Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	john_n	luke_n	mark_v	4,432	5	10.4916	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16897	The apologie of George Brisset, Lord of Gratence Written vpon consideration of the inhumane murther of the late French king, and sent to Monsieur Tauraine, a counsellor in the Court of Parliament of Brittaine in France, Lord high Steward of the councell of Nants; where the said noble man, with many others of account, were conuerted from the Church of Rome, and become true Christian catholicks, to the great ioy of all good Christians. Translated out of French into English.	Brisset, Georges.; Tauraine, Monsieur.	1610 (1610)	STC 3791; ESTC S106652	10,830	32

Sauiour Christ did ordinarily eate the Paschal lambe To blaspheme the name of God in this age of the world is amongst them accounted for a light matter but to speake euill of the Pope especially in Italy or Spaine is a burning matter and vnpardonable At Rome the Iewes hold a religion which teacheth that Christ is an impostor or iuggler but to say that there is no Purgatory at all is a crime worthy of the Inquisition Now euery Bishop in our country of France can giue absolution in crimes and offences committed against Gods lawes but none can absolue sinnes committed against the Pope or his lawes This triple-headed Potentate doth teach many things contrary to the law and the Gospell First God saith in the 20. chapter of Exodus Thou shalt not make to thy selfe the likenesse of any thing which is in heauen or earth Thou shalt not bow downe to them c. But in the Romish Church they paint the holy Trinitie they kneele downe before the images of Saints Secondly God saith in his law Sixe dayes shalt thou labour The Pope saith Thou shalt not worke sixe daies but thou shalt keepe such holy dayes as he enioyneth thee in the weeke dayes to obserue Thirdly God saith by his Apostle 1. Tim. 3. vers 2. A Bishopmust be the husband of one wife hauing his children vnder obedience with all reuerence But the Church of Rome commandeth that a Bishop should haue neither wife nor children Fourthly God commandeth by his Apostle 1. Cor. 10. If any of them which beleeue not call you to a feast whatsoeuer is set before you eate asking no question for conscience sake The Church of Rome contrariwise saith when you shall be inuited to the houses of heretickes eate not of all that which shall be set before you in the Lent time or vpon fridaies Fifthly God saith by his Apostle 1. Cor. 14. It were better in the Church to speake few words with vnderstanding then ten thousand in a strange tongue The Church of Rome on the contrary say all their Seruice in a language that is not vnderstood And so in many other points If any one alledge vnto me the multitude of professors I say that Christ Matth 7.13 would haue vs enter by the narrow gate and saith that the broade way wherein the multitude doe walke is the way to destruction Therefore if in the reading of the word of God I meete with any difficulties I resolue with my selfe neither to be iudge nor interpreter and that which remaines cleare and plaine is sufficient to instruct and saue me And truly since I conformed my selfe to the true religion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ I haue learned now to beleeue no longer by the faith of another Nor truly is any man saued by atturney which makes me earnestly to exhort all Romish professors to doe as I haue done for their owne saluations and to thinke seuerally vpon these things that their soules may be deliuered out of captiuity that we may together glorifie God vpon earth being desirous to bee glorified by him in heauen And now to you you Romish Catholickes as you tearme your selues you that haue nusled me long in ignorance now that the true light hath opened mine eies I will as plainly lay open and set abroad your superstitious practises which now to my soules sorrow I haue bene witnesse of First ye neuer came in with your miters robes and rings by the doore as did the poore Apostles but by the window like robbers theeues and murtherers with Simon Magus and such like Neuer was your proud power of our heauenly fathers planting and therefore at the last it must vp by the rootes yee must in the end be destroyed without hands Dan. 8. inuisibly shall ye be striken 2. Maccab. 9. as was the great tyrant Antiochus 2. Thess 2. Heb. 4. with the mighty breath of Gods mouth which is his inuincible word shall your false kingdome be consumed This reckon I to be sufficient to declare you both to God and man most spightfull traitours vnto those that will not bee wilfully blinde And to proue you spirituall theeues is the purpose of my writing for proofe whereof I neede not to seeke further then into your owne open acts How long haue ye kept the eternall testament of Christ vnder your filthy feete from the peoples reading which is the liuely foode of their soules yea how many innocent Christian creatures haue yee most cruelly murthered to cause them to abhorre it I haue knowne you burne a worshipfull gentlewoman for hauing but one chapter of S. Matthews Gospell written in her house and another man for hauing S. Iohns Gospell beside many other cruelties by you committed Some haue you burned for not allowing your pilgrimages some for not beleening your pardons some for not fasting the friday for not obseruing your Lent some for your Purgatory some for your images some for not praying to dead Saints of your owne making some for not creeping to the crosse some for not going on procession and some for holy-water and for other vaine trifles of your owne inuenting Too long were it to recite all your acts of mischiefe which yee haue alwaies practised to deface Gods word Neuer were ye yet content that the seede of saluation should fructifie among the people but euermore ye haue stroue to stop the sweete blast thereof thereby to do the diuell your father a pleasure Yee are those wilde swine leawd shepheards and Foxes which haue rooted vp the Lords vineyard therefore how terrible will your sentences be against you at the latter day where in feare yee shall confesse openly all your damnable foolishnesse and that ye haue bene wilfully ignorant of the truth and haue tired your selues in the waies of wickednesse and destruction Before your owne faces I will more plainly set downe your abhominations and good workes as you call them You are I say bewitchers of our French Parliaments wherein yee haue depriued altogether the common people of the Bibles reading onely you admit it to three degrees of men to Gentlemen Merchants and Priests all artificers and men of the commonsort dearly excluded as though God were partiall not willing his lawes and sweete promises should be knowne to poore men vnto their soules saluation These be the good workes that you say will iustifie you before your God the Pope These are deeds of supererogation wher with you scoure your fiery Purgatory These are the merits of your satisfactions whereby you get heauen when God is not at home Oh shamelesse murtherers If he be called a mankiller that killeth the body much rather he that killeth soule and body All the world in a manner derideth your proceedings and laugheth to scome your vnprudent practises Christneuer contemned the poore but blessed them aboue all sorts of people Not onely opened he his Gospell to the poore in his owne person but also appoynted the poorest sort of men to declare it after his departure Matth. 28. Marke 16. Luke 24. Iohn 15. Acts 2. enduing them most largely with his Spirit from aboue He chofe the weake to confound the strong and the poore to deface the proud Neuer sent he such glorious and Lordly Prelates to sit in Consistories Councels and Sessions to the destruction of such as beleeue faithfully in Christ therefore it is easie to perceiue whose seruants you be You euermore call vpon earthly gouernours as did Simon Magus your predecessour vpon the Emperour Nero to martyr the Gospell-preachers Christ neuer willed any to be brought to his faith by compulsion neither vsed the Apostles to enforce any man thereunto But you like tyrants more cruell then the Turke constraine people to your false faith by diuers kinds of torments The true faith which commeth by the Gospell preached bringeth forth the workes of the Gospell Gal. 5.22.23 which are the fruits of loue and gladnes peace patience gentlenesse long suffering meeknesse chastity temperance and such like But your good works as you terme them be the going for pardons the seeking of images the praying to dead Saints the taking of holy water the hearing of Masse without vnderstanding the wearing of beads the offering of candles the idle spending of your holidaies the comming to confession the creeping to the crosse the fasting of Saints eues the praying for all Christian soules the building of Monasteries and chanteries the charming of Churches and chalices with a thousand superstitions more for your profite and aduantage These I say and such like are your good workes which beget nothing as Saint Paul saith but haughtinesse vaine glory couetousnesse pride hatred malice manslaughter gluttony drunkennesse sloath idolatry sedition witch craft fornication letchery and such like sins of the flesh And now to conclude with this my soules prayer Oh eternall Father for thy infinite mercies sake graciously grant that our soueraigne Lord and king Lewis the 13. may be so inspired with the true vnderstanding of thy word that hee would clearely cast out of his priuy Counsell house these locusts of Aegypt and daily vpholders of Sodome and Gomora the popes cruell cattell to the vniuersall health of his people for neuer shall he haue of them but deceiptfull counsellers and hollow hearted gentlemen Finally O Lord take from thē their inordinate pompe and riches and more godly bestow it to the aide and maintenance of the commonwealth As for an example it hath in times past bene done in England our neighbour kingdome where all Monasteries Nunneries Conuents and Friers houses were conuerted into schooles of Christian learning hospitals for sicke persons and conuenient dwelling places for poore and aged people reseruing the rest of their lands and goods to the maintenance of their citties and townes Which godly deede is now commended through all Christendome and there O happy country is Christ truly harboured nourished couered fed and visited in his diseased members all which will be recompenced at the latter day God grant that France and all other nations may do the like Amen FINIS