Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	council_n	rome_n	10,036	5	7.5247	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13114	The epistle that Iohan Sturmius, a man of great lerninge and iugement, sent to the Cardynalles and prelates that were chosen and appointed by the Bysshop of Rome, to serche out the abuses of the churche. Translated into englysshe by Rychard Morysine.; Epistle that Johan Sturmius, a man of great lerninge and jugement, sent to the Cardynalles and prelates.	Sturm, Johannes, 1507-1589.; Morison, Richard, Sir, d. 1556.	1538 (1538)	STC 23407; ESTC S105095	25,896	98

preache well and haue done so longe sythens ye do not onely not pulle them to you but you flee frome them ye do not onely not ayde theym but you kepe them in chaynes ye reteyne theym not in townes but ye exile and banysshe them ye delyuer theym not out of danger but ye most iniustlye and cruelly slee theym What other thing is taught in our churchis but that all writinges all ceremonies shoulde tende to teache men knowledge to shewe them that all mens nature is corrupted and that by the deathe of Christe we are delyuered and by hym haue we opteyned forgyuenes of synne and blysse euerlastynge It is falsely reported of vs that we discourage men frome doing good workes falsely feyned that we intende to breake all good order and ceremonies And what a crueltie is this of you whyle we go aboute to put downe all those thynges that can not stande with Christis teachynge whyles we studye to reyse and set vp agayne the true ceremonies whiles we fetch in agein the true trade and olde fasshion of preachynge what crueltie is it to offer vs the galowes burnyng and suche other moste terrible peynes Grekes of olde tyme were neuer so cruell albe it they offered for sacrifice to their fals goddis men aliue as ye be to vs in your punishmētes ¶ This cruell maner of punysshement causeth vs to thynke that it is impossible for you to iudge vprightly of our matters And all be it that after so many bokes made by vs ye myghte haue ben well satisfied instructed and taughte what mynde we beare to Chrystis relygion yet howe yuel so euer you thinke of vs ye shoulde haue mynded a councill generall and suche as good menne myghte haue ben called to of whose good lyfe and good lernynge there mighte appere sufficient testimony And forasmoch as in a general concill there ought to be no suspityon eyther of cruelnes or of forcynge of any man there wolde haue ben chosen suche a place where as all men myght haue resorted to gether and frely haue spoken their mindes and also where suche myghte haue bene kepte out suche I saye as for theyr naughtye lyfe and ignoraunce of scripture for theyr symonye and other vices no lawe woll admytte to meddel with matters of the church For if they maye not be suffered to speke in matters that chaunce dayly moche lesse they ought to be hard in suche a solemne assemble specially at this tyme where as al thinges are ruffled in the churche and very fewe thynges are in good order Amonge so many bishops as are in Almain there is not one that ought to be harde there if the olde canons myghte be restored to theyr olde vigour strength In Fraunce there be but fewe and yet more than be in Almayne Of Italy I can saye nothynge ENGLANDE is aloone perelesse wonderfullye amended ENGLANDE maye be a mirrour a guyde a teacher an exaumple to all the reste ¶ There be manye amonges you that crie and say that no man ought to haue a voice in the generall coūcill but they alone that are of the clergie and of these ye take not the beste lerned but woll that greattest in dignitie haue the chiefe suffragies whose sayinges if they be allowed yf good lyuynge and good lerning be not regarded what good can come of councils Therfore in this poynte ye shulde haue moued the byshop of Rome to opteyne of kynges and of all nations honest men men well lerned men of holy conuersation that general councils therby might recouer agayne their olde auctoritie in truely defyninge of matters whiche thinge councils of late haue lost with a gret shame And this mooste specially muste be forseene that theyr iudgemente be not allowed whiche saye that men of Luthers secte oughte therfore to haue no audience in the councill bicause they haue broken the decrees of councilles For hitherto no man coude proue that sayinge true And I say more No councilles are of any valure or ought to be kepte but they wherin nothynge is decreed contrary to the wrytynges of the apostels Theyr bokes that you call Lutherans beare sufficient recorde that they haue written nothing contrarye to the honour of Chryste nor the mynde of thapostels nor yet against auncient councilles whiche oughte to be as a rule for vs theyr after comers If ye wolle that the churche flouryshe and the flocke of Christe prospere and encrease plentuousely Take away all gay high and honorable titles set lower yuel gotten honour let fraudes and gyles haue no place let good lyuynge be preferred haue respecte to ryght knowlege put herevnto dilygence thynges can nat but amende Noo men may bringe this to passe better thā you none shal haue more praise of wysedome or greatter profytte therof than ye You shall than be in high reputation if by your diligence and vertue the worlde be broughte to lyue well and godlye What honest life can there be where as religion is distroyed and where good ceremonies ar clean misvsed What plesure where as is so great debate and discorde Here ones agayne Contarene I beseche the for thy great lerninge and so do I the Frederike byshop of Salerne for the honour that thou haste had by refusyng to be a cardynal I beseche and pray the also Sadolete for the honor that thou hast had by lerning I beseche you all whiche are deputed to debate these thynges that through you the olde maner of lernynge may be restored the olde Canons haue theyr place ageyne and that the naughty peruers vse of ceremonies by you may be amended ¶ You ought in no wyse to let this occasion slyp youre handes if you be desirous to further Christis religion For it is nothynge so as you feare that it is you thinke it impossible that we shuld agree with you you thinke that no communication betwene you and vs can brynge vs to an vnitie and concorde bycause men of a long tyme haue sayd that we take awaye all ceremonies and that we woll suffre you to haue nothynge whiche hath ben instituted syth the apostels tyme. This report as touchynge the ceremonies we say is a false lye and so we proue it by our dede For where as there be thre sortes of ceremonies one whiche is necessarie we mayntein most ernestly an other whiche is contrarie to goddis lawes we can not abide as for the thirde our mynd is to vse a moderation For if there be any good order at all which saynte Paule commaundeth vs to haue for the mayntenance and confirmation of that feyth whiche we ought to yeld to god and Christ this same must nedes remayne in ceremonies necessarie and in those that are moderated Surelye they that wolle maynteyn those ceremonies that ar falsely feyned and contrary to goddis lawe either they do not vnderstande what the trouthe requireth or els for their owne priuate weale they wolle not suffre a necessarie reformation to be hadde And for bycause Sadolete ye do not perceyue

THE EPISTLE THAT IOHAN STVRmius a man of great lerninge and iugement sent to the Cardynalles and prelates that were chosen and appointed by the Bysshop of Rome to serche out the abuses of the churche Translated into englysshe by Rychard Morysine IOHAN STVRMIVS TO THE Cardynalles and prelates appointed to serche oute the abusyons of the churche sendeth gretyng YOVR BOKE wrytten at the commaundement of the byshop of Rome cōteynyng suche thynges as ye thynke make moste to the restauryng of religion beinge brought vnto vs this laste moneth styred dyuers men to speake dyuersely of you And all be it I thinke you ought lytel to passe what euery man sayth of these your deuyses yet excepte men wyse and lerned do allowe them I canne not thynke that in any assemble of men mete to sytte in a councill ye canne obteyne that you go aboute that is to restore the churche vnto her olde state and pristine dignitie For al be it all thynges are to be redressed by good counsell whyche you beinge men of suche prudencie may yf ye lyste lyghtly inuent yet excepte the lerned sorte do approue your inuencions men woll not thynke that ye haue founde suche ways as ar most mete for that pourpose Wherfore for as moch as I am nowe in those places and amonge suche men as prudently iudge of your busynesse seing I wel perceyued what men iuge of you I thought it very conuenient brefely in writing to shewe you their sentences that ye thereby maye perceyue what they allowe what they myslyke and what they wolde haue handled after other sort than ye haue done Many hope wel bothe in your lernynge and iudgement whom also this new deuise of the byshop of Rome bryngeth into good opinion that one day a better agrement may be made betwixt vs. For as longe as the bysshop of Romes eares were shytte agaynste all trouthe and open to all flatterers there was no place for medycine to worke in But nowe sythe there is a byshop of Rome whiche sekethe men amonges whom some ar such as are not wont to flatter some suche as woll not lye many of greate lernynge Certes eyther nowe remedyes shall be founde to heale the great and longe disease of the sycke churche or els it being beaten thus on euery syde weakened decaied woll vndoubtedly shortly all togyther falle Those that were in your places before wold acknowlege no faute They styffely defended all to be wel done that bishops of Rome hadde ben authors of This errour is nowe taken awey by you whyche shewe not onely moche hurt and open ruine of the church but also cōfesse and acknowlege byshoppes of Rome to haue ben thautours of it whyche beleuing in the sayinges of flatterers thought them selfes lordes of lawes This youre sentence was very pleasant vnto al our men here bycause they hope euen as ye do se the calamities of religion the ruine of honestie and vtter distruction of the churche except remedye be found that so ye wol as moch as in you lieth staye these grefes that they go no furder It is a rare thing and moch more than menne coulde hope for that there shoulde come a bishop of Rome whiche shulde require his prelates vpon theyr othe to open trouthe to shewe abuses to seke remedies for thē so that if any thing be otherwise agreed vpon by you than right religion may beare the faute shall be yours the byshop of Rome hath lytell here to be charged withall Wherfore you that are chosen to so godly and necessarie a thyng ye ought with all mature diligence to study labour that this that ye haue begonne may come to a good ende AND seing you haue the byshops assent and commandement also ye ought in no case to let so godly a thynge to quayle at your handes If this bishop continue aliue and be styll of this mynde if it be trewe that you saye ye lacke nothinge but your owne good wyl to retourne many commodyties vnto all men of Christis relygion If he shall chaunge his mynde yet you se there is a waye opened for all men to enter into your dispraises if ye be founde thoccasion that suche hope as men are in be nowe quite taken from them For that that shulde be so cōmodious so holsome vnto the hole world ones power gyuē to you to brynge it to passe yf ye lyste can nat be neglected of you withoute your great shame Wherfore whyle it is his wyll whiche beareth greattest strooke amonge you ye muste whyle he lyueth take the tyme and let not suche occasyons slyppe By this your industrie fydelitie prudence and vertue relygion that is almost fallen may be set vp agayn If for age he be taken from you yet ye muste nowe make suche foundations that they whiche shal be created after hym may not let slyppe a mattier of suche weyght withoute their gret shame You must prouide that as sone as it may be good men and well lerned in dede may studye for the redresse of the churche In these your labours ye shal haue many that wol be gladde to helpe you many princis many their subiectis whiche may make a iuste conuocation many many woll be gladde to helpe suche as frankely shewe theyr iudgementes moche rather than those that bynde theym selfe to the seruitude of flatterie ¶ THE auctoritie of councils is decayed longe sythens bycause they haue ben rather callyd for the satisfyeng of the bysshop of Romes appetites auarice and ambition than for the setting forth of religion And also suche men haue come to it as wolde not plainly expresse such fautes as they knew but rather serued his turne vnto whom they aknowlege them selfis greatly to be boūd For howe can a byshoppe of Rome think to be corrected of them whose lybertie he hath taken away whose wylles and fauourable voyces he hath wonne with greatte rewardes and promyses Wherfore ye thinke as ye shulde where ye say that a bishop of Rome ought not to be lawles vnder no law neither that what him lusteth is lawfulle but rather that he shoulde luste those thynges that lawes allow Here ye haue goten great praise amonge oure men bicause ye are the fyrst of this your order that durste pronounce it mete for a byshoppe of Rome to kepe al suche lawes hym selfe as he wolde haue obeyed of the churche ¶ ALSO that that you sayde nexte vnto this was spoken of you very prudently that no lordshyp is committed to the bysshop of Rome but rather a certayne cure by the which he maye distrybute thynges in the churche accordynge to good order and so that he is rather a curate of suche thinges than a lorde of them and that men are committed to his faithfulnes and dilygence he hym selfe hauynge neither dition ne power aboue lawes no domynation ne reigne whereby he maye eyther chaunge or violate any lawe If ye admitte this to be trewe and wolle vtterly graunt vs this a great part of our controuersie is

taken away grantynge vs also this that we did not dissente from you without great and iuste causes For yf ye wylle graunte it to be onely a ministration that the Bisshoppe of Rome is chargid with must you not agree to this also that all other magistrates in the churche be none other thyng but minysters of dyuine cures soo that yf their ministration be good and for the welth of the church and accordyng to the lawes they shulde continue styll if it be vnprofitable hurtful if it be ful agaynst y e lawes such their honor shuld be takē away from them lyke as it is cōmanded in many places of holy scripture ¶ Wherfore ye added this vnto the other very wel that lawes ought to contynue euer and that they might not be takē away either by any byshop of Romes priuilege wresting or indulgence For if this were laufull what shulde be lefte vntouched in any place what shuld be safe and sure if whan wyll wolde luste may dyspense with lawe We see whyle bishops of Rome now of late haue take vpon them such dispensations what windowes they opened for tiranny to crepe in at for religion to crepe out at Nowe where lawes be kepte this also shall remayne that they be made bishops and teachers of the people of god which ar knowen to be lerned to be of great innocencie of life to be of faithe and diligence in doing their duetie For if we wol haue the world amended we must haue the people good well instructed and taught they must be as a felde well tilled Man is welle tilled whan he hathe a good preacher in whom is great knowledge study and pure mynd without whiche prechers neither the people can be well taught nor the church flourishe neither the teachers owne auctoritie be estemed ¶ Agayne what a goodly thing is it that ye write of suche as commit simonie which are so many that if your sentence may haue place and they remoued as the law wil which by force of frēdship or money haue gotten promotions ye shall scrape out many blottes that nowe defyle religion ye shal also with your ease come to that that you seke that is that mete ministers be made in the church ministers laufully created which shuld haue both lerning and honest life always presēt with their flocke there doinge that that saynt Paule and generall councils wold a sheparde shoulde do to his flocke These be the thynges that make many of vs hope well of you and thinke that ye intend wel It is very new strange a thing scase hard of that mē of your order shuld iuge freely In thassemble made at Nuremberge Adrian than bishoppe of Rome dyd aknowlege many suche thinges as ye do now and all be it they wolde his auctoritie shulde be highest yet there were verye many of other astates that coulde not abide that he shulde aknowlege suche thinges to be true I praye you is not this euen to graunt byshops of Rome impunitie of all that they lust and yet whan they haue doone worst to make thē thinke it a shame bishops of Rome to say they haue done euyl Wherfore I must speke vnto you Contarene and you Sadolete and you Federike Salernitane and you also whiche ar chosen to do this thing I muste call vpon you that you applie this mattier thinke that at this time it is put in your handis to restore to the church both her helth and dignitie agayne If you diligently and faithfully do as it becommeth to you to doo you shall see a flourysshynge common welthe of Christe If contrary wise you do it negligentlye and thynke rather vpon your owne gaynes thā vppon the amendement of thinges amisse men herafter wol neuer seke redresse of matters at your handes But for as moche as I haue shewed you wherin your boke pleseth many nowe I woll alsoo telle you what many thynke wanteth in it And here I woll let certain thinges passe whiche seme very nedefull to be decyded yet seinge they are by noughty custome longe sythens receiued I wol not now moche touch them I can not see by what reason you can call the bishop of Rome vniuersall bysshop for as moche as saynt Gregorie a man vehement and very desyrous to amplifie that dignytie refused this name as a voyce of Antichriste Lyke reason moued thother .xx. bishops whiche were before Gregorie to refuse that name all be it the councill of Calcedonie gaue it them But let vs passe ouer this disputation and gyue for a season hym that nowe is so to be callyd we recke not so moche what he be callyd as that he do such thinges as become him that is that his power and all his studyes maye be conuerted to the setting forth of the glorie of Christ. Tyranny is moche ageynst the setlyng of thinges this title vniuersal bishop bringeth violēce with it violēce bringeth distruction of honesti Wherfore they that be of great wytte and honestie and can foresee thynges wolde this vsurped title thoccasion of all these hurtis were taken away as a thing verye pestilent This cause moued Pelagius and Gregorie to refuse this name all be it many good men beinge deceiued frankely offered it to them ¶ Many men are sorie that in this your deuise no mencion is made De doctrina religionis whiche moste specially ought to haue bene intreated of For to speake somewhat of this what people what citie what multitude of men in especiall throughe your dominions canne you fynde that is welle instructed in poyntes of religion God semeth neuer to be more alienate from vs than whan we be ignoraunte in his gospelle whyche ignoraunce hathe bene soo great that not only the rude people haue not knowen what is conteined in holye scripture but also this ignorance hath bene founde in bysshops and cardinals of your order In soo moche that we in oure tyme haue sene bysshoppes of Rome vtterly ignoraunt of holye scripture and all togither vntaughte in relygion For to let passe Innocentius octauus and manye other lyke I pray you Sadolete what lernynge or studie in holye Scripture was in Clement the .vii. whome you wonderfully prayse Can you make any man beleue that knewe hym that he had any knowledge in holye scripture naye that he euer thoughte theron to the ende he wolde eyther rede those thynges whervpon oure religion is grounded or here them declared to hym by anye other I thynke that neyther you nor any other of those whyche knewe the facion of his lyfe can remember that euer Clemente for his knowledge caused at any tyme a boke of scripture to be caried about with hym Thus whyle we cloke ignoraunce while we say menne haue that they haue not while we studye to please oft tymes we assente to their vyces gyue very euyll example by praisynge theym that deserue disprayse and oft times cause those that folow their vices to think that their fautes maye be borne bycause that by our lies

right to vsurpe states in cōmon welthes By what ryght hath he Rome Rauenna and other cities by whatte ryght hath he mynished the emperours power It is a holy poynt to take the charge and rule ouer wydowes and fatherles chyldren and to maynteyne their goodes in safetie and yet the lawe woll not that men of the clergie meddell with the one or thother though it be a thyng very necessarie Nowe if the lawe wol not suffre them to meddel with the orderynge of pryuate mennes goodes wol you that he take vpon him to rule a hole comminalte whiche is expressly forbidden as a thing not lauful for him that rulith y e churche And though it were not forbyd by the lawes yet bycause it is not mete that one manne shall rule in so many matters in so many places so farre a sonder you lyke prudente men shulde haue counsayled youre byshop to haue imployed the most parte of his care in the redressynge of Christis religyon amonges his people It is yet freshe in memorie what warres what manslaughter what ruine hath ensued sithens bishops of Rome haue taken vppon theym to be kinges and lordes of states If ye wyll styll maynteyne and kepe his authoritie hoole and sounde ye muste scrape oute these blottes by holy gouernyng of goddis people and increasynge of true religion It is not inoughe for you to haue kinges to fight in your quarel that you may reigne continually and reteyne stylle your myghte strengthe and power excepte you fulfylle those thynges that ye professe except ye restore agayne Christis religion in those cities where ye haue caste it out except your lyfe be suche as Christe requireth excepte ye intende nothynge but that that good menne allowe excepte you can procure the fauour of god by other meanes than ye haue done hytherto excepte ye do this ye shall se shortly that they which now mainteyn you wol endeuour them selues to plucke you downe to your confusyon Ye can neuer make the name of Luther so hated but that whan your falshod is knowen the trouth woll appere ¶ Thus haue I brefely shewed what men that can iudge of religion may allowe and what they mislyke in youre dyuysynge together Now shal I shortly shew you what men also se lackinge in you to the gyuinge of good counsayle in thinges amysse First to make a perfect worke and to redresse that that is amisse the chiefe fundatiō and rote of all muste be the true knowlege of scripture of this ye shuld haue spoken and admonysshed the Bysshop of Rome This knowlege is vtterly depraued and not had For where so euer be no teachers of the gospel there mans mynde can not be lyfte vp vnto God nor haue no perfecte affiance in his promyses And without this affiance we haue no hope of saluation Therfore for as moch as amonges you sainctes merites are more estemed then the voyce of Christ priestes disceytfull ceremonyes more than true prayer popes pardons and absolution more than the promyse of god temporal peyne of the body more then the amendement of the lyfe it shal wel appere that neyther true religion is taught in your churches neyther stedfaste affiaunce in Christe is where you teache neyther knowen which way helthe of soule maye be goten Lernynge entreth into the harte by the eares and some thynges are taught as saincte Austen iudgeth by ceremonies as well as by wordes Bothe these are necessarie to be hadde in the churche but where as your facion of teachyng is naught and your ceremonies deprauate ye shall neuer builde a stronge edifice vpon so yuell and weake a fundation For though there be some ceremonies almooste as necessarye as teachynge yet if they be not wel vsed they doo moche hurte and ofte tymes hynder very moche trewe relygyon ¶ I see well inoughe howe harde it were to make men of your syde to graunte this to be true that I say For whan the iudgemente is ones corrupted theyr maner of liuinge contrary to Christis teachyng it is not possyble that goddis doctryne and good lyuinge shulde be restored by theym as longe as they loue to lyue as they do They can not be intreated to be so moche ageynst them selfes and yet seinge Chryste woll haue it so force must extort of them that they ought frely to graunt vs. For it can not be denyed the mooste part of men perceyue it al redy that Christe neded not to haue come hyther and dyed for vs if we myghte or may opteyne heuen by masses by our good dedes and other ceremonies Adimantus an hethen man as PLATO recordeth knewe well inoughe that nothynge coulde opteyne the fauour of god but onelye iustice and good lyuynge and that no man coulde lyue wel but he that knewe that god is and that god careth for vs and is ryghtefull iudge ouer all our workes and loketh not for Sacrifice but for cleannesse of minde And therfore he refused and disalowed the opinion of them that thought a man whiche hadde done his neyghbour wronge myghte by sacrifice apeise the wroth of god no mendes made to the partie that had receyued the wronge ¶ In this ye se that we hauynge the lawes of god perceyue scase so moche as gentils dyd by the lyghte of nature we scase se that where as the harte is not truely fyxed in god there is neither loue ne reuerēce toward him But truly where as these two be not there auailith nother sacryfyce ne none other ceremonye Where as the knowledge of god is there is loue there god is honored there the hart desyreth nothing contrarye to goddis wyll but referreth all his actes and dedes to his pleasure and commaundemente For it can not be that men be voyde of all affections as the Stoikes mente it can neuer be excepte it be in a chrysten man whose mynde beynge inspyred and alwayes ruled by god dothe nothynge that may shew any affection to be in hym nothing that maye hurte hym or anye other his neyghbour These phylosophers sawe that a man oughte to mayster all affections yet they theym selfe coulde neuer atteyne to it Why bicause they knewe not god For seing all thynge is corrupted in vs by nature we beinge naturally inclyned to all maner of Concupyscence if Christe be not shewed and preached vnto vs by whom we receyue helth from god all our thoughtes muste nedes be troublesom daungerous and naughte all our endeuour tendeth to our own profyte and seketh lyttell the knowlege and honour of god Christ therfore must be taught which giueth vs quietnesse of hart and forgyuenesse of synne whiche alone coud and hath delyuered mankynde frome the peyne dewe for his trespases ¶ Wherfore firste and formost the Byshop of Rome shulde haue bene put in remembraunce herof Secōdaryly bycause there be fewe that teache well they wolde be diligently sought oute that are able to fake the office of a preacher vpon them But nowe adayes ye doo not onely not passe of them that