Selected quad for the lemma: father_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
father_n	witness_v	word_n	write_v	148	3	4.8813	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00457	The castle of Christianitie detecting the long erring estate, asvvell of the Romaine Church, as of the Byshop of Rome: together with the defence of the catholique faith: set forth, by Lewys Euans.	Evans, Lewis, fl. 1574.	1568 (1568)	STC 10590; ESTC S101769	66,662	177

much reprehending it vnto Cornelius Now what authoritie or what grounde of supremacie a fewe disobedient and conuict Priestes coulde purchase vnto the Sée of Rome iudging vprightly I sée not But if they be either s ignorant or s arrogant as to frame vppon these runnagates their right and vsurped title let them then and wyth good indifferencie consider how Dioscorus their Pope of Rome being excommunicated and yet touching no matter of faith did appeale for so they thēselues name him vnto the Pope the Patriarch of Constantinople Here we finde another Pope and vnto whome their Pope of Rome hath appealed Touching the time of Constantine it was he not Siluester it was the Emperour and not the bishop of Rome that made lawes in defence of the Christians it was the Emperor that condemned the writings of Arrius it was he that called from banishment Porphyrius and it was onely he that then made an edict against heretikes But if they will haue it that Constantine did ordeine y e bishop of Rome to be the chiefe then let them goe forward in their historie wherein they shall finde how at that time this voyce was hearde hodie venenum ecclesiae est immissum nowe doth poyson enter into the Church And that this voyce was true you shall well proue if you examine throughlye the whole doings of Siluesters successours For O Lord what crueltie was amongst them what ambition what symonie what disobedience what heresie was amongst them Come wée then vnto the Emperour Iustinianus his time For concerning Marcellus and Anacletus if the decrées in their names set forth be theirs as in déede they seme not to be they were bishops of Rome and therefore is their authoritie contrarie vnto the scripture in aduauncing themselues nothing worthie of anye reasonable man or of anye indifferent Christian to bée estéemen And before we speake of Iustinianus you must vnderstande that there were in his time and vnder him among others fiue especiall Cities that is Rome in Italy Constātinople in Thrace Alexandria in Aegipt Antioch in Siria Hierusalem in Iudaea ▪ Of these fiue there were fiue chiefe fathers or Patriarches euery one hauing a 〈◊〉 and a seuerall authoritie in causes spiritual such I meane as Archbishops should haue euery one within his owne and proper Prouince Neither did anye one Patriarch either intermedle with the iurisdiction of the other or clayme a Primacie the one aboue the other They were seuerall Cities seuerall Prouinces seueral Patriarches seuerall in authority equall in dignity And that this is most true the wordes of Iustinian himselfe shall testifie who hauing next vnder Christ a kinde of supreme authoritie made certaine Ecclesiasticall lawes to gouerne and rule them all So that some lawes being made concerning the Clergie for the due execution of the same he sendeth his especiall commaundement vnto the sayd fiue Patriarches in these wordes Iubemus igitur beatissimos Archiepiscopos patriarchas hoc est senioris Romae Constantinopoleos Alexandrinae Theopoleos Hierosolymorū c. we wil therfore that the most holy archbishops and Patriarches that is to say of old Rome Constantinople Alexandria Antioch and Ierusalem c. He writeth not to one alone least that one shoulde chalenge a superioritie Where was then therfore of Rome the supremacie certaine bisshops he had vnder him so had the rest this was all his authoritie Iustinian his style vnto the bishop of Rome was this Ioanni viro beatissimo ac sanc̄tissimo Archiepiscopo Patriarchae veteris Romae To Iohn the most blessed man and most holy Archbishop Patriarch of old Rome And here least any may gather any thing by these wordes most blessed most holy you shall heare in what order he writeth vnto the Bishop of Constantinople weygh both the styles and you shall sée Constantinople to haue the greater reuerence his wordes vnto him be these To the most holy Epiphanius and most blessed Archbishop of this holy royall Citie and vniuersall Patriarch Yea Iustinian in playne words sayth that Constantinople Est sanctissimamaior ecclesia is the most holy worthier Church Iustinian no man can well denie it was then vnder Christ in earth if they will terme it so the supreme heade he then and none other made lawes and the same aswel spirituall as temporall Unto the Clergie these were his words we commaund we will not suffer we ordeine we streightlye prohibite we appoint we will we bidde These be wordes of greater authoritie than the bishop of Rome ought to vse they be wordes by authoritie commaunding him And that the Pope ought not to vse them Gregorie in manifest words beareth witnesse for writing vnto the Bishop of Alexandria thus sayth he Which word of bidding I woulde to bee farre from my hearing for I know who I am and who you are In calling you are my brethren in maners my fathers therfore I badde not but endeuored to shew what things seemed profitable Princes maye vse these words bidding c. in them they be tolerable and therefore the same Gregorie writing vnto the Emperor sayth Quantum ad me attinet serenissimis iussionibus obedientiam praebeo In that which appertayneth vnto me I yelde render due obediēce vnto your maiesties most roial biddings cōmaundements I would to God in hart I wishe it that as the Pope did here vnto the Emperor so al we would do vnto our most gracious souereigne and most royall Princesse the Queenes Maiestie and so vnto hir successors You see that there is no cause but we shoulde doe it there is no reason no authoritie to the contrarie Let any indifferent man reade the Chronicles yea let him reade their owne writings and it shal be euident that the Bishops of Rome had not the title of any such Primacie vntill at length thorow pride and ambicion contrarie vnto all custome and good order they vsurped that authoritie Symmachus and Laurentius being both at one time chosen Bishops of Rome tantaest discordia fratrum after much strife and controuersie were faine to go vnto Rauenna there to abide the iudgement as in déede they did of Theodoricus the king Pelagius the second how was he chosen absque decreto Principis contra consuctudinem without the decree of the Prince agaynst all custome Here they see that it was contrarie vnto all former example that the byshop of Rome shoulde be chosen against the decrée and will of the Prince Bonifacius the third did will that the election of the B. of Rome shoulde consist and be determined by the iudgement of the Prince of the Clergie and of the Laitie that for good causes But Phocas they saye marke well when their kingdom began cōmaunded at the request of the B. of Rome that all Churches should be obedient vnto y e Romain church And yet was the authoritie of y e bishop notwithstanding so smal y t he should be suffred to do nothing without y e

proposition at large framed if we procéede I thinke we shall proue aswel the Pope as those which ouer popishly doe take his part to be accurst The argument is made if we saye that the Pope and his adherentes doe so thinke and for that cause mislike his ministering therefore they bée accurst Such is the conclusion In this argument if they denie any thing it must bée their owne Proposition which was made at a generall Councell by the aduise of so manye fathers Gregorie the Pope and the seauenth of that name who vsurped vnto himselfe as some doe write the authoritie kept a great sturre and laboured earnestly to forbid the mariage of Priestes But the whole Clergie resisted him in so much that the Popes deputie in that behalfe the Bisshop of Mentz had great a doe much trouble and no small perill in dealing therein So odious vnto all was the prohibition of matrimony so vsurped yea so wicked then séemed that deuilish doctrine But what whose sonnes were O sius Bonifacius Agapitus Theodorus Siluerius Deusdedit Felix Gelasius with a number more who were Popes of Rome were they not all Priests children how then can they excuse but that either their fathers were maried or else that they were filthie fornicators and verie lesude liuers Concerning the Apostles specially such as were maried is it to be thought thinke you that they neuer came where their wiues were the Popes friends say they came not And how prooue they it forsooth bicause there is no mention thereof made in the Scriptures A proper proofe Bicause we reade onelye by name of Peters mother in law which laye sicke in his house therefore shall we thinke that she lay succourlesse that her daughter was gone that there was none in the house but she Came not Peters wife came not his daughter Petronella with him into Rome hereof I report me vnto their owne histories S. Paule when he wrote vnto the Corinthians was unmaried but what if afterwards he had a wife and that I come not with bare iffes I will alledge mine authoritie it is Leo the Pope of Rome himselfe that so sayth They must eyther blame his holinesse or else knowledge Paule to haue bene a maried man This is a harde choyse What shall I speake of the deuilish diuorcementes and most vngodly separations vsed in these later dayes euen in lesse than sixtene yeares past why were at that time the maried Priestes separated from their wiues bicause sayth the Pope their mariage was no mariage bicause they were adulterers What bicause of their former vowes O Augustine were thou now liuing thou wouldest laye this heresie vowne But though he be dead doe not his writings yet liue wrote he not against this before he died yes And these are his wordes Quidam nubentes post votum asserunt adulteros esse ego autem dico vobis quod grauiter peccant qui tales diuidunt There are some which say that those which marrie after their vow be adulterers But I tell you that they offende grieuouslye which separate such Nowe if they be adulterers how doe they offende that separate them But if they do amisse which separate them then be they no adulterers Whosoeuer sayeth Augustine will separate such hée doth grieuously offende but Calixtus the Pope doth separate such therefore he doth grieuously offende I dare boldlye saye that they haue nothing herevnto to aunswere I am playne the argument is good it cannot be denyed Montanus est qui docuit nuptias solui it is Montanus the heretike who first taught that mariage shoulde be dissolued they are Montani they are of his sect they are heretikes that doe it What other authorities néede we the thing is playne what would we more in the ende let thys one authoritie suffice Si quis docuerit sacerdotem sub obtent u religionis propriam contemnere vxorem anathema sit if any shall teach that a Priest vnder the pretence of Religion may in any wise contemne his own wife let him be accurst What is not this a decrée of their owne sinode Non in perpetuum sed tempore oblationis à complexu suarum vxorum sacerdotes abstineant Their Latine is so embracing as let them english it that like it We will sayth that sinode that henceforth the mariage of spirituall men shall be in force and good Thus haue I passed ouer first the miserable estate of such as bée in blindenesse then haue I disproued the vsurped primacie of Rome I haue battered downe the rotten walles of Purgatorie I haue defended the right vse of the Lordes supper I haue proued that there are no faultes in our translation I haue shewed that the seruice and prayer ought to bee in the Englishe tongue I haue declared the true vse of fasting prayers repentance and almes deedes I haue set forth the right doctrine of iustification I haue defended the honorable estate of matrimonie I haue also as occasion serued without partialitie answered all the obiections of the aduersaries All which things as they are briefly done so wish I the reader to consider of them indifferently I wish that odious termes may cease I desire that charitie in vs all maye increase It is not inough to terme men heretikes Remember what Gregorie sayth there are many euen of the faythfull which are puffed vp with an ignoraunt zeale and manye times while they hate others as heretikes they are the cause of heresies themselues Awaye with your excommunications renounce your cursings leaue off your threatnings your weapon is naught your authoritie is nothing Haue in memory what S. Hierome saith If any be put out and sent forth not through the right iudgement of such as rule in the Church if he before went not out that is if he did nothing whereby he deserued to go foorth it is not hurtfull vnto him at all though hee seeme to be throwen out by the vnright iudgement of men and so it happeneth oftentimes that he which is cast foorth is within and he that seemeth to be within is without Weigh this well and you shall esteeme the bannings of Rome as they be you shall if you haue eyes sée that you were abused and holden vnder the heauie yoke of a most bitter bondage Shake off therfore selfe wil cast away selfe loue away with estimation care not for a vaine credite consider your estate helpe to redresse that is amisse wee séeke but the putting awaye of shadowes vanities errors blindenesse superstition arrogancie and abuses That this may bée done ioyne handes helpe forwarde the building of Gods house deserue well of your countrie whervnto God exhorteth you our Princes your moste gracious Quéene prayeth you your friendes doe desire you your countriemen doe beséeche you your natiue soyle your countrye it selfe this florishing realme of Englande doe togither and most earnestly entreate you FINIS ¶ A briefe vewe of the erring estate of the Bishops of Rome IF the gates