Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	power_n	synod_n	3,603	5	9.6685	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16718	Enquiries touching the diuersity of languages, and religions through the cheife parts of the world. Written by Edw. Brerewood lately professor of astronomy in Gresham Colledge in London	Brerewood, Edward, 1565?-1613.; Brerewood, Robert, Sir, 1588-1654.	1614 (1614)	STC 3618; ESTC S106411	137,209	224

had full possession of the city and presently fourteene Ministers of the Gospell in one day were by force and violence thence eiected But the condition of the Protestants residing amongst the Cantons of Heluetia and their confederates the city of Geneua the towne of S. Gall the Grisons Valesians or seuen communities vnder the Bishop of Sedune is a great deale more happie and setled in so much that they are two third parts hauing the publique and free practise of Religion for howsoeuer of the 13. Cantons onely these fiue b Thesaur Pol. Apot. 49. Zuricke Schaf●use Glarona Basile Abatistella are entirely Protestant yet these in strength and amplenesse of territory much exceede the other seuen and hence Zuricke the chiefe of the fiue in all publicke meetings and Embassages hath the first place Already then we find the state of Orthodox professors of the Gospell to be such that we neede not complaine of their paucitie and if wee further proceede to view the many regions of the Empire we shall haue cause to magnifie the goodnesse of God for their multitudes The whole Empire excluding Bohemia and Austria because the King of the one is rather an Arbiter in the election of the Emperour then an Elector in this sole case giuing his voice when the other six Electors are equally diuided and the Archduke of the other hath onely a kind of extraordinary place in the Dyet amongst the Ecclesiasticall Princes as sometimes the Duke of Loraine had consisteth of three Orders or States the Princes Ecclesiasticall the Princes Temporall and the free Cities The last of these before some of them come to be possessed by the French Polonian Heluetians and others were in number about a Liberae ciuitates quae non alium principē praeter Imperatorē agnoscunt suis vtuntur quaeque legibus olim erant 88. lam vero pauc●o res sunt alijs a Galliarū Poloniae Regibus alijs occupatis Thes. polit apot 6. 88. and although in regard of this multitude at this present they are much diminished yet the remainders of them are so potent that a few of them termed the Hanse-Citties seated in the Notherne part of Germany inclusiuely betweene Dantisck eastward Hamburg westward and ioyned in an offensiue and defensiue league haue been able to make good their opposition against some mightie neighbour Princes infringing immunities These with the rest of the b Protestantiū partes sequuntur liberae Ciuitates seculares Principes ferē omnes Catholico●um à secularibus Principes pauci v● 〈◊〉 Cl●●●nsis Thesaur Pol. Apot 6. Free Citties which are of some number and strength doe all in a manner either in whole or part for in some of them as in Ratisbone Argentine Augusta Spire Wormes Francfort vpon Moen both Papists and Protestants make publique profession embrace the sincere doctrine of the Gospell And if wee passe ouer the Ecclesiasticall Princes who excepting the three Electour Ar●hbishops of Colen Mentz and Triuers the Archbishops of Wer●zburg and Saltsburg and some elect Bishops or Administrators of bishopricks being laymen and of the reformed Religion are of small power all the Princes Temporall of the Empire none of note excepted besides the Duke of Bauaria are firmely Protestantes Now what the multitudes of subiects are professing the same faith with these Princes we may guesse by the amplenes of the dominions vnder the gouernmēt of such only as for their cōmands are chiefe and most eminent amongst them As of the Prince Elector Palatine the Duke of Saxonie the Marquesse of Brandeburge the Duke of Wirtenburg Landgraue of Hesse Marquesse of Baden Prince of Anhalt Dukes of Brunswicke Holst Luenburg Meckleburge Pomerane Sweyburge Nauburge amongst whom the Marquesse of Brandeburge hath for his Dominion not only the Marchasate it selfe contayning in circuit about 520. miles furnished with fiftie cities and about threescore other walled Townes but likewise part of Prussia for which he is feudatarie vnto the king of Poland the Region of Prignitz the Dukedome of Crossen the Signories of Sternberg and Cotbus the Countie of Rapin and lately the three Dukedomes of Cleue Gulick and Berg of which the two former haue either of them in circuit 130. miles Neare adioyning vnto these three last Dukedomes are those Prouinces of the low Countries gouerned by the States namely Zutphen Vtrech Oberyssel Groningham Holland Zeland West-frizland in which onely Protestants haue the publicke for otherwise Arrians Anabaptists Socinians are here priuately tolerated and free exercise of their Religion as also in the neighbour dominion of the Earle of East Freezland But to passe from these vnited Prouinces vnder the States vnto France in this mighty kingdome those as they usually stile them of the Religion besides the Castels and fortes that doe belong in propertie vnto the Duke of Bullen the Duke of Rohan Count of Laual the Duke of Trimouile Mounsieur Chastillion the Mareshall of Digners the Duke of Sully and others are seased of above 70. Townes hauing Garrisons of souldiers gouerned by Nobles and Gentlemen of the Religion they haue 800. Ministers receiuing pensions out of the publicke Finance and are so dispersed through the chiefe prouinces of the kingdome that in the Principalitie of Orange Poincton almost all the Inhabitants in Gasconynie halfe in Languedoc Normandie and other westerne Prouinces a strong partie professe the Euangelicall trueth Which multitudes although they are but small and as it were an handfull in comparison of all bearing the names of Papists throughout the spacious continent of France yet in regard of such as are entirely Popish they haue some proportion For to omitte a great part of French Papists who in heart beleeue the sincerity of the Gospell but dare not make profession thereof for worldly respects as to obtaine great Offices to auoide penalties and iniustice in their litigious suites almost all the lawyers a Vide instruct Missin's des Roys Tres ch●s●●ns ●eleurs Ambassadeu●s concernant le Councile de Trent Bor●ellum l. 4 de decret Ecclesiae Gallicae ● ti 21.22 Dua reuam li. 2 de benefi cap. 10 11. ● 5 cap. 11. and learned sort who no doubt haue many adherents of lesse knowledge hold That the Bishop of Rome was aunciently the first and chiefest Bishop according to the dignity of precedencie and order not by any diuine Institution but because Rome was the chiefe Citty of the Empire That he obtained his primacy ouer the Westerne Church by the guift and clemency of Pipine Charles the great and other Kings of France and hath no power to dispose of Temporall things That it belongeth to Christian Kings and Princes to call Ecclesiasticall Synods and to establish their decrees to make Ecclesiasticall lawes for the good of the Church reforme the abuses therein and to haue the same power and authority ouer sacred persons in causes Ecclesiasticall as was exercised by Iosias and Constantine the Great who said he was a Bishop ouer the outward things of the Church

That the lawes whereby their Church is to bee gouerned are onely the Canons of the more ancient Councels and their owne Nationall Decrees and not the Decretals of the Bishops of Rome That the Councell of Constance assembled by Sigismund the Emperour with a concurrent consent of other Christian Princes decreeing a Generall Synode to be superiours vnto the Pope and correcting many enormious abuses in the Roman Church which yet remaine in practise was a true oecumenicall Councell and so likewise the Councell of Basill That the Assembly of Trent was no lawfull Councell and the Canons thereof are rather to be esteemed the Decrees of the Popes who called and continued it then the Decrees of the Councell it selfe because in this Assembly Bishops onely contrary to the practise of the Councell of Basill had decisiue voyces and the greatest parts of Bishops were Italian the Popes vassals and besides nothing was then determined that was not at Rome fore-determined by the Pope That the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ought to be administred vnder both kinds and at the least a great part of diuine seruice is to be performed in their vulgar tongues Thus are the greater number of Lawyers and learned men in France affected and those who are throughly popish are for the most part men of the basest sort wholy leauened with the bitter slanders and calumniations of malicious Friers Now if to all the forenamed kingdomes Principalities Dukedomes States Citties abounding with professors of the trueth we adde the Monarchies of Greate Britannie Denmarke Sweden wholy in a manner Protestant wee shall finde them not much inferiour in number and amplitude to the Romish partie especially if we consider that the very bulke and body hereof Italy and Spaine are by a kinde of violence and necessity rather then out of any free choice and iudgement deteined in their superstition namely by the iealousie crueltie and tyrannous vigilancy of the inquisition and their owne ignorance being a Vide indicē libro prohi ed●t iussu Clem. 8. Et Azou lin 8. Morel Ins●t cap. 26. by Clement the 8. vtterly debarred from all reading of the Sacred Scriptures whereby they might come to the knowledge of the Truth And if any shall except that the Protestants in diuerse Countries before mentioned cannot bee reputed as one body and of one Church by reason of many differences and hot contentions amongest them let such remember that howsoeuer some priuate men in this holy society rather then of it preferring their nouell and passionate fancies before the peace of the Church purchased with Christs precious bloud and the publicke weale of Christian Monarchies vnnaturall toward their owne deere Mother rending that wombe wherein they were new borne by the lauer of Regeneration forgetfull of their heauenly embassage which is not onely to reconcile men vnto God but men with men so farre neglecting their owne eternall saluation as to be vnmindfull of that most vndoubted truth He that is not in charity is in death trampling vnder foote that glorious legacie of their Lord and Maister My peace I giue vnto you my peace I leaue with you haue in heat of contention and bitternesse of their soules strained and racked their weake vnderstandings to make differences betweene themselues euen in the maine Articles of Faith and branded one another with blasphemy and heresie yet these vnchristian and vncharitable dissensions are not to be imputed to the whole sacred community of Orthodox Churches whose harmony and agreement in necessary points of Faith are onely to be esteemed by their confessions which by publicke authority they haue diuulged vnto the world How many are the differences both in doctrine and discipline betweene the Proctors for the Papall faction touching Discipline some teach their cheefetaine the Pope may erre others that he cannot some that he is subiect vnto a Generall Councell others that hee is aboue it some that all Ecclesiasticall authority is immediately in the Prelates of the Church others that it is onely in the Pope and from him deriued vnto inferiour Bishops some that he hath temporall authorities ouer Princes others not concerning doctrine some at firme that predestination both by grace and glory is meerely from Gods free pleasure others from foreseene desert and merit some that all the bookes or part of them belonging vnto the old Testament which were not in the Canon of the Iewish Church are Apocriphall others canonicall euen in the matters of Faith some that there is no originall sinne inherent in vs but only imputed others that it is both inherent and imputed some that wee are most freely iustified by the meanes of Faith Hope c. others by the value and merit of these vertues some that faith is onely a generall assent vnto diuine truths others that it is a speciall perswasion touching the remission of our sinnes through Christ some that wee appeare righteous in Gods sight partly through imputed partly through inherent righteousnesse others onely by inherent some that eternall life is due vnto our works onely by vertue of Gods free and gratious promise others through the merit of the worke done some that all the morall good works of Infidels and Ethnicks are sinnes others that they are without sinne some that the B. Virgin was conceiued without originall sinne others the contrary and that with such eagernesse that the one condemne the other of heresie yet because these contentions are betweene priuate men and they all in Spaine and Italie but not in France as hath beene hewed accord in the cheefe points of doctrine publiquely established in the Councell of Trent they boast much of their vnity Although then some priuate men vnworthy to take the word of peace and reconciliation into their virulent and contentious mouthes led more by passion and their owne selfe-pleasing conceipt then by the sacred rules of truth and piety haue laboured to sow the tares of dissention in the vineyard of the Lord and heereby haue made crooked some few branches cleauing vnto them yet the generall societies of Orthodox Churches in the publicke confessions of their faith doe so agree that there is a most sacred harmony betweene them in the more substantiall points of Christian Religion necessary to saluation This is manifest out of the confessions themselues which are these the Anglicane the Scotiane French Heluctian former and later the Belgie Polonie Argentine Augustane Saxonicke Wirtenbergicke Palatine Bohemicke or Weldensian confession for there is none of the Churches formerly pointed out in diuers places of Europe which doth not embrace one of these confessions and all of them harmoniously conspire in the principall Articles of Faith and which neerest concerne our eternall saluation as in the infallible verity and full sufficiency of the Scriptures diuine essence and vnitie of the euerlasting Godhead the sacred Trinitie of the three glorious persons the blessed incarnation of Christ the omnipotent prouidence of God the absolute supreame head of the Church Christ iustification by

Faith through Christ and the nature of a liuely faith repentance regeneration and sanctification the difference betweene the Law and the Gospell touching freewill sinne and good works the Sacraments their number and vse the notes of the Church the diuine authority of Magistrates the resurrection and state of soules after death And for the cheefe point of difference which is conceiued to be betweene the professors of the Gospell about the presence of Christ in the sacred Eucharist such as are parties in this contention ingenuously confesse that de reipsa touching the thing it selfe there is no oppositiō but only we varie in some ordinances and circumstances of the thing We agree reipsa in the matter it selfe although we differ according to the diuersity of Gods gifts in expressing aptly and cleerely what we conceiue concerning this matter We all acknowledge that the holy Symboles or signes are not inanes significationes barely significatiue but what by diuine institution they represent and testifie vnto our soules is as truly and certainly deliuered vnto vs from God as the symboles themselues But the question is whether as the signe with the thing signified is presēt in respect of our body and not rather in regard of our well receiuing it by faith Moreouer whether as both the signe and thing signified are exhibited to all so all receiue both some to life others to their perdition So that wee all beleeue the true communication of the true body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ onely concerning the manner of communication is the controuersie But who can rightlie iudge that for this the sacred vnion and fellowship of Churches is to be dissolued There being so excellent a foundation and firm ground-worke of vnity betweene the Protestants how worthy a worke would it be for Christian Princes to imitate the professors of the Gospell in the kingdome of Polonia and by a generall Assembly of moderate and vnpartiall Iudges and sensible of the bleeding wounds religion receiueth by sects and discords make vp the ruines and breaches of Churches caused hitherto through priuate contention to sement them together if it shall please God out of the riches of his mercy to prosper their heroicall and religious endeauours with an euerlasting bond of concord There were neuer greater hopes of the successe of so noble and ●ncomparable a worke then in this age which hath affoorided vs the blessing of our most gratious Soueraigne so religiously studious of publicke peace and so exquisitelie enabled with many rare endowments to promote so pious and renowned an action In the meane time if any in these priuate distractions concerning matters of Religion excited by the malice of Sathan and his wretched instruments shall doubt which way to take let him folow the graue diuine instructions of that excellent light of the Church S. Augustine who first exhorteth vs not to busie our selues ouermuch in enquiring after those things quae nihil certi habent in Scriptura which haue no firme footing in the Scriptures but in receiuing or reiecting them to follow the custome practise of particular Churches wherein we liue otherwise saith a Epist. 86. he If we will dispute of these things contend one with another orietur interminata luctatio there will hence arise an endlesse strife And his second admonition is that for the establishing of our consciences in points of faith necessary to obtaine eternall life we would follow our blessed Sauiours commandement Search the Scriptures Why b In Psal. 21. saith this deuout and learned Father speaking to contentious Christians doe we striue we are brethren Our Father hath not dyed intestate he hath made his last wil he is dead risen againe There is contention still about an inheritance as long as the Testament is not made knowne but when it is published in judgement all are silent to heare it The Iudge attentiuely listneth vnto it the Aduocats hold their peace the cryers command silence the whole multitude present stand in a suspence that the words of a dead man lying in his graue without sense and life may be rehearsed Are the words of a dead man interred so powerfull aualeable and shall the Testament of Christ sitting in heauen be impugned Open it let vs read we are brethren why do we striue Our father hath not left vs destitute of his last wil he that made it liueth for euer he heareth our voice acknowledgeth his owne voice Let vs reade why contend we Hauing found the inheritance let vs lay hold of it aperi lege open and read OF THE ANCIENT LARGENES of the Greeke tongue CHAP. 1. GREECE as it was ancientlie knowen by the name of Hellas was inclosed betwixt the Bay of Ambracia with the riuer Arachthus that falleth into it on the West and the riuer Peneneus on the North Strabo l. 8. nō longè a principio the Sea on other parts So that Acarnania and Thessalie were toward the Continēt the vtmost regions of Greece But yet not the Countreys onely contained within those limits but also the kingdomes of Macedon and Epirus being the next adioyning prouinces Macedon toward the North Epirus toward the West had aunciently the Greeke tongue for their vulgare language for although it belonged originally to Hellas alone yet in time it became vulgare to these also Secondly it was the language of all the Isles in the Aegaean sea of all those Ilands I say that are betwixt Greece and Asia both of the many small ones that lie between Candie and Negropont named Cyclades there are of them 53. and of all aboue Negropont also as farre as the Strait of Constantinople Thirdly of the Isles of Candie Scarpanto Rhodes and a part of Cyprus and of all the small Islands along the coast of Asia from Candie to Syria Fourthly not only of al the West part of Asia the lesse now called Anatolia and corruptly Natolia lying toward the Aegaean sea as being verie thicke planted with Greeke Colonies Sen●e Cōsol ad Helu c. 6. Pl●n l. 5. c. 29. Isocrat in Panegiric long post med Lucian in Dialog de Amorib nō longè ab Init. of which some one Miletus by name is registred by Seneca to haue bene the mother of 75. by Plinie of 80. Cittyes But on the North side also toward the Euxine sea as farre saith Isocrates as Sinope and on the South side respecting Afrique as farre saith Lucian as the Chelidonian Isles which are ouer against the cōfines of Lycia with Pamphylia And yet although within these limits onely Greeke was generally spoken on the Maritime coast of Asia yet beyond them on both the shoares Eastward were many Greeke Cities though not without Barbarous Cities among them And specially I find the North coast of Asia euen as farre as Trebizond to haue bin exceedingly well stored with them But it may be further obserued likewise out of histories that not onely al the maritime part of