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
A49911	Memoirs and observations typographical, physical, mathematical, mechanical, natural, civil, and ecclesiastical, made in a late journey through the empire of China, and published in several letters particularly upon the Chinese pottery and varnishing, the silk and other manufactures, the pearl fishing, the history of plants and animals, description of their cities and publick works, number of people, their language, manners and commerce, their habits, oeconomy, and government, the philosophy of Confucius, the state of Christianity : with many other curious and useful remarks / by Louis Le Compte ... ; translated from the Paris edition, and illustrated with figures.	Le Comte, Louis, 1655-1728.	1697 (1697)	Wing L831; ESTC R15898	355,133	724

Judgment that Nature on the one hand and the Malice of the People of the Family on the other were the Cause of these several Actions made use of all their Medicines to Cure them The Bonzes on the contrary assured them that the Devil was the Author of the Mischief and demanded unreasonable Alms to stop it's Course So that the good People abused on every hand had thrown away all their Estate in Four Years time upon the Covetousness of these Impostors without finding any Benefit However seeing the Distemper afforded them some Intervals they sought up and down in the Cities thereabouts for new Remedies for their Griefs One Day this Idolater going for this purpose to the chief City he found a Christian upon the Road to whom he told his Condition and how miserably he was handled no Question saith the Christian but it 's the Devil that torments you but you well deserve it Why do you serve so bad a Master we fear no such thing because we acknowledge one God whom the Devils adore yea they tremble before his Image and the Cross only that we wear about us hinders him from coming near us If you will accept of a Picture of JESUS CHRIST and you and all your Family will Honour it it will not be long before you see the Effects of it However it is soon tried it shall cost you nothing and you may judge by that that I have no other aim but your Benefit The Idolater consented to it and hanging the holy Image in the most honorable Place of the House he prostrated himself before it with profound Respect and begged every day Morning and Evening of our Saviour that he would vouchsafe to heal his Body and enlighten his Mind His Mother and Daughter followed his Example and from that very Moment the Demons abandoned the Place of which JESUS CHRIST had taken possession These good People growing stronger and stronger in Faith as the evil Spirit gave ground began at last to think of being Converted in good earnest They came to enquire for me at Signanfou the usual Place of my Residence and demanded Baptism of me they had already got themselves Instructed they had moreover got all the Prayers by heart that we teach the late Catechumens But their Distemper making a great Noise in the Country I was willing every Body should be Witnesses of this Conversion and so went to the Village my self hoping this Miracle might settle Christianity therein upon a solid Basis. Just upon my appearing all the Inhabitants followed me to the Place where the Image was still hanging then I begun to tell them that they were not to question the Verity of our Religion God having himself spoken by a manifest Miracle but that I had caused them to assemble to Instruct and Baptize them For in a Word what do you desire more to be convinced of the Weakness of your Gods and the Power of our God the Demon laughs at you so long as you oppose him with nothing but Idols but he is not able to hold it out against the Image only of the Christian's God Do you imagin to escape this God after Death whose Power Hell owns and whose Justice it experiences every Moment The multitude interrupted me by a Thousand ridiculous Objections which I easily answered at last some body told me that the Devil had no hand in the Malady in Question that how extraordinary soever it appeared might proceed from several natural Causes that is said I the most rational Thing you can say but yet does no way extenuate the greatness of the Miracles Let the Malady come from the Devil or from Nature I will not examin that but it is certain at least that the Cure comes from God whose Image this man hath worshipped and there is no less Power requisite to cure natural Distempers than to drive out evil Spirits This Reason should have made an equal Impression on all Minds but Grace that acted differently in the hearts gave place in some to voluntary Obdurateness whilst it triumph'd over the Obstinacy of others Twenty five Persons at last gave Glory to God who alone worketh great Marvels Qui facit Mirabilia magna solus and were shortly after Baptized These Hauntings and Infestations of Demons are very ordinary in China amongst the Idolaters and it looks as if God permitted it so to be to oblige them to have Recourse to him Sometime after this Accident that I but just now Related a Maid just upon her Marriage was attacked with a Complication of several Diseases which the Physicians knew not what to say to and which the Chinese are wont to ascribe to the Demons Her Mother persuaded her to turn Christian and he that was to marry her promised to build a Church to the God of the Christians in case Baptism gave her any Relief As soon as ever this Maid had taken this Course she found herself not only Relieved but perfectly Cured But her Husband was so far from following her Example that he misused her several times for having obliged him to renounce his Faith for the Bonzes perswaded him that this Sickness was but a piece of Artifice in his Mother in Law and this Fancy alone put him into such a fit of Melancholy that he was insupportable to the whole Family but especially to his Wife who from that very instant became an object of his Aversion It was in vain to represent to him his own Mistake and the Malice of the Bonzes for he always protested that if she would not take up her old Religion again he would lead her an ill Life all her Days God to undeceive him suffered the Demon to torment his Wife as before so she relapst into her former Convulsions She was more especially scared at the sight of a great Company of Specters that let her not have an hours rest Thus tost up and down abandoned to her Husband's Inhumanity that beat her Cruelly she in all appearance led a very uncomfortable Life Yet remaining unmovable in her Faith God always upheld her and temper'd and allay'd by the inward sweetness of his Grace the bitterness of these Afflictions he comforted her likewise by sensible Visitations by his Word and by the unspeakable Cogitations that he from time to time infused into her Soul Insomuch that this Condition that gain'd her the Compassion of all that knew her was to her a fore-taste of Paradise She exprest her self much what to this purpose to her Mother in Law who related it to me with Tears in her Eyes for her Husband could not endure that I should see her At first I gave little Credit to this Discourse yet at length I was apt to believe there was something Supernatural in it for one Day coming to a City distant from the chief City where I sojourn'd about Threescore Miles there I found this good Woman with a great Company of Christians of the Neighbour-Towns which she had taken Care to get together being

excuses for what they have done In truth say they we was a little too hasty as well as you was somewhat too long in your grant why should you bring this beating on your self Were it not better to have granted our Petition of your own free will rather than be forced to do it But what is done can't be now undone let us not therefore think of it any more if you will forget what is passed we will guild you over again A few years ago there happened a passage at Nankin which does very well discover what an Opinion the Chinese have of their Gods A Man whose only D●ughter was very ill tryed all the Physicians but without effect he thought it therefore his best way to betake himself to the assistance of his Gods Prayers Offerings Alms Sacrifices and all other means were used to obtain relief The Bonzes who were greased in the Fist promised that an Idol whose power they mightily boas●ed should grant her recovery For all this the Woman dyed the Father out of measure grieved resolved to revenge himself and to bring a formal accusation against the Idol He put in his complaint therefore to the Judge of the place in which after he had livelily shewed forth the deceitfulness of this unjust God he said that he deserved an exemplary punishment for having broke his word If this Spirit said he could cure my Daughter it is palpable cheating to take my mony and yet let her dye If he could not do it what does he signifie And how came he by his quality of Godship Do we Worship him and the whole Province offer him Sacrifice for nothing at all So that he concluded it to be either from the Malice or Weakness of the Idol that the cure was not performed wherefore his Temple he judged ought to be pulled down his Priests shamefully dismissed and the Idol punished in his own private Person The Business seemed of Consequence to the Judge wherefore he sent it to the Governour who desiring to have nothing to do with those of the other World desired the Vice-Roy to examine into it After he had heard the Bonzes who were extremely concerned at it took their part and advised him not to persist in the Cause any longer for said he to him you are not wise to concern your self with these sort of Spirits They are naturally ill tempered and I am afraid will play some ill trick Believe me you had better come to an agreement The Bonzes assure me that the Idol shall do what is reasonable on his part provided you on your part do not carry things too high But the Man who was almost mad for the death of his Daughter did constantly protest that he would sooner perish than relinquish his just rights The Sentence is given for me said he the Idol fancied that he might commit any sort of injustice without punishment because he thought no body would be bold enough to take him to task but he is not so safe as he thinks and a little time will shew which of us is the most wicked and the most a Devil of the two The Vice-Roy could not now go back and was fain therefore to grant a Tryal he sent the case to the Sovereign Council at Pekin who remitted the Tryal to him again he therefore Subpoena'd the parties The Devil who has but too many friends among all sorts of Men had also his share among the Lawyers and Proctors those of them to whom the Bonzes gave largely found their Cause good and spoke with so much concern and vehemence that the Idol itself could not have pleaded better its own Cause Yet they had to deal with a subtil Adversary who had been before hand with them and had cleared the Judges understanding by a large Bribe being thoroughly persuaded that the Devil must be very cunning indeed to withstand so clear an Argument as this last was to the Judges In short after a great many hearings the Man carried his point The Idol was condemned to a perpetual banishment as useless to the Kingdom and his Temple was to be plucked down and the Bonzes who represented him were severely chastised they might notwithstanding apply themselves to the service of other Spirits to make themselves amends for the damage they had received for loving this Can any one who has not lost his senses adore Gods of this Character weak fearful and whom one may affront safely But alas We may flatter our selves that we are never so wise yet how much is our Wisdom distant from Reason when it is distant from the true Faith Instead of coming hereby to a knowledge of the weakness of their Gods the People grow more and more blind every day The Bonzes are above all obliged to keep up their Credit and Reputation because of the advantage they make thereby To bring this about the better they make use of the following Maxims of Morality which they take great care to propagate We must not think say they that good and evil are as confused in the other World as they are in this there are there rewards for the good and punishments for the bad which has occasioned disterent places to be set apart for the souls of Men according to every ones Merit The God Fo was the Saviour of the World he was born to teach the way of Salvation and to make Expiation for all our sins He has lest us ten Commandments The first forbids the killing of any living Creature of what sort soever the second commands not to take another Mans Goods the third not to give up ones self to Impurity the fourth not to Lie and the fifth to drink no Wine Besides these they recommend to the Peoples practise several Works of Mercy Entertain and nourish up say they the Bonzes build them Monasteries and Temples that their Prayers and voluntary Penances may obtain for you exemption from that punishment which your sins have deserved Burn Paper gilt and washed with Silver Habits made of Stuff and Silk All these in the other World shall be turned into real Gold and Silver and into true and substantial Garments which shall be given to your Fathers faithfully who will make use of them as they have occasion If you do not regard these Commands you shall be after your death cruelly tormented and exposed to several Metempsycoses or transmigrations That is to say you shall be born in the shape of Rats Horses Mules and all other Creatures This last point makes a great impression upon their minds I remember that being in the Province of Chansi I was sent for to Christen a sick person It was an old Man of threescore and ten who lived upon a small Pension which the Emperor had given him When I came into his Chamber O my good Father says he how much am I obliged to you who are going to deliver me from a great deal of torment Baptism answered I does not only deliver from the torment of

from me Then did the Vice-roy repent him of his former Proceedings yet was he so far engaged that he thought he could not handsomely go back with any Honour He found it especially very hard to sue to a Missionary for his Friendship whom he but just now treated and that publickly with the utmost D●sdain but yet dreading Prince Sosan's resentment who was the most Powerful and in most Credit of all the Ministers of the Empire On one hand he resolved to stand to what he had done already against the Christians without driving matters any further and on the other hand to dispatch one of his Officers to Pekin to purge and clear himself to the Prince In this interim Father Intorcetta having a secret I●em of the Letter that the Vice-roy had received int●mated to the Father● at Court the small Effect they had produced insomuch that those Fathers resolved to signifie the same to the Emperor in case Prince Sosan should think it advisable Wherefore they rela●ed to him what had passed at Hain-cheou the Obstinacy of the Vice-roy the Affliction of Father Intorcetta the D●nger wherein his Church was the Ruin whereof would infallibly involve in it the utter Ruin of all the Missions in the Empire Since all your Endeavours My Lord added they seem Ineffectual there appears nothing that can put a Stop to the Violence of this obstinate Mandarin but the Emperor's Authority but we should be wanting to our true Interests and what swaies the more with us to the Acknowledgment that we are bound to give for your Favours If we were ruled by any other Considerations than yours The Prince already provoked by the Vice-roy's behaviour was not sorry at this Overture and believed he had now found a fair Opportunity to revenge himse●f So that these Fathers having recommended the Importance of their Affairs to God Almighty wherein the solid Establishment or utter Ruin of Religion was concerned came to the Palace on the 21st of December 1691 and demanded Audience The Emperor sent some Eunuchs his Confidents to know what their Business was The Father presently declared to them the heinous Excess of the Vice roy of Ham cheou as well in respect of the Missionaries as in respect of the Christians under 〈◊〉 Government they added moreover that they had suffered a long time without Complaining in expectation that their Patience would pacifie his Spirit but since the Mischief became every day greater and greater without all hopes of Remedy they came to prostrate themselves at the Emperor's feet as to the usual Asylum of oppressed Innocence most humbly to beseech him to grant to their Brethren in the Provinces that happy Peace they themselves enjoyed at Pekin in the very Sight and under the Protection of his Majesty The Emperor to whom they reported this Discourse had a mind to try the Fathers Constancy and so return'd them no favourable Answer but they never ceasing to represent the Unhappiness this Indifference of the Prince was shortly like to bring them under He sent new Eunuchs to acquaint them that he was amazed to see them so infatuated with the Christian Religion is it possible he bid them tell them that you are always busied about a World whither you are not yet come and count that wherein you are at present as nothing believe me Sirs there is a time for all things make better Improvement of what Heaven instructs you with and deser all those Cares till you cease to live Cares that are profitable to none but the Dead For my part said he in a drolling way I do not concern my self self in the Business of the other World and I do not take upon me to determin upon the Cause of these invisible Spirits Then the Fathers opprest with grief shedding a torrent of tears prostrated themselves to the very ground they conjured the Eunuchs to report to the Emperor the sad Condition whereunto they were reduc'd This would he the first time said they that this great Prince abandon'd innocent Persons and appear'd insens●●●● of our Lamentation Is it because we are unprofitable Strangers that he deals thus with us At least Gentlemen pray tell him that the great God of Heaven and Earth whose Cause we maintain for whom we fight nay and to whom he himself is beholden for all his Grandeur well deserves that he should exert all his Power to make him known and his Iustice in punishing those who do him an injury in the person of his Ministers In fine after all these Tryals this gracious Prince moved with compassion could no longer dissemble his real Sentiments he therefore sent to the Fathers that were still prostrate before his Palace Gate an Officer of his Bed Chamber to acquaint them That he did not allow of the Vice Roy of Ham cheou's Proceedings and that he was willing for their sake to put an end to his unjust Persecution and that in a word there was two ways to accomplish it The first to send to the Vice Roy a secret Order immediately to give satisfaction for Mischiefs past that this way tho' not so Exemplary was the most easie and sure The second to present a Petition and obtain from the Tribunals a favourable Decree for all the Missionaries which would decide all Differences That they should consult amongst themselves what would be most convenient in the present conjuncture and when they had weighed the Reasons on both sides that they should come back the next day to declare to him their positive Resolution The Fathers signified their most humble acknowledgments to the Emperor by customary prosternations and returned full with great hopes of happy success yet very uncertain what course to steer They consider'd on one hand the danger that there was to put their Cause into the hands of the Lipou who always declared against the Christian Religion that in all probability there needed no more to revive all the ancient Accusations which Time seem'd to have consopiated That the Missionaries settled in the Provinces whom they had concealed from the Court till that time would be obliged to quit China or else forsake all their Missions That at least the Proceeding of those who had built new Churches and Converted a great number of Idolaters against the express prohibitions of Parliaments was sufficient to warrant the Vice-Roy of ●am-cheou That in fine things may be brought to that pass by the subtil Devices of our Enemies and secret Undertakings of the Bonzes that they might be so far from quenching the Flame of a particular Persecution as we suppose that we should kindle a general Conflagration in the Empire that would not terminate but in the total desolation of Christianity These Reasons altho' very substantial and solid in themselves were nevertheless balanced by the following Reflections What Protection soever the Emperors might have given till that time to the Missionaries yet they experienced that it was not sufficient to oblige all the Mandarins of Provinces to countenance the

end to a dangerous War You made Father Grimaldi cross the vast Ocean to go into Muscovy with the Letters and Seals of the High Court of the Militia you sent the Fathers Gerbillon and Pereira upon very important Affairs to the very furthest parts of Tartary Nevertheless your Majesty well knows that those who are governed by the Principles of a false Religion never use to serve their Prince faithfully they almost ever abandon themselves to their own Passions and never aim at any thing but their own particular interest If therefore we do exactly discharge our duty and if to this very day we have always sought the publick good it is most manifest this Zeal proceeds from an heart well affected full of esteem and veneration and if we may be bold to say so of a singular affection for the Person of your Majesty On the contrary if this heart once cease to submit to you it would be from that very time contrary to right Reason good Sense and all sentiments of Humanity This being supposed Sir we humbly beseech you to consider that after the fatigues of a tedious Voyage we are at length arrived in your Empire exempt from that Spirit of Ambition and Covetousness that commonly bring other Men thither but with an ardent desire to preach to your People the only true Religion And truly when we appeared here the first time we were entertain'd with abundance of marks of distinction as we have often said already and which we cannot repeat too often In the tenth Year of Chun-●chi they pref●r'd us to the sole direction of the Mathematicks In the fourteenth Year of the same Reign they gave us leave to build a Church at Pe●in and the Emperor himself was willing to grant us a particular place for the burial of our Dead In the twenty seventh Year of your Majesty's glorious Reign your Majesty honoured the Memory of Father Verbiest not only by new Titles but also by the care ●ou took to cause the last Offices to be perform'd to him with an almost Royal Pomp and Magnificence Some while after you appointed an Apartment and Masters to the new French Missionaries to facilitate their learning of the Tartarian Tongue In a word you seem'd so well satisfied with their deportment that you caused the Services they had rendered to the State by their Voyages into Tartary and Negotiation with the Muscovites to be inserted in the Records of the Nation What a happiness Sir and a glory is it for us to be judged capable of serving so great a Prince Since therefore your Majesty who does so wisely govern this grand Monarchy vouchsaseth to employ us and put such confidence in us how is it possible there should be one single Mandarin so irrational to refuse one of our Brethren permission to live in his Province Verily Sir one cannot sufficiently deplore the hard Fate of that good old Man who in a little corner of the Earth humbly requires so much space as is necessary peaceably to spend the remainder of his daies which yet be cannot obtain It is for this reason Sir that all of us your Majesty's most humble Subjects who are here like forsaken Orphans that would injure no body nay who endeavour to avoid Law-Suits Quarrels Wranglings and the least Contestations It is for this reason we say that we beseech you to take our Cause in hand with those sentiments of Equity that are so essential to you have some Compassion Sir upon Persons who have committed no Fault and if your Majesty after being fully informed of our Carriage does really find that we are Innocent we beseech you to let all the Empire understand by a publick Edict the judgment you entertain of our Morals and Doctrine It is for the obtaining this Favour that we assume the liberty of presenting to you this Request In the mean time all and every your Subjects the Missionaries will expect with fear and intire submission what you shall be pleased to appoint touching the Premises In the thirtieth Year of the Reign of Chamhi the 16th day of the 12th Month of the Moon The Emperor graciously received this Petition and sent the 18th of the same Month to the Court of Rites with an Order to examine it and with the first opportunity to make report of it to him but because there is vacation in all the Courts of Judicature in China much about the same time until the 15th of the first Month of the Year following the Lip●● could not Answer till the 18th of the said Month Upon the whole their Judgment was much contrary to the Emperors Intentions and Interest of the Missionaries For the Mandarins having reported at large the antient Edicts enacted against the Christian Religion concluded that this business required no farther discussion and that they were to stick close to the first Orders of Parliaments and of the Court which prohibited upon grievous Penalties the natural born Subjects to entertain the new Doctrine of the Europeans that notwithstanding they deem'd it convenient to preserve the Church in the City of Ham-cheou and to give order to the Mandarins of that Province not to confound the Christian Religion with the seditious Sects of China The Emperor was in a manner as much concerned as the Missionaries at this new Decree when they presented it to him he discovered some trouble at it and left it for several days in his Closet without declaring himself to the end that the Mandarins of Lipo● having notice of it might have time to come back but when he saw their Obstinacy he was not willing to make turbulent Spirits to Rebel and resolved at last tho' sore against his Will to Sign it This News threw the Fathers into a great Consternation and one Chao a Gentleman of the Bed-Chamber whom the Emperor sent to comfort them found them in a condition worthy of compassion He was troubled at it himself for he loves us dearly and hath done us upon several occasions most signal Services This Officer endeavour'd as he had order to moderate their Affliction but whether it was that these Fathers were not Masters of themselves or that they had quite given over all thoughts of keeping any further correspondence with a Prince that had deserted them they utter'd upon this occasion whatsoever the most sensible grief is able to inspire into afflicted Persons What signifie my Lord say they all the Favours it hath hitherto pleased the Emperor to do us since at this conjuncture himself makes them unprofitable Was it to tumble us down in a more illustrious manner that he apply'd himself so long time to exalt us What delight will he take hereafter to see us covered with shame and confusion to serve for a laughing-stock to our Enemies and be a Spectacle to the whole Empire Will that Prince who loved us so dearly will he be able hereafter without being moved at it to hear that the Rabble insult over us That his petty Officers make