Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A11297
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An answere to a letter cum priuilegio.
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Saint German, Christopher, 1460?-1540.
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1535
(1535)
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STC 21558.5; ESTC S100189
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35,044
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126
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vndoutedly our lorde wyll so helpe him and assyst him therin / that he shall nat erre / ne be disceyued For it is written ii Paralip xx Cum ignoremus quid facere / debeamê° hoc soluÌ„ residui habemus vt oculi nostri ad te dirigantur That is to saye / Lorde / whan we be ignorant wot nat what to do / this only remayneth to vs for our confort / that we lyft our eyen vp to the. And if we do so we may trust verily that his helpe and counsell wil neuer fayle vs / but wyll bring vs to the knowlege of that that is necessarye for vs. ¶ An answere to dyuerse shorte particuler questions conteyned in the letter The .viii. chapiter TO all the shorte partyculer questions coÌ„teined in your letter I wyll brefely as I can make answer in this .viii. cha And as to the fyrst of the sayd particuler questyons / I thinke that kynges and princes might haue prohybyt the clergy to haue ordeyned amongest theÌ„ patryarkes / cardnials / or any other degree iÌ„ the clergye but onely bysshops / prestes deakoÌ„s Also if a maÌ„ had takeÌ„ two benefyces with cure iÌ„ this realme / they both after the old groundes of the law of the realme had ben voide / this voydance was called cessyon but in ê“cesse of tyme lycenses wer opteyned from Rome to haue two benefices And those lyceÌ„ses by power of the clergy were iuged to be good / and so the lawe and custom of the Realme in that poynte was broken And yet it wyll be verye harde to proue it by the lawe / that it shulde haue ben so And neuerthelesse by reason therof / the seyde grouÌ„de was altered to this effect / that if a man toke two benefyces without dyspensacyon fro Rome / that both benefyces shuld be voyd but if the first grounde were clerely reuyued none to haue but one benefyce / it were well done for the breking of that grounde hath done gret hurte / than it might ther vpon be ê“uided that he that is more worthy shuld haue the better benefyce no vnyon of benefyces to be made in tyme to come Also though the apostles discyples of Christ and theyr successours had auctorite by the gospell to preche the gospell yet that any one of them shulde haue auctorite to prohybyt another of them of prechyng / appereth nat by the gospel but in case that any take vpon him to preche teche any thyng agaiÌ„st the catholycall faythe / to the parell and daunger of the kynges subiectes / and whereby scysmes and varyaunces be lyke to folowe amoÌ„ge his people suche of the clergye as knoweth it / ar bounde to enforme the kyng of it / than he thervpon may prohibyt them of prechyng / see them corrected as the case requireth But if the rulers in the clergye / shulde haue full auctoritie to make such prohibicyons / it might be that abusioÌ„s in the clergy shuld nat be so well touched as charytie wolde they shulde be / that might be greate hurte trouble to all the realme / and that the kyng and his parlyament hath auctorite to make that prohibycyon The clergye of englaÌ„de knewe right well whaÌ„ they laboured in the parlyament / that commyssyons shuld be grauÌ„ted to the sheryffes to arest prechers of heresy Anno .ii. Rich. ii stat ii Cap. vltimo And as to that opinyon that ye write to me of / whether the soules that be dyscessed in grace be nowe in heueÌ„ / or that they rest for a certayne tyme in a place to them appoynted by god tyll that the tyme of the generail resurrectyon shall come / so that the bodye the soule may be ioyned togyther / and than they both togyther to go to heuen and haue the fruycyon of the godheed nat before Verily I haue herde but lytell spekynge thereof many a daye For scrypture is so playne therin / And is nowe so well knowen to many by the reasoÌ„ that it is come in to the Englysshe tonge / that dyuers that haue douted therin in tymes past / be nowe contented and holde theire pease And parte of the textes that haue somewhat stablysshed theÌ„ therin / I shall brefely recyte One texte is Psal C.xxvi where it is sayde Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum ecce hereditas domini filii merces fructus ventris That is whan our lorde hath gyuen to his beloued / slepe lo the inherytance of oure lorde / the rewarde of the sonne / and the frute of the wombe whiche is thus moche to saye That whan oure lorde hath taken a ryghtwyse man / nat bounde to anye synne / ne to anye payne for synne / by the slepe of naturall deth that forthwith cometh the enherytaunce of god / the rewarde of the sonne of god That is to saye / the eternall glorie of heuen And the frute of the wombe / which is christ Another texte is this oure lorde sayde to his discyples Ioh. xiii If I go fro you / and prepayre to you a place / I wyll come agayne and take you to my selfe / That where I am / you shal be And so syth he is in heuen / it muste nedes folow that they be there with him And also he sayde Iohannis xvii Father / those that thou hast gyuen to me / I wyll / that where I am / that they shall be with me that they shall see my clerenesse whiche thou haste gyuen me And also it appereth Apocalipsis .xiiii. That Saynte Iohan sawe a Lambe standynge on the mounte of Syon / and with him a hundreth and .xliiii. M. hauyng his name the name of his father / written in their foreheeddes and they sang as it had beÌ„ a newe song before the sete / and before the .iiii. bestes seygnyours / that no man coulde saye but those C.xliiii M that were bought fro the erth And in that he saith that they wer bought fro the erthe / it appereth that they were the soules of theÌ„ whiche had lyued before in erth / whiche saynt Iohan sawe en vysyon standynge before god And it can nat be takeÌ„ that they were there in bodye and soule / but in soule only It appereth also in the gospell that Lazar was in the bosome of Abraham And it is no doute but that the bodye of Abraham that tyme slepte By these textes and dyuers other nat here rehersed / that matter is well appesed / so that I wolde nat haue written to you anye thynge therin / but that ye desyred me in your letter so to do Also there be some here aboute the cytie that thynke that they that endeuour them selfe to withdraw the mindes of the people somwhat fro the inordynate goynge on pilgrymages / prayeng to sayntes / worshippynge of them And fro worshippynge of ymages and relyques styrre theym to set theyr myndes and their deuocion / holly and fully in Christ our sauyour / of whom all goodnesse cometh in heuen and in erth / do more to maynteyne the true honour to our lady and to other sayntes / thaÌ„ they that endeuour them selfe to maynteyne such thynges after the old fashion all that they can for sayntes wold haue no honour gyuen to them / ne any trust put in them but it were princypally for Christe and to his honoure And they saye also that no man may with clere conscyence moue the people to contynue suche thinges after the olde maner But they moue theym lykewyse to be well ware of suche parelles and daungers / as they maye lyghtelye fall in to by occasyon thereof but they take good hede And I thynke verily that it is euen true as they saye in that behalfe Also it is true that ther be right manye here aboute the Cytie as well of the clergye / as of the commen people / that thynke that some doctours that haue written vpon Scrypture in tyme past / haue in thynges concernynge the honoure power / lybertye / and rychesse of the Clergye exteÌ„ded Scrypture / verye farre iÌ„ fauour of the clergy But vpon all places of Scrypture that concerne the faythe and the morall lyuynge of the people they thynke the doctoures haue taken the true sence of it / and veryly I suppose it is euen as they saye And I thynke further that it were right expedyent that it shulde be ofte declared and made manyfest to the people / that Scrypture is the thinge that is of hyghest auctorytie in the churche of god / and that it is alwaye trewe and maye neuer be denyed / that the more it is knowen and loued / the more goodnesse shall folowe of it for it is the fouÌ„dacion of the church the shelde of the world the subuersioÌ„ of the fende / the ladder to paradice and the very true fode of the soule and is also of more vertue ghostly strength / than ar the sayengê of all doctours and sayntes / wherefore blessed be they that can wel folowe it And now haue I accordiÌ„g to your desyre shewed you my conceyte to all the artycles coÌ„tayned in your letter And thus I coÌ„mit you to oure lorde Iesu Amen FINIS ¶ Here endeth the answere to the letter And here foloweth the table of the Chapiters The table of the chapiters wHether the kynge by that he is recognysed to be supreme heed vnder god vpon erth of the church of EnglaÌ„de / haue therby any new power gyuen hiÌ„ ouer his subiectes that he had nat before The fyrst cha ¶ Of dyuers thynges concerniÌ„g the power of the bysshop of Rome and of the statutes made in the .xxv. yere .xxvi. yere of kynge Henry the eyght / which treate of the sayd power The .ii. chapiter ¶ Of prayenge to sayntes and worshyppynge of theym The thyrde cha ¶ Whether there be any opinyon among the people / that there be some abusyons concernynge the masse The fourth Cha. ¶ Of pardons and absolutions The .v. Chapiter ¶ Of restitucyon The .vi. chap. ¶ Who hathe power to declare expounde scrypture / and whose declaracyon we be bounde to folowe and whose nat The .vii. chapiter ¶ An answere to dyuerse shorte particuler questions conteyned in the letter The .viii. chap. ¶ The ende of the table ⧠Printed at London by Tho. Godfray Cum priuilegio Regali
some of the clergye that as he thynketh be suffycyently lerned in scrypture / lyke as it is conuenyent in doutes of Physyke to aske counsell of doctoures of Phisyke / or in doutes of the teÌ„porall law to aske counsell of them that be lerned in the temporal law And if he in any dout of scrypture aske counsell of such clerkes as he thynketh be suffycyently lerned in scrypture / they instruct hiÌ„ other wyse than the true vnderstaÌ„dynge of the scrypture is / yet that suffyceth for him / so it be nat dyrectly agaynst the lawe of reason for that all men are bounden to knowe But syth they of the clergye haue auctorite by the gospell to preache the gospell / they ar more bounden to knowe the gospell thaÌ„ any other But than there be some other texttes in the scrypture that concerne the auctoritie / power / iurisdiction and rychesse of bysshops prestes as it is vpoÌ„ these textê QuodcuÌ„que ligaâ—eris c. Tu es Petrê° et suê‘ hanc Petâ—am c. Tibi dabo claues c. Mat. xvi QuodcuÌ„que ligaueritis c. Mat. xviii Dic ecctie Mat. xviii Ecce duo gladii hic Luc. xxii c. Oraui ê‘te Petre vt non deficiat fides tua et in aliquÌ„ coÌ„uersus c. Luc. xxii Pasce oues meas Io. xxi Predicate euaÌ„gelm oiÌ„ creature Mar vltio Nolite possidere aurum neque argeÌ„tuÌ„ Mat x. c. Qui noÌ„renuÌ„crauerit possidet oiÌ„aqÌ„ noÌ„ potest meê° esse discipulê° luc 14. sicut misit me prÌ„ ego mitto vos Io. xxi Quorum remiseritis peta c. Io. xx habeÌ„tes alimeÌ„ta quibê° tegamur c. i. Timo. vi Nolite taÌ„gere christos meos ps 44. And many other which I here omit if a maÌ„ were in dout vpoÌ„ these textes / what power iurisdiction possessioÌ„s or lyberte the clergy ought to haue by the seyd textê or whether such actê lawê as haue beÌ„ made biÌ„ princes their people concernyng suche thynges were to be obeyd or suche other lyke Many men thynke that it were natte the most surest way to aske couÌ„sell therin of the lerned meÌ„ in the clergi / onles it were of some siÌ„guler elect meÌ„ that through speciall grace / haue seqÌ„stred their myndê fro the loue of all worldly honour riches for the affectioÌ„ to such worldli pleasures haue blynded the iugemeÌ„t of many of theÌ„ so soreê that they haue thought / the the mayntenaunce of the honour of the clergye hath ben a mayntenaunce of the honour of god And so as it were vnder a pretence to maynteyne the honour of god haue dyspleased god maynteyned their owne honour rychesse / farther than the seyde textes / or anye other parte of scrypture wyll warrant them to do This hathe ben sene in some of the clergye / but I truste it be nat so in all / neuerthelesse to speke somewhat further of this mater I thynke that if anye doute ryse vpon any text of scrypture / be it playne or nat playne concernyng the fayth or morall lyuiÌ„g of the people or nat orels the honour / lyberty / ryches of the clergye / or any other thyng whatsoeuer it be if there fall any varyaÌ„ce or vnquyetnesse thervpon amoÌ„ge the people as if one doctoure or many / some of the lay people be of one opinyon therin other of a nother opinyon / thervpon dyuersyties of opinyons vnquyetnesse amonge the people doo ryse / that in all these cases / kynges and princes shal be iudges / haue power to pacyfye all suche vnquyetnesse For it appereth Psal ii that it is said thus to kynges princes O ye kynges / vnderstande ye be ye lerned that iudge the worlde And if it be sayd that by those wordes / Iuge the worlde / that kinges and princes must iuge onely vpon temporall thynges as vpon the bodyes / landes goodes And nat vpon any thyng that apperteineth to the soule trewly that is a right great erroure / for it wolde bringe the people in belefe / that the successours of the apostles discyples of Christ haue only cure of soules nat kynges princes And that is nat so for it is no dout / but if a prince suffre his people wylfully breke the lawes of god / or the lawes of his realme and se them nat corrected accordyng to his lawes but that he offendeth god rizt highly thereby as euery man shall do / that willyngly wylfully suffreth his seruants breke the law of god without correctyon / whan he may well correcte them and ouer that no man can denye but that euery man is bouÌ„de to procure the ghostly helth of his neyghbour by couÌ„seylyng good example gyuynge to his power as it is writteÌ„ Eccl. xvii God hath gyuen a coÌ„mauÌ„dement to euery man vpon his neybour and syth euery man hathe a charge of his neyghbour / it must nedes folowe that a kynge hath a more speciall charge ouer his subiectes that he is specyally boundeÌ„ to prohibyt all thinges as nigh as he can wherby his subiectes spirytuall or temporall might haue occasion to breke the lawes of god the charge of the clergy is to mynister the sacrameÌ„tes to the people and to preche teche them howe to please god kepe his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes if they be neglygent do nat so / kynges princes ar bouÌ„den to coÌ„mauÌ„de them to do it And if they gyue the people euyll exaÌ„ple / princes ar bouÌ„de to make theÌ„ leue it let euery maÌ„ therfore iuge whether any curate may truly say the kyng hath only cure of the bodyes of my parysshens / but I of their soules for it is no dout but that kynges princes haue cure and charge ouer both / that nat only ouer the soules of laye meÌ„ but also of the soules of bysshops prestes therfore such vayne sayengê wolde be prohibyt / for they nourisshe engendre gret pride / and for a further prouf that priÌ„ces may pacify all maner of vnqietnes that may rise amoÌ„g their people by any maner of occasioÌ„ spuÌ„all or temporall It is sayde Exo. vi a wyse kynge is the stablenesse of his people wherof it foloweth / that if the vnstablenesse come by occasyon of any exposycion of scrypture / be it by doctours / prechers / or any other / that kynges haue power to stable theÌ„ And of that it foloweth also that if any man wyll preache in such maner that it is lyke to make vnquietnesse among the people that the prince maye prohybit him of that prechyng for he that hath auctoritie to remoue an vnquyetnesse present hath auctorite to preuent occasions wherby such vnquietnesse might happen to folow after amonge his subiectes Furthermore / all men agree that the catholyque churche maye expounde scrypture if the clergy can proue that they be the catholyke churche / than it beloÌ„geth to them to expounde it But if the