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
A42270	A short defence of the church and clergy of England wherein some of the common objections against both are answered, and the means of union briefly considered.	Grove, Robert, 1634-1696.	1681 (1681)	Wing G2160; ESTC R21438	56,753	96

sar pure that it does not exact the belief or exercise of any thing that is unlawful it is certain that we may safely join with such a Church And if we were ever admitted members of it or if we should be bound by the Laws of the Land where we are subjects to communicate with it we must not separate from it upon any pretence of greater purity For where all things necessary to Salvation are taught and where nothing contrary to the word is injoyned that Church is full as pure as any other can be supposed to be For the Scriptures must be acknowledged to be the only rule of purity and then where there is nothing contrary unto them there is not any thing that ought to be accounted impure If we should forsake this and judge of these things by other measures we must leave them to be determined by every man's particular Fancy And then one would presently imagine this to be the purest Church and another that and as soon as any one began to have the least dislike of any thing in his own Church he would fall immediately to looking about for one that was purer and if he chanced to find such a one it might not be very long before he might be offended with that too and make inquiry after another and so this principle instead of bringing him into the purest Church might at length draw him from the Communion of all the Churches in the World There have been instances of this but if there were none it is very apparent whither this opinion may lead us and we should be very cautious how we entertain it since it tends manifestly to the dissolution of all Church Society and the endless rending and dividing of the Body of Christ And to avoid being guilty of this we must fix our selves upon some firm foundation which in this case can be no other than what has been already intimated that we esteem nothing impure but what God has declared to be so If any Church impose any thing upon us which is contrary to the word of God as that of Rome does we must not join with it but if a Church require nothing repugnant unto that as ours of England does not we ought not to separate from it though we should think that we had discovered another that was more pure For those that are not satisfied with that degree of Purity in a Church Constitution which is to be found in ours will scarce ever be contented with any If that be not pure enough for them where no unlawful thing is commanded I do not know where they will find one that is And if they should go on at such a rate they may Purisy a Church till they have Reformed it to nothing Like an unskilful Chymist that will rectifie and refine good Spirits so long till he have made them so very volatile and exalted them to that degree that they evaporate and vanish into air If we cannot tell where we may safely stop we may lose the very substance and being of a Church when we think we are only purging away the dregs But if it should still be insisted on that we ought to withdraw from the Communion of a less pure Church where a purer may be had then if there should be any Church that holds it unlawful to submit to Authority in matters indifferent we are obliged by this Rule to forsake it and come over to the Church of England because this Doctrine is a greater Impurity than any that can be justly charged upon Her SECT VIII Another exception that lyes against our present establishment is the admission of Lay-Chancellours and Officials to any Jurisdiction in Ecclesiastical concerns This is a thing that has been often objected not only by those that dissent from our Church but by some that are otherwise no enemies unto it As far as I understand the Case I shall briefly lay down what I judge may be reasonably pleaded in excuse of this practice It ought therefore to be considered that as soon as soveraign Princes had imbraced the Christian Religion out of the great respect which they bore to Churchmen they bestowed upon them many priviledges and amongst the rest they were pleased to intrust them with a power of judging in divers matters which before did not properly belong to their cognizance In this Kingdom Matrimonial and Testamentary Causes especially have been always triable in the Spiritual Court And for the better dispatch of these affairs which by the favour of the Prince were committed unto them the Bishops were allowed to make choice of certain persons skilful in those Laws to be their assistants in their Judiciary proceedings and these were antiently called Ecclesiecdici and are thought to have been the same with our Chancellours Now these Chancellours whatever they act do all by vertue of an Authority delegated to them by the Bishop and they have not a power of doing any Act that is purely Spiritual for upon hearing of the Cause they only give their judgement when an offender ought to be censured according to Law but the sentence is always pronounced by an Ecclesiastical person So that I do not understand why it should be necessary to make so great an alteration in the frame of our antient Constitution as the removal of these would occasion since they cannot be looked upon as Invaders but friendly Assistants of the Spiritual Power That I may not mention what a prejudice it might be to the publick to give any discouragement to the excellent Profession of the Civil Law whereof there is such an absolute necessity in Maritime causes Treaties of commerce and other negotiations with foreign Princes SECT IX I come now to that which I think is the most popular and taking objection that is wont to be made against our Church and that is the permitting one person to injoy a plurality of Benefices It is a thing which many do esteem a very great abuse and that which ought not by any means to be indured And I confess I am not very forward to attempt the making any Apology for it I would not zealously defend a custome where the contrary practice seems to have in it so much Piety and self-denyal and care for the Souls of men But because I believe that it was not retained among us but upon some good and weighty considerations I shall briefly offer what I conceive may be said in defence of it which I shall do by removing the main objections that are ordinarily made against it It is argued therefore that for any man to have more Benefices than one is a thing unlawful in it self that it is a particular wrong to him that supplys the Cure and that there are other great inconveniences that do follow upon it The first of these is the principal objection and if there may be any reasonable answer made unto that there will be no great difficulty in the other two And I do not