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	communion_n	separate_v	1,943	5	9.5273	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14464	An epistle to the faithfull necessary for all the children of God: especially in the s[o] dangerous dayes. Written by Maister Peter Viret in french, and englished by F.H. Esquier.; Epistre envoyée aux fidèles conversans entre les chrestiens papistiques. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; F. H., Esquier.	1582 (1582)	STC 24779; ESTC S104301	66,070	144

was not ignorant what fauour and goodnesse God sheweth towardes his people when they are assembled in his name hee had had sufficiently tryed howe the vertue of the holy Ghost doeth shewe forth it selfe in these holy assemblies and in this body of Iesus Christ vnited together with his members corporally and spiritually to glorifie him all with one heart and voyce why doe the poore captiues of Babylon so muche lament Hierusalem but because they feele what a plague it is to bee so oppressed by tyrannie that men cannot haue anye good fourme of a Churche nor yet serue God according to his pollicie and ordinances nor make publike confession and profession thereof as the faithfull desire But because it is hard for all men to be able Sect. to come to his felicitie to depart wholy this day out of Egypt and Babylon both corporally and spiritually to liue in libertie yet at the least it is necessarie to depart thence in heart and minde if they cannot get thence in body and how can this departure and separation be if we keepe not our selues from the filthines and abominations of this worlde for that it is the true religion as Saint Iames witnesseth He that liueth amongst the Idolaters and communicateth not with their Idolatries and sinnes he is much better separated from them then he that is conuersant with the Godly and hath his heart replenished with superstition and hypocrisie for this separation is made by the holy Ghost who separateth the elect and children of God from the wicked and reprobate and sanctifieth and dedicateth them to serue for his honour and glory for this cause y● christiās are called saints confesse the holy vniuersall Church Seeing then that the Church is holy that it is nothing else but the assemblie and companie of the faithful it followeth necessarily that al the faithfull which are the members whereof this body consisteth and that this cōpany assembled and made bee holy for this cause we call it also the communion of Saintes And S. Paule writing to the faithfull which haue receiued the Gospell he saluteth them and called them Saintes as it appeareth in all his Epistles for what cause then are they called Saintes but because they are separated from all prophane vses and that they are drawen away from the seruice of the Diuell the world the fleshe that they are wholy dedicated consecrated and sanctified to god to serue him only for the scripture calleth the thing holy which is secluded from all other vse and which is nothing but to the seruice of God and therefore the Lord called his people Leui. 19. 1. Pet. 1. Israell the holy people and commanded them to sanctifie them selues saying be yee holy for I am holy For this cause he hath separated and diuided them from all other people and hath giuen Sect. them lawes ordināces and ceremonies cleane vnlike to all other people to keepe them better in his seruice to this ende that they might not be defiled nor polluted with the superstitions Idolatries and abominations of others wherfore he hath endeuoured by all meanes to draw them from all companie and acquaintance with Idolaters which might any way induce them to worship some other besides him selfe or in other sort then hee had commanded if it were all one that it were no sinne to be in company with Idolaters and to communicate with them in their sacrifices abominations what neede was there that God should giue a Lawe to what purpose hath he so charged the people of Israel with ceremonies if it were lawfull for them to vse al indifferently as they lifted why did Moses study all that he could being thereto appointed of god to ordaine thē ceremonies ●lat dissonāt contrary to al their neyghbours about them al the Pagans Idolaters It was for nothing els but that first the Lord would foresee by this way that they should haue no acquaintance and familiaritie with them in that which concerned the seruice of God nor any similitude wherby they might be induced to follow them or obey them with such an opinion of false Gods as the Pagans haue Then to the end it should not seeme they did like vnto them that that which they did to the honour of their God was done to the honour of strange Gods or that it might not seeme that therby they did allow their manner of dealing so farre is it that God would permit it to be lawfull for the people of Israel to communicate with the blasphemies sacriledges abominations of Idolaters that he would not suffer them only to haue any agreement with thē in ceremonies in their maner of doings with thē he would not suffer them to haue so much as in the outward thinges euen those which otherwise might haue beene indifferent lawful why did he forbid this so sharply but for the causes aboue sayd to keepe his people alwaies y● better wtout wādering frō his seruice Wherfore if we wil be accounted Gods people Sect. The office of Gods people we must be holy both in body soule witnes by our words works that we are his children that the works of the wicked displease vs or at the least that wee allowe them not for whē the Apostle forbiddeth vs to be partakers of the works of darknes cōmandeth vs rather to reproue thē he doth sufficiently shew vs that wee cannot be childrē of light if we do not wholy renounce darknes that we cānot be separated frō Idolaters Infidels if we cōfourme our selues to their maners their works cōuersation And therfore for a man to boast himself to be faithful outwardly to allow idolatrie to giue good coūtenāce to idolatries are things with cānot agree together in a true seruāt of god Let vs not think our selues excused before god Sect. nor in the cōsciēce of those with are faithful indeed in saying I know wel enough what my heart is what coūtenāce soeuer I cary or what godly shew soeuer I make yet put I no trust neither haue I any deuotion in Idoles but I worship the onely God in my heart it is better yet to doe thus then to persecute the truth and for a man to shewe himselfe an open enemie vnto God But yet it is impossible that the heart should be free from Idolatrie when al the body is defiled and doth reuerence vnto strange Gods to the enemie of God what good heart soeuer a subiect can beare to his prince yet could not the prince beare it that he should do homage to another that he should cary weapon against his natural prince Men say commonly that he the sweareth by art for sweareth him selfe by art we ought not to thinke that the heart remaineth vnsworne if the tongue forsweare it self for we must vnderstand the othe according to the meaning of him that giueth it and not after the meaning of him that

the faithfull fearing God and yet was seruant to Achab and that peruerse Iesabell Wherefore it is not like that hee can tarie in their seruice without seruing of Baal as they did at the least in outward shewe this reason is but a vaine thought and an imagination and presumption of mans vnderstanding for there is not one worde in all the historie no not one sillable by which they can prooue this Imagination but rather altogether the contrarie and woulde to GOD that those which will arme them selues with this example had as good a minde and affection to hide the poore persecuted and to succoure them in their necessitie as Abdias had and shewed in deede to the prophets and faithfull of his time and though Abdias had done that which they presume and imagine it followeth not therefore that he was allowed of God no more then other sinnes of the saints saints Sect. But beholde yet an other replie which seemeth not apparant if it be so dangerous a thing 4. Reg. 5. so contrary to the will of God to be partaker of the ceremonies sacrifices of the papists why did Elizeus answere Naaman the Assyrian go thy way in peace After that Naaman said vnto him when my Lord shall enter into the temple of Remmon to worship shall leaue vpon my hand on my shoulder pray the Lord that he wil pardō me thy seruant for this thing if I worship in the temple of Remmō when I shall worship in the same place Elizeus maketh no difficultie to suffer him so to do he condemmeth it not as a damnable thing that he should enter into the temples of idols with the Pagans that he should be present at their sacrifice so that he worship God in his heart why shal wee then be rather forbidden to cōmunicate in like sort with those that are Christians as we are then Naaman with the pagās who were in deed enemies to god This exāple shall serue vs no more then that of S. Paul it might serue your turn if you were like to Naaman if to doe seruice vnto any to whom you were bound in the sight of God you should go with thē in that sort that Naaman kept company with his lord For he went not thither to cōmit idolatry as he did or to allow his idolatry but to serue him as a seruant in his necessities Wherefore we must vnderstand that to worship is often taken in scripture to bow and do reuerence by outwarde signes and gestures as wee doe to kinges and Princes the Idolaters to their Idols and the faithfull also to God when as by outwarde gestures and signes they will declare the humilitie of their heart and the reuerence they beare to God but Naaman requireth not to bee suffered to kneele and doe reuerence before the God Remmon and to worship notwithstanding the true God in his heart to declare by outwarde signes that hee beareth reuerence to the God Remmon to please the king as they do which by outward gestures do worship the host and Images and yet say their heart is not there but that by it they worshippe Iesus Christ in heauen and the father in spirite and truth Naaman speaketh not of that adoration as Sect. touching himselfe but only of the reuerence he ought to shewe in seruing the king when hee woulde kneele or bow downe before Remmon For seeing hee must bee in the seruice of his Prince and stay him when he leaned vpon him the king coulde not bowe but that Naaman also was enclined to bowe that the king might leaue vpon him But Naaman did it not for Remmon as the king did nor to make the king beleeue that he honoured Remmon as he did fearing to displease him but hee did it not only to serue his Prince according to his duetie for before hee agreed to that hee promised and witnessed openly that hee would doe no sacrifice to the strange gods but to the liuing God seeing that hee promised so wee must not doubt but that hee kept his promise and it is most certaine that in the estate dignitie wherin hee was hee coulde not tarry any long tyme without sacrificing to the Idols as others did but it would haue been perceiued but he would that euery one should know vnderstande that he had in his heart there is no doubt but that for this cause hee demanded of Elizeus two mules charged with the earth of Israel to take with him into the land of Syria to beare witnes and make publike confession that he beleeued not nor worshipped any other then God of Israel that he had his diuine seruice aparte separated from that of the other Syrians who were Idolaters And although he did all things that he had Sect. far better cause then those which woulde defend their Idolatrie by his example yet doeth he not so much iustifie his works as they doe but he requireth the Prophete to the ende hee should pray to God for him that he woulde not impute that as a sinne to him wherein he sheweth well that there was some infirmitie in him and that he feareth there should bee some faulte in that worke which the Prophet rather beareth with all then alloweth yea although that before hee had done other thinges enough to confesse his faith before men And if wee consider well the wordes of Naaman hee confesseth very manifestly that he thinketh there is sinne in that he saith he must doe seeing he willeth the Prophet to pray for him that it may not be imputed to him for if there be no fault there is no neede of prayer nor pardon and Elizeus saieth not the contrarie to him that it is not sinne at all but he wil not presse him ouermuch in the confession he made of the name of God therfore he letteth him go giueth him to vnderstand he will do that which Naaman requireth of him that is that he will pray for him biddeth him fare well wherefore although it were so that Elizeus had borne with some great faulte in Naaman who was yet a nouice and newely come to the religion was come from amōgst the Pagans it followeth not therefore that wee which are Christians and haue receiued a greater knowledge of truth confirmed by the death of Iesus Christ and so many martyrs ought to draw this particular example to a general consequent to set it against so many places of holy scripture which forbid all Idolatrie and all shew of denying Iesus Christe If wee testifie publikelie our faith and if we confesse we attribute nothing to the Idols but Sect. that we goe to the assemblies of Idolaters to serue our father or some other to whom we are bounde not in Idolatrie but in that which may concerne our office the example of Naaman might giue vs some further colour for our former confession and the publike witnessing of our faith woulde glorifie God and condemne