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	council_n	pope_n	3,722	5	6.8195	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B12489	A persvvasion to the English recusants, to reconcile themselues to the Church of England Written for the better satisfaction of those which be ignorant. By Iohn Doue Doctor of Diuinitie.	Dove, John, 1560 or 61-1618.	1603 (1603)	STC 7085; ESTC S110110	29,134	40

Lutherans to be more cold and the brunt almost passed ouer tooke vpon him to expound the meaning of the Tridentine counsell and to conster all points to as grosse sense as they were euer before But nowe they beginne to incline to vs againe insomuch that Cardinall Bellarmine late Diuinitie Reader of Rome and the learnedest Diuine of that Church which now liueth in the course of his controuersie lectures though where he deliuereth the state of the question he bringeth what may be brought on their side for fashion sake that he may auoide all suspition of heresie with them yet he handleth his matters so cunningly and so doubtfully that in his conclusions he agreeth with vs in many things although in diuers termes wherein his predecessors vtterly dissented from vs. And in many things he sheweth himselfe to be so farre as he dareth a Protestant or at the least not a Papist if we take papistrie to be that which before it was And whosoeuer doth obserue him well shal finde how he discourseth of many things superfluous like one which is more desirous to deceiue the time to fill vp the page with varietie of reading multitudes of Fathers and citations of places then to refute vs. Yet his Volumes are allowed by the Inquisition and he is rewarded for his learned workes Therefore I say papistrie is newely corrected and refined they hold the same conclusions in generall termes which they did but they hold them not as they did they seeke out new defences as if they could not stand to the olde come neerer to vs in iudgement euery day For so it hath pleased God in this latter end of the world to lighten their darknesse and to quicken the dulnesse of their vnderstanding Touching the first if they will vnderstand what heresie is they must distinguish betweene heresie and errour for euery heresie is an error but euery error is not an heresie As there is one error in maners and so euery haynous offence is called a crime as the adulterie of Dauid but such offences as are committed only vpon infirmitie are cald by the general name of errors so there is another error in doctrine and euery man which holdeth a wrong opinion is said to erre as the Apostle did which supposed the Kingdome of Christ to be of this world and that the Gospel was Actes 1. Acts 11. not to be published to the Gentiles and these errors were no heresies but that which is heresie is more dangerous and of an higher nature It is an old saying Errare possum hereticus esse nolo I may easily erre as all men haue done but an heretike I will not be I define an heresie in this maner It is an error stifly and obstinately defended and maintained not by a consequent but directly impugning some Article of faith For example the Disciples Act. 15 erred when they helde it necessarie to be circumcised yet were not heretikes because they were not obstinate for they submitted themselues to the iudgement of the Church and after due consultation was had they consented to the truth Againe that opinion did not directly impugne faith but onely by a consequent for so saith the Apostle Behold I Paul say vnto you if Gal. 5 you be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing for I testifie againe to euery one which is circumcised that he is bound to keepe the whole Law Then if we allow of Circumcision wee hold the Ceremoniall Law to be still in force and by a consequent deny the death of Christ by whose death onely that Law was abolished But Arrius was condemned for an heretike in the councell of Nice for these two causes First he defended his error obstinately vntill his bellie burst and bowels gushed out not yeelding to the learned Bishops of the world which conuicted him by manifest places of the scriptures Secondly hee denied the Godhead of Christ contrary to the article of the Creede which hath and I beleeue in Iesus Christ his onely son and the doctrine of saint Paul which saith hee was mightily declared Rom. 1 to bee the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead and of saint Iohn which saith God was the word It is one thing therefore to denie the faith directly as to say Christ hath not yet suffered and another thing to denie it by a consequent as they which hold a necessitie of circumcision But as for vs we neither hold any opinions obstinately because we wil recant subscribe to the Church of Rome if they can disproue vs by the scriptures Neither doe we impugne any article of faith because wee holde the Creed of the Apostles of Athanasius of Nice of Ephesus of Constantinople which the Papists also do hold and the same Bible which we receiued from them and we expound all these as all godly and learned antiquitie hath expounded them before vs and therefore wee are vniustly charged with heresie That I may come to the second thing which I proposed No Church can be condemned and adiudged hereticall by any priuate censure but it must be publike Therefore they alleage for our condemnation the decrees of the councell of Trent against the authoritie of which councell we take these iust exceptions First they call it a generall councell as if almost all the Diuines of the world had beene assembled there Let vs therefore number how many were present They reckon for the credit of that councell as present sixe Cardinalls foure Legates three Patriarkes two and thirtie Archbishops two hundred twentie eight Bishops and fiue Abbats Wee denie not but at the end of the councel so many were procured to be there but at the beginning when matters were propounded at the time when points of religion were argued and debated they exceeded not the number of fortie Bishoppes foure Legates very small assembly to deserue the name of a generall councell to consider of so many weightie causes Onely therefore at the latter end the Pope seeing almost all Bishops to forbeare comming thither did create new Bishops to make vp a number and grace the councell with their presence and to subscribe to all conclusions for forme sake which they did neither here argued by others nor yet well consider of their selues Therefore let indifferencie be the Iudge betweene them and vs whether so rash a censure was to stand in force Secondly who were there onely our aduersaries which Ioh. 7 were of a contrary religion we were not present so that they did not onely by vs as the Pharisies did by our Sauiour contrary to lawe contemne vs in our absence and our cause being not heard but also the same men were both our accusers and our Iudges If ye aske a reason why we were not there had wee letters of safe conduct either could we haue trusted to such conduct if it had bin graunted What if they should haue falsified their promise made to vs as they did to Iohn Huz in the councell of

man So then as it was not Saint Peters conscience but the errour of his conscience when he refused the meates as vncleane which God had sanctified and made lawfull so it is not their conscience but the error of their conscience that they refuse vs for schisme heresie which indeed are true gospellers and members of the mysticall body of Iesus Christ as by Gods assistance I wil proue And as the Disciples not knowing of Pauls Act. 9. conuersation were afraide to ioyne with him supposing him to be a persecuter when he was a Preacher so they feare to ioyne with vs supposing vs to be in the wrong way whereas indeed we be in the right And because I haue saide it is not vpon conscience that they sequester themselues from vs I will shew them how many wayes a mans conscience may erre and be deceiued and so carried away from the truth and they are these eight following The first is ignorance so the common sort ignorantly alledge we are heretikes that our religion is not warrantable but cannot know what heresie is neither yet rightly conceiue the groundes either of our religion of their owne For they are inhibited to heare our Sermons Vide Cōcil Trid. Pref. in indicem expurg Greg. Mart. de schis to reade our bookes to haue conference with vs or to be catechized by vs. How then should they knowe our religion They are nourished in blindnesse by their owne teachers which hold it as a principle that it is fit they should be ignorant Neither are they permitted to haue the Bible in their mother tongue How then can they know their owne religion They are vnfurnished and vtterly destitute of all meanes and helpes which may bring them to be able to discerne truth from heresie The second is negligence So they which in some measure are learned doo call vs heretikes which can but doo not reade our bookes although they haue them nor examine the groundes which wee hold although they are able and it is permitted vnto them Concerning their owne doctrine they are contented to receiue it for truth vpon the credit of others without further proofe and to see with other mens eyes heare with other mens eares speake with other mens tongues because they will not spend so much time as to search further and what slaunder soeuer they doo heare of vs they are readie to beleeue it For example Edm. Cāp rat 1. Campion slandereth our Church as if we did offer violence to the holy scriptures affirming that Luther wrote contumeliously of Saint Iames his Epistle his disciples blush not to report the same because hee hath written it without further enquirie whether hee writ the truth or not whereas if they would but vouchsafe to examine the place for their owne satisfaction they would finde it a slaunder which they because of their slouthfulnesse do holde for a truth They are contented to buy Campion alone and Gregorie Martine his Preface with the notes of the Seminaries of Rhemes vpon the New Testament and now and then to reade them But as for Doctor Whitaker his answere many of them suffer it not to be in their studies or if it bee in the Catalogue of their liberarie they do not reade it And as for doctor Fulkes answere to Gregorie Martines Preface and the notes of the Seminaries they are so farre from conferring the one with the other that so they might be satisfied and resolued of the truth as they are contented to giue more mony for the Rhemish Testament alone then for the same booke with Doctor Fulkes answer ioyned with it The third is obstinacie For as the first cannot because they be ignorant and vnable to iudge and depriued of all meanes by which they may be enabled and the second do not iudge rightly because they are slouthfull and loth to take so much paines as to trie the spirites to examine doctrine and conferre places So the third sort of men will not vnderstand the truth because they be obstinate they will resist the holy Ghost and stop their eares against the truth as the adder doth against the charmer and as the Iewes did against Saint Stephen Wee shall not perswade Act. 7. them although wee doo perswade them because instruction and Rom. 10. faith commeth by hearing they wil not heare least they should be instructed and beleeue the truth They say their fathers professed that religion and therefore they will rather erre with their fathers Gen. 31. than embrace the truth with vs like Rachel which would not leaue behinde her the gods of her Father but carrie them with her They were brought vp and instructed in this religion from their childhood and now they say they will not alter They 1. Thes 5. forgot the rule of the Apostle which willeth them to make tryall of all and then to hold that which is best For they will heare none they will holde what they haue held and they will not alter for the better And in so doing what do they but as Pharao Exod. 5. did who saide Who is the Lord that I should heare his voice and let Israel goe I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel goe Whereas the Prophet saith To day if ye will heare his voice Psal 95. harden not your hearts The fourth is perplexitie vnstayednesse and trouble of mind like vnto Saule which after he had put away the Sorcerers and 1. Sam. 28. Soothsayers out of the Land yet when he was terrified by the armie of the Philistines seeing it to be very great and could haue no answere from God neither by dreames nor Vrim nor Prophets asked counsell of a Witch at Endor So diuers which haue renounced that religion and imbraced ours yet lying at the point of death in the midst of their conflicts and tentations thinking vpon the arguments which are brought on each side and fearing to halt betweene two opinions and so die vnresolued because they haue not had at that instant conference with such as were able Gen. 19. to resolue them of all their doubts haue suddenly reuolted and not onely followed the example of Lots wife which looked backe vnto Sodome but also of the people which haue saide come let vs goe backe into Aegipt againe The fift is pride and their owne insolencie whereby they are puffed vp and thinke that all men must be subiect vnto them Num. 14. but they neede submit themselues vnto none As Bernardinus Ochinus writ a Booke in defence of Poligamie affirming that numerosum coniugium multitude of wiues was lawfull supposing that after his Maister Peter Martyr was dead no man was able to match him in writing or in disputation like Golias of Gath which 1. Sam. 17 challenged all commers to the combat And this is the speciall cause why Popes and generall Councels doe erre because they hold it as a principle in their Diuinitie that they cannot erre For