Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	affirm_v	church_n	faith_n	2,551	5	5.0998	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01507	A newyeares gifte dedicated to the Popes Holinesse, and all Catholikes addicted to the Sea of Rome: preferred the first day of Ianuarie, in the yeare of our Lorde God, after the course and computation of the Romanistes, one thousand, fiue hundreth, seauentie and nine, by B.G. citizen of London: in recompence of diuers singular and inestimable reliques, of late sent by the said Popes Holinesse into England, the true figures and representations whereof, are heereafter in their places dilated.	B. G. (Bernard Garter); Tunstall, Cuthbert, 1474-1559. Letter written by Cutbert Tunstall late Byshop of Duresme, and Iohn Stokesley somtime Byshop of London.; Stokesley, John, 1475?-1539.; Googe, Barnabe, 1540-1594.	1579 (1579)	STC 11629; ESTC S102867	65,066	113

were of the contrary opinions to him would otherwise thincke or doe hée would not then his sentences should be to thē preiudiciall or compulsorie but to follow their owne wits customes Tum quod vnusquisque Episcoporum habeat sui arbitrij libertatem tum quod vnusquisque praepositus rationem sui actus sit Domino rediturus Partly for that euery one of the Bishops hath libertie of his owne will and partly for that euery gouernour shall make an accompt to God of his owne déede as it appeareth plainely in his Epistle to Stephanus and Iulianus And in the third Epistle to Cornelius towardes the ende speaking of the refuge that one Felicissimus à Nouatian after the condemnation in Affrica made to Rome he impugneth such appeales saying that Quia singulis pastoribus portio gregis est asscripta quam regat vnusquisque gubernet rationem sui actus Domino rediturus statutū est ab omnibus nobis aequumque pariter ac iustū censemus vt vniuscuiusque causa illic audiatur vbi est crimen admissum Forasmuch as euery pastour hath his flocke by portion committed to him which euery one ought to rule gouerne and must giue accompt to the Lord of his administration it is decréede of vs all and wée thinke it both méete iust that euery mans cause and plea should there be heard where the crime is committed This holy excellent Clarke and Martyre S. Cyprian would neuer haue either impugned their refuges to Rome from their owne primates or so obstinately holden and mainteyned his determinations in the counsels of Affrike contrary to the opinion of the Bishop of Rome and to their customes without any submission by woord or writing if the primacie ouer all which the Bishops of Rome doe challenge and vsurpe had bene grounded vpon the plaine Scriptures as you with some others doe thinke And it is to bée supposed also that hée would in all his Epistles to them haue called them Patres or Dominos Fathers or Lords as superiours and not alwaies Fratres collegas brothers and fellowes in office as but his fellowes which yet more plainly doth appere by the Actes of the Counselles of Africke in Sainct Augustines time by the which it is euident that though the faith of Christ was by the Romaines first brought into Africke as Saincte Augustine doth confesse yet it was not read nor knowne that the Bishoppes of Rome vsed or challenged any exercise of souereignetie in Africke vnto this time And yet then hée did not challenge it Iure diuino but Praetextu definitionis cuiusdam canonis in concilio Niceno That is by the right of Gods woorde but by the pretence of a certeine canon supposed to bée in the counsaile of Nice Which article could neuer be found though it were then very diligently sought for through all the principal Churches of the East and South But onely alleadged of Iulius Bishop of Rome out of his owne librarie And you may bée well assured that if these in Scriptures had made for it neither the Bishop of Rome would haue left that certeine proofe by Scriptures and trusted onely to the testimonie of an article of that counsaile doubted on vnlikely to be founde Nor yet Sainct Augustine with his holy and learned company would haue resisted this demaunde if it had bene either grounded vpon Scriptures or determined in that or other counsayle or yet had stand with equitie good order or reason Howbeit the largenesse and magnificence of buildings of that Citie and auncient excellencie and superioritie of the same in temporall dominions was the onely cause that in the Counsailes where the Patriarchall seas were set in order the Bishoppe of Rome was lotted in the first place and not in any such constitution made by Christ as appeareth well by that that Constantinople béeing at that time of this ordering of the Patriarchall seas by the Emperours most amply enlarged béeing before a small towne and of no renowne and by them most magnificently builded and aduaunced worldly wyth all titles prerogatiues and priuiledges temporall like vnto Rome and therefore called Noua Roma Newe Rome was therefore aduaunced also to the second sea and place Antiochia in the East where Sainct Peter first tooke the chaire before he came to Rome and Christian men had there first their name gyuen them Yea and Hierusalem which was the first Mother Citie of our faith and where Christ himselfe first founded the fayth reiected with Alexandria to the thirde fourth the fift places bicause at that time they were not in so high estimation in the world though in the faith of Christ all they were auncientes and some of them Mothers to Rome Truth it is that the Bishops of the Orient for debates in matters of the faith amongest themselues made sutes to the Bishop of Rome but that was not for the Superioritie of iurisdiction vpon them but bicause they were greatly deuided And those countries as well Byshoppes as others much infected with the heresies of the Arrians whereof the Weast was in a manner cléere And among the Orients none were counted indifferent to decide those matters but where all suspect of affection for one cause or other wherefore they desired the opinions of the Bishops of the West as indifferent vntangled with affections of any of those partes and incorrupted with any of the Arrians as appeareth by the Epistles of Sainct Basil written in all their names for the sayde purpose In the which also it is especially to bée noted that their suite was not to the Bishop of Rome singularly or by name but as the titles doe shewe to the whole congregation of the Bishoppes of Italy and Fraunce or of the whole West and sometyme preferring the French Bishops saying Gallis Italis and neuer naming the Romanes And for a cléere proofe that the auncient Fathers knewe not this primacie of one aboue all wée néede none other testimonie but their determination in the counsell of Nice that Alexandria and Antiochia and vniuersally all other primates should haue the whole gouernaunce of their confine countries likewise as the Bishop of Rome had of his Suburbicans And this determination proueth also that your thrée Scriptures ment nothing lesse then this primacie ouer all For God forbid that wée should suspect that counsell as ignoraunt of those plaine Scriptures to the which sith that time all Christendome hath leaned as the anker of our faith And if you like to reade the auncient ecclesiasticall histories there you may sée that Athanasius other Patriarkes did execute that primacie as in making consecrating and ordering of Churches Bishoppes and Clarkes in their countries East and South as the Bishops of Rome in that time did in the West and North. And if ye would yet any thing obiect against any of these witnesse then for to eschewe contention and for a finall conclusion let the Bishop of Rome stand to his owne confession made many years

past by his predecessour Agatho to the Emperour Constantine Heraclius and Tiberius in his Epistle written to them in his name and in the name of all the Synods which he thought to bée vnder the sea Apostolique wherein soone after the beginning of the Epistle he comprehendeth them all vnder the name of the Bishops dwelling in the North and West parts of their Empire So that ther in his owne Epistle he confesseth all his subiects or obedienciaries to hée onely of the North and West so appeareth euidently by his owne confession that neither by Gods law nor mans lawe he had to do with any person of the East or the South And this his high souereintie ouer all challenged as you and others say by Scripture as by his owne confession quailed and brought to a little strayght angle And this Agatho was not a man vnlearned as appeareth by the Actes of the sixt Synode Constantinopolitane in the iiij acte wherein is written at large and expressed the sayde epistle and confession And afore the Primacie of Peter which auncient Doctors speake off that was onely in preaching and teaching the fayth of Christ which he first among all the Apostles and first of all mortall men did expresse with his mouth That Primacie did so adhere to his owne person that it was neuer deriued neither to any successour nor to other Apostle but chiefely to himselfe for all other professing after the same speake it after him who had professed it before Moreouer all the Apostles as Saint Iohn sayth be fundaments in the heauenly Ierusalem not Peter only Moreouer Cyprian affirmeth as is aforesayd that all the Apostles were of equall dignitie and power which all auncient authors lykewise doe affirme For Christ gaue the Apostles lyke power in the Gospell saying Ite docete omnes Gentes baptizantes eos c. Go and teach all Nations baptizing them c. And Saint Paul as is sayd before knewe no other Primacie giuen to Peter to preach in any place but among the Iewes as he himselfe had among the Gentiles as he writeth to the Galathians where Saint Ambrose as is aforesayd affirmeth the same And that the mother of all Churches is Ierusalem as afore is sayd and not Rome the Scripture is playne both in the Prophet Esay De Syon exibit lex verbum Domini de Ierusalem Out of Syon shall the law procéede and the worde of the Lord out of Ierusalem Upon the which place Saint Hierome saythe In Ierusalem primùm fundata Ecclesia totius orbis Ecclesias seminauit Out of the Church first found in Ierusalem sprong all other Churches of the whole world And also in the Gospell which Christ before his ascension commaunded his Apostles to preach ouer all the worlde beginning first at Ierusalem so that the Bishops of Rome vniuersall power by him claymed ouer all cannot by any Scripture ●e iustified as if ye haue red the auncient Fathers expositions of the sayd Scriptures as we suppose you haue sith your letters sent hether concerning this matter and would giue more credence to their humble and playne speaking than to the latter contentious and ambitious writers of that high and aboue the Ideas of Plato his subtilytie which passeth as ye write the lawyers learning and capacitiy we doubt not but that ye perceiue and thinke the same And where ye thincke that the king cannot be taken as supreme heade of the Churche bicause he cannot exercise the chiefe office of the Church in preaching and ministring of Sacraments it is not requisite in euery body naturall that the head shall exercise eyther all manner of offices of the body or the chiefe office of the same For albeit the head is the highest and chiefe member of the naturall body yet the distribution of lyfe to all the members of the body aswell to the head as to other members commeth from the heart and is minister of lyfe to the whole bodye as the chiefe acte of the body This simlitude yet hath not his full place in a mysticall body although the Scripture speaking of king Saul sayth Cum esses paruulus in oculis tuis coustitui te caput in tribubus Israel When thou wert but of small reputacion in thine owne eyes I made thée head amongst the tribes of Israel And if a king amongst the Iewes were Caput in tribubus Israel hoc est hominum videntium Deum per vmbram tempore legis multò magis Princeps Christianus caput est in tribubus Israel hoc est verè per fidem videntium Christum qui est finis legis The heade in the tribes of Israel that is of men which sée God by a shadowe in the time of the law much more is a Christian king head in the tribes of spirituall Israel that is of such which by true fayth sée Christ which is the ende of the law The office deputed to the Bishops in the misticall body is to be as eyes to the whole bodye as almightie God sayth to the Prophet Ezechiel Speculatorem te dedi domui Israel I haue made thée an ouerseer ouer the house of Israel And what Bishop soeuer refuseth to vse the office of an eye in the mysticall body to shew vnto the body the right way of lyuing which appertayneth to the spirituall eye to doe shall shew himselfe to be a blinde eye and if he shall take other office in hande than appertayneth to the right eye shall make a confusion in the body taking vppon him an other office then is giuen to him of god Wherefore if the eye will take vpon him the office of the whole head it may be aunswered vnto it It cannot so do for it lacketh brayne And examples sheweth lykewise that it is not necessarie alwayes that the heade should haue the facultie or chiefe office of administration you may sée in a Nauy by Sea wher the Admiral who is captaine ouer all doth not meddle with stering or gouerning of euery ship but euery Maister perticular must direct the ship to passe the Sea in breaking the waues by his stering and gouernance which the Admirall the head of all doth not himselfe nor yet hath the facultie to doe but commaundeth the Maisters of the ship to doe it And likewise many a captaine of great armyes which is not able nor neuer coulde peraduenture shoote or breake a speare by his owne strength yet by his wisedome and commaundement onely he atchieueth the warres and attayneth the victory And where ye thinke that vnitie standeth not onely in the agréeing in one fayth and doctrine of the Church ▪ but also in agreeing in one head if ye meane the very and onely head ouer all the Churche our Sauiour Christ Quem pater dedit caput super omnem Ecclesiam quae est corpus eius Whome the father hath set ouer all the Church which is his bodye wherein all good Christian men doe agrée ye say truth And if ye meane of any

most holy and auncient expositours wholly doe take to be ment of the faith then first confessed by the mouth of Peter vpon which faith confessing Christ to be the sonne of God the Church is builded Christ béeing the very lowest foundation stone wherevpon both the Apostles themselues and also the whole faith of the Church of Christ by them preached through the world is founded and builded and other foundation none can be but that onely as S. Paul sayth Fundamentum aliud c. No other foundation can any man lay besides that which is Christ Iesus And wher ye thinke that the gospel of Luke prooueth the same authoritie of the Bishop of Rome saying ▪ Rogaui pro te Petre vt non deficiat fides tua tu● aliquando conuersus confirma fratres tuos Peter I haue praied for thée that thy faith should not faile thou béeing once conuerted confirme thy brothers Surely that speaketh of the fall of Peter knowen to Christ by his godly presence whereof he gaue him an ynckling that after the time of his fall he should not dispaire but retourne againe and confirme his brethren as he euer being most feruent of them was wont to do The place doth plainly open it selfe that it cannot be otherwise taken but this to be the very meaning of it and not to be spoken but to Peter For else his succescours must first faile in the faith and then conuert and so confirme their brethren And whereas ye thinke that this place of the gospell of Iohn Pasce oues meas Féed my shéepe was spoken onely to Peter which woords make him shepheard ouer all and aboue all S. Peter himselfe testifieth the contrary in his canonicall Epistle where he saith to all Priests Pascite qui in vobis est gregem Christi feede the flocke of Christ which is among you which he bad them do by the authoritie that Christ had put them in as followeth Et cùm apparuerit princeps pastorum percipietis immercessibilem aeterne gloriae coronam And when the chiefe shepheard shal appeare ye shall receiue the incorruptable crowne of eternall glory The same likewise Sainct Paule in the Acts testifieth saying Attendite vobis vniuerso gregi in quo vos posuit spiritus sanctus regere Ecclesiam Dei Geue héede to your selfe to the whole flock wherein the holy Ghost hath set you to gouerne the Church of god Wherein the originall text the worde signifying Regere to gouerne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same woorde that was spoken to Peter pasce féede for it signifieth both in the Scriptures And that by these woords he was not made and constituted shepheard ouer all it is very plaine by the fact of S. Peter which durst not enterprise much conuersation amongst the Gentiles but eschewed it as a thing vnlawfull and much rather prohibited than commaunded by Gods lawe vntill he was admonished by the reuelation of the shéete full of diuerse viandes mencioned in the Actes of the Apostles where if Christ by these woordes Pasce oues meas Féed my shéep had giuē such an vniuersal gouernance to Peter then Peter being more feruent then other of the Apostles to execute Christes cōmaundement would of his owne courage haue gone without any such new admonitiō to Cornelius except peraduēture you would say that Peter did not vnderstand the sayde woordes of Christ for lacke of the light which these latter men haue obteined to perceiue therby vnderstand the woords of Christ to Peter better than Peter himselfe did And strange also it were to condēne Peter as an high traitour of his Master after his ascention as he in déed were worthy if his Master had signified vnto him that the Bishops of Rome by his dying ther should be heads of all the church he knowing by these woords Pasce oues meas Féed my shéepe notwithstanding his Masters high legacy cōmaundement yet would flée as he did from Rome vntil his Master encountring him by the way with terrible words caused him to retourne And bicause this history peraduenture might not weigh against an obstinate minde to the contrary what shall we say to the woords of S. Ambrose declaring affirming as great as ample primacie to Paul as to Peter vpon these woords of Paul Qui operatus est Petro c. he that wrought for Peter c. Thus he writeth Petrum solum nominat sibi comparat quia primatum ipse acceperat ad fundādum ecclesiam se quoque pari modo electū vt primatum habeat in fundādis Ecclesijs Gentium Et paucis interiectis Ab hijs itaque videlicet apostolis qui inter caeteros clariores erant probatū dicit Paulus donum ꝙ accepit à Deo vt dignus esset habere primatum gentium sicut habebat Petrus in praedicatione circumcisionis Et sicut dat Petro socios viros egregios inter Apostolos ita sibi iungit Barnabam qui diuino iudicio ei adiunctus est gratiam tamen primatus sibi soli vindicat concessam à Deo sicut soli Petro concessa est inter Apostolos deteruntque sibi inuicē dexteras c. Et Paulo post Quis auderet inquit Ambrosius primo Apostolo resistere nisi alius talis qui fiducia electionis suae sciens se non imparem constanter improbaret quod ille sine consilio fecerat Which may thus be englished He nameth Peter onely and compareth him to himselfe for he receiued a Primacie to buylde a Church and that he in lyke sort was chosen to haue a Primacie in buylding the Churches of the Gentiles And shortly after it followeth Of the Apostles he sayth his gifte was allowed which he had receiued of God that he might be founde worthy to haue the Primacie in preaching to the Gentiles as Peter had in preaching to the Iewes And as he assigned to Peter for his companions which were the chosen men amongst the Apostles euen so also doth he take to himselfe Barnabas who was ioyned vnto him by Gods iudgement yet did he challenge still to himselfe alone the prerogatiue of Primacie which God had graunted him as to Peter alone was it graunted among other of the Apostles So that the Apostles of the Circumcision gaue their hands to the Apostles of the Gentiles to declare their concorde in fellowship that eyther of them should know that they had receiued the perfection of the spirite in the preaching of the Gospel so should not néed eyther other in any matter And shortly after who should dare resist Peter the chiefe Apostle but an other such a one which by the confidēce of his electiō might know himselfe to be no lesse so might reproue boldely that thing which he inconsideratly had done c. This equalitie of dignitie of Paul which S. Ambrose affirmeth by Scripture to be equally committed to Peter and Paul ▪ Saint Cyprian and Saint Hierome doe extende to all the Apostles Cyprian saying thus