Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	christian_a	church_n	pastor_n	1,389	5	9.1051	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00505	A discouery of the great subtiltie and wonderful wisedome of the Italians whereby they beare sway ouer the most part of Christendome, and cunninglie behaue themselues to fetch the quintescence out of the peoples purses: discoursing at large the meanes, howe they prosecute and continue the same: and last of all, conuenient remedies to preuent all their pollicies herein.; Traité de la grande prudence et subtilité des Italiens. English	G. B. A. F.	1591 (1591)	STC 10638; ESTC S101803	74,257	108

haue them For that among them there are few or none who are accaustomed at such an instant readylie to contradict and resist But it goeth not so with Maiestrates the greatest number whereof being brought vp and exercized to plead in contradictorie iudgement will not suffer themselues so easily to be caried away but can tell how to withstand one another what studie soeuer any partye hath employed and come neuer so well prouided Wherefore it is a dangerous case to repose any confidence in the decisions of Ecclesiasticall Assemblies which in the olde Testament neuer wrought anie other effect but kindled the fire of persecutions first against the Prophets and afterwards against Christ himselfe his Apostles and infinite others of his martirs and so conclude such Assemblies haue neuer bine but a plancke for the Italians to passe to establish all there new Constitutions such as are not yet altogether receaued in all parts of Christendome thereby to sway ouer and gnaw to the bone all Christen people it followeth then hereby that to take away the occasion of this abuse we must haue recourse to Soueraigne Princes and to there Maiestrates when it comes to the question of establishment of the Christian Church for so God did himselfe as we finde in the olde Testament and not to rune to Pastors who being once out of the true way will alwayes goe worse and worse and euer come into it againe Cap. 50. That all Christians are agreed of the place of ioye and happines whether they must goe but disagree concerning the wayes that must leade them thither BVt because the Italian is so quick and pliable that there is no good order so well established but hee can alter and bring to confusion either by séede of diuisions or by corrupting persons by flattery giftes and remuneratorie promises as well Magestrates as other protectors of the people employing their vnto some Ecclesiastickes or others we must néedes séeke out and vse some surer and perpetuall Remedy against them And because as I haue proued that there Domination and great somes of mony they dreine out of other countries hath no foundation but the bare cloke of Religion by reason wherof to preuent lest they surprise vs we must be very carefull and diligent to choose out the truth for that the derill transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light and is an Ape to the workes of God to rob and deceaue vs. But not to bee deceaued we must at the first consider and examine curiously al that is proffered and presented to vs for the way of saluation of what side soeuer it bee to choose the best otherwise our choise shall alwayes be doubtfull hauing no knowledge of neither of the wayes which we might take For in matter of Relligion all haue one desire and shoot at one and the same marke which is to come the ioyes of heauen and in this they all agrée but they disagrée of the waies and the forme of seruices that they ought to follow And because they Counsell of Rome teacheth one kinde of waie and maketh manie take that roowte with a goodly forwardnes that they set them in thitherward and an externall forme of seruice which with great delight féedeth humane sences very much practizing all kind of murthers and cruelties on those that séeke to climbe to heauen any other waies There is also an other sort of men who by liuely reasons and great persuasions go about to fetch backe from them as many as they can to lead them thither by other paths but the Romanes to preuaile in this matter say that y t way whih they teach is the broad and wide way wherein the Fathers haue passed the which is also more common to a great number of people The others they say that this great way whereof they estéeme so much is that which leadeth to perdition and many there be that enter in And that the way of saluation is verie narrow and straight and few there be that go that way And if that they which follow the great and large way finde it to be the better they will not hinder them for going that way but yet requisite at their handes that they will suffer them peaceably to go by their straight and narrow way which they take to be the surer passage Cap. 51. That men being contrary in opinions cōcerning the way of their saluation they must receiue instruction of the Ecclesiasticall bodies NOw in this conflict if we looke onely but vnto men and to that which is on earth we shall find our selues much troubled and thinking to chuse the best way we shall take y e worst and neuer reach thither whither we minde to go And if in this iudgement we depend vpon Ecclesiastical Pastors one shal allow one way others shal teach another grounding thēselues diuersly on places of the scriptures and the Doctours of the Church In such diuersitie what should it then be néedful to do we must lift vp our eies cogitations thoughts vpon on high to other Maisters Preachers who teach vs not by the eares as mortall men do but by the eyes of a visible certaine immutable language and aske neither gold nor siluer nor domination ouer vs for their paines but fréely offer vs their instruction with great bountifulnes and blessings towards vs if we take it thankfully and we neuer néede to make any long and tedious pilgrimages to finde them out But it sufficeth to but go forth of our habytacles builded by the workemanship of men to enter into the great Pallace and Temple of the liuing God made with his owne hand in the midst whereof he hath placed vs to know and admire the wonderfull excellencie of his workes and to yéeld him the glorie and honour that he deserueth In doing this to make our selues worthie beholders of the same when we shall comprehend with all admiration the omnipotencie wisedome and bountie of their framer who shineth in the same most gloriously and although that vppon the earth and in the waters of the sea his sagesse vertue power and bountie is most amply proued vnto vs yet would hée giue vs more ample testimonies in the concauitie and extendue of the heauens to draw vs néerer vnto him hauing set there two great lightes the one lower the other higher to the ende that by them as by the Ladder of Iacob we should go to finde him out in his heauenly Tabernacle to do him homage and to yéeld him all the loyaltie wherein we are bound vnto him as holding our life al our goods besides of him putting our selues still vnder his protection And therefore to carry all reuerence and due obedience towardes his lawes and commandements hauing our recourse vnto him when we are oppressed or that we fall into any necessitie or sicknes giuing him thankes so oft as euer he bestoweth any benefits vpon vs in celebrating the praises that the greatnes of his workes deserue By the consideration whereof we

as high as heauen gates shutteth openeth them euen as they do the doores of the Consistorie at Rome In some this foundation stone is that Saint Peter had his Apostles seate at Rome and there was martired whereof followeth that the Romane Bishop is his successour and hath vniuersall charge ouer the whole world For the first I deny séeing that neither the Acts of the Apostles nor any other of the Epistles of S. Paul hath made mention therof that he himselfe witnesseth that he was the Apostle of the Iewes called to those that were of the circumcision For the second y t he was martired there I cōfesse for that those of Rome and their Emperours to make a triumph of Iesus Christ and of his doctrine to quench their insatiable crueltie against Christians had caused S. Peter to be transported to Rome from another place where he was detained first prisoner to put him to death ignonimiously and make him a publike spectacle to the world But for hauing by this crueltie and iniustice depriued the world of so famous excellent seruant of God that they should be reputed his successours there is no reason at all nay contrarie I will stand to it they ought therfore altogither to be disinherited for was there euer any man so impudent that for hauing murthered another would dare to challendge his succession And if he had béen borne at Rome and appointed Apostle to the same place which he was not neither they haue made themselues vnworthie of all successorie right and title For this were a prettie matter that for vsing all crueltie and committing bloodie murthers against the seruants of God men should get domination and principalitie as well in earth as in heauen it were farre wide to say so and the greatest absurditie in the world that men might imagine Nay contrarie Christ menaceth great punishment for the like matter when he cried out Ierusalem Ierusalem thou which killest the Prophets thereby denouncing her ruine and ouerthrow by the fire of Gods vengeance foretelling her destructiō to come and the miserable estate wherein she is at this present houre If then this were sufficient to depriue Rome of her succession yet furthermore were she worthie to be depriued for her rebellion against the Gospell and the doctrine of S. Peter wherein she hath perseuered since the death passion of Christ hauing brought foorth the most detestable monsters for Emperours as Tyberius Nero Calligula Commodus and Heliogabalus which haue euer béen remarked to liue vnder the vaute of the heauens who as cruell beasts estranged and degenerat from all Christian blood by reason of y e enormitie of their liues could not suffer any such cleare light to shine there néere them being also set on by their sacrificing Priests Pagans and Idolaters who only taught publikely at Rome soone to extinguish the same But if there were any good Bishops there they laie close and did not openly discouer themselues and were no part of the bodie of this people being indéed sent thither from diuers other partes personages of great learning and eloquence rather to make residence there then in any other part for that this citie was stil replenished with learned men cunning Philosophers and Pagan Oratours against whome it had not béen for Pastors meanely learned to haue disputed without ouerthrow and conuiction Yet all this hath nothing eleuated the Italians aboue any other people of Christentie for hauing Domination ouer them but rather it bringeth lower and abaseth them as a testimonie of their great resistance and rebellion to the truth and the teachers thereof Cap. 37. Constantine the Great King of England apposed himself against the tyrannous persecutours of Christians that Italy brought forth BVt if ye come to aske me what Nation hath more right to haue the Sea of an vniuersall Bishop erected in it then Italy I answere that as Italy hath made it selfe vnworthie by bringing forth the murtherers of S. Peter and of other tyrannous and persecuting Emperors hauing a long time made resistance to the Gospell so those haue best deserued it who being pushed forward with an holie zeale of Gods glorie and of the saluation of men hauing abandoned their liues kingdomes and treasures to make passage for the Gospel throughout the whole worlde in destroying the doctrines of Pagans and all idolatry which had raigned before more then two thousand yéeres all ouer the world except only among the Iewes Now what nation hath that béen of so hautie and magnanimous courage which hath done God so signall a péece of seruice Surely it was England which hauing brought forth that great and thrise sacred Constantine who of a Pagan that hée was making profession of the Christian faith and receiuing Baptisme straight began to warre vpon Maxentius the Romane Emperour a most cruell murtherer and a great persecutor of Christians whome he vanquished and planted the true Gospell and kingdome of Christ not onely in the I le his natiue countrie that bred him but also at Rome the receptacle of all Idolatrie and from thence made passage for it vnto Alexandria the capitall Citie of all Affrica to Constantinople and all that countrie bordering towards Asia enlarging the kingdome of the sonne of God farre and wide which séemed at that time to be banished out of this worlde by the continuall warres of the Romans destroying and ouerthrowing wheresoeuer he went that of Sathan shewing himselfe to be the Executour of that which Iesus Christ had foretold in the twelfth of S. Iohn saying Now is the iudgement of this world now shall the Prince of this world be cast out O that the wonder of thy holie and almost diuine enterprises do make thée go farre beyond all humane creatures for the light that thou madest to shine in the world surmounteth as much that of the holie Kings of the old Testament as doth the light of the Sunne the cléernes of the Moone And as for that which the Apostles and other faithfull Pastors which went before thée it was alwaies diuined and entermingled with the darknes of superstitious Idolaters which had full course among the Emperours and Kings of the earth but thou great Instrument of the Eternall thou hast chaced farre out of thy sight all the sacrifices seruices that men did dedicate vnto the diuil according to the witnes of S. Paul who saith that the Gentiles did sacrifice vnto him And more then this it is thou great Monarke that hast so firmely planted and established this light in the world that what assaults so euer haue béen made to extinguish it yet could it neuer altogither be put out and defaced If then one so great and diuine a benefite had procéeded from Rome as is from England who could imagine how great prerogatiues and honours almost diuine they would challenge from other people whereas neuertheles the Emperour sprung out of Italy haue euer béen the most signall persecuters of Iesus Christ and of his Martirs for all