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	fruit_n	good_a	2,614	5	4.5284	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42516	The frauds of Romish monks and priests set forth in eight letters / lately written by a gentleman in his journey into Italy, and publish'd for the benefit of the publick.	Gavin, Antonio, fl. 1726.	1691 (1691)	Wing G390; ESTC R31723	231,251	433

to their Mothers I have observ'd That these Priests do commonly take for the Subject of their Story some Miracle or other which they pretend to have been wrought in their Church I entred once into a Chappel where one of these young Catechizers was Informing his young Scholars the Chappel was Dedicated to S. Martin They ordinarily Paint this Saint on Horseback and with his Sword cutting off the Half of his Cloak to give it for an Alms to a poor Beggar 'T was in this posture his Statue which was of a very pure White-Marble represented him on the Altar of that Chappel When the Catechizing was over the Priest began to tell these Children a very pleasant Story concerning this Statue He told them That a Good Curate of that Parish had often seen him very fairly come down from the Altar and Running a full Gallop out of the Church that one day having taken the liberty to ask him Whither he was a going S. Martin told him That he was hasting to the Assistance of a very honest Man who had procur'd many Masses to be said at his Altar and being at present fallen into the hands of Robbers in the midst of a Wood was in great danger of his Life but that he hop'd to come timely enough for his Relief and that at his Return he would give him an Account of the Success of his Enterprize The Catechizer flourish'd his Discourse with Circumstances so extravagant and ridiculous that it was impossible to forbear Laughing For he gave a very particular description of S. Martins whole Journy upon his Horse of Marble how he Rid a full Gallop over Trees Rivers Cities and all The poor Children all this while Listned to him with profound Silence and Attention But the conclusion of all and the Cream of the Jest was That every one that bore a great Devotion to that Chappel and procur'd Masses to be said there in honour of S. Martin might assure themselves never to perish on the High ways by the hands of Robbers The next day I had occasion to speak to my young Clergy-man and put him in mind of his Marble S. Martin whom he had made to Ride Post for a Diversion to his Scholars He answer'd me Smiling What would you have one do Sir 'T is the Custom of this Country to entertain the Children that come to be Catechized with such Stories as these because without this we should have none of their Company It is impossible to tell them always True ones and therefore we are sometimes fain to be beholding to our Inventions for them Things are only so far Evil as they produce ill Effects but these sorts of Stories cannot but in time bring forth very good Fruits as that of inspiring them with great Confidence in the Saints and obliging them to Pray and cause Masses to be said in Honour of them What think you Is not this an excellent piece of sound Morality And are not these Children think you well Taught They are call'd to the School of Truth and yet they teach them nothing but Lies In the mean time there is nothing capable of making a greater impression on our Spirits or of fixing a thing more lastingly in our Memory than what we learn in our first and tender Youth All these Foolish Discourses do not fail of producing very great effects and of passing at last for currant Truth in the Minds of the Papists who besides this are accustomed very glibly to swallow a great number of Absurdities and Contradictions in the Point of Transubstantiation which they so stiffly maintain and this is it probably that has so over-run Italy with Fables and impertinent and ridiculous Stories Yet these People are so infatuated therewith that in case any Honest Man and Lover of Truth should seem too curiously to enquire after these Matters or in the least to disapprove them he would pass for no better than an Heretick Thus a certain person was cast into the Inquisition for saying That He did not believe what was told of the Ass of S. Anthony of Padua that kneeled down to worship the Host to confound the Protestants From this first Cause of Miracles which is the Covetousness of the Clergy I proceed to the Second which is the Slight and Cunning of certain Beggars Poverty is a Well-spring of Great Blessings to those who do bear it patiently taking it as from the Hand of God and making good use of it but withal it is no less a Gulph of all Misery and Unhappiness to those who receive it with a contrary Spirit and I don't believe there is any Wickedness comparable to that of a Wicked Beggar A Wicked Beggar hath no Conscience he is dispos'd to undertake any thing in order to rid himself from the wretched Circumstances of his destitute condition There be many of this sort in Italy who Live by their Wits and Invention There are some that have the Patience to counterfeit themselves Cripples Blind or struck with the Palsie for Five or Six Years together to make the World at least believe that a Miracle has been wrought upon them attributing their Recovery to some Image of the Virgin or to some Saint The Profit which accrues to them by this is That the People being informed of the Miracle that hath been wrought for them presently believe them to be very Good Men and Great Friends of God as having receiv'd such Signal Favours from him This makes them to bestow Liberal Alms upon them to have a share in their Prayers Yea it oft happens That some Rich and Devout persons take care of and make such Provision for them that they never want all the Remainder of their Lives The Priests and the Monks also afford them an Allowance when at any times by this means they bring any of their Chappels in Vogue and Request so as they receive considerable Profit thereby I have been shewn many of these Beggars in Convents and Monasteries who Live there amongst the Domesticks in great Ease and without doing any thing The Third Spring from whence Miracles issue in Italy is a Popular Error which is crept in amongst them and at present has taken such deep root that it is in a manner impossible to pluck it up 'T is this Upon the least Accident that happens to the Italians and the least Sickness or Indisposition that seizeth them they make a Vow to some Statue or Image of the Virgin or of some Saint to be deliver'd from it Now it is evident that all Mishaps do not prove Fatal to Life neither do all Diseases terminate in Death so that many times they escape and are restor'd to Health again which by a strange Superstition instead of attributing the Glory thereof to God alone who is the Sole LORD of Life and Death they attribute the Recovery of their Health or their Deliverance from Danger to the Statues or Images to whom they have made their Vows To make their Acknowledgment of the Favour

high as well for the Lights as for the Musicians and Adorners of the Church And in order to the multiplication of these Feasts they have pitch'd upon one Day of the Week for the assembling or meeting together of their Confraternities that of the Rosary meets every Saturday of the Little Scapulary on Thursdays as likewise that of the Holy Sacrament the Confraternity of S. Francis his Cord on Fridays that of the Annunciation on Wednesdays that of S. Antonio on the Tuesdays and lastly the Mondays are peculiarly appropriated to the Confraternities of the Souls in Purgatory So that you see they are fairly provided with Feasts for every Day of the Week and that without counting several other particular Confraternities the Number whereof is unknown to me these which I have mentioned being only the more general They are not indeed all of them to be met with in one Church nor in one and the same Order of Religious for the Rosary belongs to the Dominicans the Little Scapulary to the Carmelites the Cord of S. Francis to the Franciscans the Annunciation to the Soccolanti S. Anthony of Padua appertains in general to all the Religious that live under the Rule of S. Francis and the Souls in Purgatory do not only belong to all the Religious Orders but also to all Parishes and Churches under the inspection of Secular Priests After all this it cannot be deny'd but that those of the Roman Communion are certainly fallen in love with their own Blindness in that they will not so much as take the pains to open their Eyes to see how mise●ably these Fellows gull and cheat them For what can be imagin'd more ridiculous than all these sorts of Confraternities Because S. Francis forsooth wore a Cord or Rope instead of a Girdle they have erected a Confraternity in Honour of it accordingly every Brother of the Society must wear a small Cord These small Cords or Bands do not in the least resemble that which S. Francis wore which I have seen at Assize and is as thick as some of the greatest Ropes that wind up Buckets in a Well but these are very delicately wrought and very artificially Knotted in several places The Custom is to bless them publickly with many Ceremonies and Prayers which being performed they tells us They have the virtue to blot out all Venial Sins to drive away the Devil and troublesom Temptations of the Flesh Most of the Ladies of Italy wear this Cord of S. Francis they ty them round about their Bodies and the Ends of them reach to the bottom of their Petty-coats they are full of pretty little Knots and they serve them to Play withal as the English Ladies do with their Fans or Masks Were it true indeed That these Cords had the power of repressing Carnal Temptations the Ladies of Italy who wear such lovely ones could not fail of being the Cha●est Women in the World and yet I am sure this is not the Commendation that is given them But be it as it will this Cord is a thing so extraordinary Holy that Great Feasts are celebrated in Honour of it every Week in all the Churches belonging to the Franciscans and the Popes have been pleas'd to bestow great Indulgences to all those who shall Enroll themselves in this Society of the Cord. They are only the poor Protestants that do not enjoy all these fair Advantages because they look upon them as no better than meer Folly and for my part I believe they have very good Reason for being of this Opinion and that the surest and safest way is to believe with them That the only thing that can make us of proof against all Temptations and endue us with power to overcome Sin is the Grace of God and that by means of it alone we shall become Conquerors over the Devil the Flesh and the World without the assistance of either Rope or Cord. The Confraternity of the Rosary is no less Superstitiously founded than the fore-going Since the Salutation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin has past in the Church of Rome for the most Holy Prayer that can be made to her the Father Dominicans who pretend to be the greatest Favourites of the Holy Virgin to the end they might have some particular Devotion to distinguish them from the Common have invented that which is now called The Rosary which is nothing else but an aggregation of several Ave Maries there are Tentimes Ten of them in the Rosary and at the end of each Ten they add the Lords Prayer And to the end they may not fail of saying the just Number for in case one only Ave-Mary should chance to be omitted it would be the loss of the whole Indulgence they have brought into use their Pater-nosters or Beads by which they count the Prayers as they say them that there may be no mistake And as it is the Belief of the Church of Rome That the Elements and material Subjects of the Sacraments are not only Signs but Physical Instrumental Causes producing Grace in the Soul For they say That the Water in Baptism the Oil in the Extream Unction and the Matter presented in the Collation of Orders do physically produce Grace in the Soul so in like manner the Popes have affixed to these Beads of Wood Glass or any other Matter the Graces and Priviledges that belong to the Rosary So that if a person should Repeat all the Prayers ordered and established for the Rosary without having one of these Pater-nosters yea tho' to be exact in his Tale he should count them on his Buttons or Fingers yet would he not thereby obtain the Indulgence No by no means there must be Pater-nosters in the case as being the Instrumental Causes of producing Grace in the Soul There are scarcely any Italians but have these Pater-nosters about them either in their Pockets or hanging about their Necks between their Shirts and their Doublets The Ladies carry them on their Arms and they have now-adays made an Ornamental Bravery of it not inferiour to their Necklaces and Bracelets of Pearls and Diamonds They sometimes go abroad without either Fan or Mask but never without their Beads The most common for Women of a mean Condition are of Coral or Amber but the Ladies of Quality have them of Precious Stones or of Odoriferous Pasts adorn'd with the most curious Ribands and garnish'd with abundance of Gold and Silver Medals The greatest Prostitutes would be asham'd to go abroad without their Great Pater-nosters on their Arms which hang down to their Feet not that their Devotion is so great in Running of them over but meerly because it is customary and a kind of necessary Implement for them to trifle with which they cannot well be without Neither do they make any difficulty to ask of their Lovers a Pater-noster for the Price of their Infamous Commerce The Little Scapulary or Habit of the Virgin is a Piece of the same worth and value and belongs to the