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
A72174	A briefe discourse of certaine points of the religion which is among the commõ sort of Christians, which may bee termed the countrie diuinitie with a manifest confutation of the same, after the order of a dialogue / compiled by George Gifforde.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1582 (1582)	STC 11846; ESTC S5348	72,465	187

The worde of God is certaine and sure because God cannot lie but howe shall I ●●●we which is their ●● sense of it ● shall I beleeue euerie man which doth interprer the worde shall I not the better beleeue 〈…〉 if he say it is not my interpretation but S. Ierome he saith so S. Augustine hee sayth so I promise yée he shall haue the greater credite with me for they were other maner of men then hée Zelot I cannot but ●●ruell to see howe grosse and dull your head is for to learne the trueth and how readily you can bring out such matters as this ye speake not of your owne head I woulde there were no greater learned men then you blinded in this matter But let mee shewe yee your grosse errour Yee say the word is certaine and sure but the interpretation thereof yee make doubtfull but what are we the better that the worde of God is sure and certaine vnlesse it be sure certaine vnto vs which cannot bee except the interpretation be so It is as good for you to say the word is doubtfull as for to say the sense is doubtfull Nowe when as yee hang the sense vppon men can ye denie but that still it is in doubt This must needes arise in the minde those Doctors said so but they might erre and therefore I am not certaine that this is the sense If this shall bee admitted in the Church what shall become of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or full certaintie of fayth which the woorde of GOD doeth require to be in vs it is grounded vpon the word of God for it cannot stande otherwise Moreouer faith is sure what God meaneth or else it is no faith therefore such as woulde hang mens saith vppon the authoritye of men where they must needes still be in doubt and when they are at the furthest they come but vnto this it is 〈…〉 like for to be true because such notable men speake it doe not know a right what faith is for that yee say he shall haue the more credite with you if he say It is not my saying but the saying of Augustine therein ye were euen as good say that your fayth is built vpon men and not vpon God For if ye doe beleeue because some great learned or Godlie man telleth yee the matter this is no true beleefe for wee must bee fully perswaded that God him selfe doeth tell vs or els wee be neuer the neere Ath. Howe shall I know when GOD speaketh ●● which God speaketh you come and preach one way another commeth and hee doeth proache another way yee preache one contrary to another you say God speaketh hee saith God speaketh whiche shall wee beleeue Is not ●ee to ●e● best beléeued which can shew that those greate doctors are on his side Zelot See what a grounde you leaue vnto you know not when GOD speaketh not what God speaketh and therefore yee will haue some of the olde Doctors for to tell are yee sure hee telleth yee right if ye be it is because hee sheweth ye the worde of God why he telleth yee so the credite must bee giuen vnto the word and not to the man But you saie yee can not tell when one doeth alleadge the worde in the true meaning howe then can ye tell when one alleadgeth the doctor in the true meaning he which will falsifie the word of God in the Bible he will not sticke for to falsifie the meaning of the Doctor you may search the scriptures to see whether the testimonies alleadged be so as the men of Berea did when Paule preached Act. 17. 11. You cannot neither are yee commaunded for to searche the doctors And vnlesse yee see the manifest 〈…〉 of gods worde ye are not bounde for to beleeue but if it be plainlie shewed that God hath spoken then yee are bounde vnder the 〈…〉 of damnation for to giue credite vnto it Christe sayth My sheepe heare my voyce a straunger they will not heare Iohn 10. Also S. Iohn saith brethren beleeue not euerie spirite but trie the spirites whether they be of God 1. Iohn 4. he therefore which saith I cannot tell when the voyce of Christ is vttered it is all one as if he should say I am none of the sheepe of Christ because as he saith Euery one of his sheepe do knowe his voyce He that saith I know not which Preacher doth preach truth and which falshood he may euen as well say I am none of those to whome the holy Ghost speaketh and sayth Try the spirites whether they be of God it is a generall precept giuen vnto all Christians Ath. Ye shall neuer make mee beleeue that euerye man is for to iudge whether the Preacher speake true or false Zelot I know not what I shall be able for to make you beleeue but I am sure I can plainely shewe what yee ought to beleeue First marke this the worde came not from man neither can a man teache it ye vnlesse God reueale it by his spirite if it were the wisedome of the worlde or of the flesh then the spirit of the world which is in man and knoweth the secretes of man could teache it but because it is the mysterie of GOD none can make yee learne it but the holy Ghoste which searcheth euen the deepe things of God as S. Paul teacheth 1. Cor. 2. 10 S. Iohn in his first Epistle Chap. the seconde hauing told them that there were euen then many Antichrists he comforteth them with this You saith he haue receiued an annointing from the holy one know all things Like as therefore none of those can learne whō God doth not inlighten with his spirite so on the cōtrary part all those which are taught within by the spirit doe feele when the doctrine which the same spirit hath taught is vttered he knoweth his owne and he sealeth it vp in their hearts and consciences which being instructed by him must needes consent thereto fully For this cause there is great difference betweene such as set all vpon the authorities of men and such as preach as S. Paul saith he did with the plaine euidence of the spirit and of power 1. Cor. 2. 4. he addeth the reason in the next verse that their faith should not cōsist in the wisedome of men but in the power of God If faith may not hang vpon the wisdome of men and therefore the intising speech which mans wisedome teacheth is to be auoided in setting foorth the Gospell then can it not stand vpon the authorities of men Ath. Is it not lawfull in any respect for to alleadge them Zelot Yes no doubt there are circumstances which may make it sometime very needfull I speake only against this that they are alleaged when as we may alledge the same things out of the worde it selfe And when they are alleadged for men to builde their faith vpon or to make men thinke that there can be no certaintie in the interpretation of the worde

but where as they are made for to speake When as in deed the Preacher in his Sermon must come with such euidence and make his proofe so plaine and so strong that it must needes conuince the conscience of the hearers in such wise that of necessitie he shalbe forced for to say vndoubtedly that which this man vttereth is that which God himself speaketh for so saith the Apost 1. Cor. 14. 24 If saith he all doe prophesie and there come in an infidel or one vnlearned he is reproued of all he is iudged of all and so the secrets of his hearte are made manifest and falling vpon his face he will worship God confessing that God is verily among you This testimonie doth shew that the force of Gods worde vttered nakedly is such that it conuicteth the hart of the infidel and cōpelleth him for to confesse that God is with thē which speak it The worde of God is described in the Epistle to the Hebrwes Chap. 4. 12. after this sort the worde of God saith he is liuely mightie in operation sharper then any two edged sworde and entereth in vnto the deuiding asunder of the soule and the spirite of the ioynts and the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hart Men might vnderstand by this that by whom soeuer this sword of the spirite be drawne forth if it be rightly handled it will pearse through and through both the bodies and soules of the hearers and will moue euery veine in the heart euen of the wicked So that he needeth not for to grind it or make it sharpe vpon the grindstone of Ambrose or Hierom. Ath. Then you destroy learning if yee take awaye the writinges of the Doctors for they serue to no vse if it be as you say why should students read them Zelot There is great benefite in the reading of them for to helpe vs to the true vnderstanding of the scriptures Ath. If they helpe yée to vnderstand the scriptures wherefore do yée not when yee expound the scriptures tell which is theirs Yée robbe them and take the glorie to your selues Zelot Nowe yee reason as bussardlike as can be ye may be a Doctour of Dunces for this argument Doth the Preacher come in his owne name must he tell his owne will or is he to seeke his owne glorie or the glory of any other man If other haue holpen him to finde the knowledge of Gods will which he must vtter it is therefore become theirs because they haue shewed it vnto him If he now set it foorth in the name of the Lord alone whose it is doth he robbe them For looke whatsoeuer a man findeth in the auncient writers in expounding he is no further to beleeue them then they proue their exposition out of the Bible so that it continueth still not theirs but the Lordes and if wee shoulde ascribe it vnto them we should robbe the Lorde and bee theeues for other men Therefore in this matter wee must follow the precept which the Lorde giueth 1 Peter 4. 11. He that speaketh let him speake as the wordes of God Ath. Is that so meant that it is not alow●●to cite any thing out of other bookes besides the worde Zelot I tolde yee before that it is not simply vnlawfull for to cite or alleadge a sentence out of a Doctour But the maner and ende of the dooyng of it is all I say likewise that a man may in some sorte alleadge a saying out of any Heathen or prophane Writer for wee haue the example of Saint Paule Actes 17. 1. Corinth 15. Titus 1. Alleadging the sayinges of prophane Poets But wee must see to what end doth hee reason thus the Poet saith it therefore are yee to giue credite vnto it no man woulde bee so foolishe as to make their wordes being Heathen men to bee of such authoritie but he sheweth that euen their owne Doctors consented with him in those things And therefore a shame and foule reproche for them too bee ignorant of the same When the Papistes doe charge vs to be gone from the faith of the olde Fathers although we are to confute them this way namely by shewing their treacherie and lying when we are able to prooue by the writinges of the auncient Fathers that in the chiefe pointes they fully agree with vs yet this is not the way which God hath appointed and sanctified for the conuersion and education of his people this engine is ouer weake to reare vp the Temple of the Lorde we must take heede we leaue not the mightie worde it selfe and leane vnto a tottering piller Saint Paule sheweth the power of the worde 2. Corinth 10. where hee saith although we walke in the fleshe yet wee warre not after the fleshe for the weapons of our warrefare are not carnall but mightie in God for to throwe downe holdes which he expoundeth in the verse which followeth to be the imaginations and euery high thing which is exalted against the knowledge of God and euery thought which hee saith they leade captiue vnto the obedience of Christ There is no power nor anye authoritie can doe these thinges but that which is in the word of God it selfe Which is to be made so euident by the Preacher that it may bring this thing to passe The miserable experience in our time of suche as flie from the strong power of the woorde and fight with the weapons of menne maye reache vs because it doeth manifestly appeare vnto all whiche haue eyes too see that they are not strong enough to throwe downe holdes and to leade captiue vnto the obedience of Christ the rebellious thoughtes and imaginations of mens mindes they cannot shew a man by them conuerted sincerely throughly from errours and euill maners by alleadging the authorities of men It was not the practise of the auncient and godly fathers in their Sermons for to leaue the testimonies of the mightie word which is able to rent the stony rocke in peeces and to cleaue to the authorities of weake men which were gone before them But what should a man say The worde is thought to bee of no power vnlesse it bee strengthened otherwise But let vs leaue this and come backe againe to some of your other matters I remember ye did lay this as a great accusation against the preachers that they medled with predestination Ath. I did so and not without cause for they do great hurt thereby vnto many when they teach such thinges Zelot What hurte can yee shewe which commeth by preaching of predestination Ath. If a man bee chosen for to bee saued let him doe as euil as hee can hee shall not bee damned and if a man be appointed before hee was borne to bee damned let him doe neuer so much good hee can not bee saued and therefore when yee teach this doctrine ye were euen as good tel the people that they may liue as they lust Let them neuer heare teaching to what purpose shoulde