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A08471 The acquital or purgation of the moost catholyke Christen Prince, Edwarde the .VI. Kyng of Englande, Fraunce, and Irelande &c. and of the Churche of Englande refourmed and gouerned under hym, agaynst al suche as blasphemously and traitorously infame hym or the sayd Church, of heresie or sedicion. Old, John, fl. 1545-1555. 1555 (1555) STC 18797; ESTC S101902 35,373 96

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thus Custodite vos ab Idolus non iā ab idolatria quasi ab officio sed ab idolis id est ab ipsa eorum effige Indignum enim vt ima go Dei viui imago idolis mortui fiat That is kepe your selues from ydoles not now from ydolatrie as from the seruice doyng but from the ydoles that is from the very ymages of them For it were wrong that the ymage of the lyuing God should be the ymage of an ydole and of a deade thyng Therfore our churches are by these wordes acquieted from the cryme of heresie whych a great meignye of bishoppes preachers and Papistes wyth stampyng and staryng scolding and roaryng charge vs wythal and for none other cause but that the ymages of God and hys sayntes be throwen out of all Christes temples and were in no wyse receaued any more in Kyng Edwardes dayes but the scriptures of the lyuyng God set in their places Ther is no doubt sayeth Lactācius Li. 2. ca 19. Constātinus scholemaister but ther is no religion whersoeuer an ymage is And S. Austen in hys Cataloge wherin he rehearceth al the heresies of hys tyme reckoneth amōg them one Marcella a woman of Carpocratia whych worshipped the ymages of Iesus Christ of Paule of Pythagoras and of Homere wyth makyng addracion and incensing to them For the holy martir S. Ireneus in the 24. chap. of hys fyrst boke Contra haereses reporteth that the heretikes called Gnostici dyd worship the expresse lyuely painted ymage of our saueour Christ the paterne wherof they sent vnto Pilate the lieutenaunt of Iewrie who foūde the meanes to haue Christ set furthe as an heathen man by ymage lyke vnto hym selfe whan he was alyue by singular connyng payntours and caruers And yet that bishop and martir inueyed to the vttermost of his power agaynst that ymage whyche the Gnostici set so muche price by A and yf it were now to be had it should be reputed among the most holy reliques But thys Bishop was not a seuere earnest persecutour and enemye of ymages and ymage seruice alone for it is knowen to all men what Epiphanius the Bishop of Salamine Cyprus dyd 〈…〉 as he wryteth of him selfe in hys greke Epistle that S. Ierome translated into latine whych doubtles he wolde not haue done yf he had thought Epyphanius facte to haue bē sacrilege Epiphanius also sawe a vaile hanging in a certain churche dore stained and paynted and hauyng an ymage as it hade ben of Christ orsom saynt But he plucked it by the ende In tomo Hiero. 3. fo 73. b and rēt it downe thinking it vnworthy that the image of a man should heng in the churche of Christ cōtrary as he saithe playnly to the autoritie of the scriptures And he exhorteth Iohn bishop of Ierusalem to charge the elders ministers of that place the they should heng vp no such vailes whych come against the religion of Christ For he sayd it was more besemyng the duetie of a bishop to see that such scrupulositie for so he termeth the vse of images in temples should be taken out of the waye whych is not worthy of the churche of Christ Now ther is no good grounde for the papistes to obiecte vnto vs the sentences and decrees of Gregorie B. of Rome Damascene the greke wrytour Bardiners great clearke and of the seuenth Synode whych they call the Synode of Nice agaynst these so cleare and so substaūcial authorities For these that I haue alleged are of muche more auncientie certayntie thā theyrs be Therfore who so euer reporteth vs to be he retikes bycause we lacke ymages let them fyrst proue the lawe of god heresie let them prone the testimonies iudgemētes of the Prophetes and Apostles heresie and let thē proue the sayenges and doynges of Ireneus Tertullian Lactātius Epiphanius Austē and Ierome to be heresie and whan they haue done so let them com and condemne vs of heresie also And so they wyl do one day whan they cā But yf they spare them let them be good to vs also Now wil we returne to our purpose Our churche called the gospellers churche dothe religiously holde and confesse that most excellent and most true godly belief called Symbolū apostolicum or the apostles Crede 〈◊〉 apost● Crede Whyche though it be purported in no place of the scriptures in the very same forme of wordes that we rehearse it in yet it is all holly and euery title of it fette out of the apostles writinges Thys Crede comprehendeth the most plenteous full forme of belief so that our elders did by it as a most tryed and certain sure rule alwayes proue and trye who were true ryght catholike beleuers who were false beleuers and heretikes Sym●n is S. Cipriane in the exposicion of thys apostles Crede saythe that this greke worde Simbolum is a declaraciō a collacion or a gatheryng of sondry maters together into one forme And for thys cause thys same declaracion is set and compacte together by conference of the apostles doctrine that therby it myght be knowne who cōfessed Christ truly according to the rules of the apostles The holy Martir Ireneus after the rehearsal of the apostles Crede saythe Li. con● haereses Ca. 3. Forasmuche as the church dispersed throughout the hole vniuersal worlde hathe receaued thys confession and Crede it obserueth it diligently as though the hole churche were dwellyng all in one house and preacheth and confesseth it after all one consonaunt sort as if al the churche had but one mouthe For albeit the speches in the worlde be vnlike yet the vertue and power of the declaring therof is but all one the self same one And nother the lāguage that is in Spayne nor the speche that is in Fraunce ne the languages that are in the east coūtreyes ne yet the Egipcians tongue nor the Lybianes speche nother the languages that are vsed in the mydle partes of the world but as the sunne of goddes makyng is but one and the selfe same one in all the hole vniuersall worlde so dothe the light preaching of the truthe shyne euery wher lighteneth all folkes that are willing to com to the knowlage of the truthe And nother the bishop of the churche hym self that hath the best vtteraūce speaketh any thyng elles but these articles nother doth he that is of slenderer vtteraunce speake any lesse For seyng ther is but one and the selfe same one faythe nother dothe he that is hable to vttre it at large speake any more nor he that can not vttre the mater so plenteously speake any lesse Thus muche hath Ireneus Therfore it is most certainly out of perauēture that the ful forme of belefe is most fully comprehended in the Apostles Crede and he that constaūtly and purely continueth therin to the ende shall doubtles obteyne euerlastyng lyfe as Athanasius sayeth who so euer wylbe saued before al thinges it is necessary that
beleue they were true or to acknowlage that the faultes wherof they spitefulli slaūdre vs were in vs in dede The scripture also by the euāgelistes and apostles commaundeth and bindeth vs to defende the truthe to refute lyes to beare recorde vnto the truthe and to acquyte the faythfull christianes in theyr innocencye and ryght But what can a man doo in so furyons a rageing rable of aduersaryes and Iniuryous entreatyng of men Or how shold a man begynne to defende the churche seyng such a sorte of cruell and maddebrayned enemies obiecte so many and so haynous crymes agaynst vs and dyng on as it were wyth quartre strokes on euery syde Whan S. Paule the preacher of the Gentyles and moste chosen vessell of Chryst was accused him selfe of the Iewes in a singular good cause euen the cause of the gospel furst before Antonius Felix and eftesones before Portius Festus lieutenauntes of Iewrye of many maters and was more than ouerlayde wyth the power eloquence autoritie and reputacion of hys aduersaries could obteyne nother place nor space to answere vnto euery point throughly he thought he should defende hym selfe and hys cause wel ynough yf he myght shewe by some euident most playne homely shorte reasons that he neuer taught contrarye to the scriptures nor agaynst the hope of Israel but that he was iniuriously enuyed pressed of hys enemyes for constantlye preachyng and defendyng of the hope of the Resurrection whych the Israelites holde And now folowyng his moste godly and singular good exāple and vsyng the helpe ordre and almoste the very wordes of a certayn notable profoūde learned Pastour who hath done the same in latine in defence and purgation of the christen gospellike flocke churche committed to hys spiritual charge seyng I am barred out of place and tyme as an abiecte out of my natural countrey so that I can not possibly answere to all theyr odious obiections in ordre one by one singularly by them selues I shal yet by the helpe of God do myn endeauour to declare and set before all mennes eyes by the waye of translation rather myne owne edicion that whyche is moste chief and generall mater in thys cause wyth the moste cleare and playne argumentes that I can that is to wete that the Churche of Englande refourmed and gouerned vnder Kyng Edwarde the .vi. was no heretical schismatical nor sedicious Church and that all other Churches embraceyng the Gospel in assemblable wyse are no heretical nor schismatical Churches but the vndenyable churche of Iesus Christ bothe true faythfull and catholike Wherfore I beseche you ryght honourable lordes ryght worshipfull gentilmen and the rest of my charytable chrysten countreymen for the loue and loyaltye the you bare and owed to your most christen and moste louyng souerayne liege lorde and maister Kyng Edwarde the .vi. reade or heare thys simple shorte treatyse paciently and gentlye inasmuche as I shal do my diligence as euidentlye and in as fewe wordes as I possibly can to speake not of all thynges that myght be alleged in thys behalfe but suche reasons onely as chiefly and principally concerne thys present cause The fyrst Chaptre FYrst where Christ our Lorde sayeth ●he Gos●llerschur ●e recea●eth the ●ole Scri●tu●e my shepe heare my voyce the churche of Christe whyche to be knowne from the churche of Papistes is called the gospellers church as the churche of Englande in Kyng Edwardes tyme was dothe acknowlege and receaue the Canonical bokes bothe of the olde Testamēt and newe as those that were proclaymed and spoken out of Boddes owne mouthe Ther is none of them that it denyeth or refuseth but receaueth and reteyneth thē al holly and perfytly Nother doth it capciously reason about the receauyng of those bokes who hath receaued them or who hath refused them nor whether is of greater force the autorite of the churche receauyng the scriptures or of the scriptures them selues receaued For albeit we read that S. Austen wrote thus Non crederem Euā gelio nisi ecclesiae catholicae autoritas me cōmoue ret I wold geue no credēce sayth he vnto the gospell if the autorytye of the catholike churche dyd not inoue me yet Berson the chauncellour of Parise Gerson a ryght excellent famous man in hys tyme dothe in hys seconde boke De vita spirituali like a discrete profoūde learned clerke saye S. Austen in that place taketh the churche for the primityue congregacion of those faythful christē men that harde and sawe Christ were his recorde bearours For whan ther crepte out dyuerse sōdry Bospelles in the churche while the apostles disciples of Christ were yet lyuing they that hade sene Christ him selfe hade harde hys apostles could testifye whych were ryght and true and whych were not Ireneus also in the .xi. chapter of his .3 boke Contra haereses sheweth by many manyfest proues that ther ought to be but only 4. gospelles and yet he maketh no mencion of the churche that ther ought to be but only 4. gospelles bycause the churche hathe receaued no moo but only 4. but bycause the Lord hath so appointed For ther was neuer man that in any Conuocacion or Synode assembled al for that purpose from the begynnyng cōfirmed the Canonical bokes of the scriptures or decreed which were canonical which were not but the thurche as it receaued them of the writours autours the holy Prophetes and Apestles thē selues euē so dyd it delyuer them as it were by hande vnto her posteritie It was late ere it begōne to be decreed in counsailes vpon canonical and not canonical bokes of scripture not that ther was no diuersitye of them before that tyme or that the bokes of holy scripture had none autoritye before that tyme as they hade and must haue dyuine autoritye in dede although ther hade neuer ben counsayl holden but that the holy men of God were disposed to shewe their iudgemēt also agaynst suche as bare to vnfrenly a minde agaynst the canonical bokes of scripture And we confesse al that the churche is buylded and set vpon the foundacion of the Prophetes and apostles so if the doctrine of the apostles and prophetes be the foundaceon of the churche thā it foloweth of necessytye that the autoritye of the doctrine must nedes be of greater force and importaunce than the autoritie of the churche We therfore in Englande dyd receaue as the Gospellers church elles where doth stil receaue al and singular Canonical bokes both of the olde Testament and newe and namelye those that the Greke wrytours Melito Origene and Eusebius Caesariensis and of the Latines Cipriane and Ierome haue affirmed by theyr owne hāde wrytynges to be taken and reputed of the auncient fathers yea euen from the begynnyng for the vndoubted true Canonical scriptures ¶ The seconde Chapter AS touching the truthe and perfyte integritye of these bokes Of the truth and perfection of the canennical scriptures we doubt nothyng therof at al in such places
or certaintie in the onely scriptures Whych sayeng as it is not spokē without great reproche of the eternal truthe euen so they take no hede but receaue those tradicions also at auenture wythout weyeng of them which the holy fathers themselues ser out for the Apostles tradicions For I see that the tradicions which they set furthe be not of al one kynde For ther are whyche they cal the fathers tradicions but not directly the Apostles tradicions Ther are also whych they wolde haue to seme all together apostolike tradicions And ther is a diuersitie in these also For ther are some that be vtterly historical tradicions that rehearse what Christ what Christes Apostles haue sayd or done of whyche sorte Eusebius reporteth that Papias rekoned vp many Eccl. histo i. 3. ca. 39. And the same wrytour clouteth in other maters as though they had ben tolde hym by lyuely worde of mouthe and certayn straunge parables and doctrines of our saueour wyth dyuers flyme flammes besydes And concernyng the tradicion of Iohn the Apostle touchyng the age of our Lorde Iesus Christ whych Ireneus speaketh of he that seeth not it to be a vayne flamme flewe Contra Walent ●i 39. seeth nothyng The tradicion of Policarpus Eccl. hist li. 3. ca. 28 that Iohn ranne awaye from the bayne wherin Cerinthus the heretike was least he should fal agreeth gayly with the scripturely doctrine of the Apostles Let vs therfore in thys kynde of tradicions holde that is to be holden in al pointes proue al thynges holde that whych is good Ther are also tradicions set furthe of rites and opinions De peccat meritis remiss li. 1. ca. 20. but yet they are not in al pointes lyke nother obserued nor receaued of al men S. Typriane and S. Austen reherse a tradiciō wherby the communion was vsed to be ministred vnto yong chyldren vnder bothe kyndes as a necessary mater vnto saluacion but who medleth wyth that tradicion at thys daye Epiphanius contra Aerium wryteth it to be a tradicion of the Apostles that folkes should .vi. dayes before Easter eate nothyng but bread and salt Eccl. hist li. 5. ca. 24. but Ireneus reporteth that all churches obserued not that as Eusebius telleth the tale In an other place it was said Damaseen Ang. dc Bap. contra Dona. li. 2. ca. 7. l●● ca. 42 li. 5 ca. 23 de cura pro mort that the Apostles commaunded the Passeouer to be celebrated after the maner of the Iewes But Socrates the historie writer in the .22 chap. of the .5 boke Eccl. histo speaketh agaynst them Epiphanius Contra Valesianos sayeth that the wyueles lyfe of ministers is a tradicion In an other place it is read that the Apostles cōmaunded by tradicion that folkes should pray and offre for the deade whyche onlesse it be vnderstandē of thankes gening who is it ● Cor. 7. ● Io. 5. ● Thess 4. that seeth not suche maner tradicions manifestly repugnaunt with the doctrine of the euangelistes and apostles and for that cause nothing is to be attributed to these and such like Finally I see S. Ireneus in sondry places wonderously preache and beate vpon the tradiciō of the apostles And that is it that our aduersaries wraste and wrythe to all their feyned trynkettes and tradiciones of the Masse of Images of Mōkery cloister life the rest of such trumpery Howbeit the holy man Ireneusin these principal places vnderstandeth nothyng clles by the apostles tradicion than the commune sense and vnderstandyng of our faythe and the very apostles Crede I wyll not desyre to be beleued in thys case if Ireneus hym selfe saye not the same that I haue sayde Reade hys .1 boke Contra valentinianos Ca. 2. .3 and hys .3 boke the .4 chap. In bothe places he dothe agreably rehearse the articles of fayth in ordre one by one whā he hath done he plainly calleth thys profession of the faithe a tradicion Of thys tradiction spake Constantine the myghty Emperour in his Epistles whyche Eusebius maketh reporte of almoste in the ende of hys .3 boke De vita Conslantini Thus farre therfore the gospellers churches wythout any busynesse embrace the tradicion that I haue now spoken of but as for other tradicions whether they be Apostles or fathers tradicions they lay them to the rule of Goddes worde as they agree or disagree they eyther reiecte them or receaue them accordyng to Christ our Lordes owne commaundement Math .15 and Col .2 Wherof I haue already spoken before And I pray you wherin thynke you the gospellers churche offendeth in thys behalfe Herein it hath nothing adoo wyth heretikes who hade deuised to teache false opinions vnto suche as were to symple vnder pretense of tradicions and contrarywyse to teare in pieces corrupt yea and to denye and stampe vnder fote the true tradicion that is the Apostles Trede In thys behalfe I coulde dryng furthe a great deale against our aduersaries who recken thys predense of tradicions of muche force agaynst the very scriptures and the simplicitie of tradicion yea for the affirmyng or confutyng of any mater what so euer it be But I wyl kepe thys in store tyl a better and a further leasure Hitherto I haue treated as briefly as I could of the most certain and pfytest principles of the Christiā faith Wherby I trust it dothe specially appeare the the Englyshe Churche vnder King Edward the .vi. the rest of the gospellers churches haue deuysed no newe doctrine of fayth but enibrace confesse the olde faythe wyth all theyr hartes and that they reiecte no point of syncere doctrine whether it be proued by the scriptures or by tradiciōs consonaūt to the scriptures and therfore we are most farre of from newe fangled felowes and obstinate heretikes The .xi. Chapter SO the poore gospellers church beyng confirmed by this true doctrine of the true faythe ●ustificati●n loketh to be iustifyed that is to haue full forgeuenesse of all theyr synnes ryghteousnesse euerlastyng lyfe of the only free mercye grace of God by Iesus Christ that dyed and rose agayne for vs. We beleue that Christ wyth al hys gyftes is receaued by faythe and that by faythe Christ dwelleth in our hartes And that fayth is learned by the worde of the Gospel is craued asked of God by prayers and geuē frely by the holy Boost We attribute not that vnto mannes merites and mannes workes whych we knowe is due onely vnto fayth naye vnto Christ our redemer and to the fre grace of God Eph. 2. For Paul sayeth By grace are ye saued through faythe and not of your selues It is the gyfte of God and not of workes that no man should boast For we are hys handy worke created in Christe Iesu vnto good workes whych God hath prepared that we should walke in them Therfore we knowe and acknowlage that workes which procede out of a true faythe by the spirite of