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	error_n	separation_n	1,422	5	10.7733	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89785	To the right honourable, the knights, citizens and burgesses, of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament the humble petition of many godly true-hearted Protestants, whose names are hereafter mentioned, ...	Nutt, Thomas, 17th cent.	1643 (1643)	Wing N1479; Thomason 669.f.8[28]; ESTC R212105	3,004	1

To the Right Honourable the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament The humble Petition of many godly true-hearted Protestants whose names are hereafter mentioned Humbly sheweth THat whereas your Petitioners acknowledging with all thankfulnesse how it hath pleased God to move your hearts to endeavour the expelling and destroying of sin Satan Antichrist and errour and instead of them to receive imbrace retaine and cherish knowledge faith love and obedience that seeing every one ought to be fully perswaded in his own minde without which he can do nothing of faith and so lies under sin do humbly intreat you that seeing many are even almost unsetled by reason that although indeed our faithfull Ministers cry out daily against Brownists and Anabaptists for their judgment yet will not dispute the case with them pretending they are not worthy their dispute To which they answer it is because they know they cannot make good their owne praictce from the Word of God nor can prove their Church their Ministery their Baptism nor their Sabbath to be instituted by God or owned by Christ and his Apostles Of which number if there were onely a few ignorant profane persons it would not much move us but that which almost astonisheth us to think is that some of them whom we looked on as the most eminent Protestants most conscionable frequenters of our Churches strictest keepers of the Sabbaths and most strict in life and conversation have very lately departed our Churches and separated from us who in former times in the want of such powerfull preaching as we by the good hand of providence by order of this honourable Assembly have injoyed now of late in season and out of season whereof they aforesaid being diligent frequenters have now very lately departed from us as though the faithfull powerfull manifestations of the truths of God were a speciall means to cause separation from our Churches who upon our earnest desiring them to returne to our Churches from their errours have seemed to pitie us and praise God for giving them light into those truths whereof they were very long ignorant yet at last to see and understand his way that they might practice the same and walke therein and tell us that if the Lord love us he will shew us the same truth whereof they being convinced dare not but practice Now seeing we dare not but think that many of them are very conscious people although holding divers errors as namely they deny our Churches our Ministers our Baptisme and our Sabbath to be of Christ or to have any footing in his Word as also to be unlawfull to pay tithes to any Minister of the Gospell and indeed we cannot deny but that they alwayes shew themselves very forward and desirous to prove the truth of what they hold against any Christian or Ministers the which when some of us have assayed to bring to passe in desire to bring their poore erring soules from their errours the Ministers have all refused whereby if not prevented by the power which the good hand of providence hath committed to this honourable Assembly the poore soules of those already gone astray are not onely like to perish but many others are daily in danger to be led into the same errour by them inasmuch as they are weak and cannot answer them and the Ministers either for want of love will not or because it is the truth they hold they dare not oppose it In consideration whereof your humble suppliants intreat this honourable Assembly that forasmuch as they do acknowledge their willingnesse and would rejoyce at an opportunity to manifest the things which they hold before you or your godly Committee either here or at Guild-Hall in London and are willing as they say through the strength of God although they be no schollers yet if any of the most grave Doctors of the Synod will oppose them before you or your Committee they beleeve that God will inable them either to manifest what they hold to be the truth of God or els to be willing thankfully to receive conviction and thereupon to renounce any errour or errours they hold and imbrace the truth and practice the same with us We therefore humbly intreat you to call them before you and let them answer according to their desire that so errour may be abhorred and truth imbraced inasmuch as they have declared to us in print that they abhorre all errours which they have light to discover as namely universall redemption free-will falling away and all things contrary to wholsome doctrine whereof you may further examine them And further forasmuch as they although erring from us in judgment yet are forward helpers of the cause of God and have both in goods and persons helped forward your designes and live peaceably with all men and none of them chargeable but generally helpfull to the common-wealth and seeing it is impossible for the rod to alter the judgment but is onely peculiar to the Word by the help of the Spirit to do that and seeing God is a jealous God and will not loose his prerogative nor will have men presume to judge conscience as he sets out almost through the whole Chapter Rom. 14. although one Judge quite contrary to another as he instanceth both in meats and dayes and faith that we shall all appeare before the judgement-seat of Christ and saith He that doubteth is damned if he eat for whatsoever is not of faith is sin and seeing that they that stand so much to have all brought to one judgement would be loath to be inforced to change their own judgements nay they know they cannot do it although they would for man cannot change his owne and much lesse anothers judgment for that is onely peculiar to God to do by his Word and Spirit If they say it is because theirs is the truth Is not what every man judgeth truth truth to him as well as what they judge is to them And is not what a man judgeth unclean unclean to him Rom. 14. 14. Then remember the counsell of Christ namely Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Then do as Gods Law commands and his Prophets taught Then we beseech you be not partakers of others mens sins for when any judge men for conscience by the power they had from you God will look on you as the doers and maintainers of it Consider also how the prayers of all conscious men will daily come up before God and crie lowder against them that take away his prerogative and their liberty which he hath given them which is as deare to conscious men as their lives then Abels bloud did against Cain Againe what praise to God and prayers with true love to them which give to God his prerogative and to them their due which he hath given them namely liberty of conscience Then we beseech you confider that whereas David saith Psal 19. The Law of God is perfect converting the soule seeing the Word not the rod is able to convince the judgment and alter the same and seeing this honourable power hath put down some false power we beseech you let none rise against God and his royall prerogative then will wrath and stripes flee away and peace and plenty with joy and gladnesse will come in the roome thereof For when our wayes please the Lord he maketh our enemies at peace with us And seeing God hath put into your hearts for his glory to cause that no wicked pamphlets or libellous books might be printed we beseech you to grant that no conscious book whereto the Authours will set their names and places of dwelling may be refused to be printed that so errours being found out and answered the authours may be ashamed and and reduced to the truth and the truths the more cleared for the glory of God the increase of knowledge without which the mind is not good And whereas they are accused not to allow of the execution of justice by the sword of the Magistrate they professe it is their hearts griefe that the justice of their wholsome and good Lawes are no more strictly executed Your Petitioners humbly crave that you would take the premises into your grave considerations and grant them such a gracious answer as God shall perswade your hearts for the filling the hearts of his people with praises that they and their childrens children may praise God for this Assembly till the day of Christ and they shall be thankfull and pray for blessings upon you and your godly proceedings