Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bind_v	church_n	law_n	2,400	5	5.0344	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17981	A thankfull remembrance of Gods mercy In an historicall collection of the great and mercifull deliverances of the Church and state of England, since the Gospell began here to flourish, from the beginning of Queene Elizabeth. Collected by Geo: Carleton, Doctor of Divinitie, and Bishop of Chichester.	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.; Passe, Willem van de, 1598-ca. 1637, engraver.	1624 (1624)	STC 4640; ESTC S107513	118,127	246

Then he was demanded if the Pope should send an Armie into England against the Queene whether he would take the Popes part or the Queenes To this he protested openly that he would take the Popes part and confirmed it by his hand-writing he was put to death and some others for the same cause When as yet from the time of the rebellion there was but fiue put to death in this cause The Queene thinking that mens consciences should not be forced did often compla●ne that she was necessarily driven to these courses vnl●s she would suffer a mischiefe to fall vpon her selfe and her subiects by them that sought to colour their treasons vnder a pretence of conscienc● and Catholike Religion And yet she thought that some of the poore Priests that were sent were not acquainted with the secret plots of treason but found that their superiors vsed these as instruments of their wicked intentions and they yeelded the whole disposing of themselues to the iudgement of their superiors for they that were then and afterward apprehended being demanded whether by the authoritie of the Bull of Pius V. the subiects were so absolved from their oath and alleagance that they might take Armes against the Prince Whether they held her for a lawfull Queene Whether they yeelded their cōsent to the opiniōs of Sanders Bristow concerning the authoritie of that Bull Whether if the Pope should warre against the Queene they would take his part or hers To these things they answered some so ambiguously some so fiercely some by preuarication or by silence shifting that diverse other Papists who were not acquainted with the secrets of their villanies began to suspect that surely they nourished some secret mischiefe and Iohn Bishop otherwise much addicted to their Religion wrote and soundly proued that the constitution ob●ruded in the name of the Councell of Lateran from which they founded all their authoritie to absolue subiects from their alleagance and to depose Princes was indeed nothing but a decree of Innocentius III. nor was ever admitted in England Yea that Councell was no Councell and that nothing was decreed there by the Fathers Suspitions were still increased by reason of the number of Priests daily comming into England and creeping in corners who secretly sought out the minds of men and taught that Princes excommunicated were to be throwne out of their Kingdomes that Princes that professed not the Roman Religion were fallen from the title and Kingly authoritie that they who had taken orders were by the libertie of the Church freed from all iurisdiction of Princes neither were bound to their lawes or bound to reverence their Maiestie that the Magistrates of England were not lawfull and therefore not to be accounted as Magistrates Yea and moreover that what things soever had bin established by the Queenes authoritie after the publishing of the Bull of Pius V. were voyd altogether by Gods law and mans law and to be respected as things of no account Neither did they dissemble their purpose that they were come into England for this end that this Bull might be effected and that they might in private confessions reconcile men and so absolue them from all faith and alleagance toward the Queene This thing seemed to be more easily effected when men were absolved from all mortall sinne as the Priests perswaded them and this way was the safest because the most secret and vnder the seale of Confession These practi●es extorted of the Parliament held then ●n ●anuary An 1582 new lawes and more severe against these Popish practises By which lawes it was made treason to disswade any subiect from their alleagance to their Prince and from the Religion which was then established in England or to reconcile any to the Romish Church the same punishment was to be inflicted vpon them which were so perswaded or reconciled To say Masse was punished with two hundreth markes and a yeares imprisonment and to be farther punished vntill they had payed To be present at Masse willingly was punished with an hundreth marke fine and a yeares imprisonment They that refused to come to their Parish Churches were to pay twentie pound a moneth This manner of punishing refractary men that in matters touching the Church were troublesome and seditious was taken from an ancient manner of punishing such men in the time of St Augus●in for he speaketh diverse times of the Pecuniary mulct of the Emperours which was inflicted vpon the Dona●ists And because the seminary Priests and Iesuites who haue bin punished not for Religion but for Treasons in the execution of civill Iustice for offending against the lawes of the Land haue given out that they haue bin perfecuted for Religion and some of them haue beene made Martyrs these be a new kinde of Martyrs not for Christs cause but for the Popes cause against Christ and against his Word and Commandement It shall not be amisse to obserue the State of the Church in S. Augustines time and the iudgement of the Church then which in diverse resemblances doth answer to our times for then the Emperour had that power and authoritie which we now giue to our Kings The Pope had no more authoritie then then we would yeeld him now if he would maintaine the doctrine that the Popes then did The Pope was then vnder the Emperour the Emperour punished both Pope and others if they offended his lawes Parmenianus a Donatist complained they were punished by the Emperour and persecuted and called their persecution Martyrdome as did the Papists that were punished S. Augustin answering the Donatists saith Si quis quis ab Imperatore c. If every man that is punished by the Emperour or by the Iudges which he sendeth must presently be accompted a Martyr then shall we haue all Prisons full of Mart●rs c. And after he sayth Therefore not every one that in some question of Religion is punished by the Emperour must presently be accompted a Martyr for he is iustly punished for superstition which he thought to be religion No man verily that in any respect is a Christian dare avouch this for such men proceeding like blind men see not that they who thus thinke proceed so farre as to proue that the very devils may thus chalenge to themselues the glory of Martyrs because they suffer this persecution by the Christian Emperours for as much as their temples are destroyed over all the world in a manner their ldols are broken in peeces their sacrifices are forbidden they who honor them are punished if they be found Which if it be madnesse to m●intaine then it followeth that righteousnesse is not proued by suffering but by righteousnesse suffering is made glorious therefore the Lord said not blessea are they that suffer persecution but he addeth that which maketh the difference betweene pietie and sacriledge blessed are they which suffer persecution for righ●●ousnesse c. And after he sayth If these men being convicted of their wicked practises shall

King when armies were sent to them intertaining the armies in all obedience opening their gates shewing all loue and friendship to the Spanish armies were of a suddaine surprised and brought to vtter ruine The Spaniards killing and massackring all taking their goods abusing their wiues and daughters as the manner of such barbarous men is in a new conquest ex●rcising more cruelties against their professed friends then they could doe to their enemies Such barbarous cruelties were practised against the Townes of Machlin Maestrich Zutphen Naerden Antwerp and others who were their friends agreeing in the same religion with them holding as then their obedience firme to the King yet were they spoyled killed ransacked and overthrowne like enemies Which strange cruelty declared that it was not religion that moved this cruelty but that which the Duke D'Alva did openly professe that the King must hold all the Low-Countries by a new conquest that so he might change the governement and impose what lawes he would It may seeme a strange vse of the Popes Authority which King Philip made when from the Pope he got a dispensation of that oath which he had taken at his entrance into the Low-Countries This is an vse of a Pope fit indeede for them that would doe whatsoever they list without conscience or the feare of Gods lawes or mans If such an vse may be made of the Popes power then Popish Princes must needes in the sight of the world seeme to haue a great advantage over others But if they may so dispense at their pleasure with oathes and promises then may all those of their religion see plainely that there are neither humane nor divine bands or securitie that can binde Papists for when they please the Pope will free them from all bands of conscience from the lawes of God of man of nature of nations But God will not be thus served And therefore by Gods iust iudgements they that rely vpon such vngodly practises loose more in the ende then they gaine by such profane dealings This was the cause of their troubles in the Low Countries That state being then so tro●bled could yeelde no helpe to Queene Elizabeth yet did shee yeelde helpe to them The King of Denmarke and the Protestants in Fraunce were not able to helpe her nor to helpe themselues without her meanes This must needes be acknowledged an extraordinary blessing of God to make her able to withstand the greatest enemies and to helpe all that were distressed for Religion This famous Queene though troubled by forraine states in the beginning of her Raigne yet had great peace and quietnes at home This was the fruit of true religion her Subiects lived in peace and tranquilitie no motions then attempted Only in the fourth yeare of her Raign Arthur Poole and his brethren comming of the race of George Duke of Clarence who was brother to Edward the fourth and Antony Fortiskue who married their sister with some other of that conspiracie were brought to their tryall for that they had conspired to flie to the G●ise into France and thence to come with an Armie into Wales and there to declare the Scottish Queene to be Queene of England and Arthur Poole Duke of Clarence All which they freely confessed at their tryall yet protesting that it was not their purpose to execute this designe as long as Queene Elizabeth lived who as they supposed should dye within a yeare for so some cosening Astrologians had told them Whereupon they were condemned yet their liues were spared in respect of their blood Wherein wee may acknowledge the goodnes of God in discovering such a plot before it tooke strength and the noble nature of the Queene that dealt so nobly with her owne blood Thus the Land within rested in great quietnes for some yeares The Church was established and increased learning flourished godlines and true pietie prevailed Popish ignorance was driven into corners The Papists that then were were content to keepe themselues quiet Either they kept their Religion private to themselues or els they came to our Churches as most of them did But the enemy of all goodnesse envying this peaceable state of England stirred vp the Pope to giue occasion to new troubles and to wrap the Kingdome into dangers Whereby as the Church hath beene more troubled then it was before so the Papists haue got nothing by the bargain but lost much by stirring vp the peaceable inclinatiō of the Prince against them and by provoking the State to make severe lawes to curb● them Who might haue liued quietly if they had not procured their owne trouble Paulus IIII. was Pope when Queene Elizabeth began to Raigne this Pope was not troublesome against her His successor was Pius IIII. who seemed to be a moderate man For he was moved by the Count of Feria who served the King of Spaine to excommunicate Queene Elizabeth but he thought it not good to proceed to such extremities For seeing the Popes authority is a thing consisting rather in the conceits of some men then in any truth and substance If it should once appeare that this thunderbolt of excommunicate whereby he hath so much terrified the world should proue idle ineffectuall without all po●er then might this great authoritie fall into contempt and so be made ridiculous Whether for this cause or what other he would not be perswaded to vse this extremitie against the Queene but sent Letters shewing some loue and kindnesse by an Abbot Parpalia by whom also he sent certaine secret Mandates Which what they were was not openly knowne But some acquainted well with State affayres then reported that the Pope offred to recall and disanull the sentence as vniust which was given against her Mothers marriage and to confirme the English Liturgie by his authoritie granting also the vse of the Sacrament vnder both kindes so that she would ioyne her selfe to the Romane Church acknowledge the Popes supremacy And for the effecting hereof a great sum of gold was promised to some that should be vsed as instruments for this purpose But Queene Elizabeth remaining SEMPER EADEM ever like her selfe vtterly denied to haue any thing to do with the Pope But the next Pope Pius V. that succeeded tooke another course whether a better or worse let the event declare For in the yeare 1569. he sent out an excommunication against her and all adhering to her wherein her subiects were absolved from the Oath of their Alleagance and from all other offices and duties and that all that should obey her were accursed Which thing brought more trouble vpon the Papists then vpon the Queene or any of her obedient subiects And hath openly declared to all the world that the Popes curse is a thing proceeding from private splene and malice and now nothing feared but contemned when all men may see that the Popes curse is turned by the favour of God into an extraordinary blessing and that the Pope is not Christs V●car in these ministeries

vnrighteousnesse at the commandement of the Pope or any superior These I am sure are the practises of vnrighteousnesse would to God these men would once looke backe vpon themselues and their owne actions and consider what a difference is betweene ancient Bishops of Rome and these of late betweene godly Divines and the Popes Clergie The ancient Bishops did never draw the sword to propagate the faith the Apostles left no such example to them but by their labours in Preaching and their patience in suffring they gathered a Church and established the faith but behold how vnrighteousnes and villany is now come in place An vngracious bloudy wretch kills a man in his bed a man that was his friend such a thing chancing in the Warres may be borne with but in bed to murther his friend is an extraordinary signe of barbarous crueltie And yet that Sanders the Popes Legat should pronounce this thing to be a sweet sacrifice to God this passeth all imagination Can any either practise these things or commend these practises but onely such men as the Apostle describeth that are given vp to beleeue lyes and to worke vnrighteousnesse If any man shall answer me here with that old worn Cuckow long that these things are not vnderstood by them to be vnrighteo●s which the Pope commandeth that they doe these things in obedience to Christ his Vicar I answer they that would make such an answer are either such as are men of conscience or altogether without conscience If they be men without conscience I haue nothing to say to such but wish them better then they doe to themselues that they had some fecling of conscience If these men haue any sparke of conscience then would I intr●at them seriously to consider what is that which the Apostle in the place before cited calleth the deceivablenes of vnrighteousnes For this word sheweth that there is some plaine and down-right vnrighteousnesse and also some deceivablenesse of vnrighteousnesse What is that deceivablenesse of vnrighteousnesse Surely there is something herein for them to study that are so ready at the Popes command to doe vnrighteous things and make not Gods Word but the Popes word to be the rule to know what is righteous what vnrighteous When the law of God the law of nature the law of nations the law of our Land when I say all lawes forbid a thing and onely the Pope commands it and commands it against all lawes then if a man obey the Pope in such things he is deceived and he doth vnrighteously Here is the deceivablenesse of vnrighteousnesse But you must vnderstand that these men are thus deceived by him whose cōming is by the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceivablenesse of vnrighteousnesse in them that perish because they receiue not the loue of the truth Let men that haue any care to saue their soules learne to loue the truth the truth will deliver them And let them obserue that maintaining of false doctrines and of vnrighteous actions are things ioyned together one followeth the other Now because we see false doctrines or lyes maintained by Papists and vnrighteous and vngracious actions by them ordinarily attempted therefore we hold them vndoubtedly to be the servants of Antichrist who are given vp to beleeue lyes because they lou● not the truth But for our selues we know that the Scriptures are the Word of God We beleeue the Scriptures We trust in God We worship him as himselfe hath revealed and commanded If our enemies wrong vs we haue recourse to God by prayer we haue found by continuall experience that God taketh the protection of them that thus trust in him We haue trusted in him we haue found his protectiō We rest in patience and commit the vengeance to God Is there any man in the world that knoweth any thing of religion that can denie that we are in a good state and our enemies in a desperate state we haue comfort but they can haue none Consider this you that forget God least he plucke you vp and there be none to deliver you Now which is our chiefe end in these collections for our deliverance we blesse the name of God and we doe acknowledge with all humilitie and thankesgiving that all our deliverances come from the vndeserved loue and favour of our most gracious God and Father And we finde our selues most sirictly o●liged vnto this dutie because we see God hath made our enemies his enemies they cannot fight against vs but they must fight against God how much then are we bound to honor serue this great God of heaven and ●arth that hath shewed such favour to his Church in England CHAPTER VI. AT this time An 1580. the seminary Priests and ●esuites increasing in England necessary lawes were provided against them These in truth were maintained by the adversaries of England as a seminary of rebellion for so still they proued Their first foundation was at Doway in the Low-Countries where by the procuring of William Alan an Oxford-man afterward Cardinall there was a Colledge provided for them in the yeare 1568. Where fugitiue Priests were brought vp not so much in Religion as in new and strange practises of treason The Pope assigned them a yearely stipend Thus they stood for some yeares But when the Low-Countries began to be troubled with Warres Requesenius who was governour there vnder the Spanish King did thrust out all English fugitiues out of the Low-Countries Wherevpon they that were willing to make vse of such instruments to trouble England thought good to giue entertainment to them And therefore two Colledges were set vp for the English sugitiues the one at Rhemes by the Guises another at Rome by Pope Gregory 13. From these Colledges they were sent into England vnder pretence of Religion but indeed to withdraw subiects from obedience to their Prince and to draw the Land vnto the subiection of strangers they called themselues Seminaries because they were to sowe the seed of the Roman Religion in England And what is that seed of Roman religion but the seed of Rebellion Certainly so it hath euer proued These men to shew their zeale to their new founders and their hatred to their Country disputed and defined the Popes authoritie by Gods law to haue the plenitude of power ouer the whole world in all things Ecclesiasticall and Politicall out of which plenitude he might excommunicate Kings and after excommunication depose them from their thrones and absolue their subiects from all oaths of alleagance Thus was the Bull of Pius V. published An 1569. From whence rose the rebellion in the north of England and those rebellions of Ireland of which we haue spoken Hanse Nelson Main Sherwod Prie●ts then taught that Queene Elizabeth was a schismatike and an heretike and therefore worthily to be deposed for which they suffred deservedly but still others were sent into their places and though they came in vpon desperate points as souldiers vpon