Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A01958
|
The anatomie of Ananias: or, Gods censure against sacriledge With a breife scholie vpon Psalm. 83. concerning the same subiect. By Roger Gostvvyke Batchelour of Diuinitie, and minister of Sampford Courtnie in the countie of Deuonsh.
|
Gostwick, Roger, b. 1567 or 8.
|
1616
(1616)
|
STC 12100; ESTC S103327
|
99,971
|
192
|
to the whole land in generall so to vs of the holy ministerie in particular whose the Temple is and the signes portended there more peculiar appropriate to our calling Wherefore we shall doe well to search and diue into the true reason and howsoeuer their creeping in or sculking vnder some groundsell or threshold makes them nothing the holier but helps their damnation as desperate hypocrites yet the desert is from our selues so that as we denounce his iudgements to them so are we to descrie his iustice to vs so to suffer vs to loose our reuerence and rights that are fallen away from his feare honouring our selues more then his Sonne more respecting our riches then our religion and more caring for gold then wee doe for God I beseech you then right reuerend and renowned Fathers and Brethren giue me leaue with a light finger if not to lance this sore yet not blanch the search for I take it it is no dead flesh that needs any boisterous rifling but tender and sensible to iudure the ransacking nec vt verenda retegam sed vt in verecunda confutem as sweet S. Bernard rather with Sem to awake your drowsinesse then with Cham to display your nakednesse First then I feare it may by some be thought that your ambition my Honoured Lords hath excited these Harpies of state whereby you haue laid open your chests to their rauening hands and your Churches to their irreligious hearts Or it may bee you the Canons and Prebends of the greater Churches that are either couetous or vmbratilous or polypragmonous or you my brethren and fellows in the countrie partly schismatical partly symoniacal men seditious or scandalous more frequenting the palace then the pulpit and more soliciting the hall with sutes then heauen with Saints that haue opened the mouthes of these cursing Shemeis and rayling Rabsakeâ—s and strengthened the hand of sacrilegious Achans and irreligious Atheists Or it may bee as euerie one seuerally so all combinedly haue sinned and committed something preiudiciously to our persons and patrimonies As for example When a symonizing Scholler agrees with a Gehezying Patron and a Iudaizing Bishop to make a diabolizing impropriation or as Malmburiensis writeth of one halfe Bishop of Norwich when there meetes in one indiuiduall a Scholler a Courtier a flatterer a Symoniake a Bishop and a Pirat Howeuer it be I would to God that our symonie and policie and idlenes and couetousnesse and absence and silence and basenesse and businesse which hath drawne this miserie vpon vs with cords and this mischeife with cart-ropes were sifted and expiated as it ought that God might see our humiliation and the world our satisfaction Therefore we must take this as Gods most iust retaliation forasmuch as we haue let goe those greater points of holinesse mercie iustice faith and faithfulnesse it is but meete that wee should loose these diminitiues of mint and anise and commin because we giue not God his due other giue not ours to vs this beeing the condition of our obligation That they shall be honoured that honour him and they but little esteemed that despise him and this is that which S. Augustine saith Our inferiours both men and members derie vs that obedience which we detaine in our places from God The historie of the renowned Bishop Amphilochius Bishop of Iconium is well enough known and the stratageme he vsed to the Emperour Theodosius to shew him his error in the matter of the Arrians The holy Bishop had solicited this Emperour to expell the heretikes that had as then too much fauour in the Empire as some of their fellowes haue at this day with vs but the Emperour out of his mildenes had forborne to doe it as some other doe also now so as by this conniuence they had almost mard all whereupon the good Bishop was driuen to bethinke himselfe of some remedie to awake the Emperour out of his dead sleepe for which cause hauing within a while occasion to come to the Court to visit his highnesse he found the young Emperour Arcadius whom his Father had newly created to gouern with him sitting in state together with the olde Emperour The good Bishop made humble reuerence to the Emperour Theodosius but to Arcadius did none at all The olde Emperour thinking he had done it by ouersight put him in minde to salute Arcadius also the Bishop replied it sufficed to honour him and therefore needed not reuerence his sonne also The Emperour now growing into choller at so high contempt bad he should be carried out of the Court whereupon the Bishop taking the opportunity told the Emperour to this effect And doe you sir Emperour take the dishonour of your sonne so hainously then I beseech you consider how God wil take it at your hands to dishonour his Sonne The Emperour pawsing somewhat vpon his speech and waighing the iustnesse of the reproofe acknowledged his errour and presently tooke order to auoide the Arrians out of the Empire Therefore who knowes whether God hath bid Shemei curse Dauid or sends Senacherib to spoile Ierusalem for as Achior speakes vnto the great Commander If there be error in this people or that they haue sinned against their God then maiest thou goe vp and ouercome them and as Zeres speakes If wee haue begun to fall before them it is to be feared we shall fall more for they are Iewes but if we shall repent vs of our sinnes and resume our first loue who knowes if he will returns and leaue a blessing behind him a meat offring and drinke offering to the Lord our God therefore let the Priests and the Ministers of the Lord weep betweene the porch and the altar and say Spare thy people O Lord and giue not thine inheritance a reproach that the heathen may rule ouer vs so shall the Lord be iealous ouer his people and restore the yeeres that the locust hath eaten the canker the caterpillar and the palmer-worme euen the strong host which he sendeth among vs. But in case for all this that God shall thinke good to verefie that on vs which was said of Christ by Iohn Me oportet minui illum autem crescere yet let vs shew the world our Christian patience and holy confidence against their furie and falshood that we serue not God for meed as they obiect but in the midst of malice in the midst of penurie in the midst of infamie we will follow our leader without forsaking our calling Malus est miles qui imperatorem gemens sequitur he is but white-liuered that followes armes but in faire weather The world hath been perswaded I feare me too truly of too many that schollers flie to the Ministerie as malefactors doe to the Sanctuarie for sinister and oblique respects for imunitie or impunitie for ease or honour as many of them that haue had either foolish or deformed needie or vnthrifty children such they set aside to weare the Ephod and other doe gladly recount how their
summe would be but beggerie yea no way but in wealth qualified like the other 4. And because I haue mentioned the Ministers person let that be another motiue the loue we are to shew vnto them Now what kindnes can this be to defraud him of his true allowance and to mince him out such mites and micas crumbs as commonly men do and count him highly beholding to them for that also I will not say as Tullie doth in like case that it is latr onis beneficium who thinke the traueller is much bound vnto him for his life which hee might haue taken as well as his purse But this I say I feare me those men that now in the libertie of the Gospel deny vs our owne if any other colour of religion should turne trumpe wil hardly giue vs their owne 5. Another cause why such places should pay personall tythes or like liberall maintenance is the securing of their owne estates for this small tribute that we doe so returne our God is sepes diuitiarum the fence of our fortunes and causeth the legittimation of our other goods For men must imitate the Apostle to cast superfluities ouer-boord to secure the vessell and willingly to part with some portion to saue the stake whereas now men are growne like Vsurers not to deale with God almightie himselfe without sufficient sureties and bond besides The charge which they pretend daily to grow vpon them for impost c. are meere cauillations for that they fetch vp againe vpon the poore countrie and themselues grow rich the while 6. Lastly would they doe as the mother Citie where they pay not by the hal but by the rent of the house the tenth of that as is I thinke intended by the statute they would procure both wealth and wisdome loue and learning religion and renowne to wreath them a chaplet to make them happie and all their daughters and neighbours by them where bountifull meanes allures the best men and kind vsage of all that comes drawes all the learning of the land vnto them for vbi populus ibi questus vbi cadauer ibi aquilae whereas now the niggardize that is vsed in many places breeds many vnkindnesses between the Ministers and people and the small meanes the Minister hath to liue on breeds him basenesse basenes contempt contempt discouragement and on both sides all the dislike and vnfriendly words and wishes that may be imagined By these reasons I am induced to mislike the course that runnes common in great places and to reuoke men to the right and prime institution But guiltinesse is neuer without gain-saying and mans nature is stubborne not to yeeld to the word Some pretend pouertie and in that case men are to be pitied not burdened therefore God requires according to that we haue not according as we haue not to vse liberalitie much more gratuity to God and their Minister Yet it is not equall that men not hauing to their minds should therefore pay nothing but eate or spend Gods part as they doe their own And who in these places is so poore that hee doth not feast once or ofter in the yeare in such sort that the very reuersion of their riot would not be a comfortable refreshing to his minister if he had it in mony But pouertie is not alwaies truely pretended for compare the husbandman with the citizen in diet apparell house furniture building expences and then tell me which is the poorer there I am sure the Townesman will haue all things excellent whatsoeuer it cost so that he is rich at home poor at the Church as one saies Etsi in domibus sunt auro diuites tamen in Ecclesia sunt mendici for their own occasion they will find mony but for Gods they cannot spare it 2. They are subiect to many charges and greater losses then those of the Countrie and is that any cause to denie God his tribute that is the Minister his due I should thinke that binds them to be more thankefull for his fauour mercie and prouidence as we see in the Israelites beeing but a small band yet vanquished fiue Kings of Madian first parted with one halfe of the prey vnto their fellowes that went not into the field and of the other moitie gaue a tribute to God one of 500. and further for Gods vnexpected deliuerance hauing not missed one man offered vnto him of their owne accord another oblation of the iewels and ornaments of the pillage to the value of 16750. shekels of gold But we can be content to offer vnto God as many good words as he will but no mony but then we verifie the speach of the Father we do not offer vitulos labiorum but labia vitulorum not the calfs of the lips but the lips of calues And as another we will seeke Christ with the wise men but we wil leaue our budgets at home we will not open our treasures to him as they did Dauid had a quid retribuam what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits that he hath done to me but we point where is none quid retribuam what shall I render vnto the Lord any thing ill done 3. He would so be too rich and too well acquainted with our estates 1. This is to bee wiser then God for he made no such prouiso 2. What hurt if thy Minister knew in generall nay in particular the blessing or cursing of God vpon thee were that any harme to thy soule thou shalt be sure of one comfort to haue one that will simpathize with thee and one that will supplicat for thee Lastly for I will not follow these foxes to any more holes If ministers would not challenge it of debt but take it as almes or contribution or beneuolence they should fare better This is a burthen too heauy to be borne especially where all commodities are so high rated as they are 1. Why should any account that burthen ouer-heauy which God hath laid vpon them 2. which other beare cheerefully that are farre more vnable 3. that brings so great benefit and blessing with it to haue the light of Goshen when other sit in the darknesse of Egypt 4. that is a thing so necessarie 5. which our predecessours yeelded so willingly vnto to bind themselues and their heires for euer to perform 6. Or what comfort is it to impropriate in this manner that which God and all good men haue annexed Is it dishonour to acknowledge a debt to our better a duty to our Prince a tribute to our God is it dishonest for the Minister that in Gods behalfe doth require the same why then should we be angry with him that tells vs what is due or to raile on them that refute our falshood this snarling against the preacher is but recalcitrating against the word It is not the man but the matter to haue our couetousnes detected our oppression checked our vsury reprooued our extortion ransanked