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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	church_n	infallible_a	3,076	5	10.3460	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09108	A revievv of ten publike disputations or conferences held vvithin the compasse of foure yeares, vnder K. Edward & Qu. Mary, concerning some principall points in religion, especially of the sacrament & sacrifice of the altar. VVherby, may appeare vpon how vveake groundes both catholike religion vvas changed in England; as also the fore-recounted Foxian Martyrs did build their new opinions, and offer themselues to the fire for the same, vvhich vvas chiefly vpon the creditt of the said disputations. By N.D.; Review of ten publike disputations.	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610.	1604 (1604)	STC 19414; ESTC S105135	194,517	376

true throughout England wherein concurred also the vvhole Christian vvorld abroad from the tyme before by me prefixed of our first conuersion and more euen from the Apostles dayes neyther could any tyme be appointed or memory brought forth when how or by whome the said doctrines had their beginnings in England or els where which accordinge to S. Augustines rule and diuers particular demonstrations layd downe by vs before in the first part of the Treatise of three Conuersions doth euidently couuince that they came from Christ and his Apostles themselues vvhich ought to be sufficient though no other proofes of Scriptures Fathers Doctors and Councells could be shewed in particular for the same as may be almost infinite and some yow shall heare a little after in this Chapter 4. And as for the second question of Transubstantiation though yt be but a certayne appendix of the first about the manner how Christ is really in the Sacrament as before hath byn shewed was not so particularly declared and defined by the Church in this very tearme of Transubstantiation vntill some 400. yeares gone in the generall Councell of Lateran as neyther the doctrine of homusion or consubstantiality was vntill 300. yeares after Christ in the Councell of Nice neyther the dignity of theotoces wherby the blessed Virgin is called the Mother of God vntill the Councell of Ephesus aboue 400. yeares after Christ yet was the same doctrine euer true before from the beginninge and vttered by the Fathers in other equiualent words speaches of changes and Transmutations of natures conuersions of substances and the like and when there had not byn such other euident proofes extant for the truth therof yet the consent and agreement of so great and vniuersall a Councell of Christendome as the said Lateran was wherin both the Greeke and Latyn Church agreed and after great and longe searche by readinge disputinge prayinge conferringe of Scriptures and Fathers and other such meanes concluded this doctrine to be truth Yf there had byn I say nothinge els for English Catholiks to rest vpon in this point but the generall consent and agreement of so learned holy and venerable an assembly yt might iustly seeme sufficient in the sight of an indifferent or reasonable man to weygh and ouerweygh against the particular iudgements of all the innouators of any age to the contrary and so no maruayle though they stood so earnest against that innouation this being the state of the controuersie on their part 5. But now for the Protestants the state of their question was farre different For first wheras Martyn Luther about the 9. or 10. yeare of K. Henryes raigne had begon some noueltyes about the second and third question of Transubstantiation and Sacrifice holding still the first of the reall presence for firme and that three of his first schollers Oecolampadius Carolstadius and Zuinglius full sore against his will takinge occasion of his innouations had added others of their owne about the said first question denyinge the reall presnce though in different sorts and that after them againe Iohn Caluyn a French-man had diuised a third manner of beleefe therin not a little different from them all about the said doctrine both affirminge denyinge the reall presence in different manner and sound of words yt seemed good to our English Protestants at that tyme or the more part therof to choose the last and newest opinion of all and to establish yt by parlament banishinge ther vpon the ould faith that euer vntill that day had byn held and beleeued in our countrey as well by themselues as others 6. And thus came in the first new Religion ●nto England by some shew of publike authority which being sett forth with so great applause and ostentation both of publike disputations colloquyes conferences lectures preachings exposition of scriptures and consent of Parlament as yow haue heard did partly by this outward shew and ostentation of authority partly by the pleasinge face of ●ouelty yt selfe and sweet freedome that yt brought from all former Ecclesiasticall discipline so infect and enchaunt the harts iudgements affections of diuers of the common people and some also of the learned but the ●ighter and more licentious sort as afterward vvhen Q. Mary came to take accoumpt and vvould recall them againe to the station vvhich they had forsaken they chose rather of ●ride and obstinacy to suffer any thinge yea ●o dye and go to the fire then to renounce these new fancyes once fastened vpon them ●nto which pertinacity the fame of the forsaid Protestants disputations did not a little animate them for that yt was giuen out generally and so doth Fox stand stiffely in the same that the Sacramentaryes had the vpper hand in all as well against the Lutherans in the first question of reall presence as against the Catholiks in that and all the rest vvhich bragg how vayne yt was will appeare after when we come to examine their arguments in particular 7. But yet before we come to that two other points seeme expedient to be performed for better direction of the readers vnderstandinge in these high misteryes of our faith the first to see what sure grounds the Catholiks had and haue at this day to stand firme and immoueable in their old beleefe about these articles notwithstandinge any plausible or deceytfull arguments of sense and reason that may be brought against them secondly certayne obseruations wherby the force or rather fraud of hereticall obiections may be discouered which so beguyled many simple people in Q. Maryes dayes and made them runne headlonge to their perdition the first of these points I shall handle in this Chapter the second in the next that followeth Catholike groundes of these three articles and first of the reall presence §. 1. 8. The first ground that Catholike men haue of these and all other misteryes of Christian faith that are aboue the reach of common sense and reason is the authority of the Catholike Church by which they were taught the same as points of faith reuealed from God And this is such a ground as we see by experience that the most part of people of what Religion soeuer being yonge or vnlearned can yeld no other reason in effect why they beleeue this or that article of theire faith but for that they receaued the same from their Church and teachers therof being not able themselues to searche out any other grounde therof yea the most learned of all from their infancy tooke all vpon this assurance only of their Church which Church yf they held to be of infallible authority so as she can neither be deceaued nor deceaue as we do of the Catholike then should they rest firme sure in their opinion vpon this ground but yf they hould that all Churches may erre and bringe into error both in doctrine and manners as yow haue heard Martyn Bucer hold before in his Cambridge conclusions and most

day yet in the substance of the sacrifice they do as also in many other particular circumstances vsinge the words of oblation sacrifice victime signes singings blessings eleuations and other such rites which Protestants cannot abide And for the cannon and forme of our masse which is vsed at this day in the Latyn Church most parts therof are to be seene in S. Ambrose his books de Sacramentis and the whole order as now yt is hath endured without alteration from S. Gregory the first downeward wherof yow may see Alcuinus Amalarius VValfridus and other ancient authors in their books de diuinis officijs 53. By all which generall heads yow may easily see the multitude of testimonyes that may be alleaged out of the Fathers yf we should prosecute euery one of these in particular how great reason Martyn Luther had to except against them all or rather to defy them all when first he begā to write against this sacrifice Hic non moramur saith he si clamitant Papistae Ecclesia Ecclesia Patres Patres heere we care not though Papists cry Church Church Fathers Fathers And againe Heere I do professe against them that vvill cry out that I do teach against the rite of the Church and ordinances of Fathers that I vvill heare none of these obiections And in another place against our K. Henry of England much more immodestly and wickedly when the King alleaged the authorityes of ancient Fathers for the masse this shamelesse fellow answered Thomisticos asinos c. I say that these Thomisticall asses haue nothinge to bringe forth but only a multitude of men and vse of antiquity And a little after he saith expressely that he careth not though a thousand Augustines and a thousand Cyprians be brought against him So as this first Father and chiefe Captayne of our Protestants did easily graunt as yow see that the whole consent of ancient Fathers was against him Ponderations Upon the Premises §. 4. 54. All which being considered there remayneth only to weigh what a discreet man may thinke or do in this important case For first heere is all the antiquity of the Christian Church on the one side that testifyeth vnto vs not only what was beleeued and exercised in their dayes but vpon what grounds also both of scriptures of the old and new Testament and by Christs owne institution fact and ordination and by the practise and tradition of the Apostles themselues Then is there the continuance of all ages since throughout all countreyes and nations of Christendome as hath byn said There is the agreement of all generall Councells The consent of all Ecclesiasticall historyes wherin as there is continuall mention of both publike and priuate exercise of this externall Sacrifice So is there no memory at all of any tyme synce the Apostles wherin yt began or that euer any contradiction doubt or question was about the same for 1200. yeares togeather after Christs assension which must needs haue happened yf the vse therof had not byn prescribed and left by Christ and his Apostles themselues For what men or people would haue attempted to begin or bring in so great a matter as this or who would haue receaued yt without opposition yf yt had not byn established euen from the beginninge I adde also another cōsideration of no little importance which is that yf Christ had left his Church people without a particular externall sacrifice wherby they should be distinguished from all other people the Christian Church vnder the law of grace should be inferiour to the Church of the patriarks vnder the law of nature and vnto the Prophetts vnder the law of Moyses for that both of those Churches and people had an externall dayly sacrifice wherby to honour God besides the internall sacrifice of their mynd neyther can yt be said that Christs owne sacrifice on the Crosse once offered for all is this dayly sacrifice apprehended by vs in faith for that they also beleeued in him and their sacrifices were acceptable only by faith in him to come And therfore as Christs one sacrifice then to come was no impediment why their dayly sacrifices which tooke their valour from this one of Christ should not be dayly offered amonge them so the same sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse being now past should not take away our dayly sacrifices offered in remembrance therof and for the applying of the infinite valour of that one sacrifice vnto vs from which this other dayly sacrifice taketh his sufficiency 55. Furthermore the very outward forme of all Christian Churches there buildinge with Crosses Altar Iles and the like the foundinge of monasteryes Chappell 's oratoryes the ceremonyes in foundinge them their statutes for sayinge of masses for the dead which were in Britany both before our nation was conuerted and much more after the whole Canon of our Latyn masse-booke which is graunted by our aduersaryes and euidently proued to haue byn as yt is now for aboue a thousand yeares togeather and brought in by S. Augustine our first Apostle All these things I say do shew whether this were a matter to be called in question by a few libertyne Priests and auaritious noble men to be banished the realme vpon a soddayne vnder the name of a child Kinge that knew not what yt meant as yt was in K. Edwards dayes in our miserable countrey 56. Moreouer yf yow ponder with your selfe what manner of Priests they were for life learninge and vertue that acknowledged themselues to haue offered sacrifices vpon Altars in their dayes as S. Irenaeus S. Cyprian S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome S. Augustine S. Gregory and others of the first ages yea and for these ●ater ages since Berengarius mooued first the question about the reall presence as S. Anselme ● Bernard S. Thomas of Aquin S. Dominicke and almost infinite other Saints and holy men of whome all historyes do report wonderfull extraordinary tokens of almighty God his speciall fauours towards them and do compare them with the first marryed Priests and Apostata friars that were the first impugners of this sacrifice in England or round about vs we shall find a great difference And then yf we consider by what good spiritt or motiue Luther began the first contradiction in Germany which was by the diuells owne persuasion and personall appearance vnto him and disputinge against yt for yt seemed that he esteemed so much both of the man and the matter that he would not send an Embassadour vnto him as he did soone after to Zuinglius for impugninge the reall presence but go himselfe in proper person and that all this is confessed by themselues and testifyed by their owne wrytings All this I say being laid togeather may strengthen him that hath any faith at all to stand constant in the beleefe of the Catholike Church concerninge these articles For yf there be any certainty or ground in Christian Religion at all