Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	part_n	universal_a	2,451	5	9.1017	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14436	The waie home to Christ and truth leadinge from Antichrist and errour, made and set furth in the Latine tongue, by that famous and great clearke Vincent, French man borne, aboue .xi. hundred yeres paste, for the comforte of all true Christian men, against the most pernitious and detestable crafte of heretikes, which in his tyme by all subtell wayes, deuised to obscure and deface the doctrine and religion of the vniuersall churche. And now the same worke is englished, and by the Quenes highnes authorised to be sette furthe for the reliefe fo diuers Englishe menne, which yet stande in doubte, whether they may goe to heauen in the peace and vnitie of Christes vniuersall churche, or to hell in the dissention and confusion of heretikes; Pro catholicae fidei antiquitate libellus. English	Vincent, of Lérins, Saint, d. ca. 450.; Proctor, John, 1521?-1584.	1554 (1554)	STC 24754; ESTC S104650	58,039	228

not againste any stone that is to say that they cannot offende or go amisse though they wold But some wyll saye if the testimonies sentences promises of the scripture are vsed of the deuill his ministers of whom some be false Prophetes some false Apostles some be false teachers and they all heretikes what then shall the catholike men the childrē of our mother the Church doe By what mean shall they discerne the veritie in the holye scriptures from the falshood of suche heretikes No doubte they must doe as at the beginning I admonished They must doe as other godlye learned mē haue done before them and as they haue taughte vs to doe that followe them What is that They must interpretate vnderstande and expounde the scriptures of God accordynge to the traditions orders rules of the catholike Church wherin they must also necessarilye obserue followe the vniuersalitie antiquitie and cōsent of the catholike apostolike churche And when so euer a parte against the vniuersalitie noueltie againste auncientie the dissention of a fewe shall rebell againste the vniuersall consente of all or the most parte of christians then preferre and esteme the integritie of the vniuersalitie before the corruption of a parte And in the same vniuersalitie the religion of antiquitie before the prophane noueltie againe in that antiquitie before the temeritie of one or a fewe preferre chieflye the generall decrees of an vniuersall coūsell and if none suche bee then followe the consent and censure of suche as haue tofore taughte and ruled in the churche of god Whiche if we diligently soberly and faiethfully obserue it shal be easy inoughe for vs to discerne or deprehende from tyme to time all pestilent errors of al sortes of heretikes Here nowe consequent it is that I by example doe demonstrate howe and in what wise the prophane nouelties of heretikes maye be bothe deprehended and also condempned by the censures and sentences of the aunciente fathers concordinge and agreing together How be it we oughte to inuestigate and followe the aunciente consente of the holye fathers not in euery small question of the scriptures but only and chiefely in the rule of faith neither at all times all kinde of heresies are this wayes to bee impugned but only newe and freshe heresies as sone as they put vp their heades That before they haue falsyfied the presidences of the auncient faieth they maye be put of their purpose by the straightnes of the time and before they may haue leasure to goo about to corrupt and viciate the workes of oure elders with theire venime creping moore at large But olde and inueterate heresyes cannot be ouerthrowen after this sort because in longe tracte of times they haue gotten better occasiō to incroche vpon trueth Wherfore suche olde heresies must be euer conuinced by the onely authoritie of the scripture or els auoided and detested beinge alredy tofore conuinced and condempned by vniuersall counsell of the catholike writers Wherfore as sone as any newe prophane error beginneth to pepe vp and the authour therof imbeseleth for the defense of the same certain sentēces out of the scripture whiche he falsely and craftely dothe expoūde by by must ye gather together the exposition of the fathers vpon those places whiche were produced for the defense of the erroure Wherby that newe prophane errour maye be with out longe circumstaūce bewraied without anye delaye condempned But the exposition of suche fathers onely are to be conferred whiche lyuing teaching and abidinge holily wisely and constantly in the faieth and catholyke communion haue merited either to dye in Christe faiethfullye either for Christe to be slayne happely Vnto whome notwithstandinge we ought so farre furthe to geue credit as they consente and agree together And whatsoeuer they together haue manifestlye firmelye and fayethfullye receyued taught and deliuered vnto vs the same maye we receyue beleue and folowe as moste certaine true and perfect doctrine And whatsoeuer anye man be he Byshoppe or Prelate be he Confessor or Martyr be he neuer so holye neuer so well learned shall presume to mayntayne and teache anye thynge contrarye to the consent opinion and censure of these fathers we ought to accompt the same heresie amongest the priuie priuate sectes which are deuided from the authoritie of the cōmon publique general sentence Let vs not with highe daunger of euerlastynge saluation after the curssed custome of hellishe heretikes forsake the auncient verite of the vniuersall doctrine and folow the newe errours of one or a fewe The holye and catholike consent of whiche godlye fathers least anye shoulde temerouslye iudge to be neglected harke what S. Paule sayth vnto the Corinthians ii Cor .xij. God sayeth he hathe constitute cettayne in the church first apostles of whom he was one nexte Prophetes what one we reade in the Actes that Agabus was thirdlye teachers whyche we call Tractatores Treaters or Writers whiche Paule him selfe calleth also prophetes somtyme because by them throughe their diligence the mysteries of the Prophetes are opened vnto the people Those therfore thus dispensed and constitute by the prouidēce of God by tymes and places whosoeuer shall despice or contemne agreynge and consentynge together in anye matter of Christ his catholike religion let him knowe that he contemneth not man but God And that no man should deuide him selfe from the southsaying vnitie of these fathers S. Paule earnestlye desyreth saying I beseche you brethren that ye all speake one thinge and the same and that there be amongest you no dissention Be ye perfect and knit together in one and the same sense in one and the same sentence And yf anye shall deuide hym selfe from the communion of the Catholicke sentence he shall heare that of S. Paule He is not God of dissention but of peace That is to saye he is not the God of hym which shrinketh from the vnite of consent but of suche as abyde constaunt in the peace of consent with other As I teach you sayth he in al congregatiōs of the sainctes That is of the Catholike which therefore are called sainctes because they persist consiaunte in the communion of fayth And yf any one would so muche arrogate vnto him selfe as thoughe he onelye were to be hearde and credited before all other S. Paule to hys reprofe sayeth thus Came the worde of God from you or came it into you onely But least this shoulde seeme to be spoken vpon smale consideration he addeth further If any man semeth to be a Prophete or spirituall let him knowe those thinges which I do write vnto you because they are the commaundementes of the Lorde Whiche commaundementes he that is counted a Prophet or spirituall that is to saye a maister of spirituall matters doth not with earnest studye of equalitie and vnitie obserue that eyther preferreth his owne opinion before others or in any poynt goeth from the iudgement of the vniuersall consent The commaundement hereof who knoweth not sayeth

handes of other that then they carpe not or rashelye disproue any thing therein conteined whereof is promised a reformation and amendement Nowe therefore to come to the matter it selfe I haue with greate studie and earnest diligence manye times sought and that of verie many godlye and learned men howe and by what certaine and generall rule I mighte trye and throughly discerne the veritie of the catholike faithe from the falshood of wicked heresye the true preacher of Christe from the false minister of Antichriste And I haue receiued of them all at all tymes thys one onlye aunswere that whether I A rule or anye other man woulde perfitely knowe and perceiue the trecherie falshood 〈…〉 Wherfore it is verie necessarie for the auoydinge so greate daungers of diuers errours doubtes that the lyne of the Propheticall and Apostolicall scripture be drawen and directed along according to the rule and exposition of the catholike churche Lykewise in the catholyke churche we oughte seriously to regard and take hede that we faythfully hold that whiche is euery where alwaies and of algenerally receiued obserued and beliued for that is properly catholike Catholike as by the Etimologie of the terme catholike doth appeare whiche comprehendethe all vniuersally And this shall we doo Vniuersalitie Auncientie Consent if we ensue and folowe the vniuersalitie the auncientie the consent of the churche These thre pointes he must firmely holde that wil be counted catholike and desireth to continue in the faieth of the catholike churche with out whiche there is no saluation Of these three pointes I shall teache as I haue learned And touchinge the firste we shall not misse to folowe the vniuersalitie if we hartely confesse acknowledge that faieth to be the true christian faieth whiche the vniuersall Churche throughoute the whole world dothe confesse and acknowledge Touchinge the seconde we shall assuredlye folowe the auncientie if we stray not from the censures and iudgementes of the auncient holy and catholike fathers Touching the third we shal rightlye folowe the consent and vnitie if in that antiquitie we admit imbrace and allowe the difinitions iudgementes and censures of all or the moost parte of the saied holie fathers Nowe what shall the catholike Christian man doo if any one particle of the churche hathe deuidid if selfe from the communion of the vniuersall faith What els shoulde he doo but preferre the helth safetie of the whole body before the corrupte and pestiferous membre What if some new contagion inuade the churche and laboureth to cōmaculate and corrupte not a parcell onely but a whole congregation Then let him cleue to antiquitie whiche cannot be seduced by anye crafte of noueltie What if in the selfe same antiquitie we shall trye that twoo or thre yea whole cities and pro uinces haue erred Then in any wise he ought to prefer before the rashenes temeritie ignoraūce of a few that decrees determinations of an vniuersal coūsell What if no suche decrees of any vniuersall counsell can bee founde in some case as some suche may befall Then shall he diligently conferre searche and considre the bookes and monumentes of the auncient fathers of the churche and receiue their iudgementes Whiche although they were neither of one place neither of one tyme yet are one in the communion and faieth of one catholike church And what soeuer these sages wyth one consent manifestlie haue defended written and taughte the same ought he beleue without all doubt For the better vnderstanding of that whiche I haue said I wyll set furthe the same one after an other by examples and declare thē more at large least whiles I study to be short I slēderly passe ouer the weight of the matter In the tyme of Donate that heretike Donate of whom suche as maintaine his heresies be called Donatistes what time a great part of Affricke had tombled them selues headlong into the goulfe of the pernitious errors of the said Donate and forgettinge their religion and profession preferred the cursed and blasphemous temeritie of one vayne man before the vnitie of the churche then throughe Affricke suche as detested that prophane scisme adhered fast to the vniforme consente of Christes vniuersal church they only of them all mought be said vnto their posteritie leauinge a speciall fourme howe hereafter the wisedome of al vniuersally ought more to be estemed then the madnes of a fewe singular persons in anye weightie matter concerning our faieth Likewise what time the pestilent poyson of the Arrians Arrians had infected not one portion but almost the whole worlde in somuche that in maner all the byshoppes of the Latine churche partlye by force partly by craft circumuented were wōderouslie perplexed and amased what were best to be done folowed in so great confusiō of matters Then whosoeuer was the true worshipper and louer of God the same was not infected with the skorfe of that fylthye contagion but preferred the auncient faith and vnitie of Christes vniuersall church before the new forged trecherie and falshood of certaine singular newe fangled harebraines And what calamitie howe great miserie dothe ensue innouation of religion the bringing in of suche newefanglenes contrarie to the vnitie of the catholike churche it is moost cleare and verie euident by that whiche folowed in the time of these Arrians For then all kinde of thinges both great and small went to wracke affinities cognations amities houses and families were deuided yea whole cities peoples prouinces nations And finally the whole Empire of Rome was merueilouslye distourbed For when that prophane noueltie of the Arrians as it were some Bellona or infernall furie the Emperour himselfe being firste bewitched withall had ones brought all the heades and nobles of the courte in subiection vnto that newe lawe sessed not after to disturbe vexe and confounde all maner of thinges bothe priuate and publique holye and prophane without discrepaunce of good and badde to disquiet and hurte whome she listed and howe she liked Then were wiues violated widowes desolated virgins defloured monasteries suppressed clearks persecuted deacons buffeted priestes hated thē were gayles prisons dongeons stuffed full of good and godly men of whō some were banished from cities and townes and compelled among wilde beastes caues and rockes in desertes in greate neede famine and thirst to end their miserable lyfe Suche miserie dothe certainely ensue and folowe whensoeuer for the heauenlye doctryne humaine superstitions are broughte in when well gounded antiquitie is vndermined throughe wicked noueltie when the orders and institutions of our elders are violated the decrees of the fathers broken the definitions of our auncetours neglected whē the pernitious desire of newefangled curiositie kepeth not it selfe within the commendable limites of the sacred and incorrupte antiquitie Some perchaūce wil thinke that I speake this of affectiō and hatred that I beare to innouations Whosoeuer thinketh soo let him at lest wise geue credite to s Ambrose in this behalf S. Ambrose

epistole Ioannis apostoli q̄ ca●atu .iii. Mater enim est cuius vbera sunt duo testamenta For she is our mother whose twoo brestes are the .ii. testamentes of God Wherfore to knowe her is to knowe Christe and trueth Betwene whiche there is no more difference then is betwixte the head and the bodye the spouse and the spousesse which as they are by a necessarie band of vnitie knitte together so Christ trueth the church are inseparatly conioyned For neither canne Christe be without trueth nor trueth without the churche with whom God the holy ghost doeth communicate al truth Wherfore to thend you shal not hensforth misse of Christ ●e mistake his trueth I haue geuen you a worthy worke in your naturall language of famous Vincent priect somtime of Lyryn which he penned aboue a .xi. T. yeres agone in the Latin tōge wherein you shall finde the true and liuely image of this churche and also most certayne vnfallible rules wherby to discerne all cloked falshode from the simple trueth diabolike sophistrie from Euangelike doctrine I haue geuen you this Iewell of a great zeale and affection doe not you receaue it vnthankefully How be it I grate not thankes for the geuinge but onely acceptation of the gifte And howe worthye it is to be accepted howe necessarie to be had you shall soner vnderstande by the vse therof than I by words can expresse Accept it therfore for it is worthy and follow the counsell thereof for it is necessarye What more necessary can be geuen the siche then soueraigne medicine whereby he maye be recouered What more necessary can be geuen the worldling being in daunger to perishe then to directe him in the wat to heauen wher he may be saued What more necessarye for the drowned in sinne whiche bringeth bondage then to trace him to grace that might sette him free What more necessary can be geuen him whom the fleshe ruleth the cause of corruption then to acquaint him with the heauenly spirite the cause of sanctification What more necessary canne be geuen him that is nouseled in ignoraunce whiche made him blinde then to instructe him with knowledge whereby he may see What more necessarye to be geuen him that is smolthered in heresye which hilleth then to shew him the true religion wherby he may reuiue Al these malavies grieffes soores and discases in you Vincent yea rather God that heauenlye Phisition by the ministerie of this holy Vincent shal remedie and cure whilesthe shal eftsones settle you in the sure lappe of our mother the catholike churche the comfortable leche of all infirmities the necessary nourse of al weakelynges the most surest hauen for all stormebeaten to ariue vnto O dere brethren frendes it muche pitieth me and I trust it nowe repeuteth you also to consider how euyl you haue ben of late taught howe vnnaturally you have been intreated synce ye lefte this good and louing mother howe manye diseases and infirmities haue growen vpō you synce your departing frō this comfortable leche howe owgle carren leaue ye are to see synce you chaunged this necessary nourse with how great tempestuous stormes you haue ben beaten synce you first did loose frō this faithfull hauen Wo worth that false harlet that hathe deceaued you I meane that malignaūt and cursed church It is she that by her flatteringe meanes and deceatefull allurementes hath intised you to come from so swete amiable mothers lappe into her whorishe armes frō church to church I graūt but not from like to like Frō an heauenly church to a malignaunt church from a louinge mother to a flatteryng harlote From the condition of grace to the state of perdition From the vnitie of christians to diuision of Nerelikes Frō the light of pure knowledge to the darkenes of foule ignoraunce From the trueth of antiquitie to the falshode of nouelties From faythfull beleuyng to carnall reasonyng From sauing Christ to deceyuing Antichrist Thus they agree together that in all thinges they be vtterlye vulike The one is of God and ledeth to Christ and trueth Thother is of the deuyll and leadeth to Antichrist and heresie The one grounded in fay the subdueth reason thother ledde by reason confoundeth faith The one beleueth reuerentlye what reason can not comprehende thother impudently alledgeth reason faith to reprehende Betwene thē ther is no amitie no semblaunce no agrement no felow ship but continual war one against another Nowbeit for asmuch as no vntrueth can deceaue but by colour of trueth no hereticall poison can beguyle but when it is geuen in fourme of medicine therefore thys whorish churche laboureth by al meanes to resemble in vtter shewe and countenaunce thother good churche the rather to seduce the improuident when her falshode is cloked the soner to catche the simple when her hooke is couered And this is the matter why diuers haue been so greatlye deceaued of late and diuers againe wil be hereafter if vpon this warning thei watch not and by other menues harmes they beware not For although this harlot this deuillishe Syuagege purposeth nothinge els but to incororate you to the deuyll Antichrist yet hath she euer more in her mouthe Christe Christe Though she only laboreth to tumble you headlong into hell both body and soule yet doth the continually babble of heauen though she teacheth nothing but heresy to ouerthrow the ghospel yet her tongue runneth stil of the ghospell as thoughe shee hated heresye Thoughe she be whollye of the deuyll and nothing of Christ yet she pretendeth great familiaritie to Christ oulie as thoughe she knewe not the deuyll Thoughe shee lacke no crafte to subuert trueth yet trueth trueth is euer her word as though she lacked crafte O malicious harlot O deceauable feinde O cruel stepdame Come home come home gentle brethren to youre louing and tender mothers lay whiche hath fostered you from your youthe and leaue the armes of that cruelstepmother whiche will not leaue if you leaue not till she hath strangled you Come home to this leache that shee maye heale you of your foule leprie wherwith this feinde hath ifected you Come home to this swete nourse that you maye sucke from her brestes the holsome foode of your soules healthe and comforte and leaue the stinkinge carren wherewith this whore feedeth you Come home I say to thys calme and quiet port where you shall finde reste and tranquillitie of conscience whiche the deuyll coutinually tosseth and tumbleth in restles paynes with the tempestuous stormes of hereticall nouelties Who is our mother Wher is our home No doubt the vniuersall church is our mother her lappe is our home If you be not ther at home you can not be at home with God If you acknowledge not her to be your mother you may not acknowledge God to be your father To this mother Mary the mother of her countrye calleth you To thys home Vincent wyll leade you euen by the hande as it were If you be not at home with