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	pope_n	2,238	5	6.4146	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69044	A sermon necessarie for these times shewing the nature of conscience, with the corruptions thereof, and the repairs or means to inform it with right knowledge, and stirre it up to upright practise, and how to get and keep a good conscience. To which is adjoyned a necessarie, brief, and pithy treatise af [sic] the ceremonies of the Church of England. By Anthony Cade Batch. of Divinitie.	Cade, Anthony, 1564?-1641.	1639 (1639)	STC 4330; ESTC S107399	57,371	130

chief men persecuted Paul and Barnabas and cast them out of their coasts moved by erroneous devotion By the like errour they that call themselves Romane Catholicks deceived by Jesuiticall doctrine persecute the true Catholicks that constantly hold all necessary saving doctrine grounded on the holy Scriptures Articles of 1562. art 6. and universally received in the Primitive Church as the Protestants do and refuse onely the corrupt novell doctrines brought in by later Popes Art 22. Art 37. and submission to their government these they persecute and seek by all means even by treasons insurrections and murders of Princes and massacres of people utterly to root out and think such courses not onely lawfull but meritorious and that they are bound in conscience to practise them especially upon their Popes excommunications A conceit and doctrine strange and monstrous never heard of in the Church of God of a thousand yeares after Christian religions first planting and untill Satan was * Revel 20.2 3 7 8. Greg. 7. formerly called Hildebrand by many Helbrand as one that brought this wilde-fire from hell into the Church for from heaven it could not come James 3.13 a wisdome earthly sensuall devilish aedificat ad Gehennam This Gregory was the first Pope that deposed any Princes c. as saith old Frisingensis late Onuphrius See Cades Justification of our Church pag. 42 43. pag. 46 seq lib. 2. pag. 64. seq loosed and permitted to deceive the nations Then Pope Gregory the seventh began first to depose Princes embroyling the Christian world with unchristian warres kindling that fire which hath been kept burning by many succeeding Popes and is still kept alive blown continually with the breath of Jesuites and other the Popes Incendiaries But the weapons of the first best Christians even against persecuting tyrants were patience and prayers not treasons murders rebellions We reade in Scriptures of wicked Princes reproved by the Prophets but neither deprived of their state nor subjects animated to rebell nor forreiners to invade And if any Christian Prince were excommunicated that made him not in worse state then a Heathen with losse of his goods government or life but * Matt. 18.17 sicut Ethnicus sequestred from the blessing of the Church and Sacraments onely The ancient Churches censures never proceeded further But howsoever that late unchristian doctrine is still maintained in the books of a great number of the Popes flatterers that are maintained by him in wealth and dignitie yet a great number also even of the learnedest Divines of the Church of Rome hold the contrary For this point reade the B. of Rochester de potest Papae cap. 8. who citeth many authours B. Whites reply to Fishers ansvver pag. 572. and write books in confutation thereof confessing plainly that the Pope by vertue of his office hath not any power or authoritie to depose Princes or dispose of their Crowns or lives for any cause crime or good whatsoever Whereupon most of our English Romane Catholicks have contrary to the Popes briefs Cardinall Bellarmines letters and other Romish Rabbines perswasions taken the oath of allegiance and thereby insinuate a reall confession in this main point that the Pope Cardinals Conclave Counsellers and greatest Doctours of that Church may erre and leade them into damnable sinne and therein may and ought to be disobeyed And since the infallibility of that Pope and Church hath been the greatest if not the onely ground of holding them in many errours without searching into them that ground being now acknowledged to be unsound there is great hope of their coming to us in other points of difference as they have done in some already if we be not averse and hinder it by our dissensions at home Oh that we could recover that blessed unity of doctrine and good life of that one holy primitive ancient Catholick Church Yet observe another malice and policy of Satan Some Protestants too nice Conscience against Church-ceremonies if he cannot make us swallow these Camels he will endeavour to make us strain at Gnats and in hatred of the Papists large Conscience and grosse sinnes to make our Conscience too strait and stick at things indifferent as Caps Surplesse kneeling at Communions Crossing the childe after he is baptized and such like rites or ceremonies Our people by the blessing of God hold the substance of saving religion entirely we do not teare and wound Christs body we onely strive about his garments My desire is to take up this strife and to keep that seamlesse coat unrent because I see our adversaries passing over their own great ones make themselves sport at our petty dissensions To stop their mouthes therefore and satisfie our otherwise good Christian brethren whose Consciences are afraid to receive these Ceremonies give me leave to impart unto you my meditations touching this point which I shall do the plainliest and briefliest by answering a few questions Quest 1. Doth erring Conscience binde Answer It doth binde so that he that doth against it sinneth Because whatsoever the Conscience dictates it dictates sub ratione voluntatis Dei as it informs us of Gods will and so it hath in it self the force of the Divine will and is in stead of God unto us as Gods Lieger Ambassadour to shew us our dutie and call upon us to do it therefore as long as we understand acknowledge it to be so it bindes us unto obedience as unto God To do therefore that which thy Conscience saith is unlawfull or while thou doubtest it is unlawfull is to incurre damnation Rom. 14.23 He that doubteth is damned if he do it because he doth it not of faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Though it be clean in it self yet to thee it is unclean if thou thinkest it so as Saint Paul saith there See Ames de conscien lib. 1. cap. 3. n. 13. cap. 4. n. 6. Rob. Sandersons ser upon Rom. 3.8 Cicero Offic. lib. 1. Bene praecipiunt qui vetant quicquam agere quod dubites aequum sit an iniquum aequit as lucet ipsa per se dubitatio cogitationem significat injuriae vers 14. He that doth against his Conscience doth against the will of God quamvis non materialiter verè tamen formaliter interpretativè though not in matter and truely yet in form and by interpretation because he doth that which he thinks is against Gods will And this is reduced to the lack of the fear of God to venture to do that which thou judgest God hath forbidden and so hath written in thy Conscience which must be Gods witnesse with thee or against thee and whereby thou must be judged Quest 2. May a Christian Prince urge his subjects to observe such ceremonies in Gods service as he knows to be lawfull though some subjects think them unlawfull or doubt of their lawfulnesse I must answer this question by first laying some grounds thereof in a few