Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	good_a	great_a	1,387	5	2.5396	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79229	A calme consolatory view of the sad tempestuous affaires in England.		1647 (1647)	Wing C307; Thomason E384_13; ESTC R201452	40,675	56

all cases this alone would admit of the harshest reproofe yet even in this case though I am well aware that such particular commands are now expired and that the written word is the only rule of righteousnesse an humble intreaty should be my severest reprehension it should be with the Prophet Jeremy Obey I beseech thee the voice of the Lord which I speake unto thee Ch 38. v. 20. and with St. Paul I know thee O King to be expert in all customes and questions wherefore I beseech thee to heare mee patiently Acts 26.3 nay should I dare to question him in principles and fundamentalls of Religion King Agrippa beleevest thou the Prophets I would quarrell downe my owne boldnesse and subjoyne St. Pauls checke upon my too forward insolence I know that thou beleevest ● 27 else if I set my tongue loose to speake evill of so high a diguity be my cause never so good and my affliction never so great the King does but persecute me and I the King And throughout all this my intention is very farre from defaming any of those Honourable Members of either House who are summoned by the Kings Writ and the Kings Authority to consult de arduis Reip Negotiis the Heathen himselfe will teach me better Divinity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tat. 9. lib. ult whose ever curiosity or prejudicatenesse shall cull out a Libell hence because he would be thought profound and such a one as can search and pierce deeper then common eyes if he will needs swim where he should but wade whilst hee does thus Male recitare without the expense of a new printed Disclaimer I doe already disavow the Adulterated sheets and lay them at his doore as being become the Reading author I dare boldly hope who ever shall suspect those great and high names of sinister designes upon the Kings honour and power for there is no place so high not the very Throne no person so upright not the very King but these wild dayes will calumniate of hollow jugling protestations to God and all the world that they did never really intend to contrive our Dread Soveraigne into the most flourishing Prince in Christendome that all their many many Declarations did but veile their owne politique ends under so glorious a maske of faith and sincerity acknowledging themselves no lesse then humble and loyall Subjects from that place of Judicature where they are as great as earth can make them I dare boldly hope the time is now hard at hand in which it will appeare all this was no maske but their very face no forgid comelinesse but a native unpainted glory and that Aaron and all the children of Israel shall see Moses and behold the skin of his face to shine also Exod 34.30 that their often attesting God and adjuring us by so great a Name Jerem. 42.5 so true and faithfull a witnesse so just and revengefull a Judge of Falshood in such an act especially and such an omission being circumstanced up to so high a nature by the Representative Nationall capacity of the joynt-persons whereby the Honour of God of which he is so jealous Exod. 34.14 that it is his very Name Esa 42 8.48.32 and which he will not impart to another would not barely suffer but be led captive and insulted upon as conquered and invassalled to a greater honour will be lookt backe upon as a Religious vow and Prophesie and their present immediate actions conspire into a devout performance and lively fulfilling of them which otherwise would be but a dead nay a killing letter let any foule mouth speake what infection it please Such Wise men cannot but consider that the interest of a whole Kingdome is involved in such Publique Vows and by the violation of them and the Majesty of God must lye at stake gasping for the dregs of Gods last judgements and such good men will not but prevent so universall a mischiefe so that I will not feare under the conduct of such Pilots a sudden Transmigration a new living 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that without crossing the Seas wee should all start up Russians and Aethiopians not that our glory will be extinguisht at home which shines so cleare abroad Doctrus p. 80. for the Italian or else his Favourable translator ingenuously preferring us to all the world does give us this generous marke of disparity from those because amongst them There is nothing worthy of observation more then the Tyrannous controuling of Lawes and the immediate prostitution of all sorts to the imperious will of the Prevailer and againe Anglia libera Gens pag. 94. As my businesse will be anon to incourage those who have lost their Fleece for their owne conscience sake to suffer Cheerfully not only so but that they would Frui Diis Iratis take possession of their losse and injoy their misfortunes not only so neither but that they would possesse their owne soules also in their patience without which a man is besides himselfe Luke 21.19 and not a man so it is now that they would not forestall the great Court by unwotthy feares but suspend a while and in imitation of the meeke Lambe of God Isa 53 7. Acts 8 32. v. 3. v. 10. not open their mouths before the shearers and see if like Jobs their flocks and herds will not be returned with interest the seven thousand in the first Chapter to foureteen thousand in the last for my owne part though I am much of their perswasion and pray still that I may be so who can like the resolved Emperour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and if I stray in judgement bee content to doe penance here to the utmost farthing that I may escape the eternall prison by an Involuntary unbargain'd deviation yet I freely confesse my selfe so complicately guiltfull that transgressions are so twisted round about me that I am ty'd and bound with the chaines of them that I have drawne iniquity with cords of vanity and have sinned as it were with a cart rope and againe Esa 5.18 with that rope have pluckt downe vengeance from heaven upon this Kingdome that I must confesse what evill soever some men may call it there is no malum paenae in the City but the Lord hath done it and if any shall aske me Amos 3.6 hath not my wickednesse cryed aloud for this scourge some charitable man may returne this answer in an humble astonisht sense And he was speechlesse I had rather strike my guilty breast then make a Pharisaicall Oration of innocence who have nothing else of good in me but the acknowledgement of my ill and the justice of God upon it and this may perhaps intitle me to some one quality of Seneca's Goodman Quicquid viro bono accidit Epist 76. aequo animo sustinobit sciet enim id accidisse lege divina qua universa procedunt In such a case of trialls the very Atheist like the Apostate Julian with

his Vicisti Galilaee leaves out himselfe and sets up a God Lucian 1 Tom Timon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which old repentant Eli upon Gods sentence against him hath indenizon'd into a Scripture-expression Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good and if we may apply another orthodox sense to the same words the practise both of the ancient Fathers and of the Moderne most learned devout Writers It is our Saviours almost literally It is I be not afraid From what I have hitherto said Mat. 14.27 as the severest eye cannot discerne a quarrell against my King to whom there is not only an obligation laid upon my words but my very thoughts are also tyed up Eccles. 10 20. so I hope no moderate indifferent man will arraign any piece of my language against his great Court I know I am bound there also for Thou shalt not revile the Gods i.e. as some read the Judges Exod. 22 28. I would faine perswade my selfe that at least that one ingredient of an intire Christian spreads it selfe throughout my spirituall composition to love the whole world I meane the persons for I was never baptized into that hatred and would bee loath which in another kinde of contraries is the divells tallest stratagem to stir up and inflame a contentfull pride out of humility it selfe to make my love of one though of him who is the very breath of our nostrills and whose safety is worth ten thousand of us protect Lament 4.20 2 Sam 18.3 and patronage my contempt of some others In the next place give me leave to speake a few words in the behalfe of my languishing mother the Church and you shall have them as from a true sonne of the Church in the spirit of meeknesse In which there are three points of moment which struggle for the Truth Power of Ordination Jurisdiction and Discipline The two former I conceive to be essentially in the Bishops as succeeding the Apostles for the latter I humbly conceive the forme already establisht by full act of Parliament to be the purest in Christendome All these I shall now much wrong as being removed from the advantage of bookes which led me away a willing captive to them my unconstrained opinions having not tasted the edge of any sword but that of the Spirit which hath subdued my very minde yet I shall venture upon the strength of that reason quae nec decipitur nec decipit unquam at least to wooe a Toleration of them I have some Scripture by me for the former though I wish I could readily recall those other texts also which have so irrefragably convinced my assent In the 6 of Acts and the 2. The twelve called the multitude of disciples unto them and said v. 3. Seeke ye out among you men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and wisedome whom we may appoint over this businesse which Dr. Gerhard applyes to the Ordination of Deacons and if to the appointing of them the care of the Apostles did descend much more to the appointing of Priests or Presbyters being a superiour Order it is the kinde of argument à fortiori with which our Saviour himselfe does incourage his Apostles against the feare of Persecution and death it selfe The very haires of your heads are all numbered Feare yee not therefore Mat 27.30 not them that can kill the body nor did the Apostles only do this but the injunction lay upon their successours the Bishops upon Timothy the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians Lay hands suddenly on no man upon Titus the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians 1 Ep. 5 c. 22. v. For this cause left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest ordaine Elders in every City The case is thus farre plaine that it hath been so 1 Ch. 5 v. it is plainer yet that it may be so by the Concession of the greatest Divine-Antagonists who having received their orders from such hands performe their Ministeriall function without any new qualification Now since their power is confest lawfull on all hands and necessary on some the designe certainly of inlarging the Kingdome of Christ and setting up his throne in the hearts of men might goe on more cheerfully whilst that way of receiving it is indulged to those thousands who can no otherwayes receive it It is as true as Scripture Except we eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud St John 6.35 we have no life in us That flesh and blood are imparted in the Eucharist that Eucharist by the Ministers of the Word that those whom the Bishops ordain can administer the Sacrament is granted by All that those who are otherwayes ordained cannot say also that they are not ordained is beleeved by many by very much the greater part of Christendome and what then shall become of those many soules who hunger and thirst to be thus made righteous who passionately cry out Lord evermore give us this bread v. 34. when they beleeve the Hand that reaches it out might to as good purpose hold forth a stone and when they call for this blood to drinke they shall only finde that the Well is deep and there is nothing to draw Certainly this is not such a common dyet John 4 6. 1 King 17.6 that with the Prophet Elijah wee should be beholden to the Ravens to bring us bread and flesh in the morning that bread which is flesh also I meane such of whom wee suspect they have nothing else of the Priest about them but the black they weare I cannot before I proceed but humbly desire the Reader to be as impartiall as my selfe and not to conceive any thing here to be dispatcht by an Incendiary but from a conscience which groans under these very pressures and poures it selfe out to heaven for a reliefe I would not like her who dreamt herselfe with childe of a Firebrand adde the least sparke to the combustion already made but only beg a plaister for the sores and scorchings which rankle and fester our soule in the best part of it our minde when thou hast beleeved my sincere purpose I may goe on to tell thee that if we looke upon all Christendome and all antiquity the universality of time and place will be out loud Advocates if I should tell a heathen who like King Agrippa was almost perswaded to be a Christian how much the Church of Rome agrees with us it should be no disadvantage to the Generall Cause and it should have moment too amongst our selves wherein we are at one unlesse with the Invocation of S●● we would also renounce the calling upon God because the Papists say Our Father especially which had its full operation upon that learned compacted friend of Truth and enemy of Romish errour that our acknowledgement must render unto God the things that are Gods Sir Edwin Sands in spec Eur. p. 77. considering that all