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	ecclesiastical_a	person_n	2,205	5	5.3328	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91796	Plain dealing: or the unvailing of the opposers of the present government and governors. In answer of several things affirmed by Mr. Vavasor Powell and others: shewing, 1. That there is no reason to oppose or finde fault with the present government. 2. That there is not any scripture that doth justifie their opposing the present government. 3. That the word of God is for the present government and governors, and requireth us to own them and to be subject to them. 4. That the holy scriptures are against the opposition that is made against the present government and governors. 5. Reasons to prove that his highnesse Oliver Cromwell and the right honourable his councel ought to execute the legislative power. / By Samuel Richardson.	Richardson, Samuel, fl. 1643-1658.	1653 (1653)	Wing R1412; Thomason E865_3; ESTC R207618	24,991	24

nor that they will be quiet and even then he dealeth friendly with them in that they are only secured and not put to no torture and that to prevent further danger for that man that hath spoken most against him and much abused him c. though he should not confesse his fault in so doing yet if he stould promise to be quiet and peaceable for the future he would freely forgive him and quickly set him at liberty which sheweth that all that is aimed at is the preservation of the peace and safety of the people this is no hard measure yet for this he is blamed if they say they detest the imprisonment of the Saints they plead it is their conscience to oppose c. and their testimony but that is no argument to exempt any from punishment if it were there should no one be punished for any fault whatsoever though it were insurrections adultery and murder that is some mens conscience and testimony 3. So they say men are committed for they know not what this is also untrue they and others know it is for speaking and indangering the civill peace or for not promising to be peaceable So Mr. Powell complains because they are not brought to their trial it 's well for some of them they are not brought to their triall if they should they might suffer the Bishop of Canterbury petitioned to be brought to his triall they granted his Petition and cut off his head but not without cause 4. One of them said that day the Government was proclaimed that it should not continue a year ye see it hath continued longer therefore it was from a lying spirit or at best from a mistake yet he will go on in opposing it 5. They say the Army fought against the late King because he was King if they did so they did ill but I do not beleeve they were so simple if the being a King is unlawfull why are we required to pray for Kings why should Christ and Saints be Kings he hath made us Kings Rev. 5. 10. I was never against Kingly government but against their coersive power in matters meerly religious 6. They say the King lost his life because he was King no it was for beginning the war and the guilt of the bloud shed in it c. 7. Mr. Powell saith we build again what before we destroyed this is also untrue for they have destroyed corporall punishments in matters religious and that is not built again also I know some call the triets Antichristian but I do not see them prove it So they say it was but a pretended necessity for the doing that his Highnesse hath done So they might say of David eating the shew-bread Mat. 12. So some of them had a hand in breaking up the first Parliament I aske them if they opposed the Parliament upon a pretended necessity there is ground to beleeve he would not have done some things that he hath done if absolute necessity of preventing evill and danger had not occasioned it how can they judge of the greatnesse of the necessity that are ignorant of the designers their designs their causes and their circumstances and tendencies Surely those who frequently judge of the measure of the necessity and so judge unwisely and unjustly of the necessity and censure and condemn others 9. Mr. Powell saith these men who now build what they did once destroy and justifie what they did once condemn witnesse their own writings particularly the Declaration of the Officers and Souldiers of the English Army August 1. 1650. pag. 7. 12. whereof the Lord Cro●well was Generall the words whereof are as followeth We are perswaded in our consciences that the late King and his Monarchy was one of the ten hornes of the beast spoken of Rev. 17. 13 14 15. and that we were called forth by the Lord to be instrumental to bring about that which was our continuall prayer unto God viz. the destruction of Antichrist and the deliverance of his Church and people and upon this single account we ingaged not knowing the deep policies of worldly states-men and have ever since hazarded our lives in the high places in the field where we have seen many wonders of the Lord against all the opposers of the work of Jesus Christ whom we have all along seen going with us and making our way plain before us and having these things singly in our eye namely the destruction of Antichrist the advancement of the Kingdome of Christ the deliverance of his Church and the establishment thereof in the use of his Ordinances in purity according to his Word and the just civill liberties of English men 1. Observe It saith the late King was one of the ten horns of the beast not as he was King nor as he was chief Governor but because he gave his power viz. his horn his strength to the beast the false Church of Rome may be called a beast for her beastlinesse the Lord Bishops and Popes Priesthood and so became one with Antichrist of whom they were the late King and his Monarchy was a mixt power Civill and Ecclesiasticall together he assume the title of Defender of the Faith which the Pope gave to Henry 8. King of England Supreme in all causes Civill and Ecclesiasticall head of the Church and so assumed the name and office of Jesus Christ to be a law-giver in matters of Religion for what the Bishops did herein was by and under his authority all which is proper only to Jesus Christ he is the head of his Church Col. 1. 18. Ephes. 4. 15. he is the only Law-giver in matters of Religion Jam. 1. 12. therefore it is blasphemy to give the titles of Iesus Christ to the King therefore it is said the names of blasphemy was upon the head of the beast 2. With his horn viz. power the late King pushed and goared the people of God persecuted the Saints for not yeelding subjection to Antichrists lawes he had an imposing spirit in matter of Religion which is the spirit of Antichrist and such a King and Monarchy is not set up nor desired 3. They declare Gods call to endevour the destruction of Antichrist and this they have done in part in destroying him and that wicked Government God requireth his people to make war with Babylon Antichrist the army of the Dragon to shoot at her spare no arrowes Ier. 50. 14. God ordaineth his arrowes against the persecuters Psal. 7. 13. they that are with the Lamb Rev. 14. 1. are to make war with the Dragon and his army and there is great joy in the army of the Lamb to wound a chief officer as a Major Generall as the late King was in the army of the dragon and I saw him wounded and fell I shouted for joy 4. It saith that they sought the destruction of Antichrist this they have done as for the outward part of it in England in separating Civill power and excluding the Ecclesiasticall 5. It saith they

where could ye expect so great liberty as the people of God now enjoy but in and by this Government 4. There is no ground to beleeve that the people of this Nation would ever have given us this freedome or that any Parliament chosen by them would ever give us this freedome seeing the Ministers and Magistrate cannot see that the bond betwixt Magistrate and people is essentially civill I see therefore no way to enjoy this freedome but from God in this way therefore we should as gladly accept of it as good newes from a far countrey In as much as 5. This Government preserveth the lives of the Saints and others if our nation and other nations had had this government the people of God should not have been so abused as they have been they have been greatly tortured and put to death some put into a red hot Iron chair others torn with wilde horses some starved devoured of beasts cast into mines beheaded put into cold ponds all night in winter a hundred of them have died with cold and hunger upon a mountain in a night stripes scourgings stonings plates of Iron burning hot dungeons wracks stranglings prisons teeth of beasts gridirons gibbets gallowes tossings upon horns of buls drowning whipt roasted hanged burnt choaked putting out their eyes sawn asunder and crucified and many other tortures one of which one would not chuse to suffer for a world though all that can be inflicted are not to be refused for Christ in one day two thousand Christians have been put to death and seventeen thousand in one moneth sixteen thousand were martyred in Persia two thousand burned together in a Church in Arabia 6666 souldiers suffered for Christ and in France Spain and Britain rivers have been coloured with the bloud of Christians all the Apostles of Jesus Christ were put to death except John he was banished to Patmus and put into a tun of scolding oyle yet did live the Apostle James the son of Zebede martyred James the son of Alpheus stoned James the brother of our Lord stoned to death Bartholomew beheaded Matthias stoned and beheaded Thomas slain with a dart Peter and Andrew were crucified Matthew martyred with a spear Philip crucified and stoned Mark burned Paul beheaded under Nero Peter stoned Simon Zelot crucified in Britain and all for Religion three Papists and three Protestants died in Smithfield in one day in Henry the 8. daies they were carried thither two upon a hurdle one a Papist and one a Protestant if we esteem not freedome from these miseries a great mercy our eyes are blinded and our hearts are hardned we need to remember and consider these things that we may know what we enjoy and that this present Government prevents these miseries and therefore God doth know that I do believe the present Government is the most excellent and blessed civil Government that ever England did enjoy therefore I say in answer to Mr. Powell it 's evident they were well advised that framed and accepted it and there was sufficient cause to warrant the alteration of the former this Government is worth as much as our lives are worth What good will all this world do me if I am to be hanged for an Heretick the best of the people of God have in all ages been esteemed and called so freedome from corporal punishments in matters meerly religious is one of the greatest outward blessings we can enjoy 6. This Government in the instrument provides to make sure this blessed liberty for the future that no Parliament shall meddle with this our liberty without which we should have been at a great uncertainty for if one Parliament or Governour had given us this freedome the next might have stripped us of it and so have put us or ours into as bad a condition as ever we were under the Bishops tyranny 7. This liberty in Religion preserves the lives of men in preventing wars for the most of the wars in the world have been occasioned for Religion Secondly We have the testimony of many that were unsatisfied that now upon further consideration do witnesse with us that there is no reason to oppose the Government some that are not satisfied have wearied themselves and see they can do no good of it resolve to be quiet and to minde their own businesse so that the opposition doth not increase but decrease and the strength of opposers groweth weaker and weaker Thirdly The words and actions of the greatest opposers of the present Government declare that they want a reason for their opposing it 1. Because they finde fault and expresse great dislike but do not shew us a Reason if they had any sure they would let us see it 2. Because they have had several meetings in private with themselves and they cannot agree what to have if they could have their own desires by which it appears they are to seek of a reason of their opposition if it were not so they would shew reason against that they oppose and shew a more excellent way with reasons to prove it so which they have not done nor can do 3. Because they shun and refuse to examine and debate the difference with us when desired which shewes they are not provided with a Reason for their practise as those that have not studied the point and also it shewes that their opposition is not from a greater light but from discontent being disappointed and crossed they complain and beget complainers that complain at they know not what Fourthly Their words want reason to say a man do not do all he should therefore the government is unlawfull or he doth somethings amisse therefore he is no lawfull Governour if there is reason in this reasoning it is above my Reason If I promise to pay a sum of money in silver and I pay it in gold is there any reason to call me deceiver and to charge me of breach of promise covenants and ingagements it will appear the cause in difference is so and that this Government is a fulfilling of their promises and in that way or in a better Is there any reason to charge his Highnesse with having the Government in one single person contrary to promise when there is no such thing for the Government in the Instrument is in three estates and if it were only in him and his Councel they are more then one single person Is there any reason to finde fault with the title of Protector seeing the word Saviours is as great and the word Gods is greater I said ye are gods Psal. 82. 6. I did not think it lawfull to give the title of Protector to any man and so I said to his Highnesse and therefore I left out that word in my late apologie since I did see that my ignorance was the cause of that mistake and the former place and Mr. John Mores observation on Neh. 9. 27. did satisfie me and may satisfie any in this doubt Is there any reason to beleeve that those