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
A92025	A reply to the answer of Anonymus to Doctor Gauden's Analysis of the sense of the covenant: and under that, to a later tract of one Mr Zach. Crofton of the same fraternity with him. By John Rowland Oxoniensis, CCC. Rector of Footscray in Kent.	Rowland, John, 1606-1660.	1660 (1660)	Wing R2070; Thomason E1038_4; ESTC R207862	40,193	52

A REPLY TO THE ANSWER of ANONYMVS TO Doctor Gauden's ANALYSIS of the Sense of the Covenant And under that to a later TRACT OF ONE Mr Zach. Crofton Of the same Fraternity with him By John Rowland Oxoniensis CCC Rector of Footscray in Kent Ficta in natura suam redeunt LONDON Printed for T. J. and are to be sold at Westminster-Hall and the Royal Exchange 1660. A REPLY to Anonymus his ANSWER to Dr. Gaudens Analysis Of the Sense of the Covenant I Met by accident with a Pamphlet against Doctor Gauden's Analysis of the true sense of the Covenant and I know there are enough abler than my self to reply to it if the Learned Doctor wanted any help here as he doth not and I am unwilling the Truth should suffer any prejudice by my defects yet I think my self something concerned in it as a Clergy-man and Lover of the Truth wherefore craving leave of the Reverend Doctor and the candid interpretation of the Reader I begin with the Title which runs thus The Anatomy of Doctor Gauden's idolized Non-sense and Blasphemy in his pretended Analysis c. of that sacred Covenant c. I have examined the Doctors words as I finde them upon this mans credit as he lays them down for I have no other Bookes before me than his I undertook to Answer and I can finde nothing of the Doctors but solid Reason good Authority and sound Divinity neither Non-sense nor Blasphemy unless he will falsly charge that upon the Doctor which may more truly be imputed to himself idolizing a Covenant which many wise and godly men call a cursed Covenant and the word will beat it with a sacred Epithite The Libeller must pass for Anonymus because he hath not vouchsafed to subscribe his Name I wish he were ashamed of his Cause but I think rather it is the old Presbyterian trick to make men believe he is afraid of persecution But mark his words The Reader must know that the late Long-Parliament I mean both the Honorable Houses drew up took and Ordered others to take two several Covenants in one year A fruitful Year of Covenants when you name the Long-Parliament you do well to say you mean the two Honorable Houses for all the world knows the two Honorable Houses will not own all things done by a prevailing Faction in the late long Parliament How many of the two Houses took both those Covenants I cannot tell I am perswaded a great part of them never took them both but to free themselves left their places in Parliament and of those that did take them hundreds its likely have repented for it since and were it to be done again they would never take them because something contained in them was unlawful and besides that they wanted the Kings confirmation Two several Covenants I have not opportunity to compare them together how several or differing they were it may be they were contrary or rather contradictory one to the other for such Contrivers seldom continue long in the same mind knowing not well what they would have Two in one year the first June 1643. the second September 11 the same year Count the moneths and it is not much above a quarter of a year they grew apace and things that are good seldom grow so fast which made men shrewdly to suspect the goodness of them Now you must take notice that it is only the last the far better of the two which this Master of words hath opposed c. His idle Jests against the learned Doctor are not worth taking notice of and therefore I let them pass But for his Covenants I believe the first was not very good being like the point of the weapon that makes the entrance or the sting of a serpent by which the poison is first conveyed yet if there were any barrel better herring I think that was the best because it was the first for mischief still increaseth from bad to worse nemo repente fit turpissimus The first Covenant was pressed upon the people with as much violence as might be that who ever would not take it should bear no Office in Church or Commonweal by reason of the second tayl that was to follow it Or rather the two Covenants may be compared to the Serpent Amphisbaenae with two heads What was the meaning of that they can best interpret that gave it forth by menacing those that refused it For when King Charls the I desired the Earl of Straffords life to be spared and he should bear no Office in Church nor State they replyed He that was not fit for some Office was not fit to live and for this and some other reasons I thank God I had the grace to refuse them all Next he quibbles about the Doctors calling his Analysis The loosing of St. Peters bonds Because he doth not finde St. Peters name in the Text quoted Acts 16.25 but Acts the 12. A most ridiculous Cavil as if a man might not lawfully quote two places of Scripture to the same purpose the one to fortifie and expound the other but it must be presently Non-sense and Blasphemy as this Libeller will have it to be he keeps a fearful clutter about it because he cannot finde out the reason of this Inscription The loosing of St. Peters bonds but to put him out of his passion and to serve him with my best conjecture The learned Doctor hath qualified the harshness of the Covenant by giving to it the softest and most sober sense that it is capable of and it is possible that the Doctor himself through humane frailty in that sober sense he expoundeth it took it so but finding it for all this smoothing of it over to be too hard of digestion he doth in my judgement very well to follow the Command of our blessed Saviour to Saint Peter Luke 22.23 And thou being converted strengthen thy brethren and therefore he calls his Analysis The loosing of St. Peters bonds He is very angry because the Doctor will not be one of the rigid Presbyters that will hold communion with none but such as are of their own opinion and therefore accuseth him falsly for upholding communion with Popery by reason of these words he alledgeth that the Doctor saith He desireth to hold not onely all inward but all actual communion in all Doctrines and Duties of Faith and Worship to the Word of God with the Church of Rome If this be not well spoken I wonder what one can say to please him He had little cause to fear the Doctor would turn Roman Catholick who was so much offended with some enormities he had formerly taken notice of in Episcopal Government and being as it appears by his Analysis a charitable man and of a tender conscience was willing to comply with all Christians in Worship agreeable to the Word of God And this Anonymus deserves for his uncharitable censure and so frequently scoffing at the Doctors sighs and tears to be severely censured himself

Government and back what they say by Scripture good Authority by Reason and Examples and we shall draw the parallel against Presbytery and then let every man be judge which of the two hath most cause to be covenanted against and if they please to enumerate the Benefits of their Presbyterial Government we shall do the like for Bishops the work would be large and worth the while to be undertaken to reconcile the Differences in Church Discipline and to give better satisfaction to the Christian world I shall now to avoid prolixtry speak a word or two only of the benefits of Episcopacy for the faults it is obnoxious to are not essential to the Government but meerly accidental First then it is more orderly regular and uniform and by consequence more free from schisms sects heresies and whatsoever mischief may gather to a head for want of good order 2. It is more decent graceful and more consistent with Monarchy a poor creeping Clergy is not comely in Christian Princes Courts who will seem always to upbraid them to their faces as if they were not willing to be at any cost for the preaching of the Gospel whereas the best Kings and Emperors as Constantine Theodosius and others sought still how with rich endowments to beautifie and adorn them Moses and Aaron must be together the King and the Priest the Crown and the Miter the Princes Scepter and the Bishops Crosier or else the Scepter will be soon made to stoop to the Presbyterian Ferula 3. It is greater encouragement to Learning and Religion Take away the reward of Vertue and you do what you can to take away Goodness itself Pramia si tollas tollitur virtus but I must not let my pen run to a volumn 4. Consider that many Reformed Churches are in misery and ready to be swallowed up continually by Popish and cruel Adversaries what can the Presbyterian party do to afford them any help surely little or none whereas when our Church flourishen under the Bishops the Protestants abroad in all places lived in more repose and quiet and found continual assistance from them insomuch that their foes did hardly dare to make any head against them and I doubt not but they will conress how sensible they have been since these troubles of the great loss they have of Prelacy in England by whose wariness and continual care of them as well as of their charge at home they were always fostered and preserved since the Reformation What horrid persecutions have fallen upon them since the expelling of our Bishops here let the Waldenses and the Albigenses and the poor Protestants living about the Valleys of Piedmont whom the Duke of Savoy and others endeavored with all their might to take away from the earth speak The like cruelties were used lately upon the Reformed Cantons in Switzerland also in Poland and Germany and the French Protestants fearing daily to be rooted out and what remedy could they sinde with you I will not speak too bad of the great Collections made by you here for them and how they were employed for their relief Also of the monstrous blasphemies damned heresies shameful adulteries and many other villanies which have sprung up since Presbytery bore the sway the names whereof were scarcely known when Episcopacy ruled Let some more able pen proceed And however some Churches of Christ expelling Popery in heat of zeal have thereby laid lawful Episcopacy aside that is have not had since the opportunity to restore it to its primitive Institution yet many of them desire to conform to the plat-form of the Church of England which they suppose to come the nearest of any to the Apostolick form His next quarrel is If the Covenant abjure all Episcopacy it runs upon a rock of novelty and schism and dasheth us in opinion and practice against the judgement and custom of the Catholick Church in all Ages and places till of latter years from the Apostles days You call this a Magisterial and traditional way Surely such traditions as these are not to be under-valued the Histories and Monuments of the Church are a great light to us in many things especially such as are circumstancial and without them we should wander in the dark But once prove that your abol shed Episcopacy was of so ancient and universal observation Abolished we praise God you cannot say but that you did your best to abolish it the antiquity of it hath been often proved to your shame Whoever shall read the Judgement of Dr. John Reynolds concerning Episcopacy expressed in a Letter to Sir Francis Knolls and Dr. Ushers Reduction will finde this mans bold assertion c. I have not means nor opportunity to see that Letter nor any of his Quotations but I remember when I was a Scholar in Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford whereof some years before Doctor John Reynolds had been President I was told he was once much given to be a Roman Catholick and that his brother a Protestant converted him whom I knew in Glocester-Hall but he fell shortly after himself to the Church of Rome wherein he died now though Doctor Reynolds was a very learned and pious man who by a kinde of Antiperistasis because of his brothers fall might be more violent against the Discipline of our Church than perhaps otherwise he would have been yet he met with as pious and learned men as himself at the Conference at Hampton Court 2 King James that maintained it and carried it against him and all that were of his judgement The same cause that provoked Dr. Reynolds may be prevailed with an eminent person in this Land to favour your Covenanters so much at first because his brother was revolted to Popery But this was not the Bishops fault it had been more honorable for them both to have followed the example of their Reverend Uncle James Lord Bishop of Winchester Prelate of the Garter and my most honored Patron during my minority who knew better how to direct in Church affairs than they ever did but for want of his Compass they ran a great hazard to fall upon those two dangerous Rocks that lay on either hand of Popery and Presbytery As for Dr. Ushers Reduction if that be the meaning of it we grant it is not held fit that the Bishops should keep too great a distance and estrange themselves too much from their brethren it is acknowledged to have been a fault in some of them and it is proper it should be amended But pray give me leave to referre you to Dr. Downhams Defence of Episcopacy and when you can answer him I shall say that you have answered the Doctor Under colour of propounding the loy land religious sense of it he dasheth it with unlawfulness to be taken at all because not imposed by due Authority This hath been so often repeated that it is crambe saepius cocta and needs no answer Dr. The Jews sometimes solemnly renewed their Covenant with God c. which God