Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	year_n	young_a	182	4	5.8912	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06346	A treatie of the churche conteining a true discourse, to knowe the true church by, and to discerne it from the Romish church, and all other false assemblies, or counterfet congregations / vvritten by M. Bertrande de Loque ... ; and faithfully translated out of French into English, by T.VV.	Loque, Bertrand de.; T. W.	1581 (1581)	STC 16812; ESTC S123131	175,246	422

sound goeth foorth of his mouth If he be deade as saith S. Gregorie when he preacheth not Greg. epl 24 by what title may a man say that the Romish Bishops and priestes succeded the the Apostles and haue the possession of their chaire or place if they be deade or altogether dumbe or else not the followers of the Apostles in doctrin truth for let vs a litle beholde howe the auncient fathers haue ioyned and knitte the succession of person or place with the succession of doctrine and office Irenae lib. 4. cap. 43.44 Irenaeus saith Wee are commaunded to yeeld obedience to the elders which are in the Church who haue their succession from the Apostles and together with the succession of the office of a Bishoppe haue receiued according to the good pleasure of the father certaine grace and knowledge of the trueth Tertullian saith also If some heresies dare be so bolde to intermingle them selues with the times of the Apostles thereby to make men beleeue that they were deliuered from the Apostles them selues because they were vnder the Apostles or in their dayes we may say let them shew then the beginnings of their Churches let them vnfolde or discouer the succession of their Bishops in such sorte running and flowing by continuall order from the beginning that the first Bishoppe hath had some of the Apostles for his author and predecessor or some one of them who were the folowers of the Apostles who also did notwithstanding perseuer and continue with the Apostles And a litle after The Churches saith he which were planted after the Apostles time those which are yet planted at this day although that they bring not any author for them from amongest the Apostles themselues or Apostolicall persons yet notwithstanding being found consenting in the same faith they are not to be helde taken or acknowledged for any other then Apostolicall pro consanguinitate doctrinae saith he that is to say for the nighnesse in bloud or by reason of that doctrine which they maintaine keepe and holde with the Churches which the Apostles them selues ordained and set vp S. Augustine writing to one Generosus Aug. epist 156. doth so extoll the succession and continuall order of Pastours that he nameth thirtie Bishops of Rome putting Anastasius for the nine and thirtieth but he addeth euen presently or immediately after In all this ranke or band there was not to be found one Donatist Epist fundament cap. 4. And against the Manichees he writeth thus There are very many things which holde and keepe me in the lappe of the Catholike Church the consent of people and nations the authoritie which was begunne by miracles nourished through hope augmented by charitie and confirmed by antiquitie moreouer the succession of Pastours euen from the seate of Saint Peter to him that is at this day present And a little after But on your parte saith he to the Manichees ye alledge or bring foorth no such thing but onely ye retaine or stand to a promise of truth which indeed if it did declare it selfe so euidently that a man could not any more dout therof I confesse consent that it ought to be preferred before antiquitie succession and all other things Hierom. epist 1. ad Heliodor habetur S. Hierome they are not saith he the sonnes and children of holy men that hold and possesse the places of holy men but they which followe their doctrine and practise their workes Distinct 40. Can. And Chrysostome in a certaine place There are saith he many Elders and fewe Elders many in name and fewe in deede Behold my brethren how ye are placed and set in the chaire For it is not the chaire or place that maketh an Elder but the Elder the chaire or place Behold after what maner and sort the auncient writers haue spoken But would we knowe in one word by the word of God of what value is the most common and old succession that a man can suppose if the puritie of doctrine be wanting S. Paule teacheth it vs Gal. 1.8 writing to the Galathians when he saith If we our selues or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you otherwise then that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed Moreouer I would gladly demand of the Romish Catholikes for what cause they holde not the Churches of the East for true Churches They will not say that it is bicause that succession is not on their side for they want not that but it is on their side euen as olde and auncient at the least as in the Romish Church Wherefore they must needes say that it is by reason of the doctrine receiued amongest them to wit bicause they hold not the Pope for their head bicause thei deny Purgatorie bicause their ministers be married bicause they celebrate and minister the holy supper with leauened breade bicause they giue both kindes to the people and such like things Nowe if as touching the East Churches the Papistes iudge of the Churches not by succession but by doctrine wherfore do they when they dispute with vs stay themselues rather vpon succession then vpon the doctrine seing that the question in controuersie betweene vs is to examine the markes of the Church Secondarily touching the matter of succession we say that if we shall enter into the sifting of the succession of Popes Bishops in the Church of Rome we shal easily finde that if men will thereby iudge of their vocatiō or calling it shall not serue their turn very much or stand them in any great stead For this we shal be sure to find that they haue oftentimes succeeded tyrants schismatikes excōmunicate persons and Bishops or Popes not lawfully called For what was Gregorie the seuenth who was named before he came to the popedome Hildebrand Vispergens Vispergensis witnesseth that he vsurped the Papall seate through tyrannie and not by a lawful vocation And the Councel holdē at Wormes Concil Wormat. in the yere 1080. saith also of the said Hildebrand that he was not chosen by God but that he did without shame thrust in him selfe thether by deceit and money that he ouerthrew the Ecclesiasticall order that he was an offensiue person a mouer of debate and an obseruer of diuinations and dreames yea a manifest Necromancer or coniurer What was the woman Pope Ioan about the yere 854 Platina Platina in her life saith that she was an English woman who in her youth followed and accompanied a young scholler in studies and profited so well therein that at Rome she was esteemed amongest the most skilfull and learned for which cause she was exalted to be Pope they supposing she had ben a man But she was found great with childe and at the last deliuered in an open streate and as they were going in solemne procession vpon the shoulders of those that caried her where also she died What was Benedict the ninth The storie writers declare that after he

which were euery day put to death did write a letter too the aforesaid Emperour to aduertise him or to giue him to vnderstād of that which was doone in his Prouince and to haue his aduice counsel touching that which hee was to doe in time to come to whom the Emperour made answere by another letter declaring vnto him and making him to vnderstande his intente and purpose And because that in these letters wee may see on the one side the innocencie of the faithfull people and on the other side the iniustice of tyrants and because they doe liuely set out vntoo vs the estate of the Christians at this day and the maners and customes of those which persecute them and may by this meane stande the age wherein wee liue in very good steede for instruction both of the one and the other it shall be good and expedient that wee inregister them and put them downe Heere nowe followeth Plinie his letter which hee sent to the Emperour Traian euen as it is written in his owne booke Syr Plinie the second his letter to Traian I am accustomed to declare vnto your Maiestie all the affaires and matters wherof I am in doubt For who can better correct my dulnesse or instruct mine ignorance I was neuer yet present at the trials of Christians and proceedings against thē and therefore I knowe not what informations they put in against thē or for what cause they punish them And I haue been in great doubt to wit whether there bee anye difference too bee made of ages or whether those which bee verye young doe not in some thynge differ from these which are more strong or whether wee shoulde pardon them which repent or whether this might stande a man in any steede that hath been a Christian to be so no more And although the name import no wickednesse yet I doubt whether the wickednesses tyed to the name ought to be punished or no. But beholde what way and meane I haue hitherto held and taken touching them which were accused before mee as christians I haue asked thē whether they were christiās threatening them to bring them to triall and examinatiō and if som perseuered I haue decreed and appointed them to bee lead to punishment for I doubt not at all that whatsoeuer it was which they would confesse but that a man ought to punish such stubbornesse indurate obstinacie There haue been some lead with such a like kindled follie and because they were Citizens of Rome I haue decreed that they should be sent back again to Rome In processe of time as it cōmōly falleth out the mischief is spread abrode diuers kindes are come vp Some haue published a little booke without the authours name conteining the name of diuers which denie thēselues to be christians or so to haue beene I haue made thē call vpon the Gods I spake first and they after mee and seeing that they offered wine incēse to your image which I caused too bee brought thither with the images of the Gods and besides this that they cursed christ I haue decreed to let thē go at liberty specially bicause some say that those which are Christians in deede cannot be induced or drawne to this for any force or violence which you can doe to them Some being disclosed by the accusers haue first confessed that they were Christians and immediatly haue denied that they were such yea indeede that they had bin christiās though they would not be so any more othersome saide that it was but litle aboue iii. yeeres since they were such but that they would bee so no more other some said that it was a longer time yea som that it was aboue xx yeeres Al worshiped your image the pictures and images of the Gods these also cursed Christ Moreouer they affirmed that this was the summe or chiefest either of their fault or of their error that they had a certaine day appointed wherein they assembled themselues before day and did sing altogether a song or Psalme vnto Christ as vnto God and it of their owne accord they bounde themselues by an oth not to commit any offence but it was doone to this ende that they might not commit any theftes robberies or adulteries least they shoulde breake their faith promised and giuen and shoulde denie that which was giuen them to keepe and this being done they are accustomed to depart euery one about his busines afterwards assemble themselues together againe to take their refection in common and one with another and yet without doing any maner of euil Now then they ceassed after my edict and proclamatiō by which according to your decrees I haue forbiddē to keep any assēblies or cōuenticles And so much the more haue I supposed it to be necessarie to know this by the examinatiō of 2. maidens which som say haue serued such people But I haue not foūde any other thing sauing a certaine peruerse superstition therfore putting of to be instructed therin I haue had my recourse to you Syr to haue counsel therof for it seemed vnto me that this was a matter meet and worthie to be cōsulted of principally by reason of of the multitude great number of thē which are in danger For diuers of all conditions and estates olde and young men and women are commonly in danger so will bee For the contagion and infection of this superstition is spread abrod not only in Cities but also in townes villages fields it seemeth that it cannot or wil be easily staied corrected and verily we perceiue that they begin to frequent and repaire to the Tēples wherunto they were not wont to come that they giue them selues to celebrating the diuine seruices which were long time omitted and that many beastes are sold to be offered in sacrifice wheras heretofore there were few buiers found By this we may easily coniecture what a multitude of men may come to amēdmēt if we would giue thē leasure to repent thēselues And this is the cōtents of Plinie his letter to Traian now followeth the answere My friend Secundus Traianus ansvver to Plinie thou hast done that which thou oughtest to doe in the knowledge of the causes of these mē who haue bin accused before these christiās For we can not generally establishe and ordein any matter which hath as it were a certain forme Let there be no more informatiōs and inquires made of them but if any accuse thē let them bee punished yet so notwithstanding that he which shall denie that he is a Christian and shall declare the same by effect to wit in making supplication and prayer to our Gods although that in time heeretofore he haue beene suspected doe obteine pardon by this repentance And as touching the bookes which are published set out without the autours name they ought not to haue place or to be accounted amōgst crimes or faults for that is a very ill example