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
A15400	An harmonie vpon the first booke of Samuel wherein according to the methode obserued in Hexapla vpon Genesis, and Exodus, but more compendiously abridged, these speciall things are obserued vpon euery chapter: the diuers readings compared, doubtfull questions explaned, places of Scripture reconciled, controuersies briefly touched, and morall collections applied. Wherein aboue foure hundred theologicall questions are handled, with great breuitie and much varietie, by the former author of Hexapla on Genesis.	Willet, Andrew, 1562-1621.	1607 (1607)	STC 25678; ESTC S120031	271,285	362

the wordes are to be read with an interrogation as appeareth by the article ha prefixed not without an interrogatiō as D. Kimhi thinketh as though he neuer had asked counsell for him before but that time was the first 2. But it may seeme strange that Ahimelech made no mention of the excuse that Dauid made that he came about the kings busines which had beene a materiall point to cleare the Priest Iosephus thinketh that Ahimelech did expresse so much some thinke that all which Ahimelech spake is not set downe some that Ahimelech suppressed it of purpose least afterward if Dauid should haue beene reconciled to Saul he might haue fared the worse at Dauids hand Mar. But it is more likely that Ahimelech made some couert mention of it in saying he goeth at thy commandement which words might be so taken that euen then he knew none other but that Dauid was employed by the king 3. Ahimelech in this his Apologie partly sheweth his weaknes excusing himselfe by his ignorance that he knew not that Saul held Dauid his enemie and confessing in a manner that if he had knowne him to be in the kings displeasure he would not haue releeued him wherein Ahimelech should haue offended in refusing to helpe an innocent man beeing vniustly persecuted by Saul partly he bewraieth his simplicitie that falleth into such great commendation of Dauid giuing him the titles of faithfull and honourable whereas Saul beeing so much incensed against Dauid a prudent man would haue forborne so to haue extolled him Mart. 11. Quest. Of Sauls cruell sentence pronounced against Ahimelech 1. Though Saul had lawfull authoritie to conuent the Priests before him as also where he saw cause to censure them as all Princes euer had that power euen ouer Ecclesiasticall persons and causes as the Christian Bishops did accuse one an other before Constantine the Emperour and Iustinian the Emperour deposed Sylverius and Vigilius Bishops of Rome contrarie to the doctrine and practise of the Romanists who will haue their Cleargie exempt from the Ciuill authoritie yet Saul abuseth this power in this vniust and cruell sentence Mar. 2. And he further offendeth in the rash execution thereof taking no pause or deliberation but presently commaunding them to be put to death when Theodosius the Emperour in his rage had put diuers thousands in Thessalonica to the sword after beeing touched with griefe and sorrow for that bloodie fact at the instance of Ambrose made a law that there should be the space of thirtie daies betweene sentence giuing and the execution thereof which constitution is inserted into the Code among other Imperiall ordinances but Saul as he was hastie in his sentence so he doth precipitate the execution thereof Mar. 3. His rage was such that he cōmandeth the innocent Priests to be slaine beeing vnarmed and consecrate to the ministerie and seruice of God who vse to be spared euen in battell amiddes their enemies yea he spareth neither women nor children and as Iosephus addeth further he rased the citie and burned it and left the Tabernacle of God as much as lay in him without Priests to minister Thus this hypocrite which before against the Amalekites offended in too much clemencie hauing the word of God to the contrarie now hauing no word of God sinneth in crueltie and tyrannie Mar. wherein his fault was so much the greater that then he seemed to be touched with some remorse but here his heart is hardened Mart. 4. Iosephus maketh this morall application that in Saul we see the condition of such who while they are in lowe and meane estate seeme to be good and vpright men because then they haue no opportunitie to shew their nature who when they are aduanced to honour and attaine vnto wealth and power then hauing chaunged their apparell as players their habit on a stage they make no conscience either of diuine or humane lawes sic fere Ioseph lib. 6. cap. 14. 12. Quest. v. 17. Whether Sauls seruants did well in disobeying the Kings commandement 1. R. Selamo thinketh that these ministers and sergeants of Saul whome the Rabbins held to haue beene Abner and Amasa refused to obey so bloodie an edict remembring that answer of the people to Ioshuah that they would obay Ioshuah as they had obeied Moses Iosh. 1.17 But whether it were this or any other place out of the law of God that mooued them they did well to choose rather to obey God then man which was the Apostles resolution Act. 5. Osiand 2. Some thinke they refused because Sauls proceeding was against the law which will haue none condemned without two or three witnesses Borr. But it seemeth that the horrour of such a detestable and cruell fact rather kept them from doing it then the fayling in the circumstance and manner 3. Here further a question ariseth whether the Iudge is bound against his conscience to condemne or put any to death whome he knoweth innocent for the deciding of which doubt it must be considered whether he be a superiour or inferiour Iudge before whome such innocent person is condemned if the superiour the law is in his hand and so he can not be forced to doe against his conscience if the inferiour he is to referre the matter to the superiour iudge there to plead for the innocent or els if he be not heard to giue ouer his place of iudgement rather then to consent to the condemnation of the righteous So by no meanes is he to commit any act against his conscience Mar. If by oath he be bound to giue sentence according to the euidence brought in whether it be true or false in this case such an oath beeing not in truth righteousnes nor iudgement doth not bind him 13. Quest. v. 18. In what sense the Priests that were slaine are said to weare a linnen Ephod 1. Osiander thinketh that at that time they had their linnen Ephods vpon their backes when they were slaine but that is not like for the Ephod was a sacred vesture vsed onely in the time of their seruice in the Tabernacle they are said to weare a linnen Ephod because they were of that age to be admitted to the seruice of the Tabernacle Vatab. they were actuall ministers and seruitours in the priestly function Mar. Iun. 2. It is called a linnen Ephod to make a distinction betweene the Ephod with the brestplate and pectoral which was peculiar to the high Priest and the common linnen Ephod which all the Priests vsed Mart. which is called a linnen coate or tunicle Exod. 28.40 3. The principall Priests which were slaine were 85. there were more beside slaine in the citie Iosephus according to his vse in altering the numbers expressed in the Scripture saith that there were 385. slaine beside those which were put to the sword in the citie some thinke that all the inhabitants of Nob were not put to the sword but onely the Priests Mart. But it seemeth by the text that the whole citie of

vigilant ought the dispenser of things spirituall to be The Imperiall lawes haue prouided that Aduocates should not evagari stray out of the cities and places where they practised Cod. lib. 2. tit 7. leg 2. and for souldiers it is prouided milites non tractent aliena negotia They should not busie themselues with other mens affaires but attend vpon their owne calling and charge Cod. lib. 2. tit 13. leg 7. If they which doe but fight for mens bodies and such as plead for mens goods must giue such diligent attendance much more is the same requisite in those that are charged with mens soules But now a daies this at many hands is counted so ordinarie and easie a thing to be the Pastor of soules that a man will require more diligence at his seruants handes about his cattell then many doe performe in the feeding of soules God in his good time open the eyes of such that they may see the great danger which they by their negligence and carelesnesse cast themselues into and that they may feele the heauie waight of the burthen of soules that they may deliuer their owne soules 6. Lastly not to heape vp more arguments in so euident a matter This is not the least thing which should mooue Pastors to be resident among their people because they giue great offence by their vnnecessarie absence to the Church of God as seeking rather to feede vpon them then to feede them as the Prophet Esechiel complaineth of such idle shepheards Ye eate the fat and cloath you with the wooll ye kill them that are fedde but ye feede not the sheepe Esech 34.3 Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians I seeke not yours but you 2. Cor. 12.14 But such as care not for Christs flocke doe euidently proclaime that they seeke not them but theirs Of this kinde of scandall and offence Augustine had experience in his people of Hippo of whome he thus writeth Populus Hipponensis cui me deus servum dedit ita est ex omni parte infirmus vt pressura etiam levioris tribulationis poterit aegrotare eum modo cum regressus sum periculosè scandalizatum comperi de absentia mea The people of Hippo whose seruant the Lord hath made me is so altogether weake that a little trouble is able to make them very sicke I found them at my returne dangerously scandalized with my absence Epist. 7. If the people tooke offence at Augustines necessarie absence for without iust cause that holy man would not absent himselfe much more grieuous is the offence which is iustly giuen by vnnecessarie absence Of lawfull and iust causes of the Pastors absence Now whereas it hath been thus shewed that the presence residēce of Pastors is necessarie both in respect of the great danger which they incurre thereby the cause thereof the wāt of loue the inconueniences which growe vnto the people the vigilancie of the spirituall aduersarie the price and excellencie of their charge concerning soules and the publike offence and scandall yet are there some occasions which may lawfully draw the Pastor for a time from his people and especially these fowre 1. He may be absent for the publike seruice of the Church as in beeing present in generall or provinciall Councells in helping to settle and compound the variances and differences in other Churches and such like profitable employments As S. Paul when a man of Macedonia appeared vnto him in a vision saying Come and helpe vs tooke it for a sufficient warrant for him to goe into Macedonia to pla●● the Gospel there Act. 16.9 10. So although in this behalfe the calling of Apostles and Pastors is much different the one beeing not limited the other tied to a charge yet it is a good occasiō of absence when the necessitie of other Churches calleth for helpe at some Pastors hands As Ambrose saith Non dubito fratres contristari vos quotiescunque absentem me à vobis necessitas facit I doubt not brethren but that you are grieued when as necessitie maketh me absent from you Ser. 39. And in an other place Alterius Ecclesiae necessitatibus evocatus minime vobis solitum studium dependisse videor beeing called forth by the necessarie busines of an other Church I seeme not to haue bestowed on you my wonted care Ser. 28. 2. An other cause of absence is when the Pastor personally is sought for and can not remaine among his flocke without perill of his life and when his sheepe are become wolues to rise vp against their own shepheard Dauid though accounted king ouer Israel beeing personally pursued by Saul with whome the Ziphims of his owne tribe conspired 1. Sam. 23. fled out of the land and S. Paul beeing sought for in Damascus was let downe in a basket by a window 2. Cor. 11.33 Athanasius whose life was sought for by his enemies the Arrians did leaue his Church of Alexandria and gaue way for the time hiding himselfe for the space of sixe yeares in a drie cisterne and fowre moneths in his fathers tombe And he himselfe maketh this Apologie Quis mihi mirabiliter divinitus erepto vitio vertat quod non in manus me quaerentium reiecerim c. Who can blame me beeing miraculously deliuered that I did not cast my selfe into their hands which sought me Tripart hist. lib. 6. c. 22. This occasion of absence is allowed by the auncient practise of the Church Si non suo vitio sed plebis contradictione aberit à parochia If he be absent not by his owne default but the contradiction and opposition of the people Antiochen can 18. Who doubteth therefore but that those holy Confessours in the late daies of persecution in England which fled out of the land seeing the life of the Pastors and Ministers was cheifly sought for therein were warranted to doe as they did beeing by this meanes preserued by Gods prouidence for the restauration of the Church afterward 3. A third lawfull cause of absence and discontinuance for a time is for recouering the health of bodie for many diseases are helped by the change of aire and in this case it is lawfull for a man if the place be such as agreeth not with the state of his bodie to leaue the charge altogether beeing called vnto an other This cause staied Epaphroditus from the Church of the Philippians whome as soone as he was recouered S. Paul sent vnto them that they might reioice when they saw him Philip. 2.25.28 The Ecclesiasticall histories make mention of Sylvanus who was made Bishop of Philippolis in Thracia by Atticus Patriarke of Constantinople but beeing of a thinne bodie and not able to endure the colde of that countrey was remooued from thence to Troas in an hotter climate Socrat. lib. 7. c. 37. 4. A Minister or Pastor may vpon his necessarie priuate occasions lawfully for a time be absent as in following necessarie suits of law to defend his right which require his personall attendance or in attending vpon some

workes merits and satisfaction the scholers of the Prophets were exercised in profitable studies most of those Monasteries were shoppes of epicurisme and idlenes they were trained vp to be afterward employed in the seruice of God these made Monkerie the ende of their profession to liue in cloysters all the daies of their life not suffering themselues willingly to be drawne out of their celles 7. Quest. v. 20. Of Sauls violence offered to the colledge of the Prophets and of the priuiledge of Sanctuaries 1. Saul sheweth his cruell and bloodie minde in that he sendeth to take Dauid euen from Samuels presence and the Colledge of the Prophets which was safe euen among their enemies the Philistims c. 10.5 yea and if they refused to put them to the sword also as is most like as he did the priests of Nob thus neither reuerencing the place nor the persons Martyr 2. Now concerning Sanctuaries and priuiledged places though they belonged specially to the policie of the Commonwealth of the Israelites hauing also some figuratiue ceremonie in it as it may appeare by that law of the remaining of the manslayer in the citie of refuge till the death of the high Priest who herein was a type of Christ Numb 35.28 yet according to that president it is lawfull that for reuerence vnto the exercises of religion and of Gods worship such places as are consecrate to that ende should enioy some immunities and priuiledges as is still commendably practised in this our nation that the Kings writ should not be serued in Churches and places of prayer at the least no violent hands to be laide vpon any in Church or Churchyard 3. But this giueth no patronage to the vnreasonable priuiledges which in time past were challenged vnto Sanctuaries by occasion of which superstitious immunities many foule and shamefull enormities were committed And Popish Sanctuaries failed in all these respects 1. in the number of them they were exceeding many euery Monasterie lightly was a Sanctuarie whereas in all the land of Israel there were but sixe appointed for the whole nation 2. whereas the Sanctuaries and cities of refuge were appointed for inuoluntarie and the smaller offences for those which trespassed not of malice as they which killed any by chaunce without any malice yet they opened their Sanctuaries to wicked persons guiltie of wilfull murder and other most grieuous crimes whereas by the law of God it was lawfull to take such euen from the altar as Salomon commaunded Ioab to be slaine laying hold on the hornes of the altar 3. the man which fled to the citie of refuge lost his priuiledge if he were found without the borders of the citie Numb 35. v. 26. but their Sanctuarie-men they would take and rescue from the place of iudgement to restore them to their Sanctuarie 4. the cities of refuge did not cut off the Magistrates authoritie and power nay the Magistrate in the assembly or congregation was to iudge whether he were to be sent to the citie of refuge or no that was pursued for blood Numb 35.25 so that the immunitie of the cities of refuge did not any way hinder the authoritie of the Magistrate but they in their Sanctuaries kept men and defended them against the Magistrate from the ordinarie processe of law Therefore they abused such priuiledges and fraunchises and for these causes were worthily depriued of them 8. Quest. v. 20. How Sauls messengers whome he sent to take Dauid prophesied and of their sodaine chaunge 1. Here the power of God mightily appeared in chaunging of a sudden the hearts of these messengers who came with a full intent to apprehend Dauid and to take him by strong hand we read in Scripture of three kind of such innouation and changes some were suddenly stricken with Gods iudgements and so staied in their enterprise as two captaines with their fifties that were sent by the King to take Eliah which were destroied with fire from heauen 2. king 1. some though they escaped such sodaine iudgement yet were astonished and their affections chaunged as the third captaine which was sent to Eliah submitted himselfe and besought the Prophet for his life though he came with an intent to lay violent hands vpon the Prophet as the other did so the messengers whome the Pharisies sent to apprehend Christ had no power to doe any thing vnto him but returned without him Ioh. 7.46 A third sort there is which beside such sodaine astonishment haue presently beene rauished with extraordinarie motions of the spirit as Saul of a persecuter was sodainly turned to be an Apostle and preacher of the Gospel as also in this place the messengers of Saul prophesied 2. Such sodaine chaunges though they are rare and not often seene yet the Lord to shew the power of his spirit sheweth sometime such examples in the world the Niniuites were presently reclaimed at the preaching of Ionas so were many in the citie of Athens by the holy labours of the Apostle Paul Augustine was conuerted from beeing a Manichee by hearing of Ambrose sermons lib. 6. confess c. 3. M. Latimer vsed to goe and heare M. Stafford his godly lectures to scoff at him but he was caught in a golden net and beganne to sauour the truth yea humane perswasions haue wrought present effects as drunken Polemo went to deride graue Xenocrates with his garlands and other youthfull ornaments but before he came away he pulled off his garland and became himselfe one of Xenocrates scholers much more effectuall is the spirit of God to worke vpon the heart of man God vsually in these daies turneth not mens hearts on the sodaine that there should be continuall exercise of the preaching of his word and of the labour and diligence of those which heare vnto their edifying 3. These messengers of Saul when they saw the rest to prophesie in singing of Psalmes and hymnes vnto God they ioyned with them in that exercise for like as the load stone draweth yron vnto it so spirituall exercises are able to affect the hearts and affections of others Mart. 9. Quest. v. 23. Of Sauls sodaine prophesying 1. When Saul had sent messengers thrice and none of them returned beeing there deteined not for feare as the messengers which Ioram sent to meete Iehu whome he commanded to turne behinde him but with reuerence vnto the Prophets and with a spirituall delight for the time in their godly exercises Mar. then he followeth himselfe not of any deuotion but of a malitious and hatefull minde to lay violent hands Pellic. euen he himselfe also by the way is chaunged wherein by experience is found true that saying of the wise man The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord Prov. 24.1 2. There is great difference betweene Sauls prophesying at this time and of his seruants and a greater chaunge in him then in them for first he was vexed and inuaded by an euill spirit before so were not they then he prophesieth in the way before he came