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	love_n	truth_n	1,575	5	6.0356	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53677	The church of Rome, no safe guide, or, Reasons to prove that no rational man, who takes due care of his own eternal salvation, can give himself up unto the conduct of that church in matters of religion by John Owen ...	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1679 (1679)	Wing O727; ESTC R16357	32,804	52

even unto such as having lived in sinand ignorance are ready to receive condign punishment for their villanies deceiving them of those few minutes which might be improved in seeking after Evangelical Faith and Repentance But this is the least use they make of it There are in the world among those that are called Protestants Mighty men Nobles men of Dignity and Revenue who live in their sins and are resolved so to do Yet are they not able by any means to secure their consciences from troublesome fears of eternal miseries that will ensue on the course wherein they are By all crafty waies of access and compliance the Factors of this Church do insinuate themselves or by others are introduced into the acquaintance of this sort of Persons And the first thing they offer unto them is absolute security of eternal salvation if they will but relinquish Heresie wherein it is impossible they should ever be saved and betake themselves unto the conduct of the Church of Rome of the change of their lives the Relinquishment of their sins of Repentance from dead works of the Life of God and universal Obedience therein there are no words between them Many of these persons who are resolved beforehand rather to part with all the Religion in the world than with one of their lusts and sins do readily embrace the composition offered For really that which is tendred unto them is a consistency between living in sin and assured going unto Heaven which before they knew not that they could be reconciled For however they shall live for the future suppose in the sins of adultery fornication prophane swearing luxury drunkenness or the like the Church will take care that by Confessions Masses and Purgatory they shall be undoubtedly saved At this door have entred great numbers of unclean beasts unto the encrease of the Herd who often prove the most forward Zealots for the Catholick Cause 3. Secular Interests and advantages accommodated unto all sorts of Persons are another means of their prevalency There are no sorts of Persons from the highest to the lowest that come within their walk and compass or unto whom they can have access with the least probability of success unto whom they have not in a readiness to propose some secular advantages suited unto their State Condition Inclinations and Abilities Great men shall have favour and correspondencies with Potentates abroad besides a principal interest in that alteration in national affairs which they doubt not but they shall introduce Schollers shall be used and preferred at least when they have any eminency in abilities they shall not want steem and advancement Mechanicks shall be employed and the poorest one way or other provided for And for all sorts of discontented Persons who may be of any use unto their Interest they have the refuge of their Monasteries for their entertainment And is it any wonder if in this degenerate age wherein the most of men do openly and visibly declare a predominancy in their minds and affections of things carnal and temporal above those that are spiritual and eternal many be ensnared by these promises which either shall be made good unto them or at least are sufficient to keep them in expectation untill they are ingaged beyond recovery 4. M●ny it is to be feared fall under the dreadful account given of Gods Righteous dealings with those who obstinately 〈…〉 under the Profession of the Truth 2 Thess. 2. 10 11 12. Because they received not the Love of the Truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong Delusions that they should believe a lie that they all might bedamned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness This is that which we have more cause to fear with respect unto this Nation than all the Artifices of of the Roman Church Lastly How powerful and prevalent the last voice of this Church may prove I know not The Motto of some potentates on their great Guns is Vox Vltima Regum the last voice of Kings that of this Church is fire and fagot wherewith I pray and hope that they shall never more be heard to speak in England Allowing them these advantages I shall now prove that no wise or sober man who takes care of his own Salvation can give up himself to the conduct of the Church of Rome in his choice of Religion then when there are the most abounding contests about the Truth and the right way of its Profession which is supposed our present case In my first reason I shall proceed no farther but to render this pretended Guide suspected with all wise and sober men For it will be granted I suppose that we ought throughly to consider who or what that Guide is whereunto we do absolutely resign the disposal of all our spiritual concernments without power of Revocation If any men were to make such an absolute Trust of their Lives Estates aud Liberties into the hand of another man or of other men putting them all absolutely out of their own Power certainly they would think it their Wisdom and Interest to consider aright how and what they are unto whom they do so fully and absolutely resign themselves and all that they have And if they have any just suspicion of their honesty or Faithfulness or that they seek themselves or their own advantage in taking this Trust upon them they will not easily be induced to resign up their all unto them Yea the more earnest they are to perswade them the more will they suspect that there is Knavery in the cause How much more carefull ought we to be in the chusing a Guide into whose power and disposal we must resign all the eternal concernments of our souls which all men do who absolutely give give up the conduct of themselves unto the Church of Rome in all matters of Religion For notwithstanding all their pleas of a sure and safe bank for the consciences of men there are great presumptions that they will break at last and leave them who have entrusted them unto eternal beggary I shall give but one Reason which renders this pretended Guide so justly suspected as that no wise man can commit himself thereunto in things of this importance And this is the prodigious worldly secular advantages which the Church of Rome hath made unto it self by this pretence of being the only Guide of all Christians in matters of Religion For this pretence is the sole foundation of the whole Papacy which when the sand of it is removed must fall to the ground And we may consider both what they have obtained by it and how they use their Acquisition For 1. By vertue of this pretence alone they have erected their Popedom obtained Principalities and Soveraignties possessed themselves of the principal Revenues of most Nations of Europe have heaped up huge Treasures of wealth wherewith they maintain innumerable Persons who have nothing to do but by all Arts to promote their Interest especially that