Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	faith_n	true_a	2,871	5	5.8103	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12351	Gods arrovve against atheists. By Henrie Smith	Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.	1593 (1593)	STC 22666; ESTC S119953	81,568	135

was Prince of the Apostles and had authoritie ouer them all when as indéede it is manifest by all the Scriptures and course of his life he neither claimed nor had any authoritie ouer the rest more than the rest had ouer him and consequentlye the Pope of Rome can neuer claime that as successour to Peter which was neuer in Peter his supposed predecessour The Papists perceauing that the scriptures make nothing for them but against them because they would haue the matter coloured with some Antiquitie or shew of Antiquitie at the least haue deuised some counterfet and forged Authors as Amacletus and Amissetus and such like to speake somethinge for them But the falsehood of all those is discouered by other writers if they bee well marked In Cyprians time it was déemed a matter odious for any to take vpon him to be a Bishop of Bishops as appeareth by that voice which he cryed in the Counsaile of Carthage It was likewise decréed in the Affricans Counsell that none should be called Prieste of Priests or Archpriest or any such like The Counsel of Nice did decrée that the Bishop of Rome should kéepe himselfe within the compasse of his prouince and not excéed his bounds as likewise the Bishop of Antioch Ierusalem and Constantinople were ●● doo the like Other Councells did affirme as much which because they are sufficiently knowne I néede not to recite But they all shewe that at those times the Bishop of Rome had no greater Jurisdiction than within his owne Prouince and that hée coulde not meddle within the Prouinces of other Bishops And Ierome of his time sayth that the Bishoppe of Engubium or any other the least Sea is equall to the Bishop of Rome The Title of Uniuersall Bishop was much desired of John Bishop of Constantinople and much contention there was about it But it was neuer obtained of the Bishop of Rome vntill the time of Boniface the third who procured that Title of Phocas that wicked Emperour of Rome after which the Bishops of Rome neuer ceased still to augment their dignitie and increase the pride of their Romish Sea And euen at that very first time when John Bishop of Constantinople sought to get that Title of Uniuersall Bishop to his Sea Gregorie then Bishoppe of Rome did himselfe stand against it mightily and affirmed that hée could bée no lesse than Antichrist whosoeuer did take vnto him that Title First therefore it is manifest that vntill the time of Gregorie Bishop of Rome an vniuersall Bishop was not heard of in the Church and Boniface the thirde was the first Bishop of Rome that got this title which was aboue 600. yeares after Christ. And besides how will the Bishop of Rome that now is avoid himselfe to be Antichrist Sith by the expresse determination of Gregorie Bishoppe of Rome his predecessour hée is condemned for Antichrist in as much as hée hath this Title and is not ashamed thereof For what is this else but to come in the place of Christ and consequently to bee Antichrist vsurping the prerogatiue Title of Christ Jesus But the Pope saith that though hée claime thus to bee the heade of the Church yet hee doth not name hims●lfe to bee otherwise than a Ministeriall head to bée Christs Vicar on earth But why will he be so arrogant as to challenge this Title without ●●●full ●onueyance made vnto him from Christ which hee cannot show For who dare take vppon him to bée a ●i●uetenant to an earthly Prince without S●st●rs Pattents first had from the Prince Againe the Church of Christ on earth being as a chast Spowse to her Husband and head Christ Iesus neither can or ought to acknowledge any other for her head than that her husband to whom shée hath plighted her troth Lastly there can bee no successour but when the Predecessour is gone and absent but Christ is alwaies presente with his Church according to his owne words Beholde I am with you to the ende of the world Matthew 28.20 And therefor hée can haue neither Successour nor Vicar to represent his person or to guide his Church For his spirit since his bodily ascention is the guide and gouernesse of the Church in his roome Iohn 14. 15. 16. For no man mortall is appointed thereunto I conclude therefore that for all these causes the Church of Rome can not possibly be the true Church 7 The Church of Rome doth not ascribe Justification to faith in Christ Iesus onely but saith that mens works be meritorious and to them partly is Iustification to bée ascribed and so they make mens imperfect works to be causes of saluation which is a grosse errour euen in the foundation or fundamental point Saint Paul saith That all are iustified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 If they be Iustified gratis freely as hée affirmeth then are they Iustified withoot any desert of theirs And Saint Paul setteth downe the Axiome in the Conclusion VVee holde that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law Rom. 3.28 And the Apostle in very many places whereof mention shall hée made hereafter doth expressely exclude Weekes from being any causes of our Iustification 〈◊〉 indéede they are the effects thereof And therefore it appeareth to bée a true position that Faith onely doth Iustifie in as much as Iustification is in the sight of God imputed to our Faith not to our Workes For Abraham beléeued God and that was imputed to him for righteousnes as Paul speaketh Rom. 4.8 And hée sheweth that Abraham was not iustified by Works before God for if Abraham were iustified by works then should hée haue wherein to glory but not before God and because hée had not wherein to glory before God therefore hée was not iustified in the sight of God I graunt that saint Iames in his seconde Chapter doth say that Abraham was iustified by his Works when hée offered vp his Son Isaac at Gods commaundement And likewise that hée saith that a man is iustified by Works and not by Faith onely But before whom is hée iustified by Works Not before God but before men that is to say his works doo declare vnto men that saith whereby hée is iustified before God And that this is the meaning of saint Iames may appeare by that his saying where he saith Shew vnto me thy Faith by thy VVorks thou saiest thou hast faith that is not inough thy words doth not proue it thy works will therefore saith hee shew me thy faith by thy workes This word Shew mee doth manifest what manner of iustification hée speaketh off namely that he speaketh of a iustification before men For it is God that respecteth the faith of a man whereby onely hée is iustified in his sight And it is men which respect the workes whereby indéede they testifie vnto the world their faith to be good before God For as saint Iames saith truely faith without works is but a dead faith and not good nor found nor

Persia but he lost Lydia his owne Kingdome and so was deceaued by that vncertaine Oracle Like answer gaue the Oracle of Apollo to Pyrrus king of Epirus demaunding whether he shoulde prosper in the warre against the Romanes for it was deliuered in these words Aio te Aeacid● Romanos vincere posse I say that the Sonne of Aeacus the Romanes may ouercome Uppon which Oracle Pyrrus the sonne of Aeacus thinking to be the Conqueror was himselfe vanquisht by the Romanes A number more such Oracles there were wherewith the world was deceiued that trusted them but I néede not recite them for as it appeareth the Oracles and answers which their wicked spirits gaue forth in matters future and méerely contingent were such as might be taken and construed two waies and therefore their worshippers if they had béene wise to haue noted their cunning and deceitfull answers con-containing no certainety at all they had béene as good neuér to come at them to inquire of any matter future for they had such ambiguous answers as whereby they might remaine as doubtfully and as vnresolued as they were at first and so depart home as wise as they came or rather more fooles than when they went But what might be the reason why these diuels or diuellish spirites gaue no cert●●●er aunsweres to their worshippers in these matters future whereof they were demanded The reason is manifest for no doubt they would if they could that so their credit might haue beene the more But it was a thing not in their power but onely reserued vnto God to knowe and foretell certainely the thinges that are to come for here in God prouoketh all the gods of the gentiles to make triall and experience of their power in these words Declare vnto vs saith hée what shall ensue hereafter and thereby wee shall know that yee are Gods indeede Which sheweth that the certaine foretelling of things future doth manifest a diuine power whereof these diuellish spirits are not pertakers for had these wicked spirits such a power in them as certainely to know and foretell such thinges as were to come out of all doubt they would then haue giuen such certaine plaine and vndoubted Oracles and answers in this behalfe as would haue purchased them euerlasting credit in all the world but now the falshood and vncertainty and deceitfulnes of them haue got them iustly perpetuall discredit in all the world and manifested them to be no better than lying spirits whose worshippers were miserably deluded by them as euen the Heathen themselues haue testified Hauing thus briefly yet I trust sufficiently disprooued the religion of the gentiles as being a cruell wicked false lying and deceitfull religion hauing in it no certaintie at all whereupon men might relye or assure themselues it remaineth now that I shewe and proue against them the truth of the Christian religion which we profasse Where in the first Argument to shewe the powerfull and vndoubted trueth thereof shall bée this namely the confession of the gods of the Gentiles that is of Diuels and hellish spirits themselues who haue giuen testimonie thereof euen to their owne worshippers especially when the time of Christ his appearing in the worlde who should bée the light of the Gentiles drew néere an● approched for the manifestation whereof two Oracles of Apollo may su●●ice the one whereof was to a Priest of his owne that demaunded him of true Religion and of God to whome hee aunswered thus in Gréeke O thou vnhappy Priest why dost thou aske mee of God that is the Father of all thinges and of this most renowned kings deare and onely Sonne and of the spirit that conteyneth all c. Alas that spirit will enforce mee shortly to leaue this habitation and place of Oracles The other Oracle was to Augustus Caesar euen about the very time that Christ was readie to appeare in the flesh for the said Emperour now drawing to age would néedes go to Delph●s and there learne of Apollo who shuld raigne after him and what should become of things when he was dead Apollo for a great 〈◊〉 would make no aunswere notwithstanding Augustus had béene very liberall in making the great sacrifice called Hecatombe but in the end when the Emperour began to iterate his sacrifice and to bée instant for an aunswere Apollo as it were enforced to speake vttered these strange wordes vnto him An Hebrew childe that ruleth ouer the blessed gods commaundeth mee to leeue this habitation and out of hand to get mee to hell But yet doe thou departe in silence from our Altars Thus it appeareth that this Hebrew childe which is our Christ Iesus hath power ouer the gods of the Gentiles to command them vnto hell from whence they came to inioyne them silence and to remoue them from their habitations And therfore the religion of this powerful Iesus whereof he is the author must needes euen by the acknowledgement of the Diuels themselues whom he doth command be the true religion 3 Another Argument of the diuinitie and trueth therof is this namely that it hath remoued by the puissant force thereof all the gods of the Gentiles in despite of them ceased their oracles and driuen them cleane out of the earth so that now they are no where to be found And so it was fore-told by the Prophets that Christ when he came Attennuabit omnes deos terrae shall weare out all the gods of the earth The trueth whereof all the world doth now sée clearely to be certaine and vndoubted by the euent The Oracles and aunsweres of of these gods euen in Ciceroes time as Cicero himselfe witnesseth who syued somewhat before the comming of Christ began to cease and at last by little and little they ceased altogether and were vtterly extinct It is reported that in Egypt when Christ was there with Ioseph and his mother Marie all the Adals of that foolish and superstitious Nation fell downe of theyr owne accord Afterwardes in the time of the Emperour Adrian all sacrifices vnto those gods ceased as also the Oracle of Apollo and all other Oracles became d●nube Wherefore Iunenal sayth Cessant oracula Delphis that is The oracles cease at Delphos And another Poet sayth Excessere omnes a ditis arisque relictis Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat c. that is All the gods whereby this Empire stoode haue departed from their Temples and left their Altars and place of their habitation Plutarch affirmeth the like and is much busied to search out the cause reason of the ceasing of their Oracles who being a heathen was much troubled heerewith gessing at the matter and vainly deuising fond conceits in his brain not able indéede to pierce into the very cause thereof But Porphiry euen that great patron of Paganisme and enemie of Christian Religion can teach him or any other the true cause thereof shewing them that since the comming of Iesus their gods are dumbe