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
A16171	A disproofe of D. Abbots counterproofe against D. Bishops reproofe of the defence of M. Perkins reformed Catholike. The first part. wherin the now Roman church is maintained to be true ancient catholike church, and is cleered from the vniust imputation of Donatisme. where is also briefly handled, whether euery Christian can be saued in his owne religion. By W. B.P. and D. in diuinity	Bishop, William, 1554?-1624.	1614 (1614)	STC 3094; ESTC S102326	229,019	434

sunne as it is in the revelation drawing after him a great number of the starres and pulling them downe headlong with himself into the pit of hell Of Beza thus writeth Conradus Sclusselburg a famous superintendent of the Lutheran church Conrad de Theolog Calviniana lib. 2. arb 1. Theodore Beza in his sacramentary Basiliske against Heshusius which hee entituleth Chr●ophagia doth not onlie in the treatise it self take his leaue of all godlines and modestie letting loose all the reynes of railing but in the very title doth vomite vp his blasphemie and diuelish scoffes c in the first six pages and a half hee hath powred out such horrible filthy and beastlie taunts that euen souldiers of his owne band haue wished them to bee suppressed with his bawdy and most vnpure verses made in praise of his harlot Candida Beza hath with his rotten rayling and beastly belching assaulted the most holy testament of the sonne of God He revileth that worthy superintendent Heshusius most spitefully calling him a Buskin or tragicall Polypheme an ape an huge great capped Asse a dog in a bath a most doltish Sophister an impure sicophant a most impudent knaue Finally hee likeneth him to a deuil incarnate that hath belched vp such Satanicall blasphemies that hee trembleth to relate them This may suffice for a scantling to shew how the names of Luther Calvin Beza the great Rabbins of the protestant Gospell be already by no meane men of their owne coate so canuased disgraced and vilified that the iudicious reader may see how litle need we haue to trouble our selues to search after matter against them to make knowen to the world what odious companions they were seing their owne brotherhood do so fully paint them out to the life that any true Christian hart must needs abhorre them And they that will not vpon so faire warning take heed of them fly from them can haue no lawfull excuse of their wilfull and doting folly R. AB PEtilian the Donatist being offended that they were called Donatists retorted vpon the godly Bishops the names of Mensurists and Cecilianists deriued from two principall Bishops of their party Mensurius and Cecilianus Collat. Carth. 3. ca. 30. So the Papists being vexed at that name Papists giuen to them for being wholy at the devotion of the Pope seeke to disgrace vs with the names of Lutherans Zuinglians and Calvinists as though wee were in like sort devoted to Luther Zuinglius and Calvin W. B. HEere M. Abbot being at a low ebbe in steed of the body of the Donatists is fayne to lay hold vpon one of the companie named Petilian to patch vp a paltrie peece of a triviall resemblance where M. Abbots gentle spirit is to be obserued for before hee would touch vs for calling them by their right names either Lutherans Zuinglians or Calvinists because they left the communion of the whole church to imbrace those Arch heretiks doctrine and felowship Hee confesseth ingenuously that the Protestāts before hand had plaid with vs the part of that Donatist Petilian by nicknaming vs Papists For hee saith that wee being angrie with them for giving vs the name Papists did for a revenge call them Lutherans c Ergo hee granteth that they began with vs but were it before or after M. Abbots resemblance may bee most iustly returned vpon themselues For as the Catholiks of those times called those Sectaries Donatists for leaving the communion of the church spred ouer all to follow one Schismaticall fellow called Donate so the protestants that were so sottish as to forsake the faith of the Catholike church to cleave vnto the peevish opinion of some lewd or loose renegate are most worthy to bee called after their blind guids names either Lutherans Zuinglians Calvinists or such like And they to wreake their teene on vs nickname vs Papists wherin albeit they imitate the Donatists yet their inuention is not so proper as was the Donatists who of some one eminent person christened the Catholikes after their names but the protestants cannot tell vs of what one pope or other wee tooke our name If it bee of all the ranke of Popes then haue wee no need to bee ashamed of it for the protestants themselues are not yet become so impudent as to deny thirtie or fortie of the first of them to haue been right beleeuers yea very holy Martyrs or confessors And good reason it is that of the first and best of them the rest should take their names R. AB 8. Aug. co literas Petil l. 2. ca. 43. co Gaudent l 2. c. 28. THe Donatists complained that the revenues bestowed by their ancestors on the churches were taken a way from them and given to the Catholike Pastors The same complaint M. Bishop and his fellowes vse that Bishopricks Deaneries and other benefices founded by men of their religion and to the vse therof are now as they pretend wrongfully taken from them and given to vs. W. B. I Do not find in S. Austin alledged by M. Abbot that the Donatists were founders of Bishopricks or any such like church livings And heretiks bee seldome any such founders but as latter commers do rather intrude wrōgfully into them that were before founded by the Catholiks They complayned without iust cause when they were worthely expelled out of them they pretended in deed that they were lawfully discended of the former Catholike Bishops and that therfore those livings were due to them which would bee iust the protestants case if it should please God to inspire into our Soveraigne Lord king Iames his hart to dispossesse them of their benefices as vsurpers and to restore the dignities and livings founded by Catholiks for the exercise of Catholike religion into the hands of Catholike Bishops and Priests who seeth not therfore how fairly the Donatists did in most things pourtraict their white sons the protestants R. AB 9. THe Rogatists being one part of the Donatists affirmed themselues only to bee Christians even as the Donatists did chaleng to themselues only to bee the church of Christ and so now the Papists esteeme themselues only to bee Christians W. B. THis hath been in effect both obtruded by M. Abbot and by me answered some foure or five times ouer already wherfore is to be now loathed as ouer stale what so me mā may say in some sense we do not much esteeme but the body of the Catholike church doth not deny heretikes to bee Christians because they bee christened and do hold some points of the Christian faith though such Christians as shall never vnles they amend haue any part with Christ in his kingdome For that they refuse to beleeue many articles of the Christian faith haue seperated themselues from the vnion and communion of Christ his true church R. AB 10. Aug co literas Petilian l. 2. c. 83 l. 2. cap. 71. Epist 106 THe Donatist provoking Emperors by their vntolerable outrages to make lawes against

diuine sauiour to testify of himselfe that one of the principall causes for which hee was made man was to publish and declare those heauenly verities vnto mankind Ioan. 18.37 for this saith hee was I borne and for this came I into the world that I may giue testimony to the truth and for the same purpose as hee was sent himself from his heauenly father so did he send his Apostles and disciples into all coasts of the earth that they might annoūce and preach the same diuine doctrine vnto all nations Math 24 14. This Gospell of the kingdome shal bee preached to the whole world in testimonium omnibus gentibus for a testimonie to men of all countries And as it hath pleased God to make choice of some certen persons to be principall preachers to the same his diuine word so his will and ordinaunce is that none of his seruants shall bee ashamed to make professiō of anie part therof whē it shall concerne either the honour of God or the good of his neighbor The first reason therof may bee collected out of that which went before thus if our blessed Lord and redeemer Christ Iesus was borne to giue testimony to the truth everie good Christian that is a liuely member of his misticall bodie must needs take himself also to be borne anew to the same end and purpose and therfore when time and place do require it they must either testify the truth publikely or shew themselues bastards and cowards much vnworthie the name of Christians The chosen vessell of grace S. Paul speaketh learnedly and noblie when be saith corde creditur ad iustitiam ore autem fit confessio ad salutem By har● wee beleeue to iustification but by mouth confession is made to saluation Like as there must bee a pious and devout inclination of the soule to bow it to the obedience of faith wherby as by the prime meanes we attaine to Iustification even so to arriue happely vnto the hauen of saluation we must by word of mouth make open professiō therof For if one should bee conuented before the magistrate and questioned about his faith if he then do not stand to the profession of it he first depriues Almighty God of that due honour which wee all do owe vnto his diuine Maiestie for we shewe our selues to feare men more then him and do besides betray his truth and make it contemptible in the estimation of the beholders For how should other men be induced to value Gods testimonies at that high rate at which king Dauid who was a most cunning spirituall Ieweller set them when hee said They are to be desired much aboue Gold and the rich pretious stone If they see them that are accounted Gods seruants wisemen to set so light by them that they are euen ashamed to make profession of them Is it not a great dishonor to Gods cause to see his followers whē it comes to the triall to turne the shoulder and shrinke awaie from it The vngodlie do assemble together to out-countenance the truth of God to reuile and vilify his seruants to terrifie all the beholders from the embracing of his truth And Gods vnworthy and faint-harted souldiers called thither to vphold his honor and to testifie the verity therof to all the assemblie be dumbe and dare not speake one word in defence of it Shall not such men in vpright iudgment bee conuinced to haue forsaken God when hee stood in most need of their seruice and to haue betraied his cause by not defending of it at all when they were called forth to haue ●●oken in defence of it yes verily for their inditement is already drawen and registred by that great cleark S. Iohn the Euangelist vnder the name of certaine principall persons among the Iews in these words Ioah 12.42 Of the Princes also many beleeued in Christ but for the Pharises they did not conf●sse that they might not bee cast out of the Sinagogue for they loued the glorie of men more then the glory of God Those Princes partlie to keepe their credit with that state and partlie for fear● of being cast out of the Sinagogue durst not confesse Christ though they beleeued in him Is not this the very case of them that beleeue our faith and religion to bee the true Catholike faith and religion yet to keepe their credit in the world or to avoide those discommodities which by professing of the Catholike faith they should incurre dare not come to that noble act of confessing it they must needs therfore yeeld thēselues guiltie of that which foloweth in the same text that they loue the glorie of men more then the glory of God They had rather please bee well thought of by poore mortall creatures for condescending to do what they would haue them to doe then to bee highlie esteemed of their most dreadfull lord and Creator as his trustie faithfull seruants They do ouer and besides wonderfullie scandalise their poore brethren that bee of the same religion wherof the weaker sort are by their ill exāple shaken and induced to forsake their faith And the stronger cannot but greatlie grieue to see Gods cause so wretchedly betray●d and their infirme brethren scandalized To say nothing of the glory and triumph which they leaue vnto Gods enimies as conquerors ouer his feeble seruantes and the occasion they giue them to harden their harts in their errors wherfore as principally for the honor of God and his holie cause so also that we giue no offence vnto his faithfull seruants or occasion of ioy to his aduersaries wee must plucke vp our spirits when wee bee called to answere in matters of religion And not regard either the shame of the world or anie temporall losse that therby may betide vs but lift our harts to heauen and consider how honorable it wil bee in the sight of Angels how gratefull to God and acceptable to our glorious blessed Saviour to acknowledg him before men not to feare or be abashed to giue testimony to his truth in the presence of his enemies which we shall the sooner and more willingly performe if wee then call to mind these his most comfortable words Math. 10 22. Every one therfore that shall confess● me before men I will confesse him before my father which is in heauen Behold what esteeme and great reckening Christ maketh of this out ward confession of his truth though he shall get to himself litle or nothing therby yet wee shall gaine exceeding much in that we shall purchase his extraordinary fauour against the daie of our last reckening be therfore most gratiously welcomed of him and by himselfe be presented to his heauenlie father in the presence of that most glittering and noble company of heauen as verie faithfull and stout seruants that stood valiantlie for the defence of his cause in the face of the enemie we shall then heare these most confortable and ioyfull words Euge serue bone fidelis