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	receive_v	scripture_n	11,700	5	6.8773	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01647	A relation of the fearefull estate of Francis Spira in the yeare, 1548.	Bacon, Nathaniel, 1593-1660.	1638 (1638)	STC 1178.5; ESTC S118976	22,974	142

A RELATION OF THE FEAREFVLL ESTATE OF Francis Spira in the yeare 1548. The backeslider in heart shall be filled with his owne waies Prov. 14. 14. LONDON Printed by I. L. for Phil. Stephens and Christoph Meredith at the golden Lyon in Pauls Church-yard 1638. A Preface FOR truth of this History ensuing besides circumstances of place person time occasion so exactly observed I referre my selfe to the Relation of those Godly men who in severall languages have manifested to the world the severall passages thereof and although I am not ignorant that at the first they were not only not credited but also discredited and slandered by such as found them to bee a Blur to the Romane Profession yet they lost not their lustre thereby but being acquitted by many Compurgators of severall Nations and some of the Romish Religion being all of them spectators of this Tragedie It occasioned not only a further manifestation and confirmation of the truth but also a large more frequent confluence to see that which they had formerly only heard of This partly appeareth out of the succeeding Story but more fully out of an Apology written by Vergerius Bishop of Iustinople who was accused for dispersing the fame of this Example to the staine of Popery in which Apology to N. Rottan Suffragen of Padua is shortly and plainly declared what was said what was done and who were present If that it be demanded what mooved mee to compile this Treatise Spira tell them that it should teach feare and reverence and indeed among all those that come to see him few or none returnes unshaken Vergerius in his first Epistle saith I would faine goe see him again but I exceedingly feare and tremble and in his Apologie saith it is such a rare example as I would willingly goe to the furthest parts of the world to heare or see the like The Lady Iane to her Fathers Chaplaine that had falne into Spira's sinne saith remember the lamentable estate of Spira I acknowledge that there hath beene formerly a Booke published in our Mother tongue concerning this subject but as farre as I can learne for I could never yet obtaine to see any one of them it was nothing so large and various as this present Treatise and as I have heard a translation of onely one of the Tractates from whence I have gathered this present Discourse in part Concerning my care and fidelitie in this businesse it is such as I may truely say without changing of colour that there is not one sentence of all this Worke attributed unto the person of Spira but it hath it warrant either from the Epistles of Vergerius and Gribaldus Professours of the Law in Padua or from the Discourses of Henry Scringer a Scotish man Sigismund Gelons a Transilvanian and Martin Bocha a Divine of Basill neither have I taken any other Libertie then as a Relation to weave the aforesaid Discourses one within another so as those which under severall Writers were before counted severall are now by my indeavours reduced into one intire History connexed by due succession of time and occasion as punctually as could be aimed at by the circumstances noted in the Writings of those holy and learned men before named N. B. Imprimatur Tho Wykes April 5. 1638. A RELATION OF the fearefull estate of FRANCIS SPIRA IN the yeare 1548. when the glorious Sunne of the Gospel was but newly risen in Europe in the daies of the raigne of Edward the Sixth of that name King of England In the Territory and under the Iurisdiction of the Citie of Venice being the very border of Italy in the towne of Cittadella lived one Francis Spira a Civill Lawyer an Advocate of great rank and esteeme being of knowne learning eloquence of great experience of carriage circumspect and severe his speech grave composed his countenance sharpe and austere every way befitting that authoritie whereunto hee was advanced endowed vvith outward blessings of wife eleven children wealth in abundance what his worst parts were I have no other warrant then his owne words which if not tainted overmuch with the bitternesse of a desperate mind and bearing the countenance rather of passion then of sober confession may seeme to adde a period to all further commendations I was said hee excessively covetous of money and accordingly I applyed my selfe to get by injustice corrupting justice by deceit inventing tricks to delude justice good causes I either defended deceitfully or sold them to the adversary perfidiously ill causes I maintained with all my might I wittingly opposed the known truth and the trust committed unto me I either betrayed or perverted Thus having worn out forty foure yeares or there abouts and the news of the new or rather newly revived opinions of Luther comming into those parts represented an object of noveltie unto him who being as desirous to know as hee was famous for knowledge suffered not these wandring opinions to passe unexamined but searching into the Scriptures and into all bookes of Controversie that hee could get both old and new and finding more then fame or opinion he began to taste their nature so well as he entertaines loves and ownes them at length and with such zeale as he became a professor yea a teacher of them first to his wife children and family and after to his friends and familiar acquaintance in comparison seemed to neglect all other affaires intending ever to presse this maine point that We must wholly and only to depend on the free and unchangeable love of God in the death of Christ as the only sure way to salvation and this was the summe of all his discourse and this continued for the space of sixe yeares or there abouts even so long as this fire could keepe it selfe within private wals but at length it brake forth into publique meetings so as the whole Province of Padua dawned by the lustre thereof The Clergie finding the trade of their pardons to decay and their Purgatory to waxe cold began to bestirre themselves glosing their actions first with calumnious aspersions upon the whole profession then more plainly striking at Spira with grievous accusatiōs And to effect their purpose some promise labour others favour some advice others maintenance all joyne to divide either his soule from his body or both from God Now was Iohn Casa the Popes Legate resident at Venice being by birth a Florentine and one that wanted neither malice against those of this way nor craftines to effect his malicious purposes To him these men repaire with outcries against Spira that hee was the man that cōdemned the received rites of the Church deluded the Ecclesiasticall power and scandalized the policie thereof one of no meane ranke being a man of Account and authoritie and thereunto learned in the Scriptures elegant in speech and in one word a dangerous Lutheran having also many disciples and therefore not to be despised At this began the Legate to cast his eye on the

terrible alteration that lately had hapned in Germanie where by the means of one onely Luther the Romish Religion had suffered such a blow as that it could neither bee cured by dissimulation nor defended by power but the Clergie must either mend their manners or lose their dignities on the other side when hee saw how propense the common people inhabiting in the bordering countries of Italy vvere to entertaine those new opinions hee now thought it no time to dispute or perswade but with speed repaires to the Senate and procures authoritie from them to send for Spira Spira by this time had considered vvith himselfe of the nature of his carriage how evident and notorious it vvas and therefore subject to bee envied by such as neither liked his person nor Religion hee perceived that his opinions were neither retyred nor speculative but such as aymed at the overthrovv of the Romish Faction and at change of Policie vvherein at the best he could expect but a bloudy victory and that his enemies vvanted neither povver nor occasion to call him to account in publique vvhen he must either Apostatize and shamefully give his former life yea his ovvn conscience the lye or endure the utmost malice of his deadly enemies or forsake his wife children friends goods authoritie yea his deare Countrey and betake himselfe to a forraigne people there to endure a thousand miseries that do continually waite upon a voluntary exile Being thus distracted and tossed in the restlesse waves of doubt without guid to trust to or haven to flye to for succour on the sudden Gods Spirit assisting hee felt a calme and began to discourse with himselfe in this manner Why wandrest thou thus in uncertainties unhappy man cast away feare put on thy shield the shield of faith Where is thy wonted courage thy goodnesse thy constancie remember that Christs glorie lies at the stake suffer thou without feare and hee will defend thee hee will tell thee what thou shalt answer hee can beat downe all danger bring thee out of prison raise thee from the dead consider Peter in the dungeon the Martyrs in the fire if thou makest a good confession thou mayest indeed goe to prison or death but an eternall reward in heaven remaines for thee What hast thou in this world comparable to eternall life to everlasting happinesse if thou dost otherwise thinke of the scandall common people live by example thinking what ever is done is well done feare the losse of peace and joy feare hell death and eternall wrath or if thy flesh be so strong as to cause thee to doubt of the issue flie thy Countrie get thee away though never so far rather then denie the Lord of Life Now was Spira in reasonable quiet being resolved to yeeld to these weightie reasons yet holding it wisedome to examine all things hee consults also with flesh and bloud thus the battaile doth renew and the flesh beginnes in this manner Bee well advised fond man consider reasons on both sides and then judge how canst thou thus overweene thine owne sufficiencie as thou neither regardest the examples of thy Progenitors nor the judgment of the whole Church dost thou not consider what miserie this thy rashnesse will bring thee unto thou shalt lose thy substance gotten with so much care and travell thou shalt undergoe the most exquisite torments that malice it selfe can devise thou shalt bee counted an heretique of all and to close up all thou shalt die shamefully What thinkest thou of the loathsome stinking dungeon the bloudie axe the burning fagot are they delightfull Bee wise at length and keepe thy life and honour thou maist live to do much good to good men as God commands thee thou maist be an ornament to thy Countrie and put case thy Countries losse would bee of small esteeme with thee Wilt thou bring thy friends also into danger thou hast begotten children wilt thou now cut their throats inhumanely butcher them which may in time bring honor to their Countrie glorie to God helpe and furtherance to his Church goe to the Legate weake man freely confesse thy fault and helpe all these miseries Thus did the cares of this world and the deceitfullnesse of riches choke the good Seed that was formerly sowne so as fearing hee faints and yeelds unto the allurements of this present world being thus blinded he goes to the Legate at Venice and salutes him with this news Having for these divers yeares entertained an opinion concerning some Articles of faith contrary to the Orthodox and received judgement of the Church and uttered many things against the authoritie of the Church of Rome and the universall Bishop I humblie acknowledge my fault and errour and my folly in misleading others I therefore yeeld my selfe in all obedience to the Supreme Bishop into the bosome of the Church of Rome never to depart again from the Traditions and Decrees of the holy See I am heartily sorry for what is past and I humbly begge pardon forso great an offence The Legate perceiving Spira to faint he pursues him to the utmost hee causeth a recitation of all his Errours to be drawne in writing together with the Confession annexed to it and commands Spira to subscribe his name there which accordingly he did then the Legate commands him to return to his owne Towne and there to declare this Confession of his and to acknowledg the whole Doctrine of the Church of Rome to be holy and true and to abjure the Opinions of Luther and other such Teachers as false hereticall Man knowes the beginnings of sinne but who bounds the issues thereof Spira having once lost footing goes downe amaine he cannot stay nor gaine-say the Legate but promiseth to accomplish his whole will and pleasure he soone addresseth himselfe for his Iourney and being onward in the way bethinks himselfe of large spoyles hee had brought away from the Conflict with the Legate what glorious testimony hee had given of his great faith and constancie in Christs cause and to be plaine how impiously hee had denyed Christ and his Gospell at Venice and what he promised to do further in his owne Country and thus partly with feare and partly with shame being confounded he thought he heard a voyce speaking unto him in this manner Spira What dost thou heere whither goest thou hast thou unhappy man given thy hand-writing to the Legate at Venice yet see thou dost not seale it in thine owne Countrey dost thou indeed thinke eternall life so meane as that thou preferrest this present life before it dost thou well in preferring wife and children before Christ is the windie applause of the people better indeed then the glorie of God and the possession of this worlds good more deare to thee then the salvation of thine owne Soule is the small use of a moment of time more desireable then eternall wrath is dreadfull Thinke with thy selfe what Christ endured for thy sake is it not equall thou shouldest suffer