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	england_n	religion_n	1,637	5	5.7823	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15761	The hunting of Antichrist VVith a caueat to the contentious. By Leonard Wright.	Wright, Leonard, b. 1555 or 6.	1589 (1589)	STC 26031; ESTC S120413	23,031	38

speake in defence of her maiesties supremacie in causes ecclesiasticall and her booke of common prayer then disobediently to inueigh against them This ought not to be my good bretheren and countrimen of England and therefore now at the last for our better agréement let vs rather giue eareto the Apostle who in most louing and charitable manner exhorteth vs to cease all bitter contention and studie to be quiet it becommeth not the seruants of God to be contentious neither to séeme wise in their owne conceites but peaceable vnto all men If you bite and deuoure one another saith he take héede lest you be consumed one of an other Let euery soule therefore in the feare of God humbly submit him selfe vnto the authoritie of the higher powers not onely for feare of vengeance but also because of conscience knowing that whosoeuer resisteth power resisteth the ordinance of God The authoritie of Princes and duetie of Christian subiectes THe ciuil magistrate is a minister armed with lawes and sworde appointed of God as a nurse to the Church and a father to the common wealth to defend the guiltlesse punish the guiltie execute iustice and kéepe outward discipline as well in causes ecclesiasticall as temporall Moyses a temporall Magistrate receiued the whole order of religion at Gods hand and deliuered it vnto the people and sharpely chastised Aaron the Priest for making the golden calfe Dauid brought home the Arke and restored religion which Saule had destroyed Salomon remoued Abiather the Bishop and appointed Zadock in his stead Ezekias brake the brasen serpent when he saw the people fall downe to worship it It is therefore the duetie of euery good Christian subiect obediently to submit him selfe vnto all publike gouernment and ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the king or those that be set in authoritie vnder him not onely touching ciuill policie in the common wealth but also external discipline decencie ceremonies orders rites fashions in the Church which are not particularly expressed in the holy scriptures but left generally as thinges indifferent to the disposition of the same whereof the prince next vnder God is supreame head at whose commandemēt they are to be vsed and refused as time place both require according to the Apostle Let al things be done after a decent order Hereunto agréeth the saying of S. Augustine In his rebus de quibus nihil certi statuit scriptura diuina mos populi dei vel instituta maiorum pro lege tenenda sunt And in another place quod neque contra fidem neque contra mores iniungitur indifferenter est habendum pro eorum inter quos viuitur societate seruandum Notwithstanding if the magistrate shall command any thing against the substance of religion concerning matters of faith doctrine remission of sinnes and eternall faluation we ought then with Peter and Iohn rather to obey God then man The Prince is but Gods inferiour officer and if God command one thing and the prince another the higher is alwaies to be obayed before the lower so Daniel prayed and Peter preached contrarie to the magistrates precept and as the Lacedemonians being conquered of their enimies were commanded certain things against their religion no quoth they we had rather dye then be commanded things harder then death So our bodies lands and goodes are at the commandement of our Cas●r but our soules and consciences partaine to God only But for asmuch as our gracious Soueraigne is a most vertuous godly christian Princesse a most faithful professor and louing imbracer of the Gospel of Christ without halting in any one point of religiō being so prouident to preserue it so careful to defend it and so desirous to haue all her louing subiects learne and vse it as to resist her Maiesties procéedings is to resist against God himselfe Of the office titles aud dignities of Bishops and Archbishops TOuching the honourable titles and dignities of our Bishops I wonder why they should séeme offensiue to any séeing I partly knowe by that which I haue read and great Clearkes haue taught that the best and most principall pillers of the Church since the time of Christ vntill this day haue taken the same vpon them The Apostle himselfe setteth downe the office of a Bishop and I doe finde in Ecclesiasticall Histories that Iames was Bishop of Ierusalem Peter of Antioch and Marke of Alexandria We must weigh and consider the order of the Lordes procéedings in his Church from time to time and make a difference betwéene the infancie and strength of the same As first vnto the children of Israel Moyses was sent onely with a rodde in his hand and had Aaron giuen him for his mouth When the people were deliuered from the bondage of Egypt and came into the wildernesse Moyses by the counsell of Iethro his father in lawe appoynted Captaines ouer hundrethes fifties and tennes When the lawe was giuen the Arke and ornaments thereunto belonging with ceremonies sacrifices the Priestes office and garments was ordained And after the people were setled in the land of promise were kings and prophets appointed So when Christ himselfe was sent downe from his father hee made choyce of his Apostles who after his ascention according to their commission went foorth and preached through the whole worlde ordained Elders and Deacons in euerie congregation And after when the Church grewe to more ripenesse were Bishops appointed to haue the charge and ouersight of the rest And as it appeareth by the Apostle himselfe there was great difference betwéene a Bishop and an Elder the Bishop was taught not sharply to reprehend an Elder but gently to admonish him and to receiue no accusation against him vnder two or thrée witnesses but we reade not that the Elders were permitted to reprehend or receiue accusation against a Bishop And as for Archbishop Patriarke or Metropolitan being titles of equall degrée they are verie auncient euen since the time of the Primatiue Church as before is mentioned But say some they were not called Lorde Bishops sure I thinke so because the people of those countries could speake no English but rather in the Lattin tongue Domini which signifieth Sir or Lord. The Elders that rule well saith the Apostle are worthie of double honour especially they which labour in the worde and teaching And why should we be more curious in yéelding vnto our godly and reuerend Bishops those titles of honour then Hanna a figure of the Church was in giuing the same vnto Ely the high Priest who perceiuing her lippes to moue and her voice not hard thought she had beene drunke Not so my Lord quoth she I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke I am a woman of a sorrowfull heart and haue poured out my soule before the Lord. Againe when that good man Obadia ruler

to be gouerned by order They would be iudges of the lawe that disdaine to yéelde obedience to the lawe And would take vpon them to be reformers of Churches and states that will neither be reformed themselues for Prince nor Prelate I am verily perswaded and so are mo then I that Harding Dorman and Shacklocke with all the rest of that Romish rabble which haue written agaynst the Gospell and Ministerie in Englande since her Maiesties most happie reigne haue not doone more harme by all their pestilent Bookes then these and their factions by their péeuish prating and pernicious rayling When all Egypt was plagued for Pharaos offence Moses and Aaron went not muttering to the people but told their message plainly to the king himselfe When for Achabs offēce the whole coūtrie was like to starue for want of raine Elias went not murmuring to the people but boldly to y e king him selfe saying It is thou thy fathers house that hath brought this plague vpon Israel When Dauid had committed most grieuous offence agaynst God Nathan went not to discouer it vnto his subiects for feare of rebellion but to himselfe saying Thou art the man it is thou that hast done this déed When Herode had committed incest with his brothers wife Iohn Baptist went not to open his fault amongest the Commons but came to himselfe saying It is not lawfull for thee to haue her Nowe if it bee the propertie of true Prophetes for feare of mutinyes tumultes and diuisions to hide from the multitude most horrible crimes of the Magistrate no doubt such waywarde impes as dare obstinately resist and repugne a godly and Christian gouernment must néedes be most deuilish and false prophets their maners bewray their mindes Ex fructibus cognoscetis eos ex vnguibus Leonem Asinam ex vmbra The fruites of whose doctrine we finde by experience to bée these presumption and disobedience Euery hammering tinker dare nowe take vpon him to controll Stratonichus musicke Euery simple Cobler dare nowe presume to correct Apelles picture Euery hairebraind foole that haue scarce tasted of the schoole of humanitie dare nowe compare in iudgement with the best Doctours of Diuinitie And euerie inferiour Subiect dare nowe take vpon him to controll the whole state and prescribe lawes both to Prince and Prelate Surely this kinde of learning is too déepe for my vnderstanding If it stretch beyonde the boundes of Christian duetie and obedience to gouernours and teachers it passeth my capacitie I cannot comprehende it But this I haue read that Nearchus for iangling the strings of Orpheus Harpe was torne in sunder of dogges Marsias for proudly comparing his skill with Apellos cunning had his skinne plucked ouer his eares Oza for presuming to meddle with the Leuites office was stricken to death And those rebellious Leuites who with Corah and his fellowes resisted agaynst Aaron the high Priest were swallowed vp in the bowels of the earth And sure in my iudgement such fatte pampered Weathers or Rammes of the flocke as will not bée ruled but resist and push agaynst their shéepeheard breake the hedge of their boundes and runne where they list woulde either bée tied shorter or committed to the butcher for spoyling their fellowes That presumptuous Asse which dares turne his héeles and kicke agaynst the noble Lion is worthie of punishment And that disobedient subiect that dare obstinately resist her Maiestyes lawes established agaynst her crowne and dignitie what followeth Those shéepe that will not come into the folde by whistling the shéepeheard must baite in with his dogge or pull in with his hooke The guests that refused to come vnto the Kings feast by gentle intreatie were compelled by extremitie And séeing that neither by learned confutation nor gentle perswasion the Prelate can not preuaile with worde the rest which remayneth belongeth to the Princes swoorde By the lawes of Locris a Citie in Gréece if any priuate person shall take vpon him to resist gaine-say or stand agaynst anye part or percell of that which eyther in the Church or common Wealth is by order established the partie in the presence of the Magistrates and gouernours must stand foorth with a Haltar about his necke and there eyther prooue and defend his assertion against the best learned in the Citie or else for his sawcinesse be hanged vppe before he passe And if we had that lawe in England I doubt not but that our newe fantasticall reformers woulde soone be put to silence But me thinks I doe heare some inferiour Magistrates and officers put in trust to sée the Princes lawes obserued discipline duely executed conteptuous persons punished to whisper in mine eare and say they are so backt and borne withall of some and their cause so greatly fauoured a we dare not meddle with them Truely sirs in mine opinion you are farre deceyued Though perhaps by reason of their hypocrisie and smooth glosing tongues rowling in the eighth liberall science some euen of the best natures and most godly and zealous gospellers may bee greatly abused by such but to backe and maintaine them against law and order I thinke in my conscience they will not But haue you taken so great a charge vpon you and dare nowe deceyue both Prince and people that put you in trust Doe you preferre your owne securitie before the peace of the Church or safetie of the common wealth Then sure in stead of double honour you are woorthie of double punishment no doubt the Lord himselfe in iustice will reuenge It. Doe you not sée howe greatly through your intollerable negligence their number is increased and no maruell for the vulgar sort are alwayes vnconstant wauering desirous of nouelties wishing alteration and much delighted in hearing their superiours reprehended and themselues vntouched and easily drawen to follow tumultuous persons Corah Dathan and Abiram had no sooner stood vp agaynst Moyses and Aaron but they had their bandes of men readie to take their part Iohn Leadon in Munster had no sooner set abroch his pestilent doctrine but he had a multitude of followers to the great disturbance of the Church and so haue these no doubt whole swarmes of Disciples to ioyne with them some hauing riotously spent their patrimonie are tickled in the eares by hearing of the spoyle of Ecclesiasticall liuings some pettiefoggers wanting worke at Westminster hall in hope to haue their Clyents well increased may gape for the ouerthrowe of ecclesiasticall iurisdiction with some Atheists some Neuters some Anabaptists and some Brownings with the Familie of loue and such like who if they might once haue their purpose woulde soone giue vs the gentle thumpe not onely strippe the reuerend Prelate into his dublet and the dutifull pastor into his shirt but also robbe the Prince of her title and dignitie and bring the Church of England to vtter ruine and miserie being in many places of this land alreadie growne to this ripenesse as it is more offensiue to