Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	reason_n	1,519	5	4.9993	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57864	A vindication of the Church of Scotland being an answer to a paper, intituled, Some questions concerning Episcopal and Presbyterial government in Scotland : wherein the latter is vindicated from the arguments and calumnies of that author, and the former is made appear to be a stranger in that nation/ by a minister of the Church of Scotland, as it is now established by law.	Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.	1691 (1691)	Wing R2231; ESTC R6234	39,235	42

A VINDICATION OF THE Church of Scotland BEING AN ANSWER To a PAPER Intituled Some Questions concerning Episcopal and Presbyterial Government in SCOTLAND WHEREIN The Latter is Vindicated from the Arguments and Calumnies of that Author and the former is made appear to be a Stranger in that NATION By a Minister of the Church of Scotland as it is now Established by Law LONDON Printed for Tho. Salusbury at the Sign of the Temple near Temple-Bar in Fleetstreet 1691. THE PREFACE THat which is determined concerning all them that will live Godly in Christ Jesus that they must suffer Persecution is and hath long been the Lot of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and a Generation of Men have thus exercised her for many Years by Severities hardly parallell'd among Protestants And now when their Hands are tyed that they can no more thus afflict her their Tongues and Pens are let loose to tear her without mercy by the most virulent Invectives and the most horrid Lies and Calumnies that their Wit can invent there are more ways than one by which the Serpent casteth out of his mouth waters as a Flood that the Woman may be carried away of it We hoped in the little reviving that the Lord hath given us from our Bondage to have had no diversion from feeding the Flocks over which the Holy Ghost hath made us Overseers But our Adversaries will force us unto a less pleasing Work which is yet also necessary for the continuence of the Truth and Purity of the Gospel with the People of God They are the Assailants and we must act the part of Defendants without which necessity I should not have troubled the Reader with the following Sheets It was judged necessary not by me only but by them whose Opinion and Authority I do justly reverence in obedience to which it was written five or six Months agoe but was by several Accidents hitherto kept from coming forth to the Light We are for Peace even with them who have not only differed from us but dealt hardly with us and are willing to receive such of them as are qualified to be Ministers of the Gospel but when we speak yea tho' we are silent and neither speak nor act against any of them but such as the Gospel declares to be unsavoury Salt they are for War and labour to make us odious to Mankind but especially to our Rulers Beside this Pamphlet several other Prints have been emitted by these Men containing partly Historical passages full of Lies and Reproaches and partly false and spightful representations of our Principles and way To which an Answer such as they need or deserve shall e're long be given if the Lord permit That this hath not sooner been done hath been in a great measure caused by the multitude of matters of Fact narrated in them said to be done in divers places of the Nation far remote one from another to all which it was necessary to send for getting a true Account of these things and there being but one Copy of each of these Books that we could find in all Scotland the several passages for the divers parts of the Country behoved to be transcribed and dispersed before Information about them could be bad which could not shun to require a long time and when these Informations were obtained some other things fell in which did yet longer retard the Answer which is now intended to be hastened as soon as may be In this matter our Adversaries have used a piece of Cunning which is that these Books were spread in England only where the things contained in them could not be known nor examined But in Scotland where most Readers could have discovered the falshood of their Allegations there never was one of them to be found in a Book seller's Shop But veritas non quaerit Angulos I shall not anticipate what is to be said in answer to the Books mentioned as also to a Letter of the same strain very lately come from the Press only it may be thought strange that the Men with whom we have to do should make such Tragical Outcries about their Sufferings when it may be made appear that in the late Times when Presbyterians suffered from their hand any one of many who may be instanced suffered more Hardship and barbarous Cruelty than all of them have endured It is also unaccountable that they should on this occasion so reproach the Church as they do while very few not above a dozen if I mistake not have suffered by the Sentence of any Church Iudicatory and these for Scandals that no man will have the brow to plead for And if two or three of them have been censured on slender grounds as is alledged not only our Church did give express warning to Presbyteries against this Practice But the late General Assembly hath Committed it to some of the gravest and most experienced of their number to review such Processes where Appeal or Complaint hath been made and to relieve them who are injured And it is evident to all who know our practices and can judge of them without partiality that the Presbyterian Church in Scotland hath at this juncture used all due means to make her Moderation known to all Men believing that the Lord is at hand who will judge between us and them who shew such spight against us to whose Iudgment and to the Censure of unbyassed Men when they have heard both Parties and understood our matters we refer our Cause A VINDICATION of the Church of Scotland Being an Answer to a Paper Intituled Some Questions concerning Episcopal and Presbyterial Government in Scotland wherein the latter is vindicated from the Arguments and Calumnies of that Author and the former is made appear to be a stranger in that Nation SO apparently weak and inconsequential are the Reasonings of this Pamphleter that nothing could make it reasonable for a Man who hath few spare hours from more necessary work to undertake an Answer except the Advice that the Wise man giveth Prov. 26. 5. for we find it to be the Genius of some of his Party when they find that Scripture and Reason cannot and Authority will not support their tottering Cause to betake themselves to clamorous lies and railing and charging others as sometimes Children do with the same thing in which themselves are most culpable as in a late Piece intituled An Account of the present Perscutions of the Church in Scotland by the Presbyterians And to write with or without reason seemeth to be much the same with them something that may prevail with their easie and biassed Disciples for some men are more ashamed to say nothing then to say nothing to purpose § 2. He beginneth in his Title page with some Testimonies of King James VI. against the Presbyterians To which two things may be said 1. That King James in an after Edition of his Basilicon Doron did declare he meant none but such as Anabaptists and Familists 2. We set