Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A04703
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The vnitie and scisme of the olde chirche; Unitie and scisme of the olde chirche.
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Joye, George, d. 1553.
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1543
(1543)
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STC 14830; ESTC S104748
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16,602
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40
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then at laste begane the trwe religion to be shaken in sondrye and scatred and euil men were sprongen vp which yet for their shyning hipocrysye semed somwhat pope holy whiche openly stered vp heresyes that is to saye sectes and diuisions from the holy tradicion of the lawe and in conclusion brought the people into varye and diuerse contrarye faccions scismes Omnia enim plena fiunt impij ãâã vanitas exaltatur inter filios hominuÌ And so by their own tradicions and institucions thei derkened and oppressed the holy sacred religion of god yea by their hipocrysy and supersticion thei vtterly so deformed it that thei made it abhominable heresye as thei haue now done and new lerning to be lothed detested of all men In somiche that Iohn Bapt. and Christe himself now comen the trwe religion pure gospell and the playne doctrine of the trwthe were skant knowne for that thei were so vtterly deformed corrupted as thei be now I saye with mennis vayn tradicions This corrupte deformite and abhominable corrupcion began aboute the tyme of the Machabeis and so forth encreased the yeres folowinge For Iosephus verely writing of the Iestes of Ionathas in the .xiij. boke of his Antiquites the .viij. chap. saith that in the same tyme there were iij. sectes or heresies emoÌge the Iewis whiche sectary or hereticall men beleued contrary and âââersly of owr iustificacion of maÌs state and condicion of whiche one was the Pharisaikal secte the tother the secte of the Saduceis and the thirde the Essenes For these sectes preceded the coming of Christe into flesshe not litle lesse then an .c.xlviij. yeres but in their owne opinions in their habits and almoste in all thinges thei were firste of all amonge themselues and sone aftir from the wother comeÌ sorte most diuers and most contrary And thei drewe aftir theÌ to folowe the same their owne folisshe facions very many in somich that at laste euen the priests and full many of the greatest lerned desceÌded into their orders and instituts For we haue herdeoute of the testimony of Iohn theuangelist the Leuites and priestes to haue bene pharisais yea ond the Apostle Paul said himself to haue had ben the moste straightest folower of the pharisayes secte so that what soeuer was sene to these meÌ to be ordined enacted and decreed as ye see it nowe in thinges concerninge the faith and religion of god it was decreed enacted and made so fast of them that noman might saye agenst it and it was setforthe and geuen of the priests to all the peple for gods law and for his decrees and were called the decente rites of their fathers and laudable tradicioÌs of their elders of which tradicioÌs Paul incidently maketh mencioÌ in the .i. chap. to the GalathiaÌs and Mat. in the .xv. chap. These pharisais wolde be exalted and excell the more in autorite glory for that their own tradicions rytes and ceremonies aftir their own pleasure inueÌted semed aftir their own corrupt iugemente to them selues and to other lyke lesse then other mens institucioÌs to varye from the holy scriptures Their coÌuersacion and outward lyuing semed sober abiect and as though thei wolde be litle set by geuinge themselues to no excesse nor to no dilicate superfluite nor superfluous daintyes Thei beleued althingis to be caried of fortune chaunce and destiney as thei call it but yet in the meaÌ ceason free liberty thei toke not fro man These aknowleged the iugement of god the paynes of the euil and rewardes of the good thei confessed the immortalite of soules and the resurreccion of the bodies Some saye thei had their name of phares which signifieth to seêate or diuide for thei shewed theÌselues in their hole habit and lyuing to be holier then the comoÌ peple and so for their pure holynes to be diuided from them as nowe of late were yet be owr pharisais some then into cloisters and some yet into collegis wearing distinct aparel and shauen crownes from the layite Some thinke thei had their names of a nother hebrew worde whiche signifieth to explane and interprete scripturs for thei were the cheif and moste busyest prechers techers of the peple which thing I beleue the more because the story of the gospell declareth our Lorde often tyme to haue had refuted their false gloses vnwriten verites and vntrwe exposicions playn examples there ar setforth in Mat. v. and .xv. chapt Forthermore the Saduceis wold apere to kepe no nother obseruacions besyds the law of Moses these gaue nothing to fortune and destinye but to the free lybertye thei attributed althinges For thei threw althings subiecte vnder owr own power aknowleginge owr owne selues to be the autors of good workes Thei denyed to be any spirits and aungels and the resurreccion of the dead which thing Luke in the actis of the apostles sheweth and therfore were thei estiewed of the pharisais as men most vile and vnpure and thus was there perpetuall stryfe betwixte them both Wherof euen the sory miserable vnlerned peple was so wrapped and intricated in their stryffes and diuersite of their inuented dreamis that not onely thei might not vnwrap and lose themselues out of these perplex tryfles but thei were made ignoraÌt of the very right and trwe way of their iustificacion and of the trwe waye of their saluacion which rightwyse making onelye by faith and trwe wais of saluacion thorow Christe onely when Iohn Bapt. and chryst and his apostles wold repare declare shew them playnly and openly then thei reputed and toke them for siche haynous heretiques preching agenst them that there was neuer no kynde of doctryne so bitterly refused unpugned thrust from them and dampned of the pharisais and saduces as was christis holy trwe prechinge in this mischeif thei coÌsented although thei neuer agreed emonge them selues in their doctryn For neuer had Christe owr Lorde and christis verite more ênicious enymies as ye yet see it this day then the Pharisais and Saduceis And as for the Essenes who so lyste to see them in their owne lyuely colours paynted let him loke but on a Monke of the charture house or a fryer obseruaÌt whom Plinye paynteth very lyuely in his fyrste boke of the natural storyes ca. xvij and Iosephus in his .xviii. boke of thaÌtiquites ca. ij and in his .ij. boke of the Iewes batail cap. vij Nowe compare the state of their tyme to owr tyme and to owr pharisais But yet christeÌ reader that thou mightest the clearlyer by comparinge togither vnderstand this hole cause and mater of the sectis of the Iewes thowe muste know those heresyes to be very lyke the sectis and heresyes whiche in these laste dayes haue ben and yet ar sprongenvp in the chirche of christe Christe with his apostles deliuered to vs the doctryne of vnite that is to weit onely helthe saluacion to be setforth in him onely which alone is
muste be kouered with Noes cloke Geneâ ix For in the scriptures it is inueyed of gods owne spirit more vehemenly and sharplier agenst the euil prelates and worse heades ouer the peple theÌ agenst the sely subiectes For these simpilons erre not vtterlye of their owne faute but by the euill ensamples and synful techinge of their prelates naughty liuing of their rulers magistrates whiche seduce the laye people of the Lorde Wherfore the more sinne steketh in theÌ the more greuously to be tormeÌted as ye may see it in the .vi. chapter of the boke of Wysedome whiche wold god the Magistratis wold with feare laye before their eyes Ye see now in this tyme verely how that by the beastlye idlenes malice and vngodlines of the bisshops preistes and seclare monkes with the negligeÌce of their captiued seclare sorte the chirche of Christe erreth and strayethe farre from the waye of the trwthe greuously labouring in heuye paynes oppressed of tyranous persecutors and thorowe the faute of these men cheifly Peters pore lytle fysshinge bote is almoste ouerwhelmed with the terrible tempestuous soden sourges Right well therfor do thei which plucking the visar from their faces shew their abhominacion to the peple sharplye rebukinge their vngodlines that these ypocrits once known meÌ may be war of them and their doctryne Rebuke theÌ therfore for the zele thou hast to the trwth to the glory of god and to thy brothers saluacion And let thy libertye in speking be the libertye of the free benigne spirit rebuke not of malice aftir the fleshly liceÌce of thy nown affected mynde Lette the wordis and wrytingis of the ministers of the trwthe be prudent rather then bolde graue and not lyght ardent not in yre and wrath but in the vehemence of the spirit of god let them be shamfaste modeste in a iust seuerite tempred with holy deuocion and deuoute holines so longe as thou seest them not in a desperat state obstinatly and openly stifnecked agenste gods worde fyghting wetingly to synne agenst the holy goste But yet be thou as Christe ordined the the salte of the erthe that is let thy wordes be quik liuely and sharpe in thy sermons and ernest in thy rebukis be salte sauory and no waterisshe beet For constancy and liberty in speking conciliateth ioyneth autorite to the minister be feruente as Isaye and Paul bid the although some cold softlings and menpleasars earetulers synistrely interprete thy zelous constant feruency to be folissh rasshnes Tell them that god is no slowe auenger of euill he is no insensible stock but as full of eyes as Argos and as clere eyed as the lysarde or slowe worme presentlye and thorowlye beholding them Pharisais Hypocrits and Epicures promes theÌseues securite and long lyf but tell thou them with Ioan bapt that the axe is nowe laid to the tree root Which presente wrathe the Lorde in Luke expresseth sainge Wo be to womeÌ with childe and to the soukgeuers with their nieples in these dayes for there shalbe great affliccioÌ vpon the erthe wrath vpon this peple For thei shalbe smiteÌdown with the edge of the swerde and shall be led captiue into among all the strange nacions And Ierusalem that is thei that ar now named christians shalbe trodeÌdown of the heithen Turkes Let vs nowe therfore in tyme christen bretherne fere the lord and walke in his precepts not promising ourselues any securite or longe life in this our corrupcion and synnes for God owr iuste iuge is awake This therfore is my cownsell euen to do penance that is turne quiklye and ernestly vnto owr Lord God and to confesse our synnes to him amend owr liues and to serue him in holines rightwisnes for these ar the frutes of a repentant herte whiche herte thorow faith hathe now trwly coÌsecrated and geuen herself ouer wholl to god But firste let vs take away the impedimeÌts of trwe repentaÌce as ar securite of loÌge life the opinion of owr owne ryghtwysnes by good workis faith and truste in vayne lies cÌ And then teche nothing els to be in owr selues but poison synne and corrupcioÌ and that in god onely we haue lyfe and saluacioÌ which is not apeaced with externe worshipings and workes dreamed oute of owr own headis Then thonderforthe the feare of the terrible iugemente of god at hande and his present wrath and indignacion redye to be powred down from heuen vpon all vnright wysnes If these things be taught and receiued and the wother impediments remoued we be sone conuerted to god onely workiÌg the very godly repentaÌce in the fere of god or els is the axe layid to the root of the tree that is to saye destruccion and dethe daunse pÌsent before thy dore so that now ther is no hope to the of any lenger life For aslonge as there is anye hope of frute in trees thei dunge the roots rubof the mosse kutof the sere branches but it is the token of the laste desperacion of any frute wheÌ the axe is laid to the root to the root he saithe not to the body or branches signifying a soden remediles downfall For the root kutt in sondre the tree is dead Repent ye therfore and receiue the gospell or els stretcheforthe your neckis vnto the axe bent ouer your heades For this is sewer that the wrath of the lord which shall smite you down by the rootis haÌgeth ouer your shauen crownes For euery tree that bringethe not forthe good frute is kut downe He saith not shalbe kutdowne for his iugement and dampnacioÌ to present We be trees planted of the Lorde into this ende eueÌ to beare and bringforth good frute that is good workis yea and that by the heuenly iewce moister of owr Lord Christe These ar the frutes of the spirit as faith and trwth cÌ of the whiche aftir Isaye had writeÌ Paul often times repete the same namely to the Galathens to the Ephe. cÌ Vnto this place laye the .xiij. of Luke and .xv. of Ioan and thou haste a playn exposicion therof Of all these wordis may we lerne the very trwe good workis to be requyred of euery of vs and not figge leaues of our owne patching togither to kouer our shamful nakednes as did Adam and Eue not the glittering shewe of godlines but eueÌ godlines innocency and christen religioÌ in ded Agen we lerne herof the heuye vengeance of god to be redy prepared for all sinfull vngodlye men yea and that the most certayn veÌgeaÌce and wrath left any man dirst promise himself to escape vnpunisshed for the contempt of the most highe God Longsuffering douteles is the lord but yet in the mean ceason he is rightwyse and an aduenger not ouerflowe nor to slak And nowe to warne the in tyme here haste thou which is trwe repeÌtance and which is false and how we may auoid the imminente plages to be caste vpon vs by the incursions of the