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	judge_n	1,391	5	7.0612	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88107	The nevv quere, and determination upon it, by Mr. Saltmarsh lately published, to retard the establishment of the Presbyteriall government, examined, and shewed to be unseasonable, unsound, and opposite to the principles of true religion, and state. Whereunto is annexed a censure of what he hath produced to the same purpose, in his other, and later booke, which he calleth The opening of Master Prinnes Vindication. And an apologeticall narrative of the late petition of the Common Councell and ministers of London to the Honourable Houses of Parliament, with a justification of them from the calumny of the weekly pamphleters. / By John Ley, one of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster.	Ley, John, 1583-1662.	1645 (1645)	Wing L1885; Thomason E311_24; ESTC R200462	96,520	124

an infallible guidance in their determinations or that they may erre and then we must think that though they doe so you resolve to be on their side be it right or wrong if so doe you not tell the world that your complyance with them hath more of policy in it then of conscience and will it not readily follow that such a Mercurius at Westminster would easily turne to an Aulicus at Oxford if which God forbid the Royall Prerogative should so farre advance as to plunder the Parliament of their ancient and Honourable Priviledges The other Animadversion upon Britanicus this weeke concerneth the vilifying of the Petitioners whom Lucian like he fals upon in this scornfull and jeering manner It is a fine humour in any to cry We will have this we will have that done Come let 's petition he should have said we would have this or that done for we will have this or that done are termes rather of the Imperative then the Optative Mood fitter for Commanders then Petitioners Besides Sir you know there be a sort of men who have taken upon them without petitioning to the Parliament or Authoritie from the Parliament to set up a Government of themselves which the Petitioners dare not attempt without warrant from the Parliament this is a humour indeed a fine humour of a new impression but when did you bestow a jeere or a taunt upon them in this surely you bewray your partialitie and somewhat worse which you may heare of hereafter but say on Yes I warrant you we are wise Statesmen know the due times and seasons well enough and though we lye under the decke are able to discerne as well as they that sit at the sterne Did the Petitioners take upon them to be Statesmen did they not professedly disclaime so vaine a conceit when in a modest and humble way they came to the Parliament as to Statesmen the Fathers and Physicians of the State to receive from their prudent resolutions present remedies against the maladies wherewith the Citie is dangerously infected and infested and was it not time to complain when they perceived the subtle insinuations of Schisme creepe into their families and found it had stolne their wives from their bosomes their children and servants from Oeconomicall communion in their families and from hearing Orthodoxe Divines in the publique Churches of the Citie to sort themselves under erroneous and hereticall Teachers in private Conventicles And whereas you would degrade the Petitioners sitting at the st●rne to lying under the d●cke though you for feare or shame may have occasion to play least in sight and to lurke under the hatches to secure your selfe the Petitioners are for the chiefe p●●t of them eminently conspicuous divers of the one sort sit upon the Tribunall of Authoritie and all of the other weekly appeare visible to common view in their Pulpits and have so much advantage ground for discovery of the evils of the times and places they live in that it can be no disparagement to the Parliaments prudence in many particulars to receive informations from them But they goe beyond their bounds as Britanicus chargeth them for their duty leads them 〈◊〉 further saith he then to present matter of grievance in things already established not to demand the establisment of any thing 〈◊〉 this must be left in the Parliament who it is presumed and we must hold to this ma●ime will neglect nothing necessary or convenient Now he takes upon him to play the Casuist and to resolve both positively and negatively how farre men may proceed to petition how farre not they may saith he present matter of grievance in things already established not demand the establishment of any new thing This Aphorisme is framed of purpose for the pulling downe of the Prelacy and against the setting up of the Presbytery that Independencie and under that Title all Sects of what sort soever may be set up and spread abroad without restraint but a man would think it more reasonable that when things are established they should command either assent or silence but in the want of necessary things the presenting of requests for supply to those that are able to grant them hath no affinitie with a fault but rather hath the nature of a dutie and therefore they who petitioned the Parliament for Ordination of Ministers in a new way without Bishops new to this State though most ancient in the Church of Christ were never blamed but approved by the Parliament and accordingly an Ordinance passed both the Honourable Houses for enabling a certaine number of Divines to put it in practise much more cause is there to approve the Petitioners who received a command for the choice of Church Governours whereto without further direction and warrant they could not performe compleat obedience as they desired And for that he saith of leaving all to the Parliament in confidence of their universall care neglecting nothing which may be necessary and convenient it hath a pretence of respect to the Parliament but the drift of it is to make all those who desire a deliverance out of dangerous confusion by a setting up and settling a regular Government remisse in their mediation for it while Independents intentively bestirre themselves in severall Counties to make choice of such for Knights and Burgesses as favour their faction and quicken their Patrons with uncessant importunitie to expedite their designe in Parliament in Committees in the Army and some of them are such ubiquitaries within the Kingdome and without to worke themselves up to a capitulating partie that none but that great Peripatetick 1 Pet. 5.8 goeth beyond them for sedulitie in prosecution of a plot And yet whatsoever he aimeth at in this diversion or prohibition of Petitions the Parliament may have need of them and may make good use of them yea and as some Antipresbyterians bragge a The most and best things that ever this Parliament did were first m●tioned by private men and then authorised and established by them The Postscript of the Libellous Pamphlet called Lilburnes Englands birth-right have done so and may be very well pleased therewith For instance having a purpose to ordaine the Presbyteriall Government which as the b The Copy of the Remonstrance lately delivered to the Assembly by T.G.I.B. c. Independents confesse they have voted already it may be matter of much incouragement to them to perfect their purpose in that behalfe since they see such a generall accord of the Common Councell and Ministery of the Citie petitioning together for the establishment thereof This may suffice for the second Edition of this scandalous contumely against the Petitions and Petitioners of London for whose sakes they being so many in number and so eminent in ranke and order and for the good Cause wherein they and many more are so much engaged I have taken the opportunity that was cast in my way to make this Apologie otherwise I should not think it meete to bestow my most idle minutes upon so meane an imployment as a conflict or contestation with such Antagonists as now I have answered Who if they appeare againe with any degree of folly or offence in this Cause above that which discretion may disdaine or Religion must pardon though I be silent which yet I doe not promise there will be a course taken to make some more sensible of their unsufferable excesses and others more circumspect and cautelous then to runne the hazard of their deserved reward FINIS

2. If he have well prepared his heart for that holy Communion he hath so much charitie as not to take offence at the scrupled conscience of his Minister at least not to desire that he should act any thing against it because of the counsell and determination of the Apostle Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 so much humilitie as to take the repulse in a doubtfull case with meeknesse and patience so much faith as to beleeve that though his innocence for the present be under a cloud the Lord will bring forth his righteousnesse as light and his indgement as the noone day Psal 37.6 Object If it be said the Minister may pretend conscience when it is perhaps some secret grudge which tempts him to put upon his Parishioner an open disgrace Answ 1. I hope we shall have such Ministers so well knowne by their faithfulnesse in preaching and conscionablenesse in walking that there will be no ground for such a suspition at such a time 2. Though the consciousnesse of mine owne innocent intentions might dispose me for mine owne particular to accept of any penaltie that a civill Sanction can impose or that the arbitrary revenge of the repulsed partie would inflict if I were convinced to have kept any from the Sacrament out of spight or a perverse spirit or inconsiderate rashnesse without a cause which may be allowed to be just before a competent Iudge yet I hope that all who have authoritie to determine any thing upon such miscarriage of the Minister will thinke it sufficient and answerable to exact justice that he who shall abuse his power or transgresse his dutie in such a case be dealt withall lege talionis that is that the Classis for his undue suspension suspend him from the Sacrament which will bring so much more reproach and shame upon him then he brought upon the party refused as the more prudence pietie and charitie was required in him and the more notice is taken of him when he prevaricates in his office and function and is punished for it in such an open and eminent manner Object But to leave it in the power of the Minister without an expresse and particular rule to receive or reject whom he pleaseth is to put into his hands an unlimited arbitrary power which on all hands in all sorts of men is disliked and disclaimed Answ 1. It is not to be left to the Minister alone but to the Presbyterie 2. Though he act alone in the administration it selfe he is not to be thought to act by an arbitrary power when according to his duty following the rule and his present light he endevoureth to put difference betwixt the holy and profane betwixt the uncleane and the cleane ●zek 22.26 and to preserve the holy Sacrament from contempt that by a confusion of holy and unholy communicants the Brownists others who act according to their principles may not be hardened in their separation from our sacred Assemblies And in such a case for any private man to obtrude himselfe upon the Minister is to act an arbitrary power upon him yea an arbitrary tyranny if he should be authorised so to doe and should it be so out we have so much experience of the piety prudence and indulgence of the most Honourable Houses that we can never suspect any such pressure to proceed from them we can readily resolve to act or to forbeare what according to the Dictate of our consciences we conceive to be enjoyned or prohibited by our great Master and to beare and suffer what shall be imposed on us by our Superiours under him to whom we professe our obedience is due being but private persons either actively or passively in whatsover they shall determine concerning our persons liberties and estates 2. For that he saith of severe lawes and punishments to be constituted and good Magistrates chosen to see them actually executed we confesse if that could be generally and perpetually expected or but for the most part there were great hope of much helpe by such meanes against both the scandalous sinnes contained in the Catalogue and others of like kind but so long as Magistrates are men of no purer mould or metall then Ministers are and they passe not through so severe an examination before they be admitted to their offices as Ministers doe nor have so many obligations laid upon them for sinceritie and integritie as are laid upon Ministers nor so many eyes upon them to observe their aberrations from a right rule as Ministers have nor are like to have so many mouthes open to reprove or reproach them for or so many hands to restraine them from misdoing or to punish them for it as most Ministers in regard of their poverty and impotencie for the most part may expect which the Magistrates their superiours in estate and authoritie need not so much to feare there is no reason I conceive to take all power of censure from the Presbyterie for the Ministers sake for the Elders are not denied to be capable of jurisdiction as they are members of the Civil State and to put all upon the power and vigilant and conscionable execution of the Magistrate And I doubt not but we may confidently averre and the experience of precedent and subsequent times will make it good that it is so farre from being superfluous that there be a concurrence of the Civill and Presbyteriall power for suppression of sinne that when both are imployed and improved with all prudence diligence and conscience to suppresse the corruption of nature and to prevent the spreading and prevailing of scandalous sins and when the severe and strict discipline of private Families and of common Schooles is added unto them there will be no cause for all that to suspect any pleonasme either of piety or civilitie among the people of the Kingdome SECT XV. Of Mr. Colemans Interimisticall Magistracie NOr would that way which Mr. Coleman in his late and yet perhaps too soon put forth Re-examination of the Examination of his Sermon remembreth be so sufficient of it selfe A Brotherly examination reexamined p. 1● as that if it had prevailed there would have been no need of a Presbytery to supply the defect thereof as he delivereth it it is this At the extirpation of the Prelacie the Honourable Parliament would have established Commissioners in all Counties as an Interimisticall Magistracie c. And this he seemeth to conceive a better way of Church Government then that of the Presbyterie so much better that if that had beene set up this would have beene superfluous But in this historicall passage of his there be many particulars which may come under correction for first he saith the Parliament would have established Commissioners in all Counties as an Interimisticall Magistracie And would the Parliament have done it why did they not doe it was any power greater then the Parliaments any prudence more prevalent then theirs Secondly Some saith he and who they were is