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
A71091	Scripture vindicated from the mis-apprehensions, mis-interpretations, and mis-applications of Mr Stephen Marshall, [in] his sermon preached before the Commons House of Parliament, Feb. 23. 1641. and published by order of that House. : Also a militarie sermon, wherein [b]y the VVord of God, the nature and disposition of a rebell is discovered, and the kings true souldier described and characterized. / [B]y Edward Symmons ...	Symmons, Edward.	1645 (1645)	Wing S6349; ESTC R222629	80,878	99

of the Cavileeres that he can see none of these miscarriages in his owne party or are they no miscarriages because they do them surely M. Marshall hath not discharged himselfe in that particular for which he entred his Office if by the word he meanes Gods word or else he is lesse perswasive and powerfull in his teaching then he was wont to be indeed being so farre out of Christs way no marvaile if God refuse to smile upon his labours with a blessing as heretofore But how mildely and mercifully M. Marshall doth teach those of his Faction and how according to the word to behave themselves we shall see hereafter in this his Sermon and perhaps shall thinke from what we shall therein finde that to behave themselves according to the word in his sense is to justifie themselves in their wicked waies by perverting and abusing the word for that is the thing which by his example he teacheth in the same and herein I confesse he hath been too unhappily successefull upon the weake spirits of the vulgar people But I returne from his selfe to his Sermon Now by this digression we have seene from M. Marshalls own writeings what is the foundation of that good opinion which himselfe and these of his side have of themselves and of their cause t●e Parliament judgeth so which is also the reason why the King and all his friends who are eminent in Wisedome Strength Authority or Riches must be beleived to mannage the ill Cause against the Lord and against his Church the Parliament iudgeth so And therefore 't is every mans duty to speak evill of them to reproach them to call them Papists and doggs yea and to do any mischiefe to them in deed that can be wished in word to seize upon their estates and to slaughter their bodies for the Parliament judgeth so Nor must any one doubt but in so doing he helpeth the Lord against the mighty for the Parliament judgeth so And if the Ministers on that side shall please to say that they doe not enter upon their Office in the Army to fight or to meddle in the Councell of Warre and notwithstanding shall manibus pedibusque with tooth and naile and tongue too stir as much and more then any against Law it selfe yet it must be apprehended that they doe all things well and as they should doe for the Parliament judgeth so And if in stead of teaching men to behave themselves according to the word they shall teach them to pervert the word for the justification of themselves in wayes of wrong and blood why this also is well done if the Parliament judgeth so In a word telling of untruths breaking of oathes resisting and defaming the King shedding of innocent blood and such like things if these 〈◊〉 whom the Parliament judgeth Gods people do commit them to promote that which they call the Lords cause are no transgressions but acts of Religion and zeale for the Parliament judgeth so This is the great and undeniable evidence the Parliament judgeth so But let me tell all men that the judgement of God is greater then that of the Parliament and he knoweth all things and will judge all men with righteou● judgement even these Parliament men themselves whom ere long he shall fetch before his Barre of Iustice their Militia shall not hinder him therein as it doth at this present his vicegerent and to that great and dreadfull Lord God I leave them and returne to Mr Marshall whose Misinterpretation of his Text we have in part seen and the ground thereof to be a false opinion of the infallibility of judgement in the Parliament I shall still follow him When he had in his sence expounded his Text he doth note by the way some observations before he concludes upon his main doctrine all which he should have done well to have quite omitted or else in more full and cleare tearmes to have propounded them they are these in their order Although Gods people {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} must blesse and not curse yet in some cases they may forsake mount Gerazim and ascend mount Eball and there curse and curs● bitterly Mr Marshall should have done well in a few wordes to have noted what cases those are for people being naturally inclined rather to curse then blesse are apt to be mistaken in thinking that to be a case which is not beside many true Godly people doe think that in no case they ought to curse in these daies because the Spirit of the Gospell is no cursing spirit nor are the times of the Gospell cursing times and the doctrine of the Gospell is blesse and curse not which they interpret in no case therefore I say M. Marshall should have done well to have set downe his cases which he would have excepted Although the Curse causelesse shall not come yet when Gods people according to Gods direction clave non errante doe curse their curse is like the flying rowle Zack 5.3 4. a consuming curse In this also Mr Marshall should have done well to have given some infallible Rules that people might know when they should curse according to Gods direction clave non errante for every man is ready to think himselfe a Pope and when ever he hath a provocation to curse to think that he hath that clavem non errantem in his possession though some Protestants question whether there be any such unerring Key committed to any upon earth or no The mighty doe frequently oppose the Lord it is no new thing to finde the mighty in strength the mighty in Authority the mighty in wealth the mighty in parts in Learning and Councell to ingage all against the Lord his Church and cause Here also M. Marshall might have done well to have distinguished upon the Mighty for those ignorant people that take M. Marshalls words for Scripture may perhaps misapply his meaning and from what they may learne in the next observation when they see any one of their own side grow mighty above others in ●uthority and wealth by meanes of those estates of other men which they hope shortly to enjoy they may take upon them to murder them and so some of the Worthy Members may chance to have their throats cut because in regard of their mightinesse they may be apprehended likely to oppose the Lord his Church and Cause for the mighty doe frequently do so saies M. Marshall Therefore had he said some of the mighty some of the wealthy do so it had been more safe and more advisedly spoken or had he used St Pauls modesty and sai●not many Noble not many Mighty not many Learned doe assist the Lord and his cause he had been lesse liable to misconstruction for not many doth not ●xclude all nor suggest a ●uspition of all but yeeldeth to Gods praise that some of eminent ranke in all Ages have been friends and defenders of the Church of God Indeed to that observation M. Marshall in some

Meroz are two things 1. The Author of the doom or Sentence The Angell of the Lord 2. The sentence given against them in the other words wherein M. Marshall considers their fault They came not to help the Lord considers their punishment a Curse and a bitter one Curse ye bitterly or in cursing continue to curse them vehemently curse them never leave Cursing them thus M. Marshall now for the Interpretation 1. The Author of the doome or sentence against Meroz it was the Angell of the Lord M. Marshall doth not determine whether thereby is meant Deborah the Prophetesse or Barack the Generall or all that have divine inspiration as he speakes only this he saies that the Curse came not from any private spirit as of Deborah and Barack singly but was by Divine Authority and herein he speaks the truth And I wish that all who are prodigall of their Curses in these daies would be sure before they scatter or shoot them that they had also a divine Authority But the things which M. Marshall hereby would hint unto us are these 1. That a like divine Authority or inspiration to Curse is have able in these daies as in ancient times for else this Text could not in his owne conceit be seasonable 2. That many have or are indued with divine inspiration for his phrase all that have doth inferre that many have 3. That though the Curse that comes from the Prophet alone or the Generall alone may be liable to be suspected as the fruit of a private spirit yet if the same also proceed from the many from the people specially in their abstract or representative body the House of Commons or the prevalent part there who are vox populi then it must be accounted vox Dei and of divine Authority what ever they breath forth though the same that Saul did when he persecuted the Church of God must be believed to be by divine inspiration This we shall further evidence anon from Mr Marshalls own words upon another occasion 2. Meroz or the people cursed M. Marshall concludes they were Iewes of the same Country and Religion with Deborah and Baracke by whom they were saies he probably called to lend their assistance being as neere the enemies danger as the rest and because they were such ill neighbours and would not afford their assistance they had an Heavier doome layd upon them then any oth●r and indeed I adde deservedly for should any City or Towne or County upon a like call from him that is supreme Iudge or Governor under God as Deborah and Barack at that time were refuse to lend their cheerfull and Loyall assistance they deserve an heavy censure and to have an heavy mulct layd upon them but M. Marshall hath a further insinuation which we shall discover by and by 3. Curse them The word signifies saies he maledicere verbo maleface●● re to speak evill of them to revile them to reproach them to wish mischiefe to them to doe any evill against them to execute indeed what they would wish in words so to order them that they may be barren and desolate as a wildernesse that they may wither away and be as houses and walls without foundations 4. By the mighty he ●aies first and that truly is meant literally King Iabin and his Generall Sisera but then he str●tches coming neerer to his purpose and saies But in Gods intent the mighty are all of what ranke or quality soever who are Eminent in wisdome strength Authority or Riches and mannage an ill cause against the Lord or against his Church which may haply be true in thesi though not in M. Marshalls Hypothesi for he supposeth that to be an ill cause without dispute which his side opposeth and those who oppose that or them to be the opposers of the Lord and of his Ch●rch so that in briefe M. Marshall would have the words to be understood thus All Englishmen and Common people that will not ayde the Parliament or the House of Commons when they call against all men whom they are pleased to account Gods Enemies and managers of an ill cause who are first the King with the Generall of his Armies then all his Nobles Gentry and others of what rank or quality soever that are eminent in wisdome Strength Authority or Riches that doe assist and ayde him us their duty is to doe being his sworne subjects against them are to be ill spoken of reviled reproached and have all the mischiefe done them which men whose mouths are full of cursings and ill speeches are able to wish them yea to be so handled that they may wither away and never thrive more they must like briars and thornes be pluckt up by the rootes they and their children that their names might be had no more in remembrance even because they came not to help the Lord that is the House of Commons or the prevailing party there who are all as the Lord as wise and as infallible as he being all call'd to be Leaders and Captains of the Lords Host but doe rather chuse to mannage that which they the Parliament judge to be evill and against God his Church and People This is that which M. Marshall would insinuate to be the meaning of Gods spirit in this his Text and thus doe the vulgar sort of his Faction understand the same as appeares by their calling themselves Gods owne people and their cause Gods cause and the opposers of themselves and it fighters against the Lord and his Church Their Armies they call Gods Host. And as M. Marshall doth the House of Commons the Captaines and Leaders of it and all that side not with them they account and call Malignants and thinke they doe but their duty according to M. Marshalls doctrine to reproach and revile them to rob them and to shed their bloud But I affirme 't is possible that both M. Marshall and they too may erre in the ground of their Hypothesis in the foundation of that good opinion which they have of themselves and of their cause which is onely the judgement of their owne side or of their infallible Parliament for men have alwayes been wont to be too partiall to themselves when they have been their owne Iudges The Arrians were once the onely Orthodox Christians if their owne words might be taken and those that joyned not to them were Gods Enemies and as such to be used the Donatists another while cryed out in their owne behalfe that themselves were onely Gods people and those who opposed them opposed Christ And the Papists have a long time said the same thing concerning their owne cause and Church and such hath been the fancy of all Hereticks and Schismatick● in the world in their owne behalfes But if Gods Holy word might be admitted Iudge in this case I dare boldly affirme that some of them who by Mr Marshall and his Faction are accounted Managers of the ill cause and according to his doctrine are reproached