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	scripture_n	tradition_n	1,856	5	9.2936	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42725	Nevves from Poland wherein is declared the cruell practice of the popish clergie against the Protestants, and in particular against the ministers of the city of Vilna, in the great dukedome of Lithuania, under the governement of the most illustrious prince, Duke Radziwell / faithfully set downe by Eleazar Gilbert ...	Gilbert, Eleazar.	1641 (1641)	Wing G705; ESTC R9201	20,227	38

of nature the impurity of mans life and manners the fulfilling and executing of a mans own excessive lusts and desires I say that that Religion is the more like to be orthodoxe and sound my reason is because God being of pure eyes with whom dwelleth no iniquitie is a God of order both inwardly in respect of himselfe and outwardly in respect of his creatures inwardly in respect of himselfe there is a prioritie of order of the Father before the Sonne of the Sonne before the Holy-Ghost outwardly and in respect of the creatures God made all things in order and measure yea in such order and measure that each creature keepeth its owne course and station I speake not in regard of corrupted but created nature for the mutuall comfort and conservation one of another the more then that we crosse order and measure the more I say that wee are excessive and exorbitant in our affections and actions especially in matters exercises of Religion and Divine worship the greater cause have we to suspect our selves and that Religion which we professe or which teacheth or warranteth us so to doe for what is sinne but an obliquity in our affections and actions and what is holinesse or true Religion but a conformity and rectitude of both these being sutable to Gods revealed will which is the rule of righteousnesse that Religion therefore whose doctrine teacheth us most conformitie and rectitude in our affections and actions to Gods word must of necessity be a true and sound Religion this is the second 3 A third marke of true Religion is when the doctrins practice thereof doe tend more to the advancement of the honour and glory of Christ then our owne worldly or private profit and advantage and when they doe affect us with a sense feeling of our owne wants and unworthinesse so that we are ready to say not with the Pharisee I am not like this man I have done thus and thus nor with the Papist I have performed this worke of condignity that of congruity a third of supererogation by the working or doing whereof I have deserved eternall life both for my selfe and others but rather confesse with the Apostle Non sunt condignae these our momentary sufferings are not worthy of that glory that shall be revealed and with that good Martyr onely Christ onely Christ or with that worthy Father Meritum meum miserationes Domini onely the Lords mercies are my chiefest merits 4 Fourthly that is surely a sound and warrantable Religion wherein most comfort is afforded and ministred to a distressed and perplexed conscience through the assured confidence of Gods love in our owne Election especially at the approach of death For whereas some false and pretended Religions for sinistrous and bad ends teach that it is great and damnable presumption to beleeve or be certainely perswaded that God hath elected us to salvation or that wee can have in this life any certaine feeling of Gods love in the pardon of our sinnes True and pure Religion exhorteth us with Saint Peter to give diligence to make our owne calling and election sure no wayes to doubt but to beleeve for he th●t doubteth beleeveth not and maketh God a lyar to beleeve I say and be perswaded with Saint Paul that nothing can separate us from his love but that Christ shall bee both in life and death our advantage 5 I could also mention a fifth marke of true Religion which is this namely when the principles and doctrines thereof doe not onely teach but move the professors thereof although in respect of persons innumerable yet in respect of opinion and affection to be as one man when of many hundreds or thousands of men and women that assemble themselves and enter into the place of Gods worship the habitation of Gods House it can be said as it was of these in the Primitive Church {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they all entred into the Church as one man but because I am to speake more largely of this point about the end of this Treatise and I am loath that my Citty should as they say runne out at the gates or my preface prove larger then my History Let these few passages serve to assure the Reader that such as is premised is our Religion ours I say de●ended and taught in this Angelike Monarchy the doctrines that wee doe maintaine the truths that we doe beleeve and the Circumstances which I would at this time commend to the serious observation of all my brethren and Countrie-men especially to these that are addicted to the Roman Sea within the Kingdome of Great Britaine or elsewhere to the effect they may not onely apprehend and perceive the true and solid grounds which our Religion and Church is built upon which is not the person or succession of one particul●r Peter but the doctrine and faith of many thousand Pauls or parvuli Christi even of all true Christians who by humility and faith depend upon the merits of the Sonne of God and the gracious promises revealed in his word or inspired Scriptures which were given unto men not by men not by any humane tradition or invention but by Divine inspiration being profitable of themselves through the working of the Holy-Ghost to instruct reprove correct and make the man of God perfect wise unto salvation and furnished unto every good worke But also behold and know the sandy foundation of the Romish Church and all other pretended srothy hereticall fantasticall phanaticall schismaticall fr●ctious and factious Idolatrous and superstitious Religions in the world which is no other but quircks and tricks of fleshly worldly and naturall wisedome not able soundly and savingly to perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God yet permitted by God to remaine in his Church for the correcting disciplining and exercising of his militant members who without such things would freeze to death and settle themselves upon the lees of naturall corruption and like an Oxe to the slaughter runne on with others and precipitate themselves in that broad way that leadeth to destruction And likewise in the third place with griefe of heart bemoane the intollerable pride insatiable avarice unlimited ambition unquenchable malice hatred and tyrannie which the Romanists doe exercise and where-with their chiefe Prelates Doctors and ghostly Fathers doe burne against their innocent orthodoxe and reformed brethren and whereby they would ingrosse unto themselves wheresoever they take footing or beare sway all power authority and priviledges as well in Civill as Ecclesiasticall affaires fearing and sparing no lyes reproaches calumnies perjuries murthers which either the devils malice or mans wickednesse can invent for accomplishing their Politick designes and Machiavel-like machinations against all their opposers The truth whereof wee shall see to appeare plainely as in many other parts of Europe whereof also I suppose this Kingdome cannot be insensible so especially in the Kingdome of Poland and more particularly in the great Citty of Vilna

or the Wilde the metropolis of Lithuania a Citty for sumptuous Churches faire buildings multitude of people frequency of commerce and in a word aboundance of all good things except liberty of conscience and true Religion little inferiour to the Citty of London being scituated in the heart or center of seven or eight antient Kingdomes now annexed and allyed to the Crowne of Poland and namely Lithuania Samogitia Courlandia Livonia Alba-Russia Prussia and Massovia neere unto which Citty the Author hereof hath ministred these three yeares last past to a Congregation of Scots and English within the Towne of Keydan which belongeth unto that most famous and Illustrious Prince and chiefe Protector of the Reformed Religion Ianussius Radzivil Duke of Birz and Dubinka Prince of the sacred Roman Empire Lord high Chamberlaine of the great Dukedome of Lithuania Administrator of Mohilovia Governour of Kasimerski and Kameninski c. Who in anno 1638. with the approbation and consent of a Synode holden at the Wilde received him into the number of his stipendiary Ministers as appeareth more at length by his Certificate This great Citty aforesaid is the Tribunall or place of Justice for the said great Dukedome of Lithuania having a great University of almost an innumerous multitude of Students who resort thither for learning and education especially in the Romish Religion from all places and corners of the Kingdome and who doe replenish as it were or rather pester the whole Citty There be also therein many Relig●ons professed and tolerated whereunto also belong many Churches and places of Divine worship as a Synagogue to the Jewes whereof there be many thousands in that Citty a Ruthenian Church to the Russians a Mahumetan Church to the Tartatians a Church to the Lutherans all which doe enjoy their exercises of Religion without trouble or interruption These all being in respect either of Idolatry superstition or errours in league and consanguinity joyned with the Papists whereof the maine body of that Citty and Kingdome doth consist Now amongst the rest and a little before the decease of the Illustrious Prince Duke Christopher Radzivil of most honorable and blessed memory who departed this life in the moneth of August 1640. at his Palace in Vizounez and was most magnificently buryed at Vizounka twenty miles distant from the aforesaid Citty in the great Dukedome of Lithuania upon the twelfth of February last whereof the Authour was an eye-witnesse a little I say before his departure there was also within the aforesaid Citty a faire spacious and strong Church which belonged to the Protestants whom they call Calvinists and whose Church by the Romanists is termed in derision by the name of Zbor or Congregation whereunto also is adjoyned a Dutch Church both built of freestone and environed with a high strong and thick stone-wall guarded also with a garrison of Musketiers and Souldiers whom the aforesaid Prince continually kept in pay for the safety of the said Churches and Professors These two Churches were scituated within the heart as it were or middle of the Citty and were invested with many priviledges and liberties as any Papist Church in Poland which were also established and confirmed by many Kings and Parliaments successively unto these two Churches the one Polish and the other Dutch belonged three Ministers the two Polish Ministers were Master Balthazar Labenski and Master Yeurski the Dutch Minister Master Andreas who were assisted by George Hartibius Rector of the Protestant Colledge a man of sound learning and unspotted conversation as appeareth by the testimony of his very adversaries given unto him in divers places But because these Churches and Ministers being scituated as is said and the Ministers were in great repute and much frequented by Protestant Noblemen and Gentlemen who resorted unto their Sermons in great Assemblies from all places of the Country they could not chuse but be a great eye-sore unto their neighbours the Jesuits Priests Fryars whose Churches Cloisters Monasteries Colledges were contiguous and did incompasse them on every side Behold therefore what hellish tricks and stratagems these Jesuits Popish Priests and Schollars used for the abolishing of these Churches and utter suppressing the exercise of the Protestant Religion and Colledge within the aforesaid Citty Upon the fifth of October 1639. a certaine Polish Gentleman named Paul Piekarski with his servant Ioseph Rakouski being at guest in the house of one Naborowuski close adjoyning to the Protestant Church about three of the clocke in the afternoone amongst other passages and exercises of mirth and jollity did shoot some Arrowes at a bird or fowle which they perceived to be upon the top of the steeple of the Protestant Church two of which Arrowes there blowing then much wind were driven to a Popish Church neere joyning called Saint Michaels and lighting at the west end thereof stucke into the leg of the woodden image of an Angell Now within the Church-yard of this Church was and is a great Monastery of Franciscans some whereof issuing out of their Cloister perceived these Arrowes sticking in the leg of the image which being so neere the Protestant Church and they also so desirous to pick a quarrell against the Protestants did straight-way conceive and affirme that these Arrowes were shot out of the Protestant Church by the Evangelick Ministers or by their appointment and approbation in despight and contempt of their Romish Religion The Friars acquainted the Jesuites and Priests therewith who burning with malice against the Protestants and daily seeking some occasion to doe them mischiefe gave order to their Schollars and Students to fall upon these hereticall Churches pull them down to the ground and if they could apprehend or kill these Calvinist Ministers whom they would needs have to be the authors of that riot to the performance wherof these devote and well disciplined Schollars were not slacke but straightwayes issued out of their Schooles and Colledges like a hive of Bees assisted and accompanied with some thousands of Priests Prentises and Serving men who in great furie addressed themselves unto the aforesaid Churches with ladders shovels mattoks and other instruments beginning to undermine the wall and uncover the roof of the Protestant Colledge But there being at that instant through Gods providence many Protestant Noble-men and Gentlemen with their servants present at the Christning of one of the Ministers children there being also a Garrison of Souldiers which the aforesaid Duke kept continually in pay for the safeguard of his Churches the Souldiers and servants let flie a volly or two of shot amongst them seeing they could not by any faire meanes be removed this confused Army being hereby terrified was presently disbanded and perceiving they could not accomplish their designes against the Protestant Churches like theeves and Robbers more then like Christians and Schollars being led by the Devill their Patron they betooke themselves to the shops and houses of the Scots French and Dutch Merchants there inhabiting who for the greatest part are Protestants