Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	work_n	6,191	5	6.9192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05380	Heauen and earth, religion and policy. Or, The maine difference betweene religion and policy. Written by C.L.	Lever, Christopher, fl. 1627.	1608 (1608)	STC 15536; ESTC S108517	29,500	128

and the infinite varietie of his creatures like a consort of so many conspiring parts yet hath the curse of sinne interrupted that vniuersall harmonie whereby the world is now in disagreeing parts and discord 3 For before that sinne made this alteration in the state of things there was no opposition but all things conspired the glory of God with generall consent and acclamation and then vertue was not bounded betweene two extremities neither had good any opposition of euill there being neither vice nor euill in the frame of Gods creation But with sinne hath this opposition entred and in the fulnesse of time and not before it shal be ended 4 From this first cause is deriued the wicked trade of euill Policie wherein many men exercise their best and most forcible indeuours with such appetite and pleasure as if the practise were honest holy and meritorious Neither doe these men trauel lesse in these vanities then the most painfull in their exercise of holinesse and Religion yet with much vnequall successe and with much diuers workings The maine difference is in their ends whereto they direct their labours Religion respecteth Heauen Policie the Earth There is great difference also in their meanes by which they worke and compasse their ends the one being tied to a necessitie of iustnesse the other not limited by any law taketh libertie vpon all occasions And to one of these two doe all the vnderstanding men in the world apply themselues either to Religion or to Policie either to be good or to bee great in the little number of their dayes here on earth 5 And though Gods sacred worship be ordered by most certaine directions from God himself yet haue men dared to touch this holy Arke with their prophane hands and to intermeddle their folly with the wisdome of God altering the most allowable formes of holy order whereby they iudge their Iudge of indiscretion and contradict the spirit and power of him who made them 6 These vngodly workings are caused by the vainglorious spirits of men who affecting popularitie and greatnesse haue not spared to violate the most holy ordinance of God wherby to aduantage them in their euill ends For the whole world is a general free-schoole wherein al Sciences and euery Art is both taught and learned The highest learning in this schoole is Diuinitie the whole number of the professors whereof make the militant Catholik church where there is continuall teaching and liuing in the rules of holy Religion Against this learning hath the world opposed it selfe and according to the order of schooles begun their enuie with sophistrie and cunning disputatiō And this was in the first yeres of the primitiue Church the which opposition being but weake yet valiantly resisted gained the Church a greater reputation though that enemie could neuer yet be silenced 7 The second attempt against the Catholique Church was persecution and this was in the time of the Tyrant Emperours the which was continued with such vehemence and furie as if the sacred fire of Religion had beene extinguished and the face of the Catholique Church for euer defaced These times were like the time of Ahab King of Israel when as Elias thought the whole bodie of the Church remained onely in his particular life A most wonderfull distresse that the most sacred spouse of Christ should for securitie flie to the holy Temples of the holie Ghost and there take Sanctuarie liue in the persons of some few particular men only It had beene most wonderfull had not the Lord Iesus himselfe done more wonderfully and suffered a greater extremitie euen death and a cursed death vpon the Crosse euen so Lord Iesus because it was thy pleasure But this extremitie did vanish with time and then againe the Church obtained the Garland 8 But the nature of euill which cannot be satisfied would yet again attempt against the Catholique Church and whereas before neither perswasion nor force could preuaile the last strongest practise is policie where with these euill ministers haue preuailed more then by all other maner of attempts whatsoeuer This is that secret iniurie who as K. Dauid saith eateth his bread at his table yet seeketh to destroy him For so doe many of these Polititians who liue by the profits of the Church yet betray the Church and spoile her of her highest ornaments 9 And though I be most far from that damned opinion of Athiesme that Religion is nothing but a Policie wherby the libertie of men is restrained from the violence of their natures yet I am most certainly perswaded that in the common exercise of Religion may be learned the highest vnderstanding of most dangerous practises And that the Catholike Church of God which in it selfe is most holy and without imputation hath indured the greatest violence that can be in any men of place and dignity in this holy order being men least affected to holinesse of life but most dangerous deepe practisers in this forbidden Arte of wicked Policie 10 Neither ought this to hinder the true worth and reputation of Gods Church that euill men worke their bad dessigne vnder the pretence of so sacred a presence For wee knowe that the very deitie of GOD is not free from mens presumptions the proud and the ambitious men of the world hauing dared to create manie deities and many Gods sometimes the starres sometimes stones wood and mettals sometimes the figures of beasts and sometimes a matter more vile themselues a deity worse then beastes all which though they were most horrible and damned in such as wrought them yet did not their impieties any whit detract from the Maiestie of God which cannot receiue violence from any mans euill practise 11 So the state of the true Catholique Church though men haue dared to offer iniuries to the most holy orders thereof to misinterpret misapplie hir most diuine mysteries to intrude among her sacred teachings positions and doctrines not onely diuers but aduerse to her orthodoxall and most ancient true principals nay to obscure as much as man may the verie diuinitie of that mother of vs all that true Ierusalem by making the state of that most sacred State the trauel of Policie and the exercise of most vngodly designes yet ought we not for this to condemne or iudge the Church but euill men who are the cause of these prophane iniuries the holy Church being of like diuine nature as Christ Iesus her most holy husband whom though his enemies place with theeues and malefactors yet was he most iust most innocent most meritorious And though the most precious mettall of Truth be intermingled with drosse and grosse mettals yet the Spirit of wisedome can diuide them and the triall of holy Scriptures like the touchstone will discouer all sophistication distinguish Truth from Error and Religion from Policie 12 Catholique Religion is the base or foundation whereupon the Catholique Church consisteth the Religious Policie is the supporter of that body of Religion but

Now what he ought not to doe must be considered which briefely is but this that his proceedings in the administration of his kingly office bee not vniustifiable before God and Conscience that in his consultations of State and in the exercise of Armes wherein ther is ineuitable necessity of Policy and stratagemes there be not admitted an vnlimited liberty of all Policie whereby the cause without the effect and the effect without the cause is barely considered but that God may bee still in the eye of all such busines and that the iudgement of Religion may determine all State consultations what is or what is not lawfull in euery worke of State 11 And therefore of antient it is that in the State counsells of Christian kingdomes Religious men either Archbishops or Bishops haue had and haue precedency in all such honorable assembly of States men because their iudgements might determine the lawfulnes or vnlawfulnes of such Policies as in that assembly of Senators were propounded Therefore in euery action and in euery consultation of State wherein there is necessary vse of Policy it is most needefull that the Prince declare himselfe Religious and that hee iudge euery practise and euery Policy by lawfulnes and not by conueniencie onely In respect of State Gouernours CHAP. VII IN this particular of State Gouernors it may seeme that not Religion but Policy is most considerable because in their common busines of State wherin they haue continuall trauell they commonlie incounter with many Politique and desperate designes in the secret practise of their State enemies Against which practise their wisedomes aduise vpon such Politique preuentions as may best frustrat the euill purpose of their enemies And therefore it may seeme that the seruice of their place doth challenge a liberty in the vse of all Policy being to incounter with polititians and practises of all Natures 2 To which I answere that there is no such necessitie of euill Policy in these worthy Senators of States for euill is not to be resisted with euill but with goodnesse neither is Religious Policy so defectiue as to be supplide with vngodly practise or not of it selfe to furnish the wisedomes of men with sufficient strength against al vnlawful attempts and all pestilent contriuements 3 And therefore as all men so States-men are bound within the limits of honesty and lawfull warrant beyond which there is no Policy or practise can be lawfull This strictnes of lawfull Policy is the square wherewith euery Religious States-man in the world doth fashion all his Policies in which conscionable consideration there is both pietie and Policy pietie in conforming obedience to holy rule and Policy in obseruing such order in their counsels as may make the practise fortunate assured because that God doth euer forward the lawfulnes of proceeding but doth often oppose his power against iniurious and vnlawful Policies 4 Neither is it of any perswasion that the great Polititians of the world not onely practise but publish vnlawfull Policies framing arguments of conueniency to conclud against the testimony of God and Religion because such men howsoeuer of Christian name were notwithstanding of heathenish iudgement and of diuellish disposition in whom in whose iudgement may be obserued this most grosse error that whereas all the trauels of State are onely seruices done for the State of Religion they would haue Religion with all other occasions serue for the aduancement of State By which most iniurious wicked iudgement they would depose the King to aduance the subiect and diuorce the wife to marry the maid but as themselues so their reason is wicked and senselesse for as the soule doth exceede the body in the dignity of their Natures so doth the Church the State and so doth Religion Policy 5 It is also very worthy of note that the antient Romanes a people most famous for ciuill gouernement in the time of their Aristocracie being gouerned by Consuls and Senators had in all their great affaires of State a precise regard to honesty and that no dishonourable practise might euer disgrace the trophy of their victories And this scruple they were taught by the wisedome of nature and by their great experience in ciuill gouernment And therfore in them it was strange and worthy that hauing no diuine law but the law of nature only to instruct them yeelded themselues notwithstanding to this obedience whereto they were not forced but onely by their owne election And this their naturall deuotion to the law of nature may iudge and condemne all dishonourable and dishonest practise in the Christian world 6 And though the Christian world be full of example which haue deuised and practised proiects of most fearefull remembrance and though many of these practisers haue beene men of State in Religious States yet is that of no perswasion to corrupt the noble and Religious affection of Religious gouernours of States because discreete men liue not by example but by rule for rule is euer constant and certaine but custome and examples are not but shift their fashion according to mens diuers dispositions And therefore such examples are like Sea-markes which allure not the prouident passengers to approch but to shunne them rather and by these euill examples of bad men are good men admonished and resolued in their honest and godly resolutions 7 Therefore in the strictnes of conscience euery Counsellor of State and euery politique instruction of euery Counsellor is bound with certaine limitations beyond which they cannot goe without offence For if the Policy he aduiseth respect the Church and the State of Religion such Policy must either directly or by necessary consequence intend the glory of God otherwise the Policy is bad practise and the Polititian wicked 8 Againe if the Counsellor aduise in matter of State and ciuill gouernement in such aduice there must be charity lest for some vngodly respect they aduise not the profit but the calamity of many thousands such was the Counsell Rehoboham had giuen him by his yong polititians 9 Lastly if the counsell we giue concerne our enemies yet there is a mercy euen in that respect for in euery man of godly disposition there is a gratious pity which will disswade not the dammage but the destruction of our enemies The want of this pity was punished in that diuellish politique counsell of Hammon who because his reuenge was bloody had therefore God for his enemy and his destruction 10 In respect of Gouernours of State then Religion and Policy are most considerable Religion being the vtmost end whereto they direct their lawfull Policies and good Policy the meanes whereby their Religious States stand and flourish in prosperous reputation And vndoubtedly the truth of Christian Religion in al christian States may be argued from the obseruation of their State practise and from the lawfull proceeding of Politique gouernment 11 For if the Politique State be found guilty of dishonourable practise it layeth an imputation and iealousie on the State of Religion