Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	civil_a	ecclesiastical_a	2,893	5	8.1068	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08448	A tragoedie or dialoge of the vniuste vsurped primacie of the Bishop of Rome, and of all the iust abolishyng of the same, made by master Barnardine Ochine an Italian, [and] translated out of Latine into Englishe by Master Iohn Ponet Doctor of Diuinitie, neuer printed before in any language	Ochino, Bernardino, 1487-1564.; Ponet, John, 1516?-1556.	1549 (1549)	STC 18770; ESTC S113413	128,091	218

honour before manne or for thobteynyng of riches or imperiousely to vse the seruice of hys subiectes neyther to seke for any priuate commoditie but to serue other and to ●eke for the profyt of other The power therefore and thegreatnes of the ministers of Christe is alltogether spiritual and standeth wholly in the seruice and gouernaunce of soules helthe But y e bishop of Rome seketh for no other thing thē to be estemed greate before the worlde that he maye bee worshipped in earthe as it were a god and haue lybertie to vse tyranny ouer all churches to spoyle and destroy them at his pleasure Yf the church of Christ wer now as in times paste it was ordeyned to be he shoulde be thought greater then all the reste who is indued with more lyght from aboue and hath receaued more gyftes and benefites of Goddes hand and this worthynes of hys woulde he onelye vse in settynge forthe of the gospell whereby he might wynne as many soules as myght bee to Christ. So that be it that Christe had geuen the power of the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to Peter onely and by him to you that be byshoppes of Rome which thinge is not trewe what other power or authoritie shoulde you haue therby I pray you then to preach the gospell then to be witnesses that synnes bee pardoned to them that beleue and retayned to thē that beleue not then to administer the Sacraments accordynge to Christes institucion thē to exhorte to admonysh to correcte with gentlenes and loue such as be prone to synne then to excommunicat whiche is the chiefe matter of all suche as bee open notoriouse synners when they amend not after monicion geuen accordinge to the doctrine of Christe and wyll not obeye the church Thus farre extendeth your power and authoritie geuen by Christe and no further except ye will confound the boundes and thorder of the power ciuile and the power ecclesiastical Mas. This confusion shoulde not our byshoppe in any wise suffer and that for two causes The fyrste because he will haue all hys power estemed of men to be spirituall and heauenlye al though he ouer run the whole worlde with his vnbrydled tyranny The latter because if he woulde saye that thecclesiasticall power might be mingled and confoūded with power ciuile he might be afrayed leste haply the Emperor should chalenge thē both so be made both Emperor and Pope I remembre that I haue hearde tel howe Christe was desiered of a fellowe to make deuision of inheritaunce betwene him and hys brother vnto whome Christe made aunswere who made me your iudge Who gaue me authority to deuide thinheritaunce betwene you As thoughe he had sayed I came not neither am I sent of my heauenly father that I should chaleng to me any political power but spiritual onely I come to preach vnto you the whole spiritual kyngdome to bring you to that highnes of mynde that ye shoulde leaue not onelye the worlde but your selfe also for the glory of god and not to be an arbitrer or iudge of your stryfes Yf therfore our Byshoppe were Pope neuer so much as he striueth to be and Christes vicar in earthe it is very trewe that he hath no more power or authoritie gyuen hym by Christ then had Christe himselfe And therfore whensoeuer there shoulde be any ciuile matters brought before him in iudgement he should make aunswere with Christe who made me youre iudge or elles who gaue me authoritie to deuide or put together to absolue or condempne by a ciuile fashiō of iudgement Thys power must come some other waies it ē by Christ. But I feare me muche leste oure popes shall by thys their newe authority bee so much occupied in worldly businesses y t they shal haue no space or time to thinke any whit of God And more ouer so much shal theyr tyranny increase y t they shall wyllynglye desire and drawe to themselues and to their iudgemente seates all maner of controuersies not to make an ende of them but to inuolue them and make them more doubtfull by the meanes whereof the sewtes indure the longer And furthermore whē they be once made dronke with the bloud of martyrs they wyll sow deadly discorde and continuall conten●ion amongest christian princes and wyll bee the authors almoste of all warres whiche shall continue for manye yeres For it is not possyble that common welthes should be quyet where they shall haue rule But I pray you tell me in good earnest brought the embassador any other authoritie of scripture agaynst the Popeshyppe Lepi He brought amōgest other as farre as I remēber thautorite of Sayncte Paule who wrote to the Galathians that Peter was the Apostle of the Iues euen as Paule was of the Gentiles Wherefore he was neither the Apostle sayed he neither the Pope of Rome neither anye of other nacions but of the Iewes onely Neither was he vniuersall Byshoppe of all christendome neither you that be the byshops of Rome be the successors of Peter because ye be not the Apostles nor bishops of the Iewes But Paule shoulde rather haue bene Pope of the gentiles and so much y ● more aboue Peter bicause that y e gētiles of whom Paule was the Apostle were moe in numbre then were the Iewes and moe of the Gentiles were conuerted to Christe then of the Iewes And Paule preached also in sūdry places of the world brought forthe the fruite of the gospell more plentifully then dyd Peter wherfore he was an Apostle more vniuersall and more profitable also to the churche of Christ. And Paule more ouer addeth thys thyng in the same place that he had no lesse grace beinge the Apostle of the Gentiles then Peter had being the Apostle of the Iewes Then was not Peter a greater Apostle then Paule was And so consequentlye doethe it folowe that he not hys head yea and Paule doeth playnlye call hym in speciall wordes felowe euen as he dyd bothe Iames and Iohn And Peter also wrytynge to the pastors of other churches commaundeth them not imperiouslye as though he were their superior but exhorteth them gently as hys felowes callynge Christe and not hym selfe the chiefe Pastor And furthermore when he was rebuked of Paule he sayed not that he was aboue all lawes and coulde not erre because he was Pope but gaue place to Paule when he was checked of hym openlye And also when he was sent by the apostles in to Samaria he withstod them not He sayed not it is my office to commaunde I haue authoritie to send whom I will or els to goe my wayes yf it please me for I am youre head But he obeyed their commaundementes as a membre of the churche of Christ. And when thimbassador would haue folowed hys matter that he intended more at large and haue brought moe places of scripture for the vtter subuercion of all the popship Then master Falsidicus thinkyng hymselfe not well handled with thimbassadors manyfolde and

tyranny shall brynge with it Yf all the tyrantes whiche euer haue bene were ioyned together they al neuer dyd so much mischiefe to the world as this one is like to doe I see plainly that thys matter is a thyng most pernicious and hurtful wherof I ought neyther to thynke nor speake but onely to put away so great a myschiefe from christian mens neckes Yet because I haue made promyse I wyll see what the Emperour wyll saye to it and will talke earnestly with hym of the matter forasmuche as this ambiciouse bragger did declare plainly that he woulde see me well rewarded if I woulde doe that lay in me to helpe the matter forwarde Besides this because he is named to be our countremā one of the Romans I am bownde to promote hys sute and purpose And who knoweth what he wyll doe shortely after for my sake if he obteyne this dignitie by my procurement Truly it is not lyke that he wil forget so great a benefit receaued at my hand And bee it that there arise contencion amongest the byshoppes what is that to me Naye the more they stryue amongest themselues the more shal they nede themperors helpe with whome I am chief and so my vantage shal be the fatter Therfore will I bring this thinge about and that with as muche celeritie and spede as is possible Bon● Sence I disclosed my mynde to Doctor Sapiens I haue been wonderfully troubled And who knoweth whether he will in so weighty a matter as this is kepe counsell or not accordinge to hys promes He hathe a number of frendes whome he wil put in trust with some of my matters And what if he opē somewhat of my wyl in declaring the matter to the Emperor but beit that he doe none of all these thinges yet can it not be but that Cesars maiesty of him self as he is replenished with wisdome excedingly practised in suche kynde of feactes shal by and by suspecte that this arrowe came out of my quiuer and that the matter was altogether of my diuisinge and so my crafte shal be espied and I put to shame Furthermore if it so chaunce that he obteyne not my sute at the Emperors hand what haue I then els done but disclosed vnto hym my botomles ambicion to no purpose But if he obteyne as I pray god he maye all men will say with one accorde that I haue brought it to passe with muche labor industry and so shall the thing be lefte in writinge to the posteritie And so shal I be both to menne of this present age and to thē which shal be in time to come a lawghing stocke and a iestyng stole All men good and euell will haue theyr eyes set vpon me and as it were poynt me out with theyr finger I shal be hāpered in a thousand snares And o●●e thinge is greatest mischief of all I alone shal be the first beginner and the chiefe original of all thabominations which my successors shall cōmytte in al the whole world by the reason of thys tyranny But why trouble I my selfe any longer with a rablement of reasons The die is caste happe what happe will and I canne not sauinge myne honour drawe backe agayne from my purpose therefore me thinketh it more mete to stand to the matter stoutly tarying to see the ende Yf the matter come to passe as I would haue it as I trust it will I will fynde a meanes quickly how I maye fynde frendes plentie The matter of it selfe telleth daylye experience sheweth that all men hunte for the frendshippe of them who excell in riches and authoritie all thoughe they be very tyrannes And to thintente that men shall the more imbrace and magnifye me thinkinge me to be a Christ in earth I will cause it by letters to be blowen abrode ouer al the worlde that this high dignitie chaunced to me bothe not lokinge for it and all together vnwilling to receaue it and that I woulde haue receaued it in no wyse had not the zeale that I haue to the house of god compelled me that is to saye to prouyde a remedy for heresies factiōs and an infinit number of other mischiefes by the whiche the churche of Christ is oppressed But Master Sapience is come and hys iourney is towardes me with spede he semeth very mery no dout he bringeth me some good newes Sapi. You re moste reuerent hyghenes should not maruayle that I haue differred and prolonged the time for answere to the matter which I know to be to vs bothe very pleasant longer then either of vs bothe did suppose Truly the cause why I dyd so was no negligence but rather that I might bringe the thing to passe more diligentlye and more effectuouslye I choase my time and place when I might best for our profyt declare thys matter to the Emperor Yester night after supper me thought hys Maiestie was merier then he was wont to be he walked forth into a gardene and being there alone he called me to him a parte There he beganne to declare vnto me hys power hys ryches and to extolle and magnifie the greatnes of his Empier dignitie and further he opened vnto me certayne secret counselles wherby he thought to increase his ryches to cause hys whole dignitie roiall to be the more estemed And I perceauinge this thinge to make sumwhat for our purpose did not only confirme and approue hys intente but also added this thynge more ouer that he now had such occasion and oportunitie gyuen hym to increase his honour as neuer other Emperor had before him so that he would speake but one worde Nowe because these wordes pleased him wonderfully he desiered me earnestly to declare vnto hym how and by what meanes thys thyng might be brought to passe Then sayed I yf your imperiall Maiestie would attempte to subdewe the dominions of other princes ye maye not thinke that it would be brought to passe without muche bludshed without greate daunger and difficultie But ye haue now an occasion offered vnto you of god whiche if it will please you to take when it is offered ye shal not onely without difficultie but also with muche ease and fauour of al partes subdew all Christian regions So that those people whiche be furthest of shall come and submitte themselues to youre Maiestie gladly and willingly Whē I perceaued y t he gaue very good hede to my talke whyles I shoulde open thys hyd mystery fyrste I declared vnto him howe the churche of Christe was shaken and tossed with sundry miseries and calamities and for none other cause but that it lacked one supreme spiritual and vnyue●sall heade in earthe whereunto all menne that were afflicted with anye kynde of mysery myght resorte as to a common refuge and that all menne bothe knewe and desiered this thinge I declared also howe thys heade for the opiniōs sake of religion whereunto al men be naturally inclined shoulde easely bee receaued of all the whole worlde And more

in this poynt euen as the mother after she hathe conceaued and brought forth a childe she is alwayes the childes mother be she neuer so euell neither can the Emperour cause her leaue of to bee a mother or make her not to haue had a chylde whome she hathe brought forthe because that thinge is once done and past of a lyke sorte after that I am once made the mother of al other churches that by Themperors authorite Themperour can not bring it to passe with al the power he hath that I shal not be euermore the mother of them whome I haue begotten The people ▪ And howe may it bee that you haue begotten al churches when it is euident that ther was a great number before you yea and that you wer begotten of other The churche O braynles head Knowest thou not that when Christ honge vpon the crosse and shewed Iohn to hys mother and sayed woman beholde thy sonne forthwith he was made her trewe and naturall sonne so that after those wordes once pronounced it shall be alwayes trewe that Iohn was borne of her Now of the same fashion when the Emperor sheweth vnto me all churches and saythe behold thy doughters by by am I made theyr trew lawfull naturall mother And then began thys sentence fyrst to be trewe that they were all borne of me and therfore canne it not bee but that I begat them and am theyr mother for euer The people Chryste by thys worde mynded to declare nothynge els to his mother but that she should from thence forward take Iohn in stede of her sōne and that he should take Mary in stede of his mother as he alwayes dyd but his mynde was not that she shoulde be Iohns naturall mother as she was that conceaued and bare him The churche Loe nowe ye come in with your tropes and figures the wordes of Christe are simply to bee vnderstanded Christ sayd to hys mother behold thy sonne and he sayd to Iohn beholde thy mother so that it folowethe wel Mary was Iohns very trew mother and Iohn was Maries very trewe sonne but howe this thinge may be it behoueth vs not curiosly to serche Of a lyke fashion the wordes which Christe spake at hys last supper when he there ministred to his disciples taking breade into his handes and deliuerynge it broken to them that sat with him sayinge this is my body be semply and planly to be vnderstanded that is to say that the bread is the very body of Christe and not the breade is a figure of the body of Christ of the very same fashion the Emperours wordes muste be taken when he shewed me all churches sayinge behold thy doughters these wordes must be vnderstanded plainly as they stand wherfore I conclude that they be my trewe lawfull doughtets and I am theyr mother The people What when you neuer begat them I neither knewe nether cold beleue that the Emperoure had euer any such authority that he could make that thīg to be done which was neuer done in this world that is to say that he could make you brīg forth those churches which ye neuer brought forth Yf themperour haue so greate power that he canne make those thinges to haue ben whiche were neuer no doubt he can bring to passe also that those thinges were neuer which haue ben and so may he cause also that ye neuer wer neither euer shal be theyr mother I woulde very fayne that ye coulde perswad thesame thinge which ye tolde me to your monkes and prestes that is that the wordes of Christ are simply to be vnderstāded without any trope or figure as this other saiing of Christ is some there be whiche haue geldyd thēselues for the kingedō of god for takinge it plainly they would gelde themselues and let my women alone vndefiled neither would they be stayned with so much wicked filthines which thynge they should more willynglye do for that they so frowardlye defend that they wyll take no wyues To possesse thynges not nedefull appereth to me not only superfluose but also folyshe Thys woulde I lerne of you when themperour sayed vnto you beholde thy doughters what thīg was it y t he shewed vnto you The churche All churches The people The churches of Christ or the churches of the Deuell The curche I am indifferent The people If it be as you saye I thynke he shewed vnto you the churches of Satan As touchynge my parte I dare boldly saye there is no cause why I should reioyse in this dignitie but rather lament for wheras before I was your onelye sonne and heyre now when ye haue a meany of doughters ye must giue to euery one of thē theyr dowery so that I shal remayne a beggar The church Naye thou shalt bee rychest of all other knowe ye not the fashion of the turkes which selleth theyr doughters for a certaine sūme of money to thē that shal be theyr husbandes so will I sell my churches and byshoprikes to them that will giue moste money and so shall the spoyle of all other prouinces come immediatly to Rome The people Then will ye commit simonie and norishe a den of theues The churche I tolde thee afore that I can not erre and so must thou beleue if thou wilt be accounted my sonne yea although thou sawest me commit dayly all kindes of abhominacion The peo This cānot be except I lose my fiue wittes The churche Naye I woulde ye shoulde not onelye be persuadyd that I cannot erre but also that I am most holy ought to be called most holy after such a sort that he which nameth me holy not most holy is to be thought not to speake of me The people Then when the Apostles in the Crede saye we muste beleue one holy churche wee must not thynke that sayng to belong to you But I heard say not longe agone a thynge more to bee wondered at that our Byshop is made most holy of all and moste blissed of all other a goddes name The churche Thou hittest the nayle on the head The people Then as concerning holynes he shal be superior to Christ who by the authoritie of scripture is named holy of holies but this good blode of ours is called by the mouthes of mē most holy Therefore should he not desire to come into heauē For be it that he were there euen nowe more then blissed should he not be and being in yearth he is accountyd most blissed Wherfore he should not ascende to a higher state of felicitie but rather descende to a lower And it is maruayle yf thangelles and Saynctes whiche be in heauen come not with spede to Rome and there begynne to sue for thys dignitie of the Byshopryke of Rome that they may be made more blissed and more holy then they nowe be I heard more ouer that he is declared the head of all other churches Thechurch So it is in dede The people Had not then the misticall bodye of the

churche a head before nowe Yf it were so it myghte well be accounted monster lyke And I meruayle very muche howe it coulde lyue The churche Oh Christe was the head The people Then the Emperour hath taken away Christ and put our Byshop in hys place The churche Nay not so but he hathe ioyned thys head to the churche and yet doeth Christ remayne The people That talke is more shamefull Was not Christe hable to gouerne his church as an vniuersal head In the beginninge of the primatiue churche a lytle whyle after the churche of Christe dyd florish very muche and was wonderfully replenished and yet had it none other head but Christe He onely as a true head dyd gouerne it and that excedinglye well by the instrumentes of hys ministers Maye it come to passe at any tyme that Christe beinge weried with his painfull gouernaunce woulde nowe rest him so that he nowe hath committed it to themperours discrecion to apoynt some suffragan and helper in hys stede or els truely is he muche displeased with hys churche and loueth it no more neither regardeth the gouernaunce therof but withdraweth his spirite frō it and so shall he be a lyar in that he sayth I am with you to y e worldes ende Furthermore themperor as it apereth is more carefull for the church of Christ then god him selfe For when god withdrewe Christ from his churche themperour hathe prouided it another head But accordinge to the doctrine of Paule we be not ignoraūt y t the militant congregaciō of Christe is as one body whose head is was euer shal be Christ himselfe He as the only trewe head hath gouerned it hetherto syngularly well and will also gouerne it vntyll the latter daye of iudgement and euen vntill suche tyme as he hath subdued his enemies and put them vnder hys feete Thynke ye that christian men be suche bussards that they wyll beleue Christe and hys spirite to be taken awaye vp into heauen as into a place apoynted for hys maiestie and is there conteyned as a triumphinge head of the triumphaunte churche And for that cause the Emperoure hathe apoynted another head of the churche militant in the stede of him that is absēt Yf it be so ye must of force graunt that theselfe same head for asmuche as it is destitute of the spirite of Christe hathe the spirite of the deuyll so shall it be a deuelishe head And yf the churche militant shall from hence forthe haue two heades surely it shall bee a thynge lyke a monster Neither canne I perceyue by coniecture howe two headdes being equall in power and most contrary in condicion maye quietly and safely liue to gether and gouerne at one tyme one speciall charge Uerely it is to be feared so wonderfull is the pryde of oure Byshop bred by the bone that he wyll dryue Christe out of dores from hys owne kyngdome But peraduenture thys thyng is trewe yf oure Byshoppe be once made supreme head of the churche militant by the meanes wherof he maye be estemed aboue Christe it maye so be that he wyll suffer after a sorte that at the lest wayes he maye vse hys seruice as he were a slaue But I canne neuer bee persuadyd that he wyll suffer hymselfe by anye meane to be taken for an vnderlyng to Christ. The curche Thynke not that his power hath anye ende For euen as all power in heauen and in yearthe is geuen vnto Christe so is it likewise geuen to him The people Yea and further also both in purgatory and in hel But speake no more of his power for surely he wyll take more vpon hym then I woulde wish Another doubt I haue wherunto I would haue you answere me yf ye can Shall he be a common head to all other churches Th● hurche Yea verelie The people Of late I learned of them that bee sene in logike that perticuler menne bee those whiche laboure and doe any thynge but manne that is commen and generall to all men doeth nothyng Then yf he be a commen man he shall neither see heare perceyue nor vnderstande and so shall he bee nothynge elles but a very blocke or image The churche But thou thyselfe shalte well perceyue that he can see heare perceyue and worke The people I beleue it forsoth that he wyl swalow vp largely yea the riches of other churches But tel me howe that maye be That he maye worke beynge a man that is commen to all men The churche He shal be a perticuler man also The people Whye then shall he not be one onelye but he shal be two O what a foole am I and howe dull witted Nowe loe I leue wondrynge For as I heare say as sone as he is made Pope he speaketh no more in the singular number but in the plurall so y t he doeth no more saye this I wil doe or say as they were wont in times past whē they wer but one man but now he sayeth we wyll doe and we will say because that nowe he is made a double man I am also resolued nowe in another doubt whereof I shoulde neuer haue ben answered yf ye had not made me perceyue it The churche What doubt is that The people I haue hearde many tymes saye that after he is created Pope he can not erre as the Pope but yet he maye many tymes as a man erre The churche That is very trewe The people Nowe I am sure of thys trueth that as he is Pope and a common man he can not worke any thyng neither erre The churche Nay as he is Pope he worketh wonders can not erre because of the holy gost which is assistant vnto hym The People Then by your sayng he can not be at one tyme a Pope and a man for thē myght he at one time erre and not erre He myght erre as a manne and not erre as the Pope Therfore at some tyme must he be a Pope and no man and then can he not erre But yet can I not well perceaue what monstrous beaste thys may be which is a Pope and no man and agayne an other time a man no Pope And I meruayle wonderfully that they will robbe the Popeshipe so much of so great a dignitie and so to leaue him a bare man Howe beit I beleue in dede althoughe of an other sort that no Pope can erre because that Christ euer hathe bene and euer shal be the very onely and true head of hys churche neuer shall there bee anye other Pope or head of Christes churche The church I dare not affirme that our Byshoppes can neuer be heretikes The people Peraduenture some haue bene The churche If any suche thyng chaunce in that he is an heretike he cesses to be Pope Yet is this thyng trewe that ye must obey hym and alowe him so long for Pope vntyll he bee iudged and condemned for an heretike and be deposed from hys Popshipe by the authorytie of a generall counsell The people