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	church_n	doctrine_n	1,639	5	6.3333	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13320	A myrror for Martinists, and all other schismatiques, which in these dangerous daies doe breake the godlie vnitie, and disturbe the Christian peace of the Church. Published by T.T.	Nash, Thomas, 1567-1601, attributed name.; T. T., fl. 1590.	1590 (1590)	STC 23628; ESTC S118084	30,611	40

contrarie parte Papists Atheists and other wicked and godlesse men are delighted in them for that the idolatrous superstition and abhomination of the one is not as it ought to be reproued and condemned because you haue now wholy turned the spyrituall swoorde from them against your brethren hauing giuen occasion to the Papistes to saie vnto vs Vos Christiani dissidetis inter vos c. Ye Protestants doe disagrée among your selues and haue so many sectes among you that all which notwithstanding beare the title of Christianisme yet doo ye curse and condemne one another wherefore your religion is no true religion neither hath it procéeded from God and because the hypocrisie and counterfait holynes of the other is not discouered who onely hope that will come to passe through your discention at the last that they shal possesse the whole patrimonie of the church Which if it shoulde so fall out as God forbidde it shoulde learning thereby will decaie barbarisme will take place and so in time this most flourishing Church in Christendome shall be ouerthrowen Moreouer they which are come to a little tast of the Gospell are now readie to forsake their errors and superstitions purposing to cleaue vnto the Gospell are set backe and hindered by these contentions and saie they know ther are many ercors abuses great faults in the Popish Church but yet they cannot ioyne themselues vnto vs who so sharply contend accuse and braule one with another Of these weaklings Chrisostome speaketh thus Venit gentilis et dicit velim fieri Christianus sed nescie cui adherem c. The Gentile commeth and sayth I woulde faine bee a Christian but I know not with whom to ioyne there are many dissentions and tumults among you I knowe not what opinion to choose and holde for euery one sayth I speake the truth Also of this stumbling blocke Melancton in his time complained Quos fugiamus habemus sed quos sequamur non intelligimus We know saith he whom we should auoide meaning the Papists but whome to follow we cannot determine Such is the state of the church of England at this day through the diuersitie of opinions that weaklings are greatly dismaied Yet this excuse in the day of iudgement will not make weaklings whome Paul secludeth out of Gods kingdome faultlesse at the end of theyr life except they conuert themselues vnto Christ and yéeld themselues wholy vnto him they can neuer haue a quiet conscience Other some also saie and most truely that God is the God of peace and concord and not of strife but these Preachers say they are at dissention among themselues and therfore God is not with them But this might haue bene obiected against the Churches in all ages For among the Iewes were sects as the Saduces the Pharesies the Essers and the Stoikes Among the Schoole men were Scotists Tomists and Occamists Among the seuen Deacons of the Primitiue Church was Nicholas of whom came the Nicholaitans mencioned in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn Yea this might haue bene obiected against the Primitiue and most perfect and holy Church of Christ militant wherin have bin so many heresies schismes and sects as Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius and Augustine do testifie that in regard of them the verie name of Christ began to be odious among the people and as Socrates reporteth the christians were mocked and iested at on publike stages and in theyr common plaies and enterludes Neuerthelesse by these obiections it may appeare howe greate heapes of euill suspitions these discords and contentions doe bring whereby we are put in minde the more earnestly and diligently to studie for peace and concord so shall we shew our selues to bee of that blessed number of whom Christ pronounceth this benediction Blessed are the peace makers for they shall bee called the children of God ANd as concerning you men and brethren beloued in Christ which are to heare and learne of vs the pure and whoelsome doctrine of the Gospell of Iesus Christ take héede how and what ye heare Proue the spirites whether they be of God or no because there be many seducers in the world and hold these for vndoubted approued rules first that none can laie anie other foundation beside that which is alreadie laide that is Christ Iesus secondlie that the true Church is alwaies knowen by these thrée things by the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and the exercises of holie life as appeareth by the words of the Apostle Christ loued the Church gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it being cleansed by the washing of water through the word that he might make vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle c. The first two markes are expressed in these wordes By the washing of water through the word and the last marke is this That hee might make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church without spot c. Thirdlie that the same Church is from time to time troubled with false Apostles whom Paul thus painteth out in their coulors to the end ye may know them Haue saith he a diligent eie vnto such as cause diuisions and offences contrarie to the doctrine which ye haue learned and auoid ye them For they that are such serue not the Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies and with faire speach and flattering deceiue the hearts of the simple they créepe into houses and leade captiue simple women which women are euer learning and are neuer able to come to the knowledge of the truth they are vaine talkers and disobedient subuerting whole houses teaching thinges which they ought not for filthie lucers sake they are men of a corrupt minde and reprobate concerning the faith puft vp knowing nothing but wering themselues about questions and strife of wordes whereof commeth enuie strife railings and euill surmisings and vaine disputations men destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is godlines they are also idle go from house to house yea they are not onely idle but also partakers and busie bodies speaking thinges which are not comely they would be Doctors of the lawe and yet vnderstande not what they speake neither whereof they affirme but hauing put awaie a good conscience from them haue made shipwrack of faith whose prophane and vaine bablings shall increase vnto more vngodlines and their word shall fret as a canker they haue onely a shewe of godlines but haue denied the power thereof but they shal preuaile no longer for their madnesse shall be euident vnto all men These markes being so euident you cannot be seuered from the true Church except ye wil most wilfully run to schisme a monster most perillous The famous Bishoppe Dionysius as witnesseth Eusebius saith y ● to suffer martyrdome for the auoiding of schisme is more commendable then for the auoiding of idolatrie because in the one is the safetie of our

they doe outwardly pretend religion and inwardly intend subuersion promise and proclaime that they will restore ancient perfection but they performe nothing but the idle conceites of their owne fansies What better argument can there be of this then their deadly hatred toward their brethren their daily contentions their tanting ribaldrie railings vpon theyr superiours and their Momish fault finding wherein Saint Augustine fitly compareth them vnto Iobs dogs which licked his sore partes onely And Iustine Martyr compareth them to flies which doe euer gather about the diseased partes of anie creature Moreouer many great Clarkes now a daies without anie iust cause stirre vp grieuous contentions by mistaking and peruerting the godly actions and also the sound and wholsome doctrine of reuerend Fathers and good men and so by this means those good Ministers which are giuen to peace and had rather applie themselues to teaching reformation of lyfe and edifying of the Church are constrained by force to cease from their function and labour being a thing most néedful and to applie themselues for their defence against Brownists Martinists and such other like pestilent Sectes and Schismatiques wherby it commeth to passe that euen against their wils they are wrapped in contentions But those that kindle these flames of discord and by that meanes prouoke other vnto schisme which are louers of peace doe greatly offend the maiestie of God And those again on the other side are both before God and man to bee excused which stoutly and modestly withstand that viperous broode and yet so much as in them lieth doe still prefer peace before Schisme In the Primitiue Church of Christ if there happened anie sturre or anie suspition of errour to arise they sought the reformation and quieting thereof farre otherwise to wit by admonition by friendly communication and brotherly conference and when any manifest proofe of suspected opinion was euidently shewed forth they receiued the same and quietly without gainsaying yéelded themselues as it may euidently appeare in the reconciliation of Iohn the Bishop of Antioch Theodoretus and others of the East with Cirillus Alexandrinus And by this meanes they suffered not one braule to bréede of an other neither were their contentions endlesse neither striued they despitefully among themselues but handled al things with godly zeale vnto sound doctrine But if anie had erred and persisted obstinatly in his errour then did they admonishe all men to beware of him and to auoide his companie like as Saint Paul both taught and did also himselfe And by this meanes all things in the Church were in good state and al contentions for the most part were quieted Also the ancient Fathers in all ages did bend themselues against those which peruerted the godly actions and sound doctrine of others and which went about to stirre vp néedlesse contentions in the Church And those which in the Primitiue Church professed one and the same religion of Christ could not easily bee stirred to contention among thēselues least they should giue occasion thereby vnto their enemies the Philosophers idolatrous Priestes and others of the subtill Gentiles and Heathen to reioyce or matter whereby they might be confirmed in their errors But they altogether gaue themselues vnto concorde cutting off in due time all occasions of discord and ioyning their forces together fought against the enemies of the Church whereof Constantinus magnus that good Emperour verie notablie admonished the Bishops But when they followed not his counsell but without all reconciliation stroue among themselues there arose héereof most lamentable miseries to the Church as the histories both of Arrius and Mahomet doe euidently proue There arise also diuers discords and dissentions among the Ministers of the Church when some of them vse a proper and peculiar forme and order which themselues haue deuised both of preaching and also of other actions in religion and woulde binde others to the same although they knowe that the whole state being christian hath otherwise decréed And if peraduenture their deuice be reiected so that men do not conforme themselues to their fantasticall conceits by and by they iudge them not onely enemies but also crie out against them and saie that they are Papists and seducers being so contentious and péeuish that by no meanes they will bee satisfied except that all those things may bee receiued wherewith themselues are delighted But let them knowe that where there is a Christian Church once instituted and established all things ought to bee done in y e same in due order els why did Paul reproue some for breaking customes of preaching of praying of cutting of haire c. which order Anabaptists cannot abide but woulde mingle and confound all things by the subtill instigation of the deuill who misliketh not anie thing so much especially in diuine things as a right and well ordered gouernment As there is one God one Faith and one Baptisme one Christ one holy Ghost one onely true religion so is it néedfull that all things be done according to one rule els many yea infinite religions will rise one contrarie to another yea contrarie Churches to For euerie one will inuent a Church according to his owne fantasie We haue all one hope one communion one bonde of peace and one sacrifice and who so euer diuideth himselfe from this vnitie sayth Saint Cyprian alienus est prophanus est hostes est he is a stranger he is a prophane person he is an enimie And Saint Augustine saith Non potest esse particeps diuinae charitatis qui hostis est vnitatis Quisquis enim se ab Ecclesia seperauerit quantumlibet laudabiliter se viuere existimet hoc solo scelere quo a Christi vnitate seiunctus est nō habet vitam sed ira Dei manet super eum that is he cannot be partaker of diuine charitie which is an enimie of vnitie For whosoeuer separateth himselfe from the vnitie of the Church how commendably so euer he séemeth in his owne eies to walk for this wickednesse alone by which he is seuered from the vnitie of Christ hee hath no life but the wrath of God abideth vpon him It is most conuenient that there be in the Church one vniforme order as touching the times the places the formes and other circumstances to be vsed in the seruice of almightie God for the honour of his name as it is prescribed by the wisedome and godly discretion of this whole Christian state that all Schismes and contentions might be taken awaie Wherefore els did the Lord God command his people of Israel to méet together in one place and to sacrifice all after one forme in theyr seuerall sacrifices which he had prescribed Assuredly euen because there should be no occasion giuen of Schisme as might haue bene if the Israelites had assembled together in diuers places and had vsed such order and forme as they themselues liked and as the

garboiles they nothing regarde howe they may as cause requireth prouide for the publique state but in stead thereof vnder a great shew of holines and zeale they thrust into the house of God before the whole congregation their contentious conceits péeuish affections and so by these kinde of Sermons the simple and silly people receiueth small profit being by these not instructed as they ought to be in faith confirmed nor moued to repentance but rather are troubled and made worse and disobedient Whereby it commeth to passe that they saie they cannot tell what to beléeue nor to what sound and true foundation to leane And thus these Scismatiques by their contentions to vse Saint Ambrose wordes against them Quadam nuncapatiua fidei germanitate parricidialibus gladijs homines cupiunt vulnerare With a certaine brotherly affinitie or likenes of one faith they couet to wound men as if one brother should drawe his sword against another Such false Apostles are craftie workers transforming themselues into the Apostles of Christ and are excellently described in the Apocalips vnder the names of locusts the formes wherof were similes equis paratis in praelium like horses redie to the skirmish that is to saie hot and vehement and they had vppon their heads as it were crownes not crownes in déede and like to golde but not golde their faces were as the faces of men that is they séemed good and honest men and they had hayre like vnto womens haire many faire shewes and resemblances and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots and horses but they had tayles like to Scorpions and their stings were in their tailes that is to say the end effect of all their labours was to seduce men to euerlasting damnation The state therefore of the Church in these our dayes is like a great houshold wherein not onely the sonnes daughters and seruants are at continuall discord braule among themselues whereby it commeth to passe that none of them doth his dutie nor séeketh to vpholde the state of the house but also the parents themselues which are chiefe of the house and ought to remoue those contentions and put euery man in minde of his dutie are also at contention and strife together and so hauing respect onely to their owne contentions they let the whole house go to hauock caring nothing at all whether it be gouerned well or ill yea by reason of these braules they confirme the troubled housholde in their conceiued wickednes whereby at last they altogether miserablie perish For these vnhappie contentions of the parents are the chiefe meanes to vpholde the cause of that heauie destruction of the whole housholde This is a verie fit reseblance of the Ministers of the Church of England at this daie I meane those that be faltie in this behalfe For those which are not faultie as I hope through the grace of God the most are such are not offended with this speach For the other doe grieuously offend and no small parte of the cause both of the corruptions of the present manners and also of the times doe rest in them For whereas they ought by doctrine reprouing and exhorting grauely to helpe the publique state and preuent the worst they doe not as they ought imploy their diligence herevnto but rather doe giue themselues to sow sedition then studie to follow their function and so vnfruitfully they continually wearie and offend the people that many the more is to be lamented do stubburnly persist and continue in their incredulitie and so repent not to theyr owne destruction and at the last contemne both the Church and doctrine But such as rather loue contentious inuectiues then quiet preachings and haue so vsed themselues thereunto that they can almost doe nothing els but contend obiect to vs the saying of Saint Paul who commandeth a Bishoppe to holde fast that faithfull word which tendeth vnto doctrine that he may bée able to exhort by wholesome instruction and to confute such as shall speake there-against Truly I answere it is néedfull that euerie faithfull Minister should stedfastly cleaue to wholsome doctrine and earnestly bend himselfe against that which is contrarie and agaynst such as peruert the same so as hée may bée able with firme arguments to confute their peruerse and false opinions and so ouerthrowe falshood before they can vtter it This may be done stoutly and yet modestly And this graue modestie is to be learned by the examples of the Apostles who although they had many enemies yet notwithstanding did not immodestly rage in any place of their writings and sermons against a publike estate of the whole Church which themselues had planted The Apostle Paul who would haue a Bishop to holde fast true doctrine and to resiste those that speake agaynst the same doth notablie speake of these things charging thus The seruant of the Lord must not striue but must be gentle to all men apt to teach suffering euill men patientlie instructing them with meeknes that are contrarie minded prouoking if God at anie time will giue them repentance that they may know he truth c. These precepts of the Apostle are to be obserued by the Ministers of the worde in such wise that they be not moued to immoderate heate and rayling whereby in déede they destroie more then they build But saie they the euill manners of men must be restrained by the straight discipline of the Primitiue Church and religion must be restored to that perfection from which by the corruption of times it is fallen and this say they is the marke ende of all our labours Let vs sée and consider this haue these reformers taken in hand to embrace méeknesse and humility Haue they cast from them the bitter gall of hatred and cursed speaking Haue they crucified their fleshly desires The Apostles whose steps they would séeme to followe by their example exhorted the world to humilitie lowlynes méeknesse and patience these teach theyr schollers pride crueltie scolding and cursed speaking The people saie they may not tarrie the leasure of the Magistrate in reformation of religion the present state is Antichristian Againe they were all of one minde disciples of one maister the holy Ghost they laboured to knit men together with the sure bond of peace and to fasten them with the gliewe of mutuall loue they praied to God for the health and wealth of them that wronged them being rayled on they gaue not foule language againe Alas the contrarie is true with them Quot capita tot sensus How many heads so many opinions Their shamefull doings do disproue their shamelesse sayings They speake as if they had in se nihil humanū as if they had mortified al concupiscence in their mortall bodies as loosed from the bondage of sin as if God were the onely obiect of their thoughts and the holie Ghost their counsailour Curios simulant et Bacchanalia viuunt