Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	lord_n	see_v	3,997	5	3.2299	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13320	A myrror for Martinists, and all other schismatiques, which in these dangerous daies doe breake the godlie vnitie, and disturbe the Christian peace of the Church. Published by T.T.	Nash, Thomas, 1567-1601, attributed name.; T. T., fl. 1590.	1590 (1590)	STC 23628; ESTC S118084	30,611	40

schismes wherby he might ouerthrow faith corrupt the truth diuide the vnitie of Christs Church This title and name of Christianitie whereof Cyprian speaketh is that cloke of schismatiques by which they would séeme holy and good to the detriment of the godlie Schisme according to Saint Augustines opinion springeth from a certaine hatred amongst brethren Many causes hereof are rehearsed by the fathers of the Primitiue Church but they all agrée that there be foure especiall meanes to hatch them all which foure haue a soueraigne supremacie and a supreame soueraigntie in this latter age of the worlde The first they set down is the contempt of Bishops to whom as Ierome saith euer since Saint Markes time the gouernment of the Church belonged In hoc omnes sunt docti c. By so much bee they nowe accounted better learned by howe much they can whet their tongues sharper and shoote out more poisoned arrowes euen bitter wordes against them The second is ambition or as some thinke enuie at the preferment of others This caused of olde Arrius Donatus and Nouatius to straine theyr braines to finde out their monstrous assertions being found to teach and preach them openly neither shall the sectaries of our daies euer cléere themselues from this suspition The third cause is false loue All men desire to bee commended for theyr skill They thinke nothing to be truly sayd or well done but that which they themselues doe The fourth is couetonsnesse this caused Balaam to curse Gods people and Simon Magus to desire the giftes of the holy Ghost and hope of gaine is said to be it that caused Paulus Samosatenus to fall into his damnable opinions This contagion hath so spread it selfe like a canker through the veines and hearts of the world at this daie that there is almost no hope of anie recouerie In respect whereof it cannot be sayd as it was of Iay rouse daughter that it is euen nowe dead but as they sayd of Lazarus that it alreadie stinketh These causes considered it may easily be séene what schisme is namely a separation of a congregation either through hatred and contempt of Bishoppes ambition selfe-loue or couetousnes by which there ariseth a diuersitie either of minde or opinion or spéeches or election of gouernours whether ecclesiasticall or ciuill which things doe both bréede and increase that hatred contempt c. Howbeit all Schisme is not to be condemned For there is a separation which we may iustly allow commend as when certaine partes separate themselues from the whole because they will not be corrupted and infected with vngodlynes In this respect Abraham is commended because he forsooke Caldea his natiue Countrie Lot Sodome and Iohn Baptist was no Schismatique though he departed from the Leuitical Priesthood himselfe being of the same Tribe Paul departing from the Scribes and Pharesies the Gentiles conuerted from the Iewes and we from the Church of Rome For Christ came not to send peace but a sworde and to seuere men from their owne household But if the body it selfe being good and some members being putrified and defiled are departed awaie such a schisme is most detestable both because the Church séeing it is a bodie of diuerse partes when it is diuided is after a sort ruined and also because the parts thereof being distracted and torne a sunder doe perish forsomuch as they do fall from eternall life They that separate themselues in this kinde of Schisme what other thing do they but rip vp y e seamlesse coat of Christ and breake the limites he hath set by disquieting the peace of his Church casting innummerable bones of debate to set men together by the eares so destroying their owne soules and so much as in them lyeth the whole Church vnles Christ vouchsafe his mercie to restore and preserue the same Here a question may be asked why God doth suffer his Church to be troubled and turmoiled by Schismes innouations and fantasticall deuices of the which greate learned men are many times the authors in such wise that not onely affinities kindreds friendships and whole families are subuerted as if Bellona or the furies were among them but also Cities Prouinces and kingdomes brought thereby to vtter desolation Moses the man of God answereth this question thus If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dremes and giue thee a signe or a wonder and the signe or the wōder which he hath told thee come to passe saying Let vs goe after other Gods which thou hast not knowen let vs serue them Thou shalt not hearken to the wordes of that Prophet or dreamer of dreames for the Lorde your God proueth you to knowe whether yee loue the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soule The cause then we sée is as cléere as the light why the diuine prouidence sometime suffereth certain teachers in the Church-learned men to preach and maintain new opinions sayth Moses That the Lord your God might trie or proue you And in verie déede this is a sore temptation that hee whome thou iudgest to be a Prophet a disciple of the Prophets whom thou reputest to be a Doctor and teacher of the truth whome thou doest reuerence and greatly loue that he I saie should sodainly and couertly sowe hurtfull errours which thou canst not quickly find out nor easily condemne To make this place of Moses more manifest I will set before thée some Ecclesiasticall examples When that vnhappie Nestorius was turned from a shéepe to a woulfe how grieuously did he then teare spoile the flock of Christ when as they themselues were bitten of him which for the most part as yet tooke him for a shéepe and therfore laie more open to be deuoured of him For who wold haue thought y t he could easily haue erred which was elected to be Bishop of Constantinople by a generall consent of learned men who was beloued of the best and reuerenced of all men who dailie handled Gods word and confuted the pernitious errours both of the Iewes and also of the Gentiles Who would not haue beléeued that this man did teach and preache nothing but the truth that he had bin of a sound iudgement But he to make a waie for his owne heresie denying the diuinitie of Christ inueighed against the blasphemies of all heresies And this is that which Moses sayd The Lorde your God doth proue you whether ye loue him or not Many things are reported by Zozomenus in his Ecclesiasticall storie of the wickednesse of this Nestorius where amongst other things he setteth foorth the wonderfull and terrible iudgement of God vpon this heretique whose tongue with the which he had blasphemed Christ was immediatly after his death found eaten consumed from within his mouth with wormes But to leaue Nestorius in whom there was more cause of wonder then matter of profite more fame then desert who was for a time more

contrarie parte Papists Atheists and other wicked and godlesse men are delighted in them for that the idolatrous superstition and abhomination of the one is not as it ought to be reproued and condemned because you haue now wholy turned the spyrituall swoorde from them against your brethren hauing giuen occasion to the Papistes to saie vnto vs Vos Christiani dissidetis inter vos c. Ye Protestants doe disagrée among your selues and haue so many sectes among you that all which notwithstanding beare the title of Christianisme yet doo ye curse and condemne one another wherefore your religion is no true religion neither hath it procéeded from God and because the hypocrisie and counterfait holynes of the other is not discouered who onely hope that will come to passe through your discention at the last that they shal possesse the whole patrimonie of the church Which if it shoulde so fall out as God forbidde it shoulde learning thereby will decaie barbarisme will take place and so in time this most flourishing Church in Christendome shall be ouerthrowen Moreouer they which are come to a little tast of the Gospell are now readie to forsake their errors and superstitions purposing to cleaue vnto the Gospell are set backe and hindered by these contentions and saie they know ther are many ercors abuses great faults in the Popish Church but yet they cannot ioyne themselues vnto vs who so sharply contend accuse and braule one with another Of these weaklings Chrisostome speaketh thus Venit gentilis et dicit velim fieri Christianus sed nescie cui adherem c. The Gentile commeth and sayth I woulde faine bee a Christian but I know not with whom to ioyne there are many dissentions and tumults among you I knowe not what opinion to choose and holde for euery one sayth I speake the truth Also of this stumbling blocke Melancton in his time complained Quos fugiamus habemus sed quos sequamur non intelligimus We know saith he whom we should auoide meaning the Papists but whome to follow we cannot determine Such is the state of the church of England at this day through the diuersitie of opinions that weaklings are greatly dismaied Yet this excuse in the day of iudgement will not make weaklings whome Paul secludeth out of Gods kingdome faultlesse at the end of theyr life except they conuert themselues vnto Christ and yéeld themselues wholy vnto him they can neuer haue a quiet conscience Other some also saie and most truely that God is the God of peace and concord and not of strife but these Preachers say they are at dissention among themselues and therfore God is not with them But this might haue bene obiected against the Churches in all ages For among the Iewes were sects as the Saduces the Pharesies the Essers and the Stoikes Among the Schoole men were Scotists Tomists and Occamists Among the seuen Deacons of the Primitiue Church was Nicholas of whom came the Nicholaitans mencioned in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn Yea this might haue bene obiected against the Primitiue and most perfect and holy Church of Christ militant wherin have bin so many heresies schismes and sects as Irenaeus Tertullian Epiphanius and Augustine do testifie that in regard of them the verie name of Christ began to be odious among the people and as Socrates reporteth the christians were mocked and iested at on publike stages and in theyr common plaies and enterludes Neuerthelesse by these obiections it may appeare howe greate heapes of euill suspitions these discords and contentions doe bring whereby we are put in minde the more earnestly and diligently to studie for peace and concord so shall we shew our selues to bee of that blessed number of whom Christ pronounceth this benediction Blessed are the peace makers for they shall bee called the children of God ANd as concerning you men and brethren beloued in Christ which are to heare and learne of vs the pure and whoelsome doctrine of the Gospell of Iesus Christ take héede how and what ye heare Proue the spirites whether they be of God or no because there be many seducers in the world and hold these for vndoubted approued rules first that none can laie anie other foundation beside that which is alreadie laide that is Christ Iesus secondlie that the true Church is alwaies knowen by these thrée things by the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and the exercises of holie life as appeareth by the words of the Apostle Christ loued the Church gaue himselfe for it that he might sanctifie it being cleansed by the washing of water through the word that he might make vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle c. The first two markes are expressed in these wordes By the washing of water through the word and the last marke is this That hee might make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church without spot c. Thirdlie that the same Church is from time to time troubled with false Apostles whom Paul thus painteth out in their coulors to the end ye may know them Haue saith he a diligent eie vnto such as cause diuisions and offences contrarie to the doctrine which ye haue learned and auoid ye them For they that are such serue not the Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies and with faire speach and flattering deceiue the hearts of the simple they créepe into houses and leade captiue simple women which women are euer learning and are neuer able to come to the knowledge of the truth they are vaine talkers and disobedient subuerting whole houses teaching thinges which they ought not for filthie lucers sake they are men of a corrupt minde and reprobate concerning the faith puft vp knowing nothing but wering themselues about questions and strife of wordes whereof commeth enuie strife railings and euill surmisings and vaine disputations men destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is godlines they are also idle go from house to house yea they are not onely idle but also partakers and busie bodies speaking thinges which are not comely they would be Doctors of the lawe and yet vnderstande not what they speake neither whereof they affirme but hauing put awaie a good conscience from them haue made shipwrack of faith whose prophane and vaine bablings shall increase vnto more vngodlines and their word shall fret as a canker they haue onely a shewe of godlines but haue denied the power thereof but they shal preuaile no longer for their madnesse shall be euident vnto all men These markes being so euident you cannot be seuered from the true Church except ye wil most wilfully run to schisme a monster most perillous The famous Bishoppe Dionysius as witnesseth Eusebius saith y ● to suffer martyrdome for the auoiding of schisme is more commendable then for the auoiding of idolatrie because in the one is the safetie of our