Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A05171
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A sermon preached on Munday, the seauenteenth of March, at Westminster at the opening of the Parliament. By the Bishop of Bathe and Welles.
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Laud, William, 1573-1645.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 15305; ESTC S102879
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18,331
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48
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of God which is One and loues nothing but as it tends to One Nay as the Spirit of God is One and cannot dissent from it selfe no more ought they whom the Spirit hath ioyn'd in One and the Spirit hath ioyn'd the Church in One Therefore he that diuides the Vnity of the Church practices against the Vnity of the Spirit Now this vnity of the Spirit so called because it proceeds from the Spirit of Grace continues in Obedience to it and in the end brings vs to the Spirit that gaue it is the cause of all other vnity that is good and the want of it the Cause of all defects in vnity The presence of it is the Cause of all vnity that is good Of all within the Church no man doubts But 't is of all without the Church too For no Heathen men or states did euer agree in any good thing whatsoeuer but their vnity proceeded from this Spirit and was so farre forth at least a vnity of the Spirit And for states that are Christian and haue mutuall relations to the Church that is in them S. Gregories Rule is true The vnity of the state depends much vpon the peace and vnity of the Church therefore vpon the guidance of the same Spirit And as the presence of the vnity of the Spirit is the Cause of all vnity that is good so the want of it is the Cause of all defects in vnity For as in the Body of a man the Spirit holds the members together but if the soule depart the members fall asunder So 't is in theChurch saith Theophilact and so in the state So litle vnity then in Christendome as is is a great Argument that the Spirit is grieued and hath iustly withdrawn much of his influence And how is the Spirit grieued How why sure by our neglect if not contempt of Him as Hee is One. For as He is the Spirit of fortitude Esay 11. there wee 'l haue him he shall defend vs in warr And as hee is the Spirit of Wisedome there wee 'l haue him too he shall gouerne vs in peace But as heis One Spirit and requires that wee keepe his vnity there wee 'l none of him though we know right well that without vnity peace cannot continue nor warre prosper One vnity there is take heed of it 't is a great Enemy to the vnitie of the Spirit both in Church and Common-wealth S Bafil calls it Concors Odium vnity in hatred to persecute the Church And to this worke their 's vnity enough Mentake counsell together Psal. 2. Saint Augustine calls it vnitatem contra vnitatem A vnity against vnity when Pagans Iewes and Hereticks or any profane crew whatsoeuer make a league against the Churches Vnity And about that work that the name of Israel may bee no more in remembrance that there may be no Church or no reformed Church Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistins and they that dwell at Tyre are Confederates together Psal. 83. S. Hilary will not vouchsafe to call such vnion vnity Indeed it deserues not the name 'T is not vnity saith he be it in Church or be it in state but 't is a Combination And hee giues his Reason For vnity is in faith and Obedience but Combination is Consortium factionis no other no better the consenting in a faction And all Faction is a Fraction too and an Enemie to Vnity euen while it combines in one For while it combines but a part it destroyes the vnitie of the whole Is the spirit in this Out of question No. For a Faction to compasse it's end I will not say when it sees a theefe it consents to him or that it is alwaies partaker with the Adulterers but this it doth It speakes against its owne Brother and slanders its owne Mothers Sonne Psal. 50. Can any man call this the Vnity of the Spirit Or is this the way to Vnity And now I cannot but wonder what words S. Paul were he now aliue would vse to call backe Vnity into dismembred Christendome For my part Death were easier to mee then it is to see and consider the face of the Church of Christ scratched and torne till it bleeds in euery part as it doth this day And the Coat of Christ which was once spared by Souldiers because it was seamlesse S. Ioh. 19. Rent euery way and which is the miserie of it by the hand of the Priest And the Pope which Bellarmine hath put into the Definition of the Church that there might bee one Ministeriall head to keepe all in vnity is as great as any if not the the greatest cause of diuided Christianity Good God what preposterous thrift is this in men to sowe vp euery small rent in their owne Coat and not care what rents they not onely suffer but make in the Coat of Christ What is it Is Christ only thought fit to weare a torne garment Or can wee thinke that the Spirit of Vnity which is one with Christ wil not depart to seeke warmer cloathing Or if he be not gone already why is there not vnity which is where ere he is Or if he be but yet gone from other parts of Christendome in any case for the passion in the bowels of Iesus Christ I beg it make stay of him heere in our parts For so the Apostle goes on Keepe the Vnity of the Spirit This Exhortation requires too things saith S. Ierome the one that they which haue this vnity of the Spirit keepe it the other that they which haue it not labour to get it And certainely nothing can be more beneficial or more honourable either for Church or state then to get it when they haue it not or to keepe it when they haue it And this is implyed in the very word which the Apostle vses Keepe For no wise man wil aduise the treasuring vp keeping of any thing but that which is of vse and benefit And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not barely signifie to Keepe but Tueri to defend too which is the stoutest keeping Now all wise men are for vnity And all good men for the vnity of the Spirit Yes saith Saint Isidore Boni seruant Good men keepe it VVise and good men keepe it why then none but fooles and bad men breake it Slie and cunning men perhaps may haue their hands in Diuisions but wise or good men they are not For are they not all without vnderstanding that worke wickednesse Psal. 53. And a greater wickednesse men can hardly work then to dissolue the vnity of the Spirit in either Church orCommonwealth For they doe as much as in them lies to bring profanenesse into the Church and desolation vpon the state Keepe therefore the vnity of the Spirit Keepe Vnity why but what needs that will not vnity keepe it selfe 'T is true vnity is very apt to hang together It proceeds from Charity which is the glue of the Spirit
when God himselfe is so free to giue T is true You cannot endeauour till God giue grace But t is true too that you are bound to endeauour when hee hath giuen it Bound certainely and therefore Saint Ierome expounds this which is but Councell and Exhortation in Saint Paul by a Precipitur Ther 's Gods command vpon you that you endeauour for vnity in peace And now what if God haue giuen suffciencie nay abundance of Grace and yet there be no Endeauour can any bee blamed then for want of vnity but your selues 'T is true that except the Lord keepe the Citty your Watchmen wake in vaine Psal. 127. But is it any where said in Scripture that if you will set no watch take no care that yet God will keepe the Cittie No sure And this will euer bee found certaine when and wheresoeuer the Vnity of the Spirit is not kept then and there was want of mans endeauour to keepe it in peace And whensoeuer God laies that punishment which followes Disunion vpon a Nation the Sinne vpon which the punishment falls is committed by mans misendeauouring or want of Endeauouring But Peace it selfe cannot hold Vnity long if it be not a firme and a binding peace And this brings in the end of the Text the keeping of Vnity in Vinculo Pacis in the band of peace First then if you will keepe a setled vnity you must haue a firme peace The reason is because in this Vnity many are brought together And many will not be held together without a band Saint Augustine discouered this Vnitas fine nodo facilè dissoluitur That Vnity saith he which hath no knot is easily dissolued This Vnity is so comfortable so beneficiall both to Church and state that it cannot be too fast bound But if it be not fast bound both it and the benefit will soone be lost Now in vinculo in that which bindes this is to be obserued It compasses about all which it containes and then where it meets there 's the knot So that which is bound is held close within the Imbracings of the band And the band is not of one substance and the knot of another but both of one and the same substance So t is heere For the vnity of the Spirit is contained and compassed as it were by peace Peace goes before it to bring it in And Peace goes with it when t is in And Peace goes round about it to keepe it in And where the two ends of Peace meete there vnity is fast and knit vp And the knot is of the same substance with the band Peace too And therefore where the ancient reading of the Text is To keepe Vnity in the band of peace there some will haue it to keepe Vnity in vinculo quod est pax In that band which is peace This band as 't is the band of vnity so 't is well fitted to the vnity it bindes For if you marke it it bindes vnity and the band is but One. In vinculo pacis in the band of peace One band And yet that which is vnum is not vnius that which is but One is not onely of One. For it bindes many whole Churches whole Kingdomes And both bodies are euer safest when the band is One and that One able to hold them For when this One band of peace cannot binde close t is a shrewd Argument either that some ill humor swells and will not endure the band or that the band it selfe is strained and made weake And in both these cases timely helpe must be applied or the vnity of the Body is in Danger You may see this plaine in the Naturall body The out-band of the body is the skinne If the body be too full of humors and they foule and in Motion the body swells till the skinne breaks So t is in the Church and so t is in the state when the Body is too full of humors The inner-band of the body is the Sinewe 'T is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very word which the Apostle vses The band or the sinew of peace If the sinew bee broken or ouer-strained there 's much paine and weaknesse in the body and the members hang as loose as if they were falling one from another And so t is in the Ecclesiasticall And no other then so in the Ciuill Body If there be but a straining in the band though perhaps the sinew be not yet broken t is high time to looke to the Vnity of the body Well What Remedie then What Why sure there 's none but Vinculum Vinculi The sinew must haue a swathe And that which was wont to binde the body must bee bound vp it selfe And if the Cure light not into honest and good Chirurgions hands it may proue a lame Church and a weake state euer after God blesse the body therefore and direct the Chirurgions Now as the Band of these great Bodies the Church and the state may be broken so the knot which hath euer beene hard to vntie may be cutt And both Church and state haue euer had Cause to feare both both breaking and cutting Saint Ignatius was afraid of this in the Church by and by after the Apostles times And therefore He writes to the Church of Philadelphia In any case to flie and to shunne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the partition or cutting off this knot And indeed t is not fit for any man imployed about this band of peace to haue his Rasor about him And Dauid was afraid of this in the state and hee had Cause great cause For some wilde vnruly men cryed out then Lett 's breake their bands in sunder and cast their cords from vs Psal. 2. What bands Why All the bands of peace and all the bands of allegiance too For the Consultation then was saith Caluin to depose Dauid But hee that dwells in heauen laughed them to scorne ver 4. And then brake them in peeces like a Potters vessell ver 9. Now the Breakers of the band of peace both in Church and Common-wealth are pride and disobedience For these two cry one to another Thatis Pride to disobedience Come lett 's breake the band And this is very obseruable and with reference to this band of peace too You shall neuer see a disobedient man but hee is proud For hee would Obey if he did not thinke himselfe fitter to gouerne Nor shall you euer see a proud man stoope to binde vp any thing But if you see him stoope take heede of him 't is doubtlesse to breake the band of peace The Reason's plaine If hee stoope to binde vp Hee knowes hee shall bee but one of the bundle which his pride cannot endure But if he stoope to loose the band then he may bee free and shew his vertue as he calls it that is hope To runne formost in the head of a Faction Fond men that can bee thus bewitched with pride against themselues For when they are