Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	john_n	king_n	scotland_n	10,269	5	8.9956	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89922	The Christian and Catholike veritie; or, The reasons and manner of the conversion of Francis de Neville; formerly a Capuchin, preacher, the Popes missionary, and superiour in sundry covents of the same order. A treatise very usefull for all Christians, and especially for such as are popishly affected, or not fully setled in their beliefe; and for the further confirmation of the faithfull. Wherein many secrets of the Romish clergy, heretofore unrevealed, are discovered. Dedicated by the author to the high court of Parliament now assembled, 1642. See the contents at the next page.	Neville, Francis de.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1642 (1642)	Wing N502; Thomason E144_15; ESTC R11352	153,461	187

learned to be saved for wisdome to speak properly is no other thing but a supereminent and excellent knowledge and Saint James saith Iam. 1.12 that the word of God is able to save us if it be able to save us it is sufficient to do the same and contains all that is necessary to salvation and therefore he who believes that which is in the holy Scripture and no more hath the perfect faith Yes but saith the Romish Church Christ Jesus remits us to the Church Matth. 18.16 for it is said He who will not hearken to the Church let him be as a Pagan and a Publicane that is an excommunicate and anathema therefore we must have recourse to the church as Judge of all controversie and obey its determinations The onely consideration of the occasion of this passage and the words themselves may serve for a sufficient answer our Saviour preaching to his Disciples and teaching them the method they ought to use in brotherly corrections that it may be done according to the rules of charitie speaks to them in this manner If thy brother have offended against thee go and reprove him thou and he alone if he hearken unto thee thou hast wonne thy brother but if he will not heare thee take with thee one or two more that out of the mouth of two or three wetnesses every word may be established and if he will not heare them tell it unto the Church and if he refuse to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen and a publicane By which ye see that Jesus Christ speaks onely of the order which ought to be kept in fraternall correction that is we ought first to reprove in secret next in the presence of one or two witnesses and then in case of obstinacy declare it to the Church and if he will not receive correction from the Church let him be accounted as a pagan that is as a man without faith and religion and as a publicane that is as one whom we must shun for in those times the publicanes were odious to all the people But the Romish Doctors who make use of every thing to prove their doctrine infer by those last words that all power is given to the Church that we must have recourse to the Church in every thing and that all men ought to render perfect obedience to the Church in all things whatsoever and note that to have recourse to the Church and to obey the same is in the school of Rome to have recourse to the Pope and obey him Innocentius cap. 3. so Pope Innocent the third in the chapt novit extra de Judic would fain vindicate to himself the cognizance of some differences betiwixt John king of England and Philip August king of France because saith he it is written in the Gospel tell it to the Church as if by the Church the Pope onely were understood and this interpretation is confirmed by Bellarmine in his book of the authority of Councells cap. 19. Bellarm. de Concil cap. 19. the Pope saith he should tell it to the Church that is to say to himself But the consequence is not good from a particular case to all the other thou must have recourse for the correction and amendment of thy brother to the Church when there is no other easier way therefore we must have recourse to it in all things that will not follow on the contrary he declareth that even in brotherly correction we must not have recourse thereunto but in extremity and also because Christ Jesus saith that in case of obstinacy and known sinne we must hear the Church that is receive correction and admonition from the Church it is not meant that in vertue of those words Kings and Princes should submit themselves to the authority of the Pope in all things and I suppose that there is none but the Pope of Rome and his adherents would draw such an unreasonable consequence because he thinks to finde his profit therein CHAP. III. That the holy Scripture is clear in that which concerns things necessary to salvation ONe of the greatest subtilties which the Romish Church hath found to hinder the people from reading the Scripture and to make them believe they have good reason for so doing and perswade them that the Scripture is an unsufficient rule and Judge of our faith is that they alleadge the holy Scriptures to be obscure and difficult to understand and therefore christians ought not to rush in upon the reading of them in the vulgar tongue that is to say which they understand best without expresse permission from the Pope who saith he as the onely vicar of Jesus Christ in the world and infallible hath the true understanding of the Scripture and that we cannot admit it for Judge and rule of faith but onely the sence and explication of the Church that is of the Pope as I have shewed before And to prove that the Scripture is hard to be understood they search and pick out of purpose some obscure passages which the most learned have much adoe to understand but which are no wayes absolutely necessary to salvation or if they were they are sufficiently and clearly enough explained in other places as for example Psal 16.16 Psal 18.9 Hos 12.1 Ezek. 19.10 of the first part of Psal 16.16 The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places surely I have a goodly heritage or this other psal 18.9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils or fire out of his mouth devoured or some other prophesie as that of Hos 12. Ephraim feedeth on wind and followeth after the East wind or Ezek. 19.10 Thy mother is like a vine in thy bloud planted by the waters with an infinite number of the like whereof the Prophets are full which are not necessary to salvation or if they be necessary to salvation they are sufficiently explained in other places as that which Christ said to Nicodemus Joh. 3.3 Except a man be born again be cannot enter into the kingdome of God it is explained after in the fifth verse Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God by which it is evident Christ Jesus would say he who is born carnally of flesh and is not regenerated spiritually by grace and faith cannot enter into the kingdome of God and so of other passages which neverthelesse are very rare in the new Testament in respect of that which is clear under pretext of those passages which are nothing in comparison of the rest they make the simpler sort believe that that the holy Scripture is so obscure and difficult that it is a rashnesse extremely dangerous for a christian to think he can understand the meaning thereof as a certain Dame at Court told me not long agoe not knowing me and that no man ought to presume to read the same in a vulgar tongue without expresse license the power whereof is

of all the Casuists Doctors of that Church which is taught in the Schooles preached in the Pulpits and published in all the Bookes which handle this matter and I know that no man of learning dare deny it Oh! how sweet is the yoke of Christ in respect of that of the Romish Church and how it is more easie and sure for to be saved to follow the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles than in following the doctrines inventions of men And can that Church be the true and beloved Spouse of the Son of God that redacteth her followers even to an impossibilitie of salvation and out of hope of eternall glory CHAP. XXIX A Comparison of the Protestant and Reformed Church with the Church of Rome and in which of them two is Salvation most certaine I Have often marveiled that the Church of Rome whose doctrine is so far different from the doctrine of Christ and which accounteth lesse of the Word of God than any other sect that is or hath ever been amongst Christians which preferreth her traditions and inventions to the holy Scripture and followeth the institution of the Sonne of God so little in all his Sacraments which imitateth so little the life order established and followed by the Apostles in her Prelats and Discipline in a word which is so corrupted and vitiated as well both in doctrine and discipline and where Gods Commandements are so little observed his Sacraments so much prophaned the Sabbath so little sanctified where prophane vices and abhominations raigne so much and where disorders and corruptions are to be seen almost in every place and in all sorts of persons that neverthelesse it is shee amongst all others condemneth more freely and quickly others and which braggeth shee onely is in the way of salvation and all others are damned that consent not to her beliefe And upon this doctrine which the Pope causeth his followers preach and maintaine to retaine and draw to him the people by feare being neither able to doe it by Scripture nor reason are builded and published strange conclusions extreamly dangerous and pernicious to all other States but his owne and that by the Jesuits and a number of other Doctors of his faction to wit that all they of all other sects except their own whom they terme all hereticks are worthy of death and their Protectors also that it is a sacrifice to God to exterminate them either by fire or sword or any other meane whatsoever that they are not obliged to keepe promise with them in any thing whatsoever they being unworthy and uncapable of it That a Prince of a contrary Religion to theirs being an hereticke as they terme him is consequently excommunicated by the Pope who pretendeth to have authoritie over him as a Christian and that after the Excommunication thundred out against him he is but a Tyrant and Usurper and falne from all rights and uncapable of the Crowne that no Christians should hold him for King nor are obliged to obey him that it is great pitty they should be suffered to live and possesse the earth which should be onely for them and those of their beliefe and a number of the like seditious doctrines which are written especially by Becanus Mariana Suarez Bellarmine and others And Parsonius an English Jesuit and Rector of the English Colledge at Rome wrote a Booke in the Reigne of that vertuous Queen Elizabeth which went secretly up and downe this Kingdome wherein he laboureth to maintaine that those many hundred years the Kings of England have not been lawfull Kings both for having saith he being criminall of Leze Maty or disinherited or bastards or for being hereticks and so excommunicated by the Popes and fallen from their right and that neither the King of Scotland to wit James of thrice worthy memory nor his posteritie nor any other of his beliefe could pretend nor ought to be admitted to that succession nor yet the Earles of Hertford Darby Hastings and others who were next and indeavoureth to prove that it did appertaine by right to the King of Spaine as heire of Portugall And upon those impertinent propositions and other imaginary pretences the Pope was resolved to seize upon England and supposing the King of Spain and his sister would finde too great resistance he had intention to send his Cosen the Duke of Parma a great friend of his See who being descended from Portugall by his Mother pretended some right to it or else the Cardinall Pharnesius the Dukes yonger brother and procure him to mary the Lady Arabella if need were to accommodate the busines and to that effect many strange practises and factions were at worke as well within as without England by the Papists of the Island which may be seene more at large in a Letter that famous and learned Cardinall Arnauld d' Ossat writ from Rome to Henry the 4. King of France dated the 22 of Novemb. 1601. and is the 191 Epistle of his seventh Booke there he mocketh all those fantasticke designes and writeth besides to the King his Master that the Pope knowing his inclination to assist the King of Scotland in pursuing his just title would labour to divert him so far as he could and make him favour his designes and many other things of this State which are in those curious Letters and shew the great inclination the Pope hath for England not as they say Propter Christum sed propter Lazarum not for the love of Christ but for the love of himselfe And howsoever those practises and maximes and the like dangerous and pernicious opinions rellish not nor are approved of the more judicious and noble spirits of that partie who well see all to be but a Papall invention to multiply his followers and consequently to augment his revenues and tributes for there are no States of his beliefe out of which he draweth not profit and where he hath no subjects there is nothing for him yet they are but too much followed by multitudes of that sect and the attempts against the lives of Kings the abominable treasons execrable plots and conspiracies set on foot both within and without have often been the dangerous effects of that damnable and bloudy doctrine And to speake truth a State of a contrary Religion to theirs is not secure where many of them thinke to have power and pretend to have authoritie for the Pope never faileth to have his Agents amongst them whereof they which are of any religious Order are the most dangerous because they being Members of great companies are men who have intelligence and factions and besides they depending altogether on their Generalls who for the most part are Italians and engaged to the Pope and they having made vow of obedience to him what affection soever they beare towards their Princes they dare not but further and advance the Interests of the Bishop of Rome in every thing for they are destinated to that end and if they faile they

must acknowledge any miracles this may be said to be one wrought by God towards me rather than those of the Romish Church If we must acknowledge any miracles in our ages the marvellous deliverance of this Kingdom in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth in the yeer 1588 when the Pope having shared in half with the King of Spaine to make up that Navie which they tearmed Invincible to seize on this State all their enterprises were brought to confusion without doing an exploit and that more by storms and Armes from Heaven than by those of men this should be called a Miracle And the discoverie of that damnable Powder-plot to King James in his time being the yeer 1605. wherein the Enemies of the truth thought to destroy all the glory and Nobles of this Kingdome in a moment may be called a Miracle And the victory obtained 1639 by the Hollanders against the Spaniards on these Coasts where nine or ten small Ships caused such terrour and confusion and were the occasion of the utter wine to a terrible and espouventable Navy consisting at least of threescore and ten saile of strong Ships well armed and brought all their unjust designes to naught this might be held a Miracle And if we must acknowledge Miracles the discovery of the conspiracy and confusion projected the last Spring the yeare 1641. against the tranquillity and repose of those Kingdomes ought to be holden for a Miracle And the agreement so quickly made betwixt the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland which the last yeare 1640. some hellish firebrands and agents of the spirit of discord would have set on fire the one against the other to bring this whole State to confusion and ruine which God hath turned to the confusion of the Authors and good of his people this may be said to be a remarkable Miracle And if we must cry out Miracles that which is fallen out this present moneth of October at the writing of this in Scotland where divers of the greatest of the Nobility were neare to be massacred whereby the Enemies of peace thought yet againe to bring this State into confusion if God by his ordinary goodnesse had not shewed himselfe at this time againe the God and protectour of his people ought to be esteemed a Miracle And if all miraculous deliverances which have been wrought by the bounty and mercy of God in this Island since it received the faith and puritie of the Word of God had falne out in Spaine or in some other place under the Popes Jurisdiction they would have esteemed them as great Miracles as the deliverance of the Israelites out of the captivitie of Egypt under the leading of Moses or Josuahs victories by his battels or Sampsons with the Jaw-bone of an Asse over the Philistims or Davids over Goliah or Judith over Holophernes and the like and they would write and publish them as evident miracles It is true also and we ought to acknowledge Gods power doth clearly appeare therein and we must not beleeve that those deliverances are fallen out by accident chance but confesse that the bountie of God would therein shew the care and affection he had for the conservation protection of this his poore people whom it seemeth he hath chosen and held in these ages for his peculiar heritage among all Kingdomes And I marvell the enemies of the truth and of this State open not their eyes to see those so marveilous protections and that they have hardned themselves so often against the manifest hand of God But this sufficeth if those of the Romish Church have no stronger proofes to maintaine their invocation of Saints than the miracles wherewith their Books are stuffed that will serve to deceive the simple but men of understanding wil not be satisfied with that and I thinke it is out of question better to addresse our selves to God through Jesus Christ who is our onely sure Mediator as he commandeth us and as the Apostles have done themselves and taught us to doe than to interpose all the Saints as the Romish Church telleth us without any word of God nay contrary to the word of God which condemneth with Anathema those who shall preach to us or teach us any other wayes besides that which hath been preached to us by Christ and his Apostles CHAP. XX. Of the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper and the Communion under both kindes I Have ever had those words of St Paul in great estimation by which he forbiddeth us to be wiser than we ought Rom. 13.3 Let no man saith he thinke of himselfe more highly than he ought to thinke but to thinke soberly And I have often marveiled that the Romish Church bragging that shee accomplisheth the Counsells of Christ which shee holdeth for works of supererogation and wherefore shee thinketh God much obliged to her despise in the meane time the commandements of our Saviour and alienate her selfe so far from his institution and intention For my part I beleeve the excellency and perfection of a good Christian of perfect faith and of the true Church doth consist in approaching as neere as may be to the intention and institution of Christ and in indeavouring to do as he hath done and as it hath been his will to shew us and in so far as we can conforme our selves to his actions especially in the reception and administration of the Sacraments for he is come to be our Master and being the infallible Wisdome he hath done and taught us all was needfull The Romish Church findeth fault with the Eucharist for being called the Sacrament of the Supper and calleth it the Sacrament of the Altar Now it is certaine that our Saviour instituted this Sacrament immediately after Supper wherefore it may justly be called the Sacrament of the Supper as it was for a long time in the Church of Rome Even to this present they call it the day of its institution the fifth feria in the Lords Supper Feria quinta in coena Domini and that notable Bull wherein are excommunicated and delivered to the power of the Devill all the Princes Parliaments and Courts of Justice yea and the most part of Christians in the world and which is read so solemnly every yeare at Rome on thursday of the holy weeke is called the Bull in the Lords Supper Bulla in coena Domini and when Christ instituted that holy Sacrament it is certaine that was not on an Altar but on the same Table whereon he had supped and none of the Evangelists make mention here of an Altar so there is no reason it should be called the Sacrament of the Altar but the Sacrament of the Supper or if you will of the Lords Table or of the Communion or of the Eucharist which words agree all with the institution of our Saviour but not that of the Altar The greatest controversie in this mystery is not concerning the name but the body of Christ which the Romanists thinks they receive substantially