Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	christian_a	church_n	profess_v	3,448	5	8.0722	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20673	The practise how to finde ease, rest, repose, content, and happines. Written by a religious man of the congregation of St. Elias the prophet, and the order of our Blessed Lady of mount Carmell, restored by the Blessed mother Teresa. The second part. Containing directions how to end all controuersies, and take away all discontentments, and euils, and attaine vnto true ioy of minde, and content of heart, and all good; Practise how to finde ease, rest, repose, content, and happines. Part 2	Doughty, Thomas, fl. 1618-1638.	1619 (1619)	STC 7072.6; ESTC S106011	123,081	516

finger For graunt me but that God Almightie cannot be forsworne nor violate his Oaths and in euery opinion of Faith and Religion as a creature of God Almighties maintaine in act and deed that he cannot be periured or forsworne and thou caust not be a Protestant of any Sect or sort by any means possible but of necessitie be of that Faith and Religion Protestants call Papistrie As for example the question is whether our Catholike Church or your Protestant Congregation bee the true Church of God Let vs goe to the Oath of God and as creatures of God Almightie let vs in actions and deeds firmely and faithfully beleeue this Oath of God to Abraham to be true and submit our vnderstandings and iudgements vnto it as vnto the most infallible and most certaine truth that can be and as willing to honour God without passion or malice let vs simply seeke whether this Oath of God By my selfe haue I sworne I will blesse thee and will multiply thy Seed as the Starres of Heauen and as the Sand that is by the Sea shoare Thy Seede shall possesse the Gates of his Enemies and in thy Seede shall be blessed all the Nations of the Earth be more verified vpon our Catholike Church or your Protestant Congregation First for Temporall blessings all the Christian Kings and Kingdomes that euer haue beene flourishing vpon the face of the Earth before Henrie the eight were so Catholike that thou canst not name me one who was in Faith and Religion a Protestant and held the Religion Protestants now maintaine For spirituall blessings we haue written in all Ages Bookes and Volumes of the Spirituall blessings and gifts of God the gifts of the holy Ghost bestowed vpon vs Exercises of Spirituall life loue and vnion of heart with God amongst you there is not any one professing such things all denying inherent grace and infused vertues And whether the Seede of Protestants or Seede of Catholikes haue beene multiplied as the Sand that is by the Sea-shore possessing the Gates of their enemies not only all the Chronicles and Histories of Countries and Nations doe beare witnesse for vs but euen Protestants themselues conuinced with truth doe confesse it Perkins vpon the Creede pag. 307. affirmeth That during the space of nine hundreth yeares the Popish Heresie hath spread it selfe ouer the whole Earth Fulke in his Treatise against Stapleton pag. 25. affirmeth That some Protestants haue written that the Pope hath blinded the World these many hundreth yeares some say a thousand some say one thousand two hundred some nine hundred yeares And Napper in his Treatise vpon the Reuelations pag. 68. affirmeth That betweene the yeare of Christ three hundreth and three hundreth and sixteene the Antichristian and Papisticall reigne begun reigning saith he vniuersally and without any debatable contradiction twelue hundred and threescore yeares pag. 145. saith The Pope and his Clergie during all that time possessing the outward visible Church of Christians So these English Protestants And it is a thing of it selfe so manifest that Protestants are not able to name any one Minister or Preacher for one thousand foure hundred yeares together who held and maintained the Doctrine they now teach And to let passe other States Countries and Towns and make instance in the Citie of Venice The Gothes Michele Zappulo in his Historie of Venice afflicting Italy many Catholike Italians flying the fury of those barbarous people did retire themselues into that place of Venice which is now called Riualta before called Lupa which being then not inhabited and vnknowne to the Gothes with the consent of the Senate of Padoa chose three Consuls Alberto Faliero Thomaso Candiano and Canone Dauolo and by their help begun the Foundation of the Citie of Venice vpon the fiue and twentieth day of March in the yeare of our Lord foure hundred twentie and one which hath continued euer since in the Catholike Faith vnion of the Church of GOD dilated ouer the World without alteration or change in Religion or State or hauing beene sacked or spoiled as their Histories and succession of Men from age to age doe abundantly testifie Whereby thou seest that our Catholike Church is so manifestly the true Church that vnlesse thou wilt first affirme in effect and deed that God Almightie is periured and forsworne thou canst not denie it that the Church of the Protestants is so manifestly the false Church that without affirming in effect and deeds that God Almightie may be forsworne it cannot in any one Article bee defended And the same thou shalt finde in any other question as for example thou wouldest examine whether Catholike Priests that offer to God the Sacrifice of the Masse or Protestant Ministers who haue no externall Sacrifice be true Christian Priests admit but of the Oathes of God for true without malice and passion and the Controuersie is ended and it is as manifest vnto thee by both the Oathes of God that Massing Priests are true Christian Priests as it is manifest that God Almightie cannot be forsworne Of the first Oath we haue spoken before The second Oath is Ps 109. Heb. 7. Our Lord hath sworne and it shall not repent him thou art a Priest for euer according to the Order of Melchisedeck First of Protestant Ministers there were none for many hundreth yeares together visibly knowne in the World as they confesse so this eternall Priesthood of Christ could not be verified in them as in his Priests or Ministers Secondly they haue no externall Sacrifice That Catholike Priests haue beene these many hundreth yeares offering to God as Ministers of his Sonne his Bodie and Bloud vnder the formes of Bread Wine according to the Order of Melchisedeck as they doe now that Protestants confesse as wee haue immediatly before set downe So do but admit that God Almightie is not forsworne in both these Oathes and of necessitie thou must defend that Massing Priests are true Christian Priests and Protestant Ministers false And in all other Questions Controuersies firmely beleeue the Oaths of God which are the most certaine and infallible truths that may be and such as wherevpon all the rest of the Scriptures depend and honour God Almightie by maintaining them in words and deeds and thinke that thy Vnderstanding Wit and Iudgement may deceiue thee as they many times doe but the Oathes of God cannot and thou canst not but be a Roman Catholike or Papist So manifest it is that our Catholike Faith is founded vpon the Oathes of God and Protestantisme of all Sects and sorts is founded vpon Publike profession in acts and deeds that God Almightie is periured and forsworne that if passion and malice doe not blinde the light of reason in thee thou canst not but see it and confesse it Thus hauing laid the foundation of our Ease Content and Rest vpon the surest foundations which are to be found in Heauen or Earth the Oathes of God hoping thou desirest to finde that

and yet you enuie it The Passion of our Lord is the price of the whole World he redeemed the whole World and you with the whole World for your gaine cannot agree but rather to your losse in a part doe striue that you may loose the whole Heare in the Psalme They Ps 21. 19. haue diuided my Apparrell amongst them and vpon my Coats they cast Lots Why will you be diuiders of the Apparrell of our Lord and will not hold with the whole World the Coat of Charitie wouen aboue which his Persecutors haue not diuided In the same Psalme it is said Ps 21. 28. that all the World shall hold it he saith All the ends of the Earth shall remember and be conuerted to our Lord and all the Families of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight Open the eyes of your heart Ps 49. 1. and heare for the God of Gods our Lord hath spoken and hee hath called the Earth from the rising of the Sunne euen to the going downe out of Sion the beautie of his comelinesse If you will not heare this heare the Gospell our Lord speaking and saying by his proper mouth All things ought to be fulfilled of Christ which of him are written in the Law and Prophets and Psalmes and Penance and Remission of sinnes in his Name to be preached throughout all Nations beginning at Ierusalem That which is said in the Psalme He hath called the Earth from the rising of the Sun vnto the going downe This is vnderstood in the Gospell by all Nations And that which in the Psalme is said out of Sion the beautie of his comelinesse in the Gospell is said beginning from Ierusalem Wherefore doe you beleeue that the Cockle hath growne and hath filled the World and the Wheat to haue diminished in Brittanie onely to haue remained Doe you call your selues Christians and yet contradict Christ Hee saith suffer both to grow vntill the Haruest Hee did not say let the Cockle grow and the Wheat diminish Hee said the Field is the World and did not say the Field is Brittanie Thus Saint Augustine Epist 171. and we with him So deare Reader not to liue seeking after lyes and publikely professing in deeds and actions that God Almightie is forsworne when Sathan shall tempt thee in matters of Faith or any controuersie ariseth betweene thee some Protestant about Religion as about the Reall Presence Prayer for the Dead Intercession to Saints c. make some of the aforesaid Acts set downe in the former Chapter with zeale and feruor and hold fast the hope proposed which Heb. 6. 18. wee haue as an Anchor of the Soule sure and firme the Oath of God and that it is impossible for God to lye Be not remoued away from the two things vnmoueable the Oath of God and Impossibilitie for God to lye Whereupon is grounded all the whole course of the Scriptures and founded the House of God the Church of the 1. Tim. 3. 15. liuing God the Pillar and ground of Truth And neither Death Rom. 8. nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers neither things present nor things to come neither might nor height nor depth nor other creature shall be able to make thee a Protestant Sectarie or Heretike and separate thee from the vnitie of our Catholike Faith the Faith of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And in arguing and disputing with Sectaries who denie our Catholike Faith put them to proue that the Oath of God the Promises and Prophecies are verified and fulfilled vpon their Sects and then thou shalt finde that their Doctrine proceedeth from this Sourse or Gulfe that Sathan is encreased in Pride hath got him a new Coat and reformed his Religion Whereas heretofore he was wont to goe like a Serpent and preach out of a Tree and taught that God Almightie could lye and men that would beleeue him should be as Gods No you shall Gen. 3. not die you shall be as Gods now he hath encreased his Pride and got a new Coat and goeth like a Precisian Minister and preacheth out of Pulpits and hath reformed his Faith and Religion teaching for God can lye and you shall be as Gods God can be forsworne and you are Gods and cannot lye erre or be deceiued but be assured to enioy Heauen and vpon this hath founded his reformed Religions the violating of the Oathes of God and publike profession in acts and deeds that God Almightie is periured and forsworne Heb. 6. 17. God meaning more abundantly to shew the heires of his Promise the stabilitie of his Counsell in performing what hee did promise for the establishing of the hearts of men in the infallibilitie of our Christian Catholike Faith Church Priesthood swore two Oathes the one in confirmation of the Priesthood of our Lord for euer Ps 129. Heb. 7. Our Lord hath sworne and it shall not repent him thou art a Priest for euer aecording to the Order of Melchisedeck The other this which we treate of The Oath of God to Abraham Act. 3. Of multiplying Gen. 22. his Seed as the Starres of Heauen and as the sand that is by the Sea-shoare Thy Seed shall possesse the gates of his enemies In thy Seed shall be blessed all the Families of the Earth And vpon these Oaths is founour Catholike Faith And the Deuill meaning more abundantly to shew his malice and power in the hearts of wretched men the heires of his Myseries and endlesse Torments hath brought them to plant a Faith and Religion grounded and founded vpon the denying in actions and deeds of the fulfilling of both these Oathes of God First by winning men to denie in effect and deeds that God Almightie hath multiplied Christians his children as the Starres of Heauen possessing the Gates of their enemies and mouing them to affirme in acts and deeds that for many hundreth yeares together God Almightie hath failed in fulfilling of his first Oath he hath planted in their hearts his new Ministeriall Doctrine And secondly by winning Men to deny in action and deeds that our Lord was a Priest for euer according to the Order of Melchisedeck and mouing them to affirme in acts and deeds that he was a Priest but for once and that according to the Order of Aaron in offering vp of himselfe once vpon the Crosse he hath destroied all the Christian Priest-hood life and Religion which was amongst them And so by mouing men in acts deeds publikely to professe that God Almightie hath beene twice forsworn the Diuel hath founded and planted amongst them his new reformed Religions groūded and founded vpon two cōtradictories to the grounds of our Catholike Faith viz. God Almightie cannot lye or be forwsorne God Almighty is periured and can lye Which is so manifest that if Malice and Passion doe not blinde thy heart and extinguish the light of reason in thy vnderstanding I will make thee touch it as we vse to say with thy

the Prophet told him Fables such like as these that we may be saued and iustified by onely Faith or only Hope but not as the Law of God which teacheth saying Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God from thy whole heart c. Fourthly It esteemeth them to be malignant people who out of their malice would fraudulently conduct others into Hell and Torments saying Depart from me ye malignant V. 115. and I will search the Commandements of my God which consist in Loue and not in onely Faith or onely Hope If I should haue saith Saint 1. Cor. 13. 2. Paul Prophecie and know all Misteries and all Knowledge and I should haue all Faith so that I could remoue Mountaines and haue not Charitie I am nothing and if I should distribute all my goods for meat for the poore and if I should deliuer my bodie so that I burne and haue not Charitie it doth profit me nothing If wee will beleeue Saint Paul neither Prophecies nor Science nor Knowledge nor Faith nor Almes-deeds nor Martyrdome for the Religion any one professeth is sufficient to the attayning vnto Happinesse without Charitie and so he concludeth saying Now these remaine Faith Hope and Charitie these three but the greater of these is Charitie according to the words of our Lord where he saith He that shall breake one of M●● ● 20. these least Commandements and shall so teach men shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heauen But he that shall doe and teach he shall be called great in the Kingdome of Heauen So our Sauiour saith I tell Mat. 5. 21. you that vnlesse your iustice abound more then that of the Scribes Pharises you shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Yet the Scribes and Pharises had Faith as witnesseth our Sauiour saying Vpon the Mat. 23. 2. Chaire of Moyses haue sitten the Scribes and Pharises All things therefore whatsoeuer they shall say vnto you obserue yee and doe yee Whereby is manifest that the Scribes preached faithfull and true Doctrine otherwise our Sauiour would not haue wished their Auditors to obserue and doe whatsoeuer they said But they wanted Charitie in themselues to doe good Workes and keepe the Law as witnesseth our Sauiour saying But according Mat. 23. ● to their workes doe yee not for they say and doe not and so for want of Charitie or loue towards God they shall not as our Sauiour sayth enter into the Kingdome of Heauen or euer enioy Rest or Happinesse but endlesse Paines Againe our Sauiour sayth If God were your Father verily Io. 8. 42. you would loue me for from God I proceed Whereby our Sauiour giueth vs to vnderstand that such as doe not loue God with all their hearts according to the Commaundement haue not God for their Father and are not the sonnes of God but of the Deuill As in another place he sayth You are of your Father the Deuill and the desires Io. 8. 43. of your Father you will doe who though he beleeue that there is a God as S. Iames witnesseth Iam. 2. yet hee doth not loue God with all his heart and keepe his Commandements Whereupon it is written of our Sauiour That for this appeared 1. Io. 3. 8. the Sonne of God that he might dissolue the workes of the Deuill bring men to loue God Almightie vvith all their hearts and winne them to keepe his Law and so saith of the reprobate Iewes I haue Io. 5. 42. knowne you that the loue of God you haue not in you And of the elect Apostles You haue Io. 16. 27. loued me Loue being the fulnesse of the Rom. 13. 19. Law the want of loue is the worke of the Deuill in the hearts of all the wicked and the loue of God the workes of our Lord in the hearts of the elect Whereupon our Sauiour saith Verily verily I Io. 8. 15. say vnto you if any man keepe my word hee shall not see death for euer and yet againe saith He that loueth me not keepeth not my words So loue God Almightie with all thy heart and thou shalt not see death for euer He that loueth not abideth in Io 3. 14. death dead to Grace in this life and to Glorie in the other By which is manifest that happie life cannot be without the louing of God Almightie with all our hearts Insomuch as if thou haddest Happinesse and Content and yet diddest not loue it with all thy heart thou shouldest not be happie as witnesseth S. Augustine saying He is not De Ciuitat li. 14. ca. 15. happie of whom happie life is not beloued Which thou mayest find true by experience seeing thy selfe and all others to take comfort and content in that which they loue and not in that which they neglect Whereupon S. Paul sayth If any man loue not 1. Cor. 16. 2. our Lord Iesus Christ be he Anathema his bodie cut off from the communion of the Catholike Church vpon earth and his soule excluded from the ioyes of Heauen CHAP. XI How to attaine vnto the loue of God and how to loue his diuine Maiestie with all our hearts SEeing that Diuine Loue or Charitie is necessarie to the Content and Happinesse of Man it is requisite also to set downe the meanes by which thou mayest attaine vnto this Diuine Loue or Charitie that thou mayest be happie Charitie saith S. Paul is 1. Tim. 1. 15. from a pure Heart and a good Conscience and a Faith not fained So that the first thing which thou oughtest to doe if thou desire to loue God Almightie with all thy heart is to separate thy selfe for a time from all other affaires and businesses onely to attend vnto the examining of thy Conscience how thou hast spent thy life past and to call to minde all thy cuill thoughts words deeds and vniust actions which haue stayned and made filthie thy heart and soule to confesse them with contrition and sorrow to one of the Pastors of the Church of God to whom God Almightie hath giuen authoritie to forgiue sinnes saying Whose sinnes you shall forgiue Io. 20. 23. they are forgiuen that thy sinnes being forgiuen thou mayest haue a cleane and pure heart fit to receiue Diuine Loue or Charitie and God Almightie will bestow it vpon thee according to his Word saying Returne to me and I Mat 3. 7. will returne to you No bodie putteth new Wine Mat. 9. 17. into old Bottles otherwise the Bottles perish But new Wine they put into new Bottles and both are preserued together So if thou wilt receiue the new Wine of Diuine Loue and Charitie thou must first lay away thy old Conuersation Eph. 4. 22. the old Man which is corrupted according to the desires of Error thy selfe-loue proper iudgement priuate spirit inordinate appetites and passions and by sorrow for thy sinnes and Penance be renued in the spirit of thy mind and put on the new Man