Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n fire_n ghost_n holy_a 6,369 5 5.6726 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A17011 An apologicall epistle directed to the right honorable lords, and others of her Maiesties priuie counsell. Seruing aswell for a præface to a booke, entituled, A resolution of religion: as also, containing the authors most lawfull defence to all estates, for publishing the same. The argument of that worke is set downe in the page following. Broughton, Richard. 1601 (1601) STC 3893; ESTC S114315 71,209 122

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

reason haue alwayes and by all meanes propugned I knowe your Honours are wise and I trust no man will so much condemne himselfe in obstinacie to be of Luthers minde and if hee bee not he cannot be a Protestant which although hee euidently perceiued in his owne iudgement and manifestly confessed in his owne writings the whole christian worlde all times places persons and Authorities to bee against him yet hee obstinately proceeded in his singularitie The woordes of that gracelesse Luther are these How often hath my heart panted and reprehended me and obiected against mee What arte thou onely wise can it bee credible that all others doe erre and haue erred so long a time Haue all Generations so often euer been deceiued What if thou doost erre and bring so many into errour that shall bee damned for euer Arte thou onelie hee which hath the true pure worde of God Hath no man in the worlde the same but thou That which the Church of Christ hath hitherto defined and so many yeeres obserued as good doost thou ouerthrowe it as though it were euill and so doost dissipate by thy doctrine both Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill Common-weales Thus in those and other places his owne conscience and iudgement did accuse and condemne him of singular obstinate rebellion and disobedience to the Church of God as appeareth and he further declareth in these wordes I neuer put those thoughts and cogitations foorth of my minde that is that this worke and businesse hee meaneth his Apostacie had neuer beene begunne by mee For what a greate multitude of men haue I seduced by my Doctrine I neuer had a greater and more greeuous temptation than for my preaching because I thought with my selfe thou hast stirred vp all this tumult in which temptation oftentimes I haue beene drowned euen to Hell it selfe Thus his conscience so long as hee had any condemned him thus hee repented his disobedience and saide that hee hoped the Bookes which hee had written woulde bee burnt and infect no more But when the bridle of Obedience was altogether broken his Conscience extinguished and plumes of pride and sensualitie had mounted him so high and carried him so farre hee behaued himselfe in his spirituall apostacie as by the testimonie of Suetonius Iulius Caesar did in his temporall rebellion against the Romane state which in the beginning doubted whether hee should go forwarde or no but when hee hadde cast off shame brake out into this speach Iacta est alea My chaunce is throwne the matter is gone so farre that I can not retire therefore I must goe forwarde howsoeuer it falleth out Euen so Luther as you haue heard did in the beginning but when shipwracke was made of all shamefastnesse hee vttered his desperate and vnreasonable resolution of obstinate perseueraunce in these termes Because I haue entered into this cause nowe I must looke vnto it and of necessitie say It is iust If you aske a reason Doctour Martine Luther will haue it so Sic volo sic iubeo sit pro ratione voluntas So I will so I commaunde let my pleasure stand for a reason for wee will not be Schollers but Maisters and Iudges of Papists yea wee will once Proteruire insultare bee malaparte and insulte ouer them I Doctour Martine Luther an vnwoorthie Euangelist of our Lorde Iesus Christ do say and affirme this Article faith alone without woorkes dooth iustifie before God the Romane Emperour shall suffer it to stand and remayne the Emperour of the Turkes the Emperour of the Tartares the Emperour of the Persians the Pope of Rome the Cardinalles Bishoppes Priestes Moonkes Nunnes Princes Lordes the whole world with all Diuelles and they shall further haue hell fire ouer their heads and I will giue them no thanks for their paines let this be my instinct from the holy ghost of Doctour Luther and my true and holie Gospell This right Honourable was the spirite and ground wherevppon you see Protestancie was first founded by this it was builded by this it was and is continued As the Scripture witnesseth Pride Wine and Women are the originalles of Apostacie and so it was in Luther so it was in all these Authors of this innouation If Pride had not beene they had kept their vowe of obedience If wine delicacies and riches had not borne a sway they had continued their vowe of pouertie if women wantonnesse and carnall pleasures had not carried them away their vowe of chastity had not beene broken Protestancie founded vppon those three pillers had not bin knowne true Religion had not beene forsaken And yet experience hath prooued that all the pride and glorie of the worlde all the riches pomps pleasures and sensible delights that haue moued carnall men to oppose themselues against it cannot ouerthrowe it but Trueth is stronger than all and the Probleme which the nobles of Darius putte vnder the pillowe of their Prince to be disputed and argued when hee shoulde awake is performed Wine is strong the King is stronger Women are stronger aboue all things Trueth dooth ouercome For whatsoeuer pleasures riotous and banquetting delights honour ambition preferrement or the power potencie of King or Potentate coulde euer doe or wantonnesse and carnall solace or any thing else King or Queene man or woman coulde hitherto effect or bring to passe the verity of this Religion and onelie of this hath still preuailed My Honourable Patrons let this Schedule and Conclusion of the Persian Nobles bee putte vnder the pillowe of our Princesse if she sleepe and slumber too long shee is the oldest Prince since the Conquest awake her foorth of dreame and let this question of Religion bee nowe at last disputed in her time let equall audience bee had the whole Christian worlde twenty times in Gennerall Councelles hath giuen sentence for vs many thousands of Prouinciall Councelles haue pronounced iudgement that our cause is right al Christian Kings of England and other Nations in their Lawes and Parliaments haue ratified it to be iust all Popes Fathers Schooles Vniuersities Colledges of all ages haue pronounced their opinion on our side all Arguments humane and diuine miraculous and ordinarie yea all former Heretikes foure hundred in number all differing from Protestants in all or most matters wherein they disagree from vs haue approoued it and all these condemned Protestants Religion We haue offered them all trialles giuen them as great securitie and safe conduct as Popes Emperours and Kings coulde giue to come to disputation their owne Schooles condemned them and if clapping handes hissings and exclamations in place of disputation bee arguments of condemnation Foxe himselfe beareth mee witnes that their prime Protestantes Archebishoppe Cranmer and Bishoppe Latimer their principall Disputants were thus exploded and condemned in Oxford Wee neuer had so much as a peece of promise of our Princesse for any equalitie of Disputation what that in the time of her first Parliament was our Protestant Chronicles
not any Religion builded vppon the deceitfull and vaine coniecture or blowne abroade to be beleeued with the whirling spirite of priuate men Quot capita tot religiones so many heades so many religions as Luther saide vnlearned deniers of Scriptures and their sense at their pleasure liers deceitfull false translators corrupters and forgers of holy euidence deuisers of new Doctrines for temporall pleasures and respects to be exempted from obligation and vowe of obedience chastity pouertie to be obeyed liue in lasciuiousnesse and pompe of wealth without any other argument at all as those innouators did But a Religion founded vpon the most certaine and infallible worde and reuelation of God expounded by those vndeceiuable Rules before remembred and that holy and euer-during society and Church of Christ for which he gaue himselfe and ordained Religion where so much virtue is practised such obedience chastitie pouertie and contempt of all impediments of heauen is vowed and professed which societie if it might erre no preseruance of true Religion is to be hoped for where none shoulde truely beleeue all should be in errour I defend that religion which in all times and places hath beene witnessed and approued with such Arguments as are disabled to be vntrue by infallible and vndeceiuable signes by thousandes of supernaturall miracles and wonders which by no meanes could be counterfaite or falsely reported So many naturally vncurable blinde restored to sight deafe to hearing lame to going sicke to health dead to life by most famous and notorious knowne Catholikes or Papists as it pleaseth Protestants which all Philosophers agree no naturall cause or arte of Diuells themselues could bring to passe neither God graunt vnto man for confirming falshoode Not that Religion which as it was taught of the Diuell father of lies as the Authours themselues shall witnesse and certainely by all arguments of reprobation condemned them their fellows and followers to hell But that which by all testimonies and vndeceitfull arguments brought the professors thereof to heauen and the most earnest and zealous therein as religious Heremites Monkes Freers Nunnes Priests Bishops Popes as all Calenders Histories and approued Recordes giue euidence to the greatest happines Not that Religion which made those that before were good chaste obedient and contem ners of the world to be wicked and giuen to al impietie as their owne writings witnesse but that Religion which those it reclaymed from false worships made them so holy and such Saints that all creatures haue done homage and duety vnto them the sea and waters against nature supported them the wilde sauage and deuouring beasts adored them the rauening foules in desarts nourished them the windes tempests ayre fire earth all elements simple compounded sensible and vnsensible things the Diuelles themselues those triumphing and tyrannicall enemies against humane nature commaunded and ouer-ruled by authoritie with trembling obeyed them Not a Religion tossed and tennised vp and downe with so many boundes and reboundes choppes and changes vniuersally both in head members containing so many falsities by their owne proceedings so many contradictions in essentiall things as there bee essentiall questions Neither doe what it could hauing the temporall sword and all iurisdiction in it selfe hath hitherto condemned vs such as I will proue the Religion of English Protestants and others to be but a Religion which in this space of almost 1600. yeeres neuer chaunged one poynt of Doctrine neuer admitted errour in faith or the least contradiction therein eyther in Decree of Pope or confirmed Councell but clearely condemned and confuted all misbeleeuers Not a Religion that contrarie to the name nature and office of true Religion separateth man from his God and Creator by so many sinnes and iniquities and yet hath no grace no Sacrament for men of reason and actuall offences no meanes or preseruatiue to preuent them no helpe or remedy to redeeme them but suffereth man to lie loaden vnder so mighty a masse of impieties and to be drowned in hell for that instrument of their iustifying faith can be no benefit to them which as before by their owne grounds haue no faith at all and as I will demonstrate heereafter haue not one property or condition of true beleeuing or matter tending to mans saluation But that Religion which as it teacheth and counselleth the way of perfection vnto all by renouncing Honours and wealth the Temptations and snares of the Diuell as the Apostle calleth them by professing Chastitie more perfect and better then the matrimoniall state as the same saint Paul witnesseth and by abnegation of a mans owne will and forsaking terrene and temporall dignities which might hinder his heauenly iourney such as our Sauiour his Apostles the Primitiue Church all reason and experience teacheth to be the path of perfection and readiest way to Heauen when and where nothing is left to hinder it That Religion which taking compassion of the frailetie of man to sin in euery state hath a stay to keepe from falling and a remedy for those that haue offended For the state of all vntil they came to such discretion and iudgement as may be cause of sinne the Sacrament of Baptisme both taking originall offence away and arming the soule against new and actual infection To confirme the former grace of that tender age and enable vs against so many temptations and persecutions as Christians haue the Sacrament of Confirmation To feede and foster all estates in the whole course and circuite of this life the foode of diuine Eucharist and Sacrament of the most holy body and blood of Christ and seeing all are subiect vnto sinne the Sacrament of Penaunce for the cure and comfort of all offenders And because the agonies and temptations at the time of death be vrgent most against vs the Sacrament of Annointing or extreame vnction to remooue the relickes of sinne and giue strength in that extremitie And for the particular helpes and assistance of particular states particular Sacraments the Sacrament of Orders to dignifie the calling of Clergy men and make them worthie and fit instruments to performe so many holy supernaturall functions as are belonging to that preeminence And lastly for the consolation and defence of married people such as encomber themselues with the cares of the world and practical life the Sacrament of Matrimony giuing grace and strength against the difficulties and cares of that condition No state no sexe no age no time no place order or degree among men is left vnprouided of spirituall comforte and protection Not a Religion whose grounds and principles ouerthrowe all christian and true Religion where God is made author of all sinnes and thereby worthy no Religion where the decision of spirituall doubtes appertaine to temporall and vnlearned Princes men women or children where such sentences although neuer so much disagreeing euen to them selues and apparantly false must be obeyed for the infallible woord of God where man hath not libertie and freedome