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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	believe_v	church_n	know_v	1,825	5	4.2624	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00748	The epiphanie of the church gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, declaring and plainly shevving, both the church that cannot but erre, and also the church that cannot erre : vvith so evident notes and manifest signes of either of them, that no man reading it, needeth be in doubt which he should beleue / written by R.P. in the yeare of our Lord God 1550 ; and now published in this yeare 1590 for the benefite of all such as desire the trueth concerning the church.	Finch, Richard, minister of East Ham.	1590 (1590)	STC 10877.5; ESTC S4676	36,955	52

Heere you see manifestly faith entereth into the strait gate which is Christ This faith is not idle for it maketh vs to stand that is to say to perseuere and walke in the narrow way by loue which is the third thing that faith worketh in vs and therfore it followeth Not that onely but also we reioyce in tribulations knowing that tribulation bringeth patience patience bringeth experience experience bringeth hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vnto vs. No thanke then vnto our faith no thanke vnto our loue but all thanke and praise and glory be giuen vnto God whose holy spirit worketh fayth loue hope patience and altogether in vs. Fayth that worketh by loue is much worth before God which loue is the second note of the holy Catholike church fayth fetcheth this loue of the great loue of God which first so loued vs that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Of this loue speaketh Paule saying Walke in loue euen as Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs an offering and sacrifice of a sweete sauour to God This loue Paule learned of his master our sauiour Iesus Christ commanding and saying A newe commandement I do giue vnto you that ye loue together as I haue loued you Iesus Christ so loued vs that he gaue himselfe for vs for he was obedient vnto God the father for vs vnto death yea vnto death vpon the crosse This loue so warmeth the heart with hope and assurance of euerlasting life for we are saued by hope that it putteth away all seruile feare I say not all feare for there remaineth and abideth in the heart an holy reuerend feare or dread of displeasing God or lothnesse to loose God and his holy spirit which if a man taste is rather a reuerend ioy and a glad loue than feare therefore is it truely said Perfect loue casteth out feare that is to say Iesus Christ by his holy spirit possessing the heart of man through fayth pntteth cleane away the feare of shame losse of goodes or friends the feare of torments enemies and prisonment yea the feare of sinne death the deuill and hell So that the office of true faith setteth not onely before our eyes the vilenesse of sinne that caused Christ to die but it also bringeth vs Iesus Christ the attonement maker betweene God and vs for our sinne whereof commeth loue In the which loue is manifest the third note of the holy Catholike church for now we feare God no more as a terrible iudge but thorow his holy spirit we loue him as a most gentle louing father whereof speaketh Paule saying thus Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare any more but you haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father Abba is as much in English as Dad or Deare father it is the Syrian speech left vntranslated both by the Latine men also English men to the intent I suppose that it should also be English for this I know that the first word that an English Christian childe beginneth to speake is Abba commonly long before he can speake any thing else which Christian babe in his innocencie is a witnesse with Paule that God is a deare father vnto Christians through his holy spirit by his sonne Iesus Christ Thus you may easily perceiue by those scriptures that faith loue and the spirit of God doe go together and be together in euery true Christian as sure notes and seales of his saluation Faith entring the gate of saluation sticketh to the word of God and taketh it onely to be the rule of life and doctrine Loue cleaueth vnto Christ and maketh faith knowen as the fruits do the tree and putteth away feare The spirit of God quieteth the conscience and bringeth with a reuerend dread ioy and gladnesse ineffable If you know this you be a very true member of the holy Catholike church and in the strait gate and narrow way vnto eternall life If you know not this I say no more but God haue mercy vppon you For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Heere me thinketh I do heare an idle braine say that these signes and notes be of mine owne inuention which do rather confoūd dim the church than make it knowen Vnto whom I doe answere If it be dim and hid it is hid vnto them that perish but vnto the children of light it is manifest enough Also these notes be not mine but rather Gods books there I do finde them Of the first Christ saith Euery tree is knowen by his fruites Which words be made plaine by these sayings of Paule To beleeue with the heart iustifieth to knowledge vvith the mouth maketh a man safe Faith then is not dead in the heart if it be dead it is not faith faith is knowen by the mouth as the tree is knowen by the fruits for of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaketh A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that vvhich is good Of the second Iohn saith God is loue and hee that dvvelleth in loue dvvelleth in God and God in him He then cannot be hid in whome God dwelleth And Hee that loueth his brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of euill in him The light therefore must needs be seene Heere is to be noted that as faith without godly works is a dead faith and therefore no faith so loue without the same good weeks also is not loue but naturall affection For vvho so hath these vvorlds goods seeth his brother hath need and shutteth vp his compassion from him hovve dvvelleth the loue of God in him Thus is loue manifestly knowen by the good worke Our fauiour Iesu Christ appointing this to be the notable signe of the church faith vnto them By this shall all men knovv that ye are my disciples if ye haue loue one to another Of the third note which is the spirit of God Paule writing to the Romanes hath these wordes If any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his And a little after he speaking of himselfe and other of the church of Christ saith The same spirit certifieth our spirit that we are the children of God If the spirit of God certifieth a mans conscience that he is the childe of God then hee may be sure that hee is of the church of Christ Heereby you perceiue that these notes are appoynted by Gods booke not of mine inuention to be vnfallible signes of the holy Catholike church and of euery member of the same which be all of one faith

false thorow hypocrisie and haue their conscience marked with an hote iron forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstaine from meates vvhich God hath created to be receaued vvith giuing of thankes of them which beleeue and knevve the trueth Now ioyne these two prophecies together and note diligently the cause maner increase and force of Antichrists kingdome and then it shall be the better perceaued The cause why God permitteth the wicked to deceiue the people was for that they did not receaue the law of the trueth but loathed Gods word when they had it They writ it not in their heartes neither brought forth the fruits of the spirite but of the flesh To speake all in one worde They had as we haue much godly teaching and brought foorth much vngodly liuing Of verie duetie godly liuing must followe godly teaching otherwise Gods plague and vengeance followeth his word where and when soeuer it be taught But amongest all the plagues of God this is the greatest that he taketh away his word from the people and suffereth them to be fed with lies and Canterburie tales or fables After which sorte and maner the wicked haue come and entered into the Christian generation yea and haue sit in the holy place and seate of Moyses pretending to teache the holy word of God They haue set I say in the seate of Moyses not by teaching the law and the prophets but by name and place whereby the people not able to discerne the true session from presumptuous vsurpation haue bene deceiued with false myracles lying powers and wonders By the which feates they haue increased and growne into the greater number For when by the helpe of the deuill with their coniurations charmes and diuers other false fleightes they wrought myracles and wonders in diuers and sundrie places Then the people regarding not the simple word of God forsooke their faith and ranne a gadding from place to place to gaze vpon signes and wonders Manie beleeued lies because many taught lies Lying powers were on their side few durst speake the trueth and the simple lacked good instruction some therefore departed from the faith The sorce of Antichristes kingdome is well noted of Paul in that hee saith his comming shalbe with all lying power in that they shall forbid mariages command to abstaine frō meats and c. y t is to say After that the multitude hath bin well pampered and fed with their lies blinded with their coniurations and stablished with false miracles then shall they be able to make lawes in the defence of their deuilishe doctrines and openly to withstand and resist the trueth and Gospel as Iannes and Iambres Pharaoes coniurers withstoode Moyses Men they are sayth Paul of corrupt mindes and lewd as concerning faith Peter witnesseth with Paul saying They shall purely bring in damnable sects euen denieng the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon themselfes swift damnation many shal follow their damnable waies by whome the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of No maruaile for hypocrisie and outward shew of holynesse hath seemed so gay in the simple folkes eyes yea and yet doth to some so that as the trueth saith if it were possible the verie elect should be deceiued Iude also beareth record to the trueth with Paule and Peter shewing that they be deceaued with dreames defile the fleshe despise rulers and speake euill of them that be in authoritie murmurers complainers walking after their owne lustes whose mouthes speake proud thinges These saith he are makers of sectes fleshly hauing no spirite Conferre these same now together with the popish antichristian church of Rome and beholde if you can see the kingdome of Antichrist anie where so manifest and plaine Hath anie power in all the world since Christes ascention into heauen lift vp it selfe so high into the temple of God and aduanced it selfe as God like vnto this vsurped premacie and tyrannie of Rome Who hath more oppressed Gods booke resisted the Gospel and slandered the way of trueth then the pope and his rable Who hath wrought with suche deceaueable signes and myracles who hath fed vs with more lyes then that false prophet of Rome Read a leafe or two of Legenda aurea or the booke called Festinale and you shal finde good stuffe I warrant you Which bookes were woont to be read and taught vs moste principally concerning matters of religion Yea almost wee had no other in English I speake that I haue knowne heard and seene Within these xxiii yeares they were alledged in Sermons and read in the churche openly and had in more price amongest vs and better receaued then the holy Scriptures be of some Also they were then better studied and more willingly taught of curates in some places then Gods booke is now of manie of them Forget not I pray you to call to memorie how we were deceiued with images pilgrimages reliques false myracles iuglinges charmes witchcraftes coniurations iubilies stations holy water fire ashes palmes palme crosses saint Iohns Gospel images of waxe Walsinghame broches saint Iames shelles saint Priarke his staffe maister Iohn Shornes bat saint Cornelius horne pardons pardon beades beades Ladies Psalters dyrges treutals Requiem Masses c. Who denied the Lord that had bought then more manifestly then they that taught these romish dreames Whosoeuer denieth the death of Iesus Christ to be a whole perfect oblation sufficient for all sinne denyeth the Lord that hath bought them But they that taught or beleeued the aforesaid dragges and such like to be expedient for the obtaining of Gods fauour remission of sins denieth Christ and his death to be sufficient Wherefore so long as men sought remission of sinnes and Gods fauour in such phantasticall deuises of men it cannot be denyed but in so doing they denied the Lord that bought them To say trueth men little remembred the oblation of Christ by deathe vppon the crosse For not manie yeares agone euen when Masses satisfactory florished to affirme Christes oblation by death vpon the crosse once offered for all to be sufficient for remission of sinnes to all them that beleeue was so farre out of memorie that it was counted abhominable heresie because Masse and it could not stand together In time of anguishe trouble or sickenesse was Christes death sought to for quietnesse of conscience No our Lady of Wilsdon our Lady of Walsingham maister Iohn Shorne and confession to some holy fryer some holy relique Masse of Recordare or masse of the v. wounds For vnto these masses bishop Clement and Bishop Boniface had giuen great vertue through pardons and candels if the deuill transforming himselfe vnto Raphael the arch-angel be a true messenger Also if death approched then was Masse of Scala coeli Trentals Aniuersarijs and masse of Requiem with our Lady Masse ready to be sold for mony and song to send the soule to the Deuill with

in the yeare of our Lord God 1547. set foorth by hys royall visitation godly homilies the paraphrase of that learned father Erasmus to the great comfort of the simple that be willing to learne also godly iniunctions meaning thereby to root vp all superstition abuse and idolatry to set vp gods word in their place Wherein he commanded not onely to take awaie all superstition and idolatrie but to take away and vtterly to extinguish and destroy all monuments of superstition idolatrie cap. 28. But how diligently putoffes haue practised their pollicie to hinder this his godly purpose it is better to lament it with teares then to rehearse it in letters Last of all to put all out of doubt and to make a perfect concord we haue a booke of cōmon praier with an order in the same for reading of Gods booke set forth in English by the same aucthoritie and stablished by act of parliament And least anie person would be so foolish mad to looke for the romish ragges againe one statute at the last parliament abolisheth and condemneth for euer all other popish bookes of the old seruice Notwithstanding some people be yet dased in those Gods matters that they know not vvhat to doe Maruaile not therefore deare father though the vngodly sorte doe misconster and euill interpret your godly trauaile For they crie for a law they must haue a law to lead them from euerie superstition by name els they vvill not obey But if they loued obedience quietnesse and had but one sparke of reuerend feare either toward God or their prince or anie desire of godly knovvledge there hath inough and inough againe bin said cōcerning matters of religion and also set forth both by order and law There be articles inough iniunctions inough proclamations inough commandements inough exhortations inough lessons inough and lavves inough if they vvere vnderstoode vvillingly embraced reuerently obeyed Albeit for them that be self vvilled frovvard contentious obstinat dul harted nothing vvil serue Therfore to none may be better applied this prophecy of Esay then vnto these Who saith They that be such must haue after one lesson another lesson after one commandement another commandement after one rule another rule after one instruction another instruction there a litle there a litle For he that speaketh vnto this people is euen as one that vseth rudenesse of speeche a strange language If anie man say vnto them loe this is the rest wherwith ye may ease hym that is wearie this is the refreshing they will not harken Therfore the word of the Lord lesson vpon lesson commandement vppon commandement rule vpon rule instruction vpon instruction there a little and there a litle shalbe vnto them an occasion of stumbling that they may goe on and fal backward be brused tangled and snared Wherefore heare the worde of the Lord yee mockers ye that haue rule of this people O vvould God I might haue ouerleapt this sentēce that goeth before that iustly novv it might not besaid They are out of the way by reason of wyne yea farre out of the way are they by reason of strong drinke These things my moste reuerend father haue inforced me to presume to doe that vvhich is aboue the strength both of my vvit and learning but not aboue my good vvill that is to collect out of Gods scriptures a simple and plaine manifestation of the Church in English or a manifest opening or shevving of the Church naming it the Epiphanie because that vvord albeit borrovved of the Grecians is frequented already among vs english men in the same signification The obscuritie misunderstanding and ignorance onely of this argument article hath bene and also is the cause of much obstinacie contention and disobedience For vntill it pleased almightie God to open vnto me by his holy spirit and vvorde this article credo ecclesiam c. vvith the right meaning of the same according to the scriptures I vvas as stiffe in the popish traditions taking them for good customes and ceremonies of the fathers as I am now earnest in Gods booke and taught them vvith so good a zeale but not according to knovvledge as I doe novv the Gospell Wherefore taking of the same remedy vvherof I tooke hurt euen of Credo ecclesiam as they that be hurt of scorpions be vvoont to do I can do no lesse but vvrite and set forth the same vnto and for such as be stoong vvith the same sting and venomed vvith the same poison Whose nature is not to hurt but vvhere it findeth bloud No more Credo ecclesiam hurteth but suche as cleaue too much to humaine reason and naturall vvit I trust they vvill not mislike that thing that loue constraineth me to doe for their sakes If they doe they shall find me as readie to defend the same by the word of god against all popish bablinges as I haue bene to vvrite it So that your godly learning misliketh it not vnto vvhome vvith all other godly learned I humbly submit the same beseeching you to accept in good part my small industrie as the first fruites of my pen and iudge thereof as god shall put in your minde to vvhome be all thanke praise and glory Amen Your humble Richard Phinch ¶ THE EPIPHANIE OF THE CHVRCH BEcause I couet rather to profite with homely and playn speech then to please with sweete faire words I will speake liberally but yet simply of the Church for their sakes and vnto them that be deceaued with euill custome bewitched with popish iuglings charmed with mens inuentions and beguiled with their owne wittes which resist the trueth of Gods holy word kicke against the pricke and grope at noone and cannot see the light for the sunne In whose mouth is euer Churche Church whose feete are dayly wandring vnto the church and their eyes gasing continually vpon the Church yet can they neyther finde nor see the Church because themselues be none of the Church What is so much alleadged of the babling papistes what so oft frequented of the common people and so manifest in all mens eyes as the Church Notwithanding for want of teachers of the Scriptures few doe know the Church Such is the knowledge among the silly people in verie manie Churches now a dayes Church in the English Bible is commonly called congregation For ecclesia a worde borrowed of the Greeke toonge which may be translated into Englishe eyther Church or congregation Church with vs is a common worde signifiyng the place as well as congregation whereunto the same assembleth for some honest or godly purpose It is written that all the people were gathered togither which made their prayers all the night long in the Church Our common places appoynted for prayer preaching and administration of the sacraments be so well knowne by this name Church that there needeth no example hereof Other whiles Church signifieth the whole multitude of people both of good and bad