Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A41561
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Some observations upon the keeping the thirtieth of January, and twenty ninth of May by J.G.G.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1694
(1694)
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Wing G129; ESTC R17606
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41,903
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64
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comes to that though palliated under another Notion to Pray to the Dead for the Dead or in such occasion as this to mention the Dead is contrary to the Word of God which commands us * 1 Thess 3.22 to abstain from all Appearance of Evil. Wherefore let that Thirtieth of January go out of doors and if we keep a day let it be to God and not to Man let upon occasion days of Humiliation be kept very often too to mourn and be humbled for Personal as for the great many and Epidemical Sins of the Nation whereof I named some before and some are mentioned in * Jer. 6.2 3 10. Jeremiah but no constant set day for any Man whatever whether they be Humiliation or Thanksgiving days The Gun-powder-Treason-day we keep it only to God for such a Deliverance no mention of Man in it This did the Church of the Jews after their Deliverance from the Wicked Designs of Haman but not to the Praise and Honour of Esther or Mordecai though they had been God's Instruments to prevent it To return to King Charles's Death to mourn for it once had been enough When Joseph's Coat was brought to Jacob he might unblameably have expressed as he did a great Sorrow and Grief thereupon even to have kissed it to lament the Death of so dear a Son but if he had hanged it about his Bed or any where else in his Chamber there every Evening and Morning or at every Meal given it such Salutations and done the like as at the first time thereby he might have countenanced many Branches of Superstition once and no more is Diseretion about those things whose continual use degenerates into Abuse Now here we have been so unhappy as to take wrong Measures not only in keeping a day of Humiliation as I shewed already but also a Thanksgiving-day such as that of the Birth and Restoration of King Charles II. the 29th of May for the which we have also a set day once a Year to hear a Sermon preached a Collect an Epistle and a Gospel upon the occasion * Gal. 3.1 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you This clearly shews the Humour of those Times when some People almost distracted kept no Moderation but went from one Extream into another After his Death in King James's days they thought fit to continue keeping the day but to put a new Face and under another Notion but the thing was the same in Substance So the Children of Israel kept a Feast to the Golden Calf which was proclaimed before and the * Exod. 32.5 6. People sate down to eat and to drink and rose up to play For such a Restoration we must be very glad and make God concerned in our Joy his House must be the place hitherto 't is well if we bring no Idol into it I mean nothing of Man's Merits Worth and Perfection no Inventions devised of our own Heart and things which God hath not commanded We read how after the Rebellion and Death of Absalom the * 2 Sam. 9.14 Men of Judah sent unto David Return thou and all thy Servants But though he was as good a King as any I do not find there was any set day appointed yearly to be kept in any place of God's Worship by way of Thanksgiving for his Birth or Restoration our Religion now is more Courtly and Flattering I do not deny but that upon such an occasion a moderate Joy may be expressed for a while but to entail it upon Posterity is such a piece of Flattery Popery and Pageantry as cannot be warranted by any Laws of God or reasonable Christians * Defence of Perkins p. 886. Dr. Abbot saith That Offerings yearly made for the Dead and for Birth-days were first brought in by the Heretick Montanus who thereby made gain of them Now this reacheth our Case for an Anniversary or every Year keeping a set day for a dead Man is a kind of Offering made for the Dead and keeping the 29th of May in the same manner is keeping a Birth-day as a Restoration-day for upon this day Charles II. was born Now let us see how great a Cause we had to fall into so high and exceeding Demonstration of Joy Let the Event shew how great a Blessing this Restoration proved to the Nation Hos 13.11 We know sometimes God gives Kings in his Anger and takes them away in his Wrath Plague War and Fire came in with King Charles but all little enough in comparison of that Flood of Vice and Corruption in the way of Prophaneness Impiety Debauchery c. which being encouraged by Example and Impunity followed him and like a mighty Stream have so overflow'd the Nation that in all likelihood it will require more Judgments and many Years to come to purge the Land of it 't is over-spread almost from the Child in the Cradle to the Old Man going down to his Grave But I must break off for it defiles my Thoughts my Tongue and my Pen therefore no wonder if this took away our Hearts for * Hos 4.11 Whoredom and Wine take away the Heart and our Understanding too which made us grow an effeminate Nation Contemptible to our Neighbours and made us cast away the Honour and Interest of the Country and become Tools of the Ambition and Greatness of those whose growing Power we ought to have opposed and which since made Europe groan and labour to be delivered from that Bondage or Danger we helped to bring it under We slighted the Suits and Offers of many Princes and States and Addresses of Parliaments who offered their Lives and Fortunes to stop the growing Power of France which had her Emissaries of both Sexes in our Bosom By whose Councils Parliaments were Adjourned Prorogued and Dissolved whilst on the other side in our most Solemn Assemblies the Fidelity of some was Corrupted to Betray their Trust and Country In one we have seen a List of no less than 212 Pensioners to find Monies to satisfie the unsatiable Desires and Idle Expences of Whores Pimps Bawds and Bastards whilst in less than two Years time above 100000 Souls for Religion sake forsook the Kingdom to go into the Plantations Holland and Germany These things and many more which I omit are known to the whole Nation only I must take notice how the Design of ruining Laws Liberty and Religion was driving on and whilst Popery enjoyed Favour and Advantages 't was Treason to say the King was a Papist or Popishly affected though during the whole Course of his Reign he appeared and there are grounds to believe he died such All these things are so recent and late that it were in vain to enlarge upon it only I ask Whether one who set some of the worst of Men upon the Benches in Westminster took away Charters caused Innocent Blood to be shed under pretence of Justice and had some Men to frame Mischief by a Law * Psal 94.20