Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	bishop_n	church_n	2,934	5	4.3576	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41016	Sacra nemesis, the Levites scourge, or, Mercurius Britan. disciplin'd, [Mercurius] civicvs [disciplin'd] also deverse remarkable disputes and resolvs in the Assembly of Divines related, episcopacy asserted, truth righted, innocency vindicated against detraction.	Featley, Daniel, 1582-1645.	1644 (1644)	Wing F593; ESTC R2806	73,187	105

dayes after his resurrection speaking of those things which appertain to the kingdom of God Acts 3.1 delivered that to the Church which they received from their Master What government or discipline was that There can be conceived but three formes of government Episcopall most conformable to Monarchie Presbyteriall to A●istoc●acie and Independent as they tearm it to Democracie Presbyteriall or Independent it could not be for Presbyteriall is no elder then the reformation in Geneva and the Independent no elder then New-England whereas Episcopall government hath been time out of mind no● in one bu● in all Churches and sith it was not first constituted by any sanction of a generall Councell it followes necessarily according to S. Augustins observation that it must needs be an Apostolicall institution for what not one Church but all Churches not in one age but all ages hath uniformly observed and practised and no man can define who after the Apostles were the beginners of it must needs be supposed to be done by order or tradition from them 7. This forme of government was not only generally received and embraced by Catholikes but even by heretikes and 〈◊〉 who though they severed from the communion of the Church in doctrine yet not in discipline for the Novatians and Donatists had Bishops of their own from whom they took their names only AErius who stood for a Bishoprick and missed it out of discontent broached that new doctrine wherewith the heads of our schismatiks are so much intoxicated viz. that there ought to be no distinction in the Church between a Bishop and a Presbyter and for this confounding those sacred orders was himselfe ranked among heretiks and stands upon record in the Bed●olls of them made by Epiphanius Augustin and Philastrius It is true he had other brands on him but this was the proper mark put upon him by those ancient fathe●s who mention this tenet of his as erroneous and hereticall I grant some of the ancient Doctors affirm that in the beginning till the prevention of schism made this distinction between Bishops and Presbyters they were all one in name as now they are in those essentiall parts of their function viz. preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments But AErius was the first who professedly oppugned the ecclesiasticall hierarchie maintaining that there ought to be no difference and distinction between Bishops and Elders 8. This assertion of AErius as in the doctrine thereof it was def●ned by the Doctors of the Church to be heresie so in the practise thereof it is condemned by the great councell of Chalcedon to be sacriledge to confound say they the ranks of Bishops and Elders and to bring down a Bishop to the inferior degree of an Elder is no l●sse then sacriledge Now I would fain know how that comes to be truth now which was condemned for heresie and to be pietie now which was branded for sacriledge above 1200 years agoe 9. Neither were the Fathers of the councell of Chalcedon only zealous in this cause which so much concerned the honour of the Church but the other three also whose authoritie S. Gregorie held to be the next to the four Evangelists and the doctrine thereof is after a sort incorporated into our Acts of Parliament Eliz. 1. In these councells which all consisted of Bishops Episcopacie it self is almost in everie canon and sanction either asserted or regulated 10. Next to the primitive Church we owe a reverend respect to the reformed Churches beyond the seas who either have bishops as in Poland Transilvania Denmark and Swethland or the same function is in nature though not in name to wit intendents and super-intendents or they would have them if they could as I understood from manie Ministers in France or at least approve of them as appeareth by the testimonie of Beza Sadiel Scultetus and others 11. What should I speak of the Articles of religion ratified by a sequence of religious Princes succeeding one the other and confirmed by act of Parliament to which all beneficed men are required under pain of losse of their livings within a moneth to professe their assent and consent in which both the power and consecration of bishops and ministers is expressely asserted and their distinction from presbyters or of the Statute of Carlile the 15 of Edw. 2. and the first of Qu. Eliz. with very many other unrepealed Acts in which episcopall government is either related unto or regulated or confirmed in such sort that quite to abolish and extirpate it would bring a confusion and make a stop as well in secular as ecclesiasticall courts And therefore our zealous reformers if they think themselves not too good to be advised by the great councellor ought to take heed how they rashly and unadvisedly pluck up the tares as they esteem them of holy canons and ecclesiasticall laws ne simul ●radicent triticum lest together with those tares as they count them they pluck up by the roots the good wheat of many profitable and wholesome laws of the common wealth and Acts of Parliament 12. But if the authoritie of both houses could soon cure the●e sores in precedent Acts of Parliament yet how will they make up the breaches in the consciences of all those who in the late Protestation and this new Covenant have taken a solemn oath to maintain the priviledges of the members of Parliament and the liberties of the subject The most authenticall evidence whereof are Charta magna and the Petition of right in both which the rights of the Church and priviledges of episcopall sees are set down in the fore-front in capitall letters 13. To strain this string a little higher the power of granting congedeliers together with the investiture of Arch-bishops Bishops and collation of Deanries and Prebends with a setled revenue from the first fruits and tenths thereof is one of the fairest flowers in the Kings crown and to rob the imperiall diadem of it considering the King is a Person most sacred is sacriledge in a high degree and not sacriledge only but perjurie also in all those who attempt it For all Graduates in the Universitie and men of rank and qualitie in the Common-wealth who are admitted to any place of emminent authoritie or trust take the oath of Supremacie whereby they are bound to defend and propugne all preemminences authorities and prerogatives annexed to the imperiall crown whereof this is known to be one inherent in the King as he is supream head of the Church within his realms and defender of the faith 14. Yet for all this admit that reason of state should inforce the extirpation of episcopacie thus rooted as it hath been said both in the royall prerogative and priviledge of the subject and in the laws of of the land it is a golden maxime of law possumus quod jure possumut we can doe no more then lawfully we may If episcopall government must be overthrown it must be done in

To the AUTHOR upon his FRONTIS-PIECE Eagle who e'r thou art it is a prize Not worth thy wing shall eagles stoop at flies True they have blown thy prey but in thy stead The vulgar fly-flap might have struck them dead But they have sported with the flame of Kings That very flame would soon have burnt their wings If not Arachne in her watchfull seat As sure as Greg'ries hand had done the feat But 't is too late some honour it will be Above their merits to be crush't by thee SACRA NEMESIS THE Levites Scourge OR Mercurius BRITAN CIVICVS Disciplin'd ALSO Diverse remarkable Disputes and Resolvs in the ASSEMBLY of Divines related Episcopacy asserted Truth righted Innocency vindicated against detraction Nazianzen Epist. 11. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Anonymus de pace ecclesiae Nunquam veritas rea fuit ut non in eodem foro causam ageret innocentia The truth of religion was never indicted but innocency was arraigned at the same bar DEUT. 33.11 Strike through the loyns of them that rise up against Levi and of them that hate him that they rise not again OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield printer to the Universitie 1644. To the READER WHen the hart is smitten and sore hurt all the raskall deer run away and leave him alone to the crueltie of the blood-hounds so it is with the vulgar sort when a person of qualitie in Church or common-wealth is wounded by the Nimrods of this age in his estate libertie or reputation though not in conscience they all shun him and shift as well as they can for themselves none dare give a pluck at the arrow much lesse chase away the hounds that follow eagerly upon the hot sent and never leave till they have pluckt the deer down O the miserie of these days by so much the more woful because not bemoaned these things are come upon thee who will lament thee What! said I bemoaned nay scorned and derided nay insulted insolently upon nay uncharitably censured If the viper light upon Pauls hand surely he is a murderer not worthy to live if a man be committed certainly he hath committed some great fault in the judgement of the ignobile vulgus who forget of whom the Apostle spake in the Hebrews they were tryed by mockings and scourgings yea moreover by bonds and imprisonment whom the world was not worthy of They who are in durance are judged not to be worthy to live in the world whereas by the judgement of the holy Ghost if they suffer in this kind for a good conscience the world is not worthie of them yet now calamitie is accompted a crime and misery guilt and durance malignancie and to visit those that are imprisoned a sufficient cause of bonds Never was there since the Reformation no not in Q. Maries dayes when the clearest skie of the Church was over-cast with a bloody cloud such a lamentable cry heard from the sons of Levi their wives and children being thrust out of the sanctuarie spoyled of all their goods stript stark naked and starved with hunger and cold as at this present Neither is this all but every tressis agaso every hackney pamphleter every mercenary scribler casts blots on their faces and adds affliction to the afflicted and powreth vinegar into their wounds in stead of oyl Among these Britanicus is the busiest who in the ensuing treatise is called to an accompt But who he is in particular or his antagonist appeares not for they fight like Andabatae in tenebris in the dark or rather like whifflers with vizards on their faces And marvail not at it for truth seldom appears now adays on either side but masked And if Britanicus who is a favourite of the time Gallinae filiu● albae whose daring pen weekly provoketh not only the crozure but the Scepter yet conceals his proper name how much more needed his adversarie so to doe who was before in nimbo and now is in limbo where usually no light is seen but through a chink nor men but through a gra●e who hath lost all pro Christo Domino Domini Christo for the Lord Christ and the Lord his Christ that is his anoynted save the testimonie of a good conscience and a vehement desire to quench the fire kindled of late in the bowels of the Church even with his blood as the Astapani sometimes did and bury it in his ashes The speciall Contents of this treatise with the arguments of every section SECTION I. The character of Britanicus p. 1. SECT. II. The censure of the diurnalls and scouts p. 2. SECT. III. Six shamelesse untruths uttered by Britanicus in three lines and the true cause set down why D. F. was voted out of the Assembly of Divines p. 3. SECT. IV. How the parsonage of Lambeth and Acton came to be sequestred and why p. 5. SECT. V. That D. F. was no intelligencer or spie to Oxford and the censure past upon him Sept. 29. discussed p. 8. SECT. VI Aulicus truly relateth the reasons alledged by D. F. against the new covenant in the open Assemblie p. 11. SECT. VII Divers remarkable passages in the Assemblie of Divines related in a letter to the Primate of Ireland together with severall speeches there made concerning the three creeds the imputation of Christs active and passive obedience and King Iames his advice to the Synod held in France at Privase concerning the second clause in the new covenant p. 12. SECT. VIII Sixteen reasons for Episcopall government unanswered by the Smectymnians together with the judgement of all the reformed Churches for Episcopacie p. 50. SECT. IX Britanicus his scurrilous jests at spirituall Courts retorted and ex tempore prayers and exercises censured p. 60. SECT. X. The abuse of appropriations of benefices and the necessitie of pluralities as the case stands p. 62. SECT. XI That the abjuration of Episcopacie especially in the Clergie of England involveth all them who take such an oath in perjury and Sacriledge p. 65. SECT. XII Of profitable doctrines and beneficiall positions held by Brownists and Sectaries p. 66. SECT. XIII Of ministeriall habits the strict observance of the christian Sabbath and how the Brownists and other Sectaries prophane it p. 68. SECT. XIV Of the subscription of the letter written to the Primate of Ireland and the strange interpretation thereof by Sir W. E. p. 70. SECT. XV Wholesome and seasonable advice to Britanicus p. 72. SECT. XVI A sober reckoning with Civicus p. 74. SECT. XVII A Corollarium consisting of the testimonies and Eulogies of many foraign Divines of eminent note concerning D. F. p. 79. SECT. XVIII The sum of D. F. his apologie reduced into two unanswerable dilemma's p. 88. SECT. ult. A true transcript of the most materiall part of D. F. his letter to the Primate of Ireland and an accompt of the whole See pag. 100. ARTICLE 8. Of the three Creeds THe three Creeds Nice Creed Athanasius