Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	pope_n	rome_n	5,434	5	6.6788	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08590	The true Christian catholique or The maner how to liue Christianly Gathered forth of the holie Scriptures, and ancient fathers, confirmed and explained by sundrie reasons, apte similitudes, and examples. By the Reuerend Father F. Phillip Doultreman, of the Societie of Iesus. And turnd out of Frenche into Englishe by Iohn Heigham.; Vrai chrétien catholique. English	Outreman, Philippe d', 1585-1652.; Heigham, John, fl. 1639.	1622 (1622)	STC 18902; ESTC S113556	149,727	482

his faith for any respect or humane consideration EXAMPLES 1. Such an one was S. Paul who in the 8. of the Romans saith v. 38. I am sure that nether death nor life nor Angells nor Principallities nor Powers nether thinges present nor thinges to come nether might nor height nor depth nor other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the charitie of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Whence had he this assurance saith S. Ierom but from the firmitie of his faith In cap. 1. epist. ad Galat. 2. Surius in the life of S. Hughe bishop of Lincolne writeth that a certaine Priest of a scandalous life vpon a day saying Masse when he was come to the breaking of the B. Hoste he saw the blood runne downe whēce being touched inwardly he amended his life published the fact to euery one It came to passe that S. Hughe passing by the village where this Priest dwelt not to see this miraculous blood but to discourse with him of spirituall thinges for this priest had at that present the bruit and fame of a holy mā after sundry discourses the Priest began to speake of this stupendious miracle and besought S. Hughe to goe as far as the Church for to see that miraculous blood which was there reserued vnto that present but the holye Bishop would not goe And as his followers did likewise presse and importune him he said that those who will shew some signes of their infidelitie may goe but to vs who firmelie beleeue that the body and blood of Iesus Christ is truly vnder the Sacramental species what doe these signes and miracles profit And then alleadged that worthie sentence of our Sauiour Blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued Iohn 20. 29. 3. See the like answere of S. Lewis kinge of France in Ribadeniera in the discourse vpon the feast of the most holy Sacrament 4. S. Bernard writing to Pope Innocentius against the heretique Peter Abailard saith If our faith be doutfull as this heretique said shall not our Hope also be in vaine All the martyrs then were great fooles to suffer so great torments for thinges doutfull and vncertaine No no our saith is founded vpon the truth c. Epist. 190. Seeing that from the Easte vnto the West saith Lactantius Firmianus the diuine faith is receiued and that euery sex age and nation are found who serue God vnanimously and that we see in all one selfe same patience one selfe same contempt of death we ought to knowe that there is great reason for this law sith it is defended vnto death for the ground and soliditie of this religion sith iniuries and torments can not ouerthrowe it but rather from day to day doe make it stronger lib. 5. c 13. Of Popes only there are found twentie seauen who chose rather to loose their life then their faith And in the Church of Rome only there haue bene aboue three hundred thousand Christians who to maintaine the faith haue endured death wherof a hundred and eightie thousand are buried in the Churchyard of S. Calistus Tho. Bozi●s de signis eccle l. 20. Now if in one cittie alone so many are founde how many are there in the whole worlde Where are the eleuen thousand virgins where those twentie thousand which in the time of Diocletian were all burnt for the faith in one church Niceph. l. 7. hist. eccl c. 6. All ages haue furnished vs with these braue soldiars and Amazōs who to defend their faith promised to Iesus Christ their Captaine haue giuen their liues 5. In Iaponia in our age the yeare 1613. eight persons were burnt aliue men women and children in the cittie of Arima for the Catholique faith and were accompanied with more then twentie thousand Christians in white robes and with their Beades in their handes and seauen twentie beheaded in another place The yeare 1614. two brethren with another Christian were likewise burnt aliue and their sister beheaded Others had their noses and their thumbes cut off and the toppes of their handes and feete and were marked with a hot iron vpon their foreheades And the yeare 1618. other fiftie endured death also for the same cause 6. The yeare 1612. at Cocura in the same Iaponia as the Prince persecuted the Christians a Neophite demanded of a litle childe of foure yeares olde saying If the Tyrant would kill thee wouldest thou forsake the faith No Sir said the infant What then quoth the Christian will you be a martyr I forsooth said he and my father and mother and I with them shall all be martyrs But perhaps you knowe not replied the Christian what it is to be a martyr Yea but I doe yea but I doe answered the childe it is to haue our heads cut off for the faith of Iesus Christ I marry but yet when this shall happen you will cry a pace quoth the Neophite Quite contrary I will reioyce replied the childe and with a cheerfull countenance will I present my head vnto the hangman These answeres made the Christian to stand astonished and ceased not to giue thankes to God for hauing put into so litle a body a soule so manly and so generous 7. Another childe of six yeares old vnderstanding of the Gouernor that he caused twentie Crosses to come from the cittie of Sanga to crucifie the Christians answered O how glad I am of so good newes for I hope that there will also come a litle one for me Goe Christians goe to schoole to these litle children you who at euery least occasion turne your backes to almightie God 8. In the same Iaponia and the same yeare aforsaid nere vnto Nangasachi an olde man a Christian very simple and of litle vnderstandinge who could neuer learne other prayer then Iesus Maria the which he had continually in his mouth fell sick his friēdes who were pagās endeuored to make him forsake his faith but he said vnto thē I am very sorry that being a Christian I am so ignorant in heauenlie thinges but yet knowe you that if I knew for certaine that I were to be condemned by God to euerlasting fire I would not for al this forsake the Christian faith for I had rather be tormented in hell being a Christian then if it were so possible to be in heauē and be a Gētile O excellent answere All this hitherto is taken out of the historie of Iaponia sent to our reuerend father Generall §. 2. Of Ignorance in thinges of faith how dangerous it is and which the points are that necessarily are to be knowen It is not enough to haue habituall faith which we haue receiued in holy Baptisme but moreouer being come to age and vnderstanding we must excite actes thereof but how can we doe it if we know not in particular what we ought to beleeue There is then a strict obligation to learne the principall pointes of our faith which is the cause also that God doth threaten so oft with such efficacie those

c. 31. 2. Tim. 3. 1. Cor. 6. Eccl. 11. Zachar 8. Mat. 6. Pro. 22. The Apostle S. Paul calleth it the seruice of Idols Colos 3. 5. And to the Ephes 5. 5. They that will be made riche fall into tentation and the snare of the diuell and many desires vnprofitable and hurtfull which drowne men into destruction and perdition for the roote of all euils is couetousnes 1. Tim. 6. 9. Nothing is more wicked then the couetous man Eccl. 10. 9. S. Bonauenture compareth the couetous man vnto the hog for euen as the hog is nothinge worth so long as he is a liue and is only profitable when he is dead euen so the couetous man is nothing worth so long as he liueth because he keepeth all to him selfe and doth no good to any body vntil he be dead for then he giues his soule to the diuells his body to the wormes and his welth to his kinsfolkes S. Bon. in diaeta salutis tit 1. c. 6. The scripture likewise compares him to one sick of the dropsie who the more he drinketh the dryer he is the more he hath the more he would haue Eccl. 5. 9. S. Gregorie of Nazian compares the couetous to the cursed Tantalus who is pictured by the poets plunged in the infernall waters as high as the chinne and dies for drithe and hauing the Apples of delight hanging nere their nose can not eate them The couetous also beare their hell in their owne bosome and doe endure it the more riches they swallow the more they thirste the more they abound in victualls and foode the more are they famished Is not this a hell in this world to be oppressed with sleepe vpon a bed of fethers and to be enforced to watch To be pinched with extreame hungar at a table full of good meates and not to be able to eate To burne with thirst hauing the goblets full of delicious wine hard at his mouth and not able to drinke Be●hould the hell which the miserable couetous doe endure is there then a more miserable sinne in the whole worlde EXAMPLES 1. Giesi Elias seruant was for his couetousnes punished with leprosie 4. Reg. 5. 27. 2. Iudas egged by auarice sould his master for thirtie pence after hunge him selfe burst asunder in the midst and gaue his bowells to the earth and his damned soule to the diuels Mat. 26. 14. 27. 5. 3. Ananias and Saphira retayning the halfe of their goodes thorough auarice dyed both one after another with soddanie death Act. 5. Achan in Iosue 7. of Saul 1. Reg. 15. 20. Of Acha● and Iesabell 3. Reg. 21. 4. Reg. 9. 4. During the Empire of Constantine sonne of Heraclius there was in Constantinople a riche man who being in danger of death gaue to the poore thirtie pounds of gold but recouering after he repented him selfe of his almes A certaine friend of his endeuored to take this sadnes from him but seing that he profited not he said vnto him I am ready to restore you your thirtie poundes vpon condition that you shal say in the Church in my presence Lord it was not I that gaue the almes of thirtie poundes but this is he He accepted it and said it But o incomparable secret of the iustice of God as he thought to goe forth of the Church with his mony he fell to the ground starke dead Baron tom 7. annal an 553. ex Cedreno Raderus ex Menoeo Grecorum 5. A woman vnder the cloke of pietie and religion hauing made a great many of pilgrimages to holie places she had gathered together a great deale of mony which she fayned to be for the redeeming of prisoners for the necessitie of the poore ●he hid the same vnder the ground within her house that none but her selfe should singar the same Her daughter was askt what her mother had done with her mony And because she could tel no tydinges they sought so long that at last they found it The Bishop caused it to be carried to the graue of this couetous woman and to be cast vpon her carkas About midnight most pittifull cryes were heard to issue forth of the hollow places of that sepulcher and a voice which said with a lamentable accent My gold burnes me my gold burnes me These cryes lasted three whole daies at the end wherof they opened the graue a fearfull thinge and saw the gold that had beene there laid all melted and in flames to runne into the mouth of this wicked woman S. Greg. of Tours reports the same l. 1. of the glorie of Martirs c. 106. 6. S. Atoninus writeth that an a●aritious man admonished of his parents and friends being sick euen to death to confes him selfe answered I haue no hart how then will you that I confes And that you thinke not that I doe but ieste goe to my coffre you shall finde it amidst my gold wherin I haue put my whole hope This said he died without any repentance His coffre is visited and iust as he said his hart was found amidst his gold so true it is which our B. Sauiour somtimes said Where thy treasure is there is thy hart also Mat. 6. S. Ant. in Summa 2. p. tit 1. c. 4. § 6. 7. Behould another like case arriue vnto a couetous man whose hart was found in his coffre after his death betwixt the clawes of a Dragon which lay vpon the gold and siluer saying that hart was geuen vnto him by the dead during his life In Gabr. Inchinoser 1. of the puritie of hart 8. Another being at the point of death could neuer be induced to be confest but as soone as he saw the priest depart he called his wife and caused a platter full of gold to be brought vnto him to which he said Thou art my gold in thee it is that I doe hope let the Priests say what they please thou art it that shouldst asist me Hauinge said these wordes he bowed his head into the platter and there rubbing it amidst the gold which he kist and adored for his idoll he so died miserably Extracted out of the annales of the societie 9. Such another also was he of the cittie of Constance recounted by Niderus and Pinelli who falling sick of set purpose to spare his mony caused him selfe to be carried to the hospitall And seeing him selfe neere his end caused to be made him some pease pottage and cast his gold into the same hauing stird it with his spoone endeuored to swallow it downe but he choked him selfe and died before he had eate it vp Pinelli pag. 1. c. 5. 10. Reginherus bishop of Misne haueing buried his treasure in his own chamber was found on the morrow laid theron with his face against the ground and starke dead Lambert Schafnabur apud Baron to 11. anno 1067. O strange and tragicall deathes of couetous parsons §. 3. Of the sinne of Luxurie Luxurie is a disordinate appetite of carnall pleasure her daughters are

eare at the cry of the poore him selfe shall also cry and shall not be heard Pro. 21. 13. nor they who cry or pray for him Ioan. Duegnius Hisp in speculo tristium §. 5. Of Prayer How excellent profitable and necessarie it is Prayer accordinge to S. Greg. of Nice is a discourse and colloquy of the soule with almightie God touchinge that which concernes its health and perfection lib. de orat Dom. cap. 1. It is an eleuation of the soule into God saith S. Iohn Damascen to enter into amorous discourse with him lib. 3. de fide cap. 14. It is the key of heauen saith S. Aug. serm 226. de temp It is the best posession that one can haue in this human life saith Saint Ephrem tract de orat How happie is a soule which may in euery houre as oftē as it listeth open heauen and haue free accesse to the secret cabinet of God him selfe and there discourse familiarly with him O if the fauorits of the worlde could doe the like with their Prince how happie would they repute them selues to be For which cause also all the Saints haue made so great account therof as we shall hereafter see The profits thereof will appeare by the effects Amen Amen I say to you if you aske the Father any thinge in my name he will giue it you said our Sauiour to his Apostles Ioan. 16. 23. And in another place Aske and it shall be giuen you Luc. 11. 9. The necessitie thereof is the same that ayre and breath is for the body The body can not liue without ayre and breathing nor the soule without praying For which reason it is that our Sauiour said It behoueth to pray alwaies without ceasing Luc. 18. Be not hindred to pray alwaies saith the wiseman Pro. 18. 22. The Apostle recommendeth the same in sundry places Phil. 4. 6. Colos 4. 2. 2. Thes 5. 16. And S. Peter in his 1. ep c. 4. 7. Prayer is also as necessarie for man saith S. Iohn Chrisostom as water the fishe lib. 2. de orando Deum EXAMPLES 1. Will you haue a proofe of its excellencie efficacie As long as Moyses praied and stretched vp his armes to heauen his people had the vpper hande of their enemies and cut them quite in peeces Exod. 17. How many times hath he held the armes of God when he was angrie by his prayer Exod. 32. psal 105. 2. The Prophet Ieremie praying for the Isralites God said vnto him Pray not for them and hinder me not Ierem. 7. 3. Iosua by his prayer staid the Sunne and the Moone vntill such time as he had ouercome his enimies Iosua 10. 4. Isay made the Sunne goe back to the point where it had bene ten houres before in fauor of the Kinge Ezechias And this Kinge by his praier draue away death which was about to giue him his last blow and lenghtned his life fifteene yeares 4. Reg. 20. 5. S. Dominick confest to a certaine Prior of Cisteau neuer to haue asked ought of God which was denied him And when the Prior said vnto him Why then doe you not demand of him Doctor Conrade It is a thinge hard to obtaine replied the Saint but if I shall aske it him I doe not dout but to obtaine it He prayed all the night ensuinge and a thinge most admirable in the morning Conrade came vnto the Church and cast him selfe at the Saintes feete asked the habit of religion and obtayned it Ribadeneira vpon his life Is it any maruel thē that praier being so excellēt so profitable so effectual all the Saints haue loued it so much 6. Reade the life of S. Anthonie and of S. Arsenius you shall see them passe the whole nightes without stirring from off their knees and to complaine of the Sunne beating vpon their eyes that it tooke from them the repose and sweetnes of their soule Ribad ex Athanas Cassiano 7. S. Simeon Stillites praied cōtinually both day and night one while standing vpright another while prostrate and praying vpright made so many reuerences that one of the seruants of Theodoret hauing vndertaken to nūber them counted in one day to the number of twelue hūdred fortie four then was wearie of counting more From the Euensonge of the principall feastes vntill the morrow morning he stood vpright with his handes lifted vp to heauen without being wearie nor suffering him selfe to be opprest with sleepe Theodoret Cyri. epist. lib. 9. cap. 27. 8. S. Apollonius Abbot of two hundred monkes in The baidis prayed a hundred times a day and a hundred times a night Ruffinus lib. 2. cap. 7. Pallud cap. 52. Abdias writeth as much of S. Bartholomew Apostle S. Antoninus of S. Martha Palladius of S. Macarius and what shall I say of S. Iames the Apostle who by the vse of praying had his knees as hard as a Camels skin 9. A certaine Cobler named Zacharie was wonte night by night to goe and salute the most B. Sacrament in the church of S. Sophie in Constantinople and there to make his praiers A holy man named Iohn who also passed the nightes in prayer at the portalls of the Churches praying on a night at the portall of S. Sophie saw a light to come which ouertooke him and the better to consider what this man came to doe he hid him selfe aside in a corner Zacharie being come to the church doore he there made a short prayer and then the signe of the Crosse vpon the dore and at the same instant it opened to him and the same hapned to two other dores Being entred into the church he went before the high Altar and after that he had ended his prayer he returning home to his house all the Dores shut them after him of their selues Raderus in his Rowe of Saintes taken forth of the Greeke Calendar §. 6. Of the conditions required to pray protfiably You aske and receiue not because you aske amisse saith S. Iames. cap. 4. 3. To aske aright we must obserue four pointes 1. To be in good estate If our hart doe not reprehend vs we haue confidence towards God saith S. Iohn and whatsoeuer we shall aske we shall receiue of him 1. Iohn 3. 22. And our Lord said to his Apostles If you abide in me and my wordes abide in you you shall aske what thinge soeuer you will and it shall be done to you Iohn 15. 10. Offer sacrifice no more in vaine quoth God by his prophet incense is abhomination to me when you shall stretch forth your hādes I wil turne away mine eyes frō you for your handes are full of blood Wash you be cleane take away the euill of your cogitations from your hartes Isay 1. 13. 2. The second point is to consider the greatnes of the Maiestie of almightie God to whom we speake What meanes is there saith S. Basil to pray without distraction And he answereth If we remember that we are before the maiestie of God lib. 1. Hexam in reg breu 201.