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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	time_n	5,928	5	3.4202	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11169	Sir Beniamin Rudierd his speech in behalfe of the clergie and of parishes miserably destitute of instruction, through want of maintenance. Confirmed by the testimonies of Bishop Iewel, Master Perkins, and Sir Henry Spelman.	Rudyerd, Benjamin, Sir, 1572-1658.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons. Proceedings. 1628.	1628 (1628)	STC 21436; ESTC S116129	8,912	17

especially if they will please to reade vvhat is vvritten more at large in their sermons of this argument The Reverend and learned Bishop Iewell in his sermon before Queene Elizabeth on Psal 69.9 The zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp saith thus In England since the Gospell hath beene receiued the maintenance of learning hath beene decayed and the lacke of learning vvill be the decay of the Gospell Loth I am to speake yet the case so requireth that it is needfull to be spoken I trust I shall speake in the hearing of them that vvill consider it Maintenance of learning vvhereby an able and sufficient Ministry may growe and be established in all the Churches of this Realme is to bee vvished for The good estate of this noble Kingdome the comfort of posterity the stay of religion the continuing of the Gospell the removing of darkenesse hangeth vpon it One asked sometimes how it vvas that in Athens so good and great a Citty there vvere no Physitians to vvhom this answere vvas made because there are no revvards appointed for them that practise physicke The same answere may bee made for our times the cause vvhy the Church of God is so forsaken is the vvant of zeale in them that should either for their courtesie or for their ability be fosterers of learning and encrease the Livings vvhere occasion is and giue hope and comfort to learned men What said I encrease nay the Livings and provisions which heretofore vvere given are taken avvay Haue patience if any such bee here as I vvell know there are vvhom these things touch Suffer mee to speake the trueth it is Gods cause the Livings of such as are in the Ministery are not in their hands to vvhom they are due All other labourers and artificers haue their hire encreased double as much as it was wont to be onely the poore man that laboureth and sweateth in the vineyard of the Lord of hostes hath his hire abridged and abated I speake not of the Curates but of the Parsonages Vicarages that is of the places vvhich are the castles and towers of fence for the Lords temple They seldome passe now adayes from the patron if he bee no better than a gentleman but either for the lease or for present money Such merchants are broken into the Church of God a great deale more intollerable then vvere they vvhom Christ vvhipped and chased out of the Temple Thus they that should bee carefull for Gods Church that should be patrons to provide for the consciences of the people and to place among them a learned minister vvho might be able to preach the Word vnto them out of season and in season and to fulfill his ministery seeke their owne and not which is Iesus Christs They serue not Iesus Christ but their belly And this is done not in one place or in one countrey but throughout England A gentleman cannot keepe his house vnlesse he haue a Parsonage or two in farme for his provision O mercifull God! vvhereto vvill this grow at last if the misery which this plague vvorketh vvould reach but to one age it vvere the more tolerable but it vvill bee a plague to the posterity it vvill bee the decay and desolation of Gods Church young men vvhich are toward and learned see this they see that hee vvhich feedeth the flock hath least part of the milke he which goeth a warfare hath not halfe his vvages therefore they are vveary and discouraged they change their studies some become prentises some turne to physicke some to law all shunne and flie the ministery And besides the hinderance that thus groweth by the vvicked dealing of patrons by reason of the Impropriations the vicarages in many places and in the properest market townes are so simple that no man can liue vpon them and therefore no man vvill take them They vvere vvont to say Beneficia sine cura benefices without charge but now may be said Cura sine beneficio charge or care without benefit But there be many which can say such as bee ministers in the Church should teach freely vvithout hope of recommence or hire for their labour our preachers are no bettet than Peter and Paul and the other Apostles They are no better than the holy Prophets vvho liued poorely poverty is a commendable state So say some in like devotion as did Iudas What needeth this waste this might haue beene sold for much and given to the poore not that hee cared for the poore but because he was a theefe and had the bagge and bare that which was given I doubt not there are many vvhich teach Christ for Christs sake vvhich say in their soule the Lord is my portion vvho seeke you and not yours I doubt not there are such But for the hope of posterity I report mee to all you vvhich are Fathers and haue children for vvhom you are carefull although your selues haue a zeale and care for the house of God yet vvill you breed them vp keepe them at schoole and at the Vniversity vntill 30. or 40. yeares old to your great charges to the end they may liue in glorious poverty that they may liue poorely and naked like the Prophets and Apostles Our posterities shall rue that ever such Fathers went before them and chronicles shall report this contempt of learning among the punishments and murraines and and other plagues of God they shall leaue it vvritten in vvhat time and vnder vvhose raigne this vvas done In the meane time what may be guessed of their meaning who thus ruine and spoile the house of God vvhich decay the provision thereof so basely esteeme the Ministers of his Gospell they cannot say to God the zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp howsoever in other things they doe vvell howsoever they seeme to rejoyce at the prosperity of Sion and to seeke the safety and preservation of the Lords anointed yet needs must it bee that by these meanes forraine power of which this Realme by the mercy of God is happily deliuered shall againe be brought in vpon vs. Such things shal be done vnto vs as we before suffered in the times of popery the truth of God shall bee taken away the holy Scriptures burnt and consumed in fire a marveilous darkenes and calamity must needs ensue c. The oxe that treadeth out the corne is musled hee that goeth to warfare receiueth not his vvages the cry hereof goeth vp into the eares of the Lord of hostes he vvill not abide so great contempt of his word and preachers his owne name is thereby dishonoured our Saviour saith Luc. 10. hee that despiseth you despiseth me and Saint Paul 1. Thess 4. hee that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God and thinke vvee that hee will suffer his holy name to bee despised nay his wrath is already kindled he hath already begunne his judgements and therefore many places are left desolate there is none that can warne them of their sinne none that can moue

them to repentance none that can preach vnto them forgiuenes through Christ none that can instruct them in the comfort of everlasting life For this cause you liue still in your sinnes in adultery in covetoussnes and in pride without any feeling of conscience without any feare of God thus we provoke God to anger many walke of whom we cannot thinke but with vveeping they are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ the name of God is blasphemed among them c. These words happily seeme sharpe and over vehement but the darkenesse of our hearts against God and the lacke of zeale for his house inforce me to them wee are almost fallen into the lowest pit wee are left without zeale as sencelesse men as if vve had cleane forgotten our selues as the Heathens which know not God therefore vnlesse we repent the kingdome of God shall bee taken away from vs hee will send vpon this land a famine of the word Ierusalem shall bee overthrown and made an heape of stones the man of Sinne and they which haue not the loue of the trueth shall prevaile with many and withdraw them from obedience to the Prince this noble Realme shall be subject to forraine nations all this will the zeale of the Lord of hostes bring to passe I could haue spent thi time in opening of some other matter but nothing in my judgement is more worthy your good consideration and speedy redresse c. Wherefore he concludes with a graue exhortation to her Majestie as followeth O that Your Grace did behold the miserable disorder of Gods Church or that you might forsee the calamities that vvill follow It is a part of your kingdome and such a part as is the principall prop stay of the rest I will say to your Majesty as Cyrillus sometimes said to the godly Emperours Theodosius and Valentinian Ab ea quae erga Deum est pietate Reipub. vestrae status pendet The good state and vvelfare of your common-weale hangeth vpon true godlines you are our governour your are the nurse of Gods Church Wee may open this griefe before you God knoweth if it may bee redressed it is runne so farre But if it may bee redressed there is no other besides your highnes that can redresse it I hope I speake truely that which I speake without flattery that God hath indued your Grace with such measure of learning and knowledge as no other Christian Prince He hath given you peace happines the loue and the hearts of your Subiects Oh turne and employ these to the glory of God that God may confirme in your Grace the thing which he hath begunne To this end hath God placed Kings Princes in their State as David saith that they serue the Lord that they may see and cause others to see to the furniture of the Church The good Emperour Iustinian cared for this as much as for his life Constantine Theodosius and Valentinian and other godly Princes called themselues vassales the subjects and bond-servants of God They remembred that God furnished them in their houses and were not vnmindfull to furnish his house When Augustus had beautified Rome with setting vp many faire buildings hee said inveni lateritiam marmoream reliqui I found it made of bricke but I leaue it made of marble Your Grace when God sent you to your inheritance and the right of this Realme found the Church in horrible confusion and in respect of the true worship of God a Church of bricke or rather as Ezekiel saith dawbed vp with vntempered morter Your Grace hath already redressed the doctrine now cast your eyes towards the Ministery giue courage and countenance vnto learning that Gods house may bee serued So shall you leaue a Church of God and a testimony that the zeale of the Lords house hath eaten you vp Let vs haue care for the house of God whosoever is not after this sort zealous is a man of a double heart wee may not halt betweene two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be hee then goe after him Hee that is not with Christ is against him Many talke of the Gospell and glory in their knowledge but it is neither talke nor knowledge which shall saue them in that day he that feareth the Lord and serveth him with a pure heart and may truely say the zeale of thine house hath consumed me hee shall be saued if they shall not escape which haue zeale without knowledge what shall become of vs which haue knowledge without zeale And you whosoeuer you are that haue decayed the Lords house and abridged the provision and maintenance thereof and see the miserable wracke of Gods Church if there be any zeale of God in you if you haue any fellowship of the spirit if any compassion and mercy if you loue God if you desire the continuance of the Gospell Oh remember you haue the patrimony due to them that should attend in the Lords house you take vnto your selues wrongfully that which was not lotted for you Giue vnto Caesar those things that belong vnto Caesar and vnto God the things which appertaine vnto him and make for the beauty and furniture of his house Enrich your selues by lawfull meanes and without the spoile and waste of Gods Church Let not the Ministerie by your meanes bee despised You enriched them heretofore in the dayes of Popery which mocked and blinded and deuoured you spoyle not them now that feed and instruct and comfort you That reverend man of God Mr Perkins in his sermon of the duties and dignities of the Ministery giueth 3. reasons of the rarenesse and scarcenesse of good Ministers The first is the contempt and disgrace of their calling by wicked and worldly men 2. The difficulty of discharging the duties of their calling The 3. reason is more peculiar to this age of the new Testament namely Want of maintenance and preferment for men that labour in this calling Men are flesh and blood and in that respect must be allured and wonne to embrace this vocation by some arguments which may perswade flesh blood the world hath in all ages bin negligēt herein therefore God in his law tooke such strict order for the maintenance of the Levites but especially now vnder the Gospell this calling is vnprovided for when it deserues best of all to be rewarded certainly it were a worthy Christian policy to propound good preferments to this calling that thereby men of the worthyest gifts might bee wonne with it and the want thereof is the cause why so many young men of speciall parts and greatest hope turne to other vocations and especially to to the Law wherein at this day the greatest part of the finest wits of our Kingdome are imployed and why but Because they haue all the meanes to rise whereas the Ministery for the most part yeldeth nothing but a plaine way to beggerie this is a great blemish in our Church and surely I wish the Papists those children