Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	earth_n	heaven_n	militant_a	4,766	5	11.7120	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13257	A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the seas: with an exhortation to the reformation of the Churche. Perused and allowed accordinge to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.; Confessio Helvetica Posterior. English.	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Old, John, fl. 1545-1555.	1568 (1568)	STC 23554; ESTC S118060	120,110	316

mercie then by our owne accorde And as Paule saieth What i. Cor. iiii hast thou that thou hast not receiued if thou hast receiued it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not receiued it And as out of that place the holy martire Cyprian Cypriā gathereth We must glorie in nothyng because wee haue nothyng Heresies of our owne Wee condemne therefore these who in suche sorte defende mennes merites that thei diminishe the grace of God ¶ Of the holie catholike churche of God of the one onely hedde of the Churche Chapi 17. SEyng that God from the beginnyng The churche euer was euer shal be would haue manne saued and come to the knoweledge of the truthe it muste nedes bee that euer there was and now is and to the ende of the worlde there shal bée what the churche is a Churche that is to saie a companie of the faithfull called and gathered out of the worlde a companie I saie of all the Sainctes to witte of them whiche doe truly knowe and rightly worship the true God in Christe their sauiour accordyng to his worde and by the aide of the holie Ghoste to bee shorte whiche are made partakers of al goodnes offered fréelie vnto them through Christe by faithe All these be citezens of one Citie liuyng vnder one Lorde vnder one kinde of lawes being alike partakers of all good thynges For so the Apostle calleth them fellowe citezeins with the Sainctes and of Gods housholde folke namyng them sainctes who abidyng in the yearth are faithfull sanctified by the blood of gods soonne Of whom this article of our Ephe. ii 1. Cor. vi beleife speaketh wherein it is saied I beleue the holie catholike church The Communion of Sainctes And seyng that there is alwaies one onely God one mediatour betwene God and mā Iesus our Messias and one shepherde There was neuer but one true churche of the whole flocke one hedde of this bodie to conclude one spirite one saluacion one faithe one Testamente or couenaunte it followeth necessarilie that there is one onely Churche also Whiche therefore we call Catholike Why it is called catholike because it is vniuersall is dispersed throughout all the partes of the world and extendeth it self to all tymes beyng limited and inclosed in no place or tyme. We condemne therefore the Donatistes who straightlie enclosed Heretikes tiyng the churche to certain places and times the churche in I knowe not what corners of Aphrike Neither dooe wee allowe the Romishe Clergie who bests that almoste the onely Romishe churche is the catholike Churche The Churche is distributed into tiuers Diuers partes of the churche partes not that it is seuered or torne in peeces in it self but rather by reasō of the diuersitie of the members that be therein For there is one churche The Militant churche called Militant an other Triumphant that is militante whiche being as yet on the yearth wageth battaile and fighteth with the fleshe the world and the Prince of this worlde the deuill also with synne and death Whē this Churche is discharged of attendaunce here it triumpheth in heauen for the victorie ouer all those her enemies reioysyng before the Lorde albeit these twoo Churches are still vnited or knitte together The militant Churche remainyng Particuler churches on the yearth hath alwaies had many particuler Churches yet all thei are referred to the vnitie of the catholike Churche This Churche was otherwise gouerned before the lawe emōg the Patriarkes otherwise vnder Moises by the laws otherwise of Christe by the gospell Cōmenly also there are compted twoo kinds of people the Israelites and the Gentiles or a people consistyng of the Iewes and Gētiles gathered together in the Churche There be twoo Testamentes also the old and the newe Yet of all these people there was and is one societie one saluacion by one Messias in whom as members of one bodie vnder one hedde all are knitte together in one faithe all are partakers of one spiritual meate and drinke Howbeit here we acknowledge that there were sundrie tymes diuers signes or Sacramentes of our Messias both promised giuen also to vs of his father that the ceremonies remoued a brighter light now shineth vnto vs that we receiue larger giftes inioy greater libertie thē our forefathers had before the commyng of Christe This holie Churche of God is called the house of the liuyng Lorde built The names of the church of liuing and spiritual stones and sect vpon an vnmoueable rocke vpō suche a foundaciō that there can none other foundaciō be laied then it And in that i. Timo. iii. respecte it is also called the piller and ground of truthe It erreth not as lōg when the church erreth as it testeth vpon Christe the Rocke and foundacion of the Prophettes and Apostles But no meruell if it erre as often as it forsaketh hym who onely is the truthe The Churche also is called the virgine and spouse of Christe and the onely and welbeloued spouse of Christe For the Apostle saieth I ii Cor. xi ioigned you to one housbande to presente you as a pure virgine to Christ It is also called the flocke of shepe vnder one shepherde Christe bothe in the xxxiiij Chap. of Ezech. and. x. of Ihon. And it is named Christe his bodie because the faithfull are the liuyng mēbers of Christ vnder Christ their hed The hedde is that whiche hath preeminence and the higheste roume in the bodie geuyng life to it and ruling it so in all thynges with the vitall spirites comming from thence that it increaseth groweth thereby There is also but one hed of that bodie wherewith it doeth wel agree For the churche There is but one hedde of the churche Christe Iesus can not haue any other hedde then Christe and as the Churche is a spirituall bodie so it is meete that it haue a spirituall hedde agreablie Neither cā it be ruled by any other spirit then by Christe his spirite Paule writeth he is the hedde of the bodie of the churche He is the beginning first borne Col. 1. of the dedde that in all thynges he might haue the preeminence Againe Christ is the hedde of the churche and Ephe. v. Ephe. i. the same Christe is the sauiour of his bodie And again he saieth Which is the hedde of the churche whiche churche is his bodie euen the fulnesse of hym that filleth all in all Moreouer Ephe. iiij Let vs in all thinges growe vp into hym whiche is the hedde that is Christ by whom al the body beyng coupled and knitte together by euery ioynte receiueth increase We allowe not therfore that doctrine of the Romishe Clergie makyng their Romishe bisshoppe an vniuersall Shepeherde the The Pope chief hedde yea and Christes true vicare of his catholike militante churche in the yearth wherein he hath fulnesse of power and supreme dominion as thei saie For we teache that Christ is

the Lorde and remaineth the onely vniuersall shepherde chief high priest before God his father and that he in Christ is present with his churche the churche doeth all the dueties of an high bisshoppe or shepherd and so will continue vnto the ende of the worlde and therefore néedes no vicare as one that were absente Truely Christe is present with his Churche and is a liuyng hedde who straightly forbadde his Apostles and their successours to chalenge the primacie or supremacie in the churche Whosoeuer then gainsaieth this manifest truth bringeth into the church of Christ a cōtrary gouernment who seeth not that thei are to be coumpted emong the nomber of those whō Christes Apostles Prophesied of ij Peter ij and Paule Acte xx ij Cor xi and. ij Thes ij By takyng awaie the Romish hed No desorder in the church we bryng into the Churche of Christe no disorder no trouble seyng that we teache that the gouernemente of the churche prescribed by the Apostles is sufficiente for vs to kepe the Churche in due order Whiche 〈◊〉 the beginnyng while it was without suche a Romishe hedde as now adaies is said to keepe the Churche in order it was not without very 〈…〉 Doubtlesse The head of Rome the hedde of Rome maintaineth the tyrannie and corruption brought into the churche but 〈◊〉 resisteth and with all the might he 〈◊〉 withstādeth the true reformacion thereof It is obiected vnto vs that there are diuers cōtentions crept into our churches Contentions in the church sithens we separated our selues from the Romishe churche wherevpō Contentions in the romish churche some conclude that we bée not the true Churches of Christe as though there were neuer any sectes in the Churche of Rome neuer any strie for contencion and that for religion not so muche in Scholes as in their holte Chaires and in open assemblies We acknowledge i. Cor. xiiii that the Apostle said God is not GOD of dissencion but of peare and seyng there is emong you emulacion and contencion are ye not carnall yet it cannot be deuied but that God was Contention is no true note of the false churche 〈◊〉 the Apostolike Churche and that that Churche was the true Churche in which notwithstandyng there was striefe and discorde For the Apostle Gal. ii Act. xv Paule reprehended Peter the apostle and Barna●●● dissented frō Paule A greuous cōtencion 〈◊〉 in the churche of Antibche betwene them that preache Christ as Luke reherseth Act. rv There hath vtter great strief alwaies in the Churche and the moste famous doctors thereof haue dissented emong theimselues in no light matters the Church notwithstanding ceassed not to bee Christe his Churche still as it was before for so it pleased God to vse the strief in the Churche to the glorie of his name to sette forthe his truthe and to haue those whoe are tried better knowen But as wee acknowledge none other The markes of the true churche hedde of the Churche then Christ so wee agnise not euery one that boasteth it self for the true Churche to be the true Churche in deede We teache that to bee the true Churche wherein are found the signes or markes of the true Churche especially the right and sincere preachyng of God his woorde As wée be taught in the bookes of the Prophettes and Apostles who referre all to Christ whiche faieth in the Gospell My Shepe heare 〈◊〉 voice and I knowe theim thei followe me and I geue to thē eternall life and thei shall neuer perishe thei followe not a straūger but flie from hym because thei knowe not the voice of straūgers and these Shepe be all of one faithe of one spirit and therefore worship one onely God seruyng hym alone in spirite and truth and louing him onely with all their harte with all their strength dooe call on hym onely for Christe his sake their onely mediatour and intercossour seekyng without Christe and faithe in him no rightuousnes no life because thei acknowledge Christe to be the onely hedde and foundacion of the Churche and them selues to bee laied vpon this foundacion Thei doe daiely repare them selues with repentaunce dooe paciently beare the crosse 〈◊〉 vpon them and beyng knitte together by vnfained loue with al Christes members doe thereby declare thēselues to bee the Disciples of Christe continuyng in the bonde of peace and godlie vnitie Thei be also partakers together of the Sacramentes instituted by Christe and taught of the Apostles vsyng them none otherwise then the lorde hath commanded them The saiyng of the Apostle is well knowen to all men I haue receiued of the lord that whiche I also haue deliuered vnto you Wherfore we condemne those i. Cor. xi Churches as disagreyng from Christ his true Church which be not such as we haue heard that thei shuld be boast thei neuer so muche of the succession of Bisshops of vnitie and antiquitie Yea the Apostles commaūde vs to flie from Idolatrie and Babilon and not to take part with her except we would i. Cor. x. i. Ihon. v. Apoc. xviii ii Cor. vi There is no saluatiō with out we be of Christe his churche take part of God his plages also We so muche esteme the societie with the true Churche of Christe that we deny that thei can liue in GOD his sighte whiche doe not communicate with the true Churche of God but separate thēselues from it For as out of the Arke of Noe there was no sauyng helpe A similitude when the worlde perished by the flood so wee beleue that there is no assured saluacion without Christ who offreth hymself in the Churche to be enioyed of his electe and therefore we teache that thei whiche will liue muste not separte theimselues frō the true churche of Christe Howbeit wée doe not so narrowlie include the Churche within the signes aboue rehearsed that we The churche is not tyed to signes teache all those to be out of the church whiche either receiue not the Sacramentes so that it be not a self will or All offenders are not counted to be out of the church contempte but compelled rather by necessitie whiche thei can not auoide either those in whom sometime faithe fainteth but is not vtterly loste and cleane dedde either els suche in whō there are founde faultes and errours by infirmitie For we knowe that god had some frendes in the worlde which were not of the Israelites Common wealthe We are not ignoraunt what happened to the people of God in the captiuitie of Babilon in the whiche thei lacked their sacrifices for the space of lxx yeres We knowe what befell to Peter who denied his maister and what daiely is wonte to happe to the electe and faithfull weaklinges Further we are not ignoraunt what maner of Churches in the Apostles tyme the Galathians Corinthians had in the whiche the Apostle laieth to their charge that there was many and greuous The churche sumtime semeth to be