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	king_n	prince_n	1,915	5	5.6349	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48723	The churches peace asserted upon a civil account as it was (great part of it) deliver'd in a sermon before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor in Guild-Hall-Chappel July 4 / by Ad. Littleton, presbyter.	Littleton, Adam, 1627-1694.	1669 (1669)	Wing L2560; ESTC R37938	36,810	50

been inlightned since and changed their mind they must know too that that power which gives men in publick place leave to act may upon publick inconvenience suspend their acting and if then they do act 't is an unjustifiable disobedience Nor is it with them as it was with Saint Paul Wo be unto me if I preach not the Gospel he had another kind of Call but for these there 's a Wo belongs to them if they do 'T is otherwise too now the Church is setled under Christian Magistrates and govern'd by Christian Laws then at that time when it was to be planted under the Government of Heathen Emperours The Church now with all her subordinations and dependencies in all her jurisdictions and powers owns the King her Supreme She challenges nothing to her self but what the favour of her Prince and the Laws of the land have allow'd her Thus Bishops as to the execution of their Office are sent by the King as Supreme and act in their Courts by the Kings power as Civil Courts do the King deputing arch-Arch-Bishops and Bishops to be Judges under him in causes Spiritual and in his name to govern the Ecclesiastical State as he makes Lord Keepers Chief Iustices and other Iudges of the Land For had the Church any power in it self in Civil affairs besides what the Laws give her I dare say there 's ne're a Bishop in England but would speedily redress those scandals and grievances possibly brought into their Courts by Lay-Officers which people so much clamour against But now what can they do they are ty'd up by Law All of us that are of the Clergy own the Civil Power pay the same obedience to the Laws as any of you do and in First-fruits Tenths and Subsidies make as chargable acknowledgments as any of the populacy I know 't is said though what need of such a pompous costly Religion of a Church with so great an allowance of means This ample Revenue exhausts and weakens the State smaller stipends would serve turn very well But can any one with any shew of ingenuity fairly reason against the encouragements of Learning and the rewards of desert Let it be consider'd that several of this Order had they gone another way might with submission I speak it have sate in your Seats and been clad with your Purple After all our pains and time and strength and charges too spent in studies do not think that what the Law allows us we have by doing nothing for it These things are propos'd publickly as the Acquists of Industry and may be got and injoy'd as legally as any of your Estates And is it not fit do you think a National Church wherein the honour and reputation of Religion is to be kept up should be secur'd from poverty and that contempt which always accompanies meanness It were to be wish'd that as Kings are to be the Nursing Fathers of the Church so Princes and the Sons of Nobles would fit themselves for her dignities that they might bear up the honour of Religion with their personal attendence It has been so heretofore when the two great Offices were united in the same person Melchisedek King of Salem and Priest of the living God and they were kept pretty near in the persons of Moses and Aaron brethren and the Priest elder brother to the Prince And hence the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kohen whence we have King signifies indifferently Prince and Priest whereupon the Apostle Rom. 13. calls the King in Ecclesiastical terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods Minister say we for both 't is Gods Liturgie-maker and Gods Deacon to shew too that a Christian Magistrate as such has power to order religious affairs in the Service of God This I say has been and 't were well if it could be so with us however must the Church alone be held up by a precarious dependence Is it not this that makes Religion a Prostitute to the humors of the people when men of mean spirits and parts shall out of fear comply for a paltry livelihood to preach things that may please and others of ambitious minds and voluble tongues to serve an interest shall lead the people to their own hurt But some will say what would you have men do that are not otherwise considered since there is that unequal distribution of Church-favours that some go away with all and others get little or nothing Judge in your own case whether this be a reasonable ground of quarrel Shall the inequality of Estates amongst you make the meaner Citizens quarrel the Government of the City because they have not all the wealth of Aldermen Shall I or any of my brethren and companions because we have not that place and esteem in the Church as we out of the pride of our own hearts may think we deserve go in a sullen arrogance and set up for our selves in a distinct interest from the Church and flye in the face of our Mother and put undutiful affronts upon her for not being so kind as we would have her No. Gen. 49. 6. O my soul come not thou into such mens secret unto their private assemblies mine honour be not thou united Let them for me be divided in Iacob and scattered in Israel that in their anger and self-will practise such things To go on I know it has been seriously discoursed and p●inted too that the largeness of the Church-revenue in any Nation impoverishes the State sets the people behind-hand and puts them out of a thriving condition and no less then demonstration offered that if it were retrenched Trade would flourish Manufactures and growths receive wonderful improvements and the people generally grow rich apace But to Answer that Author those Common-wealths he speaks of and ours are not alike in the constitution and nature of the Government and God forbid they ever should But it may be ones wonder why our people cannot now with much more case make those improvements since the Church keeps little in her own hands and for the most part lets easie penny-worths nor can it be any reason that the Church drains the peoples money since if the Church had not what she has some body else would in the Churches right nor would the people be much the better How our Neighbour-States order their Church affairs I suppose ought to be no precedent of Policy to us though they to keep up a National Religion by which those they admit into publick trust are brought to test and for the securing publick peace amidst the differences of Religion maintain a standing Army Further why our dissenters should not upon their own bottoms be comprehended within the legal settlement of the Church they themselves give a very just occasion for the very best Party amongst them have such Principles of Policy and Government as are utterly inconsistent and incompatible not only with any other Form but with Monarchy it self as hath been clearly evidenced

we ought not in stark Charity to suppose but that they who profess the worst of Religions do in their conscience and according to their Principles take it to be the best in the world I hope there 's no one in this Assembly will make so uncharitable a reflection upon my Discourse as to imagine that has been the drift of it to countenance the bloody practices and cruel persecutions used either in the Popes Dominions or the Grand Signor's Territories Far be it from me to plead the cause either of the one or of the other Yet I do in my Conscience think that some of those the most violent Princes of either Religion that have been the most zealous Persecuters were in their Conscience perswaded that they were in the right You 'l say that 's fair for me to grant Our Saviour says the same they shall kill you and think they do God good service by so doing and yet I say Positively and I would have it taken notice of because it may concern some who may think themselves far enough from being in the same form with Turks and Papists I do Positively say that this their acting according to their Conscience will by no means excuse them For my proof I have both the great Apostles Rule and his Example too His Rule is set down Gal. 4. 18. It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing The case he brings it upon is not so clear I suppose upon the account of some false Teachers which endeavour'd to alienate them from that Doctrine which he had taught them and to withdraw them from the Church for their own advantage and this with a great shew of zeal in the fore-going verse They zealously affect you says he but not well yea they would exclude you or in another reading they would exclude us that you might affect them I wish our People would beware of such who with a great deal of zealous affection carry on their own designs But whatever the particular case was the Rule will hold in general 'T is good to be zealous if a man's cause be good and if the man be convinc'd his cause is so Otherwise Zeal without knowledge or in a wrong cause is a ridiculous and mischievous thing and is upon this score reckoned amongst the works of the flesh And thus is it with those Idolatrous People who the more zealous they are the more they have to answer I confess 't is a sad thing for any man to have an erring guide to follow I mean an erroneous Conscience For which way soever he take either with or against Conscience he is concluded to an unavoidable necessity of sinning and I must acknowledge too that 't is safest to sin on Conscience side and yet the mistake of Conscience will not be a sufficient plea for unjustifiable actions And thus it was with Paul who in the time of his Pharisaism was a zealous Persecutor and thought he did well but after his Conversion for that very thing condemns himself as the worst of sinners and yet was no less zealous for the Religion he turn'd to Now does his Zeal whilst he was a Pharisee which was his great sin make his Christian Zeal e're a whit the less commendable No sure No more does Nero's or Dioclesian's Persecutions of the Saints blemish any Christian Magistrates severity in defending the Faith against Hereticks or the Order of the Church against Alexander's killing of a Friend in his drink could be no Argument against his putting a Traytor to death by sober advice nor could the execution of a Traytor excuse the murder of a Friend To retort it upon the Objectors if they are so zealously affected that rather then their conceits shall not carry they will venture the pulling down Church and State about their ears let any one judge is not the Magistrate whom God hath intrusted with the care of his Church obliged to be as Zealous for the preservation of Church and State in the vigorous defence of Truth and Peace To make a familiar instance an honest man in possession shews a just courage in maintaining his right and is commended for it whilst the injurious invader let his courage be what it will is apprehended and deservedly punish'd by Law unless he grow too strong for the Law and then that 's a sad case I have done with the Arguments wherein I could not but think it my duty as to plead the Churches Peace so to vindicate her against Objections which are usually made and now shall only desire that as you have hitherto attended me with an obliging patience so you will extend that patience a little farther whilst I make an earnest and affectionate Address to you in a short Application with which I shall close all Let me then press it upon you Right Honourable and Worshipful the Magistrates and Patriots of this great City and you worthy Citizens of what rank and degree soever which hear me this day and I could wish my voice could reach from one end of the City to the other that you will all of you put on Publick Spirits and lay to heart the concerns of your Brethren and Companions and every man in his place exsert his Authority and Interest contribute his Prayers and endeavours for the Prosperity of the English Church and the composure of our unnatural irreligious differences in Religion Your City is the Metropolis of the Nation the Royal Seat of the Government and the great Staple of Trade which spreads its universal influence into all parts of the Land and your Example gives law to all the rest of the people 'T is your Iustice which holds the ballance in all National dealings 't is your mode of Religon here that is follow'd every where yonr fashions of serving God that are taken up and retayl'd into the Countrey The union of this City would unite us all O do not be wanting to so Pious so Necessary so Charitable a Work If you have any regard to God's Honour amongst us if any care of Religion if any love to your Native Countrey and the Government you live under if any kindness to your own Persons and Families to your Wives and little ones to your Friends and Relations if you have any hopes left after all those heavy Iudgments that have gone over you of enjoying Peace and Liberty and Plenty in your new dwellings if all these dear concerns do as I know they needs must lye near your hearts act then in the name of God for his sake and your own in a full and vigorous sense of these things and study the Churches Peace which is to secure them all to you by your unanimous Agreement in God's Worship and Service Your publick Iustice and Regulation of Trade and Reformation of Abuses in Civil Affairs and the prudent and vigilant administration of the Government of the City are things make you worthily spoken of but if this be all if there be not a