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	reason_n	1,519	5	4.9993	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20802	The Christian armorie wherein is contained all manner of spirituall munition, fit for secure Christians to arme themselues withall against Satans assaults, and all other kind of crosses, temptations, troubles, and afflictions : contrived in two bookes, and handled pithily and plainly by way of questions and answers / by Thomas Draxe ... ; hereunto is adioined a table of all the principall heads and branches comprised in each chapter of the whole treatise.	Draxe, Thomas, d. 1618.	1611 (1611)	STC 7182; ESTC S782	133,281	384

forsake the assemblies and fellowship of the Saints in the vse of the word prayer and Sacraments were neuer well rooted in it ●or had they beene no wind or tempest could haue ouerturned them they were onely Meteors or blazing starres soon extinct but not true starres for then they had continued in their firmament and no night of afflictions could haue put them out for if they had béen of the Church they would haue continued in it 1. Joh. 2.19 Apoc. 13.8 Secondly they neuer receiued the loue of the truth and were neuer soundly grounded in the principles of Christian faith and therefore they were apt to be seduced with the poi●on and efficacy of errour For as the fire burneth nothing but that which is combustible and apt to bee consumed so heresie infecteth none but such as neglect the means of knowledge or that denie the power of godlinesse in their hearts and liues Lastly God will by their reuolting take an occasion the more iustly to damn them and to trie and make known the constancy of his children who neuer doe wholy or finally fall away from faith Q. What duties are wee to performe to preuent an apostasie in our selues A. First because eminent persons by their fall like oakes beare downe all things that lie in their way let vs beware of their company and communication Secondly let vs beware of the beginning and occasion of Apostasie and for our direction herein pray for the spirite of reuelation and strength and in no wise neglect the ministerie of the word sacraments Q But how shall a nouice a weake Christian perswade himselfe of the truth of his sincere profession when hee seeth and heareth that sundry learned men die in defence of Idolatry and Popery A. First no Heretickes though they dy in defence of errors are martyrs but all Papists are heretikes for the obstinate maintaining of iustification by works inuocation and adoration of Saints and Angels worshipping of images and especially of their breaden God denying the sufficiency of the canonicall Scriptures are so many heresies Ergo Iesuites Seminaries and popish Priests that are put to death by the Christian magistrate are no martyrs Secondly Non poena sed causa facit Martyrem they that b●are the Crosse and follow not Christ are no Martyres of his and therefore most damnable is the condition of Iesuites Seminaries who die for treason and not for truth and not for testimony of a good conscience but for the wilfull trangression of Christian Lawes Thirdly their suffering is of no account before God for they want charirity which appeaeth in this that they are vtter opposites and aduersaries to the Gospel of Christ and the sound professors of it Fourthly they being no true members of the Church of Christ but rather incurable persecutors of it and being slaine out of the Church doe not winne the crowne of their faith but the reward o● their felly Lastly true Martyrs ascribe all the glory of their redemption and saluation to Gods mercy in Christ onely but popish martyrs glory in their owne works though neuer so vile vnperfect they make them exp●atory for sinne and to me ●t saluation Q What vse are we to make hereof A First wee must distinguish and rightly iudge betwéene true martyrs and false ones which wee shall be enabled to doe by obseruing these rules following First true martyrs die in defence of the substance of pure religion but false martyrs suffer and die in defence of error heresie and idolatry Secondly true martyrs at their execution shew sorth singular patience in their words testimony behauiour but false martyrs either are outragious and impatient or at least by Art doe stupifie and dead their flesh that it may become insensible of paine Thirdly true Martyrs die holily couragiously ioyfully without all feare and doubting of the truth of their cause or of the certainty of saluation but popish martyrs die many times irresolued and astonied Fourthly true and Euangelical martyrs are holy chaste innocent feruent in praier and diligent in their ciuill and Christian callings but the like cannot be verified of the popish martyrs Lastly God at the death of true martyrs hath sometimes wrought strange and wonderfull works as to speake when their tongues haue béen cut out and to be vntouched of the fire albeit oile were put into it but in the popish martyrs no such accidents haue fallen out Secondly let vs sée and be resolued by Gods word that our cause is good and for Christ then let vs suffer as cōfidently yea much more comfortably and happily for the truth then they for Antichrist and superstition knowing that our end shall be blessed Q. When factions diuisions schismes grow and preuaile in the Church what are we to iudge of that Church and how is a Christian then to arme himselfe A. First wee must remember that where the truth many times most ●lourisheth there Satan laboureth to make rents and diuisions and to sow tares amongst the good wheat Secondly the Church of Corinth was a notable Apostolicall Church and yet there were many factions in it Thirdly wee must not separate our selues from such a Church except it erre in the fundamentall points of faith and true religion but we must herein comfort our selues that this schisme is without heresie Fourthly as long as there is error in iudgement and péeuishnes in affection wee must looke for nothing else but schisme Fifthly schismatikes that depart from the communion of the faithfull and from the participation of the body and bloud of Christ indanger their owne soules Lastly God permitteth diuisions factions and schismes in the Church that the faith and loue of his children might be tried now their faith is tried whiles they stumble not nor suffer themselues to be seduced and their loue and charity is tried in admonishing them that are the authors and occasioners of these sidings schismes diuisions Q. What vse are we to make hereof A. If wee be men in authority wee must betimes striue to roote out and remoue out of the Church whatsoeuer may iustly minister an occasion heereof Secondly Ministers must by doctrine and writing note and confute those diligently which cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine which they haue receiued and auoid them Rom. 16.17 Secondly if wee be but priuate persons we must beware of pride and selfe-conceitednes lest we rashly condemne a true and notable visible Church for defects and imperfections in the doctrine and practise of discipline or Church policie and so without sufficient cause make a rent from the same and hereby disturbe the common peace for we must not depart from it vntill it depart from Christ. Lastly we must by praiers sutes supplications teares and amendment of life labour to procure better reformation in Church and Commonwealth and if we cannot attaine it when wee would then let vs in the meane be a discipline to our selues and execute it amongst

we must as our Lord willeth vs obserue what they bid vs but after their works wee must not doe lest we with them knowing our Masters will and doing it not be beaten with many stripes Lastly when the publicke and ordinarie meanes of saluation are wanting or defectiue wee must entreat the Lord of the haruest to thrust forth more labourers and in the mean season plie more often and earnestly the priuate means of reading conference and good examples at home Q How shall a Christian arme himselfe against the scandall that the weake take at the streame and inundation of sinne and at the generall corruption in manners A. First that the way that leadeth to life is narrow and the gate straight few there be that find it and therefore wee must not make the example of the multitude or of the most a certaine rule or warrant of his life and p●●ctise Secondly the greatest sort of people are ignorant of Gods wayes and strangers in the holy Scriptures making custome a rule for conscience and they more delight in vaine inuentions then in the knowledge and obedience of the holy Gospell of Christ. Thirdly sinne hath abounded in all ages and the greatest number of Christians hath béene in many places more licentious then religious and more prophane then sincere and the néerer the world groweth to his finall period and consummation the more Atheisme and Libertinisme shall abound for men shall generally giue themselues to surfetting drunkennes and the cares of this life men shal bee louers of themselues despisers of them that are good louers of pleasures more then louers of God and though many haue a forme and profession of godlines yet they deny the power of it so that when Christ commeth to iudgement he shall hardly find faith vpon the earth and therefore he is the lesse to be offended hereat Fourthly when there is a generall corruption in maners then are the faithfull seruants of God most discerned and their incorrupt sincerity is most eminēt then they shew themselus pure blamelesse and without rebuke in the middest of a naughty crooked nation amongst whom they shine as lights in the world Noah is iust in his generation Lot is righteous amongst the Sodomites in very Pergamus where Satan had his throne were many faithfull and stout Christians and in Sardi that was in a manner dead before God were a few names that had not defiled their garments Lastly the more lewd and licentious that the world is the more wary and strict must wee bee in our conuersation vnlesse we would perish with the world CHAP. VII Of Offences Passiue or those that are taken Question WHat is a scandall or an offence taken A. It is any wholesome doctrine or counsell any honest and godly spéech déed● example which through errour of iudgement péeuishnes of mind and peruerse interpretation is turned to an occasion of offence Q. What are the causes of an offence taken A. First blindnesse and imperfection of mans reason Secondly corrupt iudgement arising from the ignorance of Gods word Thirdly preiudicate and forestalled opinions Fourthly hatred of the godly and their proceedinges Fifthly distast and dislike of good policy and discipline Sixthly in the wicked an eager appetite and desire of worldlie gaine and authority with an earnest affection to hold and maintaine it Lastly the manifold afflictions of such as feare God Q. Who are the persons that vniustly conceiue an offence A. First and principally the wicked Secondly Gods children Q Whereat in regard of the godly doe the wicked take an offence A. At foure things especially Q How shall we arm and strengthen our selues against offences which wicked men vniustly conceiue against vs A. First we must constantly and chearefully goe forwards in our good purposes proceedings much more regarding the kéeping of Gods commandements and a good conscience then the imagined and pretended scandal and offence that the wicked vniustly take wherefore let their offence taken rather hearten vs then hinder vs and more driue vs forward in good actions then discourage vs. Secondly the more clamorous and enuious that they are against vs the more let vs endeauour by all good meanes to draw them to the practise of holy duties Thirdly if the wicked were falsly and vniustly offended at the excellent person the rare humility the heauenly doctrine the extraordinary miracles the sinnelesse conuersation of our most blessed Sauiour so that they reuiled whipped persecuted him and put him to the most ignominious death that could bee inuented how much more will they bée offended at vs that are sinners and who many times minister matter of offence Lastly let vs what in vs lieth liue inoffensiuely and please our neighbours in all thinges not seeking our owne good but their saluation Q. What is the second pretended offence at which the wicked stumble and fall A. At the godly for vsing their lawful liberty in things indifferent Q. How shall the godly either preuent or at least arme themselues against this offence by the wicked taken and not by the godly giuen A. If they that take the offence bee obstinate enemies they must not for their pleasure remit ought of their christian liberty but rather with the Apostle Paul to vse it Mat. 15.12 Gal. 5.1 For in this case we are bound onely to auoide the offence of our weake brethren and not of our incurable enemies who will neuer be pleased nor satisfied But if christians that are weake in faith and not yet fully resolued of points take an offence at the vse of our liberty in meat drinke apparrell c. better it is for vs for the time to yéeld somewhat to our weake brethren then by the vnseasonable inconuenient vse of that which is lawfull in it owne nature to scandalize them and so cause them to perish for whom Christ died Therefore let vs doe all to Gods glory and giue offence to none neither Iews nor Gentiles nor to the Church of God 1. Cor. 10.31.32 Secondly we must not for the pleasing of mens humours and to decline an offence taken and not giuen temporize with Gods enemies nor frame our selues to all companies and professions for better it is that all the wicked in the world should be offended at vs then that we for the preuenting of their vnlawful offence should be iniurious to Iesus Christ or preiudice any part of his reuealed truth and therefore we are not to communicate with such in the least things When therefore the omission of our Christian liberty doth either renue errour or confirme men in it wee must then neuer dispense with it Thirdly in matters of faith and in cases of conscience wee must walke by the Canon and rule of Gods word not by vnperfite examples and hauing gottē certaine resolution wee must stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made vs free and not be entangled