Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	abstain_v	act_n	act_v	19	3	7.5632	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90092	Observations upon the chief acts of the two late p. assemblies at St. Andrews and Dundee, the year of God 1651, and 1652 together with the reasons why the ministers, elders, and professors, who protested against the said pretended assemblies, and the pretended assembly at Edinburgh, cannot agree to the overtures made to them at the conference upon the 28. and 29. dayes of July 1652 ...	Ker, A.	1653 (1653)	Wing O114; ESTC R34190	31,457	44

no imputation either to themselvs or to the cause which they maintain for it 's neither mens age nor condition that doth difference them in the matters of God but their qualification and carriage which is known to be blameless and christian as to those who subscribed the Protestation and if they can give any instance to the contrary I beleeve the Protesters will take it for a favour to have any inordinate walker of their number discovered unto them shall accompt it not the weakening but the strengthening of their Cause to be rid of such yea at that Meeting where the Protestation was subscribed it was their care to admit none to joyn with them but such as were of a known integrity or if not so well known to all yet such as had the testimonie of others who were known to all and being such how mean soever their condition was that could not be a reason or ground to refuse their testimony when it was willingly offered N. Albeit a great deal adoe is made upon that expression yet there is truth in the bottom of it most of these in the Land who have a testimony in the consciences of truly godly Ministers or Professors either upon the one side or the other for acquaintance with God and the power of godlinesse being of that mind and if this expression satisfie not that the generality of the godly stand for that divisive way I shall give them one that they can lesse contradict that is that the generality of the wicked are against that divisive way and for their uniting way yea I trow that sober men among themselves will not refuse it that the wicked Malignant loose prophane persons in the Land almost to a man and as one man do zealously and to their pith oppose and contradict and reproach that divisive way and cordially promote and commend their uniting way or the way of these two Assemblies at Dundee and Edinburgh and though this argument be now undervalued yet was it wont to bear weight in the 48 year of God against the unlawfull engagement And I confesse with me is of a very great weight That which relisheth so well to the palate of prophane loose men and of such as have zealously opposed the Work of God and the power of godlinesse these years past and wherein their hearts doth so much rejoyce I fear hath too much of the spirit of the world too litle of the spirit of God in it O. This way doth not divide from any point of the truth of God but leads in the good old path of former sound principles and cannot be justly charged as divisive because it will not unite with a course of defection and therefore there can be no just reason to say that it tends to the hindering of Reformation and Peace The true fountain of our divisions doth spring from the Publick Resolutions which divided many from received truths and former principles and did necessitate others to evidence their cleaving thereto by testifying against such back-sliding neither know I any thing that hath so directly tended to the hinderance of the Work of Reformation as their Publick Resolutions did The Work of Reformation as to the outwards of it in Church and State did much stand in purging the Ministerie and Elderships and the Judicatories and the Army and have not all these been obstructed by the Publick Resolutions which laid a foundation for bringing into the Army and the Judicatories men of questionable integrity disaffected to Reformation and of scandalous conversation and hath not onely blunted but turned the edge of any zeal that was formerly bent against ignorant dis-affected and scandalous Ministers and Elders and Professours against these who cannot be consenting to the late courses P. Separation and Schisme hath been the ordinary charge of back-sliders against such as would not concur with them in every age of the Church and some of the most eminent of these who are now for the Publick Resolutions may remember that they were not only loaden herewith by the Prelats when they did oppose the course of conformity but also by all the Malignant and dis-affected persons in the Land when they did oppose the course of malignancie but to say nothing that this Assembly at Edinburgh have taught the Protesters a way of separation which they cannot well condemne unlesse they condemne their own judgment and practice I mean the allowing of the smaller part not only to divide from the greater but also to act without them and exercise authority over them I desire 1. that they will be pleased to let the world know what truth that hath been taught in the Church of Scotland either concerning Faith or good Works or Worship or Discipline or Government they have departed or separated from Is it a separation because they will not approve of nor submit unto the authority of two corrupt and unfree Assemblies 2. I desire it to be considered that whatsoever be in the matter of separation the Protesters are not separantes but separati not fugientes but fugati they are driven violently by unjust censures and persecution as I have already shewen from the Publick Acts. Q. If they be indeed of the opinion that difference of judgment in these things should be no prejudice to joynt acting in Publick Judicatories then it concernes them for their own vindication and for reconciling their practice with their opinion to tell us why their Assembly at S. Andrews did not onely approve of the Act of Commission appointing those who oppose the Publick Resolutions to be censured but also made Acts of their own for censuring of such and why the Assembly at Edinburgh did ordain That Elders and Expectants who will not engage themselves under their hands to abstain from holding up this difference are to be excluded from sitting in Presbyteries and being received as Ministers sure if this difference need be no prejudice to joynt acting in Publick Judicatories the maintaining thereof is without ground made a cause of censure which must incapacitat men to act or of exclusion which must bar them from joynt acting in Judicatories what shal be said to this I do not know unlesse it be alleaged that it is not simply difference of judgment that is made a ground of censure or exclusion but difference of judgment kythed in opposing the Publick Resolutions or holding up debates and controversies in preaching or writing about these things but first if it be meant of that difference of judgment that is inward onely it is to small purpose because that being latent and not known to me cannot be made a ground for my with-drawing from joynt acting with these who thus differ from me and if it be known and professed how shall there be any known difference of judgment without some opposition to the adverse judgment especially if it be established in a Law he who professes and declares the difference of his judgement from the Law and dis-satisfaction