Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	place_n	see_v	time_n	2,364	5	3.2293	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85342	Good counsel in bad times, or, A good motion among many bad ones being a discovery of an old way to root out sects and heresies and an earnest desire for a complyance with all men to settle peace with justice : as also a relation of a remarkable piece of justice done by Duke William called the Good : likewise an epistle to the reader / by John Musgrave ...	Musgrave, John, fl. 1654.; Baudouin, François, 1520-1573.	1647 (1647)	Wing G1041A; ESTC R36608	23,472	37

their Faith and forbearing all outward violence he sought by all policy to hinder their increase wherein he prevailed much more for that some through covetousness others through ambition suffered themselves to be perswaded to that whereunto they could not be forced by any violence or threats I will not compare here this new kind of Doctrine which is now in question with the Pagan Religion for it is not my intention to interpose my censure but I will onely conclude that in that which consisteth in the perswasion of the heart corporal violence prevaileth no more then the vapour of wind that blows to hinder the heat of the fire And daily experience hath taught us The means then to divert them from their opinions is to perswade them that their faith and belief is not conformable to the word of God To effect the which there is no other means then to give them free audience to the end that they may propound their reasons and motives with all liberty and that they be confuted of error and herefie by the Word of God If they remain obstinate yet when this disputation and instruction shall be performed in the eye of the World those that are weak shall by this means be perswaded not to follow their errors for as for the obstinate even as instruction would avail them little or nothing so much less would fire or death turn them from their resolved opinions But on the other side those which behold others to die with such constancy take a delight to seek the opinions and they which by this means came to fall in the like inconveniences should be wholy preserved when they should hear them vanquished by the word of God and by reasons which they cannot contradict If then Prelats and Bishops trust in the bounty of their cause as with all reason they ought There is not in the world a better means to attain unto the Kings intention and to prevent the multiplying of Sects then to confer together publickly that all the world may know that the others do falsly bragg that they have the word of God on their side for it is most certain that when truth is compared with falshood she must of necessity shew her beauty and obtaine the Victory discovering to the eye of all men what is false and counterfeit and by this means a great good shall rise for that they which now know not what to follow in so great a diversity of opinions may settle a firm judgment of the Truth after that they have heard the grounds of either side so as in conference all confusion and disorder all noise and rayling be laid aside As wee have seene in the disputations and conferences which Saint Paul hath made aswell with the Jews as against the Pagans then presently those which sought the truth knew that he had reason and that the other were in errour so in the Councels of Nicene the Arrians were admitted to propound their reasons and grounds with all liberty and being convicted by the word of God of error and heresie were forced for a time to desist from their enterprise but presently after when they presecuted them they had many disciples some moved by pittie some by their false perswasions the which was the cause of great mischiefs and inconveniences in the Church Yea in our time we have seene in all places where the Anabaptists have beene persecuted they have increased infinitely And contrariwise where they have been heard in publique conference and disputation and convicted of errour and heresie by the word of God they have had no more tredit in the world And therefore Mabomet hath so carefully forbidden that they should never dispute upon the points of Religion brought in by him knowing well that the truth being once confronted against his lyes his doctrine of necessity must goe to smoake It s a true marke and a badge of truth that it desires to be known made manifest and debated being like unto the Palm tree the more it is deprest and charged the higher and steighter it growes For this reason the ancients did appoint to hold free and generall Councels every yeare although by the corruption of time many abuses have beene brought in by the ambition and covetousnesse of those that should give their Voyces So it is that the Hereticks and Sectaries feare nothing in the World more then to be made manifest be it by a free and general councel or in any other place where as matters may be freely debated on either side the which we see at this day apparently in the Anabaptists who fly all disputations more then death If then those which desire to root out this new Religion which multiplies so fast are assured of the bounty and truth of their cause and of the falshood of their Adversaries There is no fitter means then to come publickly to field and to give their adversaries free audience and leave to dispute without doubt if they maintaine herefies there shall neede neither fire nor gibbets to hinder the course of their doctrine for that the more manifest it is the more it will decay It will be to no purpose to say that they have been often heard and confuted for admit it were so yet a great multitude of people which are inclined thereunto deserve so much paine as to bee instructed in hearing and examining their reasons but when you have said all they were never heard with patience for when as Luther began to preach this doctrine in Germany it was presently condemned by the Pope and persecuted by all the Kings and Princes of Christendome he was once called to be heard but it was to see if hee would recant or maintaine his writings and his doctrine And he on the other side protested nothing more then the desire hee had to bee better taught and instructed by the holy Scripture The like proceeding was held against Iohannes Husse at the councel of Constance who was never heard in his own defence but assoon as he was arrived there they laid before him certain Articles drawn by some adversary of his out of his books asking him if he would maintain those Articles which were reproved and condemned by the holy Church and thereupon they gave sentence that he was an heretick and damned the which the world sees to be against all right and reason To say that those were condemned by other Councels before is nothing to the purpose for if it be so as they say it will be the more easie to overthrow them now for that the ancients have never condemned any doctrine but that which they held contrary to the word of God the which they have alledged to that effect I say to confute errours and heresies So as now the way shall be traced and they shall need only to quote the same scriptures to confute these for that the word of God remaineth eternally and the scripture hath now as much force and vertue to confute heresies as ever But to

see if it be possible to suppress their assemblies And doubtless if we look unto experience the perfect mistress of all things we shall find it is as impossible to hinder it as it is impossible to keep them from believing of that which they think fit and agreeing with the word of God Have we not I pray you seen the great power of the most victorious Emperor Charles the fift of famous memory who made all the world to tremble Have we not seen his most incredible diligence to suppress this Religion Have we not seen the rigorous edicts which he made and whereto tended it but to hinder the preaching of this new Religion and that they which made profession thereof should forbear their Assemblies For he knew well their hearts could not be forced and yet he prevailed nothing notwithstanding all his prohibitions It may be they assembled in some strange Country where they had greater liberty No no but contrariwise all the Princes of Christendom together with the Pope were resolved to root them out and to give them no place of retreat but all was in vain How do we then think that the Kings power the which out of doubt is not greater then the Emperors can hinder it seing that now France England Germany Scotland and all the Countries about are open unto them to retire themselves and to use the liberty that is here denied them whereas they have so many Kings and Princes on their side whereas the number is multiplyed by many and infinite thousands without doubt they which gave his Majesty this counsel shew plainly that either they want judgment or else they seek to settle their own greatness to the prejudice of the King and the ruine of the Countrey Let them examine all the Histories of the world and they shall find that when any new Religion hath been grounded upon the inward perswasion of the word of God that all the striving in the world could never hinder but the exterior discipline thereof would have its course The Romane Emperors could never force the Jews to receive their Statues into their Temples nor hinder the Christians from their Assemblies who desired rather to live like savage beasts in caves and rocks then to abandon the exercise of their Religion I will not examine whether their quarrel be like unto this so it is that they are as well perswaded in their hearts that they follow the word of God and that they are commanded to assemble and preach as they were which perswasion can never be wrested from them by any violence for they say among themselves that if they should be allowed to believe what they would so as they would forbear to teach and assemble were as much as if they should suffer a man to live so as he would take no refection and nourishment for they maintain that faith is entertained by the preaching of the word even as the life of the body is by the nourishment of meat But admit it were possible to forbid their Assemblies they must proceed either by rigor and force or by gentleness and perswasions that is they must either corrupt them or else force them to do against the testimony of their consciences and so falsifie their faith which they owe unto God It is most certain that the constant and vertuous will rather choose a thousand deaths then to do any thing against their Consciences so as with them there were nothing to be gotten As for the rest who for fear or hope would deny their faith First they should grievously offend the divine Majesty and damn their own souls by this falshood and dissimulation for that they should sin doubly first to have embraced the error and afterwards more to have falsified sified their faith and testimony of their Conscience and to have dealt doubly whereas God requireth sincerity and plainess so as they that should force them thereto should be the cause of their more grievous damnation They then which counsel the King to force or corrupt his subjects to the end that they should dissemble and make shew of any other Religion then that which they believe in their hearts are the cause of the disloyalty which they commit against God and the King for without he shall carry himself disloyally to God either for fear or hope it is to be presumed that by the same passions he will carry himself as disloyally unto the King when as time and occasion shall be offered Constantius father to Constantine the Great although he were a Pagan yet he called Christians into his Court and admitted them to favour whom he did see ready to abandon goods and honours yea their own lives rather then to be disloyal unto the God whom they did worship yea he held them worthy of his friendship and did impart unto them most of his important affairs And in-truth the King hath no Subjects more faithful then those which obey him for Conscience that is to say because God hath so commanded it they which falsifie their conscience to please the King or for any other private respect shew that they do not obey the King for Conscience onely but for some other particular affection and if they make no difficulty to falsifie their Consciences in the service of God without doubt it is to be feared that when any passion or affection should move them either the fear of death or the losse of goods and credit or some such like thing they would make no great difficulty to falsifie their faith which they owe unto their King so as they which give this Counsel unto the King shew their ignorance for that they seek to root out them which in simplicity and sincerity of heart yeild obedience unto God and the King And as for those which proceed disloyally and against their Consciences they are not onely content to suffer them but also to advance them unto honour as we have seen by some examples of those who before having made profession of this Religion have afterwards without being condemned of error onely to aspire to honour and credit turned their Coats To conclude Although it were a thing possible to force or corrupt the Protestants to abandon their Religion and to doe against their Consciences yet were it not expedient for the good of the Common weal. But as I said It is not possible to hinder them unlesse they will ruine them and put them to death the which were hard to compasse for in the place of one they should put to death ten others wouldrise and those which dy so constantly rather then remove their faith are held for good men by the common people who have more regard to the constancy then to the cause which they maintaine whereupon they have desire to examine the Cause and come to fall into the same opinions so as this must needs cause them to multiply and encrease wherefore they that advise the King to this means are much abused for besides that they frustrate