Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	ceremony_n	division_n	25	3	9.3937	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69535	The grand debate between the most reverend bishops and the Presbyterian divines appointed by His Sacred Majesty as commissioners for the review and alteration of the Book of common prayer, &c. : being an exact account of their whole proceedings : the most perfect copy.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.; Commission for the Review and Alteration of the Book of Common Prayer.	1661 (1661)	Wing B1278A; Wing E3841; ESTC R7198	132,164	165

dissent shewed Rom. 14. then you ever yet produced for forcing others from Ministry and Church into sin and Hell if they will not obey you against their consciences and all for that which you never pretended to shew a command of God for and others shew you as they think Scripture and Councils and customes against To tell us then that Paul spake of things not decent and sign ficant is pardon our plainess to say much less then nothing For it was not against imposing that Paul spake but using and not using censuring and despising And their Arguments were sutable to their cause of another kind of moment then decency or indecency significancy or insignificancy even from supposed Idolatry rejecting Gods Law and complying with the Jews and Hereticks in restoring the Law and casting away the liberties purchased by Christ even in their private eating drinking To be no more tedious now we humbly offer in any way convenient to try out with that Reverend brother tha● so confidently asserted the disparity of the Cases and to prove that these Scriptures most plainly condemn your impositions now in question though we should have thought that one impartial reading of them might end the controversy and save the Church and you from the sad effects As to that 1 Cor. 11. 16. We answer first it is uncertain whether the word Custom referr to the matter of Hair or to Contention so many Expositours judge q. d. The Churches of God are not contentious 2d Here is no institution muchless by fallible men of new Covenanting dedicating or teaching Symbols or Ceremony nor is here any unnecessary thing enjoyned but that which nature and the custom of the countrey had made so decent as that the opposite would have been abusively undecent This is not your case A Cross or Surplice is not decent by nature or common reputation but by institution that is not all for if it be not instituted because decent it will not be decent because instituted nor are these sodecent as the opposite to be indecent The Apostles worshipped God as decently without them as you do with them the Minister prayeth in the Pulpit as decently without the Surplice as in the reading place with it 3d. Paul doth but exhort them to this undoubted comliness as you may well do if men will do any thing which nature or common reputation makes to be slovenly unmannerly or indecent as being covered in prayer or singing Psalms or any such like about which we will never differ with you but even here he talks not of force or such penalties as tend to the greater hurt of the Church and the ruine of the person Sect. 12. A. 4. That these Ceremonies have occasioned many divisions is no more fault of theirs then it was of the Gospel that the preaching of it occasioned strife betwixt father and son c. The true cause of those divisions is the cause of ours which S. Jam. tels us is Last and inordinate desires of honors or wealth or licentiousness or the like were these Ceremonies laid aside there would be the same divisions if some who think Moses and Aaron took too much upon them may be suffered to deceive the people and to raise in them vain fears and jealousies of their Governours but if all men would as they ought study peace and quietness they would find other and better fruits of these Laws of Rites and Ceremonies as edification decency order and beauty in the service and worship of God Reply Whether the Ceremonies be as innocent as to divisions as the Gospel a strange assertion will better appear when what we have said and what is more fully said by Dr. Ames Bradshaw and others is well answered If the true cause of our divisions be as you say lust and inordinate desires of honours or wealth or licentiousness then the party that is most lustfull ambitious covetous and licentious are likest to be most the cause And for lust and licentiousness we should take it for a great attainment of our ends if you will be intreated to turn the edge of your severity against the lustfull and licentious O that you would keep them out of the Pulpits and out of the communion of the Church till they reform And for our selves we shall take your admonitions or severities thankfully when ever we are convicted by you of any such sins We are loath to enter upon such comparison between the Ministers ejected for the most part and those that are in their Rooms as tends to shew by this Rule who are likest to be the dividers And for inordinate desire of honors and wealth between your Lordships and us we are contented that this Cause be decided by all England even by our enemies at the first hearing without any further vindication of our selves and so let it be judged who are the dividers only we must say that your intimation of this Charge on us that seek not for Bishopricks Deaneries Archdeaconries or any of your preferments that desire not nor could accept pluralities of Benefices with cure of souls that never sought for more then food and raiment with the Liberty of our Ministery even one place with a tolerable maintenance whose provoking cause hath been our constant opposition to the Honors Wealth Lordships and pluralities of the Clergy yea who would be glad on the behalf of the poor Congregations if many of our brethren might have leave to preach to their Flocks for nothing we say your intimation maketh us lift up our hearts and hands to heaven and think Oh what is man What may not by some History be told the world Oh how desirable is the blessed day of the righteous universal judgment of the Lord how small a matter till then should it be to us to be judged of man we hope upon pretence of not suffering us to deceive the people you will not deny us liberty to preach the necessary saving truths of the Gospel considering how terrible a Symptom and Prognostick this was in the Jews 1 Thes 2 15 16. Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and persecuted the Apostles and God they pleased not and were contrary to all men forbidding to preach to the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sins alwaies for wrath was come upon them to the utmost We can as easily bear what ever you can inflict upon us as the hinderers of the Gospel and silencers of faithfull Ministers and troublers of the Churches can bear what God will inflict on them And so the will of the Lord be done Sect. 13. Cer. 3. There hath been so much said not only of the lawfulness but also of the conveniencies of those Ceremonies mentioned that nothing can be added This in brief may here suffice for the Surplice that reason and experience teaches that decent ornaments and habits preserve reverence and awe held therefore necessary to the Solemnity of Royal Acts and Acts of justice and