Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	abandon_v	church_n	superior_n	12	3	9.8556	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09088	The second part of the booke of Christian exercise, appertayning to resolution. Or a Christian directory, guiding all men vnto their saluation. / VVritten by the former author R.P..; Booke of Christian exercise. Part 2.	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Christian directory.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. First booke of the Christian exercise.	1592 (1592)	STC 19382; ESTC S126315	217,410	610

beleeue hūbly such things as Christ by his Apostles proposeth to hym albeit hys reason or sence should stand against the same And not onely so but also perswadeth assureth hys own hart soule that all the mercifull promises that God maketh in his word doe belong vnto hym in especiall and that he is one of that nūber which God hath elected to saluation and for whose sinnes Christ Iesus the son of GOD was content to die and to rise again for hys iustification he that findeth hymselfe to be in this faith or rather thys fayth to be in hym and feeleth the fruites effects thereof that is as they are reckoned by the Apostle Rom. 5. to be at peace wyth God to haue an entrance vnto grace to haue spirituall ioy not onely in prosperitie but euen in tribulation and affliction to haue hope that maketh not ashamed and to haue the loue of God shedde abro●d in his hart by the working of the holy Ghost c. Thys man no doubt is in a most sure case for matters of his fayth and cannot possibly walke awry therein but may thynke hymselfe a good Christian for thys first poynt which is for matters of beleefe The second part of this Chapter THere followeth the second parte of Christian pro●ession concerning lyfe and manners which is a matter of so much more difficultie then the former by how many more waies a man may be ledde from vertuous lyfe then from sincere fayth wherein there can be no comparison at all seeing the path of our beleefe is so manifest as hath beene shewed that no man can erre therin but of inexcusable wilfulnesse Which wilfulnes of errour the holy Fathers of Christes Primatiue Church dyd alwaies referre to two principall and originall causes that is to pryde and ouerweening in our owne conceits and to malice against our Superiours for not gyuing our selues contentation to the things that wee desire Of the first doe proceede new opinions new glosing expounding and applying of the Scriptures pre●erring our owne iudgement before all other past or present the contempt and debasing of holy Fathers and Councels whatsoeuer proofe standeth not with our owne lyking and approbation Of the second fountaine are deriued other qualities conformable to that humor as are the denying of iurisdiction authority in our Superiours the contempt of Prelates the exaggeration of the faults defects of our Gouernours the impugnation of al byshoplike dignities or Ecclesiasticall eminencie and especially of that rule wherunto appertaineth the correction of such like offenders and finally for satis-fying this deuilish and pernicious venime of malice those wicked ●eprobates do incite arme the people against theyr spirituall Pastours they kindle factions against Gods faithfull Ministers they deuise a new Church a newe forme of gouernment a newe kingdome and Ecclesiasticall Hiera●chie vpon earth wherby to bring men in doubt or staggering what or whom to beleeue or whereunto to haue recourse in such difficulties as doe arise These two maladies I say of pride and malice haue beene the cause of obstinate errour in all Heretiques from the beginning as ●ul well noted that holy and auncient Martyr S. Cyprian when he sayd so long agoe These are the beginnings originall causes of Heretiques wicked Scismatiques first to please and lyke wel of themselues and then being puffed vp with the swelling of pryde to contemne their Gouernors and Superiors Thus doe they abandon and forsake the church thus doe they erect a prophane Altar out of the church against the church Thus doe they breake the peace and vnitie of Christ doe rebel against Gods holy ordination Nowe then as these are the causes eyther onely or principally of erring in our beleefe most facile and easie as we see to be discerned so of errour in lyfe and manners there are many more occasions causes ofsprings and fountaines to be found That is to say so many in number as we haue euil passions in ordinate appetites wicked desires or vnlafull inclinations within our mind euery one whereof is the cause oftentimes of dysordered life breach of Gods commaundements For which respect there is much more set downe in scripture for exhortation to good lyfe then to fayth for that the error heerein is more ordinary and easie and more prouoked by our owne frailtie as also by the multitude of infinite temptations Wherefore wee reade that our Sauiour Christ in the verie beginning of hys preaching strayght after he was baptised and had chosen vnto him S. Peter and S. Andrew Iames and Iohn some other fewe Disciples went vp to the Mountaine there made his most excellent famous and copious Sermon recited by S. Mathew in three whole chapters wherein he talketh of nothing els but of vertuous lyfe pouertie meekenes iusti●e purity sorrow for sinne pati●nce in suffering contempt of ryches● forgiuing of iniuries fasting prayer repentance entrance by the straight gate and finally of perfection holinesse and integritie of conuersation and of the exact fulfilling of euery iote of Gods Law and cōmandements He assured hys Disciples with great asse●eration that he came not to breake the Lawe but to fulfill the same and consequently who soeuer should breake the least of hys Commaundements and shoulde teach men so to doe that is should perseuere therin without repētance and so by hys example drawe other men to doe the like should haue no place in the kingdom of heauen Againe he exhorted them most earnestly to be lyghts and to shyne by good works to al the world that except theyr iustice dyd exceede the iustice of the Scribes and Pharisies which was but ordinary and externall they could not be saued Hee told them plainly they might not serue two Maisters in thys lyfe but eyther they must forsake God or abandon Mammon He cryed vnto them Attendite stand attent and consider wel your state and condition and then againe● seeke to enter by the straight gate And lastly he concludeth that the only trial of a good tree is the good fruite which it yeeldeth without the which fruite let the Tree be neuer so faire or pleasant to the eye yet it is to be cutte down and burned And that not euery one that shall cry or say vnto him Lord Lord at the last day shal be saued or enter into the kingdome of heauen but onely such as did execute in deedes the will and commaundements of hys Father in thys life For want whereof he assured them that many at that day who had not only beleeued but also doone miracles in hys Name should be denied reiected and abandoned by hym Which long lesson of vertuous lyfe being the first that euer our Sauiour gaue in publique to his Disciples then newly gathered toge●her as S. Matthew noteth hauing treated some-what before of poynts of fayth and by some miracles and preaching shewed himselfe to be

this was rather of barbarous cruelty in the Pagans for theyr resistaunce then directly for hatred of Iewish Religion And for the number there is no doubt but that more Christians were put to death within two monethes for theyr beleefe thorow out the worlde then were of Iewes for two thousande yeres before Christes cōming which is vndoubtedly a matter very wonderfull considering that the Iewish Religion impugned no lesse the Pagan Idolatry then doth the doctrine of the Christians But this came to passe that Christes words might be fulfilled who sayde I come no●●o bring peace but the sworde And a●gaine I send you ●oorth as sheepe among wolues That is to say to bee torne and harried and your bloode to be deuoured In which extreame and most incredible sufferings of christiās three poynts are worthy of great consideration The first what infinite multitudes of al estates conditions sexe qualities and age dyd suffer dailie for testimony of thys truth The second what intollerable and vnaccustomed torments not hearde of in the world before were deuised by Tyrants for afflicting thys kinde of people The thyrd what inuincible courage and vnspeakeable alacritie the Christians shewed in bearing out these afflictions which the enemies themselues could not attribute but to some diuine power supernaturall assistance And for thys latter poynt of comfort in their sufferings I wil alledge onely thys Testimonie of Tertullian against the Gentiles who obiected that wicked men suffered also as wel as Christians whereto this learned Doctor made answer in these words Trueth it is y t many men are prone to ill and doe suffer for the same but yet dare they not defend their euill to be good as Christians doe theyr cause For that euery euil thing by nature dooth bring with it eyther feare or shame and therefore we see that malefactors albeit they loue euil yet wold they not appeare so to the worlde but desire rather to lye in couert They tremble when they are taken and when they are accused they denie all doe scarce often-times confesse theyr dooings vpon torments And finally when they are condemned they lament mone and doe impute theyr harde fortune to destiny or to the Planets● But the Christian what dooth hee lyke to thys is there any man ashamed or doth any man repent him whē he is taken except it be for that he was not takē rather if he be noted by the enemy for a Christian he glorieth in the same if he be accused hee defendeth not himselfe if he be asked the question he confesseth it willingly if hee be condemned he yeeldeth thanks What euill is there then in the Christian cause which lacketh the natural sequell of euill I meane feare shame tergiuersation repentance sorrowe and deploration What euill I say can thys be deemed whose guiltinesse is ioy whose accusation is desire whose punishment is happinesse Hetherto are the words of learned Tertullian who was an eye witnesse of that he wrote and had no small part in the cause of those that suffered being himselfe in y t place and state as daily he might expect to tast of the same affliction To which combat how ready he was● may appeare by diuers places of thys hys Apologie wherein he vttereth besides his zeale and feruour a most confident securitie and certaine assurance of Iesus assistance by that which he had seene performed to infinite other in their greatest distresses from the same Lord before So that nothing doth more acertaine vs of the diuine power and omnipotencie of IESVS then the fortitude inuisible which aboue all humaine reason force and nature hee imparted to hys Martyrs The fift Consideration AFter which consideration there commeth to be weighed the fift poynt before mentioned which is of the same power and omnipotencie of Iesus declared and exercised vppon the Spyrits infernall Which thing partly may appeare by the Oracles alledged in the end of the former Section wherein those spyrits fore-tolde that an Hebrew chylde shold be borne to the vtter subuersion and ruine of theyr tyrannicall dominion much more at large the same might be declared by other answers Oracles vttered after Christes natiuity registred in the Monuments euen of the Heathens themselues Wherof he that desireth to see more ample mention especially out of Porphyrie who then was lyuing let hym reade Eusebius sixt Booke De preparatione Euangelica where he shal finde store namely that Apollo many tymes exclaimed● Hei mihi congemiscite Hei mihi hei mihi Oraculorum defecit me claritas Woe vnto m●e lament ye with me woe vnto me woe vnto me for that the honour of Oracles hath now forsaken me Which cōplaints lamentations are nothing els but a plaine confession that Iesus was he of whom a Prophet sayd diuers ages before Attenuabit omnes Deos terrae he shall weare out and bring to beggery all the Gods or Idols of the earth This confessed also the wicked Spyrits themselues whē at Christes appearing in Iurie they came vnto hym dyuers tymes and besought hym not to afflict or torment them nor commaund thē presently to return vnto hell but rather to permit them some little time of entertainement in the Sea or Mountaines or among heardes of Swyne or the lyke Which confession they made in the sight of all the world and declared the same afterwards by theyr facts and deedes For presently vpon Iesus death vpon the preaching of his name Gospel throughout the worlde the Oracles which before were aboundant in euery Prouince and Countrey were put to silence Whereof I might alledge the testimony of very many Gentiles themselues as that of Iuuenall Cessant Oracula Delphis All Oracles at Delphos doe now cease c. That also of another Poet Excessere omnes adytis arisque relictis Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat c. That is the Gods by whom thys Empyre stood are all departed from theyr Temples haue abandoned theyr Altars and place of habitation Strabo hath also these expresse wordes The Oracle of Delphos at this day is to be seene in extreame beggery mendicitie And finally Plutarch that lyued within one hundred yeeres after Christ made a speciall Booke to search out the causes why the Oracles of the Gods were ceassed in hys tyme. And after much turning and winding many waies resolued vpon two principall points or causes therof The first for that in hys tyme there was more store of Wise-men then before whose aunswers might stand in steede of Oracles and the other that peraduenture the spyrites which were accustomed to yeeld Oracles were by length of tyme growne olde and dead Both which reasons in the verie common sence of all men must needes be false and by Plutarch himselfe cannot stande with probability For first in hys Bookes which he wrote of the lyues of auncient famous men he confesseth that in such kind of wisedome as he