Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	faith_n	pillar_n	2,322	5	10.2633	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11467	Europæ speculum. Or, A vievv or survey of the state of religion in the vvesterne parts of the world VVherein the Romane religion, and the pregnant policies of the Church of Rome to support the same, are notably displayed: with some other memorable discoueries and memorations, never before till now published according to the authours originall copie.	Sandys, Edwin, Sir, 1561-1629.	1629 (1629)	STC 21718; ESTC S116680	134,835	260

from the inward operation of Gods spirit the guift wherof is faith and that faith being a knowledge not of Science but of beliefe which searcheth not by discourse the particular necessitie of the veritie of the things which are delivered but relieth in a generall upon the approved wisdome truth and vertue of him that doth deliver them Surely whosoever will needs haue necessarie proofe of the seuerall articles of his Religion doth but wittily deceiue himselfe and by overcurious endevour to change his Faith into science but lose that which he seekes to perfect If then without faith no possibilitie of salvation surely needs must this be the highway to perdition Now seeing that Christianitie is a doctrine of faith a doctrine whereof all men even children are capable as being to bee received in grosse and to be believed in the generall the high vertue whereof is in the humilitie of understanding and the merit in the readinesse of obedience to embrace it for these haue bene alwayes the true honours of faith and seeing the outward proofs therof are no other than probable and of all probable proofs the Churches testimonie is most probable What madnesse for any man to trie out his soule to wast away his spirits in tracing out all the thorny paths of the Controversies of these dayes wherin to erre is a thing no lesse easie than daungerous what through forgerie abusing him what through sophistrie beguiling him what through passion partialitie and private interest transporting him and not rather to be take himselfe to the high path of truth whereunto God and Nature reason and experience doe all giue witnes and that is to associate himselfe unto that Church whereunto the custodie of this Heavenly and Supernaturall truth hath beene from Heaven it selfe committed So that two things onely are to bee performed in this case to weigh discree●ly which is the true Church and that being found to receiue faithfully and obediently without doubt or discussion whatsoever it delivereth Now concerning the first poinct some doubt might be made if there were any Church Christian in the world to be showne which had continued from CHRISTS time downe to this age without change or interruption theirs onely excepted But if all other haue had eyther their end and decay long since or their beginning but of late If theirs being founded by the Prince of the Apostles with promise to him by CHRIST that Hell-gates should not prevaile against it but that himselfe would bee assisting to it till the consummation of the world haue continued on now to the end of Sixteen hundred yeers with an honorable and certein line of neere two hundred and fourtie Popes all successours of S t. PETER both Tyrants and Traytors both Pagans and Heretikes in vain wresting raging barking and undermining if all the lawfull generall Councels that ever were in the world being the venerable Senats of Gods Officers and Ministers haue from time to time approved obeyed and honoured it if God haue so miraculously blessed it from aboue as that so many sage Doctors should enrich it with their writings such armies yea millions of Saincts with their holinesse of Martyrs with their bloud of Virgins with their puritie should sanctifie and embellish it if their Church haue bin a ruine always to them that opposed against her a stay repose and advancement to all her followers if even at this day in such difficulties of unjust rebellions and unnaturall revolts of her neerest childrē yet she stretches out her arms to the utmost corners of the world newly embrasing whole Nations into her bosome if lastly in all other opposit Churches wheresoever there be nothing to be found but inward dissention and cōtrariety but change of opinions uncertenty of resolutions with robbing of Churches rebelling against Governors confusion of orders nothing to be attended but mischiefe subuersion and destruction which they haue well deserved shall assuredly haue whereas contrariwise in their Church the Vnitie undivided the obedience unforced the unalterable resolutions the most heavenly order reaching frō the heighth of all power to the very lowest of all subjection with admirable harmony and undefectiue correspondence all bending the same way to the effecting of the same worke do promise no other than continuance encrease and victorie let no man doubt to submit him selfe to this glorious Spouse of God on whose head is the blessing of God in whose hand is the power of God under whose feet are the enemies of God and to whom round about do service all the Creatures of God This then being accorded to be the true Church of God it followeth that shee be reverently obeyed in all things without farther disquisition hauing the warrant that hee that heareth her heareth Christ and whosoever heareth her not hath no better place with God than a Publican or Pagan And what follie were it to receiue the Scripture upon credit of her aucthoritie and not to receiue the interpretation of it upon her aucthoritie also and credit And if God should not protect his Church alwayes from errour and yet peremptorily commaund men alwayes to obey her than had he made but very slender prouision for the salvation of mankind to whom errour in matter of faith is certein damnation which conceipt of God whose care of vs even in all things touching this transitorie life is so plaine and eminent were ungratefull and impious And hard were the case meane had his regard bene of the vulgar people whose wants and difficulties in this life will not permit whose capacitie will not suffice to found the deep and hidden mysteries of divinitie to search out the truth of these intricate controversies if there were not other whose authoritie they might rely on Blessed therefore are they which beleeue and haue not seene the merit of whose religious humilitie and obedience doth exceed perhaps in honour and acceptance before God the subtill and profound knowledge of many other And lastly if any man either in regard of his vocation or by reason of his leasure list to studie the controversies take he heed that he come not with a doubtfull mind unto them for diffidence is as the sinne of Rebellion let him bested fast in faith let him submit his owne reason to the Churches authoritie being the house of God the pillar and ground of truth let him be fast and unmoueably built on that foundation and let his end be only this to furnish and arme himselfe in such sort as to bee able to with-stand and overthrow those Haeretikes whom hee shall at any time eyther chuse or chaunce to encounter This is the main course of their perswading at this day whereby they seeke to reestablish that former foundation In the unfolding whereof I haue been the longer because tryall hath taught mee that not by some mens private election but as it should seeme by common order direction or consent they haue relinquished all other courses and hold them to this as the most effectuall meanes

hope if it may so stand with his blessed will and by such meanes as to his divine wisdome are ever in readinesse to effect those things which to mans witt may seeme impossible to extend his compassionable and helping hand over his miserable defiled disgraced Church persecuted abroad and persecuting it selfe at home confined by Tyrants into a corner of the world and therein raging and renting it selfe in fitters to purge out of mens minds that ambition and vanitie which so bewitcheth them with the loue of the pomps and glories of this perishing and ending world which in the breathing of a breath they will loath and despise as nothing and to ingraft in them a pure and single Eye to behold that eternall truth which seene breeds loue and loved conducts to happinesse to root out all gall and acerbitie on both sides and to bend theyr harts to Charitie that being reunited in the Pilgrimage of this life this country of our terrestriall bodies wee may after our seruice and course therein accomplished ascend under the conduct of our Saviour before ascended to our everlasting rest in the countrie of our coelestiall soules there in Societie and unitie of Saincts and Angells to enjoy the happie Vision of the all-glorious Deitie and to sing his prayse for ever I should here make an end concerning the Church of Rome but that a question incident to the matter which was last spoken of being moved by many and diversly answered doth summon mee to deliver up my conjecture also and that is Upon what ground of Equitie or policie the Pope should suffer both the Iewes and Grecians to haue publike exercise of theyr Religion in Italy yea in Rome it selfe under his Holinesse nose and onely the poore Protestant must bee excluded or besieged yea persecuted and chased if it bee possible out of the world no view of his Religion to other no exercise of it to himselfe permitted For as for the Graecians they haue a Church at Venice with an Archbishop of Philadelphia a Bishop of Cerigo and sundry other inferiour Priests to governe it and the Italians also doe often repayre to theyr Masse They haue theyr Masse also in Greeke with leavened bread and other schismaticall Ceremonies at Rome it selfe and in Naples they say theyr Priests reteine theyr wines still by permission from the Pope in regard that in those places they acknowledge in some sort the Popes praeeminencie and power which at Venice they doe not but a meere primacie of order which the auncient Councells haue thought good to giue him No more doe the Graecians in Apulia and Calabria about Otronto and at Catlana nor in Corfu and other Ilands adjoyning to that cost beeing the old remaines of the Occidentall Graecians and who haue alwayes and doe still follow the Greeke Church in all things though those in Calabria and Apulia be subjects to the King of Spain and in his power to root out whensoever himselfe listeth And yet even in Italy it selfe doth he suffer them and theyr Religion who never could bee induced to tolerate the Protestant in any the remotest corner of his huge scattered Monarchy though the Graecians are condemned Haereticks even in matter of the Trinitie and perpetuall oppugners of the Papall right and authoritie Then for the Iews they even swarme in most of the chiefe parts of Italy at Rome especially where the least number I could ever yet heare them esteemed at is ten thousand and upward though other say twise as many They haue their faire or at leastwise fine Synagogues both there and els-where theyr circumcision theyr Liturgies theyr Sermons in publike and all that lift may resort unto them Yea in meanes of enriching them selues they are so much favoured that in all places they are permitted to streine up theyr V●urie to eighteene in the hundred upon the Christian for among them selues they no where use it whereas halfe that summe in a Christian is not tolerated which causeth many greedie and consciencelesse Christians to use these Iewes for theyr Brokers under hand in improving theyr unlawfull rents to the utmost proportion They haue also in some places and it may be in all a peculiar Magistrate to decide any controversie between Christians and them with particular direction to favour them in theyr trades And lastly whereas France hath banished that race in Avignon onely the Popes Citie they are harboured and rete●ned Some answere to this demand in defence of the Pope that the Church hath no authoritie to chastice the Iews who never were within the Church but are as enemies in even tearmes whereas the Protestants are eyther unnaturall and rebellious Children who haue flung out of the Church or the issue of such against whom her authoritie is endlesse and unrestreined to tak● all courses possible to reclaime them for ever This answer seemes faultie both as short of the question seeing it extendeth not to the Graecians who are in the very same roll of Haeretickes and Schismatickes flingers out of the Church and for that there is difference between exercising jurisdiction in punishing an enemie and not harbouring and cherishing him with his unlawfull and scandalous religion perpetually in our very bosomes as is done in Italy who haue called the Iewes in thither yea and still do entice them whom Fraunce and England and Spain haue banished from them long since Other leaving these quirks of justice hold by the texts of Charitie that it is a Christian act to harbour a harmlesse enemie and especially that it is of all other most befitting the Church who hath hereby also better meanes to reduce them to the Faith and so in fine to saue theyr soules which is the summe of her endeavours And in fortifying this answer there is to be alleaged for the first poinct that the Iewes haue theyr service in hebrew and the Graecians in greeke which Italy understandeth not yea and that they haue purged the Hebrew Liturgie from all poincts wherein they did impugne or scandalize Christianitie and for the second poinct that the Iews are bound to repair at some times to the Christian sermons by which means some few of thē haue bene converted and more may bee when God shall please so But neither seemes this answer so perfect as were requisit For the Iews make their sermons or expositions of the Law in the Italian language though the texts of Scripture they cite in the originall and although they haue purged theyr Liturgies as they say yet leaving them Circumcision they tolerate that which is now intolerable And as for their gaining of any soules among them if they gained not more Crowns that reason would not stand For if any credit may bee given to the Hebrewes them selues as many Friers become Iews as Iews become Friers of both sorts some but few of eyther But of the good provision they haue taken to convert them and of the fruits thereof I shall speak hereafter In the mean time this I aske would they suffer