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	ecclesiastical_a	2,214	5	8.3845	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17585	Quæres concerning the state of the Church of Scotland	Calderwood, David, 1575-1650.	1638 (1638)	STC 4362; ESTC S118326	6,560	16

name of God Remember of the breach of the oath made unto the Gibeonites IIII. IOyning all the three former Quaeres together I aske If ever a Realme professing Christian Religion so universally in such puritie with such Libertie for so many years together and sealing their profession with such solemne promises oathes and subscriptions if there were any such to be found in any Historie that did make such defection as if they did if the heavie judgement of God did not overtake them Or secluding the consideration of our oathes subscriptions and solemne Covenants I aske If any of the Reformed Churches in any realme or Province professing the Gospell in the same puritie and so many yeares as we have done hath made so great defection as many of us have done Have they returned to their vomit taken up that which they rejected and condemned remaining still a reformed Church and not overturned with force of armes If not then suppose we had never sealed our profession with such solemne seales our defection is singular and our punishment will be examplarie unlesse we repent recover what is lost and defend what remaineth uncorrupted V. WHereunto doth this defection tend Doth it not tend first to perfite conformitie with the English Church then at last will it not end in full conformitie with the Romane Kirk The intent of the first is professed by his Majestie in expresse termes extant in print and therefore be not deceaved with the promises and protestations of our usurping and pretended Prelats As for example They will say to you his Majestie careth neither for He Saint nor Shee Saint but for dayes dedicat to Christ. They lie For his Majestie observeth both he and She Saints dayes as well as dayes dedicat to Christ. So howbeit you could digest both a Christmas Preaching a Christmas Pye which once ye lothed ye must and shall ere it be long do as much for Saint Bartholomew Virgin Mary the Innocents all the rest of their Saints for five Ceremonies ye shall have fiftie yea a hundred All the Relicts of Rome which are lying like stincking filth in their Church shall be communicated to us the paterne of their altar their Service their Hierachie and Romish policie shall be set up in our Church This defection tendeth yet further to wit to conformitie with Rome What meaneth the Bishop of Spalato in the Preface before his fifth Book to exhort his Majestie to proceed as he hath alreadie begunne to restore the Christian church to unitie Papist Lutherian formalist and Calvinist must then be all reconciled together united in one How I pray you are we united to the English Church We must yeeld all to them they would not yeeld any thing at all to us no not a hoofe sayd Whitgift Bishop of Canterberrie neither are they urged to yeeld any thing unto us But we are unmercifully dealt with to yeeld unto them Shall we for conformitie with the Lutherian the next day except of his monstrous opinions and other fond ceremonies after the same manner and the third year for reconciliation with Rome drink of the diep of her abhominations Or how shall that great worke come to passe neither England nor Rome giveth the least token of their comming towards us Yea wee must play the fooles and turne our face to them and take our journey first to England then to Rome The Bishop of Spalato hath not ridden all the foordes of Tweed well whatsoever is intended this our conformitie will of it self tend in the end to full Poperie For suppose wee should give place to these disturbers of our church who for their own gaine and glorie have laide aside all respect to Gods glorie the gaining of soules and the well of their Brethren yet Poperie should increase more mightilie as it hath done in our neighbour Church VI. WHether our conformitie end at last in conformitie with Rome or not What reason have we to leave our conformitie with the poore Apostolicall churches or the best reformed Churches in forraine Nations Brightman compareth our church and the rest of the best reformed to the godly church of Philadelphia the English to the glorious and luke warme church of Laodicea Shall we cast off our conformity with Philadelphians and conforme to Laodiceans Is not their church government the same that it was this day 100. years since in time of the grossest darkenesse and blindedesse Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons Chancelours Officials Commissaries exercising Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction in their spirituall courts as they did in time of Poperie excluding both Preaching and ruleing Elders from the Governement of their owne Parishes and the joynt governement of the church excommunicating suspending depryving by their owne sole authoritie medling with Testamentarie and other causes not belonging to Ecclesiasticall Consistories the Bishop taking to himself the sole administration of spirituall Iurisdiction over many hundreth churches yea deputing the same to Civilians Chancelours and Officialls and medling with the administration of civill Affaires as best beseeming his Grandeur This Bishop is not Pauls Bishop nor yet the Bishop which was first erected in the Ancient Church He differeth as far from him as the Consull in a Senate doth from a King or Monarch So seeing he is neither the divine nor humane Bishop He must be that Satanicall brought in by the Antichrist It were wearisome to goe through the calling and functions of their Suffraganes Deanes Canons and Prebanderies Organists Singing boyes Pistlets Gospellers Preists Deacons who are halfe Priests their Fasts their Eawes their Feast-dayes their crossing Kneeling Bishopping Houseling of the sicke Baptisme by supposition private Baptisme copes capes Tipets Surplices Rochets Churching of women Marriage toyes Funerall rites the gestures waried superstisiously at Service the forme of their Prayers and the rest of their Ceremonies It sufficeth that the best worthiest among them hath continually pleaded against them that they had never quyet possession in their own church that they were disused in many Congregations in the latter years of Queen Elizabeth of worthie memorie till they got strength againe immediatly after the Kings Coronation that they are obtruded onely by authoritie not liked off by many of the Formalists themselves who do temporise only with a bad conscience how shall wee then conforme to a church enthraled and under bondage How many times have the Godlie among them put up their Prayers to God and prefered petition to King and Parlament for the church policie of Scotland and the libertie of that pure Profession which we have enjoyed many years and shall that our glorious Garland be stamped underfoot The morning clouds which eclipsed the beginning of their Reformation remaine unscattered to this day and shall they be suffred to come within our horizon Not in our morning but after many years at the noone tyde of our day to obscure the glorious Gospell which hath shined to us in as cleare and pure brightnesse as ever to any nation Consider the charges

which must be bestowed upon these idle functions and supestitious Ceremonies If the Abbeyes be recovered out of Noblemens hands I perswade my selfe they will eyther bee converted to the maintenance of Deanes Canons and Prebendaries Organs Copes and other unlawfull uses orels in time be restored to the old Crowes to builde their nests in againe VII IF there were a time of Conformitie to bee graunted which wee will never graunt yet is this a fit time when the reformed Churches abroad are in so great hazard and some presently under the fiery tryall When the Antichrist and all his adherents hath resumed fresh courage to prosecute their bloudy designes hoping wholy to extirpate true Religion out of Europe is it time to conforme to them to take on the badges of their profession Will not this encourage the enemie and discourage our friends VIII IF the Antichristian governement before described and the many superstitions be not matters of weight but trifles which they shall never be able to prove with sound and solid arguments why are we persecuted for them Is it a small matter to turne a Minister out of his Office wherein hee hath served many years to send him and his familie wife children to begge their Bread so farre as in them lyeth For having dedicated themselves to the service of GOD and spent their former time in studies they are unable to make shifts as Artizans and Tradesmen can doe Was there ever a persecutor since the dayes of Christ who with one breath did both persecute and pronunce the cause wherefore he did persecute to be a trifle Our persecutors then are worse by many degrees then the Ethnicke Hereticall or Popish persecutors and consequently the worst that ever were Our case is yet the more to be pitied that we are denyed the protection of Law when we would flie to the Sanctuarie of Iustice we are shut backe like unworthie beasts and no more pitied then if we were dogges left or redelivered into the hands of mercilesse Tyants who have given testimonie out of their own mouthes of the loyaltie and good behaviour of those whom they have persecuted IX AFter so many Quaeres and expostulations in all humility and reverence to the honorable the true and native estates of Parlament Nobles Barronnes and Burgesses not regarding that bastard estate of Prelates I would demand two things First Why they suffer the high Commission a court not established by the Statutes of the realme thus to tyrannise over the church over dutifull and loyall Subjects fyning confyning suspending depriving warding and directing the Lords of Secret Counsell to banish or to give our letters of horning against Ministers or other Professors for not conforming to Popish ceremonies against their conscience The Parlament is the highest court of the realme and therefore should provide that no strange court be set up to oppresse the Subjects without their approbation and consent and therefore it is not only our Quaere why it is not but our request that it may be put downe For it is the strangest the most tyrannicall and lawlesse court that ever came in this Land lyker to nothing then to the Spanish Inquisition where unto it will turne in the end to the full as Papistrie increaseth That one or two Archbishops with two or three associats Ecclesiasticall or civill persons such as they please to assume to themselves being nominate in the Kings Letters Pattents should judge in all Ecclesiasticall causes and inflict both temporall and spirituall censures and punishments according to their pleasures is contrarie and repugnant to the word of God For spirituall power neither Prinees nor Parlaments may give to Ecclesiasticall or civill persones neither are Ecclesiasticall persons capable of the power of the Temporall Sword Seeing then neither the one nor the other can be lawfully done this high Commission so much grieved at in our neighbour church should not be suffered to have place amongst us Next I demand in all humility reverence Why acts of pretended and null assemblies are ratified in Parlament and Statutes made where with our pretended Prelats make snares to entrap their brethen where with they countenance their tyranny Was ever the generall Assemblie convocat in time of Parlament or their advice and information sought since these alterations began In England howbeit the Prelats sit in the upper House as Barrons yet they have besides a convention of the Clergie which is called the convocation House which representeth almost our generall Assemblie for they have no other whose advice was never neglected no not in time of Poperie What hath our church deserved as thus to be neglected and misregarded and the report advice consent and vote of Prelats to be taken who are both judge and partie in this cause The Acts of that corrupt and pretended assembly at Glasgow were not only ratified and confirmed but also under name of explanation enlarged and Bishops exeemed from the judgement and censures of the generall assemblie Shall the like be done now for that pretended null assemblie holden last at Perth God forbid that the honorable Estates should make so light account of their own credits among the reformed churches