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	great_a	people_n	3,792	5	4.4298	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00718	An admonition to the Parliament	Fielde, John, d. 1588.; Gwalther, Rudolf, 1519-1586.; Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; T. W. (Thomas Wilcox), 1549?-1608.	1572 (1572)	STC 10848; ESTC S102020	41,634	60

childe in the forhead with a crosse in token that heereafter he shall not be ashamed to confesse the fayth of Christe We haue made mention before of that wycked deuorse of the worde and sacramentes We say nothing of those that are admitted to be witnesses what ill choyse there is made of them how conuenyent it were seing the children of the faythfull onely are to be baptized that the father should and might if conueniently offer present his child to be baptized making an open confession of that faith wherin he wold haue his childe baptized as is vsed in well reformed churches 9 As for Matrimonie that also hathe corruptions too many It was wonte to be compted a sacrament and therfore they vse yet a sacramental signe to which they attribute the vertue of wedlocke I meane the wedding ring which they fowly abuse and dally with all in taking it vp and laying it downe In putting it on they abuse the name of the Trinitie they make the newe marryed man according to the Popish forme to make an idol of his wife saying with this ring I thee wedde with my body I thee worshippe c. And bicause in Poperie no holy action mighte be done without a masse they enioyne the marryed persones to receiue the communion as they do theyr bishoppes and priestes when they are made c. other p●rtie things oute of the booke we speake not of as that women contrary to the rule of the Apostle come and are suffered to come bare headed with bagpipes and ●idlers before them to disturbe the congregation and that they must come in at the great dore of the church or else all is ●arred With diuers other heathnish toys in sondry countries as carying of whea●e she affes on theyr heads and ca●●ing of corne with a nūber of such like wherby they make rather a Maie game of marryage then a holy Institution of God. 10 As for confyrmation which the papists and our m● say was in times past Apostolical groūding their opinion perhaps vpon some dreame of Hierome yet as they vse it by the bishop alone to thē that lack both discretion and faithe it is superstitious not agreable to the word of God but popish peuishe As though baptim were not already perfect but neded confyrmation or as though the bishop coulde giue y holy ghost 〈◊〉 They appoynt a prescript find of seruice to bury the dead And that which is the duety of euery christian they tie alone to the minister wherby pr●ier for y dead is maintained and partly gathered out of some of the prarers where they pray y we with thys our brother all other departed in the true faith of thy holy name may haue our perfect cons●●●●ation and blisse bothe in body soule We say nothing of the threefold peale bicause that it is rather licensed by iniunction then commaunded in theyr boke nor of theyr straūge mourning by chaunging theyr garmentes which if it be not hipocritical yet it is superstitious heathnish bicause it is vsed only of custom nor of burial sermons which are put in place of trentalles wherout spring many abuses and therfore in the best reformed churches are remoued As for the superstitions vsed bothe in countrey and citie for the place of buryall which way they must lie how they must be fetched to churche the mynister meeting them at churche stile with surplesse with a companye of greedie clarkes that a crosse whyte or blacke must be set vpon the deade corpes that breade muste be gyuen to the poore and offrings in Buryall tyme vsed and cakes sent abrode to frendes by cause these are rather vsed of custome and superstition then by the authoritie of the boke Small commaundement will serue for the accomplishyng of suche things But great charge will hardly bryng the least good thyng to passe and therefore all is let alone and the people as blinde and as ignorante as euer they were God be mercyfull vnto vs and open our eyes that we may see what that good and acceptable will of God is and be more earnest to prouoke hys glory 12 Churching of women after childbirthe smelleth of Iewish purifycation theyr other rytes customes in theyr lying in comming to churche is foolishe and superstitious as it is vsed Shee muste lie in wyth a white sheete vppon her bed and come couered wyth a vaile as ashamed of some folly Shee must offer but these are matters of custome and not in the boke But thys Psalme as is noted before is childishly abused I haue lift vp mine eyes vnto the ly●ls ●rō whence commeth my helpe The sunne shall not burne th●e by day nor the moone by nyght 13 In all theyr order or seruice there is no edification according to the rule of the Apostle but confusion they ●osse the Psalmes in most places like ●ennice balles They pray that al men may be saued that they may be deliuered from thundering tempest whē no dāger is nigh That they sing Benedictus Nūc dimittis and Magnificat we knowe not to what purpose except some of them were ready to die or excepte they would celebrate the ine●ory of the virgine and Iohn Baptist c. Thus they prophane the holy scriptures The people some standing some walking some talking some reading some praying by themselues ●●tēd not to the minyster He againe posteth it ouer as fast as he can galloppe For eyther he hath two places to serue or else there are some games to be playde in the afternoone as lying for the whetstone heathnishe dauncing for the ring a beare or a bull to be baited or else Iacke an apes to ride on horssebacke or an enterlude to be plaide if no place else can be gotten this enterlude must be playde in the church ▪ c. Nowe the people sit and now they stand vp When the old Testament is read or the lessons they make no reuerēce but when the gospel commeth then they * al stand vp For why they thinke that to be of greatest authoritie and are ignorante that the scriptures came from one spirite When Iesus is named then of goeth the cap and downe goeth the knees wyth suche a scraping on the ground that they cannot heare a good while after so that the word is hindred but whē any other names of God are mentioned they make no curtesie at all as though the names of God were not equal or as though all reuerence oughte to be giuen to the syllables We speake not of ringing when Mattens is done and other abuses incident Bicause we shal be answered that by the boke they are not maintayned only we desire to haue a booke to reforme it As for organes and curious singing thoughe they be proper to Popyshe dennes I meane to Cathedrall churches yet some others also must haue them The Queenes chappell and these churches whych shoulde be spectacles of christia●… reformation are rather paternes

so much vprightnesse for it is to be doubted they wil Lu. 11. 52. kepe backe the key of knowledge as they haue done neyther entring in them selues and yet as to this daye they do forbidding them that doe come in God of his gracious goodnesse blesse them that take this his cause into theyr handes 2. Cor. 10. 4. 5 and so directe them in the vsing of his spirituall weapons that they being mightie thorowe hym to caste downe holdes maye ouerthrowe the imaginations and euerye high thing that is exalted againste the knowledge of God and bring into bondage euerye thoughte to the obedience of Christ that he therby may be glorifyed his church comforted and continued vnto eternall glory Amen FINIS THere be some men perhappes will maruell why we haue annexed the priuate letters of these learned and reuerende men to these Treatises seeing that it may seeme some iniurie vnto them for that their consent is not there vnto And besides not written so aduisedlye as the publyshing in Print woulde require whereout things may be drawne agaynste bothe parties being written for stay of strife betwene bothe But we trust that bothe the one the other will beare with vs in this behalfe Firste bicause the godly Brethren haue beene often pressed with priuate letters as not to be of the iudgement of the best learned and that therfore we are singular contentions and so vnstayed that we seeke we can not tel what Againe we haue for our example the reuerende Byshops who to gette the better credite to theyr cause haue shewed vs a president of imprinting some priuate letters though we must needes say neyther in so good a cause nor with halfe so muche equitie And what thanke they had for so doing as well D. Bullingers letter written to a Noble man in thys realme is witnesse as also this of Maister Gualters which followeth That whiche they did was in defence of corruptions and no small discredite to the Authors that which we do is in defence of the truth and to Gods glory and no doubte to a singular commendacion of the wryters Albeit we must nedes say th●● the truthe of thys cause craueth no credit neither of theyr letters nor authoritie For the scriptures are manifest and the woorkes of these godly and learned men I meane bothe of D. Bullingers and M. Gualters testifie howe farre of they are from maintaining any of the forenamed filthy corruptions We beseeche thee therefore gentle Reader to iudge the best of our doings howsoeuer it fall out this shall be our cōfort the testimonie of a good conscience wherin we mind to rest and to suffer willingly what so euer shal be laid vpon vs These godly men I hope will not be offended with vs seeing we doe it for the truthes sake and to purge them from such a iudgement to defende corruptions as the Bishops by setting out theyr letters would seme to charge them As for the former admonition if in the print they fynde many faults let them remember it was done speedely and as the extremitie would suffer For the matter if any thing be iustly reproued it shall be amended for the Treatise if it be thought too short it shall by Gods grace be enlarged We thoughte at the fyrste onely to giue but a taste of these corruptions to prouoke the patrons thereof to a more full defence which when it shall be set oute we minde more fully to shewe our meanings In meane time we beseeche God to appease these troubles to worke his peoples deliuerance from all Antichristian slauerie to preserue our Queene in peace wholely to seeke the Reformation of his Churche whiche shal be to his glory Fare well Anno. 1572. To the reuerend Father in Christ D. I. P. the moste vigilant B. of N. and his louing Father HEalth in Christ When we heard at the fyrst reuerend father in Christ that a controuersie of the apparel of Ministers was risen among you that matter did greatly astonish vs because we feared leaste that thing continuing and increasing longer shoulde bring some greater mischiefe and therfore we laboured as muche as lay in vs to pacifye some certaine men least aboute a thing not of anye suche great waighte they shoulde trouble or disquiet them selues And surely this foretelling of oure minde no whitte at all deceyued vs if those things be true that we heare to wit that many other things besides these garments are thrust vpon the Churches and those Ministers cast out from the Churches which will not subscribe vnto the ordinances of certaine men whiche either abuse the name of the Queene or else by theyr yeelding make hir more bolde in suche lyke matters so that according to her pleasure shee may ordaine what shee will. It increaseth also our greefe for that we see our letter to be imprinted wherin we indeuorred to mitigate some one or other man and that the Godly brethren are pressed with the aucthoritie of our name so we to come into suspition with many as thoughe we allowed popishe fylthinesses or corruptions In deede we counselled certain Ministers that they should not forsake theyr Churches for a cappe or a surplesse but that so farre forthe as they might Keping godlinesse sound and vntouched they shoulde feede the Lords flocke In meane tyme we neuer haue allowed eyther theyr superstition or foolishe toyes whiche thruste vppon godly Ministers suche things and out of the Popes schoole or rather kitchen scrape suche fylthinesses together throughe whiche they make much trouble and busynesse to good pastoures and gyue offence to the weake But especially it seemeth harde vnto vs that the Bishops shoulde shewe them selues to be the officers of this execution that by them they whiche will not yeelde should be cast out I woulde to God they would way what the Lorde woulde when he speaketh of that same vntrusty steward of the house who whilest he ought to haue fed his housholde banquetteth and playeth with drunckardes and beateth hys fellowe seruauntes For I see not howe farre they differ from hys manners who doe so easily allowe the phantasies of superstitious courtiers and handle godly Ministers so vncurteously Neither woulde I euer haue thonghte that any could be found among the Byshoppes which would haue shewed him selfe an officer of this rashnesse or at the least haue confyrmed the same throughe cowardly dissymulation For me thoughte that all this matter had sprong from certaine men that abused the aucthoritie of the Queenes moste excellent Maiestie but we hoped that the Bishoppes woulde haue defended the cause of the Ministers and haue soughte meanes whereby this mischeefe mighte haue bene redressed There are I graunt among the brethren certaine men a litle waywarde But notwithstanding theyr cause is not euill muche lesse wicked or vngodly yea rather it were to be wished tbat theyr iudgemente mighte preuaile the whiche thing bicause then it seemed impossyble vnto vs we admonished them to bēd them selues to things present and that they shoulde truste