Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	catholic_a	church_n	universal_a	4,187	5	9.3971	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72940	A declaration of the recantation of Iohn Nichols (for the space almost of two yeeres the Popes scholer in the English Seminarie or Colledge at Rome) which desireth to be reconciled and receiued as a member into the true Church of Christ in England.	Nicholls, John, 1555-1584?	1581 (1581)	STC 18533; STC 18533.5; ESTC S113205	57,669	199

praedicare quae saluti animarum cōuenire videantur non pauca praedicant quae ad perennem animarum perniciem ducūt Whiles that the Romish priests endeuor as much as they may to preache many thinges which seeme to agree to the saluation of soules then teach they not few things which tende to the perpetuall destructiō therof The first point of their deuilish doctrine in seducing the blinde and ignorant people is this To tell vs that we leaue this article of our Creede vnbeleeued Credo sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam I beleeue in the holy Catholike Church if we acknowledge not the Romane church to be the holy catholique Church As though that were true In the iudgemēt of all the learned and godly the Catholique Church is dispersed ouer the face of the earth not tied or vnited to any proper place as Rome or person as the Pope The Councill of Nice in tyme past committed the charge of the Catholique Church to three principall Patriarkes Rome Alexandria and Antioch which afterwards came to Constantinople Nilius in his booke de primatu Romani Pontificis of the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome sayth Quandoquidem quaedā prouinciae spectant ad ecclesiam Romanam aliquae ad Episcopum Alexandriae aliquae ad Episcopum Constantinapolaeos iam non magis subditae sunt Romano Episcopo quam Romanus Episcopus subditus sit illis Primacie by lymitatiō Forasmuch as certayne countries are limited to the church of Rome certeine to the Bishop of Alexandria and certeine to the Bishop of Constantinople they are now no more vnder him then he vnder them I gather by this Councill of Nice which all Papists of Rome do allowe that the Church of Rome was not onely accompted Catholique but also the Church of Alexandria was taken to be Catholique in like maner the Church of Antioch I am certeine you wil not deny the Bishop of Rome euer heretofore to haue bene as yet to be Pope therefore I inferre the Bishop of Alexandria and the Bishoppe of Antioch to be Popes Christes Vicars and so consequently to be three Popes and three Christes Vicars Haue you taught our English men so that there be three Popes three Catholique churches and are you put in prison therefore No no I know it is otherwise I take you to be hirelings Pope Gregory the xiii Greg. 13. of that name or rather by his right name Hugo Bon compaignion Hugh goodfellowe hath brybed you with his money that you should preach him to be Pope alone and none other Is this pretie stuffe vt amor nummi esset casus multorum that the loue of money should be the fall of many I will speake a litle more touching your Catholique church Athanasius saith Roma est metropolis Romanae ditio nis Rome is the mother church not of the whole worlde but of the prouince of Rome I wil not speake of Englād Ireland Scotland Frāce Dēmarke Polonia Suetia Bohoemia of Germanie Heluetia Prussia Russia Lituania Pomerania Austria Rhetia Vallis Tellina c. where the Gospel florisheth But is your church the mother church and hath your Pope gouernmēt and iurisdiction ouer the churches in Asia and Affricke It is well knowen that there is Christianitie in Asia Affricke Armenia Aethiopia Cyprus Constantinople and other places where the Pope dareth not once peepe for all his pontificalitie at Rome And in respect of all Christian assemblies faithfull members wheresoeuer the church is called Catholique that is meant vniuersall So that your church and all churches are to bee tried and knowen not by your erring councils canons constitutions decrees and glosses but by the word of God which is the touchstone of trueth Ireneus saith Lib. 3. cap. 11. Columna firmamentum ecclesiae est Euangelium spiritus vitae The pillar and buttresse of the church is the Gospell and spirit of life August de vnitate Eccle lib. 3. cap. 3. Augustine vnto the Donatistes saith Sunt certe libri dominici quorum authoritati vtrique consentimus vtrique credimus vtrique seruimus ibi quaeramus ecclesiā ibi discutiamus causam nostram There are verely bookes of our Lorde vnto the authoritie whereof eche part agreeth eche part beleeueth and eche part regardeth Church to be sought in the scripture there let vs seeke for the church and thereby let vs examine and trie our matters This I thought good to note here least that any of this faithfull congregation should at any time be caried away with the bare name of your catholique churche Nowe moreouer you seeke to proue your church by antiquitie multitude succession of person or place none otherwise then false coyners who will not haue their money knowē by the finenesse of golde or by the touchstone but by the waight by the sounde by the coyne and by the colour which they may easely counterfeite Therefore they alledge antiquitie vnto vs following that which was spoken vnto Iob by one of his friendes Iob. cap. 8.8 Consule quaeso priscam aetatem et compara te ad peruestigationem maiorum illorum Aske for the auncient generation and prepare thy selfe to seeke for the fathers Iob. 32.7 Prouecti aetate loquentur et annosi notam facient sapientiam Dayes shall speake the multitude of yeeres shall teach wisedome To whom I could answere by Iob himself euē in the verse next following 9. vers Magistri semper sapientes non sunt neque senes omni tempore intelligunt Iudicium The masters are not alwaies wise neither do the olde men alwayes vnderstād Iudgement Profectò spiritus ille in mortali 8. vers et afflatus omni potentis efficit eos intelligentes It is the spirit of God not yeres that ought to speak in man August ad Pet. Diac. cap. 34. If antiquitie should preuaile why then I pray you is the Church compared to a litle Barke or Ship which the more she is vpon the sea the more shee leaketh vnto a house which with age decayeth falleth to ruine to a Citie and the policie of it which is corrupted from tyme to time if it be not brought backe to the first institution to a mans body whereunto yeeres do bryng all kindes of euill to be short age is euen as sickenesse it selfe to the most healthfull and temperate body in the world I say thē that antiquitie alone ought to make vs thinke that in the Church there is a great sicknes and much filthynes that euen for this cause alone without any longer confutation it is requisite to bring a broome to purge it and to call for a Physition So farre is it off that for these things a man should mainteyne your Churche to bee pure holy as you do Furthermore I demand how you wil answere vnto Saint Augustine entreating vpon the threescore and fourth Psalme who sayth That Ierusalem began by Abel and Babylon by Cain The promise was made by