Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	lord_n	people_n	word_n	2,775	5	4.0281	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30235	The difficulty of and the encouragements to a reformation a sermon preached before the honourable House of Commons at the publick fast, Septem. 27, 1643 / by Mr. Anthony Burges ...	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1643 (1643)	Wing B5643; ESTC R7338	25,238	35

Bishops must look to it when we go to the Bishops they answer they cannot do any thing unlesse there were a publike Constitution of the Realme for it But when that publike Senate is called there are so many civill businesses to bee handled that the cause of Christ is alwayes neglected Therefore we the Ministers of Gods Word are like John Baptist a voice crying out to you Prepare ye the way for the Lord and that by his Word It was said of the people of Israel That there was an ounce of that calfe they made in every punishment that fell upon them And may not we say that the generall neglect of Discipline hath had a great share in all our sinnes and punishments O yee blessed Fathers who were afraid to use the word Trinity and the like because it was not in Scripture how could you lie still in your graves for these yeares past and not rather haunt us as ghosts who had so much of doctrine and of worship that had no Scripture for them Now there are other rules set up by men 1. Antiquity This is the Gorgons head that all superstitious men hold up thinking to silence all men immediately whereas indeed they deale as the Gibeonites did who came with their mouldy bread and old shooes which they had newly got as if they had enjoyed them a long while so it is with most of their old traditions and their mouldy inventions which they obtrude upon us But how many things are improved are not your states your revenues improved and shall not the light and gifts that God hath given be improved Is it not Austins observation that the Epistles of the Fathers were mended by Provinciall Councels and Provinciall by Vniversall and the first Vniversall by the latter mark that the first by the latter so that what is said of old age naturall may sometimes be true of ecclesiastique ipsa senectus morbus It was the observation of an acute wit That time was like the River of waters that bore up all the frothy and empty things but all the ponderous things sunk and were seene no more 2. Custome This a rule more then all Scriptures to many This we and our fathers have been used to doe Now how vaine is this for by the same reason Heathens and Pagans might plead for their Idolatry Yea Symmachus did when he intreated the Emperour not to bring in Christian Religion Oh saith he sequendi sunt parentes qui sequuti sunt feliciter suos contumeliosa est emendatio senectutis our fathers lived quietly doing thus and thus it is a reproachfull thing to be wiser then our fathers And this is the great mountaine in the way of Reformation Customes though never so ridiculous though never so dangerous yet they will stand for Austin tels us that he came into a City where the people had a custome upon one day in a yeare to meet together and to throw stones at one another whereby many were killed yet because it was a custome he could not make them leave it 3. Fathers Thus the Papists were the fathers of this new Religion now although it be true that our learned Divines do prove all our orthodox positions out of them yet withall we say they are no rules of faith Call no man Father saith our Saviour that is so as to rely and rest upon his authority And indeed there are none set forth the fulnesse of the Scripture more then they It was the insolent speech of that proud Heretique Dioscorus {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I am cast out with the fathers so let any error any will-worship be cast out of the Church then the cry is this is cast out with the fathers The Fathers works are uncertain they contradict one another yea themselves sometimes and how then can they be rules 4. The name of a Church This is another rule to many they will be of that faith which the Church they live in doth professe and this hath been the Goliahs sword none like that It was Erasmus his speech as Gerhard cites him That the Church had so much authority over him and he gave so much to it that if she should conclude the Arian and Pelagian opinions to be the true faith hee would beleeve it What do you goe against the Church where if you askt what is the Church it would have been found to have been nothing but the will and resolution of a proud Pope for he is the Papists virtuall Church It is true the authority of a Church that is holy and true ought to work much upon men We saith the Apostle nor the Church of God have no such custome and therefore that is commendable Contra rationem nemo sobrius contra Scripturam nemo Christianus contra ecclesiam nemo pacisicus but then still provided that the Church shines with the Scripture light The authority of the right Church must not be a cypher and yet must not be all things To keep Church-government from tyranny and Christian liberty from a Socinian {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or doubting is very hard 5. Reason And this hath been much extolled by a Socinian party a ate but they confound the instrument and the rule together reason is the instrument applying not the rule it selfe and they are not reasons truths but Scripture truths As the Artificer that beats out his golden metall into such and such forms it is not the hammers Gold but only it is formed by it And as they argue against Scripture that one interprets it thus and another thus so we may say of Reason this is right reason to one that is not to another Tu haereticus mihi ego tibi Especially all reason severed from Gods Word is corrupt and carnall a very ill Iudge in the worship of God and our conversation 6. Universality To doe as the most doe this is a great rule they never consider what the Scriptures direct to but they will beleeve and worship and live as the most doe now God hath expresly forbidden this Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evill They are but few to whom Christ revealeth himselfe The whole world lyeth in darknesse And as that mould of the earth which turneth into stones is farre greater then that which becomes metall and as the weeds are farre more then the flowers so are sinners far more then those that doe truly worship God This sect is every where spoken against say they of Christs way And you shall be hated of all men for my names sake But as hell is not the more comfortable because so many are there so neither ought the paths thither to be the more pleasant because there are so many companions which lead to destruction 7. Enthusiasme That is when men set up their private fancies and spirits against the meaning of God in his Word But because all the godly are traduced by following a private spirit and because that place of Scripture is