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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	rome_n	6,168	5	7.0527	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13964	The trial of trueth or a treatise vvherein is declared vvho should be iudge betvvene the Reformed Churches, and the Romish in which is shewed, that neither Pope, nor Councels, nor Fathers, nor traditions, nor succession, nor consent, nor antiquitie of custome: but the onely written worde of God, ought to determine the controuersies of religio[n]: wherin also is declared which is the true religion, and Catholick church. Written for the pleasure of the Popes, Cardinalles, prelates, abbots, monkes: and speciallie the Iesuites, which of late were driuen out of Transyluania, by the states there. Published in Latine by a certaine Hungarian, a fauourer of the trueth: and translated into English by Richard Smith.; Oratio de constituendo iudice controversiorum religionis. English.	Smith, Richard, tr.	1591 (1591)	STC 24274; ESTC S100745	49,352	68

Pope thirtie thousand men of warre that might doe seruice in the field without any hinderance to their church-seruice But amongst other orders the Franciscans and Domicanes are taken to excell whereof the former beside other fables conteyned in the booke of conformities are not ashamed to call vpon their Captaine with this verse O Frances Iesus typicall or second Christ the guide Of Minorites who rulest them that they g●e not aside Graunt vs in heauen euermore with thee still to abide And the later doe not sticke not onely to compare their Dominick with our sauiour Christ but also to prefer him before him in many points There be published the legends of the Saints and sundrie other bookes of the lying counterfette miracles of Stanislaus Adelbert and other men Which bookes because the popes haue authorized and exhibited them to all Christendome to be imbraced with as great reuerence as the Scriptures hereby they also iudge them to be giltie of impietie The second cause for which the Gospellers denie that they will acknowledge the popes for their Iudges they alledge to be the sinne of tirannie vsurped ouer the Church For first he séeketh to be intituled the head husband and vniuersall Bishop of the Church which it is most certain agréeth to none but Christ Secondly in that they haue chalenged vnto themselues dominion ouer the whole world and all ciuil magistrates for as for the donation of Constantine wherby they cōfirm their soueraign authoritie besides that Antoninus bishop of Florēce N. Cusanus L. Valla Volateranus AEneas Siluius and other writers moe which in other pointes were great proctors for the papacie were not afraid some late hundred yeares since to disproue it the Gospellers auouch that they can also conuince it of forgerie by these reasons For sith no approued writer maketh mention of this donation sith Eusebius and others doe witnes that Constantine did deuide the thrée coastes of the world to his thrée sonnes sith the instruments or deeds of grant set forth by Volateranus and in the decretals doe far differ and their stile is much vnlike sith it is ridiculous that Peter Paul should appeare to Constantine in a dreame and that he should worship thē for gods sith Cōstantine neuer had the leprosie neither was he baptized at Rome by Siluester but at Hicomedia by ●usebius sith it is wicked to say that the hand of god was seen of Constantine sith he could not geue greater iurisdiction to the pope then he had himselfe neither could geue him autoritie ouer the patriarck of Constantinople there being then no such citie and finally sith those giftes which in that euidence are saide to be geuen to the pope by Constantine are the badges of Antichrist By al these seueral and those most forcible demonstrations it is cōcluded that y e same donation was not granted by Constantine but forged by the popes Now in those words which Christ spake to Peter other ministers of the word that they should féed his shéep he appointeth to them not a ciuil iurisdiction but a church-ministerie for in another place he nippeth and beateth back the pride ambition of the apostles desiring superiority when he saith The kings of the natious beare rule but it shal not be so with you Yea the Canons also haue expresly forbidden the Bishop of Rome to be called The chief Bishop or the vniuersall head of the church Wherfore they say y t they are conquered with their own weapons sith they claime to thē selues this dominion by diuers those also contrarie titles The third cause why the Gospellers refuse to stand to the iudgemēts of the popes they alledge to be this that they haue corrupted Religion and haue most grosselie erred not onelie in mane●s but also in doctrine For there are decrées extant concerning the popes that they are not men but Gods that they may not bée iudged by any mortall man y t they may dispense against the Apostle chaunge the nature of things make some what of nothing make righteousnes of vnrighteousnesse But in the meane space how true these things are the matter it selfe doth shew For the Lord himselfe witnesseth y t there is but one forme of Religiō namelie that which is recorded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles whereunto nothing may be added or taken away no not by an Angell But the pope teacheth that y e order of the church consisteth in the traditions of our forefathers of the which sort are Agnus Deis christening of belles prayers of Saints single life of priests as they call them the taking away of the cup in the Lordes Supper the vsing of a straunge toung the Masse pardons and other such stuffe the which although they affirme to ha●e bene conuayed ouer to them from the Apostles by tradition yet that most of them were inuented by them selues the recordes of auncient stories doe plainlie proue For pope Innocent forbad the cup in the Lordes Supper by the decrée of the Coūsell of Laterane and instituted the Easter-Communion But Eugenius the fourth decréed the contrarie Innocentius the third and Honorius the third ordained that the Sacramentall bread should be curiouslie kept in the church for sundrie vses But pope Clement would not suffer it to be reserued to the next day Vitellianus the second and Agatho the first appointed the Masse to be said in Latin Nicolaus the first suffered the Slauonians and Polonians to haue Masse said in their own tongues Alexander the second decréed that Masse said by a priest that kept a cōcubine should not be heard But Lucius the third allowed it Siricius Pelagius the second and diuers others condemned the mariage of priests But Pius the second hath left in writing to this effect that it seemed there was great reason to debarre the priests from mariage but there was greater reason for the restoring of it againe Leo the first Gregorie the second third many others allowed the worshipping of Images But Iohn the 22. did mortallie hate Images Pictures Boniface the 4. graunted the Monckes authoritie to preach baptise and absolue Gregory tooke it from them Iohn the 24. held for sound articles of faith that the Apostles neuer vowed pouertie and single life Pius the second said that Friers were the deuils bondslaues in this double verse The deuill of hell himselfe dare not that thing to enterprise Which shameles Moncke beldame old with craft fraught will deuise Pelagius y e first ordained that clerkes should bestow euerie day seuē houres in Canonicall prayers Gregorie y e first commaunded that they should giue themselues not to chaūtings but to preaching Calixtus decréed y t it was not lawfull to dissent from the church of Rome Fabianus affirmed the contrarie Bonifacius the 8. commaunded that the yeare of Iubilie should be kept the hundreth yeare Clemens the 6. brought it to the fiftith Boniface the ninth to

the kingdome of heauen This promise of a heauenlie inheritance hath hee enrolled in the publique records of the olde and new testament and committed it to his heires being sealed with the seale of the Sacraments Now he hath annexed to these letters of his will certain conditions as a father to the performance whereof his heires should be bound Now the children falling at variance are deuided to omit the rest into two sides extremelie disagréeing among themselues The one acknowledgeth the Pope for their head and as it were the Executor of the will maker God the other acknowledgeth it not They striue for the possession of the kingdome of heauen and for the right of the true church which each side chalengeth as their due The Plaintife in this case is the Bishoppe of Rome with all those which take parte with the See of Rome The Defendantes are those which receiue not the Bishop of Rome but professe themselues Gospellers and men of the reformed religion Both of them bring their allegations their writings sealed with the kings seale and also their witnesses but both sides kéepe great stirre for the assigning of a Iudge For both desire that he should be appointed Iudge whom they hope would be more fauourable to their cause The Romish See would stande to the iudgement of the Popes traditions councels fathers and miracles and saith that yet neuerthelesse shee doeth not shutte out the worde of God The Gospellers on the other side refuse these Iudges for they alledge that the Pope cannot haue the place both of a partie and a Iudge too especiallie sith hee is charged with so many crimes Traditions they reiect as suspected Iudges and not of sufficient credite And as for Councels Fathers Myracles and succession of persons they say that they admitte them not as Iudges but as sworne witnesses wherein notwithstanding they protest that they wil so far foorth only receiue the authoritie of these witnesses as their euidence shall agrée with the publique déede The Sée of Rome accuseth the Gospellers for let mée with good leaue of both sides vse these termes that are now made common that they haue reuolted frō the true church inuented a new doctrine and newe ceremonies and haue but a fewe yeares since picked this quarrell with her and that therefore the kingdome and claime of heauen doeth belong not to them but to her by the lawe of God The Gospellers replie that they haue departed not from the true Church but from the Sinagogue of the malignant and that they haue not coyned a newe doctrine or newe ceremonies but that they holde that Religion by the which the faithfull euer since the beginning of the worlde haue beene saued That they were in déede of later yeares oppressed by their tyrannie as Abell was by Cain Isaak by Ismaell and Iacob by Esau so that they were compelled to hide themselues but that now they haue like the Moone recouered their light and that they will by lawe recouer their birth-right In this Court of sonnes going to lawe one with another there is great concourse and throng of people a great hurlie burlie and stirre ariseth they growe from wordes to blowes to murthers to burnings to warres to bloudshed and in a word to all kinde of torments Sometimes this side séemeth to haue the better hand sometimes that and the more that the Gospellers are suppressed tormented and burned the more doe they boast that they growe encrease preuaile and triumph In the meane season they protest that the matter ought to be tried not by violence but by course of lawe They appeale to God himselfe besides whō they say that they admitte none for chiefe and iudge That the Will maker himselfe may determine this controuersie by his holy word And that this may be the better done they appeale to a Generall Councell wherein it may be lawfull fréelie to reade and scanne the déede of the will and therehence to finde out the minde of the Will maker The See of Rome on the other side pleadeth that she hath not a fewe times assembled Generall Councels wherin the writings haue béene examined and found to haue geuen iudgement on her side for the title of the true Church The Gospellers denie that those Councels were generall and frée because the Papists would not permitte them fréely to geue an account of their faith neither would heare their defence but contrarie to all law either of God or man were themselues both parties and Iudges and con 〈…〉 their brethrens cause before they heard it or vnderstood it and therfore they protest that they haue not béene cast in their suite but will so long be heires of the possession bequeathed vnto them while they perfourme the couenants conteined in the publicke déede of the will according to the appointment of the will-maker And in the meane space they say that they are readie to waite for the righteous Iudge euen the Lorde Christ who shall come to iudge both the quicke the dead and to ende these long contentions in such sort that he will render to those y e shal ouercome the reward of eternall life but to those y e shalbe ouercome euerlasting condemnation Thus far onely haue both sides procéeded in iudgement Now then the question is to which party the inheritance of euerlasting life and the name of the true church is to be adiudged Surely the iudgement héer of peremptorily belongeth onely vnto Christ which he wil doo in that last iudgement court wherunto a thousand fiue hundred foure score and eleuen yéeres since he hath summoned all the worlde and which doubtlesse shalbe held before it be long But take héede O ye Kings Princes and inhabitants of the whole earth that in the mean time ye take parte with the better cause least if you be careles to decide this controuersie Christ héereafter doo mightilye iudge you in the last iudgement And that this may be doon by due form of law goe to I pray you shew your selues indifferent Iudges and condemne not a cause being not heard but if you haue heard the cause of the See of Rome with the right eare as was méet doo you likewise heare the doctrine of the Gospellers with the lest least ye be found farre vnlike y e great Alexander who heard y t speech of the accuser with the right eare but kept the left eare stopped for the defence of the accused First therefore I will rehearce the iudgement of both parties out of the writings of them both worde for worde neither trust me will I adde or diminish any thing which is not to be found in the same forme of words in the bookes of both sides Next I will shewe the reasons wherefore the Gospellers doo refuse to admitte for Iudges the popes themselues the Councels fathers traditions other such like witnesses but would haue all the controuersies of the Church to be discussed by the written woord of God And then if you

themselues for iudges of the controuersies of the Churche For otherwise the Gospellers say that they will make the Popes that answere which long since Pope Iohn the 23. receiued from the Grecians vnto whom when he had written that he alone was the head of the Church and Christs Uickar they replyed thus bréefely We doe throughly beleue thy power to be soueraigne ouer thy Subiects Thy great pride we cannot brook thy vnsatiable greedines we are not able to satisfie The Deuill be with thee because God is with vs. It remaineth that the gospellers shewe why and how far foorth they acknowledge not the councels for iudges And they say that they do this moued thereunto with most waightie causes For first there haue béene many councels which haue wonderfully erred not onely in manners but also in poynts of doctrine And thereof it came that not afewe times prouinciall councels were amended by generall councels and contrarie wise Generall councels corrected by national councels Moreouer euen the best councels that haue béene haue not handled all the articles of the faith but onlye a few controuersies which specially were tossed beaten in their daies Besides this it is manifest out of stories that euen in those goldē times such was partlye the pride partlye the wilynesse partlye the ignorance and partly the wickednes of some Bishops that not the spirit of God but the spirite of discord may séeme to haue béen president in their councels Finallye we read that in these last times such councels haue been held wherin wicked opinions and either vnprofitable or hurtfull ceremonies haue béen brought in established not by reasons or authoritie of the woord of God but by force armes The which things least any man might say to be spoken slaunderously and falsely it may be shewed by a breefe bedroule of the councels For if a man shall peruse the stories of olde times he shal finde this to be most true that euen as according to the old tradition of the house os Elias the whole time of the vistble world is deuided by two thousands For there shall be sixe thousand yeeres and then the burning of all thinges two thousand voide two thousand vnder the Lawe two thousand the daies of Messias and for our sins which are manye and great there shall be wanting the yeeres that shall be wanting So likewise is the time of Messias deuided into thrée Circuits or portions within the which also almost all Kingdomes do féel an alteration Within these thrée circles the true religion and Catholick Church is found to weare and waxe like to the Moone For for the space of fiue hundreth yéeres after Christ although there fell out great contentions about the Sonne of God and other weightie matters by Ebion Cerinthus and others yet did the trueth preuaile and for the space of whole fiue hundred yéeres the Church flourished and continued as it were at the full moone For within this compasse there fel the four first Sinodes or assemblies of the Apostles and afterwards the foure generall councelles Wherof the first being called togither by Constantine the great condemned Arius The second helde at Constantinople assembled by Theodosius confuted the Macedonians The thirde kept at Ephesus summoned by Theodosius the second the Sonne of Archadius condemned Nestorius The fourth celebrated at Chalcedon commaunded by Martianus condemned Eutiches The créedes of these foure generall councels as expositions of the faith the reformed Church dooth willingly imbrace For they are grounded vpon the foundation of the holye Scriptures themselues But in the fiue hundred yéers next following errour did so wrastle with trueth that assoone as men had once stepped somewhat aside from the path of the Scriptures by and by many buddes of false opinions and hurtful ceremonies sprung vp and grew more and more For in the first general councell held at Constantinople assembled by the Emperour Iustinian they were confuted that said that the body of Christ was incorruptible In the sixt which Constantine the first surnamed Barbatus called together in the same place the Monothelites were condemned But the councels that afterwardes followed almost all of them decréee matters either childish or else flat contrarie to the word of God For in the seuenth general councel which at the commaundement of the Empresse was adiourned from Constantinople to Nice it was decreed not by the word of God but by mayne force of an armie leuied out of Thracia that images should be honoured and worshipped And in they eighth general councel which when Basilius was Emperour was assembled at Constantinople when Adrian Bishoppe of Rome had sent his deputies or Leuetenants thither and commaunded that the Church of Rome should be the head of other Churches and that the common people should be debard from all choise of their ministers there grew an inward grudge betwéene the Latin and Gréeke Churches for the supremacie which continueth euen vntill this day But in the other fiue hundred yeares that remayne there followed such councells wherein we see almoste no good thing but all wicked and fonde thinges rather established At the councell of Ments for let me out of each of these hundreds picke and cull foorth one sinod a péece for the manifesting of the matter whereat both the Pope and the Emperour were present with an hundred and thirtie Bishops there was consultatiō for the forbidding of priests marriage In the councel held at Brixia which was called by the Emperour Henry Gregorie the seuenth for his villanies before mentioned was deposed In the councell of Papia when the Emperour Fridericke would haue refourmed the election of the Popes there arose a schisme of twentie yeares continuance which lasted till the Pope had troad vpon the Emperours necke at Uenice In the councell of Lions Innocentius the fourth made an act against the Emperour Henrie the second and authorized the Cardinals to were red Caps and ride on horses At the counsel of Uienna in France Clemens the first did solemnly publish his Clementine constitutions which although at his death he had cōmaunded to be burned as those wherein he knewe there were many snares and errours yet Iohn the two and twentieth his successour did againe confirme and rati●●e them Sigismund the Emperour called a generall councell at Constance wherein Iohn the thrée and twentieth was deposed There were mooreouer burned at it contrarie to solemne promise Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage because they held the opiniō of Iohn wickliefe the Englishman who taught both many other pointes agréeable to the word of God and also that the Lordes supper should be ministred whole without the dreame of consubstantiation There was a councel assembled at Basil when the same Sigismund was Emperour wherein it was decréed that the Popes ought to be subiect to the councels Which whē it disliked Eugenius hee remoued the councell first to Bononia and then to Ferraria and

Christ according as he hath alwaies béene worshipped of all the godlie But they say that they haue departed from that Sinagogue which hath not kept the true faith in preferring mens inuentions before the word of God which would lay intollerable burthens vpon them which would beare rule ouer their brethren which would forbidde the sincere preaching of the word and right administration of the Sacraments which vseth euery yeare to curse and banne her together with the churches of Africa Egypt Syria the East churches the churches of Asia and Gréece which persecuteth the godlie and will admitte no reformation which hath corrupted those things which were necessarie in the church enioyned those thinges to be kept of necessitie which were frée and retained those thinges which were naught and hurtfull which hath tied the Catholicke church to Rome which hath wilfullie polluted her selfe with all kinde of abhominations And therefore they protest that they haue done this of necessitie namely that they might obey the commaundement of the Lorde and that their consciences might not be defiled with their Aduersaries corrupt doctrine and that they might not become subiect to those punishments which hang ouer them But where then will they say hath the Church layen hidden so long Or if the Church of Rome were not the true and Catholicke Church must then al men be damned The Gospellers answere first that their were alwaies some both in the East Churches and also in Poperie it selfe which misliked these corruptions of the Romish Synagogue and both by liuely voyce and also by writings inueighed against them For that they may say nothing of the Auncient fathers and the whole Primitiue Church which the Gospellers affirme to agrée with them in all poyntes in the Articles of faith they proue that euen in these later ages ther● were many that subscribed to this reformation of religion For Gregory the great although he bolstered vp manye foul errours yet in this he iudged rightly that he was antichrist which would suffer himselfe to be called the Cheefe Priest and Vniuersall Bishop Eberhardus Bishop of Salisburgh proued by a most pithie Oration in a councell at Reinburgh that the Popes were Antichrists the foundation of whose Kingdome Hildebrand had laied Ioachim of Calabria also at the very same time did in like manner call the Popes Hereticks Frauncis Petrarch both in other places of his writings and especiallye in his twentith Epistle dooth with great earnestnes crye out against the Popes Arnulph Bishop of Orleance in a councell helde at Rhemes did openly pr●nounce the Popes to be Antichrists Barnard in the yéere of our Lord 1550. inueighed against the Popes as the very Antichrists In y e same age Michael Centenas likewise openlye charged the Pope to be Antichrist Ierome Souaronola of Ferraria preched throughout all Italie both that the Pope was Antichrist and that his doctrine was wicked for the which cause he was burned at Florence by Alexander the sixt Thomas Rhedon did directly condemn y ● papacie and was for the sameburnd by Eugenius the 4. Laurentius Valla almost an hundreth yéeres agoe by calling Rome Babilon the Pope Antichrist and the donation of Constantine a forgerie of the Popes did couragiously set himselfe against them and being banished for the same was very honourablye entertained by the King of Naples Iohn Wickliefe did mightilye impeache and assault the papacie in England After him followed not long after Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage condemned to death at y e councell of Constance contrary to the Emperour Sigismundes publick warrant and there burned for the true religion vntill at length Martin Luther following them as it were wich the fatal field and last battell began more openlye and directlye both to vnfolde the trueth of religion and also to impugne the papacie The worlde would haue stopped his course by many meanes For Maximilian the Emperour at Ausburge in the yéere 1518. and Charles the fifth with Ferdinando and many other Kings and Princes first in the yéere 1521 at Woormes then in the yéere 1523. at Norimberge afterwardes in the yeere 1524. at Ratisbone and in the yéere 1529 at Spire moreouer in the yéere 1530. at Ausburgh againe in the yeere 1532. at Ratisbone and in the yéere 1540. at Hagano partly themselues heard the defence of Luther with his owne mouth and partlye caused his doctrine to be examined by their assignes But when they perceiued that they nothing preuailed by banishment imprisonment burning and all kinde of torments at length they were forced to hearken to the aduice of Gamaliel who counselled the Iewes to let the Apostles alone For i● this enterprice or busines were of men it would come to passe that it should shortly be brought to nought but if it were of God it could not be that it should be ouerthrowen Let all men therefore thinke the same of the religion of the Reformed church And in the meane while O ye kings and princes and inhabitants of the whole worlde which are desirous of euerlasting life rouse vp your selues deals wisely serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling kisse the sonne least he be angrie and ye perish in the way when his wrath shalbe but a litle kindled blessed are all those that trust in him The Conclusion THese were the things good Readers that loue your saluation which I thought good to write at this present concerning the appointing of a Iudge for the controuersies of religion and the finding out of the trueth of the right religion and Catholicke Church Wherin because I take it that I haue said nothing which I cannot make good by manifest proofes either of the holy Scriptures or Catholick Fathers or els euen of those authours themselues whose testimonies I haue truely alleadged Surely it is méete and right that all those that loue the trueth shoulde be stirred vp to séeke out the way of eternall life and without partiall iudgement to know the trueth of religion and of the church without the which saluation is not to be had And now that which remaineth let vs with all our hearts beséech our onely master the Lord Iesus Christ that wee may be taught many things more which wee knowe not by him from whom we haue receiued these things which we doe know let vs pray him that of his mercie preuenting vs and furthering vs he would teach vs those thinges which being to be knowen for our comfort wee are not ignorant of kéepe vs in those things which we knowe to be true strengthen vs in those things wherein we stagger being true and deliuer vs from those things which are false that so in our thoughts and words he may finde that which he doeth profitably geue vs and may cause those things to procéed from vs which may be acceptable to God and profitable to men Amen FINIS A Catologue of the authours whose Testimonies besides the Canonicall scriptures are alleaged and quoted