Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	time_n	3,239	5	3.7702	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28185	A Birchen rod for Dr. Birch, or, Some animadversions upon his sermon preached before the Honourable the House of Commons, at St. Margaret's Westminster, January 30, 1694 in a letter to Sir T.D. and Mr. H.		1694 (1694)	Wing B2941; ESTC R11041	19,052	32

perverse Fellow from amongst the Herd should reply upon the Doctor and find him other Causes for his List of Judgments and these more probable by far than any of his own confused Heap as thus That we so long heard the Cries of the Oppressed and none to comfort them because the Clergy did preach in Defence of the Prince's Oppression and the People did not rescue the Oppressed out of their Hands and therefore God made our Sin our Judgment That we beheld Servants on Horses and Princes walking as Servants on the Earth because God would punish the Pride of our Princes who had exalted their Hearts above the Hearts of their Brethren by the meanness of those whom they had oppressed and despised That God raised up a Foreign Enemy to make War upon our Coasts because of our going on to do wickedly and therefore God would punish both us and our King by the Hand of those to whom he had been ungrateful for the Kindness which they shewed him in his low Condition That he sent the Plague into our Streets for our Ingratitude to himself in turning his Grace into Wantonness and running into all manner of Abominations after our King's Restoration and because we did not look into the Plagues of our Hearts God resolved to punish us with a Plague in our Bodies That a devouring Fire should be sent to lay waste our Metropolis where we had burn'd the Oath of God which was so solemnly taken by the Representatives of the Nation and to purge the City from those Sodomitish Impurities with which the Prince had polluted it the first Night of his Arrival and was but too much imitated by the Citizens themselves That Distresses and Perplexities are still upon the Nation and that we are left open to a bitter and hasty Enemy have disputed Titles and endless Wars entailed upon us for the reigning Impieties of the present Generation and because the Doctor 's Church will still hold their Brethren in Bondage expose the most solemn Ordinances of the Gospel to the greatest of Contempt have poisoned the Nation with dangerous Principles deprive the King of the Service of the best of his Subjects prevent or stifle the Discoveries of Plots because so many of her own dear Sons are concern'd in them and invite the French to restore the late King Now I say If any stubborn Fanatick should reason thus who shall judg betwixt him and the Doctor for both of them to be sure will think their own Cause best and let the Doctor clamour till his Tongue drop out against that sort of Men they will still tell him That the bad Example of his Non-jurant Bishops the disaffected Practices of many of the swearing Clergy and the most zealous Disciples of Passive Obedience are the principal secondary Causes of our present Incumbrances and that if by the Interest of his Church Charles the Second was supported in swallowing up the Peoples Liberties and James the Second brought to the Crown over their Bellies all the Miseries which we have left do now feel or are like to suffer in time to come by the Tyranny of the Late Reigns the Wars Taxes and disputed Titles in this are justly chargeable on the Doctor 's Church and therefore it 's pity seeing they have been the chief Causers of the War but their Purses should principally bear the Weight on 't It would be a good way to prevent their medling with Affairs of State in time to come though all that they are worth can never compensate the Damages which they have done the Nation And thus I leave it to the Doctor 's Consideration against the next Thirtieth of January to tell us whether or not the Repentance of his Church for these Faults and many others which might be enumerated be not as likely a way to make God shine upon our Counsels and go forth with our Armies as the Nation 's repenting for the Murder of K. Charles the First for if we must explain the Mind of God by his Providence as the Doctor would seem to do the Repentance of this Crime seems to be demanded of his Church as the Principal Accessaries though not the Actors because the Miscarriages of our Counsels and Armies have hitherto happen'd in the hands of those of his Church and some will take upon them to prophesy that it 's never like to be otherwise so long as they alone must be intrusted with the Management For what reason have they to expect the Blessing of God who have all along persecuted their Brethren for things indifferent prophane the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper by applying it to the most sordid Uses admit the Clean and Unclean to his Table without any distinction make no Conscience of putting their Discipline in Execution against those of their own Society but hug the greatest Debauchees as their truest Sons Or how they can acquit themselves of their breach of Oath to the late King contrary to their Principles of Passive Obedience which they do so much labour again to revive and how they can be faithful to His Present Majesty who came to the Crown by such Methods as they do all along condemn I cannot conceive And therefore it were Wisdom in the Doctor to consider whether those of his own Party be guiltless before he throw the Stone at others for if he will needs take the liberty to speak what he pleases he must be content to hear what pleases him not Reader these Animadversions have been writ in so much haste that I cannot tell whether they be Sense or Nonsense I beg thy favourable Construction on my honest Endeavours which are truly aim'd at England's Welfare FINIS