for they say the Scriptures cannot be known without the Fathers Christ who was truth it selfe saith in the 5. of John vers 36. I have a greater witnesse then that of Iohn and what was that witnesse His works the witnesse and approbation of his Father and the Scriptures Christ here preferres the testimony of the Scriptures before the testimony of Iohn which was the greatest of all the Prophets and the Prelates preferre the testimony of the Fathers before the Scriptures and is not this to contemne the holy Scriptures Saint Peter in that glorious transfiguration of Christ upon the mount heard the voice of God the Father and notwithstanding he saith in his 2. Epistle chap. 1. vers 19. we have also a more sound word of prophesie And Christ himselfe to reverenced the holy Scriptures that he seemeth to preferre Moses his words before his owne saying if ye beleeve not his writings how shall ye beleeve my words And in the person of Abraham when Dives desired one might be sent to his Fathers house to warne his brethren of the danger of torment that he was in Christ saith they have Moses and the Prophets let them heare them and he said nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent and he said unto him If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rise from the dead By all which testimonies of sacred Writ it is evident that if the Scripture of it selfe cannot prevaile with men that then there is little hope that very miracles will do them any good for the begetting of faith in them or bringing of them to the truth much lesse the Fathers and this by Christs owne words is confirmed unto us yet the Prelates neverthelesse esteeme of the Fathers authority more then of the sacred Scriptures But can any man that hath but the name of a Christian thinke that those that will not be moved by the Majestie and authority of the Scriptures speaking in the Name of the Lord of hostes that the authority of the Fathers will prevaile with them who are not to be beleeved but as they speake out of the holy Scriptures and by their divine authority Christ denies it and therefore we are rather to beleeve that then the phantasies and impious grolleries of a few ungodly men Is not the Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of his owne and selfe sufficiencie so able to declare its owne minde and meaning that it hath no need of the Fathers helpe Without doubt unlesse profane mouthes will make it a packe of nonsense Truly one would think that very reason might be able to convince these wretched wranglers if they had not hardened themselves to fight against the truth yea and set themselves to resist the holy Spirit of God for if we looke upon very nature art and reason they would convince us for there is no naturall thing but will prove and shew it selfe what it is and declare its owne nature as the Sun Moone and Starres declare their owne nature and tell what they are to every beholder of them fire by it selfe and of its owne nature and essence is knowne what it is earth and water do the same and the same may be said of gold silver and all other metals they are able to witnesse for themselves what they are and to distinguish their owne natures from each others to any rationall man Againe All Artificiall things are knowne what they are by their proper formes and so are discriminated the one from the other every one of them carrying a sufficient indication of it selfe yea all humane writings shew from whence they come by the spirit they writ with and do shew whether the Authours and Writers of them be learned or unlearned or be men in authority and place or not and there needs no Commentaries upon them to tell whose they are The Proclamations and Edicts of Kings and Princes do sufficiently without either marginall Notes or Annotations declare of themselves that they come from Imperiall authority and the Majestie and the Dignity of their phrase and expression do proclaime to all men that the Authours of them are sacred persons and he that should call them in question without a Councell or Parliament or the Fathers and Judges of the Laws authority would be thought no loyall Subject and not worthy to live and that deservedly for the very manner of their penning and writing do ever convince the readers both of the Dignity of their matter and of the excellencie of the personages that set them forth And shall any in this age of light be found so darkened in his judgement as to thinke the Word of God inferiour to all naturall artificiall and humane things Yet so it is to the infinite dishonour of our great God blessed for ever Truely besides the sparkles of Divinity and the Spirit of God illuminating in the Scriptures which writ them the excellencie and goodnesse of their object and matter the purity the perfection the antiquity the universall consent and agreement of them the Majestie and simplicity of the languages and speech they are writ in the conviction that is in them of wicked and rebellious consciences beating downe and humbling the strongest spirits the certaine event of things foretold in them the integrity of the Writers being farre from all fraud and guile setting downe their own infirmities and the weaknesses of their families which humane reason would never have done the preservation of these holy Scriptures in all ages from the fury of the persecuters and out of the hands of those that studied to destroy them the constancie of the Martyrs alwayes that beleeved and kept them and the fearfull and tragicall ends of such as were enemies of them These the Defendant saith and many more reasons there are to prove the Scriptures to be the word of the everliving God by themselves without any authority of Fathers But yet one reason more the Defendant thought fit to adde before he returneth againe to the holy Scriptures owne authoritie which is sufficiently able to declare it to be the Word of God And that is this All things that are mens owne whether Counsells Laws Ordinances Inventions Polities or Projects Orders of Government c. they are agreeable ever to the corrupt nature of man or else to carnall reason and men commonly hug their owne devices Now if the Religion that is set downe in holy Scriptures or the Scriptures themselves

send out streames for the watering of the garden of the Church and that he would preserve those fountaines pure and incorrupt Now all men know how Paul planted and Apollos watered the garden of the Church and that was by preaching as is manifest in the 1. of the Cor. Notwithstanding all this viz. the charge that is laid upon them by God himselfe that they should preach the word diligently and as they love him notwithstanding also the promise that the Bishops and their Priests have made of their particular care in preaching which is onely able to save our soules and notwithstanding the curse that is laid upon them if they do not preach and notwithstanding they pray that the two fountaines may send out streames for the watering of the garden of the Church Notwithstanding all the premisses the Defendant saith That the Prelates neither preach themselves nor will let others preach but silence almost whole Diocesses together and have extinguished very many of the chief burning lights amongst us and do daily suspend the remnant of the most laborious and painfull Ministers through England and Wales and have deprived the people of all soules-comfort spirituall solace without which a mans life is miserable to the infinite dishonour of God and hinderance of the Christian faith and the good institution of the people yea and to the trouble of the whole Church and State and therefore the Prelates are the onely hinderers of the instruction of the people in their Christian faith and the saving of their soules and by consequence the enemies of the Church and Kingdome for from these Priests is iniquity gone out thorow the whole kingdome and of the truth of that the Defendant now saith all the Realm can witnesse and the Prelates practices prove who make void the commandments of God by their vaine traditions and trample his holy and divine precepts under their sect and stop the course of the everlasting Gospel and therefore the enemies of Christs Kingdom and the salvation of their brethren But now more especially whereas he the Defendant is accused of long continuance to have envyed and maligned his Majesties happy government and the good discipline of the Church He the defendant protesteth in the presence of God and before the world that it is a most false accusation and that there is never a Subject in his Majesties Dominions a more honourer of the government of his imperiall Majestie and one that desireth more the good discipline of the Church and is able to produce the testimonies of all the places he hath lived in in this Kingdome both from Magistrates and Ministers for the honesty and integrity of his life and conversation and that in all respects he hath so demeaned himself as that he hath not onely been free from vice faction and schisme but from the suspition of all which testimonies he hath ready to shew to this honourable Court and the which he exhibited to the High Commission Court at that time they studied most to defame him and all this both Town and Countrey can testify as also of the indefatigable diligence in his particular calling How that he neglected no opportunity to doe the indigentest men good and how that being unwearied in his imployments he went through the heat of Summer the cold of Winter rose early and went to bed late exposing himself at all times to any danger whatsoever of plague and pestilence and all to do the meanest of the Kings Subjects good never taking penny of poor nor never of servant never suffering the most neglected creature of nature to perish for want of care or looking to but made them all an object of his pitty and of his Art giving them out of his poor competency both for their food and Physick neither can any man say that ever he asked the richest a farthing for any paines he took day or night for their preservation or that he ever murmured at the smallest content they gave him and if the Prelates had let him follow his calling this Defendant had continued in this diligent course of life till the day of his death But they picking a quarrell with him for writing in defence of the Kings Prerogative Royall against the Pope saying that while he writ against the Pope he meant them put him upon such imployments as he indeed thinks will be very little pleasing to the Prelates although he is most confident that in them he hath and shall do the King and Church good service and so he knoweth it will appear when he is dead and gone But because this book is now laid unto the Defendants charge as tending to the maintenance and upholding of Schisme and division in His Majesties Church of England and opposition against the laudable Orders and Ceremonies of the said Church howsoever there be no such thing in the said Flagello yet this Defendant desireth to give a reason unto this Honourable Court for the writing and publishing not onely of that booke but of all other his writings since And first concerning the book for which he was censured He saith that he was provoked thereunto by a Popish Jesuiticall Doctor of Physick who continually dared him into the field of Dispute and set down his own theames about which he would contend which were concerning the Popes Supremacy and the sacrifice of the Masse And it is well known to the Towns and Country where they both dwelt that the said Defendant could never be quiet for his brags and scriblings to himself and others till he had answered which was the sole cause of his ruine and the which answer of his though he had long time for peace sake neglected yea at last he was through his adversaries importunity put upon it Neither could he for the honour of the truth and the honour of his Prince both which he loves more then his life delay it any longer and therefore out of his duty to God and the King he entred the combat with the enemy To which duty he the Defendant saith he was bound by Christ himself who hath commanded to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods which commandment of Christ ties all Christians under obedience to a double duty which by them may not be neglected viz to give unto God his due and unto the King his Yet for obeying of this commandment this poor Defendant must be defamed ruined undone and left friendlesse moneylesse and in captivity and given to the Devil and yet say nothing But the Defendant desireth this honourable Court to give him leave to say as Queen Hester spake to Ahashuerosh if that he and his wife had been sold for bond-men and bond-women he had held his peace but for them to be ruined and undone because he could not see God and the King dishonoured he the Defendant cannot but speak Let the King live for ever and never let it be said that he hath such a base cowardly