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	good_a	great_a	3,132	5	2.4770	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93467	A solemn exhortation made and published to the several churches of Christ within this province of Lancaster, for the excitation of all persons therein to the practise of their duties, requisite to the effectual carrying on of church-discipline; and in it the edification of our churches, and the reformation of religion. / By the provincial synod assembled at Preston, Feb. 7. 1648.		1649 (1649)	Wing S4440; Thomason E542_7; ESTC R205958	7,961	16

God hath been exalted and his unsearchable wisdom and rich mercy magnified in not onely the redemption of our lives liberties and estates from the common enemies and the full subduing of them once and again before the Lord and before his people but the bringing forth out of all those perplexed dangerous difficult and cross occurrences of great advantage to us as in many other respects so especially in the establishing of Church-Government in that good measure in which it is setled The progress whereof in this Province we have much cause to admire and study thankfulness for And we confess the greatest defects that now remain concerning it are in the practise of it which is our part and that the unfitness unsetledness averseness and remissness of mens spirits in relation to it is now the great obstruction at which it sticks And we may be jealous lest as the want of love to the Truth hath through the just Judgment of God been a wide inlet in many places to damnable Heresies so the want of a heart in us to use this price in our hand of Church-power may lay us open to destructive disorder We observe also That as mans corruption and Satans malice concurred to hinder Church Discipline while the work of discovering clearing up and publique authorizing of the rule was in hand by raising and keeping up of differences in judgment with hot and doubtful disputes concerning it unworthy aspersions and contempt cast upon it anticipations of mature direction of authority about it by some brethrens rending from our Churches and setting up ways of Discipinle dissonant to it private politique designings under pretences of it a common hatred to Reformation and strictness imposed by it disaffection and discouragement to it by many in places of Power expectation and endeavors for a legal Toleration and an assuming of liberty in Religion for the present the fruitful mother of all Atheism Error false Religion and Profaneness so do they still concur by the same arts and means and that with a higher hand to hinder the putting of it in practise so that by the short experience we have had and the present face of things we may very probably make account to meet with yet as much yea more difficulty in the carrying on of this Discipline then was found in the establishing of it which some men whose counsel is flesh and blood discerning may perhaps take occasion thence to languish in their activeness or wholy to refrain from acting or to stand off from joyning in it and happily to blame the godly forwardness of others but we wish such men better counsellers and hope all those who are acted by principles of conscience and spiritual interest will from the apprehension of such difficulty collect an obligation to more diligence and thence address themselves with greater zeal courage and resolution to the work All these mighty engagements and impulsives brethren and beloved being with serious and right Christian consideration weighed we beseech and exhort you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ That the Government and Discipline of the Church ordained by Christ and set forth summarily by authority in the Ordinance of Parliament of 29. August 1648. be presently faithfully constantly and impartially put in practise in all Church assemblies by all Ministers ruling Elders and other Christians according to the Power or Commandment delivered to them in the Word of God respectively with all other known duties of Religion coming within the cognizance of the said Government and in particular as conducing or necessarily concomitant thereunto these following First That in such Congregations as are not provided of ruling Elders and may afford any number of persons duly qualified for that Office the Minister and People do without delay or excuse proceed with due solemnity to elect such Elders and that the persons so elected take upon them the said function as thereunto called of God and that the Classical Presbytery to which that Congregation appertained or if that be not the Ministers and others nominated by Ordinance of Parliament of 2. Octob. 1646. as sit to be of that Classis proceed to constitute that congregational Eldership to which the said persons are so chosen and the Eldership so constituted to address themselves to the Execution of the Discipline in their Congregation with all diligence and to associate themselves as they have opportunity to the Classical Presbytery which they belong unto That the Ministers of the Gospel give themselves continually to prayer and to the Ministry of the Word that they study to shew themselves approved to God workmen that need not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth that they be eminently and exemplary holy and blameless in their conversation that they be quick sightedly watchful against the springing and spreading of Errors and the breaking out of Divisions within their flocks and that they labor to instruct by way of catechising all the young and weak in knowledg within the same That the Ministers and Elders set themselves diligently to the oversight of their Congregations to discern into and help them in their knowledg and spiritual estate and to discover direct and correct their conversation therein passing over none that profess Christianity within their bounds uncast our of the Church and endeavoring the recovery of those that are cast out That they constantly meet in publique that they may be ready for the addresses of the people and to consult on and apply such means as may be effectual for the edification of the congregation or any member thereof That they rule with diligence and impartiality in the application or releasement of Church censures as the condition of any shall require That they punctually observe the meetings of the associated Presbyteries Classical and Provincial that in matters too hard for their single Elderships or wherein they are appealed from they may reap the benefit of joint counsel authority and prayer and mutually afford the same and that none of them detract grow weary or suffer themselves to be diverted from frequenting such assemblies although the affairs of Church-discipline being so newly entred upon be for the present somewhat extraordinarily pressing The Classical Presbyteries being that one special work of theirs is to superintend them that have the oversight of others are besought to take special care that the Ministers and ruling Elders within their respective Divisions be sufficient for their callings industrious in the execution thereof and unblameable in their walking in which respects their accutest vigilancy is required that the unworthy be timely prevented the negligent or offensive regulated and the unreclaimable ejected All Christians whatsoever are exhorted That they beware of giving any offence to any either by manifest sin or by the appearance of evil remembering that double heavy woe which in the sentence of our blessed Saviour offences bring to wit one to the world another to the offence giver That they carefully avoid all rash or groundless taking