Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A47263
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Eisoptrontoy Christianismoy, or, A discourse touching the excellency and usefulness of the Christian religion both in its principles and practices : chiefly design'd by the author for the benefit of his parishioners / by Stephen Kaye ...
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Kaye, Stephen.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing K31; ESTC R34489
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133,959
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296
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or External to perswade us to be or do otherwise And indeed 't is the greatest Honor we can do him Phil. 2.5 6 7 8 9. to endeavour to have the same mind in us which was in Christ Jesus and by all means possible to transcribe his Pattern who was the great Exemplar of Meekness and lowliness of heart Thus if we walk as we are oblig'd in his Steps 1 Pet. 2.21 and patiently bear as he did with Meekness and Humility those Injuries and Affronts which are usually the Portion and Pattimony of the best Christians in this School of Affliction If we account and esteem Honors Riches Pleasures Wit Beauty Strength and all the other enticing Allurements of this World as they are indeed in themselves Loss and Dung Phil. ◠8 Emptiness and Vanity compar'd with the Exellencies of Christ Jesus our Lord 〈◊〉 and do humbly acknowledge that God i◠Christ is the Proprietor and Dispenser 〈◊〉 'em If we be careful to manage the◠Subsidia prudently and discreetly to God Glory and the mutual Comfort and Benefit of our selves and others if we chearfully submit to God's unerring Will and Wisdom in disposing of us and our Concernments and patiently bear every cross Accident which may happen to us and Ours upon these Conditions I say we shall in some proportion resemble our blessed Saviour's innocent Life in Grace and Goodness here a temper of mind and Spiritmost acceptable to him and we need not doubt but upon these hearty Compliances he will accept of us and reward us when he comes again in his glorious Majesty hereafter 3 We must yield our unfeigned Assent to and sted factly Believe this great Mystery of our Saviour's Manhood that he was conceiv'd without Sin in the Womb and born of a pure and immaculate Virgin by the Operation and Influence of the Holy Spirit that he voluntarily assum'd our Nature and has by the Merits of his Active and Passive Obedience fully satisfied God's Infinite Justice for all our sins which as I hinted before could not be aton'd for by any other Means then by Suffering the severest Resentments of God's just Wrath and Vengeance in that Nature which had sinned against him But because the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins were a Burden too insupportable for Flesh and Blood therefore we must also believe that our frail Humanity was supported by his Omnipotent Divinity of which more fully in the next Chapter Let us therefore seriously apply this Point by the exercise of a true and lively Faith That as Christ was conceiv'd by the Operation of the Holy Spirit in the Womb of a Virgin and became Man for Us So we may conceive him Spiritually by a true and saving Faith and bring forth the Fruits of Evangelical Obedience in a holy vertuous and innocent Conversation 4. We should be always mindful to offer up upon the Altars of our Souls that reasonable Sacrifice and Service of Praise and Thanksgiving for the Incarnation of our Lord. Could ever Tidings be more welcome or any Report so grateful to mortal Ears as this was All the Inhabitants of Heaven were ravisht with joy breaking forth into Hymns of Praise and Congratulation for the Redemption of Mankind and how should we Christians most especially who inherit all the blessed Priviledges of the Gospel bear a part in that Heavenly Chorus praising the Lord incessantly for his Goodness and declaring the Wonders which he hath done for the Children of Men. Psal 107.8 15 c. To shut up this Point I 've been the more express in the handling of it not only because 't is the great Foundation on which our Christian Religion is built but because our restless Adversary the Devil and his wicked Agents and Emissaries have in all Ages us'd their utmost endeavours to corrupt and undermine it And tho' this Doctrine be an impregnable Fortress and Bulwark under which we may securely defend our selves and against which all the Powers of Hell shall never be able to prevail yet we are not ignorant of Satan's devices nor of his malicious Stratagems and mischievous Designs against us and our Religion And how active and successful he has been hitherto in his Temptations and Allurements is most notoriously evident For this great implacable Adversary has endeavour'd by all means possible to extinguish the Knowledge of Christ the Messiah of the World both before and since his coming in the Flesh And 1 Before his coming into the World How restless the Devil has been hitherto in his Endeavors to undermine destroy this Doctrine he us'd all imaginable Means to extirpate the whole Jewish Nation whence 't was prophesied the Messiah should descend He studied to ridicule and enervate all the Prophesies and Promises of Holy Scripture concerning him He made it his business to possess the World with gross Conceits and Apprehensions of Christ's Kingdom at his Coming And his Suggestions were so prevasent and successful that 't was generally expected that the Messiah should appear in great State and Grandeur that he would bestow Crowns and Scepters and the greatest Immunities and Priviledges upon his Subjects Which conceit doubtless our Saviour appearing in so mean and despicable a Condition was not the least cause of the Jewish Infidelity and did in a great measure obstruct their embracing of the Gospel It seems the very Apostles of Christ were tainted with this Prejudice by their being so inquisitive about the Restitution of the Kingdom again to Israel They expected doubtless to be Grandees in it as may be gather'd from that request of the Mother of the two Sons of Zeledee for whom she was so importunate with our Saviour Marth 20.21 that one of them might sit on his right hand and the other on his left in his temporal Kingdom for so the Words must be understood Thus far had Satan's Stratagems prevail'd to prejudice Mankind against the Messiah of the World Before his coming 2 When he was come from the Cradle to the Cross his whole Life was an entire Series of Sorrows and Persecutions How did the Devil inflame the Scribes and Pharisees with a fiery and impetuous zeal and eagerness not only to defend and maintain all the Laws and Constitutions Rites and Ceremonies which they receiv'd from Moses with their own erroneous Comments and heterodox Opinions concerning 'em But to oppose and stifle with all imaginable Vigour and Policy our excellent Religion as it were in the very Embryo ere it had got any considerable footing in the World And tho' this was beyond the reach of their Power and Malice God having decree'd to establish it by his own Omnipotent Arm yet he persecuted its excellent and innocent Author to Death by the severest Methods of Cruelty and Injustice And tho' the Devil receiv'd then a deadly blow yet he has not been wanting to his power ever since to persecute and ensnare his Members and he is restless still in his endeavours to prevail with
We pass on from this Head of Commutative 2 To Distributive Justice This is peculiar to the Supreme and Subordinate Magistrates in every Nation who are God's Vicegerents and Representatives on Earth and invested with Power and Authority from above to protect and reward the Innocent and to inflict Punishments on Offendors in proportion to the Crimes committed against the Laws of God and the King But tho' the great Majesty of Heaven and Earth has devolv'd his Authority upon them yet they are to exempted from Rule being oblig'd by the Laws of God and their Country in their respective Capacities to be impartial in the Administration of Justice Therefore they should be always ready to hear the Complaints of those that are opprest and injur'd and be severe and terrible in inflicting due and deserved Punishments upon all wilful and open Transgressors And 't is requir'd of 'em that they be impartial and unbiast in their Determinations of Matters of Law or Fact which may concern either the Poor or Rich. Justice knows no Friends no Relatives no Bribes and is equally at Leisure to hear the Complaints of all Persons of all Ranks and Qualities whatsoever It must needs then be heinous Impiety in any man who is intrusted with the Managemenr of the Affairs of Government either in Church or State to take Bribes or out of any by-ends or private respect to wrest and corrupt the public Justice of the Nation or to proceed in Judgement contrary to the Merits of the Cause For tho' ill Magistrates may and many times do escape Punishment in this World yet there 's a God above who is higher and greater than they and with whom there 's no respect of Persons that will take a strict and severe account of their Administrations 1 Pet. 1.17 and reward or punish 'em accordingly Rom. 2.6 This exact and impartial Administration of Justice would be a great means to reduce Christianity to its ancient Dignity and Perfection and doubtless those should be most careful and conscientious in doing Justice themselves who are intrusted with Commissions from God and the King to distribute it to others But 't is not my Province to prescribe Rules to my Superiors I have done with that Branch of Justice which concerns the Possessions of our fellow Christians My Method leads me 2dly Justice respecting the Credit and Reputation of others To consider that which relates to their Credit and Reputation And 't is unquestionable that all Men have a natutural Right and Title to a good Reputation in this World unless they shall forfeit it by some gross Miscarriages Whosoever therefore shall go about to attaint an innocent Man's Credit by false Witness public Slanders private Whisperings or any other clandestine and disingenuous Means and Methods is not only guilty of the Sin but shall incur the Penalties of downright Knavery and Injustice Therefore in common Charity and Justice we are oblig'd to be as tender of every Man's Reputation as our own And doubtless upon this Account our blessed Saviour has forbidden all sorts of Lying Backbiting Slandering Railing Detraction Censoriousness virulent and uncharitable Invectives and all other false and politic Devices whereby the Repute and Credit of our Neighbour may be impair'd and injur'd Besides these uncharitable Practices are the spawn and issue of the Devil who is the Father of them and therefore whosoever doth maliciously lye and dissemble for his own Advantage or to the prejudice of others he is of the Devil his Father Joh. 8.44 whom God has threatned to destory Again these Methods of evil Speaking have a double Tendency to do Mischief Either public as Slander or private as Detraction Pievish and passionate Men do make use of the open way to hurt but those who are more politic and reserv'd and yet envious are more close and subtile in managing their Designs of Mischief and Wickedness an tho' the Credit and Reputation of good Men be usually wounded both ways yet private Whisperers are the most dangerous Enemies because the injur'd Person does seldom or never meet with an Opportunity to vindicate himself Now for the Prevention and Cure of this uncharitable and unchristian Humour which God knows is every where too common especially amongst those of the precise Party who esteem themselves considerable Proficients in Christianity give me leave to make these few Remarques And 1 The holy Scripture has denounced a severe Woe against the Haters and Revilers of their Brethren 1 Cor. 6.10 1 Joh. 2.9 esteeming 'em no better than Children of Wrath Prov. 6.16 18 19. Ps 101.5 and Vessels fitted for Destruction In which they nearly resemble our great Adversary the Devil who is a cruel Enemy to and merciless Accuser of God's dearest Saints and Servants 2 Uncharitable Invectives are certain Evidences and Indications of a corrupt and unsanctified Heart and are said by the Ancients to be caninos dentes Diaboli the devouring Teeth of the old Serpent Upon which Saint Bernard expresly Detrahere aut detrahentem audire Bern. Lib. 2. de Conâ—ide ad Eugen. utrum horum damnabilius fit non facile dixerim so vile and mischievous are these uncharitable Practices that those who can hear their Neighbours reproacht with pleasure and satisfaction are as much to blame and must expect to share with the Detractors themselves in their due and deserved Punishments 3 The Slanderer and Detractor add sin to sin and iniquity to iniquity For he always despiseth and hates those whom he so unwarrantably rails against We shall conclude this Point with that remarkable Distich of St. Aug. which he writ over his Table and I wish it were written in legible Characters in the Practices of all Christians Quisquis amat dictis absentem rodere Famam Hanc Mensam vetitam noverit esse sibi For 't is very unmanly and disingenuous as well as unchristian in any one to abuse his Neighbour especially in his Absence And I am confident it would conduce much to the Interest of Religion and the Peace of our Civil Government if such Canibals were interdicted all humane Societie and indeed they are more fit to be herded up with Beasts then have the Priviledge to converse with Men. Thus much of those Duties which relate to the Persons and Possessions of our Christian Neighbourhood We pass forward 3dly Concerning the practice of Peace and Unity amongst Christians To the last Branch of our Duty to Others which imports the public Peace and Quiet of the whole Community of Christians 'T is most observable that before and at our blessed Saviour's coming into the World the Jews and Gentiles were so much at odds that they denied the common Offices of Civility to one another they would have no Intercourse nor Dealings together but did prosecute each other by such barbarous Methods of Cruelty and Injustice that their Inhumanities were scarce ever equal'd but could not be outdone by the most savage Heathens But when our everlasting