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	church_n	ecclesiastical_a	2,624	5	8.1032	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96350	The first centvry of scandalous, malignant priests, made and admitted into benefices by the prelates, in whose hands the ordination of ministers and government of the church hath been. Or, A narration of the causes for which the Parliament hath ordered the sequestration of the benefices of severall ministers complained of before them, for vitiousnesse of life, errors in doctrine, contrary to the articles of our religion, and for practising and pressing superstitious innovations against law, and for malignancy against the Parliament. It is ordered this seventeenth day of November, 1643. by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning printing, that this booke intituled, [The first century of scandalous, malignant priests, &c.] be printed by George Miller.	White, John, 1590-1645.; England and Wales. Parliament. aut	1643 (1643)	Wing W1777; Thomason E76_21; ESTC R19192	42,473	60

THE FIRST CENTVRY OF Scandalous Malignant PRIESTS Made and admitted into Benefices by the PRELATES in whose hands the Ordination of Ministers and government of the Church hath been OR A Narration of the Causes for which the PARLIAMENT hath Ordered the Sequestration of the Benefices of severall Ministers complained of before them for vitiousnesse of Life errors in Doctrine contrary to the Articles of our Religion and for practising and pressing superstitious Innovations against Law and for Malignancy against the PARLIAMENT IT is Ordered this seventeenth day of November 1643. by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing that this Booke Intituled The first Century of Scandalous Malignant Priests c. be printed by George Miller JOHN WHITE LONDON Printed by George Miller dwelling in the Black-Friers M.DC.XLIII To the READER Reader THis ensuing summary Declaration of the Grounds and Causes whereupon this Parliament hath proceeded against divers Ministers to sequester their Benefices from them and to place in their roomes godly learned orthodox Divines diligent Preachers of the Word of God may serve thee for many excellent parposes First To open thine eyes and clearely convince and satisfie thee that the Parliament had good and very great cause from hence among many other things to declare and resolve that the present Church Governement by Arch-bishops Bishops their Chancellours Commissaries Deanes Arch-deacons and other Ecclesiasticall Officers depending upon the Hierarchie is evill and justly Offensive and burdensome to the Kingdome a great Impediment to Reformation and growth of Religion and very prejudiciall to the State and Government of this Kingdome and therefore to be taken away a See the Preamble of the bill for the Assembly of Divines and of the Ordinance by which they sit They have beene by our Lawes entrusted with the Care and Provision for the soules of the King and Subjects to heed feed and watch over them b Acts 20.28 1 Pet. 5.2 Heb. 13.17 And to attend upon the great Embassie they pretend unto to pray and beseech them to be reconciled unto God c 2 Cor. 5.20 and to preach and to cause to be preached by able and faithfull men d 2 Tim. 2.2 The Word of God in season and out of season e 2 Tim. 4 2. They have not onely neglected their Personall Execution of this weighty trust but also have generally and mostly committed the same to Persons illiterate and insufficient dumbe Doggs as the Scripture calls them f Isa 56.10 that cannot barke against whom God hath protested for their ignorance g Hos 4.6 and to men swallowed up with Wine and strong drinke whose Tables are full of vomit and filthinesse h Isai 28.7.8 Quorum ess et vivere est esse bibere Whoremongers and Adulterers who as fed Horses neigh after their Neighbours Wives i Jer. 5.8 Buggerers that change the naturall use into that which is against Nature k Rom. 1.26 And to others scandalous of corrupt mindes and ill affected to the Peace and Safety of the Kingdome men unfit to preach to or live among Christians their wickednesse being so great as that they are condemned by Heathens And hereby they have taken the high-way to destroy the souls committed to them and to drown them in Perdition The evill life of a Minister being like the rods which Jacob spread before the Sheepe m Precepts are iter longum Examples iter breve the people write after his copie with ease and confidence Sinnes are reputed as none or as veniall which receive Patronage from the Ministers Example n Hae hominum faces non Dei ministri sed Satanae satellites non Christi seblatores sed Antichriste successores And though some few of these Church Governors have been men that have otherwise expressed in the course of their lives a true feare of God yet by a strange Influence of the Divine Curse upon their Offices branches of the Hierarchy of Rome plants not planted by our heavenly Father these as well as the rest have unhappily laid hands suddenly upon many and preferred divers wicked and unworthy by partiality o 1 Tim. 5.2 to marry and put off their hands a Daughter a Kinswoman and upon other bie and base respects without regard of the good of the soules of them over whom they were set And in this Booke thou shalt have an Assay of the Gall and Worme-wood of the Episcopall Governement taken out of London the Metropolis and of the Counties adjacent that when thou seest what Vermine crawles upon and devoures the principall and vitall parts thou maist reflect with a mournefull heart upon the more miserable condition of Wales and of the North the more remote parts of this Kingdome where upon scrutiny will be easily found many for one as vile and abhominable as these And if thou wouldost have the people perish for want of vision or impoysoned with the destructive Errours of Popery and Arminianisme and the Land yet more defiled with cursing swearing drunkennesse whoredome sodomie then put thy shoulders still to the support of the said Church-Government and Governours but if thou be better minded as in Charitie I hope thou art then joyne heart and hand with the Parliament to purge out such Popish dreggs and together with them pray for and endeavour a through Reformation according to the word of God Secondly Thou maist by perusall of this booke clearly see what manner of persons those Cleargie-men be that favour the present course of his Majestie against his Parliament and people and dislike and maligne the wayes of the Parliament they will appeare unto thee to be such as cannot endure the purity power and strictnesse of the true Religion that hate Reformation and to be brought in their hearts Religion and lives to the holy Word of God that seeks themselves and not the things of Jesus Christ that are given over to vile affections to superstition ambition persecutions covetousnesse malignity and all wickednes and knowing the judgement of God and what they deserve that commit such things yet not only doe the same but have pleasure in them that doe them a Rom. 1.28 29 32. Thirdly Thou maiest hereby discerne one principall ground and cause of the generall ignorance and debauchery of the Gentry and people of this Kingdome Like Priest like people b Hos 4. ● They cause the people to erre by their lyes and by their lightnesse c Jer. 23.31 They are a snare on Mispah and a net spread upon Tabor d Hos 5.1 They have wrested and broken the law of the Lord defiled his holy things hid their eyes from his Sabbaths polluted his Sanctuary e Ezek. 22.26 and seduced the people to the same wickednesse dawbing with untempered Morter f Ezek. 13.10 These Prophets prophesie falsly the Bishops beare rule by their means and the people love to have it so g Jer. 5.31 Fourthly Behold with

admiration and acknowledge with love and thankefulnesse the transcendent mercie of the Lord to his poore people among us that whereas he hath infinite just cause to destroy these Priests and people together cloath them with desolation and doe unto them after their waies and judge them according to their desert h Ezek. 7.27 He is graciously pleased to stirre up a spirit of zeale and judgement in the Parliament to deliver the people from the mouthes of these Shepheards that feed not the flocke but kill them that are fed eate the fat and cloath themselves with the wool l Ez k. 34.3 10. and to set true shepheards over them to seeke that which was lost and bring againe that which was driven away to bind them that were broken and strengthen them that were sick and to feed them all with knowledge and understanding and to feed with judgment the wicked shepheards that before with force and cruelty ruled over them k Eze. 34.15 16. Fiftly Behold with comfort and assured expectation of good from Heaven that as the Lord hath manifested his gracious purpose to reforme his Church in this Land and set up the Kingdome of Christ among us in the purity of Doctrine and Discipline and hath for that purpose called this Parliament fixed it set it upon that worke and maintained it therein and in all these hath manifested his immediate hand and finger in stupendious works of Divine providence opening obstructions working that himselfe which his servants could not making the very enemies of Reformation meanes to further it discovering and preventing the horrid hellish treacherous plots of his and our enemies turning the counsells of Achitophell into folly discovering the rotten hearts of them that said they were for the Cause of God but are found lyers and holding up the hearts of his faithfull ones in the middest of and against all discouragements So the Lord is pleased to carry on his great worke of Reformation in the very face and in aispight of all oppositions and dangers that it gaines ground and creepes on every day These Priests of Baal sonnes of Beliall that know not the Lord whose sinne is very great before God in making multitudes abhorre the Offerings of the Lord a 1 Sam. 2.12 17. are taken away and removed as filthy rubbish from the house of God The Antinomians that destroy the Law as neither directory nor obligatory of a Christian to duty and teach that God sees not is not angry with will not correct requires not sorrow for nor repentance of the grossest sinnes that are committed by such as beleeve they be in Christ and that the elect are actually justified as soone as borne though they have not faith in forty yeares after and many such absurdities and barbarismes in Divinity are questioned and in a good way to be suppressed and the Doctrine of our Church in a great part cleared from all aspersions and misconstructions This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes And certainely these works of God are so many earnest-pence unto us as the first fruits to the harvest that God will in his own way and time perfect his said worke of a through Reformation and bring forth and lay the head and top-stone thereof that we and our postority shall rejoyce and cry grace grace unto it b Zech. 4.7 Sixthly Whereas in severall Proclamations Declarations and Pamphlets set forth in his Majesties name and otherwise sent us from Oxford the Parliament hath been exceedingly reproached and condemned as in truth they have been for all the good they have done for the Kingdome for Sequestring the Livings of Reverend Divines as they stile them thou mayest by a serious perusall of this Booke cleerely see what Divines the Authours and publishers of the said Pamphlets doe so reverence and esteeme And from thence observe of what spirit these men are that side with honour pleade for and receive unto them such Priests of Baal of Bacchus of Priapus Doth not their affection unto and high esteeme of such uncleane beasts abundantly evince that they serve and prostitute themselves unto the same dung-hill Idols and filthy lusts and that they are all of the same Father And note further that these Libellers not only speake evill of Dignities but also of those things that they know not c Jude 8.10 they Censure the Supreame Court of Judicature themselves being Delinquents deferving the severest judgement and that without hearing them or informing themselves of what they have done notwithstanding all their acts and proceedings lie fairely of record in their Journall bookes obvious to every man that desires to understand the same And that the Parliament may appeare just in their doings and the mouth of iniquity may be stopped this Narrative of the crimes * The grossest faults stand proved by many witnesses seldome lesse then six and misdemeanours of those sons of the earth are here published that all the world may see that the tongues of these that speake evill of the Parliament are set on fire of Hell and lift up against Heaven and that they hide themselves under falsehood and make lies their refuge And let not the Learning of some few of these men for which if they had any grace to use it well they were considerable move thee to thinke they be hardly dealt with for learning in a man unsanctified is but a pearle in a Swines snout Arrins Pelagius Arminius all of them learned but thereby the more serviceable to doe mischiefe in the Church like Curio who was facundus only ad reipublicae perniciem Learning and knowledge we honour in any but vitiousnesse and lewdnesse we condemne in all had some of these men sanctity of life as well as light of knowledge they had been honourable to Religion and usefull to soules but their abhorred lusts casting out of them the guidance of light it is but justice to cast them off from being guides to others I say Justice to them and withall mercy to the poore people who at once are ridde of a plague and enjoy a blessing are freed from such who poisoned their soules and supplied by such as take care to feed and save their soules a None succeed these sequest red Priests but such as are examined and approved by the Assembly of Divines I know well that all we say or doe in this particular will be reproached by some but good services must not therefore be deserted because reproached When the fat Abbies were taken downe in Henry the eights time the Friers cried out that holy Church was destroyed yet when the draughts and ponds were searched so many bones and skulls were found which assured men of practises distant enough from holinesse For my part I shall not cease to endeavour and pray for a perfect reformation of the Church which is the garden wherein God delighteth to walke and therefore must be purged of all stinking and noysome weeds And doe thou whosoever