Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	church_n	peter_n	5,721	5	7.6949	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09086	The seconde parte of the booke of Christian exercise, appertayning to resolution. Or a Christian directorie, guiding all men to their saluation. Written by the former authour. R.P.; Booke of Christian exercise. Part 2.	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Christian directory.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. First booke of the Christian exercise.	1590 (1590)	STC 19380; ESTC S110194	217,337	475

the day the houre the place the Village the house the persons the men the women and other the like Which circumstaunces the more they are in number the more easie to be refuted if they were not true Neyther dyd they in Iurie write of things done in India but in the same Countrie if selfe in Townes and Cities that were publiquely knowne in Bethania and Bethsaida Villages harde by Ierusalem in the Suburbes and hyls about the Cittie in such a streete at such a gate in such a porch of the Temple at such a fish-poole which al people in Ierusalem did euery day behold They published theyr wryting in their owne life time and preached in worde so much as in wryting they had recorded They permitted the same to the iudgment and examination of all Christes Church especiallie of the Apostles who were able to discerne euery least thing therein contained So Saint Marke set foorth his Gospell by the instruction and approbation of S. Peter as also dyd S. Luke by the authoritie of S. Paule They altered not theyr wrytings afterwarde as other Authors are wont in theyr latter editions nor euer corrected they one iote of that which they had first sette downe And that which neuer happened in any other wrytings in the worlde besides nor euer Prince or Monarch was able to bring to passe for credite of hys Edicts or sanctions they gaue theyr liues for defence and iustifying of that which they had written Their manner of wryting is sincere and simple without all arte amplification or rethoricall exhortation They flatter none no not Iesus himselfe whō they most adore nor in confessing him to be theyr God and Creator doe they conceale his infirmities of flesh in that he was man as hys hunger and thyrst his beeing wearie how he wept his passions of feare and the like So likewise in the Apostles that were the Gouernours superiours and heades of the rest doe these Euangelists dissemble hyde or passe ouer no such things as were defects might seeme to worldly eyes to turne to theyr discredits As for example howe Christ rebuked them for theyr dulnes in vnderstanding howe after long instruction they proposed notwithstanding very rude and impertinent questions vnto hym howe Thomas woulde not beleeue the attestation of hys fellowes how S. Iohn and S. Iames the sonnes of Zebedee ambitiously solicited to haue the preheminence of sitting neerest to Christ in hys glorie which latter clause beeing sette downe cleerelie by Saint Marke whyle yet S. Iohn the Apostle was liuing the same was neuer denyed nor taken ill by the said Apostle neither was saint Marks Gospell any thing the lesse approoued by him albeit he liued longest and wrote last of all the rest Nay which is more and greatlie no doubt to bee obserued these Euangelists were so sincere and religious in theyr narrations as they noted especially the imperfections of themselues and of such other as they principally respected So Saint Mathew nameth himselfe Mathew the Publicane And so S. Marke beeing Peters dysciple recordeth particulerly how S. Peter thrise denied hys Lord and Maister Saint Luke that was scholler and dependent of S. Paule maketh mention alone of the differences betweene Paule and Barnabas and in the Storie of S. Stephens death after all hys narration ended he addeth a clause that in humane iudgment might haue beene left out to wit Saulus erat consentiens neci eius Saule was consenting and culpable of Stephens death Whereby wee may perceiue most perspicuously that as these men were plaine sincere and simple and farre from presuming to deuise any thing of themselues so were they religious and had scruple to passe ouer or leaue out any thing of the trueth in fauour of themselues or of any other whosoeuer These mens wrytings then were published and receiued for vndoubted trueth by all that liued in the verie same age and were priuie to the perticulers therein contayned They were copied and abroad into infinite mens hands and so conserued wyth all care reuerence as holy and diuine scripture They were read in Churches throughout al Coūtries and Nations expounded preached taught by all Pastours and commentaries made vppon them by holy Fathers frō tyme to tyme. So that no doubt can be made but that we haue the very same wrytings incorrupt as the Authours left them for that it was impossible for any enemie to corrupt so many copies ouer the world without discouerie and resistaunce And the same verie text words and sentences which from age to age the learned Fathers doe alleage out of these Scriptures we finde them now as they had them at that time As for example S. Iohn that liued longest of al the Apostles Euangelists had among other Schollers and auditours Papias Ignatius and Policarpus all which agree of the foure Gospels and other writings left vnto vs in the newe Testament affirming S. Iohn to haue approoued the same These men were Maisters againe to Iustinus Martyr Ireneus other whose writings remaine vnto vs. And if they dyd not yet their sayings and iudgments touching the Scriptures are recorded vnto vs by Eusebius and other Fathers of the next age after and so from hande to hande vntill our dayes So that of this there can be no more doubt then whether Rome Constantinople Ierusalem and other such renouned Citties knowne to all the world at thys daie be the very same wherof Authors haue treated so much in auncient times The fourth Consideration AND thus much of Christes Euangelists for whose more credite and for confirmation of things by them recorded hys diuine prouidence preordained that infinite witnesses whom we call Martyrs shoulde offer vppe theyr bloode in the Primatiue Church and after Wheras for no other doctrine profession or Religion in the worlde the like was euer heard of albeit among the Iewes in the tyme of the Machabees and at some other times also when that Nation for their sinnes were afflicted by Heathen Princes some fewe were tyrannized and iniuriously put to death yet commonly and for the most part thys was rather of barbarous crueltie in the Pagans for theyr resistaunce then directly for hatred of Iewish Religion And for the number there is no doubt but that more Christians were put to death with in two monethes for theyr beleefe throughout the worlde then were of Iewes for two thousand yeeres before Christes comming Which is vndoubtedly a matter very wonderfull considering that the Iewish Religion impugned no lesse the Pagan Idolatrie then dooth the doctrine of the Christians But this came to passe that Christes wordes might be fulfilled who saide I come not to bring peace but the sword And againe I sende you foorth as sheepe among wolues That is to say to be torne and harried and your blood to be deuoured In which extreame and most incredible sufferings of Christians three poynts are woorthy of great consideration

Arte-Magick Thus said the Iewes of the miracles of Iesus and so sayd Iulian the Apostata of the wonderfull strange things doone by S. Peter and Saint Paule affirming them to haue beene the most expert in Magick of any that euer lyued that Christ wrote a special booke of that profession and dedicated the same to Peter and Paule whereas notwithstanding it is most euident that Paule was a persecutor diuers yeeres after Christ departed One Hierocles also wrote a booke wherin he feigned Appolonius Tyanaeus to haue doone the lyke myracles by Magicke which Christ and hys Apostles did by diuine power And finally it is a generall opinion ●●a● both Nero and Iulian gaue themselues so extreamely to the studie of that vaine Science as no men euer dyd the like vppon emulation only of the miracles done in Rome by Peter and Paule when Nero liued and by other Saints and Disciples in the tyme of Iulian But what was the end Plinie that was a Pagan writeth thus of Nero that as no man euer laboured more then he in that Science so no man euer left a more certaine testimonie of the meruailous exceeding vanitie thereof The like in effect wryteth Zosimus of Iulian albeit himselfe a malitious Heathen And if it were not written yet theyr seuerall extraordinarie calamities and most miserable deathes which by all their Magick they coulde not fore-see doth sufficientlie testifie the same vnto vs especially the last words of Iulian Uicisti Galilaee vicisti Thou hast wonne ô Galilaean thou hast gotten the victorie Acknowledging thereby as wel the trueth of Christes myracles and of his folowers as also the vanitie follie and madnes of hys owne endeuours Thus then went forward Christes Apostles preached him euery where throughout the world Domino cooperante sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis that is as S. Marke affirmeth the Lorde Iesus working with them and confirming theyr preaching by signes and myracles In respecte of which benigne assistance of Iesus in theyr actions Saint Luke sayth further they dealt most confidently in the Lord his word of grace giuing testimonie vnto their dooings and shevving foorth signes and most prodigious wonders by their hands No persecution no terrour no threates of enemies no difficultie or daunger that might occurre coulde stay thē from theyr course of setting foorth Christes name and glorie And they were so assured of the trueth by the inwarde illuminations which they had and by thys certaine testimonie of Gods fauour and assistance in dooing myracles ●s one of them wryteth thus That which wee haue hearde which wee haue seene with our eyes which we haue beheld which our hands haue handled of the word of life that we doe testifie announce vnto you And another who had beene a greeuous persecutor and was conuerted wythout any conference with any Christian in the world sayd of Iesus that was dead and risen againe that neither tribulation nor distresse nor famine nor beggerie nor danger nor persecution nor dint of sword could daunt him from the seruice of such a Mayster And in another place he sayth that hee esteemed all things of thys world wherein a man might glorie to be as very dounge and detriments in respect of the eminent knowledge that is hys worde of his Lorde Iesus Christ. In which very name he tooke so exceeding great delight as in a fewe Epistles which he left written he is obserued to haue vsed this sentence Dominus noster Iesus Christus aboue two hundred times Neyther endured thys in these Apostles for a tyme onely but all theyr liues which as they spent the same with alacritie in the seruice of Iesus so in the ende they gaue vp the same most cheerefully to what soeuer death presented it selfe for confirmation sealing of theyr former doctrine neuer so full of confidence courage and consolation as at that houre nor euer so boldly denouncing theyr Maister or talking so ioyfully of rewards Crownes and kingdomes as at the very last instant vpshotte of their worldly combat Thys then declareth most manifestly that the actions of these men proceeded not of humaine spirit nor could be performed by the power of man but by the diuine force supernaturall assistance of their Lord and God whom they confessed The thyrd Consideration AND thus much in breuitie of Christes Apostles There ensue next his Euangelists that is such men as haue left vnto vs written hys byrth life doctrine and death Wherein is to be noted that Iesus beeing God tooke a different way frō the custome of man in deliuering vnto vs his Lawes and precepts For that men who haue been law-makers vnto the world knewe no surer way of publishing theyr Lawe and procuring authoritie to the same then to write them with their owne handes and in theyr life time to establish theyr promulgation So Lycurgus Solon others among the Graecians Numa to the Romaines Mahomet to the Sarafins and diuers other in like manner But Iesus to shew hys diuine power in directing the penne and style of his Euangelists would not leaue any thing written by himselfe but passed from thys world in simplicitie and silence wythout any further shew or ostentation of hys owne doings meaning notwithstanding by hys eternall wisedome that the prophecie of Ezechiell shoulde be fulfilled which fore-signified the beeing of his foure irrefragable witnesses which day night without rest shold preach extoll magnifie theyr Lord Maister to the worlds end Foure then were fore-prophecied and foure as wee see by Gods prouidence were prouided to fulfill the same prophecie The first and last are two Apostles that wrote as they had seene The two middle are two disciples who registred things as they had vnderstoode by conference with the Apostles The first Gospell was written by an Apostle to giue light and open the way to al the rest And the last in like manner was written by an Apostle to giue authoritie and confirmation to all the former The first was written in the Hebrue or Iewish tongue for that Iesus actions were done in that Countrie to the ende that thereby eyther the whole Nation might beleeue them or the obstinate impugne them The other three were wrytten in the publique tongues of all other Nations that is in the Greeke Romaine languages if it be true which diuers holde that S. Markes Gospell was first written in Latine They wrote theyr stories in diuers Countries each one remaining farre distant from another and yet agreed they all as wee see most exactlie in the very same narration They wrote in diuers times the one after the other and yet the latter did neyther correct nor reprehend any thing in the former They published theyr stories when infinite were aliue that knewe the facts and manie more that desired to impugne them They sette downe in most of theyr particuler narrations the time