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	power_n	supreme_a	1,645	5	8.3158	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29256	A course of lectures upon the church catechism in four volumes. Vol. I. Upon the preliminary questions and answers by a divine of the Church of England.	Bray, Thomas, 1658-1730.	1696 (1696)	Wing B4292; ESTC R24221	399,599	326

chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things which are 1 Cor. 1.26.28 And what then signifies their Honour when God despises it But really it is not so that your profligate and lewd Livers be their Birth or Quality never so Great are Honour'd and Respected amongst Men for whilst they continue in a mean and vile Slavery to their basest Lusts they are not only in truth and reallity miserable and wretched Caitiffs But whatever they think of themselves they are indeed in the Eyes of others most Hateful and Contemptible True it is the greatest Part of Men and Pity it is that so many amongst Christians should still remain so Carnally minded do look upon the Man who will not revenge an Affront to be mean Spirited and scarcely a Gentleman and the desperate Duellist is the more Honourable and Heroick in the Eye of the World Yet those who are throughly season'd with Religion and Wisdom's Dictates have other Thoughts and Apprehensions of such a One and count him the only Person of true Courage and of a great Soul who can despise the vain Opinions of the Croud in the Pursuit of real Vertue And above all the Meek and Forgiving Christian has this Honour that he has an easy Access to the Throne of God can come into his Presence with Confidence and Assurance whilst the other tho' the Greatest Man on Earth for Quality dares not Approach him without Trembling and Horrour And yet if vain Men will give the Honour here to those who are most Contemptible in the sight of God But if such are accounted Honourable ●ain Men ●y are des●able in the ●es both of ●d and of ● Wise and ●od Men. it is very unfit it should be so amongst Christians however let the Humble and Meek content himself with this That here on Earth he has the Approbation and Esteem of all Wise and Good Men and shall receive in Heaven from the unerring Judgment of God a Testimony before the whole Quire of Saints and Angels to his Infinite and Eternal Honour and Glory a Testimony I say which will far Exalt him above the Highest of Mortal Men who consider their own Quality more than God's Glory and prefer an empty Notion of Honour before the real and substantial Graces of God's Spirit The Summ ●w far Pa●nal Ho●ur is to be ●nounced In a word and to summ up what has been spoke to this Point Paternal Honour is indeed in it self Useful and Valuable as it puts before Men's Eyes the worthy Deeds of their Ancestors and as it Inspires 'em to an Imitation of 'em in the most excellent and noble Instances and Strains of Vertue But so far as Men's Opinion of their Birth or Quality pretends to put 'em above the Laws of God or Man and beyond Reproof or Punishment when they have violated either and when it Exalts 'em above their Brethren to that Degree as to despise and oppress the rest of Mankind as if in respect of themselves they were no better than Brute Creatures These are no other than meer Paganish and Heathenish Notions of Honour and must be Renounced and Detested by every Christian And indeed those ought even to Renounce all Pretensions to any Honour who have basely degenerated from those noble and vertuous Qualities which Ennobled their Ancestors and did constitute them Honourable But especially such ought to Renounce all Pretensions to Honour amongst Christians at least-wise who despise Religion and its chiefect Vertues as Qualities beneath ' em So that thus you have at length seen in what Sence and how far Paternal Honour is to be Renounced that Honour which is derived upon Persons from their Forefathers by Nature II. 〈◊〉 what sence ●nd how far ●ivil Honour 〈◊〉 to be Re●ounced ●hether the ●avour of ●rinces or ●he Effects of ●heir Favour ●osts of Ho●our Secondly And now I am in like manner to consider Civil Honour that which is derived upon Persons from the Fathers of their Country or those who have the supreme Power and Authority in a Land and are next under God the sole Fountain of this sort of Honour And it is either that which is the Cause of farther Honours viz. The Favour of Princes or the Honours themselves which they Confer'd upon Persons deserving their Favours as Pre-eminence and Authority Dignities and Promotions which are usually call'd Posts of Honour As also those Titles and Distinctions which do commonly accompany and go along therewith and are the Effect of Princes Favours Now as to both these there is no doubt but in themselves they are Good and Useful and may be very Advantagious to the Purposes of Religion for the more a Man is in his Princes Favour and the greater is his Authority and Trust the more he is supported with Power and Pre-eminence and the greater Figure he makes in the World the more capable he shall be of protecting true Religion of rewarding and encouraging Piety and Vertue and of discountenancing and casheering Wickedness and Vice as was seen in the Favour of Hester and Mordecai with King Ahasuerus Hest 8. But then except the Mind be first well season'd with Principles of Religion and Vertue and ballasted with Humility Princes Favours High Places Precedences and Titles give great Temptations to several Sins and that both in the Getting Possessing and Losing thereof These kind of Honours and outward Glories are dazling and bewitching Things These kind of Honours and outward Glories are dazling and bewitching Things they draw the Eyes of whole Crouds upon 'em gazing and admiring and almost adoring those who are Invested with ' em They bring many humble Petitioners to wait upon 'em and these are the Men who keep the World in subjection and awe under ' em And therefore in obtaining a Prince's Favour many are tempted to the grossest Flattery in keeping it to the most servile and sinful Compliances and rather than lose it to Sacrifice Innocence and a good Conscience And as to the Honours themselves the Glory thereof Tempts some to grasp after 'em who have no Abilities nor Skill to manage 'em the Denial often causes those who have real Abilities but know it too well to turn Male-contents and Mutineers to the Shocking many times of Church and State And most Men are tempted to aspire after 'em meerly to serve their own Private Ends not the Publick Good by 'em And lastly to compass and purchase 'em by most indirect and unlawful Means In the Possession of 'em Persons are apt to grow Proud and Imperious Unjust and Cruel and at the best shall be much diverted from minding the great Business of their Souls And lastly the hazard of losing 'em are dangerous Temptations to many to Obey Man rather than God that they may still Retain ' em But First as to a Prince's Favour But First a Prince's Favour tho' extreamly Valuable when it can be had without Sin yet no Man must Gain Possess or Retain it

by wicked Arts or sinful Compliances tho' it is extreamly Valuable when it can be had without Sin and Princes ought to be Applied to and Courted for the Favours Men expect from 'em and must be held in the greatest Veneration as the Vicegerents of God upon Earth by 'em and no Wise nor Good Man will forfeit without necessity the Esteem of 'em Yet no Man must wind himself into their Affections by flattering of their Vices none must Obey their unlawful Commands as the Duty of his Place nor must any for fear of incurring their Displeasure choose rather to displease God There are several Instances in the Scripture of Good and Wise Men which shew you how and in what Case it is necessary for Men so far to deny themselves as to Renounce their Favours amongst which take that of John the Baptist instead of many This Just and Holy man was much in the Esteem and Favour of Herod who Observed him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly Mar. 6.20 Nevertheless this Holy Man was so far from flattering of him that he did not stick to Reprove him for his Incest and for all the Evils he had done Luk. 3.19 tho' to the Loss of that Prince's Favour and his own Life Mar. 6.27 Secondly Proceed we next to consider Nor Secondly the Effects of their Favours High Places and Titles of Honour what is necessary to be done with respect to the Effect of Prince's Favours those Honourable Posts the Pre-eminence and Authority the Dignities and Promotions to which they do Advance those whom they Favour and those Titles of Honour and Distinction which do usually go along therewith and in the Obtaining of these Posts of Honour and Places of Trust and Power First There must be no Grasping at that which is above a Man's Capacities and Abilities to manage to the Publick Good I. In the obtaining of ●hese no Man must grasp at ●hat which is ●bove his Ca●acities and Abilities to manage to the Publick Good For any Person out of a vain Opinion he has conceived of his own Parts and Abilities to undertake Business he is not able to Perform and to meddle in things he does not understand is a great Injury both to himself and others to himself in exposing his own Insufficiency which in a lower Station would have lain hid and never been Censur'd nor Reproacht He does injure others thereby in perverting Judgment and Justice through his Unskilfulness in not dispatching Men with quickness and dexterity in their Lawful occasions and Business and by keeping out those who would discharge the Duties of such Offices and Places This Mischievous to ●he State much more to the Benefit and Satisfaction of the Publick But this Ambitious and Pragmatical Humour of Climbing where they are not Call'd is most of all mischievous to the Church This Mis●heivous to ●he Church when Persons undertake to be Teachers of others who have not Learnt themselves such were those of whom St. Paul speaks Who desired to be Teachers of the Law when they understood neither what they said nor whereof they affirmed 1 Tim. 1.7 And such were some great Pretenders to Illumination and Knowledge in the Apostles Time of whom St. Peter complains thus These are Wells without water Clouds carried by a Tempest viz. From one dangerous Error to another by every Wind of Doctrine as Clouds are from one place to another by a tempestuous Wind 2 Pet. 2.17 But the Psalmist was far from this pragmatical and medling Temper Psal 131.1 Lord my Heart is not haughty nor mine Eyes lofty neither do I exercise my self in great matters or things too high for me Much less does it become others to be so but all must so far Renounce as great as is the Temptation the most Honourable Posts as to decline and refuse those they are not able to manage to the Satisfaction of their own Consciences and the Publick Weal And it would be happy for the World if all would do so But above all this Modesty in declining those Undertakings they are not fitted for becomes the Laity with respect to their Teaching of others whom it does not become To think more highly of themselves than they ought to think as they do who set up for Teachers who had not an Education for that Purpose but to think soberly according as God has dealt to every Man the measure of Faith Rom. 12.3 Secondly And in the obtaining of these Posts of Honour and Power Persons of the best Capacities and Abilities must not be over-eager and importunate in their Suits and Applications to those who bestow them ●or Second●● ought Per●●ns of the ●●st Capaci●●es and ●reatest Abi●●ties be over-●●ger and im●●rtunate in ●●eir Suites ●●d Applica●●ons to those ●ho b●stow ●●em but having modestly made their Court to their Superiors must contentedly receive their Denial It is the Ambition of Great Men striving with one another for the highest Places of Trust and Power in the Common-wealth that causes Factions and Civil Wars to the Destruction of their Native Country And it is the Pride of some who over-valuing their own Abilities and Parts and thinking they are Injur'd in not being Prefer'd to the highest Dignities and Promotions in the Church has caused those Schisms and Separations in it such choosing rather to be Ring-leaders of a Party than Subject to and Dependant on any But tho' these publick Posts in Church or State may be modestly sought by those who are able to weild 'em and need not be renounc'd and declin'd by Men of Parts and Abilities when duly call'd thereto Yet none of the greatest Capacities ought violently to thrust themselves into 'em to the Disturbance of Church or State Lest they perish in the Gain-saying of Korah who with his Companions Dathan and Abiram unduly and factiously seeking the Priesthood Numb 16.10 Provok'd God in so fearful a manner that The Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their Houses and all the men that appertained unto Korah and all their Goods ver 32. The Consequences and Effects of Faction and Schism are so very bad that it is not to be wonder'd God should so remarkably Punish it as he did to the Example of Others Wherefore a Person of the best Capacities and Abilities if after some reasonable Expectations and a modest Importunity he cannot yet hope to prevail he must submit to Authority and Order acknowledg God's Providence in it possess his Soul in patience and think that for some secret Corruption in himself or for some other just Cause God is pleas'd that he should not at all or not yet succeed in his Suit So that thus you see how in the Pursuit of Civil Honour as High Places and Posts of Honour and Authority Dignities and Promotions that no Man must grasp at those which he has not Abilities or Skill to manage nor must Persons of greatest Abilities turn Male-contents and Mutineers against