Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	faith_n	love_n	1,510	5	5.7755	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B07159	A most humble supplication of many the Kings Maiesties loyall subiects, ready to testifie all civill obedience, by the oath, as the law of this realme requireth, and that of conscience; who are persecuted, onely for differing in religion, contrary to divine and humane testimonies as followeth..	Murton, John.	1621 (1621)	STC 563.7; ESTC S95969	22,236	39

of your Majestie your Highnes your Honors your Worships to take pitie on us our poore wives and children or his heavenly Majestie release us by death Will not succeeding ages cry out against these cruell courses of the Protestants as well as they crie out against the crueltie of the Iewes and Papists Yes we are assured they will as many millions doe in other Nations at this day The Scriptures declare the cause of the blindnesse of the learned Iewes was Not the obscurity of the Scriptures but that they winked with their eyes lest they should see and lest their honour and profite should decay and come to nothing Ioh. 11.48 and because their feare towards God vvas taught by mens Precepts and because they looked to their own vvay and to their owne advantage and had rejected the word of the Lord and because they builded their Sion with bloud and Ierusalem with iniquitie and sought their own Honour and not Gods So the cause of the blindnesse of the learned Papists in denying the Scriptures to be the onely rule of faith is not the obscurity of the Scriptures but they receiving not the love of the Truth God hath given them up to strange and strong delusions and the cause of their not receiving the love of the truth being all those afore-named in the Iewes And the Protestant well observeth that the causes why the Papist deny the Scriptures onely sufficiencie and strive so much for their Churches Authoritie are two First That they might make themselves Iudges in their own cause For vvho seeth not that if the Church be the rule of faith and theirs be the Church which way the verdit will goe Next For that the greatest points of their Religion have no foundation on the Scriptures So that take away the Scriptures and establish their Religion but establish the Scriptures and their Religion vanisheth and that Mother of whoredomes that glorified her selfe as a Queene shall be consumed for her Merchants that are wexed rich through her pleasure and profites shall waile and weep The which they now seeing shut their eyes lest they should see that that should bring them from those Honours Profites and Pleasures In like manner it may easily be judged by everie indifferent heart that the cause why the learned of this land will be blind in not ceasing to constraine men to practise that in Gods worship in which they have not faith nay vvhich is contrarie to the light of their consciences is Not the obscuritie of the Scriptures But their winking with their eyes lest they should see that that would take away their honours profits and pleasures For if Bribes blinde the eyes of the wise Deut. 16.19 then honours profits and pleasures much more For who seeth not if none should be compelled to practice any thing in Gods worship but what they have faith in which will make them read willingly and worship holily then the Honours Profits and Pleasures of the learned men in respect of Spiritualty would decay although your Majestie might lawfully give them what temporall Honours Profits and Pleasures your Highnesse liked of These are the true causes of the blindnesse of the learned For so Christ saith Ioh. 5. How can yee beleeve when yee seeke honour one of another and seeketh not the honour that is of God And how can men but be blind in Gods mysteries vvhen they look to their own way for their own advantage and for their own purpose For having rejected the word of the Lord what wisedome is in them they have no answer of God that build up their Syon for so they account their Churches or professions vvith bloud and Ierusalem with iniquitie If these learned could free us from the Lords wrath or that they might answer for us and we be free it were safe for us to submit our selves and captivate our judgements and practise to them but seeing they cannot so much as deliver their own soules and that if the blind leade the blind both must fall into the ditch Mat. 15. and everie one give account of himselfe to God Rom. 14. and be judged by his own workes done in the flesh 2. Cor. 5. and that the soule that sinneth shall die Ezek. 18. vvee dare not follow any mortall man in matters of salvation further then wee know him to agree vvith Gods meaning in the Scriptures Paul the holy Apostle of Iesus Christ taught that we should follow him no otherwise then he followed Christ 1. Cor. 11.1 yea Christ himselfe sent men to the Scripture to try his doctrine Ioh. 5. The Apostles suffred their doctrine to be tryed and commended them that tryed it Act. 17.11 And the Protestants confesse White pag. 127. This doctrine was never misliked till a Church arose up whose silver being drosse and whose milke poyson could not endure the tryall which being true that we may trie why may we not also judge and practise according as Gods Spirit shall direct us in our tryall If a man should drinke poyson and know it to be poyson were he not in a worse estate then hee that should doe it ignorantly not knowing thereof even a murtherer of himselfe in the highest degree so he that drinketh spirituall poyson knowing it for so it is unto them they not having faith in it he is in a worse estate even a murtherer of his owne soule in the like degree And therefore that Church or those learned that vvill suffer their doctrine to be tryed and yet constraine men to receive it and practise it when upon tryall their consciences are convinced of the falshood thereof are worse and doe more highly sinne then they that constraine a blind conscience though both be evill Wee despise not learning nor learned men but doe reverence both it and them according to their worthinesse onely when it is advanced into the seat of God and that given unto it which apperteineth to the Holy Ghost which is to leade into all truth then ought all as Hezekiah did unto the brazen serpent detest it and contemne it CHAP. VI. Persecution for Religion is against the Law of Christ FIrst himselfe commanded Mat. 13.30 vvith 38. Let the Tares and wheate grow together in the world untill the end of this world Secondly the same Christ our Lord commandeth Mat. 15.14 that they which are blindly led on in false Religion and are offended at him for teaching true Religion should be let alone deferring their punishment unto their falling into the ditch Thirdly hee reproved his Disciples vvho would have had fire to come downe from heaven and devoured those Samaritanes that vvould not receive Christ saying Yee know not of what spirit yee are the Sonne of man is not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luke 9.54.55 which plainely proveth that Christ vvould have no man hurt for Religion although they be refusers of him Fourthly the Holy Ghost teacheth the servants of the Lord must not strive but be gentle towards all men suffering the evill

as freely have permitted the Tr●th as the Truth could have suffered falshood lea●●●● it to God to punish there should not have bene 〈◊〉 trouble at all in the State and Common wealth Againe who is not well acquainted with the flourishing estates of the neighbour Nations and that divers who tollerate Religion their Weales States and Cities are well and peaceably governed Many sorts of Religions are in their Provinces yet no trouble of State no treason no hinderance at all of any good they have all one harmonie in matters of State giving unto Caesar his due and for Religion they suffer one another patiently doing one unto another as they would be done unto And if any object the troubles of France or of the Low Countries it is easily answered the fountaine of them is that those that hold persecution lawfull take up armes or raise tumults for which cause it is just in the Princes and States to punish such severely for the breach of the Civill peace not medling with them for matter of conscience None that we know but Papists and Protestants doe persecute and therefore are onely lettered but altogether without the Spirit of God to perswade that persecution is profitable for a State it being so wicked and unprofitable as hath beene proved CHAP. X. Kings are deprived of no power that God hath given them when they maintaine freedome of Religion in their Dominions VVE are not ignorant that the learned doe perswade Kings and Princes that they have power from God to maintaine Gods worship and service as well as civill peace and so are mainteyners of both Tables and to punish false worshippers with imprisonment death or otherwise as other malefactors of the second Table Now concerning the latter we freely acknowledge they have all of them power from God to make humane Lawes that be just for the government of their Kingdomes and compell their subjects to observe them and to punish the transgressors of them and we all are to be obedient of conscience for the Lords sake But here lyeth the difficultie where God hath given to all Kings charge over his worship and spirituall service For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth Ioh. 4. If all Kings have this charge and power then doe all Kings sinne in this save one if one for many doe not at all thinke it is their charge and so doe altogether neglect it and some doe thinke it is their charge and doe maintaine it one in one manner and another in another so that there can be but one that doe well in it if one for there is but one Truth all the rest doe sinne some for not maintaining it at all and some for maintaining it after a false manner for a false worship is worse then none And this one may verie well be doubtfull because he is as subject to erre as the others And if he doe erre and constraine his subjects amisse they shall perish for their sinne and their bloud shall be required at his hands The learned say that Christian Kings have the same power that the kings of Israel had to maintaine Mose Law in which observe no other kings had power o● charge to maintaine that Religion but onely the Kings of Israel and yet the Common weales did continue long and flourish to them and their seed afte● them to many generation but in these daies diver Kings say they are in the place of the Kings of Israel and say they maintaine the Religion of Christs Gospell yet differ so much as they count one another Idolaters and Heretiques for maintaining his way May it please your Majestie to give us leave to ask of your learned in what place of the word of Go your charge standeth Wee often reade of your charg in civill things and that your power is from God an hee hath given you a sword to punish evill doers and defend the innocent but not to support any Religion nor suppresse any Religion by your earthly sword now in the time of Christ But we reade that Kings have given their power and authoritie to the Beast Revel 17. to uphold an Antichristian Religion and their be ten or many of them that doe it Therefore it behooveth all Kings that doe by power and force uphold any Religion to suspect themselves lest they be of those ten that uphold the Beast and fight against the Lambe And also let them feare lest seeming to uphold true Religion they sit in the consciences of men where Christ should sit For Christ is the alone King of Israel without a fellow or substitute as your Majestie well observeth in your Highnesse Apologie Christ is the Churches Monarch and the Holy Ghost his Deputie But we know that they will answer us your Charge is in the Law of Moses for in the Gospell they have no colour for Rom. 13. maketh nothing for this purpose Caesar being a Heathen King to whom God gave no authoritie nor sword for matter of Religion They say the children of Israel were commanded to destroy all the inhabitants of the Land Deut. 7. lest they intice them to serve their gods Exod. 23. And false Prophets to be slaine Deut. 13. These are their strong holds For answer unto which First the sinns of these people were full and the Lord would destroy them and give their possessions to Israel but the sinns of the refusers of Christ are not full untill the end Secondly the children of Israel had a speciall command from the Lord to destroy them but the kings of Nations have no command at all to destroy the bodies of the contrarie minded they are forbidden to plucke up the tares Mat. 13. Thirdly the Canaanites would have rebelled against Israel and have destroyed them but the contrarie minded will not rebell against their Kings all that doe let them be cut off Fourthly the Heads and Rulers of Israel could command and compel the people to observe those carnall Rites Ordinances of the Law but the Heads of the Nations cannot compell their Subjects to beleeve the Gospel for faith is the gift of God which faith if they want all that they doe in Gods worship is sinne Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6 therefore they cannot compell any to worship because they cannot give them faith for which cause the Lord in wisedome see it not meet to charge Kings with a dutie which they cannot performe For to acceptance with God there must be a willing mind 1. Cor. 9. and faith but seeing it is not in their power to work either of these but the worke of God alone as your Majestie saith in Parl. 1609. God will never require it at their hands The bloud of the faithlesse and misbeleeving shall be upon their own heads for he that will not beleeve shall be damned Againe seeing they grant the law of Adulterie Theft and the like to be changed and is not now to be exacted according to that Law for the Iudicials were but for that time place and person as your Majestie observeth in Parl. 1609. why should not this Deut. 13. be changed also for the causes aforesaid as also because Christ and his Apostles hath expresly forbidden it as hath beene proved reserving for such a sorer punishment Heb. 10. For if that Law should now be exacted all Kings would be deprived of many their faithfull subjects and the Cities of their habitation with all their substance that is therein must be burned with fire and made a heape of stones for ever vvhich God forbid This wee hope your Majestie and the rest in Authoritie may see there is no comparison between the Kings of Israel under the Law and the Kings of Nations in the time of the Gospell in matters of Religion Many things might be writ to prove that Kings are not deprived of that power which God hath given them by suffering the Freedome in Religion as also the high impietie of all such as force the conscience by persecution But this may suffice the Almightie blessing it which with your Kingly and Honourable Consultations wee commend unto the King of Kings with our uncessant prayers for such successe as may tend most to his glorie and the prosperous estate of this Kingdome The Kings Majestie loyall subjects in all lawfull obedience unjustly called Anabaptists