Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	great_a	matter_n	1,503	5	5.0062	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00284	The fortresse of fathers ernestlie defending the puritie of religion, and ceremonies, by the trew expositio[n] of certaine places of Scripture: against such as wold bring in an abuse of idol stouff, and of thinges indifferent, and do appoinct th'aucthority of princes and prelates larger then the trueth is. Translated out of Latine into English for there sakes that vnderstand no Latine by I.B.	I. B., fl. 1566.	1566 (1566)	STC 1040; ESTC S101361	39,585	76

of Images worshipping of breade and wyne prophanaciò of the Lordes Supper through the Masse praying to Sainctes prayng for the dead and infinit such other mōsters which Antechrist hath brought into the church of Christ there ar other thynges brought in by the same Antechrist whych are much contrarye to christian libertye obscure Christ encrease hypocrisie and bringe in pryde and swellyng into the church and yet in the meane whyle haue a certaine shew of profit comlines of this sort are the apointed fasting days choise of meates muche singynge in the church and such as is not vnderstanded organe playing and vse of church apparell in administracion of the Sacramentes Now what great incommodities and hurt haue crept into the church by meanes of euerye one of these and yet maye more crepe in except they be remoued I cannot at this present particularlye declare I haue here onely to entreat of the vse of apparell and to shew cause whie by no meanes it ought any lōgar to be borne with of a godlye Magistrate in a reformed church of Christ allthough many deuises muented by wyttie heddes may be alleged for some deffence thereof but we regard not wyttie heades but the Testimony of gods wyll Math. 15. First of all I conclude that euen these garmentes are vttarlye to be remoued from the church as a deuise of man by that ground and reason whych Christ and the Prophetes and Apostles vse in excluding or thrusting forth of the church as a pernicious thynge Colo. 2. all mens doctrines traditions or deuises Polidore virgil Li. 6. de inuent beareth wytnes thereof it is a manner taken from the Hebrews that preistly apparell wyth couering of Altars wyth other thinges necessarie for the vse of the Temple should be consecrated and the garmētes appoyncted ouar to the Preistes and others wythin orders who should put them on when they occupied them selues about holie thynges whych Pope Steuen the fyrst dyd first apoinct should be done amongst oure Chirch men for he sayth that in the begynning whan religion begane to spring Preistes were wont to put nothing more vppon them when they went to deuine seruice standing raither to decke them selues in wardlye wyth verteus of the mind and to cast awaye affections and vices of the bodye then to take on them new attire Now thus reason I and gather Yf they changed not theyr garment or apparell whan they went to gods seruice then they vsed none for theim that were admitted into the Mynisterie of the gospell Paule and Barnabas were contented wyth laying on handes Fasting and prayer Paul diligentlye prescribing to Timothie and Titus all the offices of A Bishop makith no mention of peculiar garmentes and other ceremonies and that the vse of apparell did not by and by goe ouer all Churchis it is euident enough by the decre of Celestine the fyrst Byshop of Rome whose wordes are these against such peculiar vesture of Bishopes We are to be discerned saith he from the common people or other in doctrine not apparell in conuersation not in habit in puritie of mind not in attire For yf we begine to geue our selues to nouelties wee shall contemne and cast awaye the order that the Fathers haue deliuered and lefte vs and shall make a place for superfluous supersticions wee must not therfore drawe the simple mindes of the faithfull to such thinges for they must rayther be instructed then begiled and mocked neither must we deceiue theire bodylie eyes but poure in preceptes into theire mindes Thus far he yet can we not denye but as men bend and inclyne to supersticion of them selues so some kynde of garmentes although verye simple and plaine had crepte into many Churchis before this mans dayes For Syluester no doubt gaue the occasion But Carolus called the great finished the matter as stories beare wittnes Now it is made manifest that the vse of peculiar apparell in the church or ecclesiasticall persones is a mere deuise and inuention of men and therfore to be reiected for this cause if there were no more They which wolde kepe thuse of this apparell in the Church as a thinge instituted of God refer the same to Aarons preysthoode but they litle for see what they say For we knowe by the scriptures that Christ is not a Priest after the order of Aaron but of Melchisedech that Aarōs pristhood was extinguished and toke ende in Christe with all the parts therof among the which we recken also the apparell Therfore Christ the veric wisdome of the father vsed no new or peculiar kynd of apparell in holie ministerye neyther appoincted any other to be vsed For that the figuratiue priesthod as a shadowe was perfited and ended in Christ the one and onelye Priest All they therfore that call agayne Aarons apparell into the Chirch dishonor Christes priesthod as though beynge the lyght it self he nedid shadowes neither wyll that excuse serue to say that all Aarons priesthod is not called into vse agayne but some parte therof onelye but he that receyuith a parte doeth not reiect the wholle But all Aarons priesthode being a figure and shadowe is no doubt to be reiected for that it is abrogated and as many as do restore againe those thynges that the auctorytie of gods worde hathe destroyed and abrogated are transgressers of gods lawe Paule therfore well teachith that the bond mayde is to be cast forth hir Sonne singnifiyng that all the bondage of the lawe is to be reiected after the lyght of the gospell is spronge forth and risen and he wyllith vs not to suffer our selues to be remoued from our libertye in Christ now it is to playne that the doctrine and commaandementes of whatsoeuer kynd of apparell peculiar in gods mynisterye is a trāsgression of gods lawes For because Aarōs priesthode is called in to vse agayne If any man by occasion of the first argument deny that the garmentes are a portion of Aarons priesthoode and say that they were by a certaine libertye brought in of the Byshopes of Rome to adorne and set forth priestlye ordar yet saith he not enough why they may be law fully retained we knowe that the Pope of Rome is very Antechriste him selfe wherfore his priesthode also is Antichristian wherby Christes priesthod wholie is foyled and vtterlie troden vndar fote But forasmuch as the chiefest part of the priesthod of the Pope consistith in Ceremonies Anointing shauing Miters and garmētes for with owt these they accoumpt no man Byshoppe and they coumpthym Byshop whatsoeuar he be otherwyse that is set oute with these thinges yt followith that yf we condemne the popish priesthod for that it is Antchristian wee ought to auoid all the partes and notes therof also For how can A godlie and Christian hart loue the marke of the blasphemus popish priesthode Where with Christes pristhood is so greatlie contaminate and defiled he therfore that hateth Antechrist pristhod must hate also all the notes and markes therof Againe

receaue and embrace them These men surely if they be elect shall at the length be confirmed all though all the world offend them and no man edifle them But woe in the meane time vnto them by whome they ar offended Wherfore as sone as trew godlines hath ben preached and professed of manny Antechristes ceremonies and rites must by and by be abrogated neither must delay be made till godlines be in all poinctes growen vp to perfectiō els shold that trash neuer be abolished and remoued These myld and toe toe moderate and sober Christians who can beare all Antechristian thinges in verie deede like vnto them at Corinth who knowing that an Idoll was nothing did eate thinges offered vnto Idolles and boasted as these our men do in outward matters we ar free what is that to me that another abuseth the se thinges naughtely I will vse them well For as those weakened the faith of many both in that they lesse abhorred Idolles through there exāple also in that they for the most part cōmunicated with thē against there cōsciēces so no doubt do these oure lukewarme gospellers nowe adaies VVhat is Antechrists ceremonies They know right wel that all Antechristes ceremonies that is to say all such haue ben brought in withowt gods word are not worth a rush And because they ar owtward things wherin we haue liberty they will vse them as frely forsoth not waighing that many things ar lawful which ar not expedient and that oure libertie must serue either whome they in the meane time offend or obscure the glorie of Christ For they confirme those in there error which as yet knowe not that these thinges ar free and at liberty As for the defenders therof the professed ennemies of Christ they make them glad and bo●d They shut Christ owte of Dores that beare with ceremonies and finally they weaken the febles faith which had forsaken and cast them awaie Thus on God his name they prouide fairly for the weak ones yea rather they serue herin there owne bellies in that they studie to gratifie either Christes ennemies or els backsliders For no man other then these vvill earnestly contende for superstitious ceremonies This is there modestie or bearing where with they ar so farre from helping the gospel or encreasing hit that by little they displace hit Surely vve haue to thanck these men that at this day all thing is gone hack vvard and turned vpside dovvne in many places vvhere the gospell hath ben long time preached wheras no example can be brought of like alteracion in those places where Christ being earnestly and purely preached ceremonies also ben reformed according to the rule of his word For as for those thinges which haue disordredly or confusely happened Christ either not at all or not sincerely preached they appertaing nothing to vs. For asmuch therefore as Christ so sore detesteth offences and crieth woe vnto the world by meanes of offences wo vnto the man by whome offence commeth we must with all diligence take hede both in these and other thinges that we be offensiue to no man but especially to the littel ones those I meane not that ar in in age only such but in faith and vnderstanding also The perfect knowledge of God and Christ is lyff euerlasting whatsoeuer therefore may be any meanes either hindre or obscure hit let hit neither be spoken ne yet don of vs but to the vttermost of oure powers let vs remoue those things away Then let vs prouoke them both by exhortations and examples that men will expresse those thinges in there lyff geuing no place herin either to oure oune affections or other mens seing that it is better to be drowned in the sea then to giue offence c. ¶ Peter Martyr vvriting vpon the. 13 chapiter of Sainct Paul to the Romaines on these vvordes let euerie sovvle be subiect vnto povvers that ar set in high auctoritie IF as we haue concluded they ar to be reproued that rendre euell for euel and it is thoffice of Christian men to shew thoffice of charitie vnto them that haue deserued euel of us they ar doubtles greatly to be reproued which for good deedes restore euell deedes and shewe not vnto men that haue ben frendly vnto them as the Magistrates be honor and obedienee Because thapostel is about to entreate diligently and largly of this matter that we may vnderstand the better what his meaning is we will define what is a Magistrate A Magistrate is a chosen person and that of God that he shold defend the lawes and peace and represse and hold downe vices and all thinges that ar euel with ponishmentes and his sword The efficient cause is God Th ende is the keping of the lawes and of peaces and driuyng away of vices and all hurtful thinges and thencrease of vertues Th formal cause is the ordre that he apoincteth by the prouidence of God in matters that apperatine vnto men or in wordly matters The materiall cause is a mā or a person for who soeuer is chosen to be a Magistrate he is one chosen owt of Men. The right way and compendious manner of theachings is almost general First it is ordained that all men shal be vnder the power of the Magistrate And afterward that is proued of the cause efficient that all such powers ar of God And after hit is proued by the cōtrary that they that despice the cheeff Ruler ar ennemies to God and that to there harme And furthermore the same thing is proued by th ende or finall cause that the Ruler is made for our greate profit commoditie ¶ And vppon thesame chapiter in the 604 page and xii line he vvriteth of the same chieff Rulers thus But these Ecclesiasticall Papists will say that the kinges thē selues and the common powers haue giuen ouer of there owne righte and haue willed that clarkes shold be exempted But vve ought not to loke vvhat Princes haue done in these matters but vvhat they ought to haue done For it lieth not in there power to put downe the lawes of God wherfore if this godly cōmaundemente of Paull will that euery sowle shold be subiect to the higher power in any case men must nedes obey hit For those thinges that God hathe ordained decreed cannot be called back againe by mans auctority Howe be it these wordes ar to be restrained and drawē together that we may vnderstād that we ar subiect vnto the Magistrate no further then belongeth vnto his vocation and office but if he wold go beyond those bondes and commaund any thing that is cōtrary to godlines or the lawe of God we ought rather to obey God then men Also vppon the same chapiter on these vvordes Quae sunt potestates a Deo ordinatae sunt Those povvers that ar ar ordained of God c he vvriteth thus THe matter nowe will not suffer vs to couer with silēce howe that Bonifacius in his extrauagāt which beginneth vnāsanctam