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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	holy_a	word_n	6,560	5	4.2187	3	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

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.

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

in much patience in tribulation in necessities in straites in laboures through glorie and shame through infamie and good fame for I seeke not my selfe nor mine owne but those things which are IESVS CHRISTS That rather doeth grieue me if I doe not obviate calumnies it may easily come to passe that in the mindes of the Godly a great fruite of aedification shall bee stayed which they might take of my counsell and that many ignorant of the reasons of my departing in place of aedification shall vnwittingly offende at me by vnjust calumnies which they will heare To these I will open the reasons of my departing and make them manifest to all men that I may profite them That this my change of place is of GOD and not of man neither may I neither ought I to call in question I knowe wee should not easily trust euery Spirit but should trye them if they bee of GOD as we are well admonished by IOHN the beloued Disciple of CHRIST Therefore in these tryalls beside the often accesse to the Father of Lightes which I learued of CHRIST in these ten yeeres before named it is most certaine as GOD and my Conscience beareth me recorde that no mans perswasion of whatsoeuer sort came to my eares in this purpose I had none to stirre me vp none to perswade me I had vse of no mans counsell nor did cōmunicat it to any creature Neither yet let any suspect that I did drawe my reasons on t of the Bookes of Protestants which are contrary to the doctrine of ROME for GOD is my witnesse I did vehemently abhorre those Bookes discharged by ROMANE Inquisition which indeed if any Praelate addicted to the Court of ROME did detest I did it out of measure beeing possessed from my childhood with foolish feares and since now I am not a childe but neare vnto threescore yeeres of age let any who listeth assay whereinto he can perswade me without weightie reasons I did euer sway the inclinations thoughts of my heart after the rules which the Holie Spirit in Sacred Scripture did praescribe to the whole Church by whose direction the holie and reuerende Fathers euer much esteemed by the Catholicke Church did instruct the Faithfull which holie Fathers also beside the inward motions of the Holie Spirit were the onlie and chiefe authors of this my purpose Why then should I suspect this worke to bee of an euill spirit From which suspicion that also maketh me free that before GOD who tryeth the heart and reynes I know that in my deliberation I did neuer direct my minde to humane or worldlie respectes not vnto Ecclesiasticall dignities which might beseeme mine estate for I was alreadie a Bishop and that not of the basest sort but the chiefest in my natiue Prouince to wit The Archbishop of Spalato the Primate of two Kingdomes Dalmatia and Croatia of as great aestimation in our Churches Prouinces I am not ashamed to confesse the trueth as anie other And if the dignities of Rome had beene pleasant to me I had euer an easie accesse to them But the manners of the Court of Rome which I euer disliked made me euer to abhorre it Yet not the lesse in great and publicke affaires the Sea of Rome did vse my labours to the Emperour and Archdukes as is manifest by the Popes Brieues and the Letters of the Emperour and Archdukes which I yet keepe My well-deseruing also at the hand of the State of Venice my natiue Soueraigne did procure vnto me their great fauour whereby I might both hope for and expect the benefite of a better fortune if the desire of greater Grandour had possessed me I looked not to worldlie commodities which I had in that aboundance as might more than suffice a moderate spirit such as I euer had which I doe ascribe to the grace of GOD. In this change of my place I doe gladlie embrace the losse of all my dignities and riches because as I haue said I seeke not mine but the thinges of IESVS CHRIST Therefore neither the counsels of men nor the vndaunted affection nor worldlie necessitie nor euent neither anie miserable accident which vseth to ranuerse men and their estate moued mee to depart but whence it was I will ingeniously declare without faining or dissimulation For the most part from my childhood I was brought vp among the Iesuits in holy study according to the common doctrine of the Schoole-men and the receiued opinions of the Church of Rome for which opinions proper to Rome imprinted and fixed in my mind more by authoritie than by reason with the miserable captiuing of my vnderstanding I was for a long space most resolued to die for I counted it execrable about these opinions to admit the smallest doubt or ambiguitie of mind or thought let be of speaches and being bound vp in this cōmon reuerence of them if at any time any thought had crept in against them or my studies had suggested any doubt I resolued to vse violence against mine owne reason as the custome is in matters of Faith and to turne my minde and thoughts another way rather than I should admit the least doubt against these articles of Faith which I tooke for certaine and were set out to vs by our teachers to bee moste certaine I confesse I did feele continually some sparks of the inward Spirit which neuerthelesse I resisted yet I could neuer freely acquiesc neither free my selfe of a great suspicion which held me in perplexitie after I had made some progresse in the studies of Diuinitie Which suspicion was greatly augmented in mee by so exact so rigorous and intestine businesse of Rome whereby I perceiued they did moste narrowly take heede that no booke written against our doctrine should bee helde or read by any of vs for I supposed that these bookes were justly discharged the common sort lest the people who are destitute of judgement and discretion shold be exposed by reading of them to the danger of drinking in of Haeresie But in that they were altogether discharged Students and men of great learning and well affected to the Catholicke Religion I did euer judge as reason will teach euery man that matter was greatly to bee suspected especially seeing the Court of Rome suffered vs not to haue any vse of these bookes euen after wee had compleet our course in the studie of Diuinitie and taken degrees therein yea and after our promotion to Bisshoprickes This suspicion did yet more increase where I sawe our Masters and Professors in their publicke handling of the controuersies by word or writ claime this authoritie to themselues to bee trusted in all that they sayde that those wordes and sentences which they did repeate were the wordes and sentences of the aduersaries and in the meane time the hearers were discharged vnder the fearefull paine of Excommunication to reade the vvritinges of the Aduersaries In ryding suppressing and destroying vvhereof they make so great businesse as justlie it is to bee

great conspicuous Princes but Bishops they are not but by aequiuocation all their Bishoply administration is perished for the gouernment of all Churches is drawn to Rome and the Bishops themselues are scarsely Vicars and seruants to the Lord Pope they are vile cōtemptible oppressed troden vnder foot miserably subjected not to the Pope only but to Cardinals to so many Cōgregations as are institute at Rome against them Legates from his Holines side Apostolick Nunces Inquisitors Visitors in end to innumerable Orders of Regulars and their brethren who now by their Apostolicke priuiledges are uot onely aequalled to Bishops but also ouermatcheth them stayeth their proceedinges in their gouernment swallowing vp their power The Church vnder the Bishop of Rome is no more a Church but a certaine humane Commonwealth all of it vnder the Popes temporall Monarchie It is a Vineyard only to make Noe drunke it is a Flock which the Shepheards do sheare and clip euen to the blood yea to excoriate and flaye them Why then should I not flee lest I should see these euils any longer lest I should be a fellow-worker of such thinges a partaker with them CHRIST hath set mee as a dogge among his flocke I should not bee dumbe anie longer as nowe all the other Bishops vnder the Romane pope are dumb dogs who on the one part allured with large ●●pes and on the other terrified with great feare are altogether silent and choose by base flattery to hasten to perdition with their Chiftane And because according to the Prouerbe Flattery begetteth friends and trueth begetteth hatred seeing I neither could nor ought to desert the trueth I behoued of necessitie to flee noisome hatred and poyson and daggers the ordinary effects of hatred among vs for in these our times matters are come to this poinct that at Rome or elswhere by commission from Rome the defence of Controuersies of Religion is not committed to Theologs or Councels but to Torturers Burrios Cut-throates and bloodie Murtherers And albeit all these things did euer and earnestly perswade me to flee yet I doe confesse I fonnd the handmaide Agar with her childe Jsmael for a long time troublesom to me I mean I heard my flesh rebelling against my spirit and reasoning after this manner And whither I pray thee wilt thou goe Thou art come to great dignities wealth vnder the Bishop of Rome with hope also to attaine further These things thou doest possesse these are certain but thou knowest not what shall befall thee in other places Shall it bee euen so that thou wilt leaue thy Countrey Consignes Alliance friends neuer any more to see them againe Wherfore makest thou thy selfe wiser than innumerable other Bishops who comporteth vvith all things tolerateh excuseth them why wilt not thou in like manner comport with tolerate excuse them Art thou only the wise man among such an innumerable multitude Are all the rest foolish Doest thou not know that immediatly after thy departing first at Rome and then euery where thou shalt bee burdened with great reproaches and noted with the infamous name of an Haereticke These and more such like speaches my fleshly Agar did often whisper in mine eares not without a great combate betwixt her mine inwarde spirit and my Conscience nowe already ouercome with the trueth But that diuine Spirit with a more vehement force suffered me not any longer to make delayes but with an effectuall voyce he called me to himselfe as he did Abraham saying Come out of thy Countrey and from thy kinred and from thy Fathers house and come vnto the Land which I will shew vnto thee And he forced mee to put in execution that notable saying of the wise men FOLLOW GOD euen as blessed Abraham indeed obeyed it according to the consideration of holie Ambrose de Abraham lib. 1. cap. 2. Which fact of the holy Patriarch after a wonderfull sort augmented both my courage and strength while I perceiued that GOD did first rewarde his ready obedience by keeping disgrace and infamie farre from him for hee praeserued the chastity of his beautiful wife Sara whē it was in liazard by a licentious Tyrant Ambrose also did much comfort mee in this case while he saith Because Abraham contemned all things for GODS calling therfore he receiueth al things again abundantly multiplied first of all hee gaue him the safety of Saras chastity which hee knew was deare to the husband That same holy Father addeth moreouer Whosoeuer followeth the LORD is euer in surety therefore saith he we should not bee called backe from the obedience of heauenlie commandements neither for respect to our countrey or parents or children or wife because GOD giueth all these gifts to vs is able to preserue them all These things giue mee full assurance that for this my following of his calling though it bee somewhat too late GOD will giue me this remuneration euen the praeseruation of my fame and aestimation that of whatsoeuer account it be it shall suffer no disgrace amongst Barbarians but shall be kept found and vndefiled for the aedification of some and auoyding of offences Beeing therefore encouraged with this confidence and moued with this holy calling and admonished by these dangers I haue most chearefully vndertaken this my flight But yet the loue of CHRIST constraineth me for I might be counted of a vile base spirit if laying aside all lawfull striuing I should rot in sluggish idlenesse in some corner and so flee for mine owne ease The cause of CHRIST is in hand which calleth me to it selfe I heare that voyce continually thundering in mine eares CRYE and admonishing mee to goe vp to some high mountaine to the ende that my voyce joyned with their voyce who haue not bowed their knee to Baal may bee better heard in preaching the Gospel to Sion That voyce now I follow and I goe into some mountain where the Catholick Church hath lifted vp her head in a free profession from whence according to the oblishment of my calling so farre as in me lieth I may proclaime the trueth to the worlde and may open and shew the wayes for taking away all diuisions and binding vp again of peace in the Church The Church shall shortly heare my cries I will speake to the heart of Hierusalem and call vnto her For I cannot in any case bee lacking to my calling because I am a Bishop in the Church of CHRIST to euery Bishop his own particular Church is so committed that hee must in the meane time vnderstand where there is any necessity of his helpe the vniuersall Church is recommended to him by IESVS CHRIST To all of vs who are Bishops the Apostle Paul hath said Take heed to your selues to the whole flocke ouer which the Spirit of God hath made you ouer-sieers to rule the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood These words also are giuen out in the