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
A07104	A treatyse of Chris[ti]an peregrination, w[rit]ten by M. Gregory Martin Licentiate, and late reader of the diuinitie in the Englishe Coleadge at Remes. VVhereunto is adioined certen epistles vvritten by him to sundrye his frendes: the copies vvhereof vvere since him decease founde amonge his vvrytings. Novv especially published for the beneifte of those, that either erre in religion of simplicitie or folovv the vvorlde of fray Ioie	Martin, Gregory, d. 1582.	1597 (1597)	STC 17507; ESTC S102523	54,618	160

after admonition you will not rise agayne that wil make vs to maruel to pitie your ease as altogether desperate which God forbid whoe conuerte you and saue you and blesse you both soule bodye euen as I wishe to mine owne selfe For a farewel remember the later ende of man the accompte to be made the consequent there of hel or heauen and before all other respectes doe well for his sake that made you redeemed you sanctified you and hath hitherto preserued and enriched you and will hereafter in heauen fully rewarde you if you wil come euen now at the ninth and eleuenth howre Our Lord keepe you Paris 15. Fe. 1580 Your louing frend vndoubtedly G. M. TO MY LOVINGE AND BESTBELOVED SISTERS DEERE Sisters my care my loue of al worldly things next to my good mother my greatest comforte and ioye Vnlesse you did thinke that I doe most hartely loue you you coulde nor alwaies heretofore haue declared your exceeding loue so plentifully towards me for the which almightie God rewarde you This my loue because it is not a naturall affection onely but sincere and true charitie forceth me to wish vnto you my louing Sisters not onelie manie worldlie commodities which God be thanked you lacke not but much more all spirituall treasure and heauenlie riches wherof you can not haue great store because you dwell not where it groweth I know good Sisters that you meane well and moste willing are you to doe that which might please God but in good sooth you are out of the way and therefore the further you hold on the further you are from your iornies end the further from heauen The wise man saith There is a vvay vvhich seemeth to a man right Prouerb 14. but the end therof leadeth to distruction Beare with me if I write bold lie and tell you the truth plainlie I am your brother I loue you as nature bindeth me not onely in worldly respect but much more towardes God Your soules are deare vnto me my harte alwaies mourneth to thinke vpon your dangerous state wherein you stand O good Sisters the paine of hell exceedeth all tormentes and that fier shall burne for euer Happye are they that keepe them selues by God his greate goodnesse within the CATHOLIQVE CHVRCH for out of it there is no hope of saluation And most happy are they that hauing bene out of this Church by the wicked perswasiōs of false preachers whē it pleaseth God to send them true teachers will not remaine obstinate but folow good exhortations and holsome doctrine and so returne agayne as obedient children to Christ their father and to the Church their mother who are alwaies redy to receiue them remembring that which a most auncient and learned Father writeth S. Austē vpō the 88. psal He can neuer accompt God to be his father vvho vvil not haue the Churh to be his mother If you aske me what this Church is that is called CATHOLIKE and how you may know it behold the true and certen 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 his disciples at Hierus lem from thence grewe and multiplied throughout the whole world according as it is sayd in the psalme Their sounde speaking of the Apostles is gone out into the vvhole vvorlde psal 18. v. 5. and their vvordes into the ends of the earth The firste mark of the Church is to be visible So that the first marke of the true church is that it must grow and multiply be seene and appeere alwayes as a light in the world and therfore Christ calleth it A Cittie builded vpon a hill Mat. 5. vvhich can not be hid And the blessed Martyr S. Ciprian sayth The Churche beinge lightened with the brightnes of our Lorde doth reache foorth her beames through-out the whole worlde And S. Austen besides manye other places to this purpose compareth Christ and his Church to that stone vvhich vvas cutt out of a hill vvithout mens handes Daniel ca. 2. and after grevv to be a mightye mountayne so that it filled the vvhole earthe For vndoubtedlye this stone whereof the Prophet speaketh is Christ who was borne of a virgin without the helpe of man and is now growne from a few Apostles and disciples to an infinite number of christian people in all countries confessing one fayth and one beleefe and this is the Catholicke Church whereof your Creede telleth and teacheth you to say I beleeue the CATHOLIKE CHVRCH Let vs see nowe whether this marke doth agree to your brethren in England who call them selues Protestants or to vs whom it pleaseth them to cal Papists First they cal thē-selues in their bookes the Englishe church that is to say of that fayth which is professed in England but we are of the CATHOLIKE CHVRCH that is of such a fayth as is professed in Fraunce in Spaine in Flanders Brabant zelant c. In a great part of Germanie in all Italy and beyond wheresoeuer there be christians and is now preached to the Indians that neuer heard of Christ before and encreaseth wonderfullye And within these fortie yeares in Englande Scotland Ireland Denmarke and Germanie 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 wish for the olde religion againe with all their hart and folow the new onely for feare Nay how many are there especially in England that doe yet openly professe the CATHOLIKE FAITH Aske good Sisters aske and you shall learne that all the prisons not only of London but of England are full of them because they will not yeeld to these new proceedings nor contaminate their soules with this newe seruice and leaue the olde true and Catholicke fayth besides a number of sundrye degrees which are deade in prison namely twentie three Bishops all depryued of their liuing these twētie three yeres now but two of them alyue I omit Doctors Deanes Archdeacons Krights Squires partlie in prison partly departed the Realme and forsaking all rather then they will forsake God and his moste true and vndoubted religion This is true good Sisters as knoweth God you seldome heare of these things and therfore you thinke either their is no other religion but that could seruice with-out all comfort and deuotion which you see in your parish church or you thinke that must needes be the best because you are not taught anie other whereas you see if you beleeue me that all christendome almost is of an other religion And therfore this is the CATHOLIKE CHVRCH and yours is worthily called by your owne ministers the church of England But this shall better appeere The second marke is successiou if I geue you an oth●r marke of the true Catholicke Church which is that it must continew for euer and from the first beginninge which was in Christ and

onely that the people might thinke he did them truly and vnfaynedly For howe shall the people iudge but accordinge as they see and heare If a good meaninge or interpretation would serue Peter might haue sayed as some olde wryters excused him that dicendo Theeph in ● 22. Lu. Nescio bominem illud voluisset Nescio purum hominem sed Dcum bominem factum sayinge I knovve not the man be meant I knovve him not for a pure man but for God Ep. Cleri Roms 31. Apnd. Cyp. made man But Cum totum fidei Sacramentum in confessione Christi nominis intelligatur esse digestum qui fallaces in excusatione peaestigias quaerit negabit Et qui vult videri propositis aduersus Euangelium vel edictis vel legibus satisfecisse hoc if so iam paruit quod videri paruisse se voluit Seeing the vvhole Sacrament of fayth is knovvne to consist in the confession of Christ his name be shall be deemed to deny him that seeketh deceiptfull and vayne shifts for his excuse And he that vvould be compted to haue satified or fulfilled Lavves or statutes promulgated against the Ghospell in that he must be adiudged to haue obeyed them that he vvould haue him selfe seeme to haue done it And there fore constante Eleazarus woulde not eate no not lawfull meates 2. Mac. 6. leste it should be thought he did eate meates vnlawfull I appeale to your conscience onely for what neede I vrge euidente places whether these authorityes doe not concerne you S. Ambrose sayeth Li. 2. of c. 24. Licet ●●bi silere in negotio duntaxat pecuniario quanquam si● constantiae adesse aequitati in causa autem Dei vbi communionis periculum est etiam dissimulare peccatum est non leue It is lavvfull for thee in a monye matter onely to hould thy peace though it vve●e the part of a constant man euen therein also to stand in a matter of equity but in the cause of God vvhere communion or felovvship in ●ayth is in perill euen to dissemble is no small sinne O but it is good wisdome to maynteyne credit in euery worlde and to loose neither welth no● estimation I wounder that any wyse man shoulde thinke so Much lyke as Cato Vticensis thought it great manhood to kill him selfe and the secular Poet calleth it Catonis nobile laetum Cato his noble death Whereas S. Austen proueth it to haue bene dastardly cowardnes and womanishe pucillanimitye Ryghte so that worldly wisdome is foolishnes vvith God vnlesse a christiā man may say with the vnchristened and prophane Oratour Seruire temporibus sapientis semper est habitum 2. Cor. 3.19 It vvas alvvayes compted vvisdome to apply him selfe to the tyme. And Non idem semper dicere sed idem semper spec̄tare debemus VVe ought not to speake the same thing advvayes but to approue the same thing still And Quem fugiam scio ad quem fugiam nescio I knovv vvhom I should fly but I knovv not to vvhom to flye O but we are commaunded to obey our Prince I neede not tell you how sarre and in what degrees S. Peter and S. Iohn tell you by their example the case muste be limited I will onely put you in mynd of other worthy men sometyme Prelates in the Church and as it were houlde you the booke to reade howe they haue delt with Princes and potentates Act. 6.19 vpon the like occasion what vehemēt perswasions how manifestly they resisted for his sake VVho is terrible and taketh avvay the spirit of Princes Psal 75. terrible to the Kings of the earth Theodoretus wryteth thus Ec. histo lb. 4. ca. 17 Cum Praefectus Modestus Caesaream venisset Basilium Magnum accercitum honorificè excipit leui blanda oratione compellat hortatur vt cedat tempori ue propter nimis curiosam dogmat●m obseruationem eamque paruo estimandam tot tantasque ecclesias prodat pollicetur se Imperatoris Valentis amicitiam ei conciliaturum beneficiaque multis aliis inde euentura praedica● Cui diuinus ille vir pueris inquit haec quidem oratio conuenit siquidem illi ac sui similes eiusmodi verba auidé arripiunt at qui sunt in sacris literis educati ne vnam quidem sillabam diuinorum dogmatum prodi siaunt sed pro istorum defensione si opus sit nullum non mortis genus libenter amplectuntur quod autem ad Imperatoris amicitiam attinet eam cum pietate iunctam magni aestimo sed si ea careat perniciosum esse dico c. VVhen the Lieutenante vvas come to Cesar●a he called for Basill the great and receaued him honorably and by a svveete and gentle speach exhorted him to yelde to the tyme and not vpon to curious obseruation of some poynte of no great vvayght to betray so many and so great churches promising him vvithall to reconcile him to the Emperours fauour and affirming that much good might come thereof to many To vvhom this diuyne man ansvvered that his tale vvere fit to persvvade children and such like vvhich vvould easely lyke of such offers but that those vvhich are brought vppe in holy vvrit can not suffer one fillable of heauenly doctrine and lavves to be betrayed but for defence thereof vvould embrace if neede require any kinde of death As for the amitye of the Emperour if it might be had vvith pietye I much vvould esteeme it but vvithout that I saye it is 〈◊〉 May it please you to reade a litle after the constante confession of the Preists and Deacons of Alexandria Lib. 4. ca. 20. being exhorted by Magnus the Count 〈…〉 fidem ●b Apostolis per Patrum successionem traditam proderent affirmando Valenten Augustinum Imperatorem clementissimum hac re veheme ●ter delectatum iri Postremó cum maxima contentione vocis haec verba protulit O mis●ri obsequimini Ariani opinioni assentite Nam diuinum numen licet illa quam colitis religio vera sit si non vestra sponte sed necessitate ducti ab ea discedatis veniam vobis daturum est Etenim in his quae necessitate peccantur relinquitur excusationi locus sed cum sua sponte quisquam deliquerit carere reprehensione non potest To betraye their Auncestors fayth receaued of the Apostlis by succession of the Fathers affirming that Valens the moste clemente Emperour vvoulde be much pleased thereby Lastely vvith greate vehemency of speach loude voice be vttered these vvorde O miserable men obey assent to the Arians opinion for though your religion vvere true the diuyne Maiestye vvould pardon seeing you fall 〈◊〉 from it vvillingly but of necessity compelled for their is euer iuste exc●se to them that offend by necessity though vvhen a man falleth vvillingly he can not be vvithout blame Reade the place and marke how litle they esteemed these Worldly perswasions which I haue therefore recyted at large because the worlde is prone now a dayes not only to vse but also to follow