Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	find_v	great_a	1,620	5	2.4967	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62467	A sermon preached at the assizes held at Chelmsford in the county of Essex, September 2d, 1691 before the Honourable Sir William Dolben, Knight, one of the justices of the Court of Kings Bench by Stephen Thornton ...	Thornton, Stephen, 1657 or 8-1744.	1691 (1691)	Wing T1061; ESTC R16613	14,636	34

Religion and shall first consider the common Obligations to it then that of National Interest and lastly a Modern Prejudice against it First Common Obligations to Religion are 1. It 's Authority This is that short way of Satisfaction so much in esteem with some of the Philosophers who saved themselves the labour of Reasoning by the Authority of their Masters And what is this setting up Men for Gods but worshipping Error and Impertinence But if the Authority be truly Divine it self is the highest Reason Now that the Religion which we profess has such an Authority was demonstrated by those Persons who were entrusted with the propagation of it in the World not by the pretence of secret Conferences with Nymphs or resort to far distant Oracles as in the known Stories of Numa and Lycurgus but by the active Presence of a Divine Power with them in their Ministry and by a Conduct that might clear their Sincerity to Mankind It would be too much to send those that deny this so many Ages backward they are commonly too weak and lazy to travel so far after an Argument let them then but look about them at the Progress that this Religion has made in the World and give a tolerable account how all this could come to pass without such a Divine Power None speak more of the dulness and unpoliteness of the Apostles than they With what a spiteful sort of satisfaction are the Characters of the same Vertue in Seneca admired in St. Paul blasphemed How have some Heathen Writers in their judgment for fineness of Wit and Expression out-done the Teachers of Christianity Cast into this Account all the Contempts the Corinthians treated their Apostle with thô the most learned of them all his presence weak perhaps homo tricubitalis his speech contemptible without any graces of Oratory 2 Cor. 10.10 Allow all their little Witticisms upon the Apostles mean Accomplishments and way of Life And what does all this come to but that it proves them assisted with a Divine Power 'T is true Tully and Seneca c. spoke fine things concerning Vertue and Felicity but who ever heard of their Conversions in the World A Fisherman under the prejudice of Drunkenness with a plain inartificial speech brings in 3000 Souls Acts 2. A Tent-maker ventures to Preach at Athens the Seat of Learning and the Mechanick finds Proselytes among the Philosophers Acts 17. Look into the present state of the World and where-ever there is Learning and Civility the Writings of these Men are kept are reverenced are consulted as Oracles Never was Philosophy Wit all Science so far advanced and yet the wisest and most accomplish'd of the Age grow old in studying these Apostles nor has all Tully so much Comment as one Paragraph of the Tent-maker It will be hard to perswade any considering Man that all this could proceed from Men of their Figure without the help of a Divine Power St. Paul acknowledges that this treasure was put into earthen vessels and makes advantage of it in favour of the Gospel that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of men 2 Cor. 4.7 We must then confess a Miracle on one hand for either those attributed to the Apostles are true or else the success of Christianity will it self be the greatest Miracle that ever was in the World And take which side you will it proves the Divine Authority of our Religion 2. The Nature of the things it propounds which are of the greatest Consequence to us imaginable The highest Enquiry of our Life is after Blessedness De Finib l. 5. id esse in bonis ultimum secundùm naturam vivere Ex hominis naturâ undique perfectâ c. Omnes sapientes esse beatos sed tamen fieri posse ut sit alius alio beatior and this Christian Philosophy kindly offers us her Hand in the Search Cicero whom I mention for a Pattern has a whole Treatise of Beatitude wherein beside some Learning in sorting the Opinions of the Ancients we find little of any thing positively asserted but That our supream Good is to live according to perfect Nature and that all Wise Men are happy but in several degrees This goes a good way toward a Confession that Beatitude is to be expected in some other state But indeed herein was the weakness of that Philosophy that it still left Men upon the Confines of Felicity But a moderate Proficient in revealed Religion knows more than a whole Age of Philosophers From what cause proceed the Miseries that vex and embitter Humane Life what allays may be given to them here what Corrections of Nature what approaches to be made to the Divine and Original Life That our Souls are immortal and shall subsist in another state wherein they shall better know what belongs to Felicity What Manifestations the Supream Being has made of himself and his Love to the World how to understand and submit to his Providences and make use of all the parts of Life what hope we have of Mercy and what assistance of a Divine Grace by what Duties we may please and enjoy our Creator these are Propositions of our Religion And how worthy are these to employ our most serious Considerations It is only in such that our Minds are match'd with an Object What was Heavenly in them expires while they mingle too freely with the Dust Let our thoughts then arise and soar to the utmost reaches of our Nature and let us distinguish our selves from the Brutes leaving them their own Enjoyments Nothing but Religion can sufficiently vindicate us from being part of the Herd 3. It s Reasonableness This joyned to its Authority is wonderfully obliging without which that might seem Tyranny over the Soul but this brings the engagement of Love Now Religion is Rational as to Points of Faith That God is is as certain as that there is a World as that there is a Cause which it self is not also the Effect of something else He that knows his own frame finds a great many steps of a Divine Wisdom that has been there Reason it self is one of the greatest Wonders and its own Argument of a God The great thoughts of a Soul shew a great Original and it can conceive no less of its Powers but that there is a Being who has them in perfection It self is a little Deity governing its own World which must needs facilitate the belief of something parallel in the Universe And as it is evident from Reason that God is so that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb 11.6 and consequently that there is a future state And thô we were not agreed upon Revelation as to the necessity of a Redeemer it would be no irrational Belief We can't but confess the Debt of a perfect Obedience to our Creator and yet all find a strange Iniquity in their Natures which God placed not there and therefore is not bound to make allowances for which