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	time_n	2,213	5	3.5907	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85121	A plain-dealing, and plain-meaning sermon, preach't in the parish church of St. Nicholas, Bristol, April. 6. 1660. Being the day appointed by the Parliament for publique fasting and humiliation for the sins of the nation, &c. Together with a prefatory epistle, and subsequent vindication both of the sermon, and author. Wherein (besides an apology for home and plain-preaching) you have something offered to allay the heat of thier stomacks, and to temper the tongues of those, who (being ignorant in scripture) reproach and revile Presbytery and Presbyters. With some hints at Satans subtlety, and the mischief of those people, who brand zeal for God and truth (in free, home, and faithfull preaching) with the reproachful names of anger, passion, and railing.	Farmer, Ralph.	1660 (1660)	Wing F443; Thomason E1025_5; ESTC R208684	39,155	50

times and were able make observation know it If you don 't others do And are not these grounds of unsettlement And upon a special solemn Fast such a one as this especially wherein we sought to God for establishment and settlement would it not be proper that these things and such the like might and should have been remembred and mentioned the more to consternate our spirits and promote our humiliation But you see I did not I lightly past it over in Generals Oh! But you said since those three eminent persons professors of those three most noble Professions Divinity Law and Physicke suffered upon the Pillory like Rogues and Cutpurses in such an opprobrious and disgraceful manner That the K. and his party never prospered did I say so and did I not say true Did not their Cause go every day backward I say their Cause the King and Bishops for they I meant I put them both together There is a saying In nomine Domini incipit omne malum And every man that was acquainted with the Transactions of those Times cannot but acknowledge that that was the source of all our miseries So dangerous a thing is it for Clergy-men to leave their Calling and turn Courtiers Men whose riches lie in their heads will be alwayes tampering 'T is good therefore they be kept to their proper businesse For say was it not a pretence of conformity and uniformity in Religion that began all our quarrell Not that I think an Vniformity an evil what ever others say but rather a good and by all good wayes to be endeavoured and I suppose till then we shall not be well setled And sure the quarrell began there I could wish the settlement began there For upon true judgement I speak it though it be a shame and a matter of sadnesse Most of the troubles and combustions in Civil States have been either begun or fomented by men of our profession I mean of the Clergy and was it not so with us Our first War intended was it not against the Scots and wherefore was it who began it Was it not called generally Bellum Episcopale the Bishops War I put the King and Bishops together with respect to this The Bishop could not begin a War I mean arm the people without a King And the Bishop having so great a power and influence upon the King prevail'd with him to raise Armes against them the Scots And the immediate Prodromus and forerunner of this War was it not the most horrid and reproachful standing of these eminent persons upon the Pillory I do professe the persons and every thing considered it was the saddest sight next to the Kings beheading that ever especially for many generations was seen in England I saw not the latter but I did the former And I well remember Mr. Burtons words when upon the Pillory Marke it says he little do we know what this dry tree pointing to the Pillory may bring forth And speedily after the next news from Scotland was If the Englishman loose his lugg the Scot would lose his cragg meaning against the rage and tyranny of the Bishop For having dealt thus barbarously with these three so eminent persons he then thought the terrour thereof would have daunted and cowed the Scottish Nation when as this did but heighten their indignation and raise greater opposition against him Yea but were not the Scots too blame in this matter It may be so but I know it not for I am not acquainted with the Laws Rights and Constitutions of their Kingdom and therfore I say no more to it But I ask this question Was their not entertaining Episcopal Government and the Service-book a sufficient ground to embroil two Nations two Christian Nations in War to shed the blood one of another And if for conformities sake with England Scotland must have a Service-Book why could not our own English Service-Book serve the turn but there must be divers alterations more conform to Romes language then in our own Liturgie of which Mr. Prins Book to that purpose can give you information But the Scots abhorrid it as Swines flesh and it would not down with them And no doubt could they have been beaten into it to have dined on it we should have been forced to have supt on it with them But hereupon on goes the War against them And how well this Holy War was like to succeed you may guess by the beginning for even those rude and ignorant Souldiers who were led against the Scots to kill them into conformity in our own Countrey as they past along towards Scotland in despight of their Commanders broke into divers Churches pull'd down and burnt the rails about the Communion Table and tore the Surplices and the Common-Prayer Books These things were notorious not done in a corner It would be too much beyond my de sign to mention all that followed Plain it was nothing prospered after And is this now such a hainous offence to say so Or was it not rather a matter to be acknowledged as a sin to be confest and for which deeply to be humbled and to repent of I might have mentioned the cruel usage of Dr. Layfield who at the instigation of the Bishop after a long imprisonment in the Fleet was whipt from thence to Westminister where raw as he was he stood upon the Pillory his nostrils slit and burnt in the cheeks or forehead But did I charge this evil or any other upon the King as the cause either of his or our suffering Nay did I not disclaim that bold presumption in the words even immediately foregoing saying Whether's sins were greater ours or our Princes God the Judge best knows For what am I that I should step into his chair This I concluded on and I think none can deny it If our sins had not been universal the judgement would not have been so general And I do profess I dare not judge the Kings sins to be greater then the peoples because he drank deeper in the judgement But if I had charged the sin of the King upon himself or his Father why should these men pretend to be so angry it would not have been to reproach him or triumph over him but to have been humbled with him and for him as well as for our selves for our pardon reformation and amendment So that I hope this is not to speak against the King or his coming in And I suppose they will not shew themselves my Reproachers I mean so ignorant or sottish as to say That I spake against the King or his coming in by telling them that their Wickedness might be a means to destroy both him and them For which I quoted that place 1 Sam. 12.19 and so on Much less did I speak against the King in advising them to be more careful to bring King Jesus into their hearts then King Charls to the Throne and telling them That they may be undone with him yea and by him both temporally and

then that those who professe it and live peaceably may be protected by him from outward violence No let the beauty excellency benefit and necessity of the communion of the Church with the priviledges thereof be clearly layd open to the people Let the hazard danger and mischief of just excommunication be declared and urged upon them And let all Christians with draw all countenance and unnecessary lessowship and society from them according to the Scriptures And if the sense shame and grief thereof with other such considerations set on by the spirit of God will not humble them Let them alone till the Lord cometh But then I would not have those who are by just excommunication cast out of one Church or Congregation received in into another for this were the way to make Conventicles of Hereticks Schismaticks blasphemers and all manner of prophane and ungodly ones And in this I conceive the Civill Magistrate is much concern'd especially being a Christian For 't is found too true by sad experience that factions in the Church beget fractions in the State And therefore my soul longs for such a happy day wherein by the favourable aspect of Christian Magistrates all wayes of faction separation and division may be fore-cluded And if men be otherwise minded let them sit still and be quiet Or if they will be doing it were good if they would go and gather Churches among the heathen and not intrude themselves into other mens labours This which I have now declared was and is onely to allay the heat of those mens stomacks who being altogether ignorant of what the Scripture hath and saith in the behalf of Presbyters and Presbyterians do so slight and vilifie them as to make the name and thing a reproach unto them You may as well call a man prick-eard Christian as prick-ear'd Presbyterian And I have done this to give you timely warning and to prevent your prophanesse If you will not leave it know however you scorn them the Scripture honours them and take heed of kicking against the pricks Your prophanesse is that I complain of and if you will go on Dominus venit And now I have one thing more to speak to and then manum de tabula and it is to fore-warn or rather after-warn you for it hath been too long practised of another evill and that is reproaching zealous home and plain down-right preaching with the odious names of passion anger and railing And let me tell you this is no other then Sathans subtlety to render our preaching unto you unprofitable and ineffectual We confess we are men subject to passion yea and sinfull passion as others are Iam. 5.17 Instances might be given from Scripture of the Lords most precious Saints and servants in this sad particular But what then Is plain and home and down-right preaching passion and railing Take heed of that Nay is it not lawful sometimes to be angry and in passion Eph. 4.26 Be angry and sin not A man may be angry and not sin Nay 't is a sin not to be angry sometimes Is not the Lord himselfe said sometimes to be angry And can he sin It 's true St. Paul would not have a Bishop or Presbyter soon angry Tit. 1.7 not suddenly lightly hastily But doth that infer he should not be angry at all Nay rather doth it not infer the contrary He may he must be sometimes angry Would you be drunke and swear and curse and prophane Gods Sabboths and hate and scorn strict profession of Religion and openly declare your enmity and shall not must not we be angry Must we not reprove you sharply cuttingly So the word properly signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I 'le tell you sirs That which you call anger and passion and railing is in Scripture call'd zeale Tit. 1.13 I could be large in this particular but there is so much in this kind done to my hand already by a worthy and reverend brother and that in print in a little book called Elias Abatement or Corruption in the Saints Being a Sermon preached by Mr. Thomas Case at the Funerals of a godly Minister one Mr. Gualter Roswel I say this being so excellently and fully done to my hand I shall forbear the further prosecution from my own thoughts Onely because every one hath not that Book and some may meet with this who possibly may never meet with that And for that prejudice against Ministers upon this account is so great a mischief to them especially to their people being as I said a device of Sathan to hinder the entertainment of their Doctrine I shall take so much pains as to lay before you some of that which that Reverend Author hath to this purpose and which he did in vindication of that deceased brother who it seems was changed to be a man passionate and cholerick In the first place he confesses he was a man in whom the black adust humour of choler had predominance in his natural constitution and who can help that And he sayes that many times gave a tincture to his discourse and actions which standers by more censorious then candid interpreted to his unjust prejudice Then he gives him a high commendation for his eminent gifts parts and abilities comparing him in his measure to Elias and John the Baptist in many things Amongst others he says his Ministery was a thundring Ministery and I would to God sayes he we had more of them there is need of them And because t is so good and pertinent take more Thunder says he purgeth the air And if so we have need of more such sons of Thunder amongst us and not such as will sing Placentia unto people Sow pillows under their elbows and sing men to Hell with sweet Lullabies of peace peace when there is no peace Our air is pestilentiously infectious in the sense of our spirituall Physitians and our Climate is mortally infected with the pests of heresies and blasphemies and with the putrid stench of all manner of poysonous lusts which is the fatall source of all our plagues both in Church and State and this our precious brother saith he was deeply sensible of And hence it was that his spirit was warmed within him to a more then ordinary degree of zeal in his Ministery And he says his courage was rival with his zeal he feared not the face of any man but would boldly reprove as Elias even the highest In all the Changes that went over his head in all the Controversies of the times wherein he exercised his Ministry he was a most strenuous assertor of the Truth and a most couragious opposer of errour and innoviation and that even while some higher then others by head and shoulders in their own eyes did basely and unworthily betray their cause he feared not the face of man in the cause of Jesus Christ He durst tell the greatest person he had to do with of their faults upon just occasion in the worst of Times He was a hammer

Gods blessing setled and established upon sure foundations That now was the onely time I will not say but surely in all good reason it was a very seasonable time When people are high and full earnest and that generally and it being almost the onely talk of bringing in the King was it not seasonable upon a solemn Fasting day to minde people of being more carefull of bringing King Jesus into their hearts then any mortal King unto the Throne And inasmuch as sin the sins of the people for that way I carried it had destroyd our former King that therefore they should beware lest by their sinnes they destroy the latter Had I said any thing by way of opposition or had I not very frequently upon all occasions and that not in corners onely but openly declar'd my judgement for the coming in of the King it had been something But surely these men have some prejudice against my person But whether they have or no thus much I tell them in the fore quoted words of the reverend Dr. in the Preface and where this exception is in part answered I will no more learn of them how to preach then they will learn of me to buy and sell And so I leave them And now upon the whole matter I will draw towards a close with this request to those who may be Auditors hereafter that they would not by ignorant or wilfull mistakes or if reports make the reproach of Ministers a means to repair their decayd and broken fortunes in taking up or carrying on and telling lies to those whom they have a mind to ingratiate themselves withal and may as they hope lift them up out of their low condition I must tell you sirs in few words for I have gone beyond what I intended already in thus doing belying and reproaching the Ministers of the Gospel you do but the Devils business Satans greatest design is to hinder the progress of the Gospel And he well knows contempt of the Minister brings neglict of his Doctrine It is a truth so clear in your own experiences that I need not say more to it And consider you are hereby injurious not onely unto us weakning our hands that we cannot reap the desired fruit of our labours But you injure both your selves and others of our people who by your evill practice and example in this kind are drawn into the prejudice sin and mischief with you I shut up all with this If it be an honour which brings a great reward with it to be instrumentall in the work of mens salvation what can they expect who in any kind hinder it Consider it betimes and be wise for the future TO fill up the void place of my paper I thought good to add a testimony or two conducent to my purpose in the preceding Vindication and that from a witnesse not to be suspected of partiality in this matter And that is Dr. Laud Archbishop of Canterbury taken out of his own Diary or Day book of every days observations under his own hand and found with him by Mr. Pryn when he searched him and his Lodgings in the Tower And this I have in a Book published by Mr. Pryn intituled A breviate of the Life of William Laud c. where page 21. you have this passage recorded June 14. This day John Bastwick Dr of Physicke Henry Burton Batchellor of Divinity and Will Pryn Barrester at Law were censured for Libels against the Hierarchy of the Church June 26. The speech I then spake in the Star-Chamber was commanded by the King to be Printed and it came out June 25. I suppose the first June 26. should have been June 16. And this now manifestly evidences their sufferings were not for any offence against the Civill State And what power that Bishop then had to tyrannize and how they did rage for things of their proper concernment And what was the cause of the tumults in Scotland which we all know led in the tumults in England the same Bishop who best knew it will tell you In the same page thus April 29 1638. The tumults in Scotland about the Service-Book offered to be brought in began July 23. 1637. And continued increasing by fits and hath now brought that Kingdom in danger No question there is a great concurrence between them and the Puritan party in England a great aym there to destroy me in the Kings opinion c. Mark here These 3. men suffered in June 37. and the Tumults began the next moneth following and so went onwards And did they prosper And he here acknowledges these tumults began about the Service-Book Which what a one it was and how differing from ours you may read in another Book of Mr. Pryns entituled Hidden works of darkness brought to light discovering the practices used to usher Popery into our Realms I 'le add one testimony more out of the former Book page 22. Thursday Decemb. 5. The KING declared his resolution for a Parliament in case of the Scottish Rebellion The first movers to it were my Lord Deputy of Ireland my Lord Marquess Hamilton and my selfe And a Resolution voted at the Board to assist the King in extraordinary wayes if the Parliament should prove peevish and refuse c. By the Board he means the Councel-Table Observe here now who and why and whence came all our Troubles And how per fas aut nefas it must be carried on as it was to his the Kings and the Kingdoms undoing And see if the Parliament answer not their ends in this good Bishops language they are peevish THE END