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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

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thei do now thus reiect and cast of Christian Princes from knowing of the cause and from their meetinges Well thus doinge they wiselye and warelye prouide for them selues and for their kingedome whiche otherwise they see is like shortly to come to naught For if so be they whom God hath placed in greatest dignitie didde see and perceiue these mennes practises howe Christes commaundementes be despised by them how the light of the Gospell is darkened and quenched out by them how themselues also be subtilly begiled and mocked and vnwares be deluded by them the way to y e kingedom of heauē stopped vp before them no doubt they would neuer so quietlye suffer them selues neyther to be disdaigned after suche a prowde sorte nor so dispitefully to be scorned and abused by them But nowe through their own lacke of vnderstanding through their owne blyndenesse these menne haue them fast yoked ▪ and in their daunger We truely for our parts as we haue sayd haue don nothing in altering Religion either vpon rashenes or arrogantie nor nothing but with good leasure and great consideration Neyther had we euer intended to do it except both the manifeste and most assured will of God opened to vs in his holy scriptures and the regarde of our owne saluation had euen constreyned vs there vnto For though wee haue departed from that Churche which these menne call catholique and by that meanes gett vs enuy amongest them that want skill to iudge yet is this ynough for vs and it ought to be ynough for euery wise and good man and one that maketh accoumpte of euerlasting lyfe that we haue gon from that Church whiche had power to erre whiche Christ who cannot erre tolde so long before it should erre and which we our selues did euidently see with our eyes to haue gon both from y e holy Fathers and from the Apostles and from Christ his own selfe from the primatiue catholique churche and wee are come as nere as we possibly could to the Church of the Apostles and of the old catholique Byshops and Fathers whiche Churche we knowe hath hetherunto ben sounde and perfite and as Tertullian termeth it a pure virgine spotted as yet with no Idolatrie nor with any foule or shamefull faulte and haue directed according to their customes and ordinaunces not onely our doctrine but also the Sacraments the fourme of common prayer And as we knowe both Christe hym selfe and all good men here to fore haue don we haue called home againe to the originall and first foundation that Religion which hath ben fowly forslowed vtterly corrupted by these men For wee thought it mere thence to take y e paterne of reforminge Religion from whence the ground of Religion was first taken Bycause this one reasone as saythe the most auncient Father Tertullian hath great force againste all Heresies Looke what soeuer was first that is trew and what soeuer is latter that is corrupt Ireneus oftentimes appealed to y e oldest Churchs which had ben nerest to Christes time and which it was hard to beleue had erred But whye at this daye is not the same respect and consideratiō had Whye returne wee not to the paterne of the ould Churches whye maye not we heare at this time amongst vs y e same saiing which was opēly pronounced in times past in the Councel at Nice by so many Byshopes and Catholique Fathers and nobody once speakyng againste it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye hould still the old customes When Eldras went about to repayre the ruynes of the Temple of God he sent not to Ephesus although the moste beautifull and gorgious Temple of Diana was there and when he purposed to restore y e Sacrifices and ceremonies of God he send not to Rome although peraduenture he had hearde in that place were the solemne Sacrifices called Hecatombae and other called Solitauril●a lectisternia and Supplicatiōs and Numa Pompilius ceremoniall bokes he thought it ynoughe for hym to set before his eyes to folow the paterne of the old Temple which Salomon at the beginning builded accordyng as God had appoincted hym and also those olde customes and Ceremonies whiche God hymselfe had writen out by special words for Moses The Prophet Aggeus after the Tēple was repaired againe by Esdras and the people mighte thinke they had a very iuste cause to reioyce on their own behalfe for so great a benefit receiued of almightie God yet made he them al burst out in teares bycause that they whyche were yet aliue and had sene the former building of the Temple before the Babylonians destroyed it called to mynde how far of it was yet from that beautie and excellencie whiche it had in the olde times past before For thē in deed would they haue thought y e Temple worthely repaired yf it had aunswered to the auncient paterne and to the maiestie of the first Temple Paul bycause he wold amende the abuse of the Lordes supper which y e Corinthians euen then begonne to corrupte he sett before them Christes institution to folow sayng I haue deliuered vnto you y e which I firste receiued of the Lord. And when Christ dyd confute the errour of the Pharisees Ye must saith he retorne to the first beginning for frō the beginning yt was not thus And when he founde great faulte with y e preists for their vncleanes of lyfe and couetousnes and woulde clense the Temple from al euil abuses This house saith he at y e first beginning was a house of praier wherin all the people myght deuoutely and sincerely praye together and so were your partes to vse it nowe also at this daye For it was not builded to thende it should be a denne of theues Likewise al the good and commendable Princes mentioned of in the Scriptures were praised specially by those wordes that they had walked in the wayes of their Father Dauid That is bycause they had retorned to the first and originall foundation and had restored Religion euen to the perfection wherin Dauid left it And therfore whē we likewise sawe all thing es were quite trodden vnder foote of these men and that nothing remained in the Temple of God but piteful spoyles and decayes we reckened it the wisest and the safest waye to sett before our eyes those Churches which we knew for a suerty that they neuer had erred nor neuer had priuate Masse nor prayers in straynge and Barbarous language nor this corrupting of Sacramentes and other toyes And forsomuche as our desire was to haue the Temple of the Lord restored a new we would seke no other foundatiō then the same which we knew was long agone layde by the Apostles that is to wyte our sauiour Iesu Christ. And forsomuch as we heard God hym selfe speaking vnto vs in his word and sawe also the notable Examples of the oulde and primatiue Churche againe how vncertaine a mater it was to wait for a generall Coucell and that the successe therof
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
sit at home and leaue our whole cause to Gode then to iorney thither whereas wee neyther shall haue place nor bee able to dooe anye good whereas wee can obtaine no audience whereas Princes Embassadours be but used as mockyng stockes and whereas also all wee be condemned alredy before trial as though y e matter were a forhād dispatched and agreed vpon Neuertheles we can beare pacientlye quyetely our owne priuate wronges but wherfore do they shut out Christian kynges and good Princes from their Conuocation why do they so vncourteously or with such spite leaue thē out as though they were not either Christen menne or els could not iudge will not haue them made acquaynted with the cause of Christian Religion nor vnderstand y e state of their own Churches Or yf the sayd kynges Princes happen to entermedly in suche matters and take vpon them to do that they may do that they be commaunded to doe and ought of duty to do the same thinges that we know both Dauid and Salomon and other good Princes haue don that is yf they whiles the Pope and his Prelates slugge and sleepe or els mischevouslye withstande them doe bridle the Preistes sensualitie and driue them to do their dewty and kepe them still to yt yf they do ouerthrow Idols yf they take away superstition and set vp again the true worshiping of God whye do they by and by make an out crye vpon them that suche Princes trouble all and presse by violence into an other bodyes office and do therby wickedly and malepartly What scripture hath at any time forbidden a Christiā Prince to be made priuey to such causes Who but themselues alone made euer any suche lawe They will saye to this I gesse Ciuell Princes haue learned to gouerne a common welth and to ordre matters of warre but they vnderstande not the secret mysteries of Religion Yf that be so what is the Pope I praye you at this day other thē a Monarche or a Prince or what ●e the Cardinals who must be no nother now a days but Princes and kyngs sonnes What els be y e Patriarches and for the most part the Archebysshops the Byshops y e Abbots what be they els at this present in y e Popes kingdome but worlikely Princes but Dukes and Earles gorgiously accompanied w t bandes of men whither soeuer they go Oftentimes also gaylye arayed wyth theynes collers of golde They haue at times to certeine ornamētes by them selfes as Crosses pillers hattes miters and Palles which pompe the auncient Bysshops Chrysostom Augustine and Ambrose neuer had Setting these thinges aside what teache they what say they what doe they how lyue they I saye not as maye become a Byshopp but as may become euen a Christian man Is it so great a mater to haue a vaine title and by chaunging a garment onely to haue the name of a Byshop Surely to haue the principall staye effecte of all maters commited wholy to these mennes hands who neyther know nor will know these thinges nor yet set a iote by any poinct of Religion saue y t which concernes their belly and Ryot to haue them alone sit as Iudges and to be set vp as ouerseers in y e watch tower being no better then blynd spyes of the other side to haue a Christian Prince of good vnderstanding and of a right iudgement to stande still like a blocke or a stake not to be suffred nother to giue his voice nor to shewe his iudgement but onely to wayt what these men shall well and commaund as one whiche had neyther eares nor eyes nor wytt nor hearte and whatsoeuer they giue in charge to alowe it without exception blindly fulfilling their commaundementes be they neuer so blasphemous and wicked yea although they commaunde him quite to destroye all Religion to crucifie again Christ him selfe This surely besides that it is proud and spitefull ys also beyond all right and reason and not to be endured of Christiā and wyse Princes Why I praye you may Cayphas and Annas vnderstand these matters and may not Dauid and Ezechias do the same Is it laufull for a Cardinall being a man of warre and delightius in bloud to haue place in a Councell is it not lauful for a Christian Emperour or a kynge wee truely graunt no further libertie to our Magistrates then that we know hath both ben giuen thē by the word of God and also confirmed by the exāples of the very best gouerned cōmon welthes For besids that a Christian Prince hath the charge of both Tables cōmited to him by God to thende he maye vnderstande that not temporall matters only but also Religious ecclesiasticall causes pertaine to his Office Besides also that God by his Prophettes often and earnestly cōmaundeth the king to cut down the groues to breake downe the Images and aultres of Idoles and to write out the boke of y e law for him selfe and besides that the prophet Esaias saith a kyng ought to be a patrone and nurse of the Churche I saye besides all these thinges we se by histories and by examples of the best tunes that good Princes euer tooke thadministration of ecclesiastical matters to partain to their duety Moses a Ciuile Magistrat chief guide of the people both receiued from God deliuered to y e People al the order for religion and Sacrifices and gaue Aaron the Byshop a vehemēt and so are rebuke for making the golden calfe and for suffering the corruption of Religion Iosua also though he were no nother then a Ciuil Magistrat yet assone as he was chosen by God and set as a Ruler ouer the people he receiued cōmaundements specially touching Religion and the seruice of God Kynge Dauid when the whole religiō was altogethers brought out of frame by wycked kyng Saul brought home againe the Arke of God that is to say he restored Religiō again and was not onely amongest them him selfe as a counseller and furtherer of the worke but he appoincted also hymnes and Psalmes put in order the companies and was the only doer in setting furth that whole solemne shewe and in effect ruled the preistes Kyng Salomō builte vnto the Lord the Temple which his Father Dauid had but purposed in his minde to do after the finishing ther of he made a goodly oration to the people concerning Religion and the seruice of God he afterward displaced Abiathar the Preist and set Sadock in his place After this when the Tēple of God was in shameful wyse polluted thorough the uaughtines and negligēce of the preists Kyng Ezechias commaunded the same to be clensed from the ruble and filthe y e preistes to light vp candelles to burne Incense and to do their diuine seruice according to the olde allowed custome The same kyng also commaunded the brasen Serpent whiche then the people wickedly worshipped to be taken down and beatē to pouder Kyng Iehosaphat ouerthrew