Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	act_n	effect_n	produce_v	2,028	5	8.3546	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49899	The true notion of government shewing, I. The original of government, II. The several forms of government, III. The obligations betwixt governours and governed : in vindication of kingly-prerogative / by T.L., gent.	T. L., Gent.	1681 (1681)	Wing L82; ESTC R25129	14,240	37

Confusion every where and like a general Inundation overflows all with sad Destruction How miserably then do People chouse themselves when they are mad for a Change Little considering that besides the Confusion which they make they commonly change for the worse and there is not one in an Hundred it may be a Thousand that attains to what he aimed at or betters his Condition So that thus to stab real or supposed Tyranny and Monarchie at once is not only against the Law of God but Intgerest of most men which it may be many will grant and will bear to Extremity at least upon force the Oppression of their Goods Persons and Fortune But when their Religion is in Danger no one but looks upon his own as best then they judge that even God himself is not interested for civil Government but he will permit them to stir they can willingly bear the former Tyranny but to have their Consciences opprest truly is a burden too intollerable for them to bear or crouch under and even Christianity it self will afford them liberty here to cancel all other Obligations A plausible Plea but of no more force than the other if not indeed less For that Religion should permit those things to be done which its precepts every where forbid is so absurd an opinion that none will admit of without making God himself command contradictions That Religion doth forbid and no where allow of such proceedings is evident from that all its precepts and commands of Obedience are delivered in general terms without any the least exception from whence I gather and declare that were my Prince a Jew Turk Infidel or Pagan I would and ought in all things not absolutely unlawfully obey him And surely the first Ages of Christianity judged so too whilest under the Government of the greatest Enemies to Christianity even in its purity and most barbarous executions they did not only not resist their power but even embrac'd their cruelties kist those hands that cut them off and in the midst of Flames and greatest Tortures continued good Subjects I would feign learn then how our Age comes to be so much better or the Religion of our days so much wiser or what Religion it is that is thus extraordinary pure and yet teacheth such dismal Doctrines The Romanists we all know do assert the Opinion and practise it but dare not own it and there are others who pretend to hate such Doctrines and the Abbettours of them who do not always assert it nor own it but yet have practised it But I would fain have these People speak out and tell the world plainly their meaning whether they do look upon it as lawful to Dethrone their Prince upon the account of Religion or not lawful If they do not account it lawful why do they suffer themselves to be transported with prejudic'd and mistaken zeal as to commit upon such accounts the greatest Villanies But if they allow it to be lawful let them speak out I say And they give Anabaptists Independents c. to make War upon them upon their pretences to Religion and so make a way for all Sects and Opinions to be lawfully at Enmity one with another And I cannot see how whilest they depose or decollate their lawful Prince for not being of their perswasion they do any thing less than their greatest Enemies the Papists for Dethroning these they judge and call Hereticks Methinks it would be a greater testimony of their Sincerity and Religion to obey in all things not absolutely unlawful and in the rest to shew their Obedience by submission 'T is indeed a fine thing to sit in Thrones and appear in the vacant seats of deposed Princes but the purity of the Religion they so much pretend to might teach them that there is a greatness which is not gaz'd at and he that subjugates his will to his lawful Soveraign hath a soul commanding that no Prince can force nay and in some measure is as great as his King whilest he is as able to obey as the other to command In short to obey in all things may be highly Crimminal to resist must be so but to submit can be nothing but safety and Peace I should here make an end of this it may be impertinent Harangue but that there are another sort of People I cannot pass by who would assert against fix'd Obedience That Dominion is founded altogether upon Power and not Justice Which to me seems altogether unreasonable from the notorious Mischiefs that would croud in upon all Societies where this Tenet is maintained For what a powerful Motive would this be to all discontented persons to invade and dispossess others when there lyes no other difficulty before them but the Means to Attach successfully whom they intend to Destroy But having overcome that by whatever Villanies they shall become as Legal Owners of what they are become Masters as the most Innocent and Just But can there be ever any hopes of Peace or Security where this is allowed But some will say Power Acquired and Possess'd doth give Right to Hold though not justifie the Act of acquiring it But surely no unjust Cause can produce a just Effect nor any Inveterateness of the Evil or Tract of Time wipe away the Injustice And moreover then one could never tell how to obey For the Obligations of Obedience must of necessity vary according to the measure of the Power of the Ruler and Subjects always be perplexed and undermin'd in their Resolutions Many more are the Inconveniencies of this Opinion and many Arguments brought for it from God's Omnipotence and Power over the Creatures c. But I am weary of troubling my Reader and shall only say That these are in my Opinion the real and true Notions of Civil Government and I hope I shall never be of any other Not that of the Peoples having Power to Constitute their Ruler of being absurd and ridiculous Not that of changing Governments being Sacrilegious and Impious Not that of Deposing Princes upon any account as being Unnatural Unjust Unreasonable Unchristian FINIS