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	great_a	power_n	1,773	5	4.5419	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43822	Nevv lords, nevv lavvs, or, A discovery of a grand usurpation, in opposition to the Holy Laws of God and contempt of the good laws, and royal prerogative of the supream magistrate, as it hath been lately practised by the lordly Matthew Caffin, a pretended true apostle of our blessed Lord and Saviour, and ruling head of his congregation, usually meeting at Southwater near Horsham in Sussex. By R. H.	Haines, Richard, 1633-1685.	1674 (1674)	Wing H202B; ESTC R216445	62,553	67

for it Thirdly Who gave him Commission to say and affirm That Patents were of the Divel and that He could as freely have Communion or fellowship with Idolaters or unclean Persons as with those that should have a Patent Or to question the Kings Royal Prerogative and that meerly in Relation to Secular things Forthly Who gave him Commission to say If he hath a statute for it what is that to us VVhat have we to do with the Laws and Statutes of men And so be it with Law or without it is all one to the lawless and disobedient and by what Authority could he call those Laws and Statutes unjust Since they are for the praise and Incouragement of those that do well Fifthly Who gives Commission or Warrant for such strange partiality so as in Contempt of the Kings Authority To send a man most maliciously to Hell in his own Conceit for Justifying of the same and accepting a favour thereby only to secure a Just priviledg from being a prey to the Common sort of men as himself calls them and all this to be Condemned under the notion of Covetousness and rendred as odious as possible and yet in the mean time to allow of unlawful Covetousness and that defended by deceit and defraud He himself well knowing the same Sixthly By what rule did he walk who did Receive an acousation against me by one that was not of the Church and Condemn the thereupon when the accuser was both witness and party and yet refuse an accusation brought in against another who was guilty of Cruelty prophane Cursing and that proved by several honest and unintersted Persons I say what rule had he for this but his own will like Nebuchadrezzor that whom he had a mind to save he saved and whom he had a mind to distroy he destroyed Seventhly VVho gave him Commmission To rebuke a man and that in the face of the Congregation For keeping Company with great Persons As he calleth them who are known to be Sober men and much honester then himself And this before it was or ever could be proved That any Sin was by this means Committed Eightly VVho gave him Commission To appear like an Enemy to peace and good Neighbourhood so as to forbid me to make peace between Neighbour and Neighbour and to blame me for being often Concerned therein though he could never prove That there was any Acts of Injustice or disorder thereby knowingly Committed Ninthly VVho gave him Commission To move for the denying Communion to several Congregations Because some that were rich were suffered to were a Gold Ring or Silver Buttons or Ribbons c. Tenthly VVho gave him Commission To make it unlawful for those that are in subjection to his Corrective power to trade or have any Trade or Commerce with me so as they might not buy or sell for me though Servants Lastly VVho gave him Commission to Condemn the Counsel and Admonition of our London Brethren so as to say We do not own them nor are to regard what they say Now Sirs If for all these things he have not Scripture Authority for their Iustification Then remember henceforth that wholsome Advice When he speaketh fair BELEIVE him not BELEIVE him not for their are more than Seven Abominations in his Heart For are not such principles and Practises Dangerous both to Church and state and besides other wickedness do they not render the Government of the Church Lordly and Tyrannical and the Authority of the State Contemptible so as to make the one Dangerous to the well being of the other For as the Church doth increase the safety and Authority of the Civil Magistrate must proportionably decrease VVitness the like Usurpation of the Church of Rome makeing Kings and Emperours Submit And can you alleadg any better Authority from Scripture for these things than Papists can for their Ceremonies and Traditions If not VVhere are you my Beloved VVhere are you Got Are you not within less than a Sabboth days Journey of Rome And whilst he with a high hand opposes the Quakers pretended perfection and Condemns many others more honest than himself for Idolatry Superstition and Usurpation As though he himself were of a Holy lamb like Spirit hath he not in the mean time by fair flattering words and smooth pretences Subtlely and Slily under pretence of Holy Ends Crept into your affections before you are aware That now you are Conjured so to Rely on his Infallibility As to make it a Bridge whereby to Step over the Authority of the Holy Scriptures that Sacred Boundary which as a River of Life divides the Church of Christ from that of Anti-christ Thus my beloved Brethren But his weak Little Children whilst he is as it were Singing to you a plesant Song of Romes ruin being at hand and Rocking you into the peaceable sleep of vain Confidence in his Cradle of pretended safety Hath he not all on a sudden Lead you over this Bridge of Infallibility quite A CROSS Scripture Authority and Squat you down in the very Lap of the Great VVhose of Babylon Whence if you would but awake you need not VVonder why he doth not own those honest Christian Brethren that are in the City of London For now you may see That it is the order of his Infallible Brethren Citizens of Rome that he do● most Resemble and approve of Obj. But possibly you may say Why did you not before this time disown him for these things if you did not allow thereof Sol. To which I Answer That I was wholly ignorant of his great Office and Authority and also of his deceits and even when I had Cause in some measure to suspect him my Charity was such that I could not Conclude him to be thus dangerous and deceitful But if the Case on your side be otherwise and that you were acquainted with such his Authority and Order of Government so as to know he hath power to be at once both an Accuser and Judge and that an absolute Submission and obedience ought to be performed to this High-Brave Lordly-Person as aforesaid Then let me tell you That you your selves who pretend to be my weak Brethren are most strong and my self most weak and simple And therefore forasmuch as you have offended me who am so weak according to your own Law you your selves ought to be Excommunicated except you submit whether the matter for which I am offended be lawful or unlawful Civil or Religious The Case is as broad as long and as you are honest I hope you will not think it too much if you without mercy should be paid with your own Coyn especially when your Actions whereby you have so offended me were tyrannical and unmerciful Forget not forget not my pretended tender loving Brethren what measure you have made But further to demonstrate that his Lordship in his own conceit is in as great Power and Authority as any the Pope pretends to give me leave to say That at a certain

that which is no less than a Damnable Erroneous Principle For if it be true as you have in words said That the Church of Rome he become a Harlot which once was the Spouse of Christ Then Vsurpation is a Damnable Error For if she had not Usurped Authority to Compel Persons to do and practise more or less then what is by their Supream Lord and Master required and appointed for Discipline and. Government of the Church according to the Holy Scriptures then no doubt but she had continued a true Church unto this day Again If the Church Officers had not through Usurpation been corrupted but had governed the Church according to the Will of our Lord and Saviour revealed in Scripture and not mixt their own Inventions with Christs Institutions Then doubtless the Officers of the Church of Rome had still deserved the Honour to be stiled The Holy Successors of the Holy Apostles But if as you say by usurpation she be now come a VVhore and her Officers none of Christs Ministers Then I infer that Usurpation is a Damnable Sin For ever since such Usurpation her Officers are ceased to be the holy Successors of the Apostles and are become the Antichristian Successors of Usurpers Tyran●s and Murtherers and notorious Enemies to all true Christian Emperours Kings and Princes Whence 't is evident that Usurpation is a Damnable destroying Sin and most dangerous to Church and State But you may possibly say That Usurpation cannot be the greatest and most damnable Sin since it is the Sin of the Holy Ghost that is the greatest Sin and never to be forgiven To which I answer That the Sin committed against the Holy Ghost in my opinion is that Sin only which is committed under the highest degree of saving means to wit God by his holy Spirit and Word opposing and the person persevering in his intended wickedness so that whether it be the Sin of Usurpation Rebellion Tyranny Hypocriste Idolatry c. any of these may thus be committed against the Holy Ghost and so become impardonable And therefore my Brethren look to your Consciences if Baal be God serve him but if the Lord be God how dare you go beyond his Word and unerring Rule Believe not trust not the best of men in matters of Religion in any thing that is not according to the Word of the Lord remember that a man of God was torn in pieces by a Lyon because he believed one who was not as then a Prophet an Example worthy the observation of those that incline to trust any private man rather than the Word of God Be no longer deluded Oh ye my Beloved although unkind Friends and bear with me for endeavoring at once to defend my own Innocent Just Cause and shew you your Delusions and how you are Betray'd For hath he not corrupted your Authority and Government so as to render it to be Lordly Arbitrary and Tyrannical contrary to the Will and Mind of Christ whom you suppose is the Head of your Church Yea and I do also believe That you think that you Act under Christ by vertue of Authority and Commission received from Him only and not otherwise which if really true then are you the true Church or part of the true Church and so ought to go no further than the Lords Commission which so long as you observe you are undoubtedly his beloved Children and true Subjects to him here and such as shall Reign with him in his Kingdom forever which I also believe is your hope and expectation And to this you are often encouraged by your pretended true Apostle and to believe that the Order of his present Government will bring you to this happy estate But if like a pretended Angel or Light he with smooth Words and hypocritical Speeches and Pretences of Tender Love to you and Honour to the Church have led you out of this good way and order in which you might stand and remain in safety and hath inveigled you into a Government under which you are become Servants to another Master and Rebels to Him whom you conceit you serve and honour like those grievous Transgressors of whom the Lord complains Isaiah 58. 2. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinance of their God They ask of me the Ordinance of Justice they take delight in approaching to God What I pray have you done more than they Oh! that you would lay it to heart and consider Whether you are not as much deluded as they were Which if so Then beware of vain Confidence and be sure that you are in danger wherefore for your Reformation I pray consider First That you ought to do nothing in obedience to your true Lord and Master but what you believe is your duty because Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Secondly That your Faith and Belief hath a firm and sure Foundation for what you do and especially for what you do compel in matter of Religion otherwise your Building may come to sudden ruine Add not therefore sin to sin but haste haste for Reformation apply yourselves to the Law and to the Testimonies In case he compells person to submit to his or your Wills without that Authority then know It is because his pretended Holiness is turned into VVickedness Haste then I say and do Justice when by the Lord it is required of you although it be to the cutting off of your right hand when by reason of a Gangrening malignant distemper it is destructive to the whole Body But if notwithstanding all that I have said you are so strongly deluded that he cannot appear in your Judgments a Rebel and an Usurper Then tell me I pray who it is gave him Commission and Authority to Accuse Condemn Judge and pass sentence against a member of the Church for that which is no Transgression and not suffer him to plead his Cause with the Congregation whom in words you declare are the proper Judges or reason with those that were offended in order to give them Satisfaction But contrary to the way of peace and peace-makers perpetually to Interpose with malicious Agravations So that we were not suffered to propose any Terms of Reconciliation each to other Do you verily believe Christ gave him Commission to Exercise this Arbitrary Government If you do shew me good grounds for such your faith and I will believe it also otherwise remember the Popes Acts of Tyranny are of as good Authority as yours and he as honest as your Apostle and not half so much an Hypocrite Secondly Who requires you to be so Slavishly at the dispose of this pretended Apostle as through his Instigation to Condemn a member before ever it was proved that he had Transgressed any known Law wronged Man Woman or Child or ever dispised any Admonition or indeed that he was ever so much as Admonished at all by any Two persons or that there ever was any occasion