Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	call_v	pope_n	1,405	5	6.2726	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91901	The petitioners vindication from calumnie and aspersion. And the young mans animation to the building up of Zion. Published in their defence, against a scurrilous book or pamphlet lately written against them by I.W. and scandalously intituled, Petitions against bishops and their votes in Parliament. Subscribed unto after a clandestine, delivered after a tumultuous manner, and falsly going under the name of a whole county or town, proved to be both contrary to our late taken Protestation, as also utterly unlawfull by many other cleare and evident reasons. Now answered and refuted, and petitions delivered unto the Parliament, by impregnable reasons proved to be both lawfull, and according to the petitioners duty, and the late taken Protestation. With many other remarkable passages worthy of observation. By T. Robinson, veritati devotum.	Robinson, T., fl. 1642.	1642 (1642)	Wing R1715; Thomason E146_24; ESTC R212725	45,496	53

Altars and Images and cast away all vain Ceremonies out of the service of God throughout the whole Land For these must be removed before our oaths can be fulfilled or God truly worshiped And whereas in the close of his first ground he ratifieth the reason of his refusall by vertue of the 36. Article of the said expressed doctrine of the Church of England wherein the office of Bishops is inclusively confirmed I answer The Protestation bindeth not to the maintenance of the whole and sole Doctrine comprized and expressed in that book nor of any part thereof otherwise and further then it consents with the wholsome words of Christ for the very words in the oath are the o true * Note I pray reformed Protestant Religion Now in that same book and in many of those devised Articles are many things contained and enjoyned which are not truly reformed or rather conformed to Gods holy Word And therefore our Oath is of a larger extent and we are thereby bounden even to oppose those Articles and the whole form of Doctrine and discipline comprehended in them so far forth as they and it be not opposite to Poperie and Popish Innovation and dissent from the truth of Reformation and this is more amply and obviously expressed in that resolving clause next under and adjoyning to the Protestation It is true that in the said p 36. Article the consecration of Archbishops Bishops Priests and Deacons are there allowed according to the manner used at the first beginning of Reformation in the time of Edw. 6. But that therein or thereby either Archbishops or Lordbishops are justified or justifiable by Gods Word I do neither read nor beleeve And therefore his secret fear of transgressing an ●bsolute Act or unlawfull constitution of the Church is no sufficient plea for my Author to break his oath and to induce others to do likewise Besides grant what he pleads for that the present office of the Bishops as it is at this day executed by them be by a Law of Parliament confirmed as lawfull by Gods Word Is it therefore lawfull by the Word of God No. There is neither Law nor Counsell against Gods Law his Statutes are like himself pure and unalterable and need not the frothy device of men either to illustrate or authorise them And as for Archbishops and Bishops nay and Prebends and Archdeacons too I am certain there is neither precept nor pattern in holy Writ for them many against them Matth. 23. 8. 10 11. Mark 9. 35. and 10. 42 43 44. Luke 22. 25 26. and 1 Pet. 2. 3. Nor doth Timothy or Titus justifie our Bishops they were men of another order and stamp 1 Tim. 3. 2 3 4. Tit. 1. 6 7 8. Neither doth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on which they so much stand prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est ab inspiciendo their standing true the Etymologie thereof hath no Analogie with them their jurisdiction is originally from humane invention for their institution is not jure divino but jure pontificio not by God but by the Pope and for that cause the Pope calls himself Pater Patrum the Father of the Fathers that is of the Bishops * Episcopus idem quòd Presbyter The word signifieth no more then an Elder or Overseer Act. 20. 28. One that hath the charge or * Homer an Heathen Author many ages before Bishops calls Hector Prince of Troy Episcopum quòd esset Troje praecipuus inspector propugnator ejusque curam gerebat Magistratus Atticus dictus fuit Episcopus Cicero himself was called Episcopum or ae maritimae à Formiis Epist Famil lib. 6. care of any place and so it imports all the painfull Ministers of God as well as the Bishops And that a Bishop and an Elder are one to omit other Scriptures it is evident by comparing the 7. verse of the 1. Chap. of Titus with the fifth verse And if there be any difference between a Bishop or an Elder and another Minister a true Pastor or a Teacher it is in this that the Bishop hath the greater care and burden and therefore ought to be more humble and watchfull But our Bishops will have other Ministers to differ nothing from them in pains and care unlesse it be in taking more then they do for indeed they take none at all But for dignity and honour they will have a great distance betwixt them and their brethren even as great as that betwixt Dives and Lazarus They must be the Lords nay gracelesly gracious Lords and their Brethren the true labourers of Jesus Christ * Sometime the Bishops of Oxons phrase Rogues and Rascals Their very Titles are usurped and such as Christ the Lord never appointed for there is but one Lord saith the Apostle Ephes 4. 5. Isa 42. 8. and had they not made more use of the Temporall Sword whereunto they have no right then they have of the Spirituall for they and Gods Word could never accord their tyrannicall jurisdiction had not continued untill this time Seeing all this what sufficient ground then is there for mine Author to plead the Protestation in Bar against such as petition against them and their temporall power what cause of scrupulositie for him to refuse the endeavour of their removall Nay what cause is there not for him to endeavour it if he was well affected or had so much light to walk by and a conscience so tender as he speaks of Therefore for as much as they are justly deemed Antichristian because whatsoever office or officer in the Church Gods house is not by or is contrary to Christs own institution the onely King and Lord of the same Psal 2. 6. Joh. 13. 13. is against him the Petitioners have but done their duty and discharged their oath in seeking to have them expelled And so I will recite his second ground fo 2. viz. Secondly I am ingaged thereby also to maintain and defend the The Authors 2. ground powers and priviledges of Parliaments which is chiefly to be understood of the q established Laws concerning the same Now severall r Acts of Parliament do not onely confirm as aforesaid the office of a Bishop but by the powers and priviledges of those Acts of Parliament they are also to sit as Members of the Lords House I pray observe how this man doth preposterously tye the priviledges Answer of Parliament on the q Acts of Parliament Cujus contrarium verum est the contrary whereof is true For as I humbly conceive the Laws by them made make not their priviledges But they by vertue of that inherent priviledge and power ab initio established on them as the representative body of the whole kingdom are inabled both to enact Laws and if cause be to repeal them as the cause produceth the effect Otherwise it could not be that we should be our own Law-makers and in my understanding we are called a free people because we are governed

it is much more easie to prove both altogether unlawfull and utterly to be abhorred and abandoned And that for the a present particular offences of some the innocent posteritie should suffer we have many presidents both Divine and Civill ancient and modern especially where the offence is of so high a nature as to strike at the publique authoritie and honour of God and the very being or well-being of his people Witnesse that ever dreadfull ingurgitation of Corah Dathan and Abiram with all their families Numb 16. what there had the poore infants and children done So likewise that universall desolation of Amaleke 1 Sam. 15. 3. and that of Edom Obediah ver 10. Both which Nations were wholly destroyed as well young as old children as parents for the iniquitie done not by them but by their Progenitors to the people of God many ages before they had any being Touch not mine anointed that is my chosen saith God and do my Prophets no harme God will not endure that his people shall be vexed and troubled in the way of his worship this was the ruine of Pharaoh and of all his hoste and shall be of the stoutest Prince or Potentate under the Sunne and of all his force Psal 76. 12. if he will not let Israel go to worship the Lord their God even Kings will he reprove for their sake Psal 105. 14. Amongst our selves is it not a Law and held for reason that he who seeks to ruine an innocent posterity should have his innocent posteritie ruined this is also ratified by Gods Word Because Agags sword had made women childlesse therefore shall Agags mother be childlesse amongst women 1 Sam. 15. 31. And thus was it done to Haman Esther 9. 10. he and all his sonnes perished and his goods were given to others yet he alone contrived that lethall plot against the Jews Esth 3. 8. 9. And truly it is equivolent to the rule of proportion that what measure they meet unto others should be meted unto them again this even dealing was Adonibezeks portion Judg. 1. 7. True it is there is some exception in that of Amaziah 1 King 14. 6. But it is where the wrong is personall not Nationall and principally concerning man not God But perhaps my Author here meaneth not this manner of suffering but that for the faults of these Bishops future posteritie should be deprived of the like state and preferment power and revenews Truly custome is no sound plea for the continuance of an evill cause And seeing these men have usurped the place and authoritie not due unto them and have enjoyed more wealth and honour then hath been fit or profitable for them all which meerly tend to insnare and corrupt men of holy function fraighting them full as experience plainly proveth with all manner of pride and insolence impietie and idlenesse It cannot be adjudged either improvidence or injustice to abolish these exorbitant usurpations of honour authority and power in them and to convert their superabundant rents and revenews to some more necessarie and pious uses that so the like enormities which in these persons have by these means hitherto accrewed may in succeeding ages be prevented And this can be no suffering to the future generation because they are spoiled of nothing But this I humbly refer to them whom it doth more principally as Judges concern Onely thus much for answer herein to my Author and so I come to his other matter I deny not but there have been godly b Bishops and many of them Martyrs but not because they were Bishops * Nor for the Service Book though sir Ed. Deering implyeth so and the martyrdome of those men doth no more hallow and uphold their standing therefore then Naamans conversion doth justifie his Idolatrous action 2 King 5. 17 18. or Luthers persecution and * For a man may be martyred living martyrdome his idolatrous transubstantiation And in charitie I will hope with him though few tokens appeare in assurance that there are some of them still godly Protestants But as he will not have the impietie of the person to abrogate the c office So I hope the pretended piety of the person shall not justifie the impietie of the office And as for the conviction of his d conscience it is a work onely proper to Gods holy Spirit and when he comes into his heart he will convince him Joh. 16. 8. In the mean time I will do my good will to inform him And so I proceed to his own words fol. 8. viz. Secondly though time of e prosperitie hath made some of them The Author guiltie of f foule offences and it may be with the children of Israel they have not worshipped the true God as they ought and have inclined to Idolatry and thereby justly provoked the Almighty to wrath and indignation against them Yet I am perswaded that for the very execution of their h office and the g Ecclesiasticall Laws for the k unity and peace of the Church they suffer instrumentally by divers ill l affected to government or by such as have been punished by them for doing i contrary thereunto and if the like proceedings may be suffered against all m Judges and other n executioners of the Laws of the Kingdom there shall be no o secure execution of the Laws against offenders and so we shall live lawlesse and let in all manner of disorder and vice murther rapine and the like Those Bishops rather under correction that have done contrary p to the Law are to be punished by the Law on due and true proofs and not according to your wils In this instance and what followeth you may plainly see Answer what stamp my Author is of what I all the way feared he hath here verified For he is a worshipper of the great gods of these times the ambitious Prelates who lifted up themselves above all that is called God But as they have been exalted so blessed be God have they lately been humbled But he saith that e prosperity hath made them faulty it is true For many of them before they were Bishops were daily and diligent fishermen drawing many unto God but having caught what they fished for the world and preferment they presently left both their nets and the waters their Ministerie and the Word and forthwith fell to drive men from God with Demas giving themselves up to the present world Howbeit in as much as their exuberancy of wealth and lordly power instead of advancing them forward hath become an impediment to the discharge of their duties and are the chief means to canker and corrupt them the grave and gracious Parliament I beleeve as is most meet will impaire and lessen them that being rid of so great a clog they may the better gird up the loyns of their minds and be more watchfull and sober And I pray note that my Author himself pronounceth them f foule offenders false worshippers of God and idolatrous a thing which themselves vile

in their stead They have been false in much how then can they be faithfull in a little They have not well governed their own house how then can they govern well the house of God 1 Tim. 3. 4. 5. And so I come again to his own words fo 9. viz. Thirdly because that which is or seemeth to p be a prejudice now ● Author may in Gods good time prove a great benefit We many times earnestly pray for those things which afterwards we give God thanks for not q granting our requests and this hath many times been for the removall of our present afflictions I am confident if there were good care taken as there may be that r good men may be made Bishops we shall never p repent of their lawfull office or place for s greatnesse with goodnesse will much advance the cause and welfare of the Church and commonwealth And further I know it is possible for some t inferiours to execute the Law and the Gospel likewise in a farre more imperious and tyrannicall way then some Superiours have done True it is that many things which seem p hurtfull at the Answer first may in due time prove very good in taste they may be bitter but in digestion profitable But it must be considered whether things be simply evill and fundamentally or by occasion and accidentally Now what is simply evill and fundamentally can never prove good nor produce any otherwise then God by his all ruling providence shall dispose it but that is not thank-worthy to the instrument And such is the power and jurisdiction of the present Bishops and therefore both we and ours need never fear p repentance for seeking to have them removed but q heartily praise God if it may be granted I know it is possible to have r good men for Bishops but then they must be chosen according to the rule of the Gospel and not after the Articles of their Doctrine Act. 1. 15. 24. to the end and 14. 23. and not one Bishop be elected by another as they are receiving the holy Ghost from such as may be suspected never had it And my Author and the whole world in my opinion do mightily mistake whilest they imagine that such externall s state and greatnesse is requisite in the Ministers of the Church This was that delusion wherewith the devill blinded the eyes of the poore Jews they looked for a triumphing Messias with stately attendants and in pompous trappings but lo he cometh meekly riding on an Asse Surely if outward state and glory had been expedient for Christs Church He himself being her head and husband would have put it on and left it for a rule and an example to his Apostles and their successours especially at that time when he came from heaven to marry her and occupied the place of a Bridegroome Matth. 9. 15. But we do neither find it in his person for imitation nor in his doctrine for direction nay his rules are contrary and so were his Apostles practises Paul that Architect in the house of God and chief Planter of Churches although most worthy if any more then other was content to live in mean estate not seeking his own but the good of others I find not in all the new Testament that any of them had either lands or livings I am sure not glebe or Ecclesiasticall as they call them if they had other they did sell and communicate them Act. 2. 45. and 4. 37. no nor set allowance Indeed they eat of the fruit of their labours as is most just according to that in the 1 Cor. 9. 1. to the 24. and it is our duty to take care for them Rom. 15. 27. Gal. 6. 6. But I know no precept for any positive means The Leviticall Law is abolished tithes and tents are certainly ended the Priesthood being changed their rights are likewise changed Hebr. 7. 12. and for certain the Apostles were not ignorant both of the force and extent of this Law I speak not this to abase the Ministerie or encourage any in their neglect or disrespect toward them The Labourer is worthy of his hire and God forbid but they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel 1 Cor. 9. 14. and that comfortably void of care For if the servant of the old Law was so honourable much more is the Minister of the new How beautifull are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of salvation Isa 52. 7. But again I say I conceive neither rule nor reason why they should have so many thousands and so many hundreds per annum tithe of all even to an egge yea and all will hardly * Witnesse that unreasonable demand and unsatiable pursuite of 2. s. 9. d. in the pound suffice being most of them too much like those greedy dogges in Isaiah 56. 11. for by these means they become puft up and set themselves in competition with the men of this world contending for preheminence and priority forgetting that godlinesse is great gain and that they ought to teach the Gospel of a * Christus ob gratiam Christi non muneris mundi praedicandus est ready mind and not for filthy lucre they plough not in hope they thresh not in hope as the Apostles did 1 Cor. 9. 10. But they will be at a surer lock they wil know before hand what they shall have like Judas quid dabis and if their own termes and conditions be not fulfilled they wil neither * Witnesse Mr. Finch Mr. Hutton Mr. Davies Mr. Swadling c. cum multis aliis quos jam praescribere longum est preach pray with you administer the Sacrament to you nor bury your dead nay if a man put not into their mouthes they prepare war against him Mich. 3. 5. Thus by practise making good the old popish Proverbe No peny no Pater noster These things have caused them to mind the Fleece onely and not the Flock and given them horns to gore the poore Saints of God And besides for these * Quisquis ad praemia velox things sake have many crept into the folds who have not been shepherds but ravening wolves And I have observed that corruption came first into the primitive Church by the doore of ambition and the coveting of worldly pomp and dignitie was the very Basis of the Seat of Rome and the first step of the Beast his throne for under the colour that exterior wealth and power would elevate and advance Religion crept up that man not of God but of sinne with all his lordly train But some will say was it not for these incouragements few or none would apply themselves to the Ministerie I commend incouragement it is not the use but the abuse not the end but the excesse and unequall disposing of it I condemne And fear not labourers whilest there is a harvest for God hath promised to send or thrust forth Labourers into his harvest and to that end hath he

assured that i sin is the prime cause of all my sufferings and I fear that ingratitude in not being thankefull and walking worthy of those great mercies received hath been a principall cause why God hath shut the hearts of some of our Governours at this present as is much feared This whole argument is good and godly let the Devill have Answer his due and worthy of practise in all Protestants yet it tends nothing to prove that the Petitions against which my Author hath undertaken his discourse are unlawfull or that the authors of them hath therein acted any thing either against God or man And I do confesse that for the wickednes of a people God sendeth wicked Governors and that i sin is the prime cause of all our miseries But that ingratitude or other sin of the people is the principall cause why God doth shut up the hearts of Governours I do deny that is their own wickednesse Witnesse Pharaoh and Saul 1 Sam. 15. 23. 26. Many people have suffered for their Governours but to my knowledge I never read that ever any Governour suffered for the people Saul the hypocrite dealeth falsely and slayeth the Gibeonites but the people endure three yeers famine for it 2 Sam. 25. 1 2. So David sinneth but the people are plagued 1 Chron. 21. 7. 17. For the sin of Manasseh the King was all Judah carried captive 2 King 24. 3 4. And were they not the high Priests and Elders that crucified Christ yet was the whole Nation therefore destroyed And that it is the Governors own sin that causeth God to harden them I further prove it thus They having a will to fin and no regard unto God nor unto his word therefore doth he in his just judgement give them up to a reprobate mind to do things that are not convenient Rom. 1. 28. 30. Had Gods Word been by Saul regarded Saul by God had never been rejected And thus fall they to sin the more freely and abuse their authoritie eating up Gods people as bread untill God by their hand hath sufficiently punished them and then doth he break those rods in peeces and consume them in his wrath for the evill of the people shall not excuse their ungodly government no nor extenuate their judgement And so I proceed again as followeth fo 12. viz. Sixthly I know God will correct his children for their sins and in The Author the exceution of his judgements on the world he will begin at his own house either to work out sin or to work in grace or to make that grace more manifest which is already wrought I know that the end of Gods correction is reformation till then if smaller afflictions will not prevail greater shall if not one kind then another if the sword of our enemies do not the swords peradventure of our own amongst our selves shall if not they peradventure the pestilence or the famine or some other shall sundrie of which sometimes come together to let the world know that our afflictions come not immediate from any one k secondary or instrumental cause but that it is from the will and pleasure of the Almighty so to order and to dispose it who will not take off his judgements as the effects till our sins as the cause be removed Herein likewise is nothing to be gainsaid Onely I must still Answer notifie that whatsoever is here alledged doth not justifie mine Authors clandestine aspersions against the aforementioned Petitioners and Petitions or any wayes condemne therein either their actions or persons That our afflictions come not immediately from any k secondarie cause who knoweth not Is there evill in the City and God doth it not Amos 3. 6. Lam. 3. 38. Yet this doth not therefore prove that such instruments as a●● manifestly the secondarie causes of our troubles either justifiable or tolerable And as mine Author would not have us account the Bishops the immediate cause of our perturbation and affliction so I wish he would advise them not to take us for the onely cause of their shamefull fall and confusion but their own detestable impietie and abomination the which the righteous Lord hath justly brought on the heads of them to the astonishment of the whole earth So I come again to his own words fo 13. viz. Seventhly I dare not l use any unlawfull means to ease mine The Author affliction I know no better way then by m humiliation and prayer to God for a sight of those sins whereby I had provoked him to wrath and for grace and true repentance for the same and remission by the merits of my Sav●our Jesus Christ And then to apply my self with all diligence to all lawfull means to remove them yet I am not to put too much n confidence in them I could never yet find any benefit by o impatience under the hand of the Almighty I have found more afflictions procured thereby and I am assured that the Church and children of God never lost by their p patient suffering What this man l dare not do I am sure as yet we have not Answer done as hath been plainly proved albeit he secretly involves our rebuke in his dare not For as not he so no man can prove a petitionary way unlawfull and other means then humble petitions and modest solicitations there hath been none used by us excepting that principall means of m humiliation by himself so much preferred the which by the goodnesse of our King and Parliament hath rather been president then subsequent to our other endeavours And I verily beleeve men have been so farre from putting too much n confidence in the use of means as that they have not given due credit to the promise of God made unto them For how many but a while since did even despaire * Witnesse every mans arming himself and standing upon his guard notwithstanding the means used And of o impatience who can reprove us what people have so easily subjected their necks to such grievous yokes as we have done and that not for daies but yeers illegal taxes impoverishing Patents forcible impositions popish Inquisitions cruell censures and bloody sufferings And now the waters are moved God hath sent his Angel to cure us shall we not stir shall we not enter shall we not lay hold upon so happie an occasion if we cannot make means our selves we may with the lame man at the pool of Bethesda sit still long enough there are none so charitable many otherwise to make means for us We have not with the traiterous Papists rebelled for our oppressions but like a woman with child patiently waited though in great anguish the Lords appointed time for our deliverance and it being come and we in pain may we not seek for help to the Midwife of our heavy burthens the skilfull Parliament yes doubtlesse lawfully and ready and willing are we to undergo whatsoever charge or trouble they shall enjoyn and put upon us so that we