Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	faith_n	holy_a	2,665	5	4.7089	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20391	A dialogue, concerning the strife of our churche wherein are aunswered diuers of those vniust accusations, wherewith the godly preachers and professors of the Gospell, are falsly charged; with a briefe declaration of some such monstrous abuses, as our byshops haue not bene ashamed to foster.		1584 (1584)	STC 6801; ESTC S109629	51,954	154

other men may iudge but in my iudgement it is a very prophane and a very wicked saying Is there any God but one any faith but one any Church but one Is not the whole Churche in all places in the worlde Gods familie Hath he not giuen one booke of the holy sacred scriptures to teache and gouerne the same euery part therof Were not those mē principall Instruments of the Lord to expounde and open the mysteries of God vnto his church did they not teach declare the counsels of God onely out of his word Is our church then the Church of Christe and hath their doctrine nothing to do with it Philodoxos I know right well that their doctrine which they teach out of Gods word which is the doctrine of faith doth belong indifferently to the whole Church Because as you say there is but one Church and one faith But in some externall matters one Church may differ from an other And in that respect euery Church is not tied to the outwarde forme of the Church at Geneua in euery particular There be circumstaunces of persons times and places which maye make some variaunce Orthodoxos One Church maye differ from an other in some externall matter let that be graunted as I know not who doth deny it Is that a sufficient cause for men to saye what hath maister Caluine or maister Beza or others to doe with our Church Haue not the excellent seruaunts of God taught that point also by the Scriptures which you speak off that churches may vary in some externall matters How then can it be saide that our Church hath nothing to doe with their doctrine I doe not speake as though we were to depende vppon men further then they prooue their doctrine by the holy Scriptures But when God hath raised vp speciall instrumentes and made them lightes to his people it muste needes proceede from a vile minde to saye what haue they to doe with our Church Such mens fingers are to be looked vnto as those which are not to bee put in truste with the Spouse of Christ For this is out of all doubt that as those other are manifested vnto the worlde to be rare and speciall seruauntes of God for the seruice of his sonne and saluatiō of his people so these by demanding so disdainfully what they haue to do with our Church giue manifest cause of suspicion that they be none of Gods houshold For either they must prooue that those excellent men did not deale faithfully in Gods matters which they shall neuer be able to doe or else confesse themselues to be vntrusty Who is so foolish but that he can sée whē such as with the mighty power of Gods spirit haue spread the light of the Gospell and thrown downe the Kingdome of Antichrist are reiected or little set by that there is no faithful mind especially when it is by those which them selues doe hurt and no good to the furtheraunce of mens saluation Philochrematos Gentleman by your patience maye it please you to let me aunswere not that I thinke you vnable to confute such friuolous speech but because I am pricked and can holde no longer I woulde faine knowe who they are whome you meane which do hurt no good in our Church If you meane the cheefe of the cleargy God be thanked your slanderous tongue is not able to discredite them they are well knowne to be graue wise learned and Godly and therefore of all others do the most good and the least hurt in the Church If yee meane the Puritans or Precisians all wise men wil agrée with you for in déede it can not be shewed that they do any good but I am able to prooue that they doe much hurt for they be Scismatikes and make diuision in the Church a thing much to be abhorred of al godly mindes they are the cause that there be so many Papistes for what maketh them to be offended and to refuse to come to the Churche but this that we do not agrée among our selues but these are not those whom you meane Orthodoxos I sée you take it in great snuffe that I saide there are which doe hurte and no good in the Church You woulde knowe whome I meane But it must needes bee meant as you take it eyther of the cheefe of the Cleargie or else of those whome you tearme Puritans and Precisians For the first yee say they bee well knowne to bee graue wise learned and Godly I suppose by the chiefe of the Cleargie you meane Bishops Deanes and Archdeacons and Bishops Chaplaynes And so you come in the number your selfe beeing a Bishops Chaplaine I doe suppose that the greatest part of these are graue and learned and it were a verye lamentable thing that none of them should be Godly I doe verilye suppose that among these there be some which are not so drowned with couetousnesse and ambition but that they haue their speciall care for the aduauncement of Gods Gospell and the saluation of mens soules But will yee therefore cléere and iustifie all But as for the Puritanes and Precisians yee say they do no good and you can prooue they doe much hurt You doe also shew wherein they be Scismatikes and make diuision in the Church They giue offence to the Papistes No doubte these bee abominable vices and those that be giltie of them the woe and cursse of God doth hange ouer their heades But your bare affirmation maye not carrye away the matter you muste prooue those men to bee such whome you call Puritans Philochrematos It is a sore matter which yee put me vnto I praye yee what neede is there of anye further proofe when the thing is euident to all the worlde Who doth not see that there is a Scisme in our Church both among ministers and people Who doth not see who are the cause of it When a Church is established and there doth arise contention therein are those the Scismatikes which defende the state and would haue it quiet or those which rayse vp vnquietnesse Do the chiefe Prelates make the Scisme in our Church or the Puritanes It is well knowne that they labour to haue it in peace but these other are the cause of vnquietnesse Orthodoxos You make verye light of the matter as a thing so euident that there needeth no proofe And to make the euidencie appeare yée take this for your grounde that where a Church is established those which defend the state thereof to hold it in quiet canne not bee Scismatikes On the contrarye parte those which make any vnquietnesse to the state thereof can not but be Scismatikes If yee will haue no further consideration but so then surely maister Luther maister Caluine and others are iustly charged by the Papistes to be Scismatikes For there was a state established the Pope his Prelates were desirous to hold it in quiet The other part yee knowe did disquiet it Yet neuerthelesse euerie one which hath anie true

say many of the ministers bee such I say they bee not for they set out the word Sacraments though not by their owne learning But let it be graunted that some of them bee blinde guides yet the people neede not perish for there bee others that watch ouer them besides the ministers the Byshops and Archdeacons these are not blinde but haue their sight better then the Puritans O but these can not suffice with al their learning and Godlinesse to guid the people and to keepe them in good order but forsooth euery congregation must haue one to preach vnto them this were good but where will yee haue them if ye can finde men wher are the liuings that shall maintaine them will yee haue Preachers to liue with tenne pounde or twentie pounde a yeare surelie yee are verie Doltes and woulde haue ye knowe not what I woulde you coulde see your owne follie which verie Children doe sée that yee mighte bee ashamed the people are well if yee coulde let them alone and are come from Poperie But if they bee not Puritans by and by yee enter into iudgement against them and condemne them to bee Athiests and wicked men yea to bee reprobates and for this cause yee crie out the people perish mens soules are famished and murthered for lacke of preachers are not the people which you saie perish and go to destruction Christians do they not at their ende call vpon God confesse their sinnes and hope to be pardoned by the death and bloudshedding of Christe howe then dare you bee so wicked and presumptuous as to iudge of them that they be damned Will you enter into Gods secretes I thinke better of such honest poore men which are dutifull subiectes and liue quietlie thogh they haue no teaching then of such as you the state of our church would be better if all were such because there should be more quietnes then there is now Orthodoxos If euer there were anie time in which the words of our sauiour Christe were verified when he saith If it coulde be possible the elect should be deceiued it is nowe there be such goodlie shewes and colours made and set vpon matters to holde the people contented in their ignoraunce for what is proclaymed nowe and vnder what doe those that destroie the Churche shrowde them selues but the Gospell the peace of the Church obedience learning grauitie and Godlinesse All these are moste excellente thinges and therefore when they come but for a cloake as they doe vnto many which haue not the vse and benefit of them the daunger is the greater Yee say the people neede not famish the gospel is so plentifully set foorth what preached no that is but heere and there How then that which is as good as preaching the scriptures are read in their owne tongue with homilies and prayers as good as any can be made There be also many good bookes yea syr but what sayth the holy Apostle 1. Cor. 1. ver 21. he saith It is the pleasure of God to saue those which beleeue by foolish preaching Wil ye not giue the Lord leaue to saue that way which it pleaseth him or will ye prescribe him an other that shal be a wiser way Faith commeth by hearing and how shall they heare without a Preacher Rom 10. the Priestes Lippes must keepe knowledge and they must seeke the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hostes Mala. 2. vers 6. Those thinges which thou haste heard of me among many witnesses sayth the Apostle vnto Timothy the same commit vnto faithfull men which may bee meete to teach others 2. Tim. 2. vers 2. You sée then Gods pleasure is to worke fayth and to saue by preaching his ordinaunce and appointment is that skilfull wise and godly pastors shall féede his flock they must instruct and teach thē in the misteries of the gospel and lay open vnto them all the counsels of God They must preache the worde and be instant in season and out of season they must conuince reprooue exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2. Timo. 4. vers 2. They must watch ouer the soules of men as those that shall giue account vnto God for them Heb. 13. vers 17. I pray yee tell mee can the dumbe Idoles hirelings and vngodly men do this God must néeds take men to heauen that way which you deuise although it be flat against his owne ordinaunce God hath promised to giue his Spirite with the true ministerie which hee sendeth to publish remission of sinnes in his name by which spirite he conuerteth mens soules will ye therefore binde him to doe the same to a false ministerie are yee not ashamed thus to mocke with GOD and to abuse his people the reproche and shame of this will neuer bee done awaie with anie Sacrifice or burnt offering Yee say we condemne reading and some of yee are not ashamed with Brasen faces to affirme it euen oute of the Pulpit We exhort and stirre vp the people vnto the diligent reading of the Scriptures and where shall a man finde so manie Bybles and testamentes in the handes of the common sorte as where those Puritan Preachers as you tearme them haue anie while continued A man would thinck considering howe manifest a lye it is that the Diuel himselfe woulde bee ashamed to vtter it as I haue hearde some of yee because the ministers set foorth the worde and Sacramentes though it bee not by their owne learning you saie they bee no blinde guides nor hirelings what manner of setting out is that when the people do not receiue instruction they doe as much as lieth in them prophane the worde and Sacramentes But what though there were blinde guids and hirelinges yet the people are well ynough they depende vppon the bishops and Archdeacons which can see better then Puritans These I trowe can suffice to keepe the people in order I pray yee what can they see or what do they see to leade the people to Heauen or to builde them vp in good order in the fayth Noe no they can see that they shal be kept in blindnesse as they are but what can they doe vnto those whome they neuer saw nor knew doth there goe such vertue out of a Byshoppe or an Archdeacon that it can spreade it selfe ouer all the Country euen to saue their soules that neyther heare nor see them shall the blinde bee ledde by those that neuer come nigh them or by those that are presente and take them by the hand for shame holde youre peace Yee confesse it were good that the people were taught euery where but where will yee haue so many teachers and if there be men ye demaund where ther wil be liuinges for them To the first I aunswere that the want of Godlie and diligent preachers is to bee imputed to the Bishops for euen as if they had conspired the death of the Church they haue laboured to suppresse and diminish them To