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	word_n	work_n	3,143	5	6.0877	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01736	A short treatise against the Donatists of England, whome we call Brownists Wherein, by the answeres vnto certayne writings of theyrs, diuers of their heresies are noted, with sundry fantasticall opinions. By George Giffard, Minister of Gods holy Word in Maldon.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1590 (1590)	STC 11869; ESTC S114289	90,151	124

being necessary ought to be abhorred of true Christians especially such reliques as maintaine superstition but to reade other mens bookes to God in stead of true prayers and stinted seruice were deuised by Antichrist and maintaine superstition and an Idoll Ministerie therefore ought to be disallowed The prayers and worship of such Ministers and people as stand vnder a false gouerment are not acceptable nor haue any promise in Gods sight not only because they aske amisse but because they keepe not his commaundements G. G. Read prayer is one chiefe thing for which yee condemne our worship as Idolatrous and most detestable and for that cause to be annexed vnto this first accusation God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth The Brow THE Scripture doth most briefely and pithily seuer all fantasticall deuises of man from the pure and sincere worship of God prescribed in his Word For seeing all flesh is grasse and the wisedome thereof foolishnes with God it must needes follow that mē earthly minded should please themselues in such pretended religion as agreeth nothing with the diuine nature of God It is needfull then in the worship of God that we thus alwayes consider with our selues we haue to do with God himselfe and not with men who is so farre differing from vs that those things which are most easy and pleasing vnto vs is a wearisomnes and abhominable sacrifice in his sight and although God dwelleth in the heauens in his diuinitie incomprehensible yet haue we a perfect rule whereby we know what is agreeing to his will namely his written word for that we may be heere taught 1. That all hipocrisy in such things as hee hath commaunded be carefully auoyded 2. That wee attempt not to do any thing in his worship whereof we haue not speciall warrant from his word of which sort we take all manner of stinted prayers offered vp as a worshipping of God disagreeing from the nature of God which seeth in secret and so agreeth with our fleshly nature that we can not pray as we ought so we seeke to help our selues with such a broken staffe wearying our selues with our owne deuises without any promise to receyue blessing thereby And therefore where you affirme that a man may pray in spirit and truth with sighes and grones proceeding from faith when prayer is read that is not true for if their sighes came from faith it would minister matter and prayer without a booke yea no doubt a troubled mind is the penne of a readie writer and to worship God in spirit is when the inward faith of the heart bringeth forth true inuocation and it is then in truth when simply it agreeth with Gods word But you would teach men in stead of powring forth their harts to help themselues vpon a booke yea to fetch their cause of sorrowing sighing from an other mans writing euen in the time of their begging at Gods hand We graunt that prayers conceaued without faith ar not acceptable yet may the same be called spirituall because it is the gift of the Spirit though not sanctified in him that so hipocritically mocketh with God But what maketh this to our question of stinted read prayers in Gods worship But say you to make read prayers only to serue for meditation is false doctrine wherein me thinke you offer great iniurie for we affyrmed that it had such vse as other of mēs writings haue But it seemeth you make little cōscience to slander vs and heere you fall into an error your selfe affirming and going about to proue that reading of prayers is not for meditation at all the proofe you bring is that Christ said not to his disciples whē ye meditate say thus Our Father but when you pray say thus c. Where beside that you make no difference between your owne Liturgies the holy word of God which is not of any priuate interpretation Besides this I say you seeme to proue that the Lords prayer all other prayers in the Canonicall Scripture serue not at all for meditation Well you haue hereby made the matter apparant that read prayers vpon a booke are as acceptable as faithfull prayers conceiued by the spirit vttered with vnderstanding You say that prayers read or conceiued being void of faith is but vaine babling we say the same but what of this forsooth you cannot see by what censure it can be called Idolatry If false worship cannot be called Idolatry let the first and second Commaundements be witnesses so that it is not our pennes but the penne of Gods own finger that hath iudged all deuises of man hipocriticall worship of Idolatry And although all the breaches of the first Table were not Idolatry yet you know that to worship our own deuises is Idolatry Is not prayer a speciall part of the first Commaundement and our Sauiour Christ comprehendeth all the foure first Commandements in this that we loue God aboue all the transferring of any part whereof from God must needs be idolatry But say you if we do thus hold withall that no idolator can be saued thē surely are all lost c. This is countrey diuinity if the Salt haue lost his sauour what should be sesoned therwith we hold that no idolator cā be saued without true repentance renouncing their sinne so far as God shall shew it thē yea craue with Dauid for pardon for their hidden secret sins And doo you thinke any man liuing is void of idolatry either inwardly or outwardly so long as we liue or that we can keep any one cōmandement in perfection The Lord therfore giue vs repentance for in some things we sin all Methinks this should not be M. Giffords language to be so ignorant in the principles of religion if you haue waighed our arguments no better then your preface it shall be greeuous to me to make any aunswer To condemne and ouerthrow read prayer yée bring as the ground or foundation of all your matter this sentence God is a spirit and to be worshipped in spirit Iohn 5. This scripture indéed is cléere and strong to cut downe all carnall worship as disagréeing from the nature of God And if any doo maintaine that the very bodily action of reading prayer is the worship of God it may fitly be alledged against them But to apply it in that manner which you doo against red praier is friuolous vnlesse as I say yée could prooue that a man cannot pray by the spirit of God with sighes and grones procéeding from faith when the praier is read vpō the booke or vttered after a prescript forme To this you reply with diuers arguments The first is that if the sighes and grones were of faith it would minister matter of praier without a booke This reason by a connection is drawne from and dependeth wholy vpon the force and effect of faith to minister matter of prayer It is to be framed thus If the prayer with sighes

and grones were of faith it would minister matter without a booke but the matter of their prayer with sighes and grones is not ministred without a booke therefore it is not of faith to make this argument strong and sufficient from the connection of faith and the liuely efficacie thereof to vtter prayer yée must adde two things the one that faith is perfect vnto this efficacie to minister matter of praier and néedeth no helpe The other that the effect and power of faith to minister matter of prayer cannot stand nor be ioyned with any outward helpes Vnlesse I say yée adde these two with the cupling together faith and the effect which are both of them hereticall there can be no necessarie consequence To make it yet more manifest let it be drawne into an other forme of syllogysme thus That which hath power and efficacie of it selfe to minister matter of prayer néede not any outward helpe nor cannot touching the vtterance of matter in prayer stand with any outward helpe But faith hath force and efficacie in it selfe to minister matter of prayer Therefore faith néeds not the helpe of a booke nor cannot stand with any outward helpe touching the vtterance of matter in prayer And so consequently the sighes and grones in prayer red cannot be of faith This consequence shall neuer be brought in vnlesse yée frame your argument after that sort So that both these fantasticall errors be included in your spéech the one that faith touching the efficacie to minister matter of praier is so absolutely perfect that it néedeth no outward helpe the other that it cannot touching prayer stand with any outward helpe I doo acknowledge that there be no sighes nor grones nor any praiers that can be regarded of God but such as come from faith I doo also hold that faith is not in any without some efficacie and power to vtter some matter of praier But now we must consider the degrées thereof for doubtlesse if there were in men a perfection of knowledge of faith and of quicknesse there should néed no outward helpe but the best come farre short of that Such as approche néerest there vnto néed so much the lesse any outward helpe But the most are ignorant weake short of memory dull and slow and néed all helpes to stirre them vp and to direct them euen as children that are to be stayed vp and led by the hand Praier indéed is a spirituall worke procéeding from faith which is a spirituall gift but yet it doth stand with outward meanes and helpes The Holy-ghost alone dooth worke faith in man but yet it commeth by hearing Rom. 10 Faith bringeth foorth prayer but we must consider that as the same faith commeth by hearing and is grounded vpon the word so is it cherished supported increased continued and quickened in efficacie and made more forcible vnto euery good worke by those helps of outward meanes For further confirmation ye adde yea no doubt a troubled minde is the penne of a ready writer Let it stand in forme of syllogisme thus That which is the pen of a ready writer néedeth not the helpe of a booke But a troubled minde is the pen of a ready writer therefore it néedeth not the helpe of a Booke The proposition is true if by the pen of a ready writer yée vnderstand an absolute perfection of knowledge chéerefulnesse direction memorie and vtterance But that was not in Moses Daniel Paul or any other Therefore héere againe yée runne vpon the rocke of an hereticall opinion of perfection Your assumption where yée say no doubt a troubled minde is the pen of a ready writer is vtterly false and your bold affirmation without scripture is not enough séeing there be many so perplexed and confused in the trouble of their minde and oppressed with ignorance that they cannot pray nor know not what to vtter which when they haue instruction and consolation ministred vnto them by some godly man or if that chéefe help faile by reading vpon a booke poure foorth teares and supplications Your next reason is in many words which yet I will repeate To worship God say you in spirite is when the inward faith of the heart bringeth foorth true inuocation and it is then in truth when it simply agreeth with Gods word But you would teach men in steed of powring foorth theyr hearts to helpe themselues vpon a booke yea to fetch the cause of their sighing and sorrowing from an other mans writing euen in the time of their begging at Gods hand I will also drawe it into a syllogisme to the end it may the better be iudged of None worship God in spirite but they which from the inward faith of the heart bring foorth true inuocation that is such as simply agréeth with the word of God But all such as read vpon the booke the prayer which they pray fetch the cause of their sorrowing from an other mans writing in the time that they pray and doo not from the inward faith of the heart bring foorth true inuocation Therfore none that reade their praier vpon the booke doo worship God in spirit The proposition I assent vnto as sound and good for it is no true inuocation except it agrée with Gods word It is not to worship in spirit vnlesse it procéed from faith out of the heart But your assumption which is that all that reade the praier which they pray doo not from the inward faith of the heart bring foorth true inuocation I cannot allowe séeing yée bring nothing for proofe thereof but that which is most friuolous For whereas yée say in the first part of your confirmation that we would haue men in stéed of powring foorth theyr hearts to helpe themselues vpon a booke yée speake vntruly and foolishly For we wish men to vse the helpe of a booke that they may the better poure forth their hearts to God Being such as are not otherwise throughly able The next part of your confirmation is euen to as great purpose when yée say We would haue men fetch the cause of their sighing and sorrowing from an other mans writing euen in the time of their begging at Gods hand For how fondly doo yée make that to be the cause which dooth but manifest the cause for the cause of all sighing and sorrowing is the sinne and miserie which is within vs which we may the better behold and expresse by instruction I haue gréeuous sinne and wrath belonging therevnto which I doo partlye know and can make some moane therein and praye I come into the publike assembly where I heare the minister preach the word which dooth more fully laye open and display my sinne and misery I am héereby driuen into déeper sighing and sorrowing with vehement praier in my heart vnto God shall it be saide that I doo now fetch the cause of my sorrowing from an other mans spéech in the time of my begging at Gods hands If not then why should I be said to fetch the cause

not deceyued but knowe for certaintie that they be full and rancke Donatists and Anabaptists in part I knowe it is complayned of that there be so many and so diuers Sectes and Heresies dayly springing vp where the Gospell is preached for it seemeth a foule disgrace both to the Gospell it selfe and to the Preachers There are say some at the least fifty seuerall sectes Behold say others how the people are lead without ground and haue no stay but are caryed without ende from one thing to another What is the cause is not the preaching is there any thing deliuered which is certayne are not the fruites of theyr Sermons factions and Schismes These speeches do so abash and trouble some that they are driuen backe and retyre into flat Poperie as into a safe hauen which yet in truth is the gulfe of all Schismes and abhominable heresies Others are so much displeased that they become Atheists and care not much for any Religion though of both they doo rather fauour the Poperie A third sort there be which did runne and now stand still and wonder they knowe not whether they were best to goe backe or forward Their loue and zeale is decayed and readie vtterly to be quenched It is wonderfull that there should be such blindnes in men and want of wisedome to consider rightly of all causes and effects The Scriptures are cleere that light is come into the world and men loue darknesse more then light because their works be euill And what followeth heerevpon because they receyue not the loue of the truth that they might be saued God doth send them strong delusion to beleeue lyes that they may be damned 2. Thess 2. It is the heauie iudgement of God vppon the wicked world that Satan is let loose to seduce and leade into error Men are worthie of such a plague and it doth come vppon them to the full for they be not able now to discerne the truth but do reproch and blaspheme it seeking the disgrace of such as do bring it Moreouer the Scriptures do shewe that God hath an other purpose in sending strong delusion and the efficacie of error and that is touching his elect for they be clogged with the fleshe slowe and dull to search out the truth they be readie to leane to their owne wisedome and seeke not vnto God When Schismes and Heresies arise it doth awaken them causeth them to search more diligently yea to seeke vnto God and to depend wholly vppon him for light and instruction It causeth them to feare and tremble in humilitie and to make precious account of the truth when they haue once found it seeing the Deuill laboureth so mightely to depriue them of it by quenching the light I heare sayth S. Paule that there be Schismes among ye and I do in part beleeue it for there must be Heresies that such as are approued may be made manifest 1. Cor. 11. When we see it come to passe that through the malice and craft of the Deuill and his instruments such confusion doth ouerspread all let vs not loue the Gospell the worse let vs not blaspheme it but knowe it standeth vs vpon to be more carefull The blessed Apostles themselues had to encounter with Heretikes and false Apostles and full cunningly did Satan winde in himselfe in their dayes When they were taken away what troups of Heretikes did he send foorth what blasphemies and detestable furies did he vtter and spread by them how were all the auncient Doctors and holy Fathers in the Churches set on worke to confute them and to defend the true Christian people from infection Why then should we nowe be daunted or why should it be any reproch to the holy Doctrine now more then of old that the Diuell where any light is shewed doth followe it by and by at the heeles to worke disgrace Let the ministers of Gods Word looke diligently to theyr flockes and teach them the wholesome pure Doctrine and the way of Sanctification Let true zeale spring afresh which nowe suffreth great contempt because there is a mad bedlem risen vp which nameth her selfe by her name There be diuers which cry out against zeale very naughtely when it is most certayne no man can haue ouermuch godly zeale especially in these dayes wherein who almost hath any hote loue for the glorie of God and the saluation of his people If Christ should speake what other sentence can we looke for but that which he vttered of the Church of Laodicea Reuel 3. Thou art neyther hote nor cold But let vs come to the matter in hand A breefe sum of the profession of the Brownists _1 WE seeke aboue all things the peace and protection of the most high and the kingdome of Christ Iesus our Lord. 2 We seeke and fully purpose to worship God aright as he hath commaunded in his holy worde 3 We seeke the fellowship and communion of his faithfull and obedient seruants and together with them to enter couenant with the Lord. And by the direction of his holy spirite to proceed to a godly free and right choise of ministers and other officers by him ordained to the seruice of his Church 4 We seeke to establish and obey the ordinances and lawes of our Sauiour Christ left by his last will and testament to the gouerning and guiding of his Church without altering changing innouating wresting or leauing out any of them that the Lord shall giuevs sight of 5 We purpose by the assistance of the Holyghost in this faith and order to leade our liues And for this faith and order to leaue our liues if such be the good will and pleasure of our heauenly Father to whom be all glory and praise for euer Amen 6 And now that our forsaking and vtter abandoning these disordered assemblies as they generally stand in England may not seeme strange or offensiue to any man that will iudge or be iudged by the worde of God we alledge affirme them hainouslye faultie and wilfullye obstinate in these foure principall transgressions 1 They worship the true God after a false manner their worship being made of the inuention of man euen of that man of sinne erronious and imposed vpon them 2 Then for that the prophane vngodly multitude without the exception of any one person are with them receiued into and reteined in the bosome and body of their Church c. 3 Then for that they haue a false and Antichristian ministery imposed vpon them retained with them and maintained by them 4 Then for that their Churches are ruled by and remaine in subiection vnto an Antichristian and vngodly gouernment cleane contrary to the institution of our Sauiour Christ G. G. 1 IN my former answer vnto these your articles which ye call A breefe sum of your profession I kept the same order in which they stand But now I begin first with your heauy accusation of the foure heinous transgressions for which ye condemne and abandon all the assemblies as they