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	true_a	1,429	5	4.7475	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73011	Looke beyond Luther: or An ansvvere to that question, so often and so insultingly proposed by our aduersaries, asking vs; where this our religion was before Luthers time? VVhereto are added sound props to beare vp honest-hearted Protestants, that they fall not from their sauing-faith. By Richard Bernard, of Batcombe in Sommersetshire.	Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641.	1623 (1623)	STC 1956.3; ESTC S123041	43,757	64

the people of Israel once the people of God in Dauids and Salomons dayes and many hundred yeeres before when Idolatrie vnder pretence to worship no false but the true God was set vp and they not suffered then to do their office vnto the Lord as their office required If they were not no more are we For why doe we forsake the Romish Church Is it not because she hath set vp a new manner of seruice vnto God new kinds of Priests new Holy-dayes new Sacraments new Orders and will not permit the Lords Seruants and Ministers to do their Offices vnto the Lord as he hath by his written Word prescribed Therefore seeing we are not guiltie of Schisme we are not as Schismatikes out of the Church into which by Baptisme wee are receiued III. Not as excommunicate persons For if we be neither Heretikes nor Schismatikes vpon what other ground will they iudge vs to be proceeded against There are other causes for which men are excommunicate but in this question our aduersaries cannot pleade any such Againe I aske if wee bee excommunicate who hath pronounced the sentence Is it the Romish Church By what authoritie Their Church is not the Catholike Church but only a particular as ours is and it is by vs questioned and therefore in reason it cannot bee both a Partie accused and also a Iudge against vs in her owne cause Thirdly we doe appeale from her vnrighteous iudgement to a lawfull generall Councell where vpon earth our cause is onely to bee heard and decided lawfully Till which time wee for any censure of this Church of Rome doe remaine in the true Church into which by Baptisme wee are admitted out of which as yet we are not lawfully iudged to bee by any lawfull and supreme authoritie as either Heretikes Schismatikes or as excommunicate persons Therefore Christian-harted Reader thou that art a member of the Church of England though thou beest no Romanist assure thy soule that thou art of that Church which is vndoubtedly a member of the True Ancient Catholike and Apostolike Church in which abiding thou maist through the merits of thy blessed Sauiour obtaine eternall life if thou so beleeuing doest demeane thy selfe as it becommeth a good Christian and a Protestant in earnest And for thine owne more certaine assurance and stable abiding let me aduise thee to a few things Haue a care to keepe thy Couenant in thy Baptisme that thou mayst be better perswaded that God keepes his with thee and so to be one of his in the true Church Labour to feare God for it is the beginning of wisdome and the secrets of the Lord are with such as feare him and he will shew them his couenant Psal 25.14 Haue euer a loue of the truth and God will not giue thee ouer to beleeue lyes for this is a iudgement befalling such as loue not the truth beleeue it not but take pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Be a doer of the Word and thou shalt know the doctrine whether it bee of God or no. Beware of affected ignorance and carelesse neglect of knowledge but vse the meanes appointed to attaine vnto it Exercise thy selfe much in prayer beg of God wisdome and hee will giue it thee his Spirit and he will vouchsafe it thee pray against sedition and God will keepe thee frequent the company of such as haue knowledge the feare of God before them the loue of the truth in them and make conscience of their wayes Aske aduice of faithfull Teachers listen not to false Teachers feare to be seduced And further that thou mayst both defend the truth and also be able according to thy measure receiued to resist the aduersaries I. Learne carefully the truthes of God necessarie to saluation set downe in holy Scriptures Such truths are very manifestly and plainely deliuered either in expresse termes or by an vndoubted consequent drawne from thence and all such necessarie points as concerne all are written in the Scriptures as their Bellarmine confesseth With these Scriptures acquaint thy selfe and being an ordinarie Christian doe not trouble thy selfe about obscure places for plaine and easie places will bee sufficient to confirme thy faith in any thing necessarie for thee to beleeue and practize in the way of saluation II. Be well grounded in the Catechisme the parts whereof are the Creed the Lords Prayer the Decalogue and the doctrine of the Sacraments for these are the compendium or short summe of all Christianitie These well vnderstood will furnish thee with reasons to withstand seducers There is not any thing of which they shall speake but the same may be brought to some head in Catechisme as either concerning Faith and so referred to the Creed or concerning Prayer and so referred to the Lords Prayer or concerning obedience and so referred to the Decalogue or ten Commandements or else touching the Sacraments the Seales of our Faith III. Adde to these certaine considerations by which thou mayest defend the truth and ouerthrow falshood as the common law of Nature common reason right vse of senses common experience common equitie common charitie common honestie the witnesse of knowne Martyrs whereto adde the corruption of our nature allowing or disliking of any thing By the plaine euidence of Scripture by the Catechisme and by these considerations mayst thou trie all things which be necessarie for thee to stand vpon If a seducer come to thee and that he will needs deale with thee obserue two things first not to regard what he saith if it be not about necessarie points Secondly see that his confirmation or confutation bee onely by either some or all these three aforenamed to wit plaine Scriptures the parts of the Catechisme and those considerations from whence if hee cannot proue his assertions beleeue him not If he begin to tell thee of Councels ancient Fathers and the Churches custome in all Ages answere him first that the three former are knowne to thee the Bible common at hand the Catechisme in thy remembrance and the consideration of such as are without difficultie but as for these three last great reading and learning and knowledge in Historie are required to vnderstand them well and to cite them truly They are for the best learned of the world and not for any of the common sort ordinarie men cannot iudge aright by them neither will any such presume to thinke such abilitie to be in them if they would take notice of diuers things concerning Councels Fathers and the Churches custome I. Touching Councels they must know that they are not only subiect to errour but also haue erred that they haue contradicted one another that some of them haue been carried by a strong faction that ancient Fathers would not rest euer vpon the sole authoritie of Councels that Papists themselues though they pretend them yet doe not wholly resigne their iudgement vnto them that there are some counterfeite and forged Councels and counterfeite Canons added