Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A80674
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A dissuasive from murmuring Being a sermon on 1 Cor. X. 10. Preached by Sam. Carte, M.A. Imprimatur, May 14. 1694. Geo. Royse.
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Carte, Samuel, 1653-1740.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing C651C; ESTC R223837
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11,715
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33
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Oppressions and Miseries they had brought them into a much worse Condition that there was nothing to be expected but Ruine under their Conduct and that they should be killed in the Wilderness and that these things were so undeniably evident that they must put out the eyes of men before they could expect to persuade them the contrary Numb 16. 13 14. And we find that their pretences were so very plausible and had such a mighty and general influence on the People that though Almighty God in a very Signal and Miraculous manner declared his implacable Anger against the Principal Malecontents and their Abettors by a supernatural and prodigious Destruction yet the very next Morning we find the People crying them up as Martyrs dying in a good Cause and Murmuring against Moses and Aaron as Authors of their Murther v. 41. So difficult is it for People to be convinced when their Errors are fortified by Prepossession and Prejudice Thus my Brethren you have an account of the matter of Fact among the Israelites the unreasonableness of their Murmurings with the occasions and pretences of them It is time now that we apply our selves to the consideration of the second thing observed in the words viz. the Prohibition directed to us by St. Paul against the like Practice Neither murmur ye as some of them murmured The words are sufficiently plain and need little explication for every one I suppose must needs understand that when men are ready upon every occasion to signify their dissatisfaction with the state of Affairs when they detract from and speak against their Governors when they misinterpret their Actions when they aggravate such misfortunes as happen when they are generally complaining of Mismanagements and suggest Evil things concerning them In a word when they shew themselves Discontented and Desirous of Changes and endeavour to make others so These things I say and such like tending to Sedition every one must needs understand to be acts of Murmuring and Repining And these things therefore does the Apostle here prohibit and it were easy to produce out of Holy Writ multitudes of other places tending to the same purpose But to avoid tediousness I forbear them as knowing that St. Paul's Authority alone must be owned sufficient by all Christians such as we all profess our selves to be Therefore I shall rather address my self to you in way of Exhortation That you would take care to demean your selves conformably to this Precept which is of such undoubted Authority And if one does but seriously reflect on our Condition before the late Revolution and represent to our minds the intolerable Grievances and formidable Circumstances which we then laboured under one would think there could be no doubt of Success For alas How dismal did things then appear How did mens hearts as our Saviour speaks Luke 21. 26. fail them for fear and for looking after those things which were coming upon us When we saw the Laws the security of all that can be valuable in this world professedly run down and violated Men by Law unqualified for any Trust thrust into all Offices of Trust and those who in account of the Law were Traytors to have the chief management of the Government when the Nurseries of the Clergy were assigned over to Papists and the Ministers of Religion were enjoined contrary to the Laws in force to proclaim Liberty to their Parishioners to go to Mass or what they pleased and threatned with a severe Prosecution for their non-compliance and God knows what they might have suffered if Deliverance had not come to prevent it When a Petition drawn up with all the Care and Caution possible and presented in the Humblest and Privatest manner was Censured for a Libel and the Fathers of our Church sent to the Tower for it when an Army was kept up in time of Peace merely to over-awe the People and deter them from asserting their Rights and the Soldiers were ordinarily permitted to act Arbitrarily that they might be the willinger to support an Arbitrary Government when the Wolves the professed Adversaries of the Church were intrusted with providing Pastors for it the Jesuits and other Popish Priests having the choice of our Bishops and the disposal of all such Ecclesiastical Preferments as belonged to the Crown when all such were turned out of the Court Corporations and most Commissions of the Peace and Lieutenancy as would not engage to concur with the Popish Designs when many honest men were debarred of their way of livelyhood and a resolution was about being taken to suffer none to exercise such an Employment as required a License unless they would make the like Engagement when the Parliament which should redress our Grievances were no longer allowed the Liberty of Voting but the Lords and all others that were likely to be Members of Parliament were Closetted and all Arts used to induce them to betray our Liberties when the Nation was no longer permitted the free Choice of their Representatives but Threats and Menaces and all sorts of Engines were used to determine them to such Tools as the Papists should think fit to nominate to them When these I say and many other Grievances too long to enumerate pressed us Oh! what Trouble what Anxiety of thought did they cause in us What great portions of our Estates would we then have given for the security of our Religion our Liberties and Properties How zealous were our Prayers how vehement our desires of Deliverance and with what transports of Joy and Thankfulness did we reckon that we should embrace it when it should come But this is not all for it is not only so great a Deliverance that we have occasion to be thankful for but the wonderful Manner of it likewise That it should be wrought to our hands without any considerable Interposition of our own that it should be effected without undergoing the mischiefs of having our Countrey made the Seat of War nay almost without any bloodshed This was such a Wonder as surpriz'd the world with amazement And every body owns That the Reduction of Ireland was accomplish'd by a continued succession of Strange and I may say Miraculous Providences And what can be expected from a People to whom God has been so exceeding Gracious but all the Content and Satisfaction nay all the Joy and Thanksgiving which it is possible to express And yet alas how different is it with us What a strange Forgetfulness of God's stupendious Mercies towards us What a studious depreciating and extenuating of them And what a world of Discontent reigns among us As if we resolved to emulate and outdo in their Crimes that perverse and stubborn generation of the Israelites who perished in the Wilderness And if you please to reflect on the Pretences of our Modern Malecontents for their Murmuring though I have not time to examine them particularly yet methinks it is enough to bring them out of credit with any considering person that they are so very like to those