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	supreme_a	2,155	5	8.4962	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08206	The plea of the innocent wherein is auerred; that the ministers & people falslie termed puritanes, are iniuriouslie slaundered for enemies or troublers of the state. Published for the common good of the Church and common wealth of this realme of England as a countermure against all sycophantising papsts, statising priestes, neutralising atheistes, and satanising scorners of all godlinesse, trueth and honestie. Written: by Iosias Nichols, a faithfull minister of the Ghospell of Christ: and an humble seruant, of the English Church.	Nichols, Josias, 1555?-1639.	1602 (1602)	STC 18541; ESTC S101326	105,186	267

the maintenance of Gods true religion Ghospell In so much as beside all other times and occasions vvhen now a little before the last Paliamēt the pert bragging of popish recusants their fauourers here and there straglinglie scattered thorowe the lande did somewhat amase and trouble the mindes of infinite her Maiesties moste godlie louing obedient faithfull subiectes we yet se by firme experience the holie constancie of her Maiesties vnchangeable faith and the honorable cariadge of their wisedomes to the confusion of such vaine persones in their vndutifull wicked hope and to the exceeding ioy and contentation of millions of godlie Christians who depend vpon her Maiesties most gracious present gouernement and whose life is not deere vnto them so as they may se her in helth ioy comfort and honour being readie to bestow the best blood in their heartes to doe her true and faithfull seruice and euerie day night hower to aduenture all they haue for her safetie and to curbe beate downe all wicked Priestes Papistes treasonable persons what so euer The vnchangeable loue of Queene Elizabeth and her godly subiectes And this I thank God I may to the honour and ioy of her Maiestie boast and glorie with an humble gratefull minde reuerence to the diuine magnificent bountie of oureternall Father that neuer Prince King nor Queene since the foundation of the world had more faithfull loue obedience and chearfull duetie of their subiectes then all the Protestantes of England haue most gladly constantlie and vnchangeablie performed and continued to their most louing and kind-mother Queene Elizabeth and that so manie yeares with so little discontentment and disturbance and her loue and holie affection and constancie in religion hath bounde them most neerlie vnto her And therefore I am verely perswaded that if euer any Prince might esteeme the loue of their subiectes a strong wall and bulwark and garde to their person then certes Queene Elizabeth both may 〈…〉 mak high account of the Protestant in England as the most faithfull and loyall people which will not suffer her Maiestie to haue the least indignity if it lye in them by spending verie many thousands of their liues to doe her good And that shall the Papists Priests Seminaries wel know if euer they goe about to put in executiō their hoped butchery bloody obediēce to the Popes cruel buls And this is not all that bindes vs to their honors The Lords of the counsell a great stay to godly Ministers for in our priuate troubles about the ceremonies and subscription wee the poore and faithfull Ministers of Christ when so euer we haue opened our cause and humbled our selues vnto them we haue found great iustice and equitie and diuers times great reliefe and ease from our troubles No doubt they seing our innocencie that of meere conscience without anye the least inclination to disloyaltie to our Soueraigne we did forbeare to doe those thinges they haue tendered our cause and louingly effected that we might not be to to much ouerburdened Yea my L. G. of Cantur himself though he seeme to be the greatest opposite to our cause by wise experience finding the same thing hath many times and vnto divers men whereof I must confesse my self to be one moderated the extremitie which by other men was hotly and vncharitablie persued God bee thanked And I humblie praye almighty God euermore to blesse them that they may be alwaies the faithful eyes eares and hands of her Maiestie to the continuall safetie of her sacred person the vnchangeable vpholding of religion and the ioy of all faithfull and dutifull subiectes the terror and keeping vnder of all wickednes superstition and idolatry to the saluation of their own soules the bright shining glory of God in this land for euer and euer The ciuil and politike state of this land verie good 4. Now if any man vnderstand by the state the constitution of the common lawes and statutes of this land now presently in force whereby vve are combined into one bodie of a ciuill politike common wealth vnder one head and Monarchicall gouernment in all priuileges duties offices and works of Prince and people and of the whole and repulse and repressing of all domesticall and priuate euill in the whole or any member and for defence against all forren power or Potentate whatsoeuer who shall claime any title iurisdictiō or interest within these her Maiesties Dominions of Englande or Irelande or ells make inuasion against our Noble countrie or Soueraigne or offer violence or anie wrong to her Maiesties person Crowne or dignitie In all these thinges wee the Ministers and people aforesaide doe professe ourselues as happie people as anie vnder the Sunne to be vnder so iust equall and free lawes gouernement and iurisdiction right ordered common wealth And we protest before God that we and all we are bounde both by the law of God and of nature to spend our goods strength life and all we haue for the maintenance preseruation and quiet proceeding execution and florishing prosperitie of the same common wealth and monarchicall gouernement and for the maintenance of her Maiesties supreame authoritie ouer all persons in these her dominions either ecclesiasticall or ciuill and in all causes what so euer next immediatelie vnder God and his holy sonne Iesus Christ the King of glorie And I haue that assurance of our vprightnes in this matter that I trust no man euer did or could neither yet at this time either will or can except it bee some popish Priest or seditious person that maligneth our happinesse in this common wealth challenge accuse charge or suspect vs or any of vs that we are not for our places as obedient faithfull glad of present state as any other English men subiectes in this land without inparagement be it spoken and with reuerence to our superiours what so euer 5 Heere vpon it seemeth to me that the question is truely and naturallie about the Ecclesiasticall state constitutions orders maner of gouernement that if it may appeare that heerein we be not enemies then are we no way to be touched of which point the 2 and 3 chapters doe in some sort intreate and doe thus farre iustifie vs that we seeming in some sorte to goe against the present gouernement for not obseruing some ceremonies and for not subscribing c. are yet verie much warranted by the same constitutions articles proceedings of the same Ecclesiasticall state But we haue many moe honest and iust reasons for the approuing of our doinges which I doubt not but that the reuerende Fathers themselues and all other Christians waying with the balance of truth and equitie will afoord to be of better acceptance then in the cōmon account of our cause many doe esteem or affirme The ecclesiasticall state What. First therfore the ecclesiasticall state is the constitution of our churches reformatiō as we are departed from the apostaticall

that we might haue reformation in these things or at the least such toleration as wee might not be burdened with subscription or the strict obseruation of ceremonies but behauing our selues otherwise peaceable and as good subiectes discreet ministers we might not be troubled nor molested about these things And for this cause we did meet in the Parliament time and at other tymes while our trouble did last to consult and deuise what way wee might take to obtaine fauoure and reconciliation or reformation or releasment of our suspensions or other troubles In all which as I must needes confesse that I was among the Ministers of Kent not one of the hindemost beeing suspended onelie for not subscribing from the last daye of Ianuarie vntill the third day before the natiuitie of Christ So doe I professe to all the worlde that I knowe not anie thing which we did in our meeting or in our supplications or apologeticallwritings but that which was comely for men of our sorte and as our forefathers the faithfull Ministers of Christ in the primitiue Church did in like case before vs. For the Ministers of Christ finding themselues in the testimonie of their consciences to be heauilie burdened with the ordinances of the Church wee liue in humblie to declare their grieuances to the Magistrates in authoritie in tymes and places which may relieue them to shew by publike writings the vprightnes of their cause and by petition to craue some Christian and godlie remedie is doubtles agreeing to all law of God man and therefore I hope I shall not need to vse anie argumentes to prooue the same which we know our aduersaries being in our case would thinke themselues to haue great wrong to be denied Our fault is that we did not cōmend our cause to the Queene But if anie thing bee our fault I take it to be this That wee did not present our cause to the Queenes most excellent M. being a Prince of rare clemencie wisdome and iustice Whome when we did know to be so equal fauourable milde and of such incredible long animitie and that to her greatest aduersaries and deadlie enemies the Papistes who alwaies haue sought mischief against her person Crowne and dignitie we were doubtles much ouerseene that we commended not our cause to her most gracious and Princelie consideration For the goodnes of our cause and the innocencie of our persones being manifested before her Princelie eies it could not haue bene possible but that so prudent Christian a Magistrate vvoulde speedilie haue eased all our sorrovves and ended these vvofull troubles of the Church 2 But vvhile vve partlie fearing partly hoping as though the reuerēd Fathers themselues to vvhome vvee vsed beside our supplications diuers meanes woulde at the length haue ioyned with vs to the ending of these vnvvholsome strifes that vve trusted that our mercifull God pitying his Church vvoulde haue raysed vp some meanes to further his ovvne cause vvhile the time slipt avvay and mens mindes vvauered this vvay that vvay three most greeuous accidents did greatly astonish vs and verie much darken the righteousnes of our cause The first vvas a foolishe iester vvho tearmed himselfe Martin Marprelate and his sonnes Martin Marprelate a filthie Sycophant vvhich vnder counterfeit apish scoffing did play the Sycophant slanderously abused manye persons of reuerend place and note And such was the wisdome of the time that manie filthie and lewd pamphletes came forth against him casting forth much stincking doung and beastlie filth into the faces of honest men to the great contempt of Christes holy Ghospell and the verie apparant disparagement of the faithfull laboures of all godly Ministers on both sides This kindled a meruelous great fire euen that which S. Iames sayeth is set on fire of hell and is a worlde of wickednes Cap 3.6 It beewraied the weaknes of many a man and shewed how hard it is for fleshe and blood to hold in the raines of his own aspiring affections rather to endure reproach then to endamage the Church of God or wiselie to forethinke that we ought rather to suffer wronge then that the glorious Ghospell of our Lord Iesus Christ shoulde be euill spoken of How so euer it was the blame lighted vpon vs and we by it obtained a new name in many pulpites how iustly God knoweth wee are called Martinistes Then did our troubles increase the persuite was hardlie followed against vs the enemie of the Ghospell for slowed not the occasion to make our good iust honest godlie cause to be ill thought of and verie much condemned as if the verie state had taken knowledge that we were wicked men our cause vniust we no longer to be suffered So great hurt is it when an honest lawfull course is begun for foolish hairbraine men to thrust in thēselues to hazard such meanes as God neuer sanctified For God needeth not our follie 1. Cro. 15.13 but will make a breach among vs if we seeke him not in order Howbeit when our cause was left naked and many of vs in great hazard God him self gaue witnes to his truth manifested his iudgements and deliuered his innocent seruants so that it plainly appeared to the wiser discreter sorte that the Deuill was the author of this disgrace In this time also happened the second and third euill the Brownistes tooke offense against both sides The Brownists and Hacket of an euill spirit made a temerarious and wicked separation some two or three men being beewitched with some proud honor by a certaine man frantick spirit lifted vp themselues with hie words of blasphemie whose working this was all wise men know who know the wiles of Sathan How be it these also were drawne vpon vs and made a notable matter to aggrauate our cause But God who seeth in secret and beholdeth the bitter gaule of Simon Magus Act. 8.23 the filthie dissolutenes of Nicholas the freating canker of Hyminaeus Philetus the dogges the euill workers concision and all false Apostles which transforme them selues into Apostles of Christ namelie that these did much mischief and brought great trouble to the first beginning planting of the primitiue Church he euen he knoweth that these things were cunninglie wrought by these deep sleightes and suggestions of that olde serpent too hinder our good cause to hurt the prosperous and godly proceedings of the Church of England For by this meanes we finding the mighty winds and stronge streame against vs were faine to humble our selues vnder Gods mercie and commending our selues our cause to him who iudgeth righteously we reserued ourselues to a better time whē it should please his gracious wisedome to make his owne trueth to appeare and to moue the mindes of our superiours to bee more fauourable 3 Then tooke the idle and vnpreaching Ministers comfort at the heart supposing their standing to be good the non-residents had their mouthes