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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	scripture_n	write_v	5,125	5	5.8373	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10008	Ane oration made by Master Theodore de Beze, minister of the word of God, accompanyed with. xi. other ministers and. xx. deputies of the refourmed churches of the realme of Fraunce, in the presence of the king, ... Tuesday the ix. day of September, 1561, in the noonnery of Poyssy. Truely gathered and set forth in suct sort as it was spoken by the said de Beze. Whereunto is added a brief declaration exhibited by the said Beze, to the Quene the mother, the next morowe after the making of the said oration, touching certain poyntes conteyned in the same; Harangue faicte par M. Théodore de Bèze. English.	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.	1561 (1561)	STC 2026; ESTC S119256	20,389	80

for the maintenaunce of their opinions alleaged the autoritie of the Councell of Arimine Lette vs grounde our selfe saith he neyther I vpon the Councel of Nice whiche neuerthelesse is the moste auncient approued Councell neither you vpon the Councel of Arimine but lette vs cleaue and stand fast to the holy Scriptures Saint Chrisostome was of the same opinion who in his seconde expositiō vpon Saint Matthew in his xlix Homely sayth The Churche stayeth it selfe vpon the foundacion of the Prophetes and the Apostles And to conclude in this matter we do receiue and take the holie Scriptures for an entier and a perfect declaration of all thinges necessary for oure saluation And touching suche matter as may be found in Councels or the bookes of any auncient doctours we can not nor ought not to let you but that you maye alleage them to your ayde and we also so as it be grounded vpon the expresse tistimonie of the holy Scripture But for the loue of God bring not to vs their bare authoritis vnlesse the same be throughly examined vpon the touch stone before mencioned For we saye with Saint Augustine in his seconde booke of Christian doctrine in the vi Chapter If there fall any difficultie in the interpretation of anye one passage the holye Goste hath so tempered the holy Scripture as that whiche is in one place obscuredly spokē is in an other place spoken more clerely And thus much for this pointe which I haue drawen some what the more at length to the intente that all men may vnderstand that we be not enemies to councelles neither to the holy fathers by the whiche it hath pleased God to teache and instruct his Church There are yet two matters behynde to witte the matter of the Sacramentes and the discipline and pollicie of the Church Touching the firste trueth it is that it were requisite it were treated of at good length because of the difficulties that be this day thereof in the state of Christendome But because I haue not at this tyme taken vpon me to dispute but rather to sette foorth shortely the principall poyntes of oure conference I will contente my selfe to declare summarelie what we do thynke and holde therein We be as I take it concerning this word Sacrament of one accord to witte that Sacraments be signes visible by meanes whereof the coniunction and vnitie whiche we haue with oure Lord Iesus Christ is not to vs simplie signified or figured but is to vs verelye and truely offered on the behalfe of the Lord and consequently ratified sealed and as it were grauen by the vertue of the holie Gost in suche as by true faith do apprehend and take hold of that whiche is to them so signified and presented I vse this worde signified my Lordes not meaninge thereby to weake or to diminishe the dignitie of the Sacramentes but to note a difference betwene the signe and the thinge that signifieth it in all vertue and efficacie We do also agree that to the Sacramentes there is necessarilie required a celestiall and supernaturall mutation For we do not say that the water of the holy Baptisme is simplie water but that it is a true Sacrament of oure regeneration and of the washing of oure soules by the blood of Iesus Christe In like sort we do not say that in the holy Supper of the Lord the brrad is simplie bread but that it is the Sacrament of the precious body of oure Lord Iesus Christ which was deliuered for vs. Neither that wine is only and simplie wine but that it is the Sacrament of the precious blood which was shed for vs. But here with we do not say that this mutation is made in the substaunce of the signes but in the vse and end for the which they be ordeined Neither do we saye that they bee made by vertue of certaine wordes pronounced neither by the entent of him that pronounceth the same but by the onely power and will of him that ordeined this heauenly and godly action whose ordinaunce in this behalfe ought to bee rehearsed with a loude voyce and in suche language as the assistauntes do vnderstand to whom it ought also to bee plainely expounded to the intent they may vnderstande it and receiue it accordingly And thus muche concerninge the outwarde signes Let vs nowe come to that that is testified and exhibited of the Lord by these signes We do not say as some for lacke of good vnderstanding of vs do iudge that we do teache that is to say that in the holie Supper of the Lord there is nothing but a simple and naked remembraunce of the death of Iesus Christ Neither do we say that by the sayde holye Supper we be made partakers onely of the fruite of his death and passion but we do ioyne the grounde with the fruites that come of it saying with Saint Paule in his first Epistle to the Corinthians the tenth Chapiter That the bread whiche we breake in suche sort as he hath ordeined is the communication of the very body of Iesus Christ that was deliuered for vs. And the Cuppe whereof we drinke is the Communication of the verye blood that was shedde for vs yea in the same substaunce that he toke in the womb of the virgin Marie and that he caried from vs into heauen And I pray you my Lordes in the Name of God what canne you seeke or finde in this holye Sacrament but we do seeke and sinde the same also I do vnderstand what you wil say straight Some of you wil require vs to confesse that the bread and wine be transfourmed I saye not into the Sacramentes of the bodie and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ for that haue we confessed all readie but into the very naturall body the proper and naturall blood of Christ Others peraduenture will not presse vs so narowly but will require vs to agree that the bodie and blood be reallye and corporally other within or with or vnder the bread In whiche point my Lordes I beseche you for the honour of God to geue eare to vs paciently without takinge anye offence of oure sayinges and for a tyme to put away all the yll opinion that you haue conceiued of vs. When either the one or the other of these two opinions shal be by the holy Scripture proued to vs we yelde oure selues readie to embrace it and to stande to it to the death But for the small measure of knowledge that it hath pleased God to impart vnto vs it semeth that this transubstantiation agreeth not in any similitud and conuenien●ie of our faith farasmuche as it is directly contrary to the true nature of the Sacramentes In the whiche it is necessary that the substanciall Sygnes contymie being true Signes of the substaunce of the body and blood of Iesus Christe And besides this it ouerthroweth the veritie of mans nature in Christe ▪ and of his ascention The same do I saye of the seconde opinion that is of the consubstanciation

thē heate and light can bee saperated from the fyre And we say with S. Iohn in his first Canonicall Epistell that he that saieth he knoweth God and kepeth not his cōmaundamentes lieth and no trueth is in him But concerning this purpose we confesse plainly that we disagree in thre principall pointes The first touching the beginning the spring from the which good workes do procede The seconde what workes bee good workes The third to what respect they bee good Touchinge the first we finde none other free will in man but that whiche receiueth freedome by the only grace of our Lord Iesus Christe And we say that our nature being in the state whiche it is fallen into nedeth before all other thinges not to be aided and vpholden but to be mortified and killed by the vertue of the Spirite of God for so muche as his grace findeth it not onely wounded much weakned but altogether destitute of force and repugning to al good yea dead rotten in sinne and corruption And therefore do we not to him so much dishonour as to make oure selues parteners with him to whose grace and mercie working in vs is to be geuen the beginninge the myddle and the ende of our good workes Touching the second point we do not receiue anye other rule of iustice and obedience before God but his commaundementes as they be written and registred in his holy worde to the which we do not take it lawefull for anye man to adde or diminish to binde therwith mans conscience Touchinge the thirde point to witte in what respect they bee good our beliefe is that so farre foorth as they procede from the Spirite of God working in vs they ought to be called good for that they issue frō so good a spring and yet yf God shoulde examine them rigorously there wolde be ●ounde matter inough and inough ●o the disaduauntage of them We saye further that they be good in another respecte that is ●o saye forsomuche as God is by them glorified men bee drawen to the knowledge of him and we all bee assured the Spirite of God being in vs which is knowen by his effectes that we bee of the number of the elected and of them that be predestinated to saluation But if a question be moued by what title euerlastinge life doth appertaine vnto vs we say with S. Paule that it is a free gyft of God and no recompence any way due vnto oure merites For Iesus Christ in this behalfe instifieth vs by his onely iustice being imparted to vs sanctifieth vs by his onely holynes beinge by him freely geuen to vs and hath redemed vs by his onely Sacrifice which is auailable to vs hauing in vs a true and a liuely faith by the grace onely and liberalitie of God All those treasures be communicated to vs by the power of the holie Gost vsinge for that effect the preachinge of the Gospell of God and the administratiō of his holy Sacramentes Not for that he nedeth any such matter for the putting in vre of his said power he being almightie but for that it pleaseth him to be serued with these ordinary meanes to breede and nourishe in vs the precious gift of faith whiche is as it were the onely hand and the onely vessell to take holde of Iesus Christ and to receiue him with all his treasures to our saluation And to the intent we maye declare what we doe admitte for the worde of GOD we admitte nothinge but the doctrine written in the holie Prophetes and the Apostles tearmed the newe and olde Testament For by whom shall we assure vs of oure saluation but by suche a● 〈…〉 thereof without reprothe against whom none exceptions can be taken And touching the writinges of auncient doctours and Councelles we thinke it conuenient before we do receiue them as matter whereunto nothing can be agayne sayde to conferre them throughly and to see them to agree with the holy Scriptures amonges them selues also considering that the Spirite of God is neuer disagreing from it selfe Whiche we beleue my Lords you wil neuer go about to enterprise yf you do yt shall lyke you to pardon vs yf we do not beleue till we do see it doone that you shall euer be hable to bringe it to passe Howe then are we of the cursed race of Cam the sonne of Noe who disconered the pri●●●● of his Father Do we thinke oure selues more conning and better learned then so many auncient doctours bothe Greekes and Latiues Be we so presumptuous as to thinke that we are the first that brought trueth to light and to condemne the whole worlde of ignoraunce God forbyd my Lordes that we should be suche but it maye like you to remember that there hathe ben Councels and Councels doctours and doctours for these he not the firste dayes that false prophetes haue ben in the Churche of God of whom the Apostles haue geuen vs warning in diuers places namely in the fourth Chapter of the firste to Timothye and Act. the xx Secondly touchinge the sayde auncient writtinges forasmuche as all trueth that may be founde in them must of necessitie by drawen out of holy Scripture what more sure waye can we finde to studie and vse them to oure profite then to trye them by that touche stone and to waye and consider the testimonies and reasons of the Scriptures vpon the whiche they haue grounded their expositions Surely no man can or ought to attribute anye more to them then their selues do require wherupon harken what S. Iherome saith vpon the Epistle to the Galathians The doctrine saith he of the holy Goste is that which is set foorth in the Scripture and Canonicall writtinges againste the whiche if Councelles shall ordeine any thinge it is vnlawfull and not to be admitted And S. Augustine writtinge to Fortunatian We ought not saith he to accompte the reasons and dispntacions of men of what estimacion and howe Catholike soeuer they be or haue bene in equal degree with the Canonicall Scriptures or of suche an aucthoritie as it maye not be lawfull for vs the reuerence due to suche personages reserued to reproue and reiecte any thinge in their wrytinges wharein it may be founde that they haue iudged other wise then trueth will beare them being so founde and vnderstode with the helpe of Gods grace by me or by any others This thinke I of other mens wrytinges and the same libertie do I geue to such as shall take the paines to be readers of any thinge that my selfe shall write As muche to the same sence writeth he in his 11● Epistle and in lyke sorte in his seconde booke 37. Chapiter against Chresconius Saint Ciprian also writteth in the same wise saying that it behoueth vs not to regarde what this man or that man hath done before our times but what Iesus Christ hath done before all mens tymes And the same rule geueth S. Augustine writting to Saint Iherome And in another place disputing against them that