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	separation_n	3,507	5	10.7526	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02198	An aunsvver to George Giffords pretended defence of read prayers and devised leitourgies with the vngodly cauils and vvicked sclanders comprised in the first part of his book entituled, A short treatise against the Donatists of England. By Iohn Greenwood Christs poore afflicted prisoner in the Fleete at London, for the trueth of the gospel.	Greenwood, John, d. 1593.; Johnson, Francis, 1562-1618.	1603 (1603)	STC 12340; ESTC S103420	74,892	78

that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me for if the yoake wherwith he was held captiue in part could not take from him but that he was the Lordes free seruaunt it is no reasō that some outwarde bondage should make the Church not to be the spouse of Christ. If a man commaund his wife saith he to do a thinge and ther be violent force to withhold her shee is not to be blamed Rom. 7. Mine answere to this he durst not print but peruerteth my wordes so manie as pleaseth him nether can I yet come by a copie of my former writing to shew what I thē replyed Now consider what gouernmnet is and what bondage is and then behold the wickednes of this man Spirituall gouernmet is that souereigntie Dominion and regiment that Christ Iesus by his spirit lawes ordināces and officers exerciseth in ād ouer hys church as yt is writtē And thou Bethleē Iuda art not the least among the Princes of Iuda for out of thee shall come a gouernour that shall gouerne my people Israell againe thy Scepter is an uer lasting Scepter I haue set my king vpon Syon my Holy mountaine Mat. 2.6 Psa. 2. and 45. and 110. these lawes ād ordināces wherby this kinge raigneth are caled a kingdome that cānot be shakē Heb. 12.28 they that haue not him to reigne ouer thē are by outward professiō none of his If I be your lord where is my honor againe those myne enimies which would not that I should reigne ouer thē bring bether and slay thē before me Luke 19.27 Also bondage or seruitude is to be al commaundement and to yeild obedience in subiection Now to be in outward bondage to an other outward government other lawes officers and ordinances then Christs is to be by outward subiection servantes of Antichrist which layeth an other foundation for by outward profession we cannot stand to mans iudgment professed subiects to two kings at enimitye But we must be an enimie to the one and so esteemed of all mē much lesse members vnto two divers heades This then is mine answere here 1. That it is an heresie to say a man may stand in bondage to open knowen sinne and the free seruaunt of Christ to vs by outward profession both at one instant 2. That it is a falsifying of the Scripture to say that St. Paul in the 7. to the Romanes was in bondage to sinne when he in the inner man resisted sinne and daylie preuailed against the sinne which his flesh would haue led him captiue in if there had not beene a stronger power to ouercome that enimie For he ther reasoneth of the benefite of the lawe to manifest our sinne and our conquest ouer sinne by daylie repentance and reprouing of sinne in our selues fighting against sinne victory ouer sinne thoughe yt contynuallie rebell 3. How blasphemous were yt to contynue in knowen sinne in bondage to yt and to say it is sinne that dwelleth in vs and not we and so still to blesse our selves without amendement O horrible peruertinge of the Scriptures to mens destruction 2. Pet. 3.16.4 That ther is no Argument to be drawen nor consequence to followe from the reliques of sinne and corruption of the fleshe in one man or the whole Church and a professed bondage to al false government no not betweene the open committing of sinne in the whole Church or some m●mbers therof and a professed homage and subiection vnto a false gouernment we cannot be partakers with the false Church and true at no hand 1. Cor. 10.21 5. Lastlie that the subiection to an other gouernement is as a wife that committeth adulterie Hosea 2. I then reason thus on the contrary with you Any man that after regeneration committeth open knowen sinne and contynueth obstinate as a bond seruaunt thervnto standeth not the professed seruaunt of Christ but of synne Ezechiel 18. till he repent so the whole Church that persisteth in open knowen sinne and persequuieth the messengers that reproue the same Then as euerie member of the false Church standeth a professed seruaunt of sinne so the whole assemblies that stand professed subiects of false gouernment no censures sf admonition belonging vnto them but calling of them to repentance and seperation from the false Church Then as the wife that geueth her self to be one with an other man is an adulteresse Rom. 7.3 so that Church that subiecteth herself to an other gouernment ordinances and lawes then Christs is an harlot Now lett all men say whether I had not iust cause to say you spake like a carnall libertine and an Athiest yea nowe as one having his conscience ●eared to affirme that the Church remayninge in open knowe bondage to a false gouernment may saye as Paul said it is not I that sinne And that contynuing in that adulterie she is the spouse of Christ by outward profession You would saye it were a false Argument to say the Church hath manie imperfections ignorances transgressions etc. therfore standeth in bondage to sinne nay standeth in bondage to an other heade and an other government then Christs Euen so to saye the Church doth sinne therfore may contynue in bondage to sinne is false doctrine nay to say it may stand in open professed subiection to Antichrist and be esteemed the CHURCH of CHRIST by outward profession in that estate is damnable doctrine It is the flat contradiction of all the rules of the Scripture to say a man may stand in bondage to sinne and the free servaunt● of Christ by outward profession by mans iudgment at one tyme seing the obstinate offenders are to be cast out of the assemblie But nowe though the regenerate may fall into these highe sinnes and contynue in their sinne a long time yea manie yeares depriued of GODS grace to mans seeming and to vs is the seruant of Satan for anie thing wee see yet the Spirit of GOD is never vtterlie extinguished or departed after regeneration but will recouer the man againe and bring him to repentance as David after a whole yeare for the stronge man once displaced and cast out by a stronger then he the spirit neuer vtterly departeth againe for then yt were impossible that mā should be renewed Mat. 1.2.31 Heb. 10.26 and 6.4 And herevpon I might saye Paul never contynued captiue in sinne but was alwaies renewed by repentance Furder this spirit of God the sparkes wherof were never quenched vtterlie did not nor could not consent or giue place vnto sinne for here is the enimitye and battel betweene the spirite and the flesh euerie where spoken of Gal. 5,16.17 Rom. 7. May I not now say then that Paul never contynued captiue vnto sinne nor consented vnto sin concerninge the Inner man or gave place vnto sinne in that place mentioned without heresie And still reproue you that when Paul reasoneth of the old man or corruption in him you will conclude yt of the new man or inner man and of the whole man when you see euidently he opposeth the

at one tyme that bee not at another of somme persons that bee not to other ther can bee no lawe sett in the perticular one daye for all assemblies in such thinges Neither shall anye disagrement bee such amongst the seuerall Churches as need anye contention for them whiles euerie assemblye doe that wich is to themselues most meet most convenient and necessary in such things for the present tyme. The Pastor and Elders were of small discretion if they might not haue these thinges in their libertie and even these doctrines and examples are in this point against your selfe which you haue alledged from other CHURCHES But my purpose is not to contend about mens writings nor to be drawen into controuersie with other Churches when I am to deale with your present sinne for the auoiding wherof you thus rage If your cause be good plead it by the Scriptures and I wil be so farre from casting out darts against al CHURCHES as I wil not deale with their estate till I be further occasioned the rather may I omitt this labour for that you haue alledged one place of scripture which you suppose wil beare vp all your matter If yt helpe you not I see not how you wil defend your assertion In the 15. of the Acts where it is said the Apostles Elders and brethren at Ierusalem met about the question of Circumcision and other Ceremonies of Moses lawe which some would haue burdened the Gentiles with we see there saith he that the Apostles themselves did decree some thing for the time which afterward were to be altered when the occasion was taken away namelie that the Gentiles should absteyne from blood and from strangled for auoiding offence to the weak Iues. First let vs see what the decree was and then it will appeare how litle yt serueth Maister Giffard his purpose these be the wordes Act. 15.28.29 It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to vs to lay no more burden vpon you then that which is necessary of these thinges to absteyne from Idolothytes and from blood and from strangled and from fornication from which keeping your selues yee doe well For one of these which is fornication we haue here no question it being by the moral lawe alwayes forbiden For the other Maister Giffard would thus reason The Apostles themselves did decree them for the tyme therfore the Church hath power to make and ordeyne lawes in things of themselues indifferent about the worship of God and publick exercises For our answere wee would haue Maister Giffard first learne that he in saying the Apostles themselves did this by the direction of the holy Ghost hath ouerthrowen himselfe for these were the Maister builders apointed of God to be law makers for the whole Leitourgie and worship of Christ to all posterities euen all the lawes and ordinances of the newe Testament confirmed by miracles from heauen deliuered by their ministery vnto vs It will not follow then if the APOSTLES had made and ordeyned some lawe here that therefore euerie Synoode or anie Synode may impose lawes and commandements by themselves ordeyned till they shew they haue that power giuen them the Apostles had and an other Leitourgie to be made which they shall neuer de able to doe without a newe CHRIST Wee haue a sure foundation alreadie laid wherevpon all Synods and Counsells must build and suffer their actions to be tryed therby they haue not power to inioyne one title which is not by the word of GOD inioyned vs. Further what did the Apostles here that they had not warrant for neither would they lay anie yoke or burthen And as for these thinges they doe as much binde vs nowe if ther be like cause namelie not in Idolothyts blood or that which is strangled to offend our weak brethren if the Iues should be now againe called neither to offend anie in meate or drinke for whome Christ hath dyed Neither was ther here any absolute law made of these thinges nor necessitye for the present tyme furder then it should bee necessary for the respect set downe for otherwise it had bene to build againe the thinges destroied onlye they thus counselled and admonished the Gentiles to vse their libertye in these thinges as they might gyve noe offence to theyr weake brethren of the Iues the more to drawe them on in the wayes of CHRIST for they doe not inioyne yt as a lawe but tell them they shall doe well if they obserue these thinges by no necessitye inforced But wee doe not nowe observe these thinges the occasions being remoued True therfore I trust you will grant that no man shall bee furder bounde to anye constitution in such thinges indifferent then there shall bee cause neyther need wee publicke order to retract so that you leaue the matter to me that wee can bee no further bounde in such thinges then by those rules of edifijng order comlines occasion shall require so that wee neither need nor can haue setled lawes herein howe much more bondage and burden is imposed vnder this Antichristian yoke the thinges being of themselves most lothsome and detestable Popery abrogating and making voide all the true ordinances lawes and worship of CHRIST and so inforced as whot persecution procedeth against anie that of conscience absteyne from them let it bee considered Neither hath there euer bene detracting this thirtye yeares of anye your abhominations neither is held lawefull for them that seeth them vnlawfull to forbeare them without deadlye hate to bee followed to the death Blessed bee our GOD that hath deliuered our soules out of such Egiptian seruitude our liues are not deare vnto vs neither shall your reproch moue vs. Nowe concerning the last places of the Treatise where hee is vtterlye mute in this that all whiche stand vnder another Hierarchie or spirituall Regiment then CHRISTS bee by outward profession no true Christians or vnder the promise of salvation also for the freedome wee professe in holye obedience to all statutes and ordinances off GOD as hee hath left vntouched the matter for which hee aledged the 7. to the Romanes namelye the outward professed bondage to a false Spirituall government so I having before largely expressed my minde in that poinct of doctrine and in such as then were about these thinges opposed referre anye that desire the truth herein to ponder the reasons and proofes there set downe not minding to repeate againe or to bee set aworke in vnfolding his troublesome and confuse cauills in abusing this place or to make further replye till I see more capeable conceypt in him of such principles of regeneration and sanctification of freedome and bondage yet for others direction one cauil or two shal be breifly set in veiwe First where hee supposing I had bene in error and he himself fast fettered in heresie and seeth it not chargeth mee to runne as farre on the other side as a wheele turned with contrarye motions of the streame for saying I helde the deare children of GOD might