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
A19505	Seuen dayes conference betweene a catholicke christian, and a catholicke Romane. Concerning some controuersies of religion. By William Cowper, B. of Galloway.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1613 (1613)	STC 5934; ESTC S112854	58,489	262

here that the Apostle repeating this so oft that Christ was once offered for taking away our sinnes destroyeth all other pretended sacrifices for sinne and specially that sacrifice of the Masse which they say is a propitiatorie sacrifice for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead R. Truely the places are so plaine that very children may vnderstand them and I would God that these poore people who of a blind mind dote after Masses thinking by it to gette the pardon of their sinnes had this benefite of Gods word as you haue it that so by the light of it they might come to the knowledge of the truth C. And I wish the same from my heart But now to confirm you yet further I pray you mark how blasphemous and deceitfull a thing their Masse is First is not this a mockerie of GOD the Father To desire him to accept his owne Sonne Is Christ out of the fauour of his Father said he not He is my Son in whom I am well pleased shall a mortal miserable sinful Priest be a Mediatour or Peacemaker betweene the Father and the Sonne praying the Father that he would accept his Sonne and send downe an Angell to take vp his bodie into Heauen R. Fie vpon it It is a vile blasphemie C. Secondly see you not how it inverts Gods ordinance for where hee hath ordained a Sacrament wherein God offers and giues his Sonne to vs they haue changed it into a sacrifice wherein they offer vp the Son to the Father R. I see that also C. Thirdly Is it not an iniurious thing to Christ to say that any can offer him vp to God but himselfe R. It is inde●de for as no other Sacrifice can satisfie Gods iustice so no other sacrificer can bee worthie to offer him but himselfe as is cleare out of your former Testimonies C. Fourthly Is it not a deceiuing of the people to say that an vnbloudie Sacrifice such as they say the Masse is can bee propitiatorie to obtaine remission of sinnes R. It is indeed and expresly against the Word of God you haue alledged Without shedding of bloud there is no remission they grant themselues that in the Masse there is no shedding of bloud and how then can it giue pardon or remission of sinnes C. Well then since by this you see how they derogate frō Christs sacrifice which is the first part of Christes priestly office I will now let you see how they also cut away the other namely his intercession Marke that place of the Apostle There is one God and one Mediator of God and Man the Man Christ Iesus R. They haue a distinction for that and say there is but one Mediator of redemption but for Intercession many C. But will you consider the place and you shall see where the Apostle sayes there is but one Mediator he is speaking of Intercession and praying and so his meaning must be There is one Mediator of Intercession read the place and see R. I see it is so indeed C. Now with it wil you but ioyne this place of Augustine Qui pro omnibus interpellat pro quo autem nullus is verus vnicus mediator est He that interceeds for al for whom none interceedes is the onely true Mediator And there hee sayes it should bee a great absurdity if Paul were called a Mediator for so there should be many Mediators of Intercession R. But should not Christians interceede one of them for an other as wee are commanded One of you pray for an other C. They should indeed but you must vnderstand that this and the like precepts are for Christians here militant on earth in one communion wherin alike one of them is bound to helpe an other by their praiers R. But do not they who are in heauen pray for the Church militant on earth C. I thinke they doe in general but not vpon any particular knowledge of our priuat necessities troubles or tentations R. How can that be C. You may soon vnderstand how for if they know your griefes it is either by hearing of your words or vnderstanding of your thoughts or by some Reuelation made to them Thinke yee they know your thoghts R. No indeed that is proper to God C. Think you they hear your voice when you expresse in prayer your thoughts by your words R. I cannot thinke that neither since they want their bodies which haue the organs of hearing C. Then they must know it by Reuelation R. It is most likely that when wee pray God tels them our necessities C. What neede you then to pray them to interceede for you R. But how shall wee goe to a King but by his Courtiers C. What a silly refuge is that You haue forgotten what you answered euen now See you not here how that similitude vsed by Papists is destroied to wit That as wee goe to earthly Kings by Courtiers so we shold goe to the King of Heauen by heauenly Courtiers for here it is not the Courtier that shewes our necessities to the King but the King you see shewes them to his Courtiers And would you not think him a foole who may haue the King himselfe to speake to and knowes hee will be welcome if he speake as hee should and yet passeth by the King and depends vpon Courtiers to haue his turne done by them R. I thinke no lesse then you say but how is it then they pray for vs in generall C. I will shew you how there are foure sorts of prayer one called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby we craue ●uill to be diuerted from vs an other called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby wee s●●ke some good wee want to bee giuen vnto vs the third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby one of vs interceedes for an other and the fourth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanksgiuing for good receiued Now they who are in heauen are freede from tentation and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not ascribed to them neither yet is euer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in holy scripture giuen them They rest from their labours they are not busied to be patrones to seueral Countries Cities and Companies of people hauing the particular cures of seuerall diseases parted among them that is but a doting dreame of Papistri● but you will finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thanksgiuing ascribed to them and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too in generall whereby they pray for some good they yet want but look to enioy as is euident out of their owne words How long Lord for this is the voice of these who want some thing they would faine haue R. Tell me I pray you what want they who are in heauen C. First these glorified spirits want their bodies without the which they can neuer haue full contentment for the soule and body were created companions the perfection of both stands in the promised vnion of both R. I vnderstand that very well but want they no other thing for which they cry

hundreth and fiue Gallia Britannia Africa Persis oriens I●dia omnes barbarae Nationes vnum Christum adorant vnam obseruant regulam veritatis R. But why then by some is Palladius called Scotorum Apostolus C. Men may giue names as they please but hee and Servanus Sedulius Nimanus and many more came but in the fiue hundreth yeare of our Lord and may well haue beene waterers of our Church but sure it is they were not the first planters of it R. It is likely indeed to be so C. But to returne Vnder Diocletian in the three hundreth yeare great persecution was made by that Tyrant in al Christian Churches and among the rest the Church of South Britaine was also persecuted by his Deputies for the which many fled to Crachlint King of Scots who did louingly receiue them and assigned to them the Isle of M●n and erected there a Temple dedicated to Christ called otherwise Sodo●ēsis ecclesia wherin they peaceably worshipped Christ Iesus and this our owne Chronicle witnesseth After this in the dayes of Fethelmacus which was about the ●ift yeare of the Emperour Constantius there came into this Countrie one Regulus Albatus out of Achaia a Prouince in Graecia but the Countrie was conuerted also long before hee came Therefore ●iergus● King of the Pictes gaue him his Palace hee had in Fy●●e where hee built the Church of Saint Andrew desire you still to heare any more R. Truely I am very glad to heare that we haue beene so ancient Christians and yet there remaines a doubt in my heart that the Gospell came neuer hither but out of Rome C. Remember you not what I haue prooued seeing wee are but three yeares in Christianitie behinde Rome thinke you in so small time they did so encrease that they spread out their branches to the vttermost parts of the earth Yea rather if you will reade the Storie you shall finde that for three hundreth yeares wherein are many three yeares they were so vexed by the persecutors that they could not get their owne Church stablished as after it was when God relented the persecution But to come n●erer yet vnto you whether hee was an Apostle or an Apostolicke man that first planted our Church I will giue you two great reasons that wee haue our Faith from the Greeke or East Churches not frō the Latine or West Church R. Nowe that is the point and I pray you once cleare it for I thinke if you euince that the Church of Rome in her best estate hath beene vnto vs a sister Church but no mother church C. My first Argument is from Petrus Cluniacensis Abbas writing to Bernard who affirmes that for seuen or eight hundred yeares after Christ the Scottishmen did celebra●e the Passeouer all this time after the Grecian maner not aster the Romane R. I vnderstand not that C. Then I will tell you it Soone after the dayes of the Apostles there happened a controuersie betweene the Churches of the East and West about the celebration of the Passeouer They of the East did obserue it the fourteenth day of the Moone that same day wherein the Iewes kept their Passeouer They againe of the West thinking they would haue no communion with the Iewes did celebrate it the next Sabboth after the fourteenth day Polïcrates with the orientall Bishops alledged the authoritie of Iohn Philip Policarp yea the prescript of the Euangell for their warrant Victor and the Bishops of the West alledged for their warrant Saint Peter Saint Paul Such as were more moderate misliked to see a Schisme in the Church for so small a matter Irenaeus iudgeth Obseruationes ill●s esse liber●s Socrates Ostendit nec Victorem nec Policraten iustam habuisse causam de festo Paschatis tam odiose digladiandi Nam nec Seruator inquit nec Apostoli 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeing neither our Sauiour nor his Apostles by any Law hath commanded the obseruation thereof R. Truely it was a lamentable thing to see so sore a renting of the Church for so small a cause C. It was indeede and yet that in this controuersie the Churches of Britaine obserued the manner of the Easterne Church it is an argument they reuerenced the East Church for their mother from whome the grace of the Gospell had come to them R. It is indeede likely If these Churches had beene planted by Romish Doctors they would haue also receiued the Romish ceremonies C. But there is yet an other Argument Galsrid the Cardinall in his Storie of Britaine which hee wrote in the seuen hundreth yeare witnesseth that the Britans would not receiue Augustinus Iunior the Legate of Gregorie the great nor yet acknowledge any primacie of the Bishop of Rome ouer them An euident argument they esteemed not the Romish Church to be their Mother Church To cleare this you shall know that in the sixt hundreth yeare Gregorius magnus sent into England Augustinus Iunior to perswade the Church there to receiue the Romish ceremonies which to that day they had not knowne as Altars Images Vestiments Crosses wherein albeit hee had not such speedie successe as hee would yet at length did he obtaine it and intended also to effect the like in the Church of Scotland but was strongly resisted by Daganus and Columbanus Qui nullam in ritibus mutationem admittere voluerunt Againe in the seuen hundreth yeare a great schisme was in the church of Britaine some refusing the Ceremonies of the Romish Church keeping still their ancient custome for the which they pretended the authoritie of Saint Iohn the Evangelist Others againe embracing the Romish ceremonies which part waxed the stronger in that King Osuvius inclined to them Alway the matter was debated with so hot contention that from words it came to wepons and twelue hundreth Church-men were slain that refused the Romish Ceremonies this is all the good the Britaine Church got from the Popes Legate yet the euill rested not heere for at length in the eight hundreth yeare by th● perswasion of one Ecbertus this part of the Isle was also induced to receiue the Romish Ceremonies and thereafter their corrupt doctrine And thus did the Bishop of Rome first obtaine superioritie ouer vs and disgrace by his foolish inventions the glorie and sinceritie of the Chur●h of Britaine By all this discourse which truely I haue made vnto you it may be evident how vainely and without a cause the defenders of the Romish Church brag of their ancient Primacie ouer all Churches and specially how far they wrong this Isle when they will haue Rome caled a mother to the Churches here which vnlesse you will adde one syllable cannot be admitted for indeed she is a Stepmother and in a word that Infamous Whoore of Babel who as shee hath corrupted the Churches with her abhominable Superstitions no maruell if shee hath at length infected vs also That Rome is B●bel I will shew GOD willing in our next conference where we shall yet more abūdantly