Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	formal_a	justification_n	3,646	5	9.6016	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A83515	The third part of Gangræna. Or, A new and higher discovery of the errors, heresies, blasphemies, and insolent proceedings of the sectaries of these times; with some animadversions by way of confutation upon many of the errors and heresies named. ... Briefe animadversions on many of the sectaries late pamphlets, as Lilburnes and Overtons books against the House of Peeres, M. Peters his last report of the English warres, The Lord Mayors farewell from his office of maioralty, M. Goodwins thirty eight queres upon the ordinance against heresies and blasphemies, M. Burtons Conformities deformity, M. Dells sermon before the House of Commons; ... As also some few hints and briefe observations on divers pamphlets written lately against me and some of my books, ... / By Thomas Edvvards Minister of the Gospel.; Gangraena. Part 3	Edwards, Thomas, 1599-1647.	1646 (1646)	Wing E237; Thomason E368_5; ESTC R201273	294,455	360

more no more night nor day summer nor winter 2 Pet. 3. 7 10 11 12. The heavens and the earth which are now are reserved unto fire against the day of judgement the heavens shall passe away the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up all these things shall be dissolved and whatever hath a being after the day of judgement is eternall and for ever so Revel 10. 6. there should be time no longer which some interpret there shall be no time because time shall be finished and this variety of dayes and nights moneths and years and an unchangeable eternity shall follow in the dayes of the seventh Angel but whether that be the meaning or no of the place this is certain that after the end of this world and the generall Judgement there will be an abolition of time and an eternity follow and therefore eternall fire and eternall chains both for devills and ungodly men cannot be meant of a long time but simply of eternall à parte post Thirdly there 's the same reason in every respect why eternall for judgement fire destruction should be taken in the same sense that eternall is when joyned to life kingdome c. but there 't is taken not for a long-lasting time but properly for everlasting and therefore must of necessity be so here and whatever colour glosse or evasion can be brought to evade that of hell torments damnation that they should not be eternall the same will lie as strong against the eternall life and kingdome given to the Saints but they overthrow the whole doctrine of faith break that golden chain of salvation in the eighth of the Romanes in all the links of it Election Vocation Justification Glorification nay further these Errors as they are laid down doe not onely crosse expresse Scriptures and Articles of our Faith but they deny salvation to all men who beleeve not those wicked doctrines making them the great Antichrist formall beleevers and putting the cause of all damnation to devills and men viz. for so long as they are damned upon the not-beleeving and receiving these wicked doctrines That all devills and men shall be saved and that Christ paid the price laying down his bloud for the pardon of all reprobated Men and Angels and that the beleeving of these doctrines is the only true Christian working faith commended so much by the Holy Ghost and of such an efficacy that this faith being but in two or three in the whole world shall yet save all the rest of the Creation then which Doctrines and Positions nothing can be more repugnant to the Christian faith and may properly be call'd doctrines of devills 33. The Trinity of Persons came downe in Christ to suffer Father Sonne and Holy Ghost suffered for their transgressing creature 34. There is a private Kingdom of Christs justice in which he sat Judge over the quick and dead to condemne and execute torments on the rebellious whom he held as prisoners for a time and there is Christs publick Kingdome to which the Private Kingdome must give place and as the Father hath given it to Christ to rule it for ever so Christ hath committed it to the Holy Ghost to enliven all things to bring up all to life and immortality and the Holy Ghost for the Father and the Son shall execute the judgement of love and mercies unto all for the destroying of death of hell 35. That t is unlawfull to pray unto God kneeling 36. That Organs are a sanctified adjunct in the service of God now under the Gospel and that if any man in the Church had a gift of making Hymner he might bring them in to be sung with Organs or other Instruments of musick In severall ages of the Church wanton men who could not be content with the simplicity of the Gospel have brought both into doctrines of Faith and Worship such opinions and practises still as have been most suitable to their genius and education to the principles of such Arts and Sciences in which they were versed as Origen and some others versed in Plato's Philosophy brought in opinions into the Church according to Plato's doctrine Some who have been much addicted to Painting and Imagery they have brought in Images into the Church and now some of our Independents having fancies in Musick singing taking great delight in that way they have pleaded for and brought into the Church Hymnes and Musick 37. That Adultery is no Sin and that Drunkenesse is none neither but a help to see Christ the better by it 38. Though consent of Parents unto Childrens marriage was commanded under the Law to them that lived then yet because that was but a ceremony t is now lawfull to marry without their consent because we live under the Gospel 39. Christs death and sufferings were endured for to be our example not to purchase heaven for us 40. That 't is not lawfull for Christians to take an oath no not when they are called before Authority and brought into Courts 41. That Christ would destroy not only unlawfull Government but lawfull Government not only the abuse of it but the use of it he was destroying both Monarchy and Aristocracy 42. That the Saints besides the spirituall Kingdome and Government of the Church of Christ must have an externall Kingdom to possesse that this is the time that the Kingdome viz. England Scotland and Ireland is to be taken from him who shall arise and subdue three Kingdoms thinking to change times and Lawes and shall be given to the Saints 43. Gracious Lords or Favourable Lords are titles that cannot be proper amongst Christians but are marks of Gentiles 44. 'T is an utter disfranchisement of the people and a meer vassalage for a man to Petition to Courts of Judicature as the House of Peers for his right and to have justice done him 't is no better then a branch of tyranny to force a man to turn Supplicant for his own and of self-robbery to submit thereto 'T is an inslaved and intolerable condition of this Nation that indeed they cannot have their own naturall Rights and Immunities but they must be actuall Petitioners as if their own were not their own of right but of favour 45. That for Crimes and Offences committed in a Common-wealth there should not be certain penalties appointed by Lawes to which the Governours and Magistrates should be tyed but it should be lest to the discretion and wisdome of the Magistrates to inflict what they thought fit in case of such and such Crimes and this liberty should be left that a Magistrate might exercise his gifts of Government which if he were kept strictly to the Law how should his wisdom and gifts be manifested 46. That Protestant States and Parliaments have no power nor liberty to confirm and enact by Law Worship and Church-Government

least twenty times and saw nothing in it that men should make such a stir about it W● spake to him of his speaking in his Sermon against the City R 〈…〉 st he stood to justifie what he had said and calld it a wicked thing and being asked wherin he said there was a passage in it that no godly man must live amongst us or have any place of trust in the Kingdome being told there was no such passage in the Remonstrance and that he being a Minister might be ashamed to speak that which was so false a friend of his standing by said Master Peters meant it was so in effect and Master Peters said that we would let no Sectaries as wee term'd ●hem live or have any place of trust amongst us and for his part hee was an Independent and one of those we termed Sectaries and in that no Independent nor Sectary might have any places of trust that implyed the godly it being replyed the word Independent was not expressed in the Remonstrance he affirmed it was but other discourse put of the examination of it Master Peters said what would we have and asked if we did not live well and quietly enough and might not follow our Trades and businesse in peace and why should we trouble our selves with these things the Sects and Schismes did us no harme we told him there was other danger besides our Trades they destroyed soules and wee were bound by our Covenant to oppose Heresies and Schismes and asked him whether or no it was not lawfull and warrantable to Remonstrate or Petition against sinne and ●●rour and whether our late Petitions against Popery and Prelacy were not Justifiable and whether or no he had not a hand in that against Bishops He answered he thought Errors did not so destroy soules and that he could worke upon a Papist as soon as one of your Protestants And for the Bishops had not they troubled him in his temporalls by taking from him his maintenance and subsistence he had never molested or troubled them for he knew not but that the Papists Prelats and we might live quietly together and serve God in love and peace And being asked then how the Parliament could justiful their quarrell and Warre yet on foot seeing they opposed both by open Armes terming it in all their Declarations the cause of God and Religion He answered that the true cause was not for Religion for he knew no word of God to warrant fighting or taking up of Armes in the cause of Religion but it was only to maintain our civill rights and liberties and there being discourse of the Magistrats power he asked what the Magistrate had to do in Religion answer was made the Magistrate had power to put Blasphemers and Idolaters to death Master Peters replyed yes in the old law but none in the Gospel He being asked by what power they in New-England did banish for opinions he made a kind of a slight answer saying they did but send them over a River out of the Patent and would you would give us Cornwell we would be content to live there He being spoken to about what he said of the King was asked whether wee ought not to use all lawfull wayes for bringing the King unto his people seeing he lately had made such faire offers Master Peters replyed we might trust him if we would but if we knew what Letters of his they had lately intercepted in the Army we would soon be of another mind Master Peters asked us whether as we came to him about what he preached had we ever been with Master Edwards about what he had written against the Saints we told him we conceived Master Edwards had written nothing against the Saints neither was what he had written any offence to us as what he had preached was and that we had cause to beleeve what Mr Edwards had written was true he being a godly Minister Master Peters asked what had he to do with the particular infirmities of particular men we told him as he was a Minister of the Gospel he had to do with them as Paul had to do with H●meneus Rhile●as Master Peters said that was in matter of Faith but Master Edwards had medled with the Saints in matters of practise to which wee replyed that Saint John wrote against Diotrophes in point of practise and wherein men made their seeming holinesse a meanes for the receiving of their Erroneous opinions there was cause that their practises should be spoken against to undeceive people and so parting with him one of us advised him to forbear his practises for hee laboured to deceive the people June the third 1646. I walking in Westminister Hall Master Peters meeting me spake to me that I had abused him in Print and that I had broken a Gospel rule which was If thy Brother offend thee go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone I answered him I had not transgressed the rule for that was in case of private of●●nding but he had publikely preached and vented himself and private telling would not have been a remedy sufficient he said I had wronged him in those things I had written of him and that coming twice up from the Army each time he found himself in a Book of mine I told him I would prove them and name time and place when and where delivered and he was like to be in a third Book whereupon hee call'd me Knave and stincking ●ellow I answered him he had abused our Brethren of Scotland and I told him what I had written I would make good and so spake quick and freely to him whereupon he said speak not so loud and threatned to beate me or fall about my eares saying I spake against the Saints I replyed Paul Best Wrighter c. such Saints but he made nothing to speak against the Reformed Churches and Presbyterians in his Sermons and they were no Saints with him some other discourse there passed at the same time between us but no more of it now And lastly that the Reader may judge of Master Peters by his discourse I was told it within these few weeks from good hands upon occasion of pigeons being on a table that Master Peters at that table spake what a world of pigeo●s they had in New-England how hee had seen such a flight there such a ●●mber at once even covering the heavens and being asked whence they should come he answered from an Island not far off which was twenty miles long and three miles broad which was so full of pigeons that the Island was all covered over with pigeons dun● two foot deep Now as I have given the Reader some passages of his Sermons and discourses so I will give a taste of the man by e●tracting a few things out of some of his Pamphlets and I will begin with his Book call'd Mr Peters last Report of the English Wars which a great Commander of the Army commonly call's Peters Politicks upon which

which they would have and occasion shall prove their ruine the means to overthrow all their Conventicles separated Meetings they are greedy of a warre to establish them but as now the beating of ●his Drum drove them out of the Chappell broke up their Meeting so shall the warre which they have sought overthrow all their Opinions Meetings and cast them out of England for ever as the Bishops and their faction were greedy for a warre against the Scots to support their greatnesse and Ceremonies and have been active to promote this second warre which hath proved their ruine so the Independents plotting and driving on for warre shall break their necks and break up their Conventicles and cause the Kingdoms to cast them out as an abominable branch and the issue of all the warres and bloud they thirst after shall be that some of their Heads shall be served by the Presbyterians viz. put into that bloud which themselves have caused perish by it and that most justly as King Cyrus was by Tomyris that Scythian Queen putting his head into a tub of bloud and saying Satia te sanguine quem sitisti nam insatiabilis fuisti and therefore let the Independents and Sectaries take heed of a new warre and make use of this warning given them at one of their Meetings Some Passages taken out of a Letter sent from a godly Minister in Northamptonshire to a Friend of his in London Good Cousin I Pray read seal and at your best leasure deliver the inclosed wherein I have related some particulars very soul though there be many more and more blasphemous It s a wonder amongst us that other Souldiers cannot be found but such as fight against the soul doing more hurt that way then they can do good any other way If the Parliament take not a course with them they shall certainly become our future rods or God himself will overthrow them in our sight take a note of the particulars and keep them for I have not time Septemb. 24. 1646. Some Passages extracted out of two Letters sent from a godly Christian in Lancashire to Friends in London LOving Friend God hath safely returned our Friends in health whatever our Petition produceth yet we have this comfort that we have done our duty The Sectaries here have got a Petition on foot for a Toleration and hope they shall not wait so long at the Commons door for an Answer as ours hath done Sir SInce our Petition was received into the House of Commons where it produced an Ordinance for the setling of the Presbyterian Government in this County the Sectaries have promoted an Anti-Petition here and in C●eshire they stile it The Petition of the peaceable and wel-affected that desire liberty of conscience as was promised by the House of Commons in their Declaration they ordered formerly to be read in Churches They have inserted some other plausible things into it the better to draw on hands promote it with great secrecy shew it to none but to such as before-hand they have some assurance will sign it It was framed and set on foot by the Members of the Church of Duckingfeild but I am confident they admit to sign it Seekers Soul-sleepers Anabaptists Rigid Brownists c. We hear of one Minister in our County who hath signed it that is a common Drunkard and two or three young Scholars who have begun to preach without Ordination one of which affirmed to me and some others that hee would defend Independency with his bloud Master Taylor and Master Eaton are wonderfull active both in Cheshire and Lancashire they much improve who is become agreat zealot for them hath threatned some of the godly Ministers that live near him to make their places too hot for them for denying their Pulpits to Master Eaton We have through the mercy of God a learned and active Clergy in our County sound and Orthodox who I hope will be assisted with many able and active men in their work of Government but Cheshire is miserably become a prey to the Sectaries they have set up already there two or three Independent Churches and are setting up two or three more hath so farre incouraged them discouraged and born down the Orthodox wel affected Gentlemen and Ministers that they could never to this day get any thing done against them We are as sensible I beleeve as any County in England and fear the carriage of things is such as will make the Kingdom weary Men speak here freely and say that now men may safelier blaspheme all the Persons in the Trinity then speak many things that are true of some Members of Parliament The suffering the Church of God to be rent and torn in peeces by Heresies Seismes and Divisions the retarding the releif for poor bleeding Ireland the greiving and sadding the hearts of our Brethren of Scotland with many other things makes us fear that the Lord hath a further controversie with us Octob. 10. 1646. A Minister told me lately hee having a Living given him or faire for it some Sectaries Independents and Antinomians desiring to bring in a Sectary and an Antinomian thereupon procured to petition the Patron for the Sectary and against this honest Minister and to effect their businesse the more probably they set down to the Petition the names of some Inhabitants who were for the Orthodox Minister in the behalfe of this Sectary when as they were against his coming in and never knew or once imagined their names were subscribed A Copie of a Letter written from a godly Minister in Holland to some Reverend and godly Ministers here in London Reverend Brethren I Have been sparing in writing unto you albeit I here have great need of correspondence in respect I am as it were alone among so many of different dispositions and nations I acknowledge the blame in my selfe who have not sought it of you of whose willingnesse I am confident Now a particular occasion hath forced to break off wherein I desire your resolution The Currents that are brought over hither these last two weeks make mention that the Assembly of Divines are about the penning of the Articles of Faith and that when the Article concerning the Trinity was presented unto the Parliament they would not admit of the word Person because it is a word not used in the first three hundred yeers and was the cause of great division and troubles in the Christian Churches This seemeth very strange unto many here seeing the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1. 3. was never nor is otherwise translated in the Latin French Dutch nor our language neither have any excepted against it but Antitrinitarians Arrians and Socinians and others of that sort I have spoken with the Dutch Ministers concerning this and they admire that the Parliament seemeth to have such respect unto those damned Hereticks and the more that the Orthodox in Poland in their late Declaration would not grant the name of Brethren in Christianity to

Pills and that without being wrapt in gold yea Arrian Socinian Tenets and what not We heare of no Remonstrances famous Speeches plain home Sermons now against errours in doctrine as heretofore no Committees sitting upon Books to deale with Mr. Dens Mr. John Goodwins M. Burtons and divers others as with Mountagues Dr. Jacksons and Cosens Books Magistrates Ministers too silent the people also too contented and quiet yea many instead of crying out and being pained at heart love to have it so will prefer a man and give a great deale for some to preach errours among them and disturbe their faith when as they will give nothing for an able man every way qualified to preach the truth God may take up that complaint of our present times which he doth by Jeremie My people have committed two evills they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed to themselves broken Cisternes that can hold no water hewe and be at a great deale of cost and paines for puddle poysonous water but reject and slieght a fountain of pure and living waters 6. Coroll Hence then we may see from all the Errors Heresies Insolencies of many Sectaries in our Armies and among the Souldiers laid downe in Gangr●na what a great plague and judgement of God to this Land some of our Armies and Souldiery have been and are now more then ever namely in that so many Commanders and Souldiers diffused throughout the Body of the whole Army yea some whole Troops and Regiments should be desperate Sectaries and Hereticks We must needs be under a great plague to have those who should be the Instruments of our safety and have the sword in their hands to be such kinde of men and to do as they do Heresies and Errors in any men are a great evill upon a Land a sad matter but in the Souldiery 't is armed impiety who by power and force may propagate and spread all kinde of errors and opinions without controle and by marching from Countrey to Countrey have opportunity of infecting all parts of a Land Certainly the Sectaries in the Armies I speake now as a Minister of the Gospell judging of things according to Scripture and not according to carnall policy and outward appearance are the greatest plague and judgement of God that hath been upon this Kingdom this hundred years when I heare daily of the errors they scatter the insolencies they commit and see what great evills they are the cause of in Church and State I often thinke of a passage in a famous Speech made by Sir Edward Deering in the beginning of this Parliament speaking of the corruptions in Religion among us to be first remedied before the Scots Army then in the Land to be considered of used these words or to this effect Let the sword rage from North to South or 't is better it should rage from North to South rather then the corruptions in Religion not be taken away so say 〈…〉 it had been better the Sword of the Enemy had raged from North to South then this Sword of Heresie and Plague of Error like a Gangrene should over-run the Kingdome as it doth T 〈…〉 is destroyes the precious soules and I am fully assured the Sectaries in the Armies have destroyed more soules and overthrowne the faith of more with their heresies and wicked opinions then they have killed the bodies of their enemies with their Swords The constitution of our souldiery so many Sectaries being in our Militia besides that 't is a great and fearfull plague of it selfe 't is a great cause of all other evills 't is that which emboldens the Sectaries all the Kingdome over and encourages that party to do so many wicked things as they doe daily affront the House of Peers abuse Scotland the City of London Ministery publikely print preach all kind of abominable errours 'T is that which awes the good party o● at least out of policy makes them not so zealnus and o●solute against the errours of the t 〈…〉 'T is that keeps the Church Government from going on a pace that is a great remora to the punishing of Hereticks c. 't is that indeed which hath infested and infected the Kingdome so generally There are few of our E●issaries and not 〈◊〉 Sectaries but are o● have been Souldiers belonged to the Armies as Chaplaines or one way or other have followed the Campe they all smell of the Army Hich Knollys Erbury Dell S●ltmars 〈…〉 Peters 〈…〉 cheler c. we 〈…〉 ay truly say 〈…〉 a B 〈…〉 Our Ar 〈…〉 the N 〈…〉 of all 〈◊〉 and a 〈◊〉 evills and 〈◊〉 we may see the true cause why all the Sectaries are so 〈◊〉 warre and keeping up the Armies can not abide to he 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 ing because their Kingdome is in larged and maintained thereby but certainly it will never be well with the Kingdome till the Armies be disb 〈…〉 ded or at least 〈◊〉 〈…〉 delled the Sectaries put 〈…〉 God be me 〈…〉 ifull unto 〈◊〉 we 〈◊〉 in strange hand● and things are come to a strange passe and all wise men who have read Hi● stories understand any thing and by together many of the Sectaries Speeches and Practises conceive it cann●● but be very perillous to have the sword in so many ma 〈…〉 mens hands and scare a new Tiragedy to be acted like that in G 〈…〉 and at M 〈…〉 ster by the old Anabaptists yea worse 〈◊〉 The godly Orth 〈…〉 Ministers and Christians and all true hearted English men may 〈◊〉 out and say as in 10. Psal Helpe Lord 〈◊〉 wicked walks ●n every fid● when the vi 〈…〉 and with the Prophet M 〈…〉 lachie 〈◊〉 Mal 15. 〈…〉 the proud happy y●● they th 〈…〉 yea they that 〈◊〉 God are 〈◊〉 delivered The Sectaries of our Armies invading the Pulpits abasing the godly Ministers laying wast and prophaning the publike places 〈◊〉 apart for Gods worship are like 〈◊〉 and like 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 the Houses of God in possession nay they are like to those husbandmen in the 20. of Luke that reasoned among themselves saying This is the heire come let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him The Sectaries knowing that so long as the godly Ministers and such a Ministry continues in the Kingdome they shall never doe their worke bring in all heresie and confusion the inheritance shall not be theirs therefore they set themselves to destroy the Ministry and Ministers that the inheritance may be theirs The Apostle Paul 2. Tim. 3. bids Timothy know this that the perilousnesse of times stands in false Teachers seducers creeping into houses to lead captive silly women and in men reprobate concerning the faith resisting the truth and not in so much in war famine nor other calamities which happens to the body and therefore makes this preface before it this know also implying it was not so well known and stirring up Timothy the better