Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	ancient_a	church_n	great_a	1,188	5	2.6407	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01657	A godly inuectiue in the defence of the Gospell against such as murmure and woorke what thei can that the Bible shoulde not haue free passage, veray necessary to be red of euery faythfull Christian.	Gerrard, Philip.	1547 (1547)	STC 11797; ESTC S103091	27,823	80

of menne as it shall apeare vnto the by these hys woordes vnto the Romaynes I knowe wel sayeth he there bee many whyche bee against the Gospell of Chryst by whō Sathanas goeth about to let the saluaciō of men the .xii. to the Romains And yf sainct Paul were nowe emongest vs he would saie some thyng It is to be thought he would breake out with a vehemēt sprite and saie O minysters minysters blynded with you knowe what through you the woord of God cannot haue free passage you stande gapyng for hygh and frail thinges of the worlde and bee nothyng myndefull that the Preachyng of the Gospell farre surmounteth baptyme Masse and all other vertuouse thynges vnder heauen I saie vnto you the preachyng of the Gospell is the moste pleasant worshippe and sacrifice that can be vnto God the first to the Rom. And for a farther trial of this reuolue all the byble and thou shalt fynd this playn that the glorioust lyfe that can bee for a minister is to preach and the shamfullest agen to be daintely nouryshed liue in idlenes for of this witnesse all auncient writers arise all other mischefes Nowe therefore who so hathe grace to remember his duety and hath also a cleare vnderstandyng in the holy scriptures wil say no lesse then sainct Paule dyd Woe be vnto me yf I preach not and set out the glory of God By this mean it should be easie for all ministers of the church to take away the great grefe and hatred out of all mēnes stomakes The cause truely why many report so euel of the Cleargie is their manifest sluggyshenes and styffenes of mynde whereby they shewe them selfes salse and faint hearted toward the woorde of God This I say is the cause of their gret infamy this is the cause that they are had nowe in suche disdaine It is muche maruail thei do not perceiue their owne perdicion Wonderful it is that they can not smell why they are soo despysed Let them weigh the matter well and they cannot but confesse that it is no small infamye for theym whiche should be of great knowledge and experte in the Scryptures to bee founde as many are who so lysteth to put the thyng in profe and due examinacion very Ideottes and of no knowledge and the occasion of this is they are so choked with wilful ignorance that they wyl not once loke on the bible They so perswade thē selfes that thei saie al is wel inough and remayn still euen hard hearted Pharoes towarde the shinyng lyghte and as deefe as any doore nayle yf a manne wyll them to studie pitie it is that any suche miserable miserye shoulde reygne amongest them But alas suche is the vayne vanitie of this worlde They thynke styll that pompe and dignitie bryng estimacion but the people haue nowe suche a syght that euery manne perceueth vertue to be a treasure worthy commendacion and that for vertues sake euery minyster is worthye double honour and not for his dignitie And many perceiue right wel also that honor pōpe and dignite were the bryngers in of the Bishoppe of Rome and suche as Preache intermyngled doctryne for the mayntenaunce of any suche lyke dignitie and worldely estimacion the people can soone espie theyr flattery in Preachynge can not nowe bee cloked There can no couert shadow theyr craftie conueiance especially before suche as haue busied thē selfes in the doctrine of sainct Paule whiche writeth thus Thei that wold perswade you contrarye thynges vnto those that I haue taughte you folowe not GOD but mennes desires and serue theyr owne vauntage glorye and tirannye and by all meanes possyble beware of suche The fyfthe to the Galathians Forsoth it woulde make men to wondre and to bee sore amased yf they would search forth old auncient histories to note what myschefe menne haue wroughte for theyr owne aduauntage and especially to atteine fame and glory either by hoke or croke they passed not whether Glorie as a thousand histories make mencion hath euer been a staie to keepe in the truthe It is playne that it hathe called many a man from the studye of the Byble and whosoeuer is geuen to maintein glory after his wicked will shall neuer agree with the Gospell of Chryste Dyd not the Iewes I pray the to maynteygne theyr lawe whyche was pompe dignytie and supersticion slaye the aucthour of lyfe and ryghtewysenes The eyghte Chapyter to the Romayns Yet forsoth they sawe the lyghte but malice blynded theyr eyes they hearde the Gospell but rancoure of hearte stopped theyr eares The .x. chap. to the Romaines They wer people of Goddes first electiō but they refused his doctrine and for their incredulitie they were afterward reiecte and cast of for naught The cause was they were so geuen to colde ceremonies that they could not brooke the Gospell It was the hardest peece of worke that euer Saincte Paule had to frame them vnto Christ they stode euer so styffe in the defence of their auncient customes cloked and fained religion yea thei feared so muche the fal of their gloriouse kyngdōe that as ye may reade they were soone confederate togither in myschefe and agreed all on this quickely to make away Chryst and al his disciples They perceaued wel inough that yf his doctrine had free course thei might then take leaue of honour pompe and dignitie wherein rested all their presente cōfort ioye and felicitie They knewe well also that if the truthe were once knowen they could then no longer delude the poore symple people as they dyd witnesse Sainct Mathew And euen nowe there be as styffnecked children as euer were they Attempte the thyng who lusteth and he shall haue his handfull to bryng some rooted in supersticiouse doctryne to credite the Gospell by the reason they giue suche confydence and are soo stayed with lewde persuasions of vnlearned preystes which vnder the colour of sheperdes plaie the righte wolfes on whose ignoraunce the holye scripture cryeth out veray terribly in dyuerse places yea it plainely pronounceth all suche to bee cursed and dampnable in the syghte of GOD whiche haue taken on theym the offyce of mynisters and promotours of the gospell and nowe subtilie with their policies woulde keepe it in staie Would God all such would graciously beare away the saiyng of saincte Paule I haue laboured saieth he with all my power to satisfie the office commaunded vnto me the fourth to the Corint If men had harkened vnto S. Paule in this poinct christen kinges princes shuld neuer haue ben so corrupted defyled with Romish doctrine as thei wer for the neglecting of preachyng desire of glorie and subtil wresting aside of the scriptures in the beginning caused ignorāce to beare such a stroke amōgest vs by litel litel the clergie wrought their feit turning true thīges to false vertue to lucar purest and beste to the worste Till the myndes of men were blinded altogither with wicked tradicions And nowe because suche as should preache be stubburne to restore again