Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	according_a	law_n	person_n	1,451	5	4.8874	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62171	The infancy of elders a short treatise composed for vindication of the Christian liberty of freeborne denizens of England, or A refutation of the tyrannicall unlawfull mis-government of our church by lay-elders / written by J.S. minister of the Word in Lancashire.	J. S., Minister of the Word in Lancashire.	1647 (1647)	Wing S68; ESTC R8376	22,428	29

THE INFANCY OF ELDERS A Short Treatise composed for Vindication of the Christian liberty of Free-borne denizens of England OR A Refutation of the Tyrannicall unlawfull misgovernment of our Church by Lay-Elders Written by J.S. Minister of the Word in Lancashire Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage Printed in the Yeare 1647. The Infancy of Elders I Have long time exercised my patience in forbeareance to write something of this Subject tryfling away many dayes in a tedious expectation that some one better able would have prevented me who more fully and accurately then I know my self able to performe might have perfected this worke but seeing the daily incroaching tyranny of our new moduled Church Officers spreading like Gangrenes over the whole body of the Kingdome and none offering neither for safety to himselfe and his hereditary freedome nor for prevention of evill to his brethren to calterize or take up a veine in them to obstruct this new dangerous hot disease in our Ecclesiasticall body some though convinced in judgement that they are pernicious mischiefes in a Kingdome yet basely fearing man more then God forbeare to write against them others partly Classicall partly Episcopall but really nothing hovering aloofe with the reare-Mouse to see the battell betwixt birds and beasts with resolution to joyn with the stronger party and now perceiving the Classes headily run on forbearing to stop their proud carreer like bruit beasts creepe into some crib and there stop their mouths with meat and thinke with dumbnesse to fatten themselves without giving testimony to the world of their humane reason and indeed generally lulling themselves in a sottish silence have made themselves guilty thus farre of betraying their owne freedomes to the irreverend censures of our new stamped Elders I thought it my duty to shoot this poore paper bullet at them which if it take no impression upon them yet I hope at the rebound it may be taken up by some who perceiving the softnesse of my Ammunition will prepare harder ware against these impetuous furies however it will be some evidence to future ages to procure a non-guilty upon my name for traiterously consenting to the subversion of the furdamentall Lawes of this Kingdome and betraying that liberty and freedome which as a Free-borne childe of God I ought to enjoy into the hands of ignorant Tyrants and like wise serve to free me from a brand of instability or wandring in my principles suffering my selfe to bee tossed too and fro with every puffe of wind Know Reader I am not of such a Weather-cock temper as to bee moved from my well-grounded station though the North wind bluster high let others who lately were of my opinion till the magneticke force of earthly preferment withdrew them turne Hyperborean dotterells and imitate the fashions prescribed them by holy Highlanders whom the unseasonablenesse of some late winters forced Southward more to succour themselves in a warmer clime then out of any good intended to us natives let such I say play the Apes after them setting up their holy forme of worship and Church-government use the learned perswasions which a proud Presbyter lately reputed a good man whilest ten pound per annum at a private Chappell could satisfie him but now having betroathed a Parliament mans sister is by the strong cordage of attractive Apron-strings drawne up a hill to a benefice of five hundred pound labouring to draw his Auditory to the subscription hereof told them whose bare assertions with his rusticke Auditory passe for Oracles it was a government used in the Jewish Church and therefore to be followed by us Christians Oh rare Pulpit Rhethoricke It pities my heart to thinke how the poore Country people are misled by these blinde guides who poore Simpletons perceiving the current of the times are many of them troubled having plumbeous head-peeces to shape their Pulpit stuffe according to the humor thereof in which they take more paines for saving their benefices then their peoples soules you can scarcely goe to heare a Sermon but the subject thereof is obedience to this godly government and the Presbyterian fatlings will blatter out and quote almost every verse in the Bible that hath but the word Elder in it to prove its lawfulnesse thereby these silly quondam Sur-Johns but now Presbyter or Prester Johns Parochiall Princes doe more Lord it over Gods heritage then ever Becket Wolsey or Laud did instead of feeding leading their flocks into captivity forcing submissions to their imperious rules contrary to the doctrine and late professions of most of them and avouch Authority from the Parliament for to justifie their proceedings herein and proclaime commission for each one to be summus sacerdos sui Classis and the Eldership to bee Officers of the Church of Jesus Christ by Authority of both Houses of Parliament and who dare say against it I am loath to set perine to paper to clash against any thing debated and concluded in that High and Honourable Court having hitherto laboured to my power to propagate their cause which Cause was protested to bee and expresly set downe in the Covenant that it was the defence of his Majestics person the Protestant Religion the fundamentall Lawes and liberty of the Subject and to endeavour Reformation of Religion in the Church of England according to the holy word but now they having set up a Government not agreeable to Gods word nor consistant with the fundamental Lawes of this Kingdome as I shall shew you anon I resolving with my self that it was better to obey God then man did for prevention of further misleading captive poore soules for satisfaction of some men wavering in opinion for discharging of my owne conscience and for instructing not correcting the Honourable Parliament in hopes to adde some good soules to the number of those honest Patriots who were but by few out-voted in the setling of this Antichristian government and in hopes to worke heereby a peaceable and legall quashing of the same adventure to publish this paper wherein I shall endeavour to anatomize this giddy government and shew its illegality which undertaking if I erre through ignorance I will upon convincement from better judgement grounded upon sound divinity and reason willingly recant my mistakes and subscribe to and allow of a warrantable Eldership In the meane time I crave pardon for a little freedome of language It may perchance be wondered at by some that I being not of very grave yeares my selfe should dare to write any thing against the Grandees Seniors of our times but we have a Proverb amongst us That old men are twice children and truly such are many of our Elders they may perchance as babes desire the sincere milke of the word but I am sure many of them are not as yet growne thereby sed nucibus relictis I intend to have about with them armed to their best advantage