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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	people_n	read_v	scripture_n	3,073	5	5.7739	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B11964	A copy of a letter, vvritten by M. Doctor Carier beyond seas, to some particular friends in England. VVhereunto are added certaine collections found in his closet, made by him (as is thought) of the miserable ends of such as haue impugned the Catholike Church. To which also is annexed a briefe exhortation to perseuere constantly in the said Catholike Church, what opposition soeuer may occurre, and the danger of liuing out of the same; and lastly, a few examples of the admirable prosperity, of such as haue defended the Catholike Church	Carier, Benjamin, 1566-1614.	1615 (1615)	STC 4621; ESTC S118628	25,589	43

beheaded All this heere compendiously touched is set downe in Baronius at large together with the Authors Ecclesiasticall which write the same This fellow was exalted and eleuated as a Ceder of Libanus but forthwith his place was not to be found Psal 36. CHRISAPHIVS a most potent Courtier vnder Theodosius the Emperour patronizeth Eutyches the damnable Heretike persecuteth and deposeth Flauianus the holy Patriarke turneth all vpside downe perswadeth Theodosius to fauour the Heretike and to destroy the Catholike Bishop But God almightie justly punished him For Theodosius finding out his treachery repented hee had permitted him to protect this monster whereby such a pestilent sect long after troubled the Church and therefore he presently depriueth this potent Courtier of all his places and substance and at last putteth him to death Marcel l. 14. c. 49. Niceph. Cedren 〈◊〉 Baron BARDAS who ruled all vnder Michael the third grieuously persecuted the Church deposed Ignatius the Patriarke of Constantinople a holy man and contrary to the Canons of the Church intruded Photius It is wonderfull to consider how hotly euery one of these as wel the Emperour who was a most beastly monster persecuted Gods Saints and all holies as also the vsurper Photius and the tyrant Bardas what a horrible Schisme they made See all in Baron and other Authors cited by him at large for it is most memorable These monsters most grieuously afflicted the Church for some few yeares but God almightie after long patience powred forth his indignation against the factious and schismaticall Princes Michael the third which gaue himselfe to nothing but his filthy pleasures as also Bardas who swayed all And first for Bardas Curopalutes describeth his miserable death also Cedren Glicas and Nicetas doe the same almost in this manner Bardas had a vision which was viz. He saw Saint Peter the Prince of the Apostles and two terrible men assisting and Saint Peter being set he saw Ignatius the Patriarke whom he had expelled out of his See lying at Saint Peters feete crying O Porter of the Kingdome of heauen and the Rocke vpon which Christ hath built his Church for as much as thou knowest how I haue beene iniured comfort my old yeares which haue suffered many euils And Saint Peter saith to Ignatius shew thy enemy which hath done thee so much wrong Et Deus faciat vna cum tentatione prouentum and God will make together with temptation issue And Ignatius turning to me pointed me out with his right hand This Bardas is he who all aboue others hath offended and iniured me neither yet ceaseth more and more to afflict me Then Saint Peter said to him that assisted on the right hand take away this execrable and cursed Bardas out of the Church and presently cut him in peeces and therefore I was led to death All this Bardas saw in a vision and moreouer hee saw him shake his head against the Emperour saying Impie sili expecta parumper This terrible vision Bardas himselfe all affrighted and with teares reported to Philotheus his faithfull friend Who notwithstanding all this ceased not more grieuously to afflict the holy Patriarke Ignatius for three moneths after at the end of which time followed the execution of this vision When as Bardas with the Emperour and his armie went into Crete where being suspected of treason the Emperour commanded him to be hacked in peeces Now for the Emperour himselfe he tooke one Basilius a Macedonian to be his consort This Basilius created Emperour studying to reclaime Michael from his wicked and detestable manners and conuersation procured Michael to hate him in so much as he perceiued the Emperour Michael sought to destroy and make him away as hee had done Bardas and therefore rather desiring to kill then to be killed contriueth presently the death of the beastly monster which act though it was not lawfull yet was the persecutor justly punished for his crueltie against Gods Church Zonoras Nicetas and others This Basil sendeth Embassadors to the Pope restoreth peace to the Church expulseth Photius the vsurper from the Patriarchall See and restoreth the true Bishop Ignatius into the same to the great joy and exultation of all people Many more like examples might be added to these but these are most notorious As God almightie hath a speciall prouidence ouer his Church in the law of grace as it shall neuer be destroyed by any impugnation of what enemies soeuer but shall still remaine glorious though neuer so much persecuted by tyrants which tyrants and enemies of Gods Church often perish miserably euen in this world besides the eternall miseries they fall into after this life if they die impenitent So is it to be noted that the same God almightie had also a wonderfull care ouer his Kingdome and people euen in the old Testament and such as persecuted them we may see by many examples to what miserable confusion they fell at last PHARAO with all his hoast was drowned in the red sea AMAN which had contriued the meanes to put to death and massacre all Gods chosen people vnder Assuerus was hanged vpon a gibbet fifty cubits high which he had prepared for Mardocheus Hest 7. IESABEL which slew Gods Prophets was throwne downe out of a window killed with the fall and eaten of dogs 4. King 9. ANTIOCHVS most grieuously and extreamely persecuted and afflicted Gods people as we reade in the 2. of the Machabees but as it is in the ninth chapter of the said book God which seeth all strake him with an incurable and inuisible plague Hee threatned to destroy Ierusalem and all the people and God almightie presently vpon it laid his heauy hand vpon him Reade the ninth chapter of the second book and you shall see the miserable end of this most proud and cruel enemie of God and his Kingdom He could not go but was carried his dolours and anguish was intolerable and that by the just judgement of God for he had most vnmercifully tortured and afflicted Gods people wormes crawled out of his body and the horrible stincke thereof annoyed his whole armie who a little before was so proud and insolent as he thought he could reach the starres of heauen him no man can now carry or come neere for intolerable stincke This cruel homicide and blasphemous wretch miserably ended his life in his peregrination See more in the Machabees In the fourth booke of Kings and the nineteenth chapter you may see recorded the miserable dostruction of Sennacherib and his whole armie which had besieged Hierusalem blasphemed God and threatned to destroy the Citie the holy King Ezechias and all his people But God almightie who knoweth how to deliuer his faithfull people sent his Angell into the tents of the Assirians which slew a hundreth and eightie fiue thousand of them in their tents after which Sennacherib returned into his owne countrie where he was slaine of Adramelach and Sarasar his owne sonnes Reade the seuen and thirtieth chapter of Isal It is also

againe Then the maine care is to find what religion our Sauiour taught whilest he was vpon the earth And heere I would pray euery man of reason to consider 1 That our Sauiour did leaue nothing in writing but taught his Religion to his Apostles by word of mouth 2 That he commanded not his Apostles to write his Religion but to teach it ite praedicate 3 That of twelue Apostles seuen did leaue nothing at all in writing but taught their successors the Religion of Christ by word of mouth 4 That Saint MARKE Saint LVKE and Saint PAVL who wrote most of the new Testament were not of Christ his company whilest he was vpon the earth and therefore must needs learne their Religion of the Church before they wrote it 5 That diuers others did write the Religion of Christ as they did apprehend it but their Gospels and Epistles were reiected by the Church LVKE 1. 1. 6 That at the day of Iudgement there will be no writing to trie true Religion from Heresie but only the eternall truth of Christ in the soules of his Saints 7 That the Scriptures were written by men of the Church admitted Canonicall by Councels of the Church preserued from Tyrants by the care of the Church and euer vntill of late expounded by the consent of the Church 8 How few men are able to reade and expound the Scriptures any way and whether it be not easier to beleeue the Church then to beleeue a few priuate men that say they can expound Scriptures better then the Church 9. That all sorts of Heretikes haue alwaies boasted of Scriptures and despised the Church The Heretikes haue euer beene wont to pretend Scriptures the more easily to deceiue the simple They know full well that all the Fathers all Doctors all ancient Writers all generall Councels Canons Traditions all Ecclesiasticall Histories all Chronicles and monuments of Antiquitie all Martyrs Confessors Virgins and all testimonies both in heauen and earth are flat against them and therefore they will pretend the word of God which they know is a plausible perswasion to the simple and so they delude and deceiue them more easily These Scriptures they misinterpret corrupt falsisie and abuse most shamefully to serue their turnes as VINCENTIVS LI●INENSIS most excellently sheweth in his golden treatise Contra prophanas haeresum nouitates against the prophane nouelties of heresies Vpon these considerations any man may assuredly pronounce that whosoeuer beleeueth not the Church of Christ can neuer come to know what is the Religion that Christ did teach and which he hath hitherto maintained And therefore it is impossible for such a man to know which is the true Christian Religion The meanes then to know which is the true Religion of Christ is to enquire which is the true Church of Christ Heere it cannot be denied but that that is the true Church of Christ which Christ himselfe did found whilest he was vpon the earth to continue vntill the worlds end And whatsoeuer Church is founded by any other authoritie then that which Christ left vnto his Apostles only cannot be the true Church of Christ although all the Princes in the world would agree to make it so and cause all their subiects to sweare it were so Now to know which is the true Church our Sauiour did found we must obserue that this word Church doth signifie diuers things 1 Sometimes the Church doth signifie the building or house of Gods seruice in this sense our Sauiour founded no Church by himselfe but gaue power to his Apostles and Disciples to found and consecrate Churches as countries should be conuerted 2 Sometime the Church doth signifie the Congregation of all those that are baptized as the Church of Corinth Rome c. in Saint PAVLS Epistles In this sense our Sauiour founded no Church by himselfe for he baptized none but gaue power to his Apostles and Disciples to baptize 3 Sometime the Church doth signifie the Clergie or Spiritualtie chosen out of the number of all Christians to dispence the grace of Christ committed to them for the benefit of the whole bodie In this sense our Sauiour did by himselfe immediatly found a Church when he did call and send his Apostles and did giue them the same power which himselfe as Man had receiued of his Father Sicut pater misit me sic ego mitto vos Ioh. 20. qui audit vos me audit Luke 10. quorum peccata remiseritis remittentur eis Ioh. 20. mittam vobis Paraclitum quivos ducet in omnem veritatem Ioh. 14. Super hanc Petram aedisicabo Ecclesiam c. Then to know which is the true Church we must enq●●●● which is the Clergie that was founded by Christ and continueth in the vnitie of the Church by perpetuall Succession from the Apostles so from Christ himselfe for your certaine resolution hereof you haue three infallible arguments 1 The report of Chronicles and Histories whereof there is great variety that can tell you the beginning and occasion of euery Schisme if you doe but turne the bookes ouer 2 The vniuersalitie antiquitie and consent of Doctrine taught in the true Church and the variety nouelty and repugnancie of Doctrine taught in Schisme herein you may inquire of the most learned and most honest to informe you 3 The Scriptures 1 Of the old Testament to which our Sauiour sends vs IOH. 5. Scrutamini Scripturas By those S. Augustine proues the visibility of the Catholike Church against Donatists 2 Of the new Testament by which is proued the perpetuity of the Catholike Church Portae inferi non praeualebunt Matth. 16. Vsque ad consummationem seculi Matth. 28. Consider then deare friends what a happy thing it is for a man to liue in such a Church that is with such a Clergie as being lawfully called and continuing in the vnity of the Church haue the very same power that the Apostles themselues yea that Christ himselfe as he was Man had to forgiue sinnes vnto the penitent to conuey grace by Sacraments as Christ conueyed it himselfe sometime without Sacraments to exhibite the Reall presence of Christ vnto the faithfull and to preach the glad tidings of saluation both by word and writing And on the contrary side what an vnspeakable misery it is to haue such a Clergie that is such a Church as hath no calling but from a Ciuill Magistrate and consequently no power from Christ no remission of sinnes no grace in Sacraments no Reall presence of Christ amongst them nor warrant from Christ either to preach or expound the Scriptures although they talke of them neuer so much I will not determine against the succession of the Clergie in England because it is to me very doubtfull but although the successions were neuer so good if there be not vnitie there can be no grace conueyed from the head vnto such parts of the body as are by Schisme cut off and with hostilitie opposed as you see most of the Clergie of England