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	ecclesiastical_a	matter_n	1,806	5	5.6659	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25701	An apology for the Parliament, humbly representing to Mr. John Gailhard some reasons why they did not at his request enact sanguinary laws against Protestants in their last session in two letters by different hands.		1697 (1697)	Wing A3552; ESTC R170358	34,745	43

Excellent truly Human truly Christian Natures so temper'd their Calvinism that 't was an inoffensive harmless Speculation if ever I have more Gods than one I do not say more personal Gods but more essentially distinct Gods a Hero so form'd shall be my second but tho I have an inquisitive Mind I think I am in no danger of multiplying Gods no I am resolved I will never do it unless it should be declar'd which I think next to impossible that no Heresy shall be conniv'd at but Tritheism 2. Mr. G. complains not indeed directly and in express words but by a side-wind thus Whether or not the Ecclesiastical Court hath in this occasion of Socinianism acted its part according to Laws I must not take upon me but leave it to the World to judg But notwithstanding all this he does not leave it to the World to judg but takes it upon himself nay he not only gives his Judgment upon the Case but also passes Sentence upon them that concur not in the same Judgment with him as appears by the Citations which he produces and the Reflections which he makes upon them Now in doing this which he thinks he ought not to do and promis'd that he would not he acts against the Light of Conscience which is a damnable Sin whether or no it be Heresy I will not dispute but without dispute 't is damnable it may perchance escape from Fire and Faggot but not from Fire and Brimstone unless it be expiated by a timely and hearty Repentance But what are his Citations of Law against Socinianism First a Passage or two out of a Book called The Reformation of the Ecclesiastical Laws began in the days of H. the 8th and continued in the time of Edw. the 6th That Book then was wrote before Faustus Socinus was born and before England could know any thing of his Uncle Laelius who was about twenty one Years old when Edw. the 6th died Again does Mr. Gailhard think that the Book which he quotes was wrote against Socinianism by inspired Writers in way of prophetick anticipation I am afraid the Contents thereof as to many particulars will plainly evince the contrary I know not what might appear admitting him to be an inspired Interpreter He may interpret Passages out of that Book if he so please against Quakerism as well as Socinianism or against the Scheme of any Party which may perchance arise reviving old and long buried true or false Speculations As for the Notions which I dislike in Socinianism for I am no Socinian but a Member of the Church of England by Law establish'd if I could not bring against them more pertinent and solid Arguments than Mr. Gailhard offers I would never dislike them therefore again I suspect that Mr. Gailhard after all his loud Outcries against blasphemous Socinianism as he phrases it is a subtle but real Socinian and writes booty Mr. G. to go on with his Citations and his booty writing presents the Parliament with a Fragment of a Letter from Edw. the 6th to to A. B. Cranmer Cum vos triginta c. Upon which he makes this booty Reflection So that there is something of a Parliament's Authority against Socinianism I may well call this a booty Reflection for in the next words he grants that that something wants a Parliamentary Stamp which is as much as to say it is a something that 's just as good as nothing We are not yet come to the end of Mr. G's Citations he presents us with a long Story from the Canons and Ecclesiastical Constitutions agreed upon in the Convocations of both Provinces Canterbury and York 1640. And lest the Authority of these Canons should in scornful manner be set aside for want of Parliamentary Sanction because it cannot be pretended that Jesus Christ gave Authority to the Preachers of his Gospel to impose Laws on the Subjects of the Civil Magistrate Mr. G. argumentatively notes That King Charles the First has by virtue of his Prerogative Royal and Supream Authority in Ecclesiastical Causes straightly enjoined and commanded those Canons and Constitutions to be diligently observed and executed But after all this with Mr. G's leave be it spoken our Lawyers know not of any such Prerogative Royal and Supream Authority in Ecclesiastical Causes by which the King alone without the Advice and Consent of his Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled is enabled to ratify and enforce the Ceremonial or Sanguinary Rules and Orders Canons and Constitutions I should have said of the Convocational Clergy Our Just and Lawful and Gracious King William pretends not to this Power nor is inclin'd to let any persecuting Priests loose upon his People and perhaps this is the true Reason and not his being chose by the People why he has no Defenders of his Title among such Priests here and there perhaps a moderate and sober Churchman owns him for his Rightful and Lawful Soveraign but Priests of persecuting Principles every Man of 'em spare not to revile him as a Conquering Usurper Let a Prince claim and exert a Prerogative Royal and Supream Authority to inforce Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiastical I question not but his obliged Clergy shall gratify him with a Right Divine tho he came in by a Foreign Power without and against the Consent of his People but Marriage-Right Proximity of Blood and Consent of the People together shall signify nothing if his Majesty out of a Fatherly Affection to all his loving Subjects will not execute the Vengeance of a Convocation or not call a Convocation to be taught his Duty 3. Mr. G. is troubled that Socinianism has met so little Opposition from the Bishops who as he intimates have not acted their parts and here he most andaciously and sliely slurs the Honour of my Lords the Bishops for tho several of them have wrote learnedly and angrily against Socinianism some in the Real some in the Nominal Trinitarian way yet Mr. G. takes no notice at all of this looking upon them as Men of the Arminian Perswasion who he tells us favour the Socinians go hand in hand with them mince the matter with them Hence he takes occassion to wish that after what several have written heretofore some Persons of Learning sound in the Doctrinal part of the 39 Articles i.e. Calvinists would appear as a very learned and able Prelat hath in some Points effectually done Now nothing could be more sly and malicious than this particular Commendation of a single Prelat as if all the rest favour'd the Socinians went hand in hand with them and mine'd the matter with them He often declares his Aversion from the Arminians of which Perswasion most of the Bishops in their Sermons and Prints have shewn themselves and as for the Calvinists the only Persons sound in the doctrinal part of the 39 Articles he says they have not appear'd i.e. they have been wanting to their Duty against Socinianism for which they were sitted by their Principles How unjust this

Christian it will make him for ever asham'd of Persecution I dare not say it will make an angry Calvinist so for it is I am afraid impossible that such a fated Zealot should fall from the Grace of implacable Anger against all that reject the Geneva Platform of Christianity I have now finished the Remarks which I thought proper upon Mr. G's Epistle Dedicatory to the Parliament and upon the Preface to his Book of which I made a shift to read six or seven Pages The reason which mov'd me to this was a just Indignation that this siery Gentleman should pretend that no man was fit to write against the Socinians but a Calvinist and that the chief Doctors of the Church of England who are of the Arminian Perswasion favour the Socinians go hand in hand with them and mince the matter with them For is it not the highest Impudence in him after he had condemn'd the Socinians to the Fire which perhaps might be born with to go about to prove that the Arminian Clergy and Laity are little better than Socinians In the beginning of this running Century we had few or no Calvinists but among the Puritans they governed all during the Civil War yet at the Restoration were set aside again and discountenanc'd that we have some of them crept into the Church now is I much fear for no other reason but to betray it I am confirm'd in this fear by the very Title of another Book just come to my hands it is inscribed The Growth of Errour being an Exercitation concerning the Rise and Progress of Arminianism and more especially Socinianism c. The first part of the Title is pointed against the Growth of Deism which Pamphlet I believe was wrote by a sincere Christian with a real Design however he is mistaken to prevent the Growth of Deism The Author of this Growth of Errour now I have a little lookt into him designs to prevent the spreading of Arminian and Socinian Doctrines both which he takes to be much the same and equally erroneous In his Preface he says that there are sundry Principles advanced by Men of Reputation among the sound in Faith that do in their tendency lead to what these drive at who are of the worst sort i.e. the English Socinians and in the Introduction to his Book he tells us Many of them who cannot see how they differ from their Brethren but in the way and method of explaining the same Doctrine which they both hold slide into Arminianism and from thence pass over unto the Tents of Socinus A little after he says Tho they set up for a middle way between the extreams of Calvin and the Excesses of Van Harman commonly called Arminius yet on their turn from the former they fall in so far with the latter that 't is impossible for them to make a just defence of what they hold contrary to the Arminian System and therefore they fall in with them and run their Length As much as say deviate but one Hair's Breadth from the System of John Calvin and you are presently over head and ears in Arminianism Again he says That the Arminians who pretend a middle way between the Orthodox and the Socinian are in the twinkling of an eye fallen under Socinus his Banner His Book produces some sort of Instances to make good this Charge which tempts me to compare Mr. Gailhard and this Author to Brutus and Cassius of whom the Historian Vbicunque ipsi essent ibi praetexebant esse Rempublicam Wheresoever they were there they gloried was the Commonwealth of Rome So these bonny Calvinists exclusively to all others especially the Arminians will be the Church of England I would old Peter Heylin were alive to tell 'em their own in truth I think he was over-modest which was but rarely his fault to esteem a Presbyterian i.e. a Calvinist for so it was in his days worse than a Papist For my part I esteem a Christian from whatsoever Sect denominated not excepting the Socinians more honourable than a persecuting Calvinist and this is my comfort that tho the Courage of this zealous Sect is great yet their Number is small they have but half the Retinue which Mr. G. allows the Socinians there are no real Deists nor Arminians among them and but few Papists not more than there are Dominicans some handfuls of conceal'd Hugonots in France a pugil of ingrateful Refugees in England Their main Strength lies among Mahometans and Atheists of which Confederates they have so few within call that I may venture to apply to them dat Deus immiti Cornua curta Bovi In English we say Curst Cows have short Horns Let me by the way commend the discerning Spirit of the Church of Rome who commits the management of her flaming Inquisition to the Order of St. Dominic a Race of bloody Calvinists as wisely knowing what Priests are by their Principles best fitted to do the work of Devils But I wonder in my Heart how the Author of the Growth of Errour having condemned the English Socinians as the worst of Men that so they might be given up to his and Mr. Gailhard's Mercy and taken a great deal of pains to lay the Arminians under the same Condemnation should yet have the confidence to tell his Readers that many who knew him think his Charity towards Men of very different Principles of a Latitude to a Fault whenas all that I can find by his Book is that his Soul is never so disturb'd with tormenting Regret as when an Orthodox Brother is not able to make good his false Accusation against an Arminian Festus Hommius had plaid the knave a little and put the change on Episcopius his Words tho for no other reason in the world but to fasten the Imputation of Socinianism upon him this foul play the honest Author of the Growth of Errour takes notice of and makes this charitable Reflection upon it I must confess that in an instance or two the report made of Episcopius was not so well grounded as might be wished p. 72. When I consider St. Paul's Character of Charity in the 13th Chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians I cannot but conclude that our Author's Friends banter'd him when they found fault with the Latitude of his Charity for my part I cannot see how any Charity at all can be honestly laid to his charge for he desies Long-suffering and Kindness is full of Envy and Pride behaves himself unseemly seeketh to serve the Cause of his own Party is easily provoked thinketh evil in his Heart rejoiceth in Iniquity and not in the Truth beareth nothing but believeth as ill as he can of his Neighbour and still hopes and wishes the worst What would this Gentleman have giv'n that the Report made of Episcopius had been true why what would he have got by 't Why then the poor Man might have been ran down like a Wolf hang'd like a Dog or burnt for an Heretic whereas he was only banish'd a small satisfaction that in respect of what our Author might have received had the States of Holland treated Episcopius with Mr. Gailhard's extream Remedy I am sorry I have not Health and Leisure to do this Author farther Justice but must break off without so much as commending his Learning Wit and Reasoning which are of a Latitude equal to his Charity I beg his Excuse But the Debt which I cannot pay him I have some Temptation to hope that a couragious Master among the Tritheists will because some pages are particularly aim'd at him in one of which p. 161. there are these words If the contradictory Affirmation of three individual Essences being but one individual Essence will clear the Notion from being Heresy then Val. Gentilis Lismaninus Blandrata and the many other Propagators of the Socinian Abominations must be also for the same reason clear'd from Heresy Upon this Passage I have but one Observation and the Reader is at an end of his trouble If Dr. Sh ck be cleared from Heresy so also must the Socinians in the judgment not of this Author only but of Dr. S th also with whom are a Moiety if not a Majority of the Church If Dr. S th be clear'd from Heresy so also must the Socinians in the judgment of Dr. Sherlock who concludes all the Opposers of his real Tritheistic Trinity under Sabellianism and with him are some great Names and no contemptible Numbers What to do with these Socinians if I know never trust me if I brand them for Hereticks let me assign what merit I please I shall be thought as Growth of Errour phrases it to bereticate one or other Division of the Church If I pass them without censure Mr. Gailhard will vouch that I mince the matter with them notwithstanding the Protestation which I make that I am an obedient Son of the Church of England I think I had best after the example of the Areopagites engag'd in a Difficulty which puzzl'd them as much as this does me bid the Cause come before me a hundred Years hence FINIS ADVERTISEMENT Lately printed An Essay concerning the Power of the Magistrate and the Rights of Mankind in Matters of Religion With some Reasons in particular for the Dissenters not being oblig'd to take the Sacramental Test but in their own Churches and for a General Naturalization Together with a Postscript in answer to the Letter to a Convocation-man The Art of Memory A Treatise useful for all especially such as are to speak in publick By Marius D' Assigny B. D. Both sold at the Cross-keys and Bible in Cornhil