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	holy_a	scripture_n	2,807	5	5.7899	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29209	The serpent salve, or, A remedie for the biting of an aspe wherein the observators grounds are discussed and plainly discovered to be unsound, seditious, not warranted by the laws of God, of nature, or of nations, and most repugnant to the known laws and customs of this realm : for the reducing of such of His Majesties well-meaning subjects into the right way who have been mis-led by that ignis fatuus.	Bramhall, John, 1594-1663.	1643 (1643)	Wing B4236; ESTC R12620	148,697	268

they Facile possent Episcopi legitimam obedientiam retinere c. Bishops might easily retein lawfull obedience if they did not urge us to keep Traditions which with a good Conscience cannot be kept Again Nunc non id agitnr c. It is not now sought that the Government be taken away from Bishops but this one thing is desired That they will suffe●… the Gospel to be purely taught and release some few Observances which cannot be kept without sinne This generall Confession may stand for a thousand Witnesses under which all the Protestants in Germany did shelter themselves To this I may adde the Apology for the same Confession Hac de re in hoc conventu c. We have often testified of this matter in this meeting that we desire wi●… all our hearts to conserve the Ecclesiasticall Policy an●… the degrees made in the Church by Humane Authorit●… Againe This our Will shall excuse us both before God an●… all the World that it may not be imputed to us that th●… Authority of Bishops was weakned by our means Th●… confession of Saxony is subscribed by seventeen Superintendents of Bishops The Suevick Confession i●… so farre from opposing the spirituall power of the Praelates that they doe not exclude them from secular Government and complaineth of great wrong done t●… their Churches as if they did seek to reduce the powe●… of Ecclesiasticall Praelates to nothing And most plain ly they declare for the Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction o●… Bishops in the 33. Chapter of the secular Magistrat●… I might produce the Articles of the Protestants and more Confessions and many Witnesses to this purpose if it were needfull But perhaps some may say●… That these are all Lutherans and no good Protestant●… That were strange indeed that they who made th●… Protestation and from thence were called Protestants keeping themselves to the same grounds should become no Protestants and they who made no Protestation nor have right to the name but by communio●… with them should become the onely Protestants Bu●… to satisfie them in this also Upon the Words of the Augustane Confession●… before recited the Observations set forth in the nam●… of the French and Belgicke Churches at the latte●… end of the Harmony of Confessions doe divide Bishops into three kinds 1 Apostolicall of Orde●… not of Degree common to all the Ministers of the word 2. Humane both of Order and of Degree which they confesse to ●…e ancient and defined and circumscribed with many old Canons 3. Tyrannicall in the Church of Rome wandring not onely without the word of God but also extra Canones aequissimos without those most equall or just Canons which last they abhominate but of this more in the next Consideration They say further that it is the Office of god●…y Magistrates to see how farre it may be expedient for Bishops to have some kind of Civill Dominion and upon the Saxonick confession they acknowledge that Bishops may make Laws belonging to Order ●…nd Decency so it be not done Arbitrarily but by the judgement of a lawfull Synod and what doe we say more You have also seen the confession of the Church of England directly for Episcopacy which neverthe●…esse was so approved and applauded by the Tigurine Divines That they made no end of praising of it that ●…hey judged nothing to have been published more perfect in those dayes that they promise themselves that the Protestant Church shall never want a Champion so long as the Authour thereof did live yet it was both for Bishops and by a Bishop Calvine was no Lutherane yet he subscribed the Augustane Confession o●… the Apology for it or both And in his Institutions he describeth at large the Regiment of the Primitive Church after the dayes of the Apostles That though the Bishops of those times expressed more in their Canons then was expressed in the word of God yet they composed the whole Oeconomy of the Church with that caution that it may easily appear that it had almost nothing strange from the word of God That in each Citty the Presbyters did choose one of their number to whom they gave the Title of Bishop specially least dissention might spring from equallity as commonly it comes to passe He shews out of Saint Ierome that this institution was as ancient in Alexandria as from Saint Marke He proceeds to shew the end of Arch-Bishops and the Constitutio●… of Patriarkes and concludes That this kind of Government some called an Hierarchy by a name improper at least not used in the Scriptures but if we pass●… by the name and looke upon the thing it selfe we sha●… find that the Ancient Bishops did goe about to devise no other Forme of governing the Church then that which God hath prescribed in his word There might be sundry other places alleged out of his Epistle and his Answer to Sadolet to the same purpose but I omit them only with this note that one of the most conspicuous place●… in his Epistle to Sadolet Talem nobis Hierarchiam c. against those that shall reject Episcopacy being reduced to its due submission to Christ and Society with their Brethren is purged out in the two latter Edition●… of Beza and Gallasius to let us see that the Romanist●… are not the onely men who cut out the Tongues o●… their own Witnesses Zanchy delivers the very same grounds and addes That nothing is more certain●… then this That Episcopacy was received into the Church communi consensu totius Reipublicae Christianae with the common consent of the whole Christian Commonwealth That it was free for them to doe so Tha●… it was done for honest or just causes That it cannot b●… misliked That those things which are defined and received by the Godly Fathers congregated in the nam●… of the Lord by the common consent of all without an●… contradiction to the Holy Scriptures though they be no●… of the same Authority with the Scriptures yet they ar●… from the Holy Ghost Quae hujusmodi sunt ea e●…o ●…probare nec velim nec audeam bona Conscientia ●…uch as he had neither Will nor Confidence nor 〈◊〉 to disallow Which very place being ●…rged by ●…arraviah against Beza he closeth with it A quo ma●…ime certe dissentimus cum Episcopatum illum mere di●…inum Apostolicum ab humano non quasi sint illa ●…nter se repugnantia sed tantum ut diversa imparis ●…uctoritatis discernimus From which opinion of Zan●…y we doe not dissent nor distinguish between that Apostolicall and meerely Divine Episcopacy from this other which is humane as if they were re●…ugnant one to another but onely diverse and of unequall Authority The same Booke is full of such places Quod si nunc Ecclesiae Anglicanae instauratae c. If the English reformed Churches doe now stand underpropped with the authority of Bishops and Arch-Bishops as it hath come to passe in our memoryes that

deducing Bishops i●… Alexandria from Saint Marke and telling us plainl●… that which we find to be true that without Episcopall Authori●…y there will be as many Schismes as Pries●… in the Church The Hierarchists as he calls them will be contented ●…o wave all other Authors and 〈◊〉 ●…ed by either of these The seven Angells in th●… Revelation cap. 2. 3 cannot be the seven Chu●…ches for the Angells and the Churches are 〈◊〉 distinguished Rev. 1. 20 but it must be the seven Bishops of the Churches These were not Parochiall Churches each of them had many Pastors and many particular Flocks Beza confesseth that these Angell●… were Presidents over the other Presbiters but he believes not they had a priority of Power or that this Presidency was permanent but went by course If the Government went by turnes I would gladly know why one of them is called an Angell more then the other Surely he that shall reade the seven Epistles how some of them are comm●…ended for their constancy and perseverance in their Government and others reprehended for suffering Heretick●… to continue in their Churches will find sufficient ground in every one of these Epistles to believe that they were not changeable every weeke or Moneth or quarter of a Yeare but constant and permanent Governours having power of Jurisdiction to represse abuses otherwise why are they taxed for the abuses done in their Diocesses if it were not in their power to remedy them And if he will give credit to the Testimony of the Primitive Fathers he may find both who sundry of these Angells or Bishops were and also who were their Successors Fourthly though in such variety of new Forms of Church Regiment he hath not expressed himselfe to what Forme he inclines saving that in one place ●…e speakes of a Iancto of Divines I cannot think but himselfe would have the naming of them yet we will suppose that which we are farre from believing that a few green Heads see more then all the Fathers and Councells and Schoolemen and that the Observers busy working braine could molde a Church better then all the Apostles Notwithstanding all this Saint Austins rule to Ianuarius is very considerable if you will not erre doe that which I use to do to whatsoever Church I come I apply my selfe to the Ceremonies thereof He would have added the Discipline also if there had been sundry Formes but there was none but Episcop●…y then in the world God is a mercifull God and lookes upon his Creatures with all prejudices of Education Habitation c. Faction is more offensive to him and breach of Charity more dangerous to the Soule then any unknown errour in Disc●…pline much more where the errour is but supposed or feined and the Schisme apparent Now for the Discipline of the Church of England all Men know and grant that it hath ever been Episcopall In the publick Liturgy of our Church confirmed by Act of Parliament we pray for Bishops In our Booke of Ordination confirmed by the same Authority it is directly affirmed as evident by Scriptures and ancient Authours that from the time of the Apostles there have ever been these Orders of Ministers in Christs Church Bishops Priests and Deacons and that these Orders are appointed by the Holy Ghost In our Booke o●… Articles which conteins the received doctrin of our Church and therefore without doubt comes within the compasse of our late Protestation the same Book of Ordination is mainteined and it is plainely affirmed That there is nothing conteined in it which ●…s either superstitious or ungodly In the Apol●…gy of our Church published to the whole Christian World and by all Protestant Churches approved and applauded We declare that ●…e beleeve that there be diverse degrees of Ministers in the Church whereof some be Deacons some be Priests some Bishops Which being so it deserves some consideration which King Iames saith in the latter end of his Proclamation for Uniformity Such is the unquietnesse and unstedfastnesse of some dispositions affecting every yeare new forms of things as if they should be followed in their unconstancy would make all actions of States ridiculous and contemptible whereas the stedfast mainteining of things by good advise established is the weale of the Commonwealth I should not inlarge my selfe any further about this Consideration but for two reasons The one is I find it said by some that scarce any but Bishops have hitherto mainteined Bishops Take only three Testimonies of many they were all Members of the English Church yet all Strangers and all had lived in places opposite to Episcopall Government none of them either Bishops or their Chapleins or Expectants The first is King Iames the most learned of Kings I have alwayes thought that there ought to be Bishops in the Church according to the Apostolicall institution and by consequence Divine Ordination The second is Learned Bucer a Germane and imployed in the first Reformation of this Church to read Divinity in Cambridge one that was so opposite to Popery that after his Death his very bones were taken out of his Grave and burned by the Papists He is full in many places take one From the perpetuall observation of the Churches from the very Apostles themselves we see that it seemed good to the Holy Ghost that among the Ministers to whom the charge of the Church was especially committed one should undergoe a singular care of the Churches and the whole Ministery and in that care and sollicitude was before all the rest for which cause the name of a Bishop was peculiarly attributed to these highest Procurators of the Church The third is Peter Martyr at the same time imployed to reade Divinity at Oxford having expressed his consent concurrence with Saint ●…erome concerning Episcopacy he proceeds So far it is from us to bring confusion into the Church that rather we follow the same way for there is no Diocesse with us or Citty where of many Pastors there is not some one chosen excelling in Learning and Experience whom they call the Superintendent of the Church He convocates all the rest he admonisheth them he governs them according to the Word of God as the State of things requires The second reason is that I see it lately published to the World in Print that Doctor Whitakers Doctor Fulke and Doctor Reynolds were all Oppugners of Episcopacy Perhaps of Popish Episcopacy that is the abuse not the thing or of an absolute necessity by Divine Right of such and such an Episcopacy indowed with such or such degrees of Power or Preheminence or of such an Episcopacy as is held to differ from Presbiterate in the very power of Order but surely not of Episcopacy it selfe I wondred at the impudence of the Man It is a bad cause which stands in need to be underpropped with such pious impious frauds is onely fortified with hideous palpable Lyes if he fable in this let him have the just

gives the People the last Judgement of necessity and upon this Judgement a power to rise in Arms. If any Divine have unwittingly slipped into any such errours in not distinguishing between an absolute and respective Soveraignty which I can hardly beleeve yet the Observer might have held his peace for shame The one is so intent upon the Law of God the other upon the Law of Nature that they both forget the known Laws of the Land Especially he shews his spleen against Bishop sometimes calling them Popish Bishops If Popery were as ancient as Episcopacy the Observer might shake his Eares at it to small purpose Sometimes he stiles them the Praelaticall Faction If that be a Faction which is established by the Fundamentall Law of the Land and hath ever been a radicated Order of the Kingdom What may a man think of hi●… Rev●…rend Co●…hmen and Bu●…ton makers and the rest of that diversified Schismaticall ●…ie Sometimes he makes Levi and Sim●…n Hierarchists and Papists the heads of the maine Malignants I ●…ope the Observer will allow some Government in the Church either of Councells or Synods or Assemblyes or Consistoryes or Senates or Presbyteryes either 〈◊〉 as it is at Genevah or Parochiall as it is in the Low-Countries either of Presidents or Moderators or Visiters Pastors Doctors Curate or not Curate Elders perpetuall or Annuall Deacons Widow●… or some of them for they are not yet well agreed about any of these In one place Elders are Commissioners to the Seigniory are placed and displaced by the Magistrate take an Oath of Obedience to the Magistrate in other places the King hath not so much as the place of a Lay-Elder except he be chosen Or perhaps the Observer is for none of all these wayes but as errant an Independent in the Church as he desires to be in the Common-wealth Here are many things very considerable in this businesse First That in doubtfull cases Melior est conditio vossident is Possession is a strong plea especially if it be of long continuance as this of Episcop●…cy is ever since Christianity was planted in this Kingdome This is certain Brittish Bishops have been of Note in Forrein Councells since the second Councell of Arles which is above thirteen hundred yeares to say nothing of Aristobulus mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans whom some good Authors make a Bishop in this Island They that shall goe about to shake in pieces such an ancient Institution which was brought into the Church either by the Authority or at least by the approbation of the Apostles had need to bring cleare proofes not blind conjectures about which they themselves cannot agree one with another Bishops flourished long in this Kingdom even when the Brittish Church enjoyed the Cyprian privilege and acknowledged no subjection to any forrein See whatsoever Secondly That which the Observer saith of Monarchy that our Laws are locked and Cabinetted in it in such manner that the wounding of the one is the bleeding of the other though he forget it throughout his Discourse is likewise true of Episcopacy that it is woven and riveted into the body of our Law Heare a Witnesse beyond exception For the Government of Bishops I for my part not prejudging the presidents of other Reformed Churches doe hold it warranted by the Word of God and by the practise of the ancient Church in the better times and much more convenient for Kingdoms then parity of Ministers or Government by Synods And presently after It is worth noting that the Scripture saith Translato Sacerdotio necesse est ut legis fiat Translatio It is not possible in respect of the great and neere sympathy between the State Civill and the State Ecclesiasticall to make so maine an alteration in the Church but it would have a perillous operation upon the Kingdome And therefore it is fit that Controversie be in Peace and Silence It would not be forgotten what was cited before out of Cartwright That as the hangings must be shaped according to the House so must the Civill Government be conformed to the Government of the Church The Anabaptis●…●…egan with Bishops but at length the Emperour was ●…ith them but Carolus a Gandavo Charles of Gant 〈◊〉 leave it to others to Judge by what fate or fortune it ●…omes to p●…sse beyond the Sea That wheresoever any ●…ther Regiment of the Church takes place if the fa●…ourers of it be the Major part and have power in their ●…ands it either finds or makes a popular State every ●…ans own imagin●…ion will supply him with instances And this may be the reason why Calvin a wise man 〈◊〉 an Epistle to the King of Polonia doth represent ●…ot the Disciplinarian but Episcopall Government as ●…tter for Monarchyes Having shewed the Regiment ●…f the Primitive Church by Patriarkes Primates and ●…ishops he proceeds thus As if at this Day one Arch-●…ishop should be over the illustrious Kingdom of Polonia ●…t to domineere over the rest or arrogate their right unto ●…imselfe but for orders cause c. And further there ●…ould be a Bishop in each Citty or Province to attend pe●…uliarly to the preservation of Order marke his Rea●…on even as Nature it selfe doth dictate to us that in ●…very College one ought to be chosen upon whom the prin●…ipall care of the College should rest Thirdly Episcopacy is not onely ancient and ce●…ented into our Laws but also was universally re●…eived without any opposition or so much as a que●…tion throughout the whole Christian World among ●…ll sorts of Christians of what Communion or ●…rofession soever they were Graecian Latin Rus●…an Armenian Abissine c yea even among those ●…ho by reason of the great distance and remotenesse ●…f their Countryes never heard of the Pope nor of the name of Rome ever since the Apostles did tread upon the face of the Earth untill this last Century of Yeares so farre is it from being a Relick of Popery And the Observer is challenged to name but one Church or so much as one poor Village throughout the whole World from the Dayes of the Apostles till the year of Christ 1500 that ever was governed without a Bishop I except the Acep●…ali or such disordered Persons that had no Governmen●… at all or to name but one Lay-Elder or one Ambulatory Bishop that governed by turne or course in th●… Primitive times in the whole Catholike Church before the year 1536 when Calvine came to Geneuah We find the proper and particular names of Apostles Evangelists Bishop Presbiters and Deacons in the Scriptures in Councells in Ecclesiastical Historyes in the Fathers if he and all his Friend●… be not able out of all these Authorities to name on●… particular Lay-Elder or ambulatory Bishop th●… reason must be because there never was such a Creature in rerum natura And his Elders in Saint Ambrose and Saint Ierome are much mistaken ho●… should they be otherwise the one Authour being 〈◊〉 Bishop himselfe and the other