Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	natural_a	spirit_n	1,503	5	5.1182	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36258	Two letters of advice I. For the susception of Holy Orders, II. For studies theological, especially such as are rational : at the end of the former is inserted a catalogue of the Christian writers, and genuine works that are extant of the first three centuries.	Dodwell, Henry, 1641-1711.	1672 (1672)	Wing D1822; ESTC R16080	115,374	358

all others of that kind given primarily and originally for the publick use of the Church so certainly such of them as were committed to writing and designedly propagated to future ages must needs have been of a general and permanent concernment And Thirdly the Church concerned in those Prophesies cannot onely be those Ages which were to survive their accomplishment but also those before and therefore it cannot be sufficient to pretend as many do that these Prophesies shall then be understood when they are fulfilled but it will be further requisite to assert that they may be so before For the onely momentous reason that must be conceived concerning these as well as other Revelations must be some duty which could not otherwise have been known which must have been something antecedent for all consequent duties of patience and resignation are common to them with other Providences and therefore may be known in an ordinary way Now for antecedent duties such as seem to be intimated in the Prophesies themselves where any are mentioned nothing can suffice but an antecedent information Besides to what end can this post-nate knowledge serve for satisfying Christians of the Divine prescience upon the accomplishment of his predictions This is needless for they already profess themselves to believe it Is it therefore for the conviction of Infidels But neither can this be presumed on a rational account For how can it be known that a prediction was fulfilled when it is not known what was predicted or how can it be known what was predicted when the prediction is so expressed as to be capable of many senses and no means are acknowledged possible for distinguishing the aequivocation Nay will not such a design of ambiguity seem to such a person suspicious of that stratagem of the Delphick Oracles to preserve the reputation of a Prophetick Spirit by a provision beforehand for avoyding the danger of discovery For indeed this kind of Prophesie will be so weak an argument for proving Divine Inspiration as that indeed it may agree to any natural man of ordinary prudence For in publick affairs the subject of these Prophesies which proceed more regularly and are less obnoxious to an interposition of private liberty the multitude who are the causes of such evolutions generally following the complexion of their bodies and therefore being as easily determined and therefore predicted from natural causes as such their complexions it will not be hard at least very probably to conjecture future contingencies from present appearances of their natural causes And then by foretelling them in ambiguous expressions he may provide that if any of those senses of which his words are capable come to pass that may be taken for the sense intended so that a mistaking in all but one would not be likely to prejudice his credit And at length if all should fail yet a refuge would be reserved for the superstitious reverencers of his Authority that themselves had rather failed of understanding his true sense than that had failed of truth especially if among a multitude of attempts but one hit in one sense as it is hard even in a Lottery that any should alwayes miss much more in matters capable of prudential conjectures that one instance of success would upon those accounts more confirm his credit than a multitude of faileurs would disparage it because in point of success they would be confident of their understanding him rightly but in miscarriages they would lay the blame not on the prediction but their own misunderstandings Now seeing this way is so very easily pretended to by Cheats beyond any probable danger of discovery it cannot to persons not already favourably affected who onely need conviction prove any argument of a Divine inspiration and therefore will even upon this account be perfectly useless Supposing therefore that it is necessary that these predictions be understood before as well as after that they are fulfilled it will follow Fourthly that where they were not explained by the Prophets themselves there they were intelligible by the use of ordinary means such as might by the persons to whom the Revelations were made be judged ordinary For that they should be explained by new Prophets to be sent on the particular occasion there is no ground to believe and if these Prophesies were so expressed as that they needed a new Revelation for explaining them they must have been useless and indeed could not have deserved the name of Revelations they still transcending the use of humane means as much as formerly For if they had been revealed formerly what need had there been of a new discovery and if this need be supposed it must plainly argue that the former pretended Revelation was not sufficient for the information of mankind in the use of ordinary means and that which is not so cannot answer the intrinsick ends of a Revelation This therefore being supposed that old Revelations are thus intelligible without new ones it must needs follow that their explication must be derived from the use of ordinary means And then for determining further what these ordinary means are that might have been judged such by those to whom these Revelations were made I consider Fifthly that this whole indulgence of God in granting the Spirit of Prophesie was plainly accommodated to the Heathen practice of Divination This might have been exemplyfied in several particulars Thus first the very practice of revealing future contingencies especially of ordinary consultations concerning the affairs of private and particular persons cannot be supposed grounded on reason otherwise it would have been of eternal use even now under the Gospel but a condescension to the customes and expectations of the persons to whom they were communicated and Secondly that an order and succession of Prophets was established in Analogy to the Heathen Diviners is by a very ingenious person proved from that famous passage of Deut. XVIII 15. 18. to which purpose he also produces the concurrent Testimony of Origen Cont. Cels L. I. and Thirdly that the sense of the Platonists and other Heathens concerning Divine Inspiration its nature and parts and different degrees and distinction from Enthusiasm does very much agree with the notions of the Rabbins concerning it will appear to any that considers the Testimonies of both produced by Mr. Smith in his excellent Discourse on this subject Hence it will follow Sixthly that as this Divination of which they were so eager was originally Heathenish so they were most inclinable to make use of those means of understanding it to which they had been inured from the same principles of Heathenism especially where God had not otherwise either expresly provided for it or expresly prohibited the means formerly used and those means others failing were most likely by them to be judged ordinary And that Oneirocriticks were the proper means among the Heathens for explaining their Divinatio per somnium answering the Jewish degree of Prophesie by Dreams and indeed the principal art of the

them abuses never so universally received if not Canonically decided might be reformed and Thirdly considering that a preservation of their Authority and a prevention of Innovations which they conceive effectually performable onely by that pretence seem to be their principal inducements to it may be thus provided for by being themselves the Authors of such Reformation it may be they might not 〈◊〉 it so inexpedient to yield even this which seems to be the principal cause that makes our breaches irreconcileable And certainly if it would please God to inspire Governours with a serious and industrious and candid yet active Spirit for the service of the Church much more might be done that is for the Restoration of Religion and unity and the prevention of those daily scandalous both O●inions and Practices which all good Christians do so seriously deplore and that he would be pleased to do so their con●ederated prayers and endeavours might be very available Letter I. CONTENTS THE Introduction Numb I. The design of the following Advices II. The danger of miscarriage in the Clerical Calling the consequent necessity of a Call from God for undertaking it how we are to judge of this Call in a rational way the general requisites thereunto III. The first requisite A pure Intention what it is and how to be tryed IV. V. VI. The second requisite Natural Gifts how we may hence conclude a Calling VII Why these Gifts are called Natural What they are that necessary in regard of knowledge All Theological knowledge not simply necessary for every ordinary Parochian but what is more immediately practicall Men are to be fitted for further knowledge by the practice of what they know already VIII The great use and probable successfulness of this Method in reducing Hereticks or Schismaticks IX The knowledge of a Clergieman ought to be not onely that of a Practitioner but that of a Guide Hence is inferred First a necessity of knowing and understanding Fundamentals wherein all agree as of the Apostles Creed From whence is also further inferred a necessity of understanding First the Scriptures and therefore the Originals wherein they were written especially the Greek X. XI Secondly the Fathers of the first and purest Centuries The necessity of this XII The expediency of it XIII Secondly a necessity of skill in such Controversies as divide Communions XIV Thirdly a skill in Casuistical Divinity The insufficiency of Pulpit-reproofs and the necessity of dealing with particular Consciences in order to the Reformation of particular persons XV. XVI XVII Requisites for inducing the People to a practice of their duty when known First a skill in the Ars Voluntatis XVIII Secondly Boldness and Courage in telling them of their duty How necessary this qualification is and how much to be tendered How it may be best performed without offending on the other extreme of petulancy XIX Thirdly a sweet and sociable yet grave and serious Conversation How these two seeming contradictory extremes may be reconciled XX. Fourthly a holy and exemplary life XXI That their Lives may be exemplary two conditions are necessary First that they be Excellent XXII Secondly that their Excellency he conspicuous How this conspicuity may be so contrived as that it may not hinder Humility and Modesty XXIII The last requisite a firm and stable Resolution How to be tryed XXIV These Advices seasonable for such as have already undertaken Orders as well as such as onely design them That these personal qualifications will supersede the necessity of particular Rules XXV Two things further requisite for a nearer accommodation of the forementioned qualifications to practice First that an observation of them from a principle of Divine love and on a rational account is more expedient both for personal comfort and publick edification XXVI Second some general Rules in managing a Parochial Cure for bringing the People to a ruleable temper XXVII The Catalogue of the Writings of such Christian Authors as Flourished before the Conversion of the Romane Empire to Christianity Pag. 131. Letter II. CONTENTS THE Introduction and Heads of the ensuing Discourse Numb I. What is meant by Scholastical Divinity What to be observed in Oratory The Light and Certainty of the Rational Faculties supposed anteedently to all Theological proof II. A method of managing Reason most advantageously in Theological Controversies III. The usefulness of Reason and School-Divinity In what principal Controversies they are especially seasonable IV. A censure of School-Divinity and how it is to be used V. The most accurate way of finding out the sense of the Scripture The use of Philological Learning in general in order hereunto particularly First of those Tongues wherein they were Originally written Secondly the Idioms of those Tongues Thirdly the Idioms of the Writers Fourthly the Antiquities the Customes of the Zabij Chaldaean and Phaenician their History Chronology and Geography The way of judging the Testimonies of the Fathers concerning Traditions VI. The use of Saecular Philosophy in order to School-Divinity VII The use of Saecular Learning to the Text of the Holy Scriptures of the ancient Greek Poetry of the Greek especially the Stoical Philosophy An Apology for it VIII The means for unriddling the mystical senses of the ancient Poets and Philosophers and Publick Idolatries of the Heathens the Oneirocriticks and Hieroglyphicks An Apology for their use in expounding Prophetick Books of Scripture IX The Authors to be read for initiating a young Student in each of the particulars advised X. The Method to be observed for preventing distraction in so great a variety XI ERRATA THE most material Errata that might prejudice the sense or prove any other way inconvenient are already corrected with the Pen. Some others there are of less momen● which upon occasion of this vacancy are here presented as Pag. 18. l. 14. for advant ag●ously read advantagiously P. 22. l penult for especially r. especially p. 51. l. penult for Besides r. Besides p. 54. l. 25. for i ● r. in p. 55. l. ● for he p r. help p. 231. r. 131. p. 163 l. 11 for oppotunities r. opportunities p. 179. l● ult for wholy r. wholly Letter I. A Letter of Advice to a young Student designing the Susception of HOLY ORDERS SIR I. HAving got that opportunity of fulfilling your Requests since your departure which I wanted when you were present because besides the gravity of the Subject whereon you have employed me and my own natural aversness from such insignificancies and the necessity now if ever of plain dealing I believe your self would rather have it bestowed on material Advices ●●an empty Complements I shall therefore like the downright and truly just Areopagites 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make use of it without any further Ceremonial Addresses II. First therefore when you desire Advice for your Behaviour in that holy Function you design to undertake I hope you do not intend that I should be prolix in insisting on particulars For both that has already been performed at large by many others