Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	appear_v	great_a	see_v	1,485	5	2.9490	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61590	The reformation justify'd in a sermon preached at Guild-Hall Chappel Septemb. 21, 1673, before the Lord Major and Aldermen, &c. / by Edw. Stillingfleet ...	Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.	1674 (1674)	Wing S5626; ESTC R14334	23,407	58

in their judgement From hence we see St. Paul had great reason to appeal from the High Priest and Elders to the Law and the Prophets because they were subject to errour and mistake but these are not 2. Because the Law and the Prophets are less liable to partiality than a living Judge or the Authority of the present Church I have oft-times wondered to hear men speak so advantageously of a living Judge before an Infallible Rule in order to the end of Controversies If all they mean be only that an end be put to them no matter how I confess a living Judge in that case hath much the advantage but so would any other way that persons would agree upon as the judgement of the next person we met with or Lottery or any such thing but if we would have things fairly examined and heard and a judgement given according to the merits of the cause the case will be found very different here from what it is in civil causes For here the Judge must be a party concerned when his own Authority and interest is questioned and lyable to all those passions which men are subject to in their own cases Which will be notoriously evident in the case before us between the High Priest and Elders on one side and St. Paul on the other They pleaded that if any difficulty arose about the sense of the Law it belonged to them to judge of it St. Paul declines their judgement and appeals only to the Law and the Prophets had it been reasonable in this case for Felix to have referred the judgement to them who were the parties so deeply concerned A living Judge may have a great advantage over a bare Rule to put an end to controversies but then we must suppose impartiality in him freedom from prejudice an excellent judgement diligence and patience in hearing all the evidence and at last delivering sentence according to the sense of the Law if any of these be wanting the controversie may soon be ended but on the wrong side I suppose none of those who would have controversies in Religion ended by a living Judge will for shame say they would have them ended right or wrong but if they would have Truth determined they must give us assurance that these Judges shall lay aside all partiality to their own interests all prejudice against their Adversaries shall diligently search and examine and weigh the evidence on both sides and then shall determine according to the true sense of the Law How likely this is will appear by the living Judges in our Saviours time Was there ever greater partiality seen than was in them or more obstinate prejudice or more wilful errors or a more malicious sentence than came from them in the cause of our Lord and Saviour They would not believe his Miracles though told them by those that saw them when they saw them they would not believe they came from God but attributed them to the Devil they would not so much as enquire the true place of his Nativity but ran on still with that wilful mistake that he was born in Galilee and by this they thought to confound Nicodemus presently Search and look for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet If they had searched and looked themselves they would have found that Christ was born in Bethlehem and not in Galilee But where men are strongly prejudiced any thing serves for evidence and demonstration whereas all the arguments on the other side shall be despised and contemned How captious were they on all occasions towards our Saviour lying in wait to entrap him with questions to pervert his words and draw blasphemy out of the most innocent expressions And when none of all these things could do they use all the wayes of fraud malice and injustice to destroy the Saviour of the world as a Malefactor and Blasphemer Was not here now a mighty advantage which the Authority of the present Church among the Jews of that time had above the guidance of the Law and the Prophets And the knowledge St. Paul had of the same temper being in them still might justly make him decline their judgement and appeal only to the Law and the Prophets for the ground and Rule of his faith 2. For the object of his worship he appeals to the best Antiquity I worship the God of my Fathers i. e. I bring no new Religion among you but the very same in substance with that which all the Jews have owned so some render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deo Patrio the God whom all my Brethren acknowledge but he rather understands it of the same God that was worshipped by Abraham and Isaac and Jacob quem majores nostri coluerunt so St. Peter in his preaching to the people concerning the resurrection of Christ to avoid the imputation of Novelty saith the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Jesus and again to the Sanhedrin he saith the God of our Fathers raised up Jesus and St. Paul the God of our Fathers hath chosen thee in the use of which expressions they purposely declare that they had no thoughts of bringing in any new Religion among them contrary to what God had of old declared to the Patriarchs The main things in which the Jews objected innovation to them did either concern the bringing in some new doctrine or the reformation of corruptions among them 1. For their doctrine that either concerned the Messias or a future state For the doctrine of the Messias it was as antient as the records of any revelation from God were It was the great promise made to the Patriarchs long before the Law of Moses and even Moses himself speaks of him as St. Steven proves to them and David and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Micah and Malachi as the Apostles at large prove in their writings Why should this then be accounted any new doctrine which they all believed and received If the Question be only whether Christ were that Messias or no for that they desire nothing more than the testimony of the Law and the Prophets and the Miracles wrought by him but they had no reason to quarrel with them upon their belief for such an alteration of the state of things which themselves believed must be when the Messias came for in him not only the Nation of the Jews but all the Nations of the earth were to be blessed which was inconsistent with supposing the Ceremonial Law to continue in its force and obligation being particularly suited to one people lying within such a compass as they might three times a year attend upon the service in the Temple at Hierusalem If their quarrel was concerning a future state as though that were a new doctrine St. Paul adds in the next Verse that themselves also allow that there shall be aresurrection of the dead both of the just and the unjust And

in his defence before Agrippa he saith And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our Fathers unto which promise our twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come So that the Apostle produces Antiquity Universality and Consent in these Fundamental Articles of the Christian Religion only a late busie and Politick Faction of the Sadducees opposed this doctrine but why should their opposition signifie any thing against so full a stream running down from the first and purest Antiquity Thus much for the positive part of their faith and doctrine 2. For the negative pare or the reformation of abuses and corruptions among them this was S. Pauls plea Let them shew where the God of our Fathers imposed any of those heavy burdens which the Scribes and Pharisees place so much of their Religion in What ground is there in the Law and the Prophets for the Pharisaical Superstitions and Vows and severities to themselves in fetching blood and knocking their heads against the walls and different garbs and dresses to appear more holy unto men with many other customs of theirs the observation of which was made so great a part of the Religion of their devoutest men And it is a strange thing they should think it impossible such things should come in among them without great notice being taken of it for although sudden and violent changes may have all the circumstances known yet it is not to be expected in more in sensible gradual alterations A man may tell when a violent Feaver seized upon him and inflamed his blood but he cannot do so by a Hectick or a Consumption must he therefore believe himself well because he cannot tell the punctual time when he fell sick We may casily describe the circumstances of a Landflood which overflows the banks and bears all before it but we cannot do so by the coming in of the Tide which steals in secretly and insensibly and no man can assign the place where the salt and fresh water first mix together Superstition is a Hectick Feaver to Religion it by degrees consumes the vitals of it but comes on insensibly and is not easily discovered till it be hard to be cured At first it may be some devout but indiscreet men made way for it who love to find out some Modes of devotion different from the rest of the world which are greedily embraced by such who admire and follow them this example taking another begins and sets up for a more refined way than the former and so the design spreads till at last true piety and goodness be swallowed up by superstitious fopperies Which is the most probable account of all the Pharisaical corruptions some of whose observations might be begun at first with a good mind and by the devout persons of that time but afterwards every one that had a sowrer look and a worse nature than ordinary thought it not enough to follow the example of others but like a great Physician he must have his Nostrum's something of his own finding out a new garb or ceremony or posture of devotion whereby he may be taken notice of and admired for his sanctity Thus that fardle of superstitious rites was gathered up among the Scribes and Pharisees in our Saviours time whom he most severely upon all occasions rebukes for their hypocrisie in placing so much of their Religion in them And thus much for the way taken by St. Paul to vindicate Christianity from the imputations of being a new Sect or Heresie by an appeal to Scripture and the best Antiquity 3. There remains only the freedom and courage expressed by him in owning his Religion notwithstanding these false imputations But this I confess unto thee that after the way which is called heresie c. He abhorred that mean and base-spirited principle which makes it lawful for men to deny their Religion when it brings them into danger he studied no secret arts of complyance with his Adversaries to securehimself he did not decline appearing though to the hazard of his life in so just a cause He valued his Religion beyond his own safety and regarded not all the calumnies and reproaches of his enemies as long as he made this his constant exercise to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men And this he elsewhere saith afforded him more inward comfort and satisfaction than all the crafts and policy in the world could give him For our rejoycing is this saith he the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world There is nothing inspires men with so much courage as integrity and uprightness of mind doth and such persons who have the comfort of that have not only better hopes as to another world but oft-times escape better as to this than others do for even their enemies cannot but esteem them whereas the fawning sneaking and flattering hypocrite that will do or be any thing for his own advantage is despised by those he courts hated by good men and at last tormented by his own conscience for being false to God and Religion But we may see here in St. Paul a great instance of true Christian magnanimity he was sensible how great both the malice and quality of his enemies were he knew he was to answer before a Judge that regarded nothing either of Justice or Religion yet he neither flatters his Judge nor betrayes any distrust of him he doth not bespatter his enemies nor discover any fear of them but with a modest freedom and manly courage owns the main part of their accusation and effectually vindicates his own innocency and his Religion together For even Felix himself although a man otherwise very capable of being wrought upon by some wayes of address of which we read Ver. 26. yet the High Priest and the Elders with their eloquent Tertullus were forced to return as they came and leave St. Paul under the name of a Prisoner but enjoying the conveniencies of liberty ver 23. I have now gone thorough all the parts of the Text with a respect to St. Paul and the Authority of the Jewish Church which was engaged against him it may now be justly expected that I make Application of what I have said to our own State and Condition Thanks be to God we are not brought to such a tryal as St. Paul was we enjoy the liberty of speaking for our selves and our Religion and not only speaking for it but professing and owning it And may we ever do so But we have busie and restless Adversaries abroad the factors of the High Priest and Elders at Rome who have as much spight and malice against us as ever those of Hierusalem had against St. Paul and they have their Tertullus's too men of art and insinuation and who manage their cause against us just as