Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	christian_a	faith_n	life_n	1,074	5	4.4282	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12945	A preface to the Kynges hyghnes; Exhortation to the people, instructynge theym to unitie and obedience	Starkey, Thomas, d. 1538.	1536 (1536)	STC 23236; ESTC S104591	84,228	171

Christis religion For though in euery ꝑticular church prouīce it be conueniēt to haue one heed to gouerne for the auoyding of confusion wherfore byshops were institute aboue all priestes in euery church cathedral as testifieth al antiquite yet by lyke example therof to induce the same to be so conuenient in the hole body as it is in euery parte is playne foly and not without manifeste lacke of iudgemēt For where as in the hole body of Christis churche be so many sondry nations and therin besyde the diuersities of tongues and maners so diuers polycies and ordynaunces of lawes that one mā therof to haue knowlege and experience which is required to the ryght iudgement of causes it semeth impossible How shuld it be thought conuenient in suche a body to constitute one heed with suche authoritie to whose iudgement in all causes to hym deuolued and brought all the reste of christian nations shulde stonde and be obedient For thoughe he were a man of mooste hye perfection and of wysedome mooste polytyke seynge that the administration of Iustice and equitie standeth a greate parte in the knowledge of the particular circumstaunces of causes howe shuld he to so many nations of whom he hath no knowlege nor experience giue iustice with truth equitie For it can none other wyse be but that one man and one hede so ignoraunt of thynges not hauyng particuler instruction therof shal be impotent and lacke power be he neuer so good to satisfie all suche persons and causes whiche by appellation out of diuers countreis and nations shuld thither be referred by the reason wherof shuld succede many iniust wronge iudgemētes as we both by olde story to whose gouernance he cōmytted his church as to his very vicar in dede euer faythefullye haue trusted vpon him with sure fayth and confidēce Wherfore frendes if we with louinge harte one to an other hange vppon hym as vppon the hed and onely fountayne of all good passing this lyfe in the vse of these thynges traunsitorye and vayne as in a pylgremage euer desyrynge to come to our home there to enioye thynges stable and sure doubte ye not but we then gouerned by his spirite his onely vicar in erthe thoughe we neuer knewe pope nor cardinall shall kepe his trewe vnitie whiche is conserued as by the chief grounde by faithful loue in hym and louing charitie one to an other euery one gladde to succour other euery one gladde to instructe other as his christian brother This we maye doo withoute mention of the bysshoppe of Rome and knowlege of that heed and so conseruynge the groundes of scripture and of the gospell of god which are but fewe in nombre easye to be kepte in memory wherby liuynge in christen ciuilytie with obedience to our prince and to all suche thynges as be stablyshed by comon authoritie here in our nation we may at the laste attayne to our felicitie though we neuer here worde of this superioritie whiche is a thyng of nature indifferent by the reson wherof it taketh his power strength of the common consente of man and agrement and so som christian nations may it receyue and maynteyne and some hit reiecte without offence of anye groundes of Scripture necessarye to mannes saluation and withoute anye breche of the christian vnitie by schysme or heresie to the whiche shoulde insue euerlastynge dampnation For heresye and schysme are not iustely to be ascrybed to anye nation excepte they slyppe from the manyfeste groundes of scripture in the gospel expressed or in generall counsayle receiued by interpretation where as of the wordes of scripture was gathered diuerse sentence and variable concernynge suche thinges as of necessite perteyne to mans saluation of the whiche sorte this superioritie of the byshoppe of Rome which he hath by the pacience of christen prynces longe abused is none as I thynke now is open clerely to you all Wherfore dere frendes I doute not nowe at all but that ye consyderynge the nature of this thynge as hit is in it selfe whiche is not of necessitie to mans saluation but a thynge indifferent whiche may be receyued and maye be reiecte by common consent I doubte not I say but that ye wyll without scrupule of conscyence of harte therto be obedient ye to al other thing which by common authorite here in our contrey hereafter shalbe decreed concernynge the reformatiō of al suche thingis as perteine to religiō and to the purgynge of vayne suꝑsticion I dout not but that the redresse of all ceremonies in the church customs rites ecclesiastical ye wil gladly we ought rather to gyue obedience in such thinges to princely authoritie here in our nation thā to suche thinges as be propouned by general assemble and congregation where as is no power of commaundement in thinges indifferente but only instructiō and brotherly exhortation wherof Christis doctrine taketh all his grounde and foundation without any ciuile punyshement or compulsion For Christ requireth the hart to his worde frankely and frely gyuinge obedience ye and the ende and perfection of his doctrine and commandment is to induce man by loue to vertue causynge alway his disciples that thyng to do by loue onely moued which other obserue for feare of punyshement For the which cause as I thynke suche thinges as were propowned in the fyrste counsels longe many a day were not called lawes byndynge mā with authorite but only canons and certayne rules wherwith man frely customing him self might be gentilly induced to folow the trade of vertue honestie And this to be true declareth a lawe made of the emperour Iustinian wherby to suche rytes and customes ecclesiastical as from the see of Rome and general assemble were deriued to many other natiōs he gyueth power and strength of lawes settyng them in ful authoritie the whiche before bounde no man but were receyued at libertie Wherfore it appereth that suche thinges as by generalle counsell are propowned and to christen polycye thought conuenient be of no strengthe power nor laufull authoritie and oblygatorie vntylle they be of euery nation receyued by cōmon ass●t by the vertue wherof they may ageyn be dissolued and vtterly abrogate as tyme and place prudently considered the same shall requyre This you muste thinke and this you muste doo with mekenes and obedience moste christen people if you wyll be of the christian flocke And soo after this maner frendes formyng your iugementes and fleing from al superstition you shall among your selfe moche sette forwarde the truthe of the gospell and of all good religion and soo consequently lyuing to gether in brotherly loue euery man in his offyce doinge his duetie we shall at laste by concorde and vnitie attayne to our ende and perfyte felicite ¶ And thus I truste moste christen people that you nowe after this consideration had with your selfes as well of the spirituall lyfe with the power therin of Christe gyuen to all them whiche by

perfyt faith trust in hym only as of the worldly and cyuile with mans constitutions deuysed by policye and also that you nowe after ye haue herde somewhat the difference betwixte thynges of necessitie to be receyued for mannes saluation and thinges whiche be but onely of mē deuysed for the conseruation of the same I truste I saye nowe this consideration hadde that you se somwhat the meane howe that ye shal instructe your worldely punyshement to none you wolde then be obedient but all whiche is contrarye to your appetites in your hartes you wolde despise and soo the verye lawes of Christe ye and Christe him selfe shortely you wolde lyttell esteme for this contempt of all tradition shal induce in many suche arrogancy that all they shall iudge to stande in mans opinion so neyther Christe nor his gospell they shall willyngly defende but rather flye frome the confession of his name then therfore to suffre death and worldely shame For suche is the nature and malyce of mans harte that if you take ones frome hym relygious obedience and feare of relygion conceiued by longe custome and processe of tyme he shall by lyttell and lytell by arrogant opinion fall in to the vtter contempte and inwarde dispysynge of all trewe relygion and so lyue without any inward feare in harte of god or hereafter of any punyshment to the which what wyl folow al the world dothe see for then nedes must ensue the ruyne of all ciuile order and of all good worldly polycye wherof good and trewe religion is the mooste stable and sure foundation Wherfore frendes for the instruction of your iudgementes in this behalfe also and for the auoydynge of this euyl whiche is yet worse than the other for better it is to man and more agreable to lawes of god and nature to suffre vaine supersticion than to bring in corrupte contempt of religion somewat I wil herin nowe to you say And firste this you shall vnderstande dere frendes as a cōmon groūde that al be it rytes customes of the churche traditions ecclesiastical lawes and decrees brefely al thynges besyde the gospel and doctrine of god receiued among christen nations be of this sorte and nature that they be not of necessite to be receyuyd and as the gospell necessary to our saluation nor to them of necessitie we are euer bounden vnder peyne of damnation but as tyme and place requyreth by common authorytie in euery countrey and dyuers polycie they maye suffre abrogation and maye be altered and moued by the pleasure and common consent of the holle in euery churche nation where they be receyued yet you may not with the contempt of this popes authoritie and vnder the pretence of the same all theym by and by of your owne hedes vtterly condēne without exception as thynges ꝑnitious to Christis relygion but tary ye must a whyle temperyng your tonges and be not to hasty of your iugementes vntyll the tyme they be abrogate by common authoritie and other in their place substitute by cōmon assent For this is a certayn and sure truth that ceremonies we muste haue rytes and customes all maye not be lefte the whiche be so conuenient menes to induce rude symple myndes to memory to the conceyuyng of the mysteries of oure relygion that if they were vtterly wyped we call relygyous argueth and declareth manyfestly other moche lacke of reason in them that so do or lyttell regarde of Christis relygion of the which who so euer with right iugement consider the begynnynge shall playnely see that Christis religiō was moch lyke vnto this monastical profession vnder princis and rulers of the worlde toke the fyrst ground and fyrste begynnyng after the maner of this solytarye lyfe wherin lyue these which ●e good religious men For howe sayncte Ihon Baptyst who was the fyrst preparer and messanger of this heuenly lyfe lyued in myldernes and solytarie all the world knoweth and howe our master Christe with his apostelles lyuyd moch after the same rate and euer taught the same I do not saye as our fatte monkes doo nowe but as in a monastycal lyfe with the dispisynge of all worldly thynges and transitory all they that rede the gospell lykewyse do se And of the actes of the apostles it is mooste manyfeste howe all that professyd Christis name lyued hauynge al thynges in common as many do yet in these monasteryes and long after in Egypt and in Arabye in Spry and in Grece al those which were most notable masters of Christis doctrin in life professed the same liuid in wyldernes solitary dispisyng of the world al vayn plesures trāsitorie not only in wordis but in lyfe dedes to y ● whiche of suche thynge was euer most iustly gyuen more credite and afterwarde in Rome it grewe in by suche a maner of secrete profession For longe it was vsed amonge them there that all suche as wolde folowe the doctrine of Christe lefte all worldly comforte and fledde to this solitary lyfe there lernynge in prayer and pouertie this as the chiefe ground of our religiō with the hope cōfort spiritual receiued of our master his doctrine to dispise this life thynges trāsitory euer lokynge to an other there to inioye thynges stable sure And this by lytell lyttell vnder greate princis and rulers of the world our relygion so grewe in by the prouidence of god vntyll at the last it was spred ouer all and occupyed a greate parte of the worlde as to all men it is open and playne But yet this is also sure and ce●tayne that amonge all nations after it was stabled some there were euer from the fyrst begynnynge whiche made profession of this solitary lyfe and monasticall relygion some euer iudged therby to drawe nere to the steppes of their mayster and somewhat nere to folowe the fyrste institution of the doctrine of Christe then they doo whiche lyue abroode amonge the pleasaunt troubles and paynefulle pleasures here in the common life of the whiche sentence minde haue ben always many auncient wise and holy menne perfyte bothe in vertue and lernynge as Ierome Austyne Gregorye and Basylle with many other whose names to reherse were superfluous wherfore dere frendes this hole kind of the whiche bicause you can not fynd in scripture mencioned you thynk of christē myndes it shuld not be affirmed and that it is but a popysshe inuention Wherin frendes vndoutedly moch you erre and ouer boldly iuge for thoughe the pope therin hathe his power mysvsyd to the mayntenaunce of his owne glorye as he hathe done in many other thynges beside wherby he hath long illudyd symple myndes yet the thynge in it selfe was of no pope inuentyd wherof is mention with the famouse and notable doctours of oure religion bothe latynes and grekes before suche tyme as the pope had amonge al byshoppes any superiorite and moche before it grewe to this