Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	grace_n	work_n	7,426	5	6.4759	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87463	A declaration made by King James, in Scotland; concerning, church-government, and presbyters.; Declaratioun of the Kings Majesties intentioun and meaning toward the lait actis of Parliament. English and Scots.	Adamson, Patrick, 1537-1592.; James I, King of England, 1566-1625.	1646 (1646)	Wing J132; Thomason E506_27; ESTC R202599	10,166	12

A DECLARATION MADE BY King James IN SCOTLAND CONCERNING Church-Government and PRESBYTERS C R HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT Now Printed in English and Scotch for Matthew Walbancke at Grays-Inne Gate 1646. A Declaration of King James made in Scotland Anno Dom. 1585. Concerning Church-Government FOr so much as here are some evill affected men that go about so farre as lyeth in them to invent lyes and calumnies to stain and impair the Kings Majesties fame and honour and raise brutes as if his Majestie had declined to Papistry and had made many Acts to derogate the free passage of the Gospell good order and discipline in the Church which brutes are nourisht and entertained by rebellious subjects who would gladly cover their seditious enterprises under pretext of religion albeit there can be no religion in such as raise armour and disquiet the estate of their native Soveraign and perjuriously have contraried the Oath bond and obligation of their faith whereunto they have sworn and subscribed Therefore that His Majesties faithfull Subjects be not abused with such slanderous reports and His highnesse good and affectionate friends in other Countries may understand the verity of his upright intentions His Majesty hath commanded this brief declaration of certain of His Majesties Acts of Parliament held in May 1584. to be publisht and imprinted to the effect that the indirect practices of such as slander His Majesty and his lawes may be detected and discovered IN the first Act His Majestie ratifieth and approveth the true profession of the Gospell sincere preaching of the word and administration of the Sacraments presently by the goodnesse of God established in this Realm and alloweth of the confession of the faith set down by Act of Parliament the first year of His Majesties reign Like as His Highnesse not onely professeth the same in all sincerity but praised be God is come to that maturity of judgement by reading and hearing the Word of God that His highnesse is able to convince and overthrow by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles the most learned of the contrary sect of the Adversaries So as Plato affirms that Commonwealth to be most happy wherein a Philosopher reigneth or he that reigneth is a Philosopher we may much more esteem this Country of Scotland to be fortunate wherein our King is a Theologue and his heart replenisht with the knowledge of the heavenly philosophy for the comfort not only of his good subjects and friends in other countries but of them that professe the Gospell every where he being a King of great expectation to whom his birth-right hath not only destinate and provided great Kingdomes but much more His Majesties vertue godlinesse and learning and daily encrease of all heavenly sciences do promise and assure him of the mighty protection of God and favour of all them that fear his holy name IN the second Act his Maj. royall authority over all estates both spirituall and temporall is confirmed which act some of malice and others of ignorance do traduce as if his Maj. pretended to be head of the Church a name which His Maj. acknowledgeth to be proper and peculiar to the Son of God the Saviour of the world who is the head and bestoweth life spirituall upon the members of his mysticall body and he having received the holy spirit in all abundance maketh every one of the faithfull partakers according to the measure of faith bestowed upon them of the which number of the head Christ His Maj. acknowledgeth himself to be a member baptized in his name partaker of the mystery of the crosse and holy communion and attending with the faithfull for the comming of the Lord and the finall restitution of Gods elect And notwithstanding his Maj. surely understands by the scriptures that he is the principall member appointed by the law of God to see God glorified vice punisht and vertue maintain'd within his realm and the soveraign judgment for a godly quietnesse and order in the common-wealth to appertain to His highnesse care and solicitude which power of his highnesse certain ministers being called before His Maj. for seditious and factious sermons and stirring up the people to rebell against their native King would in no wise acknowledg but disclaimed His authority as an incompetent Judge and especially one Mr. Andrew Melvile an ambitious person of a salt and fiery humour usurping the Pulpit of Sandrois with out any lawfull calling and privy at that time to certain conspiracies against His Maj. went about in his sermon upon a Sunday to inflame the hearts of the people by odious comparisons of His Maj. progenitors and councell Albeit the duty of a faithfull preacher of the Gospel be rather to exhort the people to the obedience of their native King nor by popular sermons which hath been the decay of great commonwealths and hath greatly in times past disquieted this Estate The said Mr. Andrew called before His highnesse answered he would not be judg'd by the King and his Councell because he spake the same in a Pulpit which Pulpit in effect he alledged to be exempt from the judgment and correction of Princes as if that holy place sanctified to the word of God might be a colour to any sedition against lawfull authority without punishment His Maj. being a most gracious Prince was unwilling to use rigour against the said Mr. Andrew if he had humbly submitted himself acknowledg'd his offence and craved pardon but he afraid of his own guiltinesse being private to divers conspiracies before fled into England whose naughty and presumptuous refusing of his Highnesse judgment was the occasion of the making of the 2d Act That none should decline his Highnesse Authority in respect that the common proverb is that Ex malis moribus bonae leges natae sunt that is Of evill manners good Laws proceed And indeed intollerable arrogancy in any Subject called before his Prince professing and authorizing the same truth to disclaim his authority neither do the Prophets Apostles or others conducted by the Spirit of God minister the like example For it is a great errour to affirme as many do that Princes and Magistrates have only power to take order in civill affaires and that Ecclesiasticall matters do onely belong to the Ministry by which means the Pope of Rome hath exempt Himself and His Clergie from all judgment of Princes and hath made himself to be Judge of Judges and to be judged of no man whereas by the contrary not onely by the examples of the Godly Governours Judges and Kings of the antient Testament but also by the new Testament and the who●e History of the Primitive Church in the which the Emperours judged over the Bishops of Rome deposed them from their Seates appointed Judges to acknowledg and decide in Causes Ecclesiasticall vindicate innocent men as Athanasius from the determination of the Councell holden at Tyrus and by infinite good reasons which shall be set down

by the grace of God in a severall Work shall be sufficiently proved But this appeareth at this present to be an unprofitable question which hath no ground upon their part but of the preposterous imitation of the pretended jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome For if there were any question in this Land of Heresie wherby the profound Misteries of the Scriptures behoved to be searched out His Maj. would use the same remedy as most expedient which the most godly Emperors have used and his Maj. following their example would convene the Councel of learned Pastours that by conference of Scriptures the Truth might be opened and Heresie repressed But praised be God we have no such controversies in this Land nor hath Heresie taken any deeproot in the Country but certain of the Ministry joyning themselvs to Rebels have travelled to disquiet the estate with such questions that the People might enjoy a sinister opinion of his Maj. upright proceedings Neither is it his Maj. intention to take away the lawfull and ordinary judgment in the Church whereby Discipline and good order might decay but rather to preserve maintain encrease the same And as there is in the Realm Justices Constables Sheriffes Provosts Bayliffes and other Judges in Temporall matters so His Majesty alloweth that all things may bee done in order and a Godly Harmony may be preserved in the whole Estate The Synodall Assemblies by the Bishops or Commissioners where the place is vacant to be convened twice in the year to have the ordinary triall of matters belonging to the Ministery and their estate always reserved to His highnesse that if they or any of them do amisse neglect their duty disquiet the estate or offend in such manner and sort that they in no wise pretend that immunity priviledge and exemption which only was invented by the Popes of Rome to tread under foot the Scepters of Princes and to establish an Ecclesiasticall tyranny within this country under pretext of new-invented Presbyteries which neither should answer to the King nor Bishop under His Majesty but should have an infinire jurisdiction as neither Law of God nor man can tollerate which is onely His Majesties intention to represse and not to take away any godly or solid order in the Church as hereafter shall appear THe fourth Act of His Majesties foresaid Parliament discharges all judgements Ecclesiasticall and all assemblies which are not allowed by His Majesty in Parliament which Act especially concerneth the removing and discharging of that form late invented in this land called the Presbytery wherein any number of Ministers of any certain precinct and bounds accompting themselves all to be equall without any difference and gathering unto them certain Gentlemen and others of His Majesties subjects usurped all the whole Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction and altered the Lawes at their own appetite without the knowledge and approbation of the King or the estate a form of doing without any example of any Nation subject to any Christian Prince The perill whereof did so encrease that in case in due season it had not been repressed and forbidden by His Majesties lawes the same had troubled the whole country and it being tried by His highnesse to be the overthrow of His Majesties estate the decay of His crown and a ready introduction to Anabaptisme and popular confusion in all estates His Majesty hath countermanded the same And that the Reader may understand the danger thereof by many inconveniences which thereby ensued in this Land I will onely set down one whereby ye may understand what perill was in the rest The Embassadour of France being to return home to his own country the King commanded the Provost-Bailifs and councell of Edinburgh to give him the banquet that he might be dismist honorably according to the amity of ancient times betwixt the two Nations This command was given on Saturday by His highnesse and the banquet appointed to be on the Munday A number of the foresaid Presbyterie understanding thereof convened themselves on Sunday in the morning and presumptuously determin●d and agreed that the Ministers of Edinburgh should proclaim a Fast upon the said Munday where their severall Ministers one after another made three diverse sermons invectives against the Provost-Bailiffs and councell for the time and the Noblemen in the country who assisted the banquet at His Majesties command The foresaid Presbyterie called and persued them and scarcely by His Majesties authority could be with-holden from excommunicating the said Magistrates and Noblemen for obeying only His highnesse lawfull command which the law of all countries called jus gentium requireth towards Embassadors of forraign countries And not onely in this but innumerable other things their commandement was opposite directly under pain of Excommunication to the Kings Majesty and His laws which form of doing ingendred nothing but disquiet sedition and trouble as may manifestly appear in that the speciall authors of the inventing promoting assisting of the aforesaid pretended Presbyters have joyned themselves with His Majesties Rebels and flying forth of the Realm in respect of their guiltinesse have discovered what malicious practices were devised amongst them if God had not in time provided remedy The other form of judgment which His Majesty hath discharged is the generall assembly of the whole Clergy of the Realm under pretence whereof a number of Ministers from severall Presbyteries did assemble with some Gentlemen of the country whereof some for that time male-contents of the State sought that colour as favourers of the ministery by which they have practised many enterprises in the Realm where there was no certain law in Ecclesiasticall affairs but all depended upon the said generall convention where the laws of the Church were alterable after the plurality of votes which for the most part succeeded to the most unlearned of the multitude This generall assembly amongst other things did appoint and agree with His Majesties Regents in His highnesse minority that the estate of Bishops which is one of the estates of the Parliament should be maintained and authorized as it is registred in the books of councell and subscribed by the Commissioners for the time which order was observed many years and Bishops by their consents appointed to the Diocesses where within this late time in assemblies holden at Dundee and Glascow respective the foresaid Ministers and assemblies took upon them contrary to their own hand-writing to discharge the estate and to declare the same to be unlawfull in their pretended manner And there commanded the Bishops of the Country to lay down and leave their Offices and jurisdictions and that in no wise they should passe to the Kings Majesties Councell or Parliament without commission obtained from their Assembly That they should vote nothing in Parliament or Councell but according to their acts and injunctions And further they directed their Commissioners to the Kings Majesty commanding him and the Councell under the pain of the censures of the Church whereby they understood excommunication to

appoint no Bishop in times to come because they had concluded that estate to be unlawfull And notwithstanding that which they would have dejected in the Bishops they concluded to erect in themselves desiring that such Commissioners as they should send to Parliament and Councell might be authorized in place of the estate whereby it should have come to passe that whereas now His Majesty may select the most godly learned wise and experimented of the Ministery to be on His Majesties Estate His highnesse should have been by that means compelled to accept such as the multitude by an odd vote of the most unlearned should have appointed which could not tend but to the overthrow of the realm whereof that Estate hath been a speciall stay After they had discharged Bishops they agreed to have Superintendents Commissioners and Visitors but in the end they decreed that there should be no difference amongst the Ministers and imagined that new form of Presbytery whereof we have spoken before Neither was there any other apparance that they should have stayed from such daily alterations in the Common-wealth which could not but continually be disquieted where the law of conscience which they maintained by the sword of cursing was subject to such mutations at the arbitrement of a number whereof the most part had not greatly tasted of learning After the foresaid assembly was accustomed not only to prescribe the law to the King and State but also did at certain times appoint generall Fastings thoroughout the realm especially when some factioners in the country were to move any great enterprise For at the Fast all the Ministers were commanded by the said assembly to sing one song and to cry out of the abuses as they termed it of the Court and State for the time whereby it is most certain great alterations have ensued in this land untill at the good pleasure of God and his blessing towards His Maj. the pretext of the last Fast was discovered and His highnesse delivered from such attempts whereby His Maj. hath been justly moved to discharge such conventions which might import so prejudicially to His Estate but especially His Maj. had no small occasion Whereas the same assembly being convened at Edinburgh the day of did authorize and avow the fact perpetrate at Ruthuen in the taking of His highnesse most noble person The which deed although His Maj. with the advice of His States in Parliament hath counted to be treasonable the said assembly esteeming their judgement to be the soveraign judgment of the realm hath not onely approved the same but ordained all them to be excommunicate who would not subscribe and allow the same So the Acts of this Assembly and the Acts of Estate directly in civill matters with which the Assembly should not have medled it behoved His highnesse either to discharge himself of the crown or the Ministery of that form of assembly which in very deed in it self without the Kings Majesties license and approbation could not be lawfull Like as generall Councels at no time could assemble but by the command of the Emperor for the time And our King hath no lesse power in his own realm then any of them had in the Empire yea the Bishop of St. Andrews had not in time of Popery power to convene the Bishops and Clergy out of his own Diocesse without license impetrate before of His hignesse most noble progenitors of good memory and the causes thereof intimated and allowed Notwithstanding that His Maj. intention and meaning may be fully understood it is His highnesse wil that the Bishop or Commissioner of any Diocesse or Province or part thereof shall at their Visitation appoint in every parish according to the greatnes thereof some honest vertuous and discreet men to concur and assist the Minister and to have the oversight and censure of the manners and behaviour of the people of that Parish And that there be any notable offence worthy of punishment that the Bish and Com. be advertised thereof who shall have an Officer of arms to concur with his decree for the punishment of vice and execution to follow thereupon that they who contemn the godly and lawfull Order of the Church may finde by experience His Majesties displeasure and be punisht according to their deservings And further his Maj. upon necessary occasions which may happen by divers manners of wayes amongst the Clergy upon humble supplications made to his Highnesse will not refuse to grant them licence to convene to wit the Bishops Commissioners and some of the most vertuous learned godly of their Diocesse where such Ecclesiasticall matters as appertain to the Uniformity of Doctrine and conservation of any godly order in the Church may be intreated and concluded in his Maj. own presence or some of his Maj. honourable Councell who shall assist for the time where if necessity so require a publique Fast throughout the whole Realm may be decreed and by his Maj. Authority proclaimed to avoid the eminent displeasure and danger of the wrath of the Lords judgments which is the right end of the publike Humiliation and not under pretext thereof to cover such enterprizes as have heretofore greatly disquieted and troubled the Peace of this Common-wealth THe XX. Act ratisieth and approveth and re-establisheth the estate of the Bishops within the Realm to have the over-sight and jurisdiction every one in their own Diocese which form of government and rule in Ecclesiasticall affairs hath not only continued in the Church from the days of the Apostles by continuall succession of time and many Martyrs in that calling shed their blood for the Truth but also since this Realm embraced and received the Christian Religion the same estate hath been maintained to the welfare of the Church and quietnesse of the Realm without any interruption while within these few yeers some curious and busie men have practised to bring in the Ministry an equality and purity in all things aswell concerning the preaching of the Word and ministration of the Sacraments as likewise in discipline order and policy The which confusion his Maj. finding by most dangerous experience to have been the Mother and Nurse of great factions seditions and troubles within this Realm hath with the advice of his Highnesse Estates maturely and advisedly concluded the said pretended party in discipline order and policy in the Church to be no longer tolerate in this Country but the solicitude and care of my Churches of one Diocese to appertaine to the Bishop and Commissioner thereof who shall be answerable to His Majesty and Estates for the right administration and discharge of the office of particular Ministers within the bounds of their jurisdiction For as it becommeth his Majesty as Eusebius writeth of CONSTANTINE the Great to be a Bishop of Bishops and universall Bishop within his realm in so far as His Majesty should appoint every one to discharge his duty so His highnesse cannot his country being large and great take him to every