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	people_n	1,422	5	4.6721	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87806	Five seasonable sermons. As they were preached before eminent auditories, upon several arguments. / By Paul Knell Master in Arts, of Clare-Hall in Cambridge. Sometimes chaplain to a regiment of curiasiers in His late Majesties Army.	Knell, Paul, 1615?-1664.; Knell, Paul, 1615?-1664. Israel and England paralelled.; Knell, Paul, 1615?-1664. Looking-glasse for Levellers.	1660 (1660)	Wing K678; Thomason E1766_2; ESTC R209658	76,872	199

he may gain a Baylonish garment two hundred shekels of filver and a wedge of gold Saul will spare the spoile of Amalek if he may gain good store of rich plunder Gehazi will tell an arrant lie to Naaman if he may gain two talents and new clothes Iudas will betray his Lord and Master if he may gain thirty pieces of silver The Souldiers will say that Christ was stollen out of the grave if the chief Priests will give them large mony Iezebel will plot Naboths death if she may gain his vineyard she proclaimed a fast yet knew no other godlinesse but gain and this likewise set the chief Priests awork to conspire the death of Christ Come say they let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours That we may be no longer dressers but possessors of the vineyard that there may be no Superiour no Lord over us but that the Church may be ruled and governed as we list that the doctrine and discipline of it may be what we see good nay that we may have dominion as well over mens free-hold as their faith that their consciences and coffers may both be at our command This was the end that the cheif Priests aimed at when they conspired against the Heir come let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours And herein the Bishop of Rome looketh very like them who stileth himself Christs Vicar St. Peters successour he saith that he is the right Heir the Head of Christs whole Church he arrogateth the title of Vniversal Bishop he chalengeth as it were the Wardship nay the Lordship of the Church whatsoever he saith must go for Gospel meerly because he saith it he taketh upon him more than Apostolical authority even that which is Gods peculiar To forgive sins for which cause fall the silly people unto him and thereout he sucketh no small advantage it is a masse of money that his Pardons annually bring in to him And other stratagems he hath but all to enrich himself he will release men out of his pretended Purgatory if they will give him money enough he will warrant they shall be heirs of Heaven though herein he contradict himself for sometimes he telleth them that they can never be sure of heaven til they come thither yet thus he befooleth the people he will warrant them an inheritance in heaven if they will make him their Heir on Earth His whole Religion indeed is nothing else but a politick project to get money he feedeth not the flock of Christ but feedeth upon it he keepeth the people in ignorance seeking not them but theirs He and all his Cardinals Monks and Abbots they seek their own profit and preferment their own gain and greatness like these cheif Priest in our Text whose aim was to get the inheritance Come say they Let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours And so I have gone thorow the several parts of the Text a few words of application and I have done Our Text is a plain conspiracy against our Saviour And the conspiracy of Levellers against our Soveraign will match it right Our Saviour let out his vineyard to Husbandmen so our Soveraign did as it were let out his Kingdome to States-men he gave them power to prune and dresse it to take off superfluities to rectifie enormities he gave them their hearts desire and denied them not the request of their lips he granted that which none but a most indulgent Landlord would ere have granted they asked a lease of him and he gave them a long lease longer than any of their Predecessours ever had he made them no Tenants for yeares much lesse at will but reserving his fee-simple I mean his Negative voice he gave it under his hand that he would not re-enter till they themselves consented to it O fortunatos nimium bona si sua n●rint Agricolas What men were ever so happy as these might have been How might the glory of their God of their King of their Country and even of themselves have been advanced by them But neglecting the three first they aimed chiefly at the last at their own glory For assoon as their unlucky lease was sealed they straight way thought themselves free-holders taking Regal power upon them as if the Militia the Kings Inheritance had been theirs they devested their Soveraign of it and invested themselves with it making the Heir of three Kingdomes though no child in any thing but malice to differ nothing from a servant when he was Lord of all For without him they took upon them to un-make and to make Lawes saying we have the Legislative power who is Lord over us And that they might the better enjoy the Crown they entred into Covenant against the Miter resolved to abolish the excellent government of Bishops root and branch And because the King against his oath and conscience would not yeeld to this Come said they let us compell him to it by force of arms they set the people awork first to mutiny then to fight against him as who should say we have no part in Charles neither have we inheritance in the son of James every man to his tents O England they proclaimed open war against Him and his Adherents giving out Commissions to kill and slay all persons that should oppose them their Soveraign Lord the King was not excepted for bullets cannot distinguish between a Scepter and a Shovel the sword as David said devoureth one as well as another But seeing they could not kill him in the field they have since attempted it in prison it is too apparent that the Ring-leaders of this rebellion had an hand in that late conspiracy against him Nor is it only Carolus but even Rex that they strike at going about not only to kill the Person but the very office of the King Come say they Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his cords from us Come let us make no more addresses to him but let us make our selves a Free-State that the name of Monarchy may be no more in remembrance And to effect this they have made the Kingdom not only a field but even a sea of blood breathing out nothing but slaughter against all loyal Subjects killing and slaying butchering and murthering their brethren whose blood they have shed like water on every side like that woman in the Revelation drinking themselves drunk with the blood of Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus It is no marvel if these blood-hounds will not have God's Commandments read in Churches for one of these telleth them expreslly they must do no murther and as almost all the rest so most especially that sixth Commandment they count Apocryphal for murdering of men is their profession and a great part of their Religion as if Mars were their god and Mahomet their Messiah Let them usurp the name of Christians while they will I am sure their bloody practises proclaim them arrant Turks Christianity is for the

briefly from the second part of the Text the manner of Ionah's preaching he cryed to the third which is the Matter of his preaching he said there should be an overthrow There are three names especially given to Prophecy in holy Scripture First it is called the word of the Lord from the Lords revealing of it Secondly it is called a vision from the Prophets attending to it Thirdly it is called a burden from the peoples groaning under it The name given to this prophecy of Jonah is verbum Domini the word of the Lord ch 1. ver 1. But by the argument of it this seemeth to challenge rather the title of Nahum's prophecy which is Onus Nineve the burden of Nineveh Nah. 1.1 For it threatneth the city of Nineveh with utter ruine and desolation Subvertetur Nineve Nineveh shall be overthrown As if he should have said though Nineveh like Jerusalem be full of goodly buildings yet there shall not be left in it one Stone upon another which shall not be thrown down it shall be made empty it shall be made waste it shall be turned upside down And if Nineveh had been served so as indeed afterward it was yet Almighty God might have asked as David once did in another case what have I now done Is there not a cause For though our Text make no mention of it yet if we look back to the second verse of the first Chapter we shall find it there Arise go to Nineveh that great City but why the reason followeth before the verse be out For their wickedness is come up before me The iniquity of these Ninevites was as great as their City and this was the reason why God told them that they should be overthrown Sin is that which provoketh Almighty God both to execute and to threaten Judgement Which teacheth us all to fear the cause for fear of the effect to eschew evil left we provoke God to threaten us with Judgement It is a fearfull thing saith the Apostle to fall into the hands of the living God He shal rain saith the Psalmist snares upon the sinners fire and brimstone storm and tempest this shall be their portion to drink When the Scripture speaketh of God in Judgement it representeth him terrible and dreadfull it describeth him in the most affrighting manner that can be imagined I will give you but one expression or instance for all the rest Our God is a consuming fire saith the Apostle Heb. 12. ult The Nations are but as a drop of a bucket saith the Prophet Isa 40.15 Now if that fire at Elijas sacrifice made nothing as it were of twelve barrels but licked up the whole trench-full of water what would become of us think we then if God should enter into judgement with us when we and the Nations even all the Nations of the earth are but as one drop of a bucket and God is a consuming fire we must needs cry out as those Israelites did at the promulgation of the Law surely this great fire will consume us Let us then brethren give no entertainment to the evil of sin lest the evil of punishment dog and ghost it at the heels lest we provoke God to threaten us as his Prophet here threatens Nineveh Subvertetur Nineve Nineveh shall be overthrown Overthrown saith he oh but Durus est hic sermo this is a hard saying who can hear it for most men are like Ahab they hate a Michaiah a plain-dealing Prophet or Preacher because he prophecyeth no good concerning them but evil Or they are like those who are complained of Isa 30.10 Which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits And this being the humour of most men how then durst Jonah threaten the Ninevites with an Overthrow yes as St. John Baptist resolved to tell Herod of his incest though he lost his head for it so let the Ninevites here take it how they will Jonah is resolved to do his message Subvertetur Nineve Nineveh shall be overthrown Here is an instruction then for all those that are the Ministers of Christ not to play the Gnathoes not to be Placentia-Preachers not to fashion their Sermons according to the humour and temper of their Disciples though indeed Is quaestus nunc est multo uberrimus this is the way to thrive I know for this cause fall the people unto them and thereout suck these Temporizers no small advantage But this must not be our practise we have not so learned Christ We must not be the devils Fidlers to play what tune the people bid us nor must we be the Devils upholders to sew pillows under mens elbowes nor must we be the devils Plaisterers to daub men up with untempered mortar we must not make fair weather preaching peace peace to sinners when there is no peace to the wicked but we must plainly denounce wrath vengeance against impenitent sinners unless speedily converted threatning them that they shall be confounded we must deal with them as Jonah dealeth here with the City Nineveh who threatneth it with a Subvertetur it shall be overthrown And so I pass from the third part of the Text the matter of Jonah's preaching an overthrow to the fourth which is the place of his preaching the City Nineveh Subvertetur Nineve Nineveh shall be overthrown And this Nineveh Strabo telleth us was the Metropolis of Assyria the chief City of that Countrey situate by the river Lycus A City we know it was and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Civitas from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multus from the multitude of people that use to be in Cities In the Original it is called a City of God which at first sight seemeth somewhat strange seing there was neither Worship nor Temple nor Prophet of God in it Luther thinketh it was so called from the care of God to preserve it But I am rather of Oecolampadius his opinion in this who will have it called a City of God by an Heb a●sm for so indeed the Hebrews when they speak of an high mountain a tall Cedar or a great City because Gods dwelling is on high and because he is of such immensity therefore they think they cannot express these things so to the life as by calling it a Mountain or a Cedar or a City of god And therefore that which should be Civitas Dei according to the Original is rendred Civitas magna by St. Jerome whom our English Translators follow calling it a great City But if Nineveh were so great a City even of three dayes journey as we read how then durst Jonah be so bold as threaten it after this manner Yes he had good reason for it for Prophets must not be afraid of the face of men though briars and thorns were with them and though they dwelt among Scorpions we that are Preachers must of all other be full of godly courage and resolution not fearing to denounce wrath and