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	supreme_a	1,645	5	8.3158	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03409	The Churches authority asserted in a sermon preached at Chelmsford, at the metropoliticall visitation of the most Reverend Father in God, VVilliam, Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury his Grace, &c. March 1. 1636. By Samuel Hoard B.D. and Parson of Morton in Essex.	Hoard, Samuel, 1599-1658.	1637 (1637)	STC 13533; ESTC S104116	44,865	76

pertinentibus in all things which the chaire ought to prescribe them as when servants and children are commanded to obey their masters and parents in all things Col. 3.20 22. It is meant In omnibus quae pertinent ad jus dominativae potestatis saith (a) Aug. 22. q. 104. art 5. ad 1. Aquinas in all things which appertaine to masters and parents right and authority to command Now they had authority to command 1. Whatsoever was within the verge of their owne calling 2. Whatsoever was not repugnant to superiour laws of God or the State in which they lived to which being but subordinate and delegated rulers themselves were subject as well as their people Put all these now together and the meaning of our Lord will appeare to be That in all things belonging to their office and authority the people were to obey the Scribes and Pharisees who were their spirituall Pastors and Governours because the office of instructing and prescribing was committed to them And from this charge resulteth most evidently this faire conclusion that it is the duty of people to submit themselves to the directions and prescriptions of their Bishops and spirituall rulers who succeed a greater than Moses Christ and his Apostles in the oversight and government of the Church in all such things as they perswade or prescribe not contrary to the word of God and the established government wherein they live And consequently it belongs to us that are inferiours whether ministers or people to submit to those orders and Ceremonies in the Church which are in the power and hands of our Prelates to prescribe Quest But what if they passe their bounds and command us things not lawfull Answ Our Ceremonies are rightly qualified I answer 1. If wee bee sure that at any time they doe so we are not to obey them for whether it be better to obey God or man judge yee saith S. Peter Acts 4.19 2. In determining Rites and Ceremonies which are the subject of our discourse there is no just cause to feare that 1. Because the constitution and specification of things of this nature as hath been proved appertaines to Ecclesiasticall power and by the Kings Prerogative Royall and supreme authority in causes Ecclesiasticall was granted and confirmed unto the Bishops of our Church under the great seale of England as we may see in his last Majesties Declaration set downe before and after the booke of Canons 2 Because the Rites in use among us have all those conditions in them with which lawfull and comely ceremonies ought as I have said to bee qualified They are but few such as have beene least abused such as may be altered when authority sees cause and therefore not esteemed of equall rank to the law of God such also as are neither dark nor dumb ceremonies but carry their signification in their foreheads and therefore not easily liable to any great abuse they are such too as are imposed on us without contempt or prejudice to other Churches that use them not as our Church hath been pleased for the preventing of idle cavils and the satisfaction of scrupulous mindes with much wisdome and tendernesse Whether they must be obeyed with a doubting of conscience Quest 2 Answ to declare her selfe in the Preface before our book of Common-prayer But what if we doubt may some say whether these Rites be lawfull and good or no must wee then obey 1. After so long a time and such good meanes of information it is not fit that any should doubt nor likely that many do doubt without much wilfulnesse (a) Confer at Hamp Court pag 66. It is to be feared that some of them which pretend weaknesse and doubting are strong enough if not head-strong and such as thinke themselves able to teach the King and all the Bishops of the Land they are not my words but the speech of a King even our late Soveraigne Lord of happy memory 2. Obedience must be yeelded to things commanded and consequently to these notwithstanding doubting If a doubt be only speculative of the lawfulnesse of such things as lie in a mans own liberty to do or forbeare then it is the safest course not to doe them for as according to the Italian proverb that meate which a man doth not eate will not hurt him so such things as he forbeares will not offend his conscience nay in such a case to doe any thing doubtingly is a sinne as the Apostle tells us Rom. 14.23 He that doubteth is damned if he eate because he eateth not of faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne But if the doubt be practicall and the matter of it a thing commanded by superiors as these things are of which we are now speaking that doubting doth neither infer nor excuse our disobedience Such a man as is troubled with this kinde of doubting if he have time and means should expell the doubt that he may yeeld obedience where he oweth it with cheerefulnesse But if he will not or cannot expell it the things enjoyned he must doe the doubt remaining For that lawfull authority is to be obeyed is certain that this or that thing commanded by that authority is unlawfull is doubtfull Now when a doubt stands in competition for mastership with a cleare case the doubt in all reason must yeeld and that which is cleare and certaine must be done for è malis minimum of two hard choyces the best and safest is to bee made Aug. ep 86. ad Casul●a Episcopo tuo in hisce noli resistere quod facit ips● sine ullo scrupulo sectare And therefore what S. Austin sayes to Casulanus I say to every one Episcopo tuo in hisce c. withstand not thy Diocesan in these things but what he doth without scruple imitate what he commands obey But what doe I talke of obeying in this licentious age it being such that it is almost accounted a fault unpardonable to preach for subjection to the Churches Hierarchy and he esteemed the purest man that is the greatest stickler against it But the spirit of contention will not alwayes raigne it is pitty it should and therefore in hope to prevaile at least with some I say againe in the words of S. Hierome Esto subjectus Pontifici tuo quasi animae parentem suscipe Be subject to thy Bishop and reverence him as the father of thy soule Three sorts I should here perswade to obedience Our selves of the Clergy our Church-officers and our people But because the submission of the two last for the most part stands and falls in ours I should hope I might the more easily winne them if I could but prevaile with you my brethren for a compleate and cheerfull conformity Omne malum ab Aquilone Disobedience to Church-governours begins at the Clergy if there be disaffection in our people it begins too often at the Sanctuary for like priest like people saith the Prophet The forming of childrens mindes

moment for their matter or use as their holy kisses standing while they prayed on the Lords day the tasting of hony and milk by the persons to be baptised ad infantiae signifi cationem to signifie their infancy in Christ as S. Hierome saith alluding to that speech of S. Peter As new borne babes desire the sincere milk of Gods word that ye may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 2. Rites of very good use while their equity continued but yet fitted only to the present times Such an one was the abstinence from Idolothytes things strangled and blood imposed on the Gentiles by Apostolique authority Acts 15. For this as it was enjoyned only in favour of the peevish Jews who counted some meats uncleane and were kept off from Christ because those abominable meats as they thought them to be were eaten by the Christians so it was to live no longer than the scandall continued Of this nature was the custome of baptising people that were to be entred into the Church at the two great festivals of Easter and Whitsontide only except in case of present necessity and in the mother Churches of their severall countries and no where else This order was a very good one during those times both in respect of that Sacrament which hereby became the more reverend and sacred and of the persons to be baptized who had liberty by this to prepare the better for their journies to those mother Churches which sometimes were very far from their dwellings and to get themselves sufficiently catechized in the Christian religion that they might be able to give an account of their faith before they received their baptisme Nor was this custome prejudiciall to any of them because being for the most part men and women they were not subject to sudden death as tender infants are and if by sicknesse or any casualty they were brought into danger of death they found the favour to be baptized But the equity of this custome continued no longer than the conversion of Gentiles lasted and therefore extincta gentilitate when Paganisme was almost swallowed up of Christianity and the only persons to receive this badge were children borne in the Church who by reason of their tender infant age were uncapable of instruction and subject to manifold deaths and dangers and so might frequently have ended this life before they had received the Sacrament of another life should they have been deferred and put over to those two times this order began to expire 3. A third sort were such Rites as were chastly used at their first institution but afterward by the licentiousnesse of people did seeme to be accompanied with inseparable abuses of this sort were those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mentioned Iude 12. feasts of charity and those meetings together in the night which they called vigills because they were wont to watch together in prayer even till midnight especially in the night before Easter All these the Church hath abolished though in a different way Some were suddenly and in an instant removed as the use of pictures in the Church by the a Elibert Counc Elibertine councill Ne quod colitur in parietibus depingeretur that that which was to be worshiped might not be painted upon walls and the threefold dipping by the fourth Toletane councill because abused by the Arrians Conc● Tolet. 4. c. 5. others were suffered like old buildings to run to ruine by degrees till they fell of themselves Some she hath clean cashiered others she hath only changed into somewhat else not unlike them as vigills into fasting dayes and live feasts into collections for the poore Now though the causes why these have been abrogated were particular yet the ground on which the Church did it and by which she must be justified in so doing was the nature and quality of those Rites being all humane constitutions and her authority over things of that nature either to make or marre as occasion serveth for the hand that gives them life may strike them dead Nor may the Church only alter and abolish old ceremonies but adde new either for the begetting of an honourable respect to Gods ordinances or the stirring up of our dead devotions in his service (b) So● eccl hist●l 6. c. 8. Socrates tells us that the custome of singing Anthems in the Church was brought in by S. Ignatius the Bishop of Antioch because having heard some Angels in a vision chanting out the praises of God with interchangeable notes hee thought it would be a good exercise for Gods earthly Angels in their publique assemblies which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a heaven on earth And S. Ambrose because hee made account that singing had no small efficacy in it ad commovendum ad pictatem animum to move the minde to godlinesse saith S (c) Aug ep 1 ●9 Austin in one place and lest the people being heavily afflicted with the Arrian persecution Moeroris tadio contabesceret should pine away with too much sorow saith the same Father in another (d) Aug conses l. 9 c 7. place appointed singing to be used in the Oh of Milan And from these two Bishops drew that custome of singing in the Easterne and Westerne Churches its originall What was Ignatius and S. Ambrose if we look at their authority more than other Bishops of the Church that liberty therefore which they had to make new orders when they saw cause have all other Prelates in their Churches so far as the laws of the lands in which they are will permit It is an envious outcry therefore which is made among us that Popery is comming in Alteration of ceremonies no argument of Popery and Gods true religion going out because some seeming alterations are made in our ceremonies and some new ones are by the examples of Superiours commended to our use or rather some ancient customes which have been continued in our mother Churches revived in others A heavy charge it is and had need be well proved by them that thus clamour or else it is a foule slander and so indeed it is For what are ceremonies to doctrine What is the use of the Churches liberty in these things to Popery May not the apparrell alter and the body remaine the same May not ceremonies which are the clothing of the Spouse admit some changes and the doctrine remaine inviolate Must Antichrist needs peep in because our Bishops doe use the liberty which they ever had A rumour it is that argues either ignorance or envy or vain-glory In some perhaps but ignorance 1. Of the difference between substance and ceremony doctrine and discipline 2. Of the Churches power to adde withdraw and make a change in these things if cause be offered And I would wish all such to labour to be better instructed and till they be to hold their peace and neither trouble themselves nor others with things they understand not But Envy I am afraid and ill-affectednesse toward those that are above them in