Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	catholic_a	church_n	true_a	3,961	5	5.4065	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20595	A declaration of the reasons which moued Marcus Antonius de Dominis, Archbishop of Spalato or Salonas, primate of Dalmatia and Croatia, to depart from the Romish religion and his countrey. Written by himselfe in Latine, and now for the populare vse translated; Marcus Antonius de Dominis, Archiepiscopus Spalatensis, suae profectionis consilium exponit. English	De Dominis, Marco Antonio, 1560-1624.; W. S., fl. 1617.	1617 (1617)	STC 6999; ESTC S116248	16,073	35

name of Eleutherius an ancient Bishop of Rome writing vnto other Bishops For this cause Christ hath committed vnto you the vniuersall Church that ye labour for all men and neglect not to helpe all according to necessity Cyprian also affirmeth epist 13. lib. 3 that joyntly with Stephanus Bishop of Rome he did hold the leuell of gouerning the Church And then he addeth The body of the Priesthood is exceeding large and is coupled together with the glew of mutuall concord and the band of vnity therfore if any of our fellowship shall prasume to forge an haeresie or to rent destroy the Church of Christ let all the rest make conuenient helpe And that same Cyprian in very deede often helped troubled Churches euen such as were without the bounds of Africke yea and the Church of Rome it selfe So Polycarpus Irenaeus Osius of Corduba Athanasius Basilius the two Eusebii one of Samosata the other of Vercels Lucifer of Calarie Hilarie of Poitiers Theophilus and Cyrillus of Alexandria Aurelius of Carthage and many other Bishops did painfully labour by vertue of their Episcopall office to helpe the necssities of the vniuersal Church and leauing for a space their own Churches well appointed recōmending them to the ouersight of others they went vnto other afflicted troubled Churches Therefore it is most proper to my calling not without the compasse of it with all my might as Cyprian exhorteth to helpe the Court of Rome which factionously maketh a Sect and deuiding it selfe frō the Church renteth destroyeth the Church of CHRIST and yet mine helpe must not be by approching to it because that is not sure but by a bodily departing from it I would indeed most gladly haue retained mine own Church of Spalate as Osius Basilius the two Eusebii Hilarius others aboue named retained their own Churches returned vnto them after they had ended the publicke businesse of the vniuersall Church But because that my Church with many others groaneth vnder the tyrannie of the Pope who hateth abhorreth Reformatiō and by all his power and the forces of his adhaerent Princes maketh impediment to it And hauing power of life death ouer these who suit vrge reformation suffereth none of them aliue Therefore I could not choose but leaue my Church that I my selfe hauing cast off these bands set at liberty might be the more ready to proclaime the trueth and with greater safety might deplore the desolation of the holy Church which she suffereth of the Court of Rome True it is the majesty of an earthly king is dreadfull because as Tertullian saith he is next vnto God lesser than God only aboue whom as Optatus Milevitanus saith there is none saue God alone Therefore when k. Dauid was to be reproued for his adultery murther neither the high Priest nor any other of the Priesthood nor any Leuit or friend or familiar durst praesume to take that charge vpon him but God vsed his own proper peculiar messenger appointed the Prophet Nathan to rebuke him But there is not now such necessity neither need we expect that God will raise vp extraordinary Prophets appoint peculiar messengers to deal with the Bishop of Rome who is now troubling scandalizing spoyling oppressing the whole Church The majesty of our Rom. Pope is not so great as to affray vs that his temporall hauty majesty is fained vsurped is none at all he is but our Brother Collegue a Bishop with vs a Fellow-seruant in the work and a brother who is holpen of a brother is as a fenced city as Salomon saith in the Prouerbs Wherfore then doe we snort wherfore doe we sleep a Brother perisheth draweth the Churches away with him to perdition we his Brethren neglect the danger doe not occur Let all be silent let all be quiet contemn as they will yet I the least Whelpe among them all with such barking as I can shall wakē those great mastius who are asleep made drowsie by a wōderful policy of the Popedome that according to their charge they may hold back the Wolues saue the flock of Iesus Christ I shall not vse mine own voyce but the voyce of God in wakening the good Dogs and I shall double vpon them the Cry of holy Fathers Councels holy Catholick Church As for these ten Bookes Of the Ecclesiastick Republick which I am shortly to put to light I shall specially endeuour that the errours of the Church of Rome may be detected the trueth and wholsomnes of the Catholick doctrine discipline may be opened these many reformed Churches which by our Romane Church are proudly casten off diuorced may be retained in a Catholik sense and that the way of vnion of all the Churches if not clearly demonstrat may be at least pointed out if by any means we can be broght to that estate all of vs to thinke one thing to say one thing that Schismes may be remedied and all occasions taken away from Christian Princes of plotting the ouerthrow one of another of troubling the common peace of Christian people with vntimous vngodly warres that vnder the praetence of Faith Religion but rather that all their forces may be so directed as the Catholik Church of Christ groaning vnder the tyrannie of those who are Infideles indeed may be restored to her ancient libertie This my departing from my Countrey or rather my going out flight from Babel I will that it want all suspicion of Schisme for I flee from errours I flee from abuses that lest I be partaker of Babels sinnes and receiue of her plagues yet will I neuer seuer my selfe from the loue which I owe to the holy Catholick Church and to all and euery one who communicate with her but so far as in me lieth I shall euer bee ready to communicate with them all so long as wee agree in the essentiall articles of our Faith and the Creedes of the ancient Church of Christ if in the meane time we derest abhorre all new articles of Faith which are contrary to holy Scripture or repugnant to the forenamed Creedes and that we admit not in anie case articles indifferent in thēselues as articles of Faith which haue neuer bene sufficiently discussed established and determined by the Church except first they be fully determined or bee showne to haue bene determined of before neither yet that we condemne those articles as haereticall vnlesse we haue sufficient notice that they haue bene condemned by the Church In things therefore indifferent let liberty of opinion and action be permitted to euery Church and let euery of them abound in their own judgement vntill the Church it selfe instructed gouerned by the Spirit of Christ shall put an ende to controuersies and seuer the Chaffe from the true Corne. In the meane time let vs remember that notable saying of worthie Cyprian which hee vsed in

the Councill of Carthage Wee judge no man saith he neither debar we any man from the Communion albeit he haue an opinion diuerse from vs for none of vs all hath made himselfe Bishop of Bisshops or compelleth his collegues by a tyrannicall force to the necessitie of obedience because euery Bishop according to liberty and power hath his own arbitriment as though hee might not bee judged by others neither hee himselfe may judge another but let vs all await vpō the judgement of our Lord Iesus Christ who one and alone hath power to prafer vs to the gouernment of his Church and to take an account of all our proceedings At that time Cyprian disassented from the Church of Rome almost from the vniuersal Church about the Baptisme of Haeretickes and being confirmed in his own opinion hee judged Stephanus Bishop of Rome who mightily resisted him therein and all other to bee in a manifest errour yet hee neuer suffered the band of vnion Ecclesiastick Charity betwixt them to be brokē lest a Schisme the most noysome pest of the Church should atise among them And in this Cypr. to his great cōmendation did ouercome the not-all-wise-discrete zeale of Stephanus for while as Steph. by his excōmunications did rush headlongs to the inconuenience of a Schisme Cyprian by his patience and charity excellent wisdome eschewed a separation Therfore S. Augustine did oftē commend Cyprian and propounded his actions as a rule and examplar of Imitation to all the Churches And among other thinges which Augustine considereth of this proceeding strife betwixt Cyprian Stephanus hee saith in his fifth booke against the Donatists chap. 25. Yet the peace of Christ did so praeuaile in their hearts that in such a quaestion no Schisme did arise betwixt them for Cyprian had surely concluded with himselfe that Steph. did grosly erre while he receiued poenitent Haereticks returning to the Church without rebaptizing yet hee choosed to cōmunicate not only with Stephanus himselfe who thought and did contrary to him but also with those whom he judged to be altogether vncleane and that only because Steph. had receiued them to the Communion rather than to rent the Church with a Schisme And this example Augustine propoundeth to the Donatists and vs all to be followed Therefore most holy Father you Fathers Brethren and holy Collegues let vs imitate Cyprian follow the counsell of Augustine that aboue all things Schismes be remoued for as August obserueth Cyprian replenished with the bowels of charity aestimed that euen they who haue diuerse opinions should abide in vnitie Let vs also among vs haue diuerse opinions of thinges not as yet determined till they be fully determined And in the meane time let vs abide in vnity for albeit that you thinke otherwise yet as th'Apostle admonisheth God will reueale that to you Make not greater diuisions than are already Take heed also that with Stephanus ye break not the band of charity by vntimous excommunications lest by such contentions that great ill of diuision arise which August did fore-eschew Restore peace and charity to all the Churches of CHRIST who according to the Tenor of the ancient Creedes doe professe IESVS CHRIST and bee assured of this that Schisme in the Church is a farre more grieuous euill than Haeresie Haue your Communion ready for all without praejudice of the liberty of opinions remouing in the meane time all falsehoods in doctrine Leaue the examinations of the Trueth to those lawfull accustomed formes of the holy Church for so I hope through the assisting grace of CHRIST who vseth not to denie himselfe to them who seeke him sincerely that full peace and concord and a necessary vnion of the holy Churches shall follow that we all think one thing abide all in one rule Let vt not stirre vp amongst vs the fire of hatred and secret grudges but of Religion and Catholicke instruction Let the Word of GOD bee a Lanterne to our feete and let vs followe the foot-steps of our holy Ancestors who haue beene excellent Lightes in the Church of CHRIST Let vs breake asunder without pertinacie the darknesse of errour and falsehood by the light of the trueth of the Gospel and let vs depart farre from Nouelties which haue almost quite exstinguished the Doctrine and Discipline of the holie Church that the Church of CHRIST on earth may bee one coupled together with the glew of concorde wherein to let vs all with one spirit and one mouth prayse our GOD and the Father of our LORD IESVS CHRIST AMEN Giuen at VENICE the xv of September ANNO 1616.