Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	catholic_n	church_n	unity_n	4,815	5	9.7580	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08829	A relation of the Christians in the world	Pagitt, Ephraim, 1574 or 5-1647.	1639 (1639)	STC 19113; ESTC S5143	28,211	97

Church hath received the Holy Scriptures the Creedes the Sacraments and Christianity it selfe as the very names of Baptisme Eucharist Bishop Deacon Presbyter and many other sacred things doe testifie Moreover they have as they affirme St. Peters Chaire who was Bishop of Antioch and governed that Church many a yeare Hee was there Incathedrated with great reverence received and esteemed But going to Rome he was there most vily used and put to a most cruell death with his fellow Apostle St. Paul They also affirme that the City of Antioch commonly called Theopolis that is The City of God must needs be much dearer to St. Peter which honoured and reverenced him than the City of Rome which most unworthily used him and put him to death They moreover affirm that he must rather leave the Keyes to the Greek Church than to the Romish defiled with Simony Vsury Avarice and all other Vices whatsoever The Greekes also charge the Latines with divers errours besides the challenging of the Supremacy which they hold to be most grievous and intollerable to teach all to be taught of none and Dictator-like to give Lawes to bind other Churches yea in things against their Consciences as is their Doctrine of Purgatory of Image-Worship abusing their Fasts making no conscience to drink in them al day long that they scarce reade the Sacred rules and holy Scriptures saying That the Popes Commandements who for the time sitteth in the See of Rome are their Canons and Lawes That they make no account of Periury yea that the Pope freeth them of all Periury whensoever they intend to breake any bargaine or covenant made with any man That the Pope and his Priestly traine remit slaughter Periury and all kind of crimes past or to come by which remission there is a gate opened to villany And that which is most ridiculous for the future time they will remit to a determined time of Moneths or Years that the Latine Bishops are accessary to the death of Christian people the Pope especially who pronounceth the killer of Christians such as resist the Papacy blessed and happy That they shut up by their Lawes all Priests and Deacons from marriage and hold it an abhomination to receive the Sacrament from married Priests That there are many Church Men among them that commit whoredome and all kinde of uncleannesse most securely without punishment They accuse the Latines of many more Errors both in their Doctrine as also in their manners some of which you may finde in Cardinall Baronius Annalls Tome 11 Anno Christi 1054. with some answers to them by the Cardinal But this Church God hath humbled being subdued by the Mahumetans living as the Israelites in their Aegypticke Bondage We may see their lamentable estate in the late Martyrdome of learned Cyril late Patriarch of Constantinople who had long and wisely governed that Church And it seemeth that this his Crowne of Martyrdome was not to him unexpected as appeareth by a clause of a letter written by him to our late Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury viz. For the Name of Christ saith he which we professe and whose marks wee beare about in our Bodies it is a ioy to us to be afflicted and vexed so also if it bee the Will of God to abide the utmost extremity of their cruelty that in the fiery tryall our Faith may shine more bright and God receive the greater glory This Church hath beene humbled as before but the Bishops of Rome have exalted themselves not onely above their follow Bishops but also above their Lords the Emperours and the whole Church of God For the First Pope Boniface the third having obtained of Phocas the Tyrant the glorious Title of Universall Bishop by little and little the Bishops of Rome subdued divers Bishopricks under them As Donus the first subiected Ravenna about the yeare 676. Pope Stephen the ninth subdued Millaine Anno 1057. and so others Yea Urban the 2. exacted an oath of Bishops for the further establishing of their Authority For the Second Leo Isaurus being perplexed with warre in Asia and Constantinople it selfe being besieged by the Caliph Pope Gregory the second stirred up the Princes of Italy against the said Emperour who tooke Italy from him of which the Pope hath a part now called St. Peters Patrimony which the Emperour could never againe recover The Bishops of Rome dividing the Empire into the East and West Pope Leo the third proclaimed Charles of France Emperour about the yeare 881. And Pope Iohn the thirteenth translated the Empire about the yeare 968 from the French to the Germans Thus by little and little the Emperours waxed weaker and the Popes stronger untill the time of Gregory the seventh who founded as Aventine writeth the Pontificall Empire To this Man saith Onuphrius the Church of Rome is beholding for her freedome and that shee is preferred above all Kings and Emperours whom before they obeyed as their Lords acknowledging themselves to bee their Vassalls as manifestly appeareth among other Records by the Dating of their ancient Bulls and Charters thus expressed Such a one our Lord and Emperour reigning As also by the Letters of the Bishops of Rome written to the Emperours as of Pope Leo the first to Martian By all meanes wee are to bee obedient to your Piety and most Religious Will As also of Gregory the great to Maurice the Emperour I being subiect to your command and of divers others as of Liberius to Constantius Leo the first to Theodosius Simplicius to Zeno Foelix to the same Emperour Pope Anastatius to Anastatius the Emperour Martin to Constantine with many more And some of the Bishops shew a reason of this their Obedience to be because they are commanded so to doe in Holy Scripture St. Peter himselfe commanding Obedience to the King as supreame Thus they were for many hundred yeares subiect to the Emperours but now they claime a superiority above Kings and Princes and challenge to themselves plenitude of Iurisdiction to take away and to give Empires and Kingdoms at their pleasures bringing the Emperours in subiection Pope Constantine gave his Feet to kisse to Iustinian the Emperour Gregory the seventh compelled Henry the fourth to wait bare-footed at his Doore three daies and three nights craving Absolution Alexander the third set his feete upon the Emperour Fredericks neck And as they have lift up themselves over their fellow Bishops and their Lords the Emperours so also over the whole Church of God viz. Above Generall Councells A Generall Councell is the representative Church of God upon Earth they claiming power to iudge controule all men her selfe to be iudged of none yea to make new Articles of Faith And as the Donatists falling from the unity of the Church fell also into this Hereticall Opinion That the Catholicke Church of God was no where to be found but in a corner of Africa where they dwelt and amongst them So the Romanists

affirme the Catholick Church of God to be onely in Rome and in the Countries subiect to their Bishop And therefore they tearme themselves Catholicks excluding all other Christians in the World out of the Catholike Church and so Heaven and putting them into the state of damnation though never so Orthodox and Pious for not being subiect to their Bishop onely Yet many of these Christians by them so damned suffer grievous persecutions for Iesus Christs sake which they might quit themselves of if they would renounce their Saviour and also attaine great priviledges and preferments And that which is more some of these Churches so damned and condemned by them never heard of the Bishop of Rome Postel writeth a Booke of the great multitude of Christians unknowne to the Latine World Before the Papacy of Iulius the third writeth Miraeus the name of the Chaldean Patriarch was unknowne to us Neither doe I find any mention of him in the Popes Records And yet Cardinall Amuleius reporteth That hee and his Bishops had long kept the Faith and also many of them had suffered Martyrdome for Christs Name Also the Indian Christians of Taprobane and the Islands adiacent saith Thevet nor their Fathers never heard of the Pope of Rome nor his Cardinals nor of the Greek Patriarchs nor of the Councells untill the Portugals came among them and yet they kept the Ceremonies of the Primative Church which they received from the Apostles and their Disciples God forbid that all these Christians and especially they that have given their Bloods for Iesus Christs Name and glory in his Crosse should be excluded for having any share or benefit by Christs Blood and this for not being subiect to the Pope of Rome and for not being members of the Roman Catholicke Church which they never heard of By this their uncharitablenesse doe not the Romish Catholicks cut themselves off from the unity of the Catholicke Church As Firmilian writeth to St. Cyprian of Pope Stephen Excommunicating other Churches Thou hast cut off thy selfe from the unity of the Churches Deceive not thy selfe he is a true Schismaticke that maketh himselfe Apostate from the Communion and Union of the Churches Thou thinkest they are divided from thee but thou onely art separated from them As the Church of Rome hath exalted her selfe above all other Churches so also the Roman Catholicks are accused for devising and adding some new Articles of Faith to the old ones much advancing the state and profit of their Clergy which the other Christians will not nor dare admit of having received onely twelve from the holy Apostles As first they have made the Popes Supremacy before named an Article of the Faith viz. That their Bishop is head of the whole Church of God and that every soule must be subiect to him upon necessity of salvation Secondly That their Bishop cannot erre in Cathedra Thirdly That their Bishops hath power to depose Kings and to dispose of their Kingdomes Fourthly For the honour of the inferiour Clergy they have made Transubstantiation a Doctrine of Faith by which every Priest hath superlative power given him As a Reverend Bishop writeth viz. To doe a greater worke daily than God did in the Creation For therein Almighty God made but Creatures But in this the Priest as they say can make his Maker Fiftly for the more honour of the Clergy They allow them the onely use of Christs Blood in the Eucharist prohibiting the Laity the use thereof VVhich all the Christians in the Vniverse enioy but onely the Romish Catholick Laitie and for this they have made a Decree flat against Christs institution viz. Although the Lord Christ in his last Supper did deliver this venerable Sacrament in both kinds c. Yet non obstante they doe approue and decree for a Law the custome of receiving in one kind Againe for the better Maintenance of their Clergy they have invented new devises as Purgatory with the horrible paines thereof as with Burnings Boylings and Roasting of soules they doe so fright simple people that they get much mony from them Of this place the Bishop of Rome hath iurisdiction the other Orthodox Patriarchs having nothing to doe with it commanding out whom he will much Treasure is got hereby 2 Pardons which are grounded upon Purgatory Pardons began saith Fisher Bishop of Rochester when men were frighted with Purgatory 3 The inferiour Clergy doth also share with the Pope in the profits of Purgatory for they have turnd the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist into a Sacrifice true reall and propitiatory under the name of Masse in which they doe say that the Priest doth truely and really offer up Christ to God his Father but this is done by way of bargaine and hire for remission of sins and freedome of soules out of Purgatory And of this they make great profit 4 They have made a Canon for the Worshiping of Images and for this cause they have in every Church an Image or more of some of their Saints many of which simple people and especially foolish women are made to beleeve to have some speciall vertue to helpe as St. Radegond can make barren women fruitfull St. Bartilmew can make women to conceive a Male-child or a Female according to their desires St. Margart can give them easie labour St. Uncomber can make peace betweene married folk St. Edith can keepe corne from blasting And to these Saints simple people did trot with rich Offerings and Worship these Saints with kneeling bowing and praying before them yea the Priests carry them about in Procession with great pomp playing at noddy with the simplicity of the people 5 They have also devised a Treasury in which is reserved the surplussage of the Sufferings of Christ of the Saints Whereas say they the least drop of Christs Blood had beene sufficient to have saved all the World And that Christ shed all his blood and also that many holy men suffered more than their sins deserved least their sufferings should be in vaine they are reserved in this Treasury for the Pope to bestow where he list The other Orthodox Christian Patriarchs having nothing to doe with this Treasurie With this and such like devises they get much money from simple and silly people For the confirmation of these things although they have no Scriptures yet they will store you with multitudes of Miracles and Visions These with some other the Church of Rome hath Canomzed for Articles or Doctrines of Faith as if the Apostles Creed should be defective which the other Christians in the world thinke to bee compleate enough About these Additions is the contestation betweene the Roman Catholicks and the other Christians of the world These are urged by the Romanists under their Popes curse and these additions are reiected by others fearing Gods curse being Articles not left by the holy Apostles nor found in holy Scriptures The societies of Christians before named