Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	mind_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	21	3	8.8792	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00011	Englands complaint to Iesus Christ, against the bishops canons of the late sinfull synod, a seditious conuenticle, a packe of hypocrites, a sworne confederacy, a traiterous conspiracy ... In this complaint are specified those impieties and insolencies, which are most notorious, scattered through the canons and constitutions of the said sinfull synod. And confuted by arguments annexed hereunto.		1640 (1640)	STC 10008; ESTC S101178	37,368	54

's the Synod● vain hope or rather hypocriticall dissimulation For they know it to be most true and the Papists have reason so to hope as some of their own Authors in their late English pamphlets have jea●●ngly writ of Englands back●●tiding to Popery as of a thing whereof England is grown now adayes very ambitious And for the feare and jealousie which they say the weake have hereof have not the wisest men in the King●●●●e the like feare and jealousie and that upon just causes and grounds And suppose the weake onely were offended with such things why did not the wise and Sacred 〈◊〉 rather remove the Scandall then slappe them in the mouth with the Fox tayle of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Canon or smoke out their cryes with the charge 〈…〉 † The strong as saith the Apostle ought to beare with the 〈◊〉 of the weake and not to please themselves But the Synod tells us That the standing of the Communion-Table 〈◊〉 way under the East window of every Chancel or Chappell i● 〈◊〉 its 〈◊〉 nature indifferent neither commanded nor condemned by the word of God either expresly or by immediate deduction and therfore that no Religion is to be placed therein or s●ruple to be made thereon First if it be a thing indifferent why doe they trouble me Consciences of their weak● brethren with it who hold it to be a thing Scandalous This is against the Apostles Rule even the rule of Charity tending to the destruction of mens soules Secondly if a thing indifferent why are they so eagre for it when it may as well be forborne and especially at this time when both the Kingdomes and the wisest men therein are so troubled with it the ●eace disturbed the State distracted and the Kingdomes hazarded Thirdly if it be indifferent why doe they not so leave it Why doe they alter the nature of it turning the indifferencie into a necessity as they doe with all their other Ceremonies which they professe to be in their own nature indifferent yet turne them out of their nature and make them necessary and so intolerable burthens to mens Consciences Yea why doe they force all Ministers to take a Solemne Oath that they approve these things as necessary to be observed But neither is this they so urge a thing in its own nature indifferent namely whether the Communion-Table stand Sideway under the East window of every Chancel For first it is a Communion Table and therefore to stand in the midst where all may sit about it as about a Table and thus it is rightly and properly a Communion-Table it is not a Communion-Cubbord or a Communion dresser to stand Side-way to the wall That 's no Communion Table And consequently such a standing Sideway to the wall of every Chancel is by immediate deduction condemned in the word of God For the word of God calls and commends and commands this by the name of the Lords Table and so it commands withall the proper use of it as of the Table of the Lord but the standing of this Table Sideway to the wall takes away not onely the nature and indeed the name of a Table but also the proper use of the Lords Table where every one of his family is to sit about it As David saith † Thy Children like olive plants round about thy table● For such is the right and proper use of a Table And therefore as the Scripture commands and commends unto us the Lords Table with the right use thereof as is sutable to the nature of it So by necessary consequence and immediate deduction the Scripture condemnes any such posture or placing therof as altee● both the nature and use of the Lords Table So as it is not a thi●g indifferent whether the Table stand sideway to the wall for it ought not so to stand seeing it is a perverting of the nature and use of the Table of the Lord and so a perverting of the Lords Ordinance Againe not indifferent for all Chancels alike for in many vast Churches the People cannot heare when their Priest sayes or sings his Second Service at his new Altar as he is injoyned unlesse the Ordinary be more mercifull to the Congregation were it a mercy to communicate with Superstitious worship and Service Againe the word of God * expresly condemnes in his people the ●mitation of the heathen in their Idolatry or Superstition or to doe after their manner So as such guises are not things indifferent Now for the standing of the Communion Table sideway to the East wall is to place it like to Popish Altars which are Altars of Idolatry like to those of the heathen and so is a faire inducement by degrees of their Idolatrous Sacrifice too for all the faire pretences the Synod makes to the contrary And doth not the Synod confesse that at the time of Reformation of this Church from that grosse Superstition of Popery it was carefully provided that all meanes should be used to root out of the minds of the people both the inclination thereunto and memory thereof especially of the Idolatry committed in the Masse for which cause all Popish Altars were demolished Then we aske thy Synod why they are here so zealous in seting up the Communion Table sideway to the East wall after the manner of Popish Altars Seeing before they pretend such care and zeale for the suppressing of the growth of Popery and for the bringing of Papists to the English Church Where when they come and presently see a thing set up sideway at the East end of the Chancel just like their high-Altar and seeing withall the people or Priest lowly lowting unto it or devoutly bowing before it or toward it are they not hereby straight put in mind of their old Romish Idolatry enough to make them presently to turne Papists againe Where is then the carefull provision of this Synod that all meanes be used to root out of the minds of such both the inclination and memory of the Idolatry of the Masse for which cause our ancient Reformers caused all Romish Altars to be demolished times in the place where the Altars formerly stood but in time of of 〈◊〉 in the midst of the Church or Chancel And yet the ●●u●ction did not necessarily tye the Table to stand at all other times saving at the Communion at the end of the Chancel but for most conveniencie according to the discretion of the Minister and Gardians And certainly the good Queens intent never was are could be that that standing so at other times should be a precedent for aftertimes to introduce Altars againe there to have a fixed station and so to become a stumbling blocke to Protestants and a laughing stock to Papists causing the one to feare Innovations and the other to hope our backesliding into Popish Superstation And that the Table hath stood so ever since unremoved in the Royall Chappels there is not the same reason of a Chappel and of a Church a Chappel wanting conver●ent

in any of the things aforesaid restore them by repentance and establish them all by thy Grace that they may so stand for thy Truth and their Salvation here as they may one day stand undaunted before the Son of Man at his appearing And further we note out of the words of the Oath That they are to Sweare they doe approve the Doctrine and 〈◊〉 line established in the Church of England as containing all things necessary to Salvation Now will they say that the Discipline or Government of the Church of England containeth any thing necessary to Salvation seeing herein they joyne it with Doctrine as containing together all things necessary to Salvation Nay is not the Discipline and Government any enemy to Salvation seeing it is altogether Antichristian Tyrannicall and a meere usurpation and in the whole practise of it and in all the Rites and Ceremonies against the word of God and against the Doctrine and Practise of the Apostles and a most notorious and pestilent persecuter of the true Saints and Servants of God and a rooter out of all true Religion and godlinesse out of the Land Is it not Antichristian and usurping Christs Throne and Soveraignty over the Consciences of his People which is expresly and directly contrary to the Apostles Doctrine so as the subjection thereunto is clearely proved by the ‡ Apostle to be a denying of Christ and so a loosing of Salvation And for the Doctrine of the Church of England how can it be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation when the most principall Articles of Saving Grace are made of none effect and are forbidden to be preached to the people And suppose all the 39 Articles were intire and not corrupted but preserved in their true sense agreeing with Scripture as ‡ some of them are not yet they cannot be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation For onely the holy Scripture which is the onely ad quate Rule of Faith containeth all things necessary to Salvation it being a cleare Commentary and exposition of it selfe and a Rule whereby to try all humane writings of Divinity whatsoever Thus the matter of the Oath it selfe is most false and blasphemous which with all the rest we referre to thy judgement ô Lord Againe A man must sweare not to bring in any Popish Doctrine ●n●rary to that which is so established We conceive this to be no Church Secondly for Bishops we find the name indeed in 〈◊〉 ture but not a Diocesan Bishop but such a one as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a particular Congregation to feed the flocke of God as thy * 〈◊〉 teacheth And we find Deacons also but no Archdeacons And to set Archdeacons over Presbyters is not onely an incoug●●ity and disorder and so not right as it ought to be but also a 〈◊〉 Antichristian guise and usurpation As for Deanes they are of a later institution And as for Archbishops they confesse that the Apo●●es were all equall how come they then to be superiour to other Diocesan Bishops who claime to be the Apostles success ●● By this reckoning an Archbishop should have been superiour to the Apostl●s So as this Archiepiscopall Government stands not rightly established as being in a more Superlative degree Antichristian then ordinary Bishops nor can he with them shift or put off their Government to be Antichristian and Papall the Metropolitan of all England being that over England which the Pope challengeth to be over the Church Catholicke And that the present Arch-Prelate carries himselfe as the Pope of England whose Canon is a Law let but this wicked Synod witnesse whereof he is the Papall President and this Papall Oath withall which is drawn up and imposed on all Ministers after the manner of that Oath which Paul the fourth added to his Councel ●●●rent for all his Clergie to take and so to Sweare to all the Doctrines and Canons concluded in that Councel Thus ô Lord we could not but in this perplexed case open our minds and as the Prophet saith ‡ open our Cause before thee The Seaventh Canon A Declaration concerning some Rites and Ceremonies This Canon is generally for an uniformity in will-worship throughout all England and particularly in the introducing of Altars in every Church with the Service about it The Canon for this first pretends how it were to be wished that unity of Faith were accompanied with uniformity of practise in the outward worship and Service of God Now this outward worship is meerly of mans devising a will-worship and expresly forbidden and condemned by the ‡ Apostle and therefore no Service of God So as the uniformity herein overthroweth not onely the unity of Faith but the faith it selfe as Col. 2. And againe such will-worship of mans invention is a fruit of the pride and presumption of mans aine and gracelesse heart and so cannot be truely called the Service of God For our God hates all such service as himselfe hath not commanded and prescribed in his word according as thou 〈…〉 Againe this S●●d pretends for this their wished uniformity in 〈◊〉 worship two things 1. the avoyding of suspicious feares of Innovation by the weake 2. the hope of Papists of Englands backes●●ding into Popish Superstition and both by reason of the Situation of the Communion Table and the approaches thereunto And might not the Synod then with more ease have removed quite away both the feare of the one and the hope of the other in leting the Communion Tables stand where they were wont to do When a Stumbling blocke stands in a darke way whether is it not better for the preventing of stumbling to remove the blocke then to write upon it Beware of this Stumbling blocke Shall not every man that passeth that way sooner break his Shinnes or bones then ●ake notice of the writing for prevention And can every one take warning by the Canon to avoyd the offence so well as if the Scandall were quite taken away When in Ezek●● his time the people began to worship that monument of the brazen Serpent the good King brake it to pieces And is it not better 〈…〉 ●e now Altars to be set up in all C●●●●es throughout England●●● hereupon the Synod tells us for it is conscious enough of it 〈◊〉 Papists flatter themselves with a hope of our backe●●ding into their Popish Superstition Doe they so How come they thus to hope From the seting up of your Alt●●s you will say And to what purpose then is your former Canon for Suppressing the growth of Popery when this Canon will make them grow faster out of a hope of Englands backes●ding to them then the former will Suppresse their growth for feare of all the emptie charge thereof or for any counterfeit shows these men can make of winning them to our Church unlesse the Altars be of more force to doe it when they see especially those Superstitions or rather Idolatrous approaches thereunto But the Synod calls their hope a vaine hope That