Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A15132
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A most godly and learned sermon preached at Pauls crosse the 17 of Nouember, in the yeare of our Lorde. 1583.
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Whitgift, John, 1530?-1604.
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1589
(1589)
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STC 25432; ESTC S114940
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18,891
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64
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Etiam si Apostolus sis si Euangelista si Propheta siue quisquis tandem fueris These commaundementes are enioyned vnto all to Priestes to Moonkes and not to lay men alone c. yea though thou bean Apostle or Euangelist or whatsoeuer els Therefore Chrisostome doeth also include the Pope in this precept of obedience Peter from whome the Pope claymeth his Supremacie speaking of the obedience due vnto Kinges calleth the King most excellent that is aboue all others and greater then all other neither dooth he exempt himselfe much lesse those that clayme to bee his successors Colimus saith Tertulian Imperatorem sic quomodo nobis conuenit illi expedit vt hominem a deo secundum post quem primū ante omnes homines Deos. 〈◊〉 was a Priest of the Church of Rome if he had knowne or remembred the Pope to haue bin aboue the Emperour or equall vnto him hee woulde not haue said the Emperour had bin next vnto God the first after God and before all other men and Gods Chrisostome saith that the Emperour hath no peere vppon earth and calleth him Summitatem caput omnium super terram hominum The chiefe head of al men vpon earth Many of the Popes themselues haue acknowledged this superioritie in the Emperours for they haue bin complayned of vnto them pleaded their causes before them receaued iudgement by them and yeelded thereunto as it is to be read in their owne histories yea diuerse Emperours haue deposed diuers Popes from their Popedomes as it is also manifest in the same histories One of their owne Canonists saithe that the Emperour may require of the Pope an accompt of his faith And Gratian himselfe where hee dooth most of all exempt the Pope from the iurisdiction of the Emperour maketh this exception Nisi fuerit a fide deuius aut in crimine haereseos deprehendatur Vnlesse he be slid from the faith or infected with the sinne of herresie Therefore it is manifest that the Emperour hath authoritie ouer Ecclesiasticall persons euen ouer the Pope himselfe That hee hath also authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes it is easelie prooued When I say that the Emperour or Ciuill Magistrat hath authority in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane not as the Papists and some other malitiously cauill that hee hath authoritie to execute Ecclesiasticall functions proper to the ministers of the word as to preache the Gospell to minister the Sacraments to cōsecrate bishops and such like which was neuer giuen to any ciuill Magistrate neyther yet did any Chrystian Prince take it vpon him But by authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes I meane that it appertaineth to the Office duetie of the Ciuill Magistrat to see the commandements of God obserued true Religion mayntained euery man in the Church to doe his duetie and to prouide that all things be done therein decently and in order according to the rule of the Apostles That Christian Magistrates ought to haue this authority it is notorious For first the custodie of both Cables is committed vnto them which they can not performe accordinglye vnlesse they haue authoritie in Ecclesiasticall causes The first Table conteining thinges méerely Ecclesiasticall The Prophet calleth Kinges the nursing fathers of the Church and Quéenes the nursing mothers which title is giuen them in vaine if they haue no authoritie in matters of the Church All the good Kings and Magistrates of the old Testament as Iosua Dauid Salomon Asa Iosaphat Ezechias Iosias c. had and vsed this authority For they did not onely rule ouer the Priestes but also prescribed vnto them what they should doe in diuine matters as in Sacrifices Circumcision Blessings Cursings dedication of the temple casting downe Idolatrie Idols and such like Some of the Papistes themselues confesse that the Kinges of the olde Testament had this authoritie That Christian Kinges also hadde the same it appeareth by sundrie examples Elutherius Bishoppe of Rome who liued within two hundreth yeares of Christ writing to Lucius King of this lande calleth him Goddes vicar within his kingdome and sayth that it pertayneth to his dutie to make lawes according to the worde of God for the gouernement of his kingdome as well in matters of Religion as in matters of pollicie Eusebius calleth Constantine the great quasi communem quendam Episcopum a Deo constitutum As a cōmon Byshoppe appoynted by God And it is certayne that the sayd Constantine did not onelie call the Councell of Nice but had herein also the chiefe gouernement and superioritie he compounded controuersies betwixt the Bishops hee prescribed vnto them a rule according to which they should iudge matters then in question c. Iustinian and other godlie Emperours made lawes concerning publique prayers in the Church concerning the Trinitie Baptisme the Sacrament of the Supper Festiuall daies ordering of Byshoppes against Heretiques c. Socrates saith that since the Emperours were Christians the matter of the Church especiallie depended vppon them that the greatest councels were called by them Nabuchodonozer sayth Augustine when his heart was peruerted sette vp an Image and made a law for the worshiping thereof But when his heart was conuerted he pulled it downe and made a law for the true worshipping of the true God In hoc enim sayth he Reges Deo seruiunt sicut eis diuinitùs praecipitur in quantum sunt Reges si in suo regno bona iubeant mala prohibeant non solùm quae pertinent ad humanam societatem verùm etiam quae ad diuinam religionem In this behalfe Kings serue God for so God commaundeth them in that they are Kings if in their kingdome they appoint good things as also forbid that which is naught and this not onely in those causes which concerne the outward Communion and societie of mans life but also such as appertayne vnto Gods Religion and seruice And againe Seruiunt Reges terrae Christo leges ferendo pro Christo. The Kinges of the earth doe serue Christ in making and appoynting lawes for Christ. And writing against the Donatistes who graunted and denyed the authoritie of the Emperour in causes ecclesiasticall at their pleasure he sayeth An fortè de Religione fas non est vt dicat Imperator cur ergo ad Imperatorem vestri venerunt legati cur eum fecerunt causae suae Iudicem non secuturi quod ille iudicaret Is it not forsooth lawfull for the Emperour to commaund concerning causes of religion why then come your Embassadors vnto the Emperour why did they apoynt him Iudge in their businesse if they entended not to stand to his iudgement In the same Booke he writeth that the Emperour made pecuniarie lawes against those which called them-selues Christians and yet did not communicate with the vniuersall Church but gathered them-selues together in priuate Conuenticles which lawes although he sometimes misliked yet vpon better aduisement hee did not onelye allowe of them but also thought them to bee most profitable necessary It appeareth therefore that the Ciuill
to fall into heresie Therefore horrible is the crime of contention and yet is it oftentimes coloured and cloaked by the name and title of religion of zeale and of perfection So hath it bin in times past and so is it at this day Irenaeus speaking of contentious persons writeth thus Propter modicas quaslibet causas magnum gloriosum corpus Chr. conscindunt diuidunt quantuÌ„ in ipsis est interficiunt pacem loquentes bellum operantes verè liquantes culicem camelum transglutientes For meane matters and euery trifle they diuide and teare in peeces yea and as much as in them lies they kill too the great glorious body of Christ They talke of peace practise war Euen such they are as straine at a gnat and swallow vp a cammell Nazianzen like wise speaking of the same persons saith thus Spirituales isti fastuosi iudicantes singulos condemnantes pro nihilo omnia ducentes si ita libuerit abcedunt communionem nostram velut impiam recusantes These spirituall proud men iudging condemning al but themselues and accounting of euerie thing too too lightlye when they are so disposed with-drawe themselues from our companye and refuse it as vngodly and wicked And againe Qui ingentes rixas mouent ex rebus vel sermonibus paruis veletiam non diuinis sed humanis motibus incitati sibi quà m plurimos asciscunt insaniae suae socios dum contentioni atque insolentiae suae magnificum venerabile omnibus fidei nomen imponunt faedissimae inteÌ„tionis suae causam honest issimi huius vocabuli specie colorantes Such as be occasioners of great braules by reasoÌ„ of some things or words of smal moment or els moued therevnto not by godlye but worldlye motions they drawe vnto themselues companioÌ„s to their madnes while they ascribe to their contention and pride the excellent and reuerend name of fayth thereby shadoing the cause of their beastlie purpose with the visor of this holie and most good name And againe Nos inuicem impugnamus dum videmur nobis nimis Catholici nimis fideles zelâ— Dei excitari sed non sicut expedit lex certaminum continet We gainesay and crosse one another whilest we seeme to our selues too Catholike and too faithfull and to bee stirred vp by the zeale of God but wee doe not as it is behoofefull neither as the lawe and order of contention doth allow Hierome likewise speaking of the same persons saith thus Aurem populi mulcent quicquid dixerint legem Dei putant They curry fauour with the people and therfore what they say is thought of them to be the word of God To bee short Chrisostome saith that those which deuide the church least they shold seeme to do it for contentions sake glorie that they teach more perfect things and that they are wiser then others Whether these sayings of the ancient Fathers may aptly hee applied to those that make contention in the Churche at this day or no I referre it to the iudgement of such as be indifferent Howsoeuer it is contention is the plague pestilence of the Church and of the Common-wealth likewise Euery kingdom diuided in it selfe commeth to decaye and euery house diuided in it selfe will be made desolate as Christ saith Nazianzen compareth the Church troubled with contention to a ship vpon the Sea tossed with waues and winds and in daunger of enemies where in the Marriners disagree amongst theÌ„selues and will not followe the aduise and commaundements of their maister and Gouernour The same Nazianzen compareth contentious persons to madde men who oftentimes set their owne houses on fire thinking them to bee other mens and smite their owne Parents supposing them to be their enemies Basill likeneth the Church rent with contention to the Citie Ierusalem when it was besiedged by Titus and Vespasianus for it had enemies without and it was diuided within and therefore the end was destruction And is not this our state at this time Are we not compassed about with enemies abroad do we not contend amongst ourselues within c wel then let vs at the length leaue of contending liue in peace one with another The wise maÌ„ saith Honor est homini qui seperat se contentionibus It is an honour to a man to seperate himselfe from contentions It is no honor for any man to maintaine contentions Peace is the thing y t Christ commaunded to his Disciples Haue Salt in you haue peace one with another Christ ioyneth salt and peace together Sal sine pace saith an auncient Father non est virtutis donum sed damnationis argumentum Salt without peace is not the gift of vertue but an argument of condemnation Peace and loue is the liuerie that Christe giueth vnto his Seruants Heereby shall all men knowe saith hee that yée are my Disciples if yée loue one another It is the legacie hee bequeathed vnto them in his last will and Testament My peace I giue vnto you My peace I giue vnto you My peace I leaue vnto you Double peace peace of conscience and peace amongst your selues The Anabaptists were woont to alledge for the maintenance of their contentions that saying of Christe I came not to send peace into the worlde but the sword wherevnto they haue beene long since annswered the meaning of Christ there to bee that he came to diuide the faithfull from Infidels and not to diuide the faithfull amongst themselues S. Paul dooth earnestly exhorte to this vnitie and peace If there bee any exhortation in Christe saith hee if there bee anye comfort of loue if there bee any communion of the spirit if there be any pittie or compassion fulfill my ioye that yée thinke one thing that yée loue one another that yée agrée amongst your selues that nothing be done by contention or vaine glorie but thorough modestie of minde let one thinke another to excell him And in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and good workes not leauing our mutuall societie as the manner of some is but let vs exhort one another and so much the rather because the daye is at hande and the Apostle in this place commaundeth Titus to admonish them that they bee not contentious I would to God these exhortations of Christ and of his Apostles could any thing mooue vs. c FINIS 2. Rom. 13. Cap. 13. 1. Pet. 2. Ad Titú 3. 2. Daniel 4. 14. Pro. 8. 15. 16. Psal. 75. Matt. 4. Pro. 28. August 3. Rom. 13. 1. Pet. 2. 1. Tim. 2. Nazian 4. Deu. 17. and 21 Iosu. 1. Rom. 13. Gala. 5. Actes 4. 5 2 Baruc. 1. 1 Tim. 2. 3 Pro. 24. Rom 13. 1. Pet. 2. 4 Rom. 13. 3 2. 3 1. Pet 2. 2. Tim. â—â— Iohn â— Ex. 22. 27. Eccles. 10. Num. 12. Psalm â—0 Pro. 24. 1. Cor. 6. 2. 1. Corin. 3. Gala. 5. Iam. 3. 11 Cor. II. Li. de â—nit ecclesia In. psalm 75. In cap. 4. ad Ephe. Lib. 4. cap. 62. Prou. 20. Philip. 2.