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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	good_a	reason_n	1,534	5	4.5930	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04917	A godly letter sent too the fayethfull in London, Newcastell, Barwyke, and to all other within the realme off Englande, that loue the co[m]minge of oure Lorde Iesus by Ihon Knox; Admonition or warning that the faithful Christians in London, Newcastel Barwycke and others, may avoide Gods vengeaunce	Knox, John, ca. 1514-1572.	1554 (1554)	STC 15059.5; ESTC S108135	51,203	96

citie he fainted the hartes of the souldiours and of the people but principally Such vvealthe do the papistes promis the people for receauinge the Idolatrous masse againe into Englande Iere. 28. he was vnfrendly to the faythe that Passhur taught the people To weke / the fayth of their forefathers / who alwaies rebelled agaynst God And therefore he was reputed a heretycke / accused of sedicion / and dampned of treason Playne preachinges were made agaynste all that he had spoken / and suche felicitie was promised / that within twoo yeares shoulde the yocke of Nabuchonosor be broken from the neckes of all people and the vessels of the lordes house together with all prysoners should be brought agayne to Ierusalem Iere. 13. Habōdaūce cam before the destruccion Iere. 38. Now dyd this habound with wyne oyle / O pleasing and blessed amōgst the people were such prophetes / Ieremy had trobled them and therefore he must dye To pryson shall he go / for the kyng can denye nothing to his princes / of whome Pashur apeareth / to haue ben chief chaūcelour / by whom was not only the kyng / but also the hole multitude so blinded / that boldly they durst crye No mischaunce shall come too vs we shall neither se pestilens nor hunger The kynge of Babylon shall neuer come againste thys lande Iere. 27 In the middest of these stormy trobles / no other comfort had the prophet / then to complayn to hys God / at whose commaundement he had spoken And in this his cōplaint he is so kyndled agaynst their Idolatrie / and great vnthankefulnes that he crieth / as in a raige O thou Lord of hostes Iere. ●0 the tryar of the iust thou that seith the reynes and the hart Let me se thy vengeaunce taken vpon thē for vnto the haue I referred my cause ▪ 〈◊〉 this prayer was most fearful to his enemyes / yf they had sene the effiaccie therof so by thesame was the prophet assured / that Goddes wrath was kyndled against that sinful natiō that it shoulde not turne backe / till he had performed the cogitations of his owne hart I appeale to the consciēce / of euery indifferēt mā / in what one point differeth the regiment manners / A cōparison betwene Englāde Iuda and estate of Englande this day frō the aboue rehearsed estate off Iuda in those dayes / except that they had a kynge / a man as apeareth of nature / more facied / nor cruell / who sometymes was entreated in the prophetes fauour / and also requyred hym of counsail in some daungers The quene stubburne against the truthe of gods vvord and hateful to the preachers of the same And you haue a Quene / a woman of a stoute stomack / more styffe in opynion / then flexible too the truthe / who in nowyse maye abyde the presens of Gods prophetes In this one thing you disagre in al other thinges so lyke as one nut is too another Their kyng led by pestilence priestes / who guides your quene / it is not vnknowē / Vnder such came Idolatrie to the highte agayne O wold to God / that the worse were not amōgst you / In Ierusalem was Ieremie persecuted / for speakinge the truthe / for rebuking their Idolatrie What pryson within London / tormenteth not some trew prophet of God The Idolatrous masse of late first erected in the tovver of London for the same causes And o thou doungeon off darkenes where that Idole of late dayes was fyrst erected thou Tower of London in the doth moo Ieremies then one suffer iniurye trouble / The B. of Canterb. D. Ridleye M. Latimer Bradforde Sandes Becon Veron c. Preachers and prisoners in the Tovver of London whome God shal comfort according to hys promyse / and reward their persecutors euen as they haue deserued / and in that daye shalt thou trymble / and suche as shal purpose to defende the / shal perishe with the / because thou waste fyrst defyled with that most abhominable Idol Consider deare brethern if all thinges / as appertayninge to iniquitie be a lyke betwixte Englande and Iuda / before the destruccion therof / yea / Yf Englande be worse then Iudea was in those dayes / seing God spared not them / shal we thinke that the Lordes vengeaunce shal slepe / mans iniquitie beyng so rype No deare brethren Iere. ix He that hath vnderstandinge muste know the contrary And he to whome the Lordes mouth hath spokē / must shew the causes / why the lande shal be waste It maye offende you / that I cal Englande worse / then was vnthankeful Iudea / but yf good and euident reasones aduised maye take place / then I feare not iudgement Wherein Iudea was better then England is now From Ierusalem / many passed at admonition of the prophetes / leauing all that they had / rather then they wolde abyde the daunger of Gods plagues that were threatned Goddes prophetes hath cryed but I heare not of many that prepareth to flye / God graunte they repent not In Ierusalem were princes / noble men who defended Ieremy and also that dyd absolue hym / when wrongfully he was accused by the priestes But howe many now of the nobilitie within Englande boldely speaketh in in the defence of Gods messinger is easy too be tolde Amongest them had Gods prophet lyberty / to speake in maintenaunce of his doctrine How such as seketh a tryal of their doctrine / hath bene and are entreated amongest you / it is hard of in straunge countries In Ierusalem was Abdemelech / why when the prophet was cast in prysō as worthy of death boldly past to the king / and defending the innocency of the innocent / obtayneth hys liberty / but in Englād I hear of none God stur some that dare be so bolde / as to put their handes betwixt the Lyons / and their praye / the poore sainctes of God / those cruell murtherers In Ierusalem / Ieremy beyng dampned to pryson / was fedde of the kynges charges / that when great hunger and scante of bread was in the hole citie In London where all plenty haboundes / are Gods messingers permitted to hunger Yea / O horrable to be harde and aunciente fathers / are so cruelly entreated / that lyke extremetye hath seldom bene vsed vpon theues and murtherers In this behalf do I not blame you beloued brethren for I assuredly know your hartes to mourn for the trobles of your brethren / and faythfull preachers and that you seke all meanes possible / how they maye be comforted releaued / but these thinges to th ende that you mayese / that more abhominacion / lesse fear of God / more in iust dealing / and lese shame more cruel persecucion against Gods messengers / and lesse mercy and gentlenes / is now amongst youre chief rulars within Englande / then in those dayes was in Iudea / and yet did not

wel For nothyng is more odious before God then Ipocrisie and dissimulaciō that is whan mā dothe aske of God a thinge / wherof he hathe no neade / or that he beleueth to attayne / by others then by God allone As if a man aske of God remission of his sinnes / thinkinge neuerthelesse to obtayne thesame by his owne workes / papistical pardōs / merytes of masses / or whatsoeuer other meanes / dothe mocke God / and in suche causes doth a greate number offende principally / the mighte and riche of the earth / who for a common confuetude custome / wil pray this parte of Godes prayer geue vs this day our dayly breade / Dayly bread that is a moderate and resonable sustentacion / yet theyr owne hartes will testefy that they neade not so to pray / seinge they abounde in al wordly solace and felicitie I meane not that riche men should not pray this parte of prayer / but I wolde they vnderstode / what they ougt to pray in it wherof we intende after to speake and that they asked nothinge wherof they felt not them selfs maruelous ind●gent and nedeful / for onelesse we cal in verite / he wil not graunte / without we speake with oure hole harte / we shall not finde him The fourthe rule / necessary to be folowed in prayer / is a sure hope to obtayn what we aske for nothing more offendeth God / then when we as●e doubtyng wether he wil graunte oure peticions / for in so doinge we doubt if G●d be true / if he be mighty and good Iaco. 1. Suche faythe Iames obtayne nothynge of God / and therfore Ihesus Christe commaundeth that we fyrmly beleue to obtayne whatsoeuer we aske / for al thinges is possible vnto hym that beleueth / and therfore in our prayrs alwayes is to be expellid desperacion Note wel I meane not that any mā in extreamite of troble / cā be without a present dolour / and without a greater feare of troble to folow Sporris stire vs to prayer Troble feare are the very spures to pray for when man compassid aboute with vehement calamyte / and vexid with continual solicitude / hauinge by healpe of man / no hope of deliueraunce with sore oppressed an punished harte / ferynge also greater punishement to folow frome the depe pyt of trybulacion / dothe cal to God / for comforte and supporte ¶ God deliuerith his chosen frome theyr enymyes THat prayer ascendith into goddes presence and retourneth not in vayne / as Dauid in the vehement persecucion of Saule / Psal 7. hunted and chased from euery hole / fearing that one day or other he shulde fal in to the hādes of his persecutors / after that he had complayned / that no place of rest was lefte for him vehemently / prayde sayinge / o Lorde which art my God / in whome I haue trusted / saue me frome al that persecute me / and delyuer me / let not th●s man meninge Kinge Saule deuoure my life as the liō doth his pray / seing their is no man to delyuer me / in the myddest of these āguishes / the goodnes of God sustainid hym / that the present tribulacion was tollerable / and the infallible promysis of God / so assured him of deliueraunce / that feare was partly nitegate and gone / as playnly apereth to suche as diligently marke the prosses of his prayer / for after longe meniss●nge and threateninge made to his enemye / he concludith with these wordes The dollor which he entēdith vnto me / shal fal vppon his own head / the violence wherwith he wolde haue oppressed me / shal cast doun his owne head / and I shal magnify the Lord / accordinge to his iustice / and shal prayse the name of the most higest A cōforte to the writer / being in aduersite This is not written for Dauid only / but for al suche as shal suffer tribulacion / to the ende of the worlde / for I the writer hereof let this be sayd to the lāde prayse of God alon in anguishe of mynde / vehemēt tribulaciō affliction called vnto the Lorde / when not only the vngodly / but euen my faytheful brother / yea and my owne selfe / that is / al natural vnderstandinge Iudge my cause to be irremydiceble yet in my greatest calamyte And whē my paynes wher most cruel / wold his eternal wisdome / that my hande shuld write farre contrary to the iudgemēte of carnal reason which his mercy hathe prouyd true / and therfore dare I be in the veryte of Godes worde to permit that not withstandinge / the vehemency of troble / the longe continuance therof / the desperacion of al men / the fearfulnes dolore / and anguishe of our own hartes / yet yf we cal constantly to God / that by expectacion of al men he shal delyuer Notewel Vvhere cōstant praier is this graūted the peticion Psal 41. Psal 119. Let no mā thinke him selfe vnworthy to cal and pray vnto God / because he hath greuously offendid God in tymes past / but let hym bryng to God a sorowful and repentynge harte / sayinge with Dauid / heale my soule o Lorde / for I haue offendid agaynst the / before I fel in mysery I transgressed / but now let me obserue thy commaūdementes To mitegate or ease the sorowes of our woūdid conscience / two playsters hath our most prudent phisition prouyd to geue vs / in corrage for to pray / notwithstanding the knowlege of offences committed / that is a precepte and a promyse / the precept or commaūdement to pray is vniuersal frequently inculeate and repetyd in Godes scripturs Mat. 7. Psal 49. Matt. 26. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tessa 5 Aske and it shal be geuen vnto you Cal vppon me in the day of thy tribulacion / watche and pray that ye fal not into temptacion I commaunde that euer ye make deprecacions / pray incessable and geue thankes in al thynge / which commaundement / who contemneth or dispiseth / doth e●●ally sinne with hym that doth steale For as this commaundement / thou shal not steale / is a precept negatyue / so thou shalt pray is commaūdement affirmatyne / and God requireth equal obedience of / and to al his commaūdementes yet more boldly wil I say whē necessite cōstraynth desireth / Notewel not supporte and helpe at God / doth prouoke his wrathe no lesse then suche as make falsse Gods / doo or openly deny God ¶ Who prayth not in tribulaciō denieth God FOr like as it is to know no phisicion or medicine / and in knowinge them refuse to vse and receyue the same / so not to cal vppon God in thy tribulacion is / lyke as thou not God / or els vtterly denye hym ¶ Not to pray is sinne most odious O Why ceasse we to cal instantly to his mercy / hauinge his commaūdement so to do aboue al our iniquities / we

suffer what inconueniēs may folow therupon by mans tyrāny O be not like to Esau / that solde and lost his byrthright for a mease of potage I am not preiudiciall too Gods mercies / as that suche as after shall repent / shall not fynd grace God forbidde / for here in am I most assuredly perswaded That in what so euer houre a synner shall repente / God shall not remēber one of hys iniquities / but albeit / his offences were as redde as Skarlette / they shall be made as whyte as snowe ze 18.33 And albeit in multitude they passed number / yet so shall they be blotted out / that none of thē shall appeare to the dānacion of the very repētant / for hys promises be infallible / Esai 1. that suche as truly beleue in Christ / shall neuer entre in to iudgement / for the bloud of Christe Iesus / Ioh. 3.5 purgeth them frō all synne / so that how farre the heauen is dystant from the earth / so farre doth he remoue the synnes from the penitēt But consider dearly beloued brethren 1. Ioh. 1. that these and lyke promisies are made to penitent sinners / dothe nothing apertaininge to prophaine parsons / Idolatours / The confutable promises of God are made to penitent sinners onely nor too fearfull shrinkers from the truthe / for feare of worldly troble And yf any alleage / God may cal them to repentaunce / how wicked that any man be I aunswere that I acknowlege / and doth censes Gods omnipotensye / to be so free / that he maye do what pleaseth hys wysedom / but yet is he not bounde to do / all that our fantesie requyreth Note And likewise I know that God is so louing and so kinde / to suche as feareth hym / that he will performe their willes and pleasures / although kynges princes had sworne to the contrary But herein stādeth the doubt whether that suche as for pleasure of men / or for auoydinge tempo all punishment / defyleth them selfes with Idolatrie Feareth God / and whether they with all their lyues / denyeth Christ by consentinge to Idolatrie / shal at the laste houre / be called to repentaunce No suche promese haue we within the scriptures of god but rather the exprest contrarie And therfore God is not to be tempted / but is too be harde / feared and obeyed When thus earnestly he calleth threatneth not withoute cause Apoc. 18. Passe from the middest of her / o my people saith the Lorde that you be not partakers of her plagues / and that is ment of that abhominable whore / and of her abhomination 3. Reg 18 1. Cor. 10 Math. 10 How long will you halte on bothe partes you maye not bothe be partakers of the cup of the Lorde / and of the cup of the deuel He that denieth me before men / I will denye hym before my father / he that refuseth not hym selfe / taketh vp hys crosse folow me / is not worthy of me No man putting his hande to the plough / lokinge backwarde is worthie of the kyngdome of God And Paule to the Hebrewes only meaneth of this synne / where he sayeth heb 6.10 who willinglye synneth after the knowledge of the trueth / cānot be renewed to repentaunce O deare brethren / remember the dignitie of your vocatiō / you haue folowed Christ / you haue proclaymed warre against Idolatrie / you haue laide hande vpō the trueth / and hath communicat at the Lordes table Will you now sodenlye slyde backe will ye refuse Christ his truth and make paccion with the dyuell with his deceauable doctrine Will ye treade the precious bloud of his testament vnder your fete / and set vp an Idoll before the people / whiche thinges assuredly you doo / as ofte as euer you present your bodies amongst Idolatours / before that blasphemous Idoll God the father of all mercies for Christ his sonnes sake preserue you from that sore temptation / whose dolours and daungers / very sorowe will not suffer me to expresse Alas brethren / it is to be feared / that if you fall once a slepe / you lye to long before you be wakened Note Yet some shall obiect / Peter the Denyar obteyned mercye A comparisō betvven Peter our dissembling gospelers To whome I aunswer particular examples / maketh no common law / neither yet is there any resemblance or lykelyhodde betwene the fall of Peter / and our daily Idolatrie Peter vpon a sodayn / without any former purpose / thus denyed Christe within the space of a houre or two We vpon determined purpose / and aduised mynde dayly deny Christ Peter had Christes assurance and promyse / that after hys deniall he should be conuerted We haue Christes threatninges / that if we denye we shal be denyed Peter in the bishops hall / and amongst wicked men of warre / committed hys offence for feare of lyfe We in oure citie and housholde / onely for the loose of the wicked Mammon / dothe no lesse Peter at the warninge of the Cocke / and at Christes looke / left that companye / that prouoked hys synne We after Christes admonitions yea / after gentle exhortations / and fearfull threatninges / will continew in the middest of Idolatours / and for their pleasures will crocke knele / as the deuel commaundeth / what lykelyhode is here / let euery mā iudge But much I wonder / that men that can espye so narow thiftes / as to hyde them selfes frome the presens of God / behynde a busshe with Adam their father / can not also espye that Iudas was an Apostle in presens of men / of no les auctoritie then Peter was / that Cayn was the fyrst borne in the world 1. Reg. 10 That Saule was the first anoynted king by Gods commaundement / and by his prophete / and that Achitophel was a man of moste singular wysedom / and yet none of these foūd place of repentāce 2. Reg. 16 Haue we any other assuraunces and particuler warrantes within the scriptures of God / then they had that all our lyfe we maye be in leage with the deuell / Note and then at oure pleasure that we maye laye hande vppon Christe / and clothe vs with hys iustice Ioel. 2. Rom. 10. 2. timo 2 Be not deceaued brethren for albeit moste / trewe it is / that who soo euer incalleth the name of the Lorde / shal be saued / Yet lyke trew it is / that whosoeuer incalleth the name of the Lorde / shall auoyde and esschewe all iniquitie / that whosoeuer contine with in open iniquitie / thesame man incalleth not the name of the Lord / neither hath God any respecte to hys prayer / Ioh. 9. Ioh. 38. The masse the deuels sacrament and seale and greater iniquitie was neuer from the beginninge of the worlde / then is contayned in that abhominable Idoll /

for hasty deliueraunce / but God who alone knoweth what is expediēt for vs. ¶ Flesh striueth agaynste the sprete Percecuciō of the fay●●ful Sometyme prolongeth the deliueraūce of hys chosen / and sometime permitteth them to drinke / before the maturite of age / the bitter cuppe of corporal death / that therby they may receyue medicine and care from all infirmite / but who doubtith / but Ihon the Baptiser / desired to haue sene more dayes of Iesus Christ / and to haue bene longer with hym in conuersacion 〈◊〉 7. Or that Steuen wolde not haue labored more dayes in preaching Christes gospell / whome neuerthelesse / both he suffered hastely to vnderlye the statute and generall sentence And albeit / we se therfore no apparant / helpe to oure selfe / nor yet to others afflicted / let vs not cease to call / thinkinge oure prayers to be in vayne / whatsoeuer become of oure bodies Cōforte to the afflictyd God shall geue vnspeakable comforte too the sprete / and shall turne all to our commodite / by our owne expectacion The cause I am so longe and tedious in this matter is / I knowe how harde the battaill is betwixt the fleshe the sprete ¶ Impedimentes cōmith of the weakenes off the fleshe SPrete vnder the heauy crocē of affliccion / where no worldely defence / but presence death doth appeare / I know the grudging and murmoringe complayntes of the fleshe / I know the anger wrathe indignacion / which it conceiueth agaynst God / calling all hys promises into doubte / beinge redy euery houre / vtterly to fall from hym Agaynst whiche all resteth in faith / prouoking vs to call instantly and to praye for assistaunce of Gods sprete Whereunto / yf we continew our moste desperat calamites / shall he turne to gladnes ioye and prosperous fyne ¶ To the o Lorde alone be prayse / for with experience I write this speake it is not too be permitted / where / for whome / and at what tyme we ought to praye PRiuate prayer / Priuate prayer Matt. 6. such as men secretly offer vnto God by them selfe / require no speciall place / althoughe that Iesus Christe commaūdeth / when we praye to enter in our chaumber / and to close the dore after vs / so to pray secretly vnto oure father / To enter in to thi chamber to pray whereby he wolde we shoulde chuse to our prayers suche place as might offer least occasion too call vs backe from prayer / and also that we shoulde expell forthe of our myndes in tyme of oure prayer all vayne cogitacions / for otherwyse Iesus Christ hym selfe doth obserue no special place of prayers / for we finde hym sometyme pray in mounte Oliuete / sometyme in the deserte / sometime in the temple Actū 10. Peter coueteth to praye vppon the toppe of the house / Paule prayeth in pryson / was harde of God / who also commaundeth men to pray in all places / Priuate places to praie in lifting vp vnto God pure and cleane handes / as we fynde that the Prophetes muste holy men did / wheresouer daunger or necessitie requyred ¶ Apoynted places too praye in / maye not be neglectd BVt publike cōmon prayers shuld be vsid in place apoynted / for assemblye of the cōgregacion / from whence / whosoeuer negligentlye extracte theym selfe is in nowyse excusable / I meane not that to absent frome that place is sinne / because it is more holy than another For the hole earthe created by God / is equal holy / but the promise made / that whersoeuer two or thre be gathered together in my name / there shall I be in the middes of them / condemneth all suche as contemneth the cōgregation / gathered in hys name / but marke wel gathered / I saye not to heare pyping / singing or playing / not to patter vpon beades or bokes / wherof they haue no vnderstanding / not to cōmit Idolatrie / honoring that for God / which is no God indede / for with such wil I neither ioyne my selfe in cōmon prayer / nor receyuing of the externall sacramentes / for in so doyng I should affirme their supersticion and abhominable Idolatrie / which I neuer wil do nor coūsail other to do to the ende ¶ What is to be gathered in the name of Christ THis cōgregacion / which I meane / should be gathered in the name of Iesus Christ / that is to laude magnefye God the father for the infinite benefites they had receiued by his onely sonne our Lord / in thys congregacion should be distributed the misticall and last supper of Iesus Christ / without supersticiō / or any more ceremonies then he hym selfe vsed / hys apostels after hym indistribution thereof / in thys congregacion should inquisiciō be takē of the poore among them / sufficient support whyle the tyme of their next conuenciō / shuld be prouided and distributed In this congregacion shoulde be made common prayers / suche as all men hearing might vnderstande that the hartes of all subscribing to the voyce of one / mighte with vnfayned ferfent mynde say Amē Whosoeuer do withdrawe them selfe from suche a congregacion / but allace where shall it be founde / do declare them selfes too be no members of Christes bodye ¶ For whome and at what tyme we shoulde praye FOr all men / 1. Tim. 2. Vvhen and for vvhome vve should praie at all times doth Paule commaund that we shall praye / principally for suche of the housholde of fayth / as suffer persecucion / and when cōmon wealths tyranniously we oppressed / then incessantly shoulde we call that God of hys infynite mercy and power woll withstande the violence of suche tyrauntes ¶ Gods sentence maye be chaunged ANd when we se the plagues of God / hūger / pestilence / or warre / commynge or apearing to raygne / then should we with lamentable voyces repēting hartes call vnto God / that it wolde please hys mercy to withdrawe his hādes / for with suche as do aleage / that God may not chaūge hys sentēce oure prayers / therefore to be in vayne / can I in no wyse agree / beynge otherwyse taughte in the scripture by hys infallable eternall veritie He sayeth I shall destroye this nacion frome the face of the earth / and when Moyses adressed to pray for thē the Lorde procedeth saying Suffer me that I may vtterly destroy them / and then Moyses falleth on hys face flatling / and fourtye dayes contineweth in prayer / for the saluation of the people / to whome at the laste obtayned forgeuenes Dauid in the vehement plague / lamentable calleth vnto God / the kynge of Niniue sayeth 2. King last who knoweth / yf God shal be conuerted and led backe by repentaunce Iona. 3. And be tourned from the furor of hys wrath / that we perish not / which examples