The best bargaine A sermon preached to the Court at Theobalds. on Sunday, Sept. 21. 1623. By Ios. Hall D.D. Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. 1623 Approx. 31 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 23 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2005-12 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A02517 STC 12646 ESTC S118996 99854203 99854203 19612 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A02517) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 19612) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1069:25) The best bargaine A sermon preached to the Court at Theobalds. on Sunday, Sept. 21. 1623. By Ios. Hall D.D. Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. [4], 40 p. Printed by I. Haviland for Nath. Butter, London : 1623. Reproduction of the original in the Harvard University. Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Sermons, English -- 17th century. 2005-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-03 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2005-04 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2005-04 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion THE Best Bargaine . A SERMON preached to the Court at Theobalds , on Sunday , Sept. 21 , 1623. By Ios. HALL D.D. LONDON , Printed by J. Haviland for Nath. Butter . 1623. TO THE RIGHT Honorable WILLIAM Earle of Pembroke , Lord High Chamberlaine ; CHANCELLOVR of the Vniuersitie of Oxford ; One of his MAIESTIES most Honorable Priuy Counsell . RIGHT HONORABLE , LEt it please you to receiue from the Presse what you vouchsafed to require from my pen : Vnworthy I confesse either of the publike light , or the beames of your Honours iudicious eies ; yet such as ( besides the motiue of common importunity ) I easily apprehended might be not a little vs full for the times ; which , if euer , require quickning : Neither is it to no purpose that the world should see in what stile wee speake to the Court , not without acceptation . This , and what euer seruice I may be capable of , are iustly deuoted to your Lordship , whom all good hearts follow with true Honour , as the great Patron of learning , the sincere friend of Religion , and rich purchaser of Truth . The God of Heauen adde to the number of such Peeres , and to the measure of your Lo : graces and happinesse . Your Honors in all humble and faithfull obseruance , Ios : Hall. THE BEST Bargaine . PROV . 23.23 . Buy the Truth , and sell it not . THe subiect of my Text is a Bargaine , and Sale. A bargaine enioyned , a sale forbidden : and the subiect of both bargaine and sale , is Truth ; A bargaine able to make vs all rich ; a sale able to make any of vs miserable ; Buy the Truth , and sell it not ; A sentence of short sound , but large extent ; the words are but seuen syllables , an easie load for our memories , the matter is a world of worke ; a long taske for our liues . And first , let me call you to this Mart , which holds both now , and euer ; If ye loue your selues be ye customers at this shop of heauen ; Buy the Truth . In euery bargaine there is merx , and mercatura ; the commoditie , and the match ; The commoditie to bee bought is the Truth ; the match made for this commoditie , is Buying , Buy the Truth . An ill Iudge may put a good Interrogatorie ; yet it was a question too good for the mouth of a Pilate , What is Truth ? The schooles haue wearied themselues in the solution ; To what purpose should I reade a Metaphysicall Lecture to Courtiers ? Truth is as Time , one in all ; yet , as Time , though but one , is distinguished into past , present , future , and euery thing hath a Time of it owne ; so is Truth variously distinguished , according to the subiects wherein it is ; This is Anselmes , cited by Aquinas ; I had rather say , Truth is as light : ( Send forth thy Truth , and thy light , saith the Psalmist ) which ( though but one in all ) yet there is one light of the Sunne , another of the Moone , another of the Starres , another of this lower ayre : There is an essentiall , and causall Truth in the Diuine vnderstanding , which the schooles call Primo-primam ; This will not bee sold , cannot be bought ; God will not part with it , the world is not worth it ; This Truth is as the Light in the body of the Sunne . There is an intrinsecall or formall truth in things truly existing ; For , Being and True are conuertible ; and Saint Austen rightly defines Verum est illud quod est ; All this created Truth in things , is deriued exemplarily , and causally , from that increated Truth of God ; this the schooles call Secundo-primam ; and it is as the light of the Sun-beames , cast vpon the Moone , and Starres . There is an extrinsecall , or secondary truth of propositions following vpon , and conformable to the truth of the things expressed : thus , Verum is no other than Esse declaratiuum , as Hilarie ; And this Truth , being in the thing it selfe subiectiuely , in words expressiuely , in the minde of man terminatiuely , presupposeth a double conformitie or adequation ; Both of the vnderstanding to the matter conceiued ; and of the words to the vnderstanding ; so as Truth is when we speake as we thinke , and thinke as it is ; And this Truth is as the light diffused from those heauenly bodies , to the Region of this lower ayre ; This is the Truth we are called to Buy : But this deriuatiue and relatiue Truth , whether in the minde , or in the mouth , hath much multiplicitie , according to the matter either conceiued , or vttered ; There is a Theologicall Truth , there is a naturall , there is a morall , there is a ciuill ; All these must bee deare bought ; but the best at the highest rate , which is Theologicall , or diuine ; whether in the principles , or necessary conclusions ; The principles of diuine Truth are Scriptura veritatis , Dan. 10. The Law of Truth , Mal. 2. The word of Truth , 2. Cor. 6. The necessary conclusions are they , which vpon irrefragable inferences are deduced from those holy grounds : Shortly then , euery parcell of Diuine Truth , whether laid downe in Scripture , or drawne necessarily from Scripture , is this Mercimonium sacrum , which wee are bidden to Buy ; Buy the Truth . This is the commoditie ; The match is , Buy ; that is , Beat the price , and pay it . Buy it ; Of whom ? For what ? Of whom , but of the owner , of the Maker ? The owner ; It is Veritas Domini , Gods Truth , Psal. 117. His stile is , the Lord God of Truth , Psal. 31. The Maker ; The workes of his hand are truth , and iudgement , Psal. 111. And if any vsurping spirit of error shall haue made a free-bootie of Truth , and shall with-hold it in vnrighteousnesse , we must redeeme it out of his hands with the highest ransome . What is the price ? That is the maine thing in buying ; For , Buying is no other than pactio pretij : Else-where God proclaimes ; Hoe , euery one that thirsteth , come , buy wine and milke without money , and without price , Esa. 55. This is a Donation , in forme of sale : But , here must be a price in the hand ; God will giue mercy , and not sell it ; He will sell Truth , and not giue it : For what will he sell it ? First , for Labour ; The Heathen Poet could say , his gods sold learning for sweat ; The originall word here vsed is ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) Compara ; Get it any way , either labore , or precio ; yea labore , vt precio . This great foreman of Gods shop tells vs we cannot haue it , vnder . Prou. 2.4 . We must seeke for her as siluer , and search for her , as for hid Treasures ; The veine of Truth lies low , it must be digged , and delued for to the very center . If Truth could bee bought with ease and pleasure , many a lazie Christian would bid faire for it , who now resolue rather vpon want , than toile . The slothfull worldling will rather take vp a falshood for Truth , than beat his braine to discerne Truth from falshood ; an error of free-cost is better than an high-rated Veritie ; Labour for Truth is turn'd ouer for the taske of Church-men ; no life sauours to these flegmaticke Spirits , but that of the Lillies , Neque laborant , neque nent ; They neither labour nor spin ; This dull resolution is vnworthy of a Christian , yea of a reasonable soule ; and if we should take vp no other for the body , we should be fed with hunger , and cloathed with nakednesse , the earth should bee our fether-bed , and the sky our Canopy , wee should abound with want , liue sauagely , and die miserably . It was the iust Canon of the Apostle , He that labours not , let him not eat ; Certainly , he can neuer eat of the heauenly Manna of Truth , that will not step forth to gather it : Heare this yee delicate Courtiers , that would heare a Sermon if yee could rise out of your beds ; that would lend God an houre , if yee could spare it from your pleasures ; the God of heauen scornes to haue his precious Truth so basely vnderualued ; if yee bid God lesse than labour for Truth , I can giue you no comfort , but that yee may goe to hell with ease . The markets of Truth as of all other commodities varie : It is the rule of Casuists , Iustitia pretij non consistit in indiuiduo ; The Iustice of the Price doth not pitch euer vpon a point ; Sometimes the price of Truth hath risen , it would not be bought but for danger , sometimes , not vnder losse , not vnder disgrace , not vnder imprisonment , not vnder exile , sometimes yet dearer , not vnder paine , yea sometimes it hath not gone for lesse than bloud . It did cost Elias danger , Michaiah disgrace , Ieremie imprisonment , the Disciples losse , Iohn and Athanasius exile , the holy Confessors paine , the holy Martyrs death ; Euen the highest of these is pretium legitimum , if God call for it , how euer nature may taxe it as rigorous , yea such as the franke hearts of faithfull Christians haue bidden at the first word for Truth ; What doe yee weeping , and breaking my heart ; For I am ready not to be bound only , but to die for the name of the Lord Iesus , saith S. Paul , Act. 21. Skin for skin , yea all that a man hath will he giue for his life , saith Satan ; but skin , & life , & all must a man giue for Truth , & not thinke it an hard penny-worth ; Neither count I my life deare vnto me that I may finish my course with ioy , saith the chosen vessel , to his Ephesians . Oh the heroicall spirits of our blessed fore-fathers , that stucke not to giue their dearest heart-bloud for but some corollaries of sacred Truth ; whose burning zeale to Truth consumed them before those fires of Martyrdome , and sent vp their pure and glorious soules , like Manoah's Angell , to heauen , in the flame . Blessed be God ; Blessed be his Anointed , vnder whose gracious Scepter we haue inioyed dayes as much more happy than theirs , as their hearts were more feruent than ours : Wee may now buy Truth at a better hand ; stake but our labour , wee carry it with thanks ; I feare there want not those that would be glad to marre the market ; It can be only knowne to heauen what treacheries the malice of hell may be a brewing . Had but that powder once taken , nothing had beene abated of the highest price of our predecessors ; We had paid for euery dram of Truth , as many ounces of bloud , as euer it cost the frankest Martyr ; should the Deuill haue beene suffered to doe his worst , we might not haue grudged at this price of Truth , Non est delicata in Deum , & secura confessio ; qui in me credit , debet suum sanguinem fundere , saith Ierome . Christian profession is no secure or delicate matter , he that beleeues must be no niggard of his bloud . But why thus deare ? Not without good reason : Monopolies vse to enhaunce the price : Yee can buy Truth at no shop but one , In coelo praeparata est Veritas tua , Psal. 89.2 . Thy truth is prepared in heauen . And it is a iust Rule of Law , Quisque in rebus suis est moderator , & arbiter : Euery man may rate his owne : Neither is this only the sole commoditie of God , but besides , deare to the owner . Dilexisti veritatem ; Thou hast loued Truth , saith the Psalmist . And it is a true rule in the Cases of Commerce , Affectus aestimari potest , Our loue may be valued in the price . Yea , O God , thy loue to Truth cannot be valued ; It is thy selfe , Thou that art Truth it selfe hast said so , I am the Way , the Truth , and the Life ; wee cannot therefore know how much thou louest thy Truth , because as thy selfe is infinite , so is thy loue to thy selfe : What should we hunt for comparisons ? If all the earth were gold , what were it ? when euen very heauen it selfe is trash to thee in respect of Truth : No maruell if thou set it at an high rate ; It is not more precious to thee , than beneficiall to vs. It frees vs , Ioh. 8.32 . It renues vs , Iam. 1.18 . It confirmes vs , Prov. 12.19 . It sanctifies vs , Ioh. 17.17 . It defends vs , Psal. 91.4 . Shortly , it doth all for vs that God doth , for God works by his Almighty word , and his word is Truth , Ioh. 17. Therefore buy the Truth . And if Truth be thus precious , thus beneficiall ; how comes it to passe that it is neglected , contemned ? Some passe by it , and doe not so much as cheapen it ; Others cheapen it , but bid nothing ; Others bid something , but vnder foot ; Others bid well , but stake it not ; Others lastly stake downe , but reuoke it . The first that passe by and cheapen it not , are carelesse vnbeleeuers ; The next that cheapen it , and bid nothing , are formall Christians ; The third that bid something but not enough , are worldly semi-Christians ; The fourth that bid well and stake it nor , are glorious hypocrites ; The last that stake downe and reuoke it , are damnable Apostats . Take all these out of the society of men ; and how many customers hath God that care to buy the Truth ? If Truth were some rich chattell , it would be bought ; If Truth were some goodly Lordship , or the reuersion of some good Office , it would be bought ; If Truth were some Benefice ; or spirituall promotion ( Oh times ! ) it would be bought ; Yea , how deare are we content to pay for our filthy lusts ; wee will needs purchase them ( too oft ) with shame , beggery , disease , damnation ; Only the sauing Truth of God will not off hand . What is the reason of this ? First of all ; It is but bare , simple , plaine , honest , homely Truth , without welt , without guard ; It will abide none but natiue colours , it scorneth to wooe fauour with farding , and licking , and counterfaisance ; it hates either bought , or borrowed beauty ; and therefore , like some natiue face among the painted , lookes course , and rusty . There are two shops that get away all the custome from Truth , The shop of Vanitie , the shop of Error ; The one sels knacks and gew-gawes , the other false wares , and adulterate ; both of their commodities are so gilded , and gaudy , and glittering , that all fooles throng thither , and complaine to want elbow-roome , and striue who shall be first seru'd ; whereas the secret worke of artlesse , and vnpolisht Truth can winne no eye to view it , no tongue to aske so much , as , What will it cost mee ? Oh yee sonnes of men , how long will yee loue vanitie , and seeke after lies ? Secondly , though Truth in it selfe be alwaies excellent , yet the issue of it is not seldome distastfull ; Veritas odium : There is one Michaiah whom I hate : Am I become your enemie , because I tell you the truth ? And this is the cause that Frier Menot alledges , why Truth in this Time was so vnwelcome to the Court. But if Truth be the mother of Hatred , shee is the daughter of Time , and Truth hath learn't this of Time , to deuoure her owne brood ; So that , in Time , Truth shall consume hatred ; and at the last , a galling Truth shall haue more thanks , than a smoothing supparisitation . In the meane time , Veritas nihil erubescit praeterquam abscondi ; Truth blusheth at nothing but secrecie , as Tertullian . How euer then fond , or false hearts value the Truth , let vs , that should be wise Christians , esteeme it as the pearle hid in the field , which the man sold all that euer he had to purchase . Would it not set any heart on fire with an holy anger , to see what the enemies of Truth bid , and giue for falshood , for faction ? Their libertie , their country , the life of their Soueraigne , the eternall state of their soules hath not seemed too deare to cast away vpon an ill bargaine of mis-religion ; and shall not wee bid so much as our zealous well-wishes , our effectuall indeuours , our carefull obseruances for the vndoubted Truth of our Maker and Redeemer ? What shall I say to the miserable and stupid carelesnesse of these thriftlesse and godlesse times ; wherein euery thing is apprised , euery thing is bought , saue that which is most precious , most beneficiall , Truth . Yee great ones are made for precedents to the inferior world ; your example is able to bring either good or euill into fashion ; For Gods sake , for your soules sake , what euer transactions ye make for the world , lay your plots for the blessed purchase of Truth ; Oh let not your fickle honors , your vnsatisfying pleasures , your worthlesse profits , yea your momentanie liues seeme deare to you in comparison of heauenly Truth . It is no shame in other parts for great Peeres to bee Merchants ; Mercatores tui erant principes , saith the Angell concerning Babylon , Reuel . 18. Thy Merchants were the Princes of the earth ; And why should not yee great ones bee the Merchants of Truth ? Blessed bee the God of Truth , yee are so . It is no proud word to say , That no Court vnder heauen hath so rich a stocke of Truth , as this of Great Britaine ; yet let mee tell you , the very Angels knew not so much , but they desired to know more , Ephes. 3.10 . And if yee had alreadie that vespertine knowledge of the Saints , which yee shall once haue in heauen , yet know that this bargaine stands not more in the iudgement , than in the affections : What euer our speculations may be , if our hearts be not set vpon Truth , we may be Brokers , wee are not Merchants ; Brokers for others , not Merchants for our selues . As our Sauiour then , when hee bids vs sell all , forsake all , holds it done , when in preparation of minde wee are ready to abdicate all for his name , though we doe it not ; so doth God hold vs to buy Truth , when wee bestow our best thoughts , our dearest well-wishes vpon it , though we haue it alreadie . Oh stirre vp your languishing zeale , yee noble Courtiers , rouze vp your drouping loue to diuine Truth ; Giue your hearts to it , yee cannot but giue all for it ; And if yee doe not finde the sweet gaine of this bargaine , in this lower Region of error ; and confusion , yee shall once finde it in those eternall , and empireall habitations of Truth , where the God of Truth shall make vp the Truth of his promises , with the euerlasting truth of his glorious performances ; where Mercy , and Truth shall so meet , and embrace one another , that both of them shall embrace the faithfull soule , for euer and euer . This for the Bargaine of Truth ; The forbidden sale followeth ▪ : sell it not . Commonly what wee buy , we may sell. Alexander , not the Great , but the Good , sold Miters , Keyes , Altars ; the verse giues the reason ; Emerat ille prius , Hee bought them . So Saint Austen of Simon Magus , Volebat emere spiritum Sanctum , quia vendere volebat spiritum Sanctum ; Hee would buy the Holy Ghost , because he meant to sell it . Giue me a man that buyes a Seat of Iudicature ; I dare not trust him for not selling of Iustice ; he that sits in the chaire of Symonie , will not giue Orders ; will not sticke to sell soules . Some things we may buy to sell , as Ioseph did the Egyptian corne ; some things we must sell , if we buy , as an Israelites Inheritance , Leuit. 25. But here we are charged to buy what it is a sinne to sell ; Buy the Truth , and sell it not ; There is many a good thing ill sold ; Esau sels his birth-right for pottage ; Hanun and Shechem sell their Country for loue ; Dalilah sels her louer for a bribe ; The Patriarchs sell their Brother for twentie siluer rings ; Haman sels the Iewes for nought . The Gentiles sell the Iewish girles for wine , Ioel 3.3 . Israel sels the righteous for siluer , and the poore for shooes , Amos 2.6 . Their Iudges sell sinnes or innocence for rewards , Esa. 5.23 . Abab sels himselfe to wickednesse ; Iudas sels his master ; Demas sels the Truth ; All these make an ill market ; And in all it is a surerule , the better the commoditie is , the more pernicious is the sale . The indefinitenesse of the charge implies a generalitie . Buy it at any price ; At no price sell it . It is the sauour of God that it may be bought for any rate ; It is the Iustice of God , that vpon any rate it should not bee sold : As buying and selling are opposites in relation ; So that for which we must not sell Truth is opposite to that for which we may buy it . Wee must buy it with labour , therefore wee may not sell it for ease ; If need be wee must buy it with losse , therefore we may not sell it for gaine ; we must buy it with disgrace , we may not sell it for honour ; wee must buy it with exile or imprisonment ; we may not sell it for libertie ; we must buy it with paine , we may not sell it for pleasure ; We must buy it with death , we may not sell it for life ; Not for any , not for all of these may we sell Truth ; this were damnosa mercatio , as Chrysostome : In euery bargaine and sale there must be a proportion ; now ease , gaine , honour , libertie , pleasure , life , yea worlds of all these are no way counteruaileable to Truth ; For what shall it profit a man to win the whole world , and leese his owne soule ? And hee cannot sell Truth , but his soule is lost : And if any thing in the world may seeme a due price of Truth , it is Peace . Oh sweet and deare name of Peace , the good newes of Angels , the ioy of good men ! who can but affect thee , who can but magnifie thee ? The God of heauen before whom I stand , from whom I speake , knowes how oft , how deeply I haue mourned for the diuisions of his Church , how earnestly I haue set my hand on work vpon such poore thoughts of re-union , as my meannesse could reach ; But when all is done , I still found we may not offer to sell Truth for Peace . It is true that there bee some Scholasticall and immateriall Truths ( the infinite subdiuisions whereof haue rather troubled than informed Christendome ) which for the purchase of peace might be kept in , and returned into such safe generalities as minds not vnreasonable might rest in ; but sold out they may not be ; If some Truths may be contracted into a narrower roome , none may be contracted for ; Qui diuinis innutriti sunt eloquijs , as that Father said ; Those that are trained vp in diuine Truths may not change a syllable for a world . Tene quod habes , Hold that thou hast , is a good rule in all things ; which if in temporalties it were well obserued , we should not haue so many gallants squander away their inheritances to liue Cameleon-like vpon the ayre of fauour ; But how euer this be too wel obserued in these earthly things by frugall hands , which take as if they were quicke , hold as if they were dead , yet in spirituall graces it can neuer be obserued enough ; Wee get Truth , we buy it as Iacob did his birth-right , to keepe , to inioy , not to sell againe : If therefore the world , if Satan shall offer to grease vs in the fist for Truth , let vs answer him as Simon Peter did Simon the Sorcerer , Thy money perish with thee , because thou hast thought the Truth of God may be purchased with money . What shall we say then to those pedling petty-chapmen which we meet withall in euery market , that will be bartring away the Truth of God for trifles ? Surely the forme of our spirituall market is contrarie to the ciuill ; In our ciuill markets there are more buyers than sellers ; there would be but poore takings , if many did not buy of one ; but in the spirituall , there are more Sellers of Truth , than Buyers . Many a one sels that hee neuer had , that he should haue had , the Truth of God ; Here one chops away the Truth for Feare or Ambition ; There another lets it goe for the old shooes of a Gebeonitish pretence of Antiquitie ; Heere one parts with it for a painted , gilded hobby-horse of an outwardly pompous magnificence of the Church ; there another for the bables of childish superstition ; One for the fancies of hope , another for the breath of a colloguing Impostor ; Amongst them all , Diminutae sunt veritates à filijs hominum , Psal. 12. Truth is failed from the children of men : Yea as Esay complained in his time , Corruit in platea veritas , Esa. 59.14 . Truth is fallen in the streets . What a shame it is to see , that in this cleere and glorious Sunne-shine of the Gospell , vnder the pious gouernment of the True Defender of the Faith , there should not want some soules that should trucke for the Truth of God , as if it were some Cheapside , or some Smithfield-Commoditie . Commutauerunt veritatem Dei ; They haue changed the Truth of God into a lie , Rom. 1.25 . And all their care is , that they may be deceiued good cheap . Whose heart cannot bleed to see so many well-rigg'd and hopefull Barkes of our young Gentry , laden with the most precious Merchandises of Nature and Grace , hall'd in euery day to these deceitfull Ports of Error , the owners partly cheated , partly robbed of Truth , despoiled of their rich fraight , and at last turn'd ouer-boord into a sea of Desperation . Oh foolish Galatians , who hath bewitched you , that you should not obey , that yee should not hold fast the Truth ; Where shall I lay the fault of this mis-carriage ? Mee thinkes I could aske the Disciples question , Nunquid ego Domine , Is it wee Lord ? Are there of vs that preach our selues and not Christ ? Are there that preach Christ , and liue him not ? Woe to the world because of offences . It must needs be that offences should come , but woe to the man by whom the offence commeth : God forbid that we should be so bad that the seuen-hils should not iustifie vs ; But what euer we be , the Truth is still , and euer it selfe , neither the better for our innocence , nor worse for our guilt . If men bee faultie , what hath Truth offended ? Except the sacred word of the euer-liuing God can mis-guide you , we haue set you right . We are but Dust and Ashes , yet , O God , giue vs thine humble vassals leaue in an awfull confidence so farre to contest with thee , the Lord of heauen and earth , as to say , If we be deceiued , thou hast deceiued vs. It is thou that hast spoken by vs to thy people ; Let God bee True , and euery man a Lier ; Whither should we goe from thee , thou hast the words of eternall life . Deare Christians , our fore-fathers transmitted to vs the intire inheritance of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ , repurchased by the bloud of their martyrdome ; Oh let not our ill husbandry impaire it ; Let not posteritie once say , they might haue bin happy , but for the vnthriftines of vs their progenitors ; Let it not bee said , that the coldnesse of vs the teachers , and professors of Truth hath dealt with Religion as Rehoboam did with his shields , which hee found of Gold , but left of Brasse . If Truth had no friends , we should plead for it , but now that we haue before our eies so powerfull an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Christian faith , that with his very pen hath so laid error vpon the backe , that all the world cannot raise it , what a shame were it to be wanting to him , to Truth , to our selues ? But perhaps now , I know some of your thoughts ; you would buy Truth ( ye thinke ) you would hold it , if yee could be sure to know it ; There are many slips amongst the true coyne ; Either of the mothers pleaded the liuing childe to be hers , with equall protestations , oathes , teares . True ; Yet a Salomons sword can diuide Truth from falshood ; and there is a test , and fire that can discerne true metals from adulterate ; In spight of all counterfeiting there are certaine infallible marks , to know Truth from Error ; Take but a few of many ; whether in the originals , in the natures , in the ends of both . In the first , Truth is diuine , Error is humane ; what is grounded vpon the diuine word must needs be irrefragably true ; that which vpon humane Traditions , either must , or may be erroneous . In the second , Truth is one , conforme euer to it selfe , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as one said ; Omne verum omni vero consonat , All truth accords with euery Truth , as Gerson ; and as it is pure , so peaceable ; Error is full of dissonance , of cruelty : No particulars of ours dissent from the written verity of God ; We teach no man to equiuocate ; Our practise is not bloudy with treasons , and massacres . In the third , Truth , as it came from God , so is referd to him ; neither hath any other end , than the glory of the God of Truth ; Error hath euer some self-respects ; either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , filthy lucre or vaine-glory ; profit , or pride ; We doe not prancke vp nature ; we ayme not , either to fill the cofers , or feed the ambition of men ; Let your Wisdomes apply and inferre , and now ( if yee can ) shut your eyes , that you should not see the Truth ; and , if yee care not for your soules , when yee see it , sell it : Let no false tongue perswade you there is no danger in this sale : How charitably so euer wee thinke of poore blinded soules , that liue in the forced , and inuincible darknesse of error , certainly Apostasie is deadly ; How euer those speed that are robbed of Truth , you cannot sell Truth , and be saued . Haue mercy therefore on your owne soules , for their sakes , for the sake of him that bought them , with the deare ransome of his precious bloud ; And as God hath blessed you with the inualuable treasure of Truth ; so hoard it vp in your hearts , and menage it in your liues ; Oh let vs be Gens iusta custodiens veritatē , Es. 26. A iust nation keeping fast the Truth ; So whiles yee keepe the Truth , the Truth shall keepe you , both in Life , in Death , in Iudgement ; In life vnto death , in death and iudgement vnto the consummation of that endlesse and incomprehensible glory which the God of Truth hath prepared for them that ouercome . To the happy possession whereof he that hath ordained , in his good time as mercifully bring vs ; and that for the sake of the Sonne of his Loue , IESVS CHRIST the Righteous ; To whom with thee O Father , & thy blessed Spirit , one infinite God , be giuen all praise , honour , and glory , now and for euer . Amen .