Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	ancient_a	church_n	zion_n	15	3	8.5428	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07768	The mysterie of iniquitie: that is to say, The historie of the papacie Declaring by what degrees it is now mounted to this height, and what oppositions the better sort from time to time haue made against it. Where is also defended the right of emperours, kings, and Christian princes, against the assertions of the cardinals, Bellarmine and Baronius. By Philip Morney, knight, Lord du Plessis, &c. Englished by Samson Lennard.; Mystère d'iniquité. English	Mornay, Philippe de, seigneur du Plessis-Marly, 1549-1623.; Lennard, Samson, d. 1633.	1612 (1612)	STC 18147; ESTC S115092	954,645	704

or weakened the same especially the first and second which touch the deprauations and corruptions of Regulars and Seculars because our Sauiour himselfe being the foundation of the Church both by his owne and by the words of his Heraulds foretold expresly That this should come to passe in those times and that not onely in the Canonicall Scriptures but further as much hath beene exhibited to vs in the reuelations of the holie Church by many sacred persons of both sex and kind which the holie Popes with singular zeale and deuotion haue reserued in secret Records of the Apostolicall See Euen as saith he I haue seene and handled with these my hands in the soueraigne citie For the third point of the negligence and carelesnesse of the See Apostolicall That which our Sauiour Christ did in his owne time and would shortly againe performe might satisfie him he formerly did it in that he twice commaunded That the See Apostolicall should be taxed with a diabolicall Apostasie first vnder Boniface the eighth and lastly vnder Benedict the eleuenth and that sometimes with plenitude of directory light For saith he the denouncer declared first that the things he denounced proceeded not from himselfe neither was he stirred vp by any motiue of his owne to declare these things but by the illumination and precept of the Lord of lords And so he laid open vnto them both the place time and meanes he meant to make choyce of in the declaration of them Secondly he denounced vnto them a deceitful snare of Sathan layd for their seduction in so much that openly these two things were inculcated to them First That they had counsellors and assistants about them who were the Angels of Sathan who vnder shew of religion and a cloke of true zeale should endeuor to mislead them from the sifting clensing of the aboue mentioned Decrees Statutes Thirdly he declared to them That if they should neglect to execute this message God would make them tast a presagement of he eternall iudgement so as it was told Boniface in writing that he ●hould fall into such and such a danger and confusion and hee tooke no heed thereof till he tasted the same As also the like in writing was insinuated to Benedict That if hee neglected the same hee should swiftly bee throwne downe from his seat and from the day hee read this hee sat not aboue fiue and thirtie dayes more So as neither the things written to him nor the fearefull euents of his predecessour could moue him to beleeue but hee contemned all things Fourthly for illumination and motiue many diabolicall and abhominable deprauations were declared particularly vnto them of many of that state formerly mentioned which is to say That those things aboue expressed were verie seuerally layed open and moreouer other things in this forme Certaine pestilent men disseuer and rend the Citie of the celestiall Lambe especially in the State which so much glories of the hight of all Euangelicall perfection they subuert veritie Euangelicall and ouerthrow the edifice thereof in the people not onely by peruerse workes and examples but by corruption of doctrine in their Sermons and preachings For they preaching in the delusion and subtiltie of malignitie doe sometimes alledge indirectly otherwhiles impertinently and peruersly applie and sometimes sophistically distinguish and most improperly expound And thus the truth of the Scriptures was by them darkened and not clearely deliuered to the Auditors but Gods sayings they did adulterat and falsifie And in the spirit saith he of Antichrist they endeauour to diuert the people from excellent ordinarie Priests and to plucke the Sheepe from their owne proper Pastours by so many meanes and in such sort as particularly are expressed in the writings reserued to this day in the treasurie of the See Apostolicall Fiftly the same writings obiected vnto them the diuelish plague of the inquisitors of that State and others That is those who bought these offices in Prouinces not for the reducing of those that erred into the way but rather that by mere calumniation and slaunder they might thrust the man righteous and of good conuersation into the furious oppressions of diuels and Tyrans where hee enueyes mightily against diuers coinquinations which raigned commonly amongst them as also the frauds and deceipts wherein they maintayned themselues which being prolix and long I would rather referre to the Reader to peruse them in Arnold but yet these things ensuing by him prosecuted are no wayes to be omitted They burne and condemne the Scriptures saith he as superstitious and erronious expressing the veritie Euangelical declaring the mysteries of the sacred texts and touching too nerely to the quicke their transgressions and vncleanesse not vpon any erronious or false but onely for some ambiguous and doubtfull saying They forbid all the Colledges of that state to read or studie the foresayd holie Scriptures vnder payne of death and so by damming vp the well of the water of life they denie the vnderstanding of the holie Oracles and this water of life to those that are thirstie and crie out for the same Sixtly because the Popes were by this denunciation enjoyned to reueale these things in the behalfe of God vnto men which plainely appeares out of such writings which the holie Fathers left both at Rome and in the auntient Monasteries but they beeing wholly oppressed with spirituall lethargie would giue no eare to any good thing or to extirpat Christs opprobrie on earth but beeing bewitched as they were made choyce rather to embrace most palpable and euident lies than the mysterie of the truth and of the Gospell And therefore the whole Church was so infatuated by these seducers as that she tooke the disordered multitude which supplanted and rooted out the Gospell to be a Religion and Order Seuenthly That this denouncer exciting the vniuersall Church in these instigations That she would preuent the Gospels extirpation all notwithstanding out of consent and compact turne aside her eare either condemning the message or raging against the Herault That amongst them all not one arose vp endewed with Catholicall veritie armed with justice Euangelicall and encouraged by the equitie and righteousnesse of this celestiall warfare who would so much as say This man is zealous for the honour and glorie of Christs spowse and the saluation of soules Let vs therefore examine and diligently by experience make triall whether those things hee speakes and declares tend to the conuersation or corruption of the Gospell But the Senat was all mute and onely because he reuealed the blemishes and defects of the spowse vnto the Bride-groome out of a zeale obscuring and healing these wounds he was whipped And they that bore the colours of Euangelicall sanctitie persecuted him more cruelly than any other strangers not onely in renouncing the rules of equitie and charitie but moreouer laying apart the bridle of all humane modestie they laboured to pollute innocencie and to destroy the innocent He concludes notwithstanding That Fredederick should

auntient times except onely saith he in one kind of men who must in no wise be excepted These are the Priests whom now almost alone next after Kings and Princes we see to be the richest and most giuen to riches Here must I needs exclaime O wretched as well as fortunat Fraunce Is it possible thou shouldest striue now to abolish by wicked ambition the institutions of thy Elders confirmed by so many holie Decrees and approued by the continuance of so many yeares And now by the abuse of a fauourable law shouldest make hast to loose a singular prerogatiue not obtayned by flattering the Pope by wresting or by begging it but required as a recompence of the merit of our Elders that thou mightest vse in the establishment of sacred things that auntient and peculiar right proceeded à majorum gentium Pontificibus from those Bishops of the Primitiue Church And with what face then alledgest thou that peculiar Sanction whereof thou so much boastest as of a certain honor of Religion Whence hast thou the libertie or confidence to cal thy selfe Most Christian vnlesse thou wilt keepe it by the same Religion whereby thou hast gotten a glorious name and a law witnesse of thy pietie O fault pleasing to those thine enemies who enuie this Palladium of thy felicitie and perhaps of the Kingdome as a gift come downe from heauen which being either taken away or cut off thou withall canst bee then no longer fortunat Take heed I pray thee thou beleeue not too much those earth borne men whom antiquitie therefore called Giants who heaping vp large Titles vpon Titles after the example of the Aloidae seeme to warre against God and thinke to climble vp into heauen to offer violence to the inhabitants there And hee leaueth not for vs to ghesse whom hee meaneth For of these things saith hee publique consent layeth the blame on the Head of Christendome who if hee be not well conditioned the inferiour members draw from him the causes of diseases Wherefore wee see it to bee the wish of godlie men so oft as that indignitie is set before their eyes that God would either fashion better the Pillar of the Church or place some fitter in his roome Neither yet sayth hee am I ignorant that the Church is builded vpon a most firme Rocke by a cunning hand so that it cannot bee ouerthrowne by any force neither ayrie nor earthlie c. But now pietie and religion the gardians of this house complaine with a loud crie that the proportion which the hands of the Architect did modell forth at first is not now kept which is a notable dishonour for the head The cause of this vnseemely disproportion they lay vpon the Merchant Mercurie to wit the Pope who since the time hee gouerned the light of the world and began to bee the chiefe coach-man hee did not burne the world as Phaeton is said to haue done but rather ouer shadowed it with most horrible thicke darkenesse So that from thenceforth it commeth to passe that in the holie Camp that is in the Church is nothing done rightly nor in order And here hee putteth himselfe forth to speake of the abuses of the Church namely them that proceeded from sale whence he shewed that the present gouernement was nothing like to the institution of Christ that if any man cast his eyes on the vniuersall face of the Clergie on their pompous prouision and their designes hee is presently constrained to say that the Spouse hath renounced her bridegroome and denounced vnto him that he is to keepe houshold by himselfe And there againe he maketh a comparison of Christ and the Apostles with the Pope and Court of Rome And then hee passeth to the discipline of the Church violated by them who ought to preserue it from all impuritie Who will beleeue sayth hee that these men that doe thus know what is the good and right faith And who knoweth not that the chosen stones of the Sanctuarie not long agoe haue beene so dispersed and cast downe that the Maiestie of the Church is decayed and now the Spouse of God herselfe as forgetfull of her coniugall faith hath not onely turned aside from her bridegroome but euen without any respect of modestie licentiously wandred about by the high-waies and by the streets and prostituted herselfe for money in euerie Prouince Who remembreth not that the Pastors as fugitiues are become not onely forsakers of the flock but driuers and stealers of it away And haue wee not seene the chiefe Heads of Prelates behaue themselues so preposterously and impurely as in steed of ordering things in good seemelinesse and teaching the daunce called Emmelia to mollifie mens hearts and make their mindes gentle they lead them the warredance Pyrrhicha in armour altogether abhorring the holinesse of order hee meaneth Iulius They which should bee the chiefe annointers of the Champions for the holie Combates and who ought to bee the Authors of waging godlie warre for their altars and bounds against prophane peoples and Infidels are not they themselues the butchers of Christian forces setting them at warres one against the other to the destruction of that sacred name And there hee declareth the wrath of God fallen both vpon Alexander and him What hope saith hee of saluation can these men haue who beeing chiefe Priests gouerning the sterne of the Ship at noone day runne it against the rockes of impietie And when they which ought by their good life to shine and giue light to the Lords familie strike into our eyes the horrible darkenesse of error and blindnesse of mind c. Can I beleeue that they haue the knowledge of good faith who holding the Altar and sacred things vnder the Lords mantle yea and kissing the Lord himselfe as Iudas did neuerthelesse make no account of his Precepts and Institutions and embrace things directly opposite and contrarie c. And what man is there I pray you who if hee consider the state motion course habitude inward and outward affections and the verie Sessions of the Church such as wee haue seene them of late can iudge that they make any account at all of the sacred Oracles and monuments to wit of the holie Scriptures For we see that the Pontificall iurisdiction hath so degenerated from the auncient charitie that there where was woont to be the bosome of equitie and benignitie is now found to be a shop of contentions and of impious snares to intrap Thence are those pit-falls of Processes and cautions of Pontificall rites of purpose set forth for to deceiue the Lords familie There are the profits of amerciaments on Prelats which plainely augment the pages of receits Thence againe the sacrilegious faires of those things which cannot without impietie be in humane commerce I omit now to speake of tesseras non modo veniales sed etiam vaenales Indulgences set to sale which giue largely by a sordid or filthie bountie impunitie of wickednesse and absolution for breach of sacred lawes Therefore

the rod of a Pastor of which the Apostle saith What will yee shall I come vnto you with the rod or in the spirit of meekenesse And what say I she hath a rod yea she hath a sword also according to the same Take vnto you the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God c. And yet by that which followeth it is apparent that against some which had troubled him he would not haue refused the helpe of another sword I let passe the Satyres of Bernard a Monk of Clugni vnder this Peter his venerable Abbot wherein he wonderfully disciphereth the Pope and the Court of Rome not to wearie the Reader I wil quote onely some few verses to this purpose although the rest be of the same nature O mala secula venditur insula pontificalis Infula venditur haud reprehenditur emptio talis Venditur annulus Hinc lucra Romulus auget vrget Est modò mortua Roma superflua quando resurget Si tibi det sua non repleat tua guttura Craesus Marca vel aureus à modo non Deus est tibi Iesus O wicked times wherein the Crowne and See is sold And yet the merchandise thereof is vncontrold The Ring is also sold But Romulus doth gaine Superfluous Rome now dies when shall it rise againe Not Craesus could suffice if Rome should giue he his Nor any gold for now no God or Christ there is Also Peter Deacon continuer of the Chronicle of Mont Cassin sheweth Chron. Cassinens Petri Diac. l. 4. c. 116. 117. that when the Emperour of Greece had sent his embassadours to Lotharius when hee assisted Innocent in the warre against the Monkes of Mont Cassin there was among others a Greeke Philosopher who disputed against him Peter Deacon that Pope Innocent was excommunicated his words are these In the Westerne climat we see that prophesie fulfilled As the people is so shall the Priest he Whilest Bishops goe out to warre as your Pope Innocent doth He distributeth money presteth souldiers for the warres and is clothed in purple No doubt but hee alledged other reasons which he telleth not But besides them that in the midst of the Roman Church we haue heard thunder it out so lowd against Popes and the Court of Rome and their actions there are found some in these times which openly fell away from it assailing their doctrine it selfe and in our France by their preaching drew many Prouinces from it and from thence as hereafter we shall see spred themselues into neighbour nations These were Peter Bruis in the yeare 1126 and after him his disciple Henrie about the yeare 1147 the first being a Priest and the other a Monke who first in the Diocesses of Arles of Ambrum and of Gap then after throughout all Auuergne Languedoc and Guienne preached against Transubstantiation the sacrifice of the Masse Masses Suffrages and Oblations for the dead Purgatorie worshipping of Images inuocation of Saints single life of Priests Pilgrimages superfluous holydayes consecrations of water oyle Frankinsence and other Romish trash but especially they inueyed against the pride and excesse of Popes and of his Prelats whom they called Princes of Sodome and the Church of Rome they tearmed Babylon the mother of fornication and confusion Which we learne from that venerable Peter Petrus Abbas Cluniacen l. 1. Epist 1. 2. Abbot of Clugni in some of his Epistles where he taketh vpon him to confute them And it is great pitie that their bookes are with so great diligence abolished that we are constrained to vse the writings of our aduersaries for to picke out their doctrine whose testimonie by reason of their hatred and calumnie may justly be suspected For it is imputed vnto them That they beleeued onely the foure Euangelists and reiected all the other bookes of the Bible And here Peter truely skirmisheth with his owne shadow seeing that they verily affirme following the auncient Fathers That the rule of religion is to be sought onely out of the Canonicall Scripture And the Abbot himselfe seemeth to haue perceiued that he had done them iniurie when he saith of these things and the like But because I am not yet fully assured that they thinke and preach so I will deferre my answer vntill I haue vndoubted certaintie of that they say Also I ought not easily giue assent to that deceiuing monster rumour or common report c. I will not blame you of things vncertaine So Saint Bernard more credulous than reason required reproueth them That like the Maniches they condemned the vse of matrimonie and of flesh and denied also baptisme to infants But especially against Henrie he obiecteth the keeping of a concubine and playing at dice. In like manner we read in Tertullian That monstrous opinions and crimes were imputed to the first Christians Bernard in Cantic serm 66. Yet Bernard in the meane time saith They are sheepe in habit Foxes in craft Wolues in crueltie These are they that would seeme good and yet are not wicked and yet would not seeme so It must needes be then that their outward conuersation was good It is also confessed that their disciples went cheerefully to the fire and constantly suffered all extremities for the doctrine of their faith Can that agree with a dissolute life doctrine And they were in the meane time followed with such a multitude Epist 240. 241. in vita Bernard l. 2. c. 5. that the Temples saith Bernard remained without people the people without Priests Priests without their due reuerence Christians without Christ the Churches to wit the Romish were reputed Sinagogues The argument brought against them was as in these dayes Haue our Fathers then so long a time erred are so many men deceiued Yet were they defended by notable persons both of the Clergie and Laitie and by some also of the Bishops and nobles of the realme namely by Hildefonsus Earle of S. Giles vnder whose protection they preached in his countries The people of Tholouse also where Peter preached the word of God the space of twentie yeares with great commendation and in the end was burned Henrie also his disciple some few yeares after being betrayed to Albericus Cardinall of Ostia was carried bound to in chaines into Italie and neuer afterward seene notwithstanding the persecution was hot all that time against the poore people without any difference of age or sex Now as we haue noted that the corruption of doctrine euer accompanied the iniquitie of this Mysterie there arose in this time Peter Abayllard a man of most subtile wit who brought in againe the opinions of Pelagius and others following who destroyed as we haue elsewhere shewed the free justification in the faith of Christ Iesus that is to say tooke the Christian Church by the throat against whom Saint Benard writeth diuers treatises and maintaineth the aunceint truth taught by S. Augustine S. Hierome Prosper and Fulgentius in the Church sweepeth

English either for to depriue him of his kingdome or to make him will he nill he submit himselfe to the pleasure of the Court of Rome which if hee would doe the Church with the Papall authoritie should to the vttermost of his power assist him But yet that the king of Frannce constantly refused him In the yere following are made new admonishments to the Pope and Cardinals by the letters of the king States and Prelats of the kingdome whereby were represented vnto them innumerable grieuances the articles of which are rehearsed by the same author These among others were new that the Pope by his letters enjoyned the Prelats that they should euerie man at their owne proper charges furnish forth one man fiue another tenne and another fifteene c. men of warre well horsed and armed for to doe him seruice wheresoeuer he should commaund to whom they should giue a yeares pay which is a militarie seruice due to the king alone and from which neuerthelesse they might be dispensed for money Also that to the end the king might not hinder it the Popes Nuncios fraudulently had forbidden the Prelats vnder paine of excommunication that they should not reueale this exaction to any in sixe moneths Innocent then was so farre off from reuoking them that in despite of the king he made a new statute in England That the goods of such as died intestate should be conuerted to his vse and appointed the Preaching Friers diligently to put the same in execution Which the king hauing intelligence of expresly forbiddeth detesting Romanae curiae augmentosam multiplicem ac multiformem auaritiam the augmenting multiplying and euerie way manifold couetuousnesse of the Court of Rome He also forbiddeth thenceforth to pay tribute to the Pope whereat the Pope being greatly moued resolueth to excommunicat the king and kingdome Hereupon Cardinall Iohn an Englishman a Cistertian Monke saith vnto him For Gods sake my Lord refraine your anger which is if I may so speake vndiscreet and with temperance bridle the passions of your will considering that the dayes are euill The holie land lieth open to daunger the Greeke church is departed from vs Frederic is our aduersarie then whom none among the Christian Princes is mightier or yet like vnto him You and we which are the highest of the church are banished from the Papall seat yea from the Citie it selfe yea from Italie Hungarie and the adiacent prouinces expect nothing but vtter ruin from the Tartarians Germanie is shaken with ciuile warres Spaine is growne to that crueltie as to cut off the tongues of Bishops Fraunce is by vs alreadie brought to pouertie and hath conspired against vs and England so oftentimes hurt by our iniuries as Balaams asse spurred and beaten with a staffe at last speaketh and speaketh against and complaineth that shee is ouermuch and intollerably wearied and vnrestoreably damnified After the manner of Ismael beeing hatefull to all wee procure all men to hate vs And when for all that the Popes mind was not appeased nor inclined to compassion or humilitie but was inflamed to punishment and reuenge there came messengers from England who mitigated the Popes mind gaping after profit assuring him that by his most speciall friends in England the kings heart was bowed so that he remitted it to the Clergie to effect his wish the ioy whereof wonderfully calmed his mind and countenance Yet whilst he waited and expected the same taking boldnesse of this hope he commandeth the Prelats of England solito imperiosius more imperiously than he was woont That they should cause to be paid him from all beneficed persons resident the third part of their reuenues and by nonresidents the one halfe with this detestable clause Non obstante c. which abolisheth all iustice And for to vrge these exactions are sent Iohn and Alexander Friers Minorites who armed with Bulls from the Pope and couering vnder sheepes clothing their woluish rauening presented themselues to the king and with a simple looke humble countenance and fawning speech entreated leaue of the king to wander throughout the Realme ad opus Domini Papae charitatem petituri to demaund a charitie for the need of the Pope promising that they would doe nothing by constraint But a while after they became proud with the gifts of the Clergie mounted vpon noble horses with golden saddles decked in most costly apparell and with souldiers shooes vulgarly called Heusees shod and spurred after a secular or rather a prodigall manner which turned to the hurt and opprobrie of their Order and profession exercising the office and tyrannie of Legats and exacting and extorting procurations and account twentie shillings for a procuration but a small matter First then they goe to the chiefest Prelats of England and shamefully exact money from them for the Popes vse vnder terrible paines setting too short a time for answer or payment and shewing the Popes thundering letters as so many threatning hornes put forth In so much that the Bishop of Lincolne who had euer protected the Order of the Minorites and was minded to haue made himselfe one of them seeing such a monstrous transformation was wholly astonied and that so much the more for that they demaunded of his only Bishopricke six thousand markes Neither yet is the Pope moued at the complaint made vnto him thereof at Lyons but although they appeale vnto him yet are they constrained with all kind of rigour But we must bring here the whole Author throughout if we should set downe all that he saith of these tyrannicall exactions it sufficeth vs here for conclusion to shew the description that he maketh of the miserable state of the Church of England vnder Gregorie and Innocent vnder Gregorie in these words In those times faith waxed cold and scarcely seemed to sparkle being almost brought to ashes For simonie was practised without blushing vsurers openly by diuers occasions did shamelesly extort money from the meaner sort of people Charitie is dead the libertie of the Church is withered away Religion is become vile and base and the daughter Sion is as a bold-faced harlot hauing no shame And of the Court of Rome he properly speaketh plentifull setting forth the iniuries thereof which he concludeth in this one word Armato supplicat ense potens He entreateth vs with a sword set to our throats It were better for vs to dye than to see the euils of our nation of the Saints But these are scourges to Englishmen they hauing committed many offences and God being angrie maketh the hypocrite raigne and the tyran rule for the sinnes of the people But vnder Innocent Heu heu Alas alas now the naturall inhabitants of the kingdome are despised men holy learned and religious and strangers are intruded that are vnworthie of all honour altogether ignorant of the letters and language of the countrey wholly vnprofitable for confessions and preachings not stayed neither in gestures nor in manners extorters of money and contemners of soules In times