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	church_n	great_a	2,167	5	3.1621	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18346	A fruitfull sermon, vpon the 3.4.5.6.7.&8. verses of the 12. chapiter of the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes very necessarie for these times to be read of all men, for their further instruction and edification, in things concerning their fayth and obedience to saluation.	Chaderton, Laurence, 1536?-1640.; Dering, Edward, 1540?-1576.	1584 (1584)	STC 4926.5; ESTC S1546	34,708	90

therein that hee may distribute with knowledge wisdom iustice fidelity simplicity and without respect of persons All men can not do this it is necessary y t some should do it therfore least the children of God should in bestowing their liberalitie almes behaue them selues disorderedly spilling where they ought to spare and holding backe their handes where they ought to bestowe it pleased our merciful father to ease a great many and to lay the burden vpon a fewe faithfull wise men full of the holy ghoste that all thinges in the Church might bee done orderly and vprightly in the sight of God Thus we see the necessity of these officers by whose labour and godly care the sicke the strangers or other saints vnable to earn their own liuings by y e sweat of their browes might bee honestly maintained by the liberality and bountifulnes of their brethren vnto whome God hath giuen aboundaunce for the supply of their want in such sort y t there shoulde be as it was foretold by y e Prophet to be seene in the primitiue Church no begger in Israel He that ruleth with deligence By the ruler hee meaneth all those that gouerned the Church wherof some labour both in word and gouernment as the Pastours Doctors some onely in gouernement as the Elders called by the common name as Paule in the 1. Tim. 5. 17. These Elders are Churche-officers or censors of manners whoe by correcting and admonishing the vnruly and incouraging the good preuented offences and continued in ruling gouerning y e church which depēded vpon thē Their office was chiefly in assisting the Pastors Doctors in admonishing y e vnruly seuerally by comforting the feeble minded by preuenting of offences which otherwise might arise in suspending y e vnworthy from y e Sacraments in excommunicating of the obstinate in absoluing the repentant in ordaining and remouing church officers finally in handling deciding all such matters controuersies in doctrine or manners as belong appertain to ecclesiasticall gouernment The proofe of al which particular duties I cannot for lack of time stand vpon only I wil quote the places of scripture Math. the 22. chapiter the 24. 25. verses Mat. 18. chap. the 17. verse 1. Timoth. the 4. chap. and the 14. verse Act. the 15. chap. 6. 22. verses Act. the 16. chap. the 4. vers Act. the 21. 18. 20. vers 2. And therefore these being set ouer vs in matters pertaining to God we must acknowledge obey them with singular loue reuerence because they watch for our souls 1. Thes. 5. I haue much to say of the office necessitie of these offices how needeful they are for y e suppressing of errors schismes sects heresies for the brideling of the lust pride of life for the correcting of the vnruly the preferring of the worthy in all wisdome grauitie vprightnes as lights to shine vnto the Church that they may y e clearer see how to walk in the waies of y e iust But a long treatise is scarcely sufficiēt for this discourse my time is almost spent I cannot stande here to shew the difference betweene all these offices certain it is that they are diuerse giftes distinguished one frō another Let men beware howe they confounde those thinges which God hath distinguished For the Elder Deacon because y t will more shewe their offices they differ thus the Deacon he is occupied only about the pore the Elder about all the Deacon distributeth the Elder admonisheth the Deacon obserueth y e pouertie of the saints in bodily things the Elder noteth manners and conuersation the Deacon searcheth howe the Churche goods receiued are spent the Elder noteth howe euery one laboreth in his owne calling Whereby it commeth to passe y t as the Deacons can make true report to the Church of the state of the pore so the Elders of the state of all By which wise gouernment it woulde in part come to passe which the Prophets foretell y t the polluted should haue no passage into the churche that no noisom beast shold be found there that the redeemer of the Lord may walk in peace Finally the Deacons take heed that no idle person be nourished in y e company of the poore the Elders care is to see that no vnclean person remaine in the bosom of y e church wherof redoundeth no small commodity both to the Church and Common-wealth The last gift is the Shewing of mercie with cheerfulnes This was the proper office of those which beeing relieued by the Church were appointed to looke vnto the poore which were weake sicke and the poore stranger So y t a Shewer of mercy is he or rather she for the cōpanies of such as executed this duty consisted especially of widowes which by the gouernors of y e Church consent of the people was appointed to help y e pore impotēt pore strāgers in those duties wherin they could not wel help thēselues hauing neither friends nor kinsfolk to help them A very necessary functiō especially in time of persecutiō or greeuous sickenesse when the Church hath many impotent persons in which time such order is to be taken that none of the members of Christe for whome hee hath shed his pretious bloud perishe for lacke of looking vnto nor want any attending which they may haue and it is meet they should These ministers of the poore their age qualities office and conditions are declared of Paul in the 1. Tim. 5. By the deligent continuall and cheerefull performaunce of those offices these whom the Lord seemeth to haue a speciall and singular care of namely the widows fatherlesse and all impotent persons shoulde be moste charitably and godly prouided for The want of these officers and mercifull companies is the cause of the death and perishing of many a poore fatherlesse childe impotent persons and sick ones who are ready often euen to dye in the streetes as I my selfe haue seene and heard credibly reported and that as to my greefe so to the great infamy of all Christian professours of the Gospell a matter therefore of those that bee in authority to bee looked vnto I graunt there bee many good lawes and statutes enacted for the prouision of the poore but wee see by experience that the Lord will not blesse and giue good successe there vnto For notwithstanding these statutes wee haue swarms of beggers pore impotent till we haue by authority established in euery congregation these eternall decrees of Christ touching the gouernment of his Church For the want of this gouernmēt as I take in hand to prooue is the cheefe principall cause of all the euils that are perpetually in our Church For if it be demanded why ther is in the land such grose ignorance of God the answere is at hand we want Doctors Teachers Whence come such swarms of Athiests Idolaters Papistes erronious hereticall sectaries of the Family of