Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	catholic_a	church_n	faith_n	1,730	5	5.6193	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14430	The golden treatise of the auncient and learned father Vincentius Lirinensis. For the antiquitie, and vniuersalitie, of the Catholicke religion: against the prophane nouelties of all heresies: newly translated into English by A.P. Verie profitable for all such as desire in these dangerous times, to imbrace the true Gospell of Iesus Christ, and to remaine free from all infectio[n] of false doctrine as in the preface more at large is declared; Pro catholicae fidei antiquitate libellus. English	Vincent, of Lérins, Saint, d. ca. 450.; A. P., fl. 1596.	1596 (1596)	STC 24748; ESTC S119131	43,517	126

the iudgement and opinions of holy Fathers were gathered togither that according to thē by the decree and authority of a Councell the rule of faith might be set down which to the end that I may more commodiously do I will here make an end of this commonitorie and so take a nother beginning for declaring of those thinges which do folow and ensew A RECAPITVLATION of all that hath bene said in the former two bookes WHICH being so it is now time that in the ende of this second booke we recapitulate touch in few wordes the Summe of all that which in these two commonitorie bookes hath bene spoken We saied in the premisses that this alwaies hath bene and at this day is the custome of Catholickes to try and examine true faith two manner of waies First by the authoritie of the deuine scripture secondly by the tradition of the Catholicke Church not because the Canonicall scripture is not of it selfe sufficient for all thinges but because verie many expounding Gods word at there owne pleasure doe thereby bring forth and hatch vp diuers opiniōs errors And for that cause it is necessarie that the interpretatiō of the diuine scripture be directed according to the one onely rule of the Churches vnderstāding especially in those questiōs vpon which the foundatiō of the whole Catholicke religion doth depēd Likewise we said that in the Church we had to consider the consent both of vniuersalitie and antiquitie so that we be neither caried a way from sound vnitie to schisme nor yet cast headlong frō antiquitie of religion into the daungerous gulfe of hereticall nouelties We said also that in antiquity we had diligently to obserue and seriously to consider two thinges vnto which all those that will not bee heretickes must of necessitie stand The first is that which hath in oulde time bene determined by all the bishopes of the Catholicke Church by authority of a generall Councell The second is that if any new question did arise in which the determination of a Councell were not to be found that then we ought to haue recourse to the sayings of the holy fathers but yet of these only who in theire time and place were probable maisters being such as liued and died in the vnitie of the communion and faith And whatsoeuer we knew that they beleeued taught with one mind and consente to iudge and take that without all scruple to be the true and Catholicke Religion of the Church And least any man might think that we saied this rather of presumption thē of any authoritie of the Church we gaue an example of the holy Councell holden almost three yeeres sithence at Ephesus a Citie in Asia in the time of the right honorable Councels Bassus Antiochus in which disputation was had of constituting and setting downe rules of faith and least there might by chance some prophane Noueltie creep in as happened at that persidious meeting in Ariminum this was reputed and thought the most Catholicke holy best course to be taken by the iudgement of all the Bishops there present which were almost two hundred in number that the opinions of these Fathers should be brought forth of whō it was certaine that some of them had bene Martirs diuerse Confessors and all to haue liued and died Catholicke Preists that by their authoritie consent and verdict the old religion might be rightlie and solemnely confirmed and blasphemous prophane nouelties condemned which being so done worthely and iustlie Nestorius was iudged to haue taught contrary to the old Catholicke religiō and blessed Cirill to haue maintained holy and sacred antiquitie And to the end nothing might be wanting which procureth credite we put downe also the names and number of these Fathers although not remēbring their order according to whose consent and vniforme doctrine both the textes of holy scripture were expounded and the rule of Gods word established Neither will it here be superfluous for memory sake to repeate them all once againe These then bee the names of them whose workes were cited in that Councell either as iudges or else as witnesses S. Peter Bishop of Alexandria a most excellent Doctor and blessed Martir S. Athanasius Bishope of the same sea a most faithfull teacher and famous Confessor S. Theophilus Bishope also of the same Citie a notable man for faith life and learning next after whom succeded venerable Cirill who at this present doth honour the Church of Alexandria And that no man happelie should suspecte that this was the doctrine of one Citie or of one Prouince to the former there were adioined those two lightes of Caperdocia Saint Gregory Bishoppe and Confessor of Nazianzene Saint Basill Bishope and Confessor of Cesurea also another Saint Gregory Nissen worthy for his merite of faith conuersation integritie and wisdome of such a brother as Basill was And for proofe that not onely the greeke and Easte Church but also the Latin and Weast were alwaies of the same opinion the letters of Saint Felix Martir and Saint Iulie both Bishops of Rome which they wrote vnto certaine men were there read And that not onely the head of the world but also the other partes should giue testimonie in that iudgement From the South they had blessed S. Ciprian from the North S. Ambrose Bishop of Millan These then be the holy Fathers agreeing with that sacred number of the tenne Commaundements which were alleadged in the Councell of Ephesus as Masters Councellors Witnesses and Iudges whose doctrine the blessed Synod holding following whose counsaile beleeuinge whose testimonie obeyinge whose iudgement without spite without presumption and without fauour pronounced gaue sentence concerning the rules of faith And albeit a farre greater number of Fathers might haue bene set downe yet was it not necessarie because it was not requisite that time should be spent with multitude of witnesses and further no man doubted but that those tenne did litle differ in opinion from all the rest of their fellow Bishopes After all this we sett downe the worthie sentence of Cirill which is to be found in the Ecclesiasticall actes of that Councell For when the epistle of S. Capreolus Bishop of Carthage was reade who intended nothing else nothing else desired but that noueltie might be ouer throwen antiquitie defended Bishope Cirill spake and gaue his definition in this sort for I haue thought good not to omitt it here these then be his wordes in the end of the actes of that Coūcell And this epistle quoth he of the venerable and religious man Capreolus Bishope of Carthage shall be adioyned to the faith of the Councels actes whose opinion is plaine and perspicuous for he desireth that the dostrine of the olde faith may be confirmed and new opinions superfluously inuented impiously spread a brode may be reproued and condemned To which all the Bishopes with one cōsent cried out This we spake all this we teach all this we desire all what I beseech you saied they all

of such a one perceaue to be brought in of some one man beside or contrarie to the olde Saintes and Doctors lett him know that not to pertaine to religion but rather to tentation for his proofe and triall especially being instructed with the saving of the Apostle Sainte Paule for this is that which he writeth in his first epistle to the Corinthians There must quoth he be heresies also that they which are approued may be made manifest amōgest you As thogh he should say This is the cause why the authors of heresies are not straight rooted out by God that the prooued may bee made manifest that is euery one may appeare how stedfastly faithfully and constantly he loueth the Catholicke faith And certaine it is that straight vpon the springing vp of any Noueltie the waightie corne is discerned from the light chaffe then is that easelie shaken out of the floare which before lightly remained in the floare for some by and by leape away others only shaken are afraid to perish and ashamed to returne remaining wounded halfe dead half aliue like vnto those which haue druncke so much poison as neither killeth nor digesteth neither bringeth death nor yet permitteth to liue Alas the miserable state of such persons with what seas of cares with what stormes are they tossed for some time as the winde driueth them they are caried away headlong into error an other time coming again to thē selues they are shaken beatē like contrary waues striuing togither somtime with rash presumption they allow such thinges as seeme vncertaine an other time of pusillanimitie they feare those thinges which are certaine doubtfull which way to take which way to returne what to desire what to auoide what to holde what to let go which miserie affliction of a wauering harte and not setled were they wise is the salue of Gods mercie towardes them For this is the reason why being out of the safe porte of the Catholike faith they are shaken tossed and almost killed with stormes and troubles to the end they should strike downe the sailes of their proud mind which they nough tely hoised vp to the windes of nouelties so retire keepe thēselues with in the most sure port of their calme and good mother first cast vp those bitter turbulēt waters of errors that afterward they may drinke of the flowing riuers of liuelie runing water Let them learne to forget well which well they haue not learned and those articles which the Church teacheth and by reason are to be attained to let thē in Gods name comprehend and those which surpasse reason let them by faith beleeue CHAP. XII VVHICH being so oftē times calling to minde and remembring the selfe same thing I cannot sufficiently maruell at the great madnes of some men at so great impietie of a blinded harte to conclude at so greate a licentious desire to error that they be not content with the rule of faith once deliuered vs and receiued from our auncestors but do euery day search and seeke for new doctrine euer desirous to add to change and to take a way som thing from religiō as though that were not the doctrine of God which was once sufficiently reuealed but rather mans institutiō which cannot but by continuall correction or rather corruption come to perfection Whereas the diuine scriptures crye out Do not translate the boundes which thy fathers haue set downe and Do not iudge ouer thy iudge And the Serpent will bite him that cutteth the hedge And that saying of the appostles by which all wicked nouelties of all heritickes haue often bene cut in peces as it were with a spiritual sworde and alwaies hereafter are O Timothie keepe the depositum auoiding the prophane nouelties of voices and oppositions of falsly called knowledge which certaine promisinge haue erred about the faith And yet for all this some there be so shameles so impudent so obstinate which will not yelde to such force of diuine scripture which be not moued with such waight of reason nor yet shaken with such heauenly hāmers to conclude which be not beaten in peeces with such celestiall lightning Auoide quoth he the prophane nouelties of voices He saieth not auoide antiquities he saieth not auoid auncientnes nay rather sheweth what contrariwise should folow For if nouelty is to be auoided antiquitie is to be retained if nouelty be prophane antiquitie is sacred oppositiōs quoth he of falsly called knowledge Verily the name of knowledge in the schooles of Hereticks is false where ignorance is called knowledge mist reputed cleerenes darknes termed by the name of light Which certaine quoth he promising haue erred about the faith What promised they when they erred about the faith What else but I know not what new and vnknowen doctrine For you may heare some of them say O ye vnwise and seelie soules which commonly are called Catholickes come and learne the true faith which no creature vnderstādeth besides vs which hath bene hidden many hundred of yeeres past but of late hath bene reuealed and laid open but learne it priuily learne it secretly for it will delight you And againe when you haue learned it teach it secretly that the world may not vnderstand it that the Church may not know it for it is graunted to fewe to vnderstand the secret of so great a misterie Are not these thincke you the wordes of that harlot which in the Prouerbes of Salomon calleth vnto her the passengers Who is quoth she most Prou. 9 foole amōgest you let him turne vnto me And such as be of small iudgement she exhorteth saying Touch willingly secrete bread and drinke sweet water priuily What foloweth But he knoweth not quoth he how in her company earthly men do perish who be these earthly men Let the Apostle declare Those quoth he which haue erred about the faith But it is worth the labour more diligently to examine the Apostle his whole Chapter O Timothie quoth he keepe the depositū auoiding prophane nouelties of voices This exclamation O both sheweth foresight and also argueth charitie for he foresawe certaine errors which before hand he was sory for who at this day hath the place of Timothie but either the whole Church or especially the wholle body of Prelates who ought them selues to haue the wholle knowledge of diuine religion and also to instruct others what is ment by keepe the depositum Keepe it quoth hee for feare of theeues for daunger of enemies least when men be a sleepe they ouer-sow cockell amongest the wheat which the sonne of man hath sowed in his feild Keepe quoth he the depositum What is mēt by this depositum that is that which is An excelent exposition of S. Paules wordes committed to thee not that which is inuented of thee that which thou hast receaued not that which thou hast deuised a thing not of witt but of learning not of priuate vsurpation but of publicke tradition a thing brought to thee

what desired they all surely nothing else but that which was of olde time deliuered might be still retained and that which was newlie inuented might speedelie be reiected After all which we maruailed at and highly commended the greate humilitie and holines of that Councell in which were so many Bishopes the greater part of whom were almost Metropolitanes of such eruditiō of such learning that they were almost all sufficient to haue disputed of matters of faith Which greate assemblie and meeting together although it might in some mans opinion haue imboldened them to presume and determine somwhat of thēselues yet they deliuered nothing presumed nothing arrogated nothing to themselues but before all thinges they were very carefull not to leaue any thing to posteritie which before they had not receiued of their forefathers not thinking it sufficient to dispose well of the businesse then present but also to leaue an example to their posteritie how they in like manner should reuerence the religion of sacred antiquitie and vtterly condemne the inuentions of prophane noueltie We inuaighed also against the wicked presumption of Nestorius who boasted that he was the first and the only man which vnderstood the scriptures and that all others which before his daies preached and taught all that interpreted and expounded the word of God were ignorant and vnskilfull that is all Preistes all Confessors and Martirs of whom some had expoūded Gods lawe others allowed and beleeued them To conclude he maintained that the Church both now did erre and alwaies had erred because as he thought it had and did folow vnlearned and erronious Doctors All which albeit they were abundantly sufficient for the ouerturning extinguishing of all prophane nouelties Yet least that ought shold in such plētie of proofes be wanting we added for a conclusion a doble authoritie of the Sea Apostolique the one of holy Pope Xistus which venerable father nowe honoureth the Church of Rome the other of Pope Celestinus of blessed memorie his predicessor which I haue thought good also here to sett downe Pope Xistus then in his epistle which he wrot to the Bishope of Antioch towching the cause of Nestorius saieth thus Therfore quoth he because as the Apostle saieth the faith is one which euidently hath obtained to be so called let vs beleeue and such thinges as are to bee holden lett vs beleeue Afterward he prosecuteth and explicateth what those thinges be which are to be beleeued what they be which are to be kept saying thus Nothing quoth he is further lawefull for Noueltie because it is cōuenient that nothing be added to Antiquitie The faith beleefe of our forefathers is cleare perspicuous let it not be troubled or defiled with any permixtion of filthie mire Apostolically spoken in commendation of our forefathers faith to compare it to light and perspicuitie and in likening nouell prophanes to the admixtion of filth and mire Pope Celestinus likewise is of the same opinion for in his epistle which he sent to the Preistes of France wherin he reprehendeth their dissimulation in that they left by their silence the old faith destitute and suffered prophane Nouelties to spring vp thus he writeth Worthelie quoth hee the cause doth touch vs if with silence we foster errour therfore let such men be corrected let them haue no libertie to speake at their pleasure Some happely doubteth who they be whom he forbiddeth to haue their libertie in speaking whether the preachers of antiquitie or the inuentors of nouelties Let him speake and discharge the Reader of this doubt for it foloweth Let nouelty cease of quoth he if the matter be so that is if that be true which diuers accuse vnto me your Cities Prouinces that through your pernitious dissimulation you cause thē to yeeld vnto certaine new doctrine Therfore quoth he if the matter be so let noueltie cease of to prouoke Antiquity This then was the blessed opiniō of holy Celestinus not that antiquity should cease to ouerthrow Noueltie but rather that Noueltie should giue ouer to prouoke antiquitie Which Apostolicke and Catholicke decrees whosoeuer resisteth first of necessitie he must proudly contemne the memorie of S. Celestinus who defined that noueltie should giue ouer to prouoke antiquitie Againe he mustiest scoffe at the decree of holy Xistus whose iudgemēt is that nothing is lawfull for noueltie because it is not conuenient that ought be added to antiquitie Againe he must contemne the determinatiō of blessed Cirill who highlie commended the zeale of venerable Capreolus in that he desired that the old articles of faith should be confirmed new inuētions vtterly condemned Likewise he must reiect the Councell of Ephesus that is the iudgement almost of all the holy Bishopes of the East who inspired by God would not decree that posteritie should beleeue ought but that which the sacred antiquitie of our forefathers agreeing togither in Christ had holden beleeued who with their vniforme allowing acclamation testified that they all decreed all wished all gaue iudgemēt that is all heretickes almost before Nestorius contemning antiquitie and defending Noueltie were condēned So likewise Nestorius him selfe the author of noueltie and impugner of antiquitie should bee condemned Whose sacred consent and agreement proceding frō Gods goodnes if any dislike what remaineth but that he maintaine that Nestorius prophane opinion was vniustly condemned Finally hee must also sett light by and contemne the vniuersall Church of Christ and her masters the Apostles and Prophetes and especially the Apostle S. PAVL as dreggs drosse The vniuersal Church beecause shee hath alwaies religiously kepte and maintained that faith which was once deliuered S. PAVL because he hath written thus O Timothy keepe the depositum auoiding prophane Nouelties of voices And againe Yf any preach vnto you otherwise then you haue receiued bee he accursed And if neither the Apostle his definition nor the Ecclesiasticall canōs ought to be violated by which according to the sacred consent of vniuersalitie and antiquitie alwaies all heretickes and lastlie Pelagius Celestius and Nestorius were iustly and worthelie condemned surelie necessarie it is that hereafter all Catholickes which desire to shew thēselues true childrē of their mother the church doe cleaue ioine and sticke vnto the holy faith of their holy Fathers detesting and abhorring pursueing prosecuting the prophane nouelties of all prophane misereantes This almost is the summe of that which in these two commonitorie bookes we haue more amplie discoursed of now after the maner of recapitulatiō in fewer words gathered togither that my memorie for helpinge whereof I haue wrote this Treatise may both with dailye admonition be repaired and yet not ouerlaid with fastidious prolixitie