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	just_a	schism_n	2,608	5	10.7463	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68715	Christs politician, and Salomons puritan Deliuered in two sermons preached before the Kings Maiestie. By Thomas Scot Bachelour of Diuinitie and one of his Maiesties chapleines. These two sermons epitomiz'de. Beware of men; of hypocrites beware. Who likes not this, no friends but enemies are. Be not too iust; be not a puritan. Yet be as pure a Christian as you can.	Scott, Thomas, preacher at the Rolls Chapel.; Scott, Thomas, 1580?-1626, attributed name.	1616 (1616)	STC 22074; ESTC S100078	29,507	59

writing vpon Exodus faith that it was an ancient custome among the Hebrewes that though the greatest part of their Iudges in their publike assemblies had condemned a man yet would they respite his execution for a time and not presently put him to death but if the greater part at any time agreed in the acquiting of any man he was presently discharged without any further consultation because they did hold that in doubtfull cases betweene iustice and mercy it was alwaies best and safest to encline to mercie Melius est errare in modicitate quant in excessu It is better to erre in the meane then in the extremity It is a commendation that is giuen in the Scriptures to the Kings of Israel that they were mercifull Kings Moses the best Magistrate that euer was was the mildest man that euer was Salomon the wisest Magistrate that euer was was called the Prince of Peace because he was the most peaceable Prince that euer was And as he was so he writeth Mercy preserueth a King and with louing mercy is his seat and scepter vpholden Be not too iust therefore but help to hold vp his Maiesties Crown Kingdome with mercy that as he hath wonne it with mercy so it may still stand by mercy and so continue to him and his posterity after him A third thing commendable in a Magistrate is Discretion termed of Bernard moderatrix mater auriga virtutum the moderatour the mother and guide of mens manners and specially of the Magistrate For as a Coach-man doth not alwaies driue right forward nor keepe alwayes one pace but must sometime stay somtime turne sometime driue faster and sometime slower as the wayes doe serue and as he seeth his horses are able to endure euen so neither must a Magistrate keepe alwaies one direct course nor in all causes carry himselfe alike to all men but must many times conforme himself to the diuers dispositions of diuers men according to the diuersity of their different humours Physicians doe not alwaies and in all diseases followe the rules of learning and their bookes but they are sometime faine to apply themselues to please their patients and suffer them to haue their willes against the rules of physicke so must Magistrates doe with the vnruly people when as they are not all alike nor all sicke of one disease so neither are they alwaies to be vsed alike nor to be cured after one manner And though it be a rule in Diuinity non est facienda mala vt eueniant bona that euill is not to be done that good may come therof yet when men haue to do with the common people ferenda toleranda nonnunquam sunt mala It is the opinion of M. Beza Epist 4. Quaedam esse cogente necessitate non tantum tacite toleranda sed etiam publicis ligibus moderanda quoniam semel simul tolli a mag propter hominem duritiam non possunt cuiusmodi est diuortij libellus foeneris moderatio c. There are some things that of necessity are not onely to be suffered with silence but to be moderated by lawes also because through the hardnesse of mens hearts they cannot at once and together bee taken away of the Magistrate such as bils of diuorce and vsury c. All things are lawfull but all things are not expedient All things therefore that are lawfull for the Magistrate to doe are not alwayes expedient for him to doe Discretion must teach him the difference It had beene lawfull for Moses to deny diuorcements to the Iewes but because he saw it was not expedient to deny them he was content to yeelde to an inconuenience to auoyd a mischiefe It had beene lawfull for Samuel to haue denied the people a King when they required his consent for the choice of one but yet hee thought it not expedient to stand against them lest they should haue presumed of themselues to haue made one without him Quod non est licitum in lege necessitas licitum facit that which is not lawfull by Law necessity many times maketh lawful without law Nonnullos toleramus quia corrigere punire non possumus We suffer some men because we cannot conueniently correct and punish them There are three causes saith one for which a Magistrate may and must sometime forbeare to punish The first is when the offendours are hidden and vnknowen in which case sanctius est nocentes absoluere quam innocentes condemnere it is better to absolue the nocent then to condemne the innocent lest in gleaning out the tares the wheat bee pluckt vp also and the good bee punished for the bad The second is when the fault to be punished is an offence of infirmity or ignorance and not of malice when it may be probably presumed of their amendment that are the offendours For the end of punishment is the reformation of him or them that are to bee punished which when it may be wrought without punishment the punishment may be spared quia medici non indignantur egrotis sed morbo medentur For Physicians are not angry with their patients but they desire to cure their diseases The third cause is when the offendours beeing many or great men cannot conueniently be punished without danger of schisme in the Church or sedition in the common-wealth In these and such like cases and causes Discretion saith alwayes to the Magistrate Be not too iust And thus much of those things that concerneth the Magistrate to take knowledge of out of the words of my text The second sort of people to whom Salomon speaketh are priuate men and common persons that liue as Subiects vnder the obedience of Christian Magistrates To these also that are such Salomon saith heere Be not too iust therein giuing direction to euery priuate man how to guide himselfe in his obedience in his religion in his conscience and in his zeale in all which things Salomon would haue no man affect to bee too iust but rather to conform himselfe and his conscience to the equity and example of Gods Iustice First touching religion he forbiddeth vs to be too iust either in words or terms of doctrin or questions of discipline in both which he would not haue you that are the common people to require euery thing that is taught you out of the Scriptures to be prooued by expresse words of the Scripture For although the word of God is and must be the lanterne of our feet and the light to our pathes and the sole and onely rule of our Iustice which must direct and guide vs in all matters of religion yet are there many termes of doctrine both taught beleeued of the Church which are not there to bee found in plaine and expresse words but onely drawen from thence by way of consequence and yet receiued as agreeing with the Scriptures and with the anologie of faith Nazianzen sayth that studium litterae est

of vs in such matters The causes inducing conscience to error are many In some it proceedeth from the malice of Satan who when he can not tempt them to great and grosse sinnes he seeketh many times to vexe them with scruples of conscience troubling them in their imaginations and sometime peruerting the iudgement of their mindes onelie through aboundance of melancholie humors that raigne in their bodies Mille surgunt apud aliquos scrupuli 〈…〉 oblatrantes lacerare minantes eos qui volunt ire per viam Dei A thousond doubts barking within them like Dogges do arise in the hearts of some and threaten to teare them in peeces that haue a desire to walke in the right way of God Berson Gregorie in this case doth resemble the Diuell to a Lion that scareth little beasts which are weak and fearefull at his owne pleasure but when he encountereth with great beasts is many times put to the worst himselfe euen so when the Diuell dealeth with those that are fearefull and weake hee putteth many intricate questions and doubts into their heades to the great disquiet and trouble of their consciences wherein notwithstandieg he doth seldome or neuer preuaile with men of iudgement and vnderstanding but they preuaile against him In some error of conscience proceedeth of meere negligence when a man standing doubtfull of any thing wherein he ought to be resolued or being ignorant of any thing hee ought to know neglecteth to take counsell in time of them that are able to informe and reforme him in his doubtfulnesse and ignorance and so it was with Nicodemus before hee came to Christ In other some it proceedeth of the proude conceite they haue of their owne learning and wit thinking scorne to humble their vnderstanding to men of greater iudgement and knowledge then they are themselues which Augustine in his confessions acknowledgeth to haue been his fault many yeares whereby he remained obstinate a long while and would neither be brought to baptisme nor beleife but being morallie learned in the seuen liberall sciences hee defended his errors against all men and would not be remoued till at last by hearing of Ambrose he was brought to change his minde content to subiect his reason and learning to the obedience of faith which as hee saith himselfe of himselfe if he had not done he had still liued and died in error and neuer beene saued In othersome it proceedeth from a certaine singularitie of minde a vice that delighteth to be opposite to authoritie and maketh a man to carrie himselfe different in opinion and iudgement from other men desiring to be noted and pointed at prae caeteris because as the Poet saith of such they thinke it a kinde of credit and glory to them notarier dicier hic est to be a noted man and to haue it said of them this is he which was a thing that the proude hipocriticall Pharises much delighted in wherein also they haue many followers euen at this day In othersome it proceedeth from a certaine inordinate affection and admiration of their persons from whom they haue receiued their opinions Nimius enim amor nimium odium in errorem inducunt peruertunt iudictum Senec. Extreame loue and extreame hatred lead men into error and peruert their iudgement as is to be seen in the Church of Corinth where some held of Paul some of Apollo and some of Cephas euery man as he fancied the man whom he followed which is likewise one of the greatest causes of schisme and contention in our Churches wherein some humerous persons delight to draw disciples after them and other some hauing itching eares do turne their hearing from the truth and delight to heare onely those that will preach nouelties and pleasing things vnto them whereby the Gospell is ill spoken of Et facta est fides Euangeliorū fides temporum faith of the Gospell is become the faith of time Nam aut scribuntur fides vt volumus aut vt volumus intelliguntur For either faithes are written as will or as will they are vnderstood Et cum secundum vnum Deum vnum Dominum vnum baptisma fides etiam vna esse debeat oò ponè ventum est vt nulla sit And whereas according as there is but one God one Lord one baptisme there ought to be but one faith also it is almost come to that passe now that there is none at all From these and such like causes proceede all errors in conscience for reformation whereof we are heere forbidden to be too iust in these extreames and bidden to suffer our consciences to be guided by those rules of Iustice which ought to direct our consciences whereof there are many One and the first is this In indifferentibus plus obligat praeceptum principis pralati quam propria conscientia quia in his conscientia habet suprà se principem praelatum Tho. Aquin. In matters of indifferency the commandement of a Prince and a prelate doth more binde man then his owne conscience because in these things the Prince and the Prelate hath preheminence aboue conscience The ground and foundation of this rule are Christs owne words when he saith Quaecunque dixcrint vobis facite whatsoeuer your Magistrates bid you obserue that obserue and do The second is this Conscientia nun quam obligat in virtute propria sed in virtute praecepti diuini conscience neuer bindeth in it selfe but by vertue of some commandement from God Quia conscientia non dictat aliquid esse faciendum aut non faciendum hac ratione quia sibi videtur vel non videtur sed sub hac conditione quia est à Deo praeceptum vel prohibitum Because the conscience telleth not a man that any thing is to be done or not to bee done in regard that it seemeth good or not good to it selfe but for that the same is either commanded or forbidden of God If a man maketh a conscience of any thing not commanded or forbidden and yet doth it he may seeme in some sort to do praeter conscientiam besides his conscience but not against his conscience Anton. part 1. tit 3. cap. 10. 4. The third is in things indifferent when a man doubteth of any thing commanded him whether it be bonum licitum good and lawfull obedire debet he is bound to obey it and to doe it Nam etsi reum fortassis faciat superiorem imper andi iniquitas innocontem tamen ostendit orde seruiendi inferiorem for although the iniquitie of commanding may make the Superiour guiltie yet order of obedience sheweth the inferior to be innocent The fourth is In dubijs bonorum vita alijs debet esse viuendi regula in things doubtfull the life of good men should be the rule of liuing to others For by the counsell of Salomon a man should neuer leane to much to his owne wit nor make a conscience to himselfe in matters

pallium impietatis the sticking too much to the letter is the cloake of iniquity The Arrian heretickes refused the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and denied Christ to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of the same substance with his father because it was a word no where found in the Scriptures The answer of Athanasius is Etsi hac vox in Scripturis non reperitur habere tamen eam sententiā quā Scripturae volunt that though the word it selfe be not found in the Scriptures yet that it hath that sense which the Scriptures doe allow off Cyrill likewise being challenged after the like manner that what he sayd was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not written answered rem ipsam qua per illud vocabulum significatur habere certissima Scripturae testimonia that the matter it selfe signified by the word had most sure and certaine witnesses out of the Scriptures There were certaine heretickes likewise that denied the holy Ghost to be God terming him Deum peregrinum Scripturae verbis nusquam expressum a strange God and no where mentioned in the expresse words of the scripture whereunto Nazianzen answereth that all things that are taught to be beleeued in the Scriptures are not in the proper and in the selfe same words alwaies expressed in the Scriptures but if saith hee I vse a peculiar word to expresse any thing implied in the sense of the Scripture thogh the very word it selfe be not found in the Scripture rectè facio I doe well euen as when I say bis quinque twice fiue I say not tenne and yet if I ioyne fiue and fiue together and call them tenne recte dico I speake rightly and truely and it is good consequence The like I may say of childrens baptisme and the Crosse vsed in baptisme and many other points concerning the doctrin discipline and ceremonies vsed in our Church wherein though there be some things taught and vsed which be not expressely commanded in the Scriptures yet being implied in the sense of the Scriptures or nor disagreeing from the sense of the Scriptures they are not to bee accounted contrary to the Scriptures and for this very cause I terme the signe of the Crosse a holy signe not that it is so of it selfe but for the significations sake representing vnto vs the precious death and passion of our Lord Sauiour Christ whereof he himselfe termeth it a signe Matth. 24. when he saith Then shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man in the heauens Bee not too iust therefore to vrge the very words of the Scripture for proofe of euery thing drawn and deliuered for doctrine out of the Scripture and much lesse for matters of discipline and indifferency wherin the rule that Ambrose gaue to Augustine his mother is to be followed Ad quamcnnq veneris Ecclesiam eius morem serua ficuiquam non vis esse scandalum nec quenquam tibi to what Church soeuer you come in matters of indifferency follow the vse of that Church if you will not be offensiue to others nor haue others offensiue to you Be not too iust The second thing wherein wee must not be too iust is our obedience wherein we must giue honour and reuerence to all God Almighties Magistrates first to the King as hauing the preheminence and then to other inferiour rules sent of him and set ouer vs by him whom we must obey in all things that are in their powers to command and in ours to performe For some things are not to be commanded by them nor obedience to be performed of vs. Modus obedientiae sic tenendus est vt bonis in malo scienter non obedias nec malis in bono contradicas The manner of they obedience must so hee obserued as that willingly thou neither obey good men in that which is ill nor oppose thy selfe against euill men in that which is good and herein the nature of those things also wherein obedience may be required of vs must be considered of vs. For there are some things which are pura bona meerely good somethings pura mala meerely ill some things are media in the meane between both In things meerely good or meerly ill nulla debetur homini obedientia quoniam nec bona omittenda sunt cum prohibentur nec mala cōmittenda cum iubentur no obedience is due to man because neither good things are to be neglected when they are prohibited nor euil things to be done when they are commanded Things meerely good are faith hope charitie such like Quae nec malè iuberi nec malè toneri possunt which neither can euilly bee commanded nor euillie obserued Of such things we haue a commandement cleaue to that which is good And 1. Thess 5. Follow and keepe that which is good Thinges meerely ill are theft idolatrie sacrilege and all sorts of sinnes whatsoeuer quae nec benè praecipi nec perfici nec malè prohiberi vol non fieri which can neither be well commanded nor well performed nor euilly prohibited or neglected Nullius enim prohibitio diuinis valet obuiare praeceptis nullius iussio praeiudicare prohibitis for no mans prohibition is of validitie to forbid that which God commandeth neither is any mans commandement of force to preiudicate those things which he forbiddeth Betweene these two extreames there are other some things of an in different nature which in regard of the manner of doing them the time when they are done the place where they are done the persons that do them or command them to be done may be either good or ill In his lox obedientiae posita est the law of obedience consisteth in these things For when God would teach the first man obedience prohibuit ab eare qua non erat mala Amb. In such things nec iussio nec prohibitio principum aut praelatorum est contemnenda neither the commandement nor prohibition of Princes or Prelates is to bee contemned For as Bernard saith quic quid vice Dei praecipit homo quem pro Deo habemus tanquam Deum audire debemus whatsoeuer in things of this nature man commandeth in the place of God whom we houlde as God we are bound to obey as God If this doctrine bee agreeing to the rule of iustice in obedience then are they too iust that refuse to obey their Princes in these things that are of this nature vnder a pretence of obedience to God who doth hold himselfe disobeyed of them that in such things disobey their Princes Non ea reiecerunt sed me they reiect not them saith the Lord God himselfe to the Magistrate that is so disobeyed but me Be not too iust therefore The third thing wherein we must not be too iust is conscience when our conscience is erroneous I tearme that an erroneous conscience that is ether too strict too stiffe or too scrupulous in matters of in differency when obedience is required