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	true_a	unity_n	1,784	5	9.4467	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18107	The vindication or defence of Isaac Casaubon against those impostors that lately published an impious and vnlearned pamphlet, intituled The originall of idolatries, &c. vnder his name, by Meric Casaubon his sonne. Published by his Maiesties command.; Is. f. vindicatio patris. English	Casaubon, Meric, 1599-1671.	1624 (1624)	STC 4751; ESTC S107684	28,694	88

howsoeuer he may perhaps differ in opinion from either side yet in charitie he may be vnited vnto both And for no other cause is hee more maligned by the hot-spurres on either part then for seeking to procure peace and concord betwixt them and for doing his best endeauour to make vp the great schisme and rent of the Church that againe wee might come to be all one body Which misery an olde Father was wont long agoe to lament in these words that may be very well applied to our times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth Nazianzen after hee had done speaking of mens maintaining their sides and factions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Whosoeuer keepe a middle ●ourse and follow after peace are ill used on both sides being either contemned or fiercely opposed of which number we being c. For the Papists I haue nothing to say to them now But I haue heere to doe with such kind of men who striuing to runne as farre from Papists as they can haue also vnaduisedly runne withall beyond the bounds of Truth These are the Men that with incredible pride and arrogancy despise all Antiquity that most superciliously contemne the ancient and holy Fathers that studie all they can how to abrogate and abandon all the ancient Constitutions of the Church and in the meane while that arrogate to themselues a power of making what Lawes they list of appointing Ceremonies at their pleasure and of bringing in such a discipline which the Christians of olde neuer heard of as if they had be●ne created the only perpetuall Dictators and Gouernours of the Church of Christ And though they haue no regard at all of any publique tranquillitie refusing to giue way but to the least thing that may make for the peace and vnitie of Christians yet neuertheles they would faine beare vp their credit and for a colour of their bad intents make vs beleeue they are wondrous zealous men Of which sort of men that he was one whosoeuer was the Author of this Booke which these Impostors haue published vnder Is Casa●bons name and that he was no meane one neither but a chiefe champion among them I thinke no body will make question that will but runne ouer the booke and of those infinite places which prooue the same most plainely will but a little more narrowly marke a few There being I suppose scarce any writing extant in this kind which doeth more clearely and euidently argue what an insolent peruerse and rash Author it had A man would verely thinke that hee was one who● had proclaimed open warre and defiance to all Antiquitie or one that being starke-staring mad with noueltie and fury would abandon all the ancient Customes and Constitutions of our Forefathers The Booke indeed by the Title is pretended to be written against Papists but in effect it prooues as aduerse to the Primitiue as to the Popish Church And whereas the Church of England cutting off such corruptions as crept in vpon her in declining ages hath retained many of the Sacred Rites and Ceremonies which the ancient Church had yet she is also cunningly stricken at through the Papists sides with so much the more danger by how much the more craft and close subtiltie it is done Therefore let this be the first Argument of all the rest to prooue that Casaubon neither was nor could be the Author of this Booke For who was it that euer reuerenced the gray haires of Antiquitie more then hee Who euer without iniuring the holy Scriptures ●steemed more highly of the ancient Fathers And for the Church of England what should I neede to speake of i● whose Doctrine and Discipline Rites and Ceremonies hee did so much approoue and embrace that hee could neuer seeme to himselfe to haue commended and magnified it enough Though there were none of his workes and writings left behind him out of which it might be gathered and demonstrated what his mind was herein yet there be many graue and religious men still liuing whom I could call to witnesse how often they haue heard him professe and declare at large that he was thus affected But there will be no neede of that seeing his owne Bookes are euery where extant to confirme it For howsoeuer hee had neuer any occasion offered him purposely and ex professo to handle this Argument yet seeing all his Workes that belong to matters Ecclesiasticall and Diuine haue nothing in them not onely contrary or auerse from the vse and customes of this Church but what is altogether agreeable to the Canons and Constitutions of the sam● and which as occasion is offered doe euer and anon defend them the intelligent Reader will easily perceiue how willingly hee submitted himselfe vnto the Forme thereof rested wholly content with it And for this purpose there are not wanting most certaine proofes and testimonies occurring in many places of his writings which will be enough to stop vp the mouthes of the most impudent gain-sayers As when in his Preface to his Ecclesiasticall Exercitations written to his Sacred Maiestie he saith Qui Ecclesiam habeas in tuis Regnis partim iam olim ità institutam partim magnis tuis laboribus ità instauratam vt ad florētis quondam Ecclesiae formam nulla hodiè propius accedat quàm tua inter uel excessu vel defectu peccantes mediam uiam secuta Quâ moderatione ●oc primum assecuta est Ecclesi● Anglicana ut illi ipsi qui suam ei foelicitatem inuident saepe tamen ex aliarum comparatione illam cogantur laudare deinde c. that is Who haue in your Dominions a Church so established by former ages and so setled by your Maiesties Royal paines and care as no Church this day under heauen comes neerer to the flourishing estate and face of the Ancient then yours which hath taken the middle way betweene them that went astray on both handes by excesse or defect By which moderation the Church of ENGLAND hath got this speciall aduantage that euen such as enuy her happinesse are neuerthelesse oftentimes constrained to magnifie her in comparison of others Besides c. Whereunto these words agree in his Epistle to Cardinall Perron written though in his Maiesties name yet according to his owne sence and meaning Certò clarè ac liquidò sibi constare si notae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaerantur uerè necessaria ad salutem spectentur aut etiam ad decorum Ecclesiae nullam in orbe terrarum Deo vni sit laus gloria inuentum iri quae propius ad fidem aut speciem antiquae Catholicae accedat c. That it was most plaine and manifest unto him how for matters essentiall and truly necessary to saluation or belonging also to the beauty and decency of the Church there was God be thanked none in all the world to be found which came neerer to the faith and face of the ancient Catholike Church c. It wil not be amisse here to set downe his

Cyprian and S. Augustine say of it they that know any Antiquitie cannot be ignorant Againe hee tells vs that from this Custome their Abuse sprung vp who steeped the bread of the holy Supper in the blood of young infants and so celebrated the Sacrament What a most detestable wickednes of a man is this to ioyne the monstrous impietie of lewd miscreants that went for Christians indeede among the vnskilfull multitude but were nothing lesse the vniuersall practise of Christs Church together and to ascribe the wickednesse of heretickes to innocent and harmelesse men So the Pagans of olde what villanie soeuer any base fellow that was but thought to be a Christian had done they were wont to lay it vpon the true Christians themselues as the Writers of those elder ages haue so often complained But so true is it that this wicked bloodshed of infants sprang from the Custome of the Churches mingling water with wine whereof hee makes Alexander to haue beene the first Inuenter as that many of better authoritie then hee fetch the beginning of it from Simon Magus who was a whole hundred yeeres elder then Alexander And it was this Alexander also whom he makes to be the Reuiuer of Iewish Ceremonies in the Church and the first Inuenter of unleauened bread to be vsed in the Eucharist A wonder the man should be no more afraid of the Allobrogicall Consistory the Tribunall seat at Geneua where the same bread according as the olde custome was is vsed at this day In his ninth Chapter to mak● 〈◊〉 way for that which was to follow like a wise fore-caster hee begins to treat of the Religion and Rites of the ancient Romane people which Argument hee handleth iust like himselfe hauing no more knowledge in Antiquitie then what he could get from B●ond●● and Alexander and such other late Writers whom he cites euery where for antiquitie as witnesses beyond all excep●●on yet for this hee is to bee commended though for nothing else that he doeth so ingenuously acknowledge his good Benefactors But how well this kinde of writing agrees with Casaubon to depend wholly vpon new Writers and neglect the olde let them say that are fit iudges in these matters But it made altogether for his purpose to explicate the Paynim Rites and Ceremonies of the Romans frō whence hee vndertaketh to deduce the whole Masse and to conuince it of Paganisme For his vndertaking let honest and moderate men iudge how laudable it is I know hee is not the first or at least the onely man that hath attempted it there haue beene those that would needes fetch the whole Religion of the Papists both in Faith and Ceremonies from Turks Pagans But sure I am that any such thought was very odious to Casaubon who was neither so inept to beleeue any such thing himselfe nor so malignant to perswade other men to it Which I speake not as if I meant to excuse the many and detestable superstitions of Popery no such matter But it is one thing faithfully to reduce errors and corruptions vnto their prime beginnings which many excellent men haue with great felicitie vndertaken and another shamefully to detort and bitterly to exaggerate all things for the bringing of them into hatred which the Author of this Booke hath most impudently done aboue all others that euer belaboured themselues in this kind And seeing the Church of England hath retained many things in her publike Liturgie that were before in the Romane Missall the one cannot altogether be accused of Paganisme without the opprobrious iniury of the other But wee said euen now and it is too manifest that this Pamphlet is in most things repugnant to the Church of England We will briefly point at some of them In the eighth Chapter The keeping of Lent is reckoned vp among those ordinances that be contrary to Christs precept Temples that beare the names of Saints are scorned and taunted at as if they were built to the honour of men and not to the worship of God Praying towards the East and the situation of Churches that way are condemned for inuentions of superstitious heretickes The Titles of Father and Reuerend Father which we vse to giue vnto Ecclesiasticall persons are traduced as being deriued from the custom of the Gentiles Confirmation of children is ho●ted at as the fond deuice of idle men that had nothing el●e to doe Through the Popes sides all distinction of Order in the Church is pulled apieces and a paritie of E●a●gelicall Ministers set vp and maintained as Ius Diuinum The vse of a Surplice in performance of Diuine Seruice hee deriueth from the idolatrous Egyptians and againe those that brought it first into the Church hee sayth plainely were men inspired with the spirit of Numa Pompilius whom hee is eue● and anon calling the Magician● All the Furniture and Ornaments of the Church as vessels of siluer Hangings and Tapisteries are condemned and scorned The vse of Musicke as well uocall as instrumentall in the time of Diuine Seruice● hee doeth most reprochfully raile at affirmes that Numa the Magician and not the Bishops of Rome was the first bringer of it into Churches Dispensations for pl●ralities of Benefices are but an old renewed custome of the Romane Idolaters with him and no Constitution of Christians And these with such other like monstrous absurdities he is not onely so impudent to affirme but he will needs betray and shew such great ignorance al●o to confirme them with reasons that a man cannot tell at what he should wonder most his ignorance or his impudence As for example first bringing that which wee alledged last of all concerning Dispensations and auouching them to haue come from the Romans he saith Ouer these Benefices the high Pontife had usurped a power to giue dispensation to whom he would for the holding of two together as in I itus Liuius it is related of Fabius Maximus who by a dispensation helde two Benefices when hee was created Pontife more then 200. before the Incarnation of ●esus Christ. These things to be spoken by a Pagan after the manner of our own times who would not marueile at But in Liuie there is no such matter Hee speakes not one word of a Dispensation That Fab. Maximus of whom Liuie here writes was neuer any Pontife neither but died when he was young Indeed his Father Q. Fab. the elder was said to haue had two Priesthoods as they call'd them of two kinds nothing like one another● but not two places or two preferments in the same kinde of Priesthood Forsooth the same man was Augur and Pontife too And not to tell you what Plutarch saith that the name Augur was no title of Magistracie or dignity but of Art and knowledge onely Liui's words are Eodem anno Quin. Fabius moritur c. Augur in eius locum inauguratus est Quin. Fabius Max filius in eiusdem locum P●ntifex● nam duo