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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	jesus_n	lord_n	8,211	5	3.8236	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08471	The acquital or purgation of the moost catholyke Christen Prince, Edwarde the .VI. Kyng of Englande, Fraunce, and Irelande &c. and of the Churche of Englande refourmed and gouerned under hym, agaynst al suche as blasphemously and traitorously infame hym or the sayd Church, of heresie or sedicion.	Old, John, fl. 1545-1555.	1555 (1555)	STC 18797; ESTC S101902	35,373	96

he hold the catholike faythe whych fayth except euery one doth kepe holly and vndefyled wyth out doubt he shall peryshe euerlastyngly Nother dothe Christes churche of the gospellers cleaue supersticiously frowardly vnto the wordes neclecting the holy sense ryght meaning and therfore it ioyfully receaueth all declaracions and conferences of faith called in our cōmon speche Credes whether they be set furthe by the holy fathers or true faithful counsailes though in mo and more copious wordes yet nothyng varieng in sentences nor conteynyng any contrarye mater Therfore we receaue and reuerence the Crede of Nice of Athanasius and the seconde set furth Crede called Symbolum Constantinopolitanum and all other good definitions of faythe agreing to those same And so we reproue and reiecte al heresies and holde accursed al heretikes condemned by the holy scripture eyther in the Counsailes or out of the coūsailes And so we cōdemne Symon Magus wyth al Symonye Basilides Valentinus Marcion Braxeas Artemon Montanus Nouatus Sabellius Appollinaris Arius Eunomius Macedonius Manicheus Nestorius Eutyches Priscillianus Donatus Pelagius Heluidius the Monothelites and all other of the lyke leuen So that the churche of gospellers is not a congregacion of heretikes nor a swarme of schismatikes as the Papistes and settaries do wyckedly and falsly lye vpō vs but a true christian and catholike churche of Iesus Christ The .x. Chapter THe very cyuile lawe it self doth also recken vs among the catholikes For the Emperours Gratianus Valentinianus and Theodotius wrytyng to the people of Cōstantinopole geue them thys decreed commaūdement We wil that al people whom our imperial clemencie hathe the gouernement of lyue in that religion whych S Petre the apostle set furthe to the Romanes as the religiō that he him self maketh mencion of beareth recorde euen vnto thys daye the whych it is euident that bishop Damasus Petre bishop of Alexandria a man of apostolike holynesse did also folowe That is to saye that we should according to the apostles discipline doctrine of the Gospel beleue one Godhead of the father and the sonne and the holy gost vnder like Maiestie and holy Trinitie Those that folowe this lawe we commaunde to take vpon them and embrace the name of christian catholikes and the rest as witles and madde folkes we iudge to beare the infamye of hereticall learnyng c. If any man be ignoraunt what was the faythe that the holy fathers Damasus and Peter B. of Alexandria professed let hym learne of the ecclesiastical histories They varied not one tote from the apostolike and Nicene Crede Therfore seing we beleue them wyth all our hartes we are purged cleane from the slaūder of heresie which our aduersaries goo about wickedly to discredite and blemyshe vs withall But I knowe well inough they wyl charge vs that we doo not only not receaue the tradiciones of the apostles but also contemne them and vtterlyreiecte them and that therfore it is but lost labour for vs to pretende an vncorrupte soūde faythe specially forsomuche as the imperfectiō of the doctrine of the apostolike scripture is most fully perfyted by vnwrytten tradicion by worde of mouthe for that cause the vnwrytten tradicions to be of equal authoritie wyth the apostolyke holy scriptures And seyng we reiecte the tradiciōs it foloweth that our doctrine and faith is not perfyte Now in asmuche as our aduersaris the Papistes make these the toppe and roote of al theyr maters as they them selues reporte in theyr open decrees and bokes we wyl talke a lytel as sortenesse of tyme shall suffre of the traditions of Apostles Fathers I fynde thys worde Tradicion many tymes in the holy Apostles wrytynges Tradicions For wher the historie of the gospel was not wrytten from the begynnyng of any man the Apostles of Christ as they sawe wyth theyr eyes and hearde with theyr eares and receaued out of Christes owne mouthe so dyd they declare in dede the wordes and dedes of Christ to the congregacions by tradicion or lyuely worde of mouthe but yet not without scripture For loke what they learned preached of Christ they confirmed thesame by the scriptures of goddes lawe of the Psalmes and of the prophetes And at lenght whan God sawe tyme he admonished hys Apostles by the holy Goost that they should enrolle that lynely tradicion partly in to wryltyng them selues and partly shoulde cause other to wryte vp the rest For so the Euangelist Luke reporteth that he wyth al diligent forsyght and sure searche of all thynges before hande wrote a moste certayne true historie as they instructed hym whych frō the begynnyng had sene with theyr eyes and part of them also hade ben ministers of the thynges thēselues which they spake of Suche a wytour was Marke also As for Mathewe Iohn the Apostles they were both seers and hearers them selues Nowe for asmuche as the churche of Christ hathe these scriptures at thys daye it can not be chosen but it hath also the full fayth doctryne or tradicion of the Apostles For the Apostles in theyr writinges left out nothyng that they beleued necessarie and that semed to appertayne to the makyng vp of the doctrine fully perfite I am not alone nor the furst that auouche thys For ther were that haue spoken the same before me Ireneus and Papias very auncient olde doctours of the churche For Ireneus in the fyrst Chapiter of hys 3. doke Contra Valentinianos sayeth we knewe not how our saluacion was bestowed vnto vs by any other men than those by whome the gospel came vnto vs whyche they at that time preached vnto vs and after ward by the wyl of God they delyuered vnto vs in scripture that is in wrytyng to be the foundacion piller of our fayth Nother can we safely say what they preached before they had parfyte knowledge And Papias in Eusebius Caesariensis sayeth Eccl. histo●●i 3. Ca ●lt Marke whan he was Petres interpretour dyd diligently put in writyng what so euer he kept in memorie as necessitie required For thys one thyng he thought vpon that he would leaue out nothyng that he had hearde The Apostles therfore wrote al that was necessarie vnto the saluacion of al faythful beleuers As Iohn the Apostle reporteth in the ende of hys gospel most manyfestly the he hath done 〈…〉 21. Iesus dyd many other thynges sayeth he whych are not written in this boke But these are wrytten that ye may beleue and lyue Thys scripture therfore is sufficient to informe our faythe fully and to attayne euerlastyng lyfe Therfore we are certainly assured that we haue the declaracion or tradicion which the apostles taught concernyng the saluacion of faythful beleuers sufficiently and fully comprehended in the scriptures Touchyng thys tradicion the apostle Paule making mencion in the furst to the Corinthianes sayth 1. Cor 11. that he deliuered the vnto them whych he receaued of the lorde Nother speaketh he in the wordes by and by folowing any thyng but

tyme. The .vii. Chapter THerfore the gospellers churche dothe not cal euery one at auēture tagge ragge to be ministers of Goddes holy worde Ministers of the gospellers churche but suche men as be furst exerciced in the holy scriptures and in the catholyke vnderstādyng of faythe wyth the churche For ther be chosen vnto the holy ministerie of the churche men of sounde doctrine and vpryght lyfe accordyng to the Apostles rules And lyke as saynt Paule whan he ordeyned Timothee to be bishop byndeth hym as it were wyth an othe 2. Timo. 5. to preathe the Gospel syncerely sayeng I charge the in the syght of God and our Lorde Iesus Christ and of the chosen holy angels that thou kepe and obserue thys with out rashenesse of iudgement 2. Timo. 4 And eftsones he sayeth I charge thee before God our Lorde-Iesus Christ whych shal iudge both the quicke the deade at hys appearing and in hys kyngdome preache the worde be feruent and reproue in season and out of season c. Euen so doth the Gospellers churche bynde theyr ministers by an othe that they make no newe gloses nor exposicions of theyr owne heades nor vtter in theyr docerine any thing against the scripture and the true catholike vnderstandyng of fayth but euery where and in euery point both to respecte onely folowe the canone and rule of faythe And in the yearely conuocacions which the gospellers churche vseth there is diligent inquisicion and searche made vpon the pastours and vpon the lyfe and doctrine of euery minister whether it be soūde and vpryght or not least the sorer fal of the minister should make a good parte of the churche cōmitted to hys spiritual charge to fal miserably into euil wyth hym The lyke ordre was appointed set furthe by kyng Edwarde the .vi. to hys churche by hys publyke commission cōmaundement onely the fault of not executyng the same was in some of hys corrupte doublefaced dreamyng counsailours and traiterous harted Popishe Bishoppes and ordinaries by whom the vertuous good Kyng was deluded And so in thys mater againe we are most farre of from the heretikes churche by al meanes For the heretykes bothe Papistical and Anabaptistical lyke as they renne whan no man sendeth them nor haue any regarde to the sayd general rule inasmuche as they be a rule and a lawe to them selues euen so maye they in no wyse abyde any reformacion or correction Of the chief principles of our faithe and religion In dede the Gospellers churche dothe most religiously kepe the catholyke vnderstandynge of the churche and the chief principles of the true catholyke religion and doctrine Our congregacion beleueth and embraceth the fyrst promise that the eternal almyghty God hym selfe made pronounced in Paradise sayeng Ge. 3. I will set enemitie betwene the and the woman or that specially appointed woman and betwene thy sede and her sede It shall treade downe thy head and thou shalt tread vpon hys heele For we knowe acknowlage that the furst and principall groūde workes of our faythe and saluacion were sattled and cōprised in thys promyse For we are lost through our owne synne but we are saued by the mere mercie of god through christ in whō like as God hathe frely chosen vs frō euerlasting euen so he openeth vnto vs by hys worde whā it is best tyme in his sight bothe for his owne glorie and our cōmoditie that we through hys grace should beleue in Christ the sonne of the most souerayne hyghe God and of that excellent woman Hebr. 2. the most blessed virgine Marie and so be saued For Christ by hys painfull passion hathe brokē and stamped vnder fote the head or kingdome of the Deuil in that he hathe conquered deathe abolished synne despeched damnacion quyte out of the waye frō all faithfull christianes ¶ The .8 Chapiter VVe and oure Gospellers churches do beleue and religiously embrace that only and eternal couenaunt that God made to Adam The coue●aunt of ●od with ●en furst in Paradise afterwarde many tymes renewed and playnly compacted with the holy fathers as Noe and singularly wyth Abraham the father of the beleuers adding therto the Sacrament of Circumcision For the Lorde appeared vnto Abraham 〈◊〉 17. and sayd vnto hym I am El Saddai a myghty strōg God euery where present and omnisufficiently fillyng all wyth all good thynges Walke before me and be perfite and I shal rayse vp that is I shal repayre my couenāt betwene me and thee and betwene me and thy sede after thee in theyr generations with an euerlastyng couenaunt that I may be thy God thy sedes after thee Al these sayenges we applye also vnto vs ●ala 3. in that the Apostle sayd yf you be of Christ than in dede ye are the sede of Abrahā and heyres according to the promise in that Baptisme was geuen vnto the churche in stede of Circumcision and also in that we haue receaued Iesus Christ our Lord the ende and accomplishement of all the promyses Our churches do religiously embrace the most holy tables of thys eternal couenaūt The tables of the couenaunt grauen wyth the very fyngre of our almyghtye souerayne Lorde God in two tables of stone with great mysterie and to thintent they should the longer indure and geuen to the churche of the Israelites of al faythfull beleuers throughout al the hole worlde of God hym selfe by hys most blessed seruaunt Moses In the which as it were in a certain hādsom short sūme and yet most fully expounded we haue recyted and conteyned al mystical maters perteynyng to godlynesse and the most sure testimonie of Goddes good wil towardes vs and the most perfite rule of al out offices and dueties These tables I saye that were written wyth the fyngre of God and proclaymed beforehande wyth Goddes owne mouth in that great church at the mount Synai we kepe entier perfite sounde vncorrupte we take awaye nothyng we altre nothyng we putto nothyng we leaue out nothyng we thrust in nothyng contrarye to Christes mynde we chaunge nothynge at al. From the botome of our hartes therfore we abhorre Idolatrye whiche we se also condemned so zelously and so earnestly of the prophetes and Apostles And therfore we should thynke it abhominable wyckednesse in case ther be sene in our tēples dedicated only vnto God any Images eyther of God hym selfe or of hys sayntes muche more of prophane men or women S. Paule reasonyng with the most wyttye learned Brekes of Athenes Act. 17. sayeth For asmuche as we are the generacion of God we ought not to iudge that the alwelding God is lyke vnto golde or syluer or stone craftely grauen or vnto the inuencion of man By meanes wherof we reade also that S. Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist charged Christes Churche sayeng Babes beware of Images ● Io. 5. which wordes the auncient writour Tertullian in hys boke De corona militis expoundeth

filthynesse of religion and maners that they doo 1. Pet. 4. Therfore we are not sondred from the felowship and communion of the thurche that hathe ben from the begynnyng of that worlde vnto this daye We are souldyours with all sayntes vnder all one Emperour and captayn we haue the same hope and expectacion that they haue We repose all the necessaries of our life saluacion and helpe in one only and the self same paymaister euen our lorde God Iesus Christ So we be true membres of y● true churche of Christe though our aduersaries haue hitherto synfully accused vs the membres of the gospellers churche of heresye and sedicyon 〈…〉 vs vp theyr olde song ●●uersaries obiections that we are fallen from the holy churche of Rome that we haue gathered a newe fangled schismaticall churche together whych hath nother head nor continual successiō of bishoppes and therfore that newe fangled churche is no churche but a conspiracie of a fewe mystye rascal knaues crept out of a sorte of obscure felowes and denounced accursed long ago and slaketh and abateth agayne daylye more and more to bewraye it selfe by that token seyng it is not stable as Bamaliel sayde it is of men and not of God Here vnto we make thys answere at fewe wordes Aboue all thynges it is to be weyghed and consydred whiche a one the true churche of Christ is and wher it is Not al that are called Israel sayrth the Apostle are Israel Rom. 9. euen so al that bragge of the name of the churche be not the true churche but the is the true churche that is knyt to her one onely husbande and head Christ that heareth the voyce of none but of her only husbande and shepeherde Christ and continueth wyth al sayntes in hym From thys maner church we neuer fel whether it beare the name of the churche of Rome the churche of Alexandria the churche of Constātinopole or the churche of Antioche For what so euer is or euer was of Christ of truthe and of true godlynesse in these or in other churches throughout the wyde worlde we embrace it with al our hartes and endeauour our selues to kepe that syncerely stil vnto the ende But in dede we are fallen from and abhorre the Romyshe wyckednesse the Romyshe errours the Romyshe corrupciōs the Romyshe lyes the Romishe false iugglyng knackes and all abuses whēce so euer they be as we vtterly also abhorre the Ieweship and Mahumetes religion We do very wel agree wyth the olde states of the churches of Alexandria Antioche and Constantinopole but wyth Mahumetes corrupcion of them wherin they sticke all fast at thys daye we agree not We agree very wel with the olde church of Rome which the chosen vessel of God S. Paul made so muche prayse of but we agre neuer a wytte at thys daye wyth the extreme corrupcion of the churche of Rome whyche theyr owne very frendes can not chose but speake euil of bycause of the horrible abominacions of it Are we therfore fallē frō the churche of Christ bycause we accordyng to Christes owne mynde and cōmaundement renounce and caste awaye the errours of the churche of Rome The holy prophetes of God the natural sōne of God Iesus Christ our Lorde wyth hys chosen Apostles were vndoubtedly in the body of the true and catholike churche of God albeit they had no feloweship the while wyth that churche that vaunted them selues to be the true churche of God Naye that churche excommunicated and persecuted the Prophetes and Christ and the Apostles and condemned them openly for heretikes and schismatikes But yet they were true faythful men and catholikes neuerthelesse for al that And how cometh it to passe that the gospellers churche is called a newe fangled churche which haue theyr relacion from hence to the begynnyng of the worlde whych haue Christ the eternal sonne of God to be theyr foūdacion and acknowlage the Apostles and Prophetes to be her founders and sheweth in her selfe all the tokens of the true churche in the sight of all men That is not an headlesse churche whych acknowledgeth and reuerēceth Iesus Christ the sonne of God the same I meane whom the Apostles name the heade and the saluacion the king chief hygh priest of the church Nother is the gospellers churche without cōtinual succession of bishoppes seyng it hathe her relacion euen vnto the Apostles of Christ Christ hade the continual rable of bishoppes and pristes in the cathedral churche of Ierusalem euer agaynst hym The same was agaynst the apostles also But yet who wyll therfore denye that the Apostles churches are the true churches Who wyl reproue Christes doctrine and hys Apostles of lyeng excepte it be a man to wycked to tel of Besydes thys I coulde tell what a maner one the succession of bishoppes of Rome is namely of them that haue made theyr neste in that Satanicall seate for these fyue hundred yeares yf I wolde do as Suetonius dyd and yf I lusted as he disclosed the most shameful filthy lyues of Emperours to blase out the cursed false partes and abominable wyckednesses of many bishoppes of Rome and yf I lusted to expoūd thys sayeng of Paul Ther shal starte vp from among you Act. 20. men speakyng peruerse thynges to drawe disciples after them c. But it is ynough to play touche go in these maters bycause I speake to men of vnderstandyng That churche is not of a fewe folke that is dispersed al the worlde ouer and comprehendeth all those that be faythfull except our aduersaries peraduenture meane that whych Christ our Lorde spake in the Gospell Mat. 22. Many are called but fewe chosen And agayne Narowe is the gate and strayte is the waye that leadeth vnto lyfe and fewe ther be that fynde it Ther is also no conspiracie in vs to any euel purpose but an holy consent to the doctrine and obedience of Christ As for mystye knaues we are none for we cast no mystes nor darke clowdes to deceaue any man but we allure al mē to the most clear lyght of the gospel Nother is the gospellers churche buylded vpon obscure men and holden accursed but of Christes owne Apostles which were most famous notable men in all the worlde For albeit the preaching of the gospel was brought vnto vs by those mēnes ministeries who are of most hygh cōmendacion amōg the godly yet we geue not thankes for the begynnyng of so precious a Iewel vnto men but vnto Christ the sonne of God Paule was the furst that preached the Gospel to the Corinthianes but for all that he wolde not haue them called Paulinianes but he wolde haue them called Christianes If Christ whych is the true lyght of the worlde yf the Apostles whych are the lyght bear ours of the worlde be obscure men and accursed we graunt that our doctrine came of obscure and accursed men But I am sure they that go about to bryng them into that slaūder shal haue light ynough and