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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	believe_v	faith_n	holy_a	10,213	4	5.4982	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B11843	The tragedies of tyrantes Exercised vpon the church of God, from the birth of Christ vnto this present yeere. 1572. Containing the causes of them, and the iust vengeance of God vpon the authours. Also some notable comfortes and exhortations to pacience. Written by Henrie Bullinger, and now Englished.; Von der schweren, langwirigen Verfolgung der heiligen Christlichen Kirchen. English	Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Twyne, Thomas, 1543-1613.	1575 (1575)	STC 4078; ESTC S106917	68,333	200

true reformation reprehending the disorders and abuses and specially y popes vnlawfull aucthorytie the filthye and lecherous lyfe of the Clargye which all men are constrained to confesse to bée very culpable the same men neuerthelesse are condempned for scismatickes and Hereticks ar sharply persecuted For vnto them all are Heretickes whosoeuer do not submit themselues to the Sea of Rome and the Pope in all thinges and beléeue in althinges which that Sea beléeueth and commandeth to bée beléeued accordyng to the aboue named conspiracie and so Lucius the pope defineth Heretickes in his Decretall wherof we haue made mention before in the Chapter Ad aboliendum to abolyshe Wherefore with them it is not sufficient that a godlye man confesse all the articles of the antient true vndoubted and Apostolick faith saying that hée beléeueth in one God the father c. that hée also alowe and confesse the foure orders of our beléefe set foorth by the auntient counselles and S. Athanasius and whatsoeuer are taught and confirmed out of the holy scriptures of both Testaments moreouer doo condemne y heresies which were conuicted condemned in y antient counsels In ould time this kinde of confession was sufficient enough for christiās in y auntient church but amongst these men all these things aveile nothinge neither suffice to the confession of the faith but a man muste néedes confesse and beleue in the church of Rome as it is now vnder the Pope and follow the consent thereof or else he shall léese honour goodes bodie lyfe and all And therefore during the time of the Counsels before and after them haue bin many bateiles murthers and foule wastings committed nether were these things done onely against the Sarracens and vnfaithfull men but with mutche more extreamitie and crueltie against Christians which would bée indéed and named Christians and not papists and which disallowed and also be wayled the pride and tyrany of the Pope his great and manifest abuses and deprauations of holy thinges Wherefore in the ould time it grewe into a prouerbe Euery counsell breedeth warre which is to be vnderstoode of Papisticall counsels and found indéed to be true by proofe For that I may passe ouer in this place warres and moste bloody persecutions of faithfull men but enemies to the Sea of Rome whiche were waged and committed in the reigne of Pope Innocentius the thirde and certen other Popes next ensuing let vs onli examin those thinges which are not farre past the memory of men that are aliue The counsel of Constance I pray you what warres persecutions burninges wastyngs and murthers purchased it vnto Boheme Germanie He that knoweth not this let him learne it at least wise out of Pope Pius the seconde who when he was called as yet Aeneas Syluius wroat these thinges very dilligently in his storye of Boheme The troubles seditions slaughters which the counsel of Basile brought forth are in part recited by Platina in the life of Eugenius the fourth But béesids this we haue a more fresh and certeine example of the Tridentine Counsel which beeing first appoynted at Mantua and afterwarde at Vincentia was at the last by Paule the thirde in the yeare of our Lord. 1542 called at Trident nigh Athesis wholy in manner and fourme as we haue béefore recited whiche was conluded and ended by Pope Pius the fourth in the yéere of our Lorde 1563. Howbeit what thinges were doone certen yéeres before this counsel and also since against holie and faithfull men which only beleeued in the Gospell but not in traditions of Popes nor in the sea of Rome by Leo. x. Clemēt 7. Paul. 3. and ▪ 4. Iulius the 3. Pius the 4. and. 5. and by this present Pope Gregorye the. 13. the space of 53. yéeres I néede not repeat For they are knowen vnto God and al the world and as it were writen in heauen vnto which place the blood of all innocents together with the blood of Abel crieth from the earth vnto God for vengeance Many gréeuous longe and bloodye warres for sundry causes were waged in those yéeres but at the same time no lesse gréeuous and bloody persecutions wer committed against the faithfull for faith and religions sake Faithfull and Godly men were reprochefully and iniuriously dealt withal apprehended thrown out of dores driuen into exile spoyled of their goods beheaded hanged on gallowes burned vexed with al kindes of tormentes and punishment And by this meanes were oppressed tormented slayne hundred thousands of faithfull men and professours of the Gospell both in the higher and lower Germanie in Scotlād England Spaine which found out the new practize of the inquisition in Italie and other regions But cheiflye what hath bin doone in France ther is no man at this day but knoweth And there are extant whole bookes written of the gréeuous and long Papisticall persecution and the thinge doone is yet fresh in memory wherfore it is not néedefull that I should specially declare it againe at large since yet at this present they make no end of their crueltie and sheding of blood Since therfore thei which would séeme to be Fathers and pastours of the church do make themselues executioners of this last papisticall persecution wée may not only compare it w the olde persecutions but in respect of the greatnes prefer it aboue it Moreouer as in auntient times the ould persecutors of the church were egged forwarde to rigour through an vnsatiable desire to rule to th' intent they might kéepe and increase their dignitie pleasures ritches and superstition so likewise is the Papisticall persecution committed for the same cause But like as the Christian faith in the ould time was no whit the lesse estéemed of for the persecutions so at this present the Euangelicall doctrine is nothinge the woorse nor viler bicause the Papists do persecute the professours of the Gospell and manie times ouercome them There are sundrie causes why God suffreth this to bée doone neither ought any man to accuse or call the iudgment of God into question And this mutch I had to saye of the persecutiōs which the Church of Christ hath suffred from the birth of our Sauiour vnto our time comprehendinge breefely the whole summe wherby the matter beeing otherwise verie large might seeme ouerlonge and tedious to the reader Howbeit much more might and oughte to haue bin written of thys manifold and ample argument Of the Sundry causes why God suffreth the Christian Church to be torne with Tyrantes and afflicted with persecutions Chapter xvii HEerafter I intende to declare the causes and effectes of the aboue recited persecutions of y christian church which doo worke in the faithfull And although I haue already almost in euery one shewed them notwithstandyng ther remaine some more speciall which are of vs with more diligence to bée considered Persecutions are sent to the Churche by the iust iudgment of god as the scripture plainely witnesseth were sent vnto Iob the

more at quiet Yet in respecte of this persecution which was great and lasted longe time wherin were destroied many thousand Christians y Christian religion ought not bée iudged false or worse to bée estéemed of or that the gentile and profane religion of the Romanes is righteous and sownd For throughout the whole world and in all ages the Christian religion is only true righteous and constant nether hath God doone amisse in giuinge the Ethnickes so great power against the faithfull For by meanes therof the Christian faith is nothinge diminished nether by punishment nether by sheadinge of blood but it is rather increased in all partes of the worlde wherfore it is not without cause amonge our forefathers growen into a prouerbe the field of Christ is dungged and made frutefull with Christians innocent bloud Wherfore let vs al likewise now be of good hope in midste of persecutions and sheadinge of miserable innocent Christian blood Of the. 9. Tragical acte or persecution which was vnder Antoninus Verus with his brother Lucius and what worthy men exhibited Apologies of the christian faith vnto the Emperours Chapter vii THe yere of Christ 170. and. 178. the Roman Emperours Marcus Antoninus Verus and his brother Lucius for none other causes then we haue aboue recited sharply persecuted al christians that generallye were vnder the Romane Empire This persecution Historicians call the fourth but I terme it the ninth The exacte description and at large therof whoso desireth to beehold let him reade the fourth and fift bookes of Eusebius ecclesiasticall historie In this persecution were slayn not only many of the Christian Church but also the moste famous and renowmed doctoure of that age who in teaching and writing set frooth the christian relygion enlarged it and defended it commendinge their doctryn with their most holly life and bearinge wytnes therto with theyr owne blood Among whom was Polycarpus Discyple to the apostles an extreme ould father and minister of the congregatyon at Smyrna whom they call the doctor of Asia and father of the Christians also the holye and paynfull Minister of christ Pionius both these with many monotable christians were burnt Lykewyse y most lerned and faythfull mynysters of Christ Iustinius a philosopher and Iraeneus Byshop of Lions in France whose bookes in defence of the christyan fayth agaynste all kyndes of errours and heresies are yet extant were slayne wyth the sword But chifly at Lions and Vienna in France nigh the riuer Rhodanus was very mutch cruelty and extremitie shewen This persecution is described by the ministers of Christe dwellynge at Vienna and Lions in an epistle vnto y brethren of the congregations of Asia and Phrygia let him read that list herof the foure first chapters of the firste booke of Eusebius ecclesiastical historie there among other thyngs they declare how Photinus bishop of Lyons a worthie man learned and holly and aboue foure score and ten yéeres old and therfore féeble of body but valiant of minde and without all feare was brought to the place of iudgement of whom when there was required an accoumpt of his fayth with a wounderfull courage hée professed Christe and the Christian faith wherfore hée was by the rashe furious people stroken buffeted spurned without al regarde of age or callyng reprochefully abused so y he was drawen backe agayne to the prison for dead where not longe after hée yéelded vp the ghost In the same place are singularly described y cruel torments wherwith the holy men were long time tormēted as Maturus Sanctus and Blandina a woman of singular courage constancy in the true faith with Attalus borne of a noble race in faith more noble All these were slayne with most cruell and continuall tormentes bicause they would not yéeld one iote from the trueth They write moreouer how that the common raskall multitude in this persecution was so sauedge cruelly pricked foorth with anger and rage y they left nothyng vndone that appertayned to the most cruell and ignominious vsedge of them For they would not permit the bodies of sutch as were slayne in prison to bée honestly buried but cast them to dogges who if they left any thyng that they burned and threwe the asshes into Rhodanus these turmentours in the meane time criyng alowd as it is reported behold the Gods haue reuenged themselues on the enemies of the Ethnicke religion where is now their god what maner of faith and religion is this that spoyleth them thus of their liues Thus thei reioiced triumphed like conquerours y had defended and confirmed their owne religion and on th' other part the Christians remained in great sorow heauines and daunger Whoso desiereth to vnderstande more of this matter let him read it in Eusebius in the epistle aboue recited Moreouer there is set downe by Hermannus Contractus in his chronicles an whole catalogue of principall blessed martirs y suffred in this persecution Wherfore y which I haue often sayd I say againe is there any mā so simple and deuoyd of iudgment y dareth to say that the doctrine and religion of the holy Martyrs and witnesses of Christe was false bicause God deliuered them ouer into y handes of their enimies gentils and vnfaithful ether y their doctrine religion was tru and righteous bicause as apperteyninge to the body they vanquished slewe and oppressed the faithfull And who is so presumptious that he will dispute with God why hée suffreth his dearly beloued Church to bée cast down and ●roden vnder foote with so many afflictions and calamities But in this age the next following God through his grace raised euen among y gentiles worthie renowmed men learned holy wel disposed who offred vnto y Roman emperours to the Senate lieutenants bookes written with diuine instinct perspicuous and wise wherin they declared the innocencie of Christians confessing the faith of christ praising defendyng it shewinge also how falsly y christians were charged with notorious crimes y were layde against thē This kinde of writyng they terme Apologies In which apologies thei vttred such constancie and valientnesse of minde y thei durst also to discipher and disproue the errour vanitie of y Ethnick religion I minde to set downe in this place a catalogue and rehersal of al sutch as wrote Apologies I wil note also the time of doyng of al those things out of Eusebius y al men may perceaue how couragiously the Christian religion set foorth herself openly and without all feare in midst of persecutions glisteryng therin as it were the sunne howbéeit there whiles the vnfaythfull persecuted the same as heresy deceite and washing the Christians in their owne blood In the yere of Christ 119. Quadratus a graue and holy man preferred an Apologye or defence of the Christians vnto the Emperour Adrian After whom the yere of our Lord. 122. Seremus Granius one of the nobillytie of Rome wrote also and

scriptures the diffrence of the persons in one and indiuisible substance of Godhoode the Father the Sunne and the Hollye ghost but hée impugneth and raileth at the blessed Trinitie Likewise hée confesseth that Christ was a great prophet borne of the holy and vndefiled virgin who was taken also vp into heauen but as for that poynct which is peculiar to the true and liuelye faith hee doth not confesse that Iesus Christe is the euerlastinge sunne of God very God and man the only mediatour of God and men who being crucified slayne for our sake arose again from y dead sitteth on y right hand of god being of one power w the father in heauen These things he blasphemeth and impugneth deneing y christ was crucified wherefore he teacheth also erroniously touching remission of sins which onli we obtaine by faith in christ which was crucified ye he is altogether ignorāt of faith iustification by faith in Christ deuising sundrie woorshippinges and meanes to attayne saluation namely by fastinge praying giuinge of almes sustaininge many great labours suffring mutch trouble valientlye fightinge for the Machometan religion and dyinge in batteill Hée is also of opinion that a man may fulfill the law and demerite saluation by his owne woorkes hée hath his Moonkes Priestes in whose merites hée reposeth the hope of his saluation Hée confesseth the resurrection of the bodie but hée speaketh altogether carnally and impurely of felicitie as though in Paradise wée shoulde enioye bodely pleasures meat drincke beutie of the body as if it were in the blessed Ilands called Beatorum insulae or else in a certein Vtopia Hée despiseth the Euangelicall and apostolicall doctrine as hée doth also our holly assembles and congregations cōmaundynge all that béeléeue in him to bee circumcised after the Iewish maner nothyng regarding our Baptisme hée raueth and rayleth at the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and al the fourme and ordre of the Lordes supper which was instituted and appointed by Christe hée contemneth all christian vsedges and hath instituted peculiar congregations temples rightes and ceremonies hée commandeth the sixt day of the wéeke which we cal Friday to bée kept holiday he apointed fasting daies purging with water hée commaunded them to pray fiue times in a day he forbid to pray vnto saincts creatures but vnto God only which is trueth in déed but hée teacheth to pray vnto others beside Christe Sutch praiers are not acceptable vnto God bicause they are not made through Christe through whom wée pray vnto God our father in heauen wherat hée mocketh But S. Iohn saith Who so hath not the Sun hath not the Father Hée altogether prophaneth holly matrimonie for vnto men hée giueth licence to marie as many wiues as they liste and that which is iniurious and dishonest to forsake them without cause at their pleasure and discretiō Hée forbiddeth them after the Iewish maner to eate swynes fleash hée debarreth them also from wine howbeit the ritcher sort haue deuised certen costlye kinds of drinks wherby they becōe nolesse drunk then with wine And this is the doctrine of the diuell wherof Paul intreateth in the first of Timothy the. 4. chapter And whatsoeuer I haue sayd of the Machometan faith the same ar al to be vnderstood of the Turkishe religion or supersticion which at this day is vsuall among the Turkes And as for these thinges I haue reported them verye bréeflye that those that knowe not the Turkish religion may haue a brief extract not of the whole relygion but of the chiefest poynts and opinions therof Now through indifferent view of these things which we haue recited who doth not vnderstande that through the moste gréeuous yet most iuste wrath of God the world is by him most sharply punished since y he hath suffred so absurde filthy wicked relygion to take place and here withall let vs also beholde and weigh what a cruell and continuall persecution which indureth also to this day this impiou● ▪ and Machometan faith hath raised againste the holly Church of Christe and the true faith Machomet that false prophet and murdrous seductour of the worlde had persuaded his Sarracens that they are the true children heiers of sarra wife to Abraham and that in respect therof béelonged vnto them all the promises made vnto Abraham namely that his séede should rule all the world and therfore hée exhorted the Sarracens that takyng weapon in hand they should valyently assay to possesse al the kingdoms of the world as their owne inheritaunce The Sarracens were a barbarus and rough people of Arabia whiche before that time were called Agareni the same receauinge stipende of the Romanes fought vnder them in the warre against the Persians But when hée which bare the name of generall had the charge of the army in geuing them their pay had reprochefully called them dogs saying who shal giue mony enough to this cōpany of dogs thei reuoulted frō y Romās and beinge perswaded by Homer their cheifteine they chose Machomet to be their prince speciallye since he had perswaded them that they shoulde not bée called Agareni of Agar the handmaide but rather Sarraceni of Sarra the lawful wyfe by reason whereof as it is sayde they were the Lordes and heirs of all kingdomes These things were done in the yéere of Christe 623. But this seditious murderous and wicked villaine Machomet so soone as hée had obtayned the Empire began to enlarge and set foorth his abhominable religion with the sword and to enforce men to receaue it persecutyng also and oppr●ssing the true Christian faith And for the better ratefiyng hereof hée continued in this trauaile the space of 9. yéeres vnto the yéere of our Lorde 632. Vnto al that would follow his relygion he promised felycitie glory Empire victori ritches and after this life the pleasure of Paradice And by this menes he gat vnto him great multitudes of men specially when at the beginning things prospered so wel with him for why the common people followeth good fortune victory and ritchesse hatinge as mutch the crosse and persecutions Hée willed them moreouer to persecute all sutch as spake agaynst and reprehended the Alcoran Wherfore many reuoulted from the Christian faith and all vertuous and true Christians were oppressed with gréeuous persecutions this was the begīning of the Sarracens kingdome After the death of Machomet the Sarracens called their chief princes Amiras which as some saye signifieth as mutch as the name of Emperour Whose names and most famous conquestes are described in histories vnto the yéere of Christe 870. They made many great warres and fought sundry battailes and obtayned conquestes against y Emperours of Constātinople and other kinges and princes They subdued Persia Babilon Syria the citie of Ierusalem and gat sundry great victoryes in Asia and Affrica in whiche places they terme their Princes Souldans or Sultans and Caliphas

kigdoms of Iuda Israel it mai be known by the tyrannical déeds of Saul Abner Iereboam Athalia such lyke And in our age manie of the clergie and ecclesiasticall ordre hauinge obtained great honours do feare least their glory pompe ritches pleasures prefermentes and honours should decay if the Gospell were fréely preached Sutche therfore for their kingdome and pleasures with Herod oppose themselues against Christe and his woord and are not stroken with horrour in eggynge foorth vnto or executinge a cruell déede so that themselues may lurke safe and quiet in their neastes To conclude like as this gréeuous and cruell persecution of Christe béegan immediatly after his incarnation by slaughter of the innocent babes so is there nothing that the churche of Christe must looke for vntill the last iudgment but persecutions Of the second Tragical Acte or persecution wherein Iohn the Baptist was beheaded Jesus Christ the Sunne of God crucified and his Disciples dispersed Chapter ii THe second persecution began at one time with the preaching of the Gospell Iohn the Baptiste firste preached the Gospell as S. Marke witnesseth writting how that the Gospell of Jesus Christe the Sun of God began so as it was foretold by the prophets namely by the forerunner of of Christ who prepared his waies and made the mindes of men apt and ready to receaue Christe Whiche Iohn the Baptist pointed vnto Christ as it were with his finger testefinge that he was the Lambe of God that shoulde take away the sinnes of the world The same exhorted men to beléeue in Christe and sent his disciples from him to Christe as vnto him in whome dwelled al fulnesse and through whom only the way was open vnto euerlastinge life affirminge that hée was the verie Sunne of God into whose hande the father committed all thinges and whosoeuer béeléeued in him should haue euerlastinge life and whoso béeleeued not vppon him remained the wrath of god Therewith also he sharply rebuked the vices of men exhortinge all to repentance pronouncinge vnto the impenitent and vnbéeléeuinge the wrath of God and destructiō to hang ouer them These are mētioned by the Euangelistes Mathew 3. chap. Iohn 1. and. 3. chap. and Luke 3. chapter For this doctrines sake when as manie hated John and his disciples and specially the high byshoppes and priestes who by messengers sent vnto him required an accoumpt of his doctrine endeuoringe to stoppe and hindre him from that function Afterwarde when he had rebuked Herode called Antipas of incest which was sun to Herod surnamed the great that slew the children for the same Antipas had taken away his owne brother Philippes wife and his daughter and kept her openly for his owne wife when as I say hée had preached against that wicked déede mutch blaminge the filthines of the fact was by the sayd Herode apprehended and cast into prison Then on a time when Herod had made a solemne feast for his nobles and courtiars amonge his greate and manie cuppes beinge ouerséene and merie with wine promised large rewardes vnto Herodiadas the daughter a strumpet béecause shée had daunced in his presence where shée beinge instructed by the ould harlot her mother required the head of John the Baptist Herod although hée knew● John to bée a godly and holy man yet sending the executioner commaunded the innocent man without iudgment his cause beinge vnhearde shamefully and through tyranicall lust to bée slayn in the prison The daughter presented the Head of John to the incestuous harlot her mother in the feast and euen as shée was sitting at the table Which cruell déede what greife and sorow it brought to Johns disciples and al other godly men euerie faithfull man maye easely repute with himself Wherfore this persecution by Herode committed not only touched Iohn but was greenous also to the rest of the faithful Doubltesse su●ch carnall reasons as these are perplexed the mindes of manie that time why God suffred that man to be afflicted that was so dear vnto the Lorde and greater then whome there was none borne of a woman Why permitted hée him by incestuous persons so miserablye to bée slayne in prison and they the meane time drowned in riotinge drounkennes and dauncinge why hée suffred that holye head disdainfully to be touched and abused by the handes of a filthie harlot These thinges are straunge in the sight of men and the fact it self is horrible yet no wyse man ought to accuse God in permittinge the same which doth all thinge in iudgment and iustice yea if hée chaunce at these dayes to sée verteous and godly men miserably slayne by the vngodly and wicked and rereprochefully vsed thus hée reasoneth with himself if God could beehold it that so holy a man Gods freende the first minister of the Gospell should so dispightfully bée murthered in prison and his head also reprochfully handled wée ought lesse to merueyle if now like wise hée suffre the like to béefall to his fréences who are not yet in so great estimation and dignitie as John was But like as Johns cause was not therfore vniuste and Herodes iuste in that hee preuailed and oppressed and slew John in our age likewise their doctrine and faith which abide persecution and are wofully slayn for Christ and his woordes sake is not therfore the woorse nether the faith of the persecucions and murthers for that cause the better Semblably as there was none other cause that mooued Herod to this persecution and greeuous slaughter then that hée would not bée rebuked in his wickednes neither offend his bousinge mates and incestuous harlot so manie persecutions are raised by those that will not bée reproued for Idolatrie for their sins and wickednesse persecuting the innocent that they may please wicked men which prouoke them vnto it In the same age after John the baptist vnder Tyberius the Emperour our lorde Jesus Christ béegan to preache the gospel and to pronounce remission of sinnes and life euerlastynge through faith in him and also béegan sharply to withstande and speake against the false doctrin of the Teachers namely of the Pharises Scribes and preistes seuerely accusinge their hypocrisie couetousnes and other crimes warnings them also of the wrath of God which hunge ouer them and exhortinge moreouer all men to repentance Hée declared this doctrine and deuine power by sundrie wounders and miracles wherby it is set clere and vndoubted and as a man should say shewed with handes that hée was the sunne of the liuinge God the lorde that had power ouer satan sinne death and hell But the high bishops those Teachers or religious men as they call them which alonely ruled the roste and were of greatest auctoritie in the counsell of the Jewes the priestes likewise and Leuits acknowledged not Jesus as indéede he was to be the true Messias but they maliced him and laid waite to take away his life And at somtimes they called him Samaritane somtime they said hée