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	pastor_n	universal_a	1,330	5	9.1769	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68668	The English creede consenting vvith the true auncient catholique, and apostolique Church in al the points, and articles of religion which euerie Christian is to knowe and beleeue that would be saued. The first parte, in most loyal maner to the glorie of God, credit of our Church, and displaieng of al hærisies, and errors, both olde and newe, contrarie to the faith, subscribed vnto by Thomas Rogers. Allowed by auctoritie.; English creede. Part 1.	Rogers, Thomas, d. 1616.	1585 (1585)	STC 21226.5; ESTC S116384	40,505	88

THE English Creede CONSENTING WITH THE TRVE AVNCIENT CATHOlique and apostolique Church in al the points and articles of Religion which euerie Christian is to knowe and beleeue that would be saued THE FIRST PARTE IN MOST LOYAL MANER TO THE GLORIE OF GOD CREDIT OF OVR Church and displaieng of al haerisies and errors both olde and newe contrarie to the faith subscribed vnto by THOMAS ROGERS Allowed by auctoritie Cyprianus Epist. li. 1. epist. 4. Humanos errores mendacia relinquamus in veritate Dei maneamus verbum Dei manet in aeternum NON SOLO PANE VIVET HOMO I W AT LONDON IMPRINTED BY JOHN VVINdet for Andrew Maunsel at the brasen Serpent in Pauls church yard 1585. REVERENDISSIMO IN CHRISTO PATRI AC DOMINO EDMVNDO PROVIDENTIA DIVINA NORWICENSI EPISCOPO RELIGIONIS VERAE CATHOLICAE AC ORTHODOXAE ET PROFESSORI CONSTANTI ET FAVTORI QVIDEM SINGVLARI ATHEISMI IVDAISMI TVRCISMI PAPISMI ANABAPTISMI ET OMNIVM DENIQVE FANATICARVM OPINIONVM HOSTI ACERRIMO ET CAPITALI THOMAS ROGERIVS PRIOREM HANC SYMBOLO ANGLICANO SVBSCRIPTIONIS SVAE PARTEM HONORIS DEBITAEQVE OBSERVANTIAE ERGO DICAT CONSECRATQVE To the Christian readers and hearers S. OF the great subscription vrged from the Pastors and ministers of the worde and Sacramentes in a great part of this land the last yeare yee can not lightlie be ignorant The causes of the same being either secrete I cannot or not conuenient to be published I may not set downe What the euent thereof wil be God he knoweth what it hath beene according to the diuersitie of mans minde diuerslie do men thinke thereof For some are of opinion that much hurt thereby hath redounded to the Church of God and they think not amisse in diuers considerations others again wiselie do suppose that it hath made not a little vnto the glorie of God and comfort of his seruants as whereby a ful and perfect trial of men is had diuers of the godlie notablie be deliuered from the manifold slanders wicked surmises falslie raised of them through the secret and subtil suggestions of Satan and his members For to speake first of her Maiesties authoritie in causes Ecclesiastical and that to offend none of Gods children but to the consolation of manie of al that haue bine examined what one hath denied the same who but most willingly and cheerefully doeth ascribe so much as the lawes of this land in euerie respect do giue vnto her highnes Who but hath offered as to subscribe so to sweare vnto that article Who but would suffer the losse not of goods onely but of life also for the maintenance of the same And although the Papistes do write that to grant this vnto her maiestie is lothsome and base flatterie abominable and blasphemous adulation shameful haeresie and vntruth against nature and is not to make her next to God in her Realme but to make her the God of her people For the next step saie theie vnto diuine adoration is to saie beleeue that a temporal King is aboue the Priest in causes Ecclesiastical or that in a Christian common weale the next dignitie to Christ or God is not the priest but the Prince yet can we not to auoid the aeternal displeasure of God but thinke it and to showe our selues dutiful loial subiects subscribe vnto the same hauing learned so to do out of Gods holie word As for the supremacie chalenged by the Pope whom as heretofore so dailie but most sacrilegiouslie theie cal The general pastor yea The common Father of al Christians specialie of princes yea The chiefe priest and pastor of our soules yea The supreme pastor of Gods faithful people yea The high pastor of Christs vniuersal Church and to omit a number of such blasphemous titles The prince of Gods people as we know no such praerogatiue giuen him by the word of God so we do vtterly renounce and altogether mislike the same And to come vnto another Article concerning the booke of common praier not one that I know hath refused simplie to subscribe vnto that neither Though some denie not onlie that that forme but that anie forme of publique ordinarie praier is to be vsed in the Church and think it papistical and giue out that it doth but mocke the Lorde and the Lorde loatheth and spueth it out of his mouth though some againe write that it hath no part of the catholique seruice and cal it a Caluinistical a schismatical a damnable schismatical an heretical an abominable seruice These be the ●●●●dest and charitable words of them whom theie saie no protestant in England is able to reproue of a●●● vntruth or slander railing immodestie c. yet what is that vnto vs which of al Gods ministers that haue bine tried can iustlie be charged so much as to fauor much lesse to maintaine those vngodlie assertion And the auctors too who are theie Not nightbirds Not light hedded and fugitiue persons Not our professed and knowen enimies It maie not be denied but some do with-hold their pens from approuing that holie booke in euerie point by subscription yet are there none I trust that proudlie contemne it none that disdainfulie despise it none but in the feare of God and in pub Churches alwaies and onely doe vse it and manie haue set their hands there-unto and al I doubt not but so would were that which is offensiue reformed and that which is crooked made streight and that which is doubtful made euident and plaine Which things also are for number but verie fewe and therefore maie the more easilie be remoued and remaine for the most part in the directions and rubricks and therefore with lesse offence may be taken awaie Neither doth anie minister of the word that I heare denie by subscription to allow the booke concerning the Articles summe of our faith but what lawes do exact or enioine most willinglie haue theie offered to performe And no cause is there whie we should not so doe the auctors of the same do moue the soueraigne authoritie whereby it was established and is vpholden doth moue but the necessarie and al Christian doctrine there-in comprised doth most of al moue vs not onlie in heart to like thereof but with mouth also and euerie waie to praise it and to glorifie the goodnes of God for the same Our fore-fathers manie of them desired to see that though it were but secretlie and to the hazarding of their lands goods and liues which in that booke we openlie and publiquelie to our vnspeakable comfort and profit do see maintained Besides it is the badge of Eng. Christians whereby we are knowen to the vniuersal worlde not onlie to agree with al the godlie that haue bine or do liue at this present in the material points of religion but also to disagree from the Iewes Turks Papists Anabaptists and al other prophane men So that

theie or he which shal with-drawe his hand from allowing the same maie vehementlie be suspected to be a contemner of the sacred auctoritie of this noble realme and of the doctrine of Christ a dissenter not onlie from al the godlie in this land and therfore not worthie to liue among vs but also from the true Christians who both haue liued heretofore and remaine in anie reformed Church at this present time and a fauorer either of the Iewish or Turkish or Popish or Anabaptistical or some vngodlie and cursed opinion or other Theis things one of the weakest of my brethren knowne I confesse yet through confidence in our chiefe captaine Iesus Christ whose al power is I haue vndertaken to proue in two books or treatises the former wherof is now before you the other in good time if so it please God shal come abroad In which aduisedlie looke and yee shal perceiue that the Religion established by the auctoritie and professed of al degrees in this land is neither a false religion as the Papists do thinke stil tearming it how like Christians iudge yee vngrateful haeresie barbarous haeresie brutish haeresie cruel haeresie wicked haeresie wild condemned haeresie diuelish doctrine but founded and built vpon the immouable fundations which the true Apostles of Iesus Christ and the Prophets haue laid and therefore cannot deceiue nor a new religion a newe faith a newe and barbarous Gospel a newe haeresie as the Antichristians and priestes of the breaden God woulde perswade and make their credulous companie to beleeue found-out by Zwinglius whom they cal The vnfortunate father of our Eng. faith and not extant in England aboue 5. or 6. yeres before the short reigne of K. Edward the sixt but the most ancient receiued euen from Christ himselfe and his written word nor A wicked religion tending vnto Paganisme Epicurisme but that the man of God maie be absolute being made perfect vnto al good workes nor at this present taught in a corner of the world by vs onlie but with a sweete harmonie and consent of al the Churches protestant in Europe publiquelie embraced Againe besides that al the enimies of name which the truth hath had from time to time euen til this verie houre be here discouered yee shal so cleerlie and plainlie beholde as anie thing yee maie when the Sunne gloriouslie doth show himself that Poperie is not the onlie true worship of God that Poperie is not consonant to God his sacred word and wil but planted by weake wicked men that Poperie is not the old Religion but a new or more trulie a loathsome Chaos of all condemned haeresies and antichristian opinions and that Poperie agreeth not with the church of God in this land or in anie other countrie or citie almost in no one substantial material point of Christianitie and so is not the Catholique or c●●●on Religion as theie commonlie giue out And therefore is to be detested and the teachers ●●ereof whether Seminaries or others to be held accursed and the maintainers of the same as ●●ch to be taken heede of as the Arrian Nestorian Pelagian and such like haeretikes that haue liued heretofore or as the Iewes Turkes Anabaptistes which trouble the world in theis daies And therefore right godly wisedome and Christian magnanimitie hath our soueraigne Queene her noble Counsel declared in suffering the papistes being more dangerous to the Realme and as hurtful to the true and Catholique religion to haue no more fauor either publiquelie in temples or priuatelie in houses to assemble themselues together than the Iewes or Turkes the contrarie wherof as they excedingly do wish so wee trust shal neuer come to passe notwithstanding the maruelous opinion they haue in their Gregorie the 13. that now is Pope who theie hope shal once be the bane of our vngrateful heresie And hauing noted these things iudge in the name of God both what he was that incited the Emp. Charles the 5. to make warre rather against that most puissant and noble King of famous memorie whom the enimies of their countrie saie is Radi●●●eccati Henrie the eight for enclining but in part vnto that truth which wholie is here defended than against the Turke what theie are who cal our countrie The sanctuarie of the worst men our Church The slaughter house of haeresie our Martyrs No martyrs but murtherers of themselues our Ministers Intruders vncircumcised Philistims wolues Apostataes the honorable Counsel A sort of heretiques her roial Maiestie A Schismatique an Haeretique un Ethnique a Publicane and therefore of Bishops to be excommunicate i of the nobles to be resisted and of al the commons to be disobeyed iudge in the feare of God whether Poperie be Christianitie and al other sects as theie saie false religions and whether the professors of this Creede be out of the Church as one naie manie Antichristians would persuade and so can haue neither saluation in the next nor anie true peace and securitie in this world and whether Papists are to be cherished as good catholique Christians and the hot Protestants which most carefulie embrace al theis religious Articles to be punished as the Screecher would insinuate Besides forsomuch as the Papists do not onlie thinke but also giue-out that we are at ferce contention among our selues let them aduisedlie consider either howe al the Protestant Churches in Europe do subscribe vnto our Articles or we vnto their confessions and then tel what our dissension is It maie be they wil saie al reformed Churches subscribe not to euerie of our Articles But manie do and none denie I saie not anie of our Articles but not anie one Thesis or proposition of anie Article common to al Christians I grant some confessions be larger than other some are and conteine more matter of Christianitie than others do yet are theie not contrarie no more than Athanasius Creed is contrarie to the Apostles because it is larger nor the Decaloge is contrarie to the moral Lawe because it is the summe of it nor the Commandements Loue God aboue al and thie neighbor as thie selfe are contrarie to the Decaloge because theie are the Epitome of that also Occasions maie fal out that we maie be briefe vpon occasion we maie vse mo words as errors be suppressed or do spring vp And it is to be wished that as new errors peep out so frō time to time new Articles by auctoritie were published thereby to make it euident vnto the whole world both howe hurtfull theie be to the Church of Christ and how we condemne them Nowe as the Papists cannot in truth saie that we dissent from the godlie Christians liuing in other parts of the world so maie theie not tel vs so odiouslie of diuision among our selues at home For we al of vs

allowe her Maiesties auctoritie in causes Eccles. and ciuil we al of vs either simplie subscribe vnto the forme of pub praier prescribed or humblie which libertie the lawe giueth desire resolution in some fewe things we al of vs iointlie both embrace the Articles of the English Creed and renounce al haeretical opinions contrarie there-unto we al of vs acknowledge the good things that we do enioie and that the Church would florish much better if that good lawes alreadie made were faithfulie put in execution and the true discipline of Christ so greatlie and so long wished were firmelie established who doth not acknowledge A thing euident enough these manie yeeres but neuer so apparent as by this great and late trial of the Ministers So that this is another benefit redounding to vs thereby Another is that whereas the Papists would make their fauourers to beleeue who theie thinke wil credit al things whatsoeuer they do write that the farre greater parte of al degrees in this land are Catholiques and an infinite number of al states neuer consented vnto those things which we do yea and that al the Clergie in a manner be on their sides who is either so blinde that he seeth not or so ignorant that he knoweth not howe a greater vntruth could neuer haue bine published And in this respect we maie tearme it an happie trial that euen al the Papists maie learne how to credite them in things not so apparent when they wil not blush to giue-out which in their conscience they knowe is vntrue For God be thanked not the lesser parte but euen al the Ecclesiastical persons of the Church especialie which haue bine tried are on our side and not on the Papistes or else they dissemble so cursedly as no true Christian would to gaine the whole worlde And as al the realme maie see and must confesse thus much so her Maiestie and the right honorable of her priuie Counsel do best knowe and we may easilie coniecture that the noble and worshipful of this Realme chiefelie the greater and better parte haue deuoutlie sworne and be readie and that by sworde stoutlie to defend not Poperie as some seditious fellowes blowe abroad but the Religion publiquely into this lande by auctoritie receaued and our most noble princesse Queene Elizabeth not that odious and most infamous Pontifex And such as the Pastors are such be the flocks as the Nobles be such are the Commons and as the ruler of the citie is himselfe such are al theie that dwel therein Againe although our common enimie Satan which accuseth vs not onlie before man but also euen before the throne of the Almightie and that daie and night so much as in him was laboured to sowe the poisoned seedes of mortal strife and dissention among vs I trust he shalbe deceiued of his expectation and that which he made an occasion of discorde wilbe turned into a cause of an holie and indissoluble concord For holding her Maiestie immediatly after Christ in her dominions ouer al persons the chiefe gouernour the ordinarie seruice for a religious worship of God the Articles of our religion for the verie groundes of Christianitie where-upon we must build or perish what shal deterre vs from louing one another with a moste firme and Christian loue Shal pettie and trifling thinges of no waight or of smal importance yea or anie thing else that can be conceiued in heart or expressed by mouth or penne God forbid And in this holie vnitie we shal the more firmelie be rooted doe wee turne our eies from beholding one another and consider the vnquenchable malice of our capital enimies against vs and the cause of the same From the abundance of their malice they cal the holie Ministers of Christ raskals Intruders Philistims Wolues Apostataes as before was noted And theis infamous yea blasphemous titles theie attribute not vnto a fewe but vnto al euen from the poorest and moste obscure Curate in the countrie to the highest Praelate in the Palace Nowe if thus they thinke and write of vs in the time of their trial what wil theie not tearme vs if theie shoulde haue their wils And theie which haue so litle respect of persons and of gifts nowe wil haue much lesse then And the cause is neither for the Seruice which we haue in our Temples which diuers Popes haue offered to tollerate euen as it nowe is without alteration theie would neuer so do we must think were it either Schismatical haeretical or abominable as our English of al the vainest Papistes do saie nor for the diuersitie of our ceremonies it is for our Faith which is contrarie to theirs and for their Supremacie which we denie yea theie can beare al themselues do saie and turne all to good so long as the true Faith and substance of Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction be not destroyed but seeing wee haue and do both oppugne the faith and ouerthrowe the gouernement of the Church of Rome therfore the vilest wordes that Satan their spiritual father can put into their hearts be in most poisonful manner vomited forth to hurt vs. This being so howe ought we to loue and make of one another who are thus hated and by reuilings persecuted and that for one and the same cause at this present If that daie which theie so long-for should as either that or some other affliction in this world for our vnthankfulnesse or a more intollerable at the general iudgement which is neere at hand shal come it will not be to our griefe that we haue beleeued preached and professed the trueth which the Church of England at this daie doth hold but that we haue not liued there-after we shal repent and publishing the Gospel of peace haue yet bine contentious we shal repent and being seruants to one and the same Lord and master haue not onlie railed vpon but also beaten and pursued one another we shal repent and being watchmen haue not bine more vigilant and resident in our places we shal repent our negligence our coldnesse we shal repent if we haue either kept-out of the Lord his vine-yard such as both for abilitie could and for their zeale would either implant this faith in the ignorant or confirme it in the learned or to the certaine destruction of themselues and many others depending vpon them either brought or kept in the idle and idol shepherd that shal we repent also and that with teares Theis things that we maie carefulie thinke vpon and performe euerie of vs in our place the God of peace grant vs for his Christ sake to whome together with the holie Ghost be ascribed al honor and praise and glorie for al the good things both praesentlie imparted vpon vs and in the life to come praepared for vs for euermore Amen At London the 6. of Februarie Anno 1585. In Christ yours Tho. Rogers D. August Epist. 9. Incomparabiliter pulchrior est veritas Christianorum quàm Haelina Graecorum 1.