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	power_n	spiritual_a	1,510	5	6.4164	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08448	A tragoedie or dialoge of the vniuste vsurped primacie of the Bishop of Rome, and of all the iust abolishyng of the same, made by master Barnardine Ochine an Italian, [and] translated out of Latine into Englishe by Master Iohn Ponet Doctor of Diuinitie, neuer printed before in any language	Ochino, Bernardino, 1487-1564.; Ponet, John, 1516?-1556.	1549 (1549)	STC 18770; ESTC S113413	128,091	218

honour before manne or for thobteynyng of riches or imperiousely to vse the seruice of hys subiectes neyther to seke for any priuate commoditie but to serue other and to ●eke for the profyt of other The power therefore and thegreatnes of the ministers of Christe is alltogether spiritual and standeth wholly in the seruice and gouernaunce of soules helthe But y e bishop of Rome seketh for no other thing thē to be estemed greate before the worlde that he maye bee worshipped in earthe as it were a god and haue lybertie to vse tyranny ouer all churches to spoyle and destroy them at his pleasure Yf the church of Christ wer now as in times paste it was ordeyned to be he shoulde be thought greater then all the reste who is indued with more lyght from aboue and hath receaued more gyftes and benefites of Goddes hand and this worthynes of hys woulde he onelye vse in settynge forthe of the gospell whereby he might wynne as many soules as myght bee to Christ. So that be it that Christe had geuen the power of the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to Peter onely and by him to you that be byshoppes of Rome which thinge is not trewe what other power or authoritie shoulde you haue therby I pray you then to preach the gospell then to be witnesses that synnes bee pardoned to them that beleue and retayned to thē that beleue not then to administer the Sacraments accordynge to Christes institucion thē to exhorte to admonysh to correcte with gentlenes and loue such as be prone to synne then to excommunicat whiche is the chiefe matter of all suche as bee open notoriouse synners when they amend not after monicion geuen accordinge to the doctrine of Christe and wyll not obeye the church Thus farre extendeth your power and authoritie geuen by Christe and no further except ye will confound the boundes and thorder of the power ciuile and the power ecclesiastical Mas. This confusion shoulde not our byshoppe in any wise suffer and that for two causes The fyrste because he will haue all hys power estemed of men to be spirituall and heauenlye al though he ouer run the whole worlde with his vnbrydled tyranny The latter because if he woulde saye that thecclesiasticall power might be mingled and confoūded with power ciuile he might be afrayed leste haply the Emperor should chalenge thē both so be made both Emperor and Pope I remembre that I haue hearde tel howe Christe was desiered of a fellowe to make deuision of inheritaunce betwene him and hys brother vnto whome Christe made aunswere who made me your iudge Who gaue me authority to deuide thinheritaunce betwene you As thoughe he had sayed I came not neither am I sent of my heauenly father that I should chaleng to me any political power but spiritual onely I come to preach vnto you the whole spiritual kyngdome to bring you to that highnes of mynde that ye shoulde leaue not onelye the worlde but your selfe also for the glory of god and not to be an arbitrer or iudge of your stryfes Yf therfore our Byshoppe were Pope neuer so much as he striueth to be and Christes vicar in earthe it is very trewe that he hath no more power or authoritie gyuen hym by Christ then had Christe himselfe And therfore whensoeuer there shoulde be any ciuile matters brought before him in iudgement he should make aunswere with Christe who made me youre iudge or elles who gaue me authoritie to deuide or put together to absolue or condempne by a ciuile fashiō of iudgement Thys power must come some other waies it ē by Christ. But I feare me muche leste oure popes shall by thys their newe authority bee so much occupied in worldly businesses y t they shal haue no space or time to thinke any whit of God And more ouer so much shal theyr tyranny increase y t they shall wyllynglye desire and drawe to themselues and to their iudgemente seates all maner of controuersies not to make an ende of them but to inuolue them and make them more doubtfull by the meanes whereof the sewtes indure the longer And furthermore whē they be once made dronke with the bloud of martyrs they wyll sow deadly discorde and continuall conten●ion amongest christian princes and wyll bee the authors almoste of all warres whiche shall continue for manye yeres For it is not possyble that common welthes should be quyet where they shall haue rule But I pray you tell me in good earnest brought the embassador any other authoritie of scripture agaynst the Popeshyppe Lepi He brought amōgest other as farre as I remēber thautorite of Sayncte Paule who wrote to the Galathians that Peter was the Apostle of the Iues euen as Paule was of the Gentiles Wherefore he was neither the Apostle sayed he neither the Pope of Rome neither anye of other nacions but of the Iewes onely Neither was he vniuersall Byshoppe of all christendome neither you that be the byshops of Rome be the successors of Peter because ye be not the Apostles nor bishops of the Iewes But Paule shoulde rather haue bene Pope of the gentiles and so much y ● more aboue Peter bicause that y e gētiles of whom Paule was the Apostle were moe in numbre then were the Iewes and moe of the Gentiles were conuerted to Christe then of the Iewes And Paule preached also in sūdry places of the world brought forthe the fruite of the gospell more plentifully then dyd Peter wherfore he was an Apostle more vniuersall and more profitable also to the churche of Christ. And Paule more ouer addeth thys thyng in the same place that he had no lesse grace beinge the Apostle of the Gentiles then Peter had being the Apostle of the Iewes Then was not Peter a greater Apostle then Paule was And so consequentlye doethe it folowe that he not hys head yea and Paule doeth playnlye call hym in speciall wordes felowe euen as he dyd bothe Iames and Iohn And Peter also wrytynge to the pastors of other churches commaundeth them not imperiouslye as though he were their superior but exhorteth them gently as hys felowes callynge Christe and not hym selfe the chiefe Pastor And furthermore when he was rebuked of Paule he sayed not that he was aboue all lawes and coulde not erre because he was Pope but gaue place to Paule when he was checked of hym openlye And also when he was sent by the apostles in to Samaria he withstod them not He sayed not it is my office to commaunde I haue authoritie to send whom I will or els to goe my wayes yf it please me for I am youre head But he obeyed their commaundementes as a membre of the churche of Christ. And when thimbassador would haue folowed hys matter that he intended more at large and haue brought moe places of scripture for the vtter subuercion of all the popship Then master Falsidicus thinkyng hymselfe not well handled with thimbassadors manyfolde and

tyranny shall brynge with it Yf all the tyrantes whiche euer haue bene were ioyned together they al neuer dyd so much mischiefe to the world as this one is like to doe I see plainly that thys matter is a thyng most pernicious and hurtful wherof I ought neyther to thynke nor speake but onely to put away so great a myschiefe from christian mens neckes Yet because I haue made promyse I wyll see what the Emperour wyll saye to it and will talke earnestly with hym of the matter forasmuche as this ambiciouse bragger did declare plainly that he woulde see me well rewarded if I woulde doe that lay in me to helpe the matter forwarde Besides this because he is named to be our countremā one of the Romans I am bownde to promote hys sute and purpose And who knoweth what he wyll doe shortely after for my sake if he obteyne this dignitie by my procurement Truly it is not lyke that he wil forget so great a benefit receaued at my hand And bee it that there arise contencion amongest the byshoppes what is that to me Naye the more they stryue amongest themselues the more shal they nede themperors helpe with whome I am chief and so my vantage shal be the fatter Therfore will I bring this thinge about and that with as muche celeritie and spede as is possible Bon● Sence I disclosed my mynde to Doctor Sapiens I haue been wonderfully troubled And who knoweth whether he will in so weighty a matter as this is kepe counsell or not accordinge to hys promes He hathe a number of frendes whome he wil put in trust with some of my matters And what if he opē somewhat of my wyl in declaring the matter to the Emperor but beit that he doe none of all these thinges yet can it not be but that Cesars maiesty of him self as he is replenished with wisdome excedingly practised in suche kynde of feactes shal by and by suspecte that this arrowe came out of my quiuer and that the matter was altogether of my diuisinge and so my crafte shal be espied and I put to shame Furthermore if it so chaunce that he obteyne not my sute at the Emperors hand what haue I then els done but disclosed vnto hym my botomles ambicion to no purpose But if he obteyne as I pray god he maye all men will say with one accorde that I haue brought it to passe with muche labor industry and so shall the thing be lefte in writinge to the posteritie And so shal I be both to menne of this present age and to thē which shal be in time to come a lawghing stocke and a iestyng stole All men good and euell will haue theyr eyes set vpon me and as it were poynt me out with theyr finger I shal be hāpered in a thousand snares And o●●e thinge is greatest mischief of all I alone shal be the first beginner and the chiefe original of all thabominations which my successors shall cōmytte in al the whole world by the reason of thys tyranny But why trouble I my selfe any longer with a rablement of reasons The die is caste happe what happe will and I canne not sauinge myne honour drawe backe agayne from my purpose therefore me thinketh it more mete to stand to the matter stoutly tarying to see the ende Yf the matter come to passe as I would haue it as I trust it will I will fynde a meanes quickly how I maye fynde frendes plentie The matter of it selfe telleth daylye experience sheweth that all men hunte for the frendshippe of them who excell in riches and authoritie all thoughe they be very tyrannes And to thintente that men shall the more imbrace and magnifye me thinkinge me to be a Christ in earth I will cause it by letters to be blowen abrode ouer al the worlde that this high dignitie chaunced to me bothe not lokinge for it and all together vnwilling to receaue it and that I woulde haue receaued it in no wyse had not the zeale that I haue to the house of god compelled me that is to saye to prouyde a remedy for heresies factiōs and an infinit number of other mischiefes by the whiche the churche of Christ is oppressed But Master Sapience is come and hys iourney is towardes me with spede he semeth very mery no dout he bringeth me some good newes Sapi. You re moste reuerent hyghenes should not maruayle that I haue differred and prolonged the time for answere to the matter which I know to be to vs bothe very pleasant longer then either of vs bothe did suppose Truly the cause why I dyd so was no negligence but rather that I might bringe the thing to passe more diligentlye and more effectuouslye I choase my time and place when I might best for our profyt declare thys matter to the Emperor Yester night after supper me thought hys Maiestie was merier then he was wont to be he walked forth into a gardene and being there alone he called me to him a parte There he beganne to declare vnto me hys power hys ryches and to extolle and magnifie the greatnes of his Empier dignitie and further he opened vnto me certayne secret counselles wherby he thought to increase his ryches to cause hys whole dignitie roiall to be the more estemed And I perceauinge this thinge to make sumwhat for our purpose did not only confirme and approue hys intente but also added this thynge more ouer that he now had such occasion and oportunitie gyuen hym to increase his honour as neuer other Emperor had before him so that he would speake but one worde Nowe because these wordes pleased him wonderfully he desiered me earnestly to declare vnto hym how and by what meanes thys thyng might be brought to passe Then sayed I yf your imperiall Maiestie would attempte to subdewe the dominions of other princes ye maye not thinke that it would be brought to passe without muche bludshed without greate daunger and difficultie But ye haue now an occasion offered vnto you of god whiche if it will please you to take when it is offered ye shal not onely without difficultie but also with muche ease and fauour of al partes subdew all Christian regions So that those people whiche be furthest of shall come and submitte themselues to youre Maiestie gladly and willingly Whē I perceaued y t he gaue very good hede to my talke whyles I shoulde open thys hyd mystery fyrste I declared vnto him howe the churche of Christe was shaken and tossed with sundry miseries and calamities and for none other cause but that it lacked one supreme spiritual and vnyue●sall heade in earthe whereunto all menne that were afflicted with anye kynde of mysery myght resorte as to a common refuge and that all menne bothe knewe and desiered this thinge I declared also howe thys heade for the opiniōs sake of religion whereunto al men be naturally inclined shoulde easely bee receaued of all the whole worlde And more