Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	blood_n	body_n	flesh_n	14,336	5	7.2820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01299	A briefe confutation, of a popish discourse: lately set forth, and presumptuously dedicated to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie: by Iohn Howlet, or some other birde of the night, vnder that name Contayning certaine reasons, why papistes refuse to come to church, which reasons are here inserted and set downe at large, with their seuerall answeres. By D. Fulke, Maister of Penbroke Hall, in Cambridge. Seene and allowed.	Fulke, William, 1538-1589.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Brief discours contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to church.	1583 (1583)	STC 11421; ESTC S102704	108,905	118

Lord the Archangels do beseech him for they account that a fit time hauing that sacred oblatiō in their fauor And therfore as men are wont to moue princes the more if they beare oliue bowes in their hands because by ●…earing that kinde of wood they bring into the Princes mindes mercy gentlenes so the angels at that time holding out in their hands the very selfe same body of our Lord they do intreate for al mankind as though they saide We do intreate O Lord for the men of the world whom thou hast so loued that for their saluation thou wast content to die and in the Crosse to breath out thine owne soule For these men we make sup plication for the which thou hast giuen thy owne blood for these men we pray for the which thou hast sacrificed this body of thine If this bee so then the hearing of Masse is not only worth the venturing of an hundred marks or six monethes imprisonment but also of an hundred thousand liues if a man could loose euerie one for that cause sixe times And an hundred times miserable is that man whiche for any worldly respecte doeth depriue him selfe of so great a benefite as the participation of this sacrifice is Secondly they loose by going to church the fruite and grace of sixe sa craments as the grace of confirmation by the Bishop whereby the holy Ghost was giuen in the primatiue church as S. Luke saith and nowe 〈◊〉 our time as S. Cyprian proueth are bestowed vpon vs by the same the seuen gifts of the holy Ghost set out by Esay the Prophet in his xi chapter They loose also the grace of Priesthood so greatly commended by saint Paul to Timothie when he chargeth him so earnestly not to neglect the saide grace Also the grace of Matrimonie which S. Paul so much extolleth when hee calleth this sacrament a great sacrament Also the grace of extreeme vnction which is so great as S. Iames saith besides the healing ma ny times of the body it also remitteth the sicke mans sinnes And so in like manner the grace of the other two sacramentes of Penance and the Aulter whereof I will say a worde or two immediately All these graces they loose being cut of by their going to the Protestants churches from these sacraments which are nothing els but conduits of grace The which losse of what value it is a man may gesse by that which all diuines with on accorde doe proue that one drop of grace is more worth then all the worlde esteemed in it selfe besides Thirdly they loose by going to church al the benefi●…e of the keies of the church or of the authoritie of binding and loosing of sinnes graunted by Christe to the gouernours of the same churche For the explication of the which we must vnderstand that Christ hauing newly made the marriag●… betwixt his deare spouse himself I meane the church hauing now sealed the same with his own blood being inforced to depart frō the said new married spouse of his touching his visible presence for a time hee deuised how to shew vnto her how greatly he loued her to leaue some notable pledge and testimonie of his singuler great affectiō towards her The which he finally resolued could be by no other meanes better ex pressed then if he should leaue al his authoritie with her the whiche hee had receiued of his father which making publike proclamation to all the worlde that What soeuer she should forgiue in earth touching sinne the same should be forgiuen in heauen and what soeuer sinne the Church shoulde retaine or not forgiue in earthe the same shoulde neuer bee forgiuen in heauen And againe that with what authoritie GOD his father sent him with the same he sent her gouernours the Apostles and their successours And againe he that shoulde not heare and obey the Church should be accounted as a Heathen and Publicane By the which speeches of Christ our forefathers haue alwaies vnderst●…ode that Christe gaue vnto the church a visible tribunal seate in earth for the forgiuing or retaining of sinnes vnto the which al christians must reso●…t by submission and humble confession of their sinnes if they thinke euer to receiue forgiuenes of the same at Christ his handes in heauen For so wee reade that in the primatiue church they confessed their fins vnto the Apostles of whom S. Luke writeth thus Many of the faith full came to the Apostles confessing and reuealing their owne acts And foure hundred yeeres after that S. Austen testifieth of his time saying Doe you such penance as is wont to be doone in the Church that the Churche may pray for you Let no man say I doe it secretly I doe it with God alone God which hath to pardon me knoweth wel how that I doe repent in my heart What therfore without cause was it said to the Priests that which you loose in earth shalbe loosed in heauen therefore in vaine were the keies giuen to the Church And in an other place again more neerely touching the humour of our men now a daies he saith There are some which thinke it sufficient foe their saluation if they do confesse their sinnes only to God to whom nothing is hidden and to whō no mans conscience is vnknowne For they will not or els they are ashamed or els they disdaine to shewe them selues vnto the Priestes whome notwithstanding GOD by Moses his Lawe giuer dyd appointe to discerne or iudge betweene Leprie and Leprie But I woulde not that thou shouldest be deceiued with that opinion in suche sort that thou shouldest either by naughtie shame or ob●…inate 〈◊〉 refraine to confesse before the substitute or Vicegerent of our Lord. For whom our Lorde did not disdaine to make his 〈◊〉 his iudgement muste thou be content also to stand to This benefite therefore of the keyes of the churche and of receiuing remission of 〈◊〉 sinnes by the same which catholikes doe thinke to bee the greatest benefite of their religion doe they loose that goe to the Protestants churches besides all the good instructions wholesome counsels and vertuous admonitions which catholikes doe receiue in confession at their ghost●…y Fathers hands then the which things they finde nothi●…g more forcible to bring them to good life especially if they frequent it often as al zelous catholikes in the worlde now doe Fourthly they loose the infinit benefite of receiuing the blessed sacrament of the Aulter the precious body and blood of Christ beeing the foode of our soules and as Christ saith The bread that came downe from heauen to giue life vnto the worlde To the worthie eating of which heauenly bread Christe promiseth infinite reward saying He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath life euer lasting and I will raise him againe at the last day And againe He that eatetb me shall liue through me Vpon which promises of

Christe our forefathers of the Primatiue church haue alwaies most earnestly exhorted al men to the often receiuing of this blessed sacrament alledging innumerable commodities of the same aud prouing by experience that the frequenting of this sacrament is the chiefest meanes to come to all grace zeale feeling and life in spirituall matters And on the contrary part that the abstayning from the same is the right way to al spiritual miserie and for the soule of man to wither away dry vp and starue euen as the plant doth that lacketh moysture The which we see now by experience in many a thousand who for lacke of the foode of this blessed Fountaine of grace are as dead in al spiritual cogitations and deedes as a starued stake in the hedge from beating of flowers and their mindes so ouergrowen with the ●…anke weedes of carna●…lite that there is no differenc betwixt them and a bruite bullocke for as muche the one foloweth his passions as the other Wherby wee see what a losse it is to dep●…iue themselues from the vse of this sacrament Fiftly they loose al the merite of their good deedes whatsoeuer For as S. Grego●…ie saieth Euen as none receiued their peny in the Gospel but they onely which had laboured within the compasse of the Vinyarde so no man shal receiue any reward for any good deede of his except he haue done it within the vnitie of the Church So that if a man should doe neuer so many good deedes giue neuer so many almes nay as saint Cyprian prooueth if a man should suffer neuer so many things for Christ yea death it selfe yet if he were out of the vnitie of the catholike church hee shal haue no reward therefore And not onely this but if a man be in any mortal sinne whatsoeuer as long as he abideth in the same without repentance and confession al deuines holde that he looseth the reward of al his good deedes And the reason is because no worke can be meritorious of it selfe but onely by reason of the grace from whence it proceedeth but by euery mortal sinne which a man committeth hee loo●…eth grace and much more by going out of the vnitie of the church And therefore in such men vntil they repent there can bee no hope of any reward for any good worke which they shal doe Sixthly they lose the benefit of Communion of Saintes which wee protest to beleeue in our ●…eede That is they haue no part of the sacrifices oblations prayers fastings almes and other good workes done within the 〈◊〉 church which al other catholikes haue Finally they beeing cut off and deuided from the vnitie of the other members they take part of no influence which commeth from the head to the bodie that is from Christ to the church no more then a mans hand once cut off doth take blood nourishment spirite or life from the arme from which it is now separated as most learnedly saint Austen doeth discourse Wherfore they must needes wither away and make drie wood for hell fire and as good for them it were in effect to bee of any other religion as of that whereof they take not one iote of commoditie And to al these miseries they are driuen onely by going to the Protestantes churches The eight Reason THe eight reason of refusal why a catholik may net come to y ● 〈◊〉 churches is because by going t●…ither he shal lose al the benefite of his own religion This is called a verie great waightie most sufficient reason ye●…lded by catholikes in Englād to their Princes for their refusal of comming to church and such a one as beeing conceiued of her Maiestie cannot but satisfie her Highnesse and greatly drawe her to compassion of the pi●…iful case of so many thousandes of her louing subiectes Here be words of great importance but all the reason hangeth vppon our lothsome supposition which if it be denyed as it cannot be proued the P●…pists ●…se nothing by comming to our churches but receiue inestimable benefite if as they be present in bodies so they be truely cōuerted in mind But sée I pray you how honorably he thinketh of her Maiesties both wisdom cōscience y ● he presumeth to affirme she cannot but be satissied by this reason which is nothing but a beare s●…ppositiō wheras she knoweth most assuredly y ● religiō which she by law mainteineth to be y ● only true religiō that she would think any benefit to be lost ●…her louing subiects by departing frō the cōtrary errour And once againe he ratleth in his many thousāds of her louing subiects by whō hée meaneth y e obstinate Papists God forbid her Maiestie should haue many hūdreds of such louinge subiects as in their heart haue receiued this traiterous Antichristian persuasiō that they are by y ● Popes bull duly discharged of all obediēce oth of allegiance if any they haue made to her But that the simpler ●…ort may better vnderstand this reason the wiser better consider of it hee will in particular repeat some of the abouesaid damages The first losse is of the participation of the sac●…fice of the bodie blood of our Sauiour appointed by him to bee offered vp dayly in the oblation of the Masse c. Nay he that is truely conuerted from Papistry then first receiueth y e benefit of that only sacrifice which Christ offered for y ● redemption of al his el●…ct is discharged of the sacrilegious blasphemy wherby y e same is pretended to be often repeted in the Popish Masse But Chrysostome is affirmed for that cause to call it the common sacrifice of the whole worlde I haue shewed before howe Chrysostome calleth the celebration of the Communion a sacrifice which is rather a remembrance of the singular sacrifice once offered by Christ him selfe neuer to be rei●…erated But the action of offering of this sacred Host saith hée the Sonne of God to his Father is of such dignitie excellency and merite not only to the Priest but also to the standers by assisting him as all the other good works which a man can do in his life are not to be compared with it Nay of all other blasphemies it is the most horrible that a wretched caitife should presume to offer the Sanne of God to his Father which no creature in heauen or earth could doe but hée him selfe by his eternal spirite But of the sacrifices which the Church doeth offer Irenaeus saieth Non sanctificant hominem c. They doe not sanctifie a man for God hath no neede of sacrifice but the conscience of him that offereth doeth sanctifie the sacrifice if it bee pure and causeth God to accept it as of a friend This hée speaketh euen of the sacrifice offered in the Lordes Supper which if it were any other then of prayse and thankesgiuing it were extreame blasphemie that Irenaeus saith of it Yet let vs sée what reason hée bringeth

shewes by which the veritie of the Gospel is hidden the word of God despised or by which the ignorant and infidel is confirmed in his error or by which the weake is offended are not of Cod but of Sathan altogether contrary vnto the trueth of the word Therefore we must not halt of both sides but go vprightly before that great God which seeth beholdeth and knoweth all thinges euen before they are begunne Loe heere We see the sentence of their Doctours to the contrary who presse vs so muche to goe to their Churches against our consciences Iferrour finde such zeale what zeale ought trueth to haue If these fellowes each of them for the defence of their priuate fond fancies be content most willi●…gly to aduenture any danger or extremitie whatsoeuer rather then to come to the true catholike churche wherein they were borne and to the which in Baptisme they swore obedience why should suche blame be laide vpon vs for standing in defence of our consciences and for refusing to go to their churches wherin we were neither borne nor bread vp nor euer perswaded that they had any trueth or holinesse in them This reason only may suffice any reasonableman especially the Protestant except hee will mislike with his owne doctrine whiche condemneth mee of hypocrisie dissimulation and renouncing of Christe and his Gospel If I present but my only body to the churches of them whose Religion I am not persuaded to be true The which saying of his in a sense hath good reason albeit the workes and meaning 〈◊〉 wicked For if there bee no man either so foolish or impious in the worlde but muste needes thinke that one only religion amongst christians is true and al other false And if euery man which hath any religion and is resolued therein must needes presuppose this only trueth to bee in his owne religion then ●…t followeth necessarily that hee must likewise persuade himselfe that all other religions besides his owne are false and erronious and consequently a●…l assemblies conuenticles and publike actes of the same to bee wicked damnable dishonourable to God contumelious to Christe and therfore to his conscience which thinketh so detestable Now then suppose the case thus I know in E●…gland certaine places where at certaine times dayes assemblies are made by certaine men in shew to honour and commend but in my conceit to dishonor dispraise and impugne the maiestie of my moste dread Soueraigne Ladie the Queene And I am inuited thither to heare the fame by my parents kinsmen and acquaintance nay I am inforced thither by the greatest authoritie that vnder her Maiestie may cōmaunde mee Tell mee nowe If I should goe thither vnder any pretence whatsoeuer of gratifying my friends or by cōmandemēt of any her inferiour powers can her Maiestie take it well or account of mee better then of a tratierous catiue for yeelding my selfe to stay there to heare them to countenance their doings with my presence to holde my peace when they speake euill of her to hold my hands whiles they slaunder her and finally to say nothing whiles they induce other men to forsake her and her cause And if her Maiestie or any other prince in the worlde could not beare at their subiectes handes any such dissimulation trecherie or treason howe much lesse shal the omnipotent Maiestie of God who requireth and deserueth muche more exact seruice at our handes beare this dissimulation and traiterous dealing of ours if we be content for temporall respectes and for satisfaction of any mortall power lesse then himself to present our selues to such places and assemblies where we shal heare his Maiestie dishonoured his sonne slaundered his worde falsified his churche impugned his Saints and Martyrs discredited his Bishoppes and Pastours reuiled and al the whole Ecclesiastical Ierarchie rent broken disseuered and turned vpside downe and his people purchased with his blood and dearer vnto him then his owne life excited and stirred vpp against him and his Ministers and by sweete wordes and gay benedictions flocked away to the slaughter house of heresie What noble man is there in the worlde whiche coulde take it well if hee shoulde see his friende and muche more his sonne in the companie of his professed enimie at such time principally as he knoweth that his enimie abuseth him in speeche and seeketh most his discredite and dishonour but especially if hee shoulde see him come in open assemblie of the worlde to the barre against him in companie with his aduersarie when his saide aduersarie commeth of set purpose to deface him as Heretikes doe to their Churches and Pulpettes to dishonour GOD I thinke I say hee coulde hardly beare it And shal suche disdaine be taken by a mortal man for a little iniurie and discurtesie shewed and shal not the iustice of God be reuenged vpon our treacherie and dissimulation in his cause If I giue my seruant but fortie shillinges a yeere yet I thinke him bounde to defende mee in al points causes to bee friend to my friends enimie to my aduersaries to vpholde my credite mainteine my honour to resist my detractours and to reuenge himselfe vpon my euil willers and if hee can bee content to holde his peace hearing mee spoken of and to put vp my slaunder without opening his mouth I wil account him vnworthie to weare my cloth howe muche more inexcusable shall we be at the dreadful day of iudgement if wee receiuing at our Lorde and maisters handes such extraordinarie pay for our seruice in this life and expecting further and aboue this al that himselfe is worth for the eternitie of the life to come his kingdome his glory and his euerlasting ioy with his riches and treasures vnspeakeable which neither eare euer heard nor eye saw nor heart of man cōceiued how great they are how 〈◊〉 I say shal wee bee at that terrible rekoning day and howe confounded by the examples of seruantes in this life so zealous for their maisters vppon so smal wages if wee notwithstanding al our rewardes both present and to come shalbe yet key cold in our maister his seruice present at his iniuries and silent at his slaunders Neither sufficeth it to say that these suppositions are false and that there are not such things committed against God at the Protestants chur ches and seruices for howesoeuer that bee whereof I dispute not now yet I being in my hearte of an other religion must needes thinke not onely them but also all other religions whatsoeuer to commit the same as I knowe they doe also thinke of mine Wherefore howe good and holy soeuer they were yea if they were Angels yet shoulde I bee condemned for going amongst them for that in my sight iudgement and conscience by which only I must bee iudged they must needes seeme enimies to God being of the contrarie religion By this it may appeare howe greuously they sinne dayly in Englande and cause other