Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	prince_n	queen_n	3,203	5	6.8163	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47551	That neither temporallitie[s] nor tythes is due to the bishops, prelates nor clergy, by a Gospel rule And that kings, princes and lords temporal, may j[ust]ly take the temporallities and tythes from them, and dispose of the ... the defence and benefit of the kingdom, and the relief of the poor. Proved by the laws and pract[i]ce of twenty Kings of Judah, England, and France as also by the testimonies of the Universities of Oxford and Prague, fifty four of ... nobles of Bohemia and Morania, two hundred and fifty years agone, and als[o] one hundred and twenty authors beside. Together with some directions how gospel ministers ought to have maintenance, according to the gospel rule, and institutions of Iesus Christ. By E. K.	Netherlands. Emancipatiekommissie.	1672 (1672)	Wing K6A; ESTC R218954	82,628	97

stretch forth their hands and authority beyond the rule further then God hath allowed them but Uzzah died for his presumption to have a zeal according to knowledge as the Apostle saith is to do all things in Gods matters prudently and circumspectly according to the rule of Christ and his Apostles institutions and not according to Mens traditions nor humane inventions of Cannons c. Whichcot I heard a Doctor I think his name was Whichcot preach in Black-fryers about seven years ago a conformable man and he said that if you would have men to conform you should first convince their consciences by plain Texts of Scripture of the lawfulness of those things which you would have them conform unto otherwise to force men to conformity and not convince them by plain Scripture Arguments of the lawfulness of what they conform unto he said it was to make men outwardly hypocrites and inwardly atheists now according to this by the neglect of duty in our Bishops and Prelates how many thousands if not hundred thousands hypocrites and atheists have our Prelates made in England within ten years by pressing ceremonies and observation of things which many hundred thousands do question whether they have any warrant in the word of God and in the 20. and 21. articles of the Church of England it is said that it is not lawful neither for the Church The 20. and 21. Articles nor for general Councels to ordain any thing contrary to the word of God written which word excludes all unwritten traditions and customes and that things so ordained have neither strength nor authority unless it may be declared that they are taken out of holy Scripture and yet our Prelates will have such things observed without clearing them by Scripture or hearing what may be said against them by Scripture And further Volusianus said from Jer. 48.10 Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently that is saith he not to do the work of the Lord carefully and with a willing mind for whereas the Lord willeth us not to offer any thing to him against our wills so doth he forbid us to compel any man to offer any thing against our wills and he proves it Ex. 20.21 Thou shalt not vex nor oppress thy neighbour or a stranger now it is an oppression wrong to our neighbours to be corrected for his fault when it is done with disdain and upbraiding and not in compassion and mercy towards him to inform him in the spirit of meekness and not to destroy him in the spirit of bitterness and rigor much more is our neighbour oppressed when he is corrected for well doing for endeavouring to follow the Laws of Christ rather than the Laws of men thus Valusianus Norfolk ●nd Suf●●lk m ns ●●pplication And in a Supplication of Norfolk and Suffolk men to Queen Mary and her Commissioners they thus writ is not this the time say they among other times that Satan rides upon the red horse to take peace from the Earth for can man go into any place where the sons of wickedness are not ready to search out a mans deeds and mark his words and if he agree not with them in despising Gods word in swearing lying whoring and drinking c. Then will they spitefully and hatefully rail against him calling the truth of God error and heresie and the professors of it hereticks and Schismaticks with other odious and despiteful names as Traytors and not the Queens friends as if to love Gods word were heresie as though to talk of Christ and Religion were Shismatical as though none could be true to the Queen but such as are false to God as though none could be the Queens friends but such as despitefully rail against her Graces Father and Brother and the word of God as though none were truly Religious but such as blaspheme against the purity of Religion as though none favoured the Queen but such as hate all Godly knowledge wherefore we learn that true obedience to God the King of Kings and for him and in him and not against him to obey Princes and Magistrates who are not truly obeyed when God is disobeyed nor yet disobey'd when God is truly obey'd wherefore we pray that God may move your hearts to weigh these things and take the word of God unto your Councel and then you shall see how Gods commands and Bishops commands agree or rather disagree to which I shall add that by the word of God you may see clearly that neither Bishops nor Prelates c. ought to have either temporallities or tythes Christ hath said Rev. 11.3 That he will give power to his two witnesses to bear their testimony and witness against the Beast or Ante-christ therefore they that endeavour to suppress this witness bearing against Ante-christ are themselves Ante-christian and whether is not Christs Priestly office invaded by urging men to the observation of ceremonies and a form of worship which Christ hath not instituted but contrary to Christs institutions and so against mens consciences and his Kingly office invaded by exercising a Government over men that hath no ground nor warrant in the word of God but is of mans devising and yet punish men that would gladly observe the word of God for not observing the devices of men Daniel 6 and 7. What an odious thing is it said one to call out obedience to God by the name of disobedience to men as in Dan. 3.12 and Dan. 6 10. For his obedience to God in praying three times a day he was accused for disobedience to the King and thus it hath been with others for there is a generation of men who charge all with Schism that dare not subject their selves to the usurpation and arrogant impositions of the sons of pride that neither have authority nor ability from God to govern us who lay snares for mens Consciences and then accuse men for falling into those snares as the Pagans did against Daniel who make Laws for the Church unnecessary in their own opinions and sinful in other mens opinions and command things which they know others think the Lord forbids and then load men with reproaches of disobedient turbulent heretical schismatical persons for not yeilding to their imperious commands against their consciences to call men factious if they will not be of their faction against the Catholick unity and simplicity of the Gospel how easie and how common is it to call a meeting of sober Christians for prayer and mutual edification by the name of a factious and schismatical conventicle and a meeting of drunkards or gamesters or harlots by a far less disgraceful name if men will but turn their Religion into forms of words or beads or canonical hours and days outward shews and ceremonies which have no ground nor warrant in the Scripture few or none will let or reproach or persecute you for being too precise or strict for so doing for by such a Religion it is that Prelates have

the Commons for as their standing in the Church is not of God so their Excommunication is not of God John Claydon Richard Turming John Claydon and Richard Turming both Martyrs they did both affirm that the chief cause of the Persecution of Christians was the Prelates unlawfull keeping of temporalities and other superfluous goods which they are afraid to be deprived of for they know that they cannot hold them if the truth should take place and were publickly manifested by what unlawful means they hold their Temporalities and Tythes their Courts and Offices and the unlawfulness of their Dignities and Jurisdictions and the like Eneas Silvius Eneas Silvius who wrote the Book of the Council Basil he writing to Jasper Sthlick the Emperours Chancellor in his 54th Epistle saith That the way to remedy Schisme and make peace in the Church is for Kings and Princes to unite together and and conclude of Peace and this way neither Pope nor Council could withstand Unity may be concluded whether Pope or Council will or not and so Kings and Princes in their own Dominions may take the Temporalities and Tythes and so put in order things that are amiss whether Pope or Council will or not neither saith he do I see any of the Clergie so confident to death which will suffer Martyrdome neither for King or Pope for all we do lightly hold that Religion which our Princes hold if they would worship Idols we would do the same and not only deny the Pope but God also if the Secular power straines us thereunto for Charity waxeth cold and all Faith is gone however let us seek for peace and whether it come by a Council or a Synagogue or a Conventicle call it what you will I care not so we have peace Cardinal Aralatensis And Cardinal Aralatensis in the same Council of Basil said That all Bishops ought to understand that they come to have greater power then Priests only by custome and not by dispensation of the truth of God and that they ought to rule the Church together for a Priest is the very same that a Bishop is by divine Institution for there is such a concordance saith he between a Bishop and a Priest that Paul to Titus calleth Bishops Priests and Christ saith Blessed are the Poor in Spirit neither was there any rich Bishop in the Primitive Church neither did the antient Church reject Dionysius Bishop of Millan nor Eusebius Bishop of Vercellus Hillarie Bishop of Pictauia although they were never so poor but if we will grant the truth the poor are more apt to give right Judgement then the rich because riches causeth fear lest they should be taken from them and others poverty causeth liberty for the poor fear no Tyranny as rich men do who are given over to all kind of Vanity Idleness and sloath and will rather deny Christ than lose their riches whom not love to the Flock but love to Revenues makes them Bishops And farther to shew that Bishops will not own the truth against opposition for fear to lose their riches the same Eneas Silvius in his thirty eighth Epistle to Cardinal Julian saith those Cardinals which so magnified the Authority of the Church as though they were ready to spend their lives for the same and now at the sight of one Letter from their King wherein no death was threatned but only loss of their Temporalities and for fear of that they slipt away from the Council of Basil c. and in the same Epistle he said derideingly That they had rather lose their faith than lose their flock and preferment c. Hierome St. Hierome upon these words Vnsavory Salt saith That it is no easie thing to stand in the place of Peter and Paul and to keep the Chaire of them that reign with Christ This Unsavory Salt saith he is foolish and unprofitable Prelates unsavory in their places good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden down of Swine that is saith he of wicked Spirits which have dominion over wicked Prelates as their Flock and Herd Mr. Tindal Mr. Tindal in his book of the wicked Mamon page 45. saith seek the word of God in all things and without the word of God do nothing though it appear never so glorious for what soever is done without the word of God that count to be Idolatrous but by the word of God Prelates have no right to Temporalities Christ saith he took away the violence and power of the Law to make us free and set us at liberty from Ceremonies and other impositions which do consist in places persons garments meats and dayes c. so as their use should be to all men free and indifferent so that if the Pope would make all observations of Geremonies as Lent Fasts Holy-dayes Confession Masses Matins Reliques and all the rest free and indifferent he should not be Antichrist but the commanding them in the name of Christ he corrupteth the Church and suppresseth the Faith and whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin therefore by that means he advanceth Sin and becometh Antichrist and upon this account we have many inferior Antichrists under the Pope who to their power seek to establish the same Ceremonies c. and so become Antichrists Jacobus Selestadiensis In a Letter of Jacobus Selestadiensis to Maximilian and Emperor he said The goods of the Church as it is alleadged by the Fathers are the Vowes of the Faithful and Patrimonie of the poor for the faithful through the fervency of their faith and love of Christ have enriched the Church with their own goods that the poor might be refreshed and Captives redeemed wherefore such as have the administration of these goods ought diligently to be looked upon that they do not convert them to their own proper use and neglect them in whom Christ is fed and cloathed Prosper also saith That holy men did not challenge the Church goods as their own but as given to the poor to be divided to all them that have nothing neither ought they to give any thing to those that have of their own enough for that is but to cast things away Ex Illyrico Illyrico Reynold Peacok John Brothwick Reynold Peacock Bishop of Chichester said That the riches of Bishops are the good of the poor and that spiritual persons by the law of God ought not to have temporal possessions and that personal tythes is not due by Gods law that the Universal Church of Rome may erre in matters of faith and that it is not necessary to Salvation to believe what General Councils ordain and determine these points and other to this purpose he confessed he held and taught the space of twenty years and after the Bishop of Canterbury and other Bishops set themselves against him he was imprisoned during his life Also Sir John Brothwick Martyr in Scotland in the year 1540. said and did affirm that all temporal Possessions and Jurisdiction ought to be taken from the Prelates The

any note or spot of suspition noised of him but in his Answering Reading Preaching and Determining he behaved himself laudably and as a stout and valiant Champion of the Faith vanquishing by the force of the Scriptures all such who by their wilful beggery blasphemed and slandered Christs Religion neither was this said Doctor Convict of any Heresie God forbid that our Prelates should have condemned a man of such honesty for a Heretick who amongst all the rest of the Vniversity had written in Logick Philosophy Divinity Morality and the Speculative Art without Peer the knowledge of which all and singular things we do desire to testify and deliver forth to the intent that the Fame and Renown of this said Doctor may be the more evident and had in reputation amongst them unto whose hands these present Letters testimonial shall come Here is to be seen that this Vniversity of Oxford did also maintain the truth of Doctor John Wickliffe's Articles That Kings Princes and Lords Temporal may lawfully take away Temporalities and Tythes from the Clergy In witness whereof we have caused our Letters Testimonial to be Sealed with our common Seal Dated at Oxford in our Congregation-House the 5th day of October in the Year 1406. Edmond King of England King Edmond of England about the Year 940. made a Law that every man should pay Tythes for Churches Fees and Almes Fees Thus here you see that Tythes were then given as well for the relief of the Poor as the Church He made a Law also that every Bishop should of his own proper charge see that Churches were repaired Bishop of Canterbury About the same time the Bishop of Canterbury in a Letter to the Prelates and Clergy said If it were or could be so that all the Riches of the World were laid before me so that I were Emperour and had all things universally under my subjection all these things would I gladly give and offer my self willingly for the health of Souls And thus he exhorted the Clergy to their duty lest the Lord should say of them The Shepherds fed themselves but did not feed my flock they have raigned but not by me they have made themselves Princes of my flock and I knew it not that is he knew it not so as to approve of their doings But where is there a Prelate now that hath such a zeal for the good of Souls King Edgar King Edgar in an Oration to the Clergy about the year 959. What negligence saith he is in Gods Service I will speak with sorrow they be Riotous in Banquetring in Chambring and Drunkenness And now saith he the Clerks houses are thought to be Stewes of Harlots Thus the Goods of Kings and Alms of Princes is mispent have our Fathers spent their Treasurie for this purpose Have the Kings liberalities in giving Lands and Possessions been for this intent that Clerks Harlots should be deck'd with the same And for riotous feasts Hauks and Hounds and other Toyes to consume it Soldiers cry out the people grudge but ye regard not c. King Hen. 2d Among other antient Laws of England in the reign of King Henry the second this was one That if any Clergy man did hold any Lay Fee in his hands he should therefore do the Kings service that belonged thereunto as upon Juries Assises of Lands and Judgements and that no Lands should be given to the Church nor to any House of Religion without the Kings License And that the Peter-pence which was used to be gathered for the Pope should be paied to the King and that all the Possessions Goods and Chattels of such as favoured the Pope or Thomas a Becket to be Seized and Confiscate to the King And that all such of the Clergy as were absent from their Charge out of the Realm and had Rents and Profits in the Land and did not repair home in three months their Rents and Goods to return to the King c. If it were lawful for the King then in the time of Popery to seize upon the Rents Profits and Possessions of the Pope Cardinal and others it is much more lawful now for our King and Nobles to cize upon such Goodss a●d Possessions as were given by Papists in the time of Popery and are now wrongfully possessed and abusively used by others King Edward 3. In a Parliament holden the twentieth year of the raign of King Edward the third It was propounded that all Alien Monks should depart England whose Livings the King took into his hands It was also concluded by the Parliament That the Livings of all others Strangers and Cardinals during their lives the profits should be brought into the Kings hand The Commons also denyed to pay any payments to Cardinals in France c. besides the King took order by two of his Clergy viz. John Stocks and John Norton to take into their hands all the Temporalities of all the Deanaries Prebends Dignities and Benefices being then vacant in England and to answer the profits thereof unto the King King William Rufus King William Rufus took certain Lands and Possessions from Canterbury and disposed of them to secular uses King Henry 4. In the eighth year of the raign of King Henry the fourth it was petitioned to the Parliament That the King might enjoy halfe the profits of every Parsons Benefice who was not resident thereon But in the eleventh year of his raign the Commons put up a Bill unto the King to take the Temporal Lands from the Clegie mens hands or Possessions in which Bill it was declared that the Temporalities disorderly wasted by men of the Clergy might suffice to find to the King with maintenance 15. Earles 1500. Knights 6200. Esquires and 100. Almes houses To every Earl 3000. Mark a year to every Knight 100. Mark and four plough lands and to every Esquire 40 Mark a year and two plough lands and to every Almes house 100. Mark a year which lands is now no doubt worth double if not treble to what they were then For I have credibly informed by a Yorkshire Esquire That when his Majestie was restored to the Crown one Bishoprick that is the Bishoprick of Durham If it had been set upon the rack rent it was worth above fifty thousand pounds a year This story above you may read in Mr Fox his Acts and monuments of the Church in the story of King Hen. 4. King Henry 8. It is there also to be seen in the History of King Hen. 8. That the King did injoyn every Vicar Clerk or Benefic'd man that had one hundred pounds a year that he should find a Scholar at the University and he that had two hundred pounds a year should find two Scholars at the University Also in his raign it was complained of by the Commons against the Prelates and Clergie for their cruel proceeding Ex Officio And for the remedy it was enacted That whosoever did or speak any thing against either their usurped power or their Laws

the whole Foundation hangeth on the Prelates and Clergies beards for divers of your Predecessors and Nobles have given Lands to have a certain sum of Money given yearly to the poor whereof for the antiquity of the time the conditions are forgotten so that they give not one penny they likewise gave them to have certain Masses said for them daily whereof they say never a one If the Abbots of Westminster should sing every day as many Masses as they are bound to do by the Founders a thousand Monks were too few Wherefore if your Grace will build a sure Hospital never to fail to relieve your poor Beads-men then take from them all these things this with much more to this purpose was in that Supplication Pope Innocent Pope Innocent 4th required that all Beneficed men in England which were resident should pay to the Pope a third part of their goods or Profits and Non-residents the one half for three years together And it is most certain that our King and Nobles within his Majesties Dominions have a thousand times more right to receive these profits than either Pope or Prelate for Popes and Prelates are Usurpers their Predecessors having possessed themselves thereof by deceitful Delusion therefore our King and Nobles may justly require their own Temporalities again which their Predecessors were so deluded of the Prelates having been such unfaithful Stewards it is but just that the King Princes and Lords do require them to give account of their Stewardship that they may be no longer Stewards The testimony of 21 Bishops 8 Arch-deacons and 17 Doctors In the Year 1537. or thereabout Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury and Edmond Bishop of York and to the number of one and twenty Bishops and eight Arch-deacons and seventeen Doctors of Divinity and of the Common and Civil Law they did all assert and sign with their hands to King Hen. the 8th the which was ratified by the Statute of the 32. of Hen. 8. That there is not in the New Testament any mention made of the Calling Jurisdiction Lordliness or secular employment of Lord Bishops But the New Testament speaks only of Deacons and of Ministers alias Priests or Bishops and of these two only that is Priests or Ministers and Deacons the Scripture makes express mention And that Christ did never institute any distinction or difference or preheminence of power order or Jurisdiction among the Apostles themselves but that they were all equal in power authority and jurisdiction and that there hath been any difference since it is by the invention of men and not by the institution of Jesus Christ and therefore no Bishop by the Law of God may take upon him any Jurisdiction in secular Courts for God did constitute Kings to defend the Faith of Christ and true Religion and to cause Bishops or Ministers to execute their Pastoral office truly and faithfully or for neglect thereof to put others in their room and place and not to suffer the Clergy to meddle in secular affairs for the Kingdom of Christ is a spiritual and not a carnal Kingdom as Christ said No man can serve two masters so I say No man can faithfully discharge his Ministerial office in Christs Kingdom which is his Church if he be entangled in secular affairs in the worldly Kingdom You cannot serve God and Mammon Mat. 6.27 Mr Elmer Mr. Elmer in his Harborow for faithful Subjects Printed at Strasburg writes thus on the 12 of Luke Who made me a Judge c. As if Christ should say It belongs not to my office to determine in matters of policy but to the Civil Magistrate And if it did not belong to Christ how dare Prelates take it upon them to do it for if it had been within the compass of Christs Function he could not in conscience have refused it to set them at one which were at strife if he might do it and would not he lacked Charity and did not his duty which were blasphemy to say of Christ and if it belonged not to him neither did it belong to his Apostles nor their successors Had he not as large a Commission as he gave His Kingdome is not of this world therefore Bishops by his example cannot give themselves so large a scope in temporal matters therefore by their fruits you may know them whether they have their Commission from Christ or I had like to have said from Antichrist for saith he if these two offices Ecclesiastical and Civil be jumbled together in one Function there can be no quiet nor well-ordered Commonwealth Richard Armacanus Richard Armacanus about the year 1350. in de questionibus Armenorum book 11. chap. 1. saith that neither the Dominion nor Ministry of temporal things belongeth to Ecclesiastical Dignity but rather diminisheth it for Christ prohibited the Apostles of temporal Dominion saying It shall not be so among you And again Possess neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses nor scrip for your journey nor two coats neither shooes nor staves Math. 10.9 10. If thou wilt be perfect go sell all that thou hast and give to the poor He saith in chap. 2. that the states and degree of Patriarch Primate Archbishop Bishop c. were invented by men and not instituted by Christ nor his Apostles and that no Prelate of the Church how great soever hath any greater degree of the power of order than a simple Priest But how do Prelates observe Christs rule who commanded that they should possess neither gold nor silver and as if they would strive to do as contrary as they can devise they possess thousands of gold and silver coaches and horses and what not Is it not high time therefore for Kings and Nobles to take these temporalities from them which they thus abuse as if they would set Christ at defiance and bid him command what he will they will do what they will do not their actions tend to this end the good Lord direct the King Princes and Lords c. that by connivance they partake not with the Prelates in these sins lest they which God forbid should partake with them in their punishments Cyprian Cyprian in his fourth Book Epist 4. saith Our Lord Christ observed the will of his Father but we speaking of Prelates observe not the will of the Lord as appears above having all our minds set upon Lucre and Possessions given to pride full of Emulation and Dissention void of Simplicity and faithful dealing renouncing the world only in word but nothing in Deed every one pleasing himself and displeasing all others John Huss John Huss in the Council of Constance did affirm that the Clergie ought to have no temporal possessions and that Temporal Lords may justly without any offence take them away from the Clergy and that Kings and Nobles ought to compel the Clergy to observe and keep the Law and Rules of Christ He also saith that Tythes and Oblations given to the Church are publick and common Alms and that the Clergy