Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	heathen_a	let_v	publican_n	2,742	5	10.9981	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01175	The restorer of the French estate discouering the true causes of these vvarres in France & other countries, and deliuering the right course of restoring peace and quiet to all Christendome: wherein are handled these principall questions touching religion, policie, and iustice: whether it be lawfull to sweare, and keepe promise to heretikes, to force mens consciences for religion sake, to liue with, and dwell nigh heretikes, to breake the order of succession to the Crowne bycause of religion, or no. Who be schismatikes; and of the chiefe poincts of religion. How we are to iudge of the schisme in Christendome at this day. Lastly, the conclusion conteining notable admonitions to the clergie, nobles, magistrates, people, and King of France. Translated out of French. Ecclesiæ & reipub. D.	Hurault, Michel, d. 1592, attributed name.	1589 (1589)	STC 11289; ESTC S102588	139,883	174

against Licinius Emperour of the East and by consequence their Emperour and souerargne Magistrate so farre forth that Licinius was put to flight which is an history that locketh their lips who boast so much of this maxime that whole prouinces may not stand in defence of their religion against their Prince For Licinius was lawfull Emperour of th' East without all controuersie euen when Constantine made warre on him to cause him to surcease his persecutions against his Christian subiects and Constantine was not Emperour then but of Italie Afrike France Spaine Moreouer most certaine it is that Licinius was Emperour of th' East long before Constantine was declared Emperour of the West neuerthelesse he vndertooke this warre against Licinius at th'instance of th' East Churches and was blessed of God We read againe to this same purpose how the Christians of Persia oppressed with intollerable afflictions by their king had recourse to the Romains crauing succour of them and praying thē to pitie their extreme necessity the Bishop of Constantinople laboured so to Theodosius th'Emperour that he vndertook their protection Theodosius made warre on the king of Persia obtayned many miraculous victories and in fine compelled him to entreat his Christen subiects more gently The Reformed pretend to haue at this day as good reason to appeale to the king of Nauarre th'Almains and other their neighbors for protection and defence And although hitherto ye haue surmounted them in number of victories yet that iustifieth your quarell neuer the more Apoc. 13. For it is written of Antichrist that for a time he shall haue th'vpperhand ouer th'elect But rather mark the successe if ye haue got some victories they haue had victories also they are come neerer their end and purpose then you The right of the cause is not alwaies auowed by the victorie The Beniamites mainteining a most vnrighteous quarrell remained in two battailes maisters of the field Iud. 20. in the third they were quite defeicted Th'Israelits ouercame and were ouercomen Heb. 11. the Scripture teacheth they ouercame through the iustice of their quarell assisted with faith and assurance of Gods fauour againe they were ouercome more often through the desert of their sinnes making them vnworthy of Gods fauour then th'iniustice of their cause How know we whether th'enterchaunged course of our victories and mishap of the Reformed haue not come to passe rather by reason of their sinnes then by any vnrighteous quarell they mainteined in this warre CHAP. III. Whether it be lawfull with good conscience to liue with heretikes or nigh them PEraduenture ye will tell me that my counsaile is a snare of sinne bicause ye gather by my discourse that a man may conuerse with heretikes which is prohibited in many places of the Gospell My children if yee will yeeld as much to reason as ye doe to your passions yee will vpon this doubt stand contented with those arguments examples by me already proposed when I proued that we might lawfully graunt and keepe faith to heretikes there I haue sufficiently taught that in France it is impossible to sequester the Reformed from the Catholikes without destruction of France there also haue I recited the reasons for which we haue determined sometimes to liue in peace with them and wherefore likewise all our neighbours haue taken the selfe same resolution and continue still therein and do find it better for them to keepe it then we to haue left it Neuthereles to make it plaine that I am no lesse earnest to desire and seeke your conuersion and safetie then your selues are earnest to reteine and recall the causes of your confusion and wrack and also to make good that my substantiall reasons do in number and weight exceede those emptie shadowes that make a great muster in your passionat conceipts I am content for your sakes to handle againe more particularly this question to wit whether we may with good conscience conuerse with heretikes or nigh them I reknowledge that it is written Take heed least any men seduce you go not be not partakers with them take heed that none ouertake you auoyd an heretike after the first and second admonition who so disobeyeth the Church let him be to thee as an Heathen person Publican Mat. 24. Ephes 5. Col. 2. Tit. 3. Mat. 18. This is in summe the whole doctrine of the Gospell in this behalfe Now so it is that by these wordes we are commaunded onely to beware of seducers of their philosophie and humane reasons of their traditions and fables not to be astonished and ouercome at their false miracles not to consent nor partake with them in their doctrine and ceremonies and not to admit them into our more priuate familiar communications conference and alliances howbeit these places import no prohibition wherby Christians are forbidden to dwell or soiourne with infidels heretiks or schismatikes in the same realme in the same common-wealth in the same countrie in the same towne otherwise we must also affirme that the Church of God hath continually disobeyed this prohibition and that our Lord and his Apostles liued not consormably to their doctrine which were blasphemy to thinke much more to say Abel liued with Cain the reprobate Seth and Enos men of God dwelt confusedly among other children of Adam that liued in a maner all without reason law religion as there appetite lead them like bruit beastes made gyddy with the stroke of Gods curse Noe dwelt with continually preached to the old world whose execrable impieties opened the windowes of heauen and abhominable transgressions brought the seas to transgresse their boundes the riuers their bankes the fountaines their brinkes conspiring against nature to ouerwhelme their cursed carcasses with an vniuersall sloud Ahraham the father of the chosen of the Lord out of many as one grape of the cluster and a plant out of great people 4 Esd 9. did liue frequent conuerse and traffik with many misbeleeuing nations Isaac did eat make and sweare alliance with th' infidell Abimelek Iacob abode with the idolater Laban serued him maried his daughters he visited his brother Esau reiected by God he gratified him with offers and presents he called him his Lord. The Israelits dwelt and liued among th'Aegyptiens Canaanits Syrians Assirians Medes Persians they concluded leagues with the Greekes Romains they I say that were forbidden more expresly then we they erected Synagogues in all regions they were not able to withstand the manifold changes in their Religion euen within their principall Citie within the shadow of their temple they were defiled with idolatries heresies and schismes they saw themselues sundred into many sectes of Pharisies Saduces and Essens The Prophets haunted the Palaces of the kings of Iuda and Israell though they had cleane forsaken the Lordes way Samuel conuersed with Saul Ahias and other Prophetes frequented Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat and patron of Idolatrie reuolt and ingratitude against God and his soueraigne he that

shall hardly finde in the Gospel one commaundement to condemne the heretike to death but ye shall finde there as it were qualifications restraints vpon that commādement of the Law It is written in S. Matthew if he hearkeneth not to thee Mat. 18. tell it the Church and if he hearkeneth not to the Church let him be to thee as an Ethnik and Publican it is not written deliuer him into the hands of the Iustice or of th'Executioner it is lesse written massacre him S. Paul saith in the times of heresies watch trauaile doo the worke of an Euangelist he saith not make leagues and conspiracies commaund and mustre armies dispatch al with th' edge of the sword The number of peruerse heretikes was great in the Apostles time their writings are full of complaints against them But what Did they therefore runne to these extremities of raysing powers to roote them out No they punished a fewe to restraine the rest not by the sword which was forbidden them but by the wonderfull power of the word These extraordinarie actes are lessons for our ordinarie Magistrates whensoeuer they meet with multitudes infected with heresie first to vse lenitie leasure and labour to winne them all if it may be than to punish the Arch-heretikes by death to the terror of the residue and euermore to beware that he make no generall executions For so shal he imitate th'Apostles administration of iustice in cases of religiō nay he shal imitate his Lord God who if he sometimes send sodain vēgeāce on a few for their wickednes misbeleef yet doth he long time patiently abide the conuersion of innumerable others Again how know we the time of Gods calling the election belongeth not peculiarly now a dayes to any certain natiō the gate lies open to all he brings into his vineyard some in the morning others at noone and some at night If the people of God had in old time destroyed all the Gentils they had withall destroyed so many Churches which since haue bene gathered of Gentils How know we whether he that is at this day an heretike or schismatike shall be so an yeare hence How know we whether God will call his children neuewes or his neuewes children He that had consumed with fire the townes of Europe infected with Arianisme for certaine hundred yeeres how much had he hindered the kingdome of our Sauiour the fulfilling of the number of the faithfull seing that out of those Townes the Lord hath taken daily doth take some to finish his accompt If ye tell me that all lewd persons guilty and conuict of other crimes may stand on those pretences to auoyd or make blunt the Magistrates sword I will answere you that betweene heresie and other common crimes th'ods is very great For the heretike put to death without pause seemeth to die in a harde case and few there are of them that make shew of repentance while breath is in their bodie and no maruaile For their hearts are so hardened that they had rather leaue their life then their opinion And can ye persuade them to repent who will acknowledge no offence As for other malefactors their crimes are open to their conscience their faults proceeded not of error in saith but of frailty in flesh That they acknowledge them is one good step to repentance that they are sory for them is another as good that they haue faith they professe in wordes that they die true Christians charitie willeth vs to presume and leaue the rest to God Behold therefore the cause why the greatest penalty allotted heretikes except a very few in the primitiue Church was banishment till the time of pope Pelagius that fate in the Pontificall sea about the yeare of grace 557 who was the first that ordeined they should from thenceforth be punished with death and till that time though most heresies had already made their inrodes and inuasions yet among them were few heretikes condemned to death And to say the truth this maner of dealing of the primitiue Church well weighed shall appeare founded on manifold reasons and auctorities which I let passe at this present Now this discourse importeth at least that ye should not proceede so hastily in such pursuites as ye are wont and yet will not I conclude that heretiks must be left vnpunished But contrariwise do affirme that the Magistrate ought with his sword to smite the heretike duely conuinced Howbeit my former caueat must alwaies be remembred that the Magistrate is not to attempt any such exemplary punishment when it may bring the Church Estate to confusion hauok and ruine in which occurrent our Sauiours doctrine is to be practized that is to leaue the darnell in the field till the day of haruest and not seeke to roote it out for feare of plucking vp or spoiling the good corne that growes among And that conformably to the histories cited as well of th' Emperours Maximian Galerius Constantius Constantine the great Iouinian Valentinian Valens and others as of Charles the fifth Maximilian and Rodolph now reigning conformably also to the proceedings of the most part of our neighbors agreeably moreouer to the maturest and most deliberate Arrestes of all our soueraigne courts geuen in the beginning of these ciuill warres all which histories I need not repeat It were good that the Church and Magistrate agree to iudge and represse heretikes it is true but it behoues the word of God to be receiued into their company and be president among them as being chiefe of the three Crownes that are in the world and to iudge according to the same for somuch as to it onely belongeth to decide all differences of religion for sith it is the seruice of God and his glory which in true religion is sought we must be directed by his cōmaundement and not by mans where they be contrary Most seemely it is that Iustice should mainteyne the Church that Moses and Aaron should be brethren but yet Iustice must not vniustly fauour the Church Exod. 32. Moses must not blush to rebuke his brother Aaron sharply if he forsaketh Gods commaundements to assist th'importunities of mens fansies it must not be that through their mutuall support euill counterpeized the one of them should ouerthrow the other and the whole common-wealth with all it is expedient that Moses and Aaron viz. Iustice and the Church should linke themselues against heretikes in such wise that the Church incurre no daunger For in case of euident perill men must attend the extraordinary hand of God Num. 16. as they did in behalfe of the great multitude which fauoured the strife about the Priesthood For had they vndiscretly put hand to weapon they should haue greatly troubled and hazarded the whole body of the Church they had buried many of the faithfull vnder the heapes of th' other and therefore they addressed their prayers to the Lord and cōmitted the cause to him To be short our loue to the Church as is