Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	body_n	church_n	mystical_a	1,148	5	10.4023	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12788	A learned and gracious sermon preached at Paules Crosse by that famous and iudicious diuine, Iohn Spenser ... ; published for the benefite of Christs vineyard, by H.M.	Spenser, John, 1559-1614.; Marshall, Hamlett.	1615 (1615)	STC 23096; ESTC S521	35,428	60

since it was reformed we know no other differēce from that which it was before then such as wee see in the Vineyard and Church of Iudah which in the dayes of Manasses was full of superstition in the dayes of Iosiah had her abominations cast out and the purity of Gods seruice restored according to his owne law There were crept into our Church grauen Images the likenesses of things in heauen and things in earth and men did bow downe and worshippe them contrary to the law and contrary to antiquity for as yet appeareth euen by the buildings and walles of our most ancient Churches there was no place within the Church prouided for them To these Images of dead men they did light candles and burned Incense and offered gifts after the custome of the heathen the light of the Church was remoued out of the candlesticks and the word of God which is the true light of the world and lanterne to our feet was hidden vnder an vnknowne tongue as vnder a bushell that which the Apostle calleth both our milke and our meate was taken away and nothing was read to the peoples vnderstanding but the lies of their Legend the author therof had a leaden head a brazen forehead as Viues a lerned Papist cēsureth them The holy Sacraments of the church were prophaned to the sanctified water in baptisme cream was added salt spittle by the people receiued as parts of the sacramēt the Lords Supper was mangled the cup of blessing which is the Cōmunion of the bloud of Christ was sacrile giously remoued the communion of the bread was turned into a priuate masse of dead ceremonies These and infinite other abominations were growne vp so high that they did both draw all the fatnes from the roote and ouerdrop and ouershadow the true vine and euen called for the fickle to cut them downe for there was not any learned deuout man amongst themselues in those ages who did not both bewayle the corruptions of the Church as appeareth by them that wrote and in particular acknowledge some one error of theirs or other though now authority stoppeth their mouthes and clippeth such tongues and the Indices expungatorij do rase those confessions out of their writings Now the indisposition therefore eyther of the Church of Rome or any other neighbor Church to reform themselus can be no iust excuse for our Church and her ouerseers not to reforme her selfe then it had beene for Israel to sinne because Iudah sinned or for Iudah because of the sinne of Israel In these cases of Gods seruice and honor the expectation of neighbours and desire of vnity is no allowed answere but that of Iosuah belongeth to all gouernors which he spake to all Israel Iosu 15. If it seeme euill in your eyes to serue the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serue but I and my house will serue the Lord and that rule of Hosea If Ephraim be ioyned vnto Idols let him alone and if Israel play the harlot yet let not Iudah sinne Only our hearty prayer vnto God is that as we do communicate in the general grounds and foundations of Christianity and ioyntly professe the same Creede so the Lord would giue them hearts to remoue these abominations which blocke vp the way of peace and communion between Church and Church or if eyther for pride or couetousnes they will acknowledge no error yet hee would giue them contented minds to keep to themselues their owne corruptions which now being cast off by vs would be so much the more loathsome to put on againe The third doubt which the vineyard of the house of Israel answereth is the vnity of the Church seeing the deuided houses of Ephraim and Iudah not so much seuered in state as in religion are yet by our Prophet accepted as one vineyard for though one read of many seuerall Churches in the new Testament also Psal 64. yet that of Saint Augustine is most true there be many Churches yet but one Church and in such sort many yet they are all but one Nay in the vnity of the Church wee must yet goe further and acknowledge with the same father the Church is the body of Christ not that which is here or there but that which is euery where throughout the world Psalme 90. neither that which is at this time but euen from Abel vnto those which shall hereafter bee borne and belieue in Christ vnto the end the whole company of saints belonging to one City which is the body of Christ and whereof he is head for this is that which the Apostle affirmeth of all beleeuers Bee they Iew or Gentile bond or free they are al incorporate into one Company they all make one body But this vnity is properly meant of Christs mysticall body and Church which is inuisible of which church these men are no part who are onely in Sacrament is Ecclesiae as Saint Augustine expoundeth himselfe that is of the whole body of the faithfull from Adam to the end of the world yet notwithstanding these outward visible societies of professed christians in which the militant members of Christ mingled with the bad are yet in framing for eternity these also haue a bond of vnity also and though they bee many yet are they but as one Now the outward bonds of these visible Churches are diuers for 1. they all spring by propagation from one originall mother Church Ierusalem which is beneath is the mother of vs all and from Sion came the Gospell by propagation vnto all Nations But this bond is not so strong as to tie them in one that are sprung from one beginning There is a stronger which this Parable of a Vine doth lay before vs for the Vine or tree which is diuided into so many seuerall branches some dying some springing vp and one bough perhaps bearing seuerall fruits from another what is it that maketh them all one but their owne stocke and roote on which they all vifibly grow this is the visible bond of the seuerall armes and parts of the visible Church they all outwardly ioyne in that one roote Christ in whom they are all visiblie ingrafted on whom they all make outward shew that they doe stand and grow The Apostle Ephes 4.5 exhorting Christians to vnity setteth downe this bond and to it addeth two other kinds the vniformity of our faith and articles of beliefe There is one kinde of ingrafting one badge of their incorporation Baptisme One Lord one Faith one Baptism i. One King vnder which they liue one Law by which they are guided one common badge of their incorporation which they all publikely receiue so that seeing the Iewes howsoeuer dispersed amongst al the Nations of the earth and liuing without dependance vpon any one common gouernour and yet accounted but as one Nation because of the bond of their vnity in the publike profession of the Law of Moses and seeing they that hang on Mahomet as their

Prophet onely howsoeuer diuided both in sects and kingdomes amongst themselues are yet in regard of their common profession of Mahumetisme accounted but as one body of Mahumetans How much more truely doe these 3. bonds of professing one and the same Lord and King of receyuing his one and the same law and word of incorporating themselues into one body by Baptisme in which 3. the essence of Christianity consisteth make al the professed christians of the world of one incorporation howsoeuer they are scattered in the earth and scattered in place and in knowledge one of another yea and in som priuat opinions also differ for they all visibly meete in their one roote Christ and in professing of faith in him To these 4. common bonds the Primitiue Church added as they might a fift bond of communion and mutuall society euery new created Bishoppe and ouerseer of any particular Church sending his synodicall letters of the profession of his faith to his neighbour brethren and they accordingly receiuing one another into the communion and fellowshippe of loue as appeareth by the Ecclesiasticall story Lastly when the Emperor himself became a christian and the bonds of the Empire and of the church were in a maner all one they added a 6. bond the common assemblies of all the ouerseers of the particular Vineyards within the Empire in common counsell to make peace and set down orders for the peaceable and vniform gouernment of the whole But the church of Rome which in the greatnes shee is growne to sayeth of her selfe as Babylon Reuel 18. I am a Queene and am no widow and shall see no mourning that is I cannot faile would teach the world a new lesson or article of christian faith not read in the Scripture not thought of in the Primitiue church not acknowledged by any ancient Father not dremed of by any anciēt Bishop of that See that notwithstanding God thundered and was angry when the Israelites asked a King as therein reiecting God to raigne ouer them yet now the Church cannot be vnder Christ and his Iudges as Israel was vnlesse she haue a King an absolute Monarch ouer her and that is the Bishoppe of Rome that all who acknowledge not this doctrine are heretiques all that yeelde not that obedience are schismatiques none of the Church and body of Christ all as Publicans and Infidels and in the state of damnation A fearefull sentence like that of the Bramble Iugd. 9. If you put not your trust vnder my shadow fire shall come out from me and consume the Cedars of Libanon For if all bee schismatiques and cut off from the Church like branches from the Vine that acknowledged not the Bishop of Rome for their King then was Saint Cyprian in a damnable estate who not onely reiected Stephanus the Bishoppe of Rome in a matter of faith but in matter and cases of iurisdiction also forced appeales to Rome and aduised the Bishops of Spaine to repeale him whom Stephanus had restored to his Bishoprick Then was Saint Augustine in a damnable estate who with 216. Bishops in the 6. Councell of Carthage not onely wrote to Innocentius not to receiue appeales out of Africa nor to send his Legats a letter nor to bring in the smoaky pride of the world into the Church of God but also made a decree purposely against his challenged authority that what Priest or Deacon soeuer should appeale to any beyond the sea he should be excommunicated throughout all Africa But what doe I speake of particular Bishoppes that a canonicall Councell of Calcedon of 630. Catholique Bishoppes was in a damnable state which made a decree that the Archbishoppe of Constantinople should haue equall priuiledges with the Archbishop of Rome and that he hauing the next place of honour should in causes Ecclesiastical be aduanced as farre as the See of Rome And although the Popes Legates did by all meanes labour to stay the decree as being repugnant to a former decree of the Nicene Councell for the church of Antioch yet it passed with generall consent and was pronounced by the Iudge as the decree of the Councell neither is this it selfe so much to be regarded as the reason they gaue for that their decree that as their Father had not giuen without good aduice to the See of elder Rome the first place of honor because that City was the seat of the Empire so with a former councell of 150. Bishops at Constantinople vnder Theodosius the elder moued with like consideration had giuen equall priuiledges to the most holy See of new Rome and they insisting in the steppes of sacred Fathers did againe decree the same thing This was in those dayes the opinion of the Bishops of the whole world concerning the ground reason of the Bishoppe of Romes Primacy neither was that the opinion of the Church for a time but three partes of the Christian world vnder the three Patriarkes of Constantinople of Antioch and of Alexandria haue alwayes since receiued him as hereticall for his claime insomuch that they denied their Emperor Michael Palaeologus christian burial for yeelding to the Church in the councell at Lions euen at this day though their miserable slauery vnder the Turke might force them to yeeld a shew of subiection to any christian of whom they might hope of any comfort yet they cannot in their consciences frame themselues to this grosse and lying flattery Wretched men if vndergoing such miseries vnder the hands of their enemies for Christs name neglecting such liberties and worldly preferments as are proposed to reuolters they are notwithstanding in the damnable estate of the Turkes and Infidels and Aliens from CHRIST for that default though they thus liue as Confessors and many of them die as Martyrs But to conclude the vniuersall Church and Spouse of Christ for many ages after her Lords ascension kept herselfe free from these domesticall yoakes neither could shee bee induced that any decree or cannon should be imposed ouer her by any one of her Bishops but that which her self in the free and common Councel of her elder children concluded to bee good for her selfe and hers for execution of which orders and Canons though shee appointed her elder sonnes to ouersee her younger first some as Bishoppes to ouersee her Presbyters and after some as Primates to ouersee her Bishops and lastly some as Archbishoppes and Patriarks to ouersee her Primates yet all the orders which they exacted of particular persons were the common decrees of their Synods Now wonderfull it is to consider how one of her owne children by getting the elder brothers place hath in the absence of the Lord vsurped and claimed ouer the necks first of all his brethren in particular and lastly ouer the necke of his mother also creeping vp by the Emperour like Iuie by the Oke till he had ouertopped him also from a primacy to a supremacy and after to an absolute and visible Monarchie and Kingdome of Romans and as Lord of all