Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	call_v	church_n	congregation_n	1,735	5	9.2238	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07101	The loue of the soule Made by G.M.	Martin, Gregory, d. 1582.; Martin, Gregory, d. 1582. Treatyse of Christian peregrination. aut	1597 (1597)	STC 17504; ESTC S105435	10,171	54

THE LOVE OF THE SOVLE Made by G. M. IHS Printed at Roane 1578. TO MY LOVING AND best beloued Sisters DEERE SISTERS my care my loue and of all worldlye thinges next to my good MOTHER my greatest comforte and ioy Vnlesse you did thinke that I doe most hartily loue you you coulde not alwaies heeretofore haue declared your exceedinge great loue soe plentifullye towardes mee for the which Almightie God reward you This my loue because it is not a naturall affection onely but syncere and true Charitie forceth mee to wishe vnto you my louing SISTERS not only many worldly commodities which God be thanked you lacke not but much more all Spirituall treasure and Heauenly riches whereof you cannot haue greate store because you dwel not where it groweth I know good SISTERS that you meane well and most willing are you to doe that which might please God but in good sooth you are out of the way therefore the further you holde on the further you are from your iorneis ende and the further from Heauen The wise man saith Prouerbs 14. There is away which seemeth to a man right but the end thereof leadeth to destruction Beare with me if I write bouldly and tell you the truth plainely I am your Brother I loue you as nature bindeth me not onely in wordly respecte but much more towards God Your soules are deare vnto me my heart alwaies mourneth to thinke vpon your dangerous state wherein you stand O good SISTERS the paine of Hell exceedeth all torments and that fire shall burne for euer Happie are they that keepe them selues by GOD his great goodnesse within the Catholicke Church for out of it there is no hope of saluation And moste happie are they that hauing bene out of this Church by the wicked perswasions of false Preachers when that it pleaseth God to sende them trew teachers will not remaine obstinate but follow good exhortations and good holsome doctrine and so returne againe as obedient Children to Christ their father and to the Church theire Mother who are alwaies ready to receiue them remembring that which a most ancient learned Father writeth S. Austin in the 88. Psal He can neuer account God to be his Father who will not haue the Church to be his mother If you aske me what this Church is that is called Catholicke and how you may knowe it behold the true and certaine markes thereof and your selfe iudge whether you be within it or no. This Church is a Congregation of all true Christians which began in Christ and his Disciples at Ierusalem from thence grewe and multiplied throughout the wholle world according as it is saide in the Psalme their sound speaking of the Apostles is gone out into the whole world their wordes into the ends of the earth Psa 18. ve 5 The first marke of the church is to be vsible So that the first marke of the true Church is that it must grow and multiplie be seene appeare alwaies as a light in the world and therfore Christ calleth it A Citie builded vpon a hill which cannot be hid And the blessed Martyr S. Cip. saith The Church being lightned with the brightnesse of our Lord doth reach forth her beames throghout the whole world And S. Aust besides many other places to this purpose cōpareth Christ his Church to that stone which was cut out of a hill without mens hāds after grew to be a mighty moūtain so that it filled the whole earth For vndoubtedly this stone whereof the Prophet speaketh in CHRIST who was borne of a Virgine without the helpe of man is now growne from a few Apostles and Disciples to an infinite number of Christian people in all countries confessing one Faith one Beleefe and this is the Catholicke Church whereof your CREED telleth and teacheth you to say I beleeue the Catholicke Church Let vs see now whether this marke doth agree to your brethren in England who cal them selues Protestants or to vs whō it pleaseth them to call Papists First they call them-selues in their books the English Church that is to say of that faith which is professed in England but we are of the Catholicke Church that is of such a faith as is professed in France in Spaine in Flanders Brabant Zeland c. In a great part of Germanie in all Italy and beyond whersoeuer there be Christians and is preached in the Indians that neuer heard of Christ before increaseth wonderfullye And within these fortie yeeres in England Scotland Ireland Denmarke and Germany there was no other faith openly professed but ours And now also in all these countries how many are there thinke you of secret Catholickes that wishe for the olde religion againe with all their heart and follow the new only for feare Nay how many are there especially in England that do yet openly professe the Catholike faith Aske good Sisters aske and you shall learne that all the prisons not onely of London but of England are full of them because they will not yeelde to these new proceedings nor cōtaminate their soules with this new seruice and leaue the olde true and Catholicke faith besides a number of sundrie degrees which are dead in prison namely twentie three Bishops all depriued of their liuing these twentie three yeeres and now but two of them aliue I omitt Doctours Deanes Archdeacons Knightes Squires partly in prison partly departed the realme and forsaking all rather then they will forsake God and his most true and vndoubted Religion This is true good Sisters as knoweth God you seldome heare of these thinges therefore you thinke eyther there is no other Religion but that cold seruice without all comfort and deuotion which you see in your parishe Church or you thinke that must needes bee the best because you are not taught any other whereas you see if you beleeue me that all Christendome almost is of another Religion And therefore this is the Catholicke Church and yours is worthely called by your owne ministers the Church of Englād The secōd mark is succession But this shall better appear if I giue you an other marke of the true and Catholicke Church which is that it may continue for euer and from the first beginning which was in Christ his Apostles neuer to faile but to appeare be seene stil as a City vp on a hill or a light in the world For Christ said I will be with you vnto the end of the world Mat. 28 And againe I will send you another comforter the spirit of truth who shal romaine with you for euer And vnto Peter vpon this Rocke will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not preuiale against it Mat. 16. That is to say the Diuell and all his Ministers shall neuer so preuaile against this Church but that it will still appeare and professe one the same faith So that there shall be no time wherein this faith this