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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	write_a	3,591	5	10.7886	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00947	Of the Russe common wealth. Or, Maner of gouernement of the Russe emperour, (commonly called the Emperour of Moskouia) with the manners, and fashions of the people of that countrey.	Fletcher, Giles, 1549?-1611.	1591 (1591)	STC 11056; ESTC S102293	102,619	240

proper as they say to the nation of the Iewes Onely the booke of Psalmes they haue in great estimation and sing and say them dayly in their Churches Of the new Testament they allow and read all except the Reuelation which therefore they read not though they allow it because they vnderstand it not neither haue the like occasion to know the fulfilling of the prophecies conteyned within it concerning especially the apostasie of the Antichristian Church as haue the Westerne Churches Notwithstanding they haue had their Antichrists of the Greeke Church and may finde their owne falling of and the punishments for it by the Turkish inuasion in the prophecies of that Booke Secondly which is the fountain of the rest of al their corruptiōs both in doctrine ceremonies they holde with the Papistes that their church Traditions are of equall authoritie with the written worde of God Wherein they prefer thēselues before other churches affirming that they haue the true and right traditions deliuered by the Apostles to the Greeke church and so vnto them 3. That the church meaning the Greeke and specially the Patriarch and his Synod as the head of the rest haue a soueraigne authoritie to interpret the Scriptures and that all are bound to holde that interpretation as sound and authentique 4. Concerning the diuine nature the three persons in the one substance of God that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father onely and not from the Sonne 5. About the office of Christ they holde many fowle errours and the same almost as doth the Popish church namely that hee is the sole mediatour of redemption but not of intercession Their chiefe reason if they bee talked withall for defence of this errour is that vnapt and foolish comparison betwixt God and a Monarch or Prince of this world that must bee sued vnto by Mediatours about him wherein they giue speciall preferment to some aboue others as to the blessed Virgin whom they call Precheste or vndefiled and S. Nicôlas whom they call Scora pomosnick or the Speedy helper and say that he hath 300. angels of the chiefest appointed by God to attend vpon him This hath brought them to an horrible excesse of idolatry after the grossest prophanest māner giuing vnto their images al religious worship of praier thanksgiuing offerings adoration with prostrating and knocking their heads to the ground before thē as to God himself Which because they doo to the picture not to the portraiture of the Saint they say they worship not an idol but the Saint in his image so offend not God forgetting the cōmandement of God that forbiddeth to make the image or likenes of any thing for any religious worship or vse whatsoeuer Their church walles are very full of them richly hanged set forth with pearle stone vpō the smooth table Though some also they haue embossed that stick from the board almost an inch outwards They call them Chudouodites or their miracle workers and when they prouide them to set vp in their Churches in no case they may say that they haue bought the image but exchaunged monie for it 6. For the means of iustification they agree with the Papists that it is not by faith only apprehēding Christ but by their works also And that Opus operatum or the worke for the worke sake must needes please God And therefore they are all in their numbers of praiers fastes vowes offrings to saints almes deeds crossings such like and carrie their numbring beads about with them cōtinually aswel the Emperour his Nobilitie as the cōmon people not only in the church but in all other publike places specially at any set or solemne meeting as in their fastes lawe courts common consultations intertainement of Ambassadours and such like 7. They say with the Papists that no man can be assured of his saluation til the last sentence be passed at the day of iudgement 8. They vse auricular confession thinke that they are purged by the very action frō so many sinnes as they confesse by name and in particular to the Priest 9. They hold three sacramentes of Baptisme the Lords supper and the last annoiling or vnction Yet concerning their Sacrament of extreame vnction they holde it not so necessarie to saluation as they do baptisme but thinke it a great curse and punishment of God if any die with out it 10. They thinke there is a necessitie of baptisme and that all are condemned that die without it 11. They rebaptise as many Christians not being of the Greek church as they conuert to their Russe profession because they are diuided from the true Church which is the Greeke as they say 12. They make a difference of meates drinks accounting the vse of one to be more holy then of an other And therefore in their set fastes they forbeare to eate fleshe and white meats as we call them after the manner of the Popish superstition which they obserue so strictly with such blinde deuotion as that they will rather die then eat one bit of flesh egges or such like for the health of their bodies in their extreme sicknese 13. They hold marriage to be vnlawfull for all the Clergie men except the priests only and for them also after the first wife as was said before Neither doo they well allow of it in Lay men after the second marriage Which is a pretence now vsed against the Emperours only brother a child of six yeres old Who therefore is not praised for in their churches as their manner is otherwise for the Princes bloud because hee was borne of the sixt marriage and so not legitimate This charge was giuen to the priests by the Emperour himselfe by procurement of the Godonoes who make him beleeue that it is a good pollicie to turne away the liking of the people from the next successour Many other false opinions they haue in matter of religion But these are the chiefe which they holde partly by meanes of their traditions which they haue receiued from the Greeke church but specially by ignorance of the holy Scriptures Which notwithstanding they haue in the Polonian tongue that is all one with theirs some few wordes excepted yet fewe of them read them with that godly care which they ought to doo neither haue they if they would bookes sufficient of the old and new Testament for the common people but of their Leiturgie onely or booke of common seruice whereof there are great numbers All this mischief commeth from the clergie who being ignorant and godlesse themselues are very warie to keepe the people likewise in their ignorance and blindnesse for their liuing and bellies sake partly also frō the manner of gouernment setled among them which the Emperours whom it specially behoueth list not to haue chaunged by any innouation but to retaine that religion that best agreeth with it Which notwithstanding it is not

is baptiszed the Priest laieth oile and salt tempred together vpon the forehead and both sides of his face and then vppon his mouth drawing it along with his finger ouer the childes lippes as did the Popish priestes saying withall certeine prayers to this effect that God will make him a good Christian c all this is done in the Church porch Then is the childe as being now made a Christian and meet to be receiued within the church dore carried into the church the Priest going before and there he is presented to the chiefe Idoll of the Church being layd on a cushion before the feete of the image by it as by the mediatour to bee commended vnto God If the child be fick or weake specially in the winter they vse to make the water luke warme After baptisme the manner is to cut of the haire from the childes head and hauing wrapped it within a piece of wax to lay it vp as a relique or monument in a secret place of the church This is the māner of their baptisme which they accoūt to be the best perfectest form As they doo all other parts of their religion receiued as they say by tradition from the best church meaning the Greeke And therfore they will take great paynes to make a proselite or cōuert either of an infidell or of a forrein Christian by rebaptizing him after the Russe manner When they take any Tartar prisoner commonly they will offer him life with condition to be baptized And yet they perswade very few of them to redeeme their life so because of the naturall hatred the Tartar beareth to the Russe and the opinion he hath of his falshood and iniustice The yere after Mosko was fired by the Chrim Tartar there was taken a Diuoymorsey one of the chiefe in that exploit with 300. Tartars more who had all their liues offered thē if they would be baptized after the Russe manner Which they refused all to doo with many reproches against those that perswaded them And so beyng carried to the riuer Mosko that runneth through the citie they were all baptized after a violent manner being thrust downe with a knock on the head into the water through an hole made in the yse for that purpose Of Lieflanders that are captiues there are many that take on thē this secōd Russe baptisme to get more libertie somwhat besides towards their liuing which the Emperour ordinarily vseth to giue them Of Englishmen since they frequented the countrie there was neuer any found that so much forgot God his faith and countrie as that he would bee content to be baptized Russe for any respect of feare preferment or other meanes whatsoeuer saue onely Richard Relph that following before an vngodly trade by keeping a Caback against the order of the countrie and being put of from that trade spoiled by the Emperours officers of that which he had entred himself this last yeare into the Russe profession so was rebaptised liuing now asmuch an idolater as before he was a rioter and vnthrifty person Such as thus receiue the Russe baptisme are first carried into some Monasterie to be instructed there in the doctrine and ceremonies of the church Where they vse these ceremonies First they put him into a new and fresh suite of apparell made after the Russe fashion and set a coronet or in Sommer a garland vpon his head Then they annoint his head with oile put a waxe candle light into his hand and so pray ouer him foure times a day the space of seuen daies All this while he is to abstaine from flesh and white meats The seuen daies being ended he is purified and washed in a bathstoue and so the eight day hee is brought into the church where he is taught by the Friers how to behaue himselfe in presence of their idols by ducking downe knocking of the head crossing himself and such like gestures which are the greatest part of the Russe religion The sacrament of the Lordes supper they receiue but once a yeare in their great Lent time a litle before Easter Three at the most are admitted at one time and neuer aboue The manner of their cōmunicating is thus First they cōfesse themselues of all their sins to the Priest whō they call their ghostly father Then they come to the Church are called vp to the Cōmunion table that standeth like an altar a little remoued frō the vpper end of the Church after the Doutch maner Here first they are asked of the Priest whither they be cleane or no that is whither they haue neuer a sinne behind that they left vnconfessed If they answere No they are taken to the table Where the Priest beginneth with certeine vsuall prayers the communicants standing in the meane while with their armes foulded one within an other like penitentiaries or mourners When these prayers are ended the Priest taketh a spoone and filleth it full of claret wine Then he putteth into it a small piece of bread and tempereth them both together and so deliuereth them in the spoone to the Communicants that stande in order speaking the vsuall wordes of the Sacrament Eat this c. Drinke this c. both at one time without any pause After that he deliuereth them againe bread by it self and then wine carded together with a little warme water to represent bloud more rightly as they thinke and the water withall that flowed out of the side of Christ Whiles this is in doing the communicants vnfold their armes And then foulding them againe follow the Priest thrise round about the communion table and so returne to their places againe Where hauing said certeine other prayers he dismisseth the communicants with charge to bee meary and to cheere vp themselues for the seuen daies next following Which being ended he enioyneth them to fast for it as long time after Which they vse to obserue with very great deuotion eating nothing els but bread and salt except a little cabbage and some other hearbe or roote with water or quasse mead for their drinke This is their manner of administring the Sacraments Wherein what they differ from the institution of Christ and what ceremonies they haue added of their owne or rather borrowed of the Greekes may easily be noted Of the doctrine of the Russe church and what errours it holdeth The 23. Chapter THeir chiefest errours in matter of faith I find to be these First concerning the word of God it self they will not read publiquely certeine bookes of the Canonicall scripture as the bookes of Moses specially the foure last Exodus Leuiticus Numeri and Deuteronomie which they say are al made disauthentique and put out of vse by the comming of Christ as not able to discerne the difference betwixt the morall and the ceremoniall law The bookes of the prophets they allow of but read thē not publikely in their churches for the same reason because they were but directers vnto Christ