Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	according_a	account_v	act_n	26	3	5.5353	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44145	Letters written to J.M. a nonconformist teacher, concerning the gift and forms of prayer The second part. By Matthew Hole, B.D. sometime fellow of Exeter College, Oxon. now vicar of Stoke-gursey in Somersetshire.; Correct copy of some letters written to J.M. a nonconformist teacher, concerning the gift and forms of prayer. Part 2.	Hole, Matthew, 1639 or 40-1730.	1699 (1699)	Wing H2410; ESTC R215281	96,332	185

to be with them to the end of the World Matth. 28.19 And St. Paul's Wo be to me if I preach not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 But to how bad Purposes these are applied to your Case will be obvious to any that will consider the different State of things in the Apostles and our Days For the Apostles lived under Heathen Governors who for bad them to speak in the Name of Christ and required them to stifle that Message which they had in Charge to deliver and therefore might well ask the Question whether it were not more fit to Obey God rather than Man Whereas Thanks be to God we live under Christian Princes who not only embrace the Christian Religion themselves but guard it with good Laws to propagate its Doctrin and preserve its Peace and Unity Again the Apostles received not their Calling and Authority from Men or by the Hands of Men but immediately from Christ himself and therefore might not be restrained or be deposed by Men. Whereas we tho' we Execute a Function whereof God is the Author and are also called of God to it yet we are called and ordain'd by the Hands and Ministry of Men and may therefore by the Ministry of Men be deposed and restrain'd from the Exercise of it Hence we find the Old Non-conformists declaring That whilst the Bishops suspend and deprive according to the Laws of the Land so long we account their Action therein as an Act of the Church which we must and ought to Reverence and yield Obedience to and if it be said The Church is not to be obey'd when it Deprives or Suspends for such Causes as we in our Consciences know to be insufficient They answer That it lieth in them to Depose who may Ordain and they may Shut that may Open or else there could be no Proceedings against any Guilty Person that depraves the Doctrin or disturbs the Peace of the Church who will always think or pretend themselves guiltless Furthermore the Apostles had such an immediate Guidance and Assistance of the Holy Ghost as led them into all Truth so that they could not err in the delivery of their Message whereas we cannot now without Vanity pretend to any such immediate Assistances or if we should daily Experience would apparently confute it Men frequently falling into those Errors both in Opinion and Practice that make it necessary to restrain them These things well consider'd plainly shew the Difference between the Apostles Case and ours in respect of the publick Exercise of the Ministry which is so manifest That St. Paul's Wo be to me if I Preach not the Gospel might be sometimes inverted into Wo be to the Gospel if Preached by such Men. But 't is Sacrilege say you to alienate Consecrated Persons from the Work to which they are ordain'd Sir If any Consecrated Persons will alienate themselves from their proper Work through their own Default at whose Door must the Sacriledge lie Do they not rob God and the Church too of the Service they owe to both by rendring themselves unfit or uncapable of performing it And may not Hereticks Schismaticks and other notorious Offenders be depriv'd or restrain'd from the Exercise of the Ministry for fear of Desecrating such Holy Men But the Notorious Necessities of the People say you many of which are in darger of perishing through Ignorance Sensuality and Debauchery call for our Assistance Sir There are Regular and Well qualified Men enough in the Church of England to instruct the People in all things necessary to their Salvation and Thanks be to God there is no want of such as are both able and willing to do so our Churches are all open where the Fundamentals of Religion are plainly unfolded the Rules of a good Life earnestly press'd and the Danger of Debauchery and all vicious Courses fully represented And 't is not less than a Calumny and manifest Untruth to insinunte That any are in danger of Perishing for lack of Knowledge The greatest Mischief is from your Evil Arts of seducing and drawing the People from those places where these things are clearly set before them And the Atheism Debauchery and other Evils you complai● of are evidently occasion'd by your Separation for when Men discover the Fraud and Falshood of your vain Pretences they begin to suspect the Truth of Religion it self and are thence led to throw off all Besides if you would Preach where there is most need you should repair to those Places where the Gospel is not yet planted and scatter your Light in some of the dark Corners of the Earth But instead of that you are for Exercising your Talent not where is the greatest need of Instruction but where you may reap the greatest benefit by Division But you add That the People have as true a Right to their Souls as we have to our Tithes and an Atheistical Popish Prince or Patron can no more impose a Minister upon them than he can chuse Wives Diet Physick and force them to take them And In another Letter you say That for above a Thousand Years after Christ he was to be taken for no Bishop that was chosen by the Magistrate without the Clergy's Election and the Peoples choice and consent Now to set you right in this Matter 'T is granted That Bishops formerly were and still are Elected by the Clergy at which in ancient Times some of the People were present to give their Testimony concerning their Lives and Conversation Which Practice was grounded on that of the Apostles 1 Tim. 3.2 7. A Bishop must be Blameless and of good Report But in process of Time the People from the bare giving testimony put in their Claim to their Consent in the Election And this begat those Disturbances Factions and Troubles in the Church that occasion'd the setling this Matter by Laws and Canons The Nomination of Bishops being setled in the Emperors and the Donation of Churches in such as erected or endow'd them by which means Peace was restor'd to the Church and that liberal Provision made for it which to this Day it in some measure Enjoys Now Mr. Baxter and his Followers to gratifie the People and disturb the Church would fain renew this Quarrel and revive those popular Pretences to choosing their Ministers which occasion'd so many and great Disturbances Of this kind is your arguing from Men's choosing their Wives Diet c. in which they have a natural Right for their own private Peace and Comfort to their choosing of Bishops and Doctors in which the publick Peace and Welfare of the Church are so much concern'd Between which as there is a great Difference so to argue from one to the other is a manifest Inconsequence But I must not forget a famous Argument of yours for Preaching without or against Laws and that is taken from a certain Church-relation which you say there was between Pastor and People which the Barthelomew Act was not able to dissolve Where Sir do you