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
A79472	The beacon flameing with a non obstante: or A justification of the firing of the beacon, by way of animadversion upon the book entituled the beacon's quenched, subscribed by Col. Pride, &c.	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1652 (1652)	Wing C3809; Thomason E683_30; ESTC R206835	18,732	28

doctrines and will-worship And though God will keep his own yet there is a necessity in respect of the weal of a Christian State to keep the multitude to the true profession by whose suffrages Councels are form'd and by whose strength the Magistrate rules otherwise we shall quickly be govern'd by Antichristian popish and blasphemous Magistrates and then we have brought our Hogs to a faire market And though it were blasphemy to deny the power and efficacy of Christ in his Word and Ordinances to conquer the greatest of his adversaries yet it must be affirmed also from Scripture and experience that he overcomes and rules by the use of means and particularly by his blessing upon the Power and Strength of Men as his instruments and in office under him How otherwise did God give to Israel the Land of Canaan or to any Christian State deliverance from Romish Errours Superstition Idolatry and thraldome And how otherwise then by his two-edged sword did he pull down Prelacy in these Nations or will he pull down Antichrist will it not be by incensing the Kings of the earth against that Whore and causing them to hate her and burn her with fire By your Doctrine you should have let the Cavaliers alone who fought for their opinions and way of worship as well as any thing else Do you think Jesus Christ was not as able to meet them in the field and quell them without your help as ten thousand Popes and Devils your Doctrine is brave Doctrine to justifie our late war is it not If there be equall liberty of engaging Should we have no better champions then you to dispute with Papists and Blasphemers upon an equall liberty by your mincing their errours and crimes in your late plea for their more then toleration we have cause to beleeve that no more good will come of it then did of the great Disputation at Munster in John of Leydens reign which who will may reade in Sleydens History or the extracts of it in English Yet perhaps you would be accompted valiant champions against Popery because you do upon all occasions vent so much heat without reason against Presbytery for considering how the men of your temper use to call it Antichrist or Antichristianisme we cannot but think that is one of your Poperies that you mean when you pray page 7. line 30. That God would stir up able Writers against all sorts of Poperies which upon the title of your book having painted with the pictures of tyranny and cruelty you affirm to be worse then all other wayes of Doctrine and Worship saying Then which nothing is worse But let us ask which of you did ever convict the Presbyterian Government aim'd at in England by the godly men therof to have any tyrannical or heretical principles in it It s easily affirm'd but when or by whom was it evidenc'd out of the proceedings or writings of the Assembly of Divines or the Petitions or Books of any Presbytery of this Nation or company of men truly Presbyterian * And to make you so ashamed for all your bitterness against the Presbyterians as never to shew your faces more untill you have done penance at least in a printed sheet of retractation we do here for the glory of God and comfort of the Church challenge any of you to shew and declare any one fundamentall errour either in Doctrine or Worship that hath been held forth or owned by any Presbyterie or companie of Presbyterians in any part of this Nation or so much as by anie eminent single Presbyterian This Crown hath God set upon the head of that Partie To him be praise for ever in the Churches Amen Yea can it without amazement be remembred that one of their Lords should proclaim that blasphemous crack Stupor mundi clerus Britannicus The amazement of the world is the Clergie of Brittain We believe it to be true and no crack or blasphemie so beneficent hath that LORD been to this Island who ascended up on high to give gifts unto men as that great hath been the numbers of his Ministers Embassadours i. e. Pastors and Teachers and to his praise we may speak it we think through his blessing upon their labours there are not more glorified Saints in heaven called thither since Christs Ascension out of any so little spot of ground in the whole world as out of great Britain and no question the great number of our Ministers so learned pious and successful maugre all the malice of men and devils cannot but be the amazement of the world The good people of the world admire it and praise God for it and those that be enemies are amazed and envie them and the Island for it And yet our Beacons must be fired and the Alarm given to the Magistrates Sword Arm Arm c. for not a man dare stir of our British Clergie to receive the charge of some few often conquered religious Adversaries The visible signs of the enemies approach gives an Alarm to a few that saw their motion those few give warning by setting a Beacon on fire now no man can be blamed for not putting on his Armour before danger appears Our Beacon was intended to give warning not only to the Magistrate but to the Minister also yea to all the Lords people of this Land for your parts you 'l take none but quarrel with us a shrewd sign that you will either be taken prisoners by the enemie or are resolved to revolt to them But for our Ministers they have given such good proof of their skill and zeal in receiving and repelling the charges of the Romish adversaries in time past that we doubt not of them for the future but Ill will never speaks well and the truth is so much hath been said in Print and Pulpit already as thereby it is put out of all doubt That the Romish Religion in those things we complain of and to the practice whereof the Papists labour so much to seduce men is a false Religion made up of Idolatrie Superstition Will-worship and maintained and propagated by hellish crueltie and that the practice or promotion thereof is an abomination to the LORD So that the Ministers have upon the point done their work the Magistrates only remains The like may be said of those opinions we call Blasphemy as to the undoubted and unspeakable wickedness and publishing of them We humbly conceive not presuming to propose that your the States former care of the Printers name and readinesse to produce the Authors or bringers of their Copies together with some convenient Regulations cannot justly by any just man be complain'd against This Model for Regulating the Presse supposes every Bookseller and Printer a competent and able Judge of whatsoever matter is printed which He is not or else suffers him to fall into the pit before he shall be bid Stand It also permits any Popish Blasphemous Treasonable Book to be 1. Printed 2. Sold 3. Read 4. Complained of 5. Debated

THE Beacon Flameing WITH A NON OBSTANTE OR A JUSTIFICATION OF The Firing of the BEACON By way of ANIMADVERSION Upon the BOOK entituled The BEACON'S Quenched Subscribed by Col. Pride c. LONDON Printed by Abraham Miller and Published by the SUBSCRIBERS of the Beacon set on fire 1652. To the READER IT is said Revel. 18. one of Babylons names is MYSTERY It hath been an ordinary custom with Antichrist when he hath been unable to do his work in his own appearance to put on a Disguise To that end the Romish Emissaries have several times come into the Reformed Churches under pretence of being converted some of them acting the parts of Arminians as in the Low-Countreyes to the almost ruine both of that Church and State Some of other Sects according to their instructions and as their Design required that they might widen the Breaches and foment the diseases of Protestant Churches like Sanballat and his Complices they pretend to joyn in the Building that they may more effectually hinder it Nor hath this Design been wanting among us as is too too evident from their foot-steps They have brought things to this passe that Antichrist is exalted by railing upon him while the name is spoken against but the thing hugg'd divers Popish Opinions being already embraced by those that would be called Protestants As a skilfull Gamester is willing to lose a Pawn at Chesse that he may take a Queen And in this Design we believe many move out of the simplicity of their hearts Like a Bird that hasteth to the snare and knows not that it is for his life In which rank we place some of those with whom we have to do It is not long since a Book was made A Beacon fired to give notice to the State of divers Popish and Blasphemous Books printed and published in England It was hoped and expected that the work would not displease any sober Protestant but rather that it would awaken all out of that strange Security and Lethargy wherein they were But behold there appeared some yea of those that have given up their Name to the Protestant Cause that rendered us evil for good and writ a bitter Answer and took upon them to plead the Cause of the vilest of men expresly desiring an Universal Toleration and as it were making a Proclamation Ho all ye Jesuites Blasphemers come into England preach write what you will we fear you not There are some men it seems that hate Presbytery worse then Popery Thus what was thought to be a slander is now verified That strong endeavours are used to tolerate Popery Blasphemy c. and what not It was strange to us that after the Parliament had appointed a Fast to direct them in the Suppression of Errours any of their servants should plead for a General Toleration When we first saw the Book we stood amazed But after serious consideration we beheld and adored the wisdom of God that hath brought secret things to light and hath discovered the Design before it was fully effected we hope in mercy that our Parliament may have the honour to prevent it and that all the people of the Land may be the more wary It was also another piece of Divine Providence that so wretched a Cause should be managed with as much weaknesse as could be desired We thought it our Duty that such a Text should not want a Commentary and such a Design of Darknesse a Light that all men may see the Mystery and loath it and Arm against it This is the great aim of our Answer God who knows our Hearts can witnesse and that this may be effected is the Prayer of Luke Fawne Samuel Gellibrand Thomas Underhill John Rothwell Joshua Kirton Nathan Webb THE BEACON FLAMING WITH A Non Obstante THe Humble Information of divers Officers of the Army and other well-affected Persons to the Parliament and Commonwealth of England The Authors of this Book could not be the Officers of the Army in charity it may be thought because they have professedly to all the world fought for the Maintenance of the true Protestant Religion in opposition to Popery as the Declarations of Parliament and Commissions of Officers do most clearly evince Nor can they be well-affected persons to Religion for they plead for Baal Or to the State for they idolize it by preferring the Parliament really or feignedly above God making it farre more vile to publish Books against the State and the Lord General than against the jealous Lord of Hosts provoked thereby to destroy the Parliament and Army as he did Herod when the people magnified him as God Cncerning the Machiavilian Design of the Presbyterians now carrying on by the Stationers of London We shall try how you will make this good and whose side Machiavil is on we hope before we have done He that shall reade Mr Calamy and his party in their late writings cannot but reade your glorious Titles to be Speckled vipers murtherers c. and pag. 14. more particularly M. Calamy in his late Epistle before M. Love's Seventeen Sermons hangs out a flag of Defiance to the State c. Why stumble you at the Threshold a bad beginning presages no good end You were very unfortunate in soaring so high at first as to strike at the precious Name Person and Ministery Liberty if not life of M. Calamy That Epistle prefix'd unto M. Love's Seventeen Sermons where you say such bad language is used is not M. Calamies it 's not his style hath not his name himself hath disclaim'd both the Imprimatur and Epistle to that Book before the Committee of Plundred Ministers and to a sub-Committee of that the Bookbinder that printed the said book did affirm that M. Calamy had no hand in either the Licensing or Epistle thereof which that it may be fully believed by all that shall reade these lines we will subjoyn his own confession as he gave it in writing unto the Sub-committee The Humble Acknowledgement of George Eversden Stationer Sheweth That whereas I placed the Imprimatur of M. Edmund Calamy before the Seventeen Sermons of M. Love which should have been only before M. Mantons Sermon preached at M. Loves Funeral and whereas I put the Letters E. C. at the later end of the Epistle of the said Book wherein I gave occasion to the Reader to believe that it was written by M. Edmund Calamy and finde it accordingly charged upon him in a late Book called The Beacon quenched I do hereby acknowledge that herein I have greatly wronged M. Calamy that he was not the Author of the Epistle that I added his Imprimatur to the whole and subscribed the Letters E. C. to the Epistle not out of any malice to him but meerly and only to make the Book sell the better and therefore humbly desire this Honourable Committee to pardon this great offence George Eversden By this it appears how farre you have abused the Parliament and wronged that Reverend Minister of the Gospel

of the Beacon have so informed c. Therefore they are enemies to the State We grant the Minor that we have so informed the Parliament but denie your Major which if you make not good and at the same time prove a Hare to be an Owl your Conclusion fals to the ground and you may as truly say men are enemies because they are friends we pray you to consider what rare stuff flows from your pretended Argument supposing it strong viz. You make the Parliament Poperie and Blasphemie to be at such an agreement that for any to seek the Suppression of one of them makes them enemies to the other and whether the Pope or the Parliament be most beholding unto you for such Doctrine we leave you to them to determine But if the Parliament and Armie should though but by silence appear to be of your minde which God forbid and we beleeve not and cause all the Organs and Bels in Rome and all the Romish Churches to make Melodie yet we for our parts and many thousands more would pray God to give them Repentance for frustrating the expectations of those who in the simplicity of their hearts adventured their Liberties Estates Lives All with and under them for nothing so much as to have the true Reformed Religion then in great danger setled in Puritie and fenced against Popish and blasphemous Pollutions For they are true Salamanders in a State and delight in nothing more then in Persecution of tender Consciences by Fire and Sword It is worth observing how much these men stretch the notion of a tender conscience that it may be applied to Idolaters and Blasphemers It is strange that God should appoint that any tender consciences should be put to death Why are you so bitter Did we ask any more then Suppression of Poperie Blasphemie and the maintaining the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints And do you think the Parliament hath not wisdom enough to do these without Fire and Sword i. e. burning heading hanging unlesse men be obstinately bent to be hang'd They are Boutefeux in a Superlative Degree whose chief content consists in making Combustions in all well-govern'd Common-wealths It is no new think for virulent and malicious men to raise scandals and cast aspersions upon guiltless persons And if it were enough to accuse who should be innocent Here is a bold accusation as full of rage and passion as void of sense and reason The authours of it do not so much as offer any evidence or argument to prove it you must take it upon their bare words It is below them to prove any thing and therefore we hold it not worth an Answer Only thus much we shall say If there were no worse Boutefenx then we If all men Souldiers and others were as peaceably minded as we and as resolved to keep within their bounds and stations there would not be such cause of great fear as is all the Land over of destructive Mutations and Alterations in this Commonwealth And that the world may the better know these Subscribers take their Names and places of Abode as followeth The Lord deliver us from wicked and unreasonable men for all men have not faith and keep up our hearts in Gods fear only from fearing man whose breath is in his nostrils and so a Rush for your threats These were the Subscribers of the Pamphlet but the Contrivers and Councellors of it we shall in due time and upon just occasion discover We can help you in this Discoverie better then any others and assure you that the Subscribers were the only men that contrived it but what if others had was that any crime to contrive by way of Information and Petition how the truths and worship of God may be continued and the spreading of Poperie and Blasphemie stopt If you judge this to be criminal then God be thanked you have not the Helm of the State in one hand and the Sword of Supremacie in the other and if ever you should we must change our Thanksgiving into a Praier and say Good Lord be merciful unto us and deliver us from such as you Amen Their Preamble is embelished with much seeming Zeal for Exaltation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which were truly commendable if it came from pure hearts but we have too great an Assurance that Self-interest is their Aim and Hypocrisie their Zeal Oh the hellish nature of pride that would not onely get into the Chair of State but usurp the Throne of God and pretend to know assuredly the secrets of the heart The Lord judge between us and you who proclaim us to be Hypocrites and Aimers at our own carnal Interest not his Glorie in our late Discoverie of Popish and blasphemous Books written and published by the enemies of the Reformed Churches though you prove us not transgressors in any thing They insinuate Proposals for effecting their Desires and so would fain scrue themselves into some Office or Monopoly for Licensing Printing and selling Books It s no Monopolie to have power from the State as their Instruments to execute their Laws yet we desired no such imploiment It s more sutable to the Governors and Officers of our Companie nor were we so foolish or presumptuous as to desire or ask the licensing of Books it s a trust too great for such as we or you either Is it not strange that a Physician cannot use means that none may sell corrupt Physick but he must be judg'd one that would monopolize all Medicine into his own hands But to turn what you say into plainer English though you world seem to speak only of us yet you plainly insinuate that the Parliament cannot ought not by giving power to any suppresse Popish and blasphemous Books nor authorize Licensers though never so godly and sound in the faith But for these things we leave them to the Parliament let that Power plead its own right Their Preamble is embelished with much seeming Zeal for the Exaltation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which were truly commendable if it came from pure hearts Let the Reader take notice that this Passage adjudges the Beacon fired to be truly commendable their onely exception is that it comes not from pure hearts which we leave to him to determine whose Prerogative alone it is The Pamphlet sayes the Parliament well knowing that the common People of this Nation will be of one Religion or other and if by publick Authority they be not kept to the Reformed they will be easily drawn to the Popish Hear they speak plain English and would have a coercive Power in matters of Religion a Presbyterian Classis would do well but let it have some new name that may excommunicate injoyn penance c. What would this be lesse than a Spanish Inquisition Let the Reader judge how true this is by considering our own words by your selves repeated And if by publick Authority they be not kept to the Reformed Religion Here is a coercive