Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	church_n	false_a	true_a	11,794	5	5.2627	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01647	A relation of the fearefull estate of Francis Spira in the yeare, 1548.	Bacon, Nathaniel, 1593-1660.	1638 (1638)	STC 1178.5; ESTC S118976	22,974	142

terrible alteration that lately had hapned in Germanie where by the means of one onely Luther the Romish Religion had suffered such a blow as that it could neither bee cured by dissimulation nor defended by power but the Clergie must either mend their manners or lose their dignities on the other side when hee saw how propense the common people inhabiting in the bordering countries of Italy vvere to entertaine those new opinions hee now thought it no time to dispute or perswade but with speed repaires to the Senate and procures authoritie from them to send for Spira Spira by this time had considered vvith himselfe of the nature of his carriage how evident and notorious it vvas and therefore subject to bee envied by such as neither liked his person nor Religion hee perceived that his opinions were neither retyred nor speculative but such as aymed at the overthrovv of the Romish Faction and at change of Policie vvherein at the best he could expect but a bloudy victory and that his enemies vvanted neither povver nor occasion to call him to account in publique vvhen he must either Apostatize and shamefully give his former life yea his ovvn conscience the lye or endure the utmost malice of his deadly enemies or forsake his wife children friends goods authoritie yea his deare Countrey and betake himselfe to a forraigne people there to endure a thousand miseries that do continually waite upon a voluntary exile Being thus distracted and tossed in the restlesse waves of doubt without guid to trust to or haven to flye to for succour on the sudden Gods Spirit assisting hee felt a calme and began to discourse with himselfe in this manner Why wandrest thou thus in uncertainties unhappy man cast away feare put on thy shield the shield of faith Where is thy wonted courage thy goodnesse thy constancie remember that Christs glorie lies at the stake suffer thou without feare and hee will defend thee hee will tell thee what thou shalt answer hee can beat downe all danger bring thee out of prison raise thee from the dead consider Peter in the dungeon the Martyrs in the fire if thou makest a good confession thou mayest indeed goe to prison or death but an eternall reward in heaven remaines for thee What hast thou in this world comparable to eternall life to everlasting happinesse if thou dost otherwise thinke of the scandall common people live by example thinking what ever is done is well done feare the losse of peace and joy feare hell death and eternall wrath or if thy flesh be so strong as to cause thee to doubt of the issue flie thy Countrie get thee away though never so far rather then denie the Lord of Life Now was Spira in reasonable quiet being resolved to yeeld to these weightie reasons yet holding it wisedome to examine all things hee consults also with flesh and bloud thus the battaile doth renew and the flesh beginnes in this manner Bee well advised fond man consider reasons on both sides and then judge how canst thou thus overweene thine owne sufficiencie as thou neither regardest the examples of thy Progenitors nor the judgment of the whole Church dost thou not consider what miserie this thy rashnesse will bring thee unto thou shalt lose thy substance gotten with so much care and travell thou shalt undergoe the most exquisite torments that malice it selfe can devise thou shalt bee counted an heretique of all and to close up all thou shalt die shamefully What thinkest thou of the loathsome stinking dungeon the bloudie axe the burning fagot are they delightfull Bee wise at length and keepe thy life and honour thou maist live to do much good to good men as God commands thee thou maist be an ornament to thy Countrie and put case thy Countries losse would bee of small esteeme with thee Wilt thou bring thy friends also into danger thou hast begotten children wilt thou now cut their throats inhumanely butcher them which may in time bring honor to their Countrie glorie to God helpe and furtherance to his Church goe to the Legate weake man freely confesse thy fault and helpe all these miseries Thus did the cares of this world and the deceitfullnesse of riches choke the good Seed that was formerly sowne so as fearing hee faints and yeelds unto the allurements of this present world being thus blinded he goes to the Legate at Venice and salutes him with this news Having for these divers yeares entertained an opinion concerning some Articles of faith contrary to the Orthodox and received judgement of the Church and uttered many things against the authoritie of the Church of Rome and the universall Bishop I humblie acknowledge my fault and errour and my folly in misleading others I therefore yeeld my selfe in all obedience to the Supreme Bishop into the bosome of the Church of Rome never to depart again from the Traditions and Decrees of the holy See I am heartily sorry for what is past and I humbly begge pardon forso great an offence The Legate perceiving Spira to faint he pursues him to the utmost hee causeth a recitation of all his Errours to be drawne in writing together with the Confession annexed to it and commands Spira to subscribe his name there which accordingly he did then the Legate commands him to return to his owne Towne and there to declare this Confession of his and to acknowledg the whole Doctrine of the Church of Rome to be holy and true and to abjure the Opinions of Luther and other such Teachers as false hereticall Man knowes the beginnings of sinne but who bounds the issues thereof Spira having once lost footing goes downe amaine he cannot stay nor gaine-say the Legate but promiseth to accomplish his whole will and pleasure he soone addresseth himselfe for his Iourney and being onward in the way bethinks himselfe of large spoyles hee had brought away from the Conflict with the Legate what glorious testimony hee had given of his great faith and constancie in Christs cause and to be plaine how impiously hee had denyed Christ and his Gospell at Venice and what he promised to do further in his owne Country and thus partly with feare and partly with shame being confounded he thought he heard a voyce speaking unto him in this manner Spira What dost thou heere whither goest thou hast thou unhappy man given thy hand-writing to the Legate at Venice yet see thou dost not seale it in thine owne Countrey dost thou indeed thinke eternall life so meane as that thou preferrest this present life before it dost thou well in preferring wife and children before Christ is the windie applause of the people better indeed then the glorie of God and the possession of this worlds good more deare to thee then the salvation of thine owne Soule is the small use of a moment of time more desireable then eternall wrath is dreadfull Thinke with thy selfe what Christ endured for thy sake is it not equall thou shouldest suffer

the strength of his experience and judgment in a burning heat calling excessively for drinke yet his understanding active quicke of apprehension wittie in discourse above his ordinary manner and judiciously opposite his friends laboured him by all faire meanes to receive some nourishment which he obstinately gaine-saying they forcibly infused some liquid sustenance into his mouth most of which he spit out againe exceedingly chafing and in this fretting mood of his said As it is true that all things worke for the best to those that love God so to the wicked all are contrary for whereas a plentifull off-spring is the blessing of God and his reward being a stay to the weak estate of their aged parents to me they are a cause of bitternesse and vexation they doe strive to make mee tire out this misery I would faine be at an end I deserve not this dealing at their hands O that I were gone from hence that some body would let out this weary Soule His friends saluted him and asked him what hee conceived to be the cause of his disease forthwith he brake out into a lamentable discourse of the passages formerly related that with such passionate Elocution that hee caused many to weep most to tremble They contrarily to comfort him propounded many of Gods promises recorded in the Scripture and many examples of Gods mercy My sinne said he is greater then the mercy of God Nay answered they the mercy of God is above all sin God would have all men to be saved It is true quoth he hee would have all that he hath elected ●bee s●aved he would not have damned reprobates to be saved I am one of that number I know it for I willingly and against my knowledge denied Christ and I feele that hee hardens and will not suffer me to hope After some silence one asked him whether hee did not beleeve that Doctrine to bee true for which hee was accused before the Legate hee answered I did beleeve it when I denied it but now I neither beleeve that nor the Doctrine of the Romane Church I beleeve nothing I have no faith no trust no hope I am a Reprobate like Cain or Iudas who casting away all hope of mercy fell into despaire and my friends doe mee great wrong that they suffer me not to goe to the place of unbeleevers as I justly deserve Heere they beganne sharpely to rebuke him requiring and charging him that in any wise hee did not violate the mercy of God to which he answered The mercy of God is exceeding large and extends to all the elect but not to mee or any like to mee who are sealed up to wrath I tell you I deserve it my owne conscience condemnes me what needeth any other Iudge Christ came said they to take away sinne and calling for a book they read unto him the passion of Christ and comming to his nayling to the Crosse Spira said This indeed is comfortable to such as are elected but as for me wretch they are nothing but griefe and torment because I contemned them Thus roaring for griefe tossing himself up downe upon the bed as he lay he intreated them to read no more As Gribauldus was comming to see him Vergerius said to Spira deare Sir heere is Doctor Gribauldus a godly and faithfull friend of yours come to see you He is welcome said he but hee shall find mee ill Gribauldus replyed Sir this is but an illusion of the divell who doth what he can to vexe you but turne you to God with your whole heart and he is ready to shew you mercy the earth you know is full of his mercy it is He that hath said that as often as a sinner repents of his sinne hee will remember his sinnes no more Consider this in the example of Peter that was Christs familiar and an Apostle and yet denied him thrice with an oath and yet God was mercifull unto him consider the theefe that spent his whole life in wickednesse and for all that did not God graciously respect him in the last minute of his life Is the Lords hand now shortned that it cannot save to this Spira answered If Peter grieved and repented it was because Christ beheld him with a mercifull eye and in that he was pardoned it was not because hee wept but because God was gracious to him but God respects not me and therefore I am a reprobate I feel no comfort can enter into my heart there is no place there but onely for torments and vexings of spirit I tell you my case is properly mine own no man ever was in the like plight and therefore my estate is fearefull Then roaring out in the bitternesse of his spirit said It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God the violence of his passion and action sutable did amaze many of the beholders insomuch as some of them said with a whispering voyce that he was possessed hee over-hearing it said Doe you doubt it I have a whole Legion of divels that take up their dwellings within mee and possesse me as their owne and justly too for I have denyed Christ Whether did you that willingly or not said they That is nothing to the purpose said Spira Christ saith whosoever denies mee before men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven Christ will not bee denied no not in word and therefore it is enough though in heart I never denied him They observing his distemper to arise from the sense and horror of the paines of hell asked him whether he thought there were worse paines then what he endured for the present he said that he knew there were far worse paines then those that hee then suffered for the wicked shall rise to their judgement but they shall not stand in Iudgement this I tremble to thinke of yet doe I desire nothing more then that I might come to that place where I may bee sure to feele the worst and to be freed from feare of worse to come I but you are to consider said one that those opinions for which you were accused before the Legate were impious and therefore you are not to thinke you denied Christ but rather that you confessed him acknowledging the infallible truth of the Catholike Church Truly said he when I did denie those opinions I did think them to be true yet I did deny them Goe to said others now then beleeve that they are not Now I cannot said hee God will not suffer mee to beleeve them nor trust in his mercy What would you have mee doe I would faine attaine to this power but cannot though I should presently be burnt for it But why doe you said the other esteeme this so grievous a sinne when as the learned Legate constrained you to it which hee surely would not have done if your former opinions had not beene Erroneous no good Francis the divell besets thee let not