Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	sin_n	world_n	5,072	5	5.7392	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16796	The copie of a letter vvritten by M. Doctor Allen: concerning the yeelding vp of the citie of Dauentrie vnto his Catholike Maiestie, by Sir VVilliam Stanley knight. VVherin is shevved both hovve lavvful, honorable and necessarie that action vvas; and also that al others, especiallie those of the English nation that detayne anie tovvnes, or other places, in the lovve countries from the King Catholike are bound, vpon paine of damnation, to do the like. Before vvhich is also prefixed a gentlemans letter, that gaue occasion, of this discourse.	Allen, William, 1532-1594.; R. A., fl. 1587.; Ashton, Roger, d. 1591, attributed name.	1587 (1587)	STC 370; ESTC S112764	16,431	30

ciuil iustice and moral vertue so they haue their consciences better informed by the rules of Christian Religion for gouernment of their actiōs in al partes of life Such may easely perceiue not only for the causes aforesaid this vvarre on thenglish side to be vniust and that the seruice in the same is sinful dishonorable obnoxious to restitution but principally for that it is vvaged for defēce of Haeresie and Haeretikes and for the euersion of the Catholike faith that is to say directly against God and his holy Church The holy Prophet of God that reprehēded King Iosaphat for geuing succourse of amitie only not of euel meaning in Religion to the vvicked King Achab sayng Impio praebes auxilium ijs qui oderunt Dominum amicitia iungeris idcirco irā Dei merebàris Thou geuest ayde to the wicked art cōfoederate with such as hate our Lord therfore thou deseruedst Gods ire What vvould he haue saide or vvhat may vve deeme of our Princes cōfoederacies only alvvayes vvith Christ his enimies as vvith the Ghevves Ghevves Hugonots Caluinistes in Flaunders Fraunce Scotland vvith most ample succourses cōtinually yeelded to euerie of them for destructiō of christian Religion In vvich not only vnlawful but sacrilegious vvarres al men of conscience must consider that al Coronells Capitaines souldiars that in this case serue the Prince and Haeretikes are partakers of their iniquitie cooperators vvith them in al their sinne executors of the Haeretical Princes sentence against their ovvne Catholike and innocēt bretheren fautors and defenders of Haeretikes and so by the censure of holy Church incurre Excommunication à most pitiful and dangerous state for à christian man to liue or dye in They must marke vvhat an infinite miserie it is for à noble and couragious hart as lightly those men of best seruice be that vvith their svvoorde and armes the vvicked only should be protected the innocent destroyed Churches despoyled Gods Priestes seruantes murthered the blessed Sacramentes profaned yea euen the dread soueraigne holies of Christs ovvne bodie bloud What death should not à true Catholike knight suffer rather then for to see such horrible vvickednes committed Or to be in such base seruitude of Haeresie her dishonorable defenders as vvith their ovvne handes to be ministers of such sacrilegious impietie and vvich is yeat more pittiful that one Catholike man should be brought to destroy an other that in fine euerie one may be the instrument of his ovvne destruction In their ciuil gouuernment at home they cause the Catholike iudge to geue sentence of death against the Priestes vvhose innocēcie they knovve vvhose Religion in hart they beleue to be true They make one Catholike neighbour to accuse an other and one noble man to condemne an other In their vvarres they serue themselues of Catholikes by English Catholikes they destroy Catholikes abrode that forreine Catholikes being ouerthrovven they may more easely ouerthrovve their ovvne at home Alas for my deare bretheren alas for our desolate countrie vvhich no noble hart can novve serue either in Politike or Martial matters but vpō such detestable cōditiōs of assured dānatiō ād in fine to their owne vtter ruine also in this life Of al men in the vvorld the souldiar should most specially attend to his conscience and stand vpon good sure groundes for the iustice of the quarel he hath in hand being hovverly more subiect to death and daunger then any other kinde of men and being assured that if he dye in any knovven euil cause and namely in this fight against God and defence of Haeretikes he is doubtles to be damned for euer As contrarievvise to dye in lavvful vvarres for defence of iustice is euerful of hope And for defence of true Religion Gods honour in most cases plaine martyrdome Let no christian conscience therefore excuse or flatter it selfe in this case vpon the Princes commandemēt or the Superiors authoritie or vpon the daunger of disobeyng the Quenes lavves no mortal creature hauing lavvful povver to commaund nor any subiect bound or permitted to obey in matter directly against God In vvhich case à mā must say to his Prince vvith S. Augustin Tu minaris carcerē Deus Gehennam Thou threatnest prison God threatneth Hel. And as it is vndecent for any Christian for feare of man to offend God so it is most disagreable to the manly courage and constancie of a christian Catholike souldiar for feare of death or daūger vvhat soeuer to enter in to so damnable dishonorable a seruice or to fight or die in à cause cōtrarie to his ovvne conscience Besides al this to serue in an haeretical cause and vnder haeretical capitaines catholikes are inforced to heare continual blasphemies of al Sainctes Sacraments to be present at the vvicked Sermōs profane seruice of the Haeretikes Which is no lesse dānable then it vvas in olde time for such as serued the heathen Emperoures to commit Idolatrie by Sacrificing to Idoles For refusing of vvhich abomination and in particular for disobeying the Emperoure Maximinus his commandement therin the famous Coronel S. Mauritius vvith the legion of Thebs sustayned most glorious martyrdome As diuers others did vnder Iulian the Apostata and the like And many noble souldiars for that they could not exercise their Christian vsages partly vvere driuen to abandon their profession in displeasure of their Princes and partly vvere licensed to depart as may appeare by à Decree in the holy councel of Nice Where it is forbidden to christian souldiars so licēced to returne to those profane vvarres againe For that is the meaning vvhen the Fathers vpon great spiritual paine commanded that none should resumere cingulum militare that is put on the girdle militare againe that for such à cause had leift it once And surely if there vvere nothing els but this that the Catholike souldiar being hovvrely in peril of death can haue no Sacrament nor Sacramētal for his sinnes nor any comfort of conscience nor succour for his soule in the vvorld it must nedes be the most miserable condition that can be thought of Novve to be reliued of this deadlie calamitie distresse of cōscience after à man is once by errour or misfortune entred into the same there is no vvay but to forsake that vniust and irreligious cause and to retire to that part vvhere à mā may serue vvith iustice honour great revvarde in this life and sure hope of saluation And no doubt but most happie be those Gentlemen that haue this occasion commoditie offered them by God to make amendes for their former errour as vvel by seruing of the Church vvich before they impugned as by rendering vp the places vvhich they though not of malice yeat by other mens vniust appointement did from the true Lordes and ovvners detayne Yea I say more to you Gentlemen seing you desire to knovve my meaning fully in

against vvicked King Achab and cursed Iesabel nor to see permit and proue them for their impietie condignly punished vvherunto the very Priestes and Prophetes of God did by counsel and encouragemēt cooperate In vvhich case vve may see for our instruction not only tovvnes vniustly detayned to be restored to the true Lordes but an impious Kings ovvne countries also cities lavvfully by reuolt of the people yeelded vp to other mennes handes As the Scriptures do recorde of the countries and cities of Edom and Lobna VVhich reuolted from King Ioram and from the Dominion of Iuda for euer yeelding this cause therof Dereliquer at enim Deum patrum suorū For saith the holie storie he had forsaken the God of his fore-fathers To forsake them that forsake God is most lavvful honorable necessaire As contrarievvise to serue and defend them vvhom God by the sentence of his high Priest Tribunal in earth hath pulled dovvne vvil haue punished is to fight against God and to resist his ordinaunce And I pray you Gentlemen to geue you domestical examples vvhat disgrace or shame vvas it for al the chiefe Lordes of our countrie to reuolt from King Iohn in his dayes absolutly to denie him ayde assistence euen in his lavvful vvarres vntil he returned againe to the obedience of the Sea Apostolike and vvere absolued from the Censures of the same vvhich he had iustly incurred Or for the English Nobilitie specially for the renovvmed Stanley one of this Sir William his house and name to reuolt from King Richard the Tyrant and to yeeld him selfe and his charge to Henrie the seuēth vvhat dishonour vvas it for the Nobilitie of England in our memories to forsake Iane the pretended Quene Northumberland the father of him vvhom novve you haue forsakē to yeeld the Tovvre committed to their custodie and them selues to the lavvful and most Religious Quene Marie Notvvithstanding vvhat vniust bandes of oth or promisse soeuer they had made of feare pusilanimitie to the said vsurper Haeretical Quene before In al these the like there is neither sinne nor shame nor scandal committed For that to reuolt is of it selfe lavvful or vnlavvful honorable or othervvise according to the iustice or iniustice of the cause or difference of the person from or to vvhō the reuolt is made Wherin vvhen the right from the vvrong is euident in the Capitaines or souldiars conscience in al godlie mēs sight cleare vndoubted there nedeth no more discussing of the matter To conclude breifly In these vvarres al others that may at any time fal for Religiō against Haeretikes or other Infidels euerie Catholike mā is bound in conscience to enforme him selfe for the iustice of the cause The vvhich vvhen it is doubtful or toucheth Religiō as is said he ought to imploy his person forces by directiō of such as are vertuous and intelligent in such cases but specially by the general Pastour of our soules being Christes vicare in earth Whose soueraigne authoritie vvisdome deriued from Christ him selfe may best instruct and vvarrant à christian souldiar hovve farre vvhen and vvhere either at home or abrode in ciuil or foraine vvarres made against the enimies or Rebelles of Gods Church he may and must breake vvith his temporal soueraigne and obey God and his spiritual Superiour Againe Gentlemen by this your retiring your selues from the seruice of Gods and the churches enimies you haue not only prouided vvel for your consciences honour saluation but also for the encrease of your knovvledge and experience in art militare and of the exact order discipline to be obserued in the same being novve to serue vnder so vertuous valerous fortimate famous and victorious à General as hath had fewe peers in these latter ages And in companie of so manie valiant and expert Capitaines and souldiars of diuerse Nations as no vvhere in Europe better can be founde Which your selues my maisters may more easely consider by comparing your late General my Lord of Lecester his vertues famous factes scilicet vnto the glorious exploytes victories atchiued by the Duke of Parma his Highnesse Or the disorder of the English irreligious and licentious companies to the religious discipline of the Catholike campe Betvven vvhich I doubt not but you finde à meruelous difference and shal do dayly more and more to your infinite contentment Would to God by your honorable example al others our deceiued countriemen vvould begince to thinck earnestly hovve to discharge them selues of that dangerous infamous seruice of Haeretikes and Rebelles and render them selues into this most iust and godlie course that you are happely entred into Which they should the rather speedely resolue vpon for that they can not be so ignorant of the times lately past or the present dayes but they must nedes haue marked hovve God him selfe fighteth for the iust causes of his Catholike Maiestie and generally for al Catholike Armies against Haeretikes and Rebelles Wise men haue noted that though God for our sinnes hath suffered and stil doth permit Haeretikes to keepe great broiles in al partes almost of the vvorld for à time yeat he euer hath put them in fine to confusion geuing the victorie lightly in al battailes and encounters to the Catholikes And that oftentimes very miraculously defeating as in the vvarres of the Machabees els vvhere in old time great numbers vvith à very fevve for one Catholike à thousand Haeretikes slaine and many glorious victories obtained vvithout any bloudshed For Luther Zvvinglius his time I referre you to the recordes of Germanie and Svvizerland vvhich set dovvne the ouerthrovves of Haeretikes in the filde The fightes in Fraunce vvhere the Catholikes euer haue had also the victorie be in al our memories meruelous But of al others those of Flauders are most memorable Where besides the conflictes at Grunning Mock Mounts Rosandal Zeriksea Northorne Amerone Antvvarpe Luart Gemblovve the like in euery of vvhich the Lord God of Hosts mercifully fighting for his ovvne cause the Catholike Kinges right verie few Catholikes vvithout any losse of men in māner slevve and defeated manie thousandes of vvel appointed souldiars the same most iust God of reuenge hath notoriously put to rebuke and confusion al such forrein Princes and people as came to ayde his enimies And sometimes by his iust iudgement hath brought them to ruine euen by those same Haeretikes Rebelles that called for them and for vvhose protection they came into that countrie As vve haue seen both in the case of the Almaine French succourses And the like lucke seemeth to approch vnto our English forces except our Lord vvhich I hartely pray for cal them from that vniust and infamous seruice of Haeretikes VVho hauing the perpetual curse of Christ his holie Church lying heauely vpon them can no more escape speedie destruction then others who vnluckely