Truths Triumph Over Trent, Title page – Dedication
TRUTH'S TRIUMPH OVER TRENT: OR, THE GREAT GVLFE BETWEENE SION and BABYLON.
THAT IS, The vnreconcileable opposition betweene the Apostolicke Church of CHRIST, and the Apostate Synagogue of ANTICHRIST, in the maine and fundamentall Doctrine of IVSTIFICATION, for which the Church of ENGLAND Christs Spouse, hath iustly, through Gods merciemercy, for these manie yeares, according to Christs voyce, separated her selfe from Babylon, with whom from henceforth she must hold no Communion.
By H. B. Rector of S. Mathews Friday-Street.
2. COR. 6. 14, 15, 16.
What fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse? and what communion hath light with darkenesse? And what concord … Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the Beleeuer with an Infidell? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols?
LONDON, Printed for MICH. SPARKE. 1629.
To the High and Excellent, who inhabiteth Eternity, IESVS CHRIST, the Lord our Righteousnesse, the faithfull witnesse, the first begotten of the dead, the Prince of the Kings of the earth, who hath loued vsus, and washed vsus in his owne bloud, and hath made vsus Kings and Priests vntounto God, and his Father: Glory, Dominion, Blessing, Honour, Power, for euermore. Amen.
MOst High and Holy Lord Iesus, to whom should a sinfull wretch, and worthlesse abiect presume to approach, but to thee his gracious Sauiour, and mercifull Redeemer? Vouchsafe then, O Sun of righteousnes, to stretch thy healing wings ouer my fainting and feeble soule, now prostrate at thy beautifull and blessed feet, and so bathe & wash me in the fountain of thy precious bloud, as that I may be presented spotlesse before thy Fathers Throne, clad in the robes of thy perfect righteousnesse. Thou art that faithfull witnesse to confirme, yea that souereigne King, and supreme Iudge, to maintaine the cause of thine eternall truth against all Antichristian aduersaries. Vouchsafe therefore to patronize this poore labour, which the weakest & vnworthiest of all thy seruants, is bold here to consecrate to thy Name. It is but that small fruit and rivulet, which hath sprung from thee the liuing Roote, and Fountaine of all grace; so as by iust right it is thine. Let thy power protect the worke and workman from all iniury of time; and thy grace blesse the worke, both to the confirming of thy people in the sauing truth, and to the conuincing of the gain-sayer. Thou seest, O Lord, the presumption of Antichrist, and of his seduced seducing Apostles. Thou beholdest these Apostatizing luke-warme times, how many looke backe to Egypt, to Babylon. Thou numbrest and weighest Antichristian Aduocates, and Baals Pleaders, and Babylons Reconcilers, as if they would in despight of thee and thy blessed Word, re-erect Babels Tower within the borders of thy Sion.
O Lord, are not thine eyes vponupon the truth? And do not thine eyes runne to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew thy selfe strong in the behalfe of them, whose heart is perfect towards thee? Art not thou He, that in former times hast saued vsus from our enemies, & hast put them to confusion, that hate vsus? But now, Lord, (if we may dispute with thee, and seeing thy seruant, who is but dust and ashes, hath begun to speake to my Lord) wherefore hast thou cast thy people off, and goest not forth with our Armies? Wherefore doest thou make vsus to turne our backe from the enemy, that they which hate vsus, spoile our goods? Wherfore doest thou make vsus a reproach vntounto our neighbours, a scorne and derision to them that are round about vsus? Or can wee plead for our selues, as once thy people by the mouth of thy seruant Dauid, did, Though all this be come vponupon vsus, yet hauehave we not forgotten thee, nor behaued our selues falsly in thy Couenant? Or can wee say, Our heart is not turned backe, nor our steps declined from thy way? Or, That wee hauehave not forgotten the Name of our God, nor stretched out our hand to a strange God? Alas, O Lord, our confusion is still before vsus, our iniquities are with vsus, they testifie against vsus; so that how can wee hold vp our heads before thee, or stand before our enemies? And yet, O Lord, all our smart and shame cannot teach vsus to beleeue thy Prophets, who hauehave often told vsus, The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if yee seeke him, he will be found of you: but if yee forsake him, hee will forsake you. And wherein are we conuinced of our forsaking of thee, O Lord, but by beholding with lamentable experience, how thou seemest now of long time to hauehave forsaken vsus? For else, if thou Lord wert with vsus, how should so many calamities and disasters fall vponupon vsus, and vponupon thy people round about vsus? How should England, formerly a terrour to her neighbours, become now their scorne and derision? The truth is, O Lord, we must needs confesse to our great shame; that with the Church of Ephesus, wee hauehave declined from our first louelove. O teach vsus to remember from whence we are fallen, and to repent, and do the first works, left thou come against vsus quickly, and remoue our Candlesticke out of his place, except we repent. And hast thou not at least a few things against vsus, that the woman Iezebel, which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse, is suffered to teach, and to seduce thy seruants to commit fornication with Idols? For this, thou hast couered thy selfe with a cloud, that our prayer should not passe through. For this, thou hast made vsus as the refuse in the midst of the people. For this, all our enemies hauehave opened their mouth against vsus; yea, thy fierce windes hauehave fought against vsus, wasted and wracked our forces. Yet doe not, O Lord, cast vsus off for euer. Thy people put their mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. O teach vsus to search and trie our waies, and turne again to thee our God. O pleade for vsus to thy Father, when in thy name wee lift vp our heart with our hands to God in the heauens. And lest our praiers be turned into sin, O strengthen our hearts and hands from the highest to the lowest, to cast our from among vsus our Idol-sins, and sinfull Idols, the abominations, and prouocations of thy iealousie.
O blesse thy seruant, our gracious Soueraigne, King CHARLES, double vponupon his royall person the spirit of vpright Dauid, and of zealous Iosiah, to purge and repaire thy Temple, that vponupon himselfe his Crown may long flourish, his righteous Scepter may cherish and support thy people, his victorious Sword may suppress and vanquish thine and his enemies. Showre down thy grace into the heart of his royall Queene, that shee comming to partake with him in the onelyonly and blessed means of saluation, thy Word & Sacraments, may become also a ioyfull & fruitful nurcing Mother to thine Israel. Multiply the Spirit of wisdome & counsel vponupon his Maiesties Honorable Counsellers, that taking all their counsel at thee & thy word, all their consultations and resolutions may prosper, and procure peace and prosperity to these Kingdomes, and thy Churches therein and abroad. Double the Spirit of zeale and piety vponupon all the Ministers of thy Word and Sacraments, especially, vponupon the reuerend Arch-Bishops & Bishops, that standing in the place of Pillars in thy Temple, of the salt of the earth, of the light of the world, they may strongly support thy true Religion, season and lighten those places, which are dark and vnsauory, and all for want of faithfull Ministers▪ thus shall they highly magnifie their office, and discharge their stewardship, by prouiding and sending painfull labourers into eueryevery corner of thy field. Inspire and inflame them, Lord, with that zeale of thine own, wherewith thou didst purge thy Temple from profane merchandize: that so they may with the whip-cords of sound Doctrine, and wholesome Discipline, chase out of thy Church all Herefie and Idolatry. Why should the world, O Lord, complaine and cry, Where is the spirit of those a…cient Bishops and Martyrs, and … Champions of thy truth, as of Cranmer, … mer, Hooper, Bucer, Peter Martyr, Iewel, and other faithfull witnesses, whose eyther bloud hath beene the seed, or preaching and writing the watering of this thy noble Vineyard? O keepe farre from vsus the spirit of cowardise, and lukewarmnesse, of ambition, and louelove of the world, lest these infeebling and infatuating our soules, wee should proue a generation of peruerse and foolish children, pulling downe what our religious fore-fathers with such care and paines, mature iudgement, and sound knowledge in the truth, hauehave built. Stirre vp, O Lord, the noble hearts of the two honourable Chancellors of our Vniuersities, that with the ayde of soueraigne authority, they may zealously set themselues to preserue those Fountaines and Nurceries from the mudde of Heresie, and the bitter root of Impiety. Infuse the spirit of courage, zeale, vprightnesse, and hatred of couetousnesse, in aboundance vponupon all the reuerend Iudges and Iustices of the Land, that they may duely execute the Lawes by freeing the poor innocent from the potent oppressor, by cutting downe sinne, and cutting off the traiterous ring-leaders to Idolatry. Thus thy Church being purged, Iustice executed, Religion maintained, sinne reformed, our Couenant with thee renewed, our vowes of better obedience and thankfulnesse performed, and we through thy merits reconciled to thy Father of mercies: thou the great Captaine and Lord of Hosts, mayst againe take thy peoples part, turne the edge of thy Sword against thine enemies, and fill our mouthes with a new song of praise & thank…giuing to thee, which sittest vponupon the Throne, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, God blessed for euer.
Amen.