Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	holy_a	scripture_n	word_n	2,805	5	4.1192	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51142	The trve Protestant sovldier fighting valiantly under truths banner, and by the glorious light of Gods word overthrowing the strongest bulwarkes, and subtle stratagems of the Church of Rome. By Hamnet Warde.	Monginot, François, 1569-1637.; Ward, Hamnet.	1642 (1642)	Wing M2418; ESTC R27120	26,961	42

not betake themselves to the universall Church In this then there appeares a very great abuse that the Church of Rome being indeed but a particular Church stiles her selfe the universall Church and in that she being full of errours vaunts her selfe neverthelesse to be without any errour nay more that it is impossible for her to erre and least her errours should be discovered by the glorious light of Gods holy Word the writings of the Prophets and Apostles she doth not only hinder the people from reading the word and reade it in the Church in a language which the people understandeth not but endeavours also to take away all its force and authority for they make the people beleeve that the Church of Rome is soveraigne Judge in all matters of difference in Religion by this meanes he that will accuse the Church of Rome of any errour may be sure to loose his processe seeing she alone is soveraigne Judge in her owne cause The Church of Rome doth likewise affirme that it is impossible for her to erre in the interpretations of the holy Scripture and that it is in her power to make constructions of the like authority with the word of God which is indeed no lesse then to place her selfe in Gods seat For as there is none but the King that can give an interpretation to his edict that may be of equall force with the edict it selfe So there is none but God alone that may give such a construction unto the Word of God as may be of the like power and authority with the Word of God And there is nothing more certaine then that such an interpreter is greater then the Law-giver sithence he giveth unto the Law such a sense as he pleaseth and the people taught to rely more on that then on the Law it self And to be sure that the Church of Rome be not any way subject unto the holy Scripture they maintaine that it is the Church that doth authorize the Scripture and which gives it all its power and authority as if the Subject could give authority unto Lawes or as if the Word of God did receive its authority from men To this end the Doctours of the Church of Rome say that the Church is more ancient then the holy Scripture but doth it therefore follow that the Church must be above the Scripture the people are they not many of them older then the King yet are they neverthelesse subject both to the King and to his Lawes however there be many Doctrines in the holy Scripture more ancient then the Church But say they we should not know that it were the Scripture if the Church did not tell us so but doth it follow thence I pray you that the Church must be above the Scripture If I should say I doe not know which is the King and if my friend should shew me doth it therefore follow that my friend must be above the King Many serve for witnesses unto persons unto whom they are farre inferiour Likewise to undervalue the authority of the Scripture and to strengthen that of the Church they say that the holy Scripture is a dead thing and cannot speake and consequently may not be Judge for say they a Judge must be able to speake as the Church is This is most false and deceitfull for the holy Scripture speaketh enough and if it speaks not enough it is that it guides us But the Church of Rome forsooth will be the rule it selfe and not subject to any Law but will be Judge both of the Law and of the Word of God Thus are men become Gods Judges and guilty persons shall be infallible and soveraigne Judges of the sence and authority of the Law which concernes their owne crime by this meanes they need not feare to be condemned but will they nill they at the day of Judgement they shall be judged by this very word over which they now thus usurpe authority then shall that pratling Judge be constrained to keep silence So then these Gentlemen in sending the people to the Church for the deciding of doubts in faith distract their minds with an innumerable company of doubts and difficulties for how shall an ignorant man know that there must be a Church in the world If they say he may know it by the Scripture it is then necessary that he be acquainted with the Scripture and thus the authority of the Church should be founded on the Scripture and when the Church teacheth this or that how shall the people know whether it be conformable to the Word of God sithence the reading of Gods Word is absolutely forbidden them and there being many Churches disagreeing one with the other how can the poore people discerne that which teacheth lyes from that which teacheth the truth seeing the very rule of truth which is the holy Scripture is a book utterly forbidden them Shall they follow the multitude Jesus Christ saith Mat. 7. That the gate is wide which leadeth to perdition and there are ten times as many Turks and Pagans as there are Christians shall they believe miracles our Saviour faith Marke 13. There shall come false teachers working miracles whereby to seduce if it were possible the very elect shall they have regard to seats and successions The Churches of Greece have also had their seats since the Apostles and the Churches of Syria theirs and brag of S. Peters chair and yet all these are quite contrary to the Church of Rome and indeed more ancient Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles having preached there and beeing the first Institutours of them We doe not here dispute of S. Peters superiority over the rest of the Apostles he might be the first in order authority or virtue and yet not have any superiority of jurisdiction But that matters not the question is whether the Pope of Rome be S. Peters successour as the head of the universall Church which is the principall point of the Papists Religion wherof neverthelesse there is not one word spoken in all the Scripture The Bishops of Corinth and Thessalonica were Saint Pauls Successours not as Apostles but as particular Bishops of those cities So the question is not whither the afore-said Bishop of Rome be Saint Peters Successour in the Bishoprick of Rome but whether he succeeds him in the Apostleship as the head of the whole Church This is that which we slatly deny and which they can never proove or if they could so prove it yet the Pope having corrupted Saint Peters Doctrine and changed his Bishoprick into an abs●lute temporall Monarchy had long since that lost his succession To conclude there being but one holy Scripture and there being many contrary Churches and the Doctors of these Churches being apt to seeke their owne profit and subject to be carried away with diverse evill affections but the holy Scripture being an incorruptible Judge let us have recourse to this holy Word of God in the which if there be any obscurity there is

God for the truth thereof And were it so that the Saints knew all things then were they equall with God Almighty in wisedome and knowledge But the Scripture saith that the Saints know not the day of judgement Mat. 24. and Mar. 13. And the wise man in the ninth Ecclesiastes excludeth the dead from any knowledge of earthly things The dead saith he know not any thing neither have they any more a portion in any thing that is done under the Sunne And Job Chapter 14. speaking of a diseased father his children saith he come to honour and he knoweth it not and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them Their ordinary excuse is that they goe to God by Saints as men goe to the King by his officers But the case is not alike For a King cannot be every where neither doth he know all things and it is not possible that every one should have accesse to him Likewise be hath need to be informed of the truth of things by persons put in trust therefore It is not thus with God for he knoweth all things and doth see and behold all the creatures in the world at once and knoweth and understandeth all mens prayers not needing either Saints or Angels to informe him thereof And although this comparison were allowable yet if a King cals any one unto him certainly he will not be well pleased if that person should goe to any of his officers before he come to him Thus God invites us saying Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you Mat. 11. He doth not bid us goe to Saint Vrselin Saint Margarite or any other such like solicitors Nay more God cals us his children and therefore if we should not goe unto him in all our necessities when he cals us we should shew our selves very undutifull and unworthy of so high a calling Moreover we have one only Advocate with the Father namely the Sonne of God our Lord Jesus and there is none other The Apostle Saint Paul in the 1 Tim. chap. 2. saith thus There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus As therefore there is but one God so there is but one Mediator And Saint John in his 1. Epistle chap. 2. We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins And in the 14. Chapter of Saint Johns Gospell I saith our Saviour am the way the truth and the life no man commeth unto the Father but by me Their greatest abuse is yet behind which is that they doe not onely make the Saints our Mediators but also our Redeemers For in the Masse the Priests pray for salvation through their merits For they say that the Saints undergoe more punishment and paines then their siunes deserve Hence they gather their superabundant satisfactions which the Pope hoordeth up in the treasury of the Church and distributes them by Indulgences so that any one that hath money may goe to the Pope and purchase as many merits as will satisfie Gods justice for all the sins that he commits all his life long let him sinne as much as he can This also is a tricke which serves very well for the Popes profit and to exalt his dignity and is founded on the unwritten word that is to say on their owne hellish Inventions CHAP. VI. Of fasting and abstinence from certainements THe grand enemy of our salvation hath laboured with might and maine for the accomplishment of the prophecye of the Apostle S. Paul in the 1 Tim. 4. chap. where he speaketh thus Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanks giving This prophecye of the Apostle is long agoe accomplished in the Doctors of the Church of Rome For doe not they both forbid marriage and command to abstaine from meats which abstinence is also flatly condemned by the same Apostle in the tenth Chapter of the 1. to the Corinthians Whatsoever saith he is sold in the shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake for the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If any of them that beleeve not bid you to a feast and ye be disposed to goe whatsoever is set before you that eat asking no question for conscience sake And in the second Chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians he condemneth those who say touch not taste not handle not And to the end that we might not thinke that he speaks only of those who abstaine from meats which they conceive filthy in their owne nature he declareth plainly that he speaketh of such as abslaine themselves in humility and in voluntary devotion punishing their owne bodies not sparing their flesh which doctrines saith he have indeed a shew of wisedome in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh The Church of Rome is full of these observations there being above five moneths in the yeare wherein some abstaine from some kind of meat or other Observations which we cannot find that they were ever practised by our Saviour or his Apostles These abstinences they give unto God in part of payment and their fastings they account for satisfactions as if a man should thinke to pay his debts by fasting presuming that his Creditors will abate him somewhat because that such a day he did eat nothing but fish for his dinner Nay the abuse is now come so farre as that one man may fast for another and so satisfie for him and that a man to whom the Priest hath set certaine fasts for pennance may for a peece of money buy them out Sobriety and abstinence of themselves are indeed good and holy duties so as they be not abused by superstition and by thinking to merit any thing unto our selves thereby for so that which is in it selfe an exercise of humility is changed into an efficient cause of pride and that which should serve to lay open our sinnes before God is made a covert for our hypocrifie This is also another device whereby the Pope increaseth his dignity and gathers vast summes of money to his treasury CHAP. VII Of abstinence from Marriage AS for forbidding to marry Saint Paul telleth us that it is the doctrine of devils In the Apostles time marriage was permitted unto the Ministers of the Church witnesse the same Apostle 1 Tim. chap. 3. A Bishop saith he must be blamelesse the husband of one wife ruling well his owne house having his children in subiection with all gravity and a little after Let the Deacons be the husbands of one wife