Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	authority_n	church_n	council_n	1,729	5	6.6396	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04459	An apologie or answere in defence of the Churche of Englande with a briefe and plaine declaration of the true religion professed and vsed in the same.; Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae. English	Jewel, John, 1522-1571.; Bacon, Anne Cooke, Lady, 1528?-1610.; Parker, Matthew, 1504-1575.	1564 (1564)	STC 14591; ESTC S101072	92,781	278

and that they muste giue place to vs in nothynge Or yf there be anye faulte yet must it be tried by Byshopes and Abbo●tes only bycause they be y e directers Rulers of matters and they be the Church of God Aristotle saith that a Citie cannot consist of Bastardes but whether the Churche of God may consiste of these men let their owne selues consider For doubtles neither be the Abbottes legitimat Abbo●tes nor the Byshopes naturall right Byshoppes But graunt they be the Churche let them be heard speak in Councelles let thē alone haue auctoritie to gyue consent yet in olde tyme when the Churche of God yf ye will compare it with their Churche was very well gouerned both Elders and Deacons as saith Cyprian and certeine also of the cōmen people were called ther vnto and made acquainted with ecclesiasticall matters But I put case these Abbottes and Bysh●pes haue no knowledge what yf they vnderstande nothing what Religiō is nor how we ought to thinke of God I put case the pronouncyng and ministringe of the lawe be decayed in preists and good counsell faile in the Elders and as the Prophete Micheas saith the night be vnto them in stede of a vision and darkenes in sted of prophesieng Or as Esaias saith what yf al y e watchemē of y e city are become blind what yf y e salt haue lost his propre strength and sauerines and as Christe saith be good for no vse scant woorthe the castyng on the doungehyl Wel yet then they wil bring al matters before the Pope who cannot erre To this I say firste it is a madnes to thynke that the holy Ghoste taketh his flight from a generall Councell to run to Rome to thende yf he doubt or sticke in any matter and cannot expound it of him selfe he maye take counsell of some other spirite I wote not what that is better learned then him selfe For yf this be true what neded so many Byshopps with so great charges and so farre iorneyes haue assembled their Conuocatiō at this present at Trident Yt hadde ben more wisedom and better at least it had ben a moche nearer way and handsommer to haue brought all thinges rather before y e Pope and to haue come streght furth and haue asked counsell at his diuine breast Secōdly it is also an vnlaufull dealing to tosse our matter from so many Byshoppes and Abbottes and to bryng it at laste to the trial of one onely man specially of hym who him selfe ys appeached by vs of hainous and foule enormities and hath not yet put in hys aunswere who hath also afore hand cōdempned vs without iudgement by order pronounced and or euer we were called to be iudged How saye ye do wee deuise these tales Is not this the course of the Councelles in these dayes are not all thynges remoued from the whole holy Councell and brought before the Pope alone that as though nothing had ben don to purpose by the iudgementes and consentes of suche a numbre he alone maye adde alter diminishe disanull alow remytt and qualifie what soeuer he lyst whose wordes be these then and whye haue the Byshoppes and Abbottes in the last Councell at Trident but of late concluded with sayng thus in thende Sauing alwyes the auctoritie of the sea Apostolique in all thynges Or whye doth Pope Pascall write so proudelie of him selfe as though saith he there were any general Councell able to prescribe a law to the Church of Rome wheras al coūcelles both haue ben made and haue receued their force strength by the Church of Romes auctoritie and in ordinaunces made by Councelles is euer plainely excepted the auctoritie of the Byshop of Rome Yf they will haue these thynges alowed for good why be Councels called but yf they commaunde then to be voyd why are they left in their bokes as thinges alowable But be it so Let the Byshop of Rome alone be aboue all Coūcelles y t is to say lette some one parte be greater then the whole let hym be of greater power let hym be of more wysedome then all his and in spite of Hieromes head let y e aucthoritie of one Citie be greater then the aucthoritie of the whole worlde Howe then if the Pope haue sene none of these things haue neuer read either y e scriptures or y e olde Fathers or yet his owne coūcelles How if he fauour y e Arriās as once Pope Liberius did or haue a wicked and a detestable opinion of the lyfe to come and of the immortalitie of the soule as Pope Iohn had but few yeres synce or to encrease nowe his owne dignitie do corrupt other Councelles as Pope Zosimus corrupted the Councell holden at Nice in times past and do say that those thinges were deuised and appoincted by the holy Fathers which neuer once came into their thought and to haue the ful sway of auctoritie do wrest the Scriptures as Camotensis saith is an vsual custome with the Popes How yf he haue renounced the faith in Christ and become an Apostata as Liranus sayth many Popes haue bene And yet for all this shall the holye Ghoste with turning of a hand knock at his breast euē wheter he will or no yea wholy against hys will kindle hym a lyght so as he maye not erre shall he streght waye be the head spring of al right and shal al treasure of wisdome and vnderstanding be founde in him as it were laide vp in store Or yf these thinges be not in him can he giue a right and apte iudgement of so weightie matters Or yf he be not able to iudge wold he haue that al those matters should be brought before hym alone What will ye say yf the Popes Aduocates Abbottes and Byshops dissemble not the matter but shew them selues open enemies to the Gospell though they see yet they will not see but wrye the Scriptures and wyttingly knowingly corrupt and counterfeite the word of God and fouly and wickedlye applye to the Pope al the same thinges whiche euidently and proprely be spoken of the person of Christ only nor by no meanes can be applied to any other And what thoughe they saye the Pope is all and aboue all Or that he can do asmuch as Christ can and that one iudgemēt place and one Councel house serue for y e Pope and for Christ both together Or that the Pope is the same light which should come into the worlde whiche wordes Christ spake of hym selfe alone and that who so is an euil doer hateth and flieth from that light Or that all the other Bysshoppes haue receaued of the Popes fulnes Shortly what though thei make Decrees expreslye against Gods worde and that not in huckermucker or couertly but openly in the face of the worlde muste it needes yet be Gospell straighte whatsoeuer these men say shall these be Gods holy army or will Christe bee at hande amonge them there shall the

and vtterly made awaye the hil aultres and Groues wherby he saw Goddes honoure hindered and the people holden backe with a priuate superstition from the ordinarie Tēple whiche was at Ierusalem wherto they should by ordre haue resorted yearely from euery part of the Realme Kynge Iosias w t great diligence put the Preists and Byshops in myde of their duety Kyng Iohas bridled the Ryot and arrogancie of the preistes Iehu put to death the wicked Prophetes And to rehearse no more exampls out of the old law let vs rather cōsider since the birthe of Christ howe the Churche hath ben gouerned in the Gospels time The Christian Emperours in old time appoincted the Councelles of the Bysshops Constantine called the Councell at Nice Theodotius the first called the Councell at Constātinople Theodotius the second the councel at Ephesus Martian the Councell at Chalcedone and when Rufine the heretike had alleadged for authoritie a Councell whiche as hee thought shoulde make for him Hieroin his aduerrsarie to confute him Tell vs quod hee what Emperour commaunded that Councell to be called The same Hierome againe in his Epitaphe vpon Paula maketh mention of the Emperours letters whiche gaue commaundement to call the Bysshoppes of Italie and Grecia to Rome to a Councel Continuallye for the space of fiue hundreth yeares Themperoure alone appointed thecclesiasticall assemblies and called the Councelles of the Bysshops togither We nowe therefore maruail the more at the vnreasonable dealinge of the Bysshoppe of Rome who knowinge what was the Emperoures right when the Churche was well ordered knowinge also that it is nowe a common right to all princes for so muche as Kinges are now fully possessed in the seuerall partes of the whole Empire dothe so without consideration assigne that office alone to himselfe and taketh it sufficient in summoning a general Councel to make a man that is prince of the whole world no otherwise partaker thereof then hee woulde make his owne seruaunte And although the modestie and mildenes of the Emperour Ferdinando be so greate that hee canne beare this wronge bycause peraduenture hee vnderstandeth not well the Popes packinge yet ought not the Pope of his holines to offer him that wronge nor to claime as his owne an other mans right But hereto some will replye the Emperour in deede called Councelles at that tyme ye speake of bycause the Bysshop of Rome was not yet growen so greate as hee is nowe but yet the Emperour didde not then sitte togeather with the Bysshoppes in Councell or once bare any stroke with his authoritie in their consultation I aunswere nay that it is not so for as witnesseth Theodorete Themperour Constantine sate not only together with them in the Councell at Nice butte gaue also aduice to the Bysshoppes howe it was best to trye out the matter by the Apostles and Prophettes writinges as apeereth by these his own woordes In disputation saithe hee of matters of diuinitie wee haue sette before vs to followe the doctrine of the holye Ghoste For the Euangelistes and the Apostles woorkes and the Prophettes sayinges shewe vs sufficientlye what opinion wee ought to haue of the will of God The Emperour Theodotius as sayeth Socrates didde not onely sitte amongest the Byshoppes but also ordered the whole arguinge of the cause and tare in peeces the Heritiques bookes and allowed for good the iudgemente of the Catholiques In the Coūcell at Chalridone a Ciuile magistrate condemned for heretikes by the sentence of hys owne mouthe the Bysshoppes Dioseorus Iuuenall and Thalasius and gaue iudgement to put them down from that promotion in the Curche In the third Councell at Constantinople Constantine a ciuile Magistrate dyd not only sit amongest the Byshops but dyd also subscribe with them For saith he we haue both read and subscribed In the second Councell called Arausicanum the Princes Embassadours being noble menne borne not only spake their minde touching Religion but set to their handes also aswel as the Byshops For thus is it writen in the later end of that Coūcel Petrus Marcellinus Felix and Liberius being most noble menne and the famous Lieutenauntes and Capitaines of Fraunce also Peeres of the Realm haue giuen their consent and set to their handes Further Syagrius Opilio Pantagattus Deodatus Cariattho and Marcellus menne of very great honour haue subscribed Yf it be so then that Lieutenauntes chyefe Capitaines and Peeres haue had authoritie to subscribe in Councell haue not Emperours and kinges the like authoritie Truely there hadde been no neede to handle so plaine a matter as this is with so many wordes and so at length if wee hadde not to doe with those menne who for a desire they haue to striue and to winne the mastery vse of course to deny all thinges be thei neuer so cleere yea the very same which they presentlye see and beholde with their owne eyes The Emperour Iustinian made a law to correct the behauiour of y e Cleargie and to cutt shorte the insolencie of the priestes And albeit hee were a Christian and a Catholique prince yet putte hee downe from their Papall Throne twooe Popes Syluerius and Vigilius not withstandinge they were Peters successours and Christes vicars Lette vs see then suche men as haue authoritie ouer the Bysshoppes suche menne as receaue from God commaundementes concerning Religion suche as brynge home againe the Arke of God make holy hymnes ouer see the preistes builde the Temple make Orations touching diuine seruice clense the Temples destroye the hil Aultres burne the Idolles groues teache the preistes their dewtie write them out Preceptes how they should lyue kill the wicked Prophetes displace the high Preistes call togyther the Councelles of Byshops sit togither wich the Byshoppes instructing them what they ought to doe condemne and punysh an Hereticall Byshop be made acquaynted with matters of Religion whiche subscribe and giue sentence and do al these things not by an other mans Commissiō but in their own name and that both vprightly and godly Shall we say it perteineth not to suche men to haue to do with Religion or shall wee saye a Christian Magistrate whyche dealith amongest others in these maters doth either naughtelie or presumpteouslye or wickedlye The moste aunciente and Christian Emperoures and kinges that euer were didde busy themselus with these matters and yet were they neuer for this cause noted eyther of wickednesse or of presumption And what is hee that canne finde oute either more catholique princes or more notable exaumples Wherefore yf it were lawfull for them to dooe thus beinge but Ciuile Magistrates and hauinge the chiefe rule of common weales what offence haue oure Princes at thys daye made whiche maye not haue leaue to dooe the lyke beinge in the like degree Or what especiall gifte of learninge or of iudgemente or of holynes haue these menne nowe that contrarye to the custome of all the aunciente and Catholique Bysshoppes who vsed to conferre with princes and peeres concerning religiō