Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	church_n	1,754	5	4.4354	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91581	Queene Elizabeths bishops or, a briefe declaration of the wickednesse of the generality of those bishops of England that lived in the purest times of King Edward the sixth, and Queen Eiizabeth [sic], and some things concerning ours. Writ of purpose to keepe the Kings good subjects from being cheated of their loyalty, honesty, peace, wealth, religion, God and salvation, all which they had like to have lost of late.		1642 (1642)	Wing Q152; Thomason E180_23; ESTC R12758	7,533	16

the regiment of his Son Iesus Christ The same Lord for the love he beareth to his poore people open the eyes of her Maiestie and the honourable Councellors that they may see your godlesse practises and in pitty to Gods people rid us from you and turne away his iudgements which the reiecting of his holy yoke hath deserved not punishing them that mourne for the desolation of Sion with those that spoile and make havocke of the Lords Inheritance Amen The end of the Epistle I shall here adde some instances not mentioned in the former Epistle AT the beginning of Queen Elizabeths raigne the better halfe of the Protestant Bishops were those that but a little before had been Popish Prelates in Queen Maries time it seemes they were very indifferent men for their Religion Bishop Bancraft licenced some Popish bookes in one of which it is maintained that it was in the Popes power as a gift appropriate to Saint Peters Chaire to depose the Kings of England They made a great many ignorant and lewd unpreaching and some almost or altogether unread Priests or Sir Iohns And the Bishop of London made the Porter of his Gate when he was olde and blinde and so unserviceable the Minister of Paddington The Bishop of Saint Davids had two Wives living at once Many of them were common swearers and one of them in print pleaded for the lawfulnesse of swearing by his Faith from Christs words Verily verily I say unto you which were said he as much as By my faith by my faith I say unto you They made an Idoll of the Common-prayer booke for the Bishop of Winchester in a Sermon at Saint Mary Overies blasphemously said that a man might as well find fault with the Bible as the Common-prayer booke The same Bishop also in the 49. page of his Booke against Martin-Marprelate said that the Creed of the Apostles Athanasius and the Nicene contained in them many palpable lies They silenced some hundreds of learned and godly preachers of Christs Gospell outing them of their livings and livelihoods to their undoing So much of Queen Elizabeths Bishops THe Bishops are much more now the cause of all those forementioned evils of Ignorance Atheisme Schismes Treasons Popery and ungodlinesse in the Land Yea more they have been the cause of all these late commotions between England and Scotland as all men know by their labouring to bring in Popery witnesse the horrible superstition and Idolatry of our Bishops in their setting up Altars and Images and bowing to them their practise of Will-worship and endeavouring that the like Superstition and Idolatry might be practised all the three Lands over most cruelly persecuting all that should oppose them Witnesse Master Smart Master Burton Doctor Bastwicke and Master Prinne with many hundreds more Yea travellers doe say that the Pope and the Popish rabble in Rome are not so superstitious as they and they are the men that have thereby caused the State to be so much impoverished as it is emptying the Kings Treasury That he hath many times wanted money to uphold his Majesties honour and the honour of the Nation whereas otherwise he would have been the greatest monyed Prince in the Christian world causing those unjust taxations of Ship-money to the undoing of many and the necessitated expence of all the late Subsidies and the Pole-money to the great weakning and impoverishing of the Common-wealth Oh the Millions of money that they have caused to be drawn out of this State within this three yeares Nay farther it will be maintained that the Hierarchy of Bishops have been the cause of all that precious Christian blood that hath been spilt in Christendome for this many yeares and of the spoiling of that which runs downe the Channels of Germany at this time so that they have made godly Master Tindall a Martyrs words true Woe saith he is the Realme where they are of the Councell as profitable are they to the Realme with their Councell as the Wolves unto the Sheep or the Foxes unto the Geese Obed of the Chri man pag. 116. 152. Oh England England cast out the accursed thing which else will certainly worke thy ruine O our Royall King CHARLES doe this one thing for God purge his House of this rabble of Officers which are none of his that labour all they can to keep the doore shut upon Christ and good men so shalt thou bring a blessing upon thee and thy posterity to the worlds end And O yee Worthies of Israel be strong and couragious in this work of the Lord and all the inhabitants of the Land put to your helping hand Ministers preach them downe all true Christians good Protestants pray them downe And let God arise and let his enemies be scatrered let them be as chasse before the winde and as waxe before the fire that they may melt at the presence of the Lord Amen Amen Certaine questions resolved Quest THen Sir it seemes you would have us bee without Church-government and then wee shall have nothing but Sects and Divisions Answ To be against the present government of Bishops is not to be against Church-government but against Church-ruining and spoiling and against that which is the only let and hinderance of good Government 2. Where the false government of Bishops hath been there hath been Sects and Divisions in all Ages but not so in any other Church where there are no such Bishops Quest But the name and office of a Bishop are set forth in the New Testament as good things Answ It is not the name that is opposed for every good Pastor of a Congregation is a good Bishop but it is that evill present government of Diocesan Bishops which God never ordained and yet is masked under that honourable name of Bishop like unto a Wolfe in Sheepes clothing which we are admonished by our Saviour to take heed of Quest What government would you have Answ I wish and continually pray to God to move his sacred Majesty and the honourable Parliament to labour to finde out and establish the government of Jesus Christ even that government which shall be most consonant to the Scripture that so our Israel may be blessed with the glorious presence of Christ and freed from all those Sects Divisions and distempers which this Land hath been tormented with * ⁎ * FINIS MARKE 9.34 35. But they held their peace for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest And he sate downe and called the twelve and saith unto them if any man desire to be first the same shall be last of all and servant of all MAT. 20.25 26 27. But Iesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will bee great among you let him be your Minister And whosoever will be chiefe among you let him be your servant 1 PET. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flocke The 3. Epistle of S. John ver 9 10. I wrote unto the Church but Diotrephes who loveth to have the preheminence among them receiveth us not Wherefore if I come I will remember his deeds which hee doth prating against us with malitious words and not content therewith neither doth he himselfe receive the brethren and forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of the Church

streames of knowledge in those places where the Lord in mercy bestowed the same and instead of able and painfull Ministers have pestered the Church either with presumptuous proud persons that are esteemed learned and take no paines to bring the people unto the knowledge of Iesus Christ or which is the greatest number such ignorant asses and filthy swine as are not worthy to live in a well ordered Common-wealth And that you are the cause of all Atheisme it is plaine for one may as indeed many doe professe it and you say nothing to him for it If the most filthy liver will fawne upon you and bribe your servants you will not only favour him but assist him against any godly Minister or other but if any that feare God refuse to come under the least of your Popish ceremonies he shall be molested till his purse be empty or else by your traiterous dealing hee have made shipwracke of a good conscience And are not you the cause of all Schismes that make a hotch-potch of true Religion and Popery and so give some an occasion to fall into this course and others into that And it is as cleare that you are so far the cause of all Treasons as without you they had not been For if every Church had had her government according to Christs institution our young Gentlemen and Students had not been for want of teaching and carefull oversight made a prey unto the seducers and consequently to those practises which have brought the bodies of so many unto Tiburne and their soules into hell And who but you be the cause of Popery whilest you use them so well let them doe what they list yea and keep them in office and authority under you yea which more is give them such offices as none that is not Popish can execute I speake not of the ignorance which by your meanes raigneth every where which as they confesse is the mother of their devotion and you are the wretched fathers of that filthy mother whereby you must needs be grandfathers at the least to all kinde of Popery Omnia cum liceant non licet esse bonum And who can without blushing deny you to be the cause of all ungodlinesse seeing your government is that which giveth leave to a man to be any thing saving a sound Christian For certainly it is more free in these dayes to be a Papist Anabaptist of the Family of love yea any most wicked one whatsoever then that which we should be and I could live these twenty yeares any such in England yea in a Bishops house it may be and never be much molested for it so true is that which you are charged with in a Dialogue lately come forth against you and since burned by you that you care for nothing but the maintenance of your dignities be it to the damnation of your owne soules and infinite millions more Enter therefore now at the last into the serious consid●ration of these things remember that one day you must be presented before the Tribunal seat of Iesus Christ to be arraigned for all the soules that have gone to hell seeing you will needs be the rulers of the Church since the Gospel first appeared in this Land then shall you not be excused with this the Queene and Councell will have it so nor with that our State cannot beare it For it shall be said unto you why doe you not informe them better of my will why taught you them not to worship with trembling and feare and to kisse the Son lest he be angry Why did you not tell them that all States must be ruled by my Word and not my Word by them and their policies When these things shall be laid to your charge your consciences shall answer that if you had done so you should have lost your dignities which you loved and sought for especially Then shall you wish that the Mountaines would fall upon you and the hills cover you from the presence of the Lamb and from the presence of him that sitteth upon the Throne And I am perswaded that you are in league with hell and have made a covenant with death yea you doe perswade your selves that there is no God neither shall there be any such day of account or it were impossible that you should give your eyes any sleep or take any rest in your beds untill you had unto the Lord by repentance and the Church by confession unburdened your soules of these hellish wayes wherein you have so long walked Repent repent be not ashamed to amend though others have found you out the way iudge your selves while you have time lest you be made firebrands of hell beyond all time Let our challenges that we have made in the name of the Lord be hearkened unto Let us be disputed with before indifferent Iudges let the holy word of God be the touchstone to trie our dsiputaitons by and then shall it easily appeare who hath the Lord on his side and who not The truth will prevaile in spite of your teeth and all other adversaries unto it for God disdaineth to be crossed by dust and ashes Therefore be not obstinate so long as untill you be found fighters with God but prevent his wrath lest it breake forth against you like fire that none can quench because of the wickednesse of your inventions Venture your Bishoprickes upon a disputation and we will venture our lives take the challenge if you dare if the truth be on your side you may hereby be restored to your dignities and be no more troubled by us but if the truth be against you what shall it profit you to win the whol-world and afterwards lose your owne soules If you refuse still our offer then must you needs be guilty either of this that you know your cause will not abide the tryall or of this that you will take no paines to confute us that keep such a stir in the Church doe not thinke that because you have humane authority on your side therefore you are safe for he whose authority is on our side is the greatest to whose voice all the devils in hell shall stoope much more the silly arme of sinfull flesh We have sought to advance this cause of God by humble suit to the Parliament by supplication to your Convocation house by writing in defence of it and by challenging to dispute for it seeing none of these meanes used by us have prevailed If it come in by that meanes which will make all your hearts to ake blame your selves for it must prevaile maugre the malice of all that stand against it or such a iudgement must overtake this Land as shall cause the eares that heare thereof to tingle and make us be a by-word to all that passe by us The Lord open your eyes that you may see the confusions whereof you are the cause and give you true repentance or confound you in all your purposes that be against him and