Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	foundation_n	1,927	5	8.7886	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16909	A briefe treatise of diuers plaine and sure waies to finde out the truth in this doubtfull and dangerous time of heresie Conteyning sundrie worthy motiues vnto the Catholike faith, or considerations to moue a man to beleeue the Catholikes, and not the heretikes. Set out by Richard Bristow priest, licentiat in diuinitie.	Bristow, Richard, 1538-1581.	1599 (1599)	STC 3800; ESTC S106653	144,155	432

thē What those things are S. Augustine a litle before did partly vtter and by reading ouer this Treatise thou shalt more fullie know Which whosoeuer will vouchsafe to doe vvith any crumme of the feare of God I meruaile much but hee will confesse in his mouth or heart that the truth of Christ is on our side So plainely shall he here perceaue that our religion it is vvhich was deliuered to the world by Christ our Lord and his Apostles vvhich also euer since hath still continued which is also most sure hereafter to continue alwaies to the end no might nor ma● no craftes nor wiles euer able to cast● downe Whereas all other Religions which before in part I rehearsed out of all Ages as they had their beginning so haue they had also their ending except only these present Sectes brought in by Luther whose end also yet no doubt shal be seene as hath bin seene their begining that as it were but yesterday they neuer being so much as one Age yeare day or houre in any part of the world before Al this and much more of like importāce shal he find here most clearly proued That and if they also which please themselues in thinking that there is no God nor Christ will read the same I hope that therby with the grace of God they shall see how fowly they deceaue themselues Howbeit vnto them I ment not this small labour of mine For that which should haue bin prepared for thē directly should haue bin I know somewhat of another sort which hereafter might peraduenture be done but that it is a shame of all shames only to heare that ●hristian stockes are growen such ●pes so out of kinde Yet because the ●atholike faith and the faith of Christ stand both vpon one and the selfe-same groundes as in deed they be all one but only that Heretikes forsaking the Catholike faith thinke yet that they haue hot forsaken Christ his faith such a one shall in pervsing these groundes of the Catholike faith vnderstand withal many groundes of Christ his faith as that he is now come not to beleeue in Christ hee came thither by forsaking first the Catholike faith And therfore as I haue said if it will please him to know these groundes and to consider wel vpon certaine of them he shall with the helpe of Christ return again both to the Catholike faith and to the faith of Christ And so I trust that by the grace of god it shal do good to al sorts of men confirme Catholikes reclaime Heretikes and lighten euen the Atheistes themselues But and if any man will needes continue wilful and obstinate as no doubt very many wil Non enim omnium est fides for faith is not for all men yet because Nemo perit nisi filius perditionis let others in the name of God looke vp and no more take darkenes for light night for daie poyson for medicine death for saluation Let no man nor nothing make Christian men to go from Christ Let none keepe the Children of the Church out of the Church They that needes wil perish let them perish by themselues alone Let thē remaine alone without the Church that will not returne vnto the Church Let them alone pay the price of their headines rebellion who for nothing that Moises saith or doth wil be brought to yeld vntill God doth shew his might vpon them as he did on Pharao They that will not be drowned with them in Hell come out of Egypt in the name of God with the children of Israel Christ hath sent vs this time to make the proued knowen and manifest to see who loueth him or the world better denouncing plainly to vs al that Whosoeuer loueth Father or mother more then me is not worthy of me whosoeuer loueth son or daughter aboue me is not worthy of me whosoeuer taketh not his Crosse foloweth me is not worthy of me Let vs therefore both for his feare or his loue take affliction for his sake What auaileth it a man to saue or gett say not a few akers of Land a house or ●wo yea a Kingdome or Empire but also the very whole vniuersall world and then a litle after not only to forgo al that againe but also to leese irreparably himselfe and his own soule If therefore it chaunce any man to leese for his cause either house or brethen or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands and liuings let such a one remember his fidelity omnipotencie that he hath saied Hee shal receaue an hundred-fold as much and inherite euerlasting life If some mighty trustie petson king or Queen should say vnto any one of his subiectes forgoe for my sake to day thy liuing to morow I will giue thee another as good or better who would not only to haue his fauour accord to his desire what is it thē els but lacke of faith or rather plain infidelity that for Christs word whose might and trustines and reward is incomparably greater hys loue infinitly better we wil do nothing doubtlesse either his promises or his menaces or both we doe not beleeue Verily if wee haue but one graine of faith then will wee doe not only with those our exteriours but also with our life it selfe as he requireth M●● 10. He that findeth his soule shall leese it saith he and hee that leeseth his soule for me shal finde it Or do we think that we deny not him vnlesse we say expressely I deny Christ be not deceaued Doth not Saint Paul say of some factis autem negant Tit. 4. that they deny God by their deedes and doth not Christ himselfe say Qui recipit vos me recipit Mat. 10. Hee that receaueth you receaueth me And againe to Saul doth he not say Act. 9. Quid me persequeris why doest thou persecute me whereof Paul himselfe saith 1. Cor. 15. persecutus sum Ecclesiam Dei I did persecute the Church of God Mat. 5 Doth not Christ againe make these two al one Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam and Beati estis cum persecuti vos fuerint propter me Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes and Blessed ye are when they persecute you for me And againe wil he not say in his generall Iudgement at the last day Quamdiu fecistis vni ex his fratribus meis minimis mihi fecistis Quamdiu non fecistis vni de minoribus his nec mihi fecistis For as much as you did it to one of these my brethren the lowest you did it to me for as much as you did it not to one of these the lowest neyther to me you did it therefore thinke we not but that there be diuers and sundry waies both of confessing and also of denying him If we haue but common wit vvith vs we may consider that it is extreame folly the things which very quickly wee

ground foundation and example none of them all could in any thing tell where to be And therfore her they imitate in their Seruice and Sacramentes in their Discipline and Iurisdiction in their Lawes and ordinaunces out of her bookes and doinges takeing all theyr light neuer otherwise hauing bene able to tel that they should vse Baptising of men Ioan. 13. more then washing of feete or this lesse then that or one to be a Sacramēt and not the other Of her they learned to kepe their spirituall Courtes Visitations Conuocations and Councels Of her they learned to excommunicate and suspend of her they learne to haue for seuerall functions seuerall officers and peculiar orders Of her they learned their wisdome in dead mens willes their prouidence in bidding forbidding of banes their discretion to discerne and disseuer lawfull and vnlawfull Mariages shee parted their people into Parishes Prouinces finally nothing for mans spirituall commodity that they haue amōgst them but of our Church by vsurpation or imitation they tooke it Their very Communion-booke to be made altogeather out of our Masse-booke their owne Puritans will beare me witnesse and so much as I heare haue they already plainly opened to the world Which may likewise be easily shewed in their other Church-bokes also that out of ours they be taken as is well knowen to all that know both Which now thinke you I appeale to all reasonable men to be Christes Church the reasonable soule or the brutish ape It is the obseruation of the Holy Fathers that the Diuell alwayes and his members were fayne to be the apes of God and his people that there the Philosophers learned their Theologie the Idolatrers their Priestes and Sacrifices the Heretikes their Rites and Ceremonies in figure whereof we haue in the holy Scripture the example of Ieroboam in his Dan Bethell playing the ape of Godds Temple in Ierusalem 3. Reg. 12. with many others moe States of Perfection FVRTHERMORE consider what Church is that which hath in it and euer had all holy cōmendable States of faythfull people professed Virgyns vowed widowes Poore by wil and promise p●rsons of both SEXES dedicated ●o GOD by forsaking the world and the pleasures thereof some liuing in desertes or caues of the earth some in Cloysters in Communitie and vnder obedyence all wholly occupied in mourning and praying both night and day for the sins of themselues and others Was the Church of Christ at any time without these heauenly Orders this comely variety Haue not we in the Actes of the Apostles where is described vnto vs as I haue often saide the plat-forme of Christes Church than beginning and afterward to grow vp stil in the same orders as a child doth in the same members the perfect example of the whole multitude of christian Iewes selling all and liuing in common without property Act. 4. The terrible sodaine death also of Ananias and his wife Saphira Act. 5. for playing a false part in that behalfe of the multitudes profession and manners of such euer afterward vntill and in S. Augustines time you may see more that list Li. 1. ca. 33. in his booke De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae as also in all the olde writers vvhose works are extant How then can that be the Church of God which prouideth by waste desolation destruction and as it were by law that no such Orders of men and women specially and totally deputed to Gods seruice be suffered amongst them where be no maides but such as can get no matches where no man is poore but with grudge or much against his vvill where no vow is made to God nor to him must none be kept where fasters be counted Pharisees Monkes and mourners esteemed mad men the best sort of Christian men reputed the fowlest Hypocrites finally where in apparell gesture or countenaunce no signe of Religion deuotion or vertue thought to be commendable or almost tolerable The state of our Predecessors VPON these thinges afore-going riseth another goodly consideration what Church that is whose Doctors God hath so blessed with credit Maiestie eternall Memorie and Authoritie that being of the same meaning and vttering euidently both in their bookes and in their deedes both in their life at their death of the same faith vvhich we doe teach the Heretikes doe impugne yet dare they not openly condemne them nor otherwise then couertly reprehend them but if that one of theyr Bookes they can patch or pike any apparent sentence to amende their owne credits they highly vaunt thereof What Church that is whose security of saluation is so certaine breeding such awe in the Aduersaries hearts and tongues be they neuer so wanton that they dare not condemne neyther the followers of such thinges as they would haue seeme to be superstitious detestable nor the very principall Authors doers or teachers thereof Was Protestant euer heard so bold to plucke S. Gregorie out of heauen for saying Masse or Saint Bernard for his Monkes Coule or Saint Augustine for praying and offering Sacrifice for his Mothers soule or the very first Authors of Monkes and Friers Orders as Saint Basile S. Benedict S. Frauncis S. Dominicke S. Anthonie such others or the Founders of our Colledges in Vniuersities for their respecting in their worke and commaunding in their Statutes prayer Dirige Masse for their soules for euer Yea doe they not the best of thē all in the most solemne pulpits of the realme commended them by name blesse their memorie and praise God for them Would they so doe by soules damned with the Diuell in Hell Finally which of them all hath beene heard so peremptorie in his sentence to condemne to hell for daylie hearing of Masse praying for the dead calling vpon Saints going a Pilgrimage c. the very multitude of our Predecessors all since the first christening of our Nation nine hundred or a thousand yeares agoe euen vntill King Edwardes time all his own others fathers mothers grandfathers and grandmothers other Ancestors kinsfolke and countriemen that euer liued since that time But those that liued afore that time in Paganisme Idolatrie who sticketh to condemne more then the Olde Romaines Grecians and other Infidels of other countries not seruing GOD nor hauing heard of nor beleeuing in Christ If any will say that ignorance before this time of their new Gospels preaching excused the one sorte vvhy did not ignorance excuse likewise the other sort What cause can be giuen why the one sort are in heauen and the other in hel but only that as they afore our Christening vvere vvithout God and without Christ so these since that time beleeued the right faith of Christ vsed the true worship of God As for inuicible ignorance to haue saued then the simple sort of very sottes in maner as now by the opinion of some learned Catholike men it doth in Germanie and in England c. it can not here of them be said