Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	church_n	rome_n	17,242	5	7.2290	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38744	The abridgment of Eusebius Pamphilius's ecclesiastical history in two parts ... whereunto is added a catalogue of the synods and councels which were after the days of the apostles : together with a hint of what was decreed in the same / by William Caton.; Ecclesiastical history. English	Eusebius, of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340.; Caton, William, 1636-1665.	1698 (1698)	Wing E3420; ESTC R1923	127,007	269

it and for it How Luther and they that owned him were intreated when they renounced Popery and when the Protestants begun to persecute THE Papists themselves who have been the greatest Persecutors of any that ever professed Christianity when they were much conquered in the Low-Countries and came to be persecuted by such as they had persecuted then they themselves cryed out against forcing of Conscience as an unfitting thing and then could they say also that the Conscience ought to be free c. this appears by their Remonstrations Requests and Apologies Vide Merckteyck pag. 126. Calvin Swinglius and others before they had gotten the power in their hands they carried themselves meek and lowly and condemned Persecutors but when they were become strong and mighty then did they glory in their Magnificence and begun to beat their fellow Creatures yet when Calvin was persecuted himself he blamed such as sought to compel others to believe by corporal Punishments but afterward he himself taught that Hereticks might be punished with the Sword Merck-teyck pag. 151 153. When Luther renounced Popery then was he looked upon as a Devil in Man's shape and as a Veterator i. e. an old experienced crafty Deceiver or a subtle Knave yea as a wicked shameless Man that bewitched People and the Lutherans were looked upon in the general for the shamefull est People that were to be found upon the Earth and not worthy that the Sun should shine upon them and in those Days People were to burn them for Hereticks without shewing them mercy Bond. hist. lib. 40. f. 449. Afterwards when they were grown mighty then they contended with others about Religion and run out in bitter Scolding Blaspheming partial Judgment and condemning others that came out of Popery so well as the Papists and that not only in their Pulpits but also with their Libels Likewise in the Low-countries the Reformed Remonstrants scolded at and reviled the Contra-Remonstrants notwithstanding the Proclamation of the Lords the Remonstrants were cryed out against as Pelagians Socinians c. yea as Papists Traytors and Enemies of the Country Acerba●… fratrum bella Prov. 18 19. As for the Arminians they were accused for bringing in Atheism i. e. the damnable Opinion of the Atheists for being Hereticks yea more hurtful and more dangerous than the Arrians Macedonians and other Sects and it was said of them that they Damned themselves before God with all that heard them And upon a certain time when the Priests were met together at Harlem they desired for the Defence of their Religion that the Proclamation against the Arminians might be renewed published and put in execution Thus the Priests manifested the same evil Spirit of Persecution to be in their Hearts which was in the Papists whom they pretended to renounce in Words yet they retained their envious Spirit which could bear others no more that differed from them than the Papists could bear them The Histories do shew how that after the Protestant Church had been about ten Years then did they put forth a Proclamation against the Wederdoopers i. e. such as were Baptized again or Anabaptists as they are commonly called in England wherein they commanded all the Inhabitants of the Land to discover unto their Officers the Wederdoopers to prevent their multiplying it is said they were determined to put them to Death with their adhaerents according to their Laws c Merck-teyck pag. 154. Thus it appears from what I have here briefly instanced that the Protestants so well as the Papists have been out of the right way and that they have run in the way of the persecuting Iews persecuting Gentiles and persecuting Arrians who are said to be the first that persecuted under the Name of Christians but since many Sects have followed their pernicious ways rather than the practise of the ancient Christians who stretch'd not forth a Hand in their own Defence as it is said when they were persecuted but both Papists Lutherans Calvinists otherwise Presbyterians Arminians Independants and many of the Wederdoopers have shewed themselves to be of another Spirit since they degenerated from that Glory and Power Love and Life Meekness and Long-suffering Patience and Purity which abounded among the ancient Christians in the Primitive Church unto which the Eternal God hath again restored a Remnant who at this time suffer as the manner of their Fellow Citizens hath been who are gone before And such as are now found in the Life and Power of the Truth they are at this Day judged by Papists by Lutherans by Arminians by Presbyterians by Independants and Paptists c. as the Lutherans and others were when they renounced Popery And the Sects now that are among the Protestants are as apt to hate and cast out their Brethren from among them when they come to walk in a more excellent way than the rest of their Sect as the Papists were to persecute them that renounced Popery therefore are the Protestants so well degenerated as the Papists witness their daily Practises A CATALOGUE Of the Synods and Counsels Which were Summoned after the days of the Apostles As also the Cause for which many of them were summoned together with a Hint of what they Decreed Likewise shewing in what Year several of them were held c. IN Asia Sundry Synods were held in which Montanus was excommunicated and his heresie condemned Euseb. lib. 5. ch 14. Anno 193. There was a Synod held at Rome touching the time of the celebration of the feast of Easter where Victor excommunicated all the Eastern Churches Euseb. lib. 5. ch 23. Anno 195. There was five or six Synods held in sundry parts of the world about the celebration of the seast of Easter in which the Bishop or Pope of Rome had no more Authority then the other Bishops he in his City and they in theirs were chief and when he went obout to challenge authority over the Eastern Churches Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons in France sharply reproved him for it Euseb. lib. 5. ch 23. There was a Synod held at Carthage which is said to have erred about the rebaptizing of Hereticks Anno 287. There was a Counsel of 300 Bishops called together at Sinvessa where the Bishop or Pope of Rome was condemned for denying Christ and sacrificing to Idols Therefore the Pope of Rome hath erred and may erre Anno 311. There was a Counsel held at Neocaesarea where among other things it was Decreed that none should be made Priest before he was thirty years old Constantine called a Counsel to remove the dissention risen among the Bishops Anno 330. A general Counsel was called at Nice of three hundred and eighteen Bishops by Constantinus Magnus where they condemned Arrius debated the controversie about Easter laid down a form of faith c. Silvester called at Rome 284 Bishops in the presence of Constantine where they laid down Canons i. e. Laws for the government of the Clergy Anno 336. A Counsel held

such I call so as are found professing Christianity in words but deny it in works as some that professed in Words they knew God but in Works they denyed him so they that profess to be Christians and live in all manner of Unchastity they by their Works deny that which they profess in words and so are not worthy to be called Christians while they are found in that which is against or contrary to Christianity in which thousands of persecuting false Christians are found and therefore do I call such Antichristians How the Ancient Christians suffered by the Heathen and how true Christians now suffer by the same Spirit of Enmity and Persecution which is entered into the false Christians alias Antichristians The First Persecution WHen that the Jews were bereaved of their Power by the Heathen and that the time was expired wherein they had so cruelly used the People of God nevertheless the Christians were not therefore freed from suffering for they were therein exercised under the Heathens Power and Nero was said to be the first Tyrannical Emperour that persecuted the Christians it was called the first Persecution because it was under the Emperors Power and it began in the year 66 after the Birth of Christ and at that time was chiefly within the City of Rome About that time did People begin to accuse the Christians with all manner of Wickedness and to esteem them as Reprobates because they did not honour the Gods Note Have not the true Christians suffered in England under the sundry Powers that have been of late even as the Antient Christians suffered under the Iewes And it appears that when the Iewes were deprived of their Power then did the Heathens Persecute the Christians And did not both Protectors and Parliaments persecute the Innocent when they were in Authority but since they have been deprived of the power and turned out as the Iewes were when the Gentiles came to have the preheminence hath not the King himself become Guilty of their Sin in persecuting or suffering the Innocent to be persecuted within his Dominions And hath not all manner of Evil been spoken of them and they been accounted unfit to live in either Kingdom or Commonwealth and that chiefly because they could no more honour that Proud and Ambitious Spirit which is gotten up in the hearts of Men then the Antient Christians heretofore could honour the Gods of the Heathen The Second Persecution IN the Year of our Lord 93. did the second Persecution begin under the Emperour Domitianus under whom several were put to Death and about the same time was the Apostle Iohn Banished unto the Island Pathmos where he Wrote his Revelation In those days the Christians were so little esteemed that the People called them Cobler Weavers Combers of Wool Illiterate and exceeding Rustick or Clownish yea such as knew no good fashions Note Have not some of the true Christians been put to death of late in New England and have not many of them suffered the spoiling of their Goods and their Bodies to be cast into Prison to be Whipt and shamefully intreated by the Anti-Christians and that about their Religion And have not many of the true Christians been in derision called Coblers Taylers Weavers Plowmen c. So little esteem have the true Christians now among the Children of this World as the Antient Christians heretofore have had among the Children of Men. The Third Persecution IN the Year 102. did the third Persecution begin under the Emperour Trajanus who tho' he was called a good Emperour did nevertheless Persecute the Christians out of Humility to the Gods in which Persecution several Bishops were put to Death as the Bishop of Rome the Bishop of Ierusalem c. And at that time the Bishop of Antioch testified That Sufferings made us like unto Christ who had suffered for us himself preparing a way through suffering unto Eternal Life About the same time did a Governour Write unto the Emperour in the Christians behalf whereupon the Emperour wrot That they should seek no more of them but those they had in Prison should they put to Death Note Without Controversie the Bishop or Pope of Rome must needs be much degenerated from that State in which those Bishops then were forasmuch as he now by that Power through which they were put to death doth put others to Death about their Religion for which they then suffered Martyrdom From hence it may be observed that the Bishops now which persecute tender Consciences about Religion are found rather in the Footsteps of the Heathen then in the condition of those Bishops that suffered Martyrdom Moreover in these latter days the Lord hath stirred up some at times to speak a Word or to Write a few Lines in the behalf of the true Christians unto them in Authority whereby their hearts have been so far moved and reached that they have done something in order to the mitigating of the Sufferings of the Innocent who at this day share with their Brethren in the Fellowship of the Suffering of the Gospel The Fourth Persecution IN the year 164. was the fourth Persecution of the Christians which arose under the Emperour Marcus Aurelius and Lucias Verus in which Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna was put to Death who had been a Disciple of John and had been many years in the service of the Lord as he himself acknowledged About the same time was Iulianus put to death at Rome in whose time the Christians were accused for having a Fleshly conversion one with another which he marked to be Lyes by their willingness to Die and thereby he coming to be Converted became an Eminent Teacher of the Christians At Lyons in France did there go forth a Proclamation That the Christians might not dwell in their Houses nor that they must not converse upon the Streets nor shew their Faces which being Impossible for them to perform their sufferings became exceeding great and in the mean time some of the Slaves gave out that the Christians lived in filthy Lasciviousness among themselves In this Persecution there was one Lucius put to Death for reproving the Judge for puting the Christians to crueller Deaths then any other Transgressors Note Though the true Christians now are Vilified and Falsly accused by Anti-Christians as the ancient Christians were in former Ages yet wise men can see their Innocency and therefore do they love them in their Hearts and some time some have been Convinced by beholding the Patience Long-suffering and Innecency of the Innocent in these latter days who now some time do suffer the loss of their Liberty and the spoyling of their Gods if not Banishment either by vertue of Proclamations or of Decrees or of corrupt Laws which true Christians now can no more observe and obey then the antient Christians observed the aforesaid Preclamation of the King and this hath been evident that sundry of the true Christiant in these later days