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	see_v	1,737	5	3.7569	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11621	Vox vera: or, Obseruations from Amsterdam Examining the late insolencies of some pseudo-puritans, separatists from the Church of Great Brittaine. And closed vp with a serious three-fold aduertisement for the generall vse of euery good subiect within his Maiesties dominions, but more especially of those in the kingdome of Scotland. By Patricke Scot, North-Brittaine.	Scot, Patrick.	1625 (1625)	STC 21863; ESTC S116886	33,610	74

of thousands vomited by those firebrands whom I haue slightly shadowed and delineate my stile will proue more smooth then such hellish practises deserue or common patience allow and so I come to my three-fold aduertisement FIrst then to come to you my Lords that are Bishops and Rulers by place in the Church of Scotland I neede not to call to your memorie that you are the Sickles vnder your Soueraigne to cut downe euery Weed in the Garden of the Church the Snaffles to bridle Schismes and the Centinels to foresee ne quid detrimenti Ecclesia patiatur You know well that your Authoritie is to cut off the head of this Hidra of Diuision which springeth vp with such violence that your care and vigilancie is so farre as may be to ease his Maiestie of those Tumults wherewith he is dayly so much infested that you are as well to defend euery Breach in the Walls as Rupture in the bodie of the Church and that euery escape of Omission in your places is no lesse lyable to scandall then faults of Commission in your persons Your Innocencie is much wronged by Didoclauius and his brethren Separatists who labour as well by all such secret practises as by publicke Satyrs at home or abroad may draw your Authoritie or Persons into contempt But my hope is that your long patience will call to your consideration that the wisedome of good Gouernment looketh euer exactly at first into the transgression of those Lawes that are to be obserued by future Ages and that Clergie and Learning Magistracie and Lawes are so chayned together that as without Learning the one cannot be instructed so without respect to Lawes Magistracy walketh without attendance and is rather a title of honour then a frame of obedience As we doe not more reuerence and adore God in the stupendious architect of the world then in the wise conduct of it So doe wee not more admire Magistracie in the compassing and composing the extent of their gouernment then in the prudent administration and preseruation thereof from iniustice violence sedition faction and dissention the earthquakes that remoue it from the Center There is no possible way vnto peace and quietnesse vnlesse the probable voyce of euery entire societie or body politike ouer-rule all priuare opinion of that same body Councels are to no purpose if once their determination set downe men may afterwards defend publikely their opinions As these things which the law of God leaueth arbitrary are all subiect to the positiue Lawes of the Church and to be vsed till like authority see iust reasonable cause to alter thē so these Lawes of the Church abridge priuate mens libertie in such things that are not dissonant from the Lawes of God if it were not so we should ouerturne the world and make euery man his own commander and Iudge These considerations I leaue to your fatherly care if I haue said too much or to little purpose it is because I can doe nothing but tattle but if I were able to do more I would doe it that our diuisions might not be tould in Gath nor our nakednesse published in the streets of Askelon IN the second place I come to you of the Ministerie of Scotland or elsewhere within his Maiesties Dominions that are Lanternes of direction vnto your followers To you that thus frame the peoples hearts and on whose shoulders lyeth the burthen of this cause which so troubleth the common Peace I beseech you lend me patient hearing to that which in few wordes I shall deliuer vnto you from my soule and in the sinceritie of my heart and whereof I hope you will iudge more charitable then to thinke that you reade the wordes of an aduersarie against that Truth which you say you professe but of one that desireth to embrace the same Truth with you if it bee Truth Although I be not of the Tribe of Leui yet am I of the Tents of Sem Regard not then who it is that speaketh but weigh the truth of what I shall speake First if without fore-stalled or preiudicate affection you will truely examine that same externall Gouernment established which you oppose you shall finde it such as neither the Law of God or man hitherto alleadged are of sufficient force to disprooue your obedience thereunto but on the contrarie that the Frame of that Gouernment which you maintaine is insufficient to establish any well affected Conscience so long as it opposeth the current of lawfull Authoritie Neither in all your impartiall enquirie shall you finde one cleare proofe whereby it may bee demonstrate that your Opposition is not by mis-conception and error named the Ordinance of IESVS CHRIST Though you much vrge Apostolicall imitation yet my hope is that there is none so obstinate amongst you but will confesse that many things of the same nature were harmelesse in the Apostles times which now would prooue impossible or scandalous as the administration of the Eucharist after supper washing of feet oscula sancta the communitie of goods the feasts of charitie manuall exercise and the like wherof some many yeares after were retained in the Church and now vpon good considerations are remoued and other things established which the former times could not haue and are more fit for the Church of Christ then if for conformities sake to those times they should be taken away Or if a necessitous imitation of Apostolicall times should be yeelded in the externall gouernment of the Church all the passionate exhalations of Didoclauius and the like disturbers of State combined with your best reasons will neuer be able to proue that your compleat form of discipline was wholly practised in any age but in this which for insolencie and contempt may bee called the worst or that it is otherwise warranted but by maruellous poore coniectures and wresting of Scriptures to singular opinions Therefore giue me leaue to intreate you by that humilitie which is the crowne of well affected Christian minds by the obligation which you owe vnto the peace of the Church by the care of your owne soules and saluation of Gods people committed to your charge that beside many other important considerations you will lay before you the necessitie of vnitie and intestine tranquillitie at this time when now or neuer your allegeance challengeth your loyalty and vnited forces Animos vestros commune iungat periculum simultas post sit ne tum denique vestra intelligatis bona cum quae in potestate habetis ea amiseritis Meditate deepely with your best recollected sences that if his Maiestie should now cherish in his owne bosome the least Coale of home-bred Sedition that might obviate the successefull issue of his iust and holy designes the World might iustly take notice that his Royall prouidence is farre short of that care which so long hath vpholden the most peaceable Gouernment that any Age can paralell Call to minde that as God hath giuen him a wise and vnderstanding heart to iudge betwixt good

incite Church-men to deuotion and pietie to explaine the sense of Scripture with all humilitie to acquaint as well Princes as people with the will of God by preaching to turne the wrath of God from them by prayer that so obtaining a blessing vpon their labours they may by practise confirme such in the faith by their workes as they haue wonne by their words to embrace and beleeue it Ex pede Herculem the tree is knowne by the fruite and not by the florishing shadowes of substance Exclamation and railing howsoeuer personated in religious habit is not so much to the preseruation of religion as the Romans did superstitiously imagine the keckling of Geese was to the safety of the Capitolium Ambros serm de obed Contentious bitternesse is as opposite to the peace of the Church as oyle to the quenching of fire God is not in the bitter diuision or alienation of affections nor in the raging fire of seditions nor in turbulent tempests and whirlewinds of contradictions and discentions But his blessed Spirit is in the sweet gentle breach and still calme winde of peace and concord If any man say they are warranted by their conscience contentiously to impugne authoritie anull the lawes of a free Monarchy and make a Metamorhposis of religion at their pleasure when euery misconception tickleth their fancy I answer that they balke the high way wherein they ought to walke neglect the maine end at which they should driue and aime obliquely at priuate gaine vaine glory satisfaction of some base humour or passion If our conscience tels vs this or that and cannot proue what it tells but by shifts coniectures shadows then it is not cōscience at least no true but a lying conscience that so misleads vs no it is rather our fancy our peeuish preiudicate and forward conceit which we are bound to resist and subiect our owne peruerse crooked will to the will of God Melanch Epirom Philos who hath subiected vs to lawfull Magistrates whose hearts are so deepe and vnsearchable by reason of the multiplicitie of affaires and variable waies they are forced to walke for the weale of their people that oft times when they seem to erre to these who ought to bee holden in suspence or that vnderstand not the language of State their actions tels their wisdome to the world as well in protecting their subiects within as curbing their enemies abroad In consideration whereof the booke of publike determination once opened euery liege man is to acquiesse therein because Kings are Gods deputies to execute iustice and iudgement and to leuell singular oppositions by lawes established if they doe it not the fault is theirs to whom the preuention of contempt or animaduersion into such lawes doth belong When Micha will set vp an Idoll and assume a chamber worship to satisfie his erring conscience Iudg. 17.5.6 the reason is subioyned because there was no King in Israel but euery man did what seemed good in his owne eies Conscientia non est contra scientia sed cum scientia our conscience must bee ioyned with knowledge otherwise we Idolatrze vnto our owne hearts whilst we obay an ignorant or etring conscience howsoeuer it may seeme right in the eyes of scismaticks Prouer. 14.12 yet such a conscience is but a melancholy imagination or maleuolent inuention the end whereof are the wayes of death As the Lawes of God must guide our consciences in matters of Faith so the positiue Lawes of the kingdome must be the high way wherin euery good Subiect must walke in actiue obedience in matters not repugnant to that faith Againe Kings are dispensators and dilposers of the law but they are not holden to satisfie euery priuate contentious or curious head which pretend conscience for disobedience or answer euery delinquent with arguments if they did so their worke were infinite It is strange then in the eyes of sound iudgement that some rebellious factious spirits should thus roare range rage as if we had neither Prince Priest nor Iudge The Apostles and Fathers obayed Nero a Monster and Tyrant Dioclesian a cruell persecutor and Iulian an accursed Apostate When there was not a Christian King vpon earth Saint Paul commanded Titus to put the people in remembrance of their obedience to Princes and Rulers Neque aliud remedium proponitur priuatis hominibus tirannis subiectis preter preces lachrymas vitae mendationem There can bee no iust cause enabling subiects to arme against authoritie because a publike action must be warranted with a iust cause a good intention and lawfull authoritie the last whereof can neuer fall into priuate hands which are not to vendicate that cognizance which belongeth to the tribunall of heauen That transcendent Maiestie by whom Kings raigne hath reserued their audit to himselfe that they may be more carefull to keepe their accompts streight and rule with iustice The Iura Regalia of Kings are holden of heauen and cannot escheat to any earthly power farre lesse to a subiect The Law hath two properties the one to shew men what they should doe the other to punish the transgressors the king hath interest in the first but is not further subiect to the secōd then to his Soueraign in heauen whose deputie he is in this inferior Orbe of the earth All popular commotions vnreasonable railing vomiting of vnchristian scandall factious conspiracies and treasonable practices are the badges of disloyall and treacherous subiects who ought to testifie the patience of true Israelites and the obedience of true Christians Arma mea preces meae nec possum nec debeo aliter resistere saith Saint Ambrose Phil. 3.3 The Apostle tels vs That we are to doe nothing in the Church through contention or vaine glory but that in meeknesse of minde euery man thinke another better then himselfe Supporting one another through loue Ephes 4.23 endeauouring to keepe the vnitie of faith in the bonds of peace doing all things without reasoning and murmuring For the end of the Commandements is Loue out of a pure heart and of a good conscience Phil. 2.14 Tim. 1.56 and of faith vnfaigned from which things some haue erred and turned vnto vaine ianglings Now in contempt of these Oracles of direction the discourse of religion doth so busie the world Epist histor the word that it hath well neere driuen the practice of it out of the world where charitie and trueth haue onely their being in termes as the Philosophers materia prima Religious discourse is now so canuased in the mouth of most men yea at the tipling table of euery Scoulding Drab vayled with the name of a Sister that any man might resolue that tooke notice of their zealous discourse patheticall griefes and not of their liues that there were nothing in their desires but the purchase of heauen and that they vsed the world as a reposing place towards their celestiall habitation when on the contrary their actions tell the world that