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	hear_v	rome_n	1,466	5	7.0789	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08023	A notable discourse of the happinesse of this our age, and of the ingratitude of men to God for his benefites: written in Latine by that godly learned man Iohn Riuius, and now Englished for the comfort, and commoditie of the vnlearned, by W.W. student..; De seculi nostri felicitate, et hominum erga Dei beneficia ingratitudine, liber. English	Rivius, Johann, 1500-1553.	1578 (1578)	STC 21064.5; ESTC S94909	108,359	160

Ecclesiasticall matters and of the holy Ghost that he reacheth foorth his feete for most noble Princes to kisse that he canonizeth for Saintes dead men whom he thinketh will be profitable to him last of all that he breaketh leagues that he breaketh the faith and religion of an oth that he giueth leaue for men to doe against the commaundementes of GOD and that he permitteth subiectes to forsake their allegeance and to cast off all obedience and loyaltie to their lawfull Prince and what one man I pray you can rehearse all his doings of whiche there is neither end nor measure For I let passe pretermit many thinges which were to be added of the negligence of the Pope in caring for the Christian common wealth for he boasteth that he is set ouer it by God as cheefe President whose charge is to see that it take no harme in correcting and amending corrupt doctrine in abolishing wicked worships in assembling Synodes calling Councels in amending the corrupt manners of all states finally in gouerning guiding other matters affaires perteining to his office function Yea I thought good to passe ouer in silence those thinges which all the world almost crieth out vpon namely that the Pope forbiddeth many thinges which either are no where prohibited by Gods lawe or plainly permitted by the same that he requireth his owne lawe to be of more account than Gods commaundements that he prouideth euerie where rather for his owne gaine than either for Gods glorie or the saluation of Christian people that by his indulgencies pardons he both augmēteth the libertie impunitie of sinning also cutteth away all occasions causes of amendment of life finally that he neither careth to see his own canons obserued nor endeuoreth to represse that infinit vnmeasurable riotte and excesse of the Cardinals of Rome Hitherto you haue heard of the Bishop of Rome whome the Papistes account to bee our supreame Bishop most holie Lorde Some salute him with the title appellation of Prince Father of mankind othersome vouchsafe to giue him the name and honour of a terrene or earthlie God. Now let vs come to Baptisme which sith that it was instituted ordeined by Christ him selfe for mans sake namely that they which are borne by nature the children of wrath may through a certeine new regeneration by the Spirit beecome the sonnes of grace and that by Baptisme they might be purged frō the spottes of sinne which they brought with thē into the world when they were borne this vse the Papistes in former ages maruellously defiled For they were not afraid to baptise sacring belles other belles with great ceremonies yea almost obseruing the same rites whiche were vsed in baptising infantes For neither exorcisme nor vnction is left out they haue godfathers they haue names giuen them and all the rest of the thinges which were woont to be vsed in the true Baptisme are practised very deuoutly or rather superstitiously not without greate reproche mockage and despite of the true Baptisme especially seeing here as in baptising of childrē euerie hedg Priest Curate will not serue but onely the Bishop of the Diocesse namely to this end that there may bee more authoritie in the stage play whilest that such a christening is full of pompe And because Baptisme was ordeined of Christ to be the lauer of regeneration the washing away of our sinnes the Papistes were woont to consecrate with superstitious rites for they had no commaundement of Christ concerning that matter water with salt by which either those that entered into the Church as I said before or those whiche went out thence might sprinkle them selues to wash away the spottes and blottes of their daily sinnes and those light offences and faultes of theirs which custome nowe also lasteth in places of Poperie Now what great abuse was there heretofore of confirmatiō as they call it For wheras in it there ought to be had a diligent inquirie of doctrine a professiō of faith as a chefe principal thing to be required in bishoping the Papists leauing neglecting these send the children away after that they haue signed them in the foreheads with the holy Chrisme to vse Petrus Lombardus wordes geuen them a boxe on the eare So if you respect the true vse of confirmation it hath no place at all amongst the Papistes and the thing it selfe being quite taken away there remaineth onely the name and a certeine shadowe of an old auncient custome There were also many intollerable abuses in penance confession as for example that hard to scrupulous a reckoning vp of all our sinnes reseruing of certeine cases that appendix in absolution of the merites of Saintes Romish indulgencies humane satisfaction for sinnes and if there bee any such like In the Supper of the Lorde the cheefest abuse was of Masses especially that manifold number and great varietie of them as for trauellers wayfaring men for sailers seafaringmē for women trauelling in childbed item the Masse of the crowne of thorne the Masse of the three nailes the Masse of Christs vncircumcision what were they not woont to flee for reliefe vnto Masses as many as desired wished to haue a prosperous ioyfull euent to all things which they enterprised went about which sought a remedie for their diseases which would gladly escape shun all imminent euils daungers Yea moreouer Masses were thought to be profitable to deliuer the dead frō the fire of Purgatorie For the matter was now come to that passe that that Sacrament which was instituted and ordeined to excite stirre vp liue men to the remembrance of Christs death was almost wholy translated to the dead I doe omitte the superstitious reseruation of the Lordes bread and the pompe in which the same is carried about and shewed both in publike processions and also in solemne vewinges of the field in the Rogation weeke I doe furthermore omit let passe that taking away of one parte of the Sacrament from the people flatte contrarie to the institution and ordinance of Christ But let vs come to matters of greater weight and importance and first and formost to the promises concerning Christ to come in the former age no man had any rememberance or certeine knowledge of that promise which is the first both in time order Such cloudes of ignorance errour did so miserably darken the whole world And yet there are some also at this day which thinke that we doe wrest that place of Genesis in which is conteined the first promise to the vauntage and commoditie of our owne cause when as in deede the most auncient Doctours of the Christian Church make with vs as Irenaeus who not once or twice but often testifieth that the seede of the woman is that which Marie brought foorth into the world to wit our Sauiour So doth

doctrine comprehended verie briefly in fewe woordes the verie same which is taught amongst vs Whereby you may easily learne what hath bene amended in Ecclesiasticall doctrine Now wee will proceede to declare what hath bene either chaunged or quite taken away in Ceremonies but first we will speake somewhat of the Pope or Bishop of Rome All men well nigh heretofore did beleeue as their Creede that the Pope was by Gods lawe head of the Church But wee after the iudgement of S. Paule doe affirme that Christe alone is the head of the Church For the place out of the Epistle to the Ephesians and of the Colossians is well knowen Wee denie not this that the Bishop of Rome may by the generall consent of the other Bishops bee appointed as it were a certeine superintendent or ouerseer of the Churches and a president of the Christian common weale that hee may both bee and also seeme to be as it were a Censour of mens manners a maister of Ecclesiasticall discipline if so bee hee woulde vse his authoritie graunted not to get any Lordship or souereigntie ouer others but to the profit of the Church not to bring in superstition but to establish true religion and if hee woulde throughly doe the duetie belonging to the function taken in hand finally if hee woulde bee bounde to certeine lawes of gouernement neither would permit as he hath done heretofore that his owne lust and licence should stand for a lawe Our men verely hitherto haue made warre onely with the Popes kingdome and with the Romish ruledome and with that power which would aduance it selfe both aboue the Scripture and the Church and almost aboue God him selfe neither seeme they to graunte vnto any mortall man whatsoeuer as long as they can helpe it to be able to doe more than the woorde of God and the Church Otherwise I knowe full well they will not refuse the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome if hee will take paines to see that Christian Religon bee instaured that superstitions bee taken away that the Churches bee reformed that the manners of all estates bee corrected and amended And if that authoritie of the Bishop which at the beginning was graunted for the better preseruation of Christianitie of consent in doctrine had not bene turned into domination or rather tyrannie our men truely would neuer haue bene persuaded to haue violated cast off and to haue banished as it were out of the Church that authoritie Therefore no other man but the Bishop of Rome him selfe is the cause why that Apostolicall seate as they call it hath bene so despised neither can the Bishop accuse any man for that matter more iustly than him selfe For who can thinke it tollerable that hee should call him selfe The vniuersall and Oicomenicall Bishop who hath the right to ordeine and to confirme to displace and remoue from their office all the Bishops and Pastours in the whole world that hee doth arrogate vnto him self the authoritie of making lawes concerning the seruice and woorship of God concerning the chaunging of the Sacraments concerning Ecclesiasticall doctrine that hee doth thinke his owne decrees to be equall with Gods lawes so that all mens consciences are necessarily bounde to the obseruing of them if they will see to their owne saluation that hee doth sit in the Temple of God as God as S. Paule saith of Antichrist and that hee doth take vnto him the right of chaunging the doctrine of Christ and the woorshippes appointed by God that hee doth suffer him selfe to bee iudged of no man and that hee doth preferre his owne authoritie before the iudgement of Councelles and of the whole Christian Church that hee doth not suffer Ecclesiasticall controuersies to bee decided rightly and orderly and that in Synodes hee doth not suffer any thing to be iudged and concluded against his sentence that hee challengeth vnto him selfe the authoritie to translate from one to an other both kingdomes and Empires that hee sticketh hard to this how that by Gods lawe hee is Lord of all the kingdomes of the worlde finally that hee boasteth how that hee is the Emperours lawfull successour when the Empire is vacant and that hee doth confirme this howe that it is necessarie to saluation to beleeue it But let vs come now to Ceremonies In baptising infantes wee had rather vse our owne vulgar tongue than the Latine because verie few vnderstand this but all vnderstand the other that is both the Godfathers and Godmothers which are brought thither and adhibited as witnesses at the baptisme of the childe and also the rest of the congregation if any bee present and lastly the Priest him selfe which doth baptise the childe Now it is verie profitable and necessarie that all shoulde vnderstand that language wherein the childe is baptised namely to this end both that the Godfathers may knowe what they doe professe and promise to God in the childes name and also that the rest which stand aboute may not bee ignorant what matter is in hande how serious how diuine and how full of mysteries it is finally that the Prieste may bee occupied in that holie mysterie with greater attention of minde that he may thereby bee excited to a more exquisite diligence and that hee may bee forced the better to doe his duetie for shame of all those which are present vnderstanding now what is done Iustinian the Emperour maketh for vs in his Nouellis Constitutionibus de capitibus Ecclesiasticorum sumptuum whose woordes I doe omitte lest I should bee longer than needed As concerning that vngodlie rite and custome of baptising belles and of hallowing water with salte brought into the Church by superstitious men wee thought good in any wise to reteine it no longer Concerning Penance and Confession if the abuses which haue crept in bee taken away wee both thinke and teach verie highly of it For wee doe clearely and plainely testifie that there can bee no way any true faith in a man without repentance that is but in him who is truely sorrowfull and greatly greeued for his sinnes but in him which repenteth seriously and from his hearte and which feeleth the wrathe of God against his sinnes but in him which purposing now to liue godly doth call to God for mercie doth goe vnto the Minister of the Church and confessing his sinnes doth desire absolution of him Wee verely doe nothing regarde that their carefull curious and scrupulous enumeration or reckoning vp of their seuerall sinnes with all the cirumstances perteining to it as what was done with what minde with whome at what time howe long where howe often wherefore howe much howe farre foorth with what reason and other such like this wee reiect as both full of superstition and also euerie way vnprofitable and as it were a certeine snare or rather a butcherie and crosse of miserable consciences Neither doe wee approue or allow those manifolde errours concerning