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
A20995	A lamentable discourse of the fall of Hughe Sureau (commonly called Du Rosier) from the truth: & his shamefull offence to the church togither with confession ... & remorse Seruing for a notable example to al the world of the fraieltie & vntowardnesse of man, & of the great and vnmeasurable mercie of God to his chosen.; Confession et recognoissance de Hugues Sureau dit du Roisir, touchant sa cheute en la rapaut'e, & les horribles scandales par luy commis. English	Du Rosier, Hugues Sureau.	1573 (1573)	STC 7369; ESTC S118725	19,223	58

them selues and to tremble at the dreadfull iudgements of God especially when those that committe such faults be publike persons and in some respect notable The fal of whom as it is a proofe of a horrible vengeāce of God through the which they haue ben abandoned so is it a very violent temptacion to shake the weake consciences and therewithall to draw a great multitude to the same perdition And no doubt the rage of the cruell enemies doth not geue so dangerous a woūd to the flock of Christ as doth such treachery and infidelitie Moreouer if ther haue ben ani one of the church that hath by gods grace preuēted the hands of the murderers that he hath not fallen into them or if ther haue ben any apprehended and yet escaped thens without hauing eyther suffered or committed any euil the fauour of god in that his deliuerance ought not to be buried in silēce but to be published to assure others to put their confidence in him that can drawe fourth his owne out of all perills as much as he knowes to be expediēt for him so to doe Of these thrée sortes there are at this day many examples in the extreame calamity of the present persecution full of crueltie and falsehood wherof in tyme the trewth shall be knowen published But as for me I hauing ben of that miserable and pestilent secte thorough my fall offenciue denyall wherin I laye wallowing a long tyme now after that God hath geuen me grace to come again to my right witts I will my selfe be the historiographer of the detestable cryme that I haue committed describing it according to the trewth and as it happened then afterward noting the circumstances I wil assaye to make confession of the enormitie and grieuousnes therof as much as in me shal be possible Finally whē ye shal set before your eyes this writing Dearly beloued brethren and readers of this pitifull discourse I beséeche you that through christian compassion ye doe helpe me to féele to the quicke such an offence and in as muche as good may be drawen from euill that ye doe take instruction by my example I was then abyding in Fraunce in a small congregation not passing a dayes iourney from Paris wher being aduertysed of the slaughter within the said citie I tooke deliberation foure dayes after to saue my selfe out of the Realme And casting with my self the difficulties dangers that ther should be to passe I determined after a sort to counterfet the papist by the badge that was worn in the hatts by gesture countenaunce as much as I should see my selfe ●●ged therunto by necessitie The morow after being come to the next town I was demaunded who I was wherwith finding my self wonderfully amased I had not the memory to speake that which before I had premeditated but making an answere without head or foote they had me in suspicion the Iudge examyning me by othe what I was forthwith without ought disguising I fréely cōfessed the whole By the meanes wherof being clapt in prison I toke this resolution to suffer any kinde of death the they shold lay vppon me and I felt some peace rest in my conscience if I did defend the trewth of the Gospell wherof I was most assured Although I had euen than my head busyed with certeyne cogitacions touching the personall succession of the Romish church wherof I then disputed against some that wer ther presēt the trewth had alwaies the victorie against falsehod But this boldnes of mine was but a puffe that did not cōtinew lōg For being all alone I began to discourse with my self touching the grieuousnes of the persecution then befallen I founde the same to be farre beyond all the former For I alwayes toke the calamities of the tyme past to be but visitations and roddes wherwithall God did purge his church and had euer iudged them to bée assured marks of the children of god But because that in this last ther did appeare as it were a ruyne and vtter distruction of the whole without any appearance or hope of restablishment I began to valew it at none other rate then a playne testimony of gods wrath and indignation as if he had by this meanes declared that he did detest and condemne the profession and exercyse of our Religion for that he had so often turned againe to stryke vs yea finally so to ouerthrow vs as if he were willing wholly to destroy and roote out this cōgregation fauour that of Rome By this meanes I began to giue strēgth to this temptation of Sathan and the flesh desyring to saue it self from the present danger got the vpper hand In so much that I did straight way conclude with my selfe to acknowledge and auow the church of Rome for the trew church wherinto I did desire to be receued The which I did declare the same daye to the Iudge imagening that without delay I should be set at lybertie which being obtayned I wold withdraw my selfe with all spéede out of the Realme to kéepe me solitary and to apply my selfe to do what I could to passe away the rest of my tyme In the same prison ther were others of the Religion vnto whom I gaue counsell to do the lyke alleging to them that the Romish church was the auncient church whens we wer departed and wherunto we ought to returne with many other deuises tending to the same end Who consenting to my cursed allurements suggestions made the same protestations to the Iudge and not long after they were deliuered yet not content with that which I had done and sayde to shew that I did it with hart and good will I wrote to the chief of my congregation and farther to them of myne owne famyly exhorting them to betake them selues to popery to be assistant at the seruice there as I for my parte minded to be And to the ende that this Metamorphosis or change happened in my person should not astonish them I declared that I had reasons to moue me therunto wherof some I did set down in writing as well in the said letters as in a certayn scrole that I presented to the Iudge Now thought I verely that betwixt that and the morrow after I should be let out of prison to goe wher I would but it happened quite otherwise For the Iudge hauing geuen intelligence how I was taken and of the great and manifest signes of my conuersion and returne to the catholike church as they terme it kept me vntil he hard newes frō the Court whens he receiued letters of the King who gaue him commaundement to send me to him to be an instrumēt to serue to perswade the King of Nauarra and the prince of Conde to renounce the religion wherein they had ben brought vp with a protestation to follow the faith and doctrine of Rome and to acknowledge the Pope for head This newes being brought I was very sory when I sawe my selfe

frustrate of myne intent knowing that I muste now play a part on the greatest stage in all Fraunce to confesse and defend infinite things which I had heretofore by word of mouth and writing condemned yea and did yet condemne in my hart Notwithstanding hauing already made the first breach into my cōscience by the which Sathan had made his entrey I left him the full peaceable possession of the whole minding now to doe al thinges wholy to the lyking of men laying asyde the reuerence of God and the respect of his glory Being brought to Paris and presented before the King I declared the selfe same abouesayd auowing the Romish church to be the trew church and sundry dayes together in the presence of the king of Nauarra and the prince of Conde I maynteyned the same cause agreing with the Sorbonists in that point principally and refelling that which some of the king of Nauarra his officers men fearing God did alledge to the contrarie that the Reformed church was the trew church and their religion the trew religion Furthermore touching the controuersies and points of doctrine commenly debated in some I spake lewdly and against myne owne conscience euen as they are taught in popery of other some as principally of the Masse the oblation and the presence of Christs body I made some doubt and contradiction being vrged therto by the force of the trewth but immediatly I let go and abandoned all that euer I had truely spoken by a false collusion I suffered them to cōclude as they wold them selues hauing beside that serued therin ageinst myne owne cōscience for a miserable instrument to lead those young Princes to goe to Masse by that means to worship a false God to tread vnder their féete the only sacrifice of Christ his death And sithens I haue fallen in hand with this conference and disputation I wil giue you good aduertisement of an edict published in the name of the king of Nauarra for that they haue not bene contented ther to Chronycle my name calling but they haue followed therin the custome of the Papists who can not simply recyte that which is happened without some addition For there it is sayed that ther were certeyne other ministers of the Citie of Orleance that dyd ioyntly confesse with me them selues to be vanquished by the force of the Popishe Doctors argumentes in so muche that they should renounce and forsake the doctrine before tyme preached to the reformed Churches in Fraunce Which I doe testify and maynteyne to you to be false for there was neuer any but my self The other Ministers of the sayd congregation were better assisted of God then to haue committed such an offence Being then these twoo Princes through my false perswasions drawen in a short space to the profession of Poperye with the submissions to the same required I abode a certeine tyme at Paris during the which I was lead vp and downe as a byrde to the call to certeyne noble Ladyes and Gentlewomen of the religion who not long before had hard me preache the word of God or els had knowen mée in particuler communication to haue exhorted thē to perseuer in the doctryne of the gospel who were al maruelously abashed to sée me thus transformed into an other shape they could not be perswaded that in that which they vnderstoode of mée I spake as I thought Neuerthelesse I tolde them all indifferently that I spake euen as I did beléeue in my hart touching the opinion so stifly maynteyned of me that the Romish Church was the Catholyke Church beside other poyntes the do depend therof And not cōtent to serue their turn at all assayes that did thus employe mée here and there I went of myne owne accord to diuers of myne acquayntance or els to those that them selues did séeke me or by fortune mette with mée to whom generally I gaue this counsel to acknowledge this Church albeit that I did graūt her to be full of superstitions and errors so that shée had more then néede of a reformation with sundry such other counselles of false Nicodemites and Temporizers or to speake vprightly of ypocrits and enemyes to God by outward profession And when I founde any displeased with them selues for the faute that they had commited to their great grief I dyd by and by laye before them the foresayde reasons lulling them a sléepe therwithall and laying Pillows vnder their elbows as sayeth the Prophet Ezechiel Namely I went one day of purpose to a certeyne good and vertuous Lady fearing god and to her daughter boothe nobly descended To conclude I left no body with whō I might talke familiarly that I did not corrupt with this pernicious counsell saying that albeit the body of the Lord be not in that which is shewed at the masse yet notwithstanding that on might lawfully knele downe to it because there is a certeyne remnant and trace of the trewe Sacrament of that precious body and that in beholding the Sacrament although it differ farre from the institution of Christ the administratiō of the auncient church it suffiseth to lift vp our hatts to heauen in which place only is the trewe liuing body where our Lord ●deth reigne sitteth at the right hand of God his father Thus in this place did I moderate al absurdities and went about to playster this old ruinous buylding of popery to make there appeare a certeine likelyhoode of a goodly tabernacle And so I did entyce ageinst my conscience al those that I could to goe to masse the very heape of all Idolatry and renouncing of Iesus Christ yea I wrote letters to Madame de Buillon at Sodan by the commaundement of the Duke Montpensier her father to drawe her to the same opinion making her a sorowfull and simple recompence ▪ for the curtisy liberality receiued at hir hands as wel by me as by diuers others during the troubles of the yeare of our Lord God 1568. And albeit that I felt in my selfe the condemnation of myne owne conscience for the poynts now a dayes in controuersie and that no reasons could content me to approue the doctrine ceremonyes and exercise of the popish religion and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that diuers persons had ben so bolde to reprooue me of my faultes to represent the iudgements of God before myne eyes to cyte me before the tribunall seate of Iesus Christ where all men must appeare yet notwithstāding I was therwith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sléepe that I mynded not to make my abode any wher but at Paris now and then ther came vppon me a certeyne grief of mynd to thinke of that which was past with the remēbraūce of the inuocation and seruice of God of the pure administratiō of the sacraments the preachyng of the word and diligent practise of discipline and I made comparison therof with the life cōuersation and exercyse of the Priests and Monkes But I was so wholy in the possession of the Prince of this world